Ethred Brokenbranch, better known as Sprigg, is an arcane trickster gnome. He is played by Darin De Paul.
Description[]
Appearance[]
Sprigg is an elderly gnome. He is bald on top with a long white beard. He has a bit of a distant look in his eyes.
Personality[]
Darin De Paul said that he originally thought of Sprigg as Fagin, a Charles Dickens character, who was just going to steal everything he could, but that the goodness in everybody brought out the goodness in him.[7]
Biography[]
Background[]
Sprigg was part of an adventuring party for some time and they considered themselves to be heroes. However, during a battle with hobgoblins all of them were slain except for Sprigg, who ran away. The gnome spent the next thirty-seven years isolated in his tiny cottage, becoming somewhat addled and apparently suffering from survivor's guilt.
After becoming attuned to Ioun during his encounter with Vox Machina, he recovered at least some of his memories, and named several of his former companions: Thetapax, Zephyr, and "that guy with the nose" whom he claimed was his favorite.
"The Fear of Isolation" (1x105)[]
Vox Machina found Sprigg in a small house near the Pools of Wittebak, but the old gnome had grown a little bit mad in his thirty-seven years of isolation. While they were trying to extract information from him, Vecna's assassins attacked from the shadows, trying to kill him, but were successfully repelled.
After being helped by Pike to pray to Ioun, Sprigg's torso began to glow blue. He himself was the tuning fork that could be used to guide a Plane Shift spell through the Divine Gate to Ioun in the Endless Athenaeum. The party, along with Sprigg, joined hands and shifted there, where they were greeted by the voice of Ioun.
"The Endless Atheneum" (1x106)[]
Sprigg asked Ioun why he, a nothing and a coward, had been chosen to be her key. She replied that she had always chosen unlikely sorts for this role, but saw in him the seed of a seeker of knowledge who could yet be redeemed.
Following Scanlan's success in completing Ioun's challenge and her granting a bead of divinity to aid in creating a prime trammel, Sprigg asked whether he could offer anything to help her in her recovery. She offered to let him stay on with her as a steward, and he remained in the Endless Atheneum when Vox Machina returned to the Prime Material Plane.
Relationships[]
Fan art of Sprigg and Demistrik, by BlackSalander.[art 2]
Demistrik[]
Demistrik is an imp that shares a homestead with Sprigg. While the nature of their relationship is for the most part unknown, it was stated that Demistrik’s master died within the confines of Sprigg's home. Their cohabitation is likely a result of Demistrik's master's demise.
Ioun[]
After meeting Ioun with the other members of Vox Machina, Sprigg offered to help her recovery go smoothly and now has a position as a steward in the Endless Athenaeum.
Character information[]
Abilities[]
Spells[]
| Spell level | Spell | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0 (cantrip) | Ray Of Frost[8] | |
| 1st | Tasha's Hideous Laughter[9] | |
| 1st | Charm Person[10] |
Notable items[]
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign One
- "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) (first appearance)
- "The Endless Atheneum" (1x106)
- "Scaldseat" (1x107), mentioned only
- "The Chapter Closes" (1x115), mentioned only
- Specials
- "Guest Battle Royale" (Sx64)
Quotations[]
Fan art of Sprigg, by David Rodrigues.[art 4]
- "You're HERE! (giggles madly) And you're REAL! Go away." (Sprigg's reaction to learning there are real people on his doorstep)
- "Knock-knock! ...Right!"
- "We need a mnemonic device!!"
- "You see, I didn't have to believe in Ioun, I found my religion... I'm bluish!"
- "House gone, Imp gone, burny burny, sad sad, pray, nothing happen, now I'm blue."
Trivia[]
- Sprigg has the highest dexterity score of any guest player character thus far.
- Sprigg is a continuation of a character Darin De Paul originally played in a D&D game with Matthew Mercer's mother over thirty-seven years ago.[12][13]
- Leading up to the Dalen's Closet one-shot, Darin De Paul posted an in-character video as Sprigg congratulating the soon-to-be married couple on their special day, despite not getting an invitation.[14]
- In May 2020, Liam O'Brien adopted a mini dachshund that he named Sprigg. He since posted several pictures of him on social media,[15] until his passing in 2024.[16]
External links[]
References[]
- ↑ See "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) at 3:18:03.
- ↑ The Chronicles of Exandria - The Legend of Vox Machina Volume II, p. 178.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina #32: 'The Fear of Isolation'" (TMx32) at 0:15:27.
- ↑ Matt and Darin say that Sprigg is in the process of transitioning to a more neutral alignment. See "Talks Machina #33: 'The Endless Atheneum'" (TMx33) at 0:52:59. Time based on Alpha VOD.
- ↑ Sprigg's level 15 stat card was shown onscreen. See "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) at 3:31:40.
- ↑ See "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) at 2:23:13.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina: Campaign Wrap-up" (Sx31) at 2:24:22.
- ↑ See "Guest Battle Royale" (Sx64) at 3:40:00.
- ↑ See "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) at 2:59:10. Sprigg casts Tasha's Hideous Laughter.
- ↑ See "Guest Battle Royale" (Sx64) at 1:42:13.
- ↑ See "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) at 1:30:13.
- ↑ See Katsucon 2017 - Darin De Paul Q&A Panel, and Darin's tweet.
- ↑ See "Talks Machina #32: 'The Fear of Isolation'" (TMx32).
- ↑ See Darin's tweet with the video.
- ↑ See Liam's first Tweet about Sprigg, and some of the many subsequent Sprigg Reports.
- ↑ See Liam's tweet saying goodbye to Sprigg.
Art:
- ↑ Official portrait of Sprigg, by Kit Buss (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of Sprigg and Demistrik, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Sprigg, by Jet (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Sprigg, by David Rodrigues (source). Used with permission.
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