- → This article is about the character. For the episode, see: Raishan (episode).
Raishan, the Diseased Deceiver, was an ancient green dragon and a member of the Chroma Conclave. As an NPC, Raishan was portrayed by Matthew Mercer. She appears in The Legend of Vox Machina, voiced by Cree Summer.
Contents
- 1 Description
- 1.1 Appearance
- 1.2 Personality
- 2 Biography
- 2.1 Background
- 2.2 "Omens" (1x39)
- 2.3 "Desperate Measures" (1x40)
- 2.4 "The Frigid Doom" (1x64)
- 2.5 "Passed Through Fire" (1x69)
- 2.6 "Trust" (1x70)
- 2.7 "Vorugal" (1x71)
- 2.8 "The Coming Storm" (1x73)
- 2.9 "Clash at Daxio" (1x77)
- 2.10 "The Siege of Emon" (1x78)
- 2.11 "Thordak" (1x79)
- 2.12 "Raishan" (1x80)
- 2.13 "What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81)
- 2.14 "Deadly Echoes" (1x82) - "The Deceiver's Stand" (1x83)
- 2.15 The Legend of Vox Machina
- 3 Relationships
- 3.1 Keyleth
- 3.2 Thordak
- 4 The Deceiver's Legacy
- 5 Character information
- 5.1 Notable items
- 5.2 Abilities
- 5.2.1 Spells
- 6 Appearances and mentions
- 7 Quotations
- 8 Trivia
- 9 References
Description[]
Appearance[]
Raishan, as an ancient green dragon, was able to take on the form of others. She had taken on the form of Seeker Assum, a dwarf named Larkin, and (for several years) a young human Fire Ashari girl.
Her natural form was that of a green dragon. She had piercing green eyes, gnarled green scales and hide, and arrays of brilliantly white teeth. She was, however, much smaller than the other ancient members of the Chroma Conclave, due to the strange disease countered upon her by a druid half a century ago. Because of this ailment, her body was covered with festering pustule sores and gashes. However, this did not hinder her fighting ability. She was quite versed in Druidic magic and harnessed the poison from within her to do damage.
Personality[]
Until the rise of Vecna, Raishan was considered the greatest nemesis that Vox Machina had fought. Despite her illness making her physically weaker and smaller, her mind was perhaps the sharpest of the Chroma Conclave. She managed to deceive Vox Machina for some time as Seeker Assum, and concealed her underlying motives even after her identity was revealed. She was innately clever and charismatic, and managed to evade Vox Machina twice.
It was Raishan that brokered the idea that if all five chromatic dragons worked together, they could wipe out most of the controlling Kingdom of Tal'Dorei on the continent. The five together would also be powerful enough to wipe out the most immediate threat to the Conclave: Draconia. The result would be the Conclave members put in a position of power with no serious opposition.[13]
Raishan shares the general contempt of her chromatic brethren for "lesser" races. In her own words: "You act as though the laws of the anthill affect the foot that crushes it."[14] She displayed no regret for her part in the genocide against the Fire Ashari,[15] seeing them as little more than an annoying but minor obstacle in her mission to find a cure for her affliction.
Biography[]
Background[]
“
My home is south of here within the jungles of the Rifenmist Peninsula along the southern side of the Stormcrest. That is where I met the Cinder King nearly two decades ago. He encroached upon my territory. We battled then, an exhausting struggle over days. Thordak is keen of eye, however, and older than I. He held his assault. He saw me, and he saw my disease.
I was cursed a half-century ago, when I infiltrated and toppled a temple of Melora that was being built by a high druid for her roving peons. As I consumed her last follower, broke the druid upon her altar, she gave her dying breath to spite me. This sickness that she imparted was merely an inconvenience, but as the years wore on, it spread and worsened. I left my pursuits of base interests and began to obsess over a cure for this before it took me. I burned through servant after servant to find anything on such a disease. Everything failed. Everything. Thordak somehow noted and recognized my ailment. He said, 'You are unwell. A rare malady upon you. It will claim you, in time. However, I've traveled the world, I've gathered many secrets, and I know how to be rid of it. To burn it out of your system with a fire you will never find. I've done it before. I can burn away the worst of illnesses.'
Now, I am a creature that can pierce any lie by nature. I know in my heart that he spoke the truth that day, that dragon. When asked what he wanted in return, he said, 'Your servitude.' We made an agreement. He would return once he marked his domain. We discussed the terms. However, he did not return. I grew furious and sought answers only to find that he was brought low and sealed away by some assembled others, some fools from Emon. It took me years of seeking, but I found his whereabouts. I was not going to let my chance to strike away this bloody curse slip from me, so I met him on the fire plane. Over the years, I saw his swelling, his pained form. He spoke of plans, ideas for vengeance and domination, but he would not relinquish the secrets he promised me until I released him.
I proposed the Conclave. I assembled the others. I negotiated the agreements. I corrupted the binding stone. I prepared the Pyrah gate. I did everything! As time went on, Thordak's clarity muddled. It seemed his bindings, the power that he was absorbing, was beginning to drive him mad, so we did not have any more time. I needed to initiate the escape before he lost enough to forget our agreement, the means to even fulfill his side of the bargain. No Celestial Solstice as planned, but Winter's Crest would have to do. And with Thordak freed, the Conclave assembled, Tal'Dorei was razed, divided, and won.
But Thordak still withheld his words. He laughs at my requests. I see now that he does not mean to tell me, and never really did, as his mind began to go. He enjoys his seat of power over all of you, over me. I want him dead! I want to watch him be torn apart, I want to see his eyes go cold and in that very moment, I want to call his spirit back and bind his word to tell me how I can save myself. And then laugh at his misfortune as I tear what's left of him.
”
–
Raishan tells her history.[16]
[!h]
Raishan was cursed half a century ago by a druid after Raishan had killed all the followers at a temple of Melora. The druid gave her last breath to "spite" Raishan. At first the sickness was merely an inconvenience to Raishan; however, it spread and worsened over the years. Raishan became obsessed with finding a cure but everything she tried failed.[17]
Thordak seemed to recognize the disease and offered to rid her of the illness in return for her servitude. They made an agreement to discuss the terms after Thordak returned from marking his domain. But he did not return.[18]
Raishan found out, after years of seeking, that Thordak had been bound to the Elemental Plane of Fire. When she met him there he spoke of plans for vengeance and dominance. He refused to reveal the cure for Raishan's disease until after she found a way to release him. Raishan proposed the Chroma Conclave and prepared everything for Thordak's escape.[19]
Disguised as a fifteen-year-old human girl, Raishan came to Pyrah about four years before the Chroma Conclave attacked Emon, where she joined the Fire Ashari. The leader of the Ashari, Cerkonos, noticed that she did not seem to mature like a normal human and saw that she possessed great power but he did not realize her true nature as a green dragon.[20]
Raishan was still with the Fire Ashari when Keyleth met with them for her Aramenté.[21] It was unclear if Vox Machina saw her humanoid form at that time.
Raishan planned to free Thordak from the fire plane at the celestial solstice. However, the power he was consuming from the heart stone had started driving him mad. Therefore, she decided to initiate the escape at Winter's Crest instead, as she feared Thordak would forget their deal if she waited any longer.[22]
Around the time of the Winter's Crest festival following the defeat of the Briarwoods, Raishan released Thordak by ripping open a rift to the Elemental Plane of Fire in the side of the volcano.[23] After Thordak was freed from the fire plane, Raishan realized that he had never meant to tell her the cure. She planned to kill him and then call back his spirit to tell her how to rid herself of the illness.[24][25]
"Omens" (1x39)[]
Raishan encountered Vox Machina when she and the rest of the Chroma Conclave interrupted Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei II's abdication speech and laid waste to a large group of Tal'Dorei Council members and other political and economic elites in Emon. Uriel died from this attack, Gilmore was wounded, and some members of Vox Machina nearly died, as well.
Upon conquering Emon, Thordak, leader of the Chroma Conclave, ordered Raishan and Umbrasyl to their next objective; they obeyed and flew east.[26][27]
"Desperate Measures" (1x40)[]
The next day, after losing her connection to the teleportation sigils in Westruun[28], Lady Allura scryed across Tal'Dorei. She revealed to Vox Machina that eastern towns, including Westruun, had, indeed, been conquered, presumably by Raishan and Umbrasyl.[29]
"The Frigid Doom" (1x64)[]
For some time after the initial attack, Raishan seemed to disappear, with nobody seeing or hearing anything about her current activities. Shaun Gilmore explained to Vox Machina that attempts to scry Raishan's location had been hindered.[30]
"Passed Through Fire" (1x69)[]
Raishan finally reappeared in Whitestone, where she revealed to Vox Machina that she had taken the form of Assum Emring. She proposed an alliance of sorts with Vox Machina, saying that she wanted to take down the Cinder King, Thordak.[31]
"Trust" (1x70)[]
Raishan proposed an alliance, explaining that with circ*mstances as they were, she thought that Vox Machina had very little choice, much like her. When Vax asked about her motives, she revealed her history to the party.
"Vorugal" (1x71)[]
Raishan assisted Vox Machina during the battle against Vorugal. After Vex'ahlia dealt a fatal blow to the white dragon, Raishan flew down and tore Vorugal's throat out.
"The Coming Storm" (1x73)[]
As Seeker Assum, Raishan wiped Kima’s memory of her present disguise when Vox Machina arrived home. After some debate amongst Vox Machina and some of their allies, they agree to kill Thordak first. Soon after their decision, Percy threatened Raishan into showing herself and also revealed how they allied together to kill Vorugal. Caught, Raishan did reveal herself and also assured them that the real Seeker Assum was alive. After a plan was proposed to her, and a promise to return the real Seeker Assum safe and sound, she disappeared.
"Clash at Daxio" (1x77)[]
Vox Machina reports to Cassandra, Brom Goldhand, Seeker Assum, and Raishan (as herself, for once) about the events that took place at Fort Daxio. Raishan suggests that they use the armies to attack Thordak and draw him out of his lair. She adds on that she doesn't have a clue on what Thordak is building in the Cloudtop District.
"The Siege of Emon" (1x78)[]
Although some of their allies were wary of trusting Raishan, she was still a part of the plan. Raishan, disguised as “Larkin” this time, joined Vox Machina and their allies to begin the attack on Emon.
"Thordak" (1x79)[]
Raishan assisted Vox Machina in the battle against Thordak. After the red dragon was slain, Raishan walked up to his corpse and began casting a spell from a scroll. Vax'ildan then attacked her, having been told by Keyleth not to let the green dragon touch Thordak's corpse. Raishan fled deeper into Thordak's lair. Vax, Keyleth, and Vex chased after her and entered a lava-filled cavern containing five strange crystalline dragon eggs. From her position at the ceiling of the cavern, Raishan cast Meteor Swarm and dealt some heavy damage to the half-elves.
"Raishan" (1x80)[]
The rest of Vox Machina and their allies made their way down into Thordak's lair to join the fight with Raishan. Scanlan used the flute given to him by J'mon Sa Ord and the brass dragon soon arrived to aid them. During the fight, Raishan dealt heavy damage to Vox Machina, forcing them to focus on healing each other rather than attacking her. Both Vex'ahlia and Scanlan were temporarily killed during the battle. When most of them were laying injured or unconscious on the ground, Raishan sized this opportunity to Teleport more than a mile away from Thordak's lair (out of reach of the Vex's Primal Awarness[32]), taking two of his eggs and his corpse.
"What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81)[]
After Raishan's escape, Keyleth Scryed on her and saw an isolated island in the middle of an ocean, caverns underneath it, and a laboratory full of bookshelves. Within that laboratory, Thordak's corpse, the two dragon eggs, and Raishan in the form of a humanoid woman with long green hair, furiously searching through the books then tossing them aside.[33]
"Deadly Echoes" (1x82) - "The Deceiver's Stand" (1x83)[]
The next day, Vox Machina infiltrated the island and, pushing through flameskulls[34] and zombies[35], eventually reached Opash's laboratory, where Raishan in her humanoid form was still looking through his notes.[36] However, when Vex and Vax attempted to cast Hunter's Mark in her direction, the spell had no effect. Vox Machina were drawn by the cunning dragon deeper within the cavern, searching for her present and clustering together in the narrow passage, — the moment couldn't have been more appropriate for the devastating Meteor Swarm, which instantaneously brought Kerrek, Allura, and Trinket into an unconscious state and prepared Scanlan for his soon demise.
Although all odds were in favor of Raishan, perched deeper within the cavern and hidden from direct attacks behind Greater Invisibility, she only had four legendary resistances. When the last one drew to its end and Greater Invisibility was Dispelled by Allura, the space was open for the decisive point of the battle. Keyleth contrived to successfully affect the dragon with Feeblemind, reducing her to a mindless beast, unable to use any spells and devoid of her sense of self-preservation. Nevertheless, Raishan still managed to tear Percy apart, gutting his entrails across the stone floor, before she was struck by a Duskcrusher blow from Kerrek that inverted her skull inward with a flash of divine and ultimate might.
The Legend of Vox Machina[]
Relationships[]
Keyleth[]
Raishan: "You act as though the laws of the anthill affect the foot that crushes it. You speak words of importance, but I've seen laws and people come and go, change, die, turn to dust, and rise again. People kill neighbor, families die from the inside and out. They say I'm diseased but look upon you, you insignificant creatures. You do more to your people than I've done in an entire lifetime."
Keyleth: "That might be true. But at least that's the fate of our own consequences and our own doing. Not some outwardly force, forcing their repercussions on us. And, you should know, Raishan, I've stepped on plenty of anthills in my day. Those that don't die, revolt. And guess what? There are some pretty nasty stings from some ants out there. The strength of a colony is stronger than the individual of one great, diseased foot."
–
Keyleth and Raishan[37]
The relationship between Keyleth and Raishan is comparable to the rivalry between Percy and Ripley. But unlike Ripley, Raishan thought very little of Keyleth, considering her just another insect among many. She seemed to delight in taunting her over the destruction of the Fire Ashari and treating her like a child, which served to further enrage the druid. Keyleth later begrudgingly agreed to the alliance that Raishan had proposed to kill Thordak but she still reminded the dragon that the last thing she will see is Keyleth's face before she dies.[38]
In their last encounter, Keyleth spoke up against the dragon, keeping her anger in check and mentioning her hope that during her very long lifetime she does not become like her. She gave Raishan a chance to surrender and be brought to justice, a far cry from their first proper encounter in Whitestone weeks before.[39] Raishan refused the offer and instead attempted to kill or enslave them all,[40] but her overconfidence and arrogance became her undoing as Keyleth effectively neutralized her with Feeblemind, destroying her very identity and intellect.[41]
Thordak[]
After years of searching for a cure, failing to find one, she found Thordak. The red dragon claimed to know the disease, and even the cure for it. He offered to reveal to her the cure, in return she would be loyal to him. Desperate for the disease to go away, she accepted. Soon Raishan began serving under Thordak, in hopes of being told the cure for her disease.[42]
When Thordak fell for the trap that landed him in the Elemental Plane of Fire Raishan freed him . She proposed and prepared the Chroma Conclave to him, while he was imprisoned. When he was free, Raishan hoped that he would now reveal the cure to her. But soon after freeing him, she realized he had no intent to help her after all that.
Thordak did not care about her disease. He was intent on exacting revenge now. Raishan promised herself that she would kill him and still get the cure from him. Her loyalty didn’t last long. Raishan went behind Thordak’s back and teamed up with Vox Machina to end Vorugal and Thordak. She helped bring his demise, with the help of Vox Machina.
The Deceiver's Legacy[]
In 812 PD Raishan had been dead for a year, but her lair in the Stormpoint Mountains was known to still be there, deep within the swamp-choked valley cracks at the heart of the mountain formation. Despite being supposedly abandoned and unguarded, the lair and its surroundings still retained the magical effects that protected it: illusions, poisonous vegetation, and magically influenced beasts. Furthermore, it was rumored that a mysterious and dark entity had come to the lair, mending; a familiar presence bearing the curse of the Wildmother.[43]
In the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, set in 836 PD, there was no news about Raishan's old lair or activity related to her hoard.[44]
Character information[]
Notable items[]
Unknown scroll; cast a spell that looked similar to Speak with Dead (used on Thordak's corpse)[45]
Abilities[]
- 520 hit point maximum
- +14 constitution save modifier[46]
- +9 dexterity save modifier[47][48]
- Four legendary actions per round instead of the usual three for the ancient green dragon.[49]
- Change Shape: As an ancient dragon of great arcane power, Raishan was able to change shape to take on a Humanoid form, although it is unclear if this was an innate draconic ability or the use of a spell like Shapechange or True Polymorph.[50][51]
Spells[]
| Spell level | Spell | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (cantrip) | Minor Illusion[52] | |
| 2nd | Melf's Acid Arrow[53] | |
| 3rd | Counterspell[54] | |
| 3rd | Dispel Magic[55] | |
| 3rd | Haste[56] | |
| 4th | Blight[57] | |
| 4th | Freedom of Movement[58] | |
| 4th | Greater Invisibility[59] | |
| 5th | Cone of Cold[60] | |
| 5th | Modify Memory[61] | |
| 5th | Wall of Force[62] | |
| 6th | Chain Lightning[63] | |
| 6th | Contingency[64] | |
| 6th | Disintegrate[65] | |
| 7th | Prismatic Spray[66] | |
| 7th | Project Image[67] | |
| 7th | Teleport[68] | |
| 8th | Abi-Dalzim's Horrid Wilting[69] | |
| 9th | Meteor Swarm[70] |
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign One
- "Omens" (1x39) (first appearance)
- "The Family Business" (1x47), mentioned only
- "Duskmeadow" (1x57), mentioned only
- "The Frigid Doom" (1x64), disguised
- "A Traveler's Gamble" (1x66), mentioned only
- "Passed Through Fire" (1x69)
- "Trust" (1x70)
- "Vorugal" (1x71)
- "The Coming Storm" (1x73), disguised
- "Path of Brass" (1x74), mentioned only
- "Clash at Daxio" (1x77)
- "The Siege of Emon" (1x78)
- "Thordak" (1x79)
- "Raishan" (1x80)
- "What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81)
- "Deadly Echoes" (1x82)
- "The Deceiver's Stand" (1x83)
- "Loose Ends" (1x84), mentioned only
- "A Bard's Lament" (1x85), mentioned only
- "Daring Days" (1x86), mentioned only
- "Curious Tides" (1x89), mentioned only
- "Taryon, My Wayward Son" (1x97), mentioned only
- "Thar Amphala" (1x101), mentioned only
- "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106), mentioned only
- The Legend of Vox Machina
- "The Terror of Tal'Dorei - Part 2" (LVM1x02), unnamed
- "The Darkness Within" (LVM1x12), unnamed
- "Rise of the Chroma Conclave" (LVM2x01)
- "The Sunken Tomb (LoVM)" (LVM2x03)
- "The Hope Devourer" (LVM2x12)
Quotations[]
- (during the Chroma Conclave attack on Emon) "Delicious cattle. Raishan enjoys the taste of fear."[71][72]
- (to Vox Machina just before their final battle) "You act as though the laws of the anthill affect the foot that crushes it."[73]
Trivia[]
- Raishan can move her eyes independently from each other.[74]
- As revealed by Matthew Mercer during the Fireside Chat, Raishan's plan had she not been interrupted was to obtain the cure from Thordak using an ancient, torturous version of Speak with Dead. She then would have left with Thordak's eggs and corpse (likely to reanimate it as a dracolich). She would have left Tal'Dorei and established a new lair on another continent (thus becoming a threat for the next campaign).[75]
- Raishan is the only member of the Chroma Conclave to survive the episode sharing her name ("Raishan" (1x80)), whereas Umbrasyl, Vorugal, and Thordak were all killed in their respective episodes ("Umbrasyl" (1x55), "Vorugal" (1x71), and "Thordak" (1x79)).
- As of June 2022, Raishan holds the record of causing the most deaths among the members of Vox Machina and any other player adventuring parties than any other enemy. She was responsible for the deaths of Vex and Scanlan in "Raishan" (1x80), and of Percy and Scanlan (again) in "The Deceiver's Stand" (1x83).
- Raishan is the only member of the Chroma Conclave who suffered a killing blow by a guest character (Kerrek); her four colleagues were killed by members of Vox Machina: Vax'ildan (Brimscythe and Thordak), Vex'ahlia (Vorugal), and Grog (Umbrasyl).
- It was during the battle with Raishan that Cabal's Ruin became exalted, after absorbing a Meteor Swarm spell cast by the Diseased Deceiver.[76]
- In The Legend of Vox Machina Raishan had her own redesign, having an original look different from the traditional appearance of the green dragons from Dungeons and Dragons. Her design is inspired in a serpent, being the most conniving and deceitful member of the Chroma Conclave.
References[]
Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "Raishan, Vorugal, Umbrasyl, Thordak" (2016-05-12) —in reply to @asingingbadger: "Since we're going to be talking about them a lot, could we get spellings for the black and green dragons' names, please?" (backup link) Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "Technically, she would have been, aye.;)" (2017-03-24) —in reply to @AprilStreynj: "I'm rewatching CR & I was wondering was Raishan amongst the Pyrah when Keyleth was completing that part of her aramente?" (backup link)
Art:
| Ashari | ||
|---|---|---|
| Zephrah (Air) • Terrah (Earth) • Pyrah (Fire) • Vesrah (Water) | ||
| Air Ashari |  | |
| Earth Ashari | ||
| Fire Ashari | Cerkonos, Flamespeaker • Calhoun • Jhessho • Lorkathar • Nastoen • Raishan • Reyan Lister | |
| Water Ashari | ||
| Campaign One Arc 3: The Chroma Conclave | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NPCs |
| ||||||||
| Places | |||||||||
| Creatures | purple worm • frost worm • lizardfolk • wyverns • kuo-toa • beholder • fire elementals • fire salamander • efreeti • basilisks • orcs • goliaths • lycanthropes • pixies • feymire crocodile • air elementals • erinyes • fire giants • ember roc • flameskulls • zombies • wraiths | ||||||||
