The Sea of Moving Ice
The Sea of Moving Ice is a frigid, ice-choked ocean expanse situated between the subzero glaciers of Icewind Dale and the northern city of Luskan. Known for its shifting floes, freezing gales, and treacherous waters, this remote region historically served as the lair of the ancient white dragon Cryovain, the Everfrost. The sea itself is notoriously dangerous to navigate, carrying city-sized ice floes that can easily crush the hulls of unprepared vessels, and is frequently blanketed by thick, unnatural fogs that mask hidden, rocky hazards.
Cryovain’s Abandoned Lair
The dragon originally nested in the Sea of Moving Ice under the command of the Firbolg cleric Hrothgar Hillsfar (later known as Farwald), who sought to isolate the white dragon’s freezing influence away from civilized lands. Cryovain eventually chose to abandon his lair, fleeing south to haunt the Sword Mountains.
The Voyage of the Providence Queen
During their quest to hunt the white dragon, the adventurers known as the Magnificent Five chartered The Providence Queen, a vessel commanded by Captain Eriac and First Mate Nika. The ship sailed from Neverwinter towards the northern shores of the Sea of Moving Ice, targeting the coast west of Luskan.
On the fourth morning of the voyage, an impenetrable and magical fog enveloped the ship, causing it to run aground on an uncharted, rocky island nestled within the ice.
The Morkoth’s Island
This island was a bizarre sanctuary of stolen relics, strange knickknacks, and priceless art accumulated over centuries. At its heart lay a deep cave ruled by a telepathic Morkoth. The creature possessed the ability to charm intruders, lure them to its lair, and project and reflect magical spells back at their casters. After a chaotic skirmish where the Morkoth turned the mind of the rogue Erevyn against his allies, the paladin Gilmore slew the beast from his magical broom. The party plundered the Morkoth’s hoard—recovering 5,000 platinum pieces and jewels, alongside 3,000 gold pieces’ worth of priceless, ancient artworks—before repairing The Providence Queen and continuing their journey.
Northern Landfall and the Frost Giants
Following the Morkoth’s defeat, The Providence Queen completed its voyage through the grinding ice. Captain Eriac refused to push deeper into the extreme northern reaches of the Sea of Moving Ice, citing the city-sized ice floes and the ultimate rule of seafaring survival: “the one thing a ship’s captain never does is trust someone who isn’t on his crew.”
The party was dropped off via a dinghy crewed by a sailor named Mittens onto a narrow pebble beach. Directly behind this beach, the sheer cliffs of the Throat of the World Mountains rise into the subzero sky.
The northern end of the Sea of Moving Ice is the undisputed territory of the Frost Giants, the distant, giant-kin cousins of the Firbolgs. Known for their complex society, which values martial strength above all else, these giants are highly territorial and have been known to deliberately trigger massive avalanches down the mountain passes to crush and raid traveling caravans.