Party members:
We began, as is almost requisite, in a tavern. The Anvil's Rest in Hundelstone, to be precise. Having already hitched a ride on a merchant's wagon from Luskan, Amber, Meryn, and Mr. Mistoffelees had been awaiting the arrival of a trading caravan from Fireshear to bring them to the Ten-Towns in Icewind Dale.
Hildred Highstrider arrives while the party is mid-dinner (hope you're in the mood for hare!) along with a few other passengers disembarking for a quick rest stop. The next morning, you join Hildred in the front wagon as she leads the caravan along the Ten Trail toward Bryn Shander.
But you never arrived.
A boulder had blocked the road - not much of an obstacle, easily dispatched if it were all that stood between you and Ten-Towns. A low rumble quickly proved that notion false as an avalanche swept away the entire caravan, and very nearly you along with it.
Quick thinking and running kept you safe, for now.
Several days' march on the tundra amidst constant wind and endless waves of brown and grey - interrupted only by a magnificent aurora that appears one night - bring you to Dougan's Hole. The locals eye you suspiciously, not accustomed to outsiders, and they seem suspicious in appearance as well - a high prevalance of birth defects, to be sure.
The Town Speaker, Edgra Durmoot, reluctantly greets you and promises aid in exchange for your able-bodied assistance. Seems the usual winter prep was going badly with the vanished daylight. An early storm underscores the need to make haste.
Your best bet now is to hunker down in this unfamiliar village to ride out the cold season.
A small town cooped up for a long winter provides no lack of drama - as is quickly evident. Affairs uncovered, babies conceived, and even human sacrifices to the Frostmaiden on a pyre of flame - all of these things and more characterize the brutal nature of a cold, seemingly endless winter for you three.
Yet you prevail! Half the village endures, thanks to your aid, and you are able to hone your skills (and a good set of cold weather gear) to help in your adventures to come in the Dale.
Travel between the towns becomes possible as residents learn to adapt to this endless season of winter. Conditions are harsh, but spirits endure. Only one question lingers in everyone's minds:
Will the Rime of the Frostmaiden ever end?