Frostweald
Along the northern base of the Stormcrests is a
forest locked in perpetual winter, cursed to eternal
cold by the invasion of Errevon the Rimelord during
the Icelost Years. Within the forest, ponds magically
freeze into perfect mirrors, reflecting the snowy sky
above, and the snow-draped trees shelter families
of fey hiding from enemies in the Fey Realm. At
first, the Frostweald seems a wonderland of crisp
snow and aromatic pines and firs, yet the serene
landscape belies sinister danger. Herds of basilisks roam the woods, and travelers who encounter
mysterious snow-covered statuaries or copses of
petrified trees must think fast or join this grisly
statuary—permanently.
The only humanoid peoples who live within the Frostweald are hunter-gatherers called the Shiver- gut. Many of their people are orcs who have lived within the Frostweald for generations, but their ranks also include humans, elves, and dwarves who adopted their ways centuries ago during the Icelost Years. Most are helpful to travelers, if reserved. Others, however, are dour, selfish isolationists who have been apart from other folk for so long that they care more for the thrill of bloodshed than a warm conversation over a crackling fire.
The Frostweald is also home to a host of benevolent fey, most of them pixies or dryads, using the forest as a safe haven away from the Fey Realm. If pressed for answers on why they left the Fey Realm, their answers are cryptic and dissatisfactory, but always ominously suggest a “Great Shadow” has descended upon their lands—perhaps even a host of warriors from the Plane of Shadow? A nymph named Arethusa watches over a cluster of three mirror-like pools that form a pathway into the Fey Realm, each to a different Archfey’s forest. She is suspicious of all mortals, and both her trust and a favor are required to gain passage.
Many forgotten obelisks of the Knowing Mentor rest secretly beneath the ice and snow. These lost beacons were created to guide the faithful of the Knowing Mentor to the Cavern of Axiom, a sacred place guarded since time immemorial by a sphinx dedicated to the Mentor. If any living creature knows why these ancient monoliths reside here when no other ruins of the Knowing Mentor have been discovered, they have kept the knowledge secret from the other scholars of the world. Over thirty years ago, the half-orc Emonian archaeologist Jorlund Vohr discovered a cache of Ioun stones buried here and brought them to the Alabaster Lyceum of Emon, but his research and findings were stolen the week after he returned. Vohr has since stated he “got over it,” and is back to work on new research on Visa Isle.
Frostweald Inhabitants
The only humanoid peoples who live within the Frostweald are hunter-gatherers called the Shiver- gut. Many of their people are orcs who have lived within the Frostweald for generations, but their ranks also include humans, elves, and dwarves who adopted their ways centuries ago during the Icelost Years. Most are helpful to travelers, if reserved. Others, however, are dour, selfish isolationists who have been apart from other folk for so long that they care more for the thrill of bloodshed than a warm conversation over a crackling fire.
The Frostweald is also home to a host of benevolent fey, most of them pixies or dryads, using the forest as a safe haven away from the Fey Realm. If pressed for answers on why they left the Fey Realm, their answers are cryptic and dissatisfactory, but always ominously suggest a “Great Shadow” has descended upon their lands—perhaps even a host of warriors from the Plane of Shadow? A nymph named Arethusa watches over a cluster of three mirror-like pools that form a pathway into the Fey Realm, each to a different Archfey’s forest. She is suspicious of all mortals, and both her trust and a favor are required to gain passage.
Ruins of the Frostweald
Many forgotten obelisks of the Knowing Mentor rest secretly beneath the ice and snow. These lost beacons were created to guide the faithful of the Knowing Mentor to the Cavern of Axiom, a sacred place guarded since time immemorial by a sphinx dedicated to the Mentor. If any living creature knows why these ancient monoliths reside here when no other ruins of the Knowing Mentor have been discovered, they have kept the knowledge secret from the other scholars of the world. Over thirty years ago, the half-orc Emonian archaeologist Jorlund Vohr discovered a cache of Ioun stones buried here and brought them to the Alabaster Lyceum of Emon, but his research and findings were stolen the week after he returned. Vohr has since stated he “got over it,” and is back to work on new research on Visa Isle.
The Silver Tablet
Ye who seek my boundless wisdom,
Pass into the white trees’ kingdom.
Return to the shrine Mentor’s eyes,
And follow the light in the skies.
I am the Beast of the Heavens;
Thou shalt kneel before my presence,
Lest the wisdom thou seekest
Be lost to the cowardice of your weakest. This poem was discovered by Jorlund Vohr on his first expedition to the Frostweald, on a silver tablet written in flowing Celestial script. Upon examination, scholars at the Alabaster Lyceum discovered the language of the heavens is so sublime that its poetry rhymes even when translated into any language. The tablet was stolen later that week, along with the rest of Vohr’s findings, but Jorlund keeps a parchment-and-charcoal copy of the tablet in a chest beneath his bed in Emon’s Erudite Quarter.
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