Faerun And The North; The World; History Of Icewind Dale; Game Units - Black Isle ICEWIND DALE 2 Manual

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Icewind Dale II takes place within the D&D FORGOTTEN REALMS campaign world. More specifically, it takes
pace in the northern wastes of Faerûn (Fay-ROON), a continent of the larger world of Abeir-Toril (Ah-BEER
Tor-RILL), more commonly called Toril. The name is archaic, meaning "cradle of life," and is rarely used in
everyday speech.
Abeir-Toril is an Earth-sized planet dominated by a large continent in its northern hemisphere as well as a
number of other large land masses scattered about its surface. This northern continent is called Faerûn in the
west, Kara-Tur in the east, and Zakhara in the south. It is the primary purpose of this tome to deal with the
northern portion of this huge landmass, in particular the region of Faerûn bordering the Spine of the World
mountains.
ADVENTURER'S TIP: For more information about the Forgotten Realms, visit Wizards
of the Coast's website at http://www.wizards.com/ForgottenRealms. There you'll find
tales from Elminster, songs from Mintiper, and lore to keep you warm during the
long nights of a northern winter.
For Forgotten Realms aficionados, Icewind Dale II is actually a step back in time for the Forgotten Realms -
the game itself takes place in Eleint, 1312 DR, Year of the Cold Soul. (This is sixteen years prior to Drizzt's
arrival on the surface, as chronicled in the Icewind Dale Trilogy of books by R.A. Salvatore.) Your characters
will be literally making history as they adventure through the game, and their actions may be felt in the
decades and centuries ahead...
A game day (representing 24 hours in the game, dawn to dusk to dawn again) is just over 2 hours long in
real time, again about a ten-fold reduction in time in the game. Each time the party rests eight hours passes
(the equivalent of about 45 minutes of running game time).
While it is not necessary to play Icewind Dale, Heart of Winter, or Trials of the Luremaster to enjoy Icewind
Dale II, certain story elements and situations may take on a new light for those that have played the previous
games. A brief summary of the previous game and the two expansions is provided below:
The seeds of the conflict in Icewind Dale II began a generation ago in Icewind Dale, where a small band of
adventurers, trapped within the windswept Kuldahar Pass were forced to confront a growing evil within the
Spine of the World mountains. The adventurers began their journey in the small town of Easthaven, a fishing
village and one of the Ten-Towns. From Easthaven, they traveled to the great tree valley of Kuldahar, where a
mighty oak, towering hundreds of feet high, shelters the small town beneath its boughs with life-giving
warmth. There, they learned that Kuldahar and the great tree itself were being threatened by an unknown evil
deep within the mountains. The brave band of adventurers tracked the adversary from the crypts of the Vale
of Shadows through numerous ruins of the North, including the decaying elven fortress of the Severed Hand
and the lava-filled caverns of Dragon's Eye, finally coming face-to-face with their enemy - and ending his
threat to Icewind Dale with a torrent of spells and cold steel.
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