Cyrus Wyvernwind

Cyrus Wyvernwind
Official art of Cyrus, by Cris Trinci.
Type	NPC
Actor	Matthew Mercer (Critical Role) Aabria Iyengar (Exandria Unlimited)
Character Information
Name	Cyrus Wyvernwind
Pronouns	he/him
Also known as	Lord Durtanya (alias used at the Chandei Quorum masquerade ball)
Creature type	Humanoid
Race	Air Genasi
Age	older than 27
Languages	Common, Elvish, Primordial[presumed]
Places	The Silken Squall (home) Jrusar, Marquet
Family	Wyvernwind family Zeru Wyvernwind (father) Nephele Wyvernwind (mother) Dorian Storm (younger brother)
Connections	Hubatt Corsairs Crown Keepers
Profession	Mercenary
Status
Status	Deceased
Cause of death	Killed by one of the spiders of Lolth
Death episode(s)	"Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93)
Stats
Level	6
Appearances
First seen	"The Threat Between the Walls" (3x05)
Last seen	"Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93)
Stream	Campaign Three (8 episodes) Exandria Unlimited: Kymal (2 episodes)

Cyrus Wyvernwind was Dorian Storm's brother. As an NPC, Cyrus Wyvernwind was played by Matthew Mercer in Critical Role and by Aabria Iyengar in Exandria Unlimited.

Description

Appearance

Fan art of Cyrus Wyvernwind, by Shara Turner.

Cyrus had blue skin, light green eyes, wavy shoulder-length black hair, and a square jaw. He wore a gold septum piercing and was burlier and taller than his younger brother. He had consistently worn a light grey cloak, a heavy hood, full-body studded leather armor, and gauntlets. He was 6 foot 3 inches tall.

Personality

Cyrus was good-natured, but somewhat naive, a man who easily got into trouble. He was also proud, and liked people guessing how important his family was.

Biography

Background

Cyrus was born before 816 PD as the eldest son of the rulers of the Silken Squall, and was followed by a younger brother, Brontë, born in 816 PD. They frequently would get into physical fights, hitting each other until they returned to their parents bleeding and crying; that, however, didn't stop them from doing the same again, since it was one of the ways the two of them bonded.

Several months prior to the events of Campaign Three, Cyrus "got away" from his cloistered life in the Silken Squall, much as his brother (now called Dorian) did, after learning from his friend Zunado how air genasi were supposed to travel and see the world.

About two months prior to running into Dorian in Jrusar, while working as a mercenary, Cyrus was hired by Jiana Hexum to protect a caravan that was carrying an expensive item. The other hired guards stole the item - a golem - and used the golem to further rob the caravan before leaving. Cyrus was blamed, and a bounty was put upon his head. He made his way to Jrusar and at some point sought refuge with the Hubatt Corsairs, with whom he has been working.

Campaign Three: Bells Hells

"The Threat Between the Walls" (3x05)

First introduced as an unnamed hooded Corsair at the Root Trader Alcove safehouse, Cyrus is described as tall and having a "somewhat broad, intimidating form". He seemed to keep watch over Yash Mangal, often with his arms crossed. He wore a heavy hood that obscured his face and a light gray cloak. He listened in to the party's conversation about Ariks Eshteross and whispered what he heard to Yash.

"Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06)

When the party returned to the Root Trader safehouse, Cyrus (still hooded and unidentified) awoke Yash and begrudgingly made coffee for the party. Laudna caught him staring at Dorian and used her Unsettling Presence to back him down.

Fan art of Cyrus and Dorian, by Lap Pun Cheung.

Cyrus then followed the party to the Dreamscape Theater and anonymously requested to speak to Dorian. Dorian went down to talk to the unknown person, at which point Cyrus grabbed him and asked him what he was doing, and after Dorian seemed confused and replied that he was just seeing the show, Cyrus revealed himself. Dorian asked Cyrus what he was doing as well, and how their parents were doing. Cyrus then told Dorian they would speak after the show.

"Behind the Curtain" (3x07)

After the performance at the Dreamscape Theater, Orym spotted Cyrus at the performance, recognizing him as one of the Corsairs. He and Laudna tried to follow him out into the street but lost his tail.

"A Woodworker's Quandary" (3x08)

Fan art of the Wyvernwind brothers, by Makenzie Polkas.

Cyrus tracked the party to the Spire by Fire Inn. Orym noticed him, and after Laudna and Imogen both contacted him via Message and telepathy, respectively, he left. Orym and Chetney followed him for several blocks until an exasperated Orym asked him what he wanted, at which point he said he wished to speak to Dorian. Orym fetched the party, and after Dorian and Cyrus had a tense and brief conversation, Dorian told the group that Cyrus was his brother. They all returned to the Spire by Fire, and Cyrus relayed his story to the group. He told Dorian that if he were to be caught, or worse, Dorian would be next in line. Before Cyrus left, Dorian gave him one of the sending stones and told him to contact the party if he needed any help or got in trouble.

"A Dance of Deception" (3x13)

Orym noticed Cyrus at the ball in Jrusar and pointed him out to Dorian and the rest of the party. Chetney approached Cyrus and asked him what he was doing, and Cyrus responded that he was in disguise as "Lord Durtanya", and Emoth Kade was helping him find potential marks so he could steal valuables and pay off his debts.

"In Too Deep" (3x14)

Cyrus was arrested by two Green Seekers at the ball, not only for his burglary attempts there but also on suspicion of being involved in the burglary and destruction of the Moon Tower. Dorian helped him escape his guards and brought him to Lord Eshteross's home. Eshteross offered to smuggle him to Emon aboard his skyship, but hinted strongly that Dorian should accompany him, both because the two brothers would continue to be confused with one another, and to take care of Cyrus as he learned to stand on his own feet. Dorian was reluctant to leave his friends but agreed it was best, and the brothers left together.

Exandria Unlimited

Official art of Cyrus Wyvernwind, by Cris Trinci.

"Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 1" (E2x01)

Cyrus and Dorian met with Dorian's friends Fy'ra Rai, Opal, and Dariax in Kymal with the intention of making money, through gambling or other means, so that they could pay off the bounty on Cyrus's head. While there, they were joined by Morrighan Ferus, a bartender at The Maiden's Wish casino who had a plan for a heist of the casino vault. Cyrus served as lookout on the stairs while the rest of the Crown Keepers fought various foes in pursuit of the blueprints to the casino.

"Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02)

Cyrus gave Fy'ra a note from Jinoir, a young pickpocket with whom she'd developed a rapport. He stayed behind in the party's hotel room as they followed up on this lead. In the middle of the night, Cyrus had an emotional conversation with Dorian in which he admitted he felt unready for rule and wanted to spend more time out in the world, but that he was proud of his brother. The next morning, Cyrus served as a distraction so the party could get into the vault tunnels via a grate in the kitchen, and procured dynamite so that they could detach the skydeck (having his own intense adventures in the process). Following the successful heist, he sailed off on the brumestone-powered skydeck with the rest of the Crown Keepers.

"Broken Roads" (3x92)

Cyrus stayed with his brothers and his friends as they moved away from Kymal, eventually heading towards Zephrah after the apogee solstice. On their way there Opal, who had been dealing with the influence of the Spider Queen for a long time, lost control of her own body and attacked the group. Cyrus was initially distracted and too slow to react, but by the time he was ready to take action, one of the spiders summoned by Lolth bit him, leaving the genasi poisoned and prone.

"Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93)

As the battle continued Dorian tried to help Cyrus casting a thunderous Chromatic Orb against the spider on top of him; however, since his older brother was too close to the sound, he got hurt by the spell too. Later, after Opal told Lolth that the goddess needed her more than Opal needed the goddess, and that she had nothing else to lose, the Spider decided to prove her wrong and made one of her spiders attack Cyrus, whom it had already left unconscious, killing him this time, and making Opal feel as if she had murdered him herself.

Shortly after she avenged Cyrus's death by killing the spider, Morrighan left the battlefield taking with her some of the memory gems to protect Opal's identity, and as she was walking away she noticed that the spirit of her fallen friend was following her.

Relationships

Dorian Storm

The relationship between Cyrus and his brother is marked by the responsibility that each one has towards their family and their people. Despite being the older brother, he follows Dorian's example to some extent, and in the face of problems they stick together, in contrast to the distance that used to exist between them when they were younger, even if they had bonding moments playing and fighting.

Opal

Opal made jokes about Cyrus engaging in "handies" and giving sleazy, suggestive winks. The Spider Queen weaponized the fact that she was fond of the genasi, and killed him to show her that she still had things to lose.

Morrighan Ferus

Morrighan was greatly affected by Cyrus's death. After he was killed, Morrighan became enraged and kicked Lolth's spider to death. As the champion of the Raven Queen, it became Morrighan's job to escort Cyrus's spirit after death.

Character information

Items

• Bow

Former items

• Sending stone, twin to one held by Dorian, given to Orym as he and Dorian left Marquet so Bells Hells may stay in touch with Dorian

Appearances and mentions

Fan art of Cyrus Wyvernwind, by Mikael.

• Exandria Unlimited
  • "By the Road" (E1x04), mentioned only, unnamed
  • "A Test of Worth" (E1x05), mentioned only, unnamed
  • "Beyond the Heart City" (E1x07), mentioned only, unnamed
• Campaign Three
  • "The Threat Between the Walls" (3x05), unnamed
  • "Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06)
  • "Behind the Curtain" (3x07)
  • "A Woodworker's Quandary" (3x08)
  • "Thicker Grows the Meal and Plot" (3x09), mentioned only
  • "Make It Fashion" (3x12), mentioned only
  • "A Dance of Deception" (3x13)
  • "In Too Deep" (3x14)
  • "The Tunnels Below" (3x15), mentioned only
  • "Promise and Potential" (3x22), mentioned only
  • "A Race for the Prize" (3x27), mentioned only
  • "Broken Roads" (3x92)
  • "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93)
  • "Shadows New and Old" (3x96), mentioned only, unnamed
  • "Ancient Sins" (3x97), in a vision
  • "The Nox Engine" (3x98), in a vision
  • "The Cradle's Convocation" (3x104), mentioned only
  • "Collecting Legends" (3x105), mentioned only
• Exandria Unlimited: Kymal
  • "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 1" (E2x01)
  • "Exandria Unlimited: Kymal, Part 2" (E2x02)

Quotations

• Cyrus: (to Dorian) When you left, at first, I was angry. I was frustrated. But the more I talked with Zunado, the more they explained to me that it is the nature of our people to wander. And in my sense of betrayal at your unexpected exit, the more questions I asked, the more I began to realize maybe I was the only one that wasn't stepping out of my comfort zone.
• Cyrus: I like being called a prince. That's a thing I've learned about myself now.

Trivia

Fan art of Cyrus arriving with the explosives, by Melissa Hahn.

• His name comes from Old Persian, and the meaning is disputed, being "lord", "shepherd", or "protector" some of the options.
• Robbie Daymond explained that Cyrus was originally just a small part in Dorian's backstory, and that he never expected himself to be emotionally attached to his character's brother, nor did he see his death coming. He also admitted that both he and Dorian felt he could have better played Dorian's reaction when Cyrus was killed, and that Dorian regrets choosing vengeance over seeking a possible way to save Cyrus.
• As a child, Cyrus had a pet rock, which he somehow managed to kill.
• It was implied that Cyrus had a brief romance while looking for dynamite in Kymal.
• The last time Cyrus was with Bells Hells, before leaving Marquet with Dorian, Laudna told the older brother that maybe next time he shouldn't come back. Indeed, when Dorian returned to Marquet, Cyrus wasn't with him, since he had died.

References

Art: