To quote princess Irulan, the beginning is a delicate time. The adventureres will start in a mountain village of human and/or half-frostling barbarians in the northwestern corner of the Dragonspine mountains on Arcadia's main continent of Gaia.
The village is called Soldatendorf and is picturesquely situated at the shore of a kidney-shaped fresh-water lake called the Eye of Elhonna in the Icewind Dale. The lake is about two miles long and a mile wide and teems with fish and bird life. Its waters come from rainfall and the small mountain spring, called the Jolly, that issues into it the melted snow and ice of the main ridges of the Dragonspine mountains.
The ridges run west-northwest to east-southeast and comparatively quickly pick up slope from the shores of the lake. Thick deciduous forest covers the slopes for many miles until the green of the forest is replaced with the white of the snow further up. Above the permanent snow line, there are virtually no trees - just rock and ice. Here is the realm of frosty winds, avalanches, and occasional deep cold fogs. While this portion of the Dragonspine mountains does not exceed 4000 yards altitude, it is still formidable and forbidding if picturesque region. It requires skill and knowledge for survival as well as patience and perseverance.
Soldatendorf has sprung over ancient ruins dating at least as far as the Age of Order, for they clearly bear the markings of imperial architecture. The ruins themselves were an imperial castle outpost from the days of the Age of Order. The outpost had a triple purpose. First, it controlled the very important local source of food and fresh water -- the Eye. Second, it provided a shelter and roadside stop for the passing trading caravans between the dwarven Kar'Ragad'Dan mines and the Liskarrii plains. And third, it was an early warning signal station for the imperial infrastructure in case of a goblinoid or giantkin threat. The name itself, Soldatendorf, means "soldier's village" in one of the ancient tongues. Soldatendorf has a population of several thousand of mostly human and frostling descent, but also a decent minority of dwarves and halflings.
The castle itself had a simple but efficient design - an irregular hexagon with two small towers over the gates and a citadel in the far upper corner. As with any citadel, the idea was to pull back to the higher grounds and tougher wall in case the outer defenses failed. The castle is the residence of the local jarl, Gunnar Stonefist, as well as the food storage, armory, and the location of the smithy. In times of trouble, some of the population can be pulled inside the outer perimeter, but it cannot be contained in the citadel.
The citadel is a hexagonal building of four levels above ground and two levels below ground. L1 is the Hall of Warriors, L2 is armory, L3 is personal quarters of Gunnar and Hildegard, L4 is observation tower and Hilde's laboratory. The levels below are mostly storage (B and SB). The Hall of Warriors is where Gunnar and Hilde hold their social gatherings - mostly feasts for local friends and out-of-town guests. Frequent visitors are Fizbizdingar, Conlan, and Arnulf, as well as a number of warriors and traders. The Hall is long and collonaded. It starts with a heavy set of double doors of blackwood wrought with iron and ends with a single trapezoidal door, which leads to Gunnar's throne room. The Hall contains a gigantic table of polished blackwood, with benches running on both sides for the guests to sit on and feast. The walls of the Hall are decorated with numerous trophies from battles with both humanoid and beast, including weapons, furs, personal crests, banners, and artpieces. Big round metal chandeliers hang on heavy chains from the stone ceiling.
The throne room beyond is similar in design but much smaller and lacks the table. At its far end stands the podium with Gunnar's throne. The throne is big enough to contain both Gunnar and Hilde. The floor is covered with animal furs and there are a few wooden X-chairs for guests.
The castle's outer perimeter contains Conlan's smithy (which is also his house) and Fizbizdingar's Magic Shoppe (which is also his house). Conlan forges tools as well as weapons and armor and would both sell and buy. Conlan is a skilled weaponsmith, so all his weapons and armor are of at least average quality. He also has a small number of excellent non-magical items, as well as a small collection of magical items, which he can sell if given a really good price. Conlan is also proficient in leatherworking.
Fizbizdingar keeps a magic shoppe together with Hilde. He is an old human mage, whose knowledge and versatility are a welcome complement to Hilde's sorcery. The two have arrangements for joint operation of the shop, as well as joint magical research and crafting. The Shoppe would mostly sell scrolls, potions, and spell components, but there also are a few magical items available. In addition, the shoppe provides various magical services, e.g. identification and curse removal.
The town outside the castle is made mostly of log-houses, stores, and shops. There are a number of fishermen and fish traders around the dock, as well as carpenters, leather workers, and hunters. The most prominent merchant in the town is Rashid Al'Ramain. He is a wily elderly azrac with big business savvy and good connections. His Emporium is at the center of the Merchants Street and sells all sorts of commodities ranging from commonplace housewares to exotic magical items.
Weary travelers as well as locals in search of a good drink come to "The Ruddy Wench", a good inn with a big bar area. The owner is the ruddy wench herself, Brunie, a rather amicable and robust human redhead in her fifties. She taps drinks, assigns rooms, slaps drunkards, and lords over the several young kitchenmaids and waitresses. Brunie also sells food supplies, but nothing that cannot be found in Rashid's Emporium or at the docks.
The local healer, Arnulf, is an elderly human, who prefers to live in seclusion in his small hut deeper in the forest. A well-trodden path leads from Soldatendorf to his hut, for his lore is invaluable and his curative abilities unsurpassed. His hut is simultaneously a living space, a witchdoctor's infirmary, and an alchemical laboratory, so he has numerous tools, devices, jars, and dried herbs. Arnulf is considered a weird cranky old man, so people respect his desire for privacy and leave him alone unless they need his skills. Apart from treating wounds and curing ailments, Arnulf brews potions, writes priestly scrolls, removes curses, and makes balms and charms.
The politics in Soldatendorf is rather simple, at least at first sight. The man in charge is Gunnar, for he is the jarl. His wife, Hilde, holds almost equal respect, for she is not simply the jarl's woman, but also a powerful sorceress of her own. Gunnar and Hilde took over Soldatendorf in 550 oE from the previous jarl, Brazar. Brazar was a brazen fool, whose failures through stupidity and rashness could not be remedied by his excessive violence and underhandedness. Gunnar and Hilde were looked upon as liberators when they confronted and defeated Brazar and his cronies.
In 554 oE, Fizbizdingar and Arnulf came to Soldatendorf as emigres, just like Gunnar and Hilde before them. Fizbizdingar felt this was a nice little town to settle in and devote himself to his studies. It was also on a trade route, which meant info and business for a wizard. Fizbizdingar took to liking Hilde as a colleague, and eventually an older daughter, to which she responded with respect and appreciation. Fizbizdingar is also the favorite of the town kids, because he likes giving them candy and entertaining them with some flashy magic tricks.
Arnulf is a different matter. While not morose or rude, he is extremely reclusive and private. While not very sociable, he took to liking Gunnar and Hilde, although for some reason he is a bit uneasy about Fizbizdingar - it is felt that he does not like mages very much.
Gunnar keeps a tight professional operation. His guards are few but well trained and equipped. He also has half a dozen henchmen, which are personally loyal to him and are not really hirelings. Gunnar also has a pet -- a big sabretooth tiger called Rex.
The two well-known stories about Gunnar (apart from his ascension to the jarlhood of Soldatendorf) are how he got his name and how he met the tiger.
When Gunnar was thirteen, some ruffian laid a hand on his mother. Gunnar smashed the ruffian's face in with his fist, killing him instantly. Witnesses accordingly forged the nickname "stonefist".
Once Gunnar was travelling through the snowy mountains when an avalanche separated him from his companions and took away his equipment. When he dug himself out of the snow, Gunnar got attacked by a sabretooth tiger. They wrestled and clawed at each other for almost a day before they both collapsed from exhaustion. Viewing the situation with a certain dose of humor, Gunnar started laughing heartily, at which point the sabretooth crawled up to him and licked his hand in a sign of friendship. They have been inseparable every since.
The PC party is officially founded on October 2nd, 562 oE, as then is their first meeting and battle together -- with the orc assassins in the Hall of Warriors.