Auril



Auril (pronounced AW-rill ), also known as The Cold Goddess, The Frostmaiden, and Icedawn, is a fickle, vain and evil deity, who is primarily venerated out of fear. She is most powerful in those regions that are affected by deep winters or crouch at the edges of the Great Glacier.

Worshipers
Sacrifices to the Frostmaiden are common, especially in the North, as people hope to appease her and thus avoid crippling cold winters. She also has many secret temples along the Spine of the World that bring terror and dominion to small settlements of people trying to eke out a living.

Auril's clergy is loosely organized, and the main goals of most followers is 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 can accumulate impressive personal wealth in this manner, some of which they sacrifice as offerings to Auril. Her priests wear ice white robes with blue trim, and are easily identified by the dire warnings they proclaim of the wrath of Auril come the winter. They have also been known to cast many of the cold based spells, many of which are described in the Codicil of White.

Dogma
''Cover all the lands with ice. Quench fire wherever it is found. Let in the winds and the cold; cut down windbreaks and chop holes in walls and roofs that my breath may come in. Work in darkness to hide the cursed sun so that the chill I bring may slay. Take the life of an arctic creature only in great need, but slay others at will. Make all Faerun fear me.''

Auril's clergy are commanded to revere her and sing her praises into any chill breeze or winter wind. They are to make all creatures fear or worship her and to bring down her cold power against all so that all may know her and quake before her. They are not to raise their hands against any other priest of Auril.

Titles / Ranks
Auril's church has a few males within its ranks, but most clergy of the Frostmaiden are female. Specialty priests of Auril, called icepriestesses and icepriests, make up one-third of Auril's priesthood. The relationship between the specialty priests and the clerics of Auril is very good. The entire church is very loosely and informally organized, and clergy members wander and are largely independent. Most priests of Auril use only the honorific "Hand of Auril" or "Icebreath," but at temples such as the House of Auril's Breath at Glister the clergy use formal titles. In ascending order, these are:


 * Postulant
 * Votre
 * Icewind
 * Storm Sister / Storm Brother
 * Frosttouch
 * Lady / Lord Cold
 * Lady / Lord Deep Winter
 * Lady / Lord Cold Circle
 * High Hand of Ice

Orders
Auril's church has no affiliated military or knightly orders. She is just not of a mind to sponsor prolonged military actions; she would rather send a blizzard down on those who offend her than troops. An odd assortment of cults and fellowships have grown up around or become attached to her worship, though. These groups include the Cult of Frost, whose driving goal is the acquisition of the artifact known as the Ring of Winter; a group of wizards known as the Frost Witches, who have recorded at least one tome of frost and cold magic in Auril's name and are reputed to know the location of the Codicil of White, a priestly book describing Aurilian rituals and containing some wizard spells also; and the Sisters of Istishia, who worship Istishia as a herald of cold and servant of Auril. The Sisters of Istishia's worship seems to benefit Istishia, not Auril, as a few Aurilian priestesses have been given a divine mandate to seek out the Sisters and "correct" their theology.



Holy Days

 * Alban Arthan (Winter Solstice), the longest night of the year
 * Midwinter (Night), 1 Hammer. This is the most holy night of the year for the clergy, a festival of ice-dancing that lasts all night.
 * Last Storm (Vernal Equinox), 19 Ches
 * The Coming (Winter Solstice), 20 Nightal. Informal but enthusiastically celebrated rituals where the priests gather and call howling ice storms down on a region to mark the onset and end of winter.

Temples dedicated to Auril

 * Icedawn's House (South of Neshkel)
 * The House of Auril's Breath (Glister)
 * The Towers of Fury (Calimport)
 * The Winter Palace (Luskan)
 * Ice Temple (located between Andora and the Wandering Village, it is to block the western pass to prevent the adventurers to move forward (Icewind Dale 2))

The Codicil of White
The Codicil is a magical book containing basic rites, rituals, services, and major ceremonies of Auril's faith. The book also has 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.

Known Worshipers of Auril

 * Gerti Orelsdottr
 * Cierre
 * Cefra Windrivver
 * Lysan, Priestess, Icewind Dale
 * Odea of Andora, Aurilian Druid, Icewind Dale 2
 * High Priestess Cathin, High Priestess, Ice Temple, Icewind Dale 2
 * High Priestess Lysara, High Priestess, Ice Temple, Icewind Dale 2
 * High Priestess Oria, High Priestess, Ice Temple, Icewind Dale 2
 * Thvara Baelm, Priestess, Wandering Village, Icewind Dale 2

Relationships
Much of Auril's power has been absorbed by Talos in recent times, weakening the minor deity. Despite this, or perhaps as a result of, Auril has quietly been siphoning power from the slumbering deity Ulutiu who is in stasis under the Great Glacier. Kossuth and Auril are mortal enemies, but their followers seldom come across each other. Sune opposes Auril, as she blames her for the destruction of much that is beautiful. Uthgar hates Auril as she has turned the Elk Tribe away from his worship.

As a denizen of the Deep Wilds, Auril is technically a subject of Silvanus, the dominion's ruler, although Auril does not consider herself accountable to the greater god.

Deities of Fury
Auril, along with Malar, Umberlee, and their superior Talos, is a member of the Deities of Fury. Umberlee and Auril cooperate with some degree of confidence, while Malar and Auril despise each other.