Guest Party Members | Allies and Other Characters (Empire/Republic of Tal'Dorei) | Villains
Guest Party Members | Allies and Other Characters (Dwendalian Empire | Xhorhas) | Villains
Laudna
Played by: Marisha Ray
"I'm fun-scary!"
Click here to see her at Level 10.
- Race: Human (Hollow One)
Class: Warlock (The Undead, Pact of the Chain)/Sorcerer (Shadow Magic)
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Tropes A - O
- Age-Gap Romance: She is in her 50s despite appearing to be 20, making her relationship with Imogen, who is 28, technically an intergenerational relationship.
- All of the Other Reindeer: Even before her death, Laudna admits that she was a weird person, leading others to avoid being around her or outright throw mud at her. And if the trip to retrieve her soul from Delilah's grasp is any indication, she's had more than a few run-ins with Burn the Witch!-type folk. During the astral trip the rest of the Hells took to try and unbind Delilah's soul from her own, we are also shown scenes from her childhood; suffice to say that she's had some issues making friends for a long while, as a boy tried to play a cruel trick on her when she was a little girl and then threw dirt in her face when she didn't fall for it.
- Ambiguous Situation: It's unclear what Laudna's relationship with her patron "D", or Delilah Briarwood, is since Laudna mentions she was killed by the Briarwoods with one living in her head. She's either being coerced into this contract, or is just glad to be "alive" again since she doesn't take her patron's threats about spilling their secrets to the party all too seriously. Laudna does admit she still wants her and Imogen to get access to the library in hopes of her increasing her skill in case her patron were to actually take away her powers for good. However, it's clearer later on that given her scathing remarks towards Yu, Delilah still has a terrifying hold over the dead woman.Laudna: You sound just like her. [...] Because I have a voice in my head. And she knows exactly what to say to get me to do what she wants.
- Animate Inanimate Object: She brought her puppet Pâté to life with her Pact of the Chain, turning him into her familiar. At later levels she gains access to the Animate Objects spell, allowing her to temporarily bring objects to life under her command. Since it's Laudna she imagines the animated objects with cartoonish voices similar to Pâté.
- Apologetic Attacker: After the party is betrayed by Bor'Dor, Laudna apologizes as she finishes the traitor off with Wither and Bloom.Laudna: I'm really sorry, Bor'Dor. I just can't stand having anyone else betray me.
- Ascended Extra: From a nameless corpse hanging from the Sun Tree in Campaign 1 to a player character in Campaign 3.
- Back from the Dead:
- She recalls to the party about how she died and suddenly woke up amongst a pile of corpses. Episode 6 reveals that her patron Delilah Briarwood was the one who brought her back and is keeping Laudna functioning. Episode 17 further reveals how Laudna originally died: she was one of the people hung from the Sun Tree in Whitestone to serve as a warning for Vox Machina. Laudna describes being taken away from her parents, beaten to within an inch of her life, handed clothes to change into, then hung and left to die.
- Happens once more in the aftermath of the party’s first battle with Otohan Thull, and after her soul is trapped in a nightmarish limbo along with her patron. It takes the efforts of Bell's Hells and Pike Trickfoot to call her back to life.
- Bad Liar: Laudna isn't particularly good at lying, mainly using her creepy appearance to deter people. After she and Imogen make up, she tries to lie about where the ring came from before immediately folding.Ashton: Who gave you that ring?
Laudna: None of your... busine- Imogen. - Bad Powers, Good People: The fact that Laudna's powers can basically terrify people are this, but she's generally a nice and pleasant person. Despite her patron's warnings of revealing too much about her past and powers, Laudna calls them "D".
- Because You Were Nice to Me: It's mentioned that Laudna is fiercely loyal and protective of Imogen, because Imogen was both not scared of Laudna and allowed Laudna to be herself without judgment. Also, as time goes on, she grows closer to the rest of Bell's Hells for the same reason.
- Berserk Button: After a while, she starts gaining an immense trigger for people who end up betraying her group, which is what lead to Bor'Dor's death by her hands. While she's not outwardly as furious as some of her teammates, her calm demeanor speaks otherwise.
- Body Horror: Mostly played for laughs, with her constant nightmarish contortions, especially when she enters her Form of Dread, which just terrifies residents of Jrusar. Also played straight with Laudna's pointed ear caps, which she wears to disguise where her ears were cut to points, so that she looked more like a half-elf.
- Boy Meets Ghoul: Episode 65 confirms that the relationship between her and Imogen is romantic and they share a kiss.
- Brutal Honesty: Laudna doesn't seem to really care how others may feel about what she says.
- Her warlock patron doesn't really appreciate a potential reveal that they're on terms with Laudna, but Laudna fires back that she didn't think it was a problem. Delilah Briarwood gets incensed that the information Laudna told her party members was about her. Laudna counters that what happened to the Briarwoods and the De Rolos is public knowledge, therefore she was not really giving away secrets.
- After Ashton gets the group breakfast, Laudna immediately and almost gleefully announces that Bertrand Bell had been killed during the previous evening, and they don't know by whom.
- Bullying a Dragon: Not quite "bullying", but she's casual and glib towards her undead warlock patron, and brushes off said patron's threatening warnings against revealing too much information. That patron is heavily hinted to be Delilah Briarwood during that conversation, with Episode 18 confirming it. So Laudna is taunting the spirit of an extremely powerful wizard.
- Came Back Wrong: Played for laughs. She can easily pop her shoulder in and out of its socket, her fingernails can fall off, and at one point when pulling the hammer out of her hair, she takes off some hair and scalp with it. None of this deters Laudna at any point.
- Canon Character All Along: Episode 17 reveals that she was one of the Whitestone residents who was hanged on the Sun Tree to serve as a warning for Vox Machina in Campaign 1. Details about Laudna having her ears flitted down to be pointy suggest that she was used as the effigy for Vex'ahlia, which was later confirmed on 4-Sided Dive by Marisha and by Bell's Hells themselves when they meet Vex'ahlia on a trip to Whitestone.
- Casting a Shadow: Her entire arcane aesthetic as both an undead warlock and a sorcerer of Shadow Magic.
- Catchphrase: Likely played for laughs. When she asks if or how someone died, she usually responds with a somewhat gleeful, "Tragic".
- Character Death: She dies in Episode 34. Otohan Thull stabs her unconscious form in Episode 33, which causes Laudna to fail two death saves. The following episode, Marisha rolls a Nat 1 on her last death save. Imogen even tries conversing with Delilah to bring Laudna back, but Delilah notes that she's too weak to do so at the moment. Fearne has to make a Sadistic Choice between Laudna or Orym to bring back with her last Revivify, and she picks Orym, leaving Laudna beyond death's door with Bell's Hells unable to bring her back. This refocuses Bell's Hells to reviving her as their first priority, and they eventually do so with the help of several members of Vox Machina.
- Character Tics: She tends to gesticulate a lot with her hands, and she strokes her hair when she's curious or nervous about something.
- Chest Burster: Her Hound of Ill Omen emerges from an opening in her rib cage when summoned. Thankfully, unlike most versions of this trope the process is painless for Laudna and mostly serves to freak out her enemies.
- Chill of Undeath: Being a Hollow One, Laudna isn't particularly alive. When others touch her or hold her hand, they usually comment on how cold she feels.
- Claimed by the Supernatural: In episode 77 Delilah explains that her and Laudna's ability to persist after death stems directly from the Whispered One and if he is destroyed by Predathos they will disappear too. When Laudna points out that she never chose the Whispered One or her undead existence Delilah brushes it off as a quirk of fate.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: She has her moments, largely due to having a relatively loose grip on reality after the 30 years she spent living in isolation. When she and Orym pretend to be a mother and child to scope out the hideout of the Paragon's Call she refers to him exclusively as "Georgie" and genuinely begins to treat him like a small child by insisting on him holding her hand and not letting him run off on his own. Similarly, when Fearne rearranges her puppets while she is asleep she starts to believe they have a mind of their own.
- Collector of the Strange: Pâté de Rolo was made from two dead animals that she found. And in episode 2 she retrieves a moldy, bird poop-soaked old leather satchel from a rooftop, as part of their mission to gather evidence... but most likely to keep it for herself."I lick it."
- Combination Attack: Her standard strategy is to weaken enemies' defenses with Bane or her Unsettling Presence ability so that Imogen can nail them with a spell. She also uses her magic to give Ashton's hammer a boost so he can use it like a croquet mallet to knock a captured creature in a Containment Field down a tunnel.
- Companion Cube: Her dead rat Pâté de Rolo. Most of the other party members but F.C.G. and Ashton are unamused by this. When she wants Pâté to move, she'll attach black bands to his body parts and move them like a puppet. She apparently made Pâté to keep her company from the loneliness and from... "the voice in her head". Even Imogen admits in the two years she's known Laudna, she's never gotten used to Pâté. She later on gains a new puppet as a partner for Pâté that she names "Sashimi".
- Conditioned to Accept Horror: Seeing as she has Delilah Briarwood living in her head for what appears to be decades, Laudna now treats them as nothing more than a slightly annoying passenger. Marisha even confirms in 4-Sided Dive that while Laudna may have initially been afraid of Delilah, she's now more annoyed than anything else when Delilah decides to pop in for a conversation.
- Creepy Good: She's generally friendly, but her hag-like appearance and dark powers tend to scare most people off. Her interest in creating some creepy voodoo like dolls has also made some of the party members more wary of her. When Bertrand Bell enters the fray in Episode 1, he admits that he's "a little concerned about the creepy-ass bitch dripping with goo" after he sees Laudna in her Form of Dread.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: She was the "Vex" who was tortured and hung on the Sun Tree. Episode 17 sees her going into detail that she was dragged away from her parents, savagely beaten, and had her ears cut down to look like a half-elf's ears before being hanged.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: Her Hunger of the Shadow ability is an incredibly powerful Touch of Death that causes people to wither and die. However, it is heavily implied that every use brings her patron closer to reviving, causing her to only use it when she is overcome with emotion.
- Dark Is Not Evil: She dresses in primarily dark clothing with dark hair to match, and has powers that relate to the dead, but she's a good person regardless.
- Demonic Possession: Played terrifyingly in episode 23, when Laudna asks if she could hold the stone Imogen slept with, as she was strangely drawn to it. Right as she promises she won't do anything without Imogen's consent, Delilah takes over, forcing Laudna to crush the stone. This leaves Imogen distraught and hurt over Lauda's supposed betrayal while Laudna tries to tell Imogen it wasn't her who did it.
- Determinator: Laudna seems to be the one who gets the most Death Saves so far in the campaign, and manages to get back up each time ... until her encounter with Otohan Thull.
- Did You Die?: F.C.G. asks this almost verbatim after he finds out that Laudna isn't technically alive. As Episode 17 reveals, she did die. But then she came back.Laudna: I'm not sure. I think so.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Using Counterspell against THE Ludinus Da'leth's own ninth-level spell? Definitely more than qualifies.
- Early-Bird Cameo: In Episode 17, it is revealed that she was one of the people the Briarwoods hung from the Sun Tree as a warning to Vox Machina.
- Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: She has primarily black hair (with a shock of white in the front) and deathly pale skin, highlighting her overall creepiness.
- Even the Girls Want Her: Despite her grotesque appearance, Laudna does occasionally get some compliments from people. She's even attracted a decent amount of attention from women such as Fearne, Dusk and Wuva who find her creepy demeanor charming. In episode 65, she and Imogen confess to one another and kiss.
- Face of a Thug: She's a generally friendly and polite person, but she gets chased out of town on a regular basis because of her eerie appearance and interest in the macabre.
- Fire, Ice, Lightning: Laudna has access to spells that deal fire, lighting, and ice damage, fitting her traditional Black Mage archetype.
- Friendless Background: Marisha confirms that even before she died, Laudna didn't have friends. Imogen was likely her First Friend, and vice versa. Marisha confirms in Four Sided Dice that Imogen and the Hells are the first friends she's ever made. Episode 37 reveals Laudna's past as Matilda, who was bullied by Andy and spent so much time alone she created a doll of a bird "to take me far away from here."
- Friendly Zombie: A very friendly undead woman, who unfortunately doesn't receive the same treatment due to how terrifying she looks.
- Friend to All Children: Laudna admits that she loves kids and when she sees some spying on her and Imogen, she simply wanted to play with them. Unfortunately given her appearance, this leads to the kids running away in fright. Imogen tells her that kids liked "fun-scary", which Laudna is not; she's just scary-scary. In episode 38 she has a friendly conversation with a little girl who admires Pâté and agrees that Laudna is "fun-scary".
- From Nobody to Nightmare: She was just a farmer's daughter with a mild affinity for magic before she was killed and brought back as a Hollow One. Now she is an undead witch with the power to terrify most creatures at a glance.
- Given Name Reveal: Episode 37 reveals that her birth name was "Matilda." Her (original) full name is later revealed in Episode 8 of 4-Sided Dive when Marisha mentions that her full name was "Matilda Bradbury".
- Go Mad from the Isolation: Played with. Laudna spent so much time alone that she had to create Pâté in order to not go completely insane.
- Good Is Not Soft: Laudna is usually polite towards others, but when she feels her friends are in danger, she will usually warn the other party they are not ones to be fucked with and sometimes follows it up with Unsettling Presence.
- Grand Theft Me: Both Laudna and Imogen express an ongoing concern that Laudna's warlock patron could enact this somehow; one of Laudna's motivations for growing stronger on her own is being less reliant on her patron and more able to resist them. In episode 23, Delilah compels Laudna to take the Gnarlrock from Imogen and drain the magic from it somehow— Laudna is physically unable to drop the stone while this happens, with her arm acting like an Evil Hand.
- Hated Hometown: She shuts down some small-talk about her hometown of Whitestone by saying the place was terrible. Her last memories of it are of the Briarwoods' coup, and she was the "Vex" who was hanged on the Sun Tree as a warning for Vox Machina. However, Laudna is completely unaware that two of the de Rolo siblings returned to take it back at the campaign's beginning. When the rest of Bell's Hells go into Laudna's memories, they see that she was a victim of bullying by other kids who thought she was weird, including a kid who throws dirt in her face. There were even attempts to call for Laudna's head for witchcraft. When she's revived in Episode 38, in Whitestone, Laudna immediately becomes tense and nervous, even after seeing that the town isn't as bad as it used to be.
- Hearing Voices: Pâté says that he was made as Laudna's friend so she wouldn't be lonely along with the "voice" in her head. The others are rightfully concerned about Laudna's mental state when they hear this. It becomes more horrifying when Episode 6 reveals that the voice is that of Delilah Briarwood, Laudna's Undead patron.
- Hellhound: Hunter variant. During the battle for Hearthdell her stress and anger over the events of the solstice cause her to manifest her Hound of Ill Omen as a spectral version of the Briarwoods' undead bloodhounds that unerringly chases its targets until they are torn to pieces.Laudna: Sick 'em.
- Hidden Depths:
- Really loves interior design, and mentions having renovated a lot of houses in her time. She even suggested keeping Duggar's decrepit home and sprucing it up into a nice base for the group.
- She's also got a penchant for handicrafts, albeit with a questionable choice of materials, like attaching a crow's skull to a dead rat, and building a Bertrand Bell doll out of chicken bones.
- Hollywood Voodoo: Undead Warlocks primarily use necromantic powers to interact with the dead and inflict various debuffs on their opponents. Combined with the doll made from a rat she carries around and the small hammer she uses as a hairpin in her character art, Laudna definitely gives off some strong voodoo vibes.
- An Ice Person: She knows the Ray of Frost cantrip.
- Identical Stranger: Played with. She had enough of a resemblance to Vex, that she was chosen as her body-double to be hung from the Sun Tree. When the Hells actually meet Vex, Orym even points out to Imogen the similarities between the two ladies.
- Immortal Immaturity: As a Hollow One she is functionally ageless and has the appearance of a woman in her 20s despite actually being in her 50s. She also enjoys a number of childish hobbies including playing with dolls and make-believe. Justified because the trauma from her murder as well as living in isolation for 30 years are implied to have stunted her development significantly.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: Is stabbed through the chest by Otohan, who lifts Laudna up in display to Imogen, trying to force her to give into her powers.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Thanks to her Spell Sniper feat, any of Laudna’s cantrips or spells that require attack rolls have double the range and can ignore cover.
- Inelegant Blubbering: When talking about her and Imogen's falling out to Ashton, Laudna is an inconsolable mess. She grabs onto Ashton, smearing black liquid coming from her eyes and nose onto his clothes and you can tell Ashton is completely outside his comfort zone when trying to help Laudna.Laudna: I broke her rock! She loved it so much.... and I killed it...
- Innocently Insensitive: She usually never has the intent of cruelty behind her words or actions. However, her idea of a good apology note after the Bell's Hells win the heist bet was, "Sorry for winning, hahaha, and for torching your teammates. Have a good rest of your life!"
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Laudna tells F.C.G. she's so protective of Imogen because she wants her to have the life she couldn't have and only wants the best for her.
- Lady of Black Magic: Laudna primarily favors destructive magic in combat, is physically the weakest of the Hells, and has a preference for elegant dresses and High-Class Gloves.
- Last Chance Hit Point: Her “Strength of the Grave” ability allows her to recover from a mortal blow with one HP if she manages to succeed on a Charisma saving throw (DC 5 + the damage she takes). She manages to do just that as Bell’s Hells escape the lair of the Shade Mother in Episode 16.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Dark Feminine to Imogen's Light Feminine.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Laudna's actual orientation isn't known, given she's only ever had or discussed one love interest in the course of the story, but said love interest is Imogen, and Laudna herself has long, intricately-styled hair, long painted nails, and a fondness for dark, patterned dresses, marking her as fairly feminine despite her unusual visage.
- Locked into Strangeness: Laudna has a noticeable white streak through her hair. It may have been a side effect of her being brought back to life as a Hollow One.
- Love Hurts: In the aftermath of Ashton taking the fire shard for himself and nearly dying in the process, Laudna runs away, hides in the wreckage of her former home, and has a lengthy conversation about love with Delilah of all people. Laudna says that choosing to love other people has opened her up to more pain than she ever felt living in isolation and Delilah has the following response:Laudna: Is love anything more than pain?Delilah: Sometimes. And it's worth it. It's worth everything.
- Major Injury Underreaction: From dislocated joints to broken bones and impalement, Laudna is almost scarily unfazed by taking injuries that would cripple or kill a lesser person.
- Many Spirits Inside of One: Episode 36 reveals that both Laudna's spirit and Delilah Briarwood's spirit can lay claim to Laudna's body. This occurs during a ritual to revive her, causing Pike Trickfoot to stop the revival and necessitating Bell's Hells to go into Laudna's spirit to try and separate the two. While it appears to do something (since it allows Laudna to be revived safely), Laudna can't say for sure whether or not Delilah is gone.
- Master of Illusion: As horrifying as she is normally, she can also create equally terrifying illusions, displaying a disturbing level of creativity at the same time.
- Meaningful Name: Her birth name is Matilda Bradbury, something that she lost sight of after her resurrection and her time spent alone on the fringes of society.
- Morality Chain: If there's one thing that keeps Imogen from fully giving into the "storm", it's Laudna. Otohan notices that out of all the Hells, Laudna seems to be Imogen's "favorite". Imogen's panic over Otohan turning their attention towards Laudna only confirms their suspicions. This results in, Otohan stabbing Laudna, causing Imogen to give into her powers and turning the landscape around the Hells into the one in her dreams.
- Mortality Grey Area: She was killed as a young woman, came back to life, hasn't aged in the 30 years since, and believes she exists somewhere in between life and death. Although she registers as undead to magical detection, healing magic works as though she's alive, and her heart beats (albeit just three times per minute). One side effect: she often seems to view death as an unavoidable nuisance.
- Motor Mouth: Laudna can talk very fast and when she's nervous, doesn't know how to stop.
- My God, What Have I Done?:
- As F.C.G. attacks the party, Laudna fights back, nearly knocking them out and crushing their head in her hands. Once Imogen yells at everyone to calm down, Laudna realizes what she's doing and gently places them down, looking at her hands in horror.
- After breaking Imogen's rock, Laudna is beside herself with grief, including crying Broken Tears that look like black ichor from her face. To be fair, it wasn't really her fault, it was Delilah taking the rock's power for herself, but Laudna still feels responsible.
- She expresses this again after killing Bor'Dor in rage for deceiving and attempting to murder the rest of the party. Played with in that her shame is mainly focused on the loss of control rather than any remorse over killing him.
- Mysterious Veil: When she enters her Form of Dread, she gains a black veil over her face.
- Nervous Tics: She seems to play with her hair when she's particularly stressed. Such as worrying over her fall out with Imogen, causing her hair to become as frizzy as a bird's nest. And sometimes she ends up pulling a clump or two off her scalp. The others even joke that at times she sweats black ichor when trying to lie.
- Nice Girl: She's a very kind and pleasant person. It's just that since she looks like a creepy hag, a lot of people tend to run the second they see her.
- After scaring some children in Episode 1, Laudna intends to "look for more children", which she both says out loud and disturbs a nearby worker. Imogen responds that Laudna looks scary, so people naturally want to avoid her.Laudna: I'm fun-scary!
Imogen: No, you're scary-scary. - Discussed with Orym during watch in episode 17, where after he says that she's the happiest person in the group, she explains that it's because the worst thing has already happened to her, so it's all upside.
- After scaring some children in Episode 1, Laudna intends to "look for more children", which she both says out loud and disturbs a nearby worker. Imogen responds that Laudna looks scary, so people naturally want to avoid her.
- Nightmare Face: Her face tends to contort & change in unsettling ways when she uses her powers, from crying black tears to her jaw unhinging and her mouth sucking in & pulling her face taut. Her Unsettling Presence ability actually weaponizes this, being able to give a creature disadvantage on saving throws just from looking at her.
- Nightmare Fetishist: She fashioned a dead rat with a crow's skull into a friend for her to talk to. She gets excited talking about death, even gleefully telling Ashton who just bought them breakfast that Bertrand was dead, and she practically squeals like a fangirl when the party comes face to face with an evil fey called the Nightmare King. During the party the dress she chooses to wear has an ugly taxidermied fox hanging around her neck. She's also incredibly delighted at the creepy mask and large marionettes in the museum as she giggles happily at the sight of them.
- Taken more literally when the party meets the Nightmare King again, where Laudna frequently giggles and twirls her hair; she later refers to him as "super sexy".
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: Laudna rarely tries to creep people out, but will inevitably say or do something highly unnerving. The few times she does try to actually be intimidating, it can be surprisingly effective, such as scaring away guards from their posts or driving party guests out the door.
- No Social Skills: Given she has been alone for a lot of her life, Laudna's people skills aren't the best, which she does admit to. Her terrifying appearance doesn't help as it makes people more wary of her. She also tends to blurt out strange or inappropriate things at the wrong time, unnerving those she's not close to.
- Non-Damaging Status Infliction Attack: Many of Laudna's spells like Bane and Silvery Barbs don't deal damage directly, but decrease the target's chances of landing a blow. With their damage output reduced, most enemies have no chance of knocking out Bells' Hells before getting overwhelmed by the Hells' offense.
- Not Good with Rejection: Outright tells Dusk she doesn't like being rejected or hated by those she loves.
- Nothing but Skin and Bones: Matt describes Dorian carrying her as "like carrying a scarecrow", and Taliesin jokes that she's only twenty pounds soaking wet. Even Imogen can easily give her a piggyback ride.
- Odd Friendship: The dark and creepy looking Laudna is close to the shy Imogen. She also gets along very well rather quickly with Fearne and Ashton shortly after meeting them. While he was terrified of Laudna at the start, Laudna gets along with Chetney due to both of their interests and appreciation in woodcraft.
- Older Than They Look: She was present in Whitestone during the Briarwoods' takeover, and mentions remembering when Vox Machina were being searched for in Whitestone when she was still around. Then something happened that caused her to die and come back to life as a Hollow One when she was 20, and in the thirty years since then, her body hasn't aged at all. Most of the party members are shocked to hear that she had actually died. In episode 17, she talks about how she was hanged from the Sun Tree since she was chosen as "Vex".
- Ominous Obsidian Ooze: She secretes an inky black ichor when using her power. Her character portrait is even animated to show the fluid dripping out. Played hilariously when she gets distressed over her fight with Imogen, causing the black ichor to drip from her eyes and nose, staining Ashton's shirt.
- Only One Name: Episode 5 has her angrily refuse to give her last name, insisting she be called "Laudna" and nothing else. Episode 37 reveals that her original name was "Matilda Bradbury". Marisha later clarified on 4-Sided Dive that she changed her name to "Laudna" while living on the run from witch hunters.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The few times she drops her smile are when something personal to her is being discussed.
- During a watch with Orym she goes completely serious as she tells him how she died. She was one of the residents used as the Vox Machina stand ins to be hung on the Sun Tree. When she tries to brush off her death, Orym quietly tells her he's angry for her. Laudna drops her usual smile and cheery attitude and seems genuinely touched by his concern for her.
- It happens again in Bassuras, when Laudna’s composure crumbles and actually ‘’sobs’’ into Ashton’s chest over the fallout with Imogen. It’s even preceded by Laudna trying to get advice from FCG, with mixed results.
- And it happens once again when she and Imogen finally reconcile, as she is brought to tears as they hug it out.
- She also is unusually quiet and somber in the initial hours after her revival, showing how shaken she was by the experience and how much of a Trauma Button Whitestone is for her in general.
- After the battle for Hearthdell she shows uncharacteristic contempt for the villagers who celebrate ousting an occupying force from Vasselheim, remarking that they are ignorant of the larger world and do not understand the potential consequences of their rebellion. This just shows how much the events of the Solstice are getting to her.
- Our Zombies Are Different: Laudna is a Hollow One, a person who has died but retained a part of their soul, allowing her to maintain her mind and powers while no longer physically aging. How she became a Hollow One, or whether anyone knows what she is, is still a mystery.
Tropes P - Z
- Perky Goth: Almost definitive. She's a literal walking carcass born from a nighmarish undead takeover (and dresses like it), but rivals FCG for the most chipper and upbeat of the Hells.
- Perpetual Expression: Played for laughs. The cast joke that Laudna's happy and sad expressions look exactly the same.
- Perpetual Smiler: She rarely lets up her jovial demeanor, to the point where Orym notes that she's the happiest member of the party. As she explains it, the worst thing that could have ever happened to her — that is, dying — has already happened to her. So she might as well keep going forward with a smile.
- Playing with Fire: Her Hellish Rebuke reaction lets her conjure up flames as soon as she's hit. She also learns how to cast "Fireball" after practicing her pyromancy with Fearne.
- The Pollyanna: Played with. Laudna's cheerful and friendly disposition is because, in her own words, "the worst thing that could have happened to [her] has already happened". She'd rather leave it in the past and keep going forward, with a smile on her face. During a night's watch in Episode 17, Orym even lampshades that Laudna is "the happiest person in this bunch" in spite of what's happened to her.Laudna: Of course. The worst thing that's ever happened to me has already happened.
- Deconstructed during the Issylra arc. Ashton encourages her to stop compartmentalizing so much, and Laudna replies that if she does, she'll break, and the results won't be pretty. She's eventually proven right—Bor'Dor's betrayal makes Laudna finally snap, and she kills him by tapping into the power given to her by Delilah, potentially giving Delilah an avenue to return.
- Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: Her relationship with Imogen is one of these until it isn't. The two women are extremely close, and their physical affection and emotional connection often blurs the line between platonic and romantic, but despite all of the Ship Tease they remain merely friends and Laudna at one point describes her as a "sister from another mister". However, no less than 4 episodes later, they kiss and their friendship crosses over into a romance.
- Psychoactive Powers: After Bell's Hells sever Delilah's control over her and she starts to process her grief and trauma the veil of her Form Of Dread disappears and is replaced with branches resembling the Sun Tree extending from her back and shoulders.
- Rage Breaking Point: Laudna has lived a truly miserable existence, both hated and feared for what she is and living under the thumb of an oppressive patron that threatens to wrest control from her at any moment. Remarkably, despite her trauma she generally tries to keep a positive outlook and show compassion to other people. However, sometimes circumstances cause the dam to break and her anger at the world comes flooding out:
- When F.C.G. malfunctions and threatens the party she grabs them and nearly crushes their head in rage. She is horrified when she comes back to herself and immediately tries to repair the damage using Mending.
- Happens again after Bor'Dor attempts to kill the rest of the party, causing her old Form of Dread to manifest as she counterspells his attempt to escape and then siphons the life from him with Hunger of the Shadow.
- In episode 78 she is absolutely livid after Ashton deceives the party in an attempt to take the shard of Rau'shan for himself and requires Imogen to talk her down. However, unlike other instances she is able to recognize that she isn't safe to be around and hides in the alleys of Whitestone before she can endanger anyone.
- Relationship Upgrade: After a lengthy Pseudo-Romantic Friendship filled with Ship Tease moments, Imogen finally plants The Big Damn Kiss on Laudna in Episode 65 and the pair cements their relationship.
- Ridiculously Alive Undead: Being a Hollow One, she is technically an undead, but her heart is still beating (albeit, extremely slowly) and she still requires food, water and sleep. Although, since she's also a warlock with a Pact of the Undead, the last part might not be true for long.
- Ship Tease: Dusk seems to think Laudna and Imogen are "romantically entangled" and even asks Imogen about it.
- Shock and Awe: She has access to the Shocking Grasp cantrip, allowing her to channel electricity through her fingertips. She primarily uses it to deliver shocks through Pâté remotely.
- Skeleton Motif: She has a dead rat with its head replaced with a crow's skull hanging on her waist, along with a few other things. She's quite proud of it.Laudna: I made it myself.
Matt: Gross. - Sleep Cute: Played for Laughs - she needs sleep like most mortals do, although she ends up looking even more dead somehow.
- Status Infliction Attack:
- If she's in her Form of Dread, Laudna can give any enemies she hits the Frightened condition. When fighting a single enemy who can smack down the entire party, making them too afraid to aim property is hugely impactful.
- Whenever they see an enemy healing, Laudna is sure to bust out Chill Touch to do a little damage and prevent them from getting any more HP back.
- Stepford Smiler:
- Laudna seems to put on an air of cheerfulness as a means of coping. After chatting with Delilah in episode 31 about Ruidus, Delilah tells Laudna to continue on her quest with the Hells, but also insinuates to Laudna that Hells will leave her one day. Shaking them out of her head, Laudna prepares to return to the Hells. But not before calming herself down, putting on a smile, and then cheerfully asking if the group wanted some morning tea.
- Episodes 36 and 37 elaborate on this even more; before meeting Imogen Laudna was little more than a transient witch who couldn't stay in a single place for more than a few months before the locals would try to run her out or kill her for her appearance and abilities, even going so far as to try and burn down whatever hovel she was staying in with her inside it. Going back even further with flashbacks to her childhood in Whitestone shows that she had a miserable existence growing up under the Briarwood's rule and she was something of a social pariah among the other children who would play cruel tricks on her because they thought she was weird, and it all ultimately ended in the dinner that got her and her family killed. Laudna's cheery facade is hiding an immeasurable amount of sadness, pain, and heartache, to put it mildly.
- The cracks begin to show during the Issylra arc; after being separated from the other half of the Hells, Laudna is much more open with Orym and Ashton about how much the strain of all their experiences is starting to wear on her, and she expresses a great deal of frustration with how petty she believes the town of Hearthdell's problems are in comparison to the world-ending scenario they're dealing with.
- Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: Invokes this with her general appearance, kicks it to an Exaggerated Trope with her Form of Dread, and creates illusions to this effect to frighten the guards of an allegedly haunted tower in Episode 10.
- Super Mode: Laudna's Form of Dread makes her look even more terrifying by shrouding her face with a black mourning veil and extending her fingers, making a dark aura and black goo emanate from her, and causing unseen whispers to surround her. Laudna also gains temporary HP, can frighten enemies by hitting them, and cannot be frightened herself. She sheds the mourning veil and her Form of Dread begins to sprout branches after she returns to the Sun Tree and starts to process her trauma.
- Super-Toughness: Zigzagged. She has multiple ways to stick around longer through her patron and her undead form. Her Form of Dread grants temporary hit points when she uses it, and her Strength of the Grave allows Laudna to potentially stay up after a knockout blow. Also, as a Hollow One she is able to get back up after falling unconscious on a death saving throw of 16 or higher. However, Laudna's got some of the lowest HP scores and Armor Class scores among Bell's Hells, so her abilities only help so much. Played straight once she gets an Amulet of Health which raises her constitution to 19 and helps patch up her hit points.
- Tears of Blood: When Laudna takes on her Form of Dread, Marisha describes black tears starting to pour down her face. They also come out in Episode 25, as she sobs over the fallout with Imogen.
- Technicolor Fire: When she conjures fire it is black in color with accents of purple. Fearne notes while they are training together that the fire is decidedly unnatural in feel, hinting at the fact that as a shadow sorcerer Laudna's magic derives from the Shadowfell.
- Terror Hero: Between her pallid and corpse-like appearance, her magical abilities, and her personal fascination with the macabre, Laudna's go-to move in a fight or social encounter is to horrify the other party. More than one person she has scared has outright fainted in shock. Best shown in Episode 15 when her natural 20 on an Intimidation check caused the NPC she just started talking to to recoil, trip over, and knock himself out on the ground.
- That Came Out Wrong: Due to her creepy personality, it's understandable that people will immediately misinterpret her actions. Such as an elderly woman overhearing Laudna say "I will find more children", when she just wants to play with them.
- Theme Naming: Whenever she's given the option to name things, she always seems to name them after fancy dishes. Such as Pâté, Escargot and Sashimi. It's likely she names them this as, it was part of her last meals from the feast the Briarwoods held for them before killing her and the others to be hung on the Sun Tree. That was
Jossed as the Word of God revealed the true theme behind the names: they are actually dead bodies or body parts called with a different name not to remind people what they actually are. Marisha used fancy foods because they were one of the easiest sources for the theme she actually had in mind. - Those Two Guys: She was introduced alongside Imogen and the two are hardly apart from one another.
- Tranquil Fury: After experiencing yet another backstab from someone she thought was a friend, Laudna quietly apologizes to Bor'Dor for what she's about to do. However, she makes it clear she will no longer tolerate people betraying her or her friends ever again.
- Trauma Button:
- Whitestone unfortunately serves as a major one for her. Given it's the place where she lead a fairly unhappy life, was hung on the Sun Tree as Vex's body double before being revived and stuck with Delilah in her head. She looks around the place with clear PTSD, to the point Imogen telekinetically tells Vex to make sure certain meals weren't served, as it might trigger Laudna's memories of her last meal. She is slowly overcoming it, with the help of the Hells and Percy and Vex empathizing with her pain.
- She's developing another one: Betrayal. Dusk's lies and deception cut her so deeply that when she faces a similar situation with Bor'Dor Dogson, she willingly executes them with Hunger of the Shadow, despite the fact that it's a Dangerous Forbidden Technique that may strengthen Delilah's hold on her.
- Trauma Conga Line: In the Apogee Solstice arc she fails to stop Ludinus, loses Imogen, is dragged into an uprising in a town that eerily resembles Whitestone, and has one of the party members turn and try to kill them all. Bor'Dor's betrayal causes her to snap and drain the life from him, possibly reviving Delilah in the process.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: The forceful occupation of a village by "missionaries" of the Dawnfather in episode 61 proves to be the final straw for her already anxious mental state after the solstice, leading to Laudna's repressed memories of Whitestone and the Briarwoods' use of undead hounds causing her to summon a hellhound of her own.
- Vampiric Draining: Her Hunger of the Shadow spell appears to work this way, draining magical energy and causing the target to corrode while strengthening her own life force.
- Vocal Dissonance: Laudna looks like something out of a creepypasta, but her voice is friendly and vivacious, which couples with her typical politeness to make her sound very uncharacteristically like an enthusiastic British socialite.
- Voice of the Legion: When she casts Message, her normal voice is backed by creepy whispers handily provided by the other cast members.Laudna: Is it fun?
Travis: IS IT FUN?
Taliesin: Fun. Fun.
Laura: Is it fuuuun...
Marisha: (in a whispering voice) Is it fun?
Orym : Less and less so... - Wall Crawl: Learns Spider Climb at level 7 and uses it to scutter on perpendicular surfaces like a Big Creepy Crawly.
- Weak, but Skilled: With a 5 in Strength, she's the physically-weakest character in the group, and the second-weakest player character in all of Critical Role, just above Shakäste (who had a Strength score of 4), with similarly low AC and HP scores to match. But being a magic user with both sorcery talent and a warlock pact, she is perfectly capable of handling herself in combat. This even extends to her "sorlock" character build, which delays access to higher-level spells in exchange for more flexibility as a caster.
- What the Hell, Hero?: When the split halves of the party reunite in Jrusar after being scattered during the Apogee Solstice, Laudna is uncharacteristically angry with Imogen, Fearne, Chetney, and Fresh Cut Grass, and calls them out for treating their journey like a lighthearted vacation with shopping, casual sex, and new friends; she, Orym, and Ashton had a much more emotionally fraught and morally complicated adventure that ended with one of their traveling companions, Bor'dor, revealing himself as an enemy and attempting to murder them— only to be put down in turn by Laudna drawing upon Delilah's power.
- What the Hell Is That Accent?: Marisha plays Laudna with a mid-Atlantic accent
, common for mid-20th-century American film stars. Modern Americans tend to hear it as a blend of upper-crust New England (or "Boston Brahmin") dialect and a posh Received Standard accent from England. It sort of fits since she was once a resident of Whitestone. - Will They or Won't They?: She and Imogen refer to each other as their anchor to this world and are very close. So much so that the other Hells and even guest party members pick up on it. By episode 65, Laudna and Imogen share their First Kiss.
- You Are Worth Hell: The Hells go to great lengths and reach out to high ranking people just to be able to bring Laudna back to life. They're even willing to venture into a nightmare dimension reliving Laudna's worst traumas, to fighting off Delilah to ensure Laudna can keep her body and soul when she is brought back. The Hells are successful, and Imogen tells Laudna they'd do it all over again if it meant she could stay with them.
Pâté de Rolo
Tropes A - Z
- British Accents: In contrast to Laudna's cheerful posh accent, Marisha (and later Matt) gives him a rough Cockney accent.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: He's almost as cheerful and just as wacky as his creator Laudna. She seems to notice how much of Pâté's personality is like her's and scolds him to be less cheerful - with him responding she made him this way.Laudna: And stop being so cheerful!Pâté: I don't know how else to be!
- Companion Cube: Laudna initially created him just so she could have someone to talk to, puppeteering him with black strands from her powers and speaking for him with ventriloquism. As a familiar, he can now talk back.
- Covert Pervert: Pâté’s reaction to Imogen and Laudna's First Kiss is to enthusiastically remark, "I saw what you diiiiid!".
- Designated Point Man: Laudna often uses Pâté to scout ahead for the group to see if an area is safe or to covertly get to something.
- Familiar: His new function for Laudna, which enables her to see through his eyes and channel spells through him.
- Growing Wings: When he is turned into a familiar, his ribcage tears out of his back and flaps like wings, allowing him to (somehow) fly.
- I Kiss Your Hand: One of the first things Pâté does after gaining sentience is "kiss" Imogen's hand, which is just him running his bird beak over it. He does the same to Fearne, which Chetney quickly cuts short.
- Invisibility: Since Marisha uses the imp statblock for him he has the ability to turn invisible at will, which comes in handy for scouting.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: One of the stranger elements of Pâté’s characterization: Laudna’s habit of making jokes about his allegedly lecherous behavior while he was still a Companion Cube (such as buying a Creepy Doll so he could have a “girlfriend”) seems to have influenced his personality upon becoming self-aware; he tries to lasciviously smooch Imogen and Fearne’s hands, and proudly boasts:Pâté: I can talk, I can sing, I can get reeeeeeal randy...
- When the group gets separated, he introduces himself to be "real horny" and immediately takes to flirting with Prism's raven familiar, Mother.
- Mix-and-Match Critters: He is made of a rat's dead body with its head replaced with a crow's skull. Mechanically he uses the imp stat block, which fittingly allows him to change shape into either a rat or a raven.
- Named After Somebody Famous: Laudna named him after the rich de Rolo family, the original ruling family of Whitestone.
- No Social Skills: Pâté often has to be reminded of watching the way he acts around ladies and usually spouts out whatever thought comes into his skull without consideration of how it may sound. His attempts to flirt with Mother lead her to give him a scorned squak, but he takes the rejection well.
- Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: Discussed. Ashton suspects that whatever fragments of Delilah's soul that still exist are trapped inside Pâté. However, Ashton has no real way to prove this claim and Pâté is either oblivious or a better liar than he appears.
- Seeing Through Another's Eyes: Laudna can send him out to scout ahead and see through his eyes. This becomes quite useful when relaying information to the Hells that Eshteross had been killed in his manor.
- Vocal Dissonance: He has a deep, rough Cockney voice despite being the size of a rat.
