Fan art of Ophelia Mardoon, by BlackSalander.[art 1]
The Mardoons are a family from Shadycreek Run with a love for contracts and deals. It is one of the four criminal families comprising the Tribes of Shadycreek Run.
Description[]
Of the four Tribes of Shadycreek Run, the Mardoon family can be considered one of the most civilized in its methods.[1] They always prefer to use their established contracts in order to get what they want instead of just using violence to intimidate others. However, since they give such importance to their deals, whenever someone breaks their word, the Mardoons do not hesitate to turn that person into a bloody warning for those who think about not respecting contracts with them.[2]
They own the Estate Sybaritic to the north of Shadycreek Run.
Business Interests[]
The Mardoons made their fortune from brothels (like The Landlocked Lady),[3] jewels and slavery (having a rivalry with the Jagentoth family in that last area). They have a great network of foreign contacts and an alliance with the Myriad that allows them to reach exotic finds from far lands like Xhorhas.[2]
Known members[]
Leadership of the family is split between:[2]
- Lord Anselm Mardoon - The head of the family since at least 822 PD, when he sent his agents to hunt those who had attacked a Mardoon caravan.[4]
- Ophelia Mardoon (neutral evil, tiefling) - She has many contacts in the criminal world of Wildemount, including The Gentleman.[5]
- Rufus Mardoon - One of his caravans was attacked by Jagentoth underlings in 822 PD.[6]
- Kriemhilde Mardoon
- Demis Mardoon
Other members include:
- More unidentified Mardoons, including at least one young child.[7]
Loyalists of this family include:
- Auntie Mama - Known as Chidra the Blue Rose in her youth, this human was a smuggler for the Mardoon family until that connection brought the attention of the Jagentoths.[8]
- Dratto - An orc and member of the Grudge Gang, they worked for the Mardoons as a thief.[9]
History[]
As of 822 PD the rivalry between the Mardoons and the Jagentoths became particularly tense after the latter sent mute agents to attack a caravan that belonged to Rufus Mardoon, which caused Lord Anselm Mardoon to send his own agents to capture those involved in the attack.[10]
By the same year, the Mardoon family also had several people working for them, either for occasional errands or more long-term jobs. One of them was Auntie Mama, who smuggled for the family until Reese Jagentoth discovered it and killed her for it in 829 PD.[11] Auntie Mama's corpse was eventually recovered by her daughter and the Tombtakers, which caused the Jagentoths to focus their anger in said group instead of the Mardoons.[12]
In 835 PD a group of adventurers known as the Mighty Nein met with Ophelia Mardoon and, after defeating the Iron Shepherds (connected to the Jagentoth family) they accompanied Ophelia to Zadash to meet with The Gentleman.[13]
Between 835 and 836 PD the Mardoons seemed to take an interest in the relics coming from Molaesmyr, and one of their agents, Dratto, was trying to steal one of those relics (which was actually a slumbering pixie) from the Trebains.[9] Interestingly, around the same period of time, the minions of a coven of green hags in the ruins of Molaesmyr ended up kidnapping a Mardoon child, causing the family to hire adventurers to save the kid from the crones, who were using children for their dark rituals.[14]
In or after 838 PD, after The Gentleman faked his death, Ophelia took the reins of his operation in Zadash, becoming the local crime boss for the Myriad.[15]
Trivia[]
- Although Matthew Mercer had initially confirmed the surname of the family was spelled "Mardun" to CR Transcripts[citation needed] and it appears as such in The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein,[citation needed] the spelling ended up being changed to "Mardoon" in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount.
- The name "Mardun" was previously used by Matt Mercer for a tiefling paladin in a one-shot game run by Matt Colville. He was known as The Ruby Knight and was a servant of the Queen of Fire.[16]
- As of 835 PD the Mardoon family is the Tribe of Shadycreek Run with the most leaders, having five people sharing that responsibility.[2]
References[]
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 19.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 50.
- ↑ See "Converging Fury" (2x27) at 1:22:00.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 14.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 51.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 14.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, pp. 115–116.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 75.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 119.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 14.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 75.
- ↑ Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, p. 86 and 87.
- ↑ See "The Journey Home" (2x30) at 2:33:37.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 115.
- ↑ See "Critical Role Campaign 2 Wrap Up" (Sx56) at 4:04:34.
- ↑ See "Q&A" on Matthew Colville's YouTube channel from 33:35 to 35:44.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Ophelia Mardoon, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.