Set in the present year of 1375, Trials of Winter allows players to do almost anything they wish and use their imagination. The Ten Towns region has been populated for some time now and is mostly comprised of humans, dwarves, and barbarians. Half-elves and a handful of other races are in the minority, though in recent years several elven families have found their way into the towns as well. There are usually two reasons anyone comes to the Ten Towns area: To fish the lakes the towns and become scrimshanders, or for various reasons, make themselves disappear as far as the rest of Faerûn is concerned.