Vilkstead
Port
Vilkstead is the throne city of Utheraal, the eastern island of the Purple Rocks in the Trackless Sea, a fishing port known for its preserved fish and its pungent cheese.
Racks of drying fish line a fog-bound harbour, the bitter winter wind freezes everything not built on the lee of the island, and the idols in the shrines have far too many arms.
Vilkstead at a glance
- Type & size
- Port town; the throne city of Utheraal in the Purple Rocks
- Allegiance & rule
- Allegiance: Utheraal, the eastern island of the Purple Rocks
- Ruled by: A Northlander king or sea-king of Utheraal
- People & culture
- Rocklanders: Northlander humans descended from settlers from Gundarlun, who worship Tempus, Umberlee and Auril and punish the use of magic
- Key exports & trade
- Dried, smoked, salted and pickled fish
- Vilksmaarg, a pungent herbal goat cheese sold in Sword Coast taverns
Overview
The Purple Rocks are two islands, Trisk and Utheraal, west of Gundarlun. Winter there lasts most of the year, and the islands are often wrapped in fog. Vilkstead, Utheraal's chief town, has richer fishing waters than its neighbour and exports large amounts of preserved fish through Gundarlun to ports across Faerûn.
Utheraal long paid tribute to Trisk to avoid war, until in 1368 DR the longships of Trisk's king attacked and the battle for Vilkstead killed Utheraal's king and many of its warriors.
The kraken
The idols of the Rocklanders show their gods with tentacle-like arms. By the late 15th century DR, the people of both islands had fallen under the sway of Slarkrethel, an ancient kraken, a thread that matters in Storm King's Thunder.
At the table
- Fishers of Vilkstead have stopped going out at night, and nobody will say what they hear from the water.
On the map
Roads from Vilkstead
- Ruins of AscarleBy sea · 78 mi
- UtterseaBy sea · 299 mi
- GundbargBy sea · 318 mi
- RuathymBy sea · 461 mi
- FireshearBy sea · 581 mi
Nearby places
- Ruins of AscarleRuin · ~72 mi
- UtterseaPort · ~275 mi
- GundbargPort · ~299 mi
- RuathymPort · ~411 mi
- FireshearTown · ~538 mi
- Bryn ShanderTown · ~557 mi
Distances as the crow flies, measured on our map.