Founded by immigrants from Chult and the Vilhon Reach, Good Mead is nestled between Redwaters and a nearby evergreen forest. The town’s squat dwellings, adorned with carvings of dinosaurs and serpents, are overshadowed by the two-story structure of the mead hall, its eaves carved and painted to resemble wyverns. As honey is the key ingredient in mead, the town literally buzzes with the droning of bees.
Every tavern in Icewind Dale is accustomed to receiving regular mead deliveries, and the town can’t produce or deliver its mead fast enough. All deliveries have halted temporarily, though—because a verbeeg marauder emerged from the forest three days ago and stole three casks of mead that were being loaded onto a dogsled for transport to Bryn Shander. Kendrick Rielsbarrow, the town speaker and a giant of a man in his own right, stood his ground against the verbeeg and didn’t fare well. After skewering Kendrick with its spear, the verbeeg grabbed the casks and disappeared whence he came. The other residents of Good Mead tried to save Kendrick, to no avail; his body lies in a local shrine. Five members of the militia went after the verbeeg but haven’t returned.
Four decades ago, this mead hall put an end to the town’s dependence on knucklehead trout fishing with its famous honey wine, which quickly became popular throughout Ten-Towns. The mead hall has a large, fire-heated space dedicated to bee husbandry and the nurturing of beehives. The droning bees can be heard throughout the town, though most residents are so accustomed to the buzzing that they pay it no mind.
This vacant building stands on the lakeshore and has a crow-haunted steeple protruding from its peak. Unlike the mead hall, which is well cared for, the shrine’s painted icons of the god of war wielding a flaming sword are chipped and faded, and its spacious interior stands mostly empty except for a long table on which rests a body covered with a blanket. The body is that of Speaker Kendrick Rielsbarrow, a giant of a man in his forties. He died from three stab wounds to the chest. The shrine was built over a century ago, when the town’s rivalry with Dougan’s Hole raged so fiercely that the lake, a frequent battlefield, became known as Redwaters. For a time thereafter, nearly all residents of Good Mead paid homage to Tempus. Today, the shrine’s relevance has dwindled to the point where it’s mainly used just for town gatherings.
Locations
The following locations are areas of Good Mead that may attract the interest of the characters.Mead Hall
Purveyor of Good Mead's Honey WineFour decades ago, this mead hall put an end to the town’s dependence on knucklehead trout fishing with its famous honey wine, which quickly became popular throughout Ten-Towns. The mead hall has a large, fire-heated space dedicated to bee husbandry and the nurturing of beehives. The droning bees can be heard throughout the town, though most residents are so accustomed to the buzzing that they pay it no mind.
Shrine of the Flaming Sword
Shrine of Tempus (God of War)This vacant building stands on the lakeshore and has a crow-haunted steeple protruding from its peak. Unlike the mead hall, which is well cared for, the shrine’s painted icons of the god of war wielding a flaming sword are chipped and faded, and its spacious interior stands mostly empty except for a long table on which rests a body covered with a blanket. The body is that of Speaker Kendrick Rielsbarrow, a giant of a man in his forties. He died from three stab wounds to the chest. The shrine was built over a century ago, when the town’s rivalry with Dougan’s Hole raged so fiercely that the lake, a frequent battlefield, became known as Redwaters. For a time thereafter, nearly all residents of Good Mead paid homage to Tempus. Today, the shrine’s relevance has dwindled to the point where it’s mainly used just for town gatherings.
Electing A New Town Speaker
Good Mead also needs a new leader, and two locals have emerged as contenders to replace Kendrick Rielsbarrow as town speaker. It will take a week or two for the town to plan an election. One candidate is a red-bearded shield dwarf logger named Shandar Froth, and the other is Olivessa Untapoor, a middle-aged woman who descends from the town’s Chultan founders and who makes casks to hold Good Mead’s famous brew. Shandar is wanted by the authorities in Mirabar for the murder of another dwarf. Zhentarim agents located Shandar a few years back and are blackmailing him into serving as their eyes and ears in town. Once a month, Shandar travels to Targos to brief Naerth Maxildanarr, its speaker, on everything that has transpired of late in Good Mead. Olivessa doesn’t want to be town speaker, but her friends are pushing her to assume the role for the good of the town. She would be delighted to see someone else step up to challenge Shandar for the speakership.
Friendliness.
❄❄
Services.
❄
Comfort.
❄❄
Population.
100
Leader.
None. Speaker Kendrick Rielsbarrow was killed by a verbeeg, leaving the town leaderless.
Militia.
Good Mead can muster up to 20 soldiers (use the tribal warrior stat block) and 2 veterans.
Heraldry.
A dark brown drinking mug made of a cut-off section of horn, with an antler handle added, upright and centered on a white field, representing the town’s mead exports and its cold, snowy climate.
Rivals.
Caer-Dineval, Caer-Konig
Sacrifice to Auril.
Warmth.
Available Quest.
The Mead Must Flow.
❄❄
Services.
❄
Comfort.
❄❄
Population.
100
Leader.
None. Speaker Kendrick Rielsbarrow was killed by a verbeeg, leaving the town leaderless.
Militia.
Good Mead can muster up to 20 soldiers (use the tribal warrior stat block) and 2 veterans.
Heraldry.
A dark brown drinking mug made of a cut-off section of horn, with an antler handle added, upright and centered on a white field, representing the town’s mead exports and its cold, snowy climate.
Rivals.
Caer-Dineval, Caer-Konig
Sacrifice to Auril.
Warmth.
Available Quest.
The Mead Must Flow.
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