To folk from other parts of Faerûn, the Shaar seems to be a vast expanse of nothingness that presents an unfortunate obstacle to trade among other lands. The fierce barbaric nomads and dangerous beasts that roam its grassy plains appear to spend all their time attacking caravans and fighting over precious water. Indeed, many feel that everyone would be better off if the Shaar just disappeared.

But this immense sea of gently rolling hills is far more diversified and wondrous than most people understand. The Shaar is a land of hardship and fierce people, certainly, but it also, offers a bounty of unusual cultures, varied resources, and trade opportunities found nowhere else. Humans are not the only nomadic creatures living on the plains. Wemics, Centaurs, Thri-kreen, and Loxo also roam the Shaar, hunting the great herd animals for food and constantly squabbling over water rights. From time to time, Gnolls, Perytons, Manticores, Wyverns, and Dragons challenge the nomads for supremacy of the area.

Of all the regions of the Shining South, the Shaar is perhaps the most complex in terms of its great variety of races and cultures. Some races - such as the gold dwarves, of the Great Rift, the humans in the trading centers, or the reclusive wild elves and ghostwise halflings of the various forests - are firmly entrenched in their ancestral homes. Many others - including humans, wemics, centaurs, and others - roam the grasslands as nomadic tribes, coexisting in a never-ending cycle of hunting and gathering. Still other races visit the Shaar only occasionally, yet their presence impacts every native creature's way of life in profound ways. Few outsiders fully understand the delicate balance that maintains the Shaar, but the grassy sea has been the same for many centuries, and all who are part of it accept it as an intrinsic element of their very existences.

Sometimes referred to as the Drakewood, the Sharawood sits between Azulduth, Lake of Salt to the northwest and the Toadsquat Mountains to the south. Thick and overgrown with tropical vines and flowering creepers, the Sharawood holds many secrets, since few sentient beings have ventured into its murky interior. The nomads of the plains occasionally come to the edge of this forest to gather herbs, hunt for food, or hide from their enemies, but they rarely venture deeper into the woods because of the many Sword Spiders that dwell there.

As if the spiders didn't present enough danger, a traditional story says that a terrible undead creature that steals people's bodies and turns them into zombie slaves haunts the Sharawood. In fact, this tale is not far removed from the truth. An extremely old and powerful Dracolich known only as the Everlasting Wyrm inhabits the darkest, deepest part of the Sharawood, ruminating on its nefarious plots and slowly collecting a brood of minions. Though it keeps to itself and tries to remain unnoticed by the nomads of the plains, it does not hesitate to enslave any tribesfolk who discover its existence. The Dracolich's worst enemies are the Knights of the Eternal Dragon, a group of undead stalwarts hidden away in the ruins of the Castle Al'hanar, just south of the Sharawood. Once every century, the knights arise and charge into the woods to do battle with the Dracolich and its horde of living spawn. Though the knights always destroy the Dracolich and all its minions, this battle seems doomed to play out over and over until the end of time because true to its name, the Everlasting Wyrm simply reforms over a decade or two and begins its machinations again.

Since the Spellplague, hidden deep inside it is a city ruled over by Xavarathimius, the Everlasting Wyrm, an Ancient Green Dracolich. The city is largely populated by Lizardfolk, who revere the Everlasting Wyrm, as well as the Dracolich's numerous undead slaves.

The Shaar is a most effective barrier between the Heartlands and the Shining South, effective through its own emptiness. The Shaar is dominated by miles upon miles of thick grassland, and peopled only by nomads, herdsmen, and raiders. Yet, strange temples and abandoned shrines to lost gods dot the lands, and some of the wanderers encountered wield great mystical powers. Mighty winds powerful enough to overturn wagons and lift mounts into the air are common. The region known as Eastern Shaar is sparser, less green, and more of a wasteland. Larger than the Shaar in area and more arid, it is separated from the Shaar by a ridge known as the Landrise. The Eastern Shaar is free of any major features save for the huge chasm known as the Great Rift.

The Beastlands are a region of plains at the eastern end of the Shaar. It was home to various non-human monstrous tribes who were allied in a loose confederation for self-defense. The eastern edge of this region was formed by the Giant's Belt Mountains, a range which separated the plains from the desert to the east.

Veldorn is a savage land of poorly defined borders. To many, it is considered the Beastlands, a home of monsters. Each clan of monsters is said to be ruled by a “beast lord”, who plot and scheme against each other for control over the Beastlands and the lands beyond. Travelling through these lands is unsafe to do unarmed. Caravans without guards are invariably attacked and the monsters of Veldorn see little problem with attacking anyone who stumbles into what they consider to be their territory. As such, most folk tend to steer far clear of these barbaric lands.

Yes, those tales your mother told you were true: There is a land of monsters, ruled by monsters, and this is it. They eat caravans whole along the Trade Way, love to raid the camps of outlanders who will all be too dead to hit back, and dream of ruling all Faerûn. Avoid the place or be eaten, as the old maps say.

— Anonymous Harper agent

The Toadsquat Mountains, or the Little Mountains, formed the northern border of Luiren in the Shining South in 1367 DR.

This mountain range was infested with ogres. Attracted by the mountain's rich silver deposits, dwarves helped clear some of the ogre tribes in the east to gain access to mines. The western Toadsquats were known to be full of goblins that harried the trade roads around Delzimmer. Rage drakes were also commonly found as far south as the Toadsquats. Criosphinxes were also sometimes encountered in the region.

The Toadsquat Mountains were slumped alongside the Beastlands' southern shore. Among their secrets, the fortress of Castle Al'hanar, which resided on the west bank of Blood Lake.

The Toadsquat Mountains used to be known as a range of short mountains, home to many goblins and ogres. During the Spellplague, much of the mountain range was transferred to Abeir; only returning during the Second Sundering. Those few who have dared to visit the mountains since their return have spoken of the many strange monsters that now inhabit it, most notably the wyvern-riding tribe of hobgoblins who patrol the mountain passes.

Castle Al'hanar was a ruined fortress located in the Toadsquat Mountains on the border of the Sharawood, built during the time of the Kingdom of Eltabranar. It was rumored to contain more magic in one location than any other place since the reign of the Imaskari.

This castle was once the base of the Order of the Undying Dragon, an order of Myrkul, who swore themselves to the destruction of the Everlasting Wyrm.

Foreigners view Rashemen as a mysterious, magical land of harsh winters ruled by masked witches and populated by berserkers. Far away from the southern climates and the warming oceans, it is a barren waste of frozen plains and snow-covered mountains where a person can freeze to death overnight even in the middle of summer. Such talk is exaggeration, but it is based in truth. Much of Faerûn owes its safety and security to Rashemen, for this small nation has held its own against the armies and collected magic of Thay time and again, sparing Thay's other neighbors from the attentions of the Red Wizards.

Magic has sculpted Rashemen's geography as much as wind and weather. Caught between the warring nations of Narfell and Raumathar long ago, Rashemen is a place of ancient wizardry and powerful spirits (called telthors) tied to the features of the land. Spirits guard the forests, mountains, and waterways against defilers - in some places, every stone and sapling has its own guardian. The local folk respect and take care to not offend the spirits, which are said to punish those who are callous toward them and bear grudges against communities for years.

In addition to its native spirits, Rashemen features many old sites of battle between the dead warring nations, and from time to time dormant spells are awakened, rocking the land with earthquakes, freakish storms, and strange monsters. Fortunately, most of these battlefields are in the northern, less populated reaches of the country. The icy lakes and rivers that form Rashemen's western border are enough to deter casual aggressors, and the fury of its native sons and daughters drives off all but the most determined attackers. The people of Rashemen love their home despite its dangers and prefer to keep it untarnished by the footprints of ignorant visitors.

Rashemen's southern border continues east from Lake Mulsantir along the Gorge of Gaurosto the Sunrise Mountains. Evil humanoids and natural predators make life dangerous for travelers and prospectors here. The border runs north past the ruins of Citadel Rashemar, which is inhabited by fell creatures and ruled by a powerful hag sorcerer, then north and northeast along the edge of the Endless Waste until it reaches the Icerim Mountains. Frost giants, frost worms, taers, and white dragons lurk in the Icerims, but these creatures dislike the relative warmth of the flatlands and are rarely seen there. The southern edge of the Icerims forms the country's northern border to the Falls of Erech, which flow downstream to join Lake Ashane.

Most interesting features of Rashemen are confined to its southern parts. The eastern side of Lake Ashane cradles the Ashenwood, a wild forest inhabited by hungry monsters. East of the Ashenwood are the Running Rocks, a leg of the Sunrise Mountains reputed to have mystical powers and connections to the Underdark. The Urlingwood to the north is controlled by the Witches and forbidden to all others under penalty of death. In the middle of the southern flatlands is Lake Tirulag, fed by rivers originating in the forests and inhabited by an "ice dragon."

"Old Wise Woman"

"Iron Lord"

Rashemi Barbarians

"Exiled Witch"

Durthans are a secretive order of spellcasters who tap into the darker spirits of Rashemen and fey the Wychlaran have deemed to wicked to consort with. They use their powers to punish their enemies and those who have offended the spirits. The Durthans seek to wrest control of their homeland from the Wychlarans and rule it with greater protection from Rashemen's enemies, even using foreign magic and knowledge to expand Rashemen's power. Most Durthans feel that the only way to protect Rashemen is to be as ruthless as its enemies. Durthans' abilities are greater than other spellcasters while they are within the borders of Rashemen.

Durthans work together, although they protect their identities behind masks and pretend that they are of the Wychlaran order to fool others into thinking they are in good standing. They are more open to using arcane arts and more progressive modern practices of other nations that are traditionally taboo. Durthans are covetous of power, sharing spells with others only if the recipient is useful to the greater cause.

Within Rashemen, they plot against the Wychlaran hierarchy, send angry spirits to punish the careless, and manipulate the secular rulers. Individual Durthans work on elements of these plans or pursue their own agendas, usually with the help of trusted minions and whatever spirits they have bound to their will.

Outside their sacred homeland, the Durthans assassinate or spy upon enemy factions and regions, recruit Rashemi women who might be turned to their cause, and work to recover Rashemi spells and magic items. They are not above using seductive feminine wiles to achieve their ends, which is not traditional behavior for Rashemi women.

In the Year of the Coven, 595 DR, the Durthans attempted to overthrow the order and seize Rashemen. Strife between the Hathrans and their dark sisters lasted for decades, but the Durthans were eventually defeated.

The Durthans secretly used the Erech Forest similar to how the Hathrans used the Urlingwood. They constructed Citadel Tralkarn within the forest. When Thay became embroiled in civil war, the Wychlaran, seized the opportunity to deal with a growing internal threat. In what is now known as the Witch War of Rashemen, the Wychlaran and their commander, the Iron Lord, fought against the Durthans and their allies.

In the end, the Wychlaran prevailed and the Durthans were no more. While the Erech Forest served as the hidden refuge of the Durthans for some time, in the years following the civil Witch Wars in 14th century DR it is home to the witches' ghosts, left to haunt their former home.

While the Wychlaran serve Rashemen as judges, rulers, priests, and warriors, men with spellcasting ability are segregated from their kin as Vremyonni, or "Old Ones." Divine spellcasters such as clerics or druids are not required to set themselves apart in this way, but Rashemi expect Wychlaran to placate the spirits and intercede with the gods, so male clerics or druids do not have a role in society. Most become hermits or eventually join a berserker lodge (after multiclassing as barbarians) and become advisors to these elite brotherhoods.

Men who happen to be arcane spellcasters have no such option. They must secret themselves among the hidden villages and cavern strongholds of the Vremyonni, or they must leave Rashemen. To refuse this command is death. Most Old Ones accept this as the way of things and do not begrudge their seclusion. In their hidden refuges, they become expert weaponsmiths and item-crafters, creating potent magic weapons for the Berserkers and Wychlaran in defense of the land. On very rare occasions, When Rashemen faces the direst threats, Vremyonni take the field and march to war alongside the Wychlaran. Masked like their Hathran sisters, each binds himself to a Hathran with a short length of silken cord, and the paired spellcasters work as deadly teams.

Outcasts

Hagspawn are not a complete race, as there are no females of their kind. Hags continue their lineage by taking human males for mates. The female children of a hag quickly grow into hags like their mothers, but the male children are Hagspawn, half-human outcasts. Feared and hated by normal humans, Hagspawn must make their way in the world by their strength, hardiness, and sheer determination.

Hagspawn usually take simple human names for themselves in the language of their home region. In Rashemen, these include Bor, Dor, Josel, Kurg, Sergel, and Vladir. Some claim their father’s surname, while others who do not care to hide their heritage call themselves “Hagson,” or use their mother’s name.

Hagspawn are found in any land but are especially common where many hags dwell. In Rashemen, Hagspawn are infamous for their supposed tempers, violent natures, and depraved crimes that prejudiced neighbors falsely accuse them of, and they can expect no welcome in a Rashemi village. A few individuals have overcome this social stigma by proving themselves loyal and true, but most Hagspawn either leave Rashemen or die bitter and young, having finally done something to rouse their neighbors against them. We Durthans work to find Hagspawn before they reach such ends and train them to be Runescarred Beserkers.

Hagspawn Runescarred Beserkers are deadly barbarians who bear magical runes carved into their flesh and are among the most feared of Rashemen’s defenders. They are loyal bodyguards to the Druthans of the land and stand ready to unleash a storm of martial fury at a single word from any Druthan. Many Runescarred Berserkers bind themselves to a single Druthan and protect her with their very lives, but others become guardians of Bheur grannies or take up a simple existence as a wandering defender of the Rashemi people despite their hatred.

For human Runescarred Beserkers the word of a Wychlaran is law in Rashemen, but Runescarred Berserkers carry a weight of authority almost as great in some quarters of the land. When the Durthan rule, Hagspawn Runescarred Beserkers will have the respect they deserve.

The Feywild responds to unfettered emotion. It's not uncommon for flowers to turn and tremble if there's a heated argument nearby. If someone is filled with malice, their footprints might wither the grass under their feet or cause underground insects and worms to burrow to the surface. Birds chirp merrily in the presence of those who are joyous and squawk angrily at those who are perpetually dour. Nosy trees lean in to overhear whispers of conspiracy, eager for delicious tidbits they can gossip about later, and a rock might reshape itself to look like the creature that's happily sunning itself on the rock's surface. Time and distance in the Feywild are mutable, as is the plane's geography. Roads are uncommon, and those that exist are as likely to change as the land around them. Because the distance between locations is not fixed and dilations in time are commonplace, a journey that took one hour yesterday might take three days tomorrow. Feywild natives are accustomed to the plane's mutability. For them, it's no more peculiar than the sun rising and setting on a Material Plane world. Other features of the Feywild are described in the sections that follow. Think of them as a sampling of what the Feywild has to offer, for like the Material Plane, the Feywild is vast and diverse.

The Feywild, also known as the plane of Faerie, existed as an "echo" of the Prime Material Plane. It was from here that the fey originated, giving the Feywild its name, and it was also a place of unusually potent magic.

The Feywild bears untamed expanses of rugged forests full of towering trees lush with leaves. Perfect prairies carpeting the regions between pristine mountain peaks soaring into flawless clouds. Emerald, turquoise and jade green seas crash across never-ending beaches. The skies are lit by the twilight of a sun that neither rises nor sets allowing the stars to peek from far away. When storms roll through the lands coal-dark raging leviathans riling up the winds and torrential rains cover the lands. In this world, arcane power thrums through every tree and rock. All existence is magical.

The creatures that inhabit this world are the fey and come in many forms. Most of the fey were created on this plane by deities or were formed as an echo of the creations in the material plane. In the rare case, some beings manifested on their own.

Every day in Feywild equals a week on the Material Plane, this time catches up to any person traveling back to the Material Plane. If one spends too much time on Feywild, moving back to Eberron might suddenly kill the person of old age.

Domains of Delight are to the Feywild what Domains of Dread are to the Shadowfell: sequestered realms governed by powerful beings. Whereas a Domain of Dread is ruled by a Darklord, a Domain of Delight is ruled by an archfey—the most powerful of Fey creatures. An archfey gives form to their Domain of Delight, shaping it in ways unique to their personality. Some Domains of Delight are bright and cheery, while others are gloomy, but each one reflects the emotional state of its ruler. A Domain of Delight can be as small as a few acres or as big as a country.

Granny Fey

Bheurs appear as wrinkled beldams, gaunt as if they have survived hard times by subsisting on inedible matter. Fittingly, they have pallid, blue-white skin like they had died of hypothermia and pale hair as white as snow or black as night. The flesh surrounding their muted eyes is dark as if it is bruised and their voices were like howling winter winds. They are known to wear ragged, grey-blue shawls and often carry gnarled, wooden staffs taller than themselves, the gray bark contrasting against the dry blood that typically stained their hands. They are also reported to have the ability to disguise themselves as ordinary crones.

Winter hags are creatures of cruel depravity that live for the pleasure of bringing icy doom to as many people as it can. They consider selfish actions justified by unrelenting circumstances, normally overpowering cold, especially enticing. Powerful and malevolent, Bheurs sometimes enlist the aid of Orglashes to help them smite folk with terrible cold. Using their mastery of cold weather, they spread misery and despair to communities during winter seasons with intent to create enough desperation to instill a miserly mindset.

The pitiful attempts of unprepared mortals to survive, such as eating leather in place of actual food, their suffering and the suffering they brought to others, murdering people or defiling the sacred for resources, and their eventual deaths are all delightful to a Bheur. The sweetest part of such times for Bheur hags are when the selfish acts are committed unnecessarily, like when individuals hoarding more resources than then could possibly use, and the conniving crones loved planting such excessive ideas.

A favorite feast for Bheur hags is the frozen corpses of their victims, and often times in battle they would stop to devour them, stripping them of their meat and leaving only their bones. The sight of such savagery was known to inflict numerous conditions for various periods of time, ranging from blindness, catatonia, psychotic breaks, babbling fits and extreme fear.

Legends hold that there is only one great Bheur, for no more than one has been seen at a time. At the approach of each winter, the Rashemar prepared diligently to face the winter out of fear of the Bheur. Every year, just before Tarsakh, veteran Hathrans were sent to battle the Bheur hag, not necessarily to kill her, but simply drive her away from the land. If they succeeded it was seen as an omen that spring's warmth would soon return, but if they failed then spring was delayed for several more weeks in Rashemen in favor of harsh winter.

"Winter is the best part of the year, but even winter pales in the month of Hammer.”— A Wychlaran saying.

Or at least... this is what the Wychlarans would want you to believe...

Land Spirits

An Orglash, or ice spirit, is a rare elemental native to the Prime Material Plane and found in the land of Rashemen. Similar to air elementals, Orglash have insubstantial bodies made of wind and snow.

Orglash are wild and chaotic, but think of themselves as protectors of the land. Orglash seem able to sense if one is a foreigner to the land. They may remain motionless at a distance and allow a native to pass by, but they will certainly attack someone they consider an outsider.

An Orglash is immune to all cold and cold magics and can regenerate its health in freezing conditions, but it suffers against fire magics. An Orglash is especially resistant to the magics used by Thayan wizards. Some Orglash can take the form of a powerful whirlwind, much like an air elemental.

Orglash are solitary creatures. A single orglash protects a single locale, usually a mountain peak, valley, or other cold place. They expand their territory in the winter months and will travel over all the land during those times.

Orglash can lash out at foes with tendrils of sharp ice shards and wind. They can also emit a powerful blast of cold similar to the spell cone of cold several times per day.

Orglash can only survive in cold temperatures, so they are most commonly found in winter, though they can also survive in some springtime temperatures. They are injured by temperatures above 60° and can not maintain the form of their bodies in temperatures over 100°. Such temperatures do not kill them; they simply have to return to an area with colder temperatures or wait until the weather cools to be able to resume their natural forms again.

The Rashemaar have mixed feelings about the Orglash. The creatures defend the land of Rashemen against the Red Wizards of Thay, but they also sometimes attacked native Rashemaar. It is argued that the Orglash care only for the land of Rashemen and not its people.

The Witches of Rashemen sometimes summon Orglash to fight for them. Some folk believe that Orglash also worked together with Bheur hags, but it was not known if such tales were true.

It is possible that there are other varieties of Orglash that are more similar to other elementals, such as invisible stalkers, than to air elementals.

The ruler of the Unseelie fey of the Gloaming Court, the Queen of Air and Darkness is a being of shadow and intrigue.

"Her strong enchantments failing,

Her towers of fear in wreck,

Her limbecks dried of poisons

And the knife at her neck,

The Queen of air and darkness

Begins to shrill and cry,

'O young man, O my slayer

To-morrow you shall die.'

"O Queen of air and darkness

I think 'tis truth you say,

And I shall die to-morrow;

But you shall die to-day."

Frost Sprite Queen

Our Rashemi Spirits have revealed fey intricacies that have finally shown us the way to restoring our Shattered Goddess. The Queen of Air and Darkness – the cursed sister to Summer Queen Titania – is also Aurilandur. She was known as the "Frost Sprite Queen" in the Seelie Court and oversaw winter's delicate frost as it thaws in the Spring to bring renewal. Being a beloved Archfey of the Summer fey in the Court of Stars, winters were much more playful then.

Deep in the lower regions of Pandemonium, the bitter and sadistic Queen of Air and Darkness that exists now sits among a gibbering, drooling parody of Titania’s realm, in her Unseelie Court where she seeks to enslave the Faerie peoples to her will. It is she who generated the magical forces which transformed the wretched Quicklings, twisted mirror-images of Titania’s most loved Brownies. It is she who changed the Spriggans and gave them their ability to change form. Where her darkness was once that of night, dreams, and mysteries, it has been corrupted to that of murder and magical deception.

The dreams she brought could be good or ill as the whim took her, but in the best case she created inspiration among sleepers that drove them to pursue their dreams upon waking. She was almost certainly a goddess of magic, and nearly equal to her sister Titania in power; she was a goddess of illusions even then, but she used her power to hide faerie realms and mislead foes. The Queen of Air and Darkness is herself incorporeal and her mythic history is a tale which makes any Faerie who hears the least part of it shiver and tremble. Yet it is a tragic tale, which explains Queen Titania’s staying her hand against the lost sister for whom she grieves, despite the urging of Oberon and her Inner Court to wage war against the dark presence afflicting their people.

The tale refers to Landinion, a deep Sylvan land of prehistory, where the Seelie Court presided on the shores of lake Cwm Glas. To the south, Dwarven miners discovered a great ten faceted Black Diamond below a mountain in the Underdark, the only beauty they knew that matched the diamond was that of the faerie queen Titania, and so they brought it to her court as an offering. At this time, Titania was absent from her court, frolicking with nixies and sea sprites in the waters of the Afon Bhlu, a river that fed the lake; so her sister accepted the gift in her absence with a solemn promise to deliver it to Titania upon her return. This was not to be, however, for soon after touching the Black Diamond it began seeding corruption. Stealing away the gem and a great collection of magical artifacts, the being who has come to be known as the Queen of Air and Darkness fled Titania’s castle in a horrendous chariot drawn by foul canines and billowing smoke and fire. The gem transformed and fractured her very nature.

(DR 376)

Understanding your Deity: The Timelessness of Divinity - Fractured Goddess - House of Seasons (of the Fractured Goddess)

Auril (Aurilandur)(Queen of Air and Darkness)- Alaphaer - Cegilune - Raven Queen

Understanding your Organization: Durthan** - Morrigan, Dvorovoi, Prejhenovani, Nydeshka

**You are a Hagspawn, the only ones that truly accept you in your country are the Durthan. You must hide what you are until you, and the Durthan, achieve equality and freedom for you. One day, you will be able to join a Beserker Lodge - maybe even become Iron Lord. Or maybe, start anew and create your own to serve as a defense for your people.

Understanding your Home: Rashemen - Erech Forest - Nation of Rashemen

and your Exile: Eltabranar

Understanding your Allies:
Feywild - Domains of Delight: Orglash, Bheur

Vremmyonni, Moon Coven

Understanding your Enemy:

Wychlaran - Othlor, Hathran, Blethren, Ethran - Urlingwood - Urling

Mangan Uruk - Beserker Lodges - Immilmar

Thay

Understanding the Crystal Sphere: Great Wheel Model - World Axis Model - Elemental Planes - The Time of Magic

Understanding the Current Events: History of Abeir-Toril - Currency - Calendar of Harptos

Understanding your Starting Area: Toril - Faerun - The Shaar - Eastern Shaar - Beastlands - Sharawood - History of the Shaar

Understanding your Mission: Witch Wars - Ten Faceted Black Diamond - Fractured Goddess

Understanding your Gear: Icemaiden's Caress - Pick [1] Rare Magic Permanent Item, [2] Uncommon Magic Permanent Items, [5] Common Magic Consumable Items, [3] Uncommon Magic Consumable Items. 750gp for mundane

Ice axes were a type of axe specially designed for the purpose of climbing icy surfaces, though they could also be used as weapons if needed. Ice axes bore a resemblance to the horseman's pick. Ice axes had sharp metal heads that were perpendicular to their shafts and their handles were capped with a spike.

In the colder regions of their homeland, where such a tool was prevalent, Rashemen were known to use ice axes in combat.

The Icemaiden's Caress is the favored weapon and artifact of Auril, but the question lies, where did she receive it? The House of Seasons, upon inspecting the axe, have reason to suspect that it is tied to the Fractured Goddess

(State: Slumbering) Beneficial Properties. While you are holding the axe and attuned to it, you gain the following benefits:

• Thrown Weapon. Icemaiden's Caress has the thrown property, with a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.  
• Each time you throw the weapon, it flies back to your hand after the attack. If you don’t have a hand free, the weapon lands at your feet.
• When you hit with a weapon attack using it, the target takes an extra 1d8 cold damage.
  
• Herald of the Seasons. The four blessings—each associated with a season—that accompany this axe can be delivered only from it. Each blessing disappears immediately after it’s used, and it reappears in the rune inscribed on the haft at the next dawn. The save DC against spells cast with the axe is (8 + WIS/CHA + PB). Each rune has a unique property:
• Spring. You can use an action to invoke Auril and cast Warding Wind, (the disadvantage on ranged attacks does not apply to this axe) from the axe. The axe maintains concentration on it so that you don't have to.

(State: Stirring)(Level 16) Beneficial Properties. While you are holding the axe and attuned to it, you gain the following benefits:

• Bonus to Attack and Damage rolls changes to +2.
• Increase normal range to 30 feet and long range to 90 feet.
• Summer. As an action, you can invoke Alaphaer while throwing this axe at a space that you can see within 120 feet of you, no attack roll required, casting the Spirit Guardians spell there. You can use an action to to invoke Alaphaer and cast Spirit Guardians from the axe in your hand. The axe maintains concentration on it so that you don't have to.
• Autumn. You can use an action to to invoke Cegilune and cast Mirror Image from the axe in your hand.

(State: Waking)(Level 20) Beneficial Properties. While you are holding the axe and attuned to it, you gain the following benefits:

• Bonus to Attack and Damage rolls changes to +3.
• Increase long range to 120 feet. 
• Winter. You can use an action to invoke Raven Queen and strike the ground with Icemaiden's Caress and send a spectral chilling wave out from the point of impact. Each creature of your choice on the ground within 60 feet of that point must succeed on a DC (WIS/CHA + PB) Constitution saving throw or become stunned for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success.

(State: Ascendant)(Unknown)

• Unlocked by invoking the lost name of the Fractured Goddess, the true Goddess of all seasons that came before all current deities that hold pieces of her portfolio since before the Dawn War at the birth of The Plane of Faerie, Arborea and the Feywild.

Bonus: Magic, Damage, Combat, Heavy, Two Handed

You magically summon a Telthor, which draws strength from your bond with the Spirits of Rashemen. The Telthor is friendly to you and your companions and obeys your commands. Its stat block uses your proficiency bonus (PB) in several places. The Telthor bears primal markings, indicating its mystical origin.

In combat, the Telthor acts during your turn. It can move, attack and use its reaction on its own. If you are incapacitated, the Telthor can take any action of its choice. The Telthor also vanishes if you die.

When you finish a long rest, you can re-summon the Telthor and it appears in an unoccupied space within 5 feet of you.