ADVENTURE BACKGROUND

The Savage Frontier (also known as the North) is a cold, rugged, sparsely populated
land of snow-capped mountains, rocky hills, sprawling forests, and foggy vales.
Isolated strongholds, ancient burial mounds, and the ruins of many forgotten empires
dot this vast landscape. Bounded by the Sea of Swords to the west and the desert of
Anauroch to the east, the Savage Frontier extends as far north as Icewind Dale and as
far south as the town of Daggerford. Old roads stretch across this great expanse, linking
the dwarven strongholds and mines in the mountains to the coastal settlements, frontier
towns, and fortified outposts of humans and other folk. These roads are long, lonely, or
poorly defended, making them dangerous to traverse. In fertile valleys, towns and cities
have sprung up, separated by dozens if not hundreds of miles of untamed wilderness
haunted by bandits, barbarians, and monsters.

Evil dragons stirred into action by their dark queen, Tiamat, threatened the settlements
of the Savage Frontier for a time. Ultimately, they were defeated and forced to withdraw
to their lairs, while Tiamat was banished to the Nine Hells. Fear of the dragons' wrath
has faded quickly with the coming of a new threat: giants. The peoples of the North are
no strangers to giant incursions. Frost giants have long claimed the Spine of the World
as their demesne, and hill giants are known to scrounge for food in the untamed hills.
But now, in the past couple of months, giants of every kind have emerged from their
strongholds in force to threaten civilization as never before-and not just frost giants and
hill giants, but also stone giants, fire giants, and cloud giants. All of the giants are in an
uproar. Reports of giant attacks throughout the North have reached the coastal cities of
Luskan, Neverwinter, and Waterdeep, stoking fears that the giants are waging war
against humans, dwarves, elves, and other small folk.