Sevil Howthess was a Westruunian baron[1] or lord[5] who purchased the Shadebarrow and made it his tomb.
Description[]
Howthess was eccentric[6] and obsessed with history to the point of purchasing the Shadebarrow at great cost and renovating it into his own tomb.[1]
History[]
After the Scattered War, Westruunian trade unions laid claim to the site of the Shadebarrow, an ancient druidic ritual site which had become the druids' tomb during the rule of the Drassigs. Eventually, Howthess purchased the land from the unions at great cost and renovated the Shadebarrow, outfitting his tomb with protections and, supposedly, the remains of his wealth, and upon his death he was interred within the druid burial chamber.[7][1]
Post-mortem and legacy[]

The arcane cortex is retrieved in "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06), by Wendy Sullivan Green.[art 1]
In 809 PD, Vox Machina traveled to the Shadebarrow to square a debt with Drez Vina; there they fought the denizens of the Shadebarrow, defeated the iron golem guarding Howthess's tomb, and retrieved the arcane cortex that powered the golem.[8]
A few years later, the exact location of the Shadebarrow had been forgotten by all except for Howthess's few surviving grandchildren, who had denied any involvement with their grandfather's tomb. By that time, the baron's grandchildren had moved to some obscure corner of the world and were posing as commoners, but they were haunted by their grandfather's ghost, who was not able to let them live in peace. That year, specters of deceased explorers started rising from the ground within the Shadebarrow, incessantly wailing Howthess's surname.[9]
Appearances and mentions[]
- Pre-stream, mentioned only[presumed]
- Specials
- "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06), mentioned only
- Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, mentioned only
- Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, mentioned only
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 55.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 56.
- ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 3:54.
- ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 3:54.
- ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 3:54.
- ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 3:54.
- ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 3:54.
- ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 3:37.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, pp. 55–56.
Art:
- ↑ The arcane cortex is retrieved in "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06), by Wendy Sullivan Green.See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 4:14.