Saundor

Saundor was an archfey living in the Shademurk Bog in the Feywild and the former owner of Fenthras. Betrayed and forgotten by his lover, Saundor was left to his own despair, corrupting the Shademurk Bog. Residing inside an enormous tree in the middle of the bog, Saundor longed for someone to heal his wounds and cleanse his heart: a companion, a friend. As an NPC, he was played by Matthew Mercer.

Appearance
Saundor was a thin, elf-like individual covered in a mass of plants, leaves, and thorns. The only flesh-like portion of his body was his face. His eyes glowed bright yellow. He could connect his body to the tree he resided in through tendrils of plant matter that attached to his back and shoulders.

Background
Around a thousand years ago, possibly before the Divergence, Saundor the Vibrant ended his relationship with Wodenna, contributing to his corruption, growing spiteful, filling with anger and vengeful thoughts that blackened his heart. He began to spill black ichor into the fen around him, transforming the Shademurk forest into a lifeless bog and becoming "dark echo deep within the Echo Tree, and perhaps the tree itself".

During the Calamity, Fenthras was lost in the Feywild, becoming Saundor's personal weapon.

As of 812 PD, Saundor was among the five Archfey identified by the Arcana Pansophical.

While searching for the Vestiges of Divergence, Vox Machina entered the Shademurk bog, a corrupted forest covered with viscous black tar seeping out of the cancerous tree rumored to contain the legendary longbow, Fenthras. The group approached the tree, with Scanlan Shorthalt announcing the group's presence to Saundor under the pretense of seeking his blessing as his devotees. Keyleth asked if he was present and inclined to show them his heart. An ominous voice replied in her head, "I'm here." The vines and bark opened, and a small, dark passage into the tree opened before them.

Saundor was desperate to find a companion who would heal his lonely heart. He sensed a similar desperation in Vex'ahlia: "Sweet, broken Vex'ahlia. Unwanted daughter, unproven ally. Selfish and cruel. You drive those whom you would call family into danger and death for your own gain." He hoped to establish a bond, but Vex'ahlia found Saundor's behavior strange and creepy and seemed emotionally disturbed by his insight into her inner turmoil. When Saundor proposed a bond, seeking her heart in return for power, Vex'ahlia drew her bow and released an arrow.

If she would have said yes: her character type switched from humanoid to fey, the tree pulled her up into the canopy, and there would have been a transformation process (including, a perpetual bark skin, vulnerability to fire damage, and fey abilities). However, Vex would have been bound to Saundor as her patron for the remainder of the campaign, or until she rebelled.

Combat
Despite his initial interest in Vex'ahlia, Saundor became angry at her rejection and assault. Eventually, he succeeded in knocking her unconscious. When Scanlan's Healing Word returned her to consciousness, Saundor used a legendary action to attack her again and cast a spell at her.

Frustrated by Saundor's mobility keeping him out of melee range, Grog casually walked in front of Vex'ahlia to shield her with his own body. The goliath turned toward Saundor and admonished him for succumbing to corruption due to a mere broken heart. At that point, Grog hurled his Javelin of Lightning at Saundor, impaling the archfey through the jaw. After the physical impact, the javelin's lightning burst outward, blasting pieces of Saundor's upper body across the room.

After Saundor's death, the black ichor that seeped out of the plants of the Shademurk Bog ceased flowing and started hardening like amber.

Notable items

 * Fenthras

Abilities
Saundor exerted control over his natural environment as an extension of his consciousness, covering himself in natural armor and commanding the nearby vines and treants, as well as ejecting arrow-like, viney spikes from his hand as ammunition for his bow, Fenthras. He was able to stride through the tree that constituted his lair. At the beginning of each of his turns, Saundor regenerated an estimated 57 HP (received 348 to 337 damage minus his 285 HP). and had resistance against bludgeoning, piercing, slashing damage from nonmagical weapon and against necrotic damage. Additionally, he possessed the following abilities:

Lair Actions: On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), Saundor could take a lair action to cause one of the following magical effects (DC 16). The same effect could not be used twice in a row:


 * A poisonous cloud covers an approximately 10-foot radius, requiring a Constitution saving throw.
 * Vines reach out 10 feet from the wall of the tree grappling nearby targets. Each creature within reach must succeed on a Strength saving throw or be restrained. The victim can repeat the Strength save at the end of their turns.
 * A mist of confusion seeps upwards from the roots of the tree. Each creature within a 10-foot-radius sphere must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be affected. (This effect matches the description of Confusion, cast as a single action without concentration.)

Legendary Actions:
 * Bow attack: Saundor fires a single arrow.
 * Slam attack: Saundor makes a single slam attack.
 * Spell (costs 2 actions)
 * Legendary Resistance: Automatically succeeds on a saving throw three times per day..

Spells:
 * [unknown spell]: Requires a Dexterity saving throw; successfully prevented by a 5th-level Counterspell.
 * ≤2/day:Blight
 * ≤1/day: Wall of Thorns, Reverse Gravity

Appearances and mentions

 * Campaign 1

Quotations
Vex'ahlia: You've been betrayed. Saundor: We all have, in some degree, yes. Vex'ahlia: Is that why you are what you are now? Saundor: I don't even remember. I just know that I'm alone and she left me there. Vex'ahlia: 'She'? Who is she? Saundor: The memories have faded. I just want someone to understand me, that's all. Can you understand me? Saundor: I wish a bond. A companion once more. Would you embrace me? Embrace your rebirth? I could give you so much. I could give you the means to protect them. Your home. Vex'ahlia: And what would you ask in return? Saundor: Your heart. Vex'ahlia: My heart is someone else's. Marisha Ray: No, he was a fucking cock!
 * Saundor: (to Vox Machina) Why do you come here, children of the lost? What purpose brings you to Saundor's madness and pain?
 * Saundor: (to Vex'ahlia) You all come here, but one of you is the reason. You. Sweet, broken Vex'ahlia. Unwanted daughter, unproven ally, selfish and cruel—you drive those whom you would call family into danger and death for your own gain. I understand you. [There's a softness and sadness to his face.] You are lost, without form, without knowing who you are, child. You stand shattered by expectation, presenting an illusion of confidence. Behind it, you never left that bloodied girl, dagger in hand, body at your feet. You are a killer, run as you may. The tears you cry are not in vain, my sweet, my dear Vex'ahlia. You can rise above your trembling destiny. I have lived a thousand years and a day. I have seen many things; I can grant many gifts.
 * Saundor: (to Vex'ahlia) You have things I do not. Companionship. I have been without for so very long. And the ones I've let in have hurt me so very deeply.
 * Vex'ahlia: You want to be loved.
 * Saundor: (after being shot by Vex'ahlia) Then I am to be alone.
 * Saundor: (after being shot by Vex'ahlia} Your choice is made. Become another memory here, and keep me company in oblivion!
 * Laura Bailey: (after initiating combat with Saundor) I feel so guilty.

Trivia

 * Matthew Mercer's character sheet for Saundor was briefly shown in "Behind the Screen", the ninth episode of GM Tips with Matt Mercer, with his name spelled as "Sondur". The character sheet was written before, and after that episode, Matt stated twice on Twitter that the correct spelling is "Saundor". This wiki uses the more recent "Saundor" spelling.
 * Travis Willingham speculated that the tree used to be a person whose heart was broken, which was not far from the truth.
 * If Vex'ahlia had accepted a bond with Saundor, she would have changed her creature type from Humanoid to Fey, gaining the benefits of a perpetual Barkskin (AC never drops below 16, regardless of what armor one is wearing) and other fey abilities, but with the major drawbacks of gaining vulnerability to fire damage and having the not-so-good Saundor as her archfey patron.
 * In 812 PD Lord Saundor was mentioned as one of the less known archfey by the Arcana Pansophical, and was referred as "now deceased". However, in 836 PD, while the same list remained unchanged, the status of Saundor was "reportedly deceased".
 * A possible explanation for this new ambiguity (while it's yet to be confirmed in Critical Role lore) is that archfey can't be permanently killed if they die inside their domains.
 * If things had gone differently, Wodenna could have prepared Vox Machina before encountering Saundor, telling them more about the history of his corruption, what his quirks were, what he was seeking, and would have given them possible knowledge that aided or prevented a battle. If Vox Machina managed to convince Saundor of his own folly and that his past actions was not righteous, he may have felt so guilty that he would have just withered away and left the corruption to fade on its own without a conflict.