At the center of the Frozenfar in Faerûn's far north, on the shores of often-frozen lakes and in the shadow of the lone mountain Kelvin's Cairn, cluster a group of small settlements referred to as Ten Towns. Usual summers see temperatures from 11F to 70F, while the unforgiving winters often fall to -40F, with relentless snowfall blown from the Reghed Glacier and the Sea of Moving Ice.
The Northern Means trail runs from Luskan to the town of Hundelstone (130 miles/7 days). Ten Trail runs from the port of Fireshear to Hundelstone (60 miles/3 days), then from Hundelstone through the Spine of the World mountains to the south gate of Bryn Shander (50 miles/4 days in good conditions). Fireshear is 120 miles up the coast from Luskan (2 days sailing by fast ship).
There is an excellent Interactive Map to explore and measure distances and also for adding locations of interest we have our own MAP: Icewind Dale.
Ten Towns
Each town has a unique history, often a resettlement of displaced refugees or explorers from a once-far land.
Once, the Ten Towns held a loose alliance under a Council of Speakers - with one elected Speaker from each. The Council would govern these outland settlers, aid in common needs, and resolve conflicts. The Council was dissolved after the Sunblight Desolation (see Ten little Towns), splitting into two factions: the "Free Towns" as remnants of the prior cooperation, and the "Chardalyn Syndicate", a quasi-criminal and iron-fisted organization founded by Naerth and Vaelish Gant.
The Free Towns (following the Sunblight Desolation)
- Bryn Shander is the largest town - at a trade crossroads, walled, civilized, and lawful. It once hosted the Council of Ten Speakers, now is the seat of the Free Towns Speakers
- Easthaven and Termalaine are respectably-sized towns that remained dedicated to the prior alliance.
- Good Mead struggles to rebuild after extreme devastation and continued harassments and retribution by minions of Auril.
- Lonelywood, has thrived with the opportunity to start anew - its people content with its remote anonymity, and common speculation they contain powerful individuals in retirement.
The Chardalyn Syndicate
- Targos is the only town nearly as large as Bryn Shander, and is relied upon for its heavily commercialized fishing. It is also walled and run with strict order.
- The town of Bremen is now the seat of the wizard Vaelish the Brown, a hero defending its people during and after the Desolation. Aided by his enchantments, it is also raising wall defenses.
Orphan Towns
- Caer Konig was largely wiped out in the Desolation and subsequently taken by force by Clan Sunblight, establishing this as their new home and stronghold, negotiated with the Muzgardts in the surrender of their Stronghold at the foot of the Spine of the World mountains. Its keep is being rebuilt by the Duergar, whose interests are aimed downward into the Underdark, seeking isolation from above.
- Caer Dineval is now a militaristic settlement centered on the tower keep, and seat of the Knights of the Black Sword.
- Dougan's Hole has become an even more extreme version of its prior self - eerily quiet and shunning interaction, a place for hermits and outcasts.
Lakes
Three lakes are fed by the spring runoff from Kelvin's Cairn. The largest and deepest lake is Maer Dualdon, whose famed knucklehead trout supply the towns with food and bones for scrimshaw art. Lac Dinneshere is more dangerous, its waters blown by harsh winds off the tundra. Its waters flow into a stream called Redrun, which feeds the third lake called Redwaters (named for a bloody battle).
The Sunblight Desolation of 1492 DR
In the Year of Three Ships Sailing, on the 28th and 29th of Tarsakh, an attack on the towns by Xardorok Sunblight and his Chardalyn dragon severely altered the territory's people and politics. (See: Ten little Towns).
- Townspeople Casualties were estimated to be well over a thousand by the end of the first Tenday of Mirtul. Less than half the people died from the attacks themselves - most froze to death or starved in the aftermath.
- Town Speaker Casualties included: Trovus of Caer Konig, Crannoc Siever of Caer Dineval, Dorbulgruf Shalescar of Bremen, and Edgra Durmoot of Dougan's Hole. Several who died of exposure to Auril's elements return as Coldlight Walkers, dealing more damage to the living.
- Council of Speakers: effectively now disbanded - two rival alliances emerged from the strained resources left and disagreement regarding who paid the dearest in the attacks.
- The Everlasting Winter: While all the towns have now put an end to the sacrifices - and the Children of Auril are cast out into the wilds, banished from the towns - with an even more vicious hostility launched by Bremen and Targos. The White Inquisitor seems to have retreated - she appears rarely and only briefly. Yet the blizzards and cold have continued to be unrelenting - even ice fishing requires deeper and deeper drills.
The Free Towns
- (Leader: Duvessa Shane/Speaker for the Free Towns / Center: Bryn Shander)
- includes Termalaine (Speaker for the Maer and Mine, Oarus Masthew) and Easthaven (Speaker for the Lac, Danneth Waylen).
- Follow a more "socialist" order of banding together and sharing resources to survive the harsh environment.
- Crucial support from the Clan Battlehammer Dwarves of the Valley, who establish the Bright Moon Caravan, an order of patrols guarding (all of Ten Towns') roads and passes and keeping trade moving.
- The remaining settlements, in ever-changing states of recovery and restoration (and cycles of ruin) remain welcome to join (but generally lack the people and focus to participate meaningfully more than as a gathering of settlers).
- (Speaker for the Forest) Nimsey Hussle of Lonelywood is perhaps the most supportive, allied through Termalaine.
- Survivors of Good Mead struggle to rebuild as the import of the Muzgardt Darklake Ale has taken prominence.
- Reliance on the Knucklehead Trout from Easthaven, trade from the Caers' fishing has essentially ended, and Bremen and Targos aggressively control fishing in Maer Dualdon.
The Chardalyn Syndicate
- (Leader: Naerth Maxildanarr/ Center: Targos) - the name is less about using chardalyn than naming the dark event that led to the syndicate's creation.
- includes Bremen (Speaker Vaelish Gant) and a truce with the Sunblights of Caer Konig (negotiated by Clan Muzgardt).
- Follow a more "capitalist" order of profiteering and fierce competition for resources - survival of the fittest.
- Crucial support from the Zhentarim and Duergar of the Underdark, who have built a deep but widening spiral passage connecting Targos through the Upperdark to the Middledark Wastelands - and a patrolled "subway" via beast-drawn minecarts to the Upperdark of the Spine Stronghold.
- Prominence of organized and efficient food (trout of Maer Dualdon) and drink (Darklake Ale) aggressively traded across the towns.
- Focused and driven hostility toward the Children of Auril, the White Inquisitor, and even Auril herself seems backed by potent powers - likely tied to the Zhentarim, Arcane Brotherhood, and the dark powers that each of those are believed to employ. The Auril fanatics have been ruthlessly left to die in the elements, shunned for food and shelter, and hunted down. This includes bounties on minions such as Yeti, Ice Trolls, and Coldlight Walkers. (This hostility may be brewing a war with the Frost Giants, whose usually small hunting parties have been growing to larger battle-ready groups).
The Dark Towers
- Caer Dineval has consolidated itself under the overt leadership of the Knights of the Black Sword. Its leader is a tiefling named Kadroth, but it would seem much of its power is wielded through an alliance with a wizard of the Arcane Brotherhood named Avarice. Once secretive and spare in their agenda, the town is now essentially a Black Sword stronghold. These strict and disciplined soldiers run the town as a military compound - cautious and formal in trade and travel relations, and pursuing expeditions questing for lore and artifacts toward a clearly-stated agenda to end the Everlasting Winter.
- Caer Konig has become the seat of power of the displaced Xardorok Sunblight. His nearby secret outpost and the returning of troops deployed during the Desolation, afforded him sufficient defensive strength against the weakened towns to consolidate here with his son Hjalthrun as Captain of the Guard. The business-is-business-minded Muzgardts negotiated the formal surrender of Sunblight Stronghold to them (becoming Spine Stronghold), and allowed for the Sunblights to stand at Caer Konig. This town is now downward-facing - hostile but mostly indifferent to the other surface settlements, they have rebuilt a tower at the site of the ruined Caer and plunged into the Underdark.
(See also: wiki)
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