Icewind Dale: The Campaign So Far

Twenty-two sessions in, and the party, First Light, has gone from clearing quests around Ten-Towns to standing inside Xardorok’s own fortress, allied with his rival and carrying the exact flight path of a chardalyn dragon. Here’s the story so far, from the beginning to right now. No spoilers for what’s coming next, only what the table has already lived through.

The Party: First Light

Also known as the Heroes of the Bastion of First Light, the party is based out of a bastion they built in Easthaven. Now a refuge for survivors, especially the people of Lonelywood. They’re currently 6th level.

Current roster:

• Gandore - Wizard (High Elf).
• Johan - Barbarian (Halfling).
• Adamus - Paladin (Half-Orc).
• Cobtha Krax - Monk (Wood Elf). The newest member of the party, replacing Vil. Blind.

Fallen along the way:

• Knox - Killed by a ghost. In his final moment, a mysterious figure claimed him: “You will be my Sword.”
• Vil - Goliath (Cloud) Barbarian and Johan’s brother. Killed by a mindflayer aboard the Id Ascendant, his brain extracted. His soul returned to the world tree.

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Chapter 1: Ten-Towns

The campaign opened with the party clearing every quest across Ten-Towns, establishing themselves as the region’s heroes in the process. Along the way they built the Bastion of First Light in Easthaven, uncovered signs that something darker was moving behind the scenes, and realised a mysterious figure had been watching them through dreams and visions. They also learned the truth about the Knights of the Black Sword in Caer-Dineval. They were not the honourable order they appeared to be, but a group working with the duergar.

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Chapter 2: Icewind Dale

The party explored the Cave of the Berserkers before facing the campaign’s first real gut-punch of a decision.

The Lonelywood choice. Cultists were moving to open a Shadowfell rift at the Elven Tomb, while duergar forces threatened to burn Lonelywood to the ground. The party couldn’t stop both. They chose to stop the cultists, allying with a group of frost druids to do it.

The cost. Lonelywood was destroyed. Its survivors became refugees, taking shelter in the party’s bastion at Easthaven. In the aftermath, the wider duergar plot against Ten-Towns came fully into view, and the party began planning their move against the fortress at its centre.

A Detour: The Madhouse of Tasha’s Kiss

Not every player could make these sessions, so the table took a side trip with The Madhouse of Tasha’s Kiss A standalone adventure that gave the story room to breathe and let a couple of characters get some individual spotlight before the road to Sunblight began in earnest.

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The Journey to Sunblight

Getting to Xardorok’s fortress took three full sessions of overland travel across the frozen tundra, run with Eventyr’s adjusted travel rules. Along the way:

• The Frozen Pilgrim - The party found Tessaly Birch, a halfling messenger barely clinging to life, who’d seen duergar moving through the pass with robed figures trailing behind them.
• The Crevasse Field - A skill challenge across an ice bridge and pressure ridges, ending at a massive crevasse.
• The Watchers - A tense encounter with Brother Orvyn, a terrified cultist who agreed to defect and promised to bring back robes for the party to use as infiltration disguises.
• The Remorhaz Lair - A blizzard drove the party into a cave sheltering a breeding pair of remorhazes. They won the fight and walked away with four eggs, still in Johan’s care.

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Id Ascendant

Inside a crashed nautiloid near the duergar fortress, the party fought their way through the cargo hold, past a flesh golem and the ship’s stranger inhabitants, before a starving mindflayer emerged from the depths.

It used Extract Brain on Vil. Adamus managed to heal him back but only long enough for Vil to feel the full agony of what had already happened. 55 damage, halved, was still more than enough. Vil died on the spot, his soul returning to the world tree.

In the wreckage, Cobtha Krax stepped out of the shadows - a blind wood elf monk who’d been held prisoner. He joined the party there and then.

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The Umbra Revelation

Grieving Vil, Adamus went into the forest alone. He drank, fought demons of his own making, and was forced to face his past. The prince he failed to save, the farmers he couldn’t protect, the woman who changed him, and now Vil too.

At his lowest point, a massive black dire wolf stepped out of the shadows: Aurora, his old mount, transformed into something new. All black fur, pale glowing eyes, able to step through shadow itself. She is Umbra now.

The next morning, Umbra burst out of the treeline and tackled Gandore to the ground, pinning him playfully until Adamus stumbled out and called her off.

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Sunblight: The Fortress Infiltration

The party slipped into Sunblight through a hidden arrow-slit entrance and were met by Drek, a duergar loyal to Grandolpha Muzgardt, who brought them to her directly.

They struck a deal: help Grandolpha take the fortress once Xardorok is dead, and in return she’d hand over the dragon’s exact flight path and a flying carpet, large enough for the whole party, lifted straight from Xardorok’s own vault.

The flight path checked out, confirming the attack everyone had been dreading.

Then came Xardorok’s sons, Durth and Nildar - a brutal fight. Mid-combat, Gandore hit an ogre zombie with Fear, intimidated it into submission, and swore it into his service on the spot. It’s still with them.

Twenty-two sessions down, and First Light is standing inside enemy territory with an ally, a map, and a lot of unfinished grief. The story continues…

If this sounds like the kind of table you’re looking for, I’ve got a couple of campaigns currently running or opening Come pull up a chair. Or if you just want to talk shop, GM to GM, say hello.