Lac Dinneshere
Lac Dinneshere (alternatively spelled Lac Dinnershear) is a remote, ice-bound lake located in the frozen reaches of Icewind Dale. Situated near the unique Firbolg settlement of Kuldahar, it is a place steeped in ancient magic, draconic secrets, and the forgotten legacy of a legendary hero.
Geography and Surrounding Environment
Lac Dinneshere is characterized as a frozen, windswept lake nestled within the glaciers of the far north. It lies close to Kuldahar, a major Firbolg community famous for its enormous world tree. This giant tree, created by Diancastra (the favored daughter of the giant All-Father, Annam), was designed to exist outside the constraints of the traditional giant ordning and was tended by the regional clans to protect and isolate storm giants dwelling in the neighboring mountains.
This landscape is immortalized in historical artistry; the central chamber of the Dragon Barrow features an ancient stone carving whose fourth panel depicts Uther Vendrock and Elminster Aumar standing outside a tomb alongside this frozen, mountainous lake and its colossal, majestic world tree.
Hrothgar’s Empty Grave and the White Dragon Mask
The lake’s most highly guarded secret lies on its shores: Hrothgar’s empty grave. This tomb was built for Hrothgar Hillsfar—a Firbolg skald and cleric of Kuldahar who later had his memory wiped by Elminster Aumar, transforming him into the human adventurer Farwald.
Buried deep within this tomb is the White Dragon Mask, one of five powerful artifacts constructed 300 years ago by Hrothgar and his legendary companions—including Elminster, Lady Tanager Alagondar, Esfaloth Nightbreeze, Gorion of Candlekeep, Kiara Shadowbreaker, and Uther Vendrock—to defeat a coalition of destructive chromatic dragons.
Properties and History of the Mask
- Draconic Control: The bearer of the White Dragon Mask has the power to directly influence and control white dragons, specifically Cryovain, the Everfrost.
- Absolute Secrecy: To prevent anyone from ever assembling all five masks and wielding catastrophic power, the coordinates of each mask were kept strictly secret, even from members of the hero party themselves. Hrothgar chose the isolated shores of Lac Dinneshere to bury the white mask.
- Cryovain’s Binding: The heroes originally trusted the natural warmth of Kuldahar’s great tree to counter the icy environmental decay of Cryovain, commanding him to remain in the frozen north. In recent years, however, the white dragon broke free of these geographical constraints and fled south to terrorize the Sword Mountains, leaving the current status of the buried mask uncertain.