The Gloamroot Sovereign
Medium fey (archfey), neutral evil
Physical Description
The Gloamroot Sovereign appears as a twisted humanoid figure with bark-like skin that shifts between states of growth and decay. Its limbs terminate in wickedly sharp claws that shimmer with twilight energy. The creature's eyes glow with an unsettling luminescence that seems to peer through time itself, and its form occasionally flickers as though existing in multiple moments simultaneously.
Shadows bend unnaturally around this regal figure, whose very presence causes nearby plants to simultaneously bloom and wither in an impossible cycle of life and death.
Lore
The Backward Court The Gloamroot Sovereign rules over a decaying forest where time flows in reverse. Ancient trees harbor saplings growing within their dead trunks, and fallen leaves rise to reattach themselves to branches. This temporal anomaly is no accident but the deliberate creation of the Sovereign, who has mastered the manipulation of time within its domain.
Origins of Twilight Once a noble fey guardian of the seasonal cycle, the Sovereign became obsessed with preserving its realm against the encroachment of mortality. In its desperation, it shattered the natural flow of time, creating a pocket of reversed chronology where it could maintain eternal dominion.
Whispers of the Timeless
"They say those who wander into the Gloamroot's domain emerge with memories of futures they've never lived and pasts they cannot recall. The Sovereign doesn't just rule the forest—it rules the very moments that comprise your life." — Ellywick Timberfoot, gnome chronicler
Stats
- Armor Class: 17 (natural bark armor)
- Hit Points: 189 (18d8 + 108)
- Speed: 30 ft., climb 30 ft.
| STR | DEX | CON | INT | WIS | CHA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 (+1) | 20 (+5) | 18 (+4) | 16 (+3) | 19 (+4) | 22 (+6) |
- Saving Throws: Dex +10, Wis +9, Cha +11
- Skills: Deception +11, Perception +9, Stealth +10
- Damage Resistances: bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing from nonmagical attacks
- Damage Immunities: poison, psychic
- Condition Immunities: charmed, frightened
- Senses: truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 19
- Languages: Sylvan, Common, Elvish
- Challenge: 12 (8,400 XP)
Aura of Temporal Dissonance (Recharge 5–6). Creatures starting their turn within 30 ft. of the Sovereign must succeed on a DC 18 Wisdom save or reroll all d20s that round using the lower result.
Rooted in Two Times. The Sovereign exists in two timelines simultaneously. When reduced to 0 HP, it vanishes and reappears with 90 HP at the start of the next round. This ability works once per day.
Innate Spellcasting. The Sovereign's spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 19, +11 to hit with spell attacks). The Sovereign can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:
At will: minor illusion, dissonant whispers 3/day each: mislead, seeming, synaptic static 1/day: time ravage (reflavored feeblemind; target ages 1d10×10 years)
Multiattack. The Sovereign makes three Twilight Claw attacks or uses Beguiling Glare once and two Twilight Claw attacks.
Twilight Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +10 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6 + 5) slashing damage plus 9 (2d8) necrotic damage. A creature hit must succeed on a DC 18 Constitution save or gain one level of exhaustion as memories drain away.
Beguiling Glare. The Sovereign targets one creature within 60 ft. The target must make a DC 19 Wisdom save or be charmed. While charmed, the target perceives allies as enemies and vice versa. The effect ends if the target takes damage or after 1 minute.
Legendary Actions
The Gloamroot Sovereign can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature's turn. The Gloamroot Sovereign regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.
Flicker Step (1 action). The Sovereign teleports up to 60 ft. to a space touched by shadows.
Summer's Decay (2 actions). The Sovereign causes a nonmagical object or terrain feature within 30 ft. to rot (e.g., rust metal, wither vines, collapse a 10-ft. cube of stone).
Rewrite Moment (3 actions). The Sovereign forces a creature to reroll a successful attack roll, save, or ability check, taking the lower result.
Lair Actions
On initiative count 20 (losing initiative ties), the Gloamroot Sovereign can take a lair action to cause one of the following effects; the Sovereign can't use the same effect two rounds in a row:
Chronal Vortex. All creatures in the lair roll initiative again. The Sovereign acts on all turns where its original initiative count is odd.
Memory Moss. A 20-ft. radius becomes difficult terrain. Creatures in the area must succeed on a DC 16 Intelligence save or forget one prepared spell/ability until the moss is burned.
Flickering Minions. 1d4 shadow mastiffs (with fey traits) materialize in unoccupied spaces.
As you strike what should be a fatal blow, the Sovereign's form dissolves into motes of twilight energy, only to reform moments later as though time itself has been rewound. Its laughter echoes from both the past and future simultaneously.