Session 1: Cold Open
Cold Open
Theme to play. Start speaking at around 5-10 seconds in. Add snow for white noise to start and close into. 0:05ish - theme has started, but it’s hard to tell. Beat - twinkle - 0:25 - mood change North of the Spine of the World and west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a frigid expanse beset with ferocious blizzards that few dare to explore, letI alone inhabit. This land has not felt the warmth of the sun in over two years. Strings In fact, the sun no longer even appears above the mountains, not even in what should be the height of summer. Icewind Dale has become locked in a perpetual winter without reprieve. In this frozen tundra, darkness and bitter cold reign as king and queen. beat change - low strings 1:05 ish Most Dalefolk blame the wrath of the gods, or even Auril herself, goddess of winter’s woe. The Ten-Towns settlements have seen fewer and fewer caravans from the south. The streets are quiet, the people isolated, and the gods demand sacrifice. beat change - 1:25. Seeking to appease the Frostmaiden that tormets them, the Ten-Towners left sacrifices of food and supplies. But with no sunlight and nothing growing to forage, their food stores began to dwindle and their offerings began to wane. Strings intensify - 1:38 The winter did not end. beat change - 1:45 They tried sacrificing warmth - spending nights of the full moon shivering without fires, desperately facing the icy claws of the frigid cold. Still, the winter did not end. Now, many of the settlements have resorted to offerings of a different sort. beat - 2:03 For some the everlasting night is a scourge, but others find opportunity to prey upon the weakened. Creatures of darkness, cold-hearted killers, and power-hungry madmen encroach from the fringes, drawn to the bastion of Ten-Towns. beat - 2:22 - strings - faster speech Even with their acts of desperation and superstition, there is no relief from winter's fury. The Dalefolk are alone and forgotten, and their towns are beginning to dwindle. It’s only a matter of time before the icy fangs of the frost permanently end their suffering. Synth string begins - 2:40 For adventurers such as yourselves, Ten-Towns is a place to test one’s mettle - prove yourselves against the uncaring gods, their twisted servants, and the land itself. In the spirit of heroes who have come before, you might leave your mark on this frigid, blighted land. Climax - 3:00. Speak slow, long pauses. Or, I suppose, die trying, be forgotten, and feed the wolves. Final little tinkle - kill music - snow remains.
COLD OPEN FROM ADVENTURE Icewind Dale has become trapped in a perpetual winter. Ferocious blizzards make the mountain pass through the Spine of the World exceedingly treacherous, and this land has not felt the warmth of the sun in over two years. In fact, the sun no longer appears above the mountains, not even in what should be the height of summer. In this frozen tundra, darkness and bitter cold reign as king and queen. Most dale residents blame Auril the Frostmaiden, the god of winter’s wrath. The shimmering aurora that weaves across the sky each night is said to be her doing—a potent spell that keeps the sun at bay. Dalefolk live in a scattering of settlements known as Ten-Towns. The drop-off in caravans coming from the south and travel between settlements in this never-ending winter has left everyone feeling isolated. Although each town has resolved to appease the Frostmaiden with sacrifices of one kind or another, no respite from winter’s fury seems forthcoming. For adventurers such as yourselves, Ten-Towns is a place to test one’s mettle and, in the spirit of heroes who have come before, leave one’s mark on this frigid, blighted land. WELCOME TO THE FAR NORTH North of the Spine of the World and west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a frigid expanse few dare to explore, let alone inhabit. This icy land of windswept tundra recently became locked in a perpetual, dark winter without reprieve. Auril the Frostmaiden, the divine embodiment of winter’s fury, has withdrawn to this cold corner of the world to live among mortals. Further, she has cast a terrible spell over Icewind Dale, to the detriment of most of its denizens. Each night before midnight, Auril takes to the sky on the back of a white roc and weaves her spell, which manifests as a shimmering curtain of light—a beautiful aurora that illuminates the night sky and fades before dawn. This powerful magic prevents the next day’s sun from rising above the horizon, turning midday into twilight and trapping Icewind Dale in winter’s dark embrace, with no sunlight or warmth to melt the snow and ice. Each casting of the spell leaves the Frostmaiden weakened, with just enough divine power left to barricade the mountain pass with blizzards and churn the Sea of Moving Ice with blistering winds. Such measures discourage travelers from approaching or leaving Icewind Dale, further isolating the region. Icewind Dale has thus been trapped in a different reality from the rest of the world, for though the sun never rises over the dale, it continues to rise everywhere else. The people of Icewind Dale know Auril’s wrath when they feel it, and they have a name for the unending winter she has inflicted on them. They call it the Everlasting Rime. No one understands why the Frostmaiden has imposed her will in this way or why the other gods refuse to challenge her. This prolonged winter, which has gone on for more than two years, threatens to doom not just the flickering lights of civilization known as Ten-Towns but also the indigenous flora and fauna that need sunlight and the change of seasons to survive. Not all creatures are discouraged by what has transpired north of the Spine of the World. The long nights and sunless days are a blessing to Xardorok Sunblight, a duergar who longs to carve out a domain for himself on the surface and enslave the people of Ten-Towns in the process. Already, he has taken advantage of Auril’s magic and raised a fortress amid the dark shadows of the mountains. From here, his underlings strike out across the tundra in search of chardalyn—a crystalline substance known to exist only in Icewind Dale. Once he gathers enough of it, Xardorok plans to construct a chardalyn dragon and unleash it upon Ten-Towns. Despite Auril’s blizzards and other deterrents, visitors still come and go. Among the recent arrivals are four wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood, a powerful society of spellcasters based in Luskan. They’ve come chasing rumors of a lost city buried under the Reghed Glacier—a fragment of the long-gone Empire of Netheril, whose wizards wielded magic that terrified the gods. Netherese magic has a way of attracting power-hungry wizards, as members of the Arcane Brotherhood often are. The cities of Netheril floated among the clouds, making them almost impervious to assault for centuries. Then, nearly two thousand years ago, this floating city crashed during the fall of the empire, and no one has found or explored it since. It is, arguably, Icewind Dale’s greatest secret—a necropolis of Netherese wizards and the magic they left behind. What survived the crash is anyone’s guess, but we’re about to find out!
Theme to play. Start speaking at around 5-10 seconds in. Add snow for white noise to start and close into. 0:05ish - theme has started, but it’s hard to tell. Beat - twinkle - 0:25 - mood change North of the Spine of the World and west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a frigid expanse beset with ferocious blizzards that few dare to explore, letI alone inhabit. This land has not felt the warmth of the sun in over two years. Strings In fact, the sun no longer even appears above the mountains, not even in what should be the height of summer. Icewind Dale has become locked in a perpetual winter without reprieve. In this frozen tundra, darkness and bitter cold reign as king and queen. beat change - low strings 1:05 ish Most Dalefolk blame the wrath of the gods, or even Auril herself, goddess of winter’s woe. The Ten-Towns settlements have seen fewer and fewer caravans from the south. The streets are quiet, the people isolated, and the gods demand sacrifice. beat change - 1:25. Seeking to appease the Frostmaiden that tormets them, the Ten-Towners left sacrifices of food and supplies. But with no sunlight and nothing growing to forage, their food stores began to dwindle and their offerings began to wane. Strings intensify - 1:38 The winter did not end. beat change - 1:45 They tried sacrificing warmth - spending nights of the full moon shivering without fires, desperately facing the icy claws of the frigid cold. Still, the winter did not end. Now, many of the settlements have resorted to offerings of a different sort. beat - 2:03 For some the everlasting night is a scourge, but others find opportunity to prey upon the weakened. Creatures of darkness, cold-hearted killers, and power-hungry madmen encroach from the fringes, drawn to the bastion of Ten-Towns. beat - 2:22 - strings - faster speech Even with their acts of desperation and superstition, there is no relief from winter's fury. The Dalefolk are alone and forgotten, and their towns are beginning to dwindle. It’s only a matter of time before the icy fangs of the frost permanently end their suffering. Synth string begins - 2:40 For adventurers such as yourselves, Ten-Towns is a place to test one’s mettle - prove yourselves against the uncaring gods, their twisted servants, and the land itself. In the spirit of heroes who have come before, you might leave your mark on this frigid, blighted land. Climax - 3:00. Speak slow, long pauses. Or, I suppose, die trying, be forgotten, and feed the wolves. Final little tinkle - kill music - snow remains.
COLD OPEN FROM ADVENTURE Icewind Dale has become trapped in a perpetual winter. Ferocious blizzards make the mountain pass through the Spine of the World exceedingly treacherous, and this land has not felt the warmth of the sun in over two years. In fact, the sun no longer appears above the mountains, not even in what should be the height of summer. In this frozen tundra, darkness and bitter cold reign as king and queen. Most dale residents blame Auril the Frostmaiden, the god of winter’s wrath. The shimmering aurora that weaves across the sky each night is said to be her doing—a potent spell that keeps the sun at bay. Dalefolk live in a scattering of settlements known as Ten-Towns. The drop-off in caravans coming from the south and travel between settlements in this never-ending winter has left everyone feeling isolated. Although each town has resolved to appease the Frostmaiden with sacrifices of one kind or another, no respite from winter’s fury seems forthcoming. For adventurers such as yourselves, Ten-Towns is a place to test one’s mettle and, in the spirit of heroes who have come before, leave one’s mark on this frigid, blighted land. WELCOME TO THE FAR NORTH North of the Spine of the World and west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a frigid expanse few dare to explore, let alone inhabit. This icy land of windswept tundra recently became locked in a perpetual, dark winter without reprieve. Auril the Frostmaiden, the divine embodiment of winter’s fury, has withdrawn to this cold corner of the world to live among mortals. Further, she has cast a terrible spell over Icewind Dale, to the detriment of most of its denizens. Each night before midnight, Auril takes to the sky on the back of a white roc and weaves her spell, which manifests as a shimmering curtain of light—a beautiful aurora that illuminates the night sky and fades before dawn. This powerful magic prevents the next day’s sun from rising above the horizon, turning midday into twilight and trapping Icewind Dale in winter’s dark embrace, with no sunlight or warmth to melt the snow and ice. Each casting of the spell leaves the Frostmaiden weakened, with just enough divine power left to barricade the mountain pass with blizzards and churn the Sea of Moving Ice with blistering winds. Such measures discourage travelers from approaching or leaving Icewind Dale, further isolating the region. Icewind Dale has thus been trapped in a different reality from the rest of the world, for though the sun never rises over the dale, it continues to rise everywhere else. The people of Icewind Dale know Auril’s wrath when they feel it, and they have a name for the unending winter she has inflicted on them. They call it the Everlasting Rime. No one understands why the Frostmaiden has imposed her will in this way or why the other gods refuse to challenge her. This prolonged winter, which has gone on for more than two years, threatens to doom not just the flickering lights of civilization known as Ten-Towns but also the indigenous flora and fauna that need sunlight and the change of seasons to survive. Not all creatures are discouraged by what has transpired north of the Spine of the World. The long nights and sunless days are a blessing to Xardorok Sunblight, a duergar who longs to carve out a domain for himself on the surface and enslave the people of Ten-Towns in the process. Already, he has taken advantage of Auril’s magic and raised a fortress amid the dark shadows of the mountains. From here, his underlings strike out across the tundra in search of chardalyn—a crystalline substance known to exist only in Icewind Dale. Once he gathers enough of it, Xardorok plans to construct a chardalyn dragon and unleash it upon Ten-Towns. Despite Auril’s blizzards and other deterrents, visitors still come and go. Among the recent arrivals are four wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood, a powerful society of spellcasters based in Luskan. They’ve come chasing rumors of a lost city buried under the Reghed Glacier—a fragment of the long-gone Empire of Netheril, whose wizards wielded magic that terrified the gods. Netherese magic has a way of attracting power-hungry wizards, as members of the Arcane Brotherhood often are. The cities of Netheril floated among the clouds, making them almost impervious to assault for centuries. Then, nearly two thousand years ago, this floating city crashed during the fall of the empire, and no one has found or explored it since. It is, arguably, Icewind Dale’s greatest secret—a necropolis of Netherese wizards and the magic they left behind. What survived the crash is anyone’s guess, but we’re about to find out!