WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the latest Dungeons & Dragons book, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, available now from Wizards of the Coast.
Like every Dungeons & Dragons adventure, Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden features a ton of new NPCs -- both good and evil -- with whom players can interact. Not every NPC in Rime of the Frostmaiden is incredible, but there are five standout NPCs that DMs and players will undoubtedly love.
Arveiaturace
Available as both a random encounter and as part of the "Dark Duchess" mission, Arveiaturace is an ancient white dragon that is among the most fearsome monsters in all of Icewind Dale. However, as a result of her age, Arveiaturace's eyesight is pretty terrible due to cataracts, and so she generally has to rely on her other senses to hunt her prey.
What makes Arveiaturace stand out in Rime of the Frostmaiden is that she keeps a wizard named Meltharond on her back. While Meltharond has long since died, Arveiaturace has not yet accepted that fact, and she aims to keep her friend and companion safe and on her back. Players can use Meltharond to their advantage so as to escape or defeat the powerful ancient white dragon. Arveiaturace is a great example of how to take an evil being like a dragon and make them entertaining at the same time as giving players options for how to handle a confrontation.
Xardorok Sunblight
Remaining behind the scenes for much of the campaign, Xardorox Sunblight is a lawful evil duergar and one of main antagonists of Rime of the Frostmaiden. Xaradorox seeks to take over Ten-Towns and bring his corner of the Underdark to the surface of Toril, the planet on which the Forgotten Realms is set, while Auril brings eternal night to the region. While Xaradorox thinks he's acting at the behest of his god, Deep Duerra, he's in reality being manipulated by Asmodeus.
What makes Xardorok stand out as a villain is just how much he's pulling the strings behind the scenes. Many locations have duergar hiding in them, looking to steal Chardalyn so as to create the dragon Xardorox seeks to unleash on Ten-Towns. There are virtually no events in the early part of Rime of the Frostmaiden that don't in some way involve Xardorox, and even if he's stopped, the villain finds a way to do some pretty immense damage.
Dzaan's Simulacrum
The Arcane Brotherhood's Dzaan is something of a bust, dying pretty immediately after players arrive in Easthaven. However, the Red Wizard doesn't quite disappear from Rime of the Frostmaiden for good following his death. Instead, as Dzaan was an illusionist, he's created a copy of himself, who is waiting in the Lost Spire of Netheril.
While the Simulacrum is lawful evil and in pretty much every way a copy of his original, there's something deeply charming about the NPC. A large part of this is that Dzaan's Simulacrum is really just looking to find a way to become real using Netherese technology, and he's willing to do anything to accomplish that goal. It's certainly possible he might oppose the player later, but Dzaan's Simulacrum, for the most part, just wants to be a real boy, and that's definitely endearing.
Spellix Romwod
A chaotic neutral gnome, Spellix Romwod is certainly a paragon of his alignment. Prior to the events of Rime of the Frostmaiden, Spellix was travelling with a caravan that was attacked by goblins. While his companions were captured by the goblins, Spellix scavenged materials from the wreck and combined it with a silent image spell so as to pass as a half-metal goblin. Due to a malfunction with his mechanical mouth, though, he was unable to stop grinding his teeth, which earned him the goblin name Yarb-Gnock (Ever-Gnawing). From there, Romwod used his abilities to become Chief of the goblin prison-fort Karkolohk.
When players arrive at Karkolohk, Romwod has two possible goals: Make peace with Ten-Towns, or flee the prison-fort. While the former is certainly a potentially interesting story, the latter fits well with the happenings at Karkolohk. As it turns out, the goblins absolutely detest gnomes, and they're starting to suspect something might be wrong with Yarb-Gnock. One goblin, a healer named Manafek, already knows Romwod's secret, meaning things are about to come to a head.
Romwod's backstory reads like the aftermath of a particularly eventful Dungeons & Dragons campaign, mixing chaos with a tendency to fall backwards into a rapidly depleting good fortune. All of the terrible things that have happened to Romwod are the result of his actions and chaotic nature, making him a truly memorable NPC.
Angajuk
An awakened sperm whale, players summon Angajuk by ringing his bell. When he appears, the nearly 200-year-old whale arrives with a boat on his back. Thanks to a magic bubble he's able to create around the boat, Angajuk can transport players to the Sea of Moving Ice to face Auril in the later chapters of the adventure. If players choose to use Angajuk to reach Auril, the going is slow but safe, as the sperm whale delights in showing the party all sorts of incredible things under the sea.
Not only is Angajuk one of the most helpful characters in Rime of the Frostmaiden, he also represents the fantastic imaginative power of Dungeons & Dragons. And that's why Angajuk is one of Rime of the Frostmaiden's best NPCs.
Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden is on sale now from Wizards of the Coast.