Factions
Coldain
The ice dwarves of Velious. Ally faction gates Thurgadin access and the legendary 14-step Shawl chain.
Coldain is the ice dwarven faction of Velious, based in the city of Thurgadin carved into the cliffs of the Great Divide. They are one of the three great powers of the continent — the other two being the Kromrif/Kromzek giant alliance and the Claws of Veeshan dragon court — and the only one of the three that mortal adventurers can reasonably ally with.
Reaching Ally standing with the Coldain unlocks the Coldain Shawl quest chain, one of the most beloved 14-step questlines in the era and the path to the Shawl of the Coldain Hero — a legendary back-slot item that remains relevant well into PoP-era raid content.
Lore
The Coldain split from their southern Stormhammer kin in the deep past, migrating north across the Iceclad Ocean to claim Velious for Brell. They built Thurgadin into the living rock of the Great Divide and have spent generations defending it against the Kromrif and Kromzek giant clans who claim Velious as ancestral territory. Dain Frostreaver IV currently rules from the Halls of Frost.
The defining event of Coldain history is the Ring War — an episodic, multi-year siege between the Coldain and the giants, fought across the Great Divide for control of the Coldain ring (a magical artifact that warns the dwarves of incoming attacks). On The Last Camp the Ring War is implemented as a major Velious raid event with multiple phases and faction consequences for everyone present.
The Shawl chain itself runs in parallel to the Ring War narrative. Each step takes the player further into Coldain history — investigating Storm Reaper sightings, recovering lost dwarven heirlooms from giant-held territory, deciphering Kromrif battle plans — and rewards a progressively better version of the shawl. Step 14 culminates in the Shawl of the Coldain Hero, a back-slot item that remains relevant through Time-tier raid content.
Why grind it
The Coldain Shawl chain alone justifies the grind. Beyond the shawl, Ally standing unlocks Thurgadin's full vendor inventory (Velious-era smithing patterns and components found nowhere else), the Coldain Prayer Shawl pre-quest, and the right to participate in Ring War events without being killed by friendly dwarven NPCs. Dain Frostreaver IV personally hands out late-game quests reserved for Allies.
Beyond the shawl, the Coldain are the easiest gate into the rest of the Velious good-aligned content stack. Storm Reaper faction shares parents with Coldain, so a single grind opens both Thurgadin and the Storm Reaper-aligned questlines in the Wakening Land. The opportunity cost is opportunity itself: every Coldain faction tick is a Kromrif faction tick lost.
Notable NPCs
- Dain Frostreaver IV — King of the Coldain, presides from the Halls of Frost
- Garadain Glacierbane — senior Coldain figure, central to the Shawl chain
- The Shawl questgivers, scattered across Thurgadin and the Great Divide
- Ring War commanders who coordinate the Coldain side of the siege
Faction path
+faction
- Killing Kromrif Frost Giants in Great Divide and Eastern Wastes
- Killing Kromzek Storm Giants in Kael Drakkel
- Coldain Shawl quest steps — each of the 14 grants faction
- Killing the Wakening Land snow orcs and giant-aligned Velks
- Ring War event participation on the Coldain side
- Coldain Prayer Shawl pre-quest turn-ins
-faction
- Killing Coldain NPCs — even accidentally during Ring War, friendly fire counts
- Allying with Kromrif on Ring War or giant questlines
- Killing Storm Reapers
- Killing dwarven traders in the Iceclad Ocean
- Failing the later Shawl steps in ways that anger Garadain's faction
The Last Camp any-race-class adjustments
Coldain starts at varying levels depending on race and deity, but the practical path is the same for everyone: grind giants in Great Divide and Eastern Wastes until you can walk into Thurgadin. Iksar, Dark Elf, Troll, and Ogre characters of any class start Threateningly or worse and must complete the long approach via giant kills before the city is safe — expect to ding multiple levels in the Great Divide before vendors will trade. Players who maxed Kromrif faction (giant-aligned characters from earlier in the campaign) cannot pursue the Shawl chain without a hard reset of giant standing.