Auril
Goddes of Winter (a.k.a. The Frost Maiden / Ice Dawn / The Cold Goddess)
Auril is a fickle, vain, evil goddess with a heart of ice who is usually only worshipped out of fear.
She remains untouched by any hint of true love, noble action or honor. She loves to toy with those who stand against her, trapping them in snowstorms and then tormenting them with agonizing visions of warmth and the comforts of home before freezing them to death.
Her beauty is cold and deadly, the flower of femininity preserved forever in a block of Arctic ice - with sensations to match those of the ice. The Church of Auril is very loosely organized, its priests often wander and are mostly independent. They act as to make the people tremble in fear of Auril and their church, using the power of winter as their weapon. They also amass personal wealth and influence by taking on tasks that others would not survive in the terrible weather of winter. They even protect those in bondage or those who pay from the cold with their magic. The clerics offer Auril a portion of the wealth they accumulate by scattering it in the falling snow during a storm, or by throwing it through crevices in ice or glaciers. In the cold months, Auril expects her followers to persuade or force someone to pray to her for mercy and to praise her for the "cold cleansing" she brings. This prayer must last as long as it takes a shard of ice at least the size of the "believer's" hand to melt on their bare skin. It must be done under an open sky and preferably at night.
During the winter, aurilite priests are also expected to kill at least one creature with cold. This is often done to provide food for believers and potential believers, or to get rid of a hated enemy. Clerics and druids of Auril pray at midnight, or whenever the temperature reaches its lowest point, to cast their spells. They lie down in the snow or coldest stream in the area all night if possible.
Midwinter night is the most sacred time for the clergy of Auril. On this night, which marks the height of winter, the followers of the cold goddess celebrate a festival of ice dancing for both joy and recruitment. The Coming and the Last Storm are two enthusiastically celebrated rituals in which groups of clerics conjure up ice storms to mark the arrival and end of winter respectively. To join the clergy, it is necessary to complete a ritual known as the Embrace. The aspirant must survive an entire night in a blizzard, clad only in simple boots, a thin undergarment and painted with the symbols of Auril, but without the protection of any magic. Auril accepts those who do not freeze to death during the storm. Auril is one of the gods of wrath, along with Malar, Umberlee and formerly Talos. Recently, Talos had usurped much of her power; in response, she bestows the north with particularly harsh winters. She can rely on some support from Umberlee. Malar and Auril loathe each other.
She remains untouched by any hint of true love, noble action or honor. She loves to toy with those who stand against her, trapping them in snowstorms and then tormenting them with agonizing visions of warmth and the comforts of home before freezing them to death.
Her beauty is cold and deadly, the flower of femininity preserved forever in a block of Arctic ice - with sensations to match those of the ice. The Church of Auril is very loosely organized, its priests often wander and are mostly independent. They act as to make the people tremble in fear of Auril and their church, using the power of winter as their weapon. They also amass personal wealth and influence by taking on tasks that others would not survive in the terrible weather of winter. They even protect those in bondage or those who pay from the cold with their magic. The clerics offer Auril a portion of the wealth they accumulate by scattering it in the falling snow during a storm, or by throwing it through crevices in ice or glaciers. In the cold months, Auril expects her followers to persuade or force someone to pray to her for mercy and to praise her for the "cold cleansing" she brings. This prayer must last as long as it takes a shard of ice at least the size of the "believer's" hand to melt on their bare skin. It must be done under an open sky and preferably at night.
During the winter, aurilite priests are also expected to kill at least one creature with cold. This is often done to provide food for believers and potential believers, or to get rid of a hated enemy. Clerics and druids of Auril pray at midnight, or whenever the temperature reaches its lowest point, to cast their spells. They lie down in the snow or coldest stream in the area all night if possible.
Midwinter night is the most sacred time for the clergy of Auril. On this night, which marks the height of winter, the followers of the cold goddess celebrate a festival of ice dancing for both joy and recruitment. The Coming and the Last Storm are two enthusiastically celebrated rituals in which groups of clerics conjure up ice storms to mark the arrival and end of winter respectively. To join the clergy, it is necessary to complete a ritual known as the Embrace. The aspirant must survive an entire night in a blizzard, clad only in simple boots, a thin undergarment and painted with the symbols of Auril, but without the protection of any magic. Auril accepts those who do not freeze to death during the storm. Auril is one of the gods of wrath, along with Malar, Umberlee and formerly Talos. Recently, Talos had usurped much of her power; in response, she bestows the north with particularly harsh winters. She can rely on some support from Umberlee. Malar and Auril loathe each other.
Divine Domains
Nature, Tempest
Tenets of Faith
Cover all lands with ice.
Smother fire wherever it is found.
Let in the wind and the cold; destroy shelter from winds and punch holes in walls and roofs for my breath to enter.
Cast darkness to hide the cursed sun so that the cold that Auril brings can kill.
Take the life of an arctic creature only in dire need, but slay all others as you see fit.
Make all Gaia tremble in fear of the Frostmaiden.
Worship the Cold Goddess and sing her praises into every cold breeze and winter wind.
Do not raise your hand against another cleric of Auril.
Physical Description
General Physical Condition
Two avatars of Auril are known, the Frostmaiden and Ice Dawn.
The Frostmaiden is a beautiful woman possessed by an icy and deadly rage, with blue skin, long white hair and fur clothing in which the traces of ice and frost are always visible, matching her frosty aura.
Ice Dawn, on the other hand, is an impassive, haughty figure with armor made of opaque blue ice with all kinds of hooks and thorns.
Auril also appears in the form of an icy breath that leaves a thin, frozen line in its path and is accompanied by a cruel giggle.
Even more fearsome, however, is its appearance in the form of a head with contourless, empty eyes and long hair that radiates bone-chilling cold.
She often appears in this form to speak to someone, to kill or to present a powerful gift. If she chooses death, she delivers it in the form of a kiss that literally freezes the breath of life in her victim. Auril occasionally sends out water or air elementals as a punishment but also as support.
She often appears in this form to speak to someone, to kill or to present a powerful gift. If she chooses death, she delivers it in the form of a kiss that literally freezes the breath of life in her victim. Auril occasionally sends out water or air elementals as a punishment but also as support.
Divine Classification
Goddess
Alignment
Chaotic Evil
Children
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