Rime of the Frostmaiden (Rhyme)

Auril the Frostmaiden has chosen the North as her place to hide and rest

North of the Spine of the World and west of the towering Reghed Glacier is a frigid expanse few dare to explore, let alone inhabit. This icy land of windswept tundra recently became locked in a perpetual, dark winter without reprieve. Auril the Frostmaiden, the divine embodiment of winter's fury, has withdrawn to this cold corner of the world to live among mortals. Further, she has cast a terrible spell over Icewind Dale, to the detriment of most of its denizens.

Each night before midnight, Auril takes to the sky on the back of a white roc and weaves her spell, which manifests as a shimmering curtain of light—a beautiful aurora that illuminates the night sky and fades before dawn. This powerful magic prevents the next day's sun from rising above the horizon, turning midday into twilight and trapping Icewind Dale in winter's dark embrace, with no sunlight or warmth to melt the snow and ice. Each casting of the spell leaves the Frostmaiden weakened, with just enough divine power left to barricade the mountain pass with blizzards and churn the Sea of Moving Ice with blistering winds. Such measures discourage travelers from approaching or leaving Icewind Dale, further isolating the region. Icewind Dale has thus been trapped in a different reality from the rest of the world, for though the sun never rises over the dale, it continues to rise everywhere else.

The people of Icewind Dale know Auril's wrath when they feel it, and they have a name for the unending winter she has inflicted on them. They call it the Everlasting Rime. No one understands why the Frostmaiden has imposed her will in this way or why the other gods refuse to challenge her. This prolonged winter, which has gone on for more than two years, threatens to doom not just the flickering lights of civilization known as Ten-Towns but also the indigenous flora and fauna that need sunlight and the change of seasons to survive.

How do you kill a god?

We're not entirely sure why, but we know that Auril has retreated to the North in a mortal form. An Avatar of her true power. We believe she is hiding from something, but we don't know what. 
Casting her nightly spell keeps the North frozen and in her eyes, beautiful. But doing so weakens her greatly. We can take advantage of this. 

Sacrifices to Auril

The desperate people of Ten-Towns, hoping to appease Auril so that summer can return to Icewind Dale, make sacrifices to the Frostmaiden on nights of the new moon. This is a new practice that started a little over a year ago, when it became clear that Auril was angry and summer would not be returning anytime soon. The town speakers (see the "Council of Speakers" sidebar) have unanimously agreed to honor these practices, which they consider necessary evils, but would end them in a heartbeat if Auril were to be appeased or dealt with in some other way. The nature of the sacrifices varies from town to town, but usually takes one of three forms:
Humanoid. Bryn Shander, Easthaven, and Targos hold lotteries the afternoon before the new moon. The unlucky person whose name is drawn is sacrificed at nightfall. The ill-fated soul is stripped bare and either tied to a post or sent into the tundra to die. Accusations of rigged lotteries are common but usually not acted upon.
Food. Smaller towns that can't afford to give up people give up their food instead. A day's catch of knucklehead trout is strung up on wooden racks a mile outside town, to be claimed by yeti and other creatures that embody Auril's wrath.
Warmth. Towns that can't bring themselves to give up their people or their food forsake warmth for a night. No fires are lit between dusk and dawn, forcing locals to share body heat for warmth. Anyone who dares to light a fire is savagely beaten.

Attempts to change the weather:

Dannika Graysteel thought that perhaps Chwinga's would hold the key to figuring out how to change the weather. We delivered a Chwinga to her, but haven't heard from her since. 
Macreadus formed a plan to end the everlasting winter. He holed up in the Black Cabin, where he spent all his time assembling a weather-controlling magical device called the Summer Star, using knowledge he gleaned from a book about Netherese artifacts. Macreadus's device was similar in design to a mythallar, but much smaller. Unfortunately for him, it had a serious design flaw. When Macreadus tried to use it three days ago, it malfunctioned, incinerating both him and his book.
When we tried to find the object, it exploded again, killing several party members, but with the help of Macreadus's ghost, we repaired it and were able to use it to change the weather in a small radius. After it's use, the magic in the Summer Star faded. But as a thank you to the party, the god Lathander granted a blessing of 10 temp hit points each day at dawn.

Subplots

• Playing House
• The Ill Town-Speaker
• The Seance
• Toil and Trouble
• The Black Cabin
• The White Moose
• A Beautiful Mine
• The Dark Duchess

Related Session Reports

• The Beginning Report: Sometime in 2022

Auril's Minions:

So far the party has encountered several of Auril's minions. 
Coldlight walkers: The coldlight walkers are made from the frozen corpses of Ten-Towners who were banished to the tundra as sacrifices to the Frostmaiden
Ice Mephits: An ice mephit is a small elemental creature composed of frigid air and water. It has a humanoid shape with translucent skin, sharp claws, and wings. Its eyes are cold and indifferent, and its mouth is full of jagged teeth. An ice mephit can blend in with ordinary shards of ice when it remains motionless, making it hard to spot in its natural environment. Ice mephits are aloof and cruel, and they enjoy tormenting other creatures with their frosty breath and icy touch.

Frost Druids: Fanatics who have dedicated themselves to Auril's cause (Such as Ravisin)

Auril holds the famed Codicil of the White; the key to finding Ythryn

The Sea of Moving Ice

We know that this is where the island is. The island moves, and it's location is never fixed. But, we know of a whale named Angajuk who can assist us in finding the island. 
Vellyne Harpell has also joined us and will help us, assuming we will her her achieve her own goals of finding the lost city of Ythryn.