Corellon, the Arch Heart is the deity of arcane magic and the fey. During the Founding, the Arch Heart wandered the lands, spreading magic and raising the forests. The Arch Heart created the first elves, and so they are considered the Mother and Father of all elves.[2] Centaurs believe the Arch Heart to be their creator, as well.[7]
As an NPC, the Arch Heart is played by Abubakar Salim, and in Downfall as a PC, although briefly.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Official art of the Arch Heart, by Hannah Friederichs and Cael Lyons.[art 3]
The Arch Heart is commonly depicted as an impossibly graceful and beautiful elven being. They are androgynous and alluring, with long golden hair. Many early elven art pieces were inspired by the Arch Heart, and elements of their visage or symbol can be found in most elven architecture.[2]
When they presented themselves in front of Bells Hells, they appeared as a beautiful naked figure surrounded by starlight, whose skin was like a canvas filled with constellations.[8] They are quick-witted, with daring humor, and very receptive to flattery, even blushing gold at the compliments of mortals.[9]
Personality[]
The Arch Heart appreciated beauty and talent in every form, and was particularly proud of granting mortals magic and of their achievements using it, however questionable. This eventually caused some resentment from other gods, but the Arch Heart continued enjoying the charm and value of mortal magic.[10]
After the Divergence, they became one of the most distant gods among the Prime Deities,[11] although they gained a new appreciation for life.[12]
Commandments of the Arch Heart[]
Commandments of the Arch Heart
Create, inspire, and find beauty in all that you do.
Follow the echoes of lost magic, forgotten sites, and ancient art, for within these lie the Arch Heart's first works.
Combat the followers of the Spider Queen wherever they may be.
Worship[]
O Beauty of the Wildwood. Uplift our eyes, O Ancient
Glory, and let us espy the beauty around us, that we
might samewise find that beauty reflected within us.
The worshippers of the Arch Heart are those who seek art in all their work, both magic and mundane. The Spider Queen and her priestesses are loathed by followers of the Arch Heart for leading the drow elves astray.[2]
Tal'Dorei[]
The Arch Heart has many worshipers in the Stormcrest Mountains[14] and the Verdant Expanse,[15] as well as among the centaurs of the Dividing Plains.[16] Some artists pray to Corellon in the Temple District of Emon.[17]
Wildemount[]
In Gwardan on the Menagerie Coast, the House of Enchantment is a temple to Corellon as well as a center of advanced study.[18]
One of the two small temples in Palebank Village is dedicated to Corellon.[19]
Worship of Corellon is outlawed within the Dwendalian Empire[20] – worship of a nonapproved god can result in 30 days incarceration and a fine of 250 gp.[21]
Known worshippers[]
- Hadarai, pre-Divergence orc priest, later a ghost[22]
- The Pravenier community of the Amethyst Gulch Sierras[23]
- Alyxian, a mortal champion blessed by Corellon along with Avandra and Sehanine during the Calamity[24][25]
- The Emerald Cross priests of Molaesmyr[26]
- Clay family
- King Imathan Talviel of Uthodurn[27]
- Lyssev Sorveline
- Unidentified patient at Vergesson Sanatorium[28]
Both of the main courts of the Fey Realm (the Seelie and the Unseelie) are connected through vows and deals with the Arch Heart and the Moonweaver, since they are the gods that visit the fey plane most often. The courtless free fey tend to see these Prime Deities as "roommates" rather than divine figures.[29]
Holy day[]
The Arch Heart is the guardian of the spring season, but their holy day is called Elvendawn, or Midsummer, and is celebrated on the 20th day of Brussendar.[2]
History[]
During the flight of the gods from Tengar, their original home, Coru (as the being was then known) used the geometry created by fellow god Edam, to form points of light, constellations, and stars, "pure beauty made manifest in a dance of mathematics and orbit."[30]
During the Founding, Corellon wove the first elves from grass.[31] This deity was who decided to grant access to magic to mortals.
Artagan and "Mister Demeanor", by Aviv Or and Cris Peter from The Tales of Exandria: Artagan #1.[art 4]
Possibly before or during the Calamity, Corellon banished Artagan to the Feywild for tricking an elven culture into worshiping a whale carcass.[32]
Screenshot of a vision of the Dawnfather, the Arch Heart, and the Crawling King in the Calamity from "Those Who Walk Away (LoVM)" (LVM2x04).[art 5]
During the first century of the Calamity,[33] at the foothills of the Ironseat Ridge, the Arch Heart fought one of the Betrayer Gods, Gruumsh the Ruiner. According to various myths, when Corellon pierced Gruumsh's eye, the Ruiner's blood rained down and mutated the elven Horselords of Laphithas who rode into battle to aid Corellon. Some were fused with their horses and became the first centaurs. Others, elven and possibly human as well, were transformed into the first orcs.[34][35] After the battle, the elves of northern Wildemount prayed to Corellon to save them, but received no answer, as Corellon's ears were said to still ring with pain; those elves encased their civilization in ice and retreated to the Feywild.[36]
After the gods agreed to incarnate into mortal avatars to infiltrate Aeor and stop their plans against divinity, the Arch Heart, ignoring the decision to send the Knowing Mistress alone as a scout, incarnated as an Aeormaton called SILAHA, who spent three decades in the city enjoying its beauty and creating a sacred place of his own there. Despite the distance and the arcane barriers between them, when their avatar wielded the divine power he had gathered in Aeor, the Arch Heart reacted to it, their own heart beating in response.[37] Later that same day, after they successfully destroyed the Factorum Malleus, a very divinely empowered SILAHA was the one who redirected the blast of energy released by the machine to hit Aeor itself, since the Wish of Selena Erenves (the archmage who created his body) had caused every wizard in the city to know how to recreate the weapon. After Aeor was destroyed the incarnated gods, now divine again, had a brief conversation before returning to their realms, about how their presence was dangerous for mortals. The Arch Heart stayed a little longer with the Dawnfather, complimenting him for the beauty of dawn, and telling him that, in a way, Aeor's case was inevitable because all children reach a moment in which they want to do their own thing; he also explained that even if they couldn't be always with their mortal children, a part of them remained, like a scar. Before they left, the Arch Heart took a strand of their hair and twirled it for a bit before throwing it, disappearing and leaving the Dawnfather alone.[38]
At some point in the Calamity, in what would become the Greying Wildlands, Corellon's right hand, the solar Xalicas, was so badly injured that she could not see, fly, or leave Exandria, and had no strength to move for over a century.[39] Later, after the Divergence, through Corellon and Melora's magic, a small section of that forest was preserved from an arcane forest fire that had been burning for a century, and the elves that survived it and those who returned from the Feywild[36] founded Molaesmyr in the preserved section of forest,[40] upon "a powerful natural magic font, a deep-set well of power" within a deep series of caverns;[41] there was a crystal well of chaotic and expanding magical potential, and while some saw it as a divine blessing of the Arch Heart, others thought it might have been an arcane creation that fell from an old floating city.[42]
During the Calamity but after the fall of Aeor,[43] the Raven Queen told three of her champions to seek out the Wildmother for instruction about what to do with the body of a fallen hero. The Wildmother sent a vision to one of these champions, Clay, sending her with the head of the hero into a forest to find a spring surrounded by crystalline stone, and to put the head in the spring, and that it would become the site of a garden as a gift: the flora would remind the Arch Heart that nature is beautiful.[44]
Centuries later, the hill where the Arch Heart battled the Ruiner is known as Throne of the Arch Heart and has become a holy place for nomadic centaur herds. Every decade they meet here on the day called Herdsmeet and discuss the state and politics of their tribes and pay homage to the Arch Heart.[45]
Fan art of the Arch Heart, by @vertigospirit.[art 6]
After the apogee solstice of 843 PD, the Arch Heart perceived the conflicts instigated by the Ruby Vanguard as a new rebellious phase of mortalkind that would likely lead to a second Calamity. Eager to prevent this and prepared to leave Exandria behind—a sentiment they shared with one other deity—they summoned Bells Hells to their realm in Arborea, immediately after reconstructing a temple that had been destroyed in the party's battle against the Unseelie in the Feywild. In their domain, after testing Braius Doomseed's faith and appreciating the Primordial shards that Fearne Calloway and Ashton Greymoore possessed (something that inspired an idea they chose not to share), they presented their own plan to the group: to control the power of Predathos via a mortal vessel before anyone else could, thereby forcing the gods to depart the world so that mortal life could thrive independently. This plan prompted questions and concerns among the adventurers, but the Prime Deity responded that, although their questions were valid, in the Arch Heart's view it was the best solution. They also admitted that they would not assist them openly, as that would provoke other gods to intervene directly, but they used divine hair kept in a star—created from the mortal wizard of Aeor Selena Erenves—to craft the Ring of Remembrance for Imogen Temult. The Arch Heart instructed Bells Hells to act according to their own judgment but to do so swiftly, as time was running short. As the Ring of Remembrance fully manifested, the dissipating star groaned and sighed in relief before exploding. As the blinding light overtook them, Bell Hells reappeared in the Shrine of Gilded Gifts.[46]
Appearances and mentions[]
Fan art of the Arch Heart, by Jenny Dolfen.[art 7]
- Campaign Two
- "Lost Treasures" (2x22), mentioned only
- "Causatum" (2x70), mentioned only
- "Dinner with the Devil" (2x110), mentioned only
- "The Calm Before the Storm" (2x130), mentioned only
- Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep[47][48]
- Campaign Three
- "Escape From The Past" (3x58), mentioned only
- "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100), mentioned only
- "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) (first appearance)
- "The Cradle's Convocation" (3x104), mentioned only
- "Collecting Legends" (3x105), mentioned only
- "Unseelie Interrupted" (3x106), mentioned only
- "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107)
- "Looming" (3x108), mentioned only
- "A Test of Fate" (3x109), mentioned only
Trivia[]
- Corellon's soubriquet is spelled as "Archeart" in the original Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting[2] and as "Arch Heart" in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount,[3] Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn,[4] and Call of the Netherdeep[49]
- In other worlds, such as Toril or Oerth, Corellon is sometimes referred to as "Corellon Larethian".
- In the subterranean tunnels of the Labenda Swamp, Caleb Widogast searched through a pile of contraband holy symbols of deities not approved in the Dwendalian Empire for a holy symbol of the Arch Heart. He found six or seven of them, and pocketed the one most similar to one he had seen in the past.[50]
- In the adventure module Call of the Netherdeep, Avandra, Corellon, and Sehanine beseech adventurers to rescue their long-lost champion Alyxian. The players are given the opportunity to recover the Vestige of Divergence known as the Jewel of Three Prayers; this Vestige is a symbol of the divine covenants between Alyxian and the three gods who blessed him.[25]
- The seventh episode of Narrative Telephone, Caduceus's Cautionary Chronicle, tells the story that starts with Caduceus's siblings conveying the body of a cleric of Corellon named Kristof Kasimar.
- Bells Hells happened to attend a theatrical performance (at the Dreamscape Theater) on Elvendawn, the holiday of this patron god of the arts.[51]
- Abubakar Salim, who played as the Arch Heart and acted as the Dungeon Master when Bells Hells was within the Arch Heart's domain, commented that he wanted to tie up lingering threads for his character from Downfall. He and Matthew Mercer discussed how the Arch Heart would have reacted and felt about events in Exandria's history leading up to the events of the current campaign; this led Mercer to ask him to reprise the role in "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107).[52]
- Salim explained that Selena would have been feeling lost in the Arch Heart's domain after the events of "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101), so she was turned into a star because she wanted her wish so strongly; he based this upon the phrase "a wish upon a star".[52]
- They also revealed that Salim had created the Ring of Remembrance to reward the party, and prepared the "Mark of the Arch Heart" curse, in case someone angered the deity. The curse would have caused an arcane mark to appear over the left eye of the cursed person, turning it into a swirl of orange and purple; mechanically, it would give them disadvantage on Charisma checks and saving throws, as well as vulnerability to force damage. The curse would last until the Arch Heart felt enough penance had occurred.[52]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 21.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 14.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 22.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 29.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 0:26:44.
- ↑ In the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 14, the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 29, and the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 22, the Arch Heart is referred to using "they/them". However, in "Unseelie Interrupted" (3x106), both the GM and the players used he/him pronouns for the Arch Heart. See, for example, at 2:16:54, and at "A Test of Fate" (3x109)[citation needed].
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 122.
- ↑ See "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107) at 3:33:56.
- ↑ See "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107) at 4:15:07.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 0:44:02. The Arch Heart was proud of the Raven Queen for being able to use magic to become a goddess.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 185.
- ↑ See "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107) at 3:42:52.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 14.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 72.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 81.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 52. See also p. 56.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 90.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 66.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 114.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 36.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 38.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 136.
- ↑ See "Unseelie Interrupted" (3x106) at 2:16:13.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 10. See also p. 15.
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 4, 6-7. Introduction: Answering the Call. "Story Overview."
- ↑ See "Escape From The Past" (3x58) at 2:43:45.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 50.
- ↑ She is a cleric indicated to have carried a holy symbol of Corellon in "Dinner with the Devil" (2x110) from 2:52:47 through 2:54:06 and by implication in "Lost Treasures" (2x22) at 2:44:31.
- ↑ See "Unseelie Interrupted" (3x106) at 1:41:27.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 0:38:16.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 164.
- ↑ As of 835 PD, this happened "a millennium ago." See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 32.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 0:50:08. There is a centaur by the time of Aeor's fall more than a century into the Calamity, and the first Exandrian centaurs were created after the Ruiner lost his eye. Both the Arch Heart and the Ruiner disappeared decades before Aeor's fall to take on mortal forms.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 122. See also pp. 56 and 126.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 177.
- ↑ 36.0 36.1 See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 162.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 1:32:32.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 6:03:31.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 33.
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 18.
- ↑ See "Hope Within History" (3x55) at 0:52:20.
- ↑ See "Escape From The Past" (3x58) from 2:31:04 through 2:32:12.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 0:30:36.
- ↑ See "Causatum" (2x70) from 3:31:06 through 3:33:34.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, pp. 56–57.
- ↑ See "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107) from 3:30:47 through 4:25:47.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 56.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 73.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 7.
- ↑ See "Lost Treasures" (2x22) at 2:44:31.
- ↑ See the timeline of Bells Hells.
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 See CR Cooldown C3 E107 on Beacon (subscription required) at 04:25 and 11:26 (transcript).
Art:
- ↑ Symbol of the Arch Heart from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting.
- ↑ Symbol of the Arch Heart from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount by Claudio Pozas. (source)
- ↑ Official art of the Arch Heart, by Hannah Friederichs and Cael Lyons (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Artagan and "Mister Demeanor", by Aviv Or and Cris Peter from The Tales of Exandria: Artagan #1. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of a vision of the Dawnfather, the Arch Heart, and the Crawling King in the Calamity from "Those Who Walk Away (LoVM)" (LVM2x04). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of the Arch Heart, by @vertigospirit (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Arch Heart, by Jenny Dolfen (source). Used with permission.
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