Devo la Main

Devo la Main
Devo la Main, by Reddit user u/Welpart.
Vital statistics
Aliases	Devotion Private Detective Jack Noir Damien Cern Voice of Hope (Timeline A) Hand of Devotion (Timeline B)
Status	Alive
Player	Travis McElroy
Roleplaying characteristics
Class	Bard, “Orator”
Level	7
Gender	Male
Physical characteristics
Height	6' 2"
Age	23

“

Uh, I am going to do a flip. So, everybody hold on.

”

—Devo

Devo la Main (formerly known as Devotion) is a player character in the Ethersea campaign. He is played by Travis McElroy.

Devo is twenty-three years old; given his age, it appears as though he was born and has lived entirely within the Ethersea. He was raised in a cloister of the Benevolent Parish to become an Orator, and at the beginning of the campaign had only recently left the church. He harbors an intense resentment towards the Parish and its leader, the Hand of Guidance, due to their emotional manipulation and abuse.

Devo speaks with a French-like accent. He is a Whispers bard.

History

Devo was born in the Ethersea to a Cern and raised in a closed cloister of the Benevolent Parish; first by his mother until he was seven, and then after her disappearance, by the Hand of Guidance.

He was taught magic by Guidance and occasionally Benefactor Orlean, and was in training to become an Orator. However, the lessons were often traumatic for young Devo; most notably, in Episode 25, Devo recalls that as a young child, the Hand of Guidance forced him to sit in a pitch black room until he could turn the lanterns back on with magic. It's implied that this experience caused him to become afraid of the dark. As a result of his upbringing, he struggles with anger issues and anxiety, especially when he feels trapped.

Devo left the church approximately three months before Episode 1 of The Adventure Zone: Ethersea, after hearing Brother Seldom's broadcast lessons.

Relationships

Amber Gris

Devo, Amber, and Zoox began their relationship as allies and coworkers, as they formed a group of independent contractors and sought employment with the Blue Span Brokerage. Since then they have become good friends. Perhaps due to his sheltered upbringing, Devo often looks to Amber for guidance and acts as though she has the final say on work-related matters.

Despite this, their relationship is often contentious; Devo has a short temper and seems to dislike when he believes he is being condescended or lied to; as such, he often comes to blows with potential allies, much to Amber's dismay. Likewise, Devo is unhappy with Amber's tendency to avoid emotional vulnerability; Devo was especially upset that Amber did not check in to see how he was doing nor empathize with him after they learned that the Hand of Guidance had been found dead. In Episode 38, they get into a loud argument over each other's behavior and nearly come to physical (and magical) blows. Amber tells Devo that he needs to grow up.

In the TTAZZ: Ethersea Wrap-Up episode, Travis states that Devo was looking for the validation of a mother-figure, and it frustrated him when Amber didn't or couldn't give that to him.

Devo and Zoox both intend on searching for a way to re-open the portal to the blink sharks' homeworld in order to find Amber. Travis has stated that Devo wants to get her back both because he cares about her, and also because he feels that they have unfinished business between them that he wants to hash out.

Zoox

Devo and Zoox started off as allies and coworkers seeking employment together at the Blue Span Brokerage. Over time, they have become good friends. Devo often acts as Zoox's impulse control, as Zoox has a tendency to shoot first and ask questions later, literally.

Brother Seldom

Brother Seldom and Devo have a positive relationship. Brother Seldom took Devo in after Devo left the Benevolent Parish; he seems to care and feel a bit responsible for Devo. In Episode 1, he is very pleased when Devo comes with friends, and promises to save him dinner.

Devo describes Seldom as "the smartest person he knows," and often goes to Brother Seldom for help. Brother Seldom offers to help Devo and his friends buy a ship by giving him a loan or collateral—a silver set of Benevolence scales. Later, when Hand of Guidance is found dead, Seldom's main concern is that Devo not lose himself "chasing ghosts" while trying to figure out what exactly happened.

Brother Seldom appears to have great patience for Devo's anger issues, and unlike others is not upset when Devo gets short with him.

The Hand of Guidance

Devo was raised primarily by the Hand of Guidance. In Episode 38, Devo describes her as a mother-like figure to him. That said, he holds an intense resentment towards her and the church for the way he was raised.

When Devo sees the Hand of Guidance for the first time after leaving the church, she is overjoyed to see him and his new friends; Devo is less so, especially when she calls him "Devotion." He blows up at her and "acts out" in front of several members of the Parish on more than one occasion, to Guidance's dismay.

In Episode 32, they come to blows after Devo asks her to tell him what she's hiding, believing that she might be working against Founder's Wake; Guidance is extremely angry at the accusation, and asks him to leave. This is the last time Devo sees her.

He is quietly distraught over her death—although he was deeply angry with her, he refuses to believe that she would take her own life, and believes that someone must have magically manipulated her into doing so.

Benefactor Orlean

While Devo was still with the church, Benefactor Orlean was occasionally brought in as a tutor to help teach him magic. It is implied that Orlean was very strict and not afraid to use magic to manipulate Devo's emotional state, thereby keeping him in line.

When they meet again during Arc 2: The Infinite Clam, Devo is disgusted that Orlean has apparently continued to magically manipulated the people around him (this time, the pirates, and later Devo and his friends.) Devo harbors an intense hatred for him; he promises that if he ever sees Orlean again, he will kill him.

In Arc 6: Benefactor's Folly, Orlean tells Devo that he doesn't want to hurt him; Devo says that unfortunately, he very much wants to hurt Orlean. Similarly, Devo expresses his frustration with Orlean's unwillingness to explain his plans multiple times.

Despite his feelings, Devo helps him changes his fate by sending a message to Orlean's past self, encouraging to bring his family with him into the Ethersea. Doing so rewrites and splits the timeline in two; in Timeline B, Orlean brings his family with him to Founder's Wake instead of joining the Parish. As a result, he never tutors Devo, and Devo does not leave the Parish because he views it (slightly) less negatively.

Ol' Joshy

Much to Amber's dismay, Devo and Ol' Joshy have a contentious relationship. Devo has a short temper and a tendency to talk down to Joshy, especially when he believes he is not being respected, which Joshy is displeased with for obvious reasons. He has been kicked out of the Cloaca more than once because of this behavior. As of Episode 37, Devo is permanently banned from the establishment.

Physical Appearance

Devo is described as being "a waif of a lad" and "very pretty." He is 6'2, clean-shaven, and has cheekbones you could cut a steak with. He wears a thigh-length, vampire-like blue leather coat and a shirt with "Nermal's Pile" printed across the front in a 70's style font.

After being affected by The Sallow, Devo now has a pair of small fins running from under his jawbone to his collar. They glow slightly when he is using magic.

Powers and Abilities

Devo was raised to be an Orator within the Church of Benevolence. He is a Whispers Bard, and uses prestige salt from the Ethersea to fuel and enhance his magic. He is also proficient with a boomerang.

Class Abilities

• General Bardic Abilities
  • Bardic Inspiration
  • Jack of All Trades: Starting at 2nd level, Devo can add half his proficiency bonus, rounded down, to any ability check he makes that doesn’t already include his proficiency bonus.
  • Song of Rest: Beginning at 2nd level, Devo can use soothing music or oration to help revitalize his wounded allies during a short rest. If he or any friendly creatures who can hear his performance regain hit points at the end of the short rest by spending one or more Hit Dice, each of those creatures regains an extra 1d6 hit points.
  • Font of Inspiration: Beginning when you reach 5th level, Devo regains all of your expended uses of Bardic Inspiration when you finish a short or long rest.
  • Counter Charm: At 6th level, Devo gains the ability to use words of power to disrupt mind-influencing effects. As an action, he can start a performance that lasts until the end of his next turn. During that time, he and any friendly creatures within 30 feet of him have advantage on saving throws against being frightened or charmed. A creature must be able to hear him to gain this benefit.
• College of Whispers
  • Psychic Blades: Devo has the ability to make his weapon attacks magically toxic to a creature's mind; when he hits a creature with a weapon attack, he can expend one use of Bardic Inspiration to deal an additional 2d6 psychic damage to that target, only once per round, on his turn. The psychic damage increases when he reaches certain levels in this class, increasing to 3d6 at 5th level.
  • Words of Terror: At 3rd level, Devo learns to infuse innocent-seeming words with an insidious magic that can inspire terror. If he speaks to a humanoid alone for at least 1 minute, he can attempt to seed paranoia and fear into its mind. At the end of the conversation, the target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw against his spell save DC or be frightened of Devo or another creature of his choice. The target is frightened in this way for 1 hour, until it is attacked or damaged, or until it witnesses its allies being attacked or damaged. If the target succeeds on its saving throw, the target has no hint that Devo tried to frighten it.
  • Mantle of Whispers: At 6th level, Devo gains the ability to adopt a humanoid's persona. When a humanoid dies within 30 feet of him, Devo can magically capture its shadow using his reaction, retaining this shadow until used or finishing a long rest.

Spells

The following are the spells known by Devo. (Note: Most low-level spells can be cast at an additionally higher level for a stronger effect.)

Name	Description	Level	Episode First Used
Dissonant Whispers	You whisper a discordant melody that only one creature of your choice within range can hear, wracking it with terrible pain. The target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, it takes 3d6 psychic damage and must immediately use its reaction, if available, to move as far as its speed allows away from you. The creature doesn’t move into obviously dangerous ground, such as a fire or a pit. On a successful save, the target takes half as much damage and doesn’t have to move away. A deafened creature automatically succeeds on the save.	1st-level Enchantment	Episode 2
Vicious Mockery	You unleash a string of insults laced with subtle enchantments at a creature you can see within range. If the target can hear you (though it need not understand you), it must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d4 psychic damage and have disadvantage on the next attack roll it makes before the end of its next turn.	Cantrip Enchantment	Episode 2
Charm Person	You attempt to charm a humanoid you can see within range. It must make a Wisdom saving throw, and does so with advantage if you or your companions are fighting it. If it fails the saving throw, it is charmed by you until the spell ends or until you or your companions do anything harmful to it. The charmed creature regards you as a friendly acquaintance. When the spell ends, the creature knows it was charmed by you.	1st-level Enchantment	Episode 2
Heroism	A willing creature you touch is imbued with bravery. Until the spell ends, the creature is immune to being frightened and gains temporary hit points equal to your spellcasting ability modifier at the start of each of its turns. When the spell ends, the target loses any remaining temporary hit points from this spell.	1st-level Enchantment	Episode 4
Cure Wounds	A creature you touch regains a number of hit points equal to 1d8 + your spellcasting ability modifier. This spell has no effect on undead or constructs.	1st-level Evocation	Episode 18
Light	You touch one object that is no larger than 10 feet in any dimension. Until the spell ends, the object sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. The light can be colored as you like. Completely covering the object with something opaque blocks the light. The spell ends if you cast it again or dismiss it as an action. If you target an object held or worn by a hostile creature, that creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw to avoid the spell.	Cantrip Evocation	Episode 19
Suggestion	You suggest a course of activity (limited to a sentence or two) and magically influence a creature you can see within range that can hear and understand you. Creatures that can’t be charmed are immune to this effect. The suggestion must be worded in such a manner as to make the course of action sound reasonable. Asking the creature to stab itself, throw itself onto a spear, immolate itself, or do some other obviously harmful act ends the spell.	2nd-level Enchantment	Episode 21
Glyph of Warding	When you cast this spell, you inscribe a glyph that harms other creatures, either upon a surface (such as a table or a section of floor or wall) or within an object that can be closed (such as a book, a scroll, or a treasure chest) to conceal the glyph.	3rd-level Abjuration	Episode 21
Sending	You send a short message of twenty-five words or less to a creature with which you are familiar. The creature hears the message in its mind, recognizes you as the sender if it knows you, and can answer in a like manner immediately. The spell enables creatures with Intelligence scores of at least 1 to understand the meaning of your message.	3rd-level Evocation	Episode 21
Detect Thoughts	For the duration, you can read the thoughts of certain creatures. When you cast the spell and as your action on each turn until the spell ends, you can focus your mind on any one creature that you can see within 30 feet of you. If the creature you choose has an Intelligence of 3 or lower or doesn’t speak any language, the creature is unaffected.	2nd-level Divination	Episode 21
Thunderclap	You create a burst of thunderous sound that can be heard up to 100 feet away. Each creature within range, other than you, must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 thunder damage.	Cantrip Evocation	Episode 23

Trivia

• "Le Main" means "the hand" in French.
• He harbors a particular hatred for Urchin and will kill him one day.
• As of Episode 6, it would also appear that Devo has some close relation to the family of Declan Cern, a pre-submersion figure. When purchasing improvements to the Coriolis from Felix, Devo made note that should he die before his debts were repaid, the Cern family would resolve any lingering lux owed, no questions asked.
• At the Abyssal Auction, his avatar was an aquamarine scales of Benevolence.
• Until Beck taught him after the second arc, Devo did not know how to swim. He now knows how to doggy paddle.
• As of Episode 21, he’s a brand ambassador for Nermal’s Pile, and has so far convinced the Ballaster Hermine to shop there. He forgot to promote the brand to Cambria in Episode 30.
• He has a phobia of the dark.