Irthal, The Breath Beneath Ice

Domain: Endurance, Survival, Cold Hope
Titles: The Silent Ember, He Who Waits, The Frost-Lit Vigil
Symbol: A cracked icicle above a flame
Origin Among Mortals: Irthal was born not in triumph, but in the refusal to die. He came into being in the thin breaths drawn in snow-buried caves, in the ache of frost-numbed limbs still moving forward, in the final ember cupped in shaking hands.
He was not prayed to in comfort, but clung to in desperation — a god not of warmth, but of the hope that endures despite the cold. Irthal is the will to survive when survival is not expected. The god of the last breath held, not released.
He dwells in the threshold between freezing and fire, between collapse and one more step.
Nature of the Breath Beneath Ice: Irthal is quiet, still, and unrelenting. He offers no comfort, only presence. He does not lift you — but he walks beside you as you crawl. His gifts are not ease or healing, but the strength to endure what should not be endured.
He does not melt the ice — he reminds you there is still breath beneath it.
To call on Irthal is not to beg — it is to promise: “I will not yield.”
Manifestation & Imagery: Irthal appears as a figure robed in pale mist and hoarfrost, face obscured by a frozen veil, eyes like embers seen through cracked ice. When he moves, snow falls behind him — soft, steady, patient.
His symbol — a cracked icicle above a flame — reflects the tension of his nature: fragile hope burning within hardship. It is carved into stone shelters, etched on survival knives, and worn on the chests of scouts and endurance seekers.
Worship and Followers: Irthal’s faithful are the Vigilant — wanderers, scouts, survivalists, and those who live on the edge of harsh wilderness. They do not form temples, but wayshrines: simple stacked stones with a flame-pit sheltered within, kept burning even in blizzards.
His rites are acts of endurance: long fasts, cold meditations, and walks into the snow where one listens not for voice, but for will. His prayers are rarely spoken — they are breathed, quietly, into cupped hands.
He is often called upon in the wilds, in exile, in siege, or in grief that does not fade. Where the world demands surrender, Irthal answers with silence and flame.
After the Dark Awakening: The collapse of order and magic plunged much of the world into literal and figurative cold. In that chill silence, Irthal’s presence grew. As people fled cities for harsh mountains, frozen valleys, and frostbitten ruin, they found him there — waiting.
His flame does not banish despair — it survives it. In an age of unending winter nights, Irthal has become a quiet patron of hope that is cold, stubborn, and real.
Notable Sayings & Myths:
“Even ice can burn, if you wait long enough.”
The Watchfire Pact: A tale of five exiles who kept a flame burning through a monthlong blizzard. On the final night, Irthal stood among them, and none of them ever felt the cold again.
The Frost-Blooded Trial: A rite where a follower walks barefoot through a snowed gorge, carrying only a coal and a vow. Those who return are changed — their breath visible even in warmth.
The Ember in the Hollow: A whispered legend of a dying mother who shielded her child beneath her cloak until help arrived — and the flame beneath her heart was said to still glow long after breath left her.

“The cold does not care. And still—you breathe.” — Irthal, the Breath Beneath Ice