Verti, First Child of Auril

The tale of Verti, heartbreaking though some may find it, serves a useful purpose. It demonstrates the danger of power without wisdom, and the consequences that arise when deities act without restraint or care. The tale is very probably apocryphal, but that does not change the validity of its message.

— Hethress Pfaphnyrennish, "On Divinity"

Introduction

A thousand years ago Garl Glittergold, the Sparkling Wit, Greater God of Wit and Illusion, was bored. And in his boredom he took a glacier and from it carved a young lady. This young lady he named Auril, and he imbued her with the breath of divinity, and she became the Goddess of Ice and Winter. But Auril did not take after her creator, for she was not full of wit and humour and good-nature. Instead she was petty, and cruel, and spiteful. Disgusted by what he had made Garl Glittergold cast her away and banished her from his presence. Completely alone in existence Auril fled to the bitter cold at the roof of the world. Some say she would have cried had her tears not frozen before even being formed.

Auril sought a companion to combat her loneliness and addressed the problem the only way she knew how. She emulated her father and carved a being from ice. She lacked her father's skill at craftsmanship, and the being she made was crude and malformed - but alive. She gave it life and sentience and named it Verti, and declared that he would be her first and most-prized child. Verti was devoted to his mother, and for years the two were happy together.

But Auril became bored with her mortal companion, as all deities do. Still newly come into her role as Goddess of Ice and Winter she felt the need to travel all of her domain and make her presence known. She left her home in the utter north to visit the high, cold places of the world, and then the very south. Verti was left behind - Auril never even bade him goodbye. In her arrogance Auril knew that Verti would always love her, and believed that he would wait for her return in the north, however long it took.

Verti's Journey

For weeks Verti waited in Auril's frozen palace at the very top of the world. He was loyal, he knew his mother would come back to him. He just had to be patient. Ever the dutiful son, he spent his time maintaining the palace, keeping it clean and ordered ready for Auril's return. She would be proud of him when she came back, he knew it. He would be the good son she wanted.

Weeks turned into months. Verti realised that of course his mother wouldn't return yet, he hadn't earned it! He had to prove himself! Cursing himself for not realising sooner he set out into the frozen wastes to spread the word of his mother to the mortals, and return with their treasures and tributes. Verti had never been outside the palace, and did not know how to navigate the arctic wastes. He stumbled around, hopelessly lost and confused. He lost his left hand in an encounter with a frostwyrm, but never lost his faith.

A year passed in the wastes. One might think Verti would suspect his mother had forgotten him, but such a thought never even occurred to him. He was determined to be the good son she deserved. More by luck than judgement he found his way to the coast of Eralia, and rejoiced for now surely his mother would be proud of him! He had navigated the arctic all on his own! But of Auril there was no sign, and Verti realised he had to do more. He set out along the coast, seeking mortals who he could teach of Auril's greatness. But the mortals were scared of him, and threw spears at him that scarred his icy skin.

Two years to the day since his mother left him, Verti sat on the ice looking south over the sea, hoping to see his mother returning to him. But she did not come. For the first time hope wavered in Verti's frozen heart, but then he realised - his mother wanted him to come to her! Of course she did, she must be beside herself with grief that her firstborn had still not followed her! Without even looking back on the arctic wastes that had been his home, Verti flung himself into the sea.

Verti did not know how to swim. His icy body floated, but his control over his direction was minimal. His misshapen, ungainly body, missing a hand, was ill-suited for the rough arctic waters, but he persevered. All he had to do was swim south until south ran out, and there would be his mother, waiting for him.

Verti did not know which way was south. Bobbing alone in the ocean he swam, in wide circles more often than not. A curious shark tore off his right foot, and his course became even more erratic. But still he kept going, kept trying, like a good son would. A good son like Auril wanted, like she deserved. On and on he swam.

After an eternity at sea Verti drifted south into warmer climes, and ran into a danger he did not know even existed. It was not a danger that was possible in his home, nor one that his mother had ever prepared him for: heat. The warmer water and the sun's merciless rays began to take their toll. Verti's lumpy form began to smooth down, his icy flesh melting away. And still he kept paddling with his one hand and one foot, always going south, knowing that his mother waited for him. She was probably looking for him now, she would save him, he just had to keep going.

The heat took its toll. Bit by bit pieces of Verti sloughed away, and little by little his strength faded. His hand and foot melted, leaving him with just stumps to paddle with. His vision began to degrade as his eyes turned to water. Soon he was little more than a lump of ice, bobbing helplessly at the mercy of the ocean's currents, melting away bit by bit. His brain began to falter, lacking enough of its structure to keep working. His last thoughts were disjointed and confused. "Was I a good son?" he thought to himself. "Will you save me now, mother?"

"Mother?"

Aftermath

Some time later Auril returned to Eralia. If she felt grief or remorse, she made no sign. If she even noticed Verti's absence, she made no remark. Most theologians believe that she cared not for her son, or his demise, for she is an evil and cruel being.
But some believe that she does, in fact, miss Verti, though she is too proud to show it. They say that she made the Echonur in his image, pale substitutes for her firstborn. They say the reason she seeks to turn the world to ice is so that, when all the world's water is frozen, she will be able to reintegrate his scattered, melted essence and return her son to life. They say that not a day goes by that Auril does not wish she could cry, to vent her sadness at her son's passing, but her tears are frozen and will not flow.
Ultimately, only Auril herself knows the truth.