Ten-Towns
The Ten Towns were a loose confederation of localized fishing villages in Icewind Dale, bordered individually by the lakes Lac Dinneshere, Maer Dualdon and Redwaters, and the mountain Kelvin's Cairn.
Description[]
Why people live in Ten-Towns[]
- White Gold - There is a fish, the knucklehead trout, that has bones made out of Ivory. The three lakes around Ten-Towns are the only location they exist and they sell for big cash.
- Solitude - Outcasts, fugitives, or pariahs in search of a place where they can be tolerated, if not accepted.
- ExBarbarians - After the war of the Crystal Shard (100 years ago), barbarians left the Reghead Tribes and settled in Ten-Towns
- Native - Ten-Towns is 600 years old, people were born there and it's all they know.
Life in Ten-Towns[]
- Life is hard work and demands cooperation. No one can make it on their own, even fugitives and scoundrels.
- People in Ten-Towns are a diverse group from all over Faerûn.
- Each town are not friends- they are fierce competitors. But everyone in each town are close comrades. Think of European soccer teams.
- Luber is scarce. Stone buildings. Pitched roofs.
- Comfort/warmth over style.
- Each town has a speaker who leads the community and represents its interests 8 times a year. See below for their names.
Fishing the Lakes[]
- Without knucklehead trout, there would be no Ten-Towns.
- Every part of the trout is useful. Even the smaller bones can be fashioned into valuable trinkets like arrow heads.
- Except Bryn Shander every town is built on the shore of one of the three lakes.
- The fishing boats are simple. Smallest: one-masted skiff (rowed); Largest: two-masted cogs with single decks.
- Each ship waves the flag of their town, not the fishermen. When they find a family of fish they wave the flag and fire a cannon. The towns compete fiercely to fire more cannons.
- Fishing is really dangerous, and demands cooperation.
- There are small boats that don't share with the town and ride independent but they are small and don't last long.
- Lakes are frozen during the winter.
Scrimshaw[]
Taking the smaller ivory bones of the knucklehead trout and carving them into ornate shapes. Accomplished scrimshanders are very respected in Ten-Towns
- Drawing pictures on the flat surface and inking them
- Carving out small statues
Scrimshaw
Life on the Lakes
Life in Ten-Towns
Towns & Lakes[]
- Land locked
- Bryn Shander - The Capital (Speaker: Duvessa Shane)
- Lac Maer Dualdon
- Bremen (Speaker: Dorbulgruf Shalescar)
- Lonelywood (Speaker: Avandro Perth)
- Targos (Speaker: Giandro Holfast)
- Termaline (Speaker: Shaelen Masthew)
- Lac Dinneshere
- Caer-Konig (Speaker: Alden Lowell)
- Caer-Dineval (Speaker: Crannoc Siever)
- Easthaven (Speaker: Danneth Waylen)
- Lac Redwaters
- Good Mead (Speaker: Kendrick Rielsbarrow)
- Dougan's Hole (Speaker: Edgra Durmoot)
Trails[]
Getting to Ten-Towns[]
From Luskan (20 days)
- Pirate city Luskan (northern most city on the Sword Coast) ==>
- Travel along the Northern Means Road across The Iceflow River ==>
- Arrive at Hundelstone Town (halfway point on the Ten Trail) ==>
- Travel the Ten Trail north ==>
- Through the North/South Pass across the Spine of the World (3 days) ==>
- Continue on the Ten Trail ==>
- Arrive at Bryn Shander
Ten Trail[]
- Route typically taken by travelers coming to Ten-Towns.
- Poor weather, broken ground, scarcity of shelter, dangers (yeti, crag cats, bandits) makes this journey very difficult.
North/South Pass[]
- The Ten Trail through the mountain range, The Spine of the World
- A few places of refuge dot the Pass
- During a storm, snow can fill the pass stopping/slowing travel
- Famous spot for Yeti attacks