The Arktos are the most numerous and more friendly of the two Human civilizations, that live in and around Icereach and the Plains of Dust in southern Ansalon. They are referred to as "Icefolk" or "Ice Folk" by outsiders, and are quite a civilized race.
Description[]
Arktos are short in stature (under six foot) and stocky in build. Their faces are usually weathered by middle age, due to the strong winds of Icereach. They most commonly have blue eyes, pale skin and reddish brown hair.
Society[]
The Arktos people are nomadic Fishermen who inhabit the frozen land of Icereach. Their descendants were fishermen who live on the coast of a continent south of Ansalon. The Arktos people are great hunters and well-known creating a weapon called Frostreavers out of special ice found in Icereach, as well as their ice boats, which look like sea going boats with runners attached to the hull. They are known to be fierce warriors and although most can speak Common, they generally do not welcome strangers, nor do they care for the world, outside of their daily struggle to survive.
They live in huts made of animal skins and make their living following fish in their swift ice-skimming Ice Boats. After the winter months, they will take to their boats in the nearby sea to fish. When the fishing is good, they will sell their extra catches in Rigitt.
Each tribe usually has a tribal guardian, an animal that they honor. They have no written history, but a tribal storyteller, who learns all of the important events from his predecessor, can relate their history in story and songs. This historian will relate the stories on a daily basis, singing, acting, and voicing the parts and sounds during the telling.
They are led by a powerful chieftain (Harald Haakan being a famed chieftain during the War of the Lance) who will often be accompanied by a revered cleric, whom serves as an advisor to the chieftain.
These Ice Folk drink powerful beverage distilled from potatoes that is as clear as water. They receive this as trade for their fish.
History[]
War of the Lance[]
During the War of the Lance, many tribes were wiped out by the White Dragonarmy when Feal-Thas was its Highlord. The tribe of Harald Haakan with the help of Elistan and the some of the Heroes of the Lance, went to Icewall and gave the Dragonarmy its first major defeat at the Battle of Ice Wall Castle. The White Wing, and the White Dragon Sleet, were eventually forced out of Icereach, leaving the Ice Folk to continue their struggle to survive in the hostile environment.
Ice Folk Communities[]
References[]
- DL6: Dragons of Ice
- Dragons of the Highlord Skies (PB) p. 138-142, 408-429, 459, 483-490, 513, 596
- The Golden Orb, p. 1, 35, 42
- The Messenger, p. 1, 5, 30, 37, 47, 232
- War of the Lance (Sourcebook), p.100-101
- Winterheim, p.