Oltgar Dradegon (pronounced /ˈoʊltˌɡɑːr drəˈdɛɡɒn/) is a dwarven toymaker, the owner of Oltgar's Chest in Uthodurn, who formerly employed Chetney Pock O'Pea. As an NPC, he is played by Matthew Mercer.
Description[]
Fan art of Oltgar, by Robert Kemp.[art 2]
Oltgar is burly and tall for a dwarf, with a smooth bald spot on top of his head surrounded by a cloudy billow of white hair, and a long white beard that reaches the middle of his stomach. He has rosy cheeks and a small, cherry-like nose. When met by Bells Hells, he wore a leather work apron with a deep red coat on top, a silk dress shirt, grey leather pants, and thick work boots. Where his eyes once twinkled, Imogen was able to perceive a dull lack of spark.[1]
Oltgar was described by former coworker Zadro Ichlen as "a cutthroat little dick" who otherwise did good work,[2] but another former coworker Chetney Pock O'Pea, who referred to Oltgar as a "fiend" and "the worst kind of person", felt that Oltgar had "betrayed the very craft". Oltgar drove both Chetney and Zadro to such extreme antagonism that they were hostile to and paranoid around one another out of their distrust for Oltgar.[3]
Biography[]
Oltgar is a master toymaker and toy designer. He and Zadro Ichlen, whom he trained, apparently worked together at some point. Zadro said that he nearly ruined "my business" before Oltgar suddenly left for the port of Sapiro Haven in Marquet no earlier than 823 PD.[2][4][fn 1]
Afterward, Oltgar was in Uthodurn in Wildemount, crafting beautiful wooden toys. However, wooden toys began falling out of fashion, and in 843 PD, he had a disagreement with Chetney Pock O'Pea, whom he mentored and worked with,[5] over a "change of direction" that involved an elven third party named Drixlitch Ovana suggesting they change their toys from wooden to metal. The disagreement escalated until Chetney "messed up [Oltgar] something fierce" by stabbing him in the hand. He also stabbed the elf in the knee and was chased out of the city by the Glassblade guards.[6][7][8]
"Treacherous Toys" (3x54)[]
By the moment the apogee solstice arrived, Oltgar was miserable about the new way his business was being run, despite the business success, and he felt a great deal of resentment towards his new partner, though he kept it to himself. After Drixlitch hired Bells Hells to solve a problem involving pymon firebugs and a craskkalid larva, the adventurers did so with relative ease, discovering soon after a series of documents pointing to the debts of the D&O Toy Emporium, its ties to the child labor from Shadycreek Run, and Drixlitch's plans to kill Oltgar and take over the business. Despite the grudge he still held for his former mentor, Chetney, who was part of the party, decided to warn Oltgar and remind him of his former passion for woodworking and the happiness of children, convincing him to leave Uthodurn and his doomed business to start over elsewhere; despite this kind gesture, the gnome wasn't ready to forgive the dwarf, and he agreed he hadn't earned it. Oltgar paid the group with money he took from the store.
"Hope Within History" (3x55)[]
During their meeting with Imathan Talviel and Simone Fruunast Bells Hells revealed the information they had uncovered about Drixlitch's illegal activities, and presented the evidence, making sure to mention that Oltgar was innocent and didn't know about his former partner's activities.
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign Three
- "A Woodworker's Quandary" (3x08), mentioned only
- "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11), mentioned only (unnamed)
- "Omens Above" (3x19), mentioned only
- "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21), mentioned only
- "Compulsions" (3x40), mentioned only (unnamed)
- "The Aurora Grows" (3x49), mentioned only
- "Far From The Others" (3x52), mentioned only
- "Ripples" (3x53), mentioned only
- "Treacherous Toys" (3x54) (first appearance)
- "Hope Within History" (3x55), mentioned only
- "Reunited" (3x64), mentioned only
- "A Path of Vengeance" (3x65), mentioned only
- "Collecting Legends" (3x105), mentioned only
Trivia[]
- Oltgar is inspired by Santa Claus as portrayed in "The Night Before Critmas" (Sx41); in this special, the elf Chutney Chocolatecane stabs Santa Claus for having forced him to make non-wooden toys out of wood instead of plastic: "He told me to make Voltron out of wood. No one wanted it. He told me to make a Game Boy. I can't do circuits. He told me to make the little Trolls, but the hair didn't move."[9]
- Matt spells out his name as "Oltgar" in "Omens Above" (3x19),[10] which is the spelling used in the video captions for "A Woodworker's Quandary" (3x08) and "Omens Above" (3x19) and in the Critical Recap for that episode (Critical Recap: Critical Role C3E19 "Omens Above"). However, Travis says that his name is spelled "Ultgar" in "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21).[11] The Twitch captions for "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21), which were not finalized by the airing, used both spellings while the final YouTube captions used only the "Oltgar" spelling.[12]
- Travis said that Oltgar is the great-great-grandson of Obby the Rat, but it was unclear if he was kidding or serious at the time.[13]
Notes[]
- ↑ The precise sequence and character of events is somewhat unclear. Zadro characterizes Oltgar as a mentor: "There's a piece in particular that was designed by my... trainer before me".[2] She also says she learned her craft in Uthodurn before she came to Marquet,[3] suggesting she was trained by Oltgar in Uthodurn. Presumably, when Zadro says "my business", she is referring to Knot Forgotten, but it is possibly not the case. However, Oltgar would have been in Marquet at some point to be in Sapiro Haven, located in the Oderan Wilds. Zadro does not state whether she came to Marquet alone.
References[]
- ↑ See "Treacherous Toys" (3x54) at 1:16:47.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 See "Omens Above" (3x19) at 2:02:43.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 See "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21) from 3:11:06 through 3:15:41.
- ↑ See "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21) at 3:10:29. Zadro says that she left Uthodurn "no more than maybe twenty years back".
- ↑ See "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21) at 3:14:47.
- ↑ See "A Woodworker's Quandary" (3x08) at 3:06:08.
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 2:43:00.
- ↑ See "Ripples" (3x53) at 1:05:28.
- ↑ See "The Night Before Critmas" (Sx41) at 4:09:05.
- ↑ See "Omens Above" (3x19) at 2:02:56.
- ↑ See "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21) at 3:16:57.
- ↑ For instances in the Twitch captions (subscription required), see at 3:26:09 for "Oltgar" and at 3:32:03 for "Ultgar". The corresponding moments in the YouTube captions are at 3:11:09 and at 3:17:10. See "Programming Schedule: Week of April 18, 2022" at CritRole.com for details about the Twitch captions not being finalized.
- ↑ See "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21) at 3:17:17.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Oltgar with Chetney, by Jenny Dolfen (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Oltgar, by Robert Kemp (source). Used with permission.