Bryn Shander

Overview

The first stop for most visitors to Icewind Dale is Bryn Shander, a walled town perched atop a cold, lonely, wind-lashed hill. Bright lanterns suspended over narrow streets twist in the wind and add flecks of color to the town’s otherwise drab surroundings.
The friendliness in this settlement has dwindled of late. Auril’s unyielding winter has greatly reduced the number of visitors to Bryn Shander, and local trade is suffering for it, eating away at the locals’ sense of humor and goodwill. Still, there is no safer place in Icewind Dale to spend coin or spend the night.
The walls of the town stand some 30 feet high and are defined by two concentric rings of upright wooden poles, the gap between them filled with dirt and rubble. The outer ring of poles rises above the top of the wall, providing a rampart for defenders stationed on the wood-planked walkway. The wall’s hinged gates are 15 feet tall and can be barred from the inside with iron-banded wood beams. These gates are closed when it’s dark outside—which is to say more often than not.

Overland Travel

Bryn Shander is connected to Easthaven by the Eastway, a snow-covered road. In addition, there are snowy paths to Caer-Dineval, Good Mead, Targos, and Termalaine.

Places of Interest

Blackiron Blades

Smithy and outfitter
This combination shop and smithy stands just north of the main square. Until his recent death, Garn the Hammer manufactured the cheapest blades in Ten-Towns, while his daughter Elyza sold adventuring supplies—including rations, cold weather gear, ice picks, and snowshoes—to fortune-seekers. Most of the veteran sellswords in Ten-Towns disdain Garn’s smithcraft, due to the uninspiring quality of his work. Jokes told about hapless newcomers to Icewind Dale often end with the line “an’ ’e was carrying a Blackiron blade, to boot!”

House of the Morninglord

Shrine of Amaunator (god of the sun) Located near Bryn Shander’s northeast market square, this modest converted house serves as a gathering place for worshipers of Amaunator, a god of the sun known to take both male and female forms. A retired human adventurer named Mishann runs the shrine and aspires to see the sun regain its rightful place in the sky over Icewind Dale. She calls Amaunator “the Morninglord,” a name that southerners use to describe Lathander, a god of the dawn and rebirth. Mishann views Lathander as a usurper of Amaunator’s light and doesn’t like it when people confuse the two deities.
Mishann rents her attic to a pessimistic rock gnome cleric named Copper Knobknocker, who begrudgingly helps with services and chores. The two argue incessantly. Copper walks around in a fuzzy suit and hood that he made himself; although it’s quite warm, it makes him look like a teddy bear. Copper is followed everywhere he goes by a large dog named Brutus.

The Northlook

Inn and Tavern
The Northlook is the establishment most frequented by mercenaries and adventurers, and as such it’s the rowdiest and most dangerous place to stay in Bryn Shander. At the same time, its taproom is the best spot in all of Ten-Towns to get leads on profitable ventures, along with the latest news and rumors.

The inn’s proprietor, a retired sellsword named Samson, knows full well the cycles of an adventurer’s life. He often cuts a break for customers who are between jobs, allowing them to stay here on credit and then presenting them with a bill inflated by interest charges to be reckoned with as soon as they make their next payday. Those who don’t settle their accounts discover that the old mercenary still knows how to handle a blade, and that he doesn’t take “later” for an answer.

Friendliness ❄❄❄ Services ❄❄❄ Comfort ❄❄❄
Population. 675 (Previously 1,200)
Leaders. Speaker Duvessa Shane speaks for the townsfolk ever since the death of her husband. Though relatively young, Duvessa is now the head of the Council of Speakers. Sheriff Markham Southwell commands the militia.
Militia. Bryn Shander can muster up to 95 soldiers.
Heraldry. Black antlers above a vertical shaft of golden wheat on a white field, signifying the town’s strength and prosperity on the vast, snowy tundra.
Rivalries. None.

Type

Large town