Bryn Shander
Bryn Shander is the largest of ten settlements known collectively as Ten-Towns, located in the frigid heart of Icewind Dale. Here, caravans from the south converge with traders from across Icewind Dale to swap goods and rumors. Fishers, trappers, furriers, and sellswords rub elbows in the town’s taprooms, and gruff dwarves, wide-eyed travelers, and skulking ne’er-do-wells wander its streets. Merchants from the south trade dyes, hardwood, dried herbs and spices, textiles, fruits, wines, and other commodities for scrimshaw and other items made from the bones of the knucklehead trout that populate the region’s rivers and lakes.
The town is situated atop a hill south of the mountain known as Kelvin’s Cairn, a major landmark in Icewind Dale. From its windswept perch, Bryn Shander has a commanding view of the surrounding tundra, and an attacking force must climb the barren hillside under fire from archers before it can assault the outer wall. The circular wall that surrounds Bryn Shander stands 30 feet high and is made of tight-fitting stone blocks. Defenders stand atop a planked walkway that hugs interior of the wall. Spaced along the wall are stone watchtowers, wherein guards can take shelter during blizzards and warm their hands and feet by iron stoves.
The buildings of Bryn Shander are plain wooden structures with pitched rooftops to keep snow from settling on them. Clouds of white smoke issue forth day and night from stone chimneys and holes in rooftops.
Each community in Ten-Towns has an elected speaker who leads the residents and represents their interests. The current speaker of Bryn Shander is Duvessa Shane. She has appointed Markham Southwell as her sheriff, making him responsible for training the town’s militia and keeping the peace.
After the Adventurers arrived in Bryn Shander upon hearing rumors of Giants attacking Towns and Cities in the north, the very same happened to Bryn Shander. It was set upon by over a dozen Frost Giants and some Winter Wolves in search of man named Artus Cimber. Supposedly, this man wields the Ring of Winter, an extremely powerful artifact the Frost Giants wanted to use for their own gain. After the adventurers defeated the Frost Giants, Sirac of Suzail approached them, claiming to be the son of Artus Cimber and started the party on their journey back south to Waterdeep for clues as to where Artus Cimber could be.
Type
Large town
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