mdr-mardek

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Hey yall!

I usually don't post about CR ships but I think with the Mighty Nein being introduced and played by the cast in C3 it feels important to clear some things out. I'll try to be as objective as possible.

Beau and Yasha. I've seen some people saying that their comment of them hating each other when they met felt like a retcon from what actually happen in C2. As you probably know, C3 ep 111 was hard for the players as they had to play two VERY different characters simultaneously. So keeping tracks of ALL the lore of BOTH characters at the same time is almost impossible and it's almost certain that some players will misremember some things that happened 6 years ago. We're all human folks, not machines!

I've also seen some people saying that Beau and Yasha are only reduced to sex. I mean, we're talking about the Mighty Nein, probably one of the two horniest party on Exandria with Vox Mahcina right now. Only sex? If you've seen the Echoes of the Solstice one shot you'll now that's not true.

In my humble opinion, Beau and Yasha's comment C3E111 that they hated each other when they met is probably a slip up from the Mighty nein animated series. Which tracks because they're full on the production right now and even stated doing voice recordings back in June 2024 here's the Tweet. And as we also know, if it is like TLoVM, the Mighty Nein animated series will be its own canon and Critical Role will still use the campaign as the main core lore canon.

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It's quite something to see that so many people want to full on dive with the Arch Heart's plan. It's basically another "trust me bro" type of thing except he doesn't push Bells Hells to make his plan, he let them decide. On paper the AH's plan is quite tempting, but a lot of it is based on theories and unknowns. Per Corellon Predathos isn't interested of mortals to the point of not even acknowledging their presence. I really like Orym's comment with the ants, he could just do a big swipe on Exandria with a "oops my bad" while chasing after the gods. No interest in them doesn't mean he will not harm them by accident especially when it will be a god scale fight. I find it a bit odd that the Arch Heart is willing to put the lives of his siblings at risk like that. He knows damn well that some of them will not/cannot leave and putting Predathos out won't necessarily yeet them away. The Knowing Mistress is still recovering from her wound she received from the Chained Oblivion, the Wildemother made it pretty clear that she cannot and will not leave Exandria, she's too tied up with it, the Everlight loves too much mortals to go (these are just the obvious examples). The Divine Gate would be gone and then what? The gods are not the only ones behind that thing. Beasts, devils, demons, and other entities will be down upon the Material Plane and those will not be chased by Predathos. It totally make sense for the god of beauty to find beauty in the unknown regardless of the risks especially with what's at stake.

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For the people in the back that say Bells Hells haven't earned their titles. These titles doesn't necessarily represent what they've done, but what they ARE. You just have to look at the character. To quote Travis: "Y'all, read your lore".

Lady Fearne Calloway, Fey Scion of the Ancient Flame: Daughter of the Fey Sorrowlord Athion Zathuda and bearer of the shard of the Primordial Titan Rau'shan, Emperor of Fire.

Laudna, Veil Mistress of the Shadow Tree: Callback to her death, the Shadow Realm with the Sun Tree, and the fact that she has control over Delilah Briawood now.

Ashton the Reforged, Hammer of Paradox: He's a living paradox between Primordial and Dunamancy that has been rebuilt and wield a giant fucking hammer.

Chetney Pock O'Pea, High Hunter and Lupine Paragon: A werewolf that constantly defines himself as a model of perfection.

Dorian Storm, Master Muse and Son of the Wind: Bronté Wyvernwind. Loving Bard and heir for the leadership of the Silken Squall that has a connection with the Air Ashari of Zephrah.

Imogen Temult, Exaltant Hope of the Red Storm: Exalted Ruidusborn that has decided to go against the call of the Red End.

Orym of the Air Ashari, Savior Blade of the Tempest: Devoted protector of Keyleth who risked his life to save her from incurable wounds.

Braius Doomseed, Nascent Might of the Platinum's Call: In a way, he responded to the call of the Platinum Dragon.

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Despite after seeing the events of Downfall, I really liked that some of Bells Hells seek out to commune with the gods even though they're far from being worshippers. Orym trying with the Wildemother was almost a no brainer honestly, she had her eyes upon him and Orym sensed her presence multiple times. In the Trial Forge I was really pleased to see Imogen wanting to commune with the Stormlord who we know has his eyes on her and Eathbreaker Groon who is ready to receive her. She said it herself, Imogen is not a fighter (like Grog or Yasha), but there's multiple ways to fight. And the fact that the god of battle, competition, and storms laid his eyes on Imogen says something. Ashton has said that he wants to talk to the Arch Heart. That was unexpected and I'm very curious if he will actually do it. Laudna wasn't very eloquent about wanting to talk to a god, but we know she has tried to reach out to the Moonweaver episodes ago but Delilah responded instead. Now that Delilah is silenced, maybe it's the time. For Chetney and Dorian - well - all bets are off. They haven't expressed the desire of wanting to commune with a god I believe, so it's impossible to say if they will do something while they're in Vasselheim.

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YES! All of this. This is purely coincidental but before Downfall appreared I rewatched those C1 episodes where Vox Machina met three gods in person. Going into Downfall and watching Bells Hells reacting to that with that refresh view on the C1 events is really good. I totally see where Ashton is coming from and from his point of view, that sucks. But from OUR perspective as a viewer and especially if you saw C1, we know that Ashton's vision on the gods is not correct. But this is totally on brand for the character. I vivdly encourage the people who thinks that Ashton is right to rewatch the episodes 104 and 105 of campaign one.

so, so many thoughts about ashton’s words and position re the gods but nothing really struck me as much as “i’d like to see them pray to us.” (or whatever the exact wording is) because yeah, that’s extremely ashton, that’s the same attitude of a person who has been hurt and broken by life in an unfair manner and tried to absorb a shard because they thought it would fix it, ignoring all warnings that it would make it worse, and then insisting it wasn’t about power, despite the fact that it explicitly was about power — the power to render their life fair. it becomes increasingly clear every time that ashton opens his mouth that, along with being an incisive translation of certain kinds of punk politics to exandria, ashton is more set on vengeance than justice, even if he insists his motivation is that the gods are a source of injustice, it seems more like what he admitted after the shard: he’s spent his life looking for someone to blame, and while he’s happy to hate himself, it took a while for them to realize they were an agent in their own story, culpable for the life they’ve lived. ashton looks at the gods and sees a metaphorical vehicle of all the harm and hurt and pain that’s befallen him due to people in positions of power and cannot (or refuses) to see that a) the gods position isn’t actually all that powerful without the mortals who choose over and over to fulfil divine will for good or evil or in between and b) the gods already have a relationship to mortals that is akin to prayer.

and this is all extremely in character, as much as a lot of ashton’s comments echo many a political stance that makes me roll my eyes, it’s always with an attitude of yes of course ashton would say that. what is mildly more irritating (or perhaps concerning) is the readiness with which aspects of the audience concur with ashton’s assessment, when we have seen countless interactions of gods with mortals that shows us that the gods, though not actual prayer, have a very similar kind of belief in mortals that they ask of those who believe in them. like, vox machina had two episodes dedicated to talking to the gods, where it was revealed that the everlight didn’t just know pike but has beholden to her as the one who brought her back into import. where vex proved herself to pelor not just through completing his challenge but by having long been an imperfect but true source of good for the family she’s chosen that they convinced pelor that vex was a suitable champion by pointing out that she has earned several of their belief, she protects the same city pelor blessed with the sun tree, she’s protective and protected, and her heart and her intelligence are equally sound when it comes to her ability to make judgements, (all things we’ve learned since c1 are important to pelor) resulting in pelor deciding he would also believe in her. where ioun pointed out that while she keeps all stories, scanlan is a storyteller, and what could she possibly cherish more than that.

each god when vox machina spoke to them was quick to correct them when vox machina suggested things like their paths being determined or their lives being beyond their control or the world being down to the will of the gods. vex apologizes to the everlight for not realizing that the gods were really beings and she tells vox machina that she doesn’t ask for the belief of all, only those who wish to give it, as the gods chose to give mortals the ability to choose as they wish upon anything, including their faith in the deities. when vox machina asks pelor to whether they should do something with vecna’s eye, he insists that they make the decision whether they’d like to destroy it or use it — he will help however they decide, but he insists it’s on them to choose the outcome. they speak with ioun, who knows their and every story, and she tells them that the gods do not choose the individual fates of mortals, it is up to every person to choose who they will and will not be, and sometimes that guides them to places the gods have predicted, but never without the choices a mortal makes to arrive there.

the concept of belief throughout the three campaigns has been an complex and ever shifting one — as it deserves. in campaign 1, it’s largely in the context of coming to understand what it means to believe in gods when they obviously do exist, but what are you believing in, and why might you choose not to. in campaign 2, jester’s presence complicated things by pointing out that it isn’t just the divinity of the gods that earns them their power but that belief itself is a kind of divinity and with yasha, caduceus and fjord we see that the role of the gods isn’t just power-granting, it comes to be an essential part of many of those who follow the gods. and in campaign 3, we’ve seen both of those explorations come up but the difficulty is we have none of the perspective of someone who actually believes — even fcg was new to worship couldn’t offer much insight on what the loss of the gods might do to people who believe in the gods not because they grant power but because like jester they were lonely and the found a friend in one, or if like yasha they were lost and were saved by one, or if like fjord the asked for help and were aided by one. to be clear i don’t think this a weakness of the story being told — i think it’s a particularly interesting aspect of bh’s position, but i do think it weakens the perspectives of thinkers like ashton who haven’t even heard what a god means to some people, let alone taken seriously the pain that losing the gods would constitute for countless people.

so, ashton might be particularly charged against the gods — even to the point of being the only one to outright make a noise of disagreement when it’s brought up that while bells hells disagree on specifics, they all agree on saving the gods — and he has plenty of reasons to have that position that can easily result in the audience going, yeah, i understand why he’s made that judgement. but that is not the same as hearing what ashton has said and going (with all the knowledge we the audience have that ashton does not) “he’s right, actually” when there are two campaigns telling you, explicitly, “he’s not.” and this isn’t me saying things can’t be revealed that complicate or recontextualize knowledge from previous campaigns, i’m just saying that, thus far, if anything, campaign 3 (especially downfall) has only cemented the degree to which the prime deities have to believe in mortals.

truly the first thought i had when i heard ashton say his line about the gods praying to mortals instead was the fact that several of his party members received a vision from the raven queen asking for help, that fcg asked the changebringer if she was scared and she said yes, that earthbreaker groon looked at imogen and saw her self-doubt And the belief that bells hells has in her anyway and kord reached through him to tell imogen that she had the potential for greatness and that the gods are counting on her. the prime deities have long been praying to mortals, they believe in the power of mortals (for good and ill) — that’s exactly what downfall was about. the power that gods still have is entirely mediated by the mortals who believe in them, who choose to believe in them. the power of mortals does not have those bounds, and while that doesn’t mean they get to sling 9th level spells at will and multiply their damage by 10, it does mean that, in this particular moment in exandria, ludinus’ power is a much more likely (and, historically and contextually proven) source of injustice than the prime deities.

beyond the magic limitations and considering the ill-fitting metaphor of the gods as being a position of power in a sociopolitical sense, the distance of the gods means that if they want to manipulate people into maintaining their position, it’s quite difficult to do. in comparison with ludinus “cult tactics” da’leth, it strikes me as odd when the parts of the cr audience react to the prime deities doing things like . allowing mortals agency (which, as every existentialist writer ever has correctly pointed, out is both a burden and gift) as if it is actually a long-con manipulation or something.

anyway, TL:DR, ashton is an a interesting character whose beliefs and ideas make sense given his placement in the story and their experiences, but an audience who has seen campaigns 1-3 and says they agree with him with their whole chest should definitely consider either a) rewatching or b) taking a critical thinking or media literacy class

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One of the laws that The Lawbearer came out with is that the gods are untouchable, certainly not by mortals. I understand that can sound scary and concerning for people, but we've been explicitly told that the gods are not forcing anyone to worship them.

They're there if people seek for them, but they're not going to punish you because you don't follow one of theirs. Otherwise we would have multiple NPCs and beloved PCs (Hi Bells Hells) that would've been dead by now.

We're are currently in 843 years after the creation of the Divine Gate and no major incident happened (unless it has been hidden). That Gate cannot be broken unless if ALL the Prime Deities agreed to do it willingly.

That's also why I'm still having a hard time with Liliana calling the gods "Tyrant".

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To all that have spoiled Braius' backstory from the live show at the Greek Theatre, well done, Sam will change it for the future.

Honestly, what did you expect? You think that the cast don't see when something like that happen in the community?

You gain nothing by doing something like that. Looking at a brand new character's backstory that we're definitely not supposed to know NOW is so dumb. It's like asking Matt to explain right now what his plans for the end of C3 are.

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People that are kinda upset about Braius having a more "human"-looking face, have you ever considered that he might come from a mixed ancestry? It's not uncommon at all on Exandria, and in fact, we know quite a few PCs with mixed ancestry. Fjord is a half-orc, Jester has a Tiefling mother and a Water Genasi father, and of course the half-elf (Vex, Vax, and Keyleth just to name a few). So I wouldn't be too surprised if Braius is from a mixed ancestry. I think we just have to be patient, things will unfold naturally, and eventually, we will have answers. We just have been introduced to Braius after all...

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I've seen a lot of people talking about the second half of episode 92, and not in pleasant ways. Maybe it's time to remember that Exandria Unlimited Prime and Kymal are linked in a way to C3. Two members of the Crown Keepers are now members of Bells Hells, with a third who has been only for a short time, but still. ExU Prime is basically a prequel to C3, and ExU Kymal is the following up of Dorian and Cyrus leaving BH and going to Tal'Dorei, joining once again the Crown Keepers. And what we've seen in episode 92 is the continuity of ExU Kymal. We've been given hints during C3, before the Apogee Solstice, last time Orym had true contact with Dorian, saying that Opal was darker and darker and Dorian was starting to worry. Now sure, some haven't seen the ExU's for personal reasons, and that's fine. But blaming CR because you didn't watch it and saying they've "forced" the Crown Keepers into C3 is absurd. Luckily, if you want to give another shot at ExU Prime and Kymal, you'll have time to do so, ExU Prime is only 8 episodes long, and ExU Kymal is a two part one-shot, and also because next Thursday should be a Candela Obscura episode. Oh and Bells Hells are not done going over FCG's death. They're a mess, both emotionally and physically. I suspect there will be other moments of heavy emotional RP in the next episode. it affect everyone and everyone will react differently.

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First of all, what an awesome episode, we ate well. Both team were succesful, even with some close calls.

About Liliana and the assassination attempt, I had the feeling it would've gone wrong anyway. Now sure, Liliana might have raised her guard after Imogen told her to run, but that doesn't negate the fact that Liliana is VERY powerful, even if the plan of the Volition was solid.

I have the feeling that the assassination plan hurt more the children that Liliana was supposed to protect than Liliana herself. That's maybe why she screamed and blew up like Gene Gray.

Now everyone is alerted, Otohan Thull, Athion Zathuda, the Ruby Vanguard, and of course Liliana. The place is going to be EXTREMELY dangerous real fast. Honestly, Bells Hells need to get out of Kreviris REAL fast or hide in a black hole for some time. Also, what are they going to tell to Rashinna? Is Gaz Tomo still alive?

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I would say yes, they make each other better, at least to stay above the water. If Laudna wasn't there, Imogen would already be on team Ludinus, and if Imogen wasn't there, Laudna would already find a way to completely bring back Delilah fully by doing horrible things.

Lying? What lies? Laudna told the truth, she lost control when she killed Bor'Dor and she wasn't aware that action will brought back Delilah more in the front line (Only Marisha knew). And Laudna was right and straight told Imogen, Delilah never left after what BH did to her in the Shadowfell.

The biggest thing about Imogen and Laudna's relationship that makes it so difficult to get invested in is just how unhealthy it is. Like, honestly, they keep mentioning how they make each other better, but do they? Honestly, I feel like they're making each other worse. Laudna is just straight up lying to Imogen at this point and Imogen is so passive when it comes to Laudna.

They are so codependent and it's so hard to watch

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I have to say, Bells Hells are doing a really good recon mission so far, they have already some precious intel and it's not over.

The different races and the wild life; learning more about the Reilorans; the Imperium and the Volition; meeting Rashinna, the head of the Volition; infiltrate Kreviris and learning the layout on the surface and that the city is in fact underground; the Weave Mind, the flares and their effect on Ruidusborn; Ruidus weaponry; and of course, the famous backdoor in the lake on Issylra. And I'm sure, there will be more in the next episodes.

Some of them may sound like simple informations, but from a place that is litteraly unknown from anyone on Exandria, that's already big news honestly.

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I love the fact that Orym and Imogen Sending messages to Caleb, Jester and Keyleth moment was completely improvised by Matt. Also Matt stressing out a little because he had to improvise Jester's voice on the spot in front of Laura. And let's be honest, his impression was awsome and totally on brand. I'll never forget Jester spending a spell slot just to say "Mmmmh". So good

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At the end of last year/Earlier this year, when people HEAVILY demanded to Critical Role to speak about what's happening in Gaza, I had the same train of thoughts. And some of those people had really rude statements to the cast being silent about the war. I said to myself Why?. People forget that celebrities are still... humans (Shocking news, I know) with personal and deep emotions like everybody else and sometimes, personal problems too. And when a subject is too heavy, sometimes feelings can overwhelm us but we can lack words to express them. And it is easier to do an action rather than speaking about it. Which, according to Matt in his video, has been done by him, Marisha and other friends of his. Critical Role is about telling stories between friends and escaping for a moment the harsh reality of the world, a lot of people, cast included, need that. Keeping the light up "Remember, when you're lost in the darkness, look for the light" - The Last of Us games

Matthew Mercer's video/announcement is exactly why the practice of fans demanding statements from "celebrities" is so problematic.

If people CAN make a statement and speak out and feel like they are in a place to do so, they should. And if people make statements on the wrong side of things they SHOULD be held accountable and called out for their bullshit.

But you never know what someone is going through, you never know what someone is struggling with and capable of emotionally, and you never know what people are doing privately. Just because it's not being screamed from the rooftops, doesn't mean it's not being done.

Personally, I have stayed largely quiet on social media regarding the Genocide occurring in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis occurring at the hands of Israel because I spend my days providing therapy to those who, like Matt, are just stuck and depressed with everything that's happening in the world and just don't have it in them to fight yet another thing that's happening, and like them, by the time I get home, I need to separate myself from that.

That doesn't mean that I haven't done what I can, that I haven't donated and called my representatives and signed petitions, it just means that what one person has the capacity to do, someone else might not have the capacity to do.

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I think that's very well put.

It's very hard to read Orym's emotions. But he tried a number of times to message Caleb, but each time it failed. This time, it worked and he must've been so overwhelmed when he heard Caleb's voice, then Imogen to be able to speak with Keyleth to tell to both what they've learned so far and where they were.

The hug was for me a release valve. I think Orym was always a believer of the success of the recon mission but he knew it was gonna be a huge challenge with the possibility of not coming back. After giving the location to not one, but two very powerful people on Exandria that are very capable about that backdoor to Ruidus, that hug was a "We can do it" moment. Like a tiny victory in its own way.

I’ve been thinking about this for some time now. The hug between Imogen and Orym…

I feel like the hug alone had two different meanings, it has the feeling of hope but it also strongly gave me a bad feeling. The feeling as if, somebody who knows they’re doomed and is saying their goodbyes and showing their appreciation towards the people around them before they leave.

We know that Orym, won’t be walking away from this happily. Either he, or one of the BH dies at the moon or he will be stuck in the Feywild serving Morrigan until he passes away. Especially his feelings with Dorian, while he feels bad for growing feelings towards anyone other than Will, he also feels like he’s on a ticking clock. Like, he just has to say something to him before he leaves…

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And because they simply know no other way.

It's not that they don't want to deal with the problem but they currently have no other choices and they need power because what BH are doing right now is beyond them and too much urgent. So you might as well use her since she's not really a threat, for the moment at least.

She's a problem for Laudna, they know that, but a tomorrow problem.

Hey y'all, friendly reminder:

It has been only 11 days in game since Bells Hells reunited from the split (episode 64). Can you imagine everything they've done and endured in such a short time?

Helping Keyleth to heal from her wounds back in Zephrah.

Going on a quest to find Evontra'vir in the Shattered Teeth.

Searching for the spark of Rau'shan in the heart of a volcano.

Fighting a Ludinus Da'leth Simulacrum and members of the Ruby Vanguard shortly after.

Returning to Whitestone to plan what's next concerning the Bloody Bridge and Ruidus, Bells Hells volunteered to do a recon mission on Ruidus before the big assault (and because there was no one else currently available).

Ashton tried to take the shard of Rau'shan and almost died, some BH members were not well after that.

Retreat in the Feywild at Nana Morri's place, some well needed team building exercises, they learned a lot from each other. Also Fearne decided to take the spark of Rau'shan and that worked.

Returning to Marquet, infiltrating the Malleus Key site and taking the Bloody Bridge to Ruidus.

Arriving on Ruidus right in ennemy territory, avoiding as much as possible combat, the scouting begins.

So I think you can agree with me when I say that Bells Hells haven't had much room to breathe and having a calm conversation about their personal problems lately, in fact, pretty much since Zephrah.

What I'm referring to here is Laudna and Delilah. For some reason some people still don't understand that Delilah is ALWAYS THERE WATCHING. So you may be thinking: Why the Delilah problem is not solved yet?

Because Bells Hells are working on a bigger problem right now (You know, the destruction of the gods and possibly Exandria, no big deal /j) and also, Delilah doesn't really represent a direct threat for BH, she's aligned with their goal. But on top of that, they don't really know how to fight her and neither does Laudna. So they can't do anything for now. And yes, I think BH are very aware that Delilah is a problem.

What happened with Laudna and the Willmaster in the last episode (ep 85), there's probably a reason behind that but we just don't know it yet. Patience and let the players play their game.

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Hey y'all, friendly reminder:

It has been only 11 days in game since Bells Hells reunited from the split (episode 64). Can you imagine everything they've done and endured in such a short time?

Helping Keyleth to heal from her wounds back in Zephrah.

Going on a quest to find Evontra'vir in the Shattered Teeth.

Searching for the spark of Rau'shan in the heart of a volcano.

Fighting a Ludinus Da'leth Simulacrum and members of the Ruby Vanguard shortly after.

Returning to Whitestone to plan what's next concerning the Bloody Bridge and Ruidus, Bells Hells volunteered to do a recon mission on Ruidus before the big assault (and because there was no one else currently available).

Ashton tried to take the shard of Rau'shan and almost died, some BH members were not well after that.

Retreat in the Feywild at Nana Morri's place, some well needed team building exercises, they learned a lot from each other. Also Fearne decided to take the spark of Rau'shan and that worked.

Returning to Marquet, infiltrating the Malleus Key site and taking the Bloody Bridge to Ruidus.

Arriving on Ruidus right in ennemy territory, avoiding as much as possible combat, the scouting begins.

So I think you can agree with me when I say that Bells Hells haven't had much room to breathe and having a calm conversation about their personal problems lately, in fact, pretty much since Zephrah.

What I'm referring to here is Laudna and Delilah. For some reason some people still don't understand that Delilah is ALWAYS THERE WATCHING. So you may be thinking: Why the Delilah problem is not solved yet?

Because Bells Hells are working on a bigger problem right now (You know, the destruction of the gods and possibly Exandria, no big deal /j) and also, Delilah doesn't really represent a direct threat for BH, she's aligned with their goal. But on top of that, they don't really know how to fight her and neither does Laudna. So they can't do anything for now. And yes, I think BH are very aware that Delilah is a problem.

What happened with Laudna and the Willmaster in the last episode (ep 85), there's probably a reason behind that but we just don't know it yet. Patience and let the players play their game.

Note: I'm well aware that Laudna and some BH members want to use Delilah's power to accomplish their mission but it's far from being a popular choice within the group, even for Laudna herself.