#Asha Critical Role

[loserwithanartacc]

I’m so happy with this one

Drawing sunlight thru trees is actually so fun I do recommend (it’s not as hard as you think it is probably)

Anyway I’m insane about her and very exited for ep 2 tonight

[floweroflaurelin]

I’m still hungry.

[wardensantoineandevka]

a PERFECT time to trot out THIS classic

[supermarket-goblin]

Asha is a lot more withdrawn and cold than other depictions of the Wildmother have been before so perhaps we could interpret that the calamity, in changing the nature of the world (and nature itself), changed the Wildmother. Do you think the other dieties noticed that while their fighting was tearing up the mortal world, that it was tearing up their sister. Do you think she even noticed it happening to herself?

I just can't stop thinking about the thing she keeps saying, over and over again. "I'm hungry" "I'm still hungry"

[skeine]

I love Taliesin for making Asha such a raw and unapologetic portrayal of godhood. She so beautifully embodies the dual aspects of Nature: the loving care and sacrifice for young and family, starkly contrasted against the brutal indifference of survival, the overriding need to do what you have to to live.

Does the tree care about the scores of smaller plants it starves as it blocks out their sunlight with its canopy? Does a honey badger care about the tens of thousands of bees that die as it rips apart their hive? Does the whale care about the hundreds of thousands of krill it kills as it eats? It's the brutal truth of nature: to survive, something else must be preyed upon.

There's something so honest about her philosophy towards humankind: they are our prey, in the end. They feed us. And if we need to kill them to survive, then we will. No fancy moral arguments about intrinsic evil, no set dressing about how it's for their own good, really.

No, just: They are our prey. That's where it begins and ends. And that's Caduceus's Wild Mother.

[resolart]

im still hungry

[acharliek]

Asha my beloved🫡

I'd let her eat me, actually☺️

[vexahlias-bow]

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 100 (Downfall Part Two!)

ACTUAL SAM ad nonsense, this time. Okay, then ... awwwwww ... this is actually really cute ... Liam: "You're the fakest person I know ... you don't have a genuine bone in your body ..." LOL Yeah, that's it, nice save. That was actually quite adorable, even if Liam WAS a little ... less than SWEET with his choice of words. I'm looking at YOU, O'Brien. (I am joking, of course, for those who DON'T get irony ...)

Oh yeah, in truth Sam really HASN'T lost his touch and it's great. Even though it's at Marisha's expense ... XD

"And there's a POCKET!" The way Laura said that was too good ... LOL

Yeah, I expected the stand-up from Matt this time ... hello again, Brennan ... and he's as geeky as ever. I love it ... "Everyone's laughing it up but I am DEADLY FUCKING SERIOUS, okay?"

Chamber of Secrets? Yeah, no ... Brennan: "HBO! No, no, I'm sorry!"

So, the first roll of the evening ... 30? Blimey ... off to a great start, definitely ...

Oh, she's a JOLLY little halfling, isn't she? Yeah ...

The Emissary: "You. Made. Her. Saaaaaaad ..."

What happened in Vasselheim? That didn't sound good ...

An object wrapped in cloth? Something new, seemingly hidden but not well? Oh, that's suspicious. Careful with that, Ayden ... a prayer to "the family that we used to be" ... hmmm ... oh ... that's interesting ... someone's prayed to the Dawnfather here? Recently?

Hallis? Who's that?

An ARCHMAGE?!!! Intriguing ... oh, so it was to the Everlight? also interesting ... so it IS a book of the gods ... a really really OLD one ... whoa, this is PRE-Age of Arcanum? Wow ...

Locate Magic? Or a tracking spell? Hmmmm ...

Umleta: "Is this part of the plan, or are you asking me for a favour?" Trist: "Yes."

Oh yeah, go Raven Mother about-to-die second sight ... aha, so is this kid still alive? Is this something that Emhira COULD fix?

So there's a hospital close? That must be it, then ...

Yeah, I was thinking this too ... if they win an ally in this, they could circumvent a lot of greif in this plan ... Trist's plan could definitely make things a liot easier for them ...

Ayden: "I'm having a difficult time, I like him but also quite despise him ..." Taliesin: "Welcomg to Thanksgiving!"

Disperse and split up, then ...

Sphere of Invisibility. Okay ...

Oh ... a tragic love story? And I was already so compelled about Asha ... also I'm definitely liking that she's bonding with the Emissary ...

The Emissary: "Her first forest ... for you ..." Asha: "That would be a better gift. How typical."

Yeah, she really is hungry ... EVERYTHING'S hungry, apparently ... hmmm ... O.O

Wait ... a SENTIENT lock? Weird ... oh, is it some kind of Aeormaton? Cool ... did it just FLIRT with SILAHA? Interesting ...

Chorus? Okay ... of boy, wow, SILAHA is definitely a little too into this particular facade, aren't they?

So it's some kind of bizarre Aeormaton speakeasy? Weird ... and it's a bit kinky too, apparently ... O.O

Umleta: "You are a clown." SILAHA: "Go join the circus, then."

Apparently SILAHA is having trouble letting go ...

That Aeormaton/elven lesbian engagement was incredibly romantic, ain't gonna deny ...

Oh yeah, 4X is fascinating already ... a stiff? Hmmm ... milk and honey? Sounds suspicious ...

Crap ... the imp is onto them ... Emhira: "Imp ... in my boobs ..." SILAHA: "Oh dear ..."

Slith ... hmmm ... I would already die for this adorable little letch ... clearly he likes Emhira VERY MUCH ...

Command? Oh, here we go ... Wisdom save of 19? Okay ... nice ...

A planetar? So definitely an angel, then ... and SILAHA already has them under his thumb ... oh ... for one round only ... crap ...

Roll Initiative? OF COURSE ...

Hold Monster? Nice ... good choice, Abubakar. Brennan saves ... Abubakar: "I'm gonna use a Lucky!" Of course you are. XD

Shadow Blade and Boots of Haste combo means Laura gets another action ... so Emhira hacks away! 29 DEFINITELY hits ... 12! OF COURSE this thing bleeds gold ... and she's a Warcaster? Wow ... second attack, then ...

SILAHA is going to LITERALLY bend the reality of the space around them to trap this guy ...

Wow ... so that LITERALLY just ended JUST LIKE THAT ... cool. Yeah ... OF COURSE nobody else REALLY saw that ...

Meanwhile the door LITERALLY SWALLOWED the angel ...

Oh yeah, those two demons WOULD just brick it, wouldn't they? Nice defuse, at least ... and that's a break then so Brennan can take a dump, I suppose ...

Over to Trist and Ayden, then ...

Somehow I doubt he really NEEDED to PRAY n order to melt that lock ... mostly he was just doing it to be an arsehole, I reckon ...

Emergency, yeah ... definitely the smart word in THIS environment ... 21 persuasion? Yeah ... not here? I kind of doubt that ... and it doesn't SEEM like it either ... another persuasion check? 25 this time ... Ashley's rolling HARD tonight ...

Archmage Previn? Okay, there we go then ...

Oh, this play is FANCY, yeah ...

Here he is, then ... poor kid's in a STATE, clearly ...

Graygill's Wasting? Sounds nasty ...

Aha! This would be Previn, then ... Cassida? Yeah, first names might be smart right now ...

The book? Oh, okay ... that's a risky move ...

Okay, yeah, figured she was a worshipper.

Oh yeah, get rid of that cranky git ... Milo: "It ever follows."

Trist uses Lay On Hands to remove his disease ... is this actually gonna work? Oh shit ... is she too broken for it to really succeed? Hmmm ...

That's right, Previn, you're in the presence of the Everlight herself ... so the kid's HEALED and now has 70 hit points ... wow ... O.O

Hallis: "I'm hungry ..." Yeah, you bet his mum just bursts into tears ...

Milo! You massive prick! Teach him a lesson, Ayden.

Channel Divinity? So Ayden's just on a healing tour, then ...

Well, that seems like a very ... humbling lesson ...

So ... Archmage Previn is DIRECTLY involved in this great undertaking of Aeor against the gods, then? So this is potentially a VERY helpful development, then ...

Wait ... is she trying to SABOTAGE this weapon?

The Society of Primes? Sounds helpful ... maybe they DO have some allies here, then ...

Oh dear ... yeah, this might NOT work out how they'd like after all, then ... oof ...

Back to Asha and the Emissary, then ...

A lone single tree ... at once beautiful and foreboding, really ...

One more hour of their Sphere of Invisibility ... so maybe just try a stealthy infiltration, then ...

"A gift of the Golden Scythe ..." Hmmmmm ...

Well now ... at least the little things know to honour their patrons ... but also I feel VERY SORRY for these poor tiny birds, this is a HORRIBLE place to be trapped in ...

Yeah, looks like being sneaky IS the smart move right now, then.

Oh, that's just SWEET ... see, nature isn't ALWAYS cruel ...

And now the tree's talking to her too ... O.O

Brennan: "It is not only humans that worship." Yes indeed ...

Holy fuck ... Asha just made the tree SPLIT THE WALL OPEN with its roots. That is a fucking FLEX right there ...

Asha takes a twig from the tree for later ... ALSO smart ...

The Emissary: "Bird ... she bares her teeth ... but I know what Mother sees in her."

Tishar cleaves the pipe open and starts burrowing into it ...

And now we're back to Emhira and SILAHA ...

So ... questioning the angel, then ... they followed their commander here? So ... this is NOT the rebel angel that came here to offer up secrets, then? Interesting ... but clearly they are still a moody shit ... hmmm ...

SILAHA's actually trying to SUCK THE ANGER right out of them? Interesting ... 9 on a Charisma check? Oof ... yeah, that's roundly rejected, then ...

Acastriel? Is that the traitor, then?

So that happened, the ... the angel just CUT ITS OWN HEAD OFF ... lovely ...

Oh dear ... yeah, so Garathran, the angel, is now FACE TO FACE with the ACTUAL Matron of Ravens on the other side ... yeah, they done fucked up after all ...

Yeah, they are SCARED now, clearly ... but she's being SO SWEET even when she's bracing them for information ...

Here we go, then ... the much needed infodump ...

A DRAGON?!!! Sweet fuck ...

The bottleneck and the breaking point indeed ... the information HASN'T gone out yet ... so they COULD just nip this in the bud right here ...

They just vanish in a puff ... and all the knowledge floods into her instead ... yup ...

It's all happening ALL AT ONCE!!! Yeah ...

And meanwhile Taliesin and Noshir have to roll Initiative ... CRAP!!! Oh, now he's getting EVERYBODY to do it instead ... okay then ...

So they burst out of the pipe into a chamber ... oh dear ... two massive constructs bar the way ... crap indeed ...

Yeah. Kill the Archmage, then ...

The Emissary charges their energy up and makes a dash for the mage. The closer construct swings and VERY MUCH misses as they pass ... attack as a BONUS ACTION?!!! Holy shit ... two big axes form one larger weapon and they CHUCK IT at the mage ... holy fuck this weapon cleaves CLEAN THROUGH the sudden shielf spell and cuts right into its target ... a rune that says "Denial"? No shit ... 11 damage, but with Scales of Justice he's also grappled and dragged ... so another 12 points, 23 altogether ... nice ... next attack which ALSO hits with a 28 ... holy fuck ... more axe action, then ... 12 points of damage this time.

The Emissary: "REPENT." Oof ... O.O

So Emhira and SILAHA have to get to the Engine under the Scribe, then. HOW?!!!

Emhira sends her raven, Dearest, through the pipe into the chamber ... okay, then ... Arcane Gate? Oh yes, nice one indeed ... so there's a portal RIGHT where they want to be, then, and she steps straight through ...

So she's right in the thick of it, then, and SILAHA casts Dimension Door in order to directly follow her.

Clockwork Cavalcade? Sounds FANCY ... yeah, DO THAT!!!

Abubakar: "Gimme two seconds ..." Oh fuck yeah ... yes, that's EXACTLY it ... SILAHA literally just PACMANs the fucking Scribe and ALL of its data ... fucking SWEET ...

A poem so beautiful it could convince reality to kill a god ... holy shit ...

Zaharzht hobbles in and casts Silence on the Archmage ... all the sound leaves the room ... hmmm ... two Counterspells from the constructs fail SPECTACULARLY ... yup, no verbal components, then ... essentially he can therefore now do FUCK ALL ... XD

The Archmage manages to slip free from the grapple, but gives the Emissary an attack of poortunity ... the mage gets out of the range of Silence and dumps a Misty Step to flee ...

The group at the hospital are currently very much OUT OF THE FIGHT ... hmmm ... so Arcadia casts Teleport and just jumps ALL OF THEM into the room ... okay, then ...

Trists casts Guiding Bolt on the Orb ... nice ... Nat20! Yeah! Double damage, then ... 8D6? Wow ... 36 points of Radiant damage! BOOM!!! Advantage on the next attack, then ...

Awwwwwww ... Topher gave her a little slingshot? That's so sweet ... she casts Blinding Smite on it, then holds her position for whatever's next ...

Which is a construct coming right at her ... oof ... she takes 44 POINTS OF DAMAGE in a single hit ... fuck ... and she just TAKES IT ...

Zaharzht takes a hit too ... and has to make a concentration save to maintain the Silence ... which stays ... phew ...

Asha runs round, lands on the Emissary and reaches into them, pulling out a rusted metal ring, produces a vine of briatwood, and forms them into a really nasty spear ... she spots the mage just in time before he emerges from Misty Step and attacks ... 24 to hit ... effortlessly bypassing the Shield, she inflicts a monstrous amount of damage and completely STUNS the fucker ... following through, she batters the prone body and then delivers a Flurry of Blows ... ouch ... HDYWTDT indeed ... yeah, she just rips his throat right out with her bare teeth ... O.O

Tishar rushes in, sees the Orb's already fucked up, and Rages as she starts battering it ... 38 points of damage, then ...

Ayden points his staff at the Orb and hurls a Guiding Bolt at it ... 30 to hit? Oooof ... 20 points of Radiant damage ... then turns to Tishar and says: "It's taking you that long?" before granting her an Additonal Attack ... fuck, REALLY?!!!

Oh, nostalgia ... hmmmm ...

She smashes it to pieces ... oh yeah, this shit EXPLODES, definitely ... both the constructs just instantly go inert and that's IT for the fight...

Wind? Hmmm ... osh shit, wait ... yes, of course, the gates are open as the gods are starting to come in ...

Meanwhile they all pile through Emhira's gate and leave the chamber behind ...

And that's IT!!! Branna calls it a night ... roll on next week, then.

[i-kanava-i]

I honor and revere that which walks inside and around you, Queen

[loserwithanartacc]

Them :3

I think her immediately going and sulking in a corner after her wife didn’t show up was funny af

I’m picturing her just side eyeing the emissary the whole time tbh

[floweroflaurelin]

Aeor, vast and mighty: the last bastion of the Age of Arcanum…

—

Happy Thursday! I spent two weeks on this huge painting of the whole Downfall cast (and Bolo!) and I’m so excited to finally share it! This took 21 hours, which is 10x longer than I usually work on a painting… though to be fair, there’s 10x as much stuff happening in this one 😆

Prints are available here! Closeups under the cut 😁✨

And here’s a version without text if that’s more your speed~

Prints of this version are available too!

[yudol-skorbi]

some completely normal non suspicious mortals and their crate of apples

[johnnyspells]

[sky-scribbles]

I'm in awe of how well each god's attitude toward Aeor reflects their divine domains.

Emhira, the matron of Ravens, sees no reason not to bring the city down. Death is inevitable. The Raven Queen does not quarrel with resurrection, and she does not quarrel with killing, because all souls come to her, sooner or later - what's a few decades more or less? What's the point of risking herself and the family she's joined, the order she's created, for the sake of postponing death?

Ayden, the Dawnfather, is the god of light and life and growing things. Those druid levels aren't for show; he's the god of agriculture. He looks at Aeor and sees that a harvest may yet come from barren ground. It's not in his nature to tear out roots; it's his nature to help things grow. You can't heal everything. You always have to try.

Silaha, the Arch Heart, looks at Aeor and sees its beauty. It's full of magic. Silaha is not opposed to destroying Aeor, because beauty never lasts: a flower dies, a spell fades, a shining tower falls. But neither is he convinced that Aeor has to die, because beauty is something to be treasured and cherished. Let's relax, let's get a drink, let's think this through. Beauty is wonderful, whether it lasts or not.

Asha, the Wildmother, wants to survive, because that is what wild things do. Predators kill to eat, and prey kills to defend itself. Aeor has backed her into a corner, and her fangs are bared. Nature is death as well as life, nature is brutal, nature endures at all costs. Civilisation no longer speaks to her. She's hungry. She's angry. Her teeth are looking for a throat, ready to tear, ready to protect what is hers.

Trist, the Everlight, hears talk of death and says no. The Everlight, who has let herself fall in love with a mortal and have mortal children, even knowing how much it's all going to hurt. Whose nature is to see the worth in broken things, violent things, irredeemable things. Who looks at the cruelty of Aeor and does not deny it, but will not let anyone forget that everyone here is a person. The bravest of all of them, to look at Aeor and say this, too, is worth saving.

[setsailforthestars]

Taliesin as Asha in Downfall so far