History Monster / CriticalRole

[[quoteright:300:[[WebVideo/CriticalRoleCampaignOne https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qvuzau1.png]]]]

[[AC:Franchise-wide]]

[[AC:[[WebVideo/CriticalRole Original videos]]]]
* [[WebVideo/CriticalRoleCampaignOne Campaign 1]] ([[Characters/CriticalRoleVoxMachina Vox Machina]] in [[Characters/CriticalRoleVillains Tal'Dorei]]):
** The rakshasa [[SerialKiller Hotis]], a shapeshifter from the Nine Hells, is the second monster hunted by Vox Machina for the Slayer's Take. Disguised as a dwarf, Hotis creates an establishment for the rich named the Velvet Cabaret for the sake of gathering information about who the richest people in Vasselheim are. He then tracks them down and brutally mauls them to death before taking their belongings for himself. When discovered by members of Vox Machina and the Slayer's Take, Hotis tricks them into falling in a river of acid when they chase him down in an attempt to have them be slowly dissolved alive. When they survive, Hotis offers the party a deal to cease hostilities and work as business partners, intending to find an opportunity to kill them in the future. After finding himself at a disadvantage during the fight, Hotis promises to kill the loved ones of the party, [[WouldHurtAChild including Thorbir's young daughter]], all to spite them. After reforming when Vax kills him, Hotis hires assassins from The Clasp to murder the rest of Vox Machina while he disguises himself as Gilmore to lure Vax away from the group, tricking Vax into wearing a cursed robe that will slowly rip off his flesh in case he survives. Hotis then attacks Vax in Gilmore's form, taking pleasure in torturing the half-elf to near death. Despite his limited screen time, Hotis proves to be among the most vicious of minor villains within the series.
** ''Kraghammer'' arc: The mutated beholder, [[TheDreaded K'Varn the Mad]], attacked and enslaved the cities of Emberhold and Yug'voril after finding one of the horns of Orcus, intending to build up an army to launch an attack on the surface world. K'Varn launches attacks on Kraghammer while having his army capture as many dwarves and Underdark creatures as possible to [[MadScientist warp into horrific abominations]], his experiments resulting in countless deaths. When Lady Kima and a group of adventurers venture into the Underdark, K'Varn has nearly all of them slaughtered while having his men torture Lady Kima for days on end. When Vox Machina defeats Queen Ulara, [[HeKnowsTooMuch to ensure she can't give any information about him]] to the party, K'Varn kills her from the inside out.
** ''Chroma Conclave'' arc:
*** The ancient red dragon, [[DragonsAreDemonic Thordak the Cinder King]], is the leader of the Chroma Conclave, a faction of chromatic dragons with the goal of destroying the system of order within the continent of Tal'Dorei and dividing it amongst themselves. Centuries ago, Thordak was the tyrannical ruler of the desert continent Marquet, regularly slaughtering its residents. When the city of Ank'Harel began to rise to prominence, Thordak unsuccessfully attempted to destroy the city. Hiding in the seas to recover, Thordak destroyed any ships that passed by before being captured and empowered by the necromancer Opash. Thordak then killed Opash and took over the Island of Viscan before deciding to expand his rule. Killing hundreds of innocents in his conquest, Thordak was eventually [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] within the Elemental Plane of Fire. When Raishan the Diseased Deceiver freed him, Thordak killed the majority of the Fire Ashari, and established the Conclave along with Raishan. Thordak then has the Conclave attack numerous cities in Tal'Dorei, costing countless lives. When Vox Machina leads an army to take back control of Emon, the capital of Tal'Dorei, Thordak attempts to create a volcanic eruption to wipe out enemy and ally forces alike.
*** The ancient green dragon, [[ManipulativeBitch Raishan the Diseased Deceiver]], is a powerful [[EvilSorceress sorceress]] and [[EvilGenius the most intelligent member of the Chroma Conclave]]. Prior to the story, Raishan murdered a group of followers of Melora, the Wildmother, [[ForTheEvulz for her own amusement]]. When a follower laid a deadly disease on Raishan before dying, Raishan pledged servitude to Thordak in exchange for a cure. Raishan establishes the Chroma Conclave, making her responsible for the lives lost due to the faction. When Thordak was sealed away, Raishan disguised herself as an outcast girl to deceive the Fire Ashari into taking her in before freeing Thordak, not caring that Thordak would wipe out the majority of the Fire Ashari. Later, Raishan and the Chroma Conclave destroy the city of Emon, Raishan kicking off the attack by murdering Sovereign Uriel and several council members. After coming to the conclusion that Thordak won't honor their bargain, [[TheStarscream Raishan betrays the Conclave and offers to help Vox Machina kill Vorugal and Thordak]]. When the party kills Thordak, Raishan steals Thordak's corpse and multiple dragon eggs, intending to use them to help her attack a different continent in the future.
*** Kevdak is [[Characters/CriticalRoleGrogStrongjaw Grog]]'s [[EvilUncle uncle]], and the leader of the Herd of Storms. For years prior to the story, Kevdak had the Herd [[RapePillageAndBurn destroy countless settlements]], killing or enslaving as many inhabitants as they could. When Grog refuses to kill a helpless elderly gnome, Kevdak beats Grog to an inch of his life, and exiles him from the Herd, leaving him for dead. During the Chroma Conclave arc, after witnessing the might of Umbrasyl the Hope Devourer, Kevdak pledges servitude to the dragon [[TheStarscream with the intention of finding an opportunity to kill him in the future]]. Kevdak then has the Herd take over Westruun, killing any citizens who don't give offerings to either Umbrasyl or the Herd. Kevdak also has the Herd take citizens away from their families, having them work as slaves under the Herd or imprisoned and left to starve. When Kevdak finds out that his son Zanror is planning a revolt, Kevdak has him along with Zanror's pregnant mate Worra enslaved with intention of executing them both. When Grog calls the rest of Vox Machina to help him fight Kevdak, Kevdak orders the Herd to kill every innocent civilian in the area, [[WouldHurtAChild including a little boy]], all out of spite.
** ''Cult of Vecna'' arc: [[EvilSorcerer Vecna, the Whispered One]], is the [[TheManBehindTheMan mastermind]] behind the Briarwoods who revived Sylas as a vampire in exchange for him and Delilah going to Whitestone and massacring the de Rolo family, along with many innocents, to revive him. Upon his return, Vecna manages to [[PhysicalGod ascend to godhood]], killing Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan, before setting off to create a "miracle of terror" to make him [[TheDreaded feared]] across the world for more power. Vecna uses the loved ones of Vox Machina as shields, trying to trick them into killing those they care for, while intending to obliterate the city of Vasselheim and all within, wiping out a seat of power for good and condemning the entire world to evil and nightmares. The [[BigBad true villain]] of the first campaign, Vecna shows why he is the most wicked and monstrous foe Vox Machina encountered.
* [[WebVideo/CriticalRoleCampaignTwo Campaign 2]] ([[Characters/CriticalRoleWildemountCampaign The Mighty Nein]] in [[Characters/CriticalRoleWildemountVillains Wildemount]]):
** [[EvilTeacher Trent Ikithon]] is a powerful [[TheArchmage archmage]] and master of the Cerberus Assembly. Secretly a devious sadist who cares nothing for his students, Trent was the architect of everything that went wrong in the life of [[Characters/CriticalRoleCalebWidogast Caleb Widogast]]. Trent preys on impressionable students, subjecting some to torturous experiments before brainwashing them into assassins and sealing their loyalty by [[DeadlyGraduation having them torture and kill]] those he deems "problematic." Using them as assassins, Trent steadily purges people he dislikes and eventually has his students murder their own families using [[FakeMemories false memories]] of treason.
** ''The Bad Guys'' arc: [[{{Sadist}} Lorenzo]], leader of the Iron Shepherds, is a sadistic {{oni}} who enjoys nothing so much as causing pain. Capturing his victims, Lorenzo breaks them in body and mind with physical and mental torture to [[HumanTraffickers sell them for profit]], even [[ChildEater eating children]] himself. Upon being challenged by the Mighty Nein, Lorenzo [[HeroKiller brutally kills one of their number]], Mollymauk, choosing to let the dwarf Keg go on as to carry that pain with her for the rest of her life.
** ''The Bright Queen's Favor'' & ''Swords and Angels'' arcs: [[CharmPerson Obann]] is a cambion in service to the "Angel of Irons" who lives for the utter domination of others. When Yasha Nydoorin was at her lowest, Obann found her and like so many others, [[MindRape robbed her of her mind]]. Utilizing Yasha as a guard and killer, Obann forced her to commit numerous atrocities, which he had done to many who fell under his sway. Seeking to unleash the Angel of Irons, Obann proceeded to use his agents to open up demonic rifts, heedless of any damage to the world.

[[AC:Other Media]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'':
** [[DragonsAreDemonic Thordak, the Cinder King]], is an ancient red dragon previously [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away]] in the Elemental Plane of Fire for his destruction across the land. Upon his release, Thordak establishes the Chroma Conclave, a faction of chromatic dragons with the goal of conquering cities across the continent. Launching an attack on Emon that results in countless deaths, Thordak demands all survivors offer treasure to him, [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness incinerating a group of civilians when he deems their valuables of no further use]]. Uncaring upon finding out about the death of one of his fellow dragons, Umbrsayl, Thordak is revealed to be raising a horde of dragon eggs, all for the purpose of unleashing them for a destructive conquest upon all of Tal'Dorei.
** Season 1: [[AdaptationalBadass Brimscythe, the Iron Storm]], is the blue dragon of the Chroma Conclave and the [[StarterVillain first true threat]] faced by Vox Machina. Desiring to conquer Emon, Brimscythe destroys farmland and massacres multiple villages of the Shalesteps, putting Emon at risk of starvation, in order to gain the attention of the Tal'Dorei council. [[KillAndReplace Taking the guise of General Krieg after killing him]], Brimscythe led several adventuring groups to be slaughtered, [[BadBoss later doing the same thing to a squadron of his own soldiers]], to push Sovereign Uriel to mobilize the army against the dragon. When fellow council member Sir Fince begins gathering evidence of Brimscythe's true nature, [[HeKnowsTooMuch Brimscythe murders Fince]] before confronting Vox Machina in his lair. There, it's revealed that Brimscythe intends to have all of Emon's soldiers gathered in one place so that he can kill them all, leaving the Conclave free to attack the defenseless Emon as they please.
** Season 2: [[AmbitionIsEvil Kevdak]], Thunderlord of the Herd of Storms, is the [[EvilUncle wicked uncle]] of Grog Strongjaw. Leading his Herd of Goliaths as [[RapePillageAndBurn marauding bandits]], Kevdak has butchered countless innocents and left villages as lifeless wastelands. When Grog protected an innocent gnome, Kevdak savagely beat him to a pulp and left him for dead. In the present, Kevdak continues his brutal marauding to gather riches for the dragon Umbrasyl, ransacking and ruling over Westruun in the Hope Devourer's name. Upon being opposed by his son Zanror, [[AbusiveParents Kevdak]] beats him down with a clear threat to his life. When Grog returns, Kevdak gleefully tries to kill his best friend Pike and then beat Zanror to death when his son takes the chance to try to stop Kevdak's madness.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'''s "The Terror of Tal'Dorei" [[Recap/TheLegendOfVoxMachinaS01E01TheTerrorOfTalDoreiPart1 two]]-[[Recap/TheLegendOfVoxMachinaS01E02TheTerrorOfTalDoreiPart2 parter]]: [[AdaptationalBadass Brimscythe, the Iron Storm]], is a blue dragon and the [[StarterVillain first true threat]] faced by Vox Machina. Desiring to conquer Emon, Brimscythe massacres multiple villages of the Shalesteps, putting Emon at risk of starvation, in order to gain the attention of the Tal'Dorei council. [[KillAndReplace Taking the guise of General Krieg after killing him]], Brimscythe led several adventuring groups to be slaughtered, [[BadBoss later doing the same thing to a squadron of his own soldiers]], to push Sovereign Uriel to mobilize the army against the dragon. When fellow council member Sir Fince begins gathering evidence of Brimscythe's true nature, [[HeKnowsTooMuch Brimscythe murders Fince]] before confronting Vox Machina in his lair. There, it's revealed that Brimscythe intends to have all of Emon's soldiers gathered in one place so that he can kill them all, leaving him free to attack the defenseless Emon as he pleases.

%% NOTE: Due to the controversial nature of this trope, any changes (additions, removals, edits) should be discussed [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=6vic3f9h1cy5qivsenw8llok here]].

[[quoteright:300:[[Characters/CriticalRoleVoxMachina https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/qvuzau1.png]]]]

-->-- '''[[Characters/CriticalRoleNPCsEmpireRepublicOfTalDorei Allura Vysoren]]''' on '''[[Characters/CriticalRoleVillains Thordak the Cinder King]]''', "[[Characters/CriticalRoleVoxMachina Desperate Measures]]"

* [[WebVideo/CriticalRoleCampaignOne Campaign 1]] ([[Characters/CriticalRoleVoxMachina Vox Machina]] in [[Characters/CriticalRoleVillains Tal'dorei]]):
** ''Kraghammer Arc'': The mutated beholder, [[TheDreaded K'Varn the Mad]], attacked and enslaved the cities of Emberhold and Yug'voril after finding one of the horns of Orcus, intending to build up an army to launch an attack on the surface world. K'Varn launches attacks on Kraghammer while having his army capture as many dwarves and Underdark creatures as possible to [[MadScientist warp into horrific abominations]], his experiments resulting in countless deaths. When Lady Kima and a group of adventurers venture into the Underdark, K'Varn has nearly all of them slaughtered while having his men torture Lady Kima for days on end. When Vox Machina defeats Queen Ulara, [[HeKnowsTooMuch to ensure she can't give any information about him]] to the party, K'Varn kills her from the inside out.
** ''Vasselheim Arc'' (first appearance): The rakshasa [[SerialKiller Hotis]], a shapeshifter from the Nine Hells, is the second monster hunted by Vox Machina for the Slayer's Take. Disguised as a dwarf, Hotis creates an establishment for the rich named the Velvet Cabaret for the sake of gathering information about who the richest people in Vasselheim are. He then tracks them down and brutally mauls them to death before taking their belongings for himself. When discovered by members of Vox Machina and the Slayer's Take, Hotis tricks them into falling in a river of acid when they chase him down in an attempt to have them be slowly dissolved alive. When they survive, Hotis offers the party a deal to cease hostilities and work as business partners, intending to find an opportunity to kill them in the future. After finding himself at a disadvantage during the fight, Hotis promises to kill the loved ones of the party, [[WouldHurtAChild including Thorbir's young daughter]], all to spite them. After reforming when Vax kills him, Hotis attempts to exact revenge on Vox Machina. Hotis hires assassins from The Clasp to murder the rest of Vox Machina while Hotis disguises himself as Gilmore to lure Vax away from the group and tricks Vax into wearing a cursed robe that will slowly rip off his flesh in case Vax survives. Hotis then attacks Vax, taking pleasure in torturing the half-elf to near death. Despite his limited screen time, Hotis proves to be among the most vicious of minor villains within the series.
** ''Chroma Conclave Arc'' :

*** Kevdak is [[Characters/CriticalRoleGrogStrongjaw Grog]]'s [[EvilUncle uncle]], and the leader of the Herd of Storms. For years prior to the story, Kevdak had the Herd [[RapePillageAndBurn destroy countless settlements]], killing or enslaving as many inhabitants as they could. When Grog refuses to kill a helpless elderly gnome, Kevdak beats Grog to an inch of his life, and exiles him from the Herd, leaving him for dead. During the Chroma Conclave arc, after witnessing the might of Umbrasyl the Hope Devourer, Kevdak pledges servitude to the dragon [[TheStarscream with the intention of finding an opportunity to kill him in the future]]. Kevdak then has the Herd take over Westruun, killing any citizens who don't give offerings to either Umbrasyl or the Herd. Kevdak also has the Herd take citizens away from their families, having them work as slaves under the Herd or to be imprisoned and left to starve. When Kevdak finds out that his son Zanror is planning a revolt, Kevdak has him along with Zanror's pregnant mate Worra enslaved with intention of executing them both. When Grog calls the rest of Vox Machina to help him fight Kevdak, Kevdak orders the Herd to kill every innocent civilian in the area, [[WouldHurtAChild including a little boy]], all out of spite.
** ''Cult of Vecna Arc'': [[EvilSorcerer Vecna, the Whispered One]], is the [[GreaterScopeVillain mastermind]] behind the Briarwoods who revived Sylas as a vampire in exchange for him and Delilah going to Whitestone, massacring the de Rolo family and many innocents, all to revive Vecna. Upon his return, Vecna manages to [[PhysicalGod ascend to godhood]], killing Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan, before setting off to create a "miracle of terror" to make him [[TheDreaded feared]] across the world for more power. Vecna uses the loved ones of Vox Machina as shields, trying to trick them into killing those they care for, while intending to obliterate the city of Vasselheim and all within, wiping out a seat of power for good and condemning the entire world to evil and nightmares. The true villain of the first campaign, Vecna shows why he is the most wicked and monstrous foe Vox Machina encountered.
* [[WebVideo/CriticalRoleCampaignTwo Campaign 2]] ([[Characters/CriticalRoleWildemountCampaign The Mighty Nein]] in [[Characters/CriticalRoleWildemountVillains Wildemount]]): "Divergent Paths" through "The Stalking Nightmare": [[{{Sadist}} Lorenzo]], leader of the Iron Shepherds, is a sadistic {{oni}} who enjoys nothing so much as causing pain. Capturing his victims, Lorenzo breaks them physically and psychological with mental and physical torture to [[HumanTraffickers sell them for profit]], even [[ChildEater eating children]] himself. Upon being challenged by the Mighty Nein, Lorenzo [[HeroKiller brutally kills one of their number]], Mollymauk, choosing to let the dwarf Keg go on as to carry that pain with her for the rest of her life.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfVoxMachina'''s "The Terror of Tal'Dorei" [[Recap/TheLegendOfVoxMachinaS01E01TheTerrorOfTalDoreiPart1 two]]-[[Recap/TheLegendOfVoxMachinaS01E02TheTerrorOfTalDoreiPart2 parter]]: [[AdaptationalBadass Brimscythe, the Iron Storm]], is a blue dragon and the [[StarterVillain first true threat]] faced by Vox Machina. Desiring to conquer Emon, Brimscythe massacres multiple villages of the Shalesteps, putting Emon at risk of starvation, in order to gain the attention of the Tal'Dorei council. [[KillAndReplace Taking the guise of General Krieg after killing him]], Brimscythe led several adventuring groups to be slaughtered, [[BadBoss later doing the same thing to a squadron of his own soldiers]], to push Sovereign Uriel to mobilize the army against Emon. When fellow council member Sir Fince begins gathering evidence of Brimscythe's true nature, [[HeKnowsTooMuch Brimscythe murders Fince]] before confronting Vox Machina in his lair. There, it's revealed that Brimscythe intends to have all of Emon's soldiers gathered in one place so that he can kill them all, leaving him free to attack the defenseless Emon as he pleases.