History TabletopGame / IcewindDaleRimeOfTheFrostmaiden

* ArcVillain: Xardorok Sunblight serves as the main antagonist of the first portion of the story, with his plans for the Ten Towns being what the party is trying to stop.

** [[spoiler:Auril herself can theoretically be this, as the party can theoretically defeat her during their first visit to her island, leaving the Ythryn section left to do.]]

* DiscOneFinalBoss: While it depends on the specific quests the party gets, the main antagonist for the first arc of the game is Xardorok Sunblight, but he's far from the ultimate threat of the story and unless the party seriously sequence breaks, will likely defeat him far before they confront Auril.

** One of the secrets players can start with involves having penned a tract on prominent families from Baldur's Gate and Waterdeep engaging in devil worship. Previous Fifth Edition campaigns bring you into conflict with those families, and if you joined Jarlaxle in Waterdeep: Dragon Heist, you may have helped deliver the tract to the local newspaper.

** Nass Lantomir is the ghost of a wizard who froze to death searching for ''The Codicil of White'', the same book that the players need to find; she will attempt to possess any player she can in order to accomplish this. Finding it allows her pass on.
** High Necromancer Cadavix of Ythryn haunts the ruins of his tower after being crushed to death when it collapsed during the fall. He won't hurt the players unless attacked, and just wants to free his body from the ruins in order to pass on.
** The entire orchestra of Ythryn remain as ghosts because they were killed when the city fell in the middle of their first performance of ''The Dark Between The Stars'', their magnum opus and proudest accomplishment. If a player takes the conductor's baton and passes performance checks to successfully conduct them through the symphony, they will finally be at peace and pass on.

* NonHumanUndead: Among others, there are [[OurGiantsAreBigger frost giant]] skeletons.

* TomeOfEldritchLore: [[spoiler:''The Codicil of White'' acts as this, which contains various rituals and ceremonies aimed towards the [[ReligionOfEvil worship of Auril]]. It was written by followers of Auril, is kept by the goddess herself within Grimskalle, and is also required to open a path to Ytrhyn as it contains the poem called [[TitleDrop "Rime of the Frostmaiden"]].]]

* PlotArmor: During [[spoiler: the dragon's]] attack on Ten-Towns, the module says that it's vital that Vellynne survives, as she's important to the plot later. Because of that, the book says that she can't drop below 1 hp during this event, and if she's left ''at'' 1 hp she either retreats to a safe position or casts a spell to heal herself at her companion's expense.

* CircleOfStandingStones: One of Ten-Towns' most notable landmarks is the Twenty Stones of Thruun, a ring of megaliths in Dougan's Hole. No one knows who built this structure or why, but it is assumed that the stones have existed long before the town's founding. [[spoiler:[[AllThereInTheManual According to]] Issue #220 of the ''Dungeon'' magazine, the stones are actually named after the immortal Malarite beast that is sealed within, which can only be summoned through a horrific [[HumanSacrifice sacrificial ritual]]. The only time Thruun has ever been released from the stones was in 1485 DR, when Isarr Kronenstrom summoned the beast to attack the town of Good Mead.]]

* CircleOfStandingStones: One of Ten-Towns' most notable landmarks is the Twenty Stones of Thruun, a ring of megaliths in Dougan's Hole. No one knows who built this structure or why, but it is assumed that the stones have existed long before the town's founding. [[spoiler:[[AllThereInTheManual According to]] Issue #220 of the ''Dungeon'' magazine, the stones are named after the immortal Malarite beast that is sealed within, and can only be summoned through a horrific [[HumanSacrifice sacrificial ritual]]. The only time Thruun has been released from the stones was in 1485 DR, when Isarr Kronenstrom summoned the beast to attack Good Mead.]]

* FightingAShadow: As per usual for ''Forgotten Realms'' deities, [[spoiler:killing Auril will only be nothing more than an annoyance for her since she will be resurrected at the next winter solstice anyway. On the bright side, it does screw up this current plan.]]

* FightingAShadow: As per usual for ''Forgotten Realms'' deities, [[spoiler:killing Auril will only be nothing more than an annoyance for her since she will be resurrected at the next winter solstice anyway.]]

* FeudingFamilies: The Akannathi and the Thuunlakalaga are two [[MountainMan goliath]] clans who refuse to get along, and competition between them is fierce and often violent. [[spoiler:The feud can be traced back to a young Ogolai Thuunlakalaga being scarred by an Akannathi griffon during a game of goat-ball between the two clans, which led her clan to send a group of hunters to kill said griffon in retaliation, [[CycleOfRevenge angering the Akannathi into retaliation.]]]] Depending on the adventurers' choices, either one of the clans will end up destroying the other, or both clans will OvercomeTheirDifferences and unite towards a brighter future for all goliaths.

* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: In Chapter 5, in order to access a particular chamber within Grimskalle [[spoiler:that contains the ''Codicil of White'']], a character must succeed in the four Tests of the Frostmaiden: Cruelty, Endurance, Isolation, and Preservation. These tests reflect the four core tenets of Auril's faith, which only comes to show just how malevolent Auril's followers can be.

* VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with the Island of Solstice as well as Grimskalle, which definitely looks the part but are not the final part of the adventure. Played straight with Ythryn, an ancient Netherese city buried deep within a glacier.

->[[TheStinger DISCLAIMER:]] The windswept tundra of Icewind Dale is the true test of one's mettle. Here, it's survival of the fittest! Don't be fooled by the reindeer with glow-in-the-dark antlers and the tasty knucklehead trout (including the friendlier, more northerly Canucklehead variety). [[GrimUpNorth Icewind Dale is the frostbitten end of the world.]] [[YouPutTheXInXY You can't spell dice without ice]], my friend, and [[AnIcePerson the Frostmaiden]] is not some [[TabletopGame/OutOfTheAbyss demon prince]], [[TabletopGame/CurseOfStrahd vampire]], [[TabletopGame/TombOfHorrors lich]], [[TabletopGame/WaterdeepDragonHeist beholder crime lord]], or [[TabletopGame/BaldursGateDescentIntoAvernus archdevil]]. She's [[GodIsEvil a god—and a cold-hearted one at that.]]

* KillTheGod: [[spoiler:The adventurers can end up killing Auril, with her death putting an end to the Everlasting Rime for good. Though it gets [[DownplayedTrope downplayed]] as Auril can never truly die for as long as [[GodsNeedPrayerBadly there are mortals who continue to worship her]], and she would eventually be resurrected on the next winter solstice. Though by that point, she decides to [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere retreat from the world for the time being to not let herself be defeated by mortals once again.]]]]

* IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten: In Chapter 5, in order to access a particular chamber within Grimskalle [[spoiler:that contains the ''Codicil of White'']], a character must partake in the four Tests of the Frostmaiden: Cruelty, Endurance, Isolation, and Preservation. These tests reflect the four core tenets of Auril's faith, which only comes to show just how malevolent Auril's followers can be.

* FeudingFamilies: The Akannathi and the Thuunlakalaga are two [[MountainMan goliath]] clans who refuse to get along, and competition between them is fierce and often violent. [[spoiler:The feud can be traced back to a young Ogolai Thuunlakalaga being scarred by an Akannathi griffon during a game of goat-ball between the two clans, which led her clan to sending a group of hunters to kill said griffon in retaliation, angering the Akannathi.]] Depending on the adventurers' choices, either one of the clans will eventually destroy the other, or both clans will OvercomeTheirDifferences and unite towards a brighter future for all goliaths.

* HoistByHerOwnPetard: One of the character secrets available for this adventure is the "Midwinter Child", [[spoiler:in which Auril blessed someone with cold resistance because they were born on the Midwinter holiday. As it turns out, this blessing proves to be very useful in surviving Auril's Everlasting Rime, as well as being the deciding factor in the party's battle against the goddess. In the event Auril would be killed, however, the adventurer with the secret would also lose their cold resistance until Auril is resurrected in the next winter solstice.]]