Northern Reach

Past the salt the ice begins. The Northern Reach is a land of thick, patient creatures: trolls take the blow, wolves bite first, the dead of the barrows wear you down. Fire is no luxury here: those who stayed warm themselves at the campfires, and the creatures come to the light every night.

Rimefrost Pass (from level 82) — “The banners froze before they fell”. Cold and armor: trolls hold, wolves bite first. Found here: Snow Wolf, Ice Imp, Blighted Mountain Goat, Pass Bandit, Blizzard Spirit, Stone Troll and Icicle Spider. The pack is led by Keeper of Banners and Blighted Yeti; Lord of the Pass waits in the lair. The people’s camp is the Campfire by the Cairn: errands are given there. Torvi, the guide of the pass, waits at the fire. Besides the three common errands, this campfire has a story of its own: “Cairn of Fallen Banners” (reach the cairn of fallen banners and find a sign left for Torvi), “Bandits of the Pass” (slay 6 Pass Bandits — they rob everyone heading south).

Icewood of Eir (from level 86) — “The trees ring like glass”. Fast and ringing: lynxes and stags strike first. Found here: Glass Stag, Rime Owl, Frost Lynx, Ice Treant, Blighted Snow Sprite, Crystal Hedgehog and Frozen Hunter. The pack is led by Rime Witch and Savage Boar; Eir, Heart of Winter waits in the lair. The people’s camp is the Ice Campfire: errands are given there. Sigrun, the huntress of the Icewood, waits at the fire. Besides the three common errands, this campfire has a story of its own: “Lynxes at the Camp” (slay 6 Frost Lynxes — the Blight leads them to Sigrun's camp), “The Ringing Tree” (reach the Ringing Tree and find the name of Sigrun's mother).

Barrows of the Silent (from level 90) — “The dead are silent here — and listening”. Dead men and stones: thick, slow, a war of attrition. Found here: Barrow Wight, Bone Raven, Barrow Hound, Silent Guardian, Living Runestone, Chieftain's Shade and Ice Harpy. The pack is led by Barrow King and Warden Golem; the Silent God waits in the lair. The people’s camp is the Barrow Campfire: errands are given there. Halvard, the barrow-warden, waits at the fire. Besides the three common errands, this campfire has a story of its own: “Stolen Voices” (return the souls of three creatures of the Barrows of the Silent — let them remember their names), “The Barrow Door” (enter the barrow door and read the runes of names).

Frozen Harbor (from level 94) — “The ships froze halfway home”. Walruses and drowned: heavy blows and rat venom. Found here: Ice Walrus, Blighted Harbor Rat, Frozen Cabin Boy, Brute Seal, Ice Crab, Net-Drowned Fisherman and Northern Albatross. The pack is led by Icebreaker Captain and Frozen Cachalot; Queen of Ice waits in the lair. The people’s camp is the Pier Campfire: errands are given there. Ottar, the master of the frozen harbor, waits at the fire. Besides the three common errands, this campfire has a story of its own: “Harbor Rats” (slay 8 Harbor Rats — they gnaw the ropes and spread the Blight), “The Ice-Bound Ship” (reach the ice-bound ship and learn who is aboard).

Chapter 5, “The Reaches”: each of the four campfires gives three errands — “The Approaches” (fell 15 creatures of the land), “Pack Leaders” and “Lord of the Land”. Whoever closes every errand of the Reach earns the title “Warden of the North”.

The Reach’s finale: after the last lord, at the Pier Campfire, the Keeper chooses how the story ends. “Let the Ship Sail” — the harbor thaws. The ship sails out with those who waited twenty winters for it — and the North stops holding on to its dead (chance to return a soul in the Northern Reach +8%, title “Who Let the Ship Sail”); “The Ice Road” — the ice stays — but now it is a road: wagon trains will cross the frozen sea to the south, and the North will trade again (battle gold in the Northern Reach +15%, title “Paver of the Ice”). The choice is made once.