Auril the Frostmaiden is a neutral evil lesser god of cold indifference who embodies winter’s cruelty. (For information on what defines a lesser god, see the “Divine Rank” sidebar in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.) Auril’s beloved ice grasps all things in her clutches, preserving them against the ravages of time. She hoards beauty in all forms, from art objects and flowers to skilled artisans and their wondrous works, freezing them in magical ice for her pleasure alone.

Auril was aligned with the gods Talos, Umberlee, and Malar. Together they wrought terrible destruction, inspiring fear that compelled tribute to hold their power at bay. Umberlee, queen of the wrathful sea, grew to despise the enduring nature of the ice and snow Auril created. Umberlee seethed when Auril’s frigid cold transformed her chaotic, unpredictable tides into rigid, motionless sheets of ice. Umberlee brought Talos and Malar into an alliance against Auril, who retreated to the coldest corner of Toril to escape their fury.

After a world-shaking event known as the Sundering, most of the gods withdrew from Toril, leaving mortals to govern their own fates without the gods’ meddling, but the Frostmaiden could not stay away for long. Auril returned to her icy realm in the far north and, after a time, plunged it into frigid darkness using her magic.

Casting such great magic night after night while also granting spells to her devoted followers leaves Auril weak and vulnerable. In her self-inflicted weakened state, Auril is inclined to be cautious and avoid contact with other creatures that can harm her.

Auril’s worshipers know better than to disturb her self-imposed isolation. Terrible blizzards have cut off Icewind Dale from the rest of the world, and a shroud of mist conceals her island in the Sea of Moving Ice.

First Form

In her first form, Auril appears as a hunched, 7-foot-tall biped with the head of a snowy owl, black talons, cloven hooves, and grayish-white wolf fur covering her body from the neck down. Protruding from her feathery owl’s head is a pair of curved goat horns. A cloak and cowl made of pristine white snow conceals much of her tripartite form, which her worshipers refer to as the Cold Crone. This cloak can transform into a pair of owl’s wings when Auril sees fit.

Auril's Lair

Auril dwells in frigid, isolated regions, such as the head of a glacier, an island in a sea of frigid water, or at the peak of snowy mountain

The region containing Aurils lair is altered by its presence, creating the following effects:

All-Seeing: Auril can cast the spell Clairvoyance, requiring no spell components and using the same spellcasting ability as her Spellcasting action.

Bone Chilling Cold: The area within 1 mile of the lair is an area of extreme cold. Any water in that area is frigid water. See the Dungeon Master’s Guide for rules on extreme cold and frigid water. If the area was already of either extreme cold or frigid water, the DC to resist the effects is now 15 instead of 10. As well, any creature that lacks resistance or immunity to cold regains only a number of hit points equal to its Constitution modifier (minimum of 0) whenever they spend a Hit Die to regain hit points.

Frigid Air: The area within 1 mile of the lair is lightly obscured by misty fog.