Fan art of Emon, by Kent Davis.[art 1]

Emon is the capital city of the kingdom of Tal'Dorei.

Matthew Mercer has stated that, due to the city being so large, Vox Machina only explored a fifth of the entire city, and that he himself had only mapped out a third of it in detail, with the rest in a rough draft format.

City Description Edit

This section describes the state of Emon before the Chroma Conclave attacked in "Omens" (1x39). For the time of Thordak's rule, see Occupation of Emon.
Emon is the capital of Tal'Dorei, and was also the home of the emperor, Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III, as well as Vox Machina. The city proper is surrounded by a thick wall, although Gilmore mentioned to Vax'ildan that there were rumors of expanding the city in "Shopping and Shipping" (1x14).
Emon by hapimeses-dbu5iia

A map of the Tal'Dorei Capital City of Emon

The city is split into twelve districts, with a few districts that reside outside the city walls:

  1. Abdar's Promenade:[1] This district is located on the east side of the city, with a very small portion of it extending beyond the city walls. A small wall also branches from the main wall and runs along the district's south side, separating it from the Temple District. The Promenade is the largest district within Emon, and was home to many businessmen and traders. Gilmore's Glorious Goods is located within this district, and Greyskull Keep is located just outside the outer wall, a little ways away.
  2. Cloudtop District:[2] Shown to be within the center of the city, this district was surrounded by another wall due to the sovereign's palace being here. It was also where the Tal'Dorei Council convenes to discuss various issues within Emon and all of Tal'Dorei. The Ivory Tower was also located here. Cloudtop was home to the rich, the noble, and anybody with influence, including the Citrine Garrison, of which General Krieg was a member.[3]
  3. Central District: Located on the southwest side of the city next to the Cloudtop District. It appeared that a smaller wall cuts through the district.
  4. Temple District: Found on the southeastern side of the city, this area probably acts as a religious center and was probably where the temple that was used to revive Pike was found. Since the Tal'Dorei Council had a Paladin of Bahamut as one of its members, it is possible that the dominant religion in the city was to Bahamut.[presumed] A smaller wall branches from the main wall and borders the northeastern side of the district separating it from the Abdar's Promenade.
  5. Erudite Quarter: Located on the northwest side of the city, it appears to have a small wall that branches off and reconnects to the main wall that surrounds the entire district. Because this was where the Alabaster Lyceum was located, it was likely that this section of the city specialized in the arcane arts.[presumed]
  6. Military District: Found on the north side of the city, this section includes a well-guarded prison (that was emptied of its most dangerous denizens after the attack of Thordak) as well as barracks and training grounds. Both the various military regiments and the Arms of Emon were usually trained here, though the regimental soldiers are usually stationed primarily at Fort Daxio. The Arms of Emon, however, are more of a force of gendarmes that is permanently stationed in the capital, serving as both a local garrison to guard its walls and as a sort of local police force.
    Arms Regiment Crossbow Concept,

    The Arms of Emon (fanart concept)

  7. Upper Slums: One of the few districts outside the city walls, it is to the northwest.
  8. Lower Slums: Another district outside the city walls, it is located to the south.
  9. Port of Emon: As the name implies, this appears to be the only port located within Emon. It is toward the southwest part of the city, with a small wall running down its southern side.
  10. Graveyard District: Found to the west of Emon. Because of the name, this area of the city probably has many catacombs and deals with the dead.[presumed] The Diamond Nest Tavern is in this district.
  11. Shoreline Farms: Located outside the city, the shoreline farms are the only district besides the Port district to border water. It is located towards the west/northwest. This section of the city likely provides the majority of the produce that was consumed by the regular population.[presumed]
  12. Skyport: This district was located to the northwest right next to the Cloudtop District. This was where the city's Skyships docked.

A network of tunnels exists under the city. The Clasp, a thieves' guild, has a subterranean base beneath the city. They use the tunnels to covertly get around, and know of several hidden entrances up to the surface.

At least a part of the city is built on top of the ruins of an old, forgotten civilization.

Demographics Edit

As the capital city of Tal'Dorei, Emon is also the most populous at 287,550 citizens. The population is mostly human (68%) with a significant minority of dwarves (7%) and elves (6%). Other races make up the remainder (19%) so that nearly every race is represented in the city in some way.[4]

Notable People Edit

As the seat of power for Tal'Dorei, many notable individuals live in and pass through Emon.

Ruling Family (former)

  • Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III: Human; leader of Emon; ruler of Tal'Dorei; head of the Tal'Dorei Council. Attempted to abdicate his authority in "Omens" (1x39), but was interrupted by an attack of the Chroma Conclave, during which he was slain.
  • Empress Salda Tal'Dorei: Human; wife of Uriel. Moved to Whitestone with her children following Uriel's abdication and the attack of the Chroma Conclave.

Tal'Dorei Council

Former Council Members

Administrators and Scholars of the Alabaster Lyceum


  • Shaun Gilmore:[11] Owner of Gilmore's Glorious Goods and sponsor of Vox Machina.
  • Karen: Dwarven blacksmith, specializing in armor; upgraded Trinket's armor with pieces of bulette hide.

Temple District

Notable Locations Edit

The Story So Far Edit

Before the Stream Edit

At some point, the party fell through an ancient cistern that led to an intricate cavern system. They traveled through trying to find a way out when they uncovered the ruins of an old civilization. There they encountered a hag which made a deal with the group; in exchange for showing them the way out and giving Tiberius the Mending Wheel, she would take a part of Tiberius's luck.

Later on, Vox Machina freed Sovereign Uriel and his family from demonic possession and halted an uprising of demons. For their deeds they were given a hero's celebration, and over the course of six months Greyskull Keep was built in their honor.

Occupation of Emon Edit

During the gathering Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III held when he announced his abdication, four ancient dragons, calling themselves the Chroma Conclave, attacked the city of Emon.

After a brief search for Gilmore, Vox Machina fled to Greyskull Keep and sheltered the refugees outside their gates. Lady Allura found them there, alerted of trouble when her connection to the teleportation sigils in her tower and in the Lyceum were suddenly severed.

When Vox Machina emerged from their keep to search the city for survivors, they found buildings charred and smoldering, people who had been running for the city gates were frozen in their tracks, literally. Many who had survived were looting the city for tribute to Thordak.

They found a hidden door to the cellar of Gilmore's Glorious Goods, where they found Gilmore at death's door, several of his employees, and the Empress Salda Tal'Dorei and her children. Gilmore had heroically rescued the empress and her children but, when he went back to get Uriel, found him dead. Arbiter Brom Goldhand also did not make it, but Seeker Assum Emring and Guardian Tofor Brotoras were alive and helping the survivors.

Thordak's Lair Edit

As Thordak sat in the center of Emon, it began to change due to his presence. Volcanic activity began occurring below the city, causing lava to seep out of the ground and the skies to fill with smoke.[citation needed]

Liberation of Emon Edit

[citation needed]

References Edit

  1. This district's name was spelled as "Abdar's Promenade".  See Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 90.
  2. Cloudtop District was mislabelled as "Castletop District" in an early version of the map of Emon, as verified in Matthew Mercer's tweet.
  3. See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) at 10:45.
  4. See Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 89.
  5. Matthew Mercer clarified that Allura's race was human on Twitter.
  6. Matthew Mercer clarified on Twitter that Allura was a wizard (not a sorcerer), and her arcane tradition was the School of Abjuration.
  7. Matthew Mercer clarified Seeker Assum's name on Twitter.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Some information on this page was obtained from Matthew Mercer's Vox Machina Wiki article, "The Tal’dorei Council".
  9. See "Shopping and Shipping" (1x14) at 47:20.
  10. See Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 91.
  11. Spelling of Gilmore's first name was obtained from Matthew Mercer's written accompaniment to his Spotify playlist.
  1. Fan art of Emon, by Kent Davis (source).  Used with permission.
