Faerûn

Driven from lands farther north by more powerful dragons, a young white dragon named Cryovain has descended upon the Sword Mountains, claiming the snow-capped range as its domain. Typical of its kind, Cryovain is feral and cruel. The dragon patrols the skies around Icespire Peak, surveying its territory while hunting for food and easy treasure. With each passing day, the dragon's domain grows as it ranges farther across the land, preying on anything it can catch with its claws or freeze to death with its icy breath. Sightings of the dragon are becoming more common, as are its attacks.   A crumbling fortress on the northeast spur of Icespire Peak serves as the dragon's lair. Cryovain seized the icy fortress from a tribe of savage orcs, killing the orc war chief and forcing the tribe's survivors to flee into the foothills and forests. Enraged by the death of their war chief, the orcs have called upon ancient allies—mysterious druid spellcasters who bless and advise them. These allies have been sabotaging and raiding civilised towns and barbarian settlements, using their magic to attract monsters to tear down the trappings ov civilisation.   The orcs aren't the only creatures thrown into upheaval by Cryovain's sudden arrival. A manticore driven from its mountaintop nest by the roaming white dragon has migrated to the foothills and begun terrorizing folk living on the outskirts of the mining town of Phandalin. Gnolls, trolls, giants and kobolds in the region have been similarly displaced.   The frontier town of Phandalin is built on the ruins of a much older settlement. Hundreds of years ago, the old Phandalin was a thriving human town whose people were firmly allied with neighboring elves, dwarves and gnomes. Then an orc horde swept through the area and laid waste to the settlement, and Phandalin was abandoned for centuries.   In the last three or four years, settlers from the cities of Neverwinter and Waterdeep have begun the hard work of reclaiming the ruins of Phandalin. The new settlement is home now to farmers, woodcutters, fur traders, and prospectors drawn by stories of gold and platinum in the foothills of the Sword Mountains. The arrival of a white dragon threatens to destroy all that they've worked to rebuild.