The Ten-Towns: Lonelywood

The Ten-Towns: Lonelywood was one of the books in a series dedicated to the early 14 century DR history of the Ten-Towns of Icewind Dale.

Contents
Not surprisingly, the tome was dedicated to the youngest and northernmost city in Icewind Dale, Lonelywood. The author credited the town's very humble growth and development to the rise of the barbarian king Wylfdene, who united the Uthgardt tribes of the Bear, the Elk, and the Great Whale to drive the southern peoples of the Ten-Towns away from Icewind Dale in the. Without the military campaign centered around Lonelywood, which stood in front of the encroaching army, the town would've likely never become anything more than a scant collection of secluded huts.

The book described the geography of Lonelywood—a town built on the rocky shores of Maer Dualdon by the alpine namesake forest known as the Lonely Wood. As of the early 14 century DR, Lonelywood was the most northern settlement in Faerûn that was protected, along with the rest of the Ten-Towns, from the harshest Reghed Glacier winds by Kelvin's Cairn. Despite the protection of the peak, Lonelywood was covered in snow the lion's share of the year, and freezing temperatures were common.

The book detailed the short history of the settlement. As of the, there were no settlements north of Termalaine. The land surrounding the Lonely Wood held nothing more than several logging camps and trapper huts. The town truly was born with the construction of the famous Whistling Gallows Inn. Soon after, houses started appearing around the inn, and more people started settling in the secluded northernmost town. Only shortly before 1281 DR, Lonelywood was recognized by the council of the Icewind Dale settlements as the tenth town, giving the collection of city-states their name—the Ten-Towns.

The next part of the book talked about trade in Lonelywood. The main business done by the town was lumber, with Lonely Wood being the only logging forest in Icewind Dale. With most wood being imported to Icewind Dale from the south, Lonelywood was slow to grow and remained a quaint settlement. The northernmost position and small population made the town vulnerable to barbarian raids that remained a constant threat until the forces of king Wylfdene were broken by a gang of heroes from Kuldahar.

At the time of the book's publishing—circa the —Lonelywood's only landmark was the Whistling Gallows. A tradition was born among those who stayed at the inn to carve their names into the old tree that grew outside the establishment.

Appearances

 * Video Games
 * Icewind Dale II