Easthaven

Easthaven was one of the larger settlements that made up the collective Ten Towns of Icewind Dale. While it was once a small shanty town, Easthaven had a long a storied history that developed as it grew into a more and more prosperous trading community.

"The area of Easthaven is but one of many tiny, frigid villages clinging to survival. They endure, but it is a hard life, and the only war that comes to Easthaven is the battle against the elements."

- Everard, Trusted Sword, Order of the Broken Blade, Eleint, 1281 DR.

Description
Originally just a small hamlet, the building of the Eastway trade road connecting Easthaven with the Bryn Shander―the largest settlement of the Ten Towns―proved to be a boon to the village. Over time it became fastest-growing community in the region with a fishing fleet rivaling that of its greatest competitor, Caer-Dineval.

It was considered among the most comfortable of the Ten Towns, with good amenities that were uncommon among the settlements of Icewind Dale. Its people were seen as fairly friendly in compasion to their neighbors.

A breakwater protected most of the piers that reached out into Lac Dinneshere.

Heraldry
The white tower of Easthaven's crest represented the town itself, flanked by a quarter field of azure for the lake upon which it was built and brown for the Eastway road.

Geography
Easthaven was among the easternmost of the Ten Towns, situated on the shore of Lac Dinneshere, a short ways away from Redwater lake.

Easthaven was situated several hours' travel away from the other Ten Towns. Going overland on foot, the travel times to nearby settlements and landmarks were:
 * Bryn Shander ― 7.5 hours via the Eastway.
 * Caer-Dineval ― 9 hours across a snow-covered path.
 * Good Mead ― 4.5 hours travel.
 * Xorvintroth Ruins ― approximately three days east across the snowy wastes.

Government
Like the other Ten Towns, Easthaven was governed by an elected speaker, who was chosen by the town's local business leaders. Defense of the town was overseen by the captain of the Easthaven militia.

Law & Order
While the town was not truly lawless, the locals said that "anything goes in Easthaven." Pickpocketing was decidedly made legal throughout the town's history.

Trade
Easthaven's docks supported one of the largest fleets of fishing ships in all of Icewind Dale, greater than those of Caer-Konig and Caer-Dineval. This was not always the case however. Various accords between the three settlements changed the dynamics of regional fishing industries, with each town taking it's place as leader of the three.

Fishing for knucklehead trout was easily the most lucrative and popular of the region's fishing industriues.

Despite their rivalries, each of the three towns on the lake supported ferries that allowed for easier travel between the settlements.

Defense
"Easthaven isn't perfect, but it's home―and I won't give up a damn inch of it."

- Captain Imdra Arlaggath.

Circa the late 15 century, Easthaven could readily assemble a militia approximately 150 to 200 warriors strong. During that time it was led by the well-respected militia captain, Imdra Arlaggath.

History
"I remember when the Eastway was naught but a couple o' ruts in the mud leadin' to some shaties on the south side o' the lac. Now look at the place! Seems like ye can't turn around without trippin' over a new bunch o' buildings, and the town just keeps getting' bigger―along with me profits."

- Beorne Steelstrike, master caravaneer.

Easthaven was originally founded by a group of thieves that fled the duchy of Cape Velen in Tethyr.

In the, Easthaven's leader Hrothgar assembled an expedition to Kuldahar following the arrival of a messenger. However, the expedition was ambushed by frost giants in Kuldahar Pass and the only survivors to reach Kuldahar were a newly arrived group of adventurers.

Later that year, a powerful devil by the name of Belhifet―who had been masquerading as an Ilmatari priest―recovered an ancient evil artifact known as the Crenshinibon. The fiend used the malevolent crystal to conjure a massive crystal tower over Easthaven as he attempted to open the portal to the Nine Hells that lay hidden beneath the local Tempuran chapel. The adventurers from Hrothgar's expedition managed to defeat Belhifet, but the crystal spire shattered as the fiend was cut down. While some of Easthaven was destroyed in the conflict, it was later rebuilt along with a new temple to Tempus the Foehammer.

14 Century
It was said that in a time before the Era of Upheaval, cities south of the Spine got "white gold fever", and people came it droves to the Ten Towns to find their own fortune fishing Knucklehead trout. While other settlements of the Ten Towns grew larger and more prosperous, Easthaven's growth remained stunted for some time.

It was not until around the mid–14 century DR that Easthaven saw great commercial success come their way. After the Eastway road was paved over, a great many traders, craftspeople, traveling warriors, and others set out for new lives in Icewind Dale, and often began their journeys in Easthaven. This prolific growth drew away prospectors and others from the neighboring Ten Towns, to the point where the council at Bryn Shander had to weigh in on the matter.

Easthaven was the site where the evil wizard Akar Kessell murdered his mentor Morkai the Red in the.

When the Battle of Icewind Dale broke out near Bryn Shander in the, Easthaven's leader Glensather was among those that defended the his people to the death. He was a respected and even-tempered councilman, who viewed the Ten Towns as "sturdy bulwarks against barbarism." Glensather waded into a group of orcs and managed to kill at least two of the invaders. But as Glensather made his way to the barbarian hero Wulfgar, a spear was driven into his back and the town's leader was killed.

15 Century
On Marpenoth 3 in the, pirates aboard the Howling Fiend led by Derrick Gaffner launched a raid against Easthaven. They attempted to steal weaponry from Rurden's Armory. The attack was part of a greater plot by the returned lich Akar Kessell to throw the Ten Towns into chaos.

Along with the other Ten Towns―and in fact all of Icewind Dale―Easthaven was plunged into eternal darkness in the, when the goddess Auril cursed the lands with the Everlasting Rime. The intense cold brought on by the supernatural climate shift forced closed the Easthaven ferry, and slowed growth of numerous businesses. Industry no longer prospered in Easthaven and its prosperous growth came to an end.

The dramatic change brought out the worst of people in the Ten Towns. In Easthaven and two other settlements, locals set up a ghastly lottery that forced an innocent person to be chosen as a living sacrifice, in the vain attempt to appease the Frostmaiden and end their hardships. Even worse perhaps, those that had the power often rigged the selections to their benefit or the detriment of others.

During the, the closed down Easthaven Ferry was taken over by a band of duergar from the fortress of Sunblight in the Spine of the World Mountains. They used the abandoned locale to continue and extend their search for any deposits of chardalyn across the Ten Towns.

Some time later Easthaven was attacked by a small horde of awakened beasts led an exceptionally intelligent winter wolf called Fortararavkott and her verbeeg servant Tolvmeter. The beasts were turned away by a band of adventurers, who rallied aide from some of the nearby Ten Towns.

13 Century

 * Pomab's Emporium, run by a man named Pomab Ak'azmjir.
 * Snowdrift Inn
 * Temple of Tempus
 * Winter's Cradle Tavern

15 Century

 * Banrock's Mithril Pot, a cozy in and tavern specializing in pottage.
 * Big Fat Knucklehead, a lakeside tavern run by Flug the Blind (who lost an eye to a fish hook), catering to fishermen.
 * Cairn's Crossing, one of the town's oldest inns.
 * Easthaven Ferry, a once-successful business that had to be closed due to the Everlasting Rime.
 * Town Hall, a two-story building that housed venues for gatherings, public records storage, the local library, and an enormous chardalyn figurehead depicting the demon Errtu.
 * Market square, located on the waterfront.
 * Rurden's Armory, a dwarven smithy.
 * Visiting Dignitaries House, set aside for pretty much anybody except the "lowliest wandering trapper or prospector."
 * The Wet Trout, the largest and loudest of the town's taverns.
 * White Lady Inn, named after a local ghost on Lac Dinneshere.

Inhabitants
Easthaven attracted all types of from beyond Icewind Dale looking to find new opportunity or start a new life.

Notable Inhabitants

 * Everard, priest of Tempus.
 * Jhonen, local fisherman and secret love of the spirit Elisia.
 * Nabina Moarskull, an Easthaven fisher that owned a special hook that was said to catch magical fish.

Rumors & Legends
Locals in Easthaven regularly spoke about witnessing a spirit known as the White Lady rise from the waters of Lac Dinneshere. She was said to be the deceased wife of a former explorer from Luskan, who was waylaid in Easthaven when she finally passed on her deathbed.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Legacy of the Crystal Shard • Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
 * Novels
 * The Crystal Shard
 * Games
 * Icewind Dale
 * Organized Play & Licensed Adventures
 * Plague of Ancients (Terror in Ten Towns)
 * (The Howling Void • The City That Should Not Be)

Connections
Osthafen