Sea of Moving Ice
Along the western edge of Icewind Dale is a great expanse of broken ice that extends hundreds of miles out to sea. Narrow runs of open water riddle the ice, allowing passage for seafarers brave (or daft) enough to try navigating this frozen sea. Here, free-floating icebergs mingle with ice-covered rocks and islets, and the difference between one and the other is seldom apparent until tested by a ship's hull. The ice shifts constantly, opening new passages while closing others. Even the most seasoned captains can become undone when a broad waterway suddenly closes off and the jostling bergs grip their vessels like a vise. The numerous hulls of ruined ships trapped in the ice testify to the perils of sailing this sea.
For all its desolation, the Sea of Moving Ice does have some inhabitants. Seals, walruses, and polar bears hunt across its surface and in the waters beneath. Schools of cod and char swim in the deep, and occasionally whales breach among the bergs. White dragons, too, live and hunt here, and creatures that cannot escape into the water find little refuge from the terrifying aerial predators. Even a few tribes of hunters live here, stalking seals and bears for food and fashioning their shelters from blocks of ice.
The Reghed tribes of Icewind Dale are bound by an ancient taboo that prevents them from venturing out onto the Sea of Moving Ice, or "the floating land," as they call it. Though shrouded in language of superstition, the edict is ultimately practical, for the risks of traveling on the ice far outweigh the potential rewards. The short-lived Tribe of the Seal, which emerged during the heyday of the tribes under Wulfgar's leadership, violated that edict, and the people of the tribes often point to that transgression as an explanation for why the tribe did not survive.
Ice Peak
On a clear day along the Cold Run, travelers looking out to sea can make out the silhouette of Ice Peak on the western horizon. This frozen island is named for the snow-capped promontory that dominates its northern half. Most of the inhabitants live in a few settlements clustered around the twin bays on the southern shore. The mountain's lower slopes are home to goats, yetis, and ice trolls, and the caves in its peak are the lair of Arveiaturace, the white wyrm known to sailors as Iceclaws because of her habit of diving on hapless vessels and tearing them apart with her talons. Rumors persist of undersea caves dug by svirfneblin that connect the lower reaches of Ice Peak to the mainland, but the existence of such tunnels has never been confirmed.Aurilssbarg
The largest settlement on Ice Peak is the town of Aurilssbarg, the only community on the island that has a harbor deep enough to accommodate oceangoing vessels. Aurilssbarg serves as a trading post for the other settlements on the island, whose inhabitants come here to trade furs, pelts, fish, oil, and scrimshaw for supplies that arrive on ships from Luskan, Fireshear, Port Llast, and occasionally Neverwinter. The sea trade here was dominated by Luskan until the City of Sails fell into decline. The influx of traders from elsewhere along the coast has benefited the people of Aurilssbarg, but it has also precipitated occasional acts of violence by Luskan captains who still claim control over the surrounding waters. The worst offender is a Luskan captain named Faulken Regspie from Ship Kurth, who set fire to the docks at Aurilssbarg when he saw a ship from Port Llast unloading there. In the aftermath of such incidents, locals mutter that somebody should do something about the belligerent Luskanites, but "somebody" always means someone else, so nothing gets done. Typical of the settlements on Ice Peak, the streets of Aurilssbarg are paved with logs laid side by side, and its buildings are low wooden structures whose pitched roofs are covered in sod. The establishment best known to visitors is Green Hall, a spacious tavern with a lengthy fire pit that can spit six goats at a time to feed the cold and hungry crews that arrive after unloading their ships at the docks. Locals come here as well to hear the latest news from the mainland, although by the time it reaches Ice Peak, such news is often out of date and wildly exaggerated, little better than idle rumor. Still, the isolated inhabitants of Aurilssbarg eat it up all the same.Bjorn's Hold
A fortified village of five hundred on the southeastern shore of Ice Peak, Bjorn's Hold is home to a mixed population of Northlanders and Ice Hunters. They are trappers, hunters, and fishers who sell their goods in Aurilssbarg or risk shipping them out from the hold's dangerous harbor. The village has a long history of animosity with Luskan, and a few brave Northlanders have even attempted raids on Luskanite ships lately.Icewolf
This tiny hamlet lies east of Aurilssbarg on Ice Peak. Its population is descended from nomadic Ice Hunters who settled on the island centuries ago. Its residents still venture out onto the Sea of Moving Ice in their hide-covered kayaks to hunt seals and whales, selling their wares in Aurilssbarg. Legend holds that the people of Icewolf long ago discovered an icebound shipwreck laden with gold and platinum coins, and jewelry made from these coins has been passed down among these people for generations.Если вы хотите что то добавить или присоединится к команде редакторов - пишите комментарии
Внимание! Имеется скрытый контент, доступный только подписчикам. Подписка - бесплатна. Детальнее - читай здесь.
Вы можете присвоить себе следующие роли, чтобы расширить видимый контент: Silver Marches Daggerford Baldur's Gate Neverwinter Waterdeep Deadsnows
RSS канал данного сайта Подпишитесь на Boosty или Patreon
Комментарии