*NEW* - Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden - An official D&D hardcover campaign run by a pro DM! Saturday 9:00 PM EST (beginners welcome!) *NEW* - Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden - An official D&D hardcover campaign run by a pro DM! Saturday 9:00 PM EST (beginners welcome!) A duergar despot forging a dragon out of chardalyn. A lost city of magic entombed in a glacier. A frozen wilderness trapped in Auril's grip. The horror... Welcome to the Far North... North of the Spine of the World and west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a frigid expanse few dare to explore, let alone inhabit. This icy land of windswept tundra recently became locked in a perpetual, dark winter without reprieve. Auril the Frostmaiden, the divine embodiment of winter’s fury, has withdrawn to this cold corner of the world to live among mortals. Further, she has cast a terrible spell over Icewind Dale, to the detriment of most of its denizens. Each night before midnight, Auril takes to the sky on the back of a white roc and weaves her spell, which manifests as a shimmering curtain of light — a beautiful aurora that illuminates the night sky and fades before dawn. This powerful magic prevents the next day’s sun from rising above the horizon, turning midday into twilight and trapping Icewind Dale in winter’s dark embrace, with no sunlight or warmth to melt the snow and ice. Each casting of the spell leaves the Frostmaiden weakened, with just enough divine power left to barricade the mountain pass with blizzards and churn the Sea of Moving Ice with blistering winds. Such measures discourage travelers from approaching or leaving Icewind Dale, further isolating the region. Icewind Dale has thus been trapped in a different reality from the rest of the world, for though the sun never rises over the dale, it continues to rise everywhere else. The people of Icewind Dale know Auril’s wrath when they feel it, and they have a name for the unending winter she has inflicted on them. They call it the Everlasting Rime. No one understands why the Frostmaiden has imposed her will in this way or why the other gods refuse to challenge her. This prolonged winter, which has gone on for more than two years, threatens to doom not just the flickering lights of civilization known as Ten-Towns but also the indigenous flora and fauna that need sunlight and the change of seasons to survive. Not all creatures are discouraged by what has transpired north of the Spine of the World. The long nights and sunless days are a blessing to Xardorok Sunblight, a duergar who longs to carve out a domain for himself on the surface and enslave the people of Ten-Towns in the process. Already, he has taken advantage of Auril’s magic and raised a fortress amid the dark shadows of the mountains. From here, his underlings strike out across the tundra in search of chardalyn — a crystalline substance known to exist only in Icewind Dale. Once he gathers enough of it, Xardorok plans to construct a chardalyn dragon and unleash it upon Ten-Towns. Despite Auril’s blizzards and other deterrents, visitors still come and go. Among the recent arrivals are four wizards of the Arcane Brotherhood, a powerful society of spellcasters based in Luskan. They’ve come chasing rumors of a lost city buried under the Reghed Glacier — a fragment of the long-gone Empire of Netheril, whose wizards wielded magic that terrified the gods. Netherese magic has a way of attracting power-hungry wizards, as members of the Arcane Brotherhood often are. The cities of Netheril floated among the clouds, making them almost impervious to assault for centuries. Then, nearly two thousand years ago, this floating city crashed during the fall of the empire, and no one has found or explored it since. It is, arguably, Icewind Dale’s greatest secret — a necropolis of Netherese wizards and the magic they left behind. What survived the crash is anyone’s guess, but we’re about to find out! Game Details Campaign: Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden (Forgotten Realms) Date: Weekly sessions every Saturday Time: 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM EST Place: Virtual tabletop on Roll20, voice chat on Discord Duration: Sessions last 3-4 hours Payment: $15 per player per session via PayPal Roll20's required payment disclaimer: "This game will require payment to the Game Master at a rate of $15 per session via PayPal. Roll20 is not responsible for any payment transactions and cannot enforce any private arrangements." Why Pay to Play? Practically everyone is clamoring to get into a free game online, but there aren't nearly enough experienced DMs to satisfy the demand. Most people endure disappointing experiences like this: After spending your valuable time laboriously filling out applications, you get rejected more often than not due to the scores of people applying to play each free game. When you do get accepted, players don't show up or are unprepared. Sometimes the DM doesn't show up or is unprepared. It's a frustrating grind to go through time after time, especially when all you want to do is relax and have fun playing. Here are some of the reasons why professionally-run paid games provide a superior experience: Charging a modest per-person fee virtually eliminates player no-shows. The small fee also ensures that everyone in the group is committed to the session. The maturity level is exponentially higher in paid games. People don't abandon the group and quit the campaign when something doesn't go their way. The gaming experience provided by a professional DM is eminently more enjoyable than what you get in a free game. Material costs associated with running a top-shelf game are covered. Roll20 charges fees for the token, map, and card collections associated with each module, while the actual hardcover books and DM Guild downloads must be purchased separately. The DM's Roll20 Pro membership ensures that players have access to all of the extras, including D&D 5e Compendium integration, API scripts, and more. Custom-designed tokens for your characters are included. Extra help for beginners at no charge. An immersive experience that includes advanced role-play techniques, effects, and completely original game materials that aren't available anywhere else. About the Dungeon Master I've been running Dungeons and Dragons games for decades. I take my time customizing each adventure with story lines and subplots that aren't found in the officially published material. As a result, even people who have read the material or previously played or run it will enjoy a unique experience that isn't found anywhere else. My game preparation is unparalleled. I read and familiarize myself with every detail about a campaign before we even play the first session. Then I review key points before each subsequent session, all while interweaving character backstories into the written material. Wizard of the Coast's rule master Jeremy Crawford encourages people to play D&D with RAF (Rules As Fun) in mind. So don't be surprised if we place RAF over RAW (Rules As Written). Creativity is always appreciated and rewarded. Role-playing is encouraged, but isn't required. Beginners are encouraged to apply, and will be welcomed into our gaming family with open arms. Job one for me as DM is to ensure that every single player at the table has a good time. I take that responsibility very seriously. So if you play through a campaign with me, it will be a fun experience that you will remember and cherish well after it's over. What's more, I don't do this alone. I'm proud to lead a team of dedicated and hard-working Game Masters (GM's) who help run the sessions. Players often have access to both myself and a GM for help with things like character creation, backstory development, and mechanical Q & A. My team works together to provide a wonderful ongoing experience to every participating player. Character Creation Characters begin the adventure at Level 1 and play continues on a weekly basis until the book has been completed. If you have little or no experience playing D&D online, don't worry. I can help you with your character creation prior to the first session upon request at no additional charge. I can also provide ongoing help as you progress. Request an Invite to Play If you'd like to request an invite to play, then simply send me a private message with the following information: Your name: Campaign name/day/time: Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, Saturday, 6:00 PM PST / 9:00 PM PST Your Discord ID and number: Briefly describe what you're looking for in a gaming experience: Your online D&D experience: none / beginner / intermediate / expert Your overall D&D experience: none / beginner / intermediate / expert Do you understand that the game costs $15 per player per session via PayPal? Provide a few details about your character such as name, class, race, and backstory. (It's OK if you haven't decided yet.) Note: If you get an error message when you try to send me a private message, then please post your application here in this thread . Don't forget to include your Discord name/number. (Remember, it's cAsE sEnSiTiVe.) <a href="https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/254263/star-new-star-icewind-dale-rime-of-the-frostmaiden-an-official-dandd-hardcover-campaign-run-by-a-pro-dm" rel="nofollow">https://app.roll20.net/lfg/listing/254263/star-new-star-icewind-dale-rime-of-the-frostmaiden-an-official-dandd-hardcover-campaign-run-by-a-pro-dm</a>