Auril vs Queen of Air and Darkness

[SecretIdentity]

Are they one and the same? Are they one and the same sometimes? Are they never one and the same and people should be discouraged from thinking so?

If they are one and the same, or even thought to be such, why are they so different?

[IndifferentPerson]

I think they're only the same in 4e, you know, before half the deities merged.

[Faye]

Playing Vida, I found a lot of people merging the ideas of Auril and the Queen of Air and Darkness - not in the way of "LOL THEY'RE THE SAME!!", just more of Cold as a Thing, black diamonds, snowflakes, frosts, etc. In 3.5 they're separate, but I've been told by someone IC that Auril = the aspect of the Queen's coldness.

[CragOneEye]

My understanding is that in 3.5ed it suspected by some they might be one in the same where as others argue that they are different.

I think it's mostly evil human followers who argue different where as feytouched elves argue they are the same.

In 4.0ed it's revealed they are indeed one in the same however, that she took guise of a human goddess, to gain deity hood, and to rival power in her allie/rival Lloth.

Mechanically in 3.5ed they are separate.

I don't know if that answers the question.

[SecretIdentity]

It sort of answers, and sort of doesn't.

If I'm playing an Aurilite, can I chose if I serve The Queen of Air and Darkness, or Auril? What about their varied alignment differences? If they're the same person, shouldn't they have the same alignment?

[aaa3]

They could be two aspects of same deity, channeling powers from two sides of groups (different aligments).

[SecretIdentity]

They could be indeed. But is could be enough to be able to play it that way?

[CragOneEye]

It's about flavour rp-wise, mechanic wise do you have an alignment picking one from another? If so, pick the one that suits your alignment, if both work for your alignment, then pick one that makes most sense rp-wise. Or if they earn piety differently then again pick one that best suits your character. If not worried about IG mechanics then here are some other ways to determine it:

1) your character is aware they are one in the same, and worships all aspects of queen air and darkness, so pick her as your deity;

2) your character is still aware they are the same but focuses on only the winter aspect, select aurile as your deity. Could even rp it as you're in the "know she is the same club" but pretend you're ignorant, to try convert nature walkers. In both of those instances, I'd pick Aurile.

3)your character is ignorant of the fact they are the same, and as such follows whom ever best suits them. This idea is not uncommon for D&d, using FR as an example very few realised bahamut and the untheric deity Marduk were the same deity. Even after bahamut lost his portfolio as Marduk when Tiamat killed him very few afterwards knew the difference.

[Mithreas]

They are the same, though this is not widely known to mortals at this point in the timeline.

My Feylock often used the alias Snowflake and dressed in white and pale blue, though