(→Trivia: added Laura's thoughts on Delilah Briarwood, as discussed on Talks Machina) Tag: Visual edit |
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| Status = Dead (zombie) |
| Status = Dead (zombie) |
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| DeathReason = <br/> |
| DeathReason = <br/> |
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| − | # Stabbed by [[Cassandra]] and her corpse dissolved in acid.<br/> |
+ | # Stabbed by [[Cassandra]] and her corpse dissolved in acid.{{ep ref|ep=1x35|cite=needed}}<br/> |
# Found alive in {{ep|100}} but later shot through the head by [[Percival de Rolo]].{{Ep ref|ep=102|3:37:40}}<br/> |
# Found alive in {{ep|100}} but later shot through the head by [[Percival de Rolo]].{{Ep ref|ep=102|3:37:40}}<br/> |
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# Shot through the head with an arrow by [[Vex'ahlia]].{{ep ref|ep=113|cite=needed}} |
# Shot through the head with an arrow by [[Vex'ahlia]].{{ep ref|ep=113|cite=needed}} |
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| DeathEp = {{Ep|3x12}}, {{ep|102}}, {{ep|113}} |
| DeathEp = {{Ep|3x12}}, {{ep|102}}, {{ep|113}} |
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| − | | Place = [[Wildemount]] originally;<br />[[Whitestone]] after assassinating the de Rolos |
+ | | Place = [[Wildemount]] originally;<br />[[File:Whitestone_(Place)_Icon.png|left]][[Whitestone]] after assassinating the de Rolos |
| Family = [[Sylas Briarwood]] (husband) |
| Family = [[Sylas Briarwood]] (husband) |
||
| − | | Connections = |
+ | | Connections = {{Connections|REMNANT}}<br/>[[Anna Ripley]] (hired to construct the distillery beneath Whitestone)<br/>[[Vecna]]<br/>[[Percival de Rolo]] (killed his family)<br />[[File:Cerberus_Icon.png|left]] [[Cerberus Assembly]] (former Archmage of Antiquity){{guide ref | explorer's guide | 43 }} |
| Profession = Necromancer |
| Profession = Necromancer |
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| StatsRef = |
| StatsRef = |
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| Fanart = |
| Fanart = |
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}} |
}} |
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| + | '''Lady Delilah Briarwood''' was a powerful human wizard from Wildemount and a zealot of [[Vecna|Vecna, The Whispered One]]. As an NPC, she was played by [[Matthew Mercer]]. |
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| − | '''Delilah Briarwood''', or '''Lady Briarwood''', was a powerful human wizard—a necromancer, according to [[Cassandra]].<ref name="necromancy wizard" />{{ep ref|ep=3x10|part=2|0:51:55}} She and her husband, [[Sylas Briarwood|Lord Sylas Briarwood]], slaughtered the entire de Rolo family (except for [[Percy]] and [[Cassandra]]), then seized [[Whitestone]] for a dark ritual involving [[Vecna]]. |
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| − | |||
| − | About five years after Whitestone fell to the Briarwoods, Percy returned with [[Vox Machina]] to claim revenge. They were able to foment a citizens' rebellion, disrupt the Briarwoods' ritual, kill Sylas, and finally kill a grieving Delilah. |
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| − | |||
| − | However, she was revealed to be alive in [[Marquet]] over a year later, after completing a second (or possibly third) ziggurat ritual. She was killed for a second time during the fight against Vecna, after his resurrection atop [[Entropis]]. |
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| − | |||
| − | After coming back to life a third time, Delilah was killed by Vox Machina after they returned to Thar Amphala from the Feywild. |
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== '''Description''' == |
== '''Description''' == |
||
=== '''Appearance''' === |
=== '''Appearance''' === |
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| − | [[File:Delilah-Briarwood@RobynAlyHope.jpg|thumb|left|{{art caption| |
+ | [[File:Delilah-Briarwood@RobynAlyHope.jpg|thumb|left|{{art caption|subject=Delilah|artist=RobynAlyHope|source=https://twitter.com/RobynAlyHope/status/681289004994539520|permission=https://twitter.com/RobynAlyHope/status/1034607280845516800}} |
| + | ]] |
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| − | When Vox Machina first met her, Delilah was a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair, pulled up into a tight braided bun. With gloves on her feminine hands, she wore a blue and black gown that had a long, billowing skirt that tapered up to be form-fitting, wrapping up her neck nearly to her jaw.{{ep ref |
+ | When Vox Machina first met her, Delilah was a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair, pulled up into a tight braided bun. With gloves on her feminine hands, she wore a blue and black gown that had a long, billowing skirt that tapered up to be form-fitting, wrapping up her neck nearly to her jaw.{{ep ref|3:00:00|ep = 3x01}} |
=== '''Personality''' === |
=== '''Personality''' === |
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| + | <!-- Insert character personality here. -->Delilah was incredibly cunning and intelligent as well as ruthless, cold, and willful. She was strategically minded and astute, clearly being the mastermind behind the Briarwoods' plans in Whitestone. Despite her wicked nature she appeared to be genuinely loving, devoted, and affectionate towards her husband, willing to do anything to preserve their life together. |
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| − | <!-- Insert character personality here. --> |
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== '''Biography''' == |
== '''Biography''' == |
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=== '''Background''' === |
=== '''Background''' === |
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| − | :→ ''See also: |
+ | :→ ''See also: [[Briarwoods]]'' |
| + | The Briarwoods had some renown and enough powerful connections to maintain a comfortable life in the [[Dwendalian Empire]].{{Ep ref|ep = Sx31|0:47:35}} Delilah, was a mage who had studied briefly at the [[Alabaster Lyceum]] in [[Emon]],{{ep ref|2:57:00|ep =1x24}} and spent some time in [[Tal'Dorei (continent)|Tal'Dorei]]. Later she started working with the [[Soltryce Academy]],{{Ep ref|ep = Sx31|0:47:35}} and was the Archmage of Antiquity{{guide ref | explorer's guide | 43 }} on the [[Cerberus Assembly]].{{Ep ref|ep=2x88|4:07:55}} |
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| + | At some point, Sylas became sick with a disease that no one could seem to cure. Delilah, therefore, set out to find something or someone who could help her husband. Though she did succeed in this quest, she returned too late and found that Sylas had already passed.{{Ep ref|ep=Sx31|0:47:55|0:48:15}} |
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| − | Delilah Briarwood trained briefly at the [[Alabaster Lyceum]] in [[Emon]].{{ep ref|ep=3x01|2:57:00}} |
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| + | |||
| + | Delilah was so distraught over Sylas' death that she began delving further into meditation and her magic, trying to find anything to save him. One day, she was screaming her frustration into the [[Astral Sea]] when a voice whispered back: "I can help you." Delilah didn't know it at the time, but the voice belonged to [[Vecna]].{{Ep ref|ep=Sx31|0:48:15|0:48:30}} |
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| + | |||
| + | Delilah was given whispered directions in her dreams, which she followed blindly in her grief, and was eventually led to one of Vecna's old laboratories. There, on condition of her service to Vecna, she was given information about the Rites of Vampirism. Vecna helped her enact the rites on Sylas, using a fraction of his own power to bind Sylas to him and thereby ensure the couple's cooperation. It was in this way that Sylas became a vampire, and they both became servants of Vecna.{{Ep ref|ep=Sx31|0:48:30|0:49:15}} |
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| + | |||
| + | Necromancy is outlawed in the Dwendalian Empire, and people had begun to take note of Delilah's activities. When Sylas' undead nature and Delilah's part in it were discovered through an investigation led by the [[Cobalt Soul]], she was ousted from the Assembly{{Ep ref|ep=2x88|4:07:55}} and the couple were pursued and arrested. They managed to escape, fleeing to [[Port Damali]] on the Menagerie Coast with Dwendalian hunters in pursuit, bent on capturing them for execution.{{Ep ref|ep = Sx31|0:49:15|0:49:40}} |
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| + | |||
| + | In Port Damali, the Briarwoods encountered [[Anna Ripley|Dr. Anna Ripley]], who was also fleeing the Dwendalian Empire for her own reasons. Since all three were fugitives from the Dwendalian Empire, they decided to work together.{{Ep ref|ep = Sx31|0:49:40|0:50:05}} |
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| + | |||
| + | Hearing about an isolated city called [[Whitestone]], the new allies made it their next target. Styling themselves "Lord and Lady", the Briarwoods traveled to [[Whitestone Castle]] and were welcomed as guests of the de Rolo household. They began to make frequent trips from Port Damali to Whitestone, building a relationship with the ruling family there.{{Ep ref|ep = Sx31|0:49:40|0:50:05}} |
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=== '''{{ep|1x14}}'''=== |
=== '''{{ep|1x14}}'''=== |
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| + | The Briarwoods explored diplomatic ties with [[Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III]]. They made a visit to [[Emon]] to state their interest in collaborating on the construction of a bridge near Whitestone across [[the Shearing Channel]], a way of opening new trade between the continents of [[Tal'Dorei (continent)|Tal'Dorei]] and [[Wildemount]]. They convince the [[Tal'Dorei Council]], fabricating a story that they had inherited Whitestone after the de Rolo family's demise.{{Ep ref|1:25:35|1:26:35|ep =1x14}} |
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| − | It was briefly mentioned that the Briarwoods had been in Emon for about a week on a diplomatic mission to discuss the establishment of the official trade route through the northeast with [[Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III|Sovereign Uriel]].{{Ep ref|ep=1x14|1:25:34}} |
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| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x23}}''' === |
| − | [[Assum Emring|Asum]] informed Vox Machina that the Briarwoods were en route to Emon as, in celebration of the agreed-upon construction of a grand bridge across the Shearing Channel to the eastern continent of Wynandir, a dinner was being held here within a week. |
+ | [[Assum Emring|Asum]] informed Vox Machina that the Briarwoods were en route to Emon as, in celebration of the agreed-upon construction of a grand bridge across the [[The Shearing Channel|Shearing Channel]] to the eastern continent of [[Wildemount#Wynandir|Wynandir]], a dinner was being held here within a week. |
| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x24}}''' === |
| − | The Briarwoods held a dinner celebrating the agreed upon venture of the construction of a grand bridge across the Shearing Channel to the eastern continent of Wynandir with Uriel and the Council members (including an invite to Vox Machina). |
+ | The Briarwoods held a dinner celebrating the agreed upon venture of the construction of a grand bridge across the Shearing Channel to the eastern continent of Wynandir with Uriel and the [[Tal'Dorei Council|Council members]] (including an invite to Vox Machina). |
Discussion took place of the intricate details of the trade route between Wildemount and Tal'Dorei before the discussion segued into conversation about the Briarwoods' history in Whitestone. |
Discussion took place of the intricate details of the trade route between Wildemount and Tal'Dorei before the discussion segued into conversation about the Briarwoods' history in Whitestone. |
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Delilah spun a tale of how they both met the de Rolo family after taking them into their home during a terrible storm while the family had been on holiday and had been intending to meet with the noble family to discuss pursuing the venture as a joint trade before disease took the family. With the death of the entire family and no heir left to inherit the city it had been to their surprise that the mantle had been passed onto them to spearhead the venture and take over Whitestone in their stead. |
Delilah spun a tale of how they both met the de Rolo family after taking them into their home during a terrible storm while the family had been on holiday and had been intending to meet with the noble family to discuss pursuing the venture as a joint trade before disease took the family. With the death of the entire family and no heir left to inherit the city it had been to their surprise that the mantle had been passed onto them to spearhead the venture and take over Whitestone in their stead. |
||
| − | Conversation moved on to discuss Vox Machina's adventures briefly before Scanlan interjected asking about the disease that had taken the de Rolos. Sylas stated that they had only been given the information but a month or two after the family had passed away much to the confusion of Keyleth wondering why they had not been afraid to enter the castle after the disease had swept through. |
+ | Conversation moved on to discuss Vox Machina's adventures briefly before [[Scanlan]] interjected asking about the disease that had taken the de Rolos. Sylas stated that they had only been given the information but a month or two after the family had passed away much to the confusion of [[Keyleth]] wondering why they had not been afraid to enter the castle after the disease had swept through. Sylas reassured the druid that they had sent their best clerics to rid of any existing possible lingering disease, and to make sure to remove any corpses or bodies that may contain it before they moved in. |
Eventually the couple retired to their rooms leaving the group to their own devices. |
Eventually the couple retired to their rooms leaving the group to their own devices. |
||
| − | They were then alerted to Vax'ildan entering their quarters not a few moments later under the guise of being a guard. As the rogue tried to talk his way out of the room as he backed up to the door, Delilah questioned his identity citing they had just been to dinner with someone who looked uncannily like Vax. |
+ | They were then alerted to [[Vax'ildan]] entering their quarters not a few moments later under the guise of being a guard. As the rogue tried to talk his way out of the room as he backed up to the door, Delilah questioned his identity citing they had just been to dinner with someone who looked uncannily like Vax. |
Delilah smirked and began an incantation under her breath just as Vax tried to take off, managing to capture him with a ''Hold Person'' spell, mid retreat. Vax continued to try to talk his way out of the situation even as Delilah approached him and Sylas flanked him from the other side. |
Delilah smirked and began an incantation under her breath just as Vax tried to take off, managing to capture him with a ''Hold Person'' spell, mid retreat. Vax continued to try to talk his way out of the situation even as Delilah approached him and Sylas flanked him from the other side. |
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| Line 96: | Line 102: | ||
Delilah berated Vax for trying to flee when she simply wanted to ask him some questions in their private quarters just as Sylas slammed a hand down on Vax saying not to worry and he looked delicious. |
Delilah berated Vax for trying to flee when she simply wanted to ask him some questions in their private quarters just as Sylas slammed a hand down on Vax saying not to worry and he looked delicious. |
||
| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x25}}''' === |
| + | Despite Vax's best attempts to convince the couple that he was successfully charmed, Delilah and Sylas clearly didn't fall for it and with an agreement between the couple, they attacked. Delilah's magical prowess and Sylas' true nature as a vampire both became clear, but Vax still managed to escape (temporarily) by jumping out of the nearest window and alerting the rest of his friends to the danger via his Earring of Farspeech. The couple quickly followed him however, and Delilah managed to knock Vax unconscious with a blast of necromantic energy as his allies were en-route. |
||
| − | <!-- Insert relevant events from {{ep|3x02}} here. --> |
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| + | |||
| + | A full-blown firefight broke out between the Briarwoods and Vox Machina, with a charmed Seeker Asum aiding the couple and a surprising [[Lillith Daturai|new ally]] coming to Vox Machina's aid. Feeling surrounded and not wanting to cause more of a scene, Delilah and Sylas curtly managed to escape via a carriage already leaving the castle. |
||
| + | |||
| + | This left Vox Machina to explain their side of the story, but it became clear that Sylas and Delilah held some unnatural sway over Uriel Tal'Dorei when he saw Vox Machina as the instigators of the attack, and the group were removed from the Council pending further investigation. Since the group now needed to prove their innocence and Percy had a clear score to settle, Vox Machina decided that far-off Whitestone was their next destination, with the Briarwoods as their target.<!-- Insert relevant events from {{ep|3x02}} here. --> |
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| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x34}}''' === |
| + | Vox Machina prepared for their final confrontation with the Briarwoods, learning from [[Cassandra de Rolo]] that she was the sole person behind the armies of undead roaming Whitestone.{{Quotebox|quote = That being said, Lady Briarwood, Delilah, she carries magic far more powerful than I’ve seen. She on her own was able to create, run, and rule each of these sentries that run about the entire city. She had half of the entire castle staffed with long-dead individuals. None questioned her. I’ve never seen her in battle, but I sense there is far more to her abilities than I’ve seen.|source = Cassandra, about Delilah Briarwood}}<!-- Insert relevant events from {{ep|3x11}} here. --> |
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| − | <!-- Insert relevant events from {{ep|3x11}} here. --> |
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| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x35}}''' === |
| + | Delilah was caught by Vox Machina and killed in an act of revenge and penance by Cassandra herself, thus ending the Briarwoods' influence in Whitestone. In the aftermath of the Briarwoods' defeat, Percy and Cassandra reclaimed their home for the de Rolos, and those who remained of the Briarwood allies were either killed or converted. |
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| − | <!-- Insert relevant events from {{ep|3x12}} here. --> |
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| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x100}}''' === |
| + | Delilah Briarwood was found by Vox Machina at a second ziggurat on the continent of [[Marquet]]. She used an amulet to control the orb, turning it from black to white. As long as the orb remained white, its usual anti-magic field was gone. Delilah eventually toggled the orb back. She and her cultists stepped through it into the Shadowfell. |
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| − | === '''{{Ep| |
+ | === '''{{Ep|1x102}}''' === |
| + | Delilah's true endgame was revealed: the resurrection of Vecna. Vox Machina met and fought Vecna himself, as well as Delilah and a [[Death Knight]], atop the tower of [[Entropis]] in the center of the city. There, Delilah was killed a second time by Percy. |
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| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x106}}''' === |
| + | Vox Machina discovers (through scrying) that Delilah was not dead and was, stepping out of the tunnel in the city of Thar Amphala with both eyes. |
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| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x112}}''' === |
| + | On the top of an undead [[Earth Titan]] Vox Machina were ambushed by Delilah, who had been resurrected again, along with a returned Sylas, riding atop an [[Obatalá|undead white dragon]]. Vox Machina were barely able to escape with their lives. |
||
| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x113}}''' === |
| − | Delilah was killed by Vex and turned into a zombie by [[Arkhan]]. |
+ | The next day, Vox Machina returned to the titan. On their way to confront Vecna, they were again found by the Briarwoods. This time, Delilah was permanently killed by [[Vex'ahlia]] and turned into a zombie by [[Arkhan]]. |
| − | === '''{{ep| |
+ | === '''{{ep|1x114}}''' === |
The zombified Delilah was revealed to have been beheaded during Arkhan's battle with the Death Knight. |
The zombified Delilah was revealed to have been beheaded during Arkhan's battle with the Death Knight. |
||
== '''Relationships''' == |
== '''Relationships''' == |
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=== '''Sylas Briarwood''' === |
=== '''Sylas Briarwood''' === |
||
| − | Delilah was married to [[Sylas Briarwood]]. Their marriage is portrayed as deeply loving; when Sylas is killed by |
+ | Delilah was married to [[Sylas Briarwood]]. Their marriage is portrayed as deeply loving; when Sylas is killed by Keyleth, Delilah is immediately distraught and yells, "You can't! I broke the world for us!"{{Ep ref|3:47:33|3:47:50|ep = 3x11}}. |
=== '''Cassandra de Rolo''' === |
=== '''Cassandra de Rolo''' === |
||
| − | Delilah and Sylas did not kill [[Cassandra de Rolo|Cassandra]] when they murdered the rest of the de Rolo family, but instead kept her as a pawn in maintaining peace in Whitestone. Over time, Cassandra developed a (somewhat Stockholm Syndrome-esque) loyalty to her captors and began to do their bidding. She helped them quash one rebellion attempt prior to Vox Machina's arrival and willingly betrayed her brother to the Briarwoods on his return. |
+ | Unbeknownst to Percy, Delilah and Sylas did not kill [[Cassandra de Rolo|Cassandra]] when they murdered the rest of the de Rolo family, but instead kept her as a pawn in maintaining peace in Whitestone. Over time, Cassandra developed a (somewhat Stockholm Syndrome-esque) loyalty to her captors and began to do their bidding. She helped them quash one rebellion attempt prior to Vox Machina's arrival and willingly betrayed her brother to the Briarwoods on his return. |
== '''Character Information''' == |
== '''Character Information''' == |
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| Line 135: | Line 149: | ||
===== '''2nd-level''' ===== |
===== '''2nd-level''' ===== |
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* Hold Person{{ep ref|3:46:20|ep = The Feast|more = Mercer told [[Vax'ildan]] to make a Wisdom saving throw, and that he could try again at the end of each turn, in keeping with the spell description of ''Hold Person'' in {{dnd ref|notag=true|phb|251}}.}} |
* Hold Person{{ep ref|3:46:20|ep = The Feast|more = Mercer told [[Vax'ildan]] to make a Wisdom saving throw, and that he could try again at the end of each turn, in keeping with the spell description of ''Hold Person'' in {{dnd ref|notag=true|phb|251}}.}} |
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| + | * Invisibility{{ep ref|ep=1x35|cite=needed|more=Delilah casts ''Invisibility''.}} |
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| − | * Misty Step |
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| + | * Misty Step{{cite|Delilah casts ''Misty Step''.}} |
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===== '''3rd-level''' ===== |
===== '''3rd-level''' ===== |
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* Counterspell{{ep ref|ep=112|3:05:01|more=Delilah casts ''Counterspell''.}} |
* Counterspell{{ep ref|ep=112|3:05:01|more=Delilah casts ''Counterspell''.}} |
||
* Dispel Magic{{ep ref|ep=112|3:04:35|more=Delilah casts ''Dispel Magic''.}} |
* Dispel Magic{{ep ref|ep=112|3:04:35|more=Delilah casts ''Dispel Magic''.}} |
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| + | * Haste{{ep ref|ep=1x34|cite=needed|more=Delilah casts ''Haste''.}} |
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| − | * Haste |
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===== '''4th-level''' ===== |
===== '''4th-level''' ===== |
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| + | * Blight{{ep ref|ep=1x34|cite=needed|more=Delilah casts ''Blight''.}} |
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| − | * Blight |
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| + | * Dimension Door{{ep ref|ep=1x34|cite=needed|more=Delilah casts ''Dimension Door''.}} |
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| − | * Dimension Door |
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===== '''5th-level''' ===== |
===== '''5th-level''' ===== |
||
===== '''6th-level''' ===== |
===== '''6th-level''' ===== |
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| − | * Disintegrate{{Ep ref|3:17:36|ep = 102}} |
+ | * Disintegrate{{Ep ref|3:17:36|ep = 102|more=Delilah casts ''Disintegrate''.}} |
===== '''7th-level''' ===== |
===== '''7th-level''' ===== |
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| + | * Finger of Death{{ep ref|ep=1x34|cite=needed|more=Delilah casts ''Finger of Death''.}} |
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| − | * Finger of Death |
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===== '''8th-level''' ===== |
===== '''8th-level''' ===== |
||
* Clone{{ep ref|ep = 113|cite = needed|more = Mercer assents when someone calls Delilah's ability to come back to life a cloning ability}} |
* Clone{{ep ref|ep = 113|cite = needed|more = Mercer assents when someone calls Delilah's ability to come back to life a cloning ability}} |
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| + | * Feeblemind{{ep ref|ep=1x34|cite=needed|more=Delilah casts ''Feeblemind''.}} |
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| − | * Feeblemind |
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* Power Word Stun{{ep ref|3:01:04|ep = Race to the Ziggurat|more = Mercer used the phrase "power word" and specified that the effect succeeded because Vax'ildan had fewer than 150 HP, in keeping with the spell description of ''Power Word Stun'' in {{dnd ref|notag=true|phb|267}}.}} |
* Power Word Stun{{ep ref|3:01:04|ep = Race to the Ziggurat|more = Mercer used the phrase "power word" and specified that the effect succeeded because Vax'ildan had fewer than 150 HP, in keeping with the spell description of ''Power Word Stun'' in {{dnd ref|notag=true|phb|267}}.}} |
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| Line 163: | Line 178: | ||
=== '''Notable Items''' === |
=== '''Notable Items''' === |
||
| − | * <s>Eye of Vecna</s> (removed from her second corpse by Vox Machina,{{Ep ref|ep = 103|cite = needed}} later destroyed by [[Pelor]]{{ep ref|ep = 104|cite = needed}}) |
+ | * <s>[[Eye of Vecna]]</s> (removed from her second corpse by Vox Machina,{{Ep ref|ep = 103|cite = needed}} later destroyed by [[Pelor]]{{ep ref|ep = 104|cite = needed}}) |
== '''Quotations''' == |
== '''Quotations''' == |
||
| + | * "Whatever it takes." (Delilah accepting Vecna's deal for the Rites of Vampirism to resurrect Sylas) |
||
| − | * "NOOOOOOOO!!! |
+ | * "NOOOOOOOO!!! I BROKE THE '''WORLD''' FOR US!!!" (Delilah screaming in horror after Sylas was destroyed by Keyleth at the Ziggurat){{Ep ref|3:47:33|3:47:50|ep = 3x11}} |
== '''Trivia''' == |
== '''Trivia''' == |
||
| − | * [[Laura Bailey]] dressed as Lady Briarwood during {{ep|73}}, which aired the week before Halloween 2016. |
+ | * [[Laura Bailey]] dressed as Lady Briarwood during {{ep|73}}, which aired the week before Halloween 2016. Laura has identified Delilah as the "Anti-Vex'ahlia", and says Vex came very close to becoming someone very similar to Delilah had she gone down a darker path. |
| − | * In the ''Critical Role Major Arcana Tarot Card Set'', she along with her husband, [[Sylas Briarwood|Sylas]], represent VI - The Lovers. |
+ | * In the ''Critical Role Major Arcana Tarot Card Set'', she along with her husband, [[Sylas Briarwood|Sylas]], represent VI - The Lovers. |
| − | * Delilah has been killed three times so far, all by a de Rolo; once by Cassandra in {{Ep|35}}, once by Percy in {{Ep|102}}, and once by Vex in {{ep|113}}. |
+ | * Delilah has been killed three times so far, all by a de Rolo; once by Cassandra in {{Ep|35}}, once by Percy in {{Ep|102}}, and once by Vex in {{ep|113}}. |
| + | ** Following {{ep|Sx47}}, Vex is also the final member of Vox Machina to defeat and kill [[Sylas Briarwood]], as well. |
||
== '''References''' == |
== '''References''' == |
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| Line 185: | Line 202: | ||
[[Category:Necromancers]] |
[[Category:Necromancers]] |
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[[Category:Wildemount]] |
[[Category:Wildemount]] |
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| + | [[Category:Remnants]] |
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| + | [[Category:Dead Characters]] |
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| + | [[Category:Wizards]] |
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| + | [[Category:Followers of Vecna]] |
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| + | [[Category:Cerberus Assembly]] |
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Revision as of 17:26, 17 March 2020
 |
This article or section may require cleanup. The spelling, grammar, or formatting may need attention. The content may be out of place, overwritten, and/or contradictory. You can help the Critical Role wiki by reviewing this article and cleaning it up.
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Lady Delilah Briarwood was a powerful human wizard from Wildemount and a zealot of Vecna, The Whispered One. As an NPC, she was played by Matthew Mercer.
Description
Appearance
Fan art of Delilah, by RobynAlyHope.[art 2]
When Vox Machina first met her, Delilah was a beautiful woman with dark auburn hair, pulled up into a tight braided bun. With gloves on her feminine hands, she wore a blue and black gown that had a long, billowing skirt that tapered up to be form-fitting, wrapping up her neck nearly to her jaw.[8]
Personality
Delilah was incredibly cunning and intelligent as well as ruthless, cold, and willful. She was strategically minded and astute, clearly being the mastermind behind the Briarwoods' plans in Whitestone. Despite her wicked nature she appeared to be genuinely loving, devoted, and affectionate towards her husband, willing to do anything to preserve their life together.
Biography
Background
- → See also: Briarwoods
The Briarwoods had some renown and enough powerful connections to maintain a comfortable life in the Dwendalian Empire.[9] Delilah, was a mage who had studied briefly at the Alabaster Lyceum in Emon,[10] and spent some time in Tal'Dorei. Later she started working with the Soltryce Academy,[11] and was the Archmage of Antiquity[5] on the Cerberus Assembly.[12]
At some point, Sylas became sick with a disease that no one could seem to cure. Delilah, therefore, set out to find something or someone who could help her husband. Though she did succeed in this quest, she returned too late and found that Sylas had already passed.[13]
Delilah was so distraught over Sylas' death that she began delving further into meditation and her magic, trying to find anything to save him. One day, she was screaming her frustration into the Astral Sea when a voice whispered back: "I can help you." Delilah didn't know it at the time, but the voice belonged to Vecna.[14]
Delilah was given whispered directions in her dreams, which she followed blindly in her grief, and was eventually led to one of Vecna's old laboratories. There, on condition of her service to Vecna, she was given information about the Rites of Vampirism. Vecna helped her enact the rites on Sylas, using a fraction of his own power to bind Sylas to him and thereby ensure the couple's cooperation. It was in this way that Sylas became a vampire, and they both became servants of Vecna.[15]
Necromancy is outlawed in the Dwendalian Empire, and people had begun to take note of Delilah's activities. When Sylas' undead nature and Delilah's part in it were discovered through an investigation led by the Cobalt Soul, she was ousted from the Assembly[16] and the couple were pursued and arrested. They managed to escape, fleeing to Port Damali on the Menagerie Coast with Dwendalian hunters in pursuit, bent on capturing them for execution.[17]
In Port Damali, the Briarwoods encountered Dr. Anna Ripley, who was also fleeing the Dwendalian Empire for her own reasons. Since all three were fugitives from the Dwendalian Empire, they decided to work together.[18]
Hearing about an isolated city called Whitestone, the new allies made it their next target. Styling themselves "Lord and Lady", the Briarwoods traveled to Whitestone Castle and were welcomed as guests of the de Rolo household. They began to make frequent trips from Port Damali to Whitestone, building a relationship with the ruling family there.[19]
"Shopping and Shipping" (1x14)
The Briarwoods explored diplomatic ties with Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III. They made a visit to Emon to state their interest in collaborating on the construction of a bridge near Whitestone across the Shearing Channel, a way of opening new trade between the continents of Tal'Dorei and Wildemount. They convince the Tal'Dorei Council, fabricating a story that they had inherited Whitestone after the de Rolo family's demise.[20]
"The Rematch" (1x23)
Asum informed Vox Machina that the Briarwoods were en route to Emon as, in celebration of the agreed-upon construction of a grand bridge across the Shearing Channel to the eastern continent of Wynandir, a dinner was being held here within a week.
"The Feast" (1x24)
The Briarwoods held a dinner celebrating the agreed upon venture of the construction of a grand bridge across the Shearing Channel to the eastern continent of Wynandir with Uriel and the Council members (including an invite to Vox Machina).
Discussion took place of the intricate details of the trade route between Wildemount and Tal'Dorei before the discussion segued into conversation about the Briarwoods' history in Whitestone.
Delilah spun a tale of how they both met the de Rolo family after taking them into their home during a terrible storm while the family had been on holiday and had been intending to meet with the noble family to discuss pursuing the venture as a joint trade before disease took the family. With the death of the entire family and no heir left to inherit the city it had been to their surprise that the mantle had been passed onto them to spearhead the venture and take over Whitestone in their stead.
Conversation moved on to discuss Vox Machina's adventures briefly before Scanlan interjected asking about the disease that had taken the de Rolos. Sylas stated that they had only been given the information but a month or two after the family had passed away much to the confusion of Keyleth wondering why they had not been afraid to enter the castle after the disease had swept through. Sylas reassured the druid that they had sent their best clerics to rid of any existing possible lingering disease, and to make sure to remove any corpses or bodies that may contain it before they moved in.
Eventually the couple retired to their rooms leaving the group to their own devices.
They were then alerted to Vax'ildan entering their quarters not a few moments later under the guise of being a guard. As the rogue tried to talk his way out of the room as he backed up to the door, Delilah questioned his identity citing they had just been to dinner with someone who looked uncannily like Vax.
Delilah smirked and began an incantation under her breath just as Vax tried to take off, managing to capture him with a Hold Person spell, mid retreat. Vax continued to try to talk his way out of the situation even as Delilah approached him and Sylas flanked him from the other side.
Delilah berated Vax for trying to flee when she simply wanted to ask him some questions in their private quarters just as Sylas slammed a hand down on Vax saying not to worry and he looked delicious.
"Crimson Diplomacy" (1x25)
Despite Vax's best attempts to convince the couple that he was successfully charmed, Delilah and Sylas clearly didn't fall for it and with an agreement between the couple, they attacked. Delilah's magical prowess and Sylas' true nature as a vampire both became clear, but Vax still managed to escape (temporarily) by jumping out of the nearest window and alerting the rest of his friends to the danger via his Earring of Farspeech. The couple quickly followed him however, and Delilah managed to knock Vax unconscious with a blast of necromantic energy as his allies were en-route.
A full-blown firefight broke out between the Briarwoods and Vox Machina, with a charmed Seeker Asum aiding the couple and a surprising new ally coming to Vox Machina's aid. Feeling surrounded and not wanting to cause more of a scene, Delilah and Sylas curtly managed to escape via a carriage already leaving the castle.
This left Vox Machina to explain their side of the story, but it became clear that Sylas and Delilah held some unnatural sway over Uriel Tal'Dorei when he saw Vox Machina as the instigators of the attack, and the group were removed from the Council pending further investigation. Since the group now needed to prove their innocence and Percy had a clear score to settle, Vox Machina decided that far-off Whitestone was their next destination, with the Briarwoods as their target.
"Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34)
Vox Machina prepared for their final confrontation with the Briarwoods, learning from Cassandra de Rolo that she was the sole person behind the armies of undead roaming Whitestone.
"Denouement" (1x35)
Delilah was caught by Vox Machina and killed in an act of revenge and penance by Cassandra herself, thus ending the Briarwoods' influence in Whitestone. In the aftermath of the Briarwoods' defeat, Percy and Cassandra reclaimed their home for the de Rolos, and those who remained of the Briarwood allies were either killed or converted.
"Unfinished Business" (1x100)
Delilah Briarwood was found by Vox Machina at a second ziggurat on the continent of Marquet. She used an amulet to control the orb, turning it from black to white. As long as the orb remained white, its usual anti-magic field was gone. Delilah eventually toggled the orb back. She and her cultists stepped through it into the Shadowfell.
"Race to the Tower" (1x102)
Delilah's true endgame was revealed: the resurrection of Vecna. Vox Machina met and fought Vecna himself, as well as Delilah and a Death Knight, atop the tower of Entropis in the center of the city. There, Delilah was killed a second time by Percy.
"The Endless Atheneum" (1x106)
Vox Machina discovers (through scrying) that Delilah was not dead and was, stepping out of the tunnel in the city of Thar Amphala with both eyes.
"Dark Dealings" (1x112)
On the top of an undead Earth Titan Vox Machina were ambushed by Delilah, who had been resurrected again, along with a returned Sylas, riding atop an undead white dragon. Vox Machina were barely able to escape with their lives.
"The Final Ascent" (1x113)
The next day, Vox Machina returned to the titan. On their way to confront Vecna, they were again found by the Briarwoods. This time, Delilah was permanently killed by Vex'ahlia and turned into a zombie by Arkhan.
"Vecna, the Ascended" (1x114)
The zombified Delilah was revealed to have been beheaded during Arkhan's battle with the Death Knight.
Relationships
Sylas Briarwood
Delilah was married to Sylas Briarwood. Their marriage is portrayed as deeply loving; when Sylas is killed by Keyleth, Delilah is immediately distraught and yells, "You can't! I broke the world for us!"[21].
Cassandra de Rolo
Unbeknownst to Percy, Delilah and Sylas did not kill Cassandra when they murdered the rest of the de Rolo family, but instead kept her as a pawn in maintaining peace in Whitestone. Over time, Cassandra developed a (somewhat Stockholm Syndrome-esque) loyalty to her captors and began to do their bidding. She helped them quash one rebellion attempt prior to Vox Machina's arrival and willingly betrayed her brother to the Briarwoods on his return.
Character Information
Fan art of Delilah Briarwood, by Nadz Salvo.[art 3]
Abilities
Spells
1st-level
- Shield[22]
2nd-level
3rd-level
4th-level
5th-level
6th-level
- Disintegrate[30]
7th-level
- Finger of Death[31]
8th-level
9th-level
- Prismatic Wall[35]
Notable Items
Quotations
- "Whatever it takes." (Delilah accepting Vecna's deal for the Rites of Vampirism to resurrect Sylas)
- "NOOOOOOOO!!! I BROKE THE WORLD FOR US!!!" (Delilah screaming in horror after Sylas was destroyed by Keyleth at the Ziggurat)[38]
Trivia
- Laura Bailey dressed as Lady Briarwood during "The Coming Storm" (1x73), which aired the week before Halloween 2016. Laura has identified Delilah as the "Anti-Vex'ahlia", and says Vex came very close to becoming someone very similar to Delilah had she gone down a darker path.
- In the Critical Role Major Arcana Tarot Card Set, she along with her husband, Sylas, represent VI - The Lovers.
- Delilah has been killed three times so far, all by a de Rolo; once by Cassandra in "Denouement" (1x35), once by Percy in "Race to the Tower" (1x102), and once by Vex in "The Final Ascent" (1x113).
- Following "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47), Vex is also the final member of Vox Machina to defeat and kill Sylas Briarwood, as well.
References
- ↑ Matthew Mercer confirmed on Twitter that Delilah Briarwood is a necromancer wizard.
- ↑ See "Denouement" (1x35).[citation needed]
- ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) at 3:37:40.
- ↑ See "The Final Ascent" (1x113).[citation needed]
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 43.
- ↑ Delilah could cast 9th-level spells, meaning she was at least a level 17 wizard.
- ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) at 3:09:07.
- ↑ See "The Draw of Destiny" (3x01) at 3:00:00.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) at 0:47:35.
- ↑ See "The Feast" (1x24) at 2:57:00.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) at 0:47:35.
- ↑ See "Unwanted Reunions" (2x88) at 4:07:55.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) from 0:47:55 through 0:48:15.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) from 0:48:15 through 0:48:30.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) from 0:48:30 through 0:49:15.
- ↑ See "Unwanted Reunions" (2x88) at 4:07:55.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) from 0:49:15 through 0:49:40.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) from 0:49:40 through 0:50:05.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) from 0:49:40 through 0:50:05.
- ↑ See "Shopping and Shipping" (1x14) from 1:25:35 through 1:26:35.
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) from 3:47:33 through 3:47:50.
- ↑ See "The Final Ascent" (1x113) at 2:17:45. Delilah casts Shield.
- ↑ See "The Feast" (1x24) at 3:46:20. Mercer told Vax'ildan to make a Wisdom saving throw, and that he could try again at the end of each turn, in keeping with the spell description of Hold Person in D&D: Player's Handbook, 5th ed., p. 251.
- ↑ See "Denouement" (1x35).[citation needed] Delilah casts Invisibility.
- ↑ See "Dark Dealings" (1x112) at 3:05:01. Delilah casts Counterspell.
- ↑ See "Dark Dealings" (1x112) at 3:04:35. Delilah casts Dispel Magic.
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34).[citation needed] Delilah casts Haste.
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34).[citation needed] Delilah casts Blight.
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34).[citation needed] Delilah casts Dimension Door.
- ↑ See "Race to the Tower" (1x102) at 3:17:36. Delilah casts Disintegrate.
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34).[citation needed] Delilah casts Finger of Death.
- ↑ See "The Final Ascent" (1x113).[citation needed] Mercer assents when someone calls Delilah's ability to come back to life a cloning ability
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34).[citation needed] Delilah casts Feeblemind.
- ↑ See "Race to the Ziggurat" (1x34) at 3:01:04. Mercer used the phrase "power word" and specified that the effect succeeded because Vax'ildan had fewer than 150 HP, in keeping with the spell description of Power Word Stun in D&D: Player's Handbook, 5th ed., p. 267.
- ↑ See "Unfinished Business" (1x100) at 4:05:54. The description of Scanlan's passage through the layers is in keeping with that of Prismatic Wall.
- ↑ See "The Fate-Touched" (1x103).[citation needed]
- ↑ See "Elysium" (1x104).[citation needed]
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) from 3:47:33 through 3:47:50.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Delilah Briarwood, by Nicklas Andersson (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Delilah, by RobynAlyHope (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Delilah Briarwood, by Nadz Salvo (source). Used with permission.