Lonelywood

Lonelywood was a town in Ten Towns within the cold region of Icewind Dale. It was known as being the "first choice" for rogues seeking a refuge in Icewind Dale.

"Most folk in Lonelywood went there tryin' to forget about somethin'... or tryin' to be forgotten. Folks there mind their own business, an' they expect ye to do the same. Surest way to find trouble in that town is to start askin' questions."

- Beorne Steelstrike

Geography
This northernmost town was surrounded by the Lonelywood Forest, with Maer Dualdon on the west side and the Bryn Shander Trail on the east. By 1351 DR, Lonelywood consisted of mere several dozens of low wooden cabins and inhabited for people who wanted to disappear from other part of the world, a place where "the rogues of rogues hid out".

Trade
The Lonelywood Forest was rich with fir trees, allowing Lonelywood to be the main producer of lumber in Icewind Dale. The trees from Lonelywood were used to build all structures across the Ten Towns. The timber gets carted from Lonelywood to Termalaine or Targos, and occasionally, to Bryn Shander. The town maintained insignificant fishing fleet, easily overshadowed by all nine of other neighboring towns.

Lonelywood's spirit of community was strong. A successful hunter was bound to share their catch, beyond one full meal a day, equally among the inhabitants of the town.

Defenses
Small in size, lacking in walls, Lonelywood, along with Termalaine, were two of the most raided towns of Ten Towns and gladly accepted aid from their neighbors during the times of strife.

History
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 the, Lonelywood was recognized by the council of the Icewind Dale towns as the tenth town, giving the collection of city-states their name – the Ten-Towns.

It was believed that Lonelywood's very humble growth and development was caused by 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 1281 DR. Without the military campaign that was centered around Lonelywood that stood in front of the encroaching army, the town would've likely never become anything more than a scant collection of secluded huts.

By the, Lonelywood was an establishment town with its own landmark – the Whistling Gallows. A tradition was born among those who stayed at the inn to carve their names into the huge old tree that grew outside the establishment.

Before Drizzt Do'Urden journeyed to Icewind Dale, Regis was the "leader" of the town, but in 1351 DR after Wulfgar's people raided Ten Towns, Regis retired as council spokesman, although the city continued to use him to "market" the town. Even after his move to Mithral Hall, he maintained a home there for some time. Following the barbarian attack on the Ten Towns, Lonelywood's population increased dramatically, unlike its neighbors. The town welcomed the influx of inhabitants and even promoted itself as the "Home of the Halfling Hero." This rise to prominence managed to shake the town's reputation of being a roguish town.

Muldoon became the next town spokesman in 1351 DR. He was originally from Waterdeep, but came to Lonelywood with his father when his father was kicked out of Waterdeep (although he later returned). Muldoon became a successful merchant and council spokesman. However, sometime before 1369 DR, Regis returned to the Speaker's seat following his predecessor's demise inside a Yeti. The folk of Lonelywood asked the Halfling Hero to lead the city once more, with the blessing of Bruenor Battlehammer.

During Regis' return to the Speaker's seat, he operated out of his humble store, the Bone Works. He was visited by a group of adventurers who were tasked with uncovering the location of the long-lost Accursed Tower that disappeared off the coast of Maer Dualdon circa 1269 DR. Subsequently, with the halfling's help, the adventurers discovered that the tower of Damien Morienus stood across from Lonelywood, on the western side of the lake.

Regis returned to Lonelywood in 1483 DR and once again purchased a house there, spending time "fishing" in Maer Dualdon. In the forest not far from his house, Catti-brie built a small garden shrine to Mielikki.

Defenses
In time of war, Lonelywood could muster a militia of around 100 humans who were armed with dwarven weapons and light armor.

Notable Inhabitants

 * Baldemar Thurlow, former wagon maker and council spokesman for Lonelywood.
 * Arden Thurlow, Baldemar's disillusioned wife dissatisfied with her lot in life.
 * Tybald Dunn, a cooper struggling under Baldemar's strict control over merchant affairs.
 * Ambere Dunn, Tybald's disillusioned wife who spent most her time drinking in the tavern.
 * Hailee Dunn, Tybald and Ambere's troublesome daughter.
 * Thom, an elderly shipwright who was gradually losing his eyesight.
 * Young Ned, an assistant shipwright who, for some reason, spoke like a pirate.
 * Murdaugh, a heavy drinker who spent a great amount of time at the Whistling Gallows.
 * Kieran Nye, owner and bartender of the Whistling Gallows and fugitive member of the Hosttower of the Arcane.
 * Emmerich Hawk, bowyer and self-assumed "ranger" who sought to protect the forest. He was a follower of Silvanus who believed he had earned the anger of his god.
 * Quinn Silverfinger, Grand Syndar of Waukeen and head of the local temple.
 * Purvis, a simple-minded grave digger.
 * Iriskree Harrowhill, owner of the Happy Scrimshander.

Notable Locations

 * Bone Works, a humble shop owned by the Halfling Hero that dealt in masterfully-crafted scrimshaw.
 * Golden Lodge, a small but lush temple dedicated to Waukeen, with Quinn Silverfinger maintaining it in 1281 DR.
 * The Happy Scrimshander, a small shop facing the harbor and providing all materials, including ivory, for scrimshaw carvers.
 * The Lucky Liar, the tavern favored by the hard-working locals. The tavernkeeper was Danae Xotal circa 1485 DR.
 * Pavel's Used Goods, the town's general store and fence.
 * Ramshackle, the inn that faced the docks. Its structure was torn down and rebuilt bigger in 1351 DR. A retired sawyer called DeGrootz ran the establishment in 1485 DR.
 * The Whistling Gallows, a large landmark inn near the center of town, run by Kieran Nye in the late 13 century DR.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * The Accursed Tower
 * Novels:
 * The Crystal Shard &bull; Sea of Swords &bull; The Pirate King &bull; The Companions
 * The Spine of the World &bull; The Thousand Orcs &bull; Timeless
 * Video Games
 * Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter &bull; Neverwinter: Storm King's Thunder
 * Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter &bull; Neverwinter: Storm King's Thunder

Connections
Waldheim