Gloamglut

Gloamglut
Official art of Gloamglut, by Tyler Walpole.
Type	NPC
Actor	Matthew Mercer
Character Information
Name	Gloamglut
Pronouns	Any
Creature type	Dragon
Race	Fey dragon
Age	Young for their size
Languages	Understands Common
Place	Sablecast Grounds, Feywild
Connections	Athion Zathuda (former rider) Fearne Calloway (ally)
Profession	Mount
Status
Status	Alive
Stats
HP
AC	≥13
DC
Int
Wis	7
Cha
Appearances
First seen	"The Fey Key" (3x47)
Last seen	"A Test of Fate" (3x109)
Stream	Campaign Three (10 episodes)

Gloamglut is the draconic mount of Sorrowlord Zathuda of the Unseelie Court. As an NPC, it is played by Matthew Mercer.

Description

Appearance

Gloamglut is a large, serpentine-bodied dragon about fifty feet long, with translucent wings connected by membranes to very thin limbs, a head somewhat reminiscent of a frog's, framed by a membranous mane, with several breathing openings across it, large and cloudy white pupils in its eyes (which turn black when using its breath weapon, and shine with a green-yellow light when it's inspecting something), and jaws with multiple rows of shark-like teeth; its lower jaw splits in two. Its scales can change colors like a chameleon's, with different hues and patterns depending on the situation. It has secondary hands/claws in its wings.

The dragon moves as if its bones are flexible, being able to compress its body to fit into small holes and crevices. Moreover, its size is influenced by its emotional state, so whenever it feels "small" and weak, its physical form reflects it by shrinking slightly.

Personality

Athion Zathuda described Gloamglut as a good companion, young for their size and with variable moods. The Fey Realm is its home and it hates being elsewhere.

Biography

By 843 PD Gloamglut was the mount of Zathuda, an influential Unseelie captain who bonded with it by undergoing a blood ritual prepared for that purpose. While its rider was in the Shiver Keep, in a meeting with Otohan Thull the dragon flew over the surrounding area, patrolling; the dragon attacked Pâté de Rolo while he was reconnoitering the ground for Laudna, destroying the familiar's physical form. When Zathuda called it, Gloamglut landed for the fey captain to climb on its back before taking off again together.

Fan art of Gloamglut's Dark Fire Gaze, by Lap Pun Cheung.

Not long after, when Bells Hells managed to destroy the Malleus Key in the keep, the loud noises called the attention of Zathuda and his mount who descended from above to confront the intruders. The Sorrowlord commanded Gloamglut to use its Dark Fire Gaze against the adventurers to demonstrate his power, managing to knock Fearne Calloway unconscious once, and chasing her and her friends outside the Shiver Keep.

Fan art of Morri facing Gloamglut, by Sam Rusk.

Zathuda pursued the adventurers on Gloamglut's back, burning different sections of the Sablecast woodlands while Unseelie guards searched on land for the intruders. Their hunt was interrupted by Morrigan the Fatestitcher, who, alerted by Imogen, came in the form of a gigantic dark bird to face the Sorrowlord, until Gloamglut struck her down with his dark fire. However, the hag managed to return to her home, leaving the fey dragon frustrated at not being able to locate its prey. Gloamglut and its rider managed to reach Terrosh's portal just after Bells Hells passed through it, irritating the guardian, as the newcomers had not been invited there.

Later, Zathuda took his mount with him when he traveled to Ruidus following the establishment of the Bloody Bridge during the Apogee Solstice. Fearne noticed the creature sleeping among other beasts stabled in Vaterra Kreviris. Later, after the detonation of Ira Wendagoth's explosives, Gloamglut woke up and shrieked, and after meeting its rider, took flight with him. Shortly afterward the fey dragon noticed the three adventurers, no longer disguised with illusions, trying to hide in an alley, so it landed right above them and informed its rider Athion. When its prey tried to escape by moving through the walls of a building, Gloamglut lowered its head and used its Dark Fire Gaze against them, hitting Fearne and Ashton; however, the latter's magic prevented the dragon from noticing them and they managed to escape by going underground.

Both Zathuda and Fearne returned to Exandria roughly around the same time, and when the former tricked his daughter into meeting him in the desert, Gloamglut was there the whole time, camouflaged on a rock. Invisibly, Athion climbed back onto its back as Fearne battled dark copies of herself summoned by a yore mirror. When Fearne had succeeded, the Unseelie captain and his dragon became visible again. Gloamglut circled the encampment, screeching and terrifying its inhabitants, and evading the multiple ballistas fired at it in defense, then flew away with its rider eastward toward the Tishtan excavation site.

At some point after Bells Hells left the encampment of the Exandrian Accord, the Ruby Vanguard attacked it, successfully destroying it. Gloamglut and presumably its rider were involved, and the dragon was flying above the ruins during the brief visit Bells Hells made there after their mission before Teleporting away again.

A few days later the Sorrowlord and Gloamglut traveled to the Amethyst Gulch Sierras in the Fey Realm with Ludinus Da'leth's Simulacrum in order to meet with emissaries from the Unseelie Court. When they arrived the dragon stayed hidden for a while before going inside an old temple where the meeting was taking place. Later, when the statue of the Arch Heart was suddenly Animated, Gloamglut, who had stayed on the ceiling, flew down and attacked it with its tail until the statue shattered; shortly after doing so the dragon noticed Fearne stealthily leaving the chamber, and growled at her, preparing to use its Dark Fiery Gaze. However, when its rider saw his daughter he prevented Gloamglut from attacking her, moving its head so that the blast of its breath weapon would hit the roof. Gloamglut tried to attack Imogen, who Misty Stepped to its saddle, pulling the reins, and managing to move the mount away from the hole so that the Sorrowlord wouldn't be able to teleport back; however, the next time Gloamglut used its Dark Fiery Gaze, Imogen wasn't able to move its head in time. After the Simulacrum of Ludinus was destroyed, the battle paused and Gloamglut became nervous when it realized the person on its back wasn't its usual rider, although with telepathy Imogen prevented it from joining its master; however, when the Sorrowlord actually called for it, the dragon flew towards him so Imogen herself floated away from it, mentally thanking it for the ride. Zathuda petted its head before climbing back to the saddle, preparing to leave with the Unseelie emissary, whom Gloamglut grabbed; when Fearne asked for permission, the Sorrowlord allowed her to approach and scritch the dragon, telling her that its favorite spot was the tip of its upper face, between the eyes and above the mouth.

Shortly after that Imogen attacked Zathuda and the battle resumed; Gloamglut tried to keep the emissary but Orym grabbed them, so the dragon attacked him, hitting a pillar with its tail and causing the temple to start collapsing; Fearne tried to ride it, but the fey dragon ended up making her fall, and after being attacked by Orym it left, leaving the emissary and the unconscious Sorrowlord behind. Gloamglut stayed nearby but well hidden, and after a while, when it saw Zathuda running away from the Shrine of Gilded Gifts, it flew in his direction to grab him; his rider, however, fell unconscious after being attacked, and ended up succumbing to his wounds while the dragon held him. Gloamglut noticed when he went limp, and after shaking him for a few moments, it produced a scream of fury and pain.

Fan art of Gloamglut and Fearne, by @zhellers.

Although Imogen landed in its saddle and tried to contain its rage, the fey dragon only reacted when it noticed the scent of Fearne's blood and she proclaimed she was Zathuda's family; it approached her intensely, recognizing the blood, and after a moment it produced a heart-wrenching cry, staying near her while she and Imogen tried to calm it down. The druid kept talking to it and telling it she was sorry, and when she asked the dragon's permission to ride it, it purred and lowered its body to help her climb; when Bells Hells wanted to leave, Gloamglut carried the two Ruidusborn on its back and grabbed Braius, Orym, and Chetney without dropping Zathuda's corpse.

When they arrived at Ligament Manor the fey dragon didn't land immediately, recognizing the area as one it hadn't been allowed to explore before. Fearne calmed it and encouraged it to land, but the moment it did, Morrigan summoned roots to hold it down without harming it, remembering her battle against it some time ago. Fearne stayed with Gloamglut to comfort it until the group followed the Fatestitcher after she took the Sorrowlord's body, causing his mount to whimper sadly, and its body reflected it by shrinking a bit. At the end of the day, Fearne returned with Ashton to stay with Gloamglut and used her magic to move away the roots holding its neck so that it could move more comfortably; she explained that she would let it go after a night of rest. For the next hour, the druid groomed the dragon and exposed it to the smells of the members of Bells Hells. When then released it, and after it stretched its wings, Gloamglut grabbed her by her armor and coiled around her. Although it didn't allow Ashton to approach her, the dragon patted him on the back with the tip of its tail, allowing him to stay nearby. Before going to sleep, Gloamglut looked up towards Catha, and produced a mournful sound.

The next morning Gloamglut woke up after the two adventurers and stretched a little, ready to take flight. Fearne assured it that it could leave if it wished, but also asked what she could do if she ever wanted to see it again; the dragon made a call to the sky, instructing the druid on how to get its attention, and she, after trying to imitate the sound, tied a piece of cloth to its paw as a friendship bracelet, to be able to keep track of it. Gloamglut seemed hungry and ready to leave, but unused to go hunting without previous instruction, so Fearne encouraged it to leave, and after some affectionate gestures, the fey dragon obeyed.

Character information

Abilities

• Flight
• Multiattack: two attacks per turn
  • Dark Fire Gaze: (rechargable) Dexterity saving throw (DC 16-18) against ~28-32 points of fire damage
  • Rend attack: 10 foot reach, 3d10 slashing damage
  • Tail attack: ~15 bludgeoning damage and on a failed strength save (DC ≤ 19), the target is knocked prone
• Legendary resistances
• Legendary attacks
  • Tail attack
  • Rend attack: (uses 2 attacks)
  • Wing attack: (uses 3 attacks) All creatures within 15 feet must succeed on a Dexterity save of take ~6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.

On several occasions, Gloamglut has displayed camouflage abilities, once making itself invisible on a rock, but since both it and its rider were using the same ability in the same place at the same time it was not clear the source of this effect. More recently, however, Gloamglut has displayed the ability to change its coloration in a chameleon-like manner.

Appearances and mentions

• Campaign Three
  • "The Fey Key" (3x47) (first appearance)
  • "An Exit Most Fraught" (3x48)
  • "To Hurt Is to Heal" (3x79), mentioned only
  • "Divisive Portents" (3x89), mentioned only, unnamed
  • "Mission Improbable" (3x90)
  • "True Heroism" (3x91)
  • "Where The Red Fearne Glows" (3x94)
  • "Cages" (3x103)
  • "Unseelie Interrupted" (3x106)
  • "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107)
  • "Looming" (3x108)
  • "A Test of Fate" (3x109)

Quotations

• Morrigan: (after immobilizing Gloamglut) I owe it one.
• Morrigan: (to Gloamglut, after taking Athion's corpse) Life giveth and life taketh away. Harsh lessons for you, young one.

Trivia

Screenshot of Gloamglut's first mini from "The Fey Key" (3x47) at 3:59:09.

• Gloamglut's name is a combination of the words gloam (in English, this word can mean "twilight", "to begin to grow dark/dusky", or "to be sullen or morose"; in Cimbrian, it means "to believe or think") and glut (meaning "excess" or "that which is swallowed", and may be short for glutton). Together, this means Gloamglut's name can mean "an excess of twilight", "an excess of melancholy", "an excess of belief/thought", or "consumer of twilight, melancholy, or belief/thought".

Official art of Gloamglut and Zathuda minis held by Matthew Mercer, by Iron Tusk Painting.

• Tyler Walpole created the official concept art for Gloamglut and Zathuda which was then turned into custom miniatures; the 3D modeling was done by Axolote Gaming and the miniatures were then painted by Iron Tusk Painting.
• While Matt has only referred to Gloamglut as "a fey dragon", both this creature's description and powers (with slight customization) correspond to those of a Jabberwock, a dangerous dragon that appears in 5th edition. Furthermore, the first miniature used to represent it was precisely that of that monster, and the second one still bears resemblance to it.
  • This is also supported by the fact that jabberwocks, unlike other dragons with breath weapons, are unable to speak, and so far Gloamglut has only shrieked in a chilling way, although there are nuances and variations in the sounds that it produces depending on its mood and intention. Athion seemed to be able to understand it, although it is unclear if that means that Gloamglut actually speaks, or if this is due to some connection between rider and mount. During the short time Fearne spent with the creature she was able to instinctively understand some of its sounds and gestures, although not all; Gloamglut itself is intelligent enough to understand language from creatures other than its rider.
  • When asked about it, Tyler Walpole (who worked on the new design of the dragon) confirmed that while he wanted to give Gloamglut its own original look (including the split lower jaw, which was Matthew Mercer's idea), he also kept the recognizable essence of the Jabberwock in its appearance.
• Gloamglut answers to the call of a blue and black ocarina/whistle. It is unknown if said device has some sort of magical influence over the dragon or if it simply has been trained to follow that sound.
• It is possible that the large flying creature that the Bells Hells heard when they arrived at the Harrowcall Fens in "Ominous Lectures" (3x45) (and that Fearne Calloway mistook for Dr. Nesbitt) was actually Gloamglut, although it could also be Morri's dark bird form.
• Ashley Johnson confessed she expects Fearne to eventually steal and "inherit" Gloamglut as a mount.
  • According to Zathuda, if Fearne were to repeat the blood ritual necessary to bond with the dragon, there is a possibility that it would go wrong and the creature would become her eternal enemy.

References

Art: