J'mon Sa Ord, the Soul of the Jeweled City, is the ruler of Ank'Harel, the central town in Marquet. Their true form is that of an ancient brass dragon; their name in that form is Devo'ssa. As an NPC, J'mon Sa Ord is played by Matthew Mercer.
Description
Appearance
J'mon Sa Ord is a slender, humanoid entity, androgynous and beautiful. Their skin is a deep-set reddish brown, smooth and impeccable. Their features are extremely fine and delicate. Their eyes have black sclerae and pupils that burn like molten metal. J'mon is almost as tall as Grog and has elongated limbs. Their overall appearance is somewhat alien, not quite matching that of a man, elf, or fey. J'mon does not wear any jewelry, ceremonial adornments, or crown. They just wear a simple brown cotton shirt over simple elegant pants. They don't wear any shoes, preferring to leave their feet bare.[6]
Fan art of Devo'ssa, by BlackSalander.[art 2]
In their true form, Devo'ssa is a massive brass dragon. The golden scales on their wings and tail tip shift to green in the sunlight. Their appearance is beautiful and frightening at the same time, although there is almost a smile and benevolence to their presence. The dragon's eyes are the same as those in their humanoid form: black sclerae with molten pupils.[7]
Personality
Biography
Background
Devo'ssa fought and defeated Thordak when he tried to attack Ank'Harel, although the red dragon was much younger and smaller at the time.
Fan art of the J'mon Sa Ord bust from Krieg's home, by Susanah Grace.[art 3]
In General Krieg's home, Vox Machina discovered a series of bronze busts of J'mon Sa Ord wearing a cloth headwrap. Although the cloth headwrap and neckwrap were detailed, the features of J'mon's face were plain and nondescript. Vox Machina didn't recognize the face at all, but the party recalled tales from a far-off continent called Marquet. Marquet was known as a largely desert landscape (desert and mountains). Of the few bastions of civilization that existed in this desert, there was a central town referred to as Ank'Harel, which was a little oasis in the center of this vast desert.
According to the tales, Ank'Harel had been ruled in a very benevolent way—since its existence began about four hundred years ago—by an individual referred to as J'mon Sa Ord. People don't know if they are human or what they are, but they have apparently lived that long. Vox Machina had heard that J'mon Sa Ord was human but their features were hard to make out—even looking into their face, one would seem unable to focus. The series of busts in General Krieg's home seemed to depict this individual but Vox Machina had never seen anything like this art in Tal'Dorei and had no reference for comparison.[8]
5x09
5x10
Upon meeting Vox Machina, J'mon tested them with a Cobalt Golem.
"Raishan" (1x80)
Summoned by Scanlan Shorthalt via the flute they had previously given Vox Machina, J'mon showed up to assist with the fight against Raishan. While they had expected to fight Thordak, they still participated in this battle, but unfortunately did not prevent Raishan from escaping.
"What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81)
In the aftermath of the battle with Thordak and Raishan, J'mon Sa Ord was one of the first (along with Shaun Gilmore, Pike Trickfoot, and Lady Kima of Vord) to witness the beginings of Scanlan's developing drug habit, as he prepared to take a third of the Suude that Jarett procured for him. They did not stop him (though Pike attempted to), but did not seem to approve. However, rather than watching the brief talk between Scanlan and Pike about what the drugs were, they had a conversation with Gilmore in Marquesian, as Gilmore expressed interest in speaking with the ruler of his country of origin. This conversation however, was interrupted by Kima asking them to help with a perimeter search which they did participate in. Later, they (also with Kima and Gilmore) watched a conversation between Keyleth, Vax'ildan, and Kerrek about the day's events and their future plans, with a remark on "[t]he drama of such short lives."[9] Vex'ahlia stated that they could leave their tower away from more mortal lives, however J'mon made it clear that they the felt a strong need to remain in Ank'Harel to protect the city. They then wished luck to Vox Machina and gave some advice about fighting Raishan before leaving towards home.
"The Ominous March" (1x109)
Fan art of Vox Machina flying towards Thar Amphala atop Devo'ssa, by BlackSalander.[art 4]
"Dark Dealings" (1x112)
"The Final Ascent" (1x113)
"Vecna, the Ascended" (1x114)
"The Chapter Closes" (1x115)
Relationships
Thordak
Devo'ssa has a history with Thordak, having fought off the red dragon when he attacked Ank'Harel. Many years later, J'mon promised to help Vox Machina in their battle against the Cinder King, offering them a magic flute which they could use to summon the brass dragon to their side.
Character Information
Abilities
Spells
2nd-level
- Invisibility[10]
5th-level
- Mass Cure Wounds[11]
Notable Items
Quotations
Trivia
- J'mon Sa Ord's gender-neutral pronouns are "they/them", though Matthew Mercer has also referred to them using "he/him" and "she/her", prompting the idea that they may be genderfluid and prefer a mix of pronouns to be used for them.
References
- ↑ Official spelling of "J'mon Sa Ord" confirmed by Matthew Mercer on Twitter.
- ↑ @CritRoleStats on Twitter confirmed with Matthew Mercer that the correct spelling is "Devo'ssa". (source)
- ↑ See "A Traveler's Gamble" (1x66) from 3:18:52 through 3:19:05. Headmaster James Kryon refers to J'mon Sa Ord as "Soul of the Jeweled City."
- ↑ See "What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81).[citation needed]
- ↑ See 5x10 at 00:16:15.
- ↑ See "The Streets of Ank'Harel" (1x65) at 4:10:06.
- ↑ See "A Traveler's Gamble" (1x66) from 1:23:22 through 1:24:31.
- ↑ J'mon Sa Ord's backstory was introduced far in advance of their first appearance. See "The Tunnels Below" (3x15) from 2:24:19 through 2:28:25.
- ↑ See "What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81) at 0:51:10.
- ↑ see "The Ominous March" (8x10) at 3:20:07. J'mon and Scanlan both cast Invisibility on the party.
- ↑ See "The Ominous March" (1x109) at 3:37:13. J'mon casts Mass Cure Wounds.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of J'mon Sa Ord, by NLN4 (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Devo'ssa, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the J'mon Sa Ord bust from Krieg's home, by Susanah Grace (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vox Machina flying towards Thar Amphala atop Devo'ssa, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.