Melora, the Wildmother, known as Serataani in Marquesian,[8] is the goddess of wilderness and the sea.[9] She watches over nature, good harvest, grants protection from washing away in storms, and guides the passage of ships. As an NPC, the Wildmother is played by Matthew Mercer in Critical Role and Aabria Iyengar in Exandria Unlimited.
The Wildmother is depicted as a beautiful woman with green or deep brown skin with a strong, full figured body, and she is nearly fully enveloped by wild tangle of hair, leaves, and vines. Her image is often found carved into wooden reliefs and idols in groves and rural shrines.[10]
In addition to the staff-and-wreath, one of the Wildmother's symbols is a swirl carved into stone, a slow cascading spiral with a wave crest at the center.[11]
Realm[]
As of the late Era of Reclamation, although she didn't have a realm of her own (since she likes to travel through different planes), she was often found in the forests of Arvandor.[4] When Orym communed with her, he appeared in a forest that seemed under the control of the goddess, reacting to both of them by seeming to inhale along with Orym and responding to the Wildmother's emotions and thoughts, helping her to almost wordlessly communicate with him.[12]
Artifacts[]
The Spire of Conflux, a staff capable of casting powerful druidic spells and increasing the power of the wielder's spells, was made from the Wildmother's breath.[13] As of 843 PD, it is wielded by the archdruid Keyleth, Headmaster of the Air Ashari tribe in Zephrah, Tal'Dorei.[14]
The Wildmother's holy day is Wild's Grandeur, celebrated on the vernal equinox.[15]
Issylra[]
The district of Vasselheim known as the Abundant Terrace is dedicated to the Wildmother.[16] The Abundant Terrace is where most of the food in Vasselheim is grown. In such a cold environment it is the Wildmother's blessing that allows the land there to be fertile and grow crops from many different places. The temple in this district devoted to her worship is called the the Birthheart.[17]
The importance of the Wildmother in the Dividing Plains is evidenced by the grand Wild Arbor in Westruun's Temple Ward—and many of her followers there are not especially tolerant of minority faiths.[23]
Cinderrest Sanctum: (also known as "The Kiln" or "The Burning Lodge") Caduceus Clay's allies of the Dust family have their home in the Underforge, a gift to The All-Hammer located within Kravaraad, a craggy black volcano with a lake at its base.
The Arbor Exemplar: A lone, massive tree located in the Barbed Fields of Xhorhas. The great tree is surrounded by verdant grass which grows out a hundred feet or so during the night and then retracts during the day.[35] The Arbor Exemplar is the sister tree of the Birthheart in Vasselheim.[36]
In Uthodurn, stairs to the left of the main entrance[40] lead to a sacred garden for the Wildmother atop the mountain, adorned with a four-foot statue of the goddess. The garden remains green and untouched by snow despite the weather.[41]
As of 811 PD, Yulia kept a small stone statue of Melora in her home. Once she hid behind the altar and broke the statue, but believed in the Wildmother's forgiveness.[47]
Myriad beasts and plants, regardless of their intelligence, recognize and respect Melora, and the goddess counts them among her followers.[49]
Some of the Ashari, including many in Zephrah and Vesrah, worship the Wildmother;[50][26] Keyleth was much less devout than others before she acquired one of Melora's vestiges.[51]
An immortal spirit created by the Wildmother (either as an independent entity or as an extension of herself),[53]Sahyaadon, has a temple in the Gloomed Jungles in which there is a statue of Serataani (Melora's Marquesian aspect) to which offerings can be made.[citation needed]
Relationships[]
The Wildmother is in a relationship, albeit fractured, with the goddess of civilization and laws, the Lawbearer, considering her her wife. The fractured nature of the relationship reflects the disparity between civilization and nature, and Melora greatly wishes for the two to return to the harmony they once had. Druids of the Wildmother and clerics of the Lawbearer work to preserve the balance of nature and civilization. When this balance is upset, the two goddesses grow furious, and their fury manifests as devastating natural disasters.[10]
When the Protean Gods arrived on Exandria, the Wildmother was the one who located the planet.[55]
The Lawbearer and the Wildmother created humans through their passionate love as the third race on Exandria. They granted humans passionate hearts and a chaos that blessed them with the ambitions, mirth, and curiosity of their two creators but also cursed them to be too short-lived to entirely fulfill these impulses.[56] According to legends, Melora is also responsible for the existence of two races: the aarakocra, created as storm herders who used to drive the clouds across the sky;[57] and tabaxi, either from her dreams[58] or magically influencing common felines through them.[59]
Age of Arcanum[]
During the Age of Arcanum, mortal followers of the Moonweaver and the Wildmother forged Dwueth'var; unlike many of the weapons crafted during that era, it was intended to help protect Exandria rather than surpass or fight the gods.[60]
In the first century of the conflict, during the brief truce between Primes and Betrayers to deal with Aeor and its anti-divine technology, the Wildmother was part of a team that sent mortal avatars to live in Exandria and eventually infiltrate the flying city. The Wildmother sent a part of herself that became Asha, a wolf that for almost four decades became more powerful and even gained the ability to transform into an elf, and ruled a forest with laws as a form of present for the Lawbearer. Asha and the other avatars successfully destroyed the Factorum Malleus, and in the last moments before the city was destroyed, the avatar of the Wildmother found Zaharzht, the tortured incarnation of the Crawling King, and they spent their remaining time as mortals together, holding each other as she allowed him to hurt her and make her bleed; her blood became juice, honey, and sap, a last gift that restored the body of the avatar of the Crawling King (the brother the Wildmother felt she had ruined by finding Exandria and forcing him to experience its suffering) before their mortal forms disappeared. After Aeor crashed, the Prime Deities that had been part of the mission gathered in Eiselcross, and were joined by the Lawbearer, who explained that one of the reasons she hadn't joined the mission in person was that she knew if she saw Asha in danger she would break the rules to help her, and that's why she sent the Emissary (a construct-like creation) instead. The deities spoke briefly about the possibility of leaving Exandria to stop hurting it (the Wildmother didn't want to leave), and eventually decided to return to their realms. The Lawbearer, remembering the conversation between Asha and the Emissary, asked her wife to tell her everything about her son, and the two goddesses walked away together, as the Wildmother started talking about the brave child that was the Emissary.
During the Calamity, Zehir ambushed and killed many followers of Melora near one of her shrines. Her screams created the tortuous, thorny Lushgut Forest, which crushed the followers of Zehir and sent them into retreat.[5]
In one of the last battles of the Calamity, the Wildmother and her Free Children battled the Strife Emperor and his goblinoid legions, this time on the highlands at the southern end of the Rifenmist Peninsula.[28] Melora prepared for the encounter by sending animal and plant agents to the fortress prison of Rybad-Kol; there, different vermin moved unnoticed, Blessing prisoners and individuals who weren't aligned with the Betrayer Gods, while thin roots creeped through walls and cracks, slowly weakening the structure.[62] When the Strife Emperor finally arrived to the area, he and his forces were attacked by an army of beasts that included common animals, giant beasts, and dinosaurs; at the same time, roots and thorns started growing violently and killing all that hadn't been protected by the Prime Deity. (Given that these beasts were the only casualties left on the battlefield that would have been on the Wildmother's side,[63] they are presumably the "Free Children".[28]) Although the main conflict was between the goddess of nature and the god of conquest, both the Dawnfather and the Stormlord assisted their sister in battle, providing undead-destroying light and tempestuous weather. By the end of it, the Wildmother defeated the Strife Emperor, whose armor was scattered across the region. Rybad-Kol was destroyed,[64] and the highlands came to be called the Beynsfal Plateau. Centuries later, it was believed that the soil of the plateau was reduced to ash and permanently sterilized by this epic battle.[65] But in fact, by the time the Strife Emperor was defeated, his lands had already been ashen wastes devoid of life for some time.[66]
The Wildmother planted a seed in the most desolate place in the world before withdrawing beyond the Divine Gate along with the rest of the Prime Deities. That place became the Barbed Fields of Xhorhas, where the huge tree stands alone in the middle of dangerous plains. Called the Arbor Exemplar, it is considered the sister of the Seed of Rebirth in the Abundant Terrace, the main temple of the Wildmother in Vasselheim.[67][68]
Era of Reclamation[]
After the Divergence,[69] an arcane forest fire slowly burned the trees of the Greying Wildlands for a century, leaving only one section of the woods intact, thanks to the blessings of the Arch Heart and the Wildmother protecting the wood elves who had stayed in the forest.[70]
"Within the Nest" (2x28)
The remaining members of the Mighty Nein sought out the priest located in the Blooming Grove, a holy site to Melora, in order to avenge Mollymauk Tealeaf's death and free their friends from captivity. They discovered Caduceus Clay there, who joined the party to help find a cure for the rapidly spreading disease plaguing his home temple.[74]
"The Ruby and the Sapphire" (2x33)
The Mighty Nein visited the Mother's Lighthouse in order to find information about the recent whereabouts of Marius LePual.
"In Hot Water" (2x43)
After being banned from Darktow Island, Caduceus cast Divination and asked the Wildmother where the safest place to port and repair the Squalleater would be. She responded back, "Bisaft Isle brings you safest harbor in what you seek." After casting the spell, Caduceus felt more confident on the seas.[75]
"The Second Seal" (2x47) Caduceus Clay cast Divination, asking The Wildmother what Fjord's former mentor Vandran was doing. He heard a warm voice along with an unexpected warm wind on a cold night say "Staying out of sight. Making amends."[76]
"A Game of Names" (2x49)
While the Mighty Nein were trying to figure out who had kidnapped Yeza Brenatto, Caduceus Clay cast Divination asking The Wildmother, "What is Yeza's destination?" He felt the wind around him pick up and a voice speak through the wind: "Ghor Dranas".[77]
"Duplicity" (2x55) Jester Lavorre cast Revivify on Caduceus Clay after Nott accidentally killed him with an explosive arrow. For an instant she felt a presence and saw a matronly smile and a figure with tumbling hair in the shadows. Jester told Caduceus she saw the Wildmother looking over him and smiling. While in darkness, Caduceus had a vision of green fields, ice-covered land, a fiery forge, and glimpses of scattered historical families. A warm breeze blew east past the mountains and the wastes. Caduceus mysteriously felt like he was on the right path.[78]
"Chases and Trees" (2x65)
Caduceus cast Commune while the Mighty Nein camped near the Arbor Exemplar in the Barbed Fields. He asked if the tree was hers. The Wildmother responded it was her last and final seed. He asked what was keeping her away. She responded that the land was still scarred since the gods all left. He finally asked if he was here to fix the landscape. She responded: "It's too big to fix. Your path is your own."[79] That night, Fjord dreamed of Uk'otoa threatening him, when a voice said, "Come with me, child." He swam into a small chamber of tangled vines and roots, and the voice spoke once more, "The womb I grant, but withers without faith. His will shall find you again... but until it does, rest." That same night, Caduceus also had a vision of a mountainous area with a volcano. Shards of green glass were thrown into the magma and turned purple in color. The vision then shifted to a jungle oasis holding a temple next to a pool. The same crystals were placed in the water and grew roots like a germinated seed.
"Beneath Bazzoxan" (2x66)
While on their night watch, Fjord told Caduceus about the vision he had the night before under the tree. Caduceus explained that the voice he heard is the Wildmother, the deity that Caduceus's family worships. Fjord shared that he had been surrounded in warmth and wanted to feel that again. Caduceus taught Fjord how to meditate, and he heard the familiar sound of waves crashing on the shore.[80]
"Clay and Dust" (2x72)
The Mighty Nein visited the Cinderrest Sanctum under Kravaraad in search of someone who could reforge the Star Razor.
"Rime and Reason" (2x75)
Caduceus again cast Commune, this time asking the Wildmother if she could give Fjord his magical powers back. She responded with a definitive yes.
"Refjorged" (2x76)
While meditating, Fjord saw Melora's face in the sky. She told him the seed of darkness in him was too deep for her to heal, but she could help him if he would swear to protect all that is hers. He agreed without hesitation, and she gave him her boon as tendrils of seaweed encased him.[81] In the morning, he awakened stronger and officially became her paladin.
"The Folding Halls" (2x80)
After realizing that they had been scryed upon, Caduceus cast Commune to ask the Wildmother about it. She affirmed that it had been someone in the Kryn Dynasty, that it was not Essek, and that it was by command of the Bright Queen. During the communion, Fjord and Caduceus's hair unexpectedly moved to an invisible gust of wind.[82]
"Unwanted Reunions" (2x88)
Fjord was given a holy symbol of the Wildmother by Caduceus after maintaining his sense of self throughout his battle with Uk'otoa.[83]
"Lingering Wounds" (2x89)
Fjord used his downtime in Rexxentrum to meditate and allow himself to be more open to the Wildmother. After some time focusing, a calm breeze washed over his mind and he heard the familiar sounds of the ocean waves.
"Family Shatters" (2x96)
Caduceus and Jester were able to restore the petrified members of the Clay family and several of the Stone family as well. Caduceus fulfilled the last step of the visions the Wildmother had sent him by dropping his transformed residuum crystals into the pool in the Menagerie. He then gave the crystals to his sister Calliope, and asked her to plant them within the Blooming Grove in his stead.
"High Seas, High Stakes" (2x99)
After Fjord was revived successfully by Caduceus and had the Cloven Crystal taken out of him, he began to remember the cold, isolating darkness that came along with death as he slept. Melora sent a "bloom of green and warm blossom" that helped wash away the lingering anxiety and fear. [84]
"The Ruined Sliver" (2x104)
Caduceus successfully used Divine Intervention and asked the Wildmother about Vokodo's true nature. He was shown that Vokodo had fled from the Astral Plane while being pursued and crashed on Rumblecusp, dragging slivers of multiple other planes with him. [85]
"Devoutness and Dicks" (2x107)
As Caduceus was trying to meditate in the evening, visions of the floating city in the Astral Sea flooded his mind once more. He felt afraid and a cold chill shot through his body, knowing that this entity was a perversion of the values he held dear. The next day, Caduceus yet again cast Commune, asking the Wildmother if she knew anything about this creature. She responded back with a cold breeze, indicating she didn't know what this creature was or if it was coming for them.[86]
"Traveler Con" (2x108)
Caduceus cast Commune, asking the Wildmother if the Traveler was being reasonably honest about his plans for Traveler Con the following day. She responded only with a comforting embrace, indicating she didn't know the answer.
"The Chase Begins" (2x112)
The Wildmother spoke to Fjord while aboard the Midnight Hammer, and he took the Oath of the Open Sea[87] as a paladin in her service. The same day, Caduceus cast Commune, asking the Wildmother about the locations of Cree and Lucien. A warm breeze indicated that they were both ahead of them in the Biting North. He then asked if Vess DeRogna knew more about the Tombtakers than she let on. A stagnant chill indicated uncertainty.
"Fair-weather Faith" (2x123)
Caduceus cast Commune, asking if Essek could help them on their quest, if the red eyes on Beau and Caleb could be used against them, and if the Tomb Takers needed a sacrifice. Caduceus first saw a twinkling star in the distance, promising safety and comfort for them. Then, he saw the nearby fog thicken, showing uncertainty to the second question. Finally, after a brief pause, a cold breeze came through the jungle to signify Melora saying no.[88]
"A Walk to Warmer Welcomes" (2x124)
Caduceus successfully used Divine Intervention and was able to find the location of the secret entrance used by the Tombtakers to enter the ruins of Aeor.[89]
"Long May He Reign" (2x140)
After seeing Caleb unsuccessfully cast Raise Dead on Mollymauk, Caduceus quietly decided to use Divine Intervention and beseech the Wildmother to bring Molly back to life. After a successful intervention, Molly was able to open his eyes again for the first time.[90]
"A Test of Worth" (E1x05)
While trying to search for something to help translate the rune the party found in "The Oh No Plateau" (E1x02), the group began to hear the Wildmother's voice in the jungle. She then created a challenge for the party that involved fighting a mossy alligator. The party eventually won after Opal was able to subdue the creature by flipping it on its back.
The Gorgynei worshiped Sahyaadon, a spirit created by the Wildmother. There was a statue of her holding an empty scabbard in Zha'Vrollo, the temple where the Gorgynei were tested. After Chetney Pock O'Pea passed Sahyaadon's trial the Wildmother called Orym's attention and blessed his sword through the scabbard of her statue, turning it a magical weapon;[91] his friend Fearne, thankful for the gesture, left an offering for the goddess.
Weeks later in Wildemount, at the beginning of the apogee solstice, the Mighty Nein had to stop Trent Ikithon and the abyssal Monster he had freed, Omentis. After a successful Divine Intervention, Melora granted Caduceus Clay's request, turning translucent the shadows surrounding the Scion of Ruin, allowing Beauregard Lionett to access the relic needed to seal the creature and the archmage inside it.[92]
When Bells Hells were split into two groups after the Battle of the Red Center, a slightly drunken Fearne visited the garden dedicated to the Wildmother during the last night she spent in Uthodurn before starting a new mission; there, she prayed to the goddess, unsure about the whole process, but asking her to contact Orym and let him know that she and her group were safe.[93] In a similar way, Orym prayed to the Wildmother at night while he and his group were in the Serratus Wilderness by planting his sword (blessed by the Wildmother herself) in the ground and adorning it with flowers before expressing his trust in her and begging her for help in the form of some miracle that she could send them.[94] These both occurred on the same night, the 24th of Fessuran, 843 PD.[95]
In Tal'Dorei before the apogee solstice, the Wildmother stayed in contact with Fy'ra Rai, one of her followers, as she asked advice about her friend Opal, champion of the Spider Queen; however, during the solstice the goddess stopped communicating verbally, fearful of the looming threat of Predathos. When the Spider Queen forced Opal to attack her friends, Fy'ra asked the Wildmother for guidance, and the Prime Deity confirmed that they should remove the Circlet of Barbed Vision that Opal was wearing; however, the Wildmother showed hesitation when asked if she could intervene herself to help.
The battle continued, and Fy'ra in desperation prayed once more to her goddess, promising to serve her more actively if she helped them. Melora conveyed the possibility of a reward if the fire genasi committed to her offer; Fy'ra agreed, starting her journey as a champion, and the Wildmother, as an immediate reward, Dispelled the Darkness spell that had been covering Opal for most of the fight. When Fy'ra reached her friend and grabbed her vestige, its spines pierced her hands and she realized she couldn't take away the circlet without killing Opal. The Wildmother helped her, forcing the thorns to release the monk's hands. After some negotiation, the Spider Queen agreed to work with Fy'ra and the Wildmother against Predathos, although manifesting her irritation about the possibility of interacting with the Prime Deity more often.
When Bells Hells were visiting Zadash, Orym went off alone with the blade Ishta, performing the Zeph'aeratam with it until he felt the Wildmother's presence making the sword a bit lighter for him, as one single cloud in the clear night caused rain to fall over him, refreshing him. Instead of ruining the moment with words, Orym experienced it in silence, and by the time other joined him there was no trace of the Wildmother's cloud.[96]
Bells Hells traveled to the ruins of Aeor, where Ludinus Da'leth showed them the record of the city's fall that included the role of the Wildmother and her mortal avatar in it. Later, during a ritual to seal away the soul of Delilah Briarwood from Laudna, Orym cast Hex and as red poppies appeared, a warm breeze was felt in the room as the Wildmother subtly helped them succeed. Orym theorized that the goddess wanted Laudna to be free and still powerful. The following day, the group traveled to Vasselheim, and when they saw the Abundant Terrace, Ashton (remembering Asha) said he wished he had an apple with him.[97]
Later, the group returned to the Birthheart, where Orym placed his sword Seedling among its roots while he prayed. He was covered in roots and vines and taken into communion with the Wildmother herself, finding himself naked and seemingly formed from leaves in a beautiful moonlit glade, where the branches parted to reveal the goddess's smiling face. Orym apologized for not being one of her worshipers, and sensed there was no need to apologize; he also informed her about his knowledge of the fall of Aeor and the part she took, which caused her to take Asha's appearance for a moment, leading him to a part of the forest in which there was a ruined statue. After Orym nurtured the place to allow some growth, she revealed to him a vision of the arrival of Predathos on Exandria and the gods' creation of Ruidus from an island on the planet thrown into space as a prison for the god-eater. He felt the gods' overwhelming fear of this creature, and the Wildmother apologized, cradling him in her arms and giving her unconditional love with a request: "Protect us, for we protect you, and together, we protect this." Orym's deceased husband Will appeared, telling him to live and be happy. When Orym reclaimed Seedling from the tree, it had been enhanced by the Wildmother into the first of the Relics of the Red Solstice.[98]
When Bells Hells and the Mighty Nein were preparing to cross the portal to Ruidus inside Lake Umamu, several Air Ashari joined forces in a ritual to part the waters, with some of them invoking the Wildmother's name to do so.[99]
When the Exandrian Accord was preparing to attack the Hellcatch Valley to defeat Ludinus Da'leth's allies, Ophera (the highest among the Wildmother's worshipers in Vasselheim) gave a speech to inspire the troops and remind them of the righteousness of their cause.[100] Later, during the assault itself, a pair of spectral green hands appeared in the middle of a dust storm to part the clouds and improve the visibility of the skyships as they flew towards the Red Center.[101]
The Wildmother and the rest of the main pantheon attended the meeting in which Bells Hells and the Matron of Ravens proposed to use the latter's Rites of Catatheosis to turn them into mortals and avoid Predathos. Eventually the gods present agreed to the plan and through the Matron's ritual, bound their souls to Exandria itself and were reborn as mortals. A few days later, Orym dedicated a prayer to her nonetheless, wondering if she had already been born and hoping they could walk together in the future, as he used her power inside of Seedling to restore Planerider Ryn's arm.[102]
Her name means "multiply" in Yoruba. It could also derive from the Galician mellora (improvement), which ultimately comes from melior, which translates as "better" in Latin.[103] All the versions of the etymology share a theme of abundance, which is one of the kindest parts of the domain of the Wildmother as a goddess of nature.
Taliesin Jaffe, who played Asha, the Wildmother's mortal incarnation in Downfall, said of her: "This is just Caduceus's Wildmother. This is literally just a version of Caduceus going, "Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm hungry all the time, and I'm violent. Hi. I'm nature."[104] In an interview, Jaffe elaborated that the Wildmother "protects the fundamental health and rhythm of the ecosystem beneath civilization. However, without a civilization to converse with, all that is left is the goddess of the eater and the eaten. Without outside intervention, nearly all life lives in a perpetual state of starvation and dies violently". He also confirmed that Asha is not just a creation, but an actual part of the goddess in physical form.[105]
Melora believes that there is very little that differentiates her from a Betrayer God,[106] and that the most important thing that separates her from them is that she is unwilling to completely abandon Exandria.[107] Jaffe commented that he "kept thinking that if she had fallen in with the Betrayers, she would have been labeled a goddess of famine".[105]
According to the story known by Caduceus Clay, the three ancestors of the Clay, Dust and Stone families, were believed to be the earliest champions of the Matron of Ravens, since he said they were serving the goddess of death the day after her ascension when they were sent to ask advice to the Wildmother for a mission.[108] This, however, becomes more confusing after Taliesin Jaffe explained that the warrior whose body Clay, Dust, and Stone had taken had died during the Calamity.[109] Eventually he confirmed that only after the fall of Aeor, when the gods finally started considering the Raven Queen part of their family, did they work together to create the temples guarded by the three families.[110]
↑See "Steam and Conversation" (2x09) from 0:40:39 through 0:43:10. Claudia Sheed lists the approved deities of the empire, which do not include the Wildmother.
↑Official art of the Wildmother, 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.
