Icespire Hold

Icespire Hold was a stone fortress on Icespire Peak, the tallest peak of the Sword Mountains on the Sword Coast North.

Structure
Icespire Hold consisted of two separate buildings that were situated on different ledges of the mountain flank and connected by a stone bridge. For non-flying creatures, the only entry point was a narrow trail. It led to the smaller building, which was used as a gatehouse and included stables. The difficult access and the presence of arrow slits made the fortress easy to defend.

The main building was only accessible via the stone bridge. The outer defenses as well as the undercroft were hidden behind secret doors. The undercroft contained the crypts and a secret exit: a toboggan that could be used to escape via the mountainside in an emergency.

Location
Icespire Hold was located on the northeast spur of the mountain and was surrounded by sheer, icy cliffs. The fortress sat at an altitude of and was more than  away from Phandalin, the nearest settlement. Because of its seclusion, not many people knew about Icespire Hold.

History
Icespire Hold was built by Delsendra Amzarr, a local warlord who lived there for many years and kept the orcs of the Sword Mountains at bay. Eventually, a very harsh winter ended her reign. The extreme weather cut off the supply chains and Delsendra and her soldiers were trapped in the fortress and starved to death.

When the fortress was abandoned, it was damaged by an earthquake. Ten years later, an orc tribe led by the war chief Kra took over Icespire Hold. The orcs' reign didn't last long because the young white dragon Cryovain decided to make Icespire Hold its new lair. He gained access through the southwest section that was still damaged by the earthquake. Cryovain ate Kra and several other orcs, causing the remaining orcs to flee. The dragon then settled on the roof and occupied the fortress in the late 15 century DR.