Chapter 3 - Introduction

A vast frontier serves as the backdrop for this story. As it turns out, giants are everywhere and wreaking all sorts of havoc, from the Sword Coast to the desert of Anauroch. This chapter describes this setting, beginning with an overview of the Savage Frontier and some of its key inhabitants, then presenting descriptions of specific locations. The chapter concludes with three encounters that help propel the story forward:

• In the “Old Tower” section, adventurers meet a lonely hill giant with an axe to grind;
• The “Inner Circles” section describes a series of teleportation circles that the adventurers can use to expedite travel;
• The “Harshnag” section introduces adventurers to a frost giant who means to help them

Until the characters find a more expeditious means of transportation, they will be doing a lot of overland traveling. Chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide provides advice and tools to help make wilderness travel fun for you and the players, as well as rules for foraging and becoming lost. You can use the travel-montage approach or the hour-by-hour approach, or you can experiment with both to see which approach works best for you. That chapter also includes a table to randomly determine the weather and a table of random urban encounters (useful when the adventurers arrive at a city).

Peoples of the North

The Savage Frontier, or the North, is a harsh and untamed wilderness dotted with fortified settlements and the lairs of terrible monsters. In hundreds of bloodcurdling tales of danger and hardship, the North is portrayed as a vast, cold, and lawless domain that defies all attempts to civilize it. Grim dwarfholds, tribes of fierce barbarians, and half-legendary elf realms might stand for a short time, but none are destined to last. An orc horde or a flight of dragons could sweep them all away tomorrow, leaving nothing but mile upon unmapped mile of wilderness.

The Savage Frontier lies between the Sword Coast and the desert of Anauroch, extending as far north as Icewind Dale and as far south as the city of Waterdeep. The denizens of the North are accustomed to cool, mild summers and fierce, bitter winters. Beacons of civilization hug the Sword Coast and dot the fertile river valleys, yet despite the abundant natural resources and scenic beauty, survival is a day-to-day concern for the people who live here.

The North is a land of great mineral wealth and seemingly limitless stands of timber. Here, too, can be found the wealth of history-the plunder of lost civilizations such as Illefarn and Eaerlann, the ancient kingdoms of the gold elves; Delzoun, a long-buried nation of dungeon-dwelling dwarves; and Netheril, a fallen empire of human spellcasters. Throughout the Savage Frontier lie the ruins and dungeons of these and other “forgotten realms.” Cities such as Waterdeep, Mirabar, and Neverwinter would like to claim this wealth and knowledge for themselves, but enforcing such claims is next to impossible. The cities have a hard enough time protecting their farmlands and roads from brigands and monsters.

Civilized Folk

Humans are the most widespread of the civilized races, but no unified human nation exists in the North-only individual cities, towns, villages, fiefdoms, farmsteads, fortresses, and outposts connected to one another by long, mostly unprotected rivers and roads. Human settlements rely on various industries for survival. For example, most of the humans of Ten-Towns and Port Llast are fishers, the humans of Mirabar and Leilon are primarily miners, and the humans who live in Beliard, Triboar, and other settlements of the central Dessarin Valley are mostly farmers. Coastal cities such as Waterdeep, Luskan, and Neverwinter-as well as riverside cities such as Yartar, Everlund, and Silverymoon-are home to human traders, shipbuilders, and artisans.

Although each city of the North enjoys and maintains its independence, all these communities are at risk of being overrun by the monstrous threats that live outside their walls. Fear of the wilderness and its many terrors led to the formation of the Lords' Alliance, a loose confederacy of human-dominated settlements built on mutually beneficial trade agreements and a willingness to seek out and destroy threats to civilization. Members of the Lords' Alliance include the cities of Waterdeep, Neverwinter, Mirabar, Yartar, and Silverymoon, as well as the towns of Amphail, Daggerford, and Longsaddle and the dwarfhold of Mithral Hall. Baldur’s Gate, a city hundreds of miles to the south, is also a member.

Within the settlements of the North, one can find humans, dwarves, elves, and other civilized races commingling more or less peacefully. Waterdeep, in particular, is a melting pot of races from all over Faerûn. Outside these communities, however, people have much less tolerance for other races, as folk tend to feel safer among their own kind. Small towns and villages dominated by humans tend to have few if any nonhumans, with most dwarves, elves, and halflings preferring to live in their own settlements, far from human-claimed lands. In generations past, most human settlers of the North were fair-haired and light-skinned. Since then, the riches and promise of the Savage Frontier have attracted distant foreigners, and several generations of cultural intermingling have given the humans of the North much more diversity in their appearance (see “Human Names and Ethnicities” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook).

Northlanders

The terms Northlander, Northfolk, and Northmen are interchangeable. They refer to one of several tall, fair-haired, seagoing peoples that ply the cold northern waters and dwell on the islands of the west, including Tuern, Gundarlun, Ruathym, the Purple Rocks, and the Korinn Archipelago. Northfolk ancestors built small villages along the Sword Coast that have since become cities, including fabled Illusk (now Luskan), Eigersstor (now Neverwinter), and Nimoar’s Hold (now Waterdeep). These early Northlanders farmed the rocky coastlines, fished coastal waters, and hunted seals and whales on the open sea. A few tribes of Northlanders braved and explored the orc-infested interior of the Savage Frontier, and these became the ancestors of the Uthgardt barbarians and the present-day denizens of Icewind Dale.

Although Northlanders are often referred to as barbarians, not all of them fit this description. Along the Sword Coast, some tribes have become fairly civilized, primarily due to the growth of the coastal cities and the increasing influence of outsiders. These people farm, fish, and mine their rugged lands, then shrewdly trade their goods with foreign buyers. Many once-feared tribes have become merchants whose bartering skills are equal to or better than the warlike talents of their ancestors, such that many a Northlander merchant earns more booty than their raiding neighbors.

Reghed Barbarians

The frozen tundra of Icewind Dale is home to the nomadic Reghed barbarians. They are named after the Reghed Glacier that forms a towering ice wall along the eastern boundary of their domain. Markedly taller than most southerners, with some males approaching seven feet in height, Reghed barbarians have blue eyes and hair of blond, red, or light brown. Their skin is bronzed from the sun and cracked by the wind, giving their faces the look of tough leather set in an expressionless mask. They dress in leather and furs. At one time, scores of Reghed tribes roamed the frozen north. Now, due to wars with orcs and battles against their own kind, not to mention the encroachment of civilization, only four Reghed tribes remain. They follow herds of reindeer on the animals' annual migrations, moving southwest in the winter and northeast in the summer. The barbarians live in large, round tents made of deerskin and supported by beams of wood or whalebone.

In the past, the Reghed tribes were known to raid Ten-Towns for supplies, but now the Tribe of the Elk is learning to live in peace with the more civilized people of Ten-Towns. The other three Reghed tribes-the Tribe of the Tiger, the Tribe of the Wolf, and the Tribe of the Bear-are more likely to attack one another than to threaten their more civilized neighbors, fighting over sustenance at the risk of their own extinction.

A single Reghed tribe is made up of small clans scattered throughout Icewind Dale, each with its own chieftain. The chieftains choose the most powerful among them to be their king or queen-the one around whom others rally in times of crisis. When a monarch dies, the tribe’s chieftains gather to choose a new one. Disputes over who should be named king or queen are resolved through trials by nonlethal combat. Without a unifying leader, a Reghed tribe is more fractured and vulnerable to its enemies. Thus, chieftains are motivated to name one among them who rules above all. A chieftain who becomes king or queen wears that mantle for life.

Reghed barbarians hate orcs, and the Tribes of the Bear, the Elk, and the Tiger will set aside tribal rivalries to destroy them. These tribes will also unite against white dragons and frost giants, since those creatures threaten Icewind Dale’s food supply. The Tribe of the Wolf and its mad king, Isarr Kronenstrom, don’t ally with the other tribes-they are so vicious and bloodthirsty as to be unapproachable. The kings and queens of the other tribes would see the Tribe of the Wolf obliterated, but the Wolf King and his followers are adept at avoiding the traps set for them by their rivals.

Tribe of the Bear

One of the Bear tribe’s two remaining chieftains, Wolvig Barrundson, recently fell under the sway of evil and formed an alliance with a supernatural entity known as the Ice Witch. Her demise also spelled Wolvig’s doom, allowing the sole remaining chieftain, Günvald Halraggson, to declare himself the Bear King. He tries to be honorable, but he is without mercy and doesn’t change his mind easily. He has trouble relating to Ten-Towners and other civilized folk, so he tries to avoid them.

Tribe of the Elk

For the most part, the Tribe of the Elk lives in peace with the Ten-Towners. King Jarund Elkhardt, a towering figure, rules his people with wisdom and care. He has seen other kings rise and fall, has made war with his friends and peace with his enemies, and has led warriors he knew as babes to their deaths in battle. The strain of his long years is written on his face.

Tribe of the Tiger

It is unusual for a woman to lead a Reghed tribe, but Bjornhild Solvigsdottir is no ordinary woman. The fearless wife of King Korold, she fought alongside him in many battles. After a frost giant slew Korold, the formidable Bjornhild took his place. Bjornhild worships Auril the Frostmaiden and is so ruthless that her enemies believe she has actual ice flowing through her veins.

Tribe of the Wolf

Weakened by conflict, the Tribe of the Wolf was without a king or queen for three winters. Its most powerful chieftain, Isarr Kronenstrom, is a bloodthirsty tyrant who worships Malar the Beast-Lord. He hunts Ten-Towners for sport and strikes fear into the hearts of his enemies, many of whom believe he’s the Chosen of Malar. Several members of Isarr’s clan have deserted him or been killed off by rival tribes, but the few that remain are fiercely loyal, Though Isarr’s clan has dwindled in recent years, the other Wolf chieftains fear Isarr and are too weak to challenge him. They are also afraid to ally with the other Reghed tribes against Isarr. Although Isarr calls himself the Wolf King, few others in the Wolf tribe support him in that claim.

Uthgardt Barbarians

The Uthgardt barbarians are a black-haired and blue eyed people-large, hale, bloodthirsty folk with inhuman dispositions. Few Uthgardt are willing to trade with civilized folk. Most are vicious raiders who pillage and destroy any caravan or homestead they come across.

Uthgardt barbarians take their name from Uthgar Gardolfsson, a great hero-chief who battled giants and conquered much of the North before ascending to godhood. In addition to revering Uthgar, each tribe venerates a totem animal spirit after which the tribe is named.

Numerous Uthgardt tribes have been vanquished over the years, and at least one tribe previously thought to be extinct has returned in force. There are currently eleven known Uthgardt tribes scattered throughout the North. Each tribe claims a vast tract of wilderness as its hunting grounds-territory that often overlaps with the hunting grounds of other Uthgardt tribes as well as land claimed by civilized races, orcs, dragons, goblinoids, and other monsters. Encounters with Uthgardt barbarians can occur almost anywhere in the Savage Frontier.

Uthgardt speak their own language (called Bothii), which has no alphabet. Each tribe is made up of several widely scattered clans, each with its own chieftain and tribal shaman. The chieftains of a particular tribe choose one among them to become the great chief of the tribe, with power comparable to a monarch.

Uthgardt barbarians bury their dead under cairns and earthen mounds. These burial sites are scattered throughout the North in out-of-the-way places. Each Uthgardt tribe also has a single spirit mound that is sacred to its people. A spirit mound is where members of the tribe gather to revere Uthgar, honor their ancestors, make sacrifices to their totem animal spirit, and choose a new great chief when the old one dies. The Uthgardt believe that their ancestors trapped their totem spirits under these mounds so that they and their descendants could commune with the spirits and gain their power.

Uthgardt barbarians fear magic so much that they will attempt to kill and dismember spellcasters they meet. Tribal shamans are not attacked because their power comes from the spirits of their dead ancestors. (See appendix C for more information on Uthgardt shamans.)

Uthgardt hunt and forage for food. With one notable exception among the tribes, they don’t build houses or permanent settlements, preferring a nomadic lifestyle.

Of all their enemies, Uthgardt barbarians hate orcs most of all. Even rival tribes will unite against a rampaging orc horde. The Uthgardt treat giants with similar contempt-the legends of the barbarians are replete with tales of how evil giants slew their ancestors and threatened Uthgar’s rise to godhood.

Black Lion Tribe

The Black Lion tribe prowls the northern Silver Marches and the Druarwood, protecting its spirit mound at Beorunna’s Well (which it shares with the Red Tiger tribe). The Black Lions have been known to raid poorly defended homesteads for food and supplies during harsh winters. The great chief of the Black Lion tribe, Stellok Kolraavi, wears armor made from orc hide and has a fearsome reputation. His younger sister, Tysis Kolraavi, is a shaman and Stellok’s only trusted advisor. The siblings venerate Uthgar, and they have no tolerance for diplomacy or for the trappings of civilization.

Black Raven Tribe

The Black Ravens claim the icy foothills west of Mirabar, as well as the Ice Lakes and the land west to the Frozenfar. They like to prey on caravans that travel the Northern Means and the Blackford Road. Black Raven warriors often ride giant ravens (use the giant vulture statistics) into battle. The Black Ravens share their spirit mound at Raven Rock with the Gray Wolf tribe. The great chief of the Black Raven tribe is Ojin Voninsdottir, a cold, heartless woman with an orc-skull helm.

Blue Bear Tribe

The easternmost of the Uthgardt tribes, the Blue Bear tribe was thought destroyed more than a century ago. Recently, clans haunting the High Forest have emerged and begun to spread throughout Delimbiyr Vale, from the Nether Mountains to the northern edge of the High Moor-territory unclaimed by their Uthgardt rivals. The Blue Bears are careful to stay hidden when traveling to and from their spirit mound at Stone Stand, preserving the myth that they are extinct. The tribe’s great chief is a canny old woman named Kriga Moonmusk, who travels in a fur-draped chair carried by four tribal warriors.

Elk Tribe

The Elk tribe (no relation to the Reghed barbarians' Tribe of the Elk) wanders the Evermoors and the land north of the Dessarin River, between Yartar and Noanar’s Hold. The Elk barbarians shun civilization. Their spirit mound is a rocky tor in the southeastern Surbrin Hills called Flint Rock. The Elk tribe’s great chief is Rond Vaarson, an old, battle-hardened warrior who has spilled so much blood that he no longer craves it. Younger chieftains are waiting for him to die so that they can vie for the honor of being his successor, but Rond doesn’t plan on leaving this world anytime soon.

Gray Wolf Tribe

The Gray Wolf barbarians are murderous werewolves, which roam in packs with ordinary wolves. They hunt down and kill those who survive their attacks to prevent the spread of lycanthropy among non-tribe members. Gray Wolf packs (as the clans call themselves) can be found throughout the North, as far west as the Sword Coast and as far east as the Delimbiyr Vale. Adventurers from Neverwinter recently slew the last great chief of the Gray Wolves, Syken Nightblaze. Envir Sykensdottir has taken over her father’s pack and plans to attack Neverwinter to prove that she should be named the next great chief of the tribe.

Great Worm Tribe

The Great Worm tribe has fallen under the sway of a brutal chieftain known as Wormblod. The tribe’s spirit mound is located inside Great Worm Cavern, in the Spine of the World. Wormblod and his tribe strike out from this cavern only occasionally to defend their territory, which includes the surrounding mountains, the Fell Pass, the Frost Hills, the Lurkwood, and the northern reaches of the Silver Marches. The Great Worms also venture into the Crags and the plains west of the Surbrin Hills when food is scarce. Wherever he goes, Wormblod wages war and hoards any treasure he finds.

Griffon Tribe

The great chief of the Griffon tribe, Halric Bonesnapper, is the great-grandson of Kralgar Bonesnapper, who was killed by orcs many years ago. Like his ancestor, Halric longs to wipe out the cities of the North, but his tribe has made too many enemies of late, and its numbers are dwindling. The tribe still maintains a permanent walled settlement in the Surbrin Hills called Griffon’s Nest, but it’s more of a guarded encampment than the welcoming trading post it once was. The tribe’s spirit mound, Shining White, is northeast of the settlement, near an artery of the Surbrin River. Some of the more jaded tribesfolk believe that the Bonesnapper clan has lost Uthgar’s divine favor. Halric refutes such claims by staging bold raids. Griffon barbarians venture as far west as the Sword Coast and as far east as the Silver Marches, and they are known to raid homesteads and ranches in the Dessarin Valley north of Triboar and Yartar.

Red Tiger Tribe

The ferocious Red Tiger tribe shares the spirit mound at Beorunna’s Well with the Black Lion tribe, and the two tribes are tenuous allies. Whereas the Black Lions tend to avoid settlements in the Silver Marches, the Red Tigers attack them often. They also prey on caravans traveling along the roads while skillfully avoiding the heavily fortified keeps built to watch over them. The tribe even attacks boats on the Rauvin River from time to time. Recently, Red Tiger hunters have moved into the forests that surround the Silver Marches, and are even making forays into elf-controlled regions of the High Forest in an effort to find the Grandfather Tree and lay claim to it. Seriska Hungermaw is the tribe’s great chief. She is ruthless yet cautious.

Sky Pony Tribe

During the War of the Silver Marches, Sky Pony barbarians harried and attacked orcs that spilled out of the mountains. Great Chief Arnzan Vashk was badly wounded in one such altercation, leaving him with an orc spearhead embedded in his chest. He refuses to have it removed and tries to hide the pain it causes, not realizing that the tip of the weapon is close to piercing his heart and killing him. The great chief’s rivals are circling and preparing to unseat him. The tribe’s spirit mound, One Stone, lies in the Moonwood.

Thunderbeast Tribe

The spirit mound of the Thunderbeast tribe, a bone-strewn hill called Morgur’s Mound, lies in the Crags. Members of the tribe have not visited the site in years, and there have been no encounters with Thunderbeast tribesfolk in what used to be their favored hunting grounds in and around the Crags. Great Chief Harthulk Hornspear is a monstrous man with a terrible scowl and skin as cracked and tough as dinosaur leather. He has convinced all of the Thunderbeast clans to hide in the depths of the Lurkwood and is arming them for a “stampede” through the Surbrin Hills and the Dessarin Valley to the south-a bold thrust that won’t end until his people or their enemies are all dead.

Tree Ghost Tribe

After years of conflict with other Uthgardt tribes and the elves of the High Forest, the Tree Ghosts have declared themselves to be the protectors of the Grandfather Tree. Rarely seen, these Uthgardt share the High Forest with the region’s native elves. Great Chief Boorvald Orcbane, true to his name, hunts orcs and frequently launches attacks against the crude Iceshield orc-holds along the western edge of the forest. Boorvald has six sons and three daughters, each of whom was given an oathbow from the tribe’s elf neighbors as a gift of friendship. Living among the Tree Ghosts are members of various other Uthgardt tribes who found their way to the Grandfather Tree and gained some measure of enlightenment, such that they have forsaken their tribal allegiances and pledged to help the Tree Ghosts protect the tree.

Orcs and Half-Orcs

The history of the North is replete with tales of orc hordes spilling out of the mountains to attack the mines, ranches, farmsteads, and settlements of other folk. Like the Reghed barbarians of Icewind Dale and the Uthgardt barbarians scattered throughout the frontier, orcs gather in tribes. When a particularly strong orc chieftain unites multiple tribes under one banner, the resulting horde typically rampages across the land, laying waste to strongholds and slaughtering other creatures in its path. Reghed and Uthgardt barbarians usually put aside their territorial rivalries to oppose and destroy a rampaging orc horde. Civilized communities form their own coalitions to combat rampaging orcs, with mixed results. The War of the Silver Marches (1484-1485 DR), the latest such conflict, saw orcs fighting alongside white dragons and frost giants. Though the orcs and their mighty allies were defeated and sent scurrying back to their mountain lairs, numerous settlements throughout the Silver Marches were ravaged and left in ruins, among them the fortress-city of Sundabar.

Not all orc chieftains are bent on destruction: King Obould Many-Arrows forged a tenuous alliance with his dwarf neighbors and helped maintain peace in the Silver Marches during his tumultuous reign.

Half-orcs in the North are often burdened with the evil reputation of their orc cousins. It takes a half-orc of great character to step out of the shadow of evil and live as an equal among the civilized races.

Shield Dwarves

Shield dwarves (also known as mountain dwarves) have a number of strongholds in the North, including Citadel Adbar and Citadel Felbarr in the northern mountains, Sundabar in the Silver Marches, Mithral Hall in the Frost Hills, Ironmaster on the Sword Coast, and Gauntlgrym under the mountains northeast of Neverwinter. Few non-dwarves live in these bastions of dwarvenkind. Outside their walls, clans of shield dwarves are spread thinly throughout the North, to the extent that it’s hard to find a settlement that doesn’t include at least a handful of dwarven residents. The dwarves' affinity for trade brings them in contact with other races; beyond that, there’s also a sense among shield dwarves that all of the North is their land, as evidenced by the ruins of long-lost dwarven kingdoms scattered throughout.

Elves

Sun elves and moon elves, like dwarves, live among humans in settlements throughout the North, particularly in Silverymoon. The elven kingdoms of old are distant memories even to elves, and only a few ancient ruins and relics of these kingdoms survive. Wood elves are known to haunt the forests of the North, the High Forest in particular, but they are dangerous and xenophobic.

Halflings

Small populations of lightfoot halflings can be found in most human-dominated settlements of the North. Scattered throughout the fertile valleys of the North are small clusters of strongheart halfling homesteads. Halfling homesteads tend to be off the beaten path and fairly well hidden, thus minimizing the halflings' contact with bandits, barbarians, and marauding monsters. It’s not unusual to see a quaint hamlet of halfling homesteads nestled in a grassy ravine or along the shore of a river.

Random Wilderness Encounters

Characters exploring the North are likely to encounter wandering monsters. Such encounters can occur as often as you like-but keep in mind that too many random encounters can bog down the adventure and cause players to lose interest in the story. You can roll on the Random Wilderness Encounters table or choose an appropriate encounter. Each encounter is described in more detail after the table. For guidelines on how to use random encounters effectively, see “Random Encounters” in chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

If the characters are crossing terrain not represented in the table, such as a swamp, you can create terrain-appropriate encounters by choosing creatures from the monster lists in appendix B of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Chapter 5 of that book also contains a Random Urban Encounters table, in case the characters find themselves exploring a town or city.

Random Wilderness Encounters

Bandits

A marauding gang of bandits confronts the party. The gang consists of a bandit captain and 3d6+2 bandit, all wearing cloaks and mounted on riding horse. There is a 25 percent chance that the bandits attack without provocation. Otherwise, the captain promises not to attack in exchange for a toll (no less than 100 gp worth of treasure). If the characters pay up, the captain bids them a safe journey before departing peacefully.

Sea

If this encounter occurs at sea, the characters encounter a pirate captain (use the bandit captain stat block) and twenty pirates (use the bandit stat block) on a longship. Longships have a speed of 3 miles per hour. If the vessel the characters are in moves at least as fast, they can successfully flee from the pirates. Otherwise, the pirates overtake the characters' vessel and board it, threatening to kill everyone aboard unless the characters surrender the contents of their ship’s hold. If the characters comply with the pirates' demands, the pirates transfer the cargo and flee with their booty.

Treasure

Each bandit carries a pouch containing 1d10 gp. The bandit captain’s pouch holds 2d10 gp and 1d6 gems worth 100 gp each.

Barbarians

The characters encounter a hostile group of Uthgardt barbarians consisting of 4d6 tribal warrior and an Uthgardt shaman. If the group has twenty or more tribal warriors, add 1d3 berserker and a tribal chieftain (a berserker with 90 hit points) to the group. If the encounter occurs during the day, the Uthgardt are prowling the countryside while hunting wild game; if the encounter occurs at night, they are camped.

Use the information in the “Uthgardt Barbarians” section to choose an appropriate tribe based on the location where the encounter takes place. If these Uthgardt belong to the Gray Wolf tribe, use the werewolf statistics for the chieftain and the berserkers, and give the chieftain 90 hit points. Also give the Gray Wolf chieftain 1d4 wolf as animal companions.

The barbarians carry no treasure.

Sea

If this encounter occurs at sea, the characters encounter 1d3 longships, each with ten berserker and thirty tribal warrior aboard. One of the berserkers serves as the captain. These hostile, bloodthirsty Northfolk raiders hail from Gundarlun, the Korinn Archipelago, Tuern, or the Whalebones. The longships have a speed of 3 miles per hour. If the vessel the characters are in moves at least as fast, the characters can flee from the barbarians and avoid an altercation.

Battlefield

The characters discover the corpses of 3d10 Uthgardt barbarians and 1d4 frost giants. The barbarians and giants appear to have killed one another within the past week. Carrion birds and one or two wolf pick at the corpses and flee if they are startled or attacked.

Cloud Castle

The characters spot a giant castle in the clouds. The castle is drifting a mile above the ground and poses no imminent threat. If this encounter occurs anywhere near the Evermoors, the castle belongs to an evil cloud giant named Countess Sansuri (see chapter 9, “Castle of the Cloud Giants”). Otherwise, the castle is home to 1d6+4 neutral good cloud giant who are searching for ancient ruins built by their ancestors. By finding and rebuilding these ancient sites, the giants hope to please their gods and help cloud giants rise to the top of the ordning. These aloof giants have no interest in helping small folk and prefer to be left alone.

Crag Cats

A group of 1d4+1 adult crag cats hides and attempts to surprise the party. Due to their natural camouflage, the cats have advantage on their Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Dig Site

A fire giant equipped with a rod of the Vonindod has located a particularly large fragment of the Vonindod and has tasked its minions with digging it up. The giant oversees 1d4+1 ogre, 2d6+2 hobgoblin, and 2d6+10 goblin. The ogres are using ropes to pull the 2,000-pound fragment out of a 50-foot-wide, 30-foot-deep crater. The hobgoblins scream at the ogres to put their backs into it. The goblins lie around the outskirts of the crater, picks and shovels scattered between them. The goblins have spent the past several days digging the crater and are suffering from five levels of exhaustion (see appendix A in the Player’s Handbook).

Treasure

The ogres and goblinoids carry no treasure. The fire giant has a sack containing 3d6 × 100 cp, 2d6 × 100 sp, 1d6 × 100 gp, and one mundane item, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Dragon

The characters spot a young copper dragon flying lazy circles over its domain. Adventurers who get the dragon’s attention might be able to bribe it in exchange for a small favor. A sample copper dragon is described below.

Vexilanthus doesn’t consider the party a threat unless they attack him. If the characters mention that they’re on the lookout for giants, Vexilanthus says that he spotted a hill giant prowling around an old tower in the hills. The dragon steers the adventurers in that direction, hoping that they’ll dispose of the giant. If the characters take the bait, see the “Old Tower” section at the end of this chapter. For a payment of 500 gp or more, Vexilanthus will provide safe escort to the nearest settlement.

Elk

The characters come across 2d10 elk (or reindeer). The beasts aren’t hostile and flee if attacked.

Treasure

There is a 1 percent chance per elk present that one of them has antlers of pure gold. Each of its antlers is worth 250 gp.

Elves

A band of 3d6 wood elves offers to escort the party through the forest, steering the characters around the elves' hidden settlements. If they accept the offer, the characters have no hostile encounters while passing through the forest. If the characters refuse, the elves offer no further assistance and disappear into the woods.

The elves use the scout statistics, with the following changes:

• The elves are chaotic good.
• Their speed is 35 feet, and they can attempt to hide even when they are in an area only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.
• They have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put them to sleep.
• They have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• They speak Common and Elvish

Sea

If this encounter occurs at sea, the characters encounter 3d6 friendly sea elves. These elves know the location of Maelstrom (see chapter 10, “Hold of the Storm Giants”) and can lead characters there upon request; they also warn characters about Maelstrom’s whirlpool if they’re headed in that direction. Sea elves use the merfolk statistics, with the following changes:

• The sea elves have the elf subtype and are chaotic good.
• They have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put them to sleep.
• They have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• They speak Common and Elvish.

Fire Giant

A fire giant is searching for lost fragments of the Vonindod. The giant carries a rod of the Vonindod, and 1d4+2 smoke mephit are fluttering around it. The giant is frustrated because weeks of searching have yielded nothing of value. If it spots the adventurers, it puts away the rod and begins hurling rocks at them to alleviate its boredom and frustration. The mephits follow the giants' commands to the best of their ability, though they loathe melee combat. On subsequent occurrences of this encounter, you can replace the mephits with 1d2 hell hound, 1d2 fire elemental, or 1d4+2 magmin.

Treasure

The fire giant has a sack containing 3d6 × 100 cp, 2d6 × 100 sp, 1d6 × 100 gp, and one mundane item, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Food Hunters

A male hill giant is looking for food, stuffing anything that looks even remotely edible into a big sack that he drags behind him. Lagging a few hundred feet behind the giant are 1d4 bored ogre and 1d6 bugbear. Characters spot the giant from far enough away that they can plan an ambush. For an ambush to succeed, the characters must catch the monsters by surprise by succeeding on a group DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check. The ogres and bugbears carry no treasure. The hill giant’s sack contains 1d4 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Frost Giants

The characters come upon 1d3 frost giant. If a single giant is encountered, it has a winter wolf companion. The giants are marauders looking for homesteads or caravans to wreck and plunder.

Sea

If this encounter occurs at sea, the party encounters a frost giant greatship (see chapter 7, “Berg of the Frost Giants”) with twenty hostile frost giant aboard. If the characters are traveling aboard a vessel that has a speed of at least 3 miles per hour, their ship can outpace the frost giants' greatship. Otherwise, the greatship overtakes them.

Treasure

Each frost giant has a sack containing 3d6 × 100 cp, 2d6 × 100 sp, 1d6 × 100 gp, and one mundane item, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Hill Giants

A band of 1d2+1 male hill giant is searching for homesteads to pillage. The giants hurl rocks at any small folk they see. If the giants are anywhere near Grudd Haug (see chapter 5, “Den of the Hill Giants”), the characters might be able to convince a defeated, captured giant to lead them there. Each giant carries a sack holding 1d3 mundane items; roll on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction to determine the contents of each one.

Horse-Drawn Wagon

The characters encounter a draft horse pulling a battered old wagon. Accompanying the wagon are 1d6-1 people (use the commoner stat block unless otherwise noted below). If the die result indicates that no commoners are present, that means the drivers are either missing or dead, leaving the horse and wagon unattended. If one or more people are present, assume that they are guiding the wagon toward the nearest settlement. The encounter might be one of the following:

• Friendly furriers transporting 2d4 bundles of animal pelts worth 50 gp per bundle
• Friendly peddlers transporting 3d6 ten-gallon kegs of dwarven ale worth 5 gp each
• Friendly, dirt-poor musicians looking for a tavern or an inn; the wagon holds their instruments, food, and traveling gear
• Hostile bandit (NE male and female Illuskan humans) posing as friendly traders, transporting a stolen wagon laden with foodstuffs to their encampment
• A family fleeing their homestead in the wake of rumors of giant sightings; the wagon contains their food and their mundane belongings
• A friendly merchant transporting 2d4 pigs worth 3 gp each; any other persons present are Zhentarim guard (N male and female humans of various ethnicities) hired to ward off bandits and other threats
• Friendly Zhentarim mercenaries (NG male and female human veteran of various ethnicities) transporting thirty longswords (worth 15 gp each) and fifty shortswords (worth 10 gp each) to a Zhent merchant waiting for them in the nearest settlement

Knight

The Order of the Gauntlet is taking strides to deal with the giant threat. The characters encounter a knight of the order mounted on a warhorse clad in chain mail barding (AC 16). There is a 50 percent chance that the knight has a squire-a guard mounted on an unarmored warhorse. Two sample knights (one with a squire, one without) are presented below.

Lady Harriana Hawkwinter (LG female Chondathan knight of Helm) is a Waterdhavian noble and a champion of the god of watchfulness. She and her squire recently rescued a couple of children trapped under the wreckage of a barn that had been demolished by stone giants. Lady Hawkwinter asks the characters to take the orphans to the nearest settlement while she continues to follow the giants' path and search for other survivors.

Sir Jordeth Tavilson (LN male Illuskan knight of Tyr), a believer in swift justice, has a gash in his armor and a broken lute strapped to his back. The lute belonged to his squire, who perished in a recent battle against two frost giants. Jordeth managed to kill one giant, but the other got away. He wants justice and asks the characters to join him on his quest to slay the wounded giant.

Ogres

The characters hear loud, deep voices and spot 1d4+1 ogre from a safe distance away. The big dummies are lost and trying to find their way home, whether that is Grudd Haug (see chapter 5, “Den of the Hill Giants”) or some other location. The characters catch them in the middle of a loud argument about which direction they should go, and can easily avoid the ogres or take them by surprise. The ogres have no treasure.

Sea

If this encounter occurs at sea, the party encounters 1d4+1 merrow. The merrow try to harpoon characters and pull them into the water.

Orcs

The characters come across 3d6+2 orc. There is a 25 percent chance that these orcs have prisoners in tow. A sample group of prisoners is presented here, but you can create others.

The prisoners are 1d4+2 strongheart halfling commoner belonging to the Woodhew clan. The oldest among them is a feisty old gardener named Ollie Woodhew. The orcs set fire to the Woodhew homestead and captured these family members as they tried to flee. One of the orcs even broke Ollie’s favorite walking stick.

Treasure

If the characters escort the Woodhews back to their torched homestead, the halflings are reunited with the members of their family who avoided capture. One of them rewards the party with a family heirloom (a magic item) hidden in the burnt remains of the family home. Roll on Magic Item Table F in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine the item.

Ranger

The characters encounter a helpful ranger, who might be a member of the Emerald Enclave or simply a wanderer of the wilderness. Either way, the ranger is happy to serve as a guide or a source of information. There is a 50 percent chance that the ranger has a riding horse, one or more beast companions, or both. A ranger with neither travels alone on foot. Two sample rangers are presented below, but you can create others.

Vordana Jezral (NG female lightfoot halfling scout) has the psionic ability to cast the misty step spell once per day. She is familiar with the roads and trails of the North and the settlements along them. She knows every innkeeper from Neverwinter to Deadsnows, and she has two traveling companions: a tressym named Flycatcher and an old mule named Tod, which she freed from an abusive owner.

Saarvin (CN male dragonborn scout) travels on foot and carries his own gear. He was born in Fireshear and is the self-proclaimed King of the Frozenfar. He claims to have climbed the tallest peak in the Spine of the World and plucked coins from the hoard of a white dragon sleeping less than 10 feet away. Each night, while sitting by the campfire, he carves a tiny wooden figurine depicting one of the characters and gives it to that individual as a gift the next morning.

Stone Giants

A group of 1d3+1 stone giant is searching for settlements to destroy and ruins to dismantle. The giants might already be in the midst of dismantling a ruin, intent on wiping its existence from the face of the world. They hurl rocks at any “small folk” they see.

Treasure

Each giant has a sack containing 2d6 × 100 gp, 1d6 100 gp gems, and one mundane item, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Travelers

The characters encounter one or more travelers (use the commoner stat block) with a tale to tell:

Forest: 1d6 hunters or trappers who heard something big moving through the forest and ran

Grassland: 1d6 farmers whose homestead was attacked by hill giants, or 1d4 ranchers on riding horse who are heading to a nearby settlement to warn it about giants in the area

Hills/Moors: 1d4 shepherds guiding the remnants of their flock to safety after a harrowing hill giant encounter

Mountains: 1d4 prospectors or miners who had a close call with some frost giants or stone giants and were forced to leave behind their mining gear, supplies, and treasure

Road/Trail: Either 3d6 peasants fleeing their homes after a frost giant, hill giant, or stone giant attack; an angry mob of 6d6 peasants looking to reclaim their land or avenge dead loved ones; or a lone merchant or minstrel in a horse-drawn wagon who is relocating to a safer settlement

Sea: Either a friendly vessel carrying 6d6 crew and passengers who saw a cloud giant castle or a frost giant greatship, or 1d4 survivors floating on debris after their ship was sunk by a frost giant greatship

Tundra: 1d4 hunters or trappers who narrowly escaped from a fire giant or a frost giant but were forced to leave a companion behind

Locations of the North

The locations described in this section appear on the wilderness maps in this chapter. Additional information on several of these places can be found in the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide. Not depicted on the maps are scores of tiny hamlets and hundreds of isolated homesteads scattered throughout the North. These places are too small to be of consequence. Even so, adventurers traveling along a road or a trail might come across a tiny settlement consisting of a handful of homesteads built around an inn or tavern where locals gather. (If you need a tavern name, use the Tavern Name Generator table in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.)

Some location entries include a suggested encounter that occurs when the characters first arrive or shortly thereafter. You can ignore the encounter and create your own activity based on the information given in a location’s description; for example, the “Arn Forest” section mentions rock gnomes who inhabit the woods, which might make for a fun encounter of your own creation.

Amphail

Amphail lies north of Waterdeep on the Long Road. The town is named after one of Waterdeep’s early warlords, who is said to haunt the surrounding hills in spirit form, frightening away monsters. Horses are bred and trained here, rich Waterdhavians maintain secluded estates in the hills, and farmland is plentiful. Stands of dark duskwood and spruce trees are everywhere.

In one corner of the town square stands the Great Shalarn, a black stone statue of a famous war stallion bred in Amphail long ago. Gelded by a prankster, the rearing stone horse is often painted in bright colors by high-spirited locals. Children are allowed to hurl stones at birds perched on the statue, to help keep it free of droppings. The children often climb it themselves and cling precariously to the high, tilted saddle, waving their arms and commanding imaginary armies into battle. Within spitting distance of the statue is the Stag Horned Flagon, a cozy tavern run by an gray-haired, middle-aged woman with a wry sense of humor named Arleosa Starhenge (NG female Chondathan human commoner). Born in a wild magic zone, Arleosa has the innate magical ability to cast the alter self spell three times per day. In her youth, she was a member of a traveling carnival and used this power to entertain folks. She no longer cares about using the ability, and no one in Amphail knows she even has it.

The three Waterdhavian families with the most influence in Amphail are Houses Amcathra, Ilzimmer, and Roaringhorn. These houses rule the town, with the controlling family changing each Shieldmeet. The current Lord Warder of Amphail is Dauner Ilzimmer (LN male Chondathan human noble), a bombastic family man who loves horses more than he does most people. Thanks largely to the influence of its nobles, Amphail is a member of the Lords' Alliance and enjoys the protection of Waterdeep’s city guard. The lord warder also hires adventurers from time to time to take care of pesky bandits and monsters.

Suggested Encounter

It’s Tylandar Roaringhorn’s sixty-third birthday, and the noble wants all of Amphail to know it. He has imported the finest food and ale from Waterdeep for an outdoor banquet, and everyone in town is invited. Pavilion tents and tables have been set up in the town square. In the middle of the square is a platform where Tylandar plans to thank the crowd. Some cynical Amphailians view Tylandar’s birthday banquet as a blatant attempt by the noble to warm hearts before he takes over as lord warder when Lord Ilzimmer’s tenure is concluded.

If the characters stick around for the banquet, three male hill giant, drawn by the scents of roasted hog and grilled corn, barge into town. Some townsfolk hurl food at the giants, slowing them down long enough for other citizens to clear the square of children and elderly. If the characters do nothing, the town guards help get people to safety while the giants storm the tents and grab armfuls of food before fleeing north along the Long Road. It’s clear that the giants mean no harm to the townsfolk.

If the characters defeat the giants or drive them off before they can grab food, Tylandar Roaringhorn (NG male Chondathan human noble) takes notice of their heroism. He tells them afterward that he has received reports of giants of various kinds attacking settlements throughout the Dessarin Valley.

Anauroch

This once-verdant land is now a desert. Northernmost Anauroch is a cold land of frost-rimed rock and the black glacier known as the High Ice. Farther south lies the waterless Plain of Standing Stones, where winds scour jagged rocks amid a sea of gravel. Anauroch’s most southerly part is the Sword-a hot, sandy desert. Use the Desert Monsters table in appendix B of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to inspire encounter ideas.

Ardeep Forest

This forest east of Waterdeep and the Dessarin River was once part of the long-lost elven kingdom of Illefarn. Now it’s home to a small clan of wood elves recently arrived from Evermeet. They refuse to leave their woods, guarding relics and ruins of ages past, and they want nothing to do with the world beyond their borders.

Arn Forest

This stretch of pine trees and muskeg bogs lies on the northeast flank of the Nether Mountains, near the western edge of Anauroch. Little is known about this forest except that rock gnomes dwell in the eastern portion. They emerge occasionally to trade furs and pelts in Deadsnows or Citadel Adbar.

Ascore

As one travels east away from the Silver Marches, the old road passes between the Vordrorn Forest to the north and the Arn Forest to the south. Before reaching the edge of Anauroch, the road ends at a great set of stone doors set into a high ridge. Statues of dwarves once stood in rows on either side of these doors, but all that remains of them now are the marble plinths upon which they once stood. The doors open to reveal a passageway that goes underground for nearly a mile before emerging at the desert’s edge. Standing outside the yawning exit are two gigantic stone statues of crouching griffons, and beyond them lies one of the great wonders and mysteries of the North: Ascore. This ruined dwarven city once overlooked a sea. Now it lies half-buried in the cold northern sands of Anauroch, its mighty stone docks still thrusting eastward, pointing toward the empty hulks of colossal stone ships lying half-buried in the sand. Dwarven magic once enabled these ships to float on water, but that magic has long since faded.

Suggested Encounter

The ancient blue dragon Iymrith claims Ascore as part of her domain. Though she’s not here to watch over it, two of her offspring have made separate lairs for them selves inside a couple of the great stone ships. These adult blue dragon, Anaxaster and Chezzaran, frequently accost each other in the sky, playfully jousting and breathing lightning as they zoom around. They are flying over Ascore when the characters first lay eyes on the ruined city. After an hour of fun, the dragons return to their lairs to rest. If the characters take no steps to conceal themselves and enter the city while the dragons are in the sky, the dragons spot the party and attack.

The ships that the dragons have turned into their lairs are hollow, sand-filled hulks surrounded by open desert. Each ship has 1d6+4 gargoyle perched on it, watching the sands for treasure-seekers. If the characters make their way past the gargoyles into a dragon’s lair and defeat the dragon within, they find the dragon’s hoard hidden under the sand. Roll on the Treasure Hoard: Challenge 11-16 table in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine the contents of each dragon’s trove.

Aurilssbarg

See the “Ice Peak” section.

Bargewright Inn

Once a hilltop wayside inn, this site has become a walled community of ramshackle, frequently rebuilt wooden towers and buildings. Its structures now entirely cloak a hill that overlooks the village of Womford across the Dessarin River. A long wooden bridge, wide enough for a single wagon to cross, spans the river between these two settlements. Known as the Ironford Bridge, it has stood for centuries but is showing its age.

Bargewright Inn reeks of manure and filthy mud. It houses dealers who buy and sell horses, mules, and oxen, blacksmiths, wheelwrights, coopers, and wagonmakers. It has inns, stables, and warehouses, and two concentric rings of high walls with gates that are barred at night. (From sunset until dawn, someone who wants to enter or leave can pay a stiff fee to be raised and lowered on a rope-slung chair, but nothing can be taken along beyond what the customer can carry.)

Bargewright Inn fell under Zhentarim influence a few years ago. Any member or ally of that faction can find a discreet welcome (and few or low fees) within its walls. Bargewright Inn is ruled by a plutocracy of business owners, most of whom are in the pockets of the Black Network. The unofficial leader is Chalaska Muruin (LN female Damaran human veteran), the terse, cold-eyed “Senior Sword” and master of the militia.

The largest inn, the Old Bargewright, was recently rebuilt as a substantial stone structure with thick walls and private chambers hidden behind secret doors. Innkeeper Nalaskur Thaelond (N male half-elf spy) keeps watch over who comes and goes, for this is where Zhentarim operatives meet to broker deals involving smuggled goods, poisons, dangerous magic, and the like. Nalaskur is a member of the Black Network.

One of the inn’s few permanent residents is Arik Stillmarsh, a well-dressed, young-looking man with a sallow complexion who lives like a hermit in a corner room on the uppermost floor of the old inn. Rumor among the rabble has it that Stillmarsh swindled one or more prominent Waterdhavian families, and that the Black Network is sheltering him. In truth, Stillmarsh is a vampire (NE male Tethyrian human) whom Nalaskur occasionally calls upon to dispose of unwanted guests. Stillmarsh has an agreement with Nalaskur not to feed on locals or other guests without the Black Network’s approval. To sate his appetite at other times, he preys on rural encampments, night travelers on the Long Road, and the poor people of Womford. In Womford, the vampire is spoken of in whispers as the “Womford Bat.”

Stillmarsh’s earth-filled coffin is hidden in the attic above his room at the Old Bargewright, accessible through a secret door in the ceiling of a closet. Spotting that door requires a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check.

Beliard

Beliard is a market-moot for local cattle drovers. It surrounds the intersection of the dusty Dessarin Road and the Stone Trail.

Beliard is home to many cattle ranchers whose herds roam the hills around the village, particularly to the east. The community has a public well, as well as a pond where harnessed horses or oxen can be driven through the water to bathe them, drive off flies, and let them drink. It also boasts a tanner, a smith, some horse dealers and trainers who keep extensive stables, and an inn: the venerable, popular, and several-times-expanded Watchful Knight. The inn was named for an inoperative helmed horror that once stood in the common room. The creature mysteriously vanished years ago, and the innkeeper went missing shortly thereafter.

Suggested Encounter

Hill giants have attacked many of the cattle ranches around Beliard. Every attack is the same: the giants ignore the ranchers and instead raid the animal pens, making off with pigs, sheep, chicken coops, and cattle. The ranch owners have pooled their resources and posted “Adventurers Wanted!” signs that promise a payment of 500 gp to anyone who finds out where the hill giants' lair is located. Characters who visit the Watchful Knight and question its patrons learn that most of the giants fled southward with their loot. Characters who explore the hills south of Beliard might find an old tower containing a female hill giant who recently lost her mate (see the “Old Tower” section at the end of this chapter).

Beorunna’s Well

The spirit mound of the Black Lion and Red Tiger tribes of Uthgardt barbarians rests in the heart of the Druarwood. It’s not a mound per se, but an ice-cold cavern whose ceiling is partially open to the sky. Characters are likely to come upon at least one Black Lion or Red Tiger hunting party as they make their way toward the site.

According to Uthgardt legend, Beorunna, a barbarian hero, died fighting a demon in these woods. In the final moments of the battle, the ground beneath Beorunna’s feet crumbled, plunging him into a cavern. The triangular cavern contains, among other things, a heated pool with a steady geyser. This pool came to be known as Beorunna’s Well. Uthgardt barbarians exploring the cavern for the first time found what they thought were Beorunna’s bones, which actually belonged to a half-ogre.

Uthgar’s followers buried the half-ogre’s bones alongside a relic stolen from their enemies, the giants, and built an altar upon the burial site. When the barbarians call upon Uthgar for guidance or seek to appease their totem spirits, they slaughter a woodland beast and place its carcass atop the altar, where it slowly rots. Today, the tribes maintain a tenuous truce and take turns protecting their spirit mound. Each tribe has erected its own totem pole near the altar. The Black Lion totem pole is covered with dried pitch and has a lion’s skull atop it. The Red Tiger totem pole is stained with blood and has a tiger’s skull surmounting it.

A small stand of pine trees called the Sunken Grove grows in the middle of the cavern. Outside the perimeter of the grove, the cavern is hooded by a ceiling lined with stalactites and pierced with tree roots. The floor around the outside of the Sunken Grove beneath the ceiling is dotted with stalagmites.

The distance from the top of the pit to the cavern floor is 250 feet. The Uthgardt barbarians have tied a long, knotted rope to a tree stump and left it dangling in the cavern. The barbarians use this rope (and others like it) to climb into and out of Beorunna’s Well, and characters can climb the rope (no ability check required). In the northeast corner, surrounding a campfire, are three crude tents inhabited by members of the Black Lion tribe (see “Suggested Encounter”).

Ancient Relic

The altar is a blood-spattered stone block, 9 feet long by 6 feet wide by 3 feet tall, weighing several tons. A creature as big and strong as a stone giant can move it, as can multiple Small or Medium creatures if at least five of them succeed on a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. The altar can also be broken in half to get underneath it; it has AC 17, 100 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. Beneath the altar is a rough-hewn niche containing the skeletal remains of a half-ogre and a relic of giantkind: a fossilized horn made from the tusk of a mammoth and engraved with images of giants battling dragons. The cracked horn weighs 250 pounds and has lost its magical powers, but it’s worth 750 gp nevertheless.

Suggested Encounter

Ten members of the Black Lion tribe (CE male and female Uthgardt humans) guard the cavern. They include three berserker, six tribal warrior, and an Uthgardt shaman. The berserkers and three of the tribal warriors huddle around the campfire in the northeast corner and are visible in the firelight. The remaining warriors are asleep in their tents. The shaman sleeps under a blanket of snow in the Sunken Grove and can be spotted by any character with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 20 or higher. The shaman and the warriors awaken to the sound of any loud disturbance. All the tribe members are hostile toward interlopers.

A manticore also calls the cavern home. Having formed a tenuous alliance with the Black Lion tribe, it lairs in the western corner of the room, on a rocky shore next to the spring. The shore is strewn with humanoid and animal bones-the remains of the manticore’s kills. The manticore joins any battle that unfolds in the cavern, eager for its fair share of meat.

Black Road

Long ago, the Zhentarim built this trade route to connect its established footholds in the east with its lucrative ventures along the Sword Coast. For some time it was lost to the Zhentarim when the Netherese reappeared and reclaimed Anauroch, but with the second fall of Netheril and the magical return of the desert, the Zhentarim have been able to reclaim the route.

The Black Road stretches eastward from the village of Parnast across Anauroch’s sandy wasteland for hundreds of miles. Black Network caravans using the road are heavily guarded because of desert bandits.

Blackford Road

This trade trail runs east from Luskan to Mirabar. The road is named for a little-used ford across the River Mirar that allows travelers to avoid Luskan should they wish. Caravan masters have many other names for the road, none of them flattering: Auril’s Ride, the Stygian Road, Ol' Frozenfinger, and the Dead Yeti Highway, to name a few. Where the road spans the Black Raven River, south of Raven Rock, stands a stone bridge with broken statues of rearing horses at each end.

Bryn Shander

Bryn Shander is the largest of ten permanent settlements in Icewind Dale collectively known as Ten-Towns. See chapter 2 for more information on this location, and the “Icewind Dale” section in this chapter for more information on the other Ten-Towns settlements.

Suggested Encounter

If the adventure didn’t begin in Bryn Shander, you can run the “Attack on Bryn Shander” encounter (see chapter 2) whenever the characters visit the town.

Cairn Road

The Cairn Road is a well-worn wagon trail that crosses the Dessarin Valley between the village of Red Larch and the Bargewright Inn trading post.

Calling Horns

Calling Horns was nothing more than a trailside inn until a few years ago, when Tamalin Zoar (N female Tethyrian human noble) bought the establishment and retired here. Using her hard-won wealth and influence, she attracted settlers to the region, giving rise to a small village whose citizens pay monthly “tithes” for Tamalin’s protection. Still spry at sixty, Tamalin is “the law” in Calling Horns-an irony that never ceases to amuse her. She employs nine deputies (N male and female veteran of various races) who live in the village proper to help keep the peace. Tamalin also gives free room and board to adventurers who help solve local problems. Given the village’s proximity to the Evermoors, few villagers have cause to complain about Tamalin’s protection racket. She keeps them safe from orcs, trolls, and other monsters, and that’s good enough for them.

Calling Horns stands where Jundar’s Pass meets up with the Evermoor Way. The intersection is marked by a cairn of weathered and lichen-covered orc skulls that commemorates the long-ago slaughter of a horde here. The village proper is made up of rows of small log cottages with bark-shingled rooftops. The Calling Horns Inn, a large fieldstone structure with adjoining stables, stands atop a ridge that overlooks the intersection, surrounded by tall, old trees. The inn’s cellar contains an impressive selection of ales and wines, as well as a secret tunnel that leads to a hidden exit in the hillside.

Suggested Encounter

As fire giants scour the Evermoors for fragments of the Vonindod, trolls native to the area are fleeing to avoid becoming enslaved by the giants. If the characters stay at the Calling Horns Inn for a night, they and Tamalin are awakened in the wee hours by a strange racket. Two troll are trying to claw their way into the inn’s stable to feast on the horses inside. The trolls are hungry and fight to the death. Once the trolls are dealt with, Tamalin reveals to the characters that troll attacks are becoming more common, and she offers to give the adventurers a letter of recommendation (see the “Marks of Prestige” section in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide) if they find the root cause. Tamalin tells them that her letter can win them a powerful friend in Everlund if they show it to the half-orc innkeeper at Danivarr’s House (see the “Everlund” section), or it can be given to a member of the Hand of Yartar (Yartar’s thieves' guild) in exchange for a special favor.

If the characters take up Tamalin’s quest and they spend at least two nights in the Evermoors, they witness a female fire giant slapping around a troll shortly before highsun on the third day. The fire giant, Zaastrid, carries a rod of the Vonindod. Zaastrid is hungry and upset that her enslaved troll has found nothing to eat. The characters can choose to keep their distance and avoid conflict, or they can engage the ravenous fire giant and her troll in battle. Zaastrid and the troll fight to the death. If the characters return to Calling Horns and report their fire giant sighting to Tamalin, she is satisfied and gives them her letter.

Carnath Roadhouse

This walled compound served as a hostelry on the High Road between Waterdeep and Neverwinter in the days when trade between the two cities flourished. It fell into disuse when that trade stopped after the eruption of Mount Hotenow (see the “Neverwinter” section). Now that Neverwinter has recovered and commerce has resumed, the road has been rebuilt and the roadhouse repaired and put to use as a supply depot and wagon park. It stands on the west side of the road, a stone’s throw from the edge of the Mere of Dead Men. Fog drifting off the mere engulfs the roadhouse at night and lingers well into the following afternoon. The sounds of the marsh, from croaking frogs to buzzing insects, are only somewhat dampened by the roadhouse’s walls and doors.

The superintendent of the Carnath Roadhouse is a brusque but well-educated half-orc named Bog Luck (N male half-orc veteran). Accustomed to doing business with shady traders and contraband, he doesn’t trouble his clients with too many questions. He simply takes their money while assuring them that the gates and walls of the roadhouse are strong enough to hold back any threat. Bog Luck employs four stable boys and a cook named Gristle Pete (N male Tethyrian human commoner), though he doesn’t pay them much.

The Carnath Roadhouse figures prominently in Hoard of the Dragon Queen. That adventure also includes a map of the roadhouse. Bandits and monsters lurk near the road both north and south of the roadhouse.

Citadel Adbar

Citadel Adbar has stood in the bitter cold of the Ice Mountains for almost eighteen centuries, impregnable and defiant. The fortress, carved out of a mountain spur, consists of two great towers ringed with spikes to keep large flying creatures from landing to attack the structures directly. The great chimney of the citadel’s central foundry stands between the towers, belching smoke like a volcano about to erupt. Ringing the citadel is a host of platforms, battlements, and arrow slits from where defenders can fire crossbows at foolish attackers. A great drawbridge allows no one to enter the dwarven enclave except patrols and honored guests. Cleverly hidden traps await those who storm the halls uninvited, and beneath the citadel is an expansive network of tunnels and caverns designed to confuse would-be invaders. If Adbar’s defenses should ever prove inadequate, the dwarves have created a secret evacuation tunnel that stretches for hundreds of miles, connecting to passages that lie under Citadel Felbarr to the west. Adbar’s garrison offers a reward of 10 gp for each orc head brought to the city gates, or 100 gp for each giant head.

The population of Citadel Adbar was severely depleted by the War of the Silver Marches, which drew away many of Adbar’s greatest warriors, including its long-ruling king, Harbromm. King Harbromm led his knights into battle against the orc hordes invading the Marches and died on the field. Harbromm’s twin sons, Bromm and Harnoth, inherited the throne and, like their father, left Citadel Adbar to join the war. Bromm later perished, leaving the crown to Harnoth. Harnoth and his followers fought many battles during the war, but the new king made some poor decisions that winnowed the once great Knights of the Mithral Shield down to a handful of members. Fortunately for Harnoth, the Iron Guard-Citadel Adbar’s defending army-remains strong.

What’s not generally known is that Harnoth, too, was killed by orcs toward the end of the war. To prevent political turmoil in Citadel Abdar, the elders of Adbar’s dwarven clans hired a doppelganger to impersonate King Harnoth. True power in Citadel Adbar now lies with the clan elders, who meet in secret and tell their “king” what to do and say before every one of his public appearances. The doppelganger is so smitten with its role that it sometimes forgets itself and makes decisions that the elders haven’t approved, behavior that is a growing cause of concern for some.

Suggested Encounter

Adventurers are welcome in Citadel Adbar, and news of their arrival is quickly brought to the doppelganger-king’s attention. After meeting with the clan elders, “Harnoth” demands a private audience with the adventurers in his throne hall. In the presence of three elders (LG male shield dwarf noble armed with warhammers instead of rapiers) and four bodyguards (LG male and female shield dwarf guard armed with warhammers instead of spears), the king asks the characters to attack Ironslag, a fire giant forge in the mountains to the northwest. Dwarven patrols have seen fire giants hauling large fragments of adamantine to the underground forge, which had until recently stood abandoned. “Harnoth” wants the adventurers to find out what the giants are doing and thwart them if possible.

“Harnoth” promises that if the characters agree to explore Ironslag and return with evidence of a successful mission, such as Duke Zalto’s head or a group of freed dwarven prisoners, he will reward each character with a rare magic item of that individual’s choice. He secures the desired items while the characters are off completing their quest. If the characters have already cleared out Ironslag, the king expresses his surprise and gratitude and urges them to rest in Adbar while he gathers their rewards. For more information on Ironslag, see chapter 8, “Forge of the Fire Giants.”

As the doppelganger-king is trying to persuade the adventurers to undertake his quest, or in the wake of their foray to Ironslag, seven yakfolk warrior barge into the throne hall to kill the king and the adventurers. The yakfolk have used their Wind Ghost power to possess six Knights of the Mithral Shield. These individuals use the knight statistics, with the following changes:

• The knights are lawful good shield dwarves that speak Common and Dwarvish. While they are possessed by yakfolk, their alignment is lawful evil and they also speak Yikaria (the yakfolk tongue).
• Each knight carries a shield and has AC 20.
• Each knight wields a warhammer (instead of a greatsword) that deals 7 (1d8+3) bludgeoning damage on a hit, or 8 (1d10+3) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands.
• Each knight has a walking speed of 25 feet and darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• Each knight has advantage on saving throws against poison, and resistance to poison damage.

The king, curiously, seems reluctant to enter the fray. “Harnoth” calls for the treacherous knights to stand down, but they ignore his commands. As combat ensues, the elders withdraw from the audience chamber to summon reinforcements, which arrive after the battle ends. As the characters battle the knights, the king’s bodyguards surround and protect their lord. They join the fray only if the characters are on the verge of defeat.

If the adventurers defeat the possessed dwarves, “Harnoth” urges them to stay in Citadel Adbar for a couple of days while he arranges for suitable rewards. He commissions jewelers to craft mithral medals (one per character) shaped like shields, and he also drafts a signed letter of recommendation and presents it to the party. The bearer of the letter gains advantage on Charisma checks made to influence shield dwarves throughout the North. For more information on medals and letters of recommendation, see the “Marks of Prestige” section in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Citadel Felbarr

This formidable dwarven fortress-city lies beneath the Rauvin Mountains. To enter the place, one must traverse an elevated road, with 100-foot-high cliffs on both sides, and pass through two enormous gates called the Hammer and the Anvil. Two wide parapets with crenellated battlements called North Vigil and South Vigil stand outside these gates on the nearby mountainsides, ready to rain ballista bolts and catapult stones down on would-be invaders. The road ends at the Runegate, the main entrance to the underground city. Deep beneath the mountains are tunnels connecting to Felbarr’s mines, the Underdark, and the distant dwarven bastions of Mithral Hall and Citadel Adbar.

Citadel Felbarr has fallen to orcs twice in its long history, only to be reclaimed and rebuilt by the dwarves each time. Felbarr’s great hero-king, Emerus Warcrown, who restored Felbarr to its former glory during the War of the Silver Marches, died shortly after the war while helping his fellow dwarves reclaim the lost city of Gauntlgrym. Since Emerus’s death, leadership of the Felbarren dwarves has fallen to Emerus’s distant kin, King Morinn and Queen Tithmel. The two monarchs rule wisely as equals.

Suggested Encounter

The king and the queen have received disturbing reports of fire giant sightings in the hills to the northwest. They fear that the giants might be in the process of reigniting the ancient underground forge known as Ironslag. If the adventurers visit Citadel Felbarr, the sovereigns learn of their arrival and summon them to their throne hall for an audience. King Morinn and Queen Tithmel tell the characters about their suspicions concerning Ironslag and ask them to investigate. In return, they offer to build the heroes a fortified tower. It would be erected on a large estate in the Silver Marches (exact location determined by you). The tower takes one hundred days to build, and the dwarf sovereigns vow to cover the construction costs. To earn this reward, the characters must go to Ironslag and return to Felbarr with proof that the fire giants are no longer a threat. (Duke Zalto’s head or the word of freed dwarven prisoners will do.)

If the characters take care of Duke Zalto (see chapter 8, “Forge of the Fire Giants”), King Morinn and Queen Tithmel honor their pledge to build the party a tower stronghold. On top of that, they offer to supply a garrison of ten stalwart, unfailingly loyal Felbarren dwarves. Use the guard statistics, with the following changes:

• The shield dwarves are lawful good.
• They have a walking speed of 25 feet.
• They have darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• They have advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage.
• They speak Common and Dwarvish.

Coldwood

See the “Glimmerwood” section.

Crags

The hills south of Mirabar are strewn with abandoned mines that have become infested with goblins, hobgoblins, and bugbears. Uthgardt barbarians are known to prowl the Crags, hunting wild game and occasionally preying on caravans that travel the Long Road.

Daggerford

Built on a hillside in the floodplain of the Delimbiyr River, the walled town of Daggerford is dominated by a three-story keep that belongs to its duchess, Morwen Daggerford. From atop Daggerford’s walls, dozens of farms and a scattering of hamlets are visible, all under the protection of the duchess and the Lords' Alliance.

Unknown to Daggerford’s citizens, a succubus named Pencheska has usurped Morwen’s identity and now governs in her stead. The succubus has imprisoned the real duchess in Cromm’s Hold, a keep on the edge of the Lizard Marsh (see the “Lizard Marsh” entry for details). Pencheska is using her position to infiltrate the Lords' Alliance. She rules Daggerford much as Lady Morwen did, sternly but fairly, and does little to arouse suspicion.

Recently, hill giants ranging south of the Forlorn Hills have begun to encroach upon the farmlands and noble estates around Daggerford. The succubus, hoping to appear benevolent, is readying the town to accommodate farmers looking for sanctuary, and the town’s outer walls bristle with lookouts. The “duchess” has also raised taxes to pay for Zhentarim mercenaries to patrol the lands north of Daggerford. Pencheska has forged a promising alliance with the Black Network, and her primary Zhentarim contact in town is a plump halfling weasel named Nelkin Danniker (N male lightfoot halfling spy), known to his associates as the Snail because of his slow, deliberate way of talking. The Snail relaxes at the River Shining Tavern and Inn, watched over by 1d6 thug (N male and female humans of various ethnicities) posing as nondescript inn patrons.

Another popular tavern in town, the Happy Cow, is run by Koggin and Lily Hardcheese (LG male and female strongheart halfling commoner). Koggin also operates a money-lending enterprise out of the tavern and employs several other family members to help run both businesses, including three brothers and three sisters, a dozen nieces and nephews, and several distant relations. One of the Happy Cow’s regular patrons is a female half-elf named Zira, who is actually an adult bronze dragon named Zirazylym in polymorphed form. Zira is fond of the Hardcheese family and doesn’t meddle in their business. She avoids contact with the characters unless events involving the Black Network bring them together (see the “Shalvus Martholio’s Quest” section in chapter 2).

Suggested Encounter

If the adventurers hang around town or pay a visit to the Happy Cow, the Snail hears about them and sends one of his thugs to request a meeting. The Snail is happy to meet the characters in a public or private place, whichever they prefer. He opens the meeting by putting his offer on the table. If all members of the party sign a written agreement stating that they won’t interfere in the Black Network’s Daggerford operation or accept any quests or special commissions from Duchess Morwen Daggerford, Nelkin offers them the following benefits:

• Free room and board at the River Shining Tavern and Inn, paid for by the Zhentarim
• One free riding horse or pony for each party member, with stable fees in Daggerford paid for by the Zhentarim
• Ownership of a fortified tower in “fair condition” that overlooks the Delimbiyr River west of Orlbar (recently abandoned by the Zhentarim after a stone giant attack)

If the Snail can’t get the entire party to agree to his terms, he ends the meeting politely, but thereafter he keeps close track of their activities in town while doing nothing to antagonize them. He does, however, inform the duchess that the adventurers are in town and recommends that she avoid them. Because of her arrangement with the Zhentarim and her fear of being exposed, the succubus posing as Duchess Morwen distances herself from adventurers and denies them an audience.

If the characters check out the fortified tower west of Orlbar, they arrive to find six stone giant dismantling it stone by stone. If the characters kill three or more giants, the rest flee east along the Loagrann River to their lair in Deadstone Cleft (see chapter 6, “Canyon of the Stone Giants”). Repairing the damage to the tower costs 1,000 gp and takes 10 days.

Dawn Pass

This stretch of road is the only wagon-friendly route through the Graypeak Mountains. At dawn, the rising sun shines brightly through the pass, hence its name.

Halfway between Llorkh and Parnast, just east of the mountains, the Zhentarim have built a stone gatehouse over the road, with cliffs to both sides. Two heavy iron portcullises drop down to trap travelers so that a well armed garrison of twenty Zhentarim veteran (N male and female humans of various ethnicities) can extort money from them. Those who pay the toll of 1 gp per head (including the heads of horses, ponies, and mules) are sent on their way. Those who can’t pay the toll or refuse to do so are turned back. Characters who can prove that they are members of the Black Network are allowed through without question, along with any traveling companions. While conversing with other members of the Black Network, the guards report seeing stone giants spying on them from a distance, but so far the gatehouse has not been attacked.

Deadsnows

The Nether Mountains throw cold shadows over the town of Deadsnows, nestled in the alpine bosom of two foothills. Sheep graze on the lower slopes, guarded by crossbow-toting shepherds, as they nibble at the coarse grass that grows between rocky outcroppings. Beyond the grazing fields, the land rises to crags covered sparsely with fir trees, and then to the mist-shrouded and snow-covered mountains that rear into the sky.

The main feature of Deadsnows is the Hospice of Marthammor, a fortified abbey in the middle of town. Surrounding it are several wood-frame buildings that make up the town, and all is contained within a crumbling wall that’s in desperate need of repair. Winter roses along the wall blossom throughout the year. Just inside the wall, overlooking the road that leads to the town, is a stone watchtower. A banner flies from its topmost turret, depicting the golden sunrise of Lathander. A dozen worshipers of the Morninglord (LG male and female priest and acolyte of various races) staff the watchtower.

The abbey is a dwarf-made fortress dedicated to Marthammor Duin, the dwarven god of wanderers. The abbey’s venerable leader, Kerrilla Gemstar (NG female shield dwarf priest of Marthammor Duin), oversees a staff of commoner who have taken vows of service. The abbey offers assistance to anyone in need, while the clerics of the Watchtower are devoted to protecting the town and insuring the well-being of its residents.

The Icespear noble family held much influence in Deadsnows for many generations, until Lord Delvon Icespear was killed in the War of the Silver Marches. He left no heirs, and the family estate has been locked up ever since. Halfhearted attempts to locate other members of the Icespear family have proven fruitless. The town has survived for several seasons without a governor-no one in town wants the power or the burden.

Visitors who would rather not endure the bland food and drafty halls of the Hospice can find a cozy tavern, the Blazon, and a decent inn, the Rose and Hammer, within the town.

Deadstone Cleft

A misty canyon in the Graypeak Mountains called Deadstone Cleft is home to a clan of stone giants under the influence of Thane Kayalithica, a devout but misguided worshiper of Skoraeus Stonebones. See chapter 6, “Canyon of the Stone Giants,” for more information on this location.

Delimbiyr Road

Also called the Shining Trail, the Delimbiyr Road is a trade road that follows the north shore of the Delimbiyr River. Terrified refugees heading west along the road warn adventurers of rampaging stone giants to the east. They claim that the giants have destroyed homesteads and settlements throughout Grayvale, and that Loudwater is doomed to fall as well.

Delimbiyr Vale

Delimbiyr Vale is the seemingly endless valley through which the Delimbiyr River flows. It begins at the foothills of the Nether Mountains and stretches southwest for hundreds of miles toward the sea. The least settled part of the valley stands between the High Forest and the Graypeak Mountains. As the valley sweeps south of the great forest, more and more settlements begin to appear along the river. The largest settlement along the vale is Daggerford, near the coast, but even that is but a town. With its easy access to water and ample resources, the Delimbiyr Vale seems ripe for settlers-but the valley’s resources also attract monsters from the nearby forests, hills, and mountains.

Dessarin Hills

The rugged, scruffy hills south of Yartar provide a safe haven for orcs, ogres, hill giants, manticores, and Uthgardt barbarians. Scattered throughout the Dessarin Hills are ancient dwarven ruins, crumbling towers, lost mines, and abandoned hunting lodges, any of which might contain monsters and other perils.

Dessarin Road

The Dessarin “Road” is no more than a glorified wagon trail that meanders across the eastern Dessarin Valley, connecting the rural settlement of Beliard to the Iron Road near Womford.

Dessarin Valley

The lowlands on either side of the Dessarin River constitute the Dessarin Valley, a vast tract of fertile land stretching north from Waterdeep to the Surbrin Hills. The Long Road hugs the west border of the valley, which is hemmed in on the east by the High Forest and the Forlorn Hills. The valley is dotted with settlements, farms, and isolated homesteads, yet most of it is unsettled. The valley’s primary trade route is the river itself.

Druarwood

See the “Glimmerwood” section.

Everlund

Situated on the banks of the Rauvin River, Everlund is one of the North’s most active mercantile communities. A thick stone wall encloses the city, pierced in five places by gates. Like the spokes of a wheel, broad, straight avenues lead from each gate to the Bell Market at the city’s center. The streets are clean and wide enough to accommodate large caravan vehicles. Soldiers of the city’s army make a show of patrolling the walls, to reassure citizens and visitors as well as to discourage attackers. The buildings of Everlund are stately and well maintained, with steeply pitched rooftops and tall spires that sport colorful banners. Two bridges span the river, which has parks and trees along its shores.

Until recently, Everlund was a member of the Lords' Alliance. The five leaders who currently comprise the city’s Council of Elders voted three to two in favor of separation and, in a symbolic show of support for Sundabar (see the “Sundabar” section), condemned the alliance for its failure to come to Sundabar’s aid during the War of the Silver Marches. The decision was touted as an opportunity for Everlund to chart its own course, but more educated citizens believe the vote was orchestrated by the Zoar family, a group of influential nobles that moved to Everlund from Waterdeep over a century ago amid some scandal. The Zoars have gained considerable political influence in Everlund, to the extent that they now have a representative on the Council of Elders.

The Hall of the Elders is where the council meets to discuss issues affecting the city. Only the councilors know who voted which way concerning the decision to leave the Lords' Alliance. The members of the Council of Elders are as follows:

• High Captain Horix Zoar (LN male Tethyrian human noble), commander of Everlund’s army and a windbag
• High Sorcerer Vaeril Rhuidhen (NG male sun elf archmage), a quiet voice of moderation and reason who keeps the peace between the council’s more fractious members (and who formerly served as liaison to the Lords' Alliance)
• The Keeper of the Bridges, Kythora Shen (LN female Shou human veteran), a retired soldier and skilled bureaucrat charged with overseeing the city watch and the conduct of commerce in the city
• The Master of Guilds, Boldor Steelshield (N male shield dwarf noble), representing the merchants of Everlund, who is prone to hyperbole and rumored to accept bribes
• The Speaker of the Town, a citizen elected every seven years to represent the common folk in the city; currently the post is held by Vatrice Stormwright (CG female Illuskan human commoner), an easily flustered woman who owns a modestly successful chimney-sweeping business in the city

The most prominent edifice in Everlund is Moongleam Tower, a keep of black stone that serves as a Harper stronghold in the North. It rises from one of the higher knolls in the city and consists of four narrow, cylindrical towers joined together, surrounded by a dry moat that can be quickly flooded through a system of cisterns and pumps. Crowning the roof is an open turret, where a signaling mirror shaped like a crescent moon stands.

At any time, from five to fifteen Harpers are in residence, attended by a loyal staff and a private garrison of twenty veterans. Moonlord Daviana Yalrannis (CG female Tethyrian human knight) is the master of the tower, charged with its defense and upkeep. A powerful Harper wizard named Krowen Valharrow (CG male Turami human archmage with a robe of useful items and a staff of fire) also resides in the tower, along with dozens of domesticated tressym and a handful of apprentice mage. Apart from their ability to fly, the tressym behave like normal house cats. If one or more characters show an interest in the tressym, Krowen offers to bequeath one (but no more than one) to the party. The tressym bonds with the first character to earn its trust, which requires some obvious sign of affection accompanied by a successful DC 17 Charisma check. A character with proficiency in the Animal Handling skill has advantage on the check. The bonded tressym obeys that character’s commands and no one else’s.

Near the top of Moongleam Tower is a circular, windowless room that contains a permanent teleportation circle, which high-ranking Harpers use to enter and leave the tower unseen (see the “Inner Circles” section at the end of this chapter).

The city boasts many temples, the most prominent of which are dedicated to Helm, Mielikki, and Corellon Larethian. Everlund also has many fine places to eat and rest, the oldest and largest being Danivarr’s House. Once a noble’s mansion, this rambling inn is a favorite haunt for adventurers. The Zoar family bought the establishment a few years ago, but leaves the running of Danivarr’s House to a one-eyed half-orc named Dral Thelev (LG male half-orc commoner). Both the Harpers and the Zhentarim keep a close eye on this place.

Development

If the characters received a letter of recommendation from Tamalin Zoar (see the “Calling Horns” section) and they show it to Dral Thelev, the half-orc tells them that the Zoar family has power in the city and that the characters can give the letter of recommendation to Dral in exchange for one favor from the Zoars (see the “Marks of Prestige” section in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). When the characters decide to call in the favor, Dral contacts his employers, and High Captain Horix Zoar does everything in his power to give the characters what they want, provided it’s within his power and isn’t likely to burden him or the Zoar family. Examples of what he might provide include a meeting with one or more members of the Council of Elders, an arranged meeting with a Lords' Alliance representative from another city, and a spell Spell Scroll (5th level) raise dead.

Evermoor Way

The Evermoor Way has long been a vital trade route, connecting the settlements of the Dessarin Valley with those of the Silver Marches. The section between Triboar and Yartar is an ancient road, relatively flat and composed of tight-fitting stones. East of Yartar, the road becomes a gravel and dirt wagon trail that passes a little too close to the Evermoors for most merchants' comfort. Between Olostin’s Hold and Everlund, the trail passes through an area that used to be forest and is now full of tree stumps. Efforts to turn this long stretch into a proper road have long been thwarted by disagreements between the leaders of Yartar and Everlund, and Everlund’s exit from the Lords' Alliance has dashed all hope.

Evermoors

The Evermoors is a vast, unsettled area of fog-shrouded hills, cold bogs, rocky ridges, and small peaks. Adventurers crossing this expanse might spot the occasional castle ruin or crumbled tower-a remnant of a bygone realm. Although the region attracts many prospectors, no kingdom or civilization in recent history has been able to tame it. Savage hill giants, ettins, ogres, orcs, and trolls dwell here in great numbers. Settlements that stand on the edge of the Evermoors face constant threats from these and other monsters.

Floating a mile above the Evermoors is Lyn Armaal, Countess Sansuri’s cloud castle (see chapter 9, “Castle of the Cloud Giants”). The view of the castle from the ground is fleeting as it disappears behind overcast skies.

Eye of the All-Father

Built by giants long ago, this temple dedicated to Annam the All-Father lies hidden under the Spine of the World. A snow-covered pass that begins in the Valley of Khedrun leads to the temple. See chapter 4, “The Chosen Path,” for more information on this location.

Fallen Lands

Countless ruins dot this rugged, barren land, where ancient cities once stood and great battles once raged. Strange witchlights float around the ruins at night-the lingering vestiges of ancient spells, some say.

Far Forest

Named for its remoteness, the woodland expanse between Anauroch and Delimbiyr Vale is home to tribes of sprites, lonely dryads, irksome satyrs, and territorial centaurs. Owlbears also prowl the Far Forest in alarming numbers, while the darkest depths are home to frightful ettercaps and their giant spider pets.

Fell Pass

Between the northernmost rampart of the Frost Hills and the Spine of the World lies a high, cold pass that links the Lurkwood to the Surbrin River. Tribes of Uthgardt barbarians hunt the Fell Pass, occasionally clashing with other Uthgardt over contested territory.

Fireshear

Long ago, a meteor strike blasted a crater in the frozen tundra near the coast of the Trackless Sea, shearing away tons of rock and exposing rich veins of copper and silver ore. In the years that followed, miners settled nearby, giving rise to the town of Fireshear. The miners work for a consortium of three allied merchant companies: Hammaver House (based in Mirabar), the Silver Triangle (based in Neverwinter), and the Delvers of Brokenstone (based in Waterdeep). The settlement is made up of squat stone structures that resemble igloos, their domes good at supporting the weight of snow and deflecting the cold wind. Most homes are dug out of the rock and include deep cellars laden with preserves.

The miners of Fireshear dwell here all year. Ramps carved into the cliffs lead down to the shore, where stone docks protrude into a shallow bay that freezes by late fall and doesn’t thaw until early summer. Fireshear imports most of its food, clothing, and other necessities. Ice fishing is a popular pastime among children, but all able-bodied adults are expected to toil in the mines.

The town has three leaders, who form a ruling triumvirate that handles trade negotiations with representatives of other settlements and disperses supplies among the townsfolk. Each member is a representative of one of the town’s founding companies. Triumvirate members serve for life or until they resign, and they are known to take bribes, rewarding families who pay them in coin or precious ore with supplies of higher quality or in greater quantity. The current members are Tharkus Gromm (NE male shield dwarf thug) of Hammaver House; Darva (NG female dragonborn mage) of the Silver Triangle; and Zalaron Daska (N male Tethyrian human veteran) of the Delvers of Brokenstone.

Fireshear is also home to a retired civilar (captain) of Waterdeep’s Griffon Cavalry and a member of the Emerald Enclave named Dasharra Keldabar (LG female shield dwarf veteran). She lives north of town, in a mostly underground hovel on a ridge that overlooks the sea. Locals know that Dasharra raises griffons, trains them as mounts, and teaches people how to ride them. The griffons are kept in a low, sturdy wooden shelter next to her home. At any time, Dasharra has 1d4+6 adult griffon and 1d4 griffon eggs in her care. Dasharra employs six Zhentarim mercenaries (N male and female Tethyrian human veteran) as guards, three of whom stand watch outside the griffon pens while the others rest in a cramped loft above the griffons' stalls.

If one or more characters are members of the Emerald Enclave, the adventurers can easily convince Dasharra to help them fly to Svardborg, Lyn Armaal, or some other destination within a few hundred miles of Fireshear. Otherwise, they must pay for her services. She charges 250 gp per person for training and another 25 gp per person per day of travel. Characters who want to be trained must undergo three days of intense lessons, after which they know enough about griffon riding to control their mounts. Each griffon is able to carry one Medium rider or two Small riders (along with their armor and portable gear), and Dasharra has saddles and reins sized for both Small and Medium riders. Dasharra’s “alpha griffon,” Screecher, allows no one but her to ride it. Dasharra’s other griffons are trained to follow Screecher wherever it goes and can’t be coaxed into veering off course unless they are magically charmed.

Suggested Encounter

Three days after the characters arrive in Fireshear, a frost giant greatship with white dragon wings for sails and mammoth tusks lashed to its bow emerges from the thick fog shrouding the coastline. The greatship (see the “Svardborg: General Features” sidebar in chapter 7, “Berg of the Frost Giants”) cuts a swath through the icy crust over the shallow bay as it approaches and slowly grinds to a dead stop. The ship carries twenty frost giant. Twelve of them leap over the sides, walking across ice or wading through frigid waist-deep water toward the docks, eager to raid and pillage. The remaining eight frost giants remain aboard the ship.

As townsfolk retreat to the mines or flee across the open tundra, the raiding giants fan out, allowing characters to take on two or three of them at a time. Dasharra provides aerial support, attacking giants at range with her heavy crossbow while mounted atop her griffon. If six or more frost giants fall in battle, the rest retreat to their ship. Left alone, the surviving frost giants (including those that didn’t participate in the initial assault) regroup and launch a second attack 1d4+1 hours later, this time leaving no giant behind.

The frost giant raid occurs whether the characters remain in town or not. If the characters aren’t present to defend the town, the frost giant raiders force hundreds of townsfolk to take refuge in the mines. The giants pile boulders in front of the mine entrances to trap the townsfolk inside, then loot the town. Townsfolk who fled into the tundra rather than hide in the mines return 2d6 hours later to find their homes reduced to rubble and their supplies gone. The giants pay no mind to Dasharra’s hovel north of town.

Treasure

Each giant carries a sack containing 1d4 mundane items (roll on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction). Aboard the greatship is an unlocked wooden chest, its lid frozen shut. Dealing 5 damage or more to the lid forces it open. The chest contains 1,500 sp, 450 gp, and 1d3 magic items, determined by rolling on Magic Item Table C in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Flint Rock

The spirit mound of the Elk tribe (see the “Uthgardt Barbarians” section earlier in this chapter) is situated in the midst of the Evermoors atop a gnarly knob of flinty stone that’s perpetually shrouded in fog. Its rings, cairns, and altar mound are created from piles of heaped rock, barren of plant growth. The altar is a rectangular slab of stone 10 feet long, 6 feet wide, and 3 feet tall, its surfaces worn smooth by time. The enormous basin surrounding the altar mound is shaped like the silhouette of a leaping elk stag, although this image isn’t readily apparent when the area is seen from ground level. Buried under the cairns are the bones of the Elk tribe’s greatest warriors.

On the higher ground of the ring outside the basin, placed outward from the altar along the cardinal directions, are four menhirs of solid gray stone that the Elk tribe’s shamans use to track the passage of time, the changing of the seasons, and the movement of the stars.

Ancient Relic

Casting detect magic on the altar reveals a faint aura of divination magic originating from underneath it. The slab weighs several tons and is too large to be lifted or moved by any creature smaller and weaker than a stone giant, but multiple Small or Medium creatures lifting in tandem can move the stone if at least five of them succeed on a DC 20 Strength (Athletics) check. The altar can be broken in half to get at the ground underneath; it has AC 17, 100 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.

Uthgar’s early followers who founded the Elk tribe buried a relic of giantkind under the altar to empower it: a 5-foot-long mithral spear tip weighing 75 pounds. The spear tip is the source of the faint aura of divination magic, though it no longer has the powers it once held.

Suggested Encounter

The first time the characters arrive here, the only creatures present are two elk -a mated pair-foraging for moss. The elks observe the party but pose no threat, fleeing if they are attacked or if they detect one or more party members within 60 feet of either one. Any creature that wounds or kills an elk on Flint Rock must succeed on a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw or be cursed. For as long as the curse lasts, members of the Elk tribe recognize the cursed creature as a hated enemy and are hostile toward it. In addition, the creature can’t benefit from natural healing until the curse is removed with a remove curse spell or similar magic.

Forgotten Forest

The Forgotten Forest has long been the domain of fey creatures and belligerently protective treants. Thus, it is best “forgotten.” An immortal druid named Pheszeltan dwells deep in the woods and is willing to offer advice to those with the skill to reach him.

Fork Road

The Fork Road is the only well-traveled trail between Sundabar and Citadel Adbar. At a point commonly known as “the Fork,” the trail splits. One path heads north to Citadel Adbar (becoming the Adbar Road), while the other continues down a little-used path east toward Ascore.

Forlorn Hills

A great forest claimed by elven kingdoms once covered the Forlorn Hills. When the elves left, the forest was cleared to make room for a dwarven empire, which also faded from memory. The area is home to scores of hill giants and ettins, while the mountains in its center are claimed by copper dragons who have invaded ancient dwarven vaults and throne halls and turned these chambers into their lairs.

Frost Hills

The southernmost spur of the Spine of the World, the Frost Hills combine with the Evermoors to form the west border of the Silver Marches. Mithral Hall, one of the strongest dwarfholds of the North, lies deep within the Frost Hills, as do various Uthgardt encampments.

Gauntlgrym

Once a great city and a bastion of the empire of Delzoun, this dwarven stronghold stood abandoned for centuries beneath the mountains. Recently, an army of shield dwarves led by Bruenor Battlehammer reclaimed it, ousting drow squatters and sending them scurrying back into the Underdark. Bruenor now sits on Gauntlgrym’s throne as king.

The “heart” of Gauntlgrym is its legendary forge, within which is trapped a fire primordial known as Maegera the Dawn Titan. For more information on Gauntlgrym and its inhabitants, see the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide and the adventure Out of the Abyss.

Suggested Encounter

Drow of House Xorlarrin infiltrate Gauntlgrym through secret passageways of which not even the dwarves are aware. Bearing an iron flask given to them by the great fire giant chief Duke Zalto, they slip into the forge, murder a few guards, trap the fire primordial in the flask, and try to flee with their prize. If the characters are in Gauntlgrym prior to visiting Ironslag (see chapter 8, “Forge of the Fire Giants”), they can attempt to thwart the theft and keep the primordial out of Zalto’s hands. In this encounter, the characters confront the drow as they try to escape. The encounter begins in one of two ways:

• The characters are making their way down a hallway in Gauntlgrym when they face the drow interlopers.
• The characters are with Bruenor Battlehammer when news of the theft of the primordial reaches the king’s ear, in which case the characters are asked to help find those responsible.

In either case, the characters encounter the drow in a dusty, 20-foot-wide, 30-foot-high hall lined with 10-foot tall dwarven statues. Assume the two groups are 60 feet apart when they see each other. The dark elves are making their way toward a secret door set into the wall behind one of the statues, beyond which is a 5-foot-wide, 7-foot-high, mile-long tunnel that the drow intend to use as their escape route. The secret door is between the two groups-20 feet from the drow party and 40 feet from the adventuring party at the start of the encounter-and the characters have no prior knowledge of it. So masterfully crafted is the secret door that spotting it requires a careful search of the wall and a successful DC 25 Wisdom (Perception) check. The drow are already aware of the secret door, having used it to creep into Gauntlgrym undetected.

The leader of the all-male party is a slippery, never-say-die dark elf named Draac Xorlarrin. Taal, his younger cousin, accompanies him. Both are drow mage. Their escort consists of six male drow elite warrior and two shadow demon (one summoned by Draac, the other by Taal).

Draac and Taal have both used their Summon Demon ability, as well as all of their 5th-level spell slots. They know that they can’t afford to spar with adventurers or risk getting caught. On their first turns in combat, Draac and Taal cast Evard’s black tentacles spells. The tentacles erupt from the floor in front of the characters, filling the two 20-foot squares between them and the secret door. Confident that the tentacles will hold their enemies at bay, the drow mages then head toward the secret door and try to escape. The drow elite warriors and the shadow demons follow the mages, serving as personal bodyguards. Once inside the secret tunnel, the mages use web spells to obstruct the passageway behind their party, hoping to ensnare or slow down their pursuers.

Treasure

Draac Xorlarrin carries the iron flask that has Maegera the Dawn Titan trapped inside it. He also carries a staff topped with web patterns on the haft and a sculpted obsidian spider with small diamonds for eyes at the top (worth 1,500 gp). The staff is ornate but nonmagical. Taal carries a pouch with four 100 gp gems inside it, and he wears a fine black cloak embroidered with webs made of platinum thread (worth 750 gp).

Development

If the drow escape, the characters might encounter them again in Ironslag (see the “Special Delivery” section at the end of chapter 8). Maegera the Dawn Titan can be safely released from the flask in one of two locations. If it is released inside Gauntlgrym’s forge, Maegera becomes trapped there once more. If it is released inside the adamantine forge in Ironslag (see chapter 8, “Forge of the Fire Giants,” area 29), the fire primordial is trapped within that forge and likewise contained. If the primordial is released anywhere else, it goes on a rampage, attacking any creature it sees, until it is again trapped inside an iron flask or some other receptacle.

Glimmerwood

Three forests grew together to form the Glimmerwood: the Moonwood to the west, the Coldwood to the east, and the Druarwood between them. The Glimmerwood’s pine, fir, and spruce trees grow atop the rocky foothills and escarpments of two converging mountain ranges: the Spine of the World and the Ice Spires. The trees are more stunted and sparse as the altitude increases to the north.

Moonwood

This dense coniferous forest north of the Evermoors seems very quiet and still. The southern fringes of the Moonwood are home to small bands of moon elves and wood elves, as well as the rustic homes of a few woodcutters and trappers. Uthgardt barbarians and lycanthropes prowl its northern depths.

Druarwood

Uthgardt barbarians of the Black Lion and Red Tiger tribes live and hunt here. The two tribes share a spirit mound in the forest’s icy northern reaches (see the “Beorunna’s Well” section).

Coldwood

Branches of the Icespear River emerge from the heart of the Coldwood, trickling south toward the Silver Marches. The Glimmerwood is so frigid that the ground is covered with several inches of snow even during the height of summer. In winter, the trees are bent under several feet of snow and ice, while the ground remains navigable because of the shelter that the dense foliage overhead provides. Fire giants have used fire and their greatswords to clear wide swaths through the eastern woods, to expedite overland travel to and from Ironslag. In these areas, the stench of burned wood hangs in the air above rows of incinerated trees.

Goldenfields

Goldenfields is a walled farming complex dedicated to Chauntea, the goddess of agriculture. It also serves as a base for the Emerald Enclave. Its harvests are crucial to cities throughout the North, Waterdeep in particular. See chapter 2 for more information on this location.

Suggested Encounter

If the adventure didn’t begin in Goldenfields, you can run the “Attack on Goldenfields” encounter (see chapter 2) when the characters visit the location.

Grandfather Tree

Deep within the High Forest is an oak tree of immense size, with a base measuring 50 feet in diameter and a crown soaring to a height of over 350 feet. Around this ancient tree are two rings of raised earth. The innermost ring has four normal-sized oak trees (healthy and mature ones) growing out of it. Buried beneath the outermost ring are the moldy bones of long-dead Uthgardt barbarians, most of them from the Tree Ghost tribe.

Tree Ghosts patrol the woods surrounding Grandfather Tree. Characters who venture into the forest on foot in search of the tree should encounter one or more patrols, each consisting of 3d6 Tree Ghost tribal warrior and an Uthgardt shaman. There is a 25 percent chance that the group includes one of Great Chief Boorvald Orcbane’s adult children, who leads the patrol. This Uthgardt barbarian leader is a berserker, with the following changes:

• The leader is chaotic neutral.
• He or she has a Dexterity score of 15 (+2) and AC 14.
• He or she speaks Bothii (the Uthgardt language), Common, and Elvish.
• The leader carries an oathbow and has a +5 bonus to hit with the weapon, which deals 7 (1d8+3) piercing damage on a hit, plus an extra 10 (3d6) piercing damage against a sworn enemy. (See chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide for other properties of the oathbow.)

Characters who travel by air have an easy time spotting the tree and can reach the perimeter of this area without encountering any ground patrols.

Grandfather Tree has AC 15, 500 hit points, a damage threshold of 15, and immunity to fire and psychic damage. As long as it has 1 hit point remaining, it regenerates 50 hit points on initiative count 0. Although it’s a living creature like any plant, Grandfather Tree isn’t self-aware and can neither move nor take actions. Creatures tasked with protecting the tree gain the effect of a bless spell while they are beneath its great boughs. In addition, any creature that finishes a long rest under the boughs gains the benefit of the greater restoration spell.

Ancient Relic

Many small chambers are hidden between the exposed roots of Grandfather Tree. A Medium or smaller creature can reach these chambers by crawling among the roots. Half buried in the root network’s innermost chamber is a relic of giantkind left here long ago by a mad Tree Ghost shaman: a nonmagical electrum torc etched with Giant runes. Formerly the nose-ring of a powerful hill giant chief, this U-shaped piece of jewelry is worth 250 gp as an art object and weighs 25 pounds. It can be worn around the neck by a Medium humanoid; though cumbersome, it doesn’t hinder its wearer in any way.

Suggested Encounter

Seven centaur have come to Grandfather Tree for its restorative powers. The centaurs fell victim to a curse as they explored some ancient ruins in the High Forest. Until the curse is lifted, the centaurs exude a charnel stench, can’t regain hit points, and can’t eat or drink anything without making themselves sick. The centaurs are not spoiling for a fight and prefer to be left alone.

Four dryad live in the smaller oak trees that encircle Grandfather Tree. They emerge from their trees when one or more characters approach within 50 feet of Grandfather Tree’s base, demanding in Elvish that the characters leave at once. The dryads know nothing of the giant relic hidden among Grandfather Tree’s roots and have no attachment to it. With a successful DC 14 Charisma (Intimidation or Persuasion) check, a character can convince the dryads to let the party search for the relic and take it away. The check is made with disadvantage if the dryads can’t understand the character’s words. If the party conducts a search without the dryads' consent, the dryads attempt to charm the characters and command them to return whence they came. The dryads attack intruders who resist their charms or refuse to leave, calling on the centaurs to aid them (which the centaurs are more than happy to do).

Whenever a dryad is killed, one or more conjured animals rise up out of the ground within 30 feet of her and join the fray, acting on the dryad’s initiative count. Roll on the Avenging Animals table to determine what appears. A conjured animal can distinguish enemies from allies, and it gains the benefit of Grandfather Tree’s bless spell. It disappears after 1 hour, or when it drops to 0 hit points, or when it is dispelled (DC 15).

Avenging Animals

Graypeak Mountains

An intermittent range of mountains running north and south separates Delimbiyr Vale from the Fallen Lands and the desert of Anauroch. The Graypeak Mountains are named for the tribes of gray-skinned stone giants who dwell here. The expanse is riddled with abandoned mines of both dwarven and Netherese origin.

Grayvale

Nestled in the southern part of the Graypeak Mountains, a beautiful and fertile valley stands between the settlements of Loudwater and Llorkh. The Grayflow River flows through the middle of Grayvale, which is dotted with farmsteads, hunting lodges, old dwarven mines, and the ruins of bygone elven kingdoms. Now, many of Grayvale’s homesteads and hamlets lie in ruins, after recently being flattened by rampaging stone giants. The vale has been mostly evacuated, except for a few scattered farms whose inhabitants refuse to leave.

Suggested Encounter

As the characters explore Grayvale, a young brass dragon named Silixia spots them from a nearby hilltop. The friendly dragon offers greetings and warns the party that stone giants are laying waste to farms, homesteads, and ruins throughout Grayvale. She has spent the past few weeks helping farmers and other locals flee the vale. She doesn’t know why the normally reclusive giants are suddenly out to destroy everything. If the characters ask Silixia where the stone giants live, she offers to lead them to Deadstone Cleft and warns them that the giants have a roc “pet” that guards the entrance to their canyon lair. Silixia has no interest in battling the giants, but she can be bribed into luring away the roc or providing some other form of assistance. A rare magic item or a collection of gems worth at least 5,000 gp is enough to satisfy her. A character who barters with the dragon can, with a successful DC 17 Charisma (Persuasion) check, convince Silixia to accept an uncommon magic item or 2,500 gp as payment.

Grayvale Run

The trail known as Grayvale Run extends from Loudwater and eastward, following the Grayflow River, to Llorkh and beyond. The trail’s name changes to the Dawn Pass where it cuts through the Graypeak Mountains. All along Grayvale Run are wagons, fences, and cottages that the stone giants of Deadstone Cleft have wrecked and flattened with rocks.

Suggested Encounter

The characters observe three stone giant quietly, almost reverently, dismantling an old stone cottage. One giant gathers the stones while a second one rearranges them into decorative pillars. The third giant digs holes with its hands and buries the cottage’s other contents. Characters who succeed on a DC 10 Intelligence check realize that the giants are erasing all evidence of the cottage and using its stones to create something artistic and timeless in its place. Once they finish, the giants move on to the next ruined homestead they find. The giants are too distracted to notice anyone watching them from a distance. If the characters confront the giants or antagonize them, the giants hurl rocks at them. If the characters flee, the giants don’t pursue, opting instead to continue their work. The giants carry no treasure.

Great Worm Cavern

The spirit mound of the Great Worm tribe of Uthgardt barbarians is inside a spacious cavern at the northeast end of the Valley of Khedrun, deep in the Spine of the World. Thick ice hangs above the pillared entrance to Great Worm Cavern, and the interior walls of the place are covered with an icy glaze and lined with massive icicles that gleam and glitter in reflected light. The walls are too slippery to be climbed without gear or magic.

The cavern floor is a sheet of slippery ice (see the “Wilderness Hazards” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide) flanked by 70-foot-high ledges of rock, atop which stand two totem poles of chiseled ice with carvings that resemble winged snakes. The walls of these ledges are riddled with caves in which the Great Worm tribe members live. Natural steam vents in the rock keep the caves warm throughout the year. Above the ledges, dug into the cavern walls, are narrow crypts where the honored dead are placed, their frozen corpses propped up in a standing position.

Altar

Rising from the back of the cavern is a triangular promontory of ice-covered rock, 120 feet above the cavern floor at its peak. Thereupon stands an altar of frost-covered stone, carved in the shape of a coiled serpent with great wings. The altar represents Elrem, the Great Worm. Here, the tribal warriors make sacrifices to the Great Worm in honor of Uthgar. Doing so, they believe, ensures that Elrem doesn’t return to devour them.

Bound inside the altar is a couatl. It can phase into and out of the altar at will. While inside the altar, the couatl is undetectable and can sense creatures within 120 feet of it. The first time a good-hearted character approaches within 20 feet of the altar, the couatl telepathically reaches out to that character without divulging its location or identity. Communicating in a language that the character understands, the couatl warns the character that the Great Worm tribe has fallen under the sway of an evil chieftain named Wormblod. It asks the character to hunt down and slay Wormblod, promising a reward for this good deed. The couatl knows that Wormblod is away, searching for a missing concubine named Noori. If the characters present proof of Wormblod’s death as an offering to the altar, see “Development.”

If anyone damages the altar, the couatl emerges and tries to frighten them off, attacking only as a last resort.

Ancient Relic

At the back of the cave hangs a relic of giantkind: a crescent-shaped gong in a crude stone frame. The gong, a circular disk 13 feet in diameter, was once the shield of a frost giant champion, but it was broken in combat and is now missing a large piece. What remains of it weighs 250 pounds. The shield is made of red dragon scales bolted to a beaten copper frame. Its leather arm straps are long gone. The ropes holding up the gong can be cut with two swings of a sword.

If the gong is struck inside the cavern, its deep tone echoes throughout the cavern and causes a few large icicles to break away from the ceiling and crash down onto the icy floor. The crashing ice awakens three young remorhaz hibernating in a cyst beneath the ice. The remorhazes burst up through the ice and attack any creatures they see. The Great Worm tribesfolk are unaware of the remorhazes and have no way to control them once they burst forth.

Suggested Encounter

Most Great Worm tribe members are nomads who hunt and forage in the wilderness. Those who dwell here are typically the elderly, mothers, and children. Each small cave at the base of the cavern holds 1d4+4 noncombatants, and standing atop the ledges, watching the entrance, are four tribal warrior (two per ledge). They have a stack of spears to hurl down at intruders.

Treasure

The remorhaz lair can be explored and plundered if the creatures are killed. The area is a 20-foot-diameter oval chamber with walls of glazed ice. Scattered on the floor are three 500 gp gemstones, fifteen 100 gp gemstones, and one magic item determined by rolling on Magic Item Table C in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

If the characters slay Wormblod and bring proof of his demise, the couatl emerges from the altar and bestows on each of them a charm of restoration (see the “Supernatural Gifts” section in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). The couatl then returns to the altar and makes no further attempt to communicate with them.

Griffon’s Nest

A wooden palisade topped with the rotting heads of dead orcs encircles a hilltop village of crude huts and longhouses in the northern part of the Surbrin Hills. Roughly three hundred Uthgardt barbarians of the Griffon tribe dwell here. Perched atop the rocky crest of Griffon’s Nest is the longhouse of the great chief, Halric Bonesnapper. This building is where Halric meets with the other tribal chieftains to settle important matters and plan for the tribe’s future. While Halric enjoys the comforts of a king, the rest of the tribe lives in squalor.

At various times in the past, visitors were welcome to meet and trade with the chieftains, but the Griffon tribe no longer opens its gates to strangers and in fact actively tries to slaughter them. Most of the residents of Griffon’s Nest are tribal warrior, with a few dozen berserker. An Uthgardt shaman wanders the settlement, making sure no one speaks ill of the great chief. If the characters approach Griffon’s Nest, the settlement opens its gates to them, inviting them to enter. This is a ploy. If the characters enter the settlement, the barbarians try to slaughter them and feast on their remains.

Great Chief Halric Bonesnapper is a berserker, with the following changes:

• Halric is chaotic evil and speaks Bothii (the Uthgardt language) and Common.
• He has 99 hit points and wields a +1 greataxe. He has a +6 bonus to hit with this weapon and deals 10 (1d12+4) slashing damage on a hit.

Grudd Haug

Built on a branch of the Dessarin River, Grudd Haug is the den of Chief Guh and her hill giant brood. See chapter 5, “Den of the Hill Giants,” for more information on this location.

Gundarlun

The island nation of Gundarlun (see map 3.10) is a string of barren mountains rising up out of the Trackless Sea. Mighty waves crash against its rocky shores. Clinging to the mountainsides above the water are stone keeps with fishing villages huddled around them, each one ruled by a ruthless jarl who answers to the King of Gundarlun, Olgrave Redaxe (CN male Illuskan human berserker with 90 hit points). The king lives in a crumbling fortress that overlooks Gundbarg, the island’s only port.

Gundbarg

A city of dour Northfolk, Gundbarg tolerates visitors only because it depends on trade for its survival. What the Northfolk can’t buy, they plunder. Visitors typically stay at the Dragon Turtle Inn, a salt-encrusted stone edifice near the docks. High rock walls enclose Gundbarg’s harbor, which contains the King’s Fleet, consisting of nearly two hundred longships.

Hawk’s Nest

Hawk’s Nest is a fortified settlement that overlooks Silverymoon Pass, built to defend the pass against orc hordes and other threats, thus protecting Silverymoon’s eastern flank. Perched atop a rocky crag and surrounded by high battlements, Hawk’s Nest is under the protection of the Order of the Gauntlet. High stone walls enclose a keep and a densely packed village that includes three small temples (dedicated to Helm, Torm, and Tyr), a blacksmith, a leatherworker, a caravan supplier, a rough-and-tumble tavern (the Spiked Gauntlet), and two cozy yet spacious inns (the Hawk’s Roost and the Inn of the Silver Sword).

The Lord of Hawk’s Nest is Arthus Cavilos (LG male Damaran human knight of Tyr), a member of the Order of the Gauntlet. His wife, Lady Fenris Agathonn (LG female Damaran human mage), is the great grand niece of Lord Taern Hornblade of Silverymoon. Arthun and Fenris have two spirited daughters, Lavencia and Eryl; one is training to be a wizard, the other a knight of Tyr like her father.

Lord Cavilos raises hippogriff, which the knights of Hawk’s Nest train as mounts and use to patrol the trade road between Silverymoon and Sundabar. Characters who are looking for an expeditious means of travel can petition Lord Cavilos to ferry them to their destination on the backs of hippogriffs. If the characters impress upon him the urgency of their mission, Lord Cavilos commands his fellow knights to fly the characters where they need to go, then return to Hawk’s Nest with the hippogriffs. A hippogriff carrying a knight and one other rider must rest for 1 hour for every 3 hours it flies, and can travel about 54 miles per day.

Suggested Encounter

When fire giants attack an armored wagon heading east to Sundabar, knights on hippogriffs are forced to swoop down, rescue the survivors, and deliver them back to Hawk’s Nest. The characters learn about the attack when the knights return with the survivors. They also find out that the armored wagon was transporting wages to workers who are rebuilding Sundabar’s defenses, which were destroyed during the War of the Silver Marches. Characters can show their valor by undertaking a quest to retrieve the stolen wages, which were kept in two locked iron strongboxes. While traveling east along the trade road, the characters come upon the wreckage of the armored wagon. From there they can follow fire giant tracks heading north into the mountains. Several hours later, they come upon two fire giant and two hell hound. Each giant carries a sack that contains one of the iron strongboxes. The giants have broken the locks off them, leaving them unlocked.

If the characters return the strongboxes to Hawk’s Nest or deliver them to Sundabar, Lord Cavilos is impressed. If the party includes a paladin or a cleric of good alignment who isn’t already a member of the Order of the Gauntlet, Lord Cavilos offers that character membership in the order. If the party already includes any members of the order, Lord Cavilos offers each of them a knighthood and a hippogriff mount. He also invites all party members to attend a dinner with his family, during which Lord Cavilos regales his honored guests with unexaggerated tales of victorious battles he fought during the War of the Silver Marches.

Treasure

Each strongbox contains 500 gp. Each giant’s sack also holds 1d4 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Helm’s Hold

Located a short distance southeast of Neverwinter, Helm’s Hold is a fortified monastery enclosed on all sides by stone walls patrolled day and night by members of the Order of the Gilded Eye, a splinter sect of the Order of the Gauntlet. Helm’s Hold is firmly under the Gilded Eye’s control, and its members have taken Helm’s doctrine of protection to extremes. The high-minded inquisitors of the Gilded Eye are convinced that evil is rampant. They are determined to root out those under “demonic influence” and are quick to persecute anyone who doesn’t act in accordance with their beliefs.

Within the walls of Helm’s Hold are numerous residences surrounding a central district called the Heartward, wherein the characters can find a roomy tavern (called the Old Dirty Dwarf), several quiet hostels, and a bustling marketplace. A wooden hangman’s scaffold stands in the center of the marketplace, and on certain nights, when clouds obscure the waning moon, luminous ghosts wander around it, going about the business of the living. Phantom vendors sell ephemeral apples at empty stands, ghost children play in the streets, and spirits hang one another on the scaffold. Some of the scenes appear to be reenactments of past events, whereas others have not occurred-at least, not yet. The ghosts speak mostly nonsense, but some of what they say might offer clues to past or future happenings.

Dominating the skyline is the Cathedral of Helm, a towering and inspiring edifice of pale gray stone that’s visible for miles around. As much a fortress as a temple, the cathedral contains an orphanage, a hospital, an asylum, and training grounds for Gilded Eye initiates. Holy Watcher Qerria (LG female Tethyrian human priest of Helm), who presides over the cathedral, is determined to root out corruption wherever she finds it. Few doubt that her words carry the weight of Helm’s divine wisdom. She is served by dozens of Gilded Eye inquisitors (male and female cult fanatic of various alignments and ethnicities) who employ a host of acolyte, assassin, guard, knight, spy, and veteran. Evildoers and enemies of the Gilded Eye are rounded up and brought to Helm’s Hold to face judgment. Those deemed to be under “demonic influence” or those who threaten the Gilded Eye are hanged, their bodies burned to ashes to prevent them from being raised from the dead.

Suggested Encounter

Adventurers who enter Helm’s Hold are watched closely by the Gilded Eye. However, as long as they don’t stir up trouble, they have little to fear from the order, which prides itself on making visitors feel safe and protected. The Gilded Eye relies on trade to finance its activities, and adventurers are usually good for the settlement’s economy. The Gilded Eye is also known to use adventurers to do its dirty work.

The leaders of the Gilded Eye have received reports of giant marauders in the region. Trained to deal with demonic threats, the order is less keen to face giants in battle. Zara Dalkor (LG female Illuskan knight of Helm) and her squire, Thora Tamlarrin (LN female Tethyrian half-elf guard), approach the characters and offer them the opportunity to help the Gilded Eye and the people of Helm’s Hold, promising nothing in return except the Gilded Eye’s gratitude. If the characters decline to help, Zara apologizes for taking up their time and reports back to her superiors.

If the characters express any interest in helping the Gilded Eye, Zara shares the following information:

• Scouts from Helm’s Hold have spotted frost giants wandering the lands to the south.
• The frost giants have attacked and plundered several homesteads and caravans along the High Road.
• The Gilded Eye wants the characters to find out where the giants are coming from.

Characters who accept the quest and head south for 10 miles spot a frost giant walking toward the coast. The giant recently attacked a caravan traveling north along the High Road and has 88 hit points remaining. He carries a sack stuffed with pillaged food as well as 1d4 mundane items (roll on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction).

The giant fights to the death if he is attacked. If the characters follow the giant while keeping their distance, he leads them to a miles-long stretch of 100-foot-high cliffs. Anchored a half mile off the coast is a greatship (see the “Svardborg: General Features” sidebar in chapter 7, “Berg of the Frost Giants”) with two giant-sized punts tethered to it. Three frost giant are aboard the ship. When the giant carrying the sack of food waves from the top of the cliffs, one of the giants aboard the ship climbs into a punt and rows it to shore, while the first giant climbs down the cliff to meet it. Most of the ship’s crew is still plundering the mainland, so the ship isn’t leaving anytime soon.

Sixteen frost giants have yet to return to the ship from their inland raids. If the characters hide aboard the ship or remain within sight of it, roll a d20 at the end of each hour that passes. On a roll of 17 or higher, 1d4 frost giants return and signal the ship to send a punt to shore. If no punt is available, the giants swim to the ship to find out what happened.

Treasure

Characters who board the ship and defeat the giants find a ton of stolen foodstuffs, along with a dozen barrels of cheap ale of little value, twelve casks of expensive brandy (worth 300 gp each), 10,000 gp in mixed coinage, and 2d4 stolen art objects worth 750 gp each (roll on the appropriate table in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine each art object).

Each returning giant carries a sack stuffed with pillaged supplies as well as one mundane item, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction. There is also a 25 percent chance of a sack containing 1d10 × 100 gp in mixed coinage.

High Forest

Although much less expansive than in ancient times, the High Forest is still vast and mysterious. Larger than most kingdoms, it encompasses mountains. The High Forest is home to treants of enormous size, stags with antlers as wide across as a wagon, brown bears bigger than large sheds, owlbears, wolves, unicorns, and many other creatures, including fiercely territorial wood elves and Uthgardt barbarians of the Tree Ghost tribe. The forest holds many hidden settlements, haunted ruins, fey crossings, and ancient magical wards.

In the outermost fringes of the forest, woodcutters ply their trade, and outlaws on the run might find refuge. But as everyone knows, those who venture too deep into the High Forest are often not seen again.

High Moor

The High Moor isn’t part of the North per se. A great cataclysm occurred here long ago, wiping out an entire elven kingdom, but little evidence of this event now remains except for some haunted ruins, tombs, and dungeons shrouded in thick fog. Many adventurers have perished in search of these ancient sites, for the High Moor is home to many monsters.

High Road

This well-traveled highway follows the coast from Luskan to Waterdeep, connecting with Neverwinter along the way. For years, the stretch of the High Road between Neverwinter and Waterdeep fell into disuse and disrepair because of frequent monster attacks. When he was both the Lord Protector of Neverwinter and the Open Lord of Waterdeep, Lord Dagult Neverember hired adventurers to make the old road safe and spent considerable coin to repair it. Many now consider the High Road a safer means of travel than a sea voyage.

Hundelstone

At the highest elevations along Ten Trail, only a few shrubs cling to life amid patches of moss-covered rock. Travelers on this route eventually come to Hundelstone, perching on the mountain slopes much like the surrounding flora. The town’s buildings are low, with most of their rooms cut out of the hard soil and rock below ground level, and their roofs steeply pitched to better shed the snows that blanket the mountains in the winter. The shield dwarves and rock gnomes in Hundelstone get a chuckle out of warning visitors to stoop low as they walk about town, lest they be blown away by the wind.

For most people, Hundelstone is either the last outpost of civilization before taking the pass north to Icewind Dale or the first welcome sign of refuge after making the wearying trip back. Many of the dwarves and gnomes here spend their days excavating tunnels, mining ore, or smelting and smithing the local iron and tin. (Adventurers who venture down into these tunnels might be surprised to find that some of them descend for miles, in some cases all the way to the Underdark.) Hundelstone’s few score human residents are mostly sellswords or would-be adventurers who earn a living as caravan guards or beast hunters in the crags.

One notable resident of Hundelstone is an inventor named Thwip Ironbottom (CG male rock gnome commoner). A spy for the Harpers, Thwip keeps an eye on strangers passing through town and uses a sending stones to stay in touch with Beldora, a Harper spy in Icewind Dale (see the “Beldora’s Quest” section in chapter 2 for more information about Thwip).

Ice Peak

The frozen island that lies southeast of the Sea of Moving Ice is named for the snow-capped promontory that dominates its northern half. Most of the inhabitants live in a few settlements clustered around the twin bays on the southern shore. Caves in the mountain’s peak serve as a lair for Arveiaturace, the white wyrm known to sailors as Iceclaws because of her habit of diving on hapless vessels and tearing them apart with her talons.

Longships crowd the docks of Aurilssbarg, the island’s largest community. Typical of the settlements on Ice Peak, the streets of Aurilssbarg are paved with logs laid side by side, and its buildings are low wooden structures whose pitched roofs are covered in sod. The heart of Aurilssbarg is Green Hall, a spacious tavern with a lengthy firepit that can spit six goats at a time to feed the cold and hungry crews that arrive after unloading their ships at the docks. Locals come here as well to hear the latest news from the mainland, although by the time it reaches Ice Peak, such news is often out of date and wildly exaggerated, little better than idle rumor. Still, the isolated inhabitants of Aurilssbarg eat it up all the same.

The island’s smaller coastal settlements include the fishing and trapping villages of Bjorn’s Hold and Ice wolf. The natives of Ice Peak survive by catching fish and hunting goats, seals, and whales. The island boasts a large yeti population. They feed on mountain goats, avoiding Northlanders unless food is scarce.

Ice Mountains and Ice Spires

The Ice Mountains and the Ice Spires are reckoned by some to be the easternmost extent of the Spine of the World, rather than being mountain ranges in their own right. The difference is academic, since all three areas have soaring peaks, permanent snowpack at all but the lowest elevations, and monster infestations. White dragons commonly vie for dominion in this region.

Iceshield Lands

Where a branch of the Dessarin Valley meets the western High Forest are rolling grass-covered hills recently claimed by the orcs of the Iceshield tribe. They dwell in crude lodges made from timber cut from the forest. Elves and centaurs regularly emerge from the High Forest to attack and set fire to these lodges, but the orcs keep cutting down trees and rebuilding them.

Icewind Dale

Icewind Dale has snow, ice, and freezing temperatures in abundance. The sun never rises far above the horizon even at the height of summer-and the height of summer is a fleeting thing. Winter here is long and ruthless.

Icewind Dale is surrounded by perilous terrain. The ice cliffs of the Reghed Glacier rise up in the east like prison walls. The towering, snow-capped peaks of the Spine of the World loom to the south. To the north and west, the Sea of Moving Ice churns bergs and floes in an endless tumult, like winter grinding its teeth in anticipation of its next freezing assault. Between these formidable obstacles lies windswept tundra dotted with settlements and the occasional small forest or stand of trees.

A singular mountain called Kelvin’s Cairn rises from the heart of Icewind Dale. During the summer, snow from Kelvin’s Cairn flows into three mineral-rich lakes: Maer Dualdon, Lac Dinneshere, and Redwaters. By midsummer, Icewind Dale shakes off the torpor of winter and comes forth in full flower. Grasses grow two or three feet high in the span of weeks. Birds flock to the marshes formed by the thawing soil, and reindeer calves fill out the herds that diminished in the winter.

Reghed barbarians follow the reindeer herds as they migrate across Icewind Dale, and dwarf miners haunt the caves and tunnels under Kelvin’s Cairn, rarely emerging except to trade ore for food. Most of Icewind Dale’s inhabitants, however, live in ten permanent settlements collectively known as Ten-Towns:

• The walled town of Bryn Shander, which lies at the northern end of the Ten Trail, is the first stop for most visiting merchants and traders and by far the largest of the ten communities.
• The hunting and fishing villages of Bremen, Targos, Termalaine, and Lonelywood line the shores of Maer Dualdon, which feeds into the Shaengarne River and holds seemingly countless numbers of knucklehead trout.
• The villages of Dougan’s Hole and Good Mead stand a few miles apart on the north shore of Redwaters which, contrary to its name, sparkles emerald green during the day and silver in the evening.
• The town of Easthaven and, nestled among the foothills of Kelvin’s Cairn, the villages of Caer-Dineval and Caer-Konig hug the shores of Lac Dinneshere, which freezes in winter.

The population of Ten-Towns is composed mostly of humans and dwarves, with the humans outnumbering the dwarves roughly twenty to one. In times of great peril, the leaders of Ten-Towns, known as town speakers, meet at Bryn Shander to discuss solutions to their problems. If one of the smaller settlements comes under attack by a threat too great to overcome, its inhabitants are trained to flee to Bryn Shander and take shelter behind its walls.

Random Encounters

When in this region, use the Random Encounters in Icewind Dale table instead of the Random Wilderness Encounters table earlier in this chapter.

Random Encounters in Icewind Dale

Ancient White Dragon

Arveiaturace, better known to Northfolk as Iceclaws, claims Icewind Dale as part of her domain. The characters catch sight of her in the sky overhead. Rarely does she condescend to meddle in the affairs of land dwellers; however, if one or more characters neglect to take cover, she swoops down for a closer look at them (and they at her).

The dragon is quite insane, and she wears a saddle to which is strapped the dead, withered corpse of a wizard she once regarded as a great friend. Arveiaturace occasionally calls out to the corpse in Draconic, as though the wizard were still alive. The dragon isn’t hungry or spoiling for a fight. But if one or more characters refuse to cower before her, Arveiaturace might strafe them once with her breath weapon or try to snatch up one of them with her claws, grappling the victim instead of dealing damage on a hit, only to drop the poor fool from a perilous height several rounds later.

Crag Cats

The crag cats hide in the snow and attempt to surprise the party.

Frost Giants

If a lone giant is encountered, it has a winter wolf companion. The frost giants are hunting for food. They have no treasure to speak of, though each carries a sack containing 1d4 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Reghed Barbarians

The characters come upon a Reghed berserker leading a band of 2d4+2 tribal warrior, or their encampment. Determine their tribe randomly by rolling a d4: 1, Bear; 2, Elk; 3, Tiger; 4, Wolf. If the barbarians belong to the Bear tribe or the Elk tribe, they give the party a wide berth and attack only if threatened. (Anyone who approaches them with weapons drawn is considered a threat.) Barbarians belonging to the Tiger tribe or the Wolf tribe attack the party on sight. The Tiger barbarians want the party’s rations, and the hungry Wolf barbarians want to murder the characters, skin them, and eat them.

Reindeer

Use the elk statistics to represent the reindeer. The reindeer are nonthreatening.

Ten-Towners

The characters chance upon 1d4+1 scout (trappers) from one of the small settlements of Ten-Towns. There is a 50 percent chance that they’re heading home with 2d6 animal pelts worth 5 gp each. They know the wilderness well and can direct or guide characters to the nearest settlement. If the characters ask them about giant sightings, there is a 25 percent chance that the scouts have come across frost giant tracks in the past twelve hours, in which case they can steer the characters toward them.

Yeti

If the characters encounter only one yeti, it’s an abominable yeti. Yetis use the howling wind and the blowing snow to conceal their approach, giving them advantage on their Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Young Remorhaz

The cracking of ice and a faint tremor presage the arrival of this hungry monster. Characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 11 or higher aren’t surprised when the young remorhaz bursts out of the snow and ice nearby.

Iron Road

Once a prominent thoroughfare built by the dwarves of Besilmer, the Iron Road remains one of the few visible relics of that bygone kingdom. Most of its stones have been stolen or buried under grass, weeds, and earth. Today, the Iron Road is nothing more than a wagon trail with small patches of interlocking stones here and there. The route begins a few miles east of Womford and hugs the northern edge of the Forlorn Hills as it travels southeast through Uluvin, crosses the Delimbiyr Vale, and ends at the town of Secomber. Dwarves in Secomber claim that their ancestors used the Iron Road to transport iron ore from the Forlorn Hills to forges in various outlying settlements-hence the road’s name.

Iron Trail

An overland route called the Iron Trail connects Ironmaster to the Ten Trail, but it virtually disappears in the winter, buried under snow. It crosses wind-blasted hills and tundra, offering precious little shelter. Characters traveling the Iron Trail in wintertime are subject to extreme cold temperatures (see the “Wilderness Survival” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

Ironmaster

The dwarven city of Ironmaster is perched at the western edge of Icewind Dale, where the Shaengarne River flows into the Sea of Moving Ice. The city is nestled in a great cleft where the Shaengarne rushes to the sea. Its stone towers rise like spikes from the valley floor, and the rooms and passages of Ironmaster weave in and out of never-melting ice and the stone of the valley walls. Mining tunnels extend from the valley walls far below the tundra, providing the dwarves with an apparently limitless supply of iron.

Ironmaster is populated exclusively by dwarves. Members of other races are forbidden to set foot in Ironmaster Vale. Great stone menhirs marked with the city’s arms-a red anvil on a gray diamond standing on end-are arranged in a perimeter around the vale to warn away travelers who stray too close.

Ironslag

Millennia ago, the giants of Ostoria used this great forge to craft weapons and armor. When the giants' empire fell, Ironslag was abandoned. A fire giant chief named Duke Zalto has recently reoccupied Ironslag and seeks to reignite its adamantine forge. See chapter 8, “Forge of the Fire Giants,” for more information on this location.

Iymrith’s Lair

The blue dragon Iymrith has claimed a Netherese ruin in Anauroch as her lair. The ruin lies half-buried in the desert northeast of Ascore. See chapter 12, “Doom of the Desert,” for more information on this location.

Jalanthar

The village of Jalanthar is a riverbank waystop for barges traveling up and down the Rauvin River. The hardy residents, who call themselves Jalantharren, live in stone cottages with mud-sealed timber roofs that are covered with turf to resist burning. The homes are half-buried in the ground and from a distance can be easily mistaken for small grassy knolls. The hills north of Jalanthar are riddled with caves, wherein the natives take refuge should the village come under attack. The caves are furnished and well-stocked with preserves.

Jalanthar boasts just one amenity for travelers. The Crowing Cockatrice inn is a low-walled, poorly built oval stone keep in the heart of the village. It features a central yard covered by a rickety roof made of old shields and bits of rusted armor, pounded flat and held up with a profusion of props and cross-braced poles to form a stable. The innkeeper, Myles Heldruin (LG male Damaran human commoner), is a friendly, talkative young man eager to please those with coin to spend.

Village law is whatever the local Council of Elders says it is. The current head of the council is a retired ranger and active member of the Emerald Enclave named Quinn Nardrosz (NG male Damaran human scout). Many years ago, an Uthgardt barbarian of the Red Tiger tribe bit off Quinn’s left ear, but Quinn prefers to talk about the part of the story where he cracked open the barbarian’s skull with a rock.

Julkoun

A motte-and-bailey village called Julkoun marks the west end of the old Delimbiyr Road and rests on the north shore of the Delimbiyr River (which locals call “the River Shining”). A moat surrounds the village, which is further enclosed by wooden palisades. A few burned cottages stand outside, their blackened remains a testament to the bandits and other perils that haunt the nearby wilderness. Visitors are welcome at the Jester’s Pride tavern, which serves robust dwarven ale.

Jundar’s Pass

This wagon trail threads through the Dessarin Hills between Beliard and Calling Horns, crossing over the Dessarin River at a place known as Dead Horse Ford.

Kheldell

Kheldell is a fortified logging village on the north edge of Westwood, in the shadow of the Sword Mountains. The people here are beholden to the mysterious Dusk Circle, a group of druids who reside in hermitages in the surrounding mountains and forest. Folk in Kheldell log, hunt, plant, and harvest when and where they are told.

Kheldell Path

Ox-drawn carts laden with cut timber from Kheldell use a well-worn trail called Kheldell Path to reach Red Larch, and from there the communities north and south along the Long Road.

Klauthen Vale

Klauthen Vale is a narrow, winding valley in the mountains west of Mirabar. Thanks to ancient and powerful magic, the valley is warm throughout of the year-an oasis in the cold, cold north. Roaming this expanse are hundreds of sheep, goats, and cattle plucked from other regions of the North by the vale’s dread overlord, the red wyrm Klauth. Scattered here and there are the crushed or charred bones of powerful adventurers and entire orc hordes that dared to enter the valley.

“Old Snarl,” as Klauth is also known, likes to lie on a ledge high on one of the valley walls and survey his domain, descending occasionally to snatch up an animal or intruder. The walls around the valley contain numerous caves, two of them large enough for Klauth to shelter in. He keeps his legendary hoard in tunnels beneath one cavern, which can be entered only by lifting or pushing aside a massive slab of stone-a task impossible for anyone not as large and strong as an ancient dragon.

Klauth is one of the largest and most fearsome red dragons ever known in Faerûn. Huge but graceful, he’s as supple as a cat. His body is covered in old, wicked-looking scars where scales have been torn away and never grown back. He brutally attacks other dragons, seeking to slay any wyrm that might rival him in power, in a fighting style marked by sudden attacks and just as sudden disappearances.

Klauth spends many waking hours scrying Faerûn with his spells, and he probably knows more about the deeds and whereabouts of surface-world creatures in the North and along the Sword Coast than any other being alive today. Old Snarl obeys strange whims that prompt him to perform acts of kindness for creatures he doesn’t think can harm him. Such a whim leads him to give the adventurers a gift to expedite their travels across the North (see the “Airship of a Cult” section in chapter 4, “The Chosen Path”).

Suggested Encounter

Klauth spies on trespassers from afar. If the characters harm his animals or get too nosy, a sudden rage overcomes him, and he launches a series of hit-and-run attacks. Jets of fire and bolts of lightning spring forth as he swoops down on foes-the discharges of wands he has learned to control. All of Klauthen Vale is considered his lair, and he can use his lair actions anywhere within it.

Klauth is an ancient red dragon, with the following additional features that increase his challenge rating to 25 (75,000 XP):

Dual Wand Wielder

If Klauth is carrying two wands, he can use an action to expend 1 charge from each wand, triggering the effects of both wands simultaneously.

Special Equipment

Klauth carries a wand of fireballs and a wand of lightning bolts, and he wears a ring of cold resistance.

Innate Spellcasting

Klauth’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 22). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

• 1/day each: banishment, etherealness, find the path, locate object, prismatic spray, suggestion

Spellcasting

Klauth is a 14th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Intelligence (spell save DC 20; +12 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following wizard spells prepared:

• Cantrips (at will): mage hand, mending, minor illusion, prestidigitation
• 1st level (4 slots): comprehend languages, detect magic, expeditious retreat, identify
• 2nd level (3 slots): darkness, detect thoughts, Melf’s acid arrow
• 3rd level (3 slots): clairvoyance, haste, nondetection
• 4th level (3 slots): greater invisibility, ice storm, stoneskin
• 5th level (2 slots): Bigby’s hand, cloudkill, scrying
• 6th level (1 slot): disintegrate, mass suggestion
• 7th level (1 slot): mirage arcane

Korinn Archipelago

Hundreds of rocky islands form this archipelago north of the larger Moonshae Isles. Dragon turtles and seafaring human barbarians prowl the waters around these islands, which are home to griffons, harpies, wyverns, dragons, goblinoids, and old ruins haunted by evil wizards, gargoyles, and other forsaken creatures.

Kryptgarden Forest

A small wooded region near Westbridge hides many old dwarven ruins and the extensive underground city known as Southkrypt. For centuries, Kryptgarden Forest has been the home and hunting ground of the ancient female green dragon Claugiyliamatar, better known to many as Old Gnawbone. She earned her nickname from her habit of gnawing on old kills, and is often seen with a mangled corpse hanging from her mouth. Other dragons rarely remain in Kryptgarden Forest for long, because Claugiyliamatar drives them out.

Suggested Encounter

Claugiyliamatar rarely meddles in the affairs of small folk. Even so, her collection of crystal balls allows her to stay abreast of events happening in the world. She is aware that giants have become nuisances once more, and that adventurers have their work cut out for them. As the characters travel through her forest, Old Gnawbone’s woodland spies (birds, rodents, and other harmless forest critters) warn her of their presence. She decides on a whim to leave her lair and confront them. The characters hear something enormous approaching them through the dark woods and tangled underbrush, and they might be startled when a great green dragon’s head bursts into view with the tenderized corpse of an Uthgardt barbarian dangling from its mouth.

If the characters attack Claugiyliamatar, she breathes poison gas at them, takes to the air, and returns to her hidden lair. If the characters restrain themselves, she tells them (in Common) to travel north to the Valley of Khedrun and search for a giant temple called the Eye of the All-Father. “Therein,” she says, “you’ll learn what must be done to end the giant menace.” She also tells them to keep an eye out for a frost giant wearing a helm made from a white dragon’s skull, as he can help them. (See the “Harshnag” section later in this chapter.) Once she has imparted this information, Old Gnawbone takes flight and returns to her lair to finish her meal.

Claugiyliamatar is an ancient green dragon, with the following additional features that increase her challenge rating to 23 (50,000 XP).

Innate Spellcasting

Claugiyliamatar’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 19). She can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

• 1/day each: invisibility, legend lore, protection from energy, true seeing

Spellcasting

Claugiyliamatar is an 8th-level spellcaster. Her spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 18; +10 to hit with spell attacks). She has the following druid spells prepared:

• Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, mending, produce flame
• 1st level (4 slots): cure wounds, detect magic, entangle, speak with animals
• 2nd level (3 slots): animal messenger, pass without trace
• 3rd level (3 slots): dispel magic, plant growth
• 4th level (2 slots): blight, locate creature, stoneskin

Leilon

Leilon was a small town near the High Road, straddling the distance between mines in the mountains and the mudflats on the coast from which its people would send out barges of ore to waiting ships. For many years, the town stood abandoned because the protective magic around a wizard’s tower called the House of Thalivar went awry, causing any who looked at it to be paralyzed. The few travelers still taking the High Road and braving the expansion of the Mere of Dead Men had to travel for miles around Leilon or pass by it at night to avoid the tower’s mysterious power. When Lord Neverember decided to reopen the High Road to travel, tearing down the tower became a top priority. It is now safe to pass through Leilon, and it is once again a working town, but all who live there owe allegiance to Lord Neverember.

Lizard Marsh

Instead of flowing freely into the sea, the Delimbiyr River dissolves into a morass of waterways threading around and beneath trees festooned with moss, forming a vast swamp. Lizard Marsh is known for two things: bloodthirsty insects and dangerous monsters. In the event the characters find themselves here, use the Swamp Monsters table in appendix B of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to inspire encounter ideas.

Near the northeastern edge of the Lizard Marsh stands Cromm’s Hold, a squat stone keep surrounded by a wall. Baroness Wynne Cromm (LE female Illuskan human noble) and her garrison of eighteen soldiers (male and female human veteran of various ethnicities) watch the Lizard Marsh for signs of lizardfolk aggression. Wynne also harbors a dark secret: she has the Duchess of Daggerford, Lady Morwen (LN female Tethyrian human veteran), locked in her dungeon. A succubus named Pencheska has usurped Morwen’s identity, and once her work is done, she plans to install Wynne as her successor. The baroness grows impatient waiting for that day to come.

Llorkh

Human and dwarf prospectors founded the mining town of Llorkh on the eastern shore of the Grayflow River. When the Zhents first began running trade along the Black Road through Anauroch, they conquered Llorkh, using it as a foothold in the North. The Zhentarim also laid claim to the gold and silver mines in the nearby hills and utterly depleted them, all the while fighting off Gray vale militias attempting to recapture the town.

After the mines were tapped out, the Zhents packed up and left the town in ruins. Llorkh later became a bandit lord’s stronghold until that villain was finally dispatched. Most recently, an attempt to rebuild Llorkh had just gotten under way when the stone giants of Deadstone Cleft attacked. The residents were driven out, and the giants have begun dismantling the town stone by stone in an effort to erase it from the surface world.

Suggested Encounter

Six stone giant are combing through the ruins of Llorkh, separating rocks, tombstones, clay roof tiles, and other bits of stonework from blackened timbers, smashed furnishings, wood-and-iron tools, and other detritus. They toss the stone and clay into the river while burying the other wreckage under earth. The giants hurl rocks and tombstones at any “small folk” they see. The giants are spread out such that the characters can fight them in three groups, each group consisting of two stone giants. The adventurers can also keep their distance and leave the giants alone.

Treasure

Each stone giant carries a sack containing 1d6 × 100 gp in mixed coinage, 1d6 100 gp gemstones, and one mundane item, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Lonely Moor

The aptly named Lonely Moor is a desolate, dusty waste of scrub and rock that stretches from the desert of Anauroch to the Forgotten Forest and the foothills of the Graypeak Mountains.

Long Road

The Long Road, one of the North’s busiest trade routes, begins at the gates of Mirabar and continues for hundreds of miles southward through the Dessarin Valley, meeting the High Road just north of Waterdeep. Many towns and villages lie along the route and depend on the relative safety that the Long Road provides for caravans and other travelers. Unfortunately for those travelers, the road is far too long to be defended properly along its entire length, and attacks by bandits, barbarians, and monsters are all too frequent in some areas.

Longsaddle

This sleepy little frontier village and member of the Lords' Alliance straddles the Long Road, with rows of homes and businesses on either side of the trade route. Noteworthy establishments include a rustic inn called the Gilded Horseshoe and a friendly festhall called the Gambling Golem, where card games and a local marbles game known as scattershields are popular. Off in the distance, one can see horses and herds of cattle on sprawling ranches.

Monsters or brigands sometimes mistake Longsaddle for easy pickings-unaware that a family of powerful human wizards, the Harpells, lives nearby. Their grand house, Ivy Mansion, lies west of Longsaddle at the end of a long, winding path. The Harpells founded the village but take no part in its government, preferring to live quietly on their estate. Magical wards placed throughout Longsaddle and the Ivy Mansion warn the Harpells when trouble’s afoot.

As the characters pass through Longsaddle, they see a wanted poster bearing a charcoal sketch of a dwarf with dark hair and a mad gaze, under which are written words in Common:

Poster

“Let justice be done! The Marchion of Mirabar hereby offers 5,000 gold pieces for the capture of the brigand Worvil Forkbeard, known from Luskan to Mirabar as the Weevil. Last seen around the Mines of Mirabar, the Weevil is wanted for theft and murder. He is armed and dangerous. Deliver him to the Axe of Mirabar to receive payment.”

Characters who make inquiries in Longsaddle find no leads, but they might find the brigand in Xantharl’s Keep to the north if they visit it (see the “Xantharl’s Keep” section).

Lost Peaks

These forested mountains rise up in the northwest part of the High Forest. Many fey dwell around these peaks, as well as a large tribe of centaurs that keep a careful eye on human hunters and woodcutters operating out of Olostin’s Hold.

Loudwater

With Zelbross, Orlbar, and Llorkh in ruins, Loudwater is the last bastion of civilization in the Delimbiyr Vale east of Secomber. If the town is worried, it doesn’t show it. Loudwater provides a welcome respite for weary caravan and riverboat drivers, not to mention adventurers. It lies on both sides of the Delimbiyr River, the two halves linked by an arching stone overpass built by dwarves to honor the elves. Ancient wards placed on the overpass to preserve it had an unintended magical side effect: river trout attempting to swim under the bridge are propelled over it instead, which is why locals refer to it as the Flying Fish Bridge. People crossing the bridge are occasionally struck by these fish, which deal no damage. Whenever a fish hits a traveler and flops onto the bridge, it’s a local custom (and considered good luck) to toss the fish back into the river.

Once a home to elves, Loudwater is a human town today. Its grand wood-and-stone buildings are overgrown by vines and hung with flowering plants. Streets curl and meander. Huge, old trees line the riverbanks, and gardens and bowers are everywhere. The town replaced its earthen rampart with a wall years ago, but the wall has flowers growing along its foundations both inside and outside the settlement. The river is unusually wide here, providing the town with space for a modest harbor.

The High Lord’s Hall is a mansion on the north side of the river. The town’s current high lord is Telbor Zazrek (N male Damaran human mage), a retired adventurer and well-paid puppet of the Zhentarim who enjoys the power that has been handed to him. Through Zazrek, the Black Network maintains an invisible stranglehold on the town. All goods that aren’t supplied by the Zhentarim are heavily taxed, and the cost of living in Loudwater is so high that all of its establishments are forced to charge exorbitant prices.

Adding to Loudwater’s problems are the stone giants of the Graypeak Mountains (see chapter 6, “Canyon of the Stone Giants”), who have begun laying waste to Llorkh, Orlbar, and the hamlets of Grayvale. Refugees are pouring into Loudwater, and those who can’t afford to stay at the local inns are being herded like cows into warehouses overlooking the harbor. As if that weren’t bad enough, stone giants have been seen spying on the town from afar, no doubt trying to determine its defensive capabilities. Since the Black Network keeps its forces well hidden in Loudwater and the town militia is a small force, Loudwater might seem like an easy target.

Lurkwood

The southern verge of the Lurkwood is safe enough to attract woodcutters, trappers, and hunters from Mirabar, Xantharl’s Keep, and Longsaddle, but there’s really no corner safe from the Uthgardt tribes that hunt here (primarily Black Raven and Thunderbeast barbarians). Goblinoids, wolves, and dire wolves also prowl these woods.

Luskan

The City of Sails often conjures romantic images of a magnificent port metropolis, majestic merchant galleons with bright sails, and dashing swashbucklers who greet their enemies with a playful wink and a tip of the hat.

In reality, Luskan is anything but that. It’s a dirty dive with filthy streets, squat buildings, ramshackle docks, creaky old longships, and crass pirates thinly disguised as sea traders. Rising above the fog and the stench is the Hosttower of the Arcane, home of a league of greedy, power-hungry wizards called the Arcane Brotherhood. Their ghastly tower branches into multiple thinner spires at the top. From a distance, the Hosttower might be mistaken for a giant, leafless tree. To those who have the misfortune of seeing it up close, it looks like a clawed hand bursting out of the ground, each of its fingers a tower with many peering windows.

Five High Captains rule the city. Each one is a glorified pirate lord who controls a fleet of longships. The five fleets serve many purposes: they defend Luskan against seafaring barbarians and other enemies, they conduct legitimate sea trade up and down the Sword Coast, and they raid and plunder the island kingdoms to the west (and the occasional settlement on the Sword Coast). The High Captains have no influence over the actions of the Arcane Brotherhood, nor is it apparent that the wizards have any allegiance to Luskan.

Luskan’s best-kept secret is that the High Captains are under the sway of Jarlaxle Baenre, the leader of a clandestine brotherhood of drow mercenaries and rogues called Bregan D’aerthe. Jarlaxle is a master schemer (and a master of disguise) who would like to bring Luskan into the Lords' Alliance, but the City of Sails has such an unsavory reputation and so little to offer that most alliance members won’t allow it. That doesn’t stop Jarlaxle from trying, especially now that the alliance has lost two members: Everlund and Sundabar.

Characters approaching Luskan for the first time see a thick black cloud of smoke rising from the harbor. The smoke billows out of a frost giant greatship (see the “Svardborg: General Features” sidebar in chapter 7, “Berg of the Frost Giants”) that blew into port and rammed several longships, sinking them before a group of wizards emerged from the Hosttower of the Arcane and set the ship ablaze with a flurry of fireball spells. The wizards have since returned to their monstrous tower, and the High Captains are waiting for the ship to stop burning before they board and search it. (Given the size of the ship, that could take a while.) Several charred frost giant corpses float facedown in the frigid water around the burning wreck, and the greatship’s deck is strewn with other dead giants.

For a map of Luskan and more information about it, see the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.

Maelstrom

The daughters of King Hekaton reside in this undersea fortress, which stands amid reefs and barnacle-covered shipwrecks in the depths of the Trackless Sea. See chapter 10, “Hold of the Storm Giants,” for more information on this location.

Mere of Dead Men

A kingdom that stood here long ago was washed away when a lich named Iniarv caused the sea to flow inland. The swamp gets its name from the thousands who died in the flood. Travelers on the High Road, which skirts the Mere to the east, must resist the urge to be lured into the swamp by bobbing will-o'-wisps. Countless adventurers have perished in the Mere, drawn by true tales of ruined castles half-sunk in the mire. These once noble estates are now home to lizardfolk, undead, and worse. The greatest threats to would-be treasure hunters are the ancient black dragon twins Voaraghamanthar and Waervaerendor. While the former is considered the undisputed lord of the Mere, the latter is hardly known at all-and the two dragons like it that way.

If the characters explore the Mere, use the Swamp Monsters table in appendix B of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to inspire encounter ideas.

Mines of Mirabar

The rugged land around Mirabar is littered with mine heads, open quarries, and heaps of slag and rubble. The mines of Mirabar yield up vast quantities of most known metals and gemstones. Working mines of any significance are heavily fortified. All miners who enter-dwarf and human-are searched both before and after shifts, ensuring security. It is an inconvenience the miners accept because, unlike many other places in the North, Mirabar pays well and cares for the workers.

Mirabar

Mirabar is the richest city of the North by far. It sits atop a knoll on the north side of the Mirar River like an unassailable fortress, enclosed on all sides by sloped outer walls as wide at the base as many city blocks in Waterdeep. Defenders can fire arrows down from atop the walls, or, in winter, pour water down them to make ice slides. There is no shortage of stone and weaponry. Even the docks have battlements and fortifications.

Visitors to Mirabar often wonder why they don’t see more dwarves, as humans make up the majority of the city’s surface dwellers. Another city lies just below the surface, and that place is dominated by dwarves. Underground, Mirabar is a city of lit residential caverns, superheated forges, foundries that operate day and night, and tunnels leading to the mines.

Mirabar’s marchion, Selin Ramur (LN male Damaran human noble), meets with the other members of the Lords' Alliance to ensure that Mirabar’s interests aren’t ignored. While the marchion handles foreign policy, true power within the city rests with the Council of Sparkling Stones, a group of dwarf elders that manages the city’s security and decides where the output of Mirabar’s mines are sold. The city’s defense falls to the Axe of Mirabar, a well-armed garrison. All Axe of Mirabar Soldier are shield dwarves. A typical member is a veteran, with the following changes:

• A member of the Axe of Mirabar has AC 18 (plate), 67 (9d8+27) hit points, and a speed of 25 feet.
• He or she has a Constitution score of 16 (+3) and darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
• He or she speaks Common and Dwarvish.
• He or she has advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage.
• He or she wields a battleaxe instead of a longsword, and a handaxe instead of a shortsword.

Misty Forest

This evergreen forest gets its name from the fog that creeps down from the High Moor and enshrouds it, making navigation difficult on even the best of days. The forest is patrolled by wood elves, who defend the woods from poachers. Visitors who leave the inhabitants of the Misty Forest alone, and who build their campfires small and solely of fallen branches, are usually not disturbed.

Mithral Hall

The ancestral home of the Battlehammer clan of shield dwarves is a nigh-impregnable vault beneath the Frost Hills, with massive granite doors sealing its entrance and a host of battle-hardened defenders waiting beyond. Despite its almost mythic reputation, Mithral Hall is more of a stronghold than a city, with tunnels to other dwarfholds hidden deep below its mines.

Bruenor Battlehammer gave up the title of King of Mithral Hall for the third and final time when he set out to reclaim the lost dwarven city of Gauntlgrym. His handpicked successor, Dagnabbet Waybeard, now rules Mithral Hall as queen. A bold leader and a fierce warrior, Queen Dagnabbet firmly supports Mithral Hall’s membership in the Lords' Alliance.

Moonwood

See the “Glimmerwood” section.

Morgur’s Mound

The spirit mound of the lost Thunderbeast tribe (see the “Uthgardt Barbarians” section earlier in this chapter), Morgur’s Mound stands in the Crags and is named after Uthgar’s brother. The mound (see map 3.7) is shaped like a crude, long-necked, wingless dragon-the Uthgardt impression of a thunderbeast. A ridge of dragon bones juts from the head, neck, back, and tail of the mound. Enormous cairns encircle the mound out to a range of a quarter mile. Beneath them lie the bones of revered Thunderbeast tribal warriors.

The Thunderbeast tribe has not visited its spirit mound in years, leaving it ripe for plunderers. Several dig sites left by previous expeditions attest to the mound’s popularity among treasure hunters.

Treasure

Superstitious members of the Thunderbeast tribe buried many magic items in their spirit mound so that they could be watched over by the dead. Looters have unearthed nearly all of these items, leaving little else for intrepid adventurers to find. If the characters mount their own archaeological dig, they might turn up something if they’re patient. They can either dig deeper at an existing excavation or start their own hole.

A party member who spends 8 hours excavating beneath Morgur’s Mound can make a DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check. On each successful check, roll once on Magic Item Table B in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine what is found. Only two such treasures can be unearthed. The next party member to succeed on the check finds a giant-sized tooth (see “Ancient Relic”). Once the party finds the relic, further excavations yield nothing of consequence or value.

Ancient Relic

The character unearths a gold-plated fire giant’s tooth, which is an ancient relic of giantkind. The tooth is nonmagical and small enough to fit in the hand of a human.

Suggested Encounter

When the tooth is lifted from the hole, the ground trembles as four animated thunderbeast skeletons erupt from the mound and fight until turned or destroyed. They focus their attacks on whoever has the fire giant’s tooth. Each one has the statistics of an ankylosaurus, with the following changes:

• A thunderbeast skeleton can attack with its bite instead of its tail. Its bite attack has a +7 bonus to hit, has a reach of 5 feet, and deals 18 (4d6+4) piercing damage on a hit. Unlike its tail attack, its bite attack can’t knock a target prone.
• It has vulnerability to bludgeoning damage.
• It is undead and has immunity to poison damage, the poisoned condition, and exhaustion.
• It has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.

Mornbryn’s Shield

Mornbryn’s Shield, a village on the western fringe of the Evermoors, takes its name from the rocky, horseshoe ridge that forms a natural rampart along the west and south sides of the settlement, protecting it against flooding when the Surbrin River swells in the spring. At the northeast end of Mornbryn’s Shield is a small stone keep with fire-hurling catapults aimed toward the Evermoors. Mornbryn was a ranger of some fame in the North centuries ago, and legend has it that his treasure-filled tomb is hidden somewhere close by.

The villagers are accustomed to facing threats from the Evermoors, but nothing as formidable as fire giants. Three weeks ago, a quartet of fire giants strode through the village, climbed over the ridge west of town, waded across the river, and disappeared into the Surbrin Hills without so much as a sideward glance. The villagers were left untouched, and property damage was minimal. It was clear to the Shield’s residents that the giants had no interest in the village. It merely stood in their path.

Suggested Encounter

After hearing of the fire giants' “attack” on Mornbryn’s Shield, Zhentarim operatives in Yartar dispatched mercenaries to the village, offering protection. The mercenaries rode into town on warhorse, acting like shining knights. The villagers welcomed them at first, but the mercenaries are proving to be more trouble than they’re worth. They seem more interested in finding the lost tomb of Mornbryn than in guarding the village. The mercenary leader, Oboth Thornsteel (NE male Damaran human veteran with 90 hit points), has turned the Troll in Flames-the local inn-into his personal headquarters, with six mercenaries (NE male and female veteran of various races and ethnicities) posted outside and six more inside. During the day, the remaining twelve mercenaries round up villagers from time to time and bring them to the inn for questioning, while Oboth takes notes in a large book clad in black leather with the Zhentarim symbol imprinted on the front. Oboth suspects that someone in town knows where the tomb is hidden, or knows some bit of lore hinting at its location.

Not long after the characters arrive, the mercenaries alert Oboth, who insists on speaking with the newcomers. If Oboth thinks the characters are troublemakers, he insists that they look for shelter elsewhere. If they challenge his authority, he promises them quiet accommodations in the local graveyard unless they do as he commands. Oboth likes to intimidate others, but doesn’t like to be intimidated. He has little respect for adventurers, but he tolerates their presence if one or more of them are members or allies of the Black Network.

Treasure

Each mercenary carries 2d10 gp in a pouch. Oboth also wears an electrum signet ring (worth 50 gp) bearing the symbol of the Zhentarim: a black, winged snake.

Nesmé

Despite a heroic effort to save the town, Nesmé fell during the War of the Silver Marches to a horde of orcs aided by an ancient white dragon named Arauthator. It was then conquered by drow until they too were forced to abandon it. Today, Nesmé lies in ruins, and monsters from the Evermoors thwart efforts to rebuild it.

The town stood on the east side of the Surbrin River, enclosed within a circular wall festooned with ballistae and catapults, and connected by a fortified bridge to a formidable castle on the west side of the river. This western bastion enclosed the docks, paddocks, and stock pens, and also gave the townsfolk and the militia a place to fall back to in the event the town was breached. Although the militia put up a good fight against the orcs, the town couldn’t withstand the dragon’s attacks. The castle on the western shore has partially collapsed, the bridge has been destroyed, and the town’s defenses have been torn down. Within the town walls, now breached in several places, are piles of debris that were once shops, taverns, inns, and festhalls. Skulls, bones, rusted armor, and broken weapons are all that remain of those killed by orc axes and the dragon’s icy breath.

Suggested Encounter

Eight Zhentarim thug (LE male and female humans of various ethnicities) mounted on riding horse are watching the Surbrin Trail. They intercept characters walking or riding north toward Nesmé, threatening to kill them unless they turn back immediately.

If the characters defeat or circumvent these guards, they arrive at Nesmé to find Zhentarim representatives awaiting the arrival of a female fire giant representing Duke Zalto (see chapter 8, “Forge of the Fire Giants”). Characters can eavesdrop on this event about to unfold by hiding behind some rubble. They must each succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity (Stealth) check to go unnoticed.

The Zhentarim force consists of a negotiator named Fylo Nelgorn (LE male Damaran priest of Bane with a flying snake curled around his left arm) and twenty Zhentarim thug (LE male and female humans of various ethnicities). The Zhents' riding horse are tethered to some ruins across town. The fire giant, Gundahella, and her retinue of twenty hobgoblin approach from the north and enter the meeting area through a gash in the outer wall. The negotiation lasts only a few minutes.

Fylo pledges the assistance of the Zhentarim to keep the Lords' Alliance and other groups from interfering in the fire giants' search for the Vonindod fragments, on the condition that the adamantine colossus not be used to attack settlements or parts thereof without the Black Network’s consent. Fylo mentions Moongleam Tower in Everlund as a likely target to illustrate his point.

Gundahella agrees to Fylo’s terms and tells him that Duke Zalto is going to release a Zhentarim prisoner currently being held in Ironslag as a token of good faith; she doesn’t know the Zhent by name, only that he’s a dwarf.

If the characters do nothing but observe, the meeting concludes with Gundahella and her force leaving the way they came and Fylo dispatching his flying snake with a scroll to his superiors in Yartar, informing them that the meeting went as well as could be expected. He and his thugs set up camp amid the ruins and wait for the flying snake to return with further instructions.

If the characters interrupt the negotiations, both evil forces attack them. Regardless of the outcome of the conflict, Gundahella is furious that the Zhentarim failed to ensure the safety of the meeting site. She ends the negotiation with no agreement reached.

Nether Mountains

The dark, brooding peaks of the Nether Mountains are the source of many legends about lost Netherese magic, as well as a repository of tangible riches such as granite. The mountains are also full of tribes of orcs, while the eastern peaks are home to several blue dragons that were chased out of the northern Anauroch desert by Iymrith and her brood (see the “Anauroch” section).

Neverwinter

Once known as the Jewel of the North, the city of Neverwinter was badly damaged when nearby Mount Hotenow (see the “Neverwinter Wood” section) erupted about fifty years ago. Now, the City of Skilled Hands works furiously to rebuild itself. Neverwinter’s reconstruction is far from complete, however. Some of its outer walls still lie in ruins, and several of its neighborhoods remain abandoned. Even so, the great chasm to the Underdark that opened within the city has been magically sealed (at great expense), and that achievement bodes well for Neverwinter’s future.

Dagult Neverember is the Lord Protector of Neverwinter, ruling in the absence of a true heir to Neverwinter’s crown. At present, no legitimate heirs are known to exist, and many believe that the royal line is dead. Lord Neverember is taking no chances, though. He quietly pays off or disposes of anyone who claims to be a member of the Alagondar bloodline.

Neverember was formerly the Open Lord of Waterdeep as well, maintaining residences and offices in both cities. In the wake of several political scandals, Neverember was deposed as Open Lord and forced to flee Waterdeep. Now he lives in Neverwinter all year round and strives to see Neverwinter eclipse Waterdeep in wealth and prosperity. Neverember, who was courted and ultimately betrayed by sycophantic nobles and guildmasters in Waterdeep, doesn’t want a repeat of those events in Neverwinter. Thus, he levies heavy taxes against the wealthy, preventing noble families from gaining a political foothold in the city, and has enacted harsh laws that prevent guilds from being formed.

Neverwinter is a member of the Lords' Alliance, and Neverember supports the efforts of the organization to spread civilization throughout the North and hires adventurers to help protect the city and its interests. Still, his main concern is to rebuild Neverwinter and its economy while keeping a tight hold on the reins of power.

The Order of the Gauntlet has a strong presence in Neverwinter. Most of its resident members are clerics and knights of Helm, Torm, and Tyr, along with their acolytes and squires.

For a map of Neverwinter and more information about it, see the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.

Neverwinter Wood

The forest east of Neverwinter seems to have a magical quality about it, or at least an air of mystical secrecy. Neverwinter Wood holds countless ruins and more than a few crumbling castles. The always-warm Neverwinter River, which flows out of the wood, has its source deep beneath Mount Hotenow, an active volcano in the northern reaches of the forest. The volcano last erupted some fifty years ago. Lava pouring down from the mountain burned a wide swath through Neverwinter Wood, destroying everything it touched. New trees have begun to grow where the ancient ones once stood, though the effect of the catastrophe is still plain for all to see.

Newfort

Newfort is a motte-and-bailey stockade on the south side of the Fork Road, east of Sundabar in the foothills of the Rauvin Mountains. A few dozen wood-frame cottages stand outside the stockade, as does a cozy tavern called the Hero’s Reward, run by an amiable and talkative young half-elf named Delf Dereldar (LG male halfelf commoner). Delf spends his idle time gazing at a chessboard on the bar; he plays regular games with the village constable, Jorok Narm (N male half-orc veteran), who drops in after work hours for a drink or two before retiring for the evening.

Two retired members of the Zhentarim founded Newport. They are long dead, and over the years the settlement has become less of a Black Network stronghold and more of a way station open to anyone in need of a safe place to spend the night. Constable Narm and his militia of twenty guard (N male and female humans of various ethnicities) keep the peace.

Nightstone

This motte-and-bailey settlement lies south of the Ardeep Forest, between Waterdeep and Daggerford. See chapter 1, “A Great Upheaval,” for more information on Nightstone.

Noanar’s Hold

This village on the edge of the High Forest grew up around a famous hunting lodge built over two hundred years ago. In its heyday, Noanar’s Hold hosted wild hunts that attracted the wealthiest nobles and merchants of the North. Some who ventured to Noanar’s Hold never returned, spurring dark rumors that the five Hunt Lords who ruled Noanar’s Hold were arranging wanton slaughters to amuse their guests and even allowing their guests to hunt one another. The place was shunned, and the village fell on hard times. Any character who has proficiency in the History skill can recall these dark rumors with a successful DC 15 Intelligence (History) check. A successful check also confirms that the Hunt Lords were human.

As it happens, the rumors are true. The Hunt Lords played all sorts of terrible games at the expense of their wealthy employers. A century and a half ago, to escape their inevitable deaths, the Hunt Lords forged a pact with Orcus, who transformed them into five wight. Necromancers in the demon lord’s service helped the Hunt Lords turn the inanimate bones of their long-dead horses into five animated warhorse skeleton. Every night, after sunset, the Hunt Lords ride out on their skeletal steeds to patrol the lands around Noanar’s Hold, looking for worthy prey to hunt. They always return to their keep before sunrise the following morning. They have no interest in harming the local villagers, whom they view as their subjects. The villagers are well aware of the Hunt Lords' escapades, but Noanar’s Hold is so isolated that few others know that the Hunt Lords still exist. A handful of villagers have moved away from Noanar’s Hold over the years, but most are too frightened to flee, believing the rumors (although they are false) that the Hunt Lords track down and kill villagers who try to leave. Today, residents of Noanar’s Hold rarely stray far from their homes. They don’t speak of the Hunt Lords, nor do they warn visitors away. Fearing the Hunt Lords' wrath, they keep to themselves and say little or nothing about their undead masters.

The village’s once-famous hunting lodge, the White Hart Inn, stands amid low stone cottages and stables. The creaky building is well maintained on the inside, offering a bit of grandeur in an otherwise rustic setting. The innkeeper is a courteous little man named Avgar Filroy (N male Chondathan human commoner), who has permanent unseen servants to help with cleaning. He is a little delusional and speaks of the Hunt Lords as if they are still alive, even though he has seen evidence to the contrary. He says the Hunt Lords are retired and don’t wish to be disturbed, and he warns guests to stay in the lodge at night, claiming the land around Noanar’s Hold is haunted by the spirits of dead hunters.

Characters who seek an audience with the Hunt Lords must first speak to Amrath Mulnobar (NE male shield dwarf veteran), the castellan of the Hunt Lords' keep. Amrath has served the Hunt Lords for more than two centuries, dating back to when they were still alive. Now he’s a gray-bearded curmudgeon who hangs about the dark halls of the keep like a bad smell. The keep had a small garrison once, but only Amrath remains.

The keep is nestled among old pine trees on a hilltop overlooking the sleepy village. The building has three stories, corner turrets, and rooftop battlements. One of the turret rooftops has collapsed, leaving a gaping hole through which birds and other creatures can enter. All the windows are bricked up, and the heavy oaken doors on the ground floor are barred from within. Forcing them open requires a successful DC 27 Strength check. If the characters knock on these doors, Amrath arrives a minute later, opens an iron slit in the door at dwarf’s-eye level, and demands to know what they want. The dwarf doesn’t open the doors unless the characters are delivering new saddles for his masters' steeds (see the “area Narth Tezrin’s Quest” section in chapter 2). Amrath allows the characters to place the saddles in the entrance foyer, then quickly tries to usher them out.

The Hunt Lords lurk in a dusty ground-floor banquet hall, slumped in chairs around a cobweb-draped dining table. They spend their days reminiscing about the “good old times” and attack any creature other than Amrath who disturbs them. Behind their chairs are piles of horse bones. As a bonus action on its turn, a Hunt Lord can command the nearest pile of bones to rise up and become a warhorse skeleton under its command.

Treasure

At the back of the Hunt Lords' banquet hall is a locked treasure chest. Amrath wears the key to it around his neck, but a character can pick the lock using thieves' tools with a successful DC 20 Dexterity check. The chest contains 600 gp in a gray sack made of stitched orc skin, a leather pouch that holds six 50 gp gems, and 1d3 magic items, determined by rolling on Magic Item Table B in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Northern Means

The Northern Means is a snowy, windswept trail that connects the city of Luskan to the frozen lands of the high north. The trail all but disappears during the winter, buried under deep snow. Moreover, the area has few trees or hills to provide shelter.

Northfurrow

The Northfurrow extends from Waterdeep to the fortified farming compound of Goldenfields. Wagons laden with food make their way south under heavy guard to the city, while empty wagons head north to fetch more bounty. The traffic is heaviest after the harvest. Human and halfling cottages and farmsteads have sprung up on both sides of the trail, and the humble rural folk who live here refer to themselves as Northfurrowers.

Olostin’s Hold

A fortified keep stands on the northern side of the Evermoor Way between Yartar and Everlund. Enclosed within the high walls of Olostin’s Hold is a small village with a market, a smithy, a caravan supplier, an inn called the Headless Troll, and a tavern known as the Flaming Flagon. The inn gets its name from an incident involving a beheaded troll that wandered into village, caught fire, and nearly burned down the establishment. The tavern is the namesake of an ordinary flagon that was ensorcelled during a wizards' duel long ago and now floats and sheds light in the middle of the taproom.

One Stone

The spirit mound of the Sky Pony tribe of Uthgardt barbarians lies in a grove of oak trees surrounded by the tall pines of the Moonwood, west of the Redrun River. The Sky Ponies' spirit mound is a two-tiered plateau. On the lower tier, cairns cover the buried remains of the tribe’s honored dead. The upper tier is shaped like a sky pony (a pegasus), though the form of this feature is readily apparent only from the air. A round, 15-foot-diameter boulder planted firmly in the ground in the northeastern part of the area represents the eye of the sky pony. The boulder is covered with line engravings chiseled by an unknown hand, and it’s this stone that the spirit mound’s name refers to. The Sky Ponies use the stone as an altar, and Sky Pony shamans believe they can commune with Uthgar simply by touching the boulder while its surface is bathed in the light of the full moon.

A swift but shallow stream of sparkling, fresh water encircles the spirit mound like a moat, although it is by no means defensive in nature. Overlooking the stream at the northeast and southwest ends of the plateau are unpainted totem poles, the tops of which are carved to look like sky ponies with spread wings. The withered and moldering corpses of trespassers are lashed to these poles as warnings to others.

Sky Pony warriors patrol the woods surrounding the spirit mound. Adventurers are likely to encounter one or more of them as they traverse the forest (see the “Moonwood” section).

Ancient Relic

Casting a detect magic spell on the boulder reveals an aura of transmutation magic emanating from it. The boulder itself is a relic of giantkind that was shaped, carved, and abandoned long ago by a stone giant earth shaman. Uthgar and his followers found it in its shrunken form and brought it here. Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check can tell that the engraved lines adorning its outer surface are carefully designed to channel magical energy. Casting an identify spell on the boulder allows one to learn its magical properties, each of which is activated by tracing specific lines on its surface:

• A creature can use an action to cast the control weather spell or the divination spell from the stone. Once either spell is cast, this property can’t be used again for 7 days.
• A creature can use an action to shrink the stone to the size of a 6-inch-diameter orb weighing 25 pounds, or enlarge the boulder to its normal size (15-foot diameter) and weight (12 tons). Anything the enlarged boulder falls on takes 55 (10d10) bludgeoning damage. A creature can avoid taking this damage by tumbling out of the way with a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. Once the reducing or enlarging effect is used, this property can’t be used again for 24 hours.

Suggested Encounter

When the characters reach the uppermost tier of the plateau, the ground beneath their feet begins to tremble. Seconds later, a bulette erupts from the ground 50 feet away from them. Mounted on its back is a member of the Cult of the Black Earth named Tau (NE male Shou human). He knows the properties of the One Stone and seeks to claim the relic in the name of Ogrémoch, the Prince of Elemental Earth. He doesn’t want any witnesses and attacks the characters on sight. Two rounds later, on the bulette’s initiative count, a second bulette mounted by a Black Earth cultist named Sharda (NE female Illuskan human) erupts from the earth and joins the fray. Tau and Sharda have the statistics of cult fanatics, with the following changes:

• These cult fanatics are neutral evil.
• They speak Common and Terran.
• They wear stone breastplates instead of leather armor, giving them AC 16.
• They wield stone clubs instead of daggers that deal 4 (1d4+2) bludgeoning damage on a hit.

The cultists aren’t easily frightened or intimidated, but characters who capture one can attempt an interrogation. Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Charisma (Intimidation) check convinces a captured cultist to reveal that the individual is a member of the Cult of the Black Earth, which operates in and around the Sumber Hills, and that the cult worships Ogrémoch. These cultists have no connection to the giants; their leaders are described in Princes of the Apocalypse (see that adventure for more information).

As the battle winds down, before the characters have time to take a short rest, twenty tribal warrior and an Uthgardt shaman of the Sky Pony tribe emerge from the northwest edge of the woods, having been drawn here by sounds of combat. They rush forward and attack.

Treasure

The cultists' stone breastplates are treated with magical oil and weigh the same as metal breastplates. They are worth 250 gp each.

Orlbar

Far removed from civilization, the old village of Orlbar overlooks the confluence of the Loagrann and Grayflow rivers and attracts only those with an adventurous spirit. The place is all but abandoned now, its few remaining shepherds driven off by the stone giants of Deadstone Cleft (see chapter 6, “Canyon of the Stone Giants”).

Suggested Encounter

Thane Kayalithica’s stone giants have flattened every building in Orlbar, buried the scrap iron and lumber, and left behind piles of stones. In their wake, a mute stone giant named Zorkh has begun stacking the stones in pleasing ways, creating a veritable forest of piled-up stones, some as much as 20 feet tall, on the slopes where Orlbar once stood. Six goat follow Zorkh around wherever he goes, eating the grass around him as he sorts through stones and stacks them. Zorkh, who lives like a hermit in the Graypeak Mountains, understands Giant but can’t speak. If the characters ask him how to get to Deadstone Cleft, he leads them to the shore of the Loagrann River, then points in the direction of Deadstone Cleft. Any character who succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom (Insight) check realizes that the giant is suggesting that the party follow the river. Zorkh won’t accompany the characters, for he believes that Deadstone Cleft is cursed. Zorkh has no treasure but carries a sack that holds 2d4 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Parnast

Parnast is an unremarkable village nestled between the foothills of the Graypeak Mountains and the Weathercote Forest. A map and description of Parnast appear in the adventure Hoard of the Dragon Queen.

Phandalin

In the northern foothills of the Sword Mountains lies the nondescript mining settlement of Phandalin. Although the village might not look like much, it provides a safe haven for adventurers eager to explore the surrounding wilderness, which is home to many old ruins and abandoned dwarven mines.

A map of Phandalin appears in the Lost Mine of Phandelver adventure in the D&D Starter Set.

Port Llast

This coastal town has been, at various points in its violent history, plundered by pirates, enslaved by evil cults, set ablaze, overrun by sahuagin, and even raided by drow-yet it weathered every storm and until recently showed glimmers of renewed prosperity once more. It’s the only port between Luskan and Neverwinter, and the only place between the two cities where tall cliffs give way to sandy shores. Port Llast’s harbor is strewn with shipwrecks-the tombs of seafarers who fought for the town’s spoils and lost.

Suggested Encounter

Port Llast has fallen once more, this time to marauding frost giants whose greatship has run aground on two smaller wrecked ships in the harbor roughly 60 feet from shore. Frost giants have already attacked the town once in the past month; this is their second raid. Twenty frost giant have descended upon the fog-shrouded town and are plundering it for food, ale, and other supplies. The streets are littered with the crushed and cloven remains of townsfolk who stood their ground.

The heavy fog makes dealing with the frost giants a bit easier, allowing characters to pick them off one or two at a time. A creature can see out to a range of 60 feet in the fog. The area beyond that is heavily obscured.

The giants left two winter wolf aboard the greatship to guard it (see the “Svardborg: General Features” sidebar in chapter 7, “Berg of the Frost Giants”). The wolves attack any characters who board the vessel. If one wolf dies, the other wolf uses its next action to howl a warning to the frost giants. If there are any frost giants still alive in town, they quickly return to the ship. Half of the giants take 5 rounds to reach the ship; the remaining giants take 10 rounds.

Treasure

Characters who defeat the winter wolves and search the greatship find six crates of plundered foodstuffs, fifteen empty ale barrels, a lidless wooden chest containing 3,000 sp, a sleigh laden with animal pelts (worth 300 gp for the lot), and twenty giant sacks, each containing 1d6 × 100 gp and one mundane item. You can roll on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction for each mundane item, or forgo the rolls and choose twenty items from the table. The fattest sack also contains one magic item, determined by rolling on Magic Item Table F in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Purple Rocks

A cluster of rocky islands far to the west in the Trackless Sea is named for the dark purple hue that they take on under stormy skies. The two largest islands among the Purple Rocks (see map 3.13) have one settlement apiece: the town of Vilkstead on the eastern island of Utheraal, and the slightly smaller town called Ulf of Thuger on the island of Trisk to the west. Each island also has its own king: Sea-King Frannis of Utheraal and Sea-King Krulk of Trisk (CN male Illuskan human gladiator).

The Northlanders of Utheraal and Trisk are under the sway of the kraken Slarkrethel. They show their devotion, among other ways, by tossing their newborn children into the sea. The islanders wear tattoos of krakens made with squid ink and build longships that boast kraken-shaped figureheads. They greet visitors with food and shelter, but don’t speak of Slarkrethel or the absence of children from their communities.

Visitors who try to investigate the mysteries of the Purple Rocks are asked to leave. Those who refuse to do so are captured and sacrificed to the sea.

Rassalantar

Many a traveler has come upon the quiet village of Rassalantar and taken comfort in the soft beds and rich ale of the Sleeping Dragon, a cozy roadside inn. Few pay much attention to the walled farms and grazing sheep around the town, and fewer still take notice of the ruined keep hidden among the stand of trees west of the village. Yet Waterdeep has long maintained a large contingent of its City Guard here, using a nearby barracks as the base for outriders who infrequently patrol the road north as far as Amphail and south to Waterdeep.

Yondral Horn (N male shield dwarf spy), a retired adventurer on the Black Network’s payroll, runs the Sleeping Dragon and keeps an eye on the activities of the City Guard and any Lords' Alliance members that come through. Anyone who is a member of the Lords' Alliance receives the finest quarters, which happen to have thin walls so that Yondral can spy on his guests.

Rassalantar’s keep has largely been robbed of its stone to build other structures in the village, and its cellars and dungeons are waterlogged. A hidden chamber in the dungeon holds a permanent teleportation circle used by the Blackstaff (Waterdeep’s highest-ranking wizard) to send messages and aid to Rassalantar.

Rauvin Mountains

This purple-hued mountain range has peaks rising to heights of seven and eight thousand feet. Orcs live here in seemingly infinite numbers, boiling forth every few decades to raid the lands around.

Rauvin Road

The lightly patrolled Rauvin Road follows the Rauvin River from Rivermoot to Jalanthar, passing through Silverymoon, Everlund, and numerous smaller settlements along the way.

Raven Rock

On the icy slopes of the Spine of the World stands the spirit mound of the Black Raven and Gray Wolf tribes of Uthgardt barbarians. Raven Rock gets its name from a 100-foot-tall stone carved in the likeness of a perching raven, sitting in the center of the highest plateau of the mound and facing west. The Black Ravens leave carcasses by the stone raven’s feet as offerings. At dusk, giant ravens gather to feast on the remains. After devouring the carrion, the giant ravens perch on timber roosts and squawk at one another until nightfall, when they fly off. Warriors of the Black Raven tribe sometimes ride these giant ravens into battle.

Surrounding Raven Rock are four 50-foot-tall menhirs that the Uthgardt shamans use to track the changing of the seasons and the movement of the stars.

The Gray Wolves aren’t allowed atop the high plateau. Instead, they gather around an altar mound in the heart of a wolf-shaped depression southwest of Raven Rock. Their altar is a rectangular slab of stone with the phases of the moon carved into its sides.

In winter, everything is under a foot or more of snow.

Ancient Relics

Two ancient giant relics are buried here-one in the ground before the giant stone raven, and another under the Gray Wolves' altar. Uthgar’s early followers planted these objects here to empower and ward their spirit mound. A detect magic spell reveals an aura of conjuration magic emanating from the ground in front of the giant stone raven, and an aura of transmutation magic from underneath the altar. The ground in both locations is frozen solid year-round.

Without the aid of magic, it takes 5 hours for one character to dig up the relic hidden in the ground by the giant stone raven; reduce the amount of time proportionately if other party members help. The relic is a ring of hardened magma sized for a fire giant’s finger. When a creature attunes to the ring, it magically shrinks to fit that creature’s index finger, and warm orange light spills from minuscule cracks that form on its outer surface. The ring has 6 charges left. While attuned to the ring, a creature can expend 1 charge to cast conjure minor elementals (summoning either four magma mephit or four magmin, as the wearer wishes) or fire shield (warm shield version only) from the ring. Once all of its charges are spent, the ring loses its spellcasting properties but retains its resizing property.

To reach the relic buried under the Gray Wolves' altar, the characters must smash through the altar or burrow underneath it. One character can accomplish either task in 10 hours; reduce the amount of time proportionately if other party members help. The buried relic is a 14-foot-long, 250-pound red dragon’s thighbone. Part of the bone is wrapped in old leather, suggesting that it was once used as a giant’s greatclub. If a creature attunes to the greatclub, it magically shrinks to a size that the creature can wield effectively. The greatclub is considered a magic weapon that deals an extra 2d8 bludgeoning damage whenever it hits a dragon (including any creature of the dragon type).

Suggested Encounter (Day)

If the characters arrive at Raven Rock in the morning or the afternoon, they see 2d4 giant ravens (use the giant vulture statistics) flying lazy circles at a height of 300 feet above the spirit mound. If the characters arrive in the evening, the giant ravens are perched quietly on their wooden roosts. The ravens aren’t present at night. The giant ravens don’t attack intruders or squawk at them, but they remember with perfect clarity any trespassers they see and describe them to the next group of Black Raven barbarians they meet.

If the giant ravens see the characters take the magma ring, the Black Raven barbarians learn about the theft 1d4 days later. After that time, there is a cumulative 5 percent chance per day that the Black Ravens locate the characters (or a subset of them, if the party splits up). Alternatively, you can have them catch up to the party at a dramatic moment of your choice. Wherever the characters happen to be, an Uthgardt shaman and six tribal warrior, each mounted on a giant raven, attack the characters. Rules for mounted combat appear in chapter 9 of the Player’s Handbook.

Suggested Encounter (Night)

Characters who explore Raven Rock in the dead of night encounter 2d4 wolf and 1d4+1 werewolf in wolf form. The werewolves are members of the Gray Wolf tribe.

Red Larch

Named for a distinctive stand of red larch trees that were cut down when the village was founded, Red Larch is situated on a fertile patch of land on the western outskirts of the Sumber Hills, at a place where the Kheldell Path and the Cairn Road meet the Long Road. Despite its small size, Red Larch offers many fine amenities, including the Allfaiths Shrine, a place of worship that caters to multiple faiths; the Swinging Sword, a respectable three-story stone inn with a high-pitched roof; and the Helm at Highsun, a ramshackle yet lively tavern.

A map of Red Larch and a detailed description of the village and its inhabitants can be found in the adventure Princes of the Apocalypse.

Red Rocks

Off the coast lies a collection of tiny islets known collectively as the Red Rocks. Most of these landforms are sea stacks carved by the waves of the Sea of Swords, but some are little more than boulders peeking up above the waves. The Red Rocks have sunk countless ships over the centuries, so sailors tend to give the area a wide berth. Fishers in small vessels frequent these waters, however, since the area is home to a huge variety of fish and shellfish, many of which are prized in Waterdeep.

Reghed Glacier

The cold winds that give Icewind Dale its name blow down off this high, frozen landscape. Few dare to venture near the high walls of its easternmost edge, and little is known of what might live on or within the glacier.

Rivermoot

This small village stands at the west end of the Rauvin Road, where the Rauvin and Surbrin rivers meet. Rivermoot’s wood-frame dwellings are built on stilts because the rivers swell during the spring and flood the ground around them. The villagers tether canoes to their cottages so that they can move about during the river’s rise.

Ruathym

The barbarians of Ruathym (see map 3.10) are at war with Luskan and have been for as long as any of them can remember. Luskanite raiders have plundered and razed the island’s settlements more than once, but the natives keep rebuilding their villages and their ships while singing songs of bloody vengeance.

The reigning king of Ruathym is First Axe Vok Dorrg (CE male Illuskan human priest), a blind and vindictive old man who worships Valkur, a lesser god of the sea. The king rules from the Hall of Black Waves, a temple in the seaside town of Ruathym. Although he’s too old to take up arms himself, Vok Dorrg has many fierce sons, daughters, and grandchildren to captain his ships and terrorize his enemies.

Sea of Moving Ice

The sea west of Icewind Dale is a maze of shifting ice sheets and icebergs. A few frozen islands are inhabited by tribes of Ice Hunters, a group of humans the Northlanders pushed toward the pole long ago. An armada of frost giant greatships under the command of Jarl Storvald hunts whales, walruses, and seals in these waters.

The Sea of Moving Ice is also the domain of several white dragons, the largest and most powerful of which are two ancient white dragon named Arauthator and Arveiaturace. Each dragon makes its lair inside a hollowed-out iceberg. Arauthator’s iceberg, Oyaviggaton, has Northfolk barbarians living on it and is described in the adventure The Rise of Tiamat. Arveiaturace is known to hunt in Icewind Dale and might be encountered there (see the “Icewind Dale” section).

Characters who explore the Sea of Moving Ice in wintertime are subject to extreme cold temperatures (see the “Wilderness Survival” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

Secomber

This town of farmers, fishers, brewers, and stonecutters is perched on three hills located near the confluence of the Unicorn Run and the Delimbiyr River. Beneath these hills lie ruins that were once part of Athalantar, a bygone kingdom. The townsfolk have turned the buried ruins into cellars, larders, and shelters.

Secomber is under the heel of the Urshani hobgoblins, who dwell in the High Moor and demand tribute several times a year. Secomber has no defense against the Urshani. Its residents give the hobgoblins food, homemade ale, and ore to retain their freedom. The hobgoblins' demands have left the community impoverished.

Suggested Encounter

The characters arrive to find two cloud giant named Nirva and Jaral sitting in the middle of town, listening to townsfolk talk about the founding of Secomber and the ancient kingdom of Athalantar, on whose bones the town was built. Despite their intimidating size, the giants (who are neutral good in alignment) mean no harm. They recently found an artifact-half of a giant-sized vase-in the High Moor, and they’re widening their search for other evidence of a cloud giant castle that crashed in this area thousands of years ago. Nirva and Jaral are siblings on a quest. They want to elevate cloud giants (and themselves) to the top of the ordning by finding maps to ancient Ostorian ruins and long-buried treasure vaults. The castle they seek is rumored to hold maps that could prove useful in their search.

Nirva and Jaral try not to overstay their welcome. After listening quietly to the locals' stories, they bid the townsfolk farewell and fly back to their castle, which has landed in the High Moor (and is obscured by fog). The castle has another ten cloud giant aboard-guards loyal to Nirva and Jaral. If the characters question the cloud giants about their motives, they summarize the information in “The Ordning” and “King Hekaton and His Daughters” sections in the introduction. They also tell characters to beware of Countess Sansuri, an evil cloud giant lord who equates “small folk” with vermin. They don’t know the location of her castle, however.

Shadowtop Cathedral

A closely packed stand of towering shadowtop trees lies in the High Forest. The dark canopies of the trees form a high roof that permits only hints of sunlight to touch the ground beneath. Shadowtop Cathedral is an important meeting place for the Emerald Enclave. The forest within 50 miles of the site is seeded with awakened tree and awakened shrub that are loyal to the enclave. These plants hide the trails that lead to Shadowtop Cathedral. If the awakened plants spot a creature openly wearing or carrying the symbol of the Emerald Enclave, the plants move aside to reveal hidden trails. Other creatures searching the forest for trails have disadvantage on ability checks made to find them and to avoid becoming lost.

When the characters first arrive at Shadowtop Cathedral, no one else is present, and there are no tracks on the ground. Each day at dawn, highsun, and dusk, there is a cumulative 10 percent chance that a friendly druid (NG male or female moon elf) visits the site. The druid doesn’t stay long but urges characters seeking assistance to wait for the cathedral’s caretaker to return. If they heed the druid’s advice, assume that the caretaker returns at the next dawn.

The primary caretaker of Shadowtop Cathedral is a xenophobic, moss-covered treant named Turlang. He visits the site only occasionally. When he’s not at the cathedral, Turlang wanders the forest, frightening off interlopers. He has the statistics of a treant, with 200 hit points and the following additional feature.

Spellcasting

Turlang is a 9th-level spellcaster. His spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 15; +7 to hit with spell attacks). He has the following druid spells prepared:

• Cantrips (at will): druidcraft, guidance, resistance
• 1st level (4 slots): detect magic, entangle, goodberry, speak with animals
• 2nd level (3 slots): animal messenger, gust of wind, pass without trace
• 3rd level (3 slots): plant growth, speak with plants
• 4th level (3 slots): conjure woodland beings, hallucinatory terrain
• 5th level (1 slot): commune with nature

Shining Falls

Traffic on the Delimbiyr River comes to a halt at a spectacularly beautiful waterfall where the river flows through a mountain pass. The ancient elf kingdom of Eaerlann once had an outpost at the Shining Falls, but no trace of it remains. Even a once-busy portage road around the falls is little more than a deer trail now.

Shining White

The spirit mound of the Griffon tribe of Uthgardt barbarians sits atop a rocky hill overlooking a tributary of the Surbrin River, south of the Lurkwood. During the winter, most of Shining White is buried under snow. During the summer, the grass atop the mound grows tall.

Two raised rings of grass-covered earth form Shining White, which gets its name from a 280-foot-tall spire of white chalk that rises atop the hill. This landmark is visible for miles. The menhirs and altar that once stood atop the spirit mound were carved from opalescent marble. Three stone giants recently desecrated the mound, knocking over all the menhirs and cairns. They also dug up and pulverized the central altar. The Uthgardt who claim this mound have not yet learned of the desecration (but see “Suggested Encounter”).

Ancient Relic

In the middle of Shining White is an altar mound surrounded by a griffon-shaped indentation in the earth, the form of which isn’t readily apparent until one takes to the air or climbs to the top of the rocky spire. The stone giants smashed the marble altar to rubble, but they didn’t dig underneath it. There, the followers of Uthgar buried both halves of a giant relic: a colorfully painted porcelain mask crafted long ago for a cloud giant. The mask is nonmagical, and each half weighs 20 pounds. If the halves are brought together, they display the image of a face that bears a fearsome scowl. The mask is too large to be repaired with a mending spell.

Suggested Encounter

If the characters linger here for an hour or more, four griffon descend from the sky and attack. The griffons target horses and ponies first, then mules, then humanoids. They are hungry and fight to the death. Any creature that kills a griffon at Shining White is cursed. The cursed creature gains the following flaw: “I have an in satiable craving for horse flesh.” In addition, beasts with a challenge rating of 2 or lower treat the cursed creature as hostile and do everything they can to avoid it. A remove curse spell or similar magic lifts the curse.

Silver Marches

Also known as Luruar, this region of the North is hemmed in by the Ice Spires to the north, the Rauvin River to the south, the Frost Hills to the west, and the desert of Anauroch to the east. Mineral-rich mountain ranges, beautiful alpine slopes and valleys, and fertile farmland make the Silver Marches a tempting place to live. At the same time, monsters abound here. Orcs and giants inhabit the mountains, Uthgardt barbarians haunt the northern forests, and the drow city of Menzoberranzan lies in the Underdark below. Dragons also assault farms and settlements from time to time.

The War of the Silver Marches exacted such a heavy toll-including the destruction and occupation of Sundabar-that the final victory over the orcs felt hollow. One can’t help but notice the corpse-strewn battlefields, ravaged homesteads, and maimed soldiers and citizens that are lasting reminders of the orcs' savagery.

Silverwood

Growing atop the rugged, hilly terrain between the Evermoors and the Nether Mountains, the Silverwood was once part of the High Forest, but over centuries, loggers working the woodlands on either side of the Evermoor Way have carved a great wound through the terrain. Bare hillsides littered with stumps line this gap.

Silverymoon

The Gem of the North is a fitting epithet for Silverymoon: a beautiful, tranquil city where trees and gardens live in harmony with buildings, bridges, and sculptures. Silverymoon is an enlightened place, with a great library, breathtaking temples and shrines, and respected schools of magic, art, and music. Its beauty awes visitors and is the subject of many bardic songs and tales.

High Marshal Methrammar Aerasumé, the city’s lord, resides in a tall, slender palace on the east side of the city and commands Silverymoon’s knight-defenders. The city’s magical defenses are even more formidable than the knights and have served the city well for years. Silverymoon is also a haven for Harpers-not surprising, given that many Harpers are wizards and bards.

Grand and enlightened though the city may be, Silverymoon’s reputation was tarnished by its halfhearted efforts in aid of Sundabar during the War of the Silver Marches. The city remains a powerful and influential member of the Lords' Alliance, however.

For more information on Silverymoon, see the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.

Silverymoon Pass

A road traverses the hills northeast of Silverymoon, providing passage between two mountain ranges and then southward to Sundabar. Silverymoon Pass has seen little traffic since Sundabar was overrun during the War of the Silver Marches. The rotted corpses of hundreds of orcs lie strewn on either side of the road-grisly evidence of how close Silverymoon came to suffering the same fate as Sundabar.

Southwood

Hemmed in by the Delimbiyr Vale to the north and west, the High Moor to the south, and the Graypeak Mountains to the east, the Southwood has the same variety of trees found in the High Forest, without the High Forest’s mysterious reputation. Hunters and rangers from Grayvale like to travel these woods.

Spine of the World

Mountains of ice and black rock form a sky-scraping wall of frigid peaks across the far north, which few creatures have the ability to surmount. Brutally cold winds, avalanches, and icy rifts are the least of a traveler’s problems in the Spine of the World. Tribes of giants, goblinoids, and orcs dwell there, holding every cavern or abandoned dwarven delve but those claimed by dragons.

Star Mounts

Cloaked in clouds and vaguely menacing, these mountains rise from the heart of the High Forest and are tall enough to be seen from any edge of the forest. The Star Mounts are the site of strange, gleaming lights on clear nights, and dragons are sometimes seen flying to and from the peaks. Fierce winds swirl through and around the mountains, forcing flying creatures away or causing them to veer suddenly and crash against the rocks.

Starmetal Hills

The Starmetal Hills are a range of rocky knolls between Neverwinter Wood and the Long Road. They are so named because the area has been the target of several meteor showers over the millennia. The hills are haunted by various tribes of Uthgardt, giving few others reason to visit the area.

Deep in the Starmetal Hills, a group of dwarves devoted to Marthammor Duin (the dwarven god of explorers, travelers, and outcasts) established the village of Twilight Tor, on the shores of a cold, crystal-clear lake known as Lake Glorfindar. Few but the dwarves know of this place. Travelers of good will are welcome, and the stargazing is excellent.

Stone Bridge

A gigantic stone archway, two miles from end to end and four hundred feet tall at its apex, comfortably spans the Dessarin River and the plain around it, remaining high and dry during even the worst springtime floods. The Stone Bridge is a sacred site of pilgrimage for many dwarves. Long ago, the dwarf god Moradin appeared atop the bridge to rally dwarves of the Ironstar clan against a horde of orcs, and the founder of the ancient dwarven kingdom of Besilmer, Torhild Flametongue, died fighting a hill giant in the same location.

The Stone Bridge is made of smooth, fused granite. It is only 15 feet wide and lacks railings or barriers, so anyone traversing it is at the mercy of the wind.

Suggested Encounter

The first time the adventurers approach the midpoint of the bridge, they see a fire giant and a hell hound approaching from the opposite direction. The fire giant, Stolvor, isn’t carrying any rocks or valuables, but he clutches an enormous greatsword and has a rod of the Vonindod tucked in his belt. He and his hound have been searching for fragments of the Vonindod (with no luck) and are spoiling for a fight. They charge into battle, the hell hound advancing in front. If their enemies flee, they pursue.

A creature can try to push another creature off the bridge by shoving it, using the rules for “Shoving a Creature” in chapter 9 of the Player’s Handbook. Any creature that is successfully shoved in this way must succeed on DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall into the river below, taking 70 (20d6) bludgeoning damage.

Stone Stand

The Blue Bear tribe of Uthgardt barbarians is thought to be extinct, its spirit mound a haunted place best avoided. In truth, the Blue Bears prowl the High Forest and the eastern Delimbiyr Vale, doing their best to remain hidden. Their members visit Stone Stand infrequently, and only under the cover of night.

Stone Stand (see map 3.12) is situated upon a lonely hill north of the High Forest. Atop this hill, the Blue Bears built a mound upon which they planted a branch of the Grandfather Tree. This branch grew into a towering oak tree, which today is surrounded by a raised inner ring of cairns and a broken outer ring of mounds with more cairns atop them. Beneath these cairns lie the moldy bones of the tribe’s ancient dead.

Ancient Relic

Early followers of Uthgar buried a relic of giantkind under the central mound, believing that its magic would empower and protect the oak tree. The tree’s roots wrap around the ancient relic, which is actually a source of unrest for the Uthgardt ghosts that languish here (see “Suggested Encounter”). A detect magic spell cast within range of the tree reveals an aura of necromancy magic emanating from underneath it. To reach the relic, characters must dig under the tree and hack away at its roots. This exercise takes a single character 40 hours to accomplish; multiple party members working together can reduce the amount of time accordingly. The buried relic is the skull of Gurt, Lord of the Pale Giants, a frost giant that Uthgar defeated in single combat at the site of Morgur’s Mound. The skull weighs 100 pounds. If it is taken from Stone Stand, the ghosts that haunt the spirit mound are finally laid to rest.

Suggested Encounter

The presence of a living creature within 30 feet of the oak tree causes the ghost of an Uthgardt chieftain to appear next to the tree. It enters the world from the Border Ethereal and attacks any trespassers that it sees, first using its Horrifying Visage action, and then its Possession and Withering Touch. If it succeeds in possessing a creature, the ghost uses the host body to attack other trespassers. If the ghost drops to 0 hit points, it vanishes with a furious scream.

In the round after the ghost is defeated, on what would be its initiative count, the ghost of another chieftain appears next to the tree. This process continues until four Uthgardt ghosts have been defeated.

The ghosts don’t attack members of the Blue Bear tribe. Any character dressed as a Blue Bear warrior or shaman can fool a ghost with a successful DC 12 Charisma (Deception) check. Although they can speak Bothii (the Uthgardt language), the dead Uthgardt chieftains have no inclination to communicate with trespassers, and they don’t know why they’ve been denied a place at Uthgar’s side in the afterlife. Any ghosts that are defeated re-form at midnight and can reappear thereafter. If the frost giant skull is removed from its resting place under the tree, the Uthgardt spirits are laid to rest and the ghosts don’t reappear.

The oak tree has AC 15, 100 hit points, a damage threshold of 10, and immunity to psychic damage. Attacking or destroying it has no effect on a ghost that has already manifested. Even if the tree is reduced to 0 hit points, it grows back over years, unless it is uprooted.

Stone Trail

This dirt road runs north of the Sumber Hills and connects Westbridge to Beliard. A major landmark, the Stone Bridge, lies along this route.

Sumber Hills

The Sumber Hills are an area of windswept badlands sparsely covered in dry grass. Much of the terrain features exposed rock faces or steep escarpments. Although the earth of the hills is arid, countless tiny streams rise from hidden springs (usually clean and drinkable water), then flow down through crevices in the slopes to join the Dessarin River, which bisects the hills.

Most locals think only of the larger, higher hills west of the river when they hear “Sumber Hills,” because that area once boasted rich quarries and good hunting. Some hunting lodges and keeps owned by wealthy Waterdhavians and adventurers remain-and in recent years have become homes to bandits and monsters. Those who excavate the Sumber Hills for building stone and gravel often talk of finding gemstones and rich veins of ore in the hills-but for the most part, these persistent tales have never been anything but fiction.

For a map of the Sumber Hills and descriptions of various locations in and around the area, see the adventure Princes of the Apocalypse.

Sundabar

Mirabar’s sister-city is a shattered ruin. An orc horde destroyed this once-mighty fortress city during the War of the Silver Marches, wiped out its human population, drove the dwarven population deep underground, slew the city’s dwarf king, and, perhaps worst of all, dealt a fatal blow to Sundabar’s longstanding alliance with its human and elf neighbors.

The remaining dwarves of Sundabar have turned their backs on those who offered little or no aid in the city’s time of need. They no longer consider themselves part of the Lords' Alliance. The dwarves have turned their attention to rebuilding what they can. Now, although the surface city remains a hollowed-out ruin, its outer walls mostly intact but its inner buildings reduced to piles of debris, the underground smithies and foundries are operational once more. The city is currently off limits to non-dwarves.

Surbrin Hills

Wise folk steer clear of the Surbrin Hills east of Longsaddle, for they are the hunting grounds of the Griffon tribe of Uthgardt barbarians. Hill giants, orcs, and other monsters also prowl this area.

Surbrin Trail

A trail extends north from the city of Yartar, through farmland patrolled by Yartarran soldiers on horseback. Once the Surbrin Trail reaches the hills on the other side of the Dessarin Valley, the farms peter out, along with the patrols, and the trail hugs the eastern shore of the Surbrin River as though shying away from the Evermoors. At the north end of the trail, beyond Mornbryn’s Shield, is Nesmé.

Svardborg

Deep within the Sea of Moving Ice floats Svardborg, the iceberg fortress of Jarl Storvald and his frost giants. See chapter 7, “Berg of the Frost Giants,” for more information on this location.

Sword Mountains

The steep, craggy mountains north of Waterdeep are home to a few scattered tribes of orcs and goblinoids. The hills around the Sword Mountains are strewn with the ruins of bygone kingdoms and more than a few half-forgotten dungeons and tombs.

Ten Trail

A pass leads through the western mountains into the Spine of the World, though the route is nigh impassable in winter because of the snow and ice. Well-armed caravans use the Ten Trail to move goods to and from the settlements of Icewind Dale. Although it’s the safest route between Icewind Dale and the lands to the south, travelers are still at risk of attacks from crag cats, yetis, orcs, brigands, and even the occasional white dragon.

The trail extends as far south as Fireshear. Characters traveling the Ten Trail in wintertime are subject to extreme cold temperatures (see the “Wilderness Survival” section in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

Thornhold

Thornhold is a coastal fortress, a castle of gray stone with a thick, curved wall and a two-towered central keep on the southern tip of the Mere of Dead Men. The cliff facing the sea is so sheer and smooth that no wall need be built on the side of the hill where Thornhold sits. The castle is without adornment; only crenellations and arrow slits break its solid face of stone. Inside the walls, surrounding the bailey, are small buildings of wood and plaster that house animals and are used for smithwork, candlemaking, gemcutting, repairing wooden items (including wagons and the like), and brewing beer.

Thornhold was once the property of the Margaster family of Waterdeep and has been held by the Knights of Samular (paladins of Tyr) and the Zhentarim in the past. Its current occupants are the shield dwarves of the Stoneshaft clan. They refer to the castle as Stoneshaft Hold. The Stoneshaft dwarves are reclusive and secretive, yet they are interested to hear what’s afoot in Waterdeep, for they suspect the Margaster family is plotting to attack the fortress and reclaim its ancestral holding.

Travelers are free to visit Thornhold, up to a point. The Stoneshaft dwarves allow adventurers and caravans to make camp within their walls, but they forbid access to the keep and the extensive caves below. Thornhold is rumored to contain a passage to the Underdark-a claim that the dwarves neither confirm nor deny.

For more information on Thornhold, see the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.

Trade Way

The Trade Way begins at Waterdeep and heads southward, though only the stretch between Waterdeep and Daggerford is well traveled. Merchants who can’t afford to transport their goods by ship use the Trade Way, hiring guards to fend off the brigands and monsters that live in the surrounding wilderness.

Triboar

Triboar, a frontier town in the fertile Dessarin Valley, sits at the crossroads of two major trade routes: the Long Road and Evermoor Way. It’s a popular way station for caravans and rangers. See chapter 2 for more information on this location.

If the adventure didn’t begin in Triboar, you can run the “Attack on Triboar” encounter (see chapter 2) when the characters visit the town.

Triboar Trail

This path meanders south of Neverwinter Wood, connecting the High Road to the Long Road. It’s the safest overland route between the Dessarin Valley and Neverwinter. Orcs and goblinoids prey on travelers from time to time, but copper dragons in the northern foothills of the Sword Mountains help thin out the monsters' ranks.

Tuern

The merciless Northfolk of Tuern (see map 3.13) pay tribute to three adult red dragons that live inside and beneath the island’s active volcanoes-a chain of black, grumbling, lava-filled cauldrons that belch smoke and ash into the sky. Five Northfolk tribes live on the island, each with its own settlement, king, and fleet of dragon-headed longships. Four of the kings recognize the fifth, High King Ossul Haarn of Uttersea (CE male Illuskan human gladiator with 90 hit points and a ring of fire resistance), as their liege. Uttersea is the largest town on the island and has a port for the High King’s armada of longships. The island is also home to small families of fire giants who strive to unseat the island’s draconic overlords and enslave the Northfolk.

Turnstone Pass

A harrowing trail threads through the cold, windswept Nether Mountains. Hill giants, orcs, wyverns, griffons, gargoyles, and other monsters make travel through Turnstone Pass perilous. Only heavily armed travelers have any hope of making it from one end to the other.

Uluvin

This dry, dusty village is located south of the High Forest, on the old Iron Road between Womford and Secomber. A branch of the road turns northeast and head toward Unicorn Run, a gently flowing river that pours out of the High Forest.

Suggested Encounter

Two teenage cattle ranchers named Albie Grizlow and Leshonna Daar (CE male and female Tethyrian human commoner) mounted on riding horse intercept the characters as they approach within five miles of Uluvin. The teenagers tell the party that the village has fallen to hill giants and goblins and that many villagers have taken refuge in the nearby forest.

Characters can give the village a wide berth, or they can deal with the threat. If they get within three miles of the village, they start to see scattered farmsteads surrounded by dry fields. At each farmstead are 3d6 goblin; they either are searching the cottage and barn for treasure, chasing chickens and swine in the field, or dancing around 1d4 tied-up prisoners (commoner). The goblins have covered their captives' heads with old buckets, flowerpots, and feedbags so that they can’t see. There is a 50 percent chance that an ogre is also present, trying to catch a pig or lift a cow and take it back to Grudd Haug (see chapter 5, “Den of the Hill Giants”). The goblins and the ogre are too distracted to notice the adventurers if they stick to the road. The ogre and most of the goblins have no treasure, but the goblin leader at each farmstead carries a trinket (roll on the Trinkets table in chapter 5 of the Player’s Handbook).

If the characters enter the village, they see dusty wood-frame buildings with tall facades lining the Iron Road. Three hill giant are outside in plain view, overturning wagons, smashing through clay-tiled rooftops with their greatclubs, and stuffing into their sacks anything that catches their eye. Characters can easily take these hill giants by surprise. An inn and saloon called the Black Bull’s Tail stands at the intersection where the road branches. Two more hill giant have ripped through the inn’s facade and destroyed most of the furnishings, including the stairs leading up to the second floor, and are in the midst of gorging themselves on food and ale. If they hear sounds of combat outside, they investigate, hurling benches, rain barrels, and whatever else they can find in lieu of rocks.

Treasure

Each hill giant has a sack containing 2d6 × 100 cp and 1d4 mundane items, determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Once the monsters are driven out, the characters can travel north to the edge of the High Forest and let the villagers know that it’s safe to return. If they do so, a grateful old widow named Zoranda Heller (LG female Chondathan commoner) gives them a ring of protection that her late husband, a rancher, found in a field.

Uttersea

See the “Tuern” section.

Valley of Khedrun

The frozen vale on the southern fringe of the Spine of the World is named for a legendary dwarf hero who used his axe to carve out the homeland of the dwarves in the North from lands dark with wolves, orcs, and goblinoids. The Valley of Khedrun is haunted by the Great Worm tribe of Uthgardt barbarians.

Vordrorn Forest

The pine forest south of Citadel Adbar is sometimes called the Ghostwood for two reasons. First, its proximity to the Ice Mountains leaves it constantly shrouded in cold mists. Second, undead are known to haunt the Vordrorn Forest, particularly incorporeal types such as wraiths, specters, and ghosts. These restless spirits seem content to remain in the forest and rarely trouble travelers who stay away from their territory.

Waterdeep

The City of Splendors is a bustling, walled city on the Sword Coast. Some merchants have dubbed Waterdeep the best supply center in the world, with the largest collection of superb craft workers, experts, useful contacts, and potential hirelings to be found anywhere. Others caution that the city houses a veritable army of potential enemies for those who aren’t careful-and everyone agrees that its wide, crowded streets are full of spies.

Waterdhavian noble families and guilds hold tremendous political and economic sway up and down the Sword Coast, but within the city itself, true power lies with the Masked Lords of Waterdeep-rulers who convene in secret and whose identities are largely unknown. The public face of this ruling body is the Open Lord of Waterdeep. The current Open Lord, Lady Laeral Silverhand, has held the position for only a few months. Many of the city’s nobles and guildmasters are vying for her attention while conspiring to wrest power away from her office. There’s also trouble brewing between the Zhentarim, which has gained an economic foothold in the city, and the Xanathar Thieves' Guild, which controls much of the city’s criminal underworld.

Characters who belong to the Harpers, the Order of the Gauntlet, the Lords' Alliance, or the Zhentarim can find faction representatives in Waterdeep. For a map of Waterdeep and more information about its features and inhabitants, see the Sword Coast Adventurer’s Guide.

Suggested Encounter

Shortly after the characters arrive in Waterdeep, a cloud giant castle emerges from the clouds overhead and looms above the city, its ominous shadow causing widespread panic. Lady Laeral Silverhand dispatches heralds to calm the people and assure them that no harm will befall the city. If the adventurers decide to investigate, they must devise a method of reaching the giant castle, which hangs 1,000 feet in the air. The castle has a configuration similar to that of Lyn Armaal (see chapter 9, “Castle of the Cloud Giants”) and is home to a neutral good clan made up of four adult cloud giant, three young cloud giants, four pet griffon, and eight stone giant that serve as guards. The young cloud giants use the hill giant statistics, with the following changes:

• The young cloud giants have an Intelligence score of 10 (+0) and Wisdom and Charisma scores of 12 (+1).
• They have the following skills: Insight +4, Perception +4. They have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14.
• They speak Common and Giant.
• They have the cloud giant’s innate spellcasting and keen smell features.

These cloud giants are cartographers engaged in remapping the Sword Coast while searching for ancient battlegrounds and long-lost relics of Ostoria. They mean no harm to Waterdeep, but the city intrigues them, for they believe it was built on an old giant settlement that was destroyed by dragons tens of thousands of years ago. The cloud giants plan to meet with the city’s leaders to learn more about Waterdeep’s history and determine whether any remnants of Ostoria survive today. The family’s noble patriarch is a scholarly and cautious cloud giant named Count Nimbolo. His wife, Countess Mulara, is distrusting of “small folk” and doesn’t allow the characters to move about her home unescorted.

Although these giants pose no threat to Waterdeep, they know of at least one evil cloud giant who is bent on conquering the lands of the small folk once the ordning is recast in her favor: Countess Sansuri. They tell the characters that Sansuri is looking for a lost trove of dragon magic, but they don’t know where her cloud castle is located.

Treasure

If the characters defeat the giants, they can plunder the giants' possessions. Countess Mulara wears two bejeweled necklaces (each worth 7,500 gp and weighing 125 pounds). Both she and the count own a collection of twenty ornate masks made of painted gold (each worth 750 gp and weighing 50 pounds). Among the furnishings in their bedchamber is an alabaster chest containing 800 pp and 1d3 magic items, determined by rolling on Magic Item Table F in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The chest weighs 500 pounds and has an arcane lock spell cast on it.

Way Inn

Southeast of Daggerford, the Trade Way runs right through the middle of Way Inn, a small village enclosed by a 20-foot-tall wall of mortared granite with wooden gates to the north and south along the road. A large two-story inn, also called the Way Inn, dominates the village and has long been a popular stop for weary travelers. Wealthy merchants and nobles stay here while making hunting forays into the Misty Forest. The innkeeper, Cross Wheeler (NG male Tethyrian human scout), is a retired ranger who knows the forest pretty well and has friends among the wood elves who live there.

Weathercote Forest

For reasons unknown, no divination spell or scrying sensor can penetrate the dry patch of greenery on the edge of the Anauroch desert. Woodcutters from Parnast warn adventurers not to enter too deeply into Weathercote Forest, as ancient elven magic has a way of making people disappear forever.

Westbridge

A village strung out along the Long Road between Red Larch and Triboar, Westbridge (so named because it lies to the west of the Stone Bridge) is home to the Harvest Inn, on the west side of the Long Road facing the Stone Trail. The inn’s proprietor is the affable Herivin Dardragon (CG male strongheart halfling commoner), a curly-haired collector and reseller of paintings and statuettes of questionable taste.

Westwood

A tangled forest cloaking the eastern foothills of the Sword Mountains, the Westwood is home to a shrine of Mielikki, several woodcutters' camps that are often taken over forcibly for a season or a few months at a time by bandits or Uthgardt barbarians, and a few overgrown remnants of the ancient elven kingdom of Rilithar.

Whalebones

Petty, warmongering kings rule over the small islands known as the Whalebones, so called because of the whale skeletons that litter the islands' beaches. Several of the larger islands are home to rocs that the storm giants of Maelstrom use as mounts. The islanders leave treasure for the giants and food for the birds as tribute.

Womford

A tiny village along the Iron Road was known as Ironford until shortly after a dragon was slain nearby. Passersby began to call the settlement Wyrm Ford-a name subsequently corrupted, thanks to the thick local accent, into Womford. The village has a dock on the Dessarin River for shipping grain from its gristmill. It’s also the market and the source of supplies for the surrounding farms from which the grain comes. Aside from the mill, the village has a handful of granaries and a larger handful of cottages, several of which house tiny shops. West of the village is the Ironford Bridge, a long, narrow, ramshackle wooden bridge that spans the Dessarin River and leads to Bargewright Inn, which looms atop a hill.

Womforders lock and bar their doors and shutter their windows at night, for fear of the so-called Womford Bat, a nocturnal predator that snatches folk it can catch outside after dark; see the “Bargewright Inn” section for more information on this creature.

Xantharl’s Keep

Xantharl was a well-known ranger and explorer of the North. The fortified village that bears his name stands in the middle of nowhere, on the west side of a notoriously dangerous and rugged stretch of the Long Road. An outer wall with heavy crossbows mounted to its battlements encloses a keep sheltered by a steep roof to shed snow. Surrounding the keep are dozens of narrow stone houses with heavy shutters and steep roofs of their own. The Falling Orc inn and tavern, a wood-frame structure built on the remains of an older stone building that caught fire and burned down, stands near the main gates next to the stables. The hulking yet friendly proprietor, Arzastra (LG female half-ogre (ogrillon)), recently took pity on a coinless shield dwarf adventurer named Larg and is paying him a few coppers to clean the stables.

“Larg” told Arzastra that he and his adventuring companions were caught in an avalanche while hunting a red dragon in the Valley of Khedrun, and only he survived. The story is a fabrication, but Arzastra bought it. The shifty dwarf is actually a wanted criminal named Worvil “the Weevil” Forkbeard. The characters might know of him from talking to certain NPCs (such as Sir Baric Nylef in Bryn Shander or Darz Helgar in Triboar), or from a wanted poster in Longsaddle. The Weevil can be found cleaning the inn’s stables during the day or drinking in a private, plainly furnished guest bedroom on the upper floor of the inn at night. The Weevil avoids making eye contact with strangers. He has the statistics of a bandit captain with the following changes:

• The Weevil is neutral evil.
• His speed is 25 feet.
• He has advantage on saving throws against poison and resistance to poison damage.
• He has darkvision out to a range of 60 feet, and he speaks Common, Draconic, and Dwarvish.
• Instead of a scimitar and a dagger, he wields a pair of +1 handaxes (+5 to hit with each). As an action, he can make three melee attacks, two attacks with one handaxe and one attack with the other handaxe. Each handaxe deals 6 (1d6+3) slashing damage on a hit.

The Lord of Xantharl’s Keep is Narbeck Horn (N male shield dwarf knight armed with a greataxe instead of a greatsword), who reports to the marchion of Mirabar. Narbeck has a sending stones that allows him to speak to the marchion directly, ensuring that news of any threat to Mirabar from the south is quickly relayed. Narbeck commands a garrison of one hundred fifty veterans, which is over twice the population of the village itself.

Suggested Encounter

Guards on the rooftop of the keep spot a frost giant approaching from the west with a small army of fifty goblin and ten hobgoblin, plus five ogre equipped with goblin huckers (see the “Goblin Huckers” section in chapter 2). The hobgoblins form a phalanx in the front of the group, with the frost giant behind them and the unruly mob of ogres and goblins bringing up the rear.

Even without the characters' help, the keep can turn back the attackers with few casualties. (Many goblins are killed as their bodies are flung against the keep by the huckers.) During the uproar, any character who succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (Insight) check realizes that the siege is a ruse to draw attention away from the village’s east gate, where the real attack is taking place.

A while back, Worvil Forkbeard told a few friends that he needed a place to hide and planned to lie low in Xantharl’s Keep. One of his friends betrayed that confidence to the frost giant now attacking the keep, who is named Kaltivar. The giant intends to collect on the 5,000 gp reward being offered for the dwarf’s capture and is using the goblinoids and ogres as a distraction to help him bag the dwarf. While the garrison is occupied on the west side of town, ten stealthy bugbear climb over the eastern wall and attempt to capture Worvil. If the characters already have the dwarf in custody, the bugbears try to take Worvil from them. If Worvil is dead and the bugbears see his corpse, they immediately try to flee the keep and report back to Kaltivar. Characters who are unaware of the Weevil’s presence or his true identity can hear the dwarf and bugbears fighting in the stables with a successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check, and the Weevil manages to kill a couple of bugbears before he’s dragged off in a sack.

Treasure

Kaltivar the frost giant carries a sack containing 2d6 × 100 gp, 1d4 mundane items (determined by rolling on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction), and one magic item, determined by rolling on Magic Item Table C in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. The goblinoids have no treasure.

Yartar

The fortified city of Yartar stands on the east bank of the Dessarin River. On the west bank is a walled citadel under the city’s control. Between them stretches a wide stone bridge. Travelers must move through the citadel and pass inspection before continuing west to Triboar or crossing the bridge to the city’s west gate. The Evermoor Way cuts through the heart of Yartar, connecting the city’s western and eastern gates. East of the city, the trade road becomes a gravel trail.

Yartar is prosperous and becoming increasingly crowded. Some of its old buildings have been torn down and taller ones built-four stories high, in some cases.

Because the city is a major river port, Yartar’s elected leader is called a Waterbaron. The current Waterbaron is Nestra Ruthiol (LE female Tethyrian human noble), a shrewd, vindictive woman in her late fifties. Yartar is a member of the Lords' Alliance, and Ruthiol considers that relationship vital to her city’s survival and prosperity. She knows that the Harpers and the Zhentarim are well established in the city, but her path crosses with theirs only when the well-being of Yartarrans is threatened. Both factions have infiltrated the local thieves' guild, the all-female Hand of Yartar.

Characters who obtain Tamalin Zoar’s letter of recommendation (see the “Calling Horns” section) can present it to a member of the Hand of Yartar and gain the guild’s assistance in any of the following ways:

• If the characters are looking for an individual in the city whose location isn’t well known, the Hand of Yartar can reliably track down that person in 4d6 hours.
• If the characters need to sell loot, the Hand of Yartar can find (not necessarily honest) buyers for them.
• If the characters come to Yartar seeking an expeditious means of travel, the Hand of Yartar tells them about a not-so-secret teleportation circle guarded by a wizard named Kolbaz (see the “Inner Circles” section at the end of this chapter).

The greatest threat facing Yartar is the Kraken Society (see the “Factions in the North” section in the introduction), which is trying to seize control of the city from within and turn it into a stronghold. One of Yartar’s nobles is a Kraken Society member named Khaspere Drylund. Lord Drylund is eager to displace Ruthiol as the city’s Waterbaron. He can’t have Ruthiol eliminated, however, until he has gathered enough support to guarantee victory in the election to determine her successor. He hopes to win votes by identifying and bribing (or blackmailing) Yartar’s most corruptible officials, and by hosting extravagant parties aboard his private, splendidly decorated riverboat. For more information on Lord Drylund and his boat, see chapter 11.

Zelbross

Halfway between Secomber and Loudwater, on the old Delimbiyr Road, are the charred wooden remains and the crumbled stone chimney of an inn that was burned down by brigands many years ago. A scorched wooden sign cut in the shape of a fox’s head still hangs above a blackened door frame, with the inn’s name-the Sly Fox-all but obliterated by fire. An overgrown dirt road branches southward from the inn.

Characters who follow the dirt road discover the razed ruins of a farming village on the north shore of the Delimbiyr River. Only some rickety wooden docks remain to mark what used to be the village of Zelbross. The abandoned site has a lovely view of the Southwood across the river, so it’s easy to imagine why settlers chose this spot, but there’s no evidence of what became of the villagers or whatever attacked them. Zelbross has been abandoned for more than ten years.

Suggested Encounter

If the characters search the ruins of the Sly Fox, they encounter a runaway child from the Blue Bear tribe (see the “Uthgardt Barbarians” section earlier in this chapter). He is hiding in the inn’s hearth, and characters who have a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 12 or higher spot him as they search the ruin. Orok is a nine-year-old human boy armed with a rusty dagger and a homemade sling. He is covered head to toe with soot and grime, and he has sticks woven into his flea-ridden mane of black hair. He is smart enough not to attack well-armed adventurers but has no qualms about trying to harm anyone who antagonizes him. Orok has the statistics of a kobold, with the following changes:

• Orok is chaotic neutral.
• He doesn’t have darkvision.
• He speaks Bothii (the Uthgardt language) and broken Common.
• He lacks the kobold’s sunlight sensitivity feature (but retains the pack tactics feature).

Orok’s siblings bullied him mercilessly, so he ran away from his tribe. Although he’s clearly an Uthgardt child, he carries nothing that identifies him as a member of the Blue Bear tribe, nor does he disclose his tribal affiliation for fear of being delivered back to the tribe. If the characters offer Orok food, he takes it and scuttles back to his “den” to devour it. He also retreats to the hearth if he sees any magic. Like most Uthgardt, he is fearful of magic and distrustful of spellcasters.

Orok is drawn to rough-looking wilderness types, such as barbarians and rangers. If such a character is friendly toward him, he bonds with that character and becomes that character’s follower. Orok doesn’t willingly accompany the party otherwise, preferring to remain in his lair and live by catching fish in the nearby river.

Zymorven Hall

Perched atop a crag overlooking the Rauvin Road, with a clear view of the Evermoors to the south and the Moonwood to the north, is a keep of mortared stone with a high-pitched roof that has wooden statues of baying wolves rising from its peaks. A branch in the road winds up to the keep’s gatehouse and bailey. From the keep, the Zymorven family of Silverymoon has watched over the surrounding lands for four generations.

Lord Harthos Zymorven (CG male Chondathan human knight) commands Zymorven Hall, which appears to have no guards to defend it. Many of the hallways and rooms, however, have suits of armor standing in dark corners, swords mounted on oak-paneled walls, and dusty carpets spread across stone floors. These are actually suits of animated armor, flying sword, and rug of smothering that obey Lord Zymorven’s commands. Lord Zymorven retains the services of a scribe, a stablehand, a cook, and a musician (all commoner), as well as an old witch (use the druid statistics) who is skilled at making herbal remedies and poultices.

Lord Zymorven’s duty is to be vigilant and watch for trouble, which could come from any direction. Soldiers patrolling the Rauvin Road on horseback are welcome to use the keep as a place where they can rest as well as obtain food, drink, and lodging for their horses. Characters who take up Urgala Meltimer’s quest (see chapter 2) might have cause to pay a visit to Zymorven Hall.

Featured Encounters

The following encounters work best if they occur before the characters are ready to move on to chapter 4, “The Chosen Path.” Some of the special quests given out in chapter 2 might blaze a trail that leads to one of these encounters; the same can be said for a few of the suggested encounters presented earlier in this chapter.

Old Tower

You can use this encounter any time the characters are traveling overland. The location isn’t important, but somewhere in the Dessarin Valley would be ideal.

You spot a crumbling tower atop a hill less than a quarter mile away. Parts of its conical roof and outer shell have fallen inward, leaving a gaping hole above which four hawks circle.

If the characters approach within a few hundred feet of the tower (see map 3.14), add:

A large boulder blocks the tower’s ground-floor entrance, and a horrible noise comes from within-a deep, guttural, dirge pouring from the lips of something big and awful.

A female hill giant named Moog has barricaded herself in this lonely tower so that she can wallow in self-pity undisturbed. Chief Guh has taken Moog’s husband, Hruk, as her own, leaving Moog with no one to abuse on a daily basis. Moog is singing a mournful tune, which is amplified by the acoustics of the tower.

Moog sits on the upper level of the tower (area 2), her calves and bare feet dangling through a hole in the floor. From this position, she can see anyone that enters the tower through the front door, the hole in the upstairs wall, or the window above the doorway. She has her back to the upstairs window that faces east, and can’t see anyone approaching from that direction. Her incessant singing is so loud that she can’t hear anything but the loudest noises outside the tower.

The hawks circling above the tower are four blood hawk. Any character who pays attention to the hawks can discern their crimson feathers with a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check or recall their aggressive nature with a successful DC 10 Intelligence (Nature) check. The blood hawks attack any creature that tries to enter the tower through the broken wall or the roof, but otherwise they keep their distance. Once the hawks attack, Moog can’t be surprised.

1. Lower Level

Moog has parked a large boulder in front of the doorway. A Small character can squeeze through a narrow opening to enter the tower. Otherwise, the boulder can be rolled aside with a successful DC 25 Strength (Athletics) check. A stone staircase hugs the inside wall, spiraling upward in a clockwise direction and forming landings at various points. Situated next to each landing is a 9-foot-tall arrow slit that tapers to a width of 5 inches. Much of the tower floor and the staircase is strewn with rubble-stone from the crumbling walls and wood from the partially collapsed roof. The rubble counts as difficult terrain.

Treasure

Any character who searches through the rubble finds a cracked floor tile with what appears to be a compartment underneath it. Years ago, a halfling adventurer named Keltar Dardragon buried a treasure chest under the floor here, and he never had a chance to reclaim it before he died. Moog hasn’t noticed the chest, which is locked but in poor condition. A character can easily break or pick the lock (no ability check required). The chest holds 300 sp and two magic items, determined by rolling on Magic Item Table B in chapter 7 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

2. Upper Level

Nothing of value is to be found on this level of the tower except a large sack lying on the floor. Determine its contents by rolling three times on the Items in a Giant’s Bag table in the introduction.

Moog is here unless she has been lured elsewhere. If the characters wait her out, Moog gets hungry and stops her mournful singing after 2d20 minutes. The hungry giant leaps down to the ground floor, pushes the boulder aside, and exits the tower in search of food. If the characters hide and let her go, she returns to the tower 3d10 hours later with a squealing boar tucked under one arm.

Moog has had some bad experiences with small folk in the past. Her inclination is to attack if confronted. Her tower contains enough rubble that she won’t run out of rocks to throw anytime soon. Any character who tries to allay Moog’s concerns by speaking to her calmly and soothingly in Giant can make a DC 12 Charisma (Persuasion) check. If Moog is also bribed with food or treasure, this check is made with advantage.

If the check succeeds, Moog stops attacking long enough to hear what the character has to say. She also reveals why she’s so unhappy. If the characters promise to reunite Moog with her husband, she is delighted and tries her best to help them in return. Moog knows where Chief Guh lives and can lead the party to Grudd Haug (see chapter 5, “Den of the Hill Giants”). She also knows that Grudd Haug is full of orcs, goblins, hobgoblins, and ogres. Moog is more frightened of Chief Guh than she is of the characters and won’t voluntarily help them attack Grudd Haug. She prefers to remain a safe distance away from the hill giant den (at least half a mile), but characters can convince Moog to accompany them by claiming that they need her help to identify Hruk and rescue him from the hill giant chief. Even when coaxed into joining the assault on Grudd Haug, Moog won’t attack other hill giants. If she comes across her husband, she grabs him by the hair and leads him far away from Grudd Haug.

Moog is chaotic evil, and thus prone to abrupt mood swings. She loses patience with the characters and attacks them if they don’t continually renew their promise to help her and give her food. Whenever Moog awakens after a long rest, she forgets who the characters are and attacks them, whereupon a character must repeat the Charisma (Persuasion) check to regain her trust.

Inner Circles

Various special quests in chapter 2 can lead adventurers to Moongleam Tower in the city of Everlund. If the characters receive none of these quests, you can still use this encounter by having an agent of the Harpers approach the party and suggest that they visit Moongleam Tower, particularly if they’re looking for a faster mode of travel.

Moongleam Tower is described in more detail in the “Everlund” section earlier in this chapter. Its resident archmage, Krowen Valharrow, is well aware of “the giant problem.” If the characters approach him, Krowen warns them that the giants' upheaval poses a grave threat to the balance of power in the North. He has it on good authority that the Harpers, the Lords' Alliance, the Emerald Enclave, the Order of the Gauntlet, and the Zhentarim are all taking steps to protect civilization against the giants' depredations. Krowen knows that giants and dragons have a long history of conflict, and he suspects that the dragons might somehow be responsible (directly or indirectly) for the giants' uprising.

Krowen isn’t very adventurous himself, but he’s fond of adventurers and uses them to do his dirty work. If the characters explain that they’re trying to thwart the giants, Krowen grants the party free access to a secret network of teleportation circle that he and his fellow Harper wizards use for travel. He also gives the characters a sheet of parchment that shows all six circles and their sigil addresses (show the players figure 3.1). The circles are located in Everlund, Loudwater, Mirabar, Neverwinter, Waterdeep, and Yartar. The specific locations of these circles are briefly described below, and a Harper spellcaster stands ready at each site to cast the teleportation circle spell should the party require it. Each spellcaster has the statistics of a mage, with the following changes:

• Each spellcaster speaks Common, Draconic, Dwarvish, and Elvish.
• Each spellcaster has the teleportation circle spell prepared instead of cone of cold.

Everlund Circle

The teleportation circle in Everlund is located inside a circular chamber in Moongleam Tower. An arcane lock spell has been cast on the chamber door, though tower mages can bypass it. Krowen has assigned a brusque but reliable apprentice named Nespril Menk (LG male Damaran human mage) to watch over this circle during the day, and a lazy, sleep-deprived apprentice named Flewen Aldhark (NG male Chondathan human mage) to mind the circle at night. If the characters arrive while Flewen is on duty, there is a 90 percent chance he’s propped up in a chair, sound asleep.

Loudwater Circle

The teleportation circle in Loudwater is located in a 30-foot-square cellar under a tavern called the Smiling Satyr. Tucked underneath a wooden staircase is an unmade bed where the circle’s attending mage sleeps. His name is Revil Slombarr (CG male Chondathan human mage). He’s a heavyset young man who shirks his duties from time to time to visit nearby festhalls. There is a 50 percent chance that Revil is absent when the characters arrive, in which case he returns after 1d4 hours.

The stairs leads up to a secret door that opens inside a large wooden trunk bolted to the floor above. Characters who climb out of the trunk find themselves in a curtained cloakroom near the taproom. A Harper sympathizer named Gharwin Umbryl (LG male human commoner) runs the Smiling Satyr and does his best to cover for Revil.

Mirabar Circle

The Mirabarran authorities would be angry to learn that the Harpers have compromised the city’s security by constructing a permanent teleportation circle within Mirabar’s walls. The circle is inscribed in a stable house loft and can be quickly hidden under hay. The circle’s attendant, Zazspar Bronzefire (LG male shield dwarf mage), poses as a stablehand, complete with leather overalls and straw in his beard.

Neverwinter Circle

The circle in Neverwinter is drawn on the floor of an attic, in a creaky old three-story rowhouse that the Harpers use as a meeting place. Minding the circle is a confident but socially awkward young woman named Sandyse Thunderquill (NG female Tethyrian human mage), whom the Harpers are training to infiltrate the Arcane Brotherhood. Stairs lead from the attic down to a study, where Sandyse surrounds herself with lit candles and piles of open books.

Waterdeep Circle

The Waterdeep circle is located inside a raised crypt in Waterdeep’s walled cemetery, the City of the Dead. The crypt has two levels, and the name MYRNA is inscribed above its entrance (which is sealed with an arcane lock spell). The topmost level is the crypt itself, which contains a stone sarcophagus watched over by a shield guardian that is trained to lift the lid whenever someone speaks the name Myrna aloud. The sarcophagus contains a stone staircase leading down to a magically lit room. The circle is on the floor of this chamber, which also includes a small study alcove and a cot for its attending mage, a pale wisp of a girl named Thestryl Mellardin (LG female Chondathan human mage). She wears the shield guardian’s control amulet around her neck.

Yartar Circle

The Harpers purchased a villa in the heart of Yartar that was about to be torn down. Behind the dilapidated building is a 40-foot-square garden patio enclosed by an 8-foot-high wall of ivy-covered stone. A hallucinatory terrain spell conceals not only the teleportation circle inscribed in the middle of the patio but also the broken benches, weed-infested flowerbeds, and shattered statuary that surround the circle. While the hallucinatory terrain spell is in effect, the garden looks as it did in its hey day, with statues of frolicking dryads and satyrs situated among the flowers and stone benches. A cantankerous old Harper named Kolbaz (NG male Calishite human mage) dwells in the villa and renews the hallucinatory terrain spell every day at highsun (he has that spell prepared instead of ice storm). He uses his cantrips to frighten away squatters and other unwanted intruders.

Harshnag

This encounter can occur anywhere in the North and is designed to lead characters toward chapter 4 of the adventure, “The Chosen Path.” After romping around the North for a while, the characters might reach a point where they can’t decide where to go next. That’s the best time to use this encounter.

Fate brings the characters into contact with Harshnag the Grim, a legendary good-aligned frost giant. In taverns throughout the North, he is known as a monster to some and a hero to others. In Waterdeep, he’s remembered as the largest member of Force Grey, a notoriously destructive adventuring company that came to the city’s defense on more than one occasion. Believed to be hundreds of years old, Harshnag wanders the wilderness with greataxe in hand, seeking to lay low his evil giant brethren.

Harshnag’s history isn’t important to this adventure, and he doesn’t like to talk about his past. What’s important is that he knows that the ordning has been broken, that the storm giants no longer have the power to keep the smaller giants in check, and that King Hekaton has gone missing. He aims to protect the North from the depredations of evil giants while seeking out adventurers who share this goal. By the time the characters meet him, he has already slaughtered a few giants.

Harshnag looks like a typical frost giant except that he’s clad in plate armor and wears the skull of a white dragon as a helm. His jagged axe also looks quite formidable. He’s a giant of few words who prefers to let his actions do his talking. When he does speak outside of combat, he comes across as surprisingly calm and soft-spoken. While swinging his axe in battle, however, he bellows and laughs like a berserker. In the company of small adventurers, he tries not to dominate social situations or make too many decisions for them, because he knows how fragile and inflated their egos can be.

Harshnag knows the North well and has no chance of becoming lost in its wilderness. He’s sensitive to the fact that many small folk have a freshly rekindled fear of giants striding into their settlements. As a result, if the characters visit a settlement while Harshnag is with them, he prefers to remain unseen on the outskirts. The exception is Waterdeep; he considers that city his home and has no qualms about entering it, gently brushing aside guards who stand in his way.

Harshnag is a frost giant, with the following changes:

• His alignment is chaotic good.
• He has 204 hit points and wears a suit of +3 plate armor that resizes to fit its wearer. This armor gives him AC 21.
• He speaks Common and Giant.
• Harshnag has legendary resistance. Once per day, when he fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.
• He wields Gurt’s greataxe, which has a long history as well as some cold-related properties. He has a +11 bonus to hit with the axe, which deals 26 (3d12+7) slashing damage on a hit, or 39 (5d12+7) slashing damage if the target is human.
• His challenge rating is 9 (5,000 XP).

Harshnag’s Idea

Although he has been happy to wander the North, slaughtering his fellow giants at every turn, Harshnag now thinks it might be time to consult with a higher authority. He knows the location of a mountain temple built by his ancient ancestors under the Spine of the World. He calls it the Eye of the All-Father. According to giant legend, the temple contains a divine oracle. Harshnag offers to lead the characters to the temple so that they can consult with this oracle and learn how best to end the giants' threat to the North.

If the characters agree to follow Harshnag, he leads them from their present location to the Valley of Khedrun. From there, he guides them along a snowy path that climbs up the frozen mountains to the temple’s entrance (see the “Journey to the Eye” section at the start of chapter 4). Depending on where the characters are when Harshnag meets them, the journey to the temple might be long and perilous; use the Random Wilderness Encounters table to make the trip a memorable one.

Harshnag in Play

Harshnag tries not to dominate combat if it means making his smaller compatriots feel inferior. He doesn’t want to be seen as a showoff. He can reduce his combat effectiveness in the following ways:

• He makes one attack on his turn instead of two.
• He uses the Help action to aid a character’s next attack against a foe (see the action’s description in chapter 9 of the Player’s Handbook).
• He does nothing on his turn except taunt an enemy who might otherwise attack a character. Assume the effort is successful and the target switches its attention to Harshnag, unless the character insists on being the target of that threat.