Bryn Shander
Bryn Shander is the largest of the Ten Towns and the hub for trade in Icewind Dale. Virtually all visitors to the region pass through Bryn Shander on their way to their destination. Bryn Shander is a fully walled town, with its thirty-foot wood-dirt palisade wall extending all the way around it, and the town is perched atop a hill. As visitors to the region arrive via the Caravan Trail through the Spine of the World, Bryn Shander is always the first stop. Due to this, a much wider variety of goods can be found in this town compared to the rest of the Ten Towns.
In addition to being the economic hub of the Ten Towns, it is also the political hub. The speakers of each of the Ten Towns meet in the Council Hall of Bryn Shander whenever issues involving the region need to be discussed. Bryn Shander can also raise the largest militia, capable of calling upon 400 people in a time of crisis.
Bryn Shander began as a single cabin astride the junction between the Caravan Trail and the Eastway. Over time, the location became popular amongst craftsmen selling scrimshaw to travellers, and an economy built up around that. During the 14th century DR, Bryn Shander came under siege several times, but managed to survive them all intact. One of these sieges was broken with the help of the famed Companions of the Hall, and Drizzt Do'Urden is a famous figure in the town. The town survived the Spellplague virtually unscathed, and the isolation of Icewind Dale kept much of the happenings of the 15th century DR away from the town.
In 1466 DR, a drow warrior defeated a powerful demon outside Bryn Shander, and the city erected a statue of the warrior in commemoration. In early 1492 DR, a group of frost giants attacked the town, but were repelled by adventurers. Later that year, Auril, goddess of winter, began the Everlasting Rime within Icewind Dale. A permanent winter set in, where the sun would not rise in the entirety of the region. Coupled with extreme cold for several years, the economy of Bryn Shander ground to a halt by 1495 DR. In an attempt to appease Auril, Bryn Shander sacrificed one person to the goddess every full moon, to no avail.
In addition to being the economic hub of the Ten Towns, it is also the political hub. The speakers of each of the Ten Towns meet in the Council Hall of Bryn Shander whenever issues involving the region need to be discussed. Bryn Shander can also raise the largest militia, capable of calling upon 400 people in a time of crisis.
Bryn Shander began as a single cabin astride the junction between the Caravan Trail and the Eastway. Over time, the location became popular amongst craftsmen selling scrimshaw to travellers, and an economy built up around that. During the 14th century DR, Bryn Shander came under siege several times, but managed to survive them all intact. One of these sieges was broken with the help of the famed Companions of the Hall, and Drizzt Do'Urden is a famous figure in the town. The town survived the Spellplague virtually unscathed, and the isolation of Icewind Dale kept much of the happenings of the 15th century DR away from the town.
In 1466 DR, a drow warrior defeated a powerful demon outside Bryn Shander, and the city erected a statue of the warrior in commemoration. In early 1492 DR, a group of frost giants attacked the town, but were repelled by adventurers. Later that year, Auril, goddess of winter, began the Everlasting Rime within Icewind Dale. A permanent winter set in, where the sun would not rise in the entirety of the region. Coupled with extreme cold for several years, the economy of Bryn Shander ground to a halt by 1495 DR. In an attempt to appease Auril, Bryn Shander sacrificed one person to the goddess every full moon, to no avail.
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