Location from Icewind Dale by R.A. Salvatore / Wizards of the Coast / Black Isle Studios
A lone mountain rising from the flat tundra near Bryn Shander — a landmark visible for miles that houses abandoned dwarven mines and serves as the Dale's compass point.
Kelvin's Cairn serves as the geographic anchor of Ten-Towns — every resident can point to it, and directions are given relative to its position. The mountain generates its own microweather, with downdrafts and eddies that create localized blizzards on its slopes even when the surrounding tundra is calm. The abandoned dwarven mines on the lower slopes were Clan Battlehammer's first workings in the region before Bruenor reclaimed Mithral Hall. Strange echoes emerge from the old shafts at night, and locals avoid the mine entrances. The mountain is also home to yeti, mountain goats, and a pair of crag cats that have claimed the eastern face as their hunting ground.
A solitary, craggy peak of dark stone jutting abruptly from the tundra floor, its summit perpetually wreathed in cloud. The mountain is not tall by Spine of the World standards, but its isolation makes it visually dramatic — a defiant fist of rock punching through the snow. Old mine entrances dot the lower slopes like dark eyes, their timber frames rotting. Scree fields of loose stone make the approaches treacherous.
Also known as: Kelvin's Cairn, The Cairn, Kelvin Peak