Icespire

Until 565 CY, the lands surrounding the keep that would become known as the Icespire were as fertile as any other in South Province. A keep was constructed on the very tip of the Tusk Peninsula among the gaunt, tumbled remains of an abandoned hill fort. Serving as a lighthouse to warn shipping away from the dangerous promontory stretching far out into Dunhead Bay, this tower was a vital location in the defence of South Province. The coastal cliffs here are riddled with sea caves, coves and hidden rocks that lurk beneath the waves ready to shatter any vessels that approach too close to shore. Smugglers used this lonely, haunted coastline for their own ends and the imperial fleet based in Prymp often skirmished with warships hailing from Nyrond, Irongate, and Onnwal.
Llarendenn Shillashta, a mage of note charged with tending the magical beacon atop the keep, became interested in the ancient histories of the area and, some say, delved too deeply into the forbidden lore of a civilization old even before the coming of the Aerdi. What he discovered in the caves below the keep nearly thirty years ago is unknown, but its effects were devastating. In an instant, the keep and the lands for half a score miles south were transformed into a frozen wasteland. Herzog Chelor sent a strong force of men to investigate the following year but only two members of the expedition survived – both incurably insane.
The lands surrounding Icespire, as the tower is now named, are cloaked in a perpetual cold so fell that it is impossible to survive without arcane protections. Deep snow, patches of treacherous ice, and unnatural predators all conspire to make travel here perilous in the extreme. In the Spring and Autumn months, travel along the peninsula is impossible. Storms rushing in from the Sea of Gearnat further lower the temperature and whip up great blizzards that can kill an exposed man in minutes.

Type

Keep