Guest Party Members | Allies and Other Characters (Empire/Republic of Tal'Dorei) | Villains
Guest Party Members | Allies and Other Characters (Dwendalian Empire | Xhorhas) | Villains
A selection of characters that the Campaign 3 Party have met during their travels through Marquet.
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Oderan Wilds
Jrusar
Ariks Eshteross
Lord Ariks Eshteross
- Race: OrcClass: Fighter
- Agony of the Feet: Inflicted by Orym, who stabbed his foot with a short sword after having been thrown to the ground during their fight.
- Benevolent Boss: Despite his past, he seemed to be an incredibly kind boss towards Evelyn who's the only other person at his manor. When the Hells warn Evelyn to not return to Eshteross's manor, her main concern was Eshteross's well being and hoping he was alright - not knowing he was killed.
- Carry a Big Stick: Fights with a cane named Turmoil. It also allows him to cast Zone of Truth and can extend into a Sinister Scythe, though the Hells only find out the latter aspect after it is bequeathed to them upon Eshteross's death.
- The Comically Serious: He's an extraordinarily stern man, and reacts with stoic exasperation to the stranger antics of Bell's Hells. He also treats his hobby of baking pastries with the same deadly-serious air that he treats espionage and combat.Eshteross: Evelyn... go to the market, get me my supplies. Tonight I bake.
- Deader than Dead: Much like Orym's husband and father-in-law, Lord Eshteross was murdered with weapons coated in a special poison which makes magical revival impossible.
- Do Not Go Gentle: When the Hells show up and find him dead, nearly every trap in his manor has been sprung and he is absolutely covered in wounds. His last will and testament to the Hells state that he was prepared for this fate, and that he "struck a blow [his] assailant would not soon forget." Note that this was written some time before his death, indicating that he not only knew that he would be murdered, but was also fully confident he’d go down swinging.
- Expy: As a Comically Serious, heavily prepared, reclusive, and extremely wealthy Retired Badass who lives alone (save for his Old Retainer) in a gloomy manor and mentors a younger group of heroes in their quest to keep his beloved city safe, Eshteross has an awful lot in common with the Batman Beyond incarnation of Bruce Wayne. It's even Played for Laughs when "the Owlbear" (a costumed vigilante and member of the Darrington Brigade who's a Batman expy in his own right) is brought up; Eshteross scoffs and says that he's a myth.
- Face Death with Dignity: The last letter he wrote assures the Hells that no matter when his death came for him, he would have faced it head on.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: He does this to Cyrus along with a Dare to Be Badass speech as he sulks over his failure, right before he has him and Dorian smuggled out of Jrusar.
- Hero of Another Story: He used to be an adventurer himself in his younger days, and judging by the beating he inflicted to the party, he was a pretty good one.
- Hidden Depths: He enjoys baking, and is able to make a pretty decent carrot cake after the party has their first successful mission. He's somewhat embarrassed when he realizes he forgot to ice it, though he can be forgiven for it since he hasn't baked anything in years.
- Horrifying the Horror: He is a powerful fighter who could have destroyed the party had he fought them with the intent to kill, but even he was seriously disturbed by Laudna's appearance and magic.
- Killed Off for Real: Eshteross is eventually murdered by Otohan Thull, who often uses a poison that makes magical revival impossible, rendering targets Deader than Dead. Chetney's Super-Senses detect that something smells "off" about Eshteross' body, and a very high Medicine check by Orym (whose husband and father-in-law were killed the same way) has Matt confirm that this toxin was indeed used at the scene of the crime.
- Killed Offscreen: Episode 38 reveals that he was killed in his home as the Hells were off trying to revive Laudna.
- Kingpin in His Gym: A benign version; Eshteross doesn't spend all his time in his manor sitting idle. When the party returns to Jrusar from the Heartmoor to check in with him, they find him in the middle of his daily workout, sparring with a wooden dummy.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: Eshteross, Bell's Hells' primary patron, is Killed Offscreen in Episode 38 by Otohan Thull.
- Not So Above It All: He tries to keep a level of decorum and professionalism up around the Hells. But he does have a sense of humor as even in his will, he jokingly refers to Chetney as the "odd gnome fellow" and asks the Hells to, "stop this creepy moon shit".
- Oh, Crap!: When the party returns from their excursion to Bassuras and fills him in on their findings, he's concerned but cool-headed about the threat posed by Otohan Thull and whatever's happening with Ruidus. When he finds out that the Cerberus Assembly is also looking into the red moon, he shows— for the first time in all the time the Hells have known him— a glimmer of outright fear.
- The Paranoiac: Lives as a recluse in his manor with minimal staff, forbids the adventurers he hired to speak his name to anyone, and keeps dozens of weapons concealed in his study. He also reveals his manor is constantly kept in darkness and heavily booby-trapped due to many attempts made on his life over the years. His suspicions were not unfounded given his muddy past, and the Hells unfortunately find him dead in his home in episode 38, killed by Otohan Thull.
- Passed-Over Inheritance: Leaves his powerful staff weapon Turmoil and his Cool Airship the Silver Sun to Bell's Hells, writing that he actually appreciated their company in the little time they had together.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Despite being very paranoid, quickly agrees to the party's request to sleep in his manor for safety after Bertrand's murder.
- Retired Badass: He hasn't been an active adventurer for some time, but the players quickly learned first-hand that his skills haven't dulled with time.
- Silver Fox: Despite being older, he's in very good shape; he trains diligently to keep himself ready to fight, and Imogen is noticeably a bit flustered when the group calls in on him while he's working out.
- So Proud of You: While the Hells didn't manage to get out of the party cleanly, they accomplished their main goal and Eshteross lets them know he's proud of them for that.
- Stealthy Colossus: Despite being a large and robust man, he moves very quietly— he's able to sneak up on Olly in a cloud of fog and bludgeon her, allowing Dorian and Cyrus to make a getaway. Matt notes that when he taps his cane as he enters a room, it's because he wants to be noticed, not because he needs it to walk.
- Together in Death: His last letter has him write about being glad to at least see someone named Elia when his death does come for him.
- Trap Master: There are very few rooms in his manor that are actually habitable; most of the rooms are booby-trapped out the wazoo to deter any potential home invaders. So few in fact he has to "clear" one when the party needs to stay over. It involved over twenty swords dropping from the ceiling.
- And it gets worse when the party comes back from Bassuras: he has trapped every room in the house to the point he has to lead them through a specific path to avoid the traps.
Evelyn
Evelyn Wress
- Race: Elf
- Locked Out of the Loop: F.C.G. warns Evelyn through a Sending spell to not return to the manor since Eshteross was killed and it was being searched. Evelyn is concerned and hopes Eshteross was alright. The Hells wince and wonder whether or not to actually break the horrible news to her.
- Old Retainer: She hasn't had much screen time yet, but seeing as she's the only person Eshteross trusts to live with him in his otherwise booby-trapped home this can be inferred of her.
Zhudanna
Zhudanna
- Race: Human
- Cranky Landlord: Subverted big time with Zhudanna. She gets along wonderfully with her tenants, Laudna and Imogen. She immediately makes them dinner with the eggs she asked the girls to pick up for her, and offers to knit socks for Imogen.
- Cool Old Lady: Laudna and Imogen think very highly of their landlady, and she is incredibly kind to them in turn.
- Granny Classic: Is presented as such
- Needlework Is for Old People: Her first appearance has her knitting a pair of socks for Imogen as her and Laudna tell her about their day, and her second appearance shows she's making a sweater for Laudna.
- Nice Girl: A sweet old lady who cares for her tenants. Laudna and Imogen in turn gladly do house chores or grocery shopping trips for her.
Ishir
Ishir Eka
- Race: Katari
- Not So Above It All: They try to remain a serious business person, but are entertained by F.C.G.'s "bottle trick" as they cheer along with the other patrons.
- Shipper on Deck: When Imogen, Laudna and Fearne ask Pretty out for a date, Ishir is more than happy to encourage Pretty to take them up on the offer. Even when Pretty displays Laudna's ramshackled gift, Ishir tries to be supportive of Pretty.
Anni Aughta
Anni Aughta
- Race: Half-elf, Half-orc
- Alliterative Name: Ani Aughta
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Her half-orc part doesn't mesh very well with her chosen profession - she messes up her performance just as badly as Dorian did one time, but it hits her a lot harder.
- Worthy Opponent: After her performance battle with Dorian, she acknowledges "All right, you're good," before storming off.
Milo Krook
Milo Krook
- Race: Human
- Freaky Is Cool: Thinks this about Pâté de Rolo and it gives them a few ideas for their latest project involving rats.
- Meaningful Name: Their last name Krook, as they were part of the Nobodies, and was there the night of Ashton's failed robbery at Jiana Hexum's.
- Mr Fix It: They have enough knowledge of arcane automation to help patch up F.C.G. They also apparently were the one who repaired as much of Ashton's head as they could after his failed robbery.
- Nice Guy: Is on friendly terms with Ashton and F.C.G. and looks out for the two of them. Was the only one out of the Nobodies worried for Ashton after his fall. While the others believes Ashton to be dead and let him behind, Milo refused to do so. What little memories Imogen and F.C.G. are able to pull out from Ashton, Milo was relieved and happy to see them come back to consciousness after managing to repair their skulls.
- Open Heart Dentistry: Milo is a mechanical tinkerer, not a surgeon; the only reason they were able to put Ashton back after his near-death experience is because his body is inhumanly rocky and geological. Even then, it wasn't a perfect fix, and Ashton deals with a number of side effects ranging from chronic pain to his brain being what appears to be an imperfect Luxon Beacon.
- Undying Loyalty: Ashton's memories show that Milo was part of the Nobodies. Despite Ashton's fall and the others believing him to be dead, Milo refused to leave Ashton behind as they even put him back together. After his surgery, Milo is the first thing Ashton sees as they ask if he was alright. To this day, they still look after Ashton.
Danas
Danas
- Race: Gnome
- Killed Off for Real: Her throat was slit by Dugger before the party could save her.
- Small Role, Big Impact: as discussed with the other tropes here, she's only around long enough to be killed. But the Hell's investigation into her and wittnessing her death turns out to be a major turning point in realizing the larger plots at play in Jrusar
- We Hardly Knew Ye: Only around for one episode before Dugger kills her.
Ephred
Ephred
- Race: Elf
- Disproportionate Retribution: His response to one of the party members pickpocketing a pastry off him, not being persuaded high enough for the correct information, and being asked if he made pies, is to give the party the wrong passcode to meet with a band of thieves and risk sending them into a potential death trap.
- Serious Business: He is a maker of fine pastries. Not. Pies.
Yash Mangal
Yash Mangal
- Race: Half-elf
- Anti-Hero: He claims that the Hubatt Corsairs are more of a vigilante group, but also demands that three of our heroes serve up someone close to them as "collateral". That said, he plays fast and loose with his own definition of collateral, and eventually settles for just two - one of whom is right there among them.
- The Dandy: Not an glaring example of the trope, but he does have a skin care routine that he keeps so rigorously that he'll insist on maintaining it even during an unexpected meeting with potentially dangerous strangers
- The Face: While he's insistent that the Hubatt Corsairs are a collective first and foremost with no true leader, so far as the main group has interacted with them Yash has been the one doing all the talking for them.
Advik
Advik
- Race: Human
- Did They or Didn't They?: Players and viewers alike have questioned whether his former relationship with Ashton was romantic or not. So far there is no confirmation one way or another.
- Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He's like an Evil Twin of Gilmore.
Cyrus Wyvernwind
Cyrus Wyvernwind
- Race: Air Genasi
- Aloof Big Brother: Zig-zagged. He is Dorian's older brother but while their backstory seems to play this trope straight, his appearance until now shows him to be far more naive than Dorian himself.
- Bad Liar: His attempts at deception couldn't be more obvious if he tried. Although, it doesn't help that Dorian didn't even tell him he was lying about his name.Cyrus: Yes Dorian. My brother. Dorian... Storm.
- Brainless Beauty: A male example. Like his brother, he is described as handsome, but he isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed.
- Chekhov's Skill: In Exandria Unlimited: Kymal Cyrus shows that his upbringing as the designed heir of his family made him a surprisingly effective forger.
- Epic Fail: Had a pet rock he managed to let die, and even named it Rocky.
- Distracted by the Sexy: As he was sent out to get dynamite, he gets distracted by a very pretty lady. While he manages to achieve his goal in the end, it was a very long roundabout.
- Fall Guy: A group hired him on as a sellsword, ostensibly as protection for a caravan. Then the rest of the gang robbed the caravan and dumped him to take the heat for it, which is why he has such a massive bounty on his head. This happens to him again as Lady Emoth used him as a distraction as she raided a room with Cyrus taking the fall of it.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: He's seen as the more foolish one compared to his younger brother Dorian. When his actions lead to him and Dorian needing to leave the city, the party pretty much sees him as The Load and even Eshteross calls Cyrus out on always getting into trouble. Cyrus hangs his head in shame, but promises he will try to be better.
- The Friend Nobody Likes: Both Bell's Hells and the Crown Keepers tolerate and want to help Cyrus because he's Dorian's brother. However, both groups make it clear that there's no love lost between them and Cyrus.
- For Bell's Hells: when Cyrus ends up getting into hot water again, leading Dorian to have to leave the party as well, the Hells' patience for Cyrus wears very thin. As the two prepare to leave, the whole party tells Cyrus he should leave all the decision making to Dorian, and it's quite clear that they're all pissed off at Cyrus for the situation.
- For the Crown Keepers: Dariax eventually explains to Cyrus that they don't like him because his actions put Dorian in danger and forced him to gamble on a robbery in order to gain the forty thousand gold required to have his bounty removed.
- The Greatest Story Never Told: Thanks to how Robbie used his Heist Token, Cyrus was tasked to obtain some explosives in order to enable the final phase of the Plan. Aabria doesn't go into detail, but she lets us know that Cyrus got distracted by a beautiful woman and went on a late-night adventure with her, which involved him being Polymorphed into a black bear in an underground fighting pit which involved strange random potions. Cyrus spent the rest of the night bruised and beaten, but the mysterious woman gave him what he required as thanks for defending her honor.
- Hidden Depths: Apparently he's had some music lessons alongside Dorian, well enough to pass for a bard during Kymal.
- Horrible Judge of Character: The reason Cyrus gets into the messes he's in to begin with is because he can't judge the character of the people he works with properly. Leading him to being taken advantage of by those who use him.
- Idiot Ball:
- After having managed to take the full blame for a heist he was unwittingly part of, he ends up with a bounty of 20,000 gold on his head and still decides to hang around in a very public place to speak with his brother. He also reveals the amount of his bounty in front of the party he just met after Dorian admitted he didn't fully trust them yet.
- Cyrus grabs it again when he dares to show his face at a ball attended by the most elite members of Jrusar society, including Jianna Hexum, the woman who posted such an extravagant bounty to begin with, and a full squad of notorious mercenaries in Paragon's Call. He also admits to Chetney that he's looking to lift coinpurses and jewelry off the wealthy guests— an act that would get him swiftly imprisoned, at best, if he were caught— and appears to place his trust in Lady Emoth, who is not only introduced as a close associate of Armand Treshi, but turns out to be a shade creeper monster in the same vein as Duggar. As is later snarkily summarized to him, his plan to clear the bounty he got for being framed for theft was to commit an actual, even higher-profile theft.
- In the Hood: His first appearance has him with a hood over his face as he's trying to lay low to avoid bounty hunters. He nearly shocks Dorian who didn't recognize him until he pulled his hood down.
- Informed Attribute: Dorian insists that despite appearances, Cyrus is more competent in some respects than Bell's Hells have seen. While this may or may not be true, given that Cyrus was being groomed for leadership by his parents, it's abundantly clear that whatever skills he does possess do not carry over to the lifestyle of a traveling adventurer.
- Cyrus finally showed off some of his abilities when Dariax pretended to be an ambassador from Syngorn in order to obtain the Bag of Holdings required to carry the gains from the heist. The merchant Dariax was dealing with wanted to see a document to prove his identity, and since Cyrus trained in dealing with bureaucrats and learned Elvish as part of his training, he could successfully forge a very convincing letter from Syngorn's Embassy.
- The Millstone: Cyrus causes more problems for Dorian than he solves. His appearance at the grand ball where the group has to go undercover just needlessly complicates things, and forces Dorian to drop what he's doing to save Cyrus from being either killed or arrested. As is later summarized to him, Cyrus planned to clear the bounty he got for being framed for theft by committing a real higher-profile theft. Cyrus admits that it was a last-ditch effort to settle his debts, and he knew it wasn't going to work but felt he had to try anyway. The two brothers have to leave Marquet at the end of Episode 14 because of Cyrus becoming a wanted fugitive. The whole time, Cyrus is lamenting that what he did was incredibly stupid.
- Price on Their Head: He has a 20,000 gold bounty on his head, the others are naturally flabbergasted and asked what he did to get his bounty that high.
- Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: Discussed. Cyrus and Dorian have a late-night talk during Exandria Unlimited: Kymal. Dorian concludes that Cyrus was successfully groomed to be the perfect heir for their family, but as their parents kept him isolated from everyone (including his own brother) they never allowed him to develop social awareness for more mundane matters, which lead him to trust the wrong people and to make so many bad choices. And their isolated upbringing is ironically the very reason why they should keep on traveling and exploring the world together.
- Strong Family Resemblance: While he doesn't bring it up, Chetney notes that Dorian does look a lot like his brother and somewhat jokes they could replace Dorian as Cyrus for his bounty.
- Stupid Crooks: He continues to get involved in capers despite each one making it clear that he's really, really not cut out of thievery. After becoming the fall guy once and getting a 20,000 gold bounty on his head, his next move is to not only show himself at a high-profile ball with all the elites of the city invited, but to attempt another robbery during the ball.
- Too Dumb to Live: He agrees to take on tasks he doesn't fully understand, believing it would be a better way out for him, such as becoming the fall guy or stealing from people he was blamed for stealing from. As he and Dorian are set to be smuggled out by dawn, Lord Eshteros even calls him out on this which Cyrus admits and is ashamed of.
Stuvan
Stuvan
- Race: Half-elf
- Benevolent Boss: What we see of him paints him as such. He quickly covers for the acrobatics troupe when one of the performers is injured, and rather than forcing the rest of them to continue the show, does his best to maintain a basic awareness of all his employees in spite of how busy he is. He even started his own internal investigation into the disappearances separate from the Wilder's the moment he realized how serious the situation was.
- Facepalm: As the party continue to ask him questions even though they keep saying it was the "last question" he ends up doing this out of sheer frustration and annoyance.
- Get Out!: Played for laughs. As F.C.G. asks him how to be an actor, Stuvan clearly has had this answer asked so many times all he can do is grumpily tell the party to get out.
Pretty
Pretty
- Race: Ogre
- Better as Friends: At the end of their date, Pretty admits he and the girls just don't mix, but is happy to have them as friends. Imogen even reports to Laudna and Fearne that Pretty didn't have any of "those thoughts" about them throughout their date. Although when the Bell's Hells see him again, he is slightly awkward talking to the girls again.
- Blood Knight: Inverted. He started out as the Soot & Swill's bouncer, but unlike most ogres he didn't really like hitting people. He became much happier when he was made the chef.
- Bouncer: His first job at the Soot & Swill was as the bouncer. He didn't really enjoy beating people up, and soon worked his way up to becoming the chef. He can still clear the room when he wants to, though.
- Characterization Marches On: Initially he seemed about as unintelligent and had the same approximate conversation skills as Buddy from the Darrington Brigade one-shot, whereas on the date with the girls he actually shows to be a sparkling conversationalist about his topics of interest, is well-read, and at least has enough emotional intelligence to understand that he and the girls aren't a good fit and is more than happy to be friends with them instead.
- Gentle Giant: Despite looking very large and very intimidating, all it takes is one compliment about his food to reduce him to Trying Not to Cry Tears of Joy. The other girls end up admitting that Pretty is actually quite nice, which is the reason why they want to return to the inn as soon as they can so they don't miss their date with him.
- Get Out!: He yells this when Imogen asks if they could have a private table for their date. This leads the entire tavern to immediately drink whatever they had and scurry out of the bar as fast as they could.
- Hat of Authority: Matt describes him wearing a floppy chef's hat on his head, but he serves as the main chef for the inn.
- Hidden Depths:
- Pretty is a fan of theater, though his tastes go more towards narrative theater, though he enjoys the interpretive stuff too. He's very respectful to the girls, and realizes that this romance isn't going to work more than once. He also tells them he's going to head home to read one of his favorite novels before going to sleep.
- He also reveals to the girls he used to fight for money before he "climbed the ranks" and became a chef. He prefers his new life more.
- Inelegant Blubbering: Breaks down into happy tears when Fearne compliments his cooking.
- Ironic Name: A hulking, lumbering giant who works at a Greasy Spoon named "Pretty".
- It's Not You, It's Me: Very gently breaks up with the girls after their date, realizing that while he enjoys their company, they aren't proper matches, as they are way more adventurous than he is have more of the world to see. They agree to remain friends.
- Lethal Chef: Downplayed. The food isn't necessarily bad— in fact, Fearne seems to genuinely enjoy it— but the kitchen isn't the most hygenic. At one point, Chetney witnesses Pretty drop a slice of ham on the ground, shrug, and toss it back in the pot.
- Morality Pet: The party instantly takes a liking to him. Even though Imogen says that she wants to go on a date with Pretty as a distraction, she seems genuinely interested in following through, if only because she doesn't want to hurt Pretty's feelings.
- One-Note Cook: The only thing he makes is "meal". It's unclear as to exactly what's in it (it appears to involve ham and some sort of vegetables under thick gravy), but it's based off of Waffle House and Greasy Spoon diners in the southern US. Despite its looks, Fearne does seem to genuinely enjoy it.
- Shipper on Deck: He tells the girls if they ever get their special someone's to bring them back for a meal, which the girls agree to.Laudna: But they would need your approval, yes?
Pretty: Of course! I'm invested in your happiness! - Side Bet: He apparently made a bet with the other occupants in the bar on whether or not the girls would actually arrive for the date. After they do show up, he says, "I told you!" leading to a group of people to grumble, but pay up.
- Sure, Let's Go with That: When Fearne asks if the "meal" was a family recipe, Pretty pauses for a moment before shrugging and saying, "Sure".
Jiana Hexum
Jiana Hexum
- Race: Elf
A wealthy elf woman who lives in the Lucent Spire of Jrusar, with a connection to Ashton.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Downplayed. Ashton works for her to pay off a debt, and he notes that she is "not very nice," but also describes her as trustworthy and will keep her word.
- Though it becomes less downplayed when the Bell's Hells find evidence that she's collaborating with Paragon's Call and the Cerberus Assembly.
- Because It Amused Me: When the Hells return, Fearne asks if she could have the face changing statue from downstairs, since she asked last time. Jiana is surprised that Fearne genuinely wants it and tells her she could have it if she could take it. It's likely she allowed it out of sheer amusement.
- Collector of the Strange: Ashton describes her as a "collector of sorts." She has some artifacts in her possession, at least one of which is coveted by a rival, who themselves has an artifact that she covets.
- Deal with the Devil: Again, downplayed. Ashton and the Nobodies tried to steal something from her. When he got injured, they abandoned him, and Jiana tracked him down, offering him work instead of putting a bounty on his head.
- Eccentric Millionaire: Jiana has a wager with Evon Hytroga, over whether the latter's security systems are truly impenetrable. The winner gets an artifact from the other's collection.
- Fantastic Racism: Played with. She's owned automatons in the past but never met one that was sapient until meeting F.C.G, but even then, she treats their sapience more as a matter of curiosity to be studied than something natural. When she asks for a private talk with F.C.G. she treats them as nothing more than an object, which F.C.G. objects to.
- Hidden Depths: She seems to be a decent musician, as the Bell's Hells return to her mansion and hear her getting a violin lesson.
- Older Than They Look: Matt describes her as looking to be in her fifties to sixties, so taking into account the lifespan of an elf, she probably already has a couple of centuries under her belt.
Oshad Breshio
Oshad "The Anger" Breshio
A renowned warrior who serves as a bodyguard for House Lumas in Jrusar.
- Red Baron: "The Anger."
- Small Role, Big Impact: The players only meet him briefly, to question him about the murder of the Lumas Twins. However, he's an Old Friend of Jarrett Howarth's, and his correspondence with Jarrett tipped Keyleth off to the fact that the twins' death was very similar to an earlier attack on Zephrah. Without his intervention, Keyleth (and, by extension, Orym) would likely never have gotten involved with events in Marquet.
- The Worf Effect: Offscreen. Despite being built up as a fearsome badass and a legendary pit fighter, he was no match for the shadowy assassins that Otohan Thull sent after the Lumas twins; he was severely wounded and failed to protect his charges.
Gurge
Gurge Kisgregg
A friend of Chetney's who goes missing and Ira wants to use his "gift" for his experiments.
- Deadpan Snarker: His first few lines towards the group is letting out a grumbled, "Whoop-dee-doo". He snarks at every other thing they ask of him or say to him.
- The Nose Knows: While he talks with the group, he's able to inform them that Ira had a strange sweet smell he'd never encountered before. They're able to deduce that it's likely Ira's connection to the feywild.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: He seems to be able to shift to and from his form without the full moon present. His "curse" of lycanthropy is why Chetney sought him out.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After everything he's been through, you can't blame the guy for wanting nothing more than to go back to his cave away from civilization. He also tells the group he will be gone by the morning.Gurge: I'm gonna go back to my cave and eat squirrels.
- Small Role, Big Impact: He's only a small part of the story so far, and only around in person for an episode or two, but the search for him and subsequent rescue mission is what leads the Hell's to Ira and his work for the Paragon's call
- Ungrateful Bastard: Downplayed. On one hand, after the group rescues him from days of torture and imprisonment, he's incredibly sarcastic and aloof toward them. On the other hand, Chetney is the reason he got grabbed to begin with, and he makes it clear that he is grateful, he just has no way of repaying them and just wants to go home.
Marwa
Marwa Endalia
- Race:Human
A young girl who runs a shop made from an abandoned ship, giving the group items.
- Collector of the Strange: She buys quite a few weird items that she offers to sell to the Hells. From an ever-bleeding apron, a whistle that can alert the person you're thinking of and a hole that can be placed down and removed. She admits she's not too keen on holding onto those items, as she thinks the people she bought them from may have murdered the previous owners.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Not given a lot of focus, but she offhandedly mentions having witnessed someone being literally torn apart and recently losing her father.
- Nightmare Fetishist: As Laudna mentions wanting to make an outfit for Pate, Marwa asks who he is. Laudna slowly brings him out and has him talk to Marwa. She ends up speechless, gives Laudna the potions for what she asked as well as some trash. She even says how fascinated she was by Pate.
- Older Than They Look: While she's described as someone around their twenties and a "young adult", she does initially appear to be younger.
- Unfazed Everyman: When Laudna creeps up on her and loudly calls for Marwa, she simply looks up to calmly greet Laudna before going back to work.
Gavis Aranda
Gavis Aranda
- Race: Halfling
The only member of the Chandei Quorum known to the public.
- Ambiguous Gender: They introduce themselves up front saying they accept any pronouns.
- The Face: Their official job description is to be public face of the Quorum as the rest of its members are a secret.
Tuyen Otwana
- Race: Elf
The shop owner of the Prism Emporium, located in the Core Spire of Jrusar.
- Best Served Cold: In episode 65 a sword for hire attempts to kidnap Chetney and says that Tuyen, "sends her regards". Chetney later divulges to the Hells that he may have attacked a shopkeeper in his werewolf form for jacking up the prices of her wares.
- Disproportionate Retribution: While Chetney doesn't agree with the prices of her wares, his way of going around it seems a bit too over the top. From slashing her shoulder in his werewolf form and terrorizing her in her shop.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After selling Chetney tools for a fairly expensive price, he returns later in his werewolf form to torment her.Chetney: (growling) Let this be, a warning. Charge fairly, for your wares.
Orlana Seshadri
Mistress Orlana Seshadri
- Race: Human
- Covert Group with Mundane Front: She allegedly belongs to a mid-level Mahaan house that mainly manages livestock, but this is heavily implied to be a front for her actual position as a member of the Chandai Quorum. It was an effective enough cover that Lord Eshteross never suspected her despite having regular dealings with her.
- Da Chief: She employs the Green Seekers and her role within the Chandai Quorom appears to be managing the Wilders and heading up criminal investigations within the city of Jrusar.
- Only Sane Woman: She frequently acts as the straight man against underlings that are either Bunny Ears Lawyers like the Green Seekers or an outright Cloud Cuckoo Lander like Weva Vudol.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: She does this a couple of times with Bell's Hells:
- When she investigates Lord Eshteross's murder, she takes the time to listen to the party's explanations about why they couldn't have killed him. She also carefully analyzes the evidence they present, including the letters he wrote, has Weva Vudol interrogate Eshteross's spirit to confirm the party's story and formally exonerates them once their innocence is proven.
- When she hires the party to pursue Armand Treshi, she agrees to settle the rest of Eshteross's estate for them so they can immediately set out. She also pays the party in full once they return to Jrusar with Treshi.
- Later, she listens to their concerns about the Ruidus conspiracy but states that the actions she can take are limited without solid proof.
The Green Seekers
Olly & Gus
- Race: Half-orc (Gus) / Gnome (Olly)Class: Wizard (Gus) / Ranger (Olly)
Two hired detectives investigating the goings-on around town.
- Bantering Baddie Buddies: Played With. They seem not to be evil— at worst, they're unscrupulous— but their patter with each other and with Bell's Hells recalls this trope. Olly in particular is fond of making vague insinuations and veiled threats before deferring to Gus to make a more overt display of force.
- Big Guy, Little Guy: Gus is a tall, lanky half-orc man while Olly is a short gnome woman.
- Cowboy Cop: They're effectively fantasy Pinkerton agents, hired by an unnamed client to investigate disturbances of the peace in Jrusar— including the destruction of the Moon Tower and the recent spate of shadecreeper incursions. While they're ostensibly on the side of good (Olly claims that if they found out their client was dirty, they'd mutiny), they're frustrated by the Wilders' attempts to hamper their investigation and they aren't afraid to strong-arm witnesses into cooperation by making threats and breaking fingers.
- Friend to All Children: One of the first clues that these two aren't all bad comes when Olly playfully teases Gus about giving away all of their "deputy Greenseeker" badges to children.
- Good Cop/Bad Cop: Talkative, short-statured Olly plays good cop, while the imposing and taciturn Gus plays bad cop.
- Humiliation Conga: Poor Gus. Within the span of a day he is charmed into letting a prisoner escape, mocked for deputizing the Hells, and dragged by his ex-boyfriend in front of his partner and the entire party.
- Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Gus utilizes these tactics.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: When Mistress Sashadri asks them to track down Otohan Thull for the murder of Lord Eshteross, Olly & Gus immediately decline, recognizing just how dangerous the target is.
- Occult Detective: An interesting example. They investigate mundane crimes (property destruction, missing persons) that turn out to have supernatural causes (evil fey, subterranean fungal creatures). Gus takes this trope even further by displaying magical aptitude; he's able to create a dome of silence in a public place to interrogate the party, and throws fireballs around when fighting shadecreepers.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. Fearne's father is named Ollie. Different spelling, identical pronunciation.
- Pass the Popcorn: Matt describes Olly as totally enjoying the therapy session between Gus and his ex going down horribly.Matt: It's like you can see the popcorn in her eyes.
- Sword and Sorcerer: Gus fights primarily with spells, while Olly switches between a crossbow and a pair of batons. Rather atypically, it's the bigger half-orc that is the "sorcerer" half and the smaller gnome that is the "sword" half.
The Crew Of the Silver Sun
Captain Xandis
Owned by Lord Eshteross and lead by Captain Xandis, they initially meet the Bells Hells as their ride into the Hellcatch Valley.- Ambiguous Gender: Captain Xandis appears to go by gender neutral pronouns.
- Crazy Enough to Work: Captain Xandis, after a few seconds of consideration, is all for the Bells Hells plan to shoot the squid monster with the hooks of the ship and carry it up into the air to save the merchants below. After some struggle, they manage to pull it off.
- The Gadfly: Captain Xandis loves pulling jokes or pranks on the Hells or whoever they think is an easy target. One kid in particular gets scared at seeing Laudna simply because Xandis told them the deck was haunted by spirits.
- "Just Joking" Justification: The crew and the captain love to make up fake stories to throw of the Bells Hells and make them think they're a blood thirsty crew.
Weva Vudol
Grave Mystic Weva Vudol
- Race: AasimarClass: Cleric (Grave Domain)
- Black Eyes of Evil: Matt describes her as having eyes like these. However, she's not truly evil, just a bit off-putting.
- The Coroner: Functionally fills the role of a coroner, but using magic in place of medical knowledge.
- Creepy Monotone: She speaks with virtually no variation in pitch.
- Creepy Mortician: She arranges for appropriate funeral arrangements for people that die unexpectedly and is just a little too enthusiastic about handling their bodies.
- Horrifying the Horror: She makes even Laudna uncomfortable. When Laudna tells her this, she grins and takes it as a compliment.F.C.G.: You're very creepy.
Weva: Thank you. - Nightmare Fetishist: She shows a gleeful enjoyment of her work and a morbid fascination for death in general. She takes an immediate interest in Laudna and after a short inspection of feeling Laudna's hand, she tells her "Welcome back".
- Nightmare Fuel Station Attendant: She is described as "resembling a creepy doll" with pearlescent white skin and small black pupils with no irises. She even manages to creep out Laudna of all people.
- Semi-Divine: As an aasimar she is either touched by the divine or descended from a celestial being.
Heartmoor Hamlet
The Verdict
The Verdict
Hutchin - Leader of The Verdict
A group of burglars who compete against Bells Hells to be the first to retrieve a relic from Evon Hytroga's museum as part of a bet with Jiana Hexum. They are led by a silver dragonborn named Hutchin.
- Classy Cat-Burglar: Hutchin is very well-spoken and clearly very experienced at burglary.
- Con Artist: Hutchin pawns a bracelet off on the party for clearly more than it is worth.
- Know When to Fold 'Em: They agree to a truce after they are heavily injured by a fire trap (that Bell's Hells covertly triggered) and Fresh Cut Grass offers healing. They resume the heist not long after without realizing that the Hells have already claimed the artifact.
- No Honor Among Thieves:
- Their goblin teammate tries to charm Ashton and, failing that, kicks them in the balls within minutes of the heist starting.
- After a door is stuck with an Immovable Rod from Bell's Hells, the Verdict take it for themselves and use it to trap the Hells in a chamber by doing the same thing to a door in the basement.
Evon Hytroga
Evon Hytroga
- Race: Half-Elf
The proprietor of the Twilight Mirror Museum and one of the competitors of Jiana Hexum's bet.
- Being Evil Sucks: Long after his first appearance, he's revealed to be a member of the Ruby Vanguard. Bell's Hells encounter him on Ruidus, and he's utterly miserable with being so far away from his familiar comforts.
- Collector of the Strange: The Twilight Mirror Museum is basically a tourist trap/vanity project dedicated to giving him a chance to show off his impressive collection. Subverted, when Bell's Hells steal paperwork of his showing that several prominent pieces of his were fakes, including the Journal of Vespin Chloras, and the broken Xhorhasian (Luxan) Beacon. After reading some of the placards for the items on display, Ashton asks if this museum was just filled with items Hytroga has no clue about.
- Continuity Nod: Mentions in passing that in his many travels he was present during the initial attack of the Chroma Conclave on Emon and knew Sovereign Uriel before he passed.
- Covert Pervert: Downplayed. Given the layout of the museum, Evon Hytroga possibly lives there, since one of the rooms had a button that opened up to a reflective mirror above a bed. When he first appears Matt describes him as smoothing out his clothes while two guards in the back were rushing to put their clothes back on.
- The Dandy: Very flamboyant and more than a little vain.
- Eccentric Millionaire: He own a large museum filled with odds and oddities and likely has a lot more money to dip into whatever catches his fancy. He also seems to enjoy taking pictures of himself, and others, as he has photos of himself posing in many portraits and immortalizes the Bell's Hells successful heist in a photo.
- "Just Joking" Justification: As the Bell's Hells arrive to prove to him they won the heist, he suddenly gets dark as he say she hates loose ends and orders his guards to kill them... and then laughs as he claims he was just joking.
- Lack of Empathy: He jokes about killing Bell's Hells because they know he lost a bet, then claims he was just joking. Then, Evon jokes about killing the Verdict for losing. In either case, he filled his museum with deadly traps, and several members of both teams come close to being killed, all of the sake of The Bet and his own amusement. Both times, it serves to rile up Bell's Hells, who note that he seems to care very little about what he put anybody else through.
- Shrine to Self: There are lots of statues of his image placed around the museum, as well as him appearing in portraits, posing like a tourist.
- Verbal Tic: All of the descriptions in his museum have Purple Prose regarding their origin, and all of them end with an ellipsis as if there's more to them than what he's already revealed.
Bassuras
General Ratanish
General Ratanish
- Race: GoliathClass: Barbarian (Desert Storm Herald)
The leader of the Paragon's Call, a notable mercenary company that works out of Jrusar.
- Blood Knight: Not only does Ratanish obviously love his job, he's also a near-literal example: when Ashton gives him a bloody lip, he licks his teeth clean with an unsettling amount of pleasure. Given Gurge's testimony, it's very likely he's a recently-turned werewolf— one who, unlike Chetney, isn't bothering to keep his Blood Lust under control.
- The Brute: As a goliath, he's naturally huge, and he's a savage mercenary who seems to crave violence.
- He Cleans Up Nicely: Subverted. Matthew makes a point to note that he and his men clearly did the bare minimum to meet the event's dress code, and they're obviously rough and tumble warriors who don't belong amongst high society.
- Husky Russkie: Matt gives him a Russian accent, and he's a hulking brute.
- Killed Off for Real: In episode 70, Bell's Hells catch him and some other members of the Paragon's Call attempting to abduct Imahara Joe and a friend. Fresh Cut Grass casts Banishment on him, and while he's gone the others finish off the rest of his men. When the spell ends and Ratanish reappears, Bell's Hells all attack him simultaneously and cut him down before he has a chance to react.
- Mook Lieutenant: He's the leader of Paragon's Call, and has a small squad of about 5 mercenaries under his command, but he answers to Armand, as well as Armand's underling Vali.
- Then, when Bells Hells meet him again in Bassuras, it turns out he's not the actual leader of the Paragon's Call, as he takes his orders from Otohan Thull.
- Religious Bruiser: Discloses to Laudna that he worships the Duskmaven, which is the southern Marquesian name for the Raven Queen.
- Worthy Opponent:
- He's fascinated by Laudna and appreciative of her boldness to approach him and ask for a dance; even though Laudna's ties to the undead are obvious, and Ratanish follows a goddess for whom the undead are a Berserk Button, he's restrained and cordial while speaking with her.
- Ratanish clearly relishes the prospect of dueling Ashton and seems to lend a measure of grudging respect to him for holding his ground. Although his enthusiasm may have more to do with his love of brutal combat, it's notable that he agrees to do so hand-to-hand rather than with weapons, at Ashton's suggestion. After Ratanish knocks out Ashton, Ratanish demands that his men patch up Ashton, and later offers Ashton a drink of some expensive liquor and even a spot in Paragon's Call.
Imahara Joe
Imahara Joe
- Race: Human
- Meaningful Name: "Joe" most likely comes from the Japanese "Joh", which can translate into "castle". It's no coincidence that Joe's place is one of Bells Hells' safe spaces.
- Mr. Exposition: He's the one to explain much of the background of Death Wish racing, Crawler mechanics, Aeormatons and the history of the Calamity. It stands out that while most of the other people that the group have questioned before him have been overwhelmed or annoyed quickly with them, Joe is more than happy to answer all of their questions.
- Mr Fix It: He is THE guy to go to for all the Crawler gangs when it comes to maintaining their machines.
- Tuckerization: Named after engineer and roboticist Grant Imahara, who was a friend of Matt's before his death. Joe's mannerisms and tone are fairly good imitations of Grant, too.
- Wham Line: His explanation for the history of the Calmanity comes about as part of his explanation of the possibility that Fresh Cut Grass is an Aeormaton, and as such could potentially be thousands of years old, as well as not the only one of his kind, as there have been rumors of other Aeormatons waking up over the last 5 years.
Justi Pross
Justi Pross
- Race: Eisfuura
- Bird People: Matt describes them as an avian creature who crawls around the walls and tilt their head curiously at the Hells.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Comes across this way thanks to the heavy influence of the unknown substance used by the All-Minds-Burn.
- Fantastic Drug: Matt describes them as snorting some drugs to connect to the hive mind, and they offer some of it to Laudna as a gift. They claim it'll help her, "clear up the attic".
- Hearing Voices: According to Ashton, Justi hears voices in their heads, probably due to their connection to the Hive Mind. They become delighted and amused when he informs them that Laudna also has voices in her head.
- Hive Mind: When Imogen tries to see into her mind, she stumbles into an overwhelming version of this. Ashton explains that it has something to do with the nature of The All-Minds-Burn and whatever substance they use.
- Odd Friendship: Justi is an odd, somewhat creepy bird and is one of the few people Ashton is genuinely cordial towards. The two consider each other old friends, and when they reunite, they greet each other with warm hugs.
- Voice of the Legion: Sometimes when they speak, they are followed by a chorus of voices repeating what they say. Laudna, suffice to say, is delighted to find another person who hears voices in their head.
Esmer
Esmer Balenta
- Race: Human
The owner of Finders Takers and someone from FCG's past.
- Demolitions Expert: She's more than willing to sell Fearne some dynamite, so long as they don't mention where they got it from.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: While spiteful over Dancer and not incredibly pleasant to talk to, she does warm up at seeing F.C.G and says that he was one of Dancer's best creations.
- Spiteful Spit: When F.C.G. breaks the news to Esmer that she won't be seeing Dancer anymore due to her being dead, Esmer takes a large swig of her wine, leans towards F.C.G's face and spits it in his face.Esmer: (laughing) Yeah, you're a fucking liar like she was.
- Wham Line: As F.C.G. delivers the news of Dancer's death, Esmer spits wine in his face and laughs. She thinks F.C.G. is joking, since she had seen Dancer only a month back. She also reveals that Dancer technically didn't make F.C.G., but found him.
- Woman Scorned: Her and Dancer had a very on again off again relationship and she does not appreciate the way Dancer repeatedly walked out on her. When Dancer reappears in her life claiming to want to apologize for leaving, Esmer is initially suspicious before she's charmed again. It's only after the Hells go and meet her, does she reveal Dancer has left her once again.
Dancer
Dancer
"Love equals friendship plus alcohol"
- Race: Unknown
F.C.G's creator who perished in a fight along with his other automaton family, but she's later revealed to still be alive.
- Ambiguously Human: Esmer describes her as having olive color skin and some "furry"-ness to her. When Imogen questions if she was possibly a Firbolg, Esmer admits she's never really asked Dancer since it wasn't an easy thing to bring up. Although it could be his memory malfunctioning and mixing in the Bell's Hells appearances, even F.C.G describes her with some kind of fur on her.
- An Arm and a Leg: Esmer informs F.C.G. and his group that Dancer wasn't actually dead. She also apparently lost one of her arms and had it replaced with a mechanical one.
- Artificial Limbs: According to Esmer, she came to see her again around a month ago with a metal arm.
- Butch Lesbian: She's a Wrench Wench and named her robots after her favourite scents, leading to one called Pussy. It's practically confirmed when the Hells come across her ex, another woman. She even shows some attraction to Imogen before spotting F.C.G. with her.
- Commitment Issues: She's had close relations with Esmer, but not enough to fully commit to. Going off of Esmer's words, this isn't the first time Dancer has walked out on her. By the time the Hells go talk to Esmer, Dancer has been with her for a month before leaving her once again.
- Consummate Liar: Esmer seems to think Dancer is this, as she always comes to her for comfort and for help, saying she's changed. Only for her to eventually leave Esmer once she has what she wants. There's also the fact that she's not really dead, leaving F.C.G's memories of the day Dancer and his automaton siblings died as highly suspicious.
- Facial Markings: Esmer describes her as having a star tattoo on her right cheek.
- Only One Name: She's only referred to as "Dancer".
- Theme Naming: She's named her automatons after her favorite scents: Oatmeal, Apple Pie, Fresh Cut Grass and Pussy.
- Trauma Button: When F.C.G. finally manages to contact her, the sound of his voice is enough to send Dancer panicking as she yells that she barely got away from him last time. Bell's Hells later discover that it was likely F.C.G. who had killed his former party, and why Dancer told him to never contact her again.
- Plot-Triggering Death: F.C.G.'s backstory revolves around Dancer and how her death has affected him. So it comes to him as a complete shock when Esmer informs him that Dancer is very much alive. He then starts questioning how much of his past was a lie due to Dancer's living status.
- Replacement Goldfish: When she reappears in episode 69 she's rebuilt at least one of her automatons, a robot bird named Pussy II.
- Walking Spoiler: It became difficult to discuss Dancer, seeing as their death plays a role in F.C.G's backstory. But in episode 26, according to Esmer, Dancer is well and alive - and they do end up meeting her later, traumatised, missing an arm, and scared out of her mind at F.C.G. Moreover, it's implied to F.C.G. that Dancer found him, and wasn't actually his creator.
Birdie and Ollie Calloway
Birdie and Ollie
- Race: Faun and Fey ElfClass: Birdie: (Rogue — Arcane Trickster), Ollie: Bard (Possibly)
- Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: They left Fearne with Morrigan in hopes of protecting her from both whatever unknown effects Ruidus was having on her and from the unseelie assassins sent to hunt them down after they stole an important relic.
- Defector from Decadence: Ollie and Birdie are from an influential family within the Seelie Court until they stole the Moontide Crown from the Unseelie Court and absconded with it to the Material Plane. Episode 79 reveals this was a lie: Birdie was the consort of Athion Zathuda, a powerful lord from the Unseelie Court, before giving birth to Fearne and realizing he never cared for her. Ollie was a prisoner at the time who showed genuine empathy for her predicament, which caused her to eventually develop feelings for him. After realizing how foolish she had been, she ran away with her child and Ollie before Zathuda could exploit Fearne's ruidusborn nature.
- Huge Girl, Tiny Guy: Birdie is best described as a slightly shorter, stockier version of Fearne, whereas Ollie is a good foot shorter than their daughter, essentially making them this trope.
- Interspecies Romance: Birdie is a faun while Ollie is an elf.
- It Runs in the Family: It's clear after Yu leaves that Fearne got her pick pocket tendencies from Birdie. Ollie even admits that he had quite the sticky fingers himself. Funnily enough, the two met because Birdie pick-pocketed Ollie and he ended up buying her a drink.Ollie: And you know, we do what we do best. We see something we want, we take it.
- Mama Bear and Papa Wolf: They left Fearne behind in the Feywild in order to protect her while they gathered what information they could on Ruidus. Birdie even outright states that she would blow the moon up if she could, and threatens Yu should they harm her daughter in any way.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After talking with Fearne about Morri, Ollie realizes that Fearne was essentially an "object" he and Birdie had exchanged for one of Morri's favors. Both of the Calloway's reaction can be summed up as this, especially when they Ira likely knew how Morri would treat Fearne as one of her "collections".
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. One of the Green Seekers is named Olly. Different spelling, identical pronunciation.
- Parents as People: They love Fearne dearly, but they tend to act impulsively without thinking of the consequences and end up accidentally hurting Fearne. They also seem to have difficulty at first comprehending why Fearne is so resentful towards them for leaving her behind for over a hundred years from her perspective and initially try to play down her feelings until she confronts them about it.
- Seers: Ollie was born with an oracular ability he calls the "Squint", that allowed him to prevent and avoid future dangers. It is implied that this ability, combined with a bad trip on some roots and herbs led him to a vision of Ruidus following the Calloways into the Feywild, where it consumed the whole realm, which eventually led to their discovery that Ruidus' presence in the Feywild was being obscured with Unseelie magic.
- Theme Naming: Birdie and Ollie's names sound very similar to one another and like Fearne they all end with an "e". Morrigan doesn't fit the naming scheme, although her nickname "Morri" sounds similar.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Birdie and Ollie not only steal dangerous items from the Unseelie Court, causing them to be hunted down, they even work with Ira, the Nightmare King. Despite some moral standards being broken, the Calloways do want to do everything they can to stop Ruidus from destroying their world, by any means necessary.
Yios
The Gorgynei
A secretive order of lycanthropes who have learned to master their curse using Blood Magic.
- Hidden Elf Village: The gorgynei take great messures to keep themselves hidden away from everyone but other lycans, the gloom jungle is the first place they've really built anything, as until they arrived there they remained nomadic, never staying in one place very long. Now they have a deal with some select people in Yios to protect the trails through the jungle in exchange for remaining hidden and being left alone.
Planerider Ryn
Planerider Ryn
- Race: TieflingClass: Wizard (School of Conjuration)
A planar researcher with connections to the Grim Verity and an interest in the upcoming Apogee Solstice.
- Badass Bookworm: She is one of Exandria's leading experts on planar interactions and ley lines and also an extremely capable mage.
- Badass in Distress: She was magically petrified while investigating the Malleus Key in the Tishtan excavation site, taking her out of the fight less than ten days before the Apogee Solstice.
- Big Good: She is introduced as the only person with any real power acting directly in opposition to the Ruby Vanguard.
- Deadpan Snarker: She tends to speak with a breezy speech pattern while dropping subtle snark and thinly veiled threats.Ryn: Indeed, you have come to my abode uninvited, but seem to have some sort of business with some of my friends. So consider yourself, at the moment, not burned to a crisp.
- Early-Bird Cameo:
- She was mentioned in the Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting book more than 5 years before her proper introduction in the campaign.
- In Campaign 2 the Mighty Nein stumble upon her laboratory and read some of her notes, further teasing her existence and the plot of Campaign 3.
- Thinking Up Portals: She specializes in using the Planeshift spell and similar magics to travel between planes to conduct her research.
The Grim Verity
A team of researchers investigating Ruidus and its influence over Exandria.
- Dwindling Party: They were originally a much larger group but most of them have either been hunted down or driven into hiding by the time Bell's Hells get involved in the Ruidus plot.
- They Know Too Much: While they were researching Ruidus they discovered ancient texts in Vasselheim that reveal the existence of Predathos and the two gods it consumed, Ethedok and Vordo. This immediately leads to multiple parties including The Ruby Vanguard and Vasselheim itself trying to track down and silence them.
The Feywild
Morrigan
Morrigan the Fatestitcher
- Race: Hag
Fearne's "grandmother" who looked after Fearne while Birdie and Ollie left their daughter in her care to continue with their secret mission.
- Affectionate Nickname: Fearne sweetly calls her Nana Morri, and her honorary family seems to refer to her as "Morri" instead of "Morrigan".
- Ambiguous Situation: Her decision to dilate time while Fearne was living with her. Did she genuinely "take a shine" to Fearne and want to spend as much time as possible with the faun before her parents came back to pick her up? Or did she purposefully age Fearne up to play a role in the upcoming apogee solstice? Possibly a little bit of both?
- Belly Mouth: She has a second face on her torso with tiny sunken eyes and a Cheshire Cat Grin that encompasses the entire width of her body. Fearne affectionately calls this face "Tummy Nana".
- Collector of the Strange: She's known to collect just about anything she finds interesting, granting favors in return to those who bring her objects of note. This is a trait she also encouraged in both Birdie and Fearne.
- Cool Old Lady: Upon meeting the Hells, she offers them some alcohol. The next morning, she asks if anyone would like some morning cocktails. Ashton immediately calls her the best grandma ever.
- Creepy Long Fingers: She can stretch her fingers to a creepily long length, which she displays when holding Pâté. Her fingers stretch to form a cage-like barrier around him, and when she's satisfied, she closes her hand and her fingers return to normal.
- Deal with the Devil: As an fae hag, she makes some deals with members of Bell's Hells to empower them.
- In exchange for a piece of the God-Eater, she promises to make Chetney the world's most famous toymaker, granting him the custom Legendary Toymaker feat.
- In exchange for Orym's service in the future, she gives him the power needed to protect his friends and finish his mission, granting him the Fey Touched feat.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: While more of a chaotic fae creature not tied to morals, Morri's name alone scares even the most powerful of creatures. Despite the iffy nature around her aging Fearne up in the years she kept her safe, it's clear she dearly loves her granddaughter, and the feeling is mutual on Fearne's side.
- Everyone Has Standards: Played for laughs. Fearne asks Ira if he had dated her grandmother, with Ira laughing and saying Morri had "higher standards" than that. When the Hells finally meet Morri, she admits that ultimately anything between her and Ira wouldn't have worked out anyway.
- The Fair Folk: She is a powerful hag from the Feywild and the fact that she seems to possess her own domain in the plane, on which she has control over the passage of time implies that she might even be an Archfey in her own right.
- Fisher King: She's powerful enough to distort time in her fane relative to the rest of the Feywild, which is a feat typically reserved for Archfey. Spending an extended period of time in her fane also caused Fearne to grow unusually tall, mirroring Morrigan's own stature.
- Giant Woman: According to Fearne and her parents, Morri is around fourteen to fifteen feet tall.
- Godzilla Threshold: Our heroes know full well that she can tempt them with a Deal with the Devil, but with the upcoming clash with the Ruby Vanguard, they're forced to go to her and ask for her to use her time dilation to give them enough time to prepare. It's no coincidence that she resembles a small kaiju.
- Long Neck: Her top head extends from a giraffe-like neck.
- Morphic Resonance: Her giant hawk form retains her humanoid top head.
- Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Saying or mentioning her name usually strikes fear into whoever hears it.
- Never Mess with Granny: She comments how even the Unseelie Court know it's unwise to send anyone near her home. It's how she kept Fearne safe for all of those years. She also comes to Fearne's rescue as a gigantic hawk creature and fights Sorrowlord Zathuda and his fey dragon mount to give Bell's Hells a chance to make it to safety.
- The Nose Knows: She's able to tell Chetney is a werewolf simply from his scent.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted albeit with a slight difference in spelling with this character and Morrighan, the lagomore rogue from Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, who is named after her.
- Red Baron: Similar to her fellow hag Isharnai, she carries a title that hints at her powers and role: The Fatestitcher.
- Trickster Mentor: In the fallout of the incident with the Fire Shard in Whitestone Bell's Hells regroup at Ligament Manor and Nana subjects the group to a series of trials to help them rebuild trust and work on their communication skills. She informs the Hells that the final trial will be a scavenger hunt where she secretly replaces two members with doppelgangers who will try to sabotage them. Afterward she reveals that there were never any doppelgangers, as the whole point was to show them the value of trust and the dangers of giving in to paranoia.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Par for the course for an extremely powerful druid, she can take on animal shapes at will.
- Year Inside, Hour Outside: It's implied that she aged up Fearne much faster during her stay in the Feywild. When Fearne reunites with her parents, she informs them she hasn't seen them in ninety years, but they claim they were only gone for six years. Ira seems to outright confirm it in episode 30.Ira: Well, you left her with Morrigan. She's a collector of things, and if she knew she had limited time, she may have stretched it for all it's worth. Wouldn't be the first time.
- You Owe Me: She's willing to give others a favor, so long as she gets something else in return.
Uthodorn
Oltgar
Oltgar Dradegon
- Race: Dwarf
- Bad Boss: His former employees seem to think so. When Chetney brings up his name to a fellow carver, she immediately grows suspicious of him and the two have a Mexican Stand Off. They both admit to having no love for Oltgar. When Chetney meets him again, Oltgar does admit he didn't make the wisest business decisions which costed him his loyal workforce, Chetney included. It's really Drixlitch running the entire operation, with Oltgar merely a figurehead having his life's work being drained of its glory.
- Drowning My Sorrows: Imogen read's Oltgar's mind to get a sense on where he stands with his benefactor. Oltgar hates him and wishes to leave work as soon as he can so he can drink himself into a stupor and numb the pain of his work being tarnished.
- Every Scar Has a Story: He has a scar on the back of his hand from Chetney, which was the last thing Chetney gave him before fleeing Uthodorn. When the two reconcile, Oltgar admits that he deserved the scar Chetney gave him.
- Pseudo-Santa: He's an old, bearded dwarf man on the larger side, with a penchant for toymaking, but the joy and wonder has been drained out of him by his business partner. His eyes are described as once having a twinkle, and has the Signature Laugh of "ho ho ho". Plus, considering his friend Chetney is an Expy of an elf from a Christmas-themed one-shot game that stabbed Santa, and Chetney did stab Oltgar during their falling-out...
- Signature Laugh: Chetney remarks on his laugh that everyone likes, with him giving a small chuckle of "ho ho ho".
Drixlitch
Drixlitch Ovana
- Race: Elf
- Classy Cane: Carries one to help him walk.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: The Hells find out, the "outsourced" work for Oltgar's pieces goes into child labor at Shady Creek Run. He also planned on screwing Oltgar over in his business and has even taken out money elsewhere for his own gain. All for Drixlitch's benefit, and no one else's.
- Hate Sink: His first appearance when he meets the Hells leads all of them to collectively agree to fuck up his day as much as they can. From Imogen calling him "dick lick", FRIDA pick-pocketing him for his keys, and Fearne suggesting they leave the grub for Drixlitch to find and let that be his problem when it turns back. Even Oltgar internally admits to hating Drixlitch's guts, leading him to drinking his pain away.
- Unfortunate Names: Imogen purposefully calls him "dick lick" leading him to correct her.
Issylra
Joan Abaddina
Joan Abaddina
- Race: GoliathClass: Druid
- Hidden Depths: Hevestro reveals that she used to be a member of the Hishari cult before he took her under his wing and helped her reform after the cult was destroyed. Ludinus' speech seems to have reradicalized her.
- Rage Against the Heavens: She holds no love toward the prime deities due to their followers' efforts to convert people with pagan beliefs and she is willing to go so far as demolishing temples to drive them out.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: She genuinely cares for the people of Hearthdell and wants to use the Apogee Solstice to free them from the oppressive presence of the Dawnfather in their town. Unfortunately, her inspiration for this rebellion is Ludinus Da'leth and she seems ignorant of the likely retribution from Vasselheim once their rebellion is discovered.
The Shattered Teeth
Jirana (and Torriz)
Jirana the Shore Shrew
- Race: Galapa
- Amphibian at Large: Torriz is a massive toad. How massive? The Shore Shrew is living comfortably in its mouth. Matt even states that he had to specially order the "minifig" (actually a decorative toad intended for Halloween), and ends up using a tiki mug that's about 5 inches wide, saying that it's actually bigger than that.
- Big Damn Heroes: The Dolabos consider Torriz as their protector, able to reach any perceived disturbance at a moment's notice.
- Wise Old Turtle: Jirana is a Galapa (a tortle with the
Serial Numbers Filed Off), and has lived for nearly 400 years. In this time she's gained much wisdom and uses it to council others.
The Dolabos
The Dolabos are the "eternal children" of the island of Slival, seemingly nature spirits that populate the island. They resemble tiny humanoid Frog Men with the wings of dragonflies.
- Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: The Dolabos are fuschia and teal, which really aren't common in nature. The fact that the teal is from their own poop raises even more questions.
- Frog Men/Winged Humanoid: The Dolabos are somehow both at once.
- It Can Think: Invoked - F.C.G. tries using Speak With Animals at first, but ultimately just winds up using charades to communicate with them. It's not till they try Tongues instead when they realise the Dolabos are a sentient race.
- Road Apples: Their only real defence against predators is covering themselves in their own poop. While this has its origins in real world animal behavior, it's still rather off-putting.
- Wacky Wayside Tribe: While most swarming lifeforms would be cause for alarm in these stories, the Dolabos turn out to be completely peaceful, while also equally weird. The only really disturbing thing about them is their fixation with fire.
The Crimson Abyss
A Ghost Pirate crew led by the Dread Pirate Captain Urlu Novos, who the Bell's Hells make a parlay with for passage on his ship, despite the initial hostile interaction. Though openly a crew of murderous pirates, they prove to be surprisingly chummy company.
- Card-Carrying Villain: They're pretty upfront and proud of the fact they're a scourge of the seas who primarily go around killing everyone they come across. Rather than make them disposable villains, however, this is somewhat deconstructed as the Hells choose to befriend them, and it briefly explores how socially stunted people like this would be.
- Chill of Undeath: The curse of Captain Novos manifests by making the crew members and the Crimson Abyss itself extremely cold. When Fearne offers her warmth to Novos as part of a bargain he permanently siphons some of her body heat away, represented in-game by a reduction to her maximum hit points.note
- The Comically Serious: Though not without their quirks, a lot of the humour is derived from their semi-serious attempts at being a haunted crew contrasted with the absurdity of the Bell's Hells. When the group introduce the game 'Rollies' to them, the crew become obsessed with the game, treating it with absolute seriousness.
- Flying Dutchman: The Crimson Abyss itself is pretty much this; the crew are cursed to wander the seas in search of Captain Novos' possessions from when he was alive, and can only be free of their undead nature once all those items have been returned. It appears many are currently landlocked, however, preventing the crew from reaching them, and thus they're left to haunt the oceans, attacking anyone who comes across them. Bringing any of the lost treasures of Novos near the water is a surefire way to summon them, which Bell's Hells exploit to negotiate passage (after sweetening the deal with a cursed sword).
- Ghost Pirate: Natch, they're a crew of cursed skeletons. And surprisingly chill ones when you get to know them.
- Green-Eyed Monster: The navigator, Cyrillia, is in love with Captain Novos, and doesn't take kindly to others trying to romance him. When Fearne convinces the captain to let her spend a night in his quarters, Cyrillia becomes extremely jealous.
- Malicious Misnaming: One of the crewmen, Kyle, is subject to this, with the captain and most of the other crew constantly getting his name wrong. This immediately earns him the sympathy of the players and their characters...before they start doing it too.
- No Social Skills: Due to having spent centuries as undead horrors who's only interaction with people is mostly killing them and taking their stuff, all of their social skills have waned. Captain Novos, though a charismatic leader in battle and negotiations, is extremely timid and awkward when trying to flirt with Fearne, and is fairly apologetic of his obviously terrible come-on.
- Punch-Clock Villain: They're ostensibly a crew of evil undead pirates, but this is pretty much treated as their job. When off the clock, they're just like any crew on the seas, albeit one that have had little company with others.
