Alyxian, dubbed the Apotheon, was a mortal champion blessed by three of the Prime Deities in the Calamity.
Biography[]
And art, and moon, yet in his soul was pain,
The suffering of your vermillion light
Drove the Paragon to a desert realm
Bestrewn with blades and drenched in crimson blood.
Near the beginning of the Calamity, Alyxian was born in Wildemount under the full moon of Ruidus,[17] cursing him to a life of terrible suffering. During the early battles of the Calamity he distinguished himself as a warrior, and was granted the blessings of Avandra, Corellon, and Sehanine, who gifted him the Jewel of Three Prayers as a symbol of these divine covenants. He is credited with saving Exandria from wars inflamed by Gruumsh, the Ruiner, but as of 836 PD, he is almost entirely lost to history.[18][19]
The Calamity has been repeatedly established as lasting for centuries,[20][21] so for a human to have been born around the beginning of the Calamity and survive to fight through its climactic final battles (the assault on the Betrayers' Rise,[22] the Battle of the Barbed Fields,[23] and beyond) suggests his life was extended far beyond that of a typical human.
According to legend, during the Calamity Gruumsh targeted Cael Morrow, a utopian city on what was then the lushly jungled continent of Marquet. Gruumsh attempted to strike the center of the city with a force intended to destroy the entire continent, but he was blocked by Alyxian at the last second. As a result, Marquet survived, although much of the jungle became desert. Alyxian's ties to Ruidus created a rift in which Cael Morrow's waters combined with unknown planar magic to create the Netherdeep beneath what is now the city of Ank'Harel, which grew from the handful of Cael Morrow's survivors. The Apotheon was trapped within the Netherdeep, slumbering for centuries.[15]
During the 830s PD, academics of the Allegiance of Allsight discovered ruidium in the sunken ruins of Cael Morrow beneath Ank'Harel. Shortly afterwards, an agent of the Consortium of the Vermilion Dream managed to penetrate the ruins and extract a sample of ruidium. This awakened the dormant but still powerful Apotheon, causing him to corrupt all the ruidium in existence. Alyxian begged his three sponsoring gods to send heroes to save him.[14]
Notable items[]
Depiction of the Jewel of Three Prayers in its three forms: dormant (top), awakened (left) and exalted (right), by CoupleOfKooks from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep.[art 2]
- Jewel of Three Prayers
- Avandra's brooch[24]
- Corellon's dagger[24]
- Sehanine's shield[24]
- Spear (possibly a Weapon of Warning)[25]
Appearances and mentions[]
- Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, mentioned only (first mentioned)
- Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep (first appearance)
- Campaign Three: Bells Hells
- "Omens Above" (3x19), mentioned only
Trivia[]
- Although Alyxian would end up becoming a real demigod during his adult life, thanks to the magic of his three divine patrons, when he was younger some superstitious people also believed him to be a demigod, thinking he was the actual offspring of a Betrayer God.[26]
References[]
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 147.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 10.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 180. See also p. 182.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 180.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 181.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 178–180.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 182.
- ↑ A tablet written by Alyxian found in Cael Morrow is written in Celestial. See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 134. See also pp. 178–180, in which three of Alyxian's forms know Celestial.
- ↑ Alyxian speaks to the party and in visions in recognizable language multiple times. See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 133. There are multiple other examples. See also pp. 178–180 and 182, in which Common appears in Alyxian's statblocks.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 178–180. See also p. 182.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 141. See also pp. 146–147.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 147–148.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 168.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 7–8.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 7.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 178–182.
- ↑ See "Omens Above" (3x19) at 33:22.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 10. See also p. 15.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 4, 6-7. Introduction: Answering the Call. "Story Overview."
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 6:01:02.
- ↑ More generally, see the timeframe and dates of the Calamity.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 152.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 65.
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 24.2 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 222.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 160.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 141. "He's full of Betrayer's blood, I heard."
Art:
- ↑ Depiction of Alyxian, by Zuzanna Wuzyk from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Depiction of the Jewel of Three Prayers in its three forms: dormant (top), awakened (left) and exalted (right), by CoupleOfKooks from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep. Used with permission. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
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