Auril Organization in Forgotten Realms | World Anvil

Auril

Auril (pronounced AW-rill), also known as The Cold Goddess, The Frostmaiden, Icedawn, and the Goddess of Winter, was a fickle, vain, and evil deity, who was primarily venerated out of fear. The few among the Iulutiuns of the Great Glacier who worshiped her called her Saukuruk.   Relationships   Auril, along with Malar, Umberlee, and their superior Talos, was a member of the Deities of Fury. Umberlee and Auril cooperated with some degree of confidence, while Malar and Auril despised each other. Auril’s animosity also extended to the Raven Queen for her contention over the domain of winter, but a tenuous understanding between the two has survived for centuries, as neither has seen any significant benefit to open war with the other.   Much of Auril’s power was absorbed by Talos in recent times, weakening the minor deity. Despite this, or perhaps as a result of it, Auril quietly siphoned power from the slumbering deity Ulutiu who was in stasis under the Great Glacier. Kossuth and Auril were mortal enemies, but their followers seldom came across each other. Sune opposed Auril, as she blamed her for the destruction of much that was beautiful. Uthgar hated Auril as she turned the Elk Tribe away from his worship.   Worshipers   Sacrifices to the Frostmaiden were common, especially in the North, as people hoped to appease her and thus avoid cripplingly cold winters. She also had many secret temples along the Spine of the World that brought terror and dominion to small settlements of people trying to eke out a living.   Auril’s clergy was loosely organized, and the main goals of most followers was to intimidate common folk and make them venerate the Frostmaiden to avoid reprisals from her clergy, or to have them make donations to her church. Some of her powerful clerics accumulated impressive personal wealth in this manner, some of which they sacrificed as offerings to Auril. Her priests wore ice white robes with blue trim, and were easily identified by the dire warnings they proclaimed of the wrath of Auril come the winter. They were also known to cast cold-based spells, many of which were described in the Codicil of White.   Holy Days   Midwinter (Night). This was the most holy night of the year for the clergy, a festival of ice-dancing that lasted all night.   The Coming Storm and the Last Storm, informal but enthusiastically celebrated rituals where the priests gathered and called howling ice storms down on a region to mark the onset and end of winter.   Temples dedicated to Auril   The House of Auril’s Breath in Glister Icedawn’s House, south of Neshkel The Towers of Fury in Calimport The Winter Palace in Luskan Ice Temple, located between Andora and the Wandering Village in Icewind Dale   Aurilian Spells   The Codicil of White was a magical book containing basic rites, rituals, services, and major ceremonies of Auril’s faith. The book also had several pages devoted to the goddess’ favorite arcane magic. It was created as a tool for Aurilian wizards and sorcerers to gain a better understanding of the faith.   Many of the following divine magic spells were believed to be recorded in a holy book of Auril called Revelations of the Icedawn.   Auril’s flowers Cold fire Cold snap Corona of cold Freeze Frost breath Frostbite Frost fingers Frost whip Heart of ice Heat leech Ice axe Ice blade Ice gauntlet Snowshoes Mass snowshoes   Notable worshipers of Auril   Iyraclea, self-styled queen of the Great Glacier Gerti Orelsdottr, effective leader of the Shining White frost giants (See The Thousand Orcs by R.A Salvatore) Cierre, wandering drow surface spy Lysan, priestess of Icewind Dale Hedrun Arnsfirth, Chosen of Auril during the Second Sundering.

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