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Nymph

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Nymphs are fey entities of great beauty that personify different aspects of nature, with their life force and their very appearance being linked to those places or elements.

Society[]

Given the nature of nymphs as fey connected to nature, they can inhabit places in the Material Plane, or at least areas in the Feywild that act as crossings between the Fey Realm and Exandria, which makes those nymphs guardians of their fey crossings.[6][7]

While Corellon the Arch Heart is the patron of the fey,[8] some nymphs also serve Melora the Wildmother as defenders of nature.[9][10]

Something that nymphs often share is their stunning beauty, which in some cases they can use to develop defensive abilities: those who gaze at them without permission can end up blinded, or worse.[11]

Nymph's heart

Official art of a nymph's heart, by Olivia Samson from Vox Machina Origins II 4.[art 2]

Nymphs are able to create a peculiar magical object known as "nymph's heart", sought after by spellcasters due to its magical properties. If the heart is destroyed it doesn't hurt its nymph, but they have to create a new one, suggesting that they benefit from the object too.[12]

Archdruids can form bonds with nature-bound fey such as nymphs, connecting with the land they protect and slowing down their aging process.[13]

Types of nymph[]

Air nymphs[]

Air nymphs are bound to the skies, its winds and its clouds, and fly through them using their wings.

They can look like faintly glowing fey creatures with wings similar to those of a butterfly and long tumbling curls of hair.[14]

Dryads by Cristina Anaya

Fan art of a group of dryads, by Cristina Anaya.[art 3]

Dryads[]

Dryads are nymphs bound to forests, particular sections of the woods, or individual trees and other forms of plant life, acting as guardians of their territories, and using their affinity with nature to communicate with the surrounding fauna and flora and travel between trees.[1]

They look like beautiful and wistful humanoids, and while some of them reflect the plant-like elements of their surroundings, with a green coloration, covered in leaves and with bark-like texture in some sections of their bodies,[15] they can reflect other aspects of the territory they personify.[16]

Nereids[]

Nereids are nymphs bound to the sea, able to shape their environment to suit their needs, manipulating water, using it for camouflage, and even giving it acidic properties.[17] They are related to tritons.[18]

They have an otherworldly beauty regardless of gender presentation, and a pleasant voice.[19]

Water nymphs[]

Water nymph by Lief Dubin

Fan art of a water nymph, by Lief Dubin.[art 4]

Water nymphs are bound to bodies of water like rivers, pools, or lakes.[20][21][22] They are able to develop powerful magical abilities similar to those of mortal arcanists.[4]

They can look like beautiful and ageless humanoids,[23] with a certain resemblance to water genasi.[24]

History[]

Nymphs are connected to the Feywild, but they have travelled to the Material Plane more than once, inhabiting natural environments.

At the very beginning of the Calamity, Asmodeus, bound by an ancient contract between himself and the fey, warned them of the coming catastrophe; powerful archfey such as Elmenore opened portals for their subjects on Exandria to leave for safety.[25] Yet, the same day Aeor fell from the sky, when an army of devils sent by the Lord of the Hells attacked the town of Hawk's Hill in Gwessar, there was at least one dryad who, despite being badly burned, was defending the place and fighting alongside Purvan Suul (the champion of the Matron of Ravens), Galdric (the champion's wolf companion), and a bloody werebear.[26]

Around two centuries before the Divergence,[27] a fey prince, Saundor the Vibrant, was betrayed by his lover, and his pain transformed the land around him, corrupting his domain and creating the Shademurk Bog. The local dryads were influenced as well, turning foul and shadowed due to the archfey's sorrow.[28]

For several years before the fall of Molaesmyr, Ludinus Da'leth, who had been researching different sources of magical energy, visited eight places in Wildemount connected to fey bound to nature, such as dryads and nymphs.[29] While his actions during those visits weren't described in his notes, the objective was to "feed the root" and empower a strange harness the archmage eventually left behind in his Gildhollow Tower, when Molaesmyr was destroyed in 585 PD.[30] His actions sucked the magical life essence from the fey spirits in order to prolong his own life, destructively mimicking an archdruid's merging with nature and natural spirits.[31] At least one of these absorptions had an air nymph as its target, who was brought to the wizard's tower as a prisoner for that purpose and was chained through the whole process.[32]

At some point before 686 PD, a treant called Wandering Oak had planted a forest in the Emerald Loop, in Xhorhas, and she needed someone to take care of it when she was gone; the place was entrusted to Lanata and Robur, two dryads that worshiped Melora and called themselves "the Acorn Sisters".[33] As of 836 PD they had performed their duty for more than 150 years, and they allowed logging (within reason) and bonfires in their territory, as long as the only thing burning was dead wood. Travelers and hunters used the forest as a caravan stop, and it was customary to share food, drink, and song with the dryads as thanks for their hospitality. However, if someone made a direct offering to them, Lanata and Robur would give them a magic charm while they sleep.[34]

In 809 PD, Grog Strongjaw and his friends went to the Frostweald looking for components for a magical ritual that would free him of the influence of the dying Drath Mephruhn, who had been attempting to become a lich. There, Grog entered a portal that led him to the glade of a nymph called Nahla; she, pleased by the goliath's nature, agreed to give him the magical object he sought: a nymph's heart.[35][36][37]

In 810 PD, Vox Machina, in their way to the Cavern of Axiom, fought a group of orcs. During that fight Keyleth the druid conjured two dryads to help in the fight, but they immediately fell into a pit, screaming and ruining the stealth attempt.[38] Later that same year the party of adventurers traveled to the Feywild, where they encountered Nahla again. After a brief confusion Grog managed to appease her,[39] and told her how the heart that she gave him had saved his life.

At some point before 812 PD, several fey families (most of them pixies and dryads) left the Feywild fleeing from a "Great Shadow", and creating a new home in the Frostweald despite their initial annoyance with the local orc tribe,[40] which faded over the years.[22] That area is under the protection of Arethusa, a nymph mage that acts as the guardian of three mirror-like pools that lead to three different archfey domains. She still maintains that job as of 836 PD.[22]

In 812 PD the Moon Mistress, a night hag who lived in the Mooren Lake, was pretending to be a water nymph to make deals with mortals more easily, despite being chased by a blood hunter from Drynna, Perron Brill.[41] As of 836 PD the Moon Mistress was still making deals and causing deaths and suffering, and Perron was still chasing her.[21]

In 813 PD Vex'ahlia and Percival de Rolo were celebrating a destination wedding in Dalen's Closet to renew their wedding vows when an old enemy, Sylas Briarwood, appeared with the intention of avenging his own wife, and as part of his plan he chained the bride and groom and threw them into the sea to drown. Vex, a powerful ranger, tried to cast Conjure Woodland Beings to summon a nereid that would help them, but being chained, she could not perform the spell correctly, so she and Percy ended up being rescued by their friends instead.[42]

Aramue, a dryad and follower of Melora, became a protector of the Vermaloc Wildwood at some point before 835 PD, but that year a Lolth-worshiping ettercap and its giant spiders started attacking settlements and making sacrifices to the Spider Queen. Disturbed by this, Aramue started reaching other worshipers of the Wildmother through dreams to ask them for help.[9]

Trivia[]

  • Although traditionally in Greek and Roman mythology nymphs are represented as exclusively female entities (in fact the term nymph could be translated as "bride" in Ancient Greek) this isn't necessarily true for Dungeons & Dragons or Critical Role, since nereids, for example, can be both male or female presenting,[43] and during their lives fey creatures can change both their appearance and gender either way.[7]
  • In older editions, nymphs were a separate creature, with no subtypes.[44] However, the Exandrian lore takes a more classical approach (compared to our world's mythology), making the nymph a type of fey that encompasses several subspecies.
  • The way Matthew Mercer described air and water nymphs could refer to multiple kinds of fey bound to those aspects of nature (e.g. Nereids being sea water nymphs).[45][46]
    • Three years after the water nymphs were included in Critical Role canon in the original Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, Mythic Odysseys of Theros introduced to 5th Edition the naiads: nymphs connected to specific bodies of water.[47] So far the term "naiad" hasn't been used in Exandria.
      • Mythic Odysseys of Theros also featured other types of nymphs: alseids (sun-touched meadow nymphs), lampads (chthonic nymphs connected with places of death) and oreads (destructive nymphs connected with volcanic activity).[48] So far none of these types of nymphs have been mentioned in Exandria.
    • Air nymphs don't have a direct equivalent in 5th Edition, but in Greek mythology the closest equivalent would be the aurae (spirits of breezes) and the nephelae (spirits of clouds).
  • According to CritRoleStats the two dryads that were so quickly killed were the last creatures Keyleth summoned with her magic.[49]
  • According to Eskil Ryndarien, nymphs are hard to find and even harder to survive.[50]
  • When Vox Machina left the Fey Realm after visiting Syngorn, some of the plane's magic affected Percival de Rolo's mind, making him forget giving Vex'ahlia a noble title.[51] As a way of "helping" Scanlan cast Modify Memory on the gunslinger, creating a new memory for Percy: that Vex saw him while some nymphs and fey creatures were giving him a massage, and, embarrassed, the noble decided to bribe her by naming her Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone and Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt, after which the ranger agreed to keep his secret.[52]
  • The superstitious people from Odessloe believe that some sort of unseen lake spirit lives in the Erdeloch, and they leave offerings at its shores so this entity keeps sending them blessings.[53]

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 See D&D: Monster Manual (2014), 5th ed., p. 121.
  2. ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Tales from the Yawning Portal, p. 240.
  3. ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Tales from the Yawning Portal, p. 240.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 75.
  5. ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Tales from the Yawning Portal, p. 240.
  6. ↑ See "Hope" (1x56) from 3:46:42 through 3:47:42.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 219.
  8. ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 22.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 147.
  10. ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 45–47.
  11. ↑ Vox Machina Origins II 4
  12. ↑ See "The Feywild" (1x59) at 0:43:00.
  13. ↑ Keyleth explains that Ludinus chose to drain the energy from fey connected to nature, mimicking a druid's merging with nature magic and thus prolonging their life.  See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 2:58:59.
  14. ↑ See "Intense Interrogations" (3x85) at 1:31:22.
  15. ↑ See "A Name Is Earned" (1x49) at 0:37:28.
  16. ↑ See "The Feywild" (1x59) at 0:38:13.
  17. ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Tales from the Yawning Portal, p. 240.
  18. ↑ See "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47) at 2:07:40.
  19. ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Tales from the Yawning Portal, p. 240.
  20. ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 43.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 67.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 111.
  23. ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 67. Since the Moon Mistress is disguised as a water nymph it is assumed she shows an appearance that would fit that kind of nymph.
  24. ↑ See "Gathering of Needs" (3x95) at 2:37:24.
  25. ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 3:29:25.
  26. ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 5:12:34.
  27. ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Legend of Vox Machina Volume II, p. 191.
  28. ↑ See "Heredity and Hats" (1x60) at 1:34:40.
  29. ↑ See the Veluthil Forest, the Ashkeeper Peaks, the northwest island, the Flotket Alps and the Rime Plains.
  30. ↑ See "Escape From The Past" (3x58) at 2:18:12.
  31. ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 2:58:59.
  32. ↑ See "Intense Interrogations" (3x85) at 1:31:07.
  33. ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 45.
  34. ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 47.
  35. ↑ See "Attack on the Duergar Warcamp" (1x04) at 04:19:45.  through 04:20:14
  36. ↑ Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "Avoided a fight through diplomacy, and Grog helmed that social encounter" (2017-07-10) — in reply to @CR_Translate: "We also couldn't figure out, in the pre-stream episode, if they avoided or stopped a fight by talking to the nymph. Thanks for everything <3"
  37. ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) from 3:06 through 3:26.
  38. ↑ See "A Name Is Earned" (1x49) at 0:37:28.  Keyleth summons two dryads.
  39. ↑ See "The Feywild" (1x59) at 0:37:00.
  40. ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, pp. 74–75.
  41. ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, pp. 42–43.
  42. ↑ See "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47) at 2:07:40.
  43. ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Tales from the Yawning Portal, p. 240.
  44. ↑ See Nymph.
  45. ↑ See "Gathering of Needs" (3x95) at 2:37:24.
  46. ↑ See "Intense Interrogations" (3x85) at 1:31:22.
  47. ↑ See D&D: Mythic Odysseys of Theros, 5th ed., p. 236.
  48. ↑ Wizards of the Coast, Mythic Odysseys of Theros, p. 234, 235 and 237.
  49. ↑ See the CritRoleStats tweet.
  50. ↑ Vox Machina Origins II 4
  51. ↑ See "The Frigid Doom" (1x64) at 0:10:11.
  52. ↑ See "The Frigid Doom" (1x64) from 0:12:30 through 0:16:40.
  53. ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 101.

Art:

  1. ↑ Fan art of Nahla, a nymph, by Nadz Salvo (source). Used with permission.
  2. ↑ Official art of a nymph's heart, by Olivia Samson from Vox Machina Origins II 4. Used with permission.
  3. ↑ Fan art of a group of dryads, by Cristina Anaya (source). Used with permission.
  4. ↑ Fan art of a water nymph, by Lief Dubin (source). Used with permission.
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