Unfortunately for the liches, they succeeded. In The Crystal Shard, readers learn of seven liches that wanted to create a magical artifact that was more powerful than anything else imaginable. For a lich, the secrets of immortality are not usually an act of vanity, but as a way of continuing a life's work of less-than-savory magic. Even these most deadly wielders of the arcane arts fell to the might of the shard. Obviously, with fan favorite creations like Drizzt debuting in this 1988 book, Salvatore succeeded. The Crystal, or Creshinibon, did one thing no other DnD monster ever managed: it ate liches. He chose the far-off Icewind Dale to differentiate himself from writers that came before him so his original characters could have their space to flourish. Salvatore started writing what would become his first DnD book, The Crystal Shard, in 1986. What, or Who, Is The Crystal Shard In DnD Lore? RELATED: Dungeons and Dragons 5e: How the Wild Magic Sorcerer Could Be Improved An artifact like the Crystal Shard, which has a lore so deep it spans back three decades, is a really interesting inclusion for a DnD videogame and shows that Dark Alliance will likely respect its franchise's history immensely. In fact, one of these heroes, Drizzt Do'Urden, has a particularly thorny relationship with the Crystal Shard. Obviously, there is a lot of hype for the classic beholders and frost giants, alongside legendary playable heroes. However, much can be inferred from the iconic characters shown in trailers. There is little concrete knowledge about exactly what lore will be in Dark Alliance. The Crystal Shard set to feature in Dark Alliance, has a similarly rich lore. Although appearing as an unassuming emerald splinter, the Shard is an unbelievably powerful sentient magical artifact, one that can tower above cities and break the most potent of mages over its metaphorical knee. Salvatore conceived these icy peaks of northern Faerun. Back before Wizards of the Coast ran Dungeons and Dragons, novelist R.A. This is both a really recent fifth edition adventure module and also hails from late 80s DnD novels. Its setting is the frozen, desolate wastes of Icewind Dale. Dungeons and Dragons: Dark Alliance sits in a fascinating position in DnD lore.