Lucien Tavelle


 * &rarr;This page is about the NPC. For Taliesin Jaffe's player character that previously inhabited Lucien's body, see Mollymauk Tealeaf.

 is a purple tiefling whose body was briefly inhabited by Mollymauk Tealeaf. He is the leader of the Tombtakers. As an NPC, is played by Matthew Mercer.

Appearance
Lucien is a lavender-skinned tiefling with red eyes, curling horns, and a pronounced Irish accent. He has nine eye tattoos scattered on his body, which have been integrated into other tattoos that Mollymauk Tealeaf had had done while he was in control of Lucien's body.

When the Mighty Nein encountered him on Eiselcross, he was wearing heavy winter furs and leathers and cloaks. Beneath the cloak, he wore a simple white silk shirt.

Lucien never sleeps (although he states he does still dream), as a gift of the Somnovem, and does not blink his eyes.

Personality
Lucien, while having some characteristics and ideals in common with his fragment Mollymauk, also has some striking differences. He tends to be more charismatic, intelligent, and ruthless around others instead of being jovial and aloof. Like Mollymauk, he generally rejects his past life and is not opposed to being the center of attention, being notably arrogant and self-absorbed.

Background
Lucien grew up in Shadycreek Run, where he felt different and was treated badly because of his infernal blood. At some point in or before 833 PD, he joined the Claret Orders, but came to believe that the order was clouded in their thinking and wanted to seek a different path. Breaking off, he took a splinter group including Cree back north to Shadycreek Run and started the Tombtakers.

In 833 PD Lucien acquired a mysterious tome, a journal. When he began looking into it, it looked back at him. At that point, he became the Nonagon, and "Lucien" was only a costume he continued to wear. The Somnovem came to him in dreams and showed him the city in the Astral Plane (the Cognouza Ward of Aeor), a collection of minds becoming one under the Eyes of Nine. They bestowed on him the eyes marking his body, one by one.

The tome contained a ritual spell required to reach the Somnovem, but Lucien understood it only partially. He reached out to Vess DeRogna, for whom the Tombtakers had previously worked. She came to oversee and perform the ritual for him. Gathering in the forest, the Tombtakers had a feast at which Lucien gave a speech. DeRogna told the Tombtakers that it would be hard to tell immediately whether or not the ritual had succeeded.

The ritual was performed, but DeRogna intentionally failed. When the Tombtakers checked, Lucien was not breathing, and his spirit had been broken and scattered. The group waited until dawn, and believed the ritual had failed and Lucien was dead. Lucien had told them that if anything were to go wrong, they had to get rid of any sign, any trace. So, not far from their hideout, they buried him and went their separate ways. The mage woman took the tome as part of the arrangement Lucien had with her.

Part of his spirit remained in his body, but retained no memories of his previous life. He woke up and dug himself out of the grave, then began a new life as Mollymauk Tealeaf. Mollymauk traveled for about two years with The Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities, then met the Mighty Nein and adventured with them for some time following the disbanding of the circus. As Mollymauk, he once encountered Cree, who recognized him as Lucien. Molly pretended he knew who she was to avoid problems, and quickly parted with her. Some time later, he was killed by Lorenzo during a failed rescue mission. The Mighty Nein buried his body, and informed Cree of his death the next time they ran into her.

Realizing Lucien's body was "free", Cree headed to Molly's grave. The Somnovem had put back together the shattered pieces of his spirit and Cree was able to bring Lucien back to life. They gathered other members of the Tombtakers and headed north towards Eiselcross.

Chapter 18
 The Mighty Nein returned to the gravesite alongside Glory Run Road intending to cast Speak with Dead to ask Molly, or Lucien, about the "eyes of nine", but found the grave empty. Jester then used his blood (obtained from the Gentleman) to cast Scry on him. She saw a familiar purple tiefling, bundled up against a blizzard, walking with confidence towards an unknown destination. His coat had been left behind, found twenty feet from the gravemarker and left to the elements until it was retrieved by Veth and taken into her possession.

 Jester used Speak with Plants to talk to a patch of crabgrass who revealed that Mollymauk's body had been exhumed and ritually resurrected about fifty days earlier (around 11 Thunsheer 836 PD), approximately six and a half months after his death. Jester later Scryed on him a second time to find him staring into a fire, eating dried jerky and appearing pensive, huddled, and contemplative.

 The night that the Mighty Nein arrived at Balenpost, Jester succeeded in Scrying on the purple tiefling and saw him searching through a room. The eye in his tattooed peacock flared and he looked directly at the scrying orb and addressed it, telling her that without the previous scry, he would not have been able to locate "her". He found a book while Jester watched and went out the third-story window with it, saying, "To Alpha and Alpha, we trek till homeward bound we be. Maybe we'll see you there," then terminated her scry with a snap of his fingers. They later discovered that the room was Vess DeRogna's and her body lay dead on the bed.

 The Mighty Nein headed to location A5 on their map, guided by Dagen Underthorn. On the way, Fjord noticed a Scrying sensor when he utilized Dwueth'var's See Invisibility. As they approached the ruins, Jester heard two voices, Cree and Lucien, in her mind speaking in unison, welcoming them. She responded, asking: "Why are you doing this? What do you even want from us? We just miss you. I thought you were our friend. Anyway, we're here." The voice replied, "I don't mean you any harm. I'm just pursuing my interests, and if you have similar interests, well, I'm inviting you to come along. You don't have to."

 The party traveled down through the ruins of site A5, reaching a room with a large blue glowing crystal in the ceiling just as the Tombtakers killed the last of a party dressed in Kryn Dynasty clothing. Lucien looked directly at them, saying, "My apologies. You've arrived early. I was hoping to tidy up a bit."

 The party had a long conversation with Lucien and the Tombtakers in which he revealed that he had none of Mollymauk's memories and regarded Molly as a temporary uninvited guest in his body. Lucien had been the Nonagon for a number of years, and the last person to hold the title before him had been dead for some time. He killed Vess DeRogna in revenge for what she had done to him. As he spoke, the nine eye tattoos on his body lit with red light and simultaneously the eyes of his followers began to glow red as they spoke in unison with him. He invited the Mighty Nein to follow the Tombtakers. Before they left, Yasha gave him a four-leaf clover that Mollymauk gave her for luck. Lucien accepted it and tucked it in his jacket.

 Caduceus found Lucien and the Tombtakers sitting just outside the Mighty Nein's hut during the last watch of the night. Caduceus woke the others and he and Lucien had a cordial conversation before Lucien dispelled the dome. He told the party that the Tombtakers now have everything they require except the threshold crest the Nein recovered in A2 and a few items within Aeor itself. He suggested he was willing to trade information for the crest, and Fjord counteroffered that instead, the Nein would join the Tombtakers. Lucien agreed.  When the two traveling parties camped for the night, Lucien shared much more about his past and his relationship with the Somnovem. They crossed the lava river and that evening, Lucien dispelled Caleb's tower when Caleb cast it without permission. Caleb and Beau confronted Lucien, pointing out that the Nein were being held hostage. Caleb asked Lucien to let them look at the tome in return for staying in the tower the following night, and Lucien said he'd think on it. Jester did a tarot reading in which Lucien's final card representing his future was Death, apparently disturbing him.

 Lucien told the Nein a bit more about the Somnovem. In the morning, he allowed Beau and Caleb briefly to read the book he recovered from Vess DeRogna during her murder.

''' Beau and Caleb woke in the middle of the night, each now bearing a red eye mark similar to Lucien's. In the morning, the two parties continued traveling together toward Aeor but were attacked by Gelidon and drove her off. That night, the Tombtakers left in the middle of the night with the party's stolen Bag of Holding, pursued by the Nein. The ensuing battle went badly for the party while demonstrating Lucien's strengths and abilities.

Mollymauk Tealeaf
Lucien's body was briefly inhabited by Mollymauk Tealeaf. Mollymauk stated multiple times that he wanted nothing to do with whoever he was before he was buried, and only cared about living his life. After Molly died, Cree resurrected Lucien, who did not retain Mollymauk's memories. Lucien indicated to the Mighty Nein that Mollymauk means nothing to him, although he understands their grief.

Vess DeRogna
Vess DeRogna enlisted to help Lucien on his quest, but betrayed him and took his ritual tome. She attempted to become the Nonagon herself, but although she had nine eye tattoos on her body identical to Lucien's, she didn't quite succeed. After Lucien was revived, he sought out DeRogna and killed her in revenge, taking back his book.

Abilities

 * Damage resistances: fire, necrotic
 * Damage immunities: psychic
 * Condition immunities: charmed, frightened, stunned
 * Truesight
 * Legendary actions
 * Tumble: Move up to half his speed
 * Shift Focus: Moves his antimagic cone in any direction, using two legendary actions.
 * Legendary resistances
 * Can seemingly speak and see through his companions
 * Doesn't require sleep
 * 30-foot antimagic cone that appears to dispel rather than suppress magic
 * Recharging melee attack that deals massive psychic damage

Variant Tiefling Abilities

 * Darkvision
 * Devil's Tongue
 * Vicious Mockery cantrip
 * Charm Person spell (as a 2nd-level spell)
 * Enthrall spell
 * Hellish Resistance

Blood Hunter Abilities
Lucien is at least a 14th-level Blood Hunter. The following assumes Lucien's Blood Hunter abilities are from Matt's 2020 update for his Blood Hunter class.


 * Hunter's Bane
 * Hemocraft Die: 1d8
 * Blood Maledict (4/rest)
 * Blood Curse of the Eyeless
 * At least 3 other Blood Curses
 * Crimson Rite
 * Primal Rite: Rite of the Frozen
 * Esoteric Rite: Rite of the Oracle
 * One other Primal Rite
 * Subclass: Order of the Ghostslayer
 * Esoteric Rite: Rite of the Dawn
 * Curse Specialist
 * Ethereal Step
 * Brand of Sundering
 * Brand of Castigation
 * Grim Psychometry
 * Dark Augmentation
 * Brand of Tethering
 * Hardened Soul

Notable Items

 * Ritual tome (stolen back from Vess DeRogna)
 * Two black scimitars
 * Four-leaf clover (given by Yasha Nydoorin)

Quotations

 * Lucien: To alpha and alpha we trek 'til homeward bound we be.
 * Lucien: My apologies. You've arrived early. I was hoping to tidy up a bit.
 * Lucien: If it helps put your feelings to rest, I am sorry, for whatever it's worth, that your friend is gone. Whatever part of me they were, is not of me anymore. Truly gone. And I understand that can be challenging, and I'm sure even my presence now opens a wound.
 * Lucien: (to Caduceus, as he attacks him) It's just business, friend. My apologies. But you didn't have to follow.
 * Lucien: I'm here to open a door, to take my reign.  Long may it be.

Trivia

 * Following Lucien's introduction, the shot of Mollymauk's grave in the fourth title sequence was altered to suggest digging had occurred, and it ends with wind blowing Mollymauk's coat off its post.