Noonfrost is the temple of Rymrgand, located in the Oldsong district of Twin Elms.
Background
One of the oldest temples to Rymrgand, Noonfrost lay abandoned for years until a group of Glamfellen entered it around 2823 AI. They made a pilgrimage from the White that Wends to ostensibly take care of it, but their real goal lay in the Frost-Hewn Breach deep within it.
Points of interest
- As Vesgel states upon entry, most of the temple is off-limits to the Watcher, as the Glamfellen focus on their ritual to open the Frost-Hewn Breach. The accessible areas are the main hall in the center and the adjacent eastern portion. Venturing beyond the locked doors to the west, or the guarded/locked doors to the northeast will cause the pale elves to aggro. The stealth option involves sneaking through the temple. The patrol routes of guards are generally fixed and can be exploited with ease. The combat option involves murdering everything in your way.
- To the left of the entrance hall is a locked door leading to the western wing. It can be unlocked with a Blue Crystal Key (found in a locked box on the altar in the eastern chamber), or with a Mechanics 8 check. Careful of the sorceress patrolling the room beyond.
- Rounding the corner, the chamber in the south-western corner of the map can be unlocked with Mechanics 2, where you can grab a White Crystal Key from the locked chest (a further Mechanics 5 check). The key unlocks the study to the north, though you can bypass it with Mechanics 5.
- The study is patrolled by another pale elf on the far side of the room. In the center is a trapped desk containing the Wend-Walker. A hidden switch (star on the floor) grants you access to the Frost-Hewn Breach.
- Rooms that contain items of interest include the locked sleeping chamber in the south-eastern corner, the study in the northwestern part, the locked room in the northeast with Alwah inside, and a study in the northeast, containing a Silver Key.
Characters
Loot
Notable loot
- Wend-Walker: A unique quarterstaff, on the table in the westernmost study.
- Winters' Woes: A unique grimoire, on the shelves in said study.
Containers
- Random weapon
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Sm_Weapons_7_8)
- Random potion/scroll (Rand_Potion_Scroll_5_6_100)
- 2x Lockpick
- Random potion/scroll
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Consumable_7_8)
- 2x Opal
- Moonstone
- White Crystal Key
- Random weapon
- Random potion/scroll
- Random currency
- (TE_Med_Weapons_7_8)
- Lockpick
- Random weapon
- Random potion/scroll
- Random currency
- (TE_Med_Weapons_7_8)
- Winters' Woes
- Edrang Hadret
- The Enigmatic God of Cold
- Random potion/scroll (Rand_Potion_Scroll_5_6_100)
- The Fangs
- Random potion/scroll (Rand_Potion_Scroll_7_8_100)
- 3x Lockpick
- Random weapon
- Random gem
- Random currency
- (TE_Sm_Weapons_7_8)
- Random fine weapon (Weapon_Melee_Sm_Fine)
Behind the scenes
- One of the more ambitious design challenges in the game, Noonfrost also doubles as an homage to the Ice Castle in Icewind Dale II.
- This area contains developer commentary.
Another ambitious design. In Noonfrost I wanted to take advantages of its god [?], the cold, winter, and entropy, to showcase a dungeon that would look quite different from other Engwithan ruins. After building its 3D layout, I passed this to Holly Prado, another of our environment artists who did a great job rendering the area with cool details. Then April Giron and John Lewis, one of our FX artists, did a pass on it to really make the area shine.
The greatest design challenge here was having three distinct gameplay approaches, you have combat, stealth, and dialogue, paired with a population in this dungeon that may be hostile or peaceful to you depending on your choices. But it also is at the same time supporting two quests, whose steps can be completed in many different ways. This kind of complexity, while it makes for very cool gameplay, it also entails risks that you have to measure with care.
And there's another bit of trivia about this area, Noonfrost is also a homage to the ice castle from Icewind Dale II.