Coldwind Isle

Coldwind Isle is a frigid, snow-shrouded island situated in the middle of Coldwind Bay, off the southern coast of Melas. Many stories exist of long-buried ruins of some ancient civilization on Coldwind, and it is a magnet for explorers, gold-seekers and other treasure-hunters hoping to get rich quick with some long-forgotten artifacts. There are several base camps and outposts set up around the island where travelers come and go. Expeditions are numerous, their results usually disappointing (and sometimes tragic) but their resilience is powerful and all manner of brave and curious seem to continue to travel to Coldwind Isle.

Outposts/Bases

• Right Away - eastern coast
• Left Behind - west coast
• The Oasis - north coast
• The Beach - south coast

Other islands

• Sybarite is smaller island just off Coldwind Isle's own southern coast. Nothing is confirmed to live there except a few hardy bird species. There have been stories for years about a tribe of exiled dwarves building a community on Sybarite, but this has never been proven.
• A cluster of three, rocky islands lay off Coldwind's eastern coast and are known as the Trio Domor, or the Three Dooms. Ships making the jaunt from Melas must either avoid the islands or attempt the treacherous waters between them.

Geography

Coldwind Isle is snow and ice-swept, and except for areas along its four coasts is almost uninhabitable. The average temperature of the coldest month is -10 degrees Celsius (14 Fahrenheit) and the warmest months only get up near freezing (-1 degree Celsius, or 40 degrees Fahrenheit).

Snow falls most every day, in some amount, and the ground is typically always snow-covered to a degree. Ice cliffs, hidden fissures and brittle ground make traversing some areas of the island treacherous while some areas have long plains of tundra.

Fauna & Flora

A few hardy species call Coldwind Isle home:

• Penguins
• Puffins
• Sea Lions
• Walrus
• Polar Bears
• Albatross
• Tern

From time to time surviving explorers bring back stories of sightings of such beasts as yeti, remorhaz, ice tigers and even the odd white dragon. None of these have been verified to exist on Coldwind Isle.

RUINS
There are many ruins from ancient, near-ancient and even alien civilizations that lie buried in the wastes of Coldwind Isle and its sister islands. While artifacts and valuable items do emerge from time to time, enough to encourage treasure-seekers, most secrets remain buried beneath layers of ice, snow and time, never to be discovered except by the truly fortunate - or the doomed.

Type

Island

Included Organizations

• Dodsdyra - The Worshipers of Death