Vespin Chloras was an archmage and malconvoker during the Age of Arcanum who freed the Betrayer Gods from their prisons and became the left hand of Asmodeus.[4] As an NPC in Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, Vespin was played by Brennan Lee Mulligan; the version of him conjured by the Matron of Ravens was played by Matthew Mercer.
Personality[]
Vespin Chloras has been described as a total narcissist and megalomaniac whose greatest heartbreak was his failure to replicate the success of the Matron of Ravens in ascending to godhood.[5] In ancient Vasselheim, he was a famously masterful, wealthy, and vicious archmage[4] who seemed to have no intention to dethrone the Prime Deities[6] or guarantee the supremacy of the evil gods, but desired only that history remember him.[7] However, once the scale broadened and went out his control, a look of pain appeared[8] and streaks of tears ran down his face.[9] When he temporarily was cleansed by Zerxus from the pernicious influence of Asmodeus, Vespin said that he regretted his aspirations for power and the patronage of the Betrayers, easing Zerxus's contract with the Lord of the Hells as a desire for an unobtainable redemption.[10]
Biography[]
Background[]
Vespin Chloras was a malconvoker (a mage who believed that evil creatures could be tricked into accomplishing good acts) in pre-Calamity Vasselheim who had spent his entire lifetime thwarting devils.[11]
Exandria Unlimited: Calamity[]
"Excelsior" (E3x01)[]
Cerrit Agrupnin from the Eyes of Avalir was notified that a mage in Vasselheim, Vespin Chloras, had two weeks ago attempted to perform some kind of elaborate ritual and disappeared. It was suspected that Vespin was attempting to replicate the Ritual of Seeding,[12] weakening the gate that held the Betrayer Gods at bay and turning into a fiend.
At a party that evening, Purvan Suul appeared to warn the city of Avalir of Vespin's deeds and that his motivations were more complicated than ascension to godhood, but was largely ignored.[13] Later at that party, Cerrit noticed an invisible creature made of stitched-together flesh and killed it, only to hear a voice whispering, "You will never reach the Wildmother's embrace in time. Are you looking for something?" then saw Vespin Chloras rush toward the surface of a mirror behind him, cracking the glass and disappearing.[14] His face at that point had most of its skin peeled off.[15]
"Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02)[]
In Loquatius's office at the Herald's Tome, Loquatius and Cerrit found an eight-year-old recorded interview of someone else with Vespin in the background. He was talking with Lacrytia Hollow and Loras of the Weaver's Mask, and Cerrit could read Vespin's lips. They were talking about the pact with the Gau Drashari and why that had made re-creating the Raven Queen's Ritual of Seeding so difficult. But, Vespin said, Avalir bears the Tree of Names, which the Arboreal Calix was built over and around 120 years ago.
"Blood and Shadow" (E3x03)[]
Laerryn cast Blight upon the Tree of Names, sundering it. As a seam opened in the trunk, there was fire and the mutilated face of Vespin Chloras peered out. Behind him, Asmodeus's voice said, "Very good, my little puppet." Vespin crawled through and as the tree split further apart, the Lord of Hells emerged, saying, "Ah, to be home again!" as he set foot once more in Exandria.
"Fire and Ruin" (E3x04)[]
Asmodeus ordered Vespin to get Lacrytia Hollow, Milus Phren, Findras Lightbreaker, and Micah Cormorant in position. Before Asmodeus left for Ghor Dranas he told Vespin to prepare the gateway for the Primordial Empress and Emperor, who must join them before sunrise in Vasselheim. In the Arboreal Calix, Asmodeus's new champion Zerxus found the unconscious but stable Nydas, the dead Patia and Loquatius, and Vespin Chloras. Zerxus used Cleansing Touch on Vespin, trying to give him a chance for redemption, and Vespin shrieked as his skin regrew and a human face appeared on the fiendish body... for the moment.
Saying there wasn't much time, Vespin grasped the mace and cast Time Stop. Continually fighting retransformation into a fiend, Vespin used his skills as a malconvoker to inscribe more runes upon the mace, moving the time that the deal for Zerxus's soul would go into effect to sunrise. Vespin gasps out that the party must go back to the Hall of Prophecy before Dimension Dooring away to buy them time before becoming a puppet to Asmodeus once more.
Vespin (once more under Asmodeus's sway) fought the party along with four corrupted taxmen automata. With only six seconds till touchdown, Vespin began to cast Power Word Kill at Laerryn, but Cerrit managed to sneak attack, with a natural 20, and kill him before the spell went off, sending Vespin over to the Nine Hells.
Legacy[]
Following his death, Vespin was born anew in the Nine Hells, serving at the left hand of Asmodeus, Lord of the Hells.[4]
Vespin's role in starting the Calamity earned him renown as one of the greatest villains in Exandrian history. In 843 PD, Evon Hytroga displayed a fake journal of Vespin Chloras, apparently written by Evon himself, at the Twilight Mirror Museum.[16][17]
History would remembered him as one who sought guidance and power from the Betrayer Gods, opening the gates of their prisons and releasing them and their creations into the mortal world. Upon seeing the world, the Betrayer Gods' need to destroy was replaced by desire to dominate, and their first thrall was none other than Archmage Vespin himself. The release of those gods led directly to the Calamity.[18]
When talking to Bells Hells after the apogee solstice of 843 PD, the Matron of Ravens summoned an image of Vespin as one of the examples of an important figure crushed by destiny, and then used it to test the adventurers. Chetney Pock O'Pea defeated the fiendish mage by brutally breaking his jaw.[19]
Abilities[]
Screenshot of the miniature of Vespin Chloras from "A Test of Fate" (3x109).[art 3]
- Legendary Actions
- Cast a cantrip[20]
- Legendary Resistance
- Resistant to fire damage[21]
- Vulnerable to radiant damage[22]
Wizard abilities[]
Wizard spells[]
| Spell level | Spell | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (cantrip) | Fire Bolt[23] | |
| 2nd | Mirror Image[24] | |
| 2nd | Misty Step[25] | |
| 3rd | Counterspell[26] | |
| 7th | Crown of Stars[27] | |
| 8th | Horrid Wilting[28] | |
| 9th | Power Word Kill[29] | |
| 9th | Time Stop[30] |
Appearances and mentions[]
Fan art of Vespin Chloras, by Callum Lyall.[art 4]
- Specials
- "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) (first appearance)
- Exandria Unlimited: Calamity
- "Excelsior" (E3x01)
- "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) (in recordings)
- "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03)
- "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04)
- Campaign Three: Bells Hells
- "Breaking and Entering..." (3x20), mentioned only
- "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21), mentioned only (unnamed)
- "An Exit Most Fraught" (3x48), mentioned only
- "A Test of Fate" (3x109), version of him summoned by the Matron of Ravens
Quotations[]
- "Do not bother with my name. In the darkness, I saw my name would be destroyed, and I asked beyond all things not to be forgotten. And I know the Lord of the Hells will see that wish granted. I thought-- I'm a fool. And I brought ruin to the world. Hope that you are forgotten."[31]
Trivia[]
- After Chetney killed the version of him the Raven Queen sent against Bells Hells, he said that he felt like he had killed him before.[32] This joke was a reference to Cerrit Agrupnin, another character of Travis Willingham's, who killed the fiendish form of Vespin in Avalir, sending him to the Hells.[33]
References[]
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 3:46:55.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 3:47:34. This assumes the version of Vespin summoned by the Matron of Ravens had the same abilities as the actual Vespin.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 2:45:23.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, p. 15.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 1:36:20.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 2:45:23.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 2:10:54.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 2:05:24.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 2:10:54.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 2:14:24.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Oh My Gods" (4SDx26) at 1:37:27.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:35:40.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:35:12.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 4:06:00.
- ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 9:37.
- ↑ See "Breaking and Entering..." (3x20) at 2:52:39.
- ↑ See "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21) at 3:01:46.
- ↑ See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 7.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) from 2:20:05 through 4:00:00.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 4:23:24.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 3:33:25. This assumes the Vespin summoned by the Matron of Ravens has the same abilities as the original.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 3:33:40. This assumes the Vespin summoned by the Matron of Ravens has the same abilities as the original.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 4:23:24.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 4:21:45.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 4:46:05.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 4:26:20.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 3:38:13. This presumes the version of Vespin summoned by the Matron of Ravens has the same powers as the original.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 2:52:04. This presumes the version of Vespin summoned by the Matron of Ravens has the same powers as the original.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 5:11:33.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 2:08:51.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 2:14:24.
- ↑ See "A Test of Fate" (3x109) at 4:00:22.
- ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04).
Art:
- ↑ Official art of Vespin Chloras, by Jessica Nguyen from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 3:37. Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vespin Chloras, by Adurna0 (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Screenshot of the miniature of Vespin Chloras from "A Test of Fate" (3x109). 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 Vespin Chloras, by Callum Lyall. Work contributed to the Critical Role Wiki by the artist. Used with permission.
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