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| “ | Death has come for you! | „ |
| ~ Umbrasyl to the citizens of Emon. |
| “ | Pathetic hatchling. I’ll peel that armor off your mangled corpse! | „ |
| ~ Umbrasyl to Vax. |
Umbrasyl, also known as The Hope Devourer, is a major antagonist in the first campaign of the D&D web series Critical Role and its 2022 animated adaptation The Legend of Vox Machina.
He is an ancient black dragon and one of the five members of the Chroma Conclave, who once served as a loyal servant to its leader Thordak, but he eventually betrayed him and began making plans of his own.
He is also the arch-nemesis of the gnome bard Scanlan Shorthalt of Vox Machina, after the dragon killed his friend Kamaljiori.
He was voiced by Matthew Mercer, who also voices Sylas Briarwood, Orthax, Craven Edge, & Yenk in the same series.
Appearance[]
Umbrasyl is an ancient black dragon typical in appearance for his species and age. He is all black in color with green eyes. He is a massive creature, with a total length and wingspan of around 85 feet.
In the animated series, Umbrasyl has a distinctly lizard-like body type and a low-slung creeping gait. A frill of horns emerges from the back of his head, and much of his body is covered in protruding spines, some of which have a film of his acid gathering between them. His throat inflates like a frog's whenever he uses his breath weapon and he constantly drools acid.
Personality[]
Like the rest of the Chroma Conclave, Umbrasyl is a sadistic, cruel, power hungry, and selfish dragon. He is interested only in his own comfort, power, and wealth, regarding his peers with guarded respect and humanoids with complete and undisguised contempt. Umbrasyl treats his humanoid subjects and minions as resource to be used and cast aside for his benefit.
Umbrasyl in the animated series is just like his campaign counterpart but with some differences. He is shown to be intelligent and pragmatic and an excellent tactical fighter, and while he is confident in his great power, he is smart enough to avoid letting his pride put him in danger and knows very well that the Vestiges of Divergence can defeat him along with the rest of the Conclave. He is also increasingly obsessed with collecting the Vestiges after learning of their power from Dr. Anna Ripley. Umbrasyl seems sincerely grateful to Ripley for this information and treats her with a respect he shows no one else except his fellow dragons.
Biography[]
Background[]
Very little is known of Umbrasyl's background, though as an ancient dragon he has lived for at least eight centuries. Earlier in life he was driven out of multiple lairs by various heroes. This influenced his decision to join the Chroma Conclave, since he hoped that in a conquered Tal'Dorei he would have a stable home with a steady supply of tribute and food.
Critical Role[]
Umbrasyl took part in the Conclave's attack on Emon, helping to raze the city. He briefly pursued Vox Machina across the Cloudtop District before Thordak set him back to the task of conquering the city.
Later that day, Umbrasyl flew to the city of Westruun and conquered it for the Conclave. He claimed the city as his domain and began living at the top of the nearby Gatshadow Mountain. He subjugated the goliaths of the Herd of Storms, using them as his soldiers in the region. Umbrasyl charged the Herd with the day-to-day administration of occupied Westruun, having them gather tribute and execute opponents of his reign.
After they killed the Herd's leader Kevdak, Vox Machina allied with the Herd of Storms to kill Umbrasyl. They lured him into a trap at the point where he gathered treasure. As it sprung, the goliaths tried to hook him in place, but he killed many of them. Scanlan and Vax then teleported inside him to pin him in place with an immovable rod. Umbrasyl was forced to rip himself free of the rod to escape.
Badly hurt, Umbrasyl fled, with Scanlan and Vax still inside him and Grog hanging on by the chains of Bloodaxe. As he flew, he managed to shake them off. At some point, he massacred a Herd scouting party chasing him, leaving Shale the only survivor. Vox Machina pursued him to his cave, meeting Shale along the way. They confronted Umbrasyl in his cave and killed him, with Grog dealing the fatal blow. He was the first member of the Conclave to die during the Chroma Crisis.
The Legend of Vox Machina[]
Umbrasyl has a much larger role in The Legend of Vox Machina than in Critical Role.
Alongside the rest of the Chroma Conclave, Umbrasyl took part in the conquest of Emon. He first attacked the Cloudtop District before Allura Vysoren brought him down from the sky with a binding spell. He broke free and used his acid breath to bring a tower crashing down on Allura and those around her, which they only survived when Allura teleported away. Umbrasyl spent the rest of the attack strafing Emon with his acid rain, nearly killing the members of Vox Machina on two occasion. After Vorugal reported Vox Machina's escape, Thordak assigned Umbrasyl the task of hunting them down and killing them, telling him to begin the hunt after conquering Westruun.
Umbrasyl then flew to Westruun and conquered the city, claiming it for the Chroma Conclave. He briefly returned to Emon to report his success to Thordak before going back to Westruun to live and rule there.
Around the time of his conquest of Westruun, Umbrasyl met and conquered the Herd of Storms, using them as an army with which he could occupy Westruun and extract treasure as tribute. A day after Umbrasyl's initial attack on Westruun, the Herd occupied the city, gathering treasure and murdering anyone who did not or could not offer enough. While gathering treasure in the city center, Umbrasyl was approached by Dr. Anna Ripley, who used a crystal ball to show him that Vox Machina was searching for the Vestiges of Divergence.
Umbrasyl then set off to find Vox Machina and the Vestiges, tracking them to Rimecleft. Once Vox Machina earned the Vestige Mythcarver from the sphinx Kamaljiori, Umbrasyl burst into Rimecleft and attacked both the heroes and the sphinx. He battled Kamaljiori and Vox Machina, eventually managing to overpower Kamaljiori and knock out most of Vox Machina before seizing Mythcarver - and an unconscious Scanlan - in his jaws and flying off. Kamaljiori pursued him and rescued Scanlan, but Umbrasyl fatally bit Kamaljiori in the throat. After the sphinx died, Umbrasyl seized Mythcarver again before diving to finish off Vox Machina. He was met by Grog, driven blood-mad by Craven Edge, and fought him one-on-one while Keyleth prepared a teleportation spell. As Vox Machina teleported away, he lunged at them, disrupting the spell and sending them to at least two separate locations. Afterward, Umbrasyl left with Mythcarver.
At his lair, Umbrasyl reported Vox Machina's escape and his capture of Mythcarver to Thordak via a magical hologram. Umbrasyl was excited by the potential of the Vestiges, but Thordak was disinterested. He gave Umbrasyl permission to continue searching for Vestiges but warned him not to lose sight of the Conclave's collection of treasure. Hearing this, Ripley commented that Thordak was a fool for focusing on gold when the Vestiges could make him a god. Umbrasyl answered by saying that Thordak's plans would make gods of the whole Conclave.
About a day later, Umbrasyl visited Westruun with Ripley at his side to collect his tribute from the Herd of Storms. By this time the Herd had depleted most of the city's wealth and had little to offer. A displeased Umbrasyl noted that Kevdak's Vestige, the Titanstone Knuckles, was far more valuable to him than the small offering. Umbrasyl accepted the treasure, but melted off a Herd member's face in a show of force. Before flying off, he ordered Kevdak to bring him an acceptable offering in three days' time, lest he take the Titanstone Knuckles and Kevdak's arms with them. This ultimatum spurred Kevdak to order a bloody round of looting across the city.
Under increasing pressure from Thordak to gather more gold from Westruun, Umbrasyl set out on his regular tribute collection, unaware that Kevdak had been killed and the Herd had turned against him to ally with Vox Machina. At the last moment, Umbrasyl realized he was walking into a trap, only for Vax to trigger it with an arrow, trapping him. Vox Machina and twenty Herd goliaths then attacked the trapped dragon, but he managed to break free before turning invisible and slaughtering most of the goliaths. After Umbrasyl turned visible again, Scanlan and Vax flew up the dragon's anus and into his body, where Scanlan used an immovable sword to hold him in place. Under heavy attack by Vox Machina, Umbrasyl ultimately managed to tear himself free and flew off, with Grog using Bloodaxe to attach himself to the fleeing dragon.
Flying back to Gatshadow Mountain, Umbrasyl proved too fast for Vox Machina to catch him in the air. He knocked Grog off with his acid breath before Vax and Scanlan escaped through his sword wound. Returning to his lair, Umbrasyl magically healed himself. He refused Ripley's advice to flee in favor of laying in wait to ambush Vox Machina and take their Vestiges when they pursued.
Fully healed and in his lair, while Vox Machina was still winded and injured from their previous battle, Umbrasyl would prove an overwhelming foe. When Vax entered his lair to scout, an invisible Umbrasyl ambushed him. Vex, Percy, Keyleth, and Scanlan followed to rescue Vax, but Umbrasyl quickly overpowered them all, forcing them to flee to another part of the cave. Since Vex and Vax had Vestiges, Umbrasyl used Mythcarver to track the group down and attack them again. As he prepared to kill the group, Grog and Pike entered the lair and attacked him, but even this was not enough. Umbrasyl defeated the group and seized Fenthras and the Titanstone Knuckles. Just before he could kill them all with his acid breath, a hidden Scanlan grabbed Mythcarver from its sheath. Before Umbrasyl could react, Scanlan plunged Mythcarver into Umbrasyl's left eye and triggered the blade to release a powerful magical blast. The blast tore clear through Umbrasyl's skull and out the other side, killing him instantly, thus avenging Kamaljiori.
Powers and Abilities[]
Umbrasyl is an ancient black dragon with the typical physical and elemental powers of his species. He is an immensely large, strong, and durable creature much faster both on land and in air than his great bulk would suggest. As a black dragon, he has the power to produce large amounts of acid as a weapon. He can breathe a line of concentrated acid from his mouth, and in the animated series he can rain acid from his wings. Either form of acid is corrosive enough to melt a person to bloody sludge in an instant.
As a dragon, Umbrasyl's elemental essence suffuses any place where he takes up residence. Acid pools form in his lair, and he is able to manipulate his lair to his advantage. In the stream he can expand his acid pools, summon clouds of insects, and create areas of total darkness. In the animated series this power is limited to causing rock formations in his lair to explode.
Umbrasyl has some spellcasting ability. He can turn invisible for extended periods, though the acid he expels from his body can still be seen. In the animated series he can cast healing spells on himself - in the stream he lacks this ability and must use healing potions instead.
Quotes[]
Legend of Vox Machina[]
| “ | Thordak: Did you dispatch them? Vorugal: Most, but a group escaped with magic. They could gather forces against us. Let me go after them. Thordak: No, Vorugal, keep to the plan. Plunder this land, and bring me its spoils. Umbrasyl: And me, my king? Westruun's teeming with gold. Thordak: Then you shall plate for me. And once you have, Umbrasyl, hunt down those vermin, show them the wrath of the Chroma Conclave. Umbrasyl: With pleasure. |
„ |
| ~ The meeting between Vorugal, Thordak, and Umbrasyl in the light of Vox Machina and Emon citizens' escape. |
| “ | Umbrasyl: Insects. Yes. This gold pleases us, for now Zanror: And the Herd will pay tribute, for — Umbrasyl: For always! Nations will quake and tremble under the reign of the Chroma Conclave! |
„ |
| ~ Umbrasyl coming to collect the gold the Herd gathered |
| “ | Umbrasyl: This mountain will be your tomb. Vax: if it's our fate, so be it. Umbrasyl: I owe you my thanks. For you have given me three Vestiges of Divergence. Scanlan: Two! This one's mine. Umbrasyl: Nooo!!! |
„ |
| ~ Umbrasyl gloating to Vox Machina and his last words before Scanlan stabs him in the eye with Mythcarver, getting a well-deserved death. |
Trivia[]
- He is one of several characters to be voiced by Matthew Mercer in both the podcast and the animated series.
- His name comes from the Latin word "Umbra", meaning shadow or darkness, which is fitting given that he is a black dragon.
- Matthew Mercer's personal nickname for Umbrasyl is "The Florida Dragon" due to being a native of Florida himself and Umbrasyl's "swampy" appearance.
- For his appearance in The Legend of Vox Machina, Umbrasyl received a redesign to make his appearance more distinct as with other members of Chroma Conclave. Most notably, his head boasts straight crests protruding backwards as opposed of a pair of bull-like horns and acid gland in his throat which expands as he about to deliver his breath attack reminiscent to Otachi from Pacific Rim.
External Links[]
- Umbrasyl on the Critical Role Wiki
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 Villains
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Briarwood Household Chroma Conclave Herd of Storms Others | ||