Icewind Dale is an arctic tundra in the far north of Faerûn, the northernmost explored region of the continent. It lies between the Spine of the World mountains to the south and the Reghed Glacier to the north, battered by relentless winds and storms that give the dale its name.
The only permanent civilization consists of the Ten Towns — ten frontier fishing villages clustered around three lakes. Beyond those settlements, the dale is home to nomadic Reghed barbarian tribes, frost giants, roaming tundra yetis, winter wolves, and other cold-weather dangers.
Auril the Frostmaiden holds particular sway over this region, and her worship is especially common here. Bryn Shander is the largest settlement and the commercial heart of the dale.