Uriel Tal'Dorei II

Uriel Tal'Dorei II was the human ruler of the Tal'Dorei Empire and the capital city of Emon. Uriel ruled Tal'Dorei alongside his wife, Empress Salda, until he was killed during an assault on Emon by the Chroma Conclave.

As an NPC in Critical Role, Uriel was played by Matthew Mercer. In The Legend of Vox Machina, Uriel is voiced by Khary Payton.

Appearance
On Critical Role, Uriel was described as a man with dark hair that was beginning to gray on the sides, with a well-kept beard. He usually wore robes colored red and bronze-gold, like the palace guards who protected him.

His depiction in The Legend of Vox Machina is of a man with dark skin, a short grey beard, and a bald head. He wears a golden circlet and wine-red clothing.

Background
Shortly before Vox Machina arrived in Emon for the first time, there was an attempted assassination on Uriel's family, which was thwarted by General Krieg. Following the attempt on their lives, the royal family grew strange and withdrawn, keeping Uriel away from the Tal'Dorei Council. His wife Salda demanded to be present at all meetings, and was often seen whispering into Uriel's ear.

Vox Machina went to the palace to speak with Uriel, but were barred entry. There, for the first time, they met Allura Vysoren, who was also trying and failing to enter. During their talk, Allura assured them that Uriel was a good and trusted man, but his and Empress Salda's recent actions were suspicious.

Allura took Vox Machina to her home, the Ivory Tower, where she and Keyleth Scryed on the palace. Their vision revealed that Uriel's family, including his children, were all under the influence of a demonic force and had been addling the mind of Uriel to use him as a mouthpiece for their plot.

After slaying Brimscythe—the draconic true form of General Krieg—Vox Machina returned to the palace, where Allura informed them that the evil feeding on the throne was growing more bold. With her help, Vox Machina infiltrated the palace as dark clouds began gathering overhead.

As they entered the throne room, they saw Uriel sitting upon the throne, surrounded by his possessed family. Vox Machina managed to banish the shadows from within their bodies, but then the dais below the throne began glowing a deep red, causing the throne itself to crack.

A glabrezu named Juurezel emerged and Vox Machina did battle with it. During the battle, Pike was killed, and as soon as the fiend was slain the party hurried to a nearby temple of Sarenrae to resurrect her.

When Vox Machina returned to the throne room, they discovered that the royal family was still lying catatonic on the floor. After inspecting their bodies, they realized that their souls were missing—and without souls, their bodies were failing. Remembering the four glowing orbs they had retrieved from the Clasp's headquarters after killing Modeth Lai, they identified the orbs as soul jars. Through a rigorous and intense evening, Vox Machina successfully restored the souls of the royal family.

Several days later, Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei called Vox Machina for an audience. He thanked the party for the bravery and heroism, and for saving him and his family, and possibly all of Emon. As thanks, Uriel offered Vox Machina a place on the Tal'Dorei Council and told them that he would be throwing another Winter's Crest Festival to make up for the previous being ruined by an assassination attempt. He told them that they would be celebrated as heroes, and that he had commissioned the construction of a keep for them just outside the city.

A week later, during the festival, Uriel's son Gren was kidnapped by the Dread Emperor. Vox Machina chased after them, killed the Dread Emperor, and returned Gren to his family, along with many of the other kidnapped children.

Arc 1: Kraghammer and Vasselheim
 In the meeting concerning the Horn of Orcus, Uriel didn't want to deal with more trouble, especially in the aftermath of the attack on his family. He asked Allura, Kima, and Vox Machina to get the artifact as far from Tal'dorei as possible.

Uriel also had a conversation with Percy about the Briarwood family, who were now in charge of the region which was previously owned by de Rolos and had recently come to Emon to take care of business.

Arc 2: The Briarwoods
 Uriel invited the Tal'Dorei Council, along with the Briarwoods and some other nobles, to a banquet to discuss trade routes and a bridge between Emon and Whitestone. During the meal, Lord Briarwood charmed Uriel.

 As he was charmed by Lord Briarwood, Uriel was immediately suspicious of Vox Machina and accused them of attacking his guests. He ordered that they see him for a proper investigation the next day.

 Still under the charm effect of Lord Briarwood, Uriel acted against Vox Machina and ordered that they be banned from the Council until further notice or the end of the investigation of the attack, as well as placing them under watch. Vox Machina then proved themselves to still be on the side of good by dealing with a roc that had been attacking the local farms.

 When Lord Briarwood was killed, Uriel was cleared of the charm spell and apologized to Vox Machina. He asked for news of Whitestone, and agreed to send help there. He then was told of the betrayal of Riskel Daxio, and placed a bounty on Riskel's head. Vox Machina captured Riskel and brought him back, where Uriel ordered his execution.

Arc 3: The Chroma Conclave
 Due his leadership becoming compromised in recent years, Uriel decided to abdicate his position as ruler of Tal'Dorei. He delivered an abdication speech in the Cloudtop District to the city's leaders and nobles, but his speech was interrupted by the sudden and catastrophic assault of the Chroma Conclave. When Raishan used her poison breath, the toxic fumes hit the nobles and councilors— including Uriel.

 Gilmore confirmed to Vox Machina that Uriel had been slain during the Chroma Conclave's assault.

 Following the fall of the Chroma Conclave, Allura mentioned that Uriel's body had not yet been recovered, but if at least part of it could be found, she would ensure they created a monument to his memory.

Legacy
A year after the fall of the Conclave, Salda had persuaded the Tal'Dorei Council to build a great Tomb of the Last Sovereign, where Uriel's ashes were laid to rest and many people paid tribute.

Appearances and mentions

 * Campaign 1
 * One-shots
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * One-shots
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * One-shots
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * One-shots
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * One-shots
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * One-shots
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * One-shots
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * The Legend of Vox Machina
 * The Legend of Vox Machina

Behind the scenes

 * In, Matt shated three points of why he specifically intended the Sovereign to not survive in the initial Conclave attack. He wanted to signify the transition from Empire to Republic, thought that Uriel would be the bravest Council member to do so, trying to fight back against this unassailable force, and a central figure that had previously been Vox Machina's highest ally, whose death was a good way to make them feel like they were on their own.
 * The final design for Uriel in The Legend of Vox Machina was changed from the original teaser trailer. This was likely to increase the resemblance to his voice actor Khary Payton.
 * Uriel is referred to as "Uriel Tal'Dorei III" in the Q&A section of . He is also referred to as the third in, and in.