On the 24th of Alturiak, the party sails out of Luskan for the port of Fireshear, then up the Ten Trail to the town of Hundelstone, arriving on the 29th. The group purchases provisions and swaps horses and carts for reindeer and sleds to continue on the Ten Trail to Bryn Shander.
But just after crossing the Spine of the World at the North-South Pass, the Sewer-side Squad were ambushed by a group of Ice Orcs.
The guide set to join the team in Bryn Shander, Phantom, had taken the initiative to head south to assist the party after hearing reports of a sudden migration of tribes of the nomadic Ice Orcs in the region. He was able to help counter the dangerous ambush, which included a Frost Shaman and some sort of creature composed of snow that nearly killed Dex and his minion. Dex was further attacked while searching the shaman's body, only to find her backpack was some sort of Mimic.
With a native's knowledge of the terrain and its dangers, and sticking to the Ten Trail, Phantom was able to safely lead the group to the town of Bryn Shander, making great speed with the fortune of clear skies and good weather, although experiencing a cold like never before felt by any but the barbarian.
North of the Spine of the World, the sun remains hidden below the peaks, offering only a few hours of dim light mid-day, then turning the sky once more to a deep darkness - lit on clear nights such as these by brilliant stars and the eerie glow of the Northern Lights. The night of the 1st of Ches, a rumble and streaking of a falling star slashes the dark skies to the north. The ever-superstitious Phantom declares it an omen - a sign of a bright path ahead, while Sudon stares at the space for long moments, in a private contemplation, wearing a grim expression not unusual for him.
Indeed, the good weather holds out - perhaps proving Phantom's omen correct, sparing the group the cruel wrath of a blizzard. And so the adventure begins on the 3rd of Ches in the Year of Three Ships Sailing, with the arrival in the in Ten Towns capital of Bryn Shander. The dark days and nights showing no sign of Spring approaching, though it would be expected to begin in less than a couple tendays on the 19th of Ches.
Journal Entry by Alyks
When I finally saw the snow-capped peak of the lone mountain of Kelvin's Cairn rising from the flat horizon, I felt more than a little relieved. Even though I am told our journey was truly blessed by fair weather conditions, it has not been comfortable or easy for those of us used to civilized comforts.
Descending from the heights of the pass through the Spine of the World, you look upon Icewind Dale: a thousand square miles of barren, broken tundra. I had read these were among the most unwelcoming lands in all the Realms, and within a single day of traveling the lands, I consider the reputation well-earned. Bordered by impassable mountains on the south, an expanding glacier on the east, and an unnavigable sea of countless icebergs on the north and east, Icewind Dale could only be reached the pass between the Spine of the World and the coast, a trail used only by the most hardy of merchants.
For the rest of my life, when my mind recalls this trip, I shall never forget two qualities of life on Icewind Dale: the endless moaning of the wind, as though the land itself was in pain, and the emptiness of the dale, mile after mile of the whites and gray snows, occasionally broken by the severe shard-like rock formations said to include veins of the strange chardalyn crystals.
Yet beneath the skies I am told we have been so fortunate to experience, the stars and the auroras of the northern lights are truly breathtaking - and unlike anything I have seen myself - and with beauty beyond any descriptions from the many books I had consulted. And with that chance viewing of a falling star, I must confess to being awestruck with wide wonder for long moments, framed only by the hushed crinkle of the sleds on snow and the sure-footed steps of the beast pulling them.
We reached our destination at the center of the only remarkable features in all the dale - ten small towns positioned around the three lakes of the region, all within the morning shadow of the only mountain, Kelvin's Cairn, perhaps a long-sleeping volcano. The largest of these towns, would be our first destination - Bryn Shander, enclosed within walls against the threats of the frozen tundra.
Curiously - as we arrived, one of these threats caught my attention in a song children sang as they played - one we would hear in other towns later as well:
"When there's laughter in the night
Out of sight, out of sight.
Run inside, run and hide.
When caught out in the snow
Where to go? Where to go?
Find the Elk, friends will help.
Tekeli-li, woe to face
Move like ghosts from place to place.
Bones to dust, swords to rust
Ravenous, ravenous."
(Next Unwelcome in Bryn Shander)