Auriel’s Shield is an artifact created and used by the Elven god Auriel, an aspect of the Imperial Akatosh, the Dragon God of Time. It takes the form of a small shield, sometimes rounded, and made from either ebony or moonstone. It has several magical abilities that help to make its wielder nigh invulnerable. The shield is twinned with Auriel’s Bow. Like many great artifacts, the shield has a life and personality of its own, and does not feel bound to its user. A popular fable tells of it abandoning its owner in her greatest hour of need, but this story is thought to be apocryphal.
The shield was uncovered by the Eternal Champion during the Imperial Simulacrum, in either High Rock or Summerset (accounts vary). In the events leading up to the Warp in the West, a clue to the shield’s location was discovered by a witch living in the Iliac Bay region. In return for kidnapping the witch’s great-granddaughter to become the witch’s successor, she revealed the clue to a questing member of a knightly order, who retrieved it from the dungeon where it lay.
Near the end of the Third Era, the shield was recovered by Drelyne Llenim, a Dunmer Buoyant Armiger stationed at Ghostgate, a small military settlement along the Great Ghost Fence on Vvardenfell. In 3E 427, the shield is said to have been forcibly taken from Llenim by the Nerevarine, who then sold it to Torasa Aram. Aram put the shield on display in her Museum of Artifacts in Mournhold.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| BR | 12 |
| Magic BR | 12 |
| Qualities | Medium, Magic, Auriel’s Ward |
| ENC | 3 |
Auriel’s Ward: The wearer of this shield increases their Fire resistance by 2, and is under the effect of Magic Shield SL 4 while wielding the Shield. If the character uses Auriel’s Shield to block or parry the source of that effect, such as by blocking a spell or parrying an enchanted weapon, then it is automatically negated. For every 5 attacks the shield blocks, the wearer gains 1 charge of Auriels Wrath (to a maximum of 3), which the character can choose to spend whenever performing the Bash Special Action. For every charge spent, add 2 meters to the distance pushed by the action.