Chapter 3: Sunblight - Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden

Chapter 3: Sunblight. Adventurers race against time to stop Xardorok Sunblight from unleashing terror upon Ten-Towns. Sequestered among the crags of the Spine of the World is a grim fortress hewn out of rock. This fortress is home to Xardorok Sunblight, his two living sons, and the rest of the Sunblight duergar clan. It is a heavily defended gateway between the clan's former home in the Underdark and its future home in Icewind Dale. From here, Xardorok plots the destruction of Ten-Towns. Xardorok has no imagination of his own. Instead, he receives inspiration from his patron, whom he believes is Deep Duerra (the duergar god of conquest). Unknown to Xardorok, his warlock powers come from Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells, who enjoys impersonating other gods. It is Asmodeus, not Deep Duerra, who inspired Xardorok Sunblight to become the first duergar to leave the Underdark and carve out a kingdom for himself on the surface. Adventurers race against time to stop Xardorok Sunblight from unleashing terror upon Ten-Towns Running This Chapter Characters who learn of Xardorok's plot to forge a dragon of chardalyn and unleash it upon Ten-Towns might decide to launch a preemptive strike on Xardorok's fortress. This chapter describes the fortress of Sunblight in detail, in the event the adventurers decide to attack it. But the characters are in for a surprise: by the time they arrive, Xardorok has already finished his construct and set it loose, leaving the characters with an agonizing decision: press the attack against the duergar fortress, or intercept the dragon in Ten-Towns. If they choose the latter course, skip over this chapter for now and proceed with chapter 4. The characters are more likely to survive an invasion of Xardorok's fortress if they are at least 4th level. Characters of lower level can succeed if they take frequent rests or have an edge, such as plenty of healing magic or allies to back them up. Speaker's Quest If the characters lack incentive to con...