Upon the release ofNetflix’s 2021 original anime series,Dota: Dragon’s Blood, fans of Studio Mir’s animation and the originalDotavideo games were treated to a plethora of interesting story beats, ranging from a dragon-slayer who faces his most harrowing challenge yet to a wayward princess to a thieving elf. Despite the show’s issue of including too many storylines with not enough time to explore them all,Dota: Dragon’s Bloodis saved in part by the dynamic between two immortals and their years-long conflict.
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Alone in his magical tower, the Invoker (Troy Baker) is visited by several of the main characters as multiple converging plotlines connect in his very home. He has spent years in isolation due to the trauma surrounding his relationship with the elven moon goddess, Selemene (Alix Wilton Regan). The penultimate episode of Season One, “Speak the Words”, features a heart-wrenching flashback that reveals the reason behind the Invoker’s isolation and sorrow.
It is heavily implied that the Invoker fled a toxic relationship with Selemene, taking their young daughter, Filomena (Genevieve Beardslee), with him. Despite their happy life together in the magical tower away from Selemene’s reach, it isn’t long before he realizes that being away from Selemene causes a deadly rash to spread across Filomena’s skin. The Invoker exhausts every option he has, but not even his vast knowledge of magic provides an answer to save his daughter. While he had assumed that he could protect Filomena on his own, it becomes apparent that that is not the case.
As the absolute last resort, the Invoker takes Filomena back to her mother and begs Selemene to save her. Despite knowing that her daughter is in immediate danger, Selemene bargains with the Invoker, adding her own conditions. The Invoker immediately agrees, telling her to name her terms without hesitation. When Selemene demands worship from him, he complies, even going so far as to proclaim his love for her, a phrase that Selemene demands from all her followers without showing any love in return. This seems to be the hardest part of the Invoker’s trial. But even though the relationship between the Invoker and Selemene is rife with conflict, Filomena is nearly saved due to the Invoker giving in to the goddess’s every demand.
The one who does not agree to Selemene’s terms is Filomena herself. This development is the gut-punch of the episode; Filomena explains that although she loves her mother, she refuses to worship Selemene as a goddess. She needs familial love instead of one-sided devotion. Filomena has always been a curious and light-hearted spirit, with a desire to see her mother again. But despite yearning for her mother’s love, she has also learned the importance of family from her father.
Even though the Invoker probably never fully explained the situation between him and Selemene to Filomena, it is obvious through his behavior that he believes Selemene never truly loved them. Instead of joining her father and begging for her life, Filomena recognizes the distinction between blind worship and love. She asks not for her life, but for a loving mother, something that Selemene cannot provide.
Without a word, Selemene leaves her daughter and her ex-lover to their own devices. While Selemene’s coldness is on full display in this scene, she is haunted by her daughter’s death in her own way. In any discussion involving Filomena, Selemene refuses to even say her name, hinting that at some level she knows that she is responsible. Nevertheless, Selemene abandons her family without hesitation, insulted by Filomena’s rejection of her godliness, and chooses to blame anyone except herself for her daughter’s demise.
However, the true tragedy of this scene lies with the Invoker. The voice talent of Troy Baker (Young Justice, Regular Show) shines brightly in this scene. His soft-spoken lines carry many different emotions, all of which are implied through dialogue and emphasized through tone of voice. The Invoker has always been soft-spoken, but his pleas and broken whispers are heart-breaking, as he appeals first to Selemene and then to Filomena, begging her to just agree to Selemene’s terms.
Though often depicted as proud and foreboding, the Invoker’s backstory reveals a vulnerable moment in his life, one that he can’t move past, even years later. His immediate willingness to give himself up to Selemene to save his daughter shows a love that Selemene can never understand, much less appreciate or reciprocate.
It is apparent that she does, at some level, want to understand this type of love (as shown through the phrase of ultimate devotion she demands from her followers: “I love you.”). At one point, she also had a working romantic relationship with the Invoker; it is implied in Episode 4, “The Monster at the End of This Book,” that Selemene once treated the Invoker well in their relationship. The existence of Filomena also speaks to their happier past. However, Selemene’s understanding of love is flawed; she expects pure devotion but offers nothing in return. This subconscious need for love is overpowered by her self-sabotage, leading to the Invoker fleeing their toxic relationship. These flaws of Selemene are also the catalyst for her ultimate downfall.
The finale of Season One solidifies the hatred between the Invoker and Selemene. For years, the Invoker could do nothing but kneel and beg to Selemene, or else run and hide from her. In the end, even giving himself up to the ultimate humiliation and sacrifice couldn’t save his daughter. And so, it stands to reason that the Invoker would unleash his fury at long last and take his revenge, finally gaining the upper hand on his tormentor.
Though it is satisfying to see Selemene getting told off and thrown from the skies by another antagonist, her fall doesn’t bring Filomena back to life, and it certainly doesn’t untangle the years of conflict between her and the Invoker. He isn’t even the one to directly fight her in the end. He is, however, the one who delivers the final line of the season, a callback to Selemene’s manipulative nature: “Do you love me?” This phrase, reclaimed by the Invoker, brings to light all of Selemene’s misdeeds. The viewer doesn’t even need to hear the answer to know that at this point, Selemene is not capable of love.
Despite many other intriguing relationships inDota(as well as the show’s more prominent pacing issues), the conflict between the Invoker and the moon goddess is, by far, the most compelling and heartbreaking, becoming the highlight of the show. True to its Shakespearean tone, their story is a tragedy, where even the most fitting revenge isn’t enough to heal past grievances. Neither immortal is capable of forgiving the other, and because of this, the world ofDotabecomes that much more bloodthirsty.
