The white, snow-covered slopes of Kelvin’s Cairn loom large behind this quiet lakeside town. Caer-Konig started as a camp for a group of mountaineers from the northern Moonsea region. As the camp grew, a wooden palisade was added to discourage raiders. Later came the stone castle of Caer-Konig. Alas, neither the palisade nor the castle fared well; both fell to orcs before falling into ruin.
Caer-Konig as it is known today consists of terraced rows of houses that recede from the shore of Lac Dinneshere like the tiers of an amphitheater. The harbor is frozen, its docks skewed and broken by the shifting ice. Buried under the snow on the slopes above the last row of houses are the ruins of the Caer that gave the town its name—a reminder to the people of Caer-Konig that nothing lasts in this corner of the world.
Travel to and from this remote town was expedited by the ferry that ran out of Easthaven, but with the ferry shut down, Caer-Konig is completely cut off by mountains, lake, and snow. Forced to live on what they can haul out of the iced-over lake, the people of Caer-Konig are bitter and angry. They believe that the rest of Ten-Towns has abandoned them. The only thing that keeps the townsfolk from leaving is the beer at the local tavern, which never seems to run out.
As if things weren’t bad enough, the town has suffered several mysterious break-ins recently, with no evidence of the intruders except dwarven boot tracks in the snow leading north. Since there are no known settlements in that direction, the townsfolk assume that Auril’s everlasting winter has taken its toll on the dwarves of Kelvin’s Cairn, forcing them to come down from the mountain in search of food or beer. In truth, the town is beset by invisible duergar searching for chardalyn.
The town speaker, a heavy-drinking dragonborn named Trovus, patrols at night to keep an eye out for trouble. In his inebriated state, however, Trovus is prone to wandering out onto the icy lake or passing out on the ramshackle docks, and he almost never remembers his nightly patrols once his head clears.
This tavern owes its popularity to the free half-pints of ale that the proprietor, Eglendar “Glen” Korr (neutral good half-elf commoner), keeps on the table by the front door. He presses one into the hand of every person who stops by (the hook), which compels most of them to stay to order seconds and thirds (the line). The “sinker” part of the tavern’s name refers both to the last drink call of the night and—when locals challenge visitors to a drinking contest—to the last drink that sends a losing contestant under the table. Glen gets his ale from the dwarves who live in the valley at the foot of Kelvin’s Cairn, and he pays Jarthra, the dwarf of Frozenfar Expeditions, to fetch it for him.
Run by a seasoned ranger named Atenas Swift (neutral good human scout), this shop sells adventuring gear. Attached to the shop is a locked wooden shed where Atenas stores a pair of dogsleds and a kennel where he keeps a dozen healthy sled dogs (use the wolf stat block to represent them). Six dogs are enough to pull each sled. Helping Atenas run the shop is an experienced mountain guide named Jarthra Farzassh (lawful good shield dwarf scout). The two have an excellent rapport, mixed with some competitive ribbing. Age has caught up with Atenas. He can feel the cold in his joints and ventures out less frequently than he once did. Nowadays, he prefers to stay indoors while offering Jarthra’s services as a wilderness guide.
The inn gets its name from a magic lantern that once hung above the front door. An invisible duergar stole it recently, depriving the establishment of some of its charm. The inn is kept by the Shorard sisters (neutral good human commoners). The younger, Allie, is lithe and charming; she greets guests and does all the cleaning. The older, Cori, is stout and scowling; she sees to the inn’s provisioning and handles all the cooking. The sisters cast baleful glances at one another and bicker behind closed doors, but nothing ever comes of their feuds, as evidenced by the fact that they’ve been running the inn together for more than a decade.
Locations
While Caer-Konig isn't a large settlement, there are a few establishments that would likely interest adventurers staying in the town.Hook, Line, and Sinker
TavernThis tavern owes its popularity to the free half-pints of ale that the proprietor, Eglendar “Glen” Korr (neutral good half-elf commoner), keeps on the table by the front door. He presses one into the hand of every person who stops by (the hook), which compels most of them to stay to order seconds and thirds (the line). The “sinker” part of the tavern’s name refers both to the last drink call of the night and—when locals challenge visitors to a drinking contest—to the last drink that sends a losing contestant under the table. Glen gets his ale from the dwarves who live in the valley at the foot of Kelvin’s Cairn, and he pays Jarthra, the dwarf of Frozenfar Expeditions, to fetch it for him.
Frozenfar Expeditions
Adventuring OutfitterRun by a seasoned ranger named Atenas Swift (neutral good human scout), this shop sells adventuring gear. Attached to the shop is a locked wooden shed where Atenas stores a pair of dogsleds and a kennel where he keeps a dozen healthy sled dogs (use the wolf stat block to represent them). Six dogs are enough to pull each sled. Helping Atenas run the shop is an experienced mountain guide named Jarthra Farzassh (lawful good shield dwarf scout). The two have an excellent rapport, mixed with some competitive ribbing. Age has caught up with Atenas. He can feel the cold in his joints and ventures out less frequently than he once did. Nowadays, he prefers to stay indoors while offering Jarthra’s services as a wilderness guide.
The Northern Light
InnThe inn gets its name from a magic lantern that once hung above the front door. An invisible duergar stole it recently, depriving the establishment of some of its charm. The inn is kept by the Shorard sisters (neutral good human commoners). The younger, Allie, is lithe and charming; she greets guests and does all the cleaning. The older, Cori, is stout and scowling; she sees to the inn’s provisioning and handles all the cooking. The sisters cast baleful glances at one another and bicker behind closed doors, but nothing ever comes of their feuds, as evidenced by the fact that they’ve been running the inn together for more than a decade.
Friendliness.
❄❄
Services.
❄❄
Comfort.
❄❄❄
Population.
150
Leader.
Speaker Trovus (neutral good silver dragonborn veteran), a retired adventurer, represents the town. Trovus won over his fellow townsfolk with his brawn and good humor, though he’s too blunt to be a good politician and drinks too much.
Militia.
Caer-Konig can muster up to 25 soldiers (use the tribal warrior stat block) and 2 veterans.
Heraldry.
A white fish silhouette rising from the center bottom of a dark blue field, which has a white border on all sides but its bottom. The fish signifies the local fishing trade, and the broken border represents the snow and the harbor surrounding the town.
Rivals.
Caer-Dineval, Easthaven.
Sacrifice to Auril.
Food.
Available Quest.
The Unseen.
❄❄
Services.
❄❄
Comfort.
❄❄❄
Population.
150
Leader.
Speaker Trovus (neutral good silver dragonborn veteran), a retired adventurer, represents the town. Trovus won over his fellow townsfolk with his brawn and good humor, though he’s too blunt to be a good politician and drinks too much.
Militia.
Caer-Konig can muster up to 25 soldiers (use the tribal warrior stat block) and 2 veterans.
Heraldry.
A white fish silhouette rising from the center bottom of a dark blue field, which has a white border on all sides but its bottom. The fish signifies the local fishing trade, and the broken border represents the snow and the harbor surrounding the town.
Rivals.
Caer-Dineval, Easthaven.
Sacrifice to Auril.
Food.
Available Quest.
The Unseen.
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