Arveiaturace

Arveiaturace was an ancient white dragon

Description
Even after Meltharond's death, Arveiaturace still carried his skeletal remains and rider's palanquin on her back. In his later years, Meltharond used a complex web of spells to keep his bones intact and in their proper place&mdash;these magics continued even after his death, causing his skeleton to sit upright and even move his skull to face whichever direction Arveiaturace was facing.

Personality
She was more intelligent and patient than most other white dragons, and vastly more sensitive. Yet she still retained her kind's lust for revenge and instinct for savagery, and was not gentle or kind by any means. In combat, she would lose all sense of self-control, ripping and tearing until everything and everyone around her was destroyed.

Meltharond's death was keenly felt by Arveiaturace, and she was gripped by a deep and abiding loneliness. She interacted with mortals primarily to find a new, trustworthy companion, but could never find someone who inhabited all of Meltharond's good qualities.

Abilities
She was notably lacking in magical competence, and was only capable of casting mending by herself. In spite of this, she had an immense insight into the battle tactics and stratagems used by wizards, and could recognize many popular spells on sight. This made her a formidable opponent for most spell-flingers. She frequently dealt with such foes by flying very low near the ocean's waves, enticing casters to waste their spells firing at a glimpse of the white wyrm, only to hit nothing but roiling waters. Another tactic involved crushing mages standing on deck by toppling their ship's masts.

No other creature on Toril could match her knowledge of the winds and waves of the Sea of Swords, the Sword Coast, and large swaths of the eastern Trackless Sea. She was a true master at sinking ships and at plucking things from deck without ever slowing down or tumbling.

Prior to his death, Meltharond bestowed two powerful magical boons on Arveiaturace. He permanently bonded her with a ring of spell turning, granting her the ability to shrug off spells or even direct them back at hostile casters. Meltharond also ensorceled Iceclaws with a spell of awaken from afar, allowing her full control of his substantial inventory of magical wands, rods, and staves.

Lair
Arveiaturace laired at the top of the Ice Peak, located just south of the Sea of Moving Ice and due west of Fireshear. Her main abode was a cold cavern complex on the peak's east face, right next to a set of smaller chambers that once was home to Meltharond. Ice Peak consisted largely of soft, malleable rock that was easily sculpted by dragon claws. Arveiaturace took care when digging out her cavern to allow for the walls separating the wizard's sanctum to be carefully removed from her side, allowing her access with snout and claw. The soft rock also meant that Ice Peak was not the sturdiest of lairs&mdash;bits of roof would come crashing down whenever she bumped into it or made a too-heavy landing.

She was fiercely protective of her isle, attacking those who sailed too close on sight. She was even known to venture far beyond her own territory in pursuit of fleeing adventurers.

It was said that magic items and spellbooks belonging to Meltharond could still be found in his old rooms, largely where he left them.

Activities
She preyed on ships all along the Sword Coast, sometimes destroying them entirely in the process. She seemed to be committed to eating as many sailors as she could, and in making all seafarers and other dragons terrified at the prospect of journeying north of Ruathym. Few ships could mount appropriate defenses against Arveiaturace's overwhelming attacks, but she was known to have been driven off on occasion by aerial patrols from Evermeet as well as the Nimbran Knights of the Flying Hunt.

After Meltharond's death, Iceclaws became overwhelmed by loneliness to the point that she sometimes spared would-be-victims, provided they shared her dislike of wizards, did not try to attack her, and had the presence of mind to try communicating with her. She was even known to, on rare occasions, rescue shipwreck victims when offered lavish rewards and treated with respect. Several humans snatched by Arveiaturace actually survived captivity in her lair after enduring roughly a month's worth of terrifying and suspicious conversations with the wyrm. Provided these captives did not attack her or steal any of Meltharond's things, Iceclaws was happy to fly them home to any location on Faerûn as soon as they admitted to feeling lonely. The accounts of these survivors made up the brunt of what was known about Arveiaturace and her lair.

Iceclaws frequently came under attack from other dragons, human and elvish dragon hunters, as well as her own offspring.

Relationships
Although their relationship began with hatred, Arveiaturace eventually came to love her rider, Meltharond. He treated her as an equal, and the two chatted with each other constantly. When Meltharond died after many centuries of companionship, she fell into a deep melancholy.

Her loneliness occasionally compelled Arveiaturace to answer the white dragon Arauthator's calls to mate&mdash;on these occasions, she left the remains of Meltharond at home. During the 1480s DR, Arauthator sought to provide her a new master, Maccath the Crimson, in hopes of strengthening Arveiaturace's support of the Cult of the Dragon.

Once her children grew large and bold enough to challenge her domain over the Ice Peak, Arveiaturace drove them from her lair to fend for themselves.

Arveiaturace had friendly relationships based on mutual respect with the archwizard Laeral Silverhand of Waterdeep and the shipwright Old Aldon of Mintarn. She was feared in Candlekeep following an incident in which, having learned from one of her captives of a sage's disparaging account of Meltharond, she flew directly to the fortress library, ripped the roof off the main building, and snatched up the terrified writer to correct his views on the dead wizard. Less than a month after that, Laeral personally visited Arveiaturace at Ice Peak to hand her a copy of the more laudatory tome The High History of the Mighty Mage Meltharond. Laeral stayed with Iceclaws for more than a tenday hence, discussing matters of an unknown nature. What is known is that following Laeral's visit, Arveiaturace seemed to steer clear of vessels sailing in the vicinity of Waterdeep.

History
Meltharond died sometime around the.

Rumors & Legends
Arveiaturace was feared by all sailors along the Sword Coast, save for the foolish few who dismissed her as a legend. Seafarers referred to her as "Iceclaws" due to her habit of swooping down on ships to grab crew members for a quick snack.

Appearances

 * Adventures
 * Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden
 * The Rise of Tiamat • Storm King's Thunder
 * Novels
 * Rise of the King
 * Rise of the King
 * Rise of the King