Auril, the Frostmaiden, is the deity of cold and winter. Her story is as tragic and bitter as the blizzards she wields in the frozen north..
She was once an Archfey known as Aurilandür, the Frost Sprite Queen. She was the winter princess in the court of her sister Titania, the Summer Queen of the Feywild.
Another deity of winter, the Queen of Air and Darkness of the Unseelie Court, was jealous of Aurilandür's position and prestige. The Queen's frozen heart was filled with malice - it was a black diamond. She desired to interrupt the natural flow of the seasons and freeze all of creation.
However, she needed Aurilandür's power to fulfill this sinister ambition. It was impossible to infiltrate the Seelie Court, so instead she sent her heart as a gift to the Frost Sprite Queen. When Aurilandür touched the dark gem, the evil inside flowed into her and corrupted her essence. Her divinity merged with the Queen of Air and Darkness.
On that day, Aurilandür became Auril, queen of the Unseelie Court. Her love of beauty remained, but it became burdened by the knowledge that everything eventually fades and decays. She wished to preserve reality by freezing it in everlasting ice.
Other gods resisted her efforts, and mortals refused to surrender to her whims. She lashed in fury at their rebellion against the frost.
However, not all gods opposed her. In her chaotic state, she discovered an affinity with Talos, Malar, and Umberlee. Together, they formed the Gods of Fury.
However, their alliance was full of quarrels. Auril, Talos, and Umberlee would constantly squabble over who had mastery over storms. Eventually they reached a compromise: Talos would govern storms over the land, Umberlee over the sea, and Auril over the snow and ice.
He persuaded her to abandon the Gods of Fury and become his subordinate instead. Silvanus planned to undo the harm that had been caused by separate Aurilandür from the Queen of Air and Darkness.
However, before he was able to do so, the Deep Wilds dissolved. Silvanus migrated to the divine realm of Tir na Og alongside the other deities of the Celtic Pantheon - a place in which Auril was most unwelcome.
Abandoned and alone, Auril was now being hunted by her former allies in the Gods of Fury. Umberlee, resentful of Auril's attempts at expansion by freezing her waters, instigated Talos and Malar against her.
They fought skirmishes across the planes, and Auril was cut off from her divine realm. She sought refuge in the material plane, taking over the remote region of Icewind Dale. There, she rages and despairs, lashing her bitter winds and ice storms at all within reach.
Ever since the Second Sundering, the gods have retreated from Faerûn. Their influence here is diminished, and for this reason Auril feels safe hiding in its frozen lands. But how long will we tolerate her presence? Surely, she underestimates the tenacity of mortals.
Its inhabitants sacrifice in her name, hoping to appease her anger.