The Forgotten Realms: Icewind Dale The Lands of Faerun

The world of the Forgotten Realms is one of high fantasy, populated by elves, dwarves, halflings, humans, and other folk. In the Realms, knights dare to seek out the crypts of the fallen dwarf kings of Delzoun, looking for glory and treasure. Rogues prowl the dark alleyways of teeming cities such as Neverwinter and Baldur’s Gate. Clerics wield mace and spell in the service of their gods, questing against the terrifying powers that threaten the land. Wizards plunder the ruins of the fallen Netherese empire, delving into secrets too dark for the light of day. Bards sing of kings, queens, tyrants, and heroes who died long ago.   On the roads and rivers of the Realms travel minstrels and peddlers, merchants and guards, soldiers and sailors. Steel-hearted adventurers from backcountry farmsteads and sleepy villages follow tales that take them to strange, glorious, faraway places. Good maps and clear trails can carry even an inexperienced youth with dreams of glory far across the world, but these paths are never safe. Fell magic and deadly monsters are among the perils one faces when traveling in the Realms. Even farms and freeholds within a day’s walk of a city can fall prey to monsters, and no place is safe from the sudden wrath of a dragon.   Icewind Dale is located in a region called the Far North, which is dominated by the Spine of the World, a range of skyscraping, snow-covered peaks. These extend toward the Sword Coast, which forms the western edge of the great continent of Faerûn and stretches southward for thousands of miles.