Enter the world of Icewind Dale like you’ve never seen it before! Loaded with beautiful, original art and maps, this supplement for Rime of the Frostmaiden takes a fresh look at the core storyline at the heart of the campaign. Auril is brought to life in our discussion of three possible backstories that may be motivating her, and she is given screen time early in our all-new, alternative starting quest, “Call to Faith.”
At the core of the adventure is the young tiefling woman, Faith, whose good heart has been called to serve an evil goddess—Auril. Faith is drawn North, for reasons she doesn’t fully understand, herself. As she learns more about Auril, so too do the players. In the dramatic conclusion of this quest, the players are drawn deeper into Faith’s storyline and launched into the greater events of Icewind Dale, setting in motion a story which will carry them through to a confrontation with Auril herself.
What’s inside? The discussion of Auril’s motivation and backstory, along with the alternative starting quest, “Call to Faith,” are at the core of this supplement, but in the 50 pages contained herein, you will find that and so much more:
* “Conducting a Campaign” presents comments and ideas on everything from the sandbox exploration of Ten Towns to the climactic scenes in Auril’s secret abode.
* “Events and Encounters” sketches 31 short encounters that you can use to add dynamism and vitality to the dale.
* “Environment Rules” revisits the full suite of rules for interacting with the environment, from extreme cold weather to travel times, and presents a version of these rules which gives more bite to the cold, but remains easy to use at the gaming table.
* A reference map of Ten Towns gives a short description of each town, a danger rating (in 1-3 snowflakes), and a breakdown of quests, side quests, and story hooks found in each town.
* A travel map shows distances along the roads between towns, as well as to and from Sunblight.
Why should you care?
Do you love Auril the Frostmaiden, and want to see more of her? In these pages we take a deep dive into her backstory and motivations, presenting a rich tapestry of ideas that you can choose from to make Auril the most compelling villain she can be.
Do you love the terrible danger of the frozen north, and want to see it given more weight at the gaming table? Our environment rules ratchet up the danger and emphasize the sheer vast cold, without sacrificing ease of use. If you use these rules, your players won’t forget where they are.
Do you love Rime of the Frostmaiden and want more content? Our collection of short encounters bring new perspectives on many familiar and beloved elements to be found in Icewind Dale, from the Ten Towns to Karkolohk to Revel’s End.
Do you want an all-new starting quest? This complete story module presents an alternate introduction to the Rime of the Frost Maiden campaign. “Call to Faith,” opens with the players outside of Icewind Dale, venturing in. After the hard journey, the discovery of conditions in the dale is especially powerful. It also introduces a new NPC, the young tiefling woman, Faith. By placing at the heart of the story, we give the party eyes through which they can see Auril and Icewind Dale, helping them quickly understand the scope of what’s at stake, not only for the whole of Icewind Dale, but for the soul of this young woman and the goddess who has called her.
Do you love connections between community-created titles? Our central character, Faith, originally appeared in Paul Metzger’s DM’s Guild Module, Dung Work. She became an important NPC in my Waterdeep campaign, where she was given an internal conflict of being good at heart but having been called by cruel Auril. It was kismet when Rime came out, featuring Auril as such a central figure. Building on each other’s work creates the sense that this world is something bigger than any one of us, and that what happens in one module can be true in another.
Do you love the vast open sandbox that is Chapters One and Two, and enjoy reflecting on how best to explore it? Our chapter, “Conducting a Campaign”, presents a beautiful reference map of Ten Towns, with danger ratings for each town and a breakdown of hooks and side-quests. We also go in detail into one possible route your party could use to move through the ten towns and beyond, and why you might choose that route instead of any other.
This supplement is epic in scope, and almost every DM will find something in here that you can use. If your passion is the story, then the discussion of Auril and Faith are for you, along with the new starting quest that launches the campaign with an emotional opening. If you care about rules and precision, the adjusted environmental rules will keep you satisfied. If you want advice on how to tackle the sandbox that is Icewind Dale, you’ll be interested in our resources and commentary on that topic.
And if you like beautiful, original art and maps, this supplement is loaded with them, from the original cover art to original interior art. From battle and reference maps to stock art that we’ve modified to be custom to our scenario, you’ll find a lot here to admire.
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Reach out to us with questions and comments at info@sunsailorgames.com, or just to tell us what you think! Connect with us on twitter at @ashtonmacsaylor and @calliemacsaylor, or on Facebook at Sun Sailor Productions. We look forward to connecting with you!
