Iselda

 is a marilith in disguise as a human. She appeared in Vox Machina Origins Series I.

Appearance
In her human form, Iselda is a blonde woman with green eyes who wears green armor wielding dual swords. In her true form, she has pointed ears, glowing eyes, six arms, and a long serpentine tail.

Personality
She talks down to her enemies, treating them as beneath her and not worth her time.

Vox Machina Origins Series I
Iselda met with Lustran Zeth to discuss their business dealings, Iselda stepping out of a magic mirror. Iselda noted to Zeth that he was followed, which she took as a sign that Zeth's plan was working. Zeth agreed, promising that, as the populace of Stilben was leaving, the town would be clear in a week. Zeth asked about the ones following him, but Iselda assured him that she would take care of everything and ordered him to return to his business.

After fighting a group of Myriad assassins, Vox Machina began investigating the hideout when Iselda stepped through the mirror and stabbed Scanlan, remarking that if she wanted things done right, she ought to do it herself. Iselda easily incapacitated Vex and Vax and had the upper-hand for much of the fight. Grog managed to cut a gash into Iselda's chest, but she only smiled and said he ought to go. She tossed a glowing green bead at Grog, which expanded into a bubble around him. The rest watched in surprise and Scanlan could only react with, "We're fucked."

Keyleth lunged at her, pinning her to the wall which forced her to use her swords to parry the druid's claws. Iselda then transformed into smoke and rematerialized behind Keyleth. She stabbed her in the back, dealing enough damage to force the druid to revert to her half-elf form. As Iselda stood over Keyleth's unconscious body, Tiberius asked for her attention, and to not eviscerate one of the few friends he has found in Stilben. He cast a spell that propelled a glowing purple rope that wrapped itself around Iselda, allowing Vax and Vex to attack her. Iselda managed to force her way close enough to Tiberius to grasp his hand and cast a melee damaging spell, breaking his concentration and knocking him out.

She cast a lightning spell that almost knocked out Scanlan, and taunts Vex and Vax, calling them " brave, little othlir". The twins land enough hits on her to force her to take a healing potion, before breaking the vial on the ground. Iselda continued to mock the adventurers, comparing them to children on a playground and took out an acorn that she dropped onto the ground before smashing it with her foot, sending out a cloak of magical darkness.

Scanlan remembered that he had a Wand of Daylight with him, and activated it, showering the room with magical sunlight and revealing Iselda standing with swords raised over the unconscious body of Vax. Iselda glared at Scanlan before Zeth made a surprise appearance, creaking a nearby door open to ask Iselda if the fight was over yet. Iselda swore, grabbed the alchemist by the collar and dragged him with her through the mirror.

Iselda returned to Zeth's manor, where the Mirror of Translation taunted her for being beaten by a group of insects. Iselda drank a healing potion and said everything was going according to plan, but the Mirror called her out on her lie. Iselda reminded the Mirror that she promised the Myriad a foothold in Tal'Dorei and that she intends to follow their timetable to transfer hold of Stilben from the Clasp to the Myriad. The Mirror offered to help, but Iselda, knowing the price of accepting such a deal with the magical item, refused, noting that either way, Stilben would be under their grasp, she would advance in rank, and they would be equals. The Mirror disagreed that they would ever be equals, reminding her of her failure to kill the adventurers in the alchemy laboratory, but Iselda claimed to have "mastered them easily," but she needed to get Zeth to safety to "protect the network". The Mirror envisioned the next fight being more fun, but Iselda, holding her bloodsoaked sword in view, remarked that there will not be "a next time" before licking the blood off her sword and, as if she now knew who the blood belongs to, appeared to summon a live image of Vax'ildan on the Mirror.

Iselda then kidnapped Vax, attacking him in the middle of the street as his sister watched and dragging him through a mirror. Iselda laughed at Vex through the mirror before she smashed it. Vax was tossed into a cell aboard the Mockingbird and an operative of Iselda asked if she wishes for torture, which she declined. Instead she wished to leave Vax there as bait. Vax asked Iselda who she was, but Iselda only told him that she was his enemy and there was hardly a chance he would survive. Vax retorted that he was thinking the same about her, which caused Iselda to chuckle and inform him that the Clasp had failed to do anything to stop her except send "[them] idiots", but she admitted that alone made them stand out and there may be a place for them in her new organization, an offer Vax calmly refused. Iselda advised he mulls it over with his teammates when they arrived. Vax sarcastically wished her good luck in that, since her sudden appearance was the only reason they did not all kill each other. Iselda told him that, regardless, Vex would do fine, but Vax told her that she had to be long gone by now. Iselda laughed and mocked Vax for believing Vex's threat. Even if the others didn't come for him, his sister would. Vax asked how she knew and if the mirrors were how, and Iselda told him that, while the mirrors were useful, she knew that Vex would come because of their bond. Iselda ordered her associate to prepare a ritual and check in on Vax every quarter-hour, and kill him if he escaped.

Vax did attempt escape, and Iselda caught him, commenting that he was more skilled than she originally thought, but not by much. Iselda and her servant fought Vax, and Iselda ordered the golem to stop Vax, who was backed against a wall. The Servant raised a magically charged fist to punch Vax, who sneered. He tricked the Servant into blowing a hole in the ship and escaped. Vox Machina then boarded the ship, hoping to put a stop to the Myriad's attempt at taking over Stilben. They fought The Servant, before Iselda suddenly joined the fight, stabbing Keyleth through the stomach and mocking the party for their predictability. Vax promised they'd surprise her soon enough. As the fight progressed, Iselda revealed her true form for the first time, growing six arms and a serpentine tail. The party eventually were able to defeat her, knocking her into a circular engraving on the floor which flared with green flame and incinerated her.

Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn
In the adventure hook Demonblood Vengeance, set in 836 PD, Iselda is described as a marilith who has stayed around the edges of Stilben since Vox Machina defeated her. In the adventure hook, Iselda's loyalties switch from the Myriad to Lolth.

Relationships

 * Lustran Zeth
 * The Myriad

Abilities
Iselda is a marilith, the typical abilities of which are described in the Monster Manual, p. 61. Additionally, her demonic ichor can spawn demonfeed spiders.

Notable items

 * Mirror of Translation

Appearances and mentions

 * Vox Machina Origins Series I