Gryz Alakritos (pronounced /ˈɡriːz əˈlækrɪˌtoʊs/)[4] is a goblin headmaster of the Allegiance of Allsight, an archeological guild based in Ank'Harel. As an NPC, Gryz Alakritos is played by Matthew Mercer.
Description[]
As of 836 PD, Gryz is good-natured, relatively down-to-earth, and has an infectious eagerness that makes him the more popular of the two headmasters of the Allegiance.[5]
As of 843 PD, Gryz is in his mid 50s, with light olive skin. He wears spectacles over his ears, which point out to the sides.[6] He presents as generally nervous, and he says that he is not comfortable or adept in large social settings.[7] During the ball, Gryz wore long white and bronze trim robes with a long-tasseled mantle tied at the front.[8]
Biography[]
Background[]
Gryz is a headmaster of the archeological guild the Allegiance of Allsight, based in Ank'Harel. He does not teach, but he oversees research within the guild.[9]
Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep[]
For years leading up to 836 PD, Alakritos and the other co-leader of the Allegiance of Allsight, Headmaster Cryon, had been focused on uncovering the secrets of Cael Morrow.[10] So that year, when a crisis surrounding Cael Morrow escalated, they became actively involved.
If the player characters (PCs), upon arriving in Ank'Harel, choose to meet with the Allegiance of Allsight, Prolix Yusaf brings them to the office of Headmaster Alakritos, located in a small administrative building of the Teres Schoolhouse. He welcomes Prolix back from Bazzoxan and listens to them and the PCs talk about their experiences there. Hearing about the lengths to which Aloysia Telfan went to acquire the Jewel of Three Prayers, he wonders about the importance of the Jewel to the Consortium of the Vermilion Dream, and if the PCs have the Jewel, he asks to take a look at it; he can identify it as a Vestige. If the PCs mention the vision they had of a sunken city, he tries to hide his recognition that they are talking about Cael Morrow, but if the PCs spot it and ask him about it, he'll admit to having some knowledge of a sensitive nature. Either way, he offers to let the PCs stay in his apartment for the night, and gives them information about the city to help them find their way around.[2]
If the PCs succeed on their second mission with the Allegiance, investigating claims of a second entrance to Cael Morrow through the waters of the Life Dome, Prolix recommends them to Alakritos as potential members of the Allegiance, and within a week the headmaster formally invites them.[11]
Soon afterward, the PCs may learn that Lymmle Wist has been working against the Allegiance from the inside, and they may be able to convince Alakritos of this, in which case he immediately sends agents to apprehend Wist, who is secretly a member of the Sentinels of Memory. After Wist is exposed, Alakritos rewards the PCs and lets them hold onto her Ring of Red Fury, so long as they agree to share what they learn about the ring. A week later, Alakritos and Cryon inform the PCs that the Allegiance of Allsight's spies have learned about another spy: the Consortium of the Vermilion Dream has infiltrated their excavation site in Cael Morrow, and there is a double agent on their archaeological team there. Alakritos and Cryon eventually ask the PCs to help uncover and capture or kill the double agent. Alakritos gives each PC an Allegiance badge and a Potion of Water Breathing to help in the task.[12]
After learning that the Consortium had sent agents to investigate a planar rift in Cael Morrow, Alakritos has a disagreement with Cryon. Alakritos wants to avoid disturbing the rift, but Cryon believes the rift contains a source of power that could help destroy the Allegiance's enemies, the Consortium and the Sentinels. Cryon arranges a meeting with the PCs without Alakritos's knowledge, and offers the PCs a reward of 1000 gp to find a way to open the rift and confirm whether ruidium can be found on the other side. When Alakritos finds out, he is furious with Cryon, but after the success of the mission, Alakritos accepts that there is no turning back. The headmasters oversee the Allegiance perfecting the creation of ruidium weapons and armor, and they send scouts through the rift into the Netherdeep; only one returns alive, and describes a "sorrowful intelligence" within. The headmasters send the PCs to contact this sorrowful intelligence—Alyxian—and ask for permission to extract ruidium. They offer promotions and hefty rewards, but the mission is doomed to fail.[13]
Campaign Three[]
Gryz attended a ball held in Jrusar in "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) as a guest of his friend, Ajit Dayal. He was nervous and felt out of place at the party, and he initially sought Ariks Eshteross's company as he recognized Eshteross also disliked the party. Though he suggested he might leave early, he promised to introduce Eshteross and Chetney Pock O'Pea to Ajit later.[14] He also became taken with Fresh Cut Grass as he had never seen an "autonomously-talking automaton". He attempted to relay the little he knew about the Heartmoor to Laudna and Fresh Cut Grass and was eager to help Laudna with her research with dreams, but he instead launched into a lengthy story about having dreamed he was a mango.[15]
During the ball, Chetney tracked Lady Emoth Kade to the room provided for Gryz. She apparently broke in herself and robbed the room and others in the hall with shade creepers under her command.[16] Chetney, Fresh Cut Grass, Laudna, and other members of their adventuring party confronted her inside the room, but she escaped with the items she stole.[17]
Relationships[]
Headmaster James Cryon[]
During the crisis around Cael Morrow and the Netherdeep in 836 PD, Headmaster Alakritos more than once got into arguments with Headmaster Cryon. The arguments dealt with the wisdom of disturbing the rift to the Netherdeep in hopes of acquiring the power to help eliminate the Allegiance's enemies, and Cryon was even willing to go behind Alakritos's back to ensure the rift to the Netherdeep was breached, to the latter's dismay.[13]
Character information[]
Abilities[]
As of 836 PD, Headmaster Alakritos uses the scholarly mastermind statblock, which includes the following abilities:[1]
- Saving throw proficiencies: Intelligence, Wisdom
- Skill proficiencies: Arcana, History, Insight, Perception
- Spellcasting: Requiring no material components, can cast:
- At will: Alter Self, Light, Mage Hand
- 1/day each: Comprehend Languages, Mage Armor, Zone of Truth
- Actions
- Arcane Shock: Melee or ranged spell attack, deals lightning damage and the target can't take reactions until the start of its next turn.
- Dagger of the Poisoned Mind: Melee or ranged weapon attack, deals piercing and psychic damage, and the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened until the end of its next turn.
- Multiattack: Makes two Arcane Shock or Dagger of the Poisoned Mind attacks.
As a goblin of Exandria, Gryz would also have darkvision with a range of 60 feet, as well as the following traits:
- Fury of the Small: Once per short or long rest, when dealing damage (with an attack or a spell) to a creature of a larger size, deals extra damage equal to his level.
- Nimble Escape: Can take the Disengage or Hide action as a bonus action on each of his turns.[18]
Appearances and mentions[]
- Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep
- Campaign Three: Bells Hells
- "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) (first appearance)
- "In Too Deep" (3x14), mentioned only
- "Promise and Potential" (3x22), mentioned only
Quotations[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 79. See also p. 207.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 79.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 175.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:16:07.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 81. See also pp. 79 and 101.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:14:42.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:15:27.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:14:42.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:15:42.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 82.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 99.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 101–102.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 102–103.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:18:44.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 1:24:54.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) from 3:55:22 through 3:58:49. For identification of the room as Gryz's, see "In Too Deep" (3x14) at 3:40:19.
- ↑ See "In Too Deep" (3x14) at 3:37:11.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, pp. 174–175.
Art:
- ↑ Depiction of Gryz Alakritos in 836 PD, by Tyler Walpole 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.