→ This article is about the character in Downfall. For the Unseelie representative in Campaign Three, see Cashadoor.
The Emissary was an earth genasi barbarian played by Noshir Dalal in Downfall. He was the herald of the goddess Erathis, the Lawbearer.[3]
Description[]
Appearance[]
The Emissary was brought aboard the skyship Venatoria in a crate in the back of Asha's supply wagon. When the crate was opened, the group of gods saw a slab of ice-covered stone that appeared to pour out and pool at Asha's feet. A light built in the stone and a massive icy figure slowly took shape, with no mouth or eyes, and rocky plates like a carapace over his shoulders and chest. The ice forming the figure appeared windswept.[4] The Emissary was about eight feet tall.[5] On his chest there were Celestial runes carved by the Lawbearer herself, symbolizing "refusal," "abjurance," "denial," or "no."[6]
Personality[]
When The Emissary took form after being inside a crate for transport, the gods in mortal form surrounding him could feel his loss, confusion, and heartbreak. When the Emissary saw Asha, however, the confusion subsided.[7] The behavior and vocabulary of the herald was simplistic, but despite his child-like innocence he was good at reading people. Only after he died did he became more eloquent, while still retaining a behavior that showed how young he was.[8]
Biography[]
Background[]
After the main Exandrian pantheon agreed to collaborate in a plan to neutralize Aeor and their potentially dangerous technology, Erathis was supposed to send a mortal incarnation of herself to meet others and form a team to send against the city. However, when the moment came she instead created the Emissary, putting him in a crate that Asha (the mortal incarnation of Melora) received and protected, believing her lover's incarnation was waiting inside.[9]
"Downfall: Part One" (3x99)[]
After receiving visions from Arcadia Cerenvetorix (the mortal incarnation of Ioun) some incarnated gods traveled to Hawk's Hill, where they took a ship to Aeor with the help of SILAHA (the mortal incarnation of Corellon); they brought the crate with them, and when they opened it the Emissary took form, and simply explained that the Lawbearer had left him there, with a strange talisman and some seeds he showed Asha. Since there were going to be inspections, they kept the genasi inside the crate, despite his complains about the darkness.

With some distractions they managed to leave the ship and take the Vermillion Line to move through the city of Aeor, and the whole time the Emissary stayed in the crate, although complaining about wanting to see Aeor too. Eventually they reached the Chamber of Seasons, an extremely old and abandoned temple of Ioun where Arcadia was waiting for them, guiding them inside and commenting that she had the proper accessories to make the Emissary look like a summoned elemental, not unlike other extraplanar creatures bound to the will of Aeorian mages. Both the genasi and Emhira (the mortal incarnation of the Matron of Ravens) stayed behind to examine the damaged effigies, and he acknowledged her before paying his respects to the remains of a statue of the Lawbearer, after which they both continued. They met four other people, incarnations of Betrayer Gods, and one of them, Father Milo Cowst, told them about an angel visiting Aeor recently; although he complained about the presence of both Emhira and The Emissary, claiming neither counted as a god, the latter trusted the priest's previous words, believing a celestial agent might be betraying the gods. They had a long and chaotic conversation about their goals in the city, and Arcadia reminded them all of the importance of surviving as long as possible, especially the Emissary, who had a wish to break things, but also to share the "love" of Erathis with Aeor. In order to keep him alive, Ayden (the mortal incarnation of Pelor) cast Death Ward on the genasi.
"Downfall: Part Two" (3x100)[]
Before he and his team left to find the Obtenebrator, the Emissary used an old statue of Erathis to communicate with her: through it, the goddess talked to him, wondering about how Asha was feeling (the barbarian confirmed she was angry) and asking him to tell her she loved her; when the Emissary expressed it as "double, triple much, infinity", the Lawbearer seemed slightly surprised, but agreed to that way of putting it. She then explained to her herald why she had sent him, being worried about the order of things even though it was forcing her to neglect some of her promises; to that, the Emissary told her that he would keep her promise to the other gods for her, and received a boon from Erathis to do so. Right after that a very annoyed Asha asked him telepathically to stop doing that, and Zaharzht (one of the incarnated Betrayers) disdainfully called the genasi a puppet. They, along with Tishar (Gruumsh's avatar) traveled using the Vermillion Line again, hidden by Arcadia's Sphere of Invisibility, and Asha sat with the Emissary; she told him that she had prepared a gift for Erathis (a forest with rules so that the goddess of laws could give her opinions on them), and had expected to meet her mortal avatar. After the Emissary assured her that the Lawbearer wanted to be there but couldn't, and that she loved her, Asha stayed with him, and admitted that they needed him in the mission. Then the barbarian confessed his goddess had also a gift for Melora, revealing that she had planted her first forest, and that surprised Asha, who declared that sounded like a better present than hers. The Emissary noticed that the avatar of the Wildmother seemed hurt in a place like Aeor, where her gifts weren't appreciated.
When they arrived at the Genesis Ward they found a tree near a courthouse, and after Asha communicated with the small ecosystem around that green spot in the city, she used her powers to empower the tree, whose roots opened a way for them through the Onyx Pinnacle. Before following the rest of his team, the Emissary stayed near the tree, observing the birds eating in their nest, and praised Asha's work (which annoyed Tishar, who complained about being in the mission with "the couple"). Eventually they found a pool of inky shadow tended by an archmage and protected by two big constructs. The Emissary immediately went after the wizard, turning his sycamore seeds into weapons, breaking through the enemy's Shield and grappling him with the rocks of his own body, hurting him very badly. The mage, after being Silenced by Zaharzht, managed to break free and move away from the Emissary, Misty Stepping as soon as he left the area that prevented him from making sounds. However, Asha tracked him down and, using the herald of Erathis to propel herself, she reached the archmage and killed him by biting his throat out. After breaking the machines there, the avatars left through Emhira's Arcane Gate before the Aeorian authorities arrived.
"Downfall: Part Three" (3x101)[]
In the extradimensional room in the Ars Elysia the gods tried to convince Cassida Previn, one of the archmages working in the Factorum Malleus, to listen to them and help them, despite the fact that the Betrayer Gods she opposed were in the same team as the Prime Deities. The Emissary, recognizing her as one of the weapon makers, got angry and the rocks in his arm started moving in reaction (causing her to believe he was the avatar of a Betrayer God) until he learned she was trying to work with them to help her son, causing him to calm down.
After Umleta showed them a recording in which Acastriel (Pelor's solar, who Ayden recognized) talked with two of Cassida's colleagues and urged them to activate the Factorum Malleus, the avatars started moving, as Aeor shook surrounded by Kord's tempest. The Emissary was considered the key piece to destroy the weapon, so Ayden cast several spells to grant him protection, including Warding Bond. As they walked towards the tree Asha had nurtured before, the Emissary noticed beautiful gallows with religious people hanging there, shaken by the winds; he then stayed with Cassida for a bit, trying to explain to her that the gods were not just good or bad, but a family, and that the Lawbearer loved her, but the archmage was stressed and didn't react positively. They decided that Arcadia, Emhira, Umleta, and Trist would accompany Cassida to the scroll bank connected to the Factorum Malleus, to destroy the information it contained while the rest of the team destroyed the wards of the machine following the archmage's instructions; before they split, the herald of Erathis reminded the other team not to resort to half-measures. When his team arrived at the chamber they found it protected by Acastriel and the two co-creators of the machine, assisted by constructs, demons, and dragons. A battle started, and the Emissary and SILAHA went first, the former managing to destroy one of the wards of the weapon with ease; however, the irrevocable constructs stunned him and Corellon's avatar. The fight continued, and Ayden, through his bond with the Emissary, absorbed a lot of damage meant for him; the herald also resisted by himself an attempt to Banish him. Eventually he regained the ability to move, but by then some of the demons had noticed the efforts Ayden was making to protect the Emissary, so they tried to attack him even harder, understanding his importance; as he kept fighting, the herald of Erathis got brief visions from her perspective, of the boat of light bringing the gods to Exandria. As more wards were destroyed, the avatars started gaining more boons as they got access to their divine powers, but the Emissary was still mortal, so the others focused on protecting him from damage; Trist, who had come to help him, surrounded him with spectral wings to shield him from a Meteor Swarm. After Ayden encouraged the Emissary to keep fighting and he realized the moment to fulfill his duty had arrived, he told Trist that he was worthy, and she allowed him to go. His rocks started moving very fast, heating his body and melting part of it, but despite being scared, he used his power and his scales to hit the Factorum Malleus and disanimate it, preventing a wave meant to destroy divinity. As the city started falling and the energy of the machine started destroying it from the inside, the avatars (with the exception of SILAHA, who was holding the archmage Selena Erenves, his creator) started leaving the chamber to find Asmodeus, who had been conspiring against them. Before doing so, Asha kissed the Emissary's forehead, telling him he was right, and Trist cast Calm Emotions on him, to give him peace in his last moments. After a few moments in which the time seemed to slow down, the blast of energy from the Factorum Malleus was released, and although SILAHA redirected it towards Aeor itself, it deactivated the Emissary, killing him.

Fan art of the herald and the goddess of death, by Sabira Langevin.[art 3]
The soul of the herald of Erathis appeared in a dark place, and was greeted by the Matron of Death. They both recognized each other, and the goddess adapted her size and took off her mask to talk to him face to face. The Emissary asked her if she was going to take him to his mama, and she agreed, sending his soul towards the realm of the Lawbearer. As he was leaving, the Emissary said out loud to look for those that were worthy and bring them home, inspiring the Raven Queen to save one life from Aeor as the city was about to crash.
Relationships[]
Character information[]
Notable items[]
- Scales of Justice: A small sycamore sapling in either hand, which in battle become massive axes linked together with a chain.[10] One of them has at least one rune in the divine language of the gods that translates as "denial."[11] They can be used in melee or as a thrown weapon with a range of 40 feet[12][13] to ensnare the target on a successful hit and draw them into grapple with The Emissary's whirling stone armor for additional damage.[14] Ranged attacks made with them can apply features that normally require melee attacks (notably Demolishing Might).[15]
- Stone armor which "essentially turns into a buzzsaw when he enters a combat state" that does additional damage to grappled enemies, and allows fast climbing.[15]
Feats[]
Proficiencies[]
Abilities[]
Barbarian abilities[]
- Rage
- Unarmored Defense
- Danger Sense
- Reckless Attack
- Primal Path: Path of the Juggernaut
- Thunderous Blows
- Spirit of the Mountain
- Demolishing Might[20]
- Resolute Stance
- Hurricane Strike
- Unstoppable
- Extra Attack
- Fast Movement
- Feral Instinct
- Brutal Critical
- Relentless Rage
- Persistent Rage
- Indomitable Might
- Primal Champion
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign Three: Bells Hells
- "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) (first appearance)
- "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100)
- "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101)
- "The Cradle's Convocation" (3x104), in an illusion
Quotations[]
Trivia[]
- The binary at the bottom of The Emissary's character card translates to "law".
- In an interview, Noshir Dalal revealed some details about the creation of the Emissary. He explained that the Lawbearer sent him because she felt that she could only be truly objective if she kept a certain distance from the mission in the mortal world; she would have loved to make the Emissary a perfect automaton that obeyed specific commands, but she knew everything would be complicated, so she made him able to adapt, and with a body of ice and rock as a sort of love letter to Melora and her avatar. Noshir also said that the Emissary had a certain inferiority complex regarding the avatars, seeing them as uncles and aunts instead of equals; within that dynamic, Asha was the closest thing the herald had to a mother figure, especially when she began to show some warmth to him, instead of irritation.[22]
- In the same interview the actor also said that instead of a playlist for the Emissary, he wrote about 35 pages about him.
- According to Taliesin Jaffe the words Melora would use to describe the Emissary to the Lawbearer would be, "Just and kind to a point more than we deserved".[23]
References[]
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 4:25:09.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 2:11:26. The Emissary has Demolishing Might, a Path of the Juggernaut ability.
- ↑ See CR Cooldown | C3 E99 at 01:29 (subscription required), where Brennan says, "If I thought I was going to meet my wife somewhere, and a giant made of ice and stone was there instead, I would be pissed," confirming the godly identities of both Asha and The Emissary.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:51:43.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:54:40.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 5:01:26.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:53:34.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) from 5:29:23 through 5:31:18.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 1:53:57.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:13:21.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:14:59.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 2:09:39.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:13:21.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:15:28.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 See Noshir's reply in a reddit thread
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part One" (3x99) at 3:31:10.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:13:12.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Two" (3x100) at 3:16:18.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 2:02:48. The Emissary is +10 to initiative. Assuming a 20 Dexterity, it's most likely the additional +5 comes from a feat.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 2:11:26.
- ↑ See "Downfall: Part Three" (3x101) at 5:18:50.
- ↑ Critical Role’s Noshir Dalal Describes Downfall as Brennan Lee Mulligan’s Moral Woodchipper
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 2:03:40.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of The Emissary, by Hannah Friederichs (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.
- ↑ Fan art of The Emissary, by ll1ebert (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the herald and the goddess of death, by Sabira Langevin (source). Used with permission.
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