Mention of his name by Atlas Atruvian awoke Delban from a centuries-long slumber, and in Search For The Silver Dragon, he began to use his power to speak to another traveler in the mists, Ajuni Elajoral. Without giving his name, he warned the Sorceress of the Roc hunting them at Tsolenka Pass, convincing her party to run from the monstrous bird.
An ageless Dark Power native to the Plane of Shadow, Delban was once a higher being who preyed on souls within the veil of the Deepmists. In the Pre-Unified Age, he was locked into an amber sarcophagus by high mages of the Azure Paragon, then was stored in the Amber Temple alongside other Dark Powers. Claiming the title "The Star of Ice and Hate," Delban asserted to have ultimate power over cold magics, but was only able to influence the realm beyond his tomb with minor magic.
As his powers waxed and waned during the Barovian Calender Timeline, he contacted adventurers to harvest soul energy from Barovians. He looked to feast on souls killed by the extreme cold, and in exchange for magical power, would request that their champions destroy his sarcophagus. However, he experienced few successes, as souls leaving Barovia were nearly always consumed by Vampyr, and his champions were killed by the many horrors of the valley.