You have recently arrived in the small village of Lonelywood. One of the "Ten-Towns" of Icewind Dale. Icewind Dale is located in the frozen north reaches of the Sword Coast. Many of you are recent arrivals to Icewind Dale; some have set out for this region for reasons that are probably best left to yourselves. In any case, you have arrived and met other like-minded adventurers (some seeking coin, some seeking adventure, some seeking something that they are unwilling to share at this point). As a collective group, you have found yourself seeking opportunities in the (only) local tavern, The Lucky Liar. Since the only Inn in the town (the Ramshackle) has apparently closed a few months ago under suspicious circumstances that, so far, none have been willing to discuss, you have secured lodging for the ten-day in the spacious, heated attic of the Town Speaker, Nimsy Huddle. Despite her Halfling heritage, the attic is sized appropriately for the "bigger-folk."
Lonelywood is the northern-most of the Ten-Towns. It is located along the shore of the frozen Maer Dualdon to the west and the Lonelywood forest to the east. It is on the fringes of "civilization" with only a three-mile path to Termalaine connecting it to the rest of the region. With a population of around a hundred residents, it is a relatively pleasant (if a bit rustic) place.
As of late, however, talk in the Lucky Liar has begun turning more hushed and fearful. The chatter regarding the murders in Ten-Towns has finally started to abate, only to be replaced by new topics such as the renewed sightings of the Lonelywood Banshee, recent animal attacks of loggers, and brigands assaulting the path to Termalaine. Recurring subtext to all this is an underlying theme that Speaker Huddle simply isn't doing enough to handle the increasing threats to the town (and the loggers of the nearby wood in particular).
Your adventure is about to begin, as is the case of so many such proceedings, in the local tavern (The Lucky Liar) where you and your companions overhear a rumor from another patron...
Jon Ostenburg
Lonelywood is a quiet town of loggers, fishers, and scrimshanders scratching out a living on the edge of the world. The town’s oldest buildings and docks bear carvings of dragons, lions, and goats.
Roughly half of Lonelywood’s able-bodied residents trawl the lake for knucklehead trout, while most of the others spend their days in the forest felling and hewing the trees that are used to construct boats and buildings. Lonelywood’s timber is taken by cart to be sold in other settlements, Termalaine and Targos in particular.
Given its remote position in the Ten-Towns, Lonelywood has a reputation of being a good place for those looking not to be found to put down roots. The thick forest looming behind it conceals the dark and sordid dealings that sometimes transpire there. A visitor can make many friends here but would be wise not to drudge up the dark deeds of anyone’s past in this small town.
