#I still think Orym might pop

[hazelcephalopod]

Lil aside. Fully believe Liam is trying to play Orym as a pretty even keel guy with some worries and a lot of loss in his past. I gotta admit tho. Orym often seems real fucked up. He’s got so deep rooted and suppressed issues.

“Replaying Otohan stabbing Keyleth in his head again and again.” Sir?!? You are not ok?!

Remember the petty stabbing of Yu?

[utilitycaster]

Assuming Laudna will open up to Imogen about killing Bor’dor/Delilah possibly still lingering, I wonder if it will cause friction between them. I don’t know why it would but maybe I just want drama between them to make them interesting to me lol. Anyway, It is gonna be interesting to see how the bells interacts after this cause they all have had some growth and regression. You know what I mean? 

So I agree that the reunion is going to be really interesting. While I actually think the parties are on roughly the same page (though Imogen and Laudna might not be; Imogen is still kind of a lone holdout on "but what if I don't care about the gods") they did have wildly different experiences, and I do love drama.

Here's my opinion: I don't actually think Team Issylra regressed. I think there's a very common false equivalence of violence=regression that pops up in the fandom, and I think it's 100% wrong given the setting and genre conventions.

I'm reminded actually of a lot of discussion about the Ted Lasso finale a few weeks ago - there's a good post here, the gist of which is that sometimes a part of recovery is looking less happy. Laudna's entire deal is that she compartmentalizes and suppresses and tells herself it's all uphill from here. Orym has heard multiple people - people who like him, even, who'd consider him a friend or ally - openly say the group that murdered his husband and father-in-law who was basically a father to him and who used his leader (whom he's sworn to protect and who said husband and father-in-law died protecting) as nothing more than bait might have some good points, and he's mostly kept quiet. Even Ashton, who has been in somewhat better shape this arc, believed himself to be undeserving of anything good.

So yeah, Laudna might possibly have reawakened Delilah, but she's actually letting herself experience some emotions and talk about them. It's a pretty major step forward that she's spent so much time admitting to anger and fear, and her feelings about betrayal, and crying on Ashton's shoulder instead of constantly pretending everything is totally fine so that she can be the shoulder to Imogen. Orym's moment with the locket is not, to me, an act of cruelty. It's him saying "why do I keep trying to understand and sparing the feelings of people who never once gave me that grace, and who will use me or murder me without a second thought?" And while Ashton isn't immediately running to Hishari right now because, understandably, they are prioritizing the reunion and stopping the Vanguard, their moment about realizing this is anger and the past was self-pity feels like a breakthrough. He's confronting that past (speaking of false equivalences, there's a similarly common one of "choosing to go along with the main party-wide plot instead of one's own specific hooks=avoidance") and is letting himself whole-heartedly support the party after spending years refusing to have friends because friends leave.

Team Issylra is in the messy part of growth, but they've grown immensely, and that's actually the biggest thing I want to see Team Wildemount respond to.

[rynnaissance]

ok so for future reference, if i ever do continue working on my fic, how do we think bell’s hells would be at driving cars in a modern au? i’ve got ideas, but i want to hear other people’s input.

here’s what i’ve got:

chetney: DO NOT GET IN A CAR WITH CHETNEY WHATEVER YOU DO. that senior citizen is batshit insane and he WILL road rage. if someone cuts him off then wherever he was going is forgotten because he has to tailgate that person now while yelling at them to pull over so they can “talk.” i can’t decide if he would have a really nice car or a really shitty one because honestly both fit. maybe a fancy truck for hauling wood?

orym: he’s your safest bet out of the hells if you want to get somewhere on time without fearing for your life. bro is a law abiding citizen of the road. he never loses his cool (unlike chet) and his car is always clean and smells super nice. he mostly listens to meditation style music, but he’ll let the other person have the aux because he’s genuinely curious to hear what they listen to. shout out to orym.

laudna: okay back to the insanity. ALSO DO NOT GET IN A CAR WITH LAUDNA! girlie pop should not be on the road. she’s blasting the weirdest fucking genres of metal imaginable, she can hear nothing else. the music only somewhat drowns out the horrible keening noises her car makes, as if it’s begging to die. that thing hasn’t been to the shop in decades and omits the occasional plume of black smoke that smell like burnt hair and buttered popcorn for some reason? i saw someone else talk about how she’s a crazy driver with everyone except imogen who she drives very well for and never blasts music, and i like that idea a lot.

imogen: it was her dad’s truck before her’s, a farm vehicle meant for rural roads with four wheel drive. it’s pretty beat up, but it’s reliable. imogen hates driving though, as it can be super overwhelming in the city, and prefers to go with laudna. outside of the city, on rural roads where you won’t see another car for miles, she finds it almost as relaxing as horseback riding. she likes to cruise around with her widows down, shamelessly listening to country music. yeehaw.

ashton: should you get in a car with ashton? depends on the day, as they are kind of a wild card. one day, it might be a chill drive with you two causally exchanging stories, like sober “what the fuck is up with that?” other times you better hold onto your seat because you are getting to your location regardless of how traffic is flowing. ashton is the person who cuts chetney off. it may be on purpose, no one knows for certain, but he always seems to manage to find the old man and make his day a little more difficult. if they see someone they know, they’ll lay on horn and yell, “hey asshole!” with a wave and a grin. the car itself is covered in stickers and sharpie graffiti, interior and exterior. you’ll always know it’s him.

fearne: does she have a license? she would say yes. the truth is no. fearne was never taught how to drive, she just kinda figured it out as she went along. because of ashton, she used to think honking is a friendly thing, but had to be informed by fcg that those people are not just saying hi, but are actually mad at her. she didn’t like that very much. she doesn’t seem to be aware that there are any dangers to driving. she’s almost always getting into crashes, which she responds to with a giggle and a “whoops(:” it’s a marvel she hasn’t been arrested yet. there’s also an angry possum that’s sometimes found in the truck of her car, so it’s best not to open it.

fcg: much like orym, fcg is a very safe person to drive with. although maybe a little annoying, as he’ll let everyone go before him at a four way stop regardless of if it’s actually their turn. sometimes though, when they’re under a lot of stress, they resemble chetney more. they won’t tolerate any bullshit from other drivers and yell at pedestrians to get out of the way. he’s been getting better about this though, but still.

[pocketgalaxies]

hi! seeing you during all this ep95 mess has been a breath of fresh air. you seem to have a really firm grasp of canon so I wanted to ask what you think of the recent discord message from Liam where he says Orym didn't know that Laudna was under Delilah's influence when she killed Bor'dor? I watched the clip from 4SD, & it's pretty clear that Liam says Orym understood Laudna was opening the door for Delilah when he encouraged her to kill Bor'dor & even says "we'll need that." But the Discord message seems to walk that back. It's been super frustrating being accused of vilifying Orym or infantilizing Laudna for repeating what Liam himself said. I just don't really know how to reconcile these two statements from Liam & it has me a bit confused on Orym's character.

hi anon, thank you!

this turned into a much longer one than i was expecting dfksjdkfs

so last week i posted this Really Long Ask about the whole discussion, if you want to take a look. but i intentionally didn't bring up liam's discord message because you're right! it seemed contradictory to something that was stated in the past, which was confusing

honestly i think the most realistic answer is that liam probably didn't mean for what he said on 4SD to be understood as such a strong and maybe even polarizing character choice. i think a lot of us heard it as "orym sees delilah as a useful/necessary asset that outweighs what might happen to laudna afterward." particularly because he framed it as something that made the whole situation "even creepier," and during that same convo, marisha was emphasizing the psychological impact that killing bor'dor had on laudna. it's a strong stance and it reflects what orym is doing to himself (handing his endgame over to the questionably fickle nana morri to increase their chances of success against ludinus)

but i suppose liam's clarification suggests that he meant it in a softer, more practically level-headed way, like "orym knew he couldn't do a whole lot about delilah's return but he also thought it could have benefits," or something along those lines. they're obviously two hugely different interpretations with pretty big implications on how we understand orym's relationship with laudna

i'm not a connoisseur of orym's character by ANY means so i can't confidently tell you what the change might mean from a narrative perspective, but i personally still prefer the former stronger stance. because i think it raises interesting questions about how orym views his own place in this war and whether or not it's valid for him to (intentionally or subconsciously) project that placement onto the other party members. is it okay for orym to expect the same level of personal sacrifice from laudna, or imogen with predathos (a whole separate can of worms), or anyone else? is it safe? etc etc. but maybe liam doesn't want to go in that direction, or maybe he does but just not in the way we expect, i don't know! only time will tell!

also regardless of what he meant, i think it's important to acknowledge that it's really easy and completely understandable to feel like he was walking something back. that episode of 4SD was almost a whole year ago! many of us built that statement into our perception and understanding of orym's character for a long time, so it's totally valid to go "wait what the fuck???" when liam suddenly pops into the discord to say that's not what he meant. those feelings are valid and real! especially when discourse can already make you question your own intelligence and your personal interpretations of a story, having that pillar, as big or small as it might've been in your mind, knocked over can be really jarring. you are very much not alone in that, and it's okay!!

[pippastrelle]

Bulletpoint liveblog of C3E91 let's go!

Second half: Crown Keepers

Oh, is this where the Crownkeepers come in? I heard that. Haha I always wonder what it's like at the studio hiding the fact that, like, Robbie is there.

AABRIA! God, I want to know how her hair and makeup is done. It's so different and so cool nearly every time I see her. She's got such style.

Moment to appreciate the music they play during the art reel at the end of the break.

CROWNKEEPERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS! I actually never fully watched Kymal so the bunny woman was a surprise XD

The collaborativeness is nice, asking Anjali about her sister.

ahahaha god this platform. DON'T WHIPLASH MY EMOTIONS LIKE THIS! I'M CRYING OVER ORYM AND ALL!

….Me not having watched Kymal might confuse me for the next two hours.

Black lipstick will never not get me. Aimee.

Is Dorian going to reply to Orym's message??????

Good on Matt for starting off.

(Pleeeeease may they say this woman's name). Her character's Morrighan. Whoa, a champion of the Matron of Ravens.

The Crownkeepers have been having a real swell time.

(Fy'ra Rai has always been a great name to say). So, sent by the Wildmother to protect them.

Aww, Dorian feeling some consequences of his avoidance.

From an above-table perspective, I'm surprised they're all feeling so lost? I wonder if it was planned and if Aabria's going to suddenly give them a direction, or if they're reticent to set too much in stone?

OPAL'S BETRAYER GOD CHAMPION DESIGN IS SO SICK; I LOVE IT!

Sleep as an exhausting void… Creepy.

"Can I hear him?" "Make a wisdom save." Terrifying. "Shouting at you while running backwards." What a description.

I do love Opal, too. Such a situation but still trying to retain that image of her.

"We gotta get these chuckles out not." Whimper in terrified player.

I love Aabria's GM-ing in a lot of other things (ACOFAF is S-tier), but I think this highlights why I found EXU Prime harder to get into. The Crownkeepers tend to lack a motivating goal from the off-set, making it a bit hard for me to figure what they're trying to do and why.

Still, starting off with PVP might be the wakeup!

HA! Matt Mercer doing the ad read. Love it.

Spider Queen is intimidating and poor, poor Opal.

Holy shit, Opal's raising into the air and burning the forest. Hahaha make Aimee choose which friend to destroy. Awwww forcing her into PvP!

Goddddddd Aabria is the Betrayer God here.

Black eyessssssss. Magic second set of arms.

God, imagine being Aimee rn.

27 on initiative??????

THE DARIAX ROLLS RETURN!

At least Opal can communicate her panic.

HASTE ON OPAL???? HA! VENMO TO HASTE THE ENEMY!

The Dariax rolls balance Morrighan's.

Aw, sweet with Morrighan and Opal whispering telepathically.

Amazing image of stone cold Opal in contrast.

I like how Matt and Aabria pop in with lessons for the others. Nice to see players propping each other up.

CRYSTAL RAPIER? NICE!

"She's just a little guy."

Absolutely fair, seeing weird shit for your Betrayer God Champion friend and just wanting to knock her the fuck out.

Kind of Anjali to tally up the numbers as they roll.

Eeeeeek, ripping a rapier down her thigh.

OPAL DOESN'T TAKE THE DAMAGE????? IS THAT A REACTION OR????

TED!

Hahaha "if Opal did crossfit".

(I googled it. Morrighan is played Erica.)

Oh christ Ted's helping. I wonder how much Morrighan knows about Ted.

"NONONO STOP!" as verbal component for Shield is fantastic.

I don't trust that this is Ted?? Does Ted know Opal's fucked right now??

"Why's the first thing you do drawing blood?" Well, because it's D&D.

Haste lets you go get a hotdog from Arby's. Vax knew this well.

Aabria's English accent is so American-version-of-English but I like how it sounds anyway.

Let the ashhole return, cowards!

Yeah, Robbie, this is a weird situation. Dorian's just choking on his flute. Yeah, trying to restrain Opal is a good plan. NO! NAT 20 minus 1 + 4 plus 13. Aimee/Opal, go! Get! It!

Nice, Aabria, failing forward is a lesson we can all incorporate.

NAT ONE PLUS 13?? ROBBIE! Cannot catch a break.

T_T Fy'ra being betrayyyyyed again. Ooh, very very cool from Anjali calling for a flashback.

(We still never got the response to Orym. Has that happened yet or it that going to be the bookend? I'm curious what this is going to mean for the actual campaign. It's a really fun idea to bring in another GM for a section. Sure, more Actual PlayTM than homegame but Matt at least gets to play.)

Haha Anjali welcome to the DM club! I know about this from the Ginny Di video. Anjali DMed an official lego game.

Can they free Opal?

Ohhh. The Wildmother wants this? Am I misunderstanding? Shit.

They can't separate Opal from the crown.

Love how different people set their dice.

Never take advice from GM Aabria :P

Holy shit these guys roll high.

I hardly ever see people take the dodge action.

I do like Opal a lot.

So the Spider Queen is just trying to full take over Opal. I wonder if Teven or the other Betrayer God Champion had this sort of thing happen.

GO AWAY FOREVER??? THEIR MOTHER DID THIS TO OPAL AND TED?? Evalux? A splinter group? I'M SO CONFUSED AND INTRIGUED! THE BEACON'S INVOLVED??? How tf did they get it in Byroden? So there's a splinter of Luxon followers who split themselves in one life instead? God, I hope the main cast get to watch this.

…..And Opal has no memory of it. Will we ever get this information?

Erica continues to roll like a god.

The turns have felt both long and fast. I've still got, like, an hour and a half.

I love how Matt describes/contextualises things, even as a player.

HA! CYRUS IS HERE?!

ROLL PERFORMANCE FOR HANDJOB

A 7!!!!!

Bless is good. Dariax panicking is great.

XD God initiative takes a long time in a big group.

THE ROLLS! THE DARIAX ROLLS!

Ah! Dariax is a bard! Yeah! So cuuuute for the Double Ds. "THE PERFORMING ARTS IS WORTH IT!"

So. All of them are blind in the darkness. Awesome, awesome move, Aimee.

Hahhahahahaha right. Warlock. No spell slots.

XD It's such a long game. No loo breaks.

SQUIRREL SPIDER FTW

Gotta love Cyrus. "NO DON'T SHOOT!" The himbo persists.

….Matt, what did you get for the WIS save?

PALADIN COMES IN FOR THE SAVE!

Hahahaha "that could can see". Okay. Blind mistystep? …..I'm sure 8 will get it.

Aww, attacking your friend's going to leave a bad taste in your mouth. Lay on Hands is good.

I appreciate Aabria's helpfulness as a GM.

Fy'ra good teammate.

Opal, again, is amazing. I love how she tackles such complex things in her very Her way. Preserves drama and humour in her self-absorbtion.

I wonder how Opal washes her hair under that crown?

Well, some allowance for fighting when Opal attacked them? Obvs harder emotionally than logically.

Aww everyone got to see the memory of Opal and Morrighan bonding.

HA! LOVE FY'RA BEING COMMANDER!

Dorian is forever clanking with all the instruments he carries. T_T 9 to dispel fails. Good plan though. Until back into the darkness he goes.

I like the idea of going back to the Crownkeepers, especially as a perspective on Opal and Dorian, but I'm two hours into this section and still don't quite get the full significance of it. Which is a shame. I still have faith, but I think this encounter would be more enjoyable if I understood better why we were seeing it in the Bell's Hells campaign.

I've always respected Opal/Aimee going in on being the asshole sister. Getting to see that perspective.

The gem flashbacks are cool.

"We can both be coins." "And we're richer for it!" Amazing. Great pun. Love Fy'ra. Love Ted coaching Opal.

Max offering blind Dariax up on a plate. Respect.

I LOVE MATT AS DARIAX! SO FUNNY!

Con sorcerer is smart.

Aabria has no luck against Dariax.

I'm sure that 9 WIS will help perception.

BARDIC COMES IN CLUTCH!

DIMENSION DOOR IS A BONUS ACTION?!

I. Love. Opal. Aimee plays her and her struggles and her relationships with everyone so well and nuanced. Dariax is a well-done character too. Real even behind the humour.

I leapt too, Aimee. Holy shit what the fuck, Spider Queen?

(Fuck you, Twitch, for skipping, my god).

Oh god, Cyrus, don't die.

Nooooo, Dariax. Living nightmares. Him and Dorian seeing their nightmares.

Spider Queen Opal wtf.

Pick up next week? Huh. I… am confused by this. Interesting encounter. I liked the drama between the Crown Keepers. But, again, I don't understand the significance for the Bell's Hells? So I reckon next week will be first half Crown Keepers, second half Bell's Hells. Huh. Interesting episode. It was fun, though I really don't deny still being on the edge of my seat to find out what's happening with the BH.

[masterqwertster]

Hi!

So I love your writing, especially the prompt thing you've been doing recently. I'm super curious on what you think it would look like after the last little fic with Ashton and Orym, since they have no healers.

Maybe #6, #19 or #27, if you haven't done those or are okay with repeats? With Orym having to accept Ashton and Laudna's help until they can find a way to heal him, since it doesn't seem like he can even lift his arms? Or even accepting help from the other three traveling with them right now.

Or maybe for another focus, Laudna being panicked and scared about him being hurt and almost losing them both, but also worried about Imogen, so she's projecting onto Ashton and Orym to feel in control and maybe a little too pushy about helping him heal and making sure Ashton is alright too.

Thanks! 🤗

Alright, last one for this prompt list (for now) Sorry this one took a while. The prompt decided to fight me, but I got that sucker in the end! 6 "Don't move, you're still hurt." 19 "You need to eat something." Gonna pass on 27 "I'm going to carry you, okay?" since I've done Ashton and Orym both separately and together on that one. And since episode 63 was a whole thing, this references that, just the tiniest bit. Also, my brain decided this is a canon adjacent where Orym, Laudna, and Ashton are off on their own having split from their guests. So it's just the three of them in this little fic. A follow up to this one.

Laudna clutches her boys close.

For a bleak while there, she thought she'd lost them. How could she have gone back to Fearne, to Fresh Cut Grass, and told them their best friends didn't make it? That her reflexes hadn't been fast enough to catch them in a life-saving Feather Fall? And what about her, left alone without her family?

Lucky her, they managed to save themselves.

There's even the pleasant surprise of Ashton returning the hug, pinning her and Orym to their chest. Laudna really does enjoy hugs from the genasi when they're willing. Just the reassuring weight to their arms, the seemingly unshakable solidity to their body and presence, juxtaposed with the absolute care and gentleness they handle her with. Sometimes she'd swear there's nothing more grounding than an Ashton hug.

A hiss escapes the group hug, sending Laudna scrambling backwards as Ashton's arms spring open.

With that space, she fully takes her boys in, almost immediately spotting the problem: Orym's arms look a dreadful mess. Bright red and swollen at the joints, and dislocated too, if she's any judge (and she is, with as often as her own joints will pop out of place).

"Oh. Oh, that doesn't look good at all. Hold still, give me a moment," Laudna worries, hands going into the motions for a Wither and Bloom. Healing is hardly her specialty, but this spell can heal. It doesn't have to kill hurt.

And it's not as much healing as what Fresh Cut Grass or Fearne could provide if they were here, but it is some measure of healing. The worst of the swelling reduces, the redness recedes some, and some nasty cracks and snaps indicate that all the bones have popped back into their sockets.

"Wait," Orym pants out as Laudna's hands begin the motions for a second casting. "S-save the magic. We might n-need it later."

Laudna bites her lip. She really thinks Orym should take a second round of healing, even if it does bring her magic reserves down to uncomfortably-low-should-another-fight-occur. Because it's either her magic or one of their few potions to get the halfling into something better approximating working order.

"Heal him," Ashton commands, cutting through the indecision.

Orym splutters as Laudna quickly completes the spell, trying to be indignant about the used resources even as the tension in his body relaxes a bit more from the second dose of healing.

"Can you hold your shit, or does Laudna need to hit you again?" Ashton demands, no room to lie or evade in their gaze.

With a stubborn jut to his chin, Orym picks up his sword and shield. He only slightly fumbles stowing them away on his back, earning a grunt of approval.

"Alright, let's keep moving," the genasi says, groaning a bit as they lever themself back onto their feet.

"Are you okay?" Laudna has to ask. It can be a little tricky to tell when Ashton is vocalizing his chronic pain or a current injury.

"I'm good," Ashton says, rolling his shoulders and flexing his hands a bit, producing a barely audible popping that Laudna’s fairly certain wouldn’t be audible at all if his body wasn't made of stone. "After all, I'm not the one who caught, like, ten times their body weight and still some-fucking-how held on."

"Are you complaining?" Orym raises an eyebrow at them.

"Nah. Just saying you absolutely fucking needed the healing after doing something that crazy," Ashton easily explains, flicking the halfling's ear.

Orym grumbles, but lets it go.

Laudna, for her part, is very glad Orym managed such an impossible feat, even at great cost to himself. Certainly, having Ashton handle their own weight is always the better option, but needs must. And they obviously got around to it quick enough, since Orym's arms are still attached and the boys did haul themselves back up the cliff.

And maybe, maybe, Laudna spends the rest of the day hovering and worrying. Even though her boys are perfectly fine besides Orym's sore arms, Ashton's sore everything and there's really no need to worry. They're quite capable and can handle themselves. She's seen them in action, so of course she knows that. There's really no need-

"Here. Eat," Ashton grunts, shoving a bowl of stew into her anxiously wringing hands.

"Oh. Oh. I'm alright," Laudna demurs, even as her fingers curl around the warm bowl.

"Eat," Ashton demands again. "I know you don't need much, but you still need some. 'Sides, food is energy and you need to regain yours for-" and he wiggles and flicks his fingers at Orym in what is actually a half-decent impression of her casting Wither and Bloom.

And well. When they put it like that.

Laudna eats her stew.

As they settle down for sleep and watch, Laudna hits Orym with another Wither and Bloom, getting a little sigh of relief from the halfling. Then she spins one last one on Ashton as well for good measure.

"Good night," Ashton intones as almost a threat, flipping her off good-naturedly. And they resettle in their seat, obviously feeling some relief from her spell as well.

"Good night~" she sing-songs back, curling into her bedroll. Her boys live (she can hear them breathing), and soon, all of Bells Hells will be together again.

[inconmess]

What I expect for the episode this week:

Some actual real talk between the Hells and an amazingly roleplayed fallout to the previous episode

Bells Hells taking a detour from Aeor for some quality time for themselves (most likely not going to happen but hey? I can hope. They need a break. And proper sleep)

TALK ABOUT ORYM'S DEAL!

Sam's new character? (at this point I think we might meet them in Aeor only, probably before the live show hopefully)

Can we just have a session of WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THAT???? I think we really really need it at this point and I will be super happy if it goes for the full episode too but CLEAR THE AIR AT LEAST A LITTLE!!!

Dorian discovering more stuff and freaking out in the side because they have done a lot and haven't caught him up yet.

Hopefully, no fights

New Costumes!

Reality:

I won't be watching the full episode on FRIDAY cuz I am TRAVELLING and won't have proper net to watch it and will have to wait a Whole Week unless I download it video when it pops out on YT. I am still going to try and catch up a little anyway. And by that I mean at least the first hour if not the break. Praying that there is at least some talk before the break otherwise I'll cry

[seasinkarnadine]

prompt snippet

okay so Im still working on the prompts yall sent (Im now upwards of 4,000 words...) but I wanted to share a little sneak peek as thanks for sending. (Prompts: 4. Trying to hide your injury from them, but failing miserably once you faint right in front of them

Imogen calls Ruidus and takes way too much damage (does Laudna even know about this?)

----- It’s a bandit attack. That’s why the smoke smells weird. The meat cooking isn’t cut from a hare and roasted on a spit; it’s human remains. It’s charred hair and clothes and blood. “Well, fuck.” Ashton hefts their hammer on one shoulder. “Now what the fuck do we do?” Imogen looks at the overturned crates and smashed carts. The debris is scattered all over the hillside. The bandits seem long gone.

“Don’t suppose they mighta missed it?” She asks while she turns over a bucket with her boot. Fearne purses her lips as she looks out over the ruined campsite.

“Mama said that this captain, what was his name? Crawford? Crake?”

“Crotchgrab?” Chetney supplies.

“Cramer,” Imogen corrects.

“Yeah, Crampy, that he would probably keep it close to him.” Fearne nods. “So if we can find his body, it might be in one of his pockets.” As if to demonstrate she reaches into the depths of her fur and withdraws something small, hard, and round. She gives it a sniff, and then shrugs and pops it into her mouth. A moment later she spits it back out and scowls at it.

“We might not even need to do that. Hey Letters, are we close enough for you to cast Locate Object?” Imogen asks. The little robot wheels up beside her with a contemplative hum.

“Let me give it a try…. Oh!”

“Ya get somethin’?” Imogen leans closer to him like it’ll cause the effects of the spell to transfer to her.“I sure did! Come on, this way.”

“Don’t get too fuckin’ far ahead!” Ashton shouts after them as Chetney mutters,“Somethin’ about this place is makin’ my nose itch…”

“Something dangerous?” Orym asks.

“Might be. Might be.”

“Let’s everyone keep alert.” Orym says. He adjusts his grip on his sword, a determined crease to his brow.

It’s only as Imogen starts following after that she realizes Luadna’s hand slipped from her grip. Looking back she sees Laudna silhouetted against the night sky. In front of her is a shallow pit overflowing with corpses. Flames leap from the bodies and spew sparks up into the darkening sky. Laudna stands at the edge, staring into the flames, unmoving..

“Laudna?” She doesn’t move. Why isn’t she moving? “Laud, honey?” Imogen steps towards her.

“Mmm? Oh, sorry, lost in thought. Did we find it?” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“FCG thinks they found it.” Should she ask if everything is alright? Or should she wait for Laudna to say something? She could always take a peek…no, no. Boundaries, Imogen.

“I’m alright,” Laudna says reassuringly. This time her smile graces her lips with a natural curve.

“Yeah?” Imogen smiles back and reaches out her hand. Laudna takes it.

“We’re going to get this gem, and we’re going to power that machine, and we’re going to figure out what is going on with Ruidus, and we’re going to make your nightmares stop. And then we’re going to get ourselves a little house in the Heartmoor and I’ll bake you cookies every day.”

Surrounded by burning bodies and blood isn’t a place one should feel joy, but that doesn’t stop a laugh from escaping Imogen’s chest.

“Yeah. Yeah, we are.”

 “YOU GUYS COMING?” Ashton hollers from halfway up the hill. The others are waiting near the top.

“We’re coming!” Laudna waves back to him. “Shall we?” Imogen links their arms and they follow after their group.

[grigori77]

Critical Role Campaign 3 Episode 41

Oh dear gods ... Sam, what now? I almost expected him to come up squeaking: "Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeed!" like in Bill & Ben ... Matt looks SO uncomfortable right now. And then the watering, gods help us ...

Sam: "I was holding a semi squat over there so people couldn't see my wang!"

Stickers! Everybody should go nuts over stickers, it's like THE LAW.

Here we go. After two weeks with reuniting with The Nein and a week off, it's just been TOO LONG ...

Oh ... oh! OH!!! Dorian! And look at everybody's faces! :3 Thanks for that, Robbie ...

FCG: "What you looking for over there, Chetney?" Ashton: "Your destiny?" Chetney: "Shut the ... FUCK!!! Now I gotta think up a new one-liner!" Ashton: "I don't know, I think I kind of saved you from that one."

Oh yes, Orym would be a cool were rabbit ... also Imogen as Bojack Horseman ... either way Fearne would be cute. :3

Sam's flask gets aired almost immediately ... WERE BASS!!! Yeah ...

Travis confusing Imogen and Laudna too ... Matt: "Yeah, it's catching!

Yup, important consumer advice: DON'T GET BIT!!!

FCG: "What if you haven't finished?" Chetney: "Well then, you know, disappointment."

The portable hole does not get too wet. I cannot believe nobody picked up on THAT potential minefield of innuendo ...

This menagerie is COMPLICATED.

Yes, let the ship know. Extra spell slot is a good thing, clearly.

Cardio, man ...

Oh gods ... Fearne is about to trip balls isn't she? Ah yes, a con save ... 8 ... yeah ... here we go. Yup. Acid trip. Totally. Oh this is gonna be so much fun ...

Fearne: "Why so far? I'm not gonna DO anything." The while group LOSES IT COMPLETELY. Of course. And now she's POISONED for the next 24 hours. Of course she is. XD

Roll FOR the Gorgynei? Travis rolls a NATURAL 20!!!!!!!

Twilight Tigers?

Two Imogens ... yup ...

Everybody "wolfs" out. Meanwhile Imogen pulls a Jurassic World Chris Pratt ...

Markings, smart. Chetney: "Nice penmanship."

Ashton hoping for a were tree ... meanwhile Fearne is still totally blasted. Yhe others are fascinated.

CSN FCG recognise hotness? Oh gods and now they're trying go see if HE can trip out too. This is SUCH a bad idea and I'm totally here for it. XD

Wow, FCG has quite the constitution. Oh wait, here we go ... con save ... 17? Nuts ...

No. Save Laudna's big drug stash for later ...

I think Letters MIGHT be reading too much into their luck right now. And now Fearne is trying to communicate with the Changebringer. This should be interesting ...

The Changebringer says Hi. Oh. It's s frickin BEETLE. Fearne is being attacked by a bug and she thinks she's being visited by a god ...

Yeah, that was just weird.

Oh yes. Orym's eternal quandary ...

FCG: "This fire's HUGE!!!" Ashton: "Why's this smoke all hitting ME?"

The basics ... hmmmmm ...

Okay, guess it's time to get to THE MEAT of the matter ... ah, here we are, the Moon. Do tell, sister ... ooooooh, backstory ...

"It's yhe shadow if a roommate that never goes away." Holy fuck that is PROFOUND, Matthew ...

Glyph work? Ahhh ... okay, so looks like Chetney's still got stuff to learn. Oh wow, that's pretty cool, actually ...

Whoa. Even cooler ...

Oh wow, and now Chetney's getting some ACTUAL on hand training. Does this count for experience points?

More backstory! Yay!

The Ivory Syndicate ... hmmm ... Dorao the Dead ... double-hmmmm ...

Yes, how IS Fearne now?

Chetney would be a were cockatoo ... okay ...

Oh, they actually had us going there, didn't they? XD And then with the were horse again ...

Surreal conversation. This is fun ...

Fearne! Stop flirting! XD

Marisha rolls a 6 ... Matt: "Well ... it's a good thing they're good trackers." Oh yeah?

What are Liam and Laura having a little private giggle about? The Twins are at it again, clearly.

Apex War? Stratos Throne? WHAAAAAAAT?!!!

Oh my gods, is Marisha actually having NOTEBOOK FATIGUE?!!!

The Savage Garden? Sam prompts a wave of bad 90s pop rock jokes ...

Laudna: "Are you feeling pure today? Chetney's like the least pure person I know."

Wow, Laudna is getting WAY too excited about this ...

Laura looks SO TOTALLY enraptured by Matt's descriptions here ... it's adorable.

Wow, sober Fearne blows that nature check BIG TIME. No Fey Realm advantage? Matt: "No."

Hahaha ... Laura realising that Matt's describing the cave set from the old campaign 3 intro before Matt does is so cute.

Yes Fearne. SERIOUSLY. ASK PERMISSION FIRST. FCG totally makes an insight check ...

Sam: "I can't even tell if YOU'RE lying to me right now, as Ashley Johnson." Ashley: "You'll never know."

Ashton's having hammer envy, apparently ... XD

Oh, so, like, it's stinky?

Bones. Okay ...

Orym makes a Perception Check. Yeah, this'll be high ... Nat 20. OF COURSE it is.

Oh yeah. This place is a total MURDER HOUSE.

Romance the statue ... XD

Seraatani, aka The Wildmother. Oh hello ...

All right, here we go ... game time. Time to get serious, Chet.

Oooh ... Nice offerings there, Chetney ... oh, so he has to do a Zen meditation thing, then? Sounds about right.

Ah, so it's just late afternoon. Yeah, stop planning going to bed, then.

And again Laudna is like WAY too invested in this ...

Chetney: "Fortune favours the sexy."

"I've got a pocketful of ball bearings. The Marisha Rey Story."

All right, who's hot the Immovable Rod? Rolling ... Taliesin and Sam role-playing to see who's got the Rod ... XD

Okay, check the spooky tunnel ... wow, that was anticlimactic ...

FCG casts Enhance Ability on Chetney ... but WHAT is he actually about to DO?!!!

Chetney's personal business ... Laura (quietly): "That's gotta be Santa, right?"

Oooooooh ... moonbeam. Okay ...

A presence ... Matt: "And that's where we're gonna go to break!" Sam: "Presents arrive? That's gotta be Santa, right?"

Part 2 ...

Orym and Fearne are REQUESTED to make Perception Checks ... okay, this can't be good ...

Oh, so this is gonna be like a multiple choice test? Isn't that like a bit too easy?

So they're like ... all possessed now, then?

Whoa ... Matt's getting pretty worked up in this bit ...

Holy fuck, Chetney is HULKING OUT right now! And now Matt's getting a battle map ... meep!

Uber Chetney is TERRIFYING ...

ROLL INITIATIVE!!!

We don't know WHAT the fuck is going on, nobody wants to actually ATTACK anyone ...

Oooh ... Imogen tries to look unto Chetney's head and she gets SHUT OUT by ... SOMETHING. Something ancient.

Chetney's turn ... oh shit here we go ...

Letters? Oh dear ... FUCK!!! HE'S ATTACKING!!!

Taliesin: "We are literally our own worst enemies."

FIRE CLAWS!!! Ouch! Oh no, not Mister too!

Attack of Opportunity for FCG ... NAT 20!!! But half damage cuz he's wolfed out ...

17 points of damage on Mister ... wait, that's right, he NEVER gets hit, we have NO IDEA how many hit points ... OH FUCK MISTER IS GONE!!!

And now he's going after Fearne too!

Laura: "How do you know you have to attack us?" Travis: "The voice in my head I'd telling me to."

Form of Dread AND Mirror Image? AWESOME!!!

Fuck me, Chetney has LEGENDARY ACTIONS right now?

Matt: "It's not really a TPK, one of you will survive." Yeah he is enjoying this WAY too much right now ...

FCG tries to use his Trusted Companion connection to get through to him telepathically ... and he is just NOT THERE right now.

Spiritual Weapon ... a steak? Yeah, Matt doesn't have a mini for that. Oh, a STAKE!!! That might work ...

Raging and Reckless Attack! Go Ashton! 22 to hit? Yeesh ...

Liam: "Yeah, Orym us going to ... shit ..." Laura: "Poop his pants."

Awwwwww ... Orym's sweet and adorable half finished wolf carving might actually save the day? Please please please ...

Howl of the Hunter? Oh wait, never mind ...

Imogen casts Blindness ... and FUCK that is a great save so it totally fails ...

Everybody's so confused!

Fearne casts Scorching Ray! Fuck! Haphazard aim, though, doesn't do too much damage ...

Ashton tries to talk him out of it, but in an Ashton kind of way. So he hits him too. Another 15 points of damage! Then he swings and misses on the second ...

Holy fuck he uses his last Legendary Action to SMASH ASHTON'S HAMMER INTO HIS OWN FACE!!! Ouch! Thank the gods FCG takes half of that damage ...

Temporal Morass? Oooooh ...

Hmmm ... so right now Ashton is just "the guy with the hammer" to Chetney? Oh that's SO BAD ...

Sam sneezes and Ashley's SO caught up in this that she doesn't tell him to "Stop it!" ... XD

Howl of the Hunter again! Here we go ... everybody but Imogen is now Frightened! Not good!

Sam: "You can be Frightened when you're raging?" Apparently so ...

Oooh ... FCG's bolt thrower! And that is PAINFUL, clearly!

FCG: "Chetney, please! You're killing me here!" Chetney (wolf voice): "Promise?"

Orym's Goading Attack! Sweet! And Travis rolls a NAT 1!!! Bur he has LEGENDARY RESISTANCE?!!! FUCK!!!

Phew, 12 DOES NOT hit Fearne ...

Fearne changes into a SEXY wolf! Okay then ... Matt: "I'm gonna use a fox, to make it a sexy wolf." Liam: "A fox IS a sexy wolf."

She tries to talk him down ... and Ashley has to be reminded that SHE'S A WOLF!!! XD And it STILL works ... whoa, he PERMANENTLY LOSES kne of his Legendary Actions!

Imogen throws a Psychic Lance and Travis rolls balls to Magically Resist ... but then he uses his Legendary Resistance! Bah! Still hurts, though ...

Ashton tries a Baseball Atrack ... but he's at disadvantage ... HYPER Rage? Hmmm ... no that's a shit roll. Oh, second one works, at least ... and then he's just A BLUR as he disengages ...

Chetney goes for Laudna ... Blood Curse of Bloated Agony? Seriously? Fuck ... there goes one of the Mirror Images ... and a second ... whoa, that was almost SO BAD ...

Laudna tries Chill Touch ... nope, not happening ...

HOLY SHIT ... FCG actually threw a stick to make Chetney go fetch and it fucking WORKS. Spiritual Weapon attack!

Orym dashes over and JUMPS ONTO CHETNEY'S CHEST!!!

Imogen shouts Dissonant Whispers at 3rd Level into Chetney's head: "Fight this fight this fight this ..."

Chetney uses his Legendary Action to try znd swatt Orym off. It hurts him but he's hanging on ...

Fearne drops her sexy wolf and casts Daylight on the dagger in Chetney's chest ... and now Orym and Chetney are both BLINDED for a round ...

Ashton drops Rage and holds his action while completely failing to drop his fear ...

Chetney tries to take three more swipes at Orym at disadvantage because he's blind and it's a total shitshow ...

And the statue DOESN'T WANT HIM to get too close in case it gets damaged? Interesting ...

Laudna casts Darkness over the hole and the beam of light vanishes ... and Chetney SHRINKS!!! Still possessed, but still ...

And Laudna loses her Spiderclimb so she just drops like a stone ... but lands pretty sweet. Phew ...

And Chetney just charges right at her, no longer blinded ...

Wait a minute, that means Orym is now pretty much THE SAME SIZE as him right now, right? While he's still hanging onto him ...

FCG tries to get through to Chetney while THREATENING THE STATUE?!!! Crazy ... it doesn't really work, though ...

Orym basically just starts battering away at Chetney's face with his shield ... oooh, okay, that kind of works. Now he can SEE AGAIN, at least ...

Imogen tries Calm Emotions on him ... balls, Travis is falling CRAZY WELL still, it fails miserably ...

Fearne tries Charm Person ... Chetney: "You're hot." Fearne: "I know. You're gonna fight this, okay?"

Okay ... sounds like this all MIGHT be starting to work ...

Ashton tries to just INTIMIDATE him into knocking it off and Taliesin rolls CRAZY sweet while Travis totally tanks his save ... and THIS ONE works! Nice!

Sam: "How do you wanna SUBDUE this?"

Whoooooo ... Chetney snaps out of it, nice. And Ashton bitchslaps him.

Chetney pulls out the dagger, the Darkness drops, the moonlight comes back in ... oh shit ... wait, that sounds GOOD. No, looks like he actually pulled it off ...

Practical joker Chetney even while he's fucked up ...

"Chain-me-up protocol, visitors welcome" ... Chetney's STILL flirting with Fearne, then ... XD

Somehow I doubt Chetney's gonna get superhuge again next time he wolfs out ...

FCG: "Chet, where are you looking? Is it your destiny?" Chetney: "No, FCG, that's in here." Oh gods ...

Oh yeah, that's right, Chetney us just STARK NAKED now ...

Laudna gets Pate to help her do a Cinderella stitch-up job on Chetney's clothes.

Chetney inspires the while group to strip down znd go running around naked ...

Meanwhile Orym smells Will on the breeze? What the fuck does THAT mean? It's coming from the statue? Fearne's sticking around for him, at least ...

Now Orym is ON THE STATUE? Okay ... there's a hole in the sheath ... he tries to slot his sword into it ...

Okay, this is weird ... HOLY FUCK, has Orym just earned himself a magical sword upgrade? That's pretty fucking sweet!

Okay, there we go, back to the streaking ... XD

Oh my gods, did Fearne just perform a completely selfless act of generosity? Cool ...

And that's it for tonight ... cool ... for once a nice tension free ending ... phew!

[tangent101]

Let's consider that for a moment.

If BH went straight to Yios... would they have learned as much as they did? Honestly the story took a much darker and more ominous turn the moment they went after Treshi. Laudna dies for a week, Orym and Fearne for almost a minute, and Eshteross dies because his role is revealed by Orym failing a save vs. mindreading.

With Delilah... I don't see a significant difference. There was one small fight, sure, and some sulking for a couple of days... but I think that we were going to have something end up happening over the Gnarlrock, just as we had something happen to Chetney's talking sword. There was inertia at play here to remove it, with Imogen herself strongly tempted to just toss the Gnarlrock over the edge of the airship. Who knows... maybe she does.

With Fearne rescuing Laudna instead? Hmm. Well, I don't think we'd end up in Whitestone. We probably would have ended up going to the Air Ashari home for a funeral for Orym and Liam would have started playing a new character.

Eshteross leaving... you know, this is problematic. Where does he go? He has no real power elsewhere. And without magics to protect him from scrying, Thull will track him down eventually. So it would play out with his eventual death in any event.

Ludinus had contingency plans for a lot of stuff. Having Liliana turn against him... would have delayed things by a tiny bit. (Now, if Chetney had hit Ludinus, that might have altered things a tad more and given the group more time, but probably would have resulted in a bigger fight that resulted in casualties and possible fatalities among the Hells.) Ludinus would have activated the trap himself (possibly with a Simulacrum) but it would still happen. That encounter was a No-Win situation.

Ashton and Orym preventing Bor'Dor's death at Laudna's hands would be... much more interesting. There's two possible paths. The first has Orym finishing off Bor'Dor (as technically Bor'Dor got another turn before Laudna and *could* have either rolled below a 10 and died on his own, or rolled a 20 and pop up to try and escape once more, thus tactically it makes sense to finish him off. Orym himself had popped back from unconsciousness with a Nat. 20 in the past. So they know it can happen.) Or... they choose to take him captive and talk Laudna down. However, in either case Delilah was woken because Laudna used that spell/ability that directly feeds Delilah soul essence, and it would still be a moot point.

More interesting would be if Laudna had an inkling something was going to happen and Counterspelled Bor'Dor the moment he attacked. At that point... it would have essentially been an attempt to capture Bor'Dor alive. Sadly, 5e does not have a mechanic for melee types to prevent spells from being cast. Matt might rule otherwise of course so our mileage may vary.

Finding D would be a very interesting choice. I think that first and foremost, we would not have had Ludinus learn about the Hells. It was the group attacking the sabotage team that resulted in revelations that the Hells were active and disrupting Ludinus' plans. (Ludinus might *still* have sent his ice cream doppelganger to retrieve the Flame Shard and thus learn of the group that way.) No doubt D would have had the group do something in return for D's assistance. And we might even have gotten a significant upgrade for FCG or learning more about their past.

Last... if Laudna's counterspell failed? The group fails. We have several members going unconscious fairly quickly, Fearne probably begs for Ludinus to stop and goes with him. I kind of prefer the awesomeness that happened instead. ^^

Now, which of these would I enjoy having seen? I think having Laudna not soul-suck Bor'Dor would have been a truly interesting aspect as our dear girl is spiraling down after that moment, even with Imogen offering her guidance and love.

But... there is a drawback to that. Would Laudna have reacted with such force when she first saw Imogen and crew? If they'd dragged a prisoner back with them, then they'd have brought him to the PTB in the city. They might have even delayed meeting up with the Hells because of the need to get a spellcasting enemy under lock-and-key as quickly as possible.

Without that intense anger... would Imogen have actually confessed to wanting to kiss Laudna? Or would she have held off because it's not the right time?

Did Bor'Dor's death bring us to Southern Gothic being realized?

bells hells version of the what if poll to get us through this break

[loquaciousquark]

Scrambled, manic thoughts after that episode:

Fearne is the MVP by a million miles. Brilliant play, great smart spell choices, didn't take a single hit to compromise that Earthbind. I laughed out loud when Ashley was making stupendous call after stupendous call and then had to ask if she could concentrate on two spells at once. Mister mattered! Like, a lot! Amazing! I've been rewatching C1 very intermittently, and seeing Ashley grow from being so unsure in the Kevdak fight (and falling off like three roofs, not understanding opportunity attacks and just about getting herself killed, etc.) that to this confident, smart, tactical player tonight was awesome. She asked great questions and knew her spell effects. I think the only thing she missed was that when Mister's out, she should do a little extra fire damage. Awesome job.

Getting a moment's taste of Laudna made my heart hurt. I miss her so much! Assuming all goes well, I'm going to LOVE coming back to this arc and rewatching it, but right now I'm still so stressed.

Imogen's call to Ruidus is a really cool idea, but it really put her in a tough spot HP-wise. Those 12hp sure came close to mattering (it looks like she can wound herself with her own hit dice to make an attack as a free action? Unclear). I don't think the Blindness was the right call in the moment, but one mediocre choice in a sea of otherwise REALLY optimal party choices is a non-issue.

The usages of motes was INCREDIBLE. Negating that nat 20 on Ashton, turning that last Delilah attack into a natural 1--Matt must be bursting at the seams to see them using the tools he gave them so effectively. Absolutely clutch. The only bust was that Travis reroll to a 1 on the Inflict Wounds, but them's the breaks.

New Bells Hells logo is gorgeous.

Incredible fight design by Matt start to finish. A reduction to 0 making them pop back to the real world is so smart; it gives his sole villain increasing odds against an otherwise terrible action economy as the fight continues and makes her heavy hitting spellpower matter that much more. She's easy to hit, so she needs the spellcasting advantage and the lair actions to make it an even battle, but he still managed to create an amazing tradeoff between likely losing her lair actions as the fight went on with the tree getting damaged, but increasing her own odds against likely fewer and fewer PCs. It was incredibly effective to have the players leave the table as they poofed out.

I get what Orym was trying to do, but the dice weren't having it. Sucks that he didn't get to do much that battle. Still, Delilah using that attack on him likely saved Imogen's life. Good to see Ashton being SIGNIFICANTLY more effective here than against Otohan.

I could be wrong, but I think Matt is scripting this as the resurrection ritual. He said three successes and one failure as they moved through the shadows, and he was making them roll persuasion, etc. He's changed the rules for his resurrection rituals every campaign, but if this is similar to C1, ritual successes lowered the DC by 2 and failures upped it by 1. Assuming Laudna starts at a DC of 10 (or 11, depending on how he rules the Delilife), that drops the DC for Pike's straight roll to potentially 5 or 6. Good odds. Not foolproof. Maybe Sarenrae will give her advantage.

What a beautiful Destroy Undead. Again! Manipulating the action economy in the party's favor! So good!

Edit: coming back to add that I can't get over that Earthbind. While she could still move on the ground, it prevented tons of line of sight options Delilah might have had otherwise--Fearne & Imogen were able to duck behind the rock, Orym had cover in the tree. It also meant that Chet & Ashton were able to get right up on her with flanking, and Chet in particular being in melee with her forced disadvantage on one of her attacks that might have otherwise knocked Imogen out. It also meant she had to care about the melee fighters on the ground because she couldn't get away, and she's so eminently hittable as a spellcaster.

Man. This entire episode was great and when he ended it, I still threw myself back into the couch and yelled, "No!" Thank goodness there's no break next week.

One more edit: There is something beautifully poetic about Imogen using lightning to split right down the middle the tree that Laudna died in, the tree that was still holding her captive after all this time.

[unicyclehippo]

this is the other conversation with laudna i have written. i will suggest a title of ‘orym is just a Little Guy’ set before the other one i posted, probably the night after their campfire convo the timeline is whatever

‘Does she know?’ a voice asked. 

The voice was family, the question quiet. It burrowed into her left ear like a curious worm. The voices in her head tended to stay there; they wandered neither left nor right, and never further than her own mouth. This one must have gone walkabout or else it belonged to one of her new companions. Laudna turned quickly; if it was one of her head’s voices, she wanted to catch it before it could go far. 

Not one of hers.

It was Orym, the dear little thing, looking up at her with such sad eyes, such solemn eyes. 

‘Hmm? What’s that? Who knows what?’

‘Imogen. Does she know?’

Imogen, Imogen, Imogen. Just her name was a comfort. Laudna repeated it a few times, filled her mind with it. After all, if it were full of Imogen, there would be no room for anything else to creep in. 

‘Imogen knows a great many things. What is it you wonder about? You’ll have to be specific. Go on, tell me. You’re acting all coy,’ Laudna teased when Orym hesitated. She smiled encouragingly. A closed-mouth smile. He was so on edge all the time, all nervous energy like that rabbit he reminded her of, reading to leap at a moment’s notice. One night, when they were better friends, she would frighten him and see exactly how high he could leap. But not tonight.

Orym cleared his throat. Scratched at an insect bite on his hand. ‘About you. About...what we discussed the other night.’

‘My death,’ she said frankly, when he didn’t seem inclined.

‘Yeah.’

Laudna twined her fingers in her hair. Drew strands of it forward across her face, in front of her ears. ‘She knows plenty.’

Orym didn’t respond to that. Insects buzzed. A nightjar swooped, flat-headed beak opened wide on its hinge, and caught a luckless troupe of fireflies in that wide mouth. Laudna watched the dizzy tumble of one of the lucky ones and reconsidered. A single lonely light. Did fireflies love? Did fireflies have families? Was it quite frightened and upset at the loss of its swarm? Laudna stretched a long grey finger toward the little bug. It stepped onto her finger, trudged a long journey up and down and up the cresting hills of her knuckles, before it fluttered off. Orym was still staring into the fire when her attention returned. 

‘The voices are loud in your head too,’ she said. When he startled, she added, ‘Not literally like mine, perhaps. Unless...?’ He shook his head no. Laudna pouted. ‘Ah well. Even so, they linger, don’t they?’

He tilted a smile her way. ‘They do. How did you know?’

‘Oh, what can I say?’ she demurred with a coy shrug. The shoulder dropped from its joint; she popped it back into place. ‘One gets a sense for these things. After we die, that is. It’s only fair that we get something out of the whole...unpleasantness,’ she said with a cheery laugh. ‘People say I reek of it.’

‘You don’t,’ he disagreed, chin set in the mulish look he often gave when strangers spoke ill of his friends. It was sweet that he would defend her with no one around to hear. Well. No one but them. And the voices. 

Laudna ducked her head. Eyed him from behind the curtain of dark hair. ‘You’re sweet,’ she said, and couldn’t help but chide. Didn’t he understand yet? She explained, ‘It matters very little to me what they think. I mean, please, the sense is all wrong! They don’t even realise it’s not a scent at all!’ Laudna threw her head back - a little too far, requiring a quick adjustment - and laughed.

Orym didn’t. ‘What is it? If it’s not a scent. I’m sorry that I don’t know--I’d like to, if you’d like to share.’

Earnest, kind little man.

Twisted a clump of hair into a half-braid before she considered it might hold better in place with something attached. A bone, maybe? Another tool or hair clip, perhaps. Fearne would have something that would suffice. Laudna wriggled her fingers out of the net of hair, cupped it there behind her ear as if to listen closely. In a hoarse whisper, she told him, ‘You can always hear it.’

‘Voices?’ Orym seemed startled. ‘You can hear...what, exactly? You hear thoughts too?’

Iron burst hot over her tongue, her lip splitting on the inside against a too-sharp tooth as she grimaced. Nothing wrong with hearing thoughts. Nothing wrong at all. 

She had been quiet - and grim - a moment too long. Orym was pale under her glare. Laudna gentled her expression as much as she was able, blinking big black eyes as though her mind had merely wandered away into less pleasant pastures. A reassuring act. One she had grown quite adept at. 

‘Quite the opposite. They’re ever so quiet, the peaceful dead. They dull the sounds around them, the hum of living folk. Not chatterboxes like you and I, eh, Pâté?’ she joked. 

//

‘You didn’t really say,’ he pointed out a while later, when the fire had burned down to smouldering embers and the shadows had begun to crawl off for hollows and hiding places to escape the coming dawn. ‘If Imogen knows everything that happened to you. That night.’

‘The night I died.’

Orym went as green as his shield, and sad-eyed. Laudna looked away. His grief was kind, it spoke well of him, but it lifted the lid of some deep dark well in her chest that she would prefer stay closed. Latched. 

‘Yeah. That night.’

Laudna hummed, shrugged a crooked shrug. ‘We’ve talked about it.’ Sudden suspicion clawed at her throat and her shrug transformed into a paranoid hunch. ‘Why are you so interested?’ she snapped. ‘Eager to gawk at the dead girl?’

The biting words might have struck a bigger man; he let them sail over his head. 

‘I guess I was thinking how alike we are. In some ways,’ he said with a smile. Still a little tilted, still a little unsure whether it was something to joke about. She smiled back - a big smile - so he knew that it was. Orym gulped. Turned his attention to the fire once more. ‘I’ve lived a pretty ordinary life. I only really know how to be a fighter, a guard for people way more important than me. It’s the only thing I know, really. That, uh,’ he scratched his hand, the insect bite a welt now, ‘and love.’

‘And grief,’ Laudna murmured. 

Orym pulled a sad grimace. Nodded. ‘Part and parcel with love.’ Laudna nodded too. He cleared his throat and continued on. ‘From everything you’ve told me - and I’m, I’m sure I don’t know everything,’ he assured, speaking carefully, ‘you’re a little like me in that way. You had a pretty ordinary life and then.... Died. And then Imogen.’

‘Yes.’

‘I remember what it was like, loving someone and...not wanting to tell them when you were hurt. Or the details of it. Trying to spare them that.’

‘There’s little point in dredging up the ills of the past. It happened. It hurt. It’s over now.’

Orym frowned. He didn’t believe her. He was kind enough, or uncomfortable enough, to let it go and merely nodded again. He was a quiet soul. The deaths he carried hung from his shoulders, a willing burden. They made his eyes sad. Tonight, his grief sat in the open beside him; he let her see it plainly. 

Laudna wished he wouldn’t. Something clawed inside the cage of her ribs.

‘Again, I’m just really sorry that happened to you, Laudna. And I know I’m new here, I don’t know everything about your relationship with Imogen but for what it’s worth, I think you should tell her.’

‘Why?’ Laudna snapped. ‘So she can have a new nightmare to occupy her sleep? Hasn’t she been hurt enough?’

Orym bowed his head. ‘Just a thought.’

‘Well keep it to yourself,’ she hissed, and turned her back. Another swarm of fireflies swarmed a nearby tree. She wondered if the survivor had found them. 

Behind her, Orym shuffled through the camp. Nudged the last shift awake. He resettled a few feet from her and, eventually, called softly to her. ‘Goodnight, Laudna. Goodnight, Pâté.’

[utilitycaster]

I think my problem with FCG is that it feels less like a character and Sam wanting to just play a gimmick. I think he's kinda taking for granted that people are willing to wait 40 something sessions for the big emotional reveal but the problem is that at least last time he did that, Nott was engaging.

Yeah...watching the Colbert one-shot was a real reminder that early Nott was great. There was a twist, sure, but Nott/Veth always felt like a fully realized person, and had the reveal never happened, she still would have felt like a fully realized person. She developed a rapid rapport with Jester, she already had an existing strong relationship with Caleb, and she hit it off with Beau relatively early as well - even when she clashed with characters like Fjord that just made her more real.

I've talked with other people about it and the sense I have, and I'm not alone with this, is that FCG feels, pun unintended, hollow. Like, there's the shallow therapy attempts but that's it. Even their relationship with Ashton feels very surface level and more recent than it was - it's supposed to have been a few months but Nott and Caleb felt like a few months. Fearne and Orym feel like a few months. This feels like a few weeks at most. And it feels like FCG doesn't initiate anything. Like, Nott went out and disguised herself as a halfling to be normal, or tried to steal the letter for the Soltryce academy, or like...stole things in general, which led to scenes and development, and FCG just sometimes pops in during times when there's no chance to unpack something to try to do therapy and it never gets revisited.

If this effort was being made during downtime? I still wouldn't like it but at least he'd feel like a person, and some of the therapy moments would be still grating but at least feel a little more earned. Like, the Detect Thoughts moment would never have been great to me but if FCG had tried to get Imogen to open up a few times before, out of combat, when it was safe to do so, and she resisted, I'd be like "well, still a dick move but the groundwork has been laid". Or if FCG had a deity who was directing them to do these things I'd at least feel there was a hook. But honestly, with the reveal that Fearne also has a plot hook for Aeor? FCG just has absolutely nothing to offer even with a reveal. I mean, I don't want to say that I won't enjoy the post-reveal because I very well might, but there's truly nothing here for me in the meantime for them. I kind of want to know what happened to their companions but that's because Dancer, who has only been mentioned, feels like a more realized person than FCG. Also I want the party to fight a beholder or whatever because that's just fun.

Honestly I still really, really wonder if Sam wants to be playing this character. "Cleric" and "aeormaton" (and specifically "robot wondering about their own humanity or lack thereof") both have pretty heavy narrative history and requirements to do well and it's valid to not want to play them, it's just...then say that. You don't have to play them. For Nott, it felt like Sam was enjoying this character and happened to have a big twist to reveal, but for FCG I feel like Sam is sitting and waiting for the twist along with me.

[elliesgaymachete]

Quick analysis about the likelihood of each character making it out alive. Feel free to ignore or not read, it’s just ideas that have been kicking around in my head since Thursday.

The facts are these:

FCG has one (1) spell slot left for Revivify

Fearne and Orym I think have only been dead for one round? Maybe fearne 1 and Orym 2. I’m not sure exactly but basically it hasn’t been long at all

Laudna is down 2 death saving throws BUT she has a 25% chance of coming back up at 1 hp

Fearne has multiple 3rd level slots left (someone else on here did an analysis of the exact number) and as a wildfire druid she always has Revivify prepared

They have multiple diamonds. I don’t know exactly How many but I want to say at least 2-3

Also the cast has had a whole week to talk and strategize and figure out who has what resources and what they need to do

Based on all of this there are A LOT of likely outcomes, a lot of which have multiple people surviving.

One character at a time, let’s start with Fearne. Fearne has a pretty good chance of making it out alive because, if they’re banking on her to revive any other players, it makes the most strategic sense. She hasn’t been down very long and it shouldn’t take more than two or three rounds to get to her (she was a little off the map but not too far). And her coming back will either depend on the dice roll, or maybe Matt will forgo that rule like he did on occasion in c2, we’ll see. But basically, Fearne will probably be the first Revivify target and everyone else’s odds of surviving are dependent on that.

Next, Laudna. Girl has a 25% chance of popping back up at 1 HP again and when you’re counting on Delilah Briarwood and the lengths people will go for the ones they love, those are some pretty good odds. She also has a 25% chance of not dying but just staying unconscious. If that happens, I believe Laudna is between FCG and Fearne, so they could pop a quick spare the dying into her while he’s on the way and she will be fine. If that doesn’t work and she does die before anything else can help or stabilize her, then she’s pretty dependent on both Fearne coming back to life AND them having at least 3 diamonds (my guess is that Fearne would try to save Orym first because she’s known him longer and he’s been dead longer and he’s physically closer to her). Still, despite all that, there’s a lot gunning for Laudna so I think she might have the highest chance of survival of the three of them

Lastly, my boy Orym. Sadly, I think he may have the lowest chance of survival just because he has been dead the longest. Let’s overestimate just in case, but if he’s been dead 2 rounds, and it takes 3 rounds for FCG to get to Fearne, and Fearne 3 rounds to get to Orym (she would have to get up from prone so half movement one round), then she would get to him about round 8 of him being dead, cutting it pretty close. Again, I am overestimating, so hopefully in game it would be a lot quicker than that, or Matt will be a little more loosey goosey with the rules. But Orym’s survival is entirely dependent on both a successful revivify for both Fearne AND himself. Still good odds, just lower than the others

Finally, Matt said he always talks to the players to see what they want. Based on the last 4 sided dive where Ashley said there’s still so much left to explore, it doesn’t feel like she’s ready to let go of Fearne yet. Plus the fact that she was in and out for both campaigns 1 and 2, Fearne was her first chance to fully explore a character for the entirety of a campaign, I don’t know if she would want to let that go.

I feel like Marisha is invested in Delilah’s game and wants to see where that goes, but also since Laudna’s life was so filled with tragedy and she still thinks her life is over and her only purpose is to help Imogen have the life she never could, it would be such a tragic story for her to die now. But I could also see her be like “let’s let the fates decide and put it in Delilah’s hands I guess ¯\_(ツ)_/¯”. She’s really kind of a wildcard

Liam might be the most ok with letting go of his character. His last words felt very final, and he did take Matt up on the offer and cheat death quite a bit as Vax so he also might be curious what it’s like to start anew. He’ll probably wait for the dice to decide but accept whatever happens

Anyway I’m not trying to assume what the cast wants or thinks this is just my own personal speculation of what could happen! It’s my way of coping with not knowing the outcome until Thursday lol

[pocketgalaxies]

But consider. Imogen and Opal barely tolerate each other and only because Imogen and Ted become friends.

i must say i don't think i have the full picture of opal and ted's relationship yet so i can't say much about this tbh, but i would like to believe that imogen and opal would eventually come to love each other. but maybe that's wishful thinking

this post is a load of irrelevant nonsense read at your own risk

i do think in a general sense imogen benefits a bit from being surrounded by chaos monkeys who are, sometimes despite themselves, still alarmingly capable. like i think anyone with anxiety (or unpredictable migraines, for that matter) knows that it can be so shitty and exhausting to be on edge all the time, always waiting for something to go wrong or backfire. i personally think there is a part of imogen that wants to be a chaos monkey but it is so very swiftly and effortlessly overshadowed by the anxiously pragmatic part of her that it never actually comes out

(i always think about the beginning of c3e1 when it was just imogen and laudna walking through jrusar and laudna was like "maybe the kids can help us" and imogen was like "oh yeah maybe they can like crawl through the sewers. they'll crawl all the way up the sewers and then pop out right inside the library" and then immediately was like "there's no way that would work." and she does that shit all the time she says something lowkey ridiculous and then is like "haha that's a joke." she's also just a little shit? suggests a tin hat for orym. helped laudna scare the shit out of people for 2 years on the road, just because. talked to chetney in his head when they first met and went "same way you're talking to me. miiiind powersssss.")

and then bells hells comes along and it's like the most insane plans imogen could ever jokingly come up with all of a sudden become the best plan they've got?? "let's pick up the gigantic desert monster with our airship and just kinda move it over" "let's make people think this entire courtyard is haunted" "let's glue fcg to the front tire of this skirmisher crawler" it's INSANE but it WORKS EVERY TIME! because they are crazy but they also commit and they're powerful and smart (sometimes) and i think if imogen can eventually see past her crippling anxiety, she would find that extremely freeing

and then opal over here is like "LET'S FLIP THIS CROC!" "LET'S PRETEND ORYM IS A TODDLER NAMED NANCY!" "LET'S FLIRT WITH AND TIE UP THE GUARD AT THE GATE!" she does it all on her own and it works every goddamn time

i lost track of what this post was supposed to be about but i think opal would simply tip the scales of the bells hells in a slightly more chaotic direction and, depending on the day, imogen might actually be a little happy about that. because they all do it with the awareness that if it goes terribly wrong they are capable of getting out of it some other way, and if it goes terribly well then it's Legendary and So Much Fucking Fun, and imogen hasn't had that much fun in a very long time. it's learning how to take risks bc if you fall you will be caught by a cushion that was very lovingly crafted by your weird but extremely dedicated and loyal friends

[stardustedknuckles]

i regard your meta analysis in a very high place. so maybe you could help me here? i'm having a hard time with orym because well... i saw a good chunk of exu and still... liam definitely has a type that i... well i just don't know how to put it without looking like an a*hole. "give it time" would be an acceptable answer, but after seeing something rather similar for the past 6 years, i'm not sure it applies. any advice?

I think a lot of views on the characters Liam plays come from a shared assumption that he is somehow hogging the spotlight, simply because everyone thinks they've heard his story before. He's not ever playing a main character - Caleb for certain was someone focused on buffing the party for the most part and he was actually the one who spoke the least besides Yasha. From what I've seen of campaign one, Vax also was a character devoted to what he could do for his friends and not his own story. I’m hopeful for Orym for similar reasons, and I’ll expound a bit on some thoughts about EXU because I don’t think it was exemplary of his overall intentions to come.

This got long - walk with me under the cut!

If you are looking for a traumatized sad boy, that's all you'll ever see. And we've all had enough stories about those, but...CR has never been about any one character and that trope simply does not apply. Caleb's backstory may have come out quickly to Beau, but the rest of the party didn't get shit about the empire and the volstrucker until WAY late in the game. There is a very good chance that Orym is a widower based on earlier tweets Laim's made, and I don't know...where other people tend to see sadboys, I see hope. The character might not have it, not yet, but the way Liam plays them is subtle and kind and I love to see it. Caleb hadn't stepped fully from his struggles by the end of C2 but he did end with the hope for the first time that he could. That's more than he ever expected and it was so lovely to watch unfold. He was also a goofy motherfucker, same as Vax. Liam's characters are often reeling from a defining catastrophe, but in spite of that they are kind to others and the person they want to be - could have been, in their minds - is so often visible underneath.

The tower alone, man. The way Caleb had been noticing everything his friends loved, the things that would make a place feel like theirs, feel like home. That was a high-level spell and it was theirs. All that magic just to say I love you all without words. Because he was bad at those. Turning into animals because it was the only way he could accept affection, popping up excitedly from his first cast of the dome to say "hey come look what I made!" and being so, so relieved to be able to provide a safe space after what happened with Molly...it's all hope to me. Caleb should have been crushed by his past and he believed himself to be, but Liam never did and we got to see that journey in his every word and action.

Vax was directionless apart from his friends, Caleb was tormented and had to come to terms with what was and was not his fault, and it looks like Orym might be grieving a great loss. Loss changes people - I would not at all be surprised if there is a version of Orym from before that was more somehow, the kind of person anyone would immediately warm to (as Caleb was before The Incident). He is grieving but he has a job to do and people to help, which have largely been the same thing for him so far, so here he is. Soldiering on with no expectation of being that person again but open, perhaps, to what he might become.

Personally I love it. The kindness underlying the stories these people choose to tell and the way they interact with each other and their fan base and the world - that's so much of why I watch. And in a setting that allows for exploration of the ugliness of people, their worst as well as their potential best, I admire that Liam's characters are never shy about how much they care, even sometimes to the point of self-effacement. Everyone else might be going to shit in their personal issues but Liam's character is usually underneath it all ready to commit violence to be sure they stay together.

None of this might do anything for you, as a note. These may not be journeys or perspectives that appeal to you and that's okay! I personally love them and I love the way Caleb's particular brand of love and care is woven so expertly along his own path to discovering not the light at the end of the tunnel, but the concept that there could be one. His journey came about in large part because of that care he put in to the Nein. I personally cannot wait to find out more of where Orym is mentally and where he'll go.

Sometimes players lean into types of stories that don't reach us. I've been trying to find a way to connect with plenty of players and characters and sometimes even when I can grasp what they're getting at I'm just not compelled. You don't have to like Orym to come to recognize whatever place he'll take among the others.

As for how Liam played him in EXU, as a side note, I feel like that very much had a lot to do with giving the two new players room to roam, not to mention Matt getting to chill and turn his brain off and Ashley getting to be present for a whole arc. Liam very much leaned into "someone has to steer this group of players along something resembling a plot" and I heard someone affectionately refer to that as taking the hit and being the wet blanket. I agree. Liam used Orym to move things forward and let everyone else go nuts. There's that kindness again.

So stay tuned, I'd say, and keep an eye on your expectations. Totally fine not to plug in with Liam's "type," but maybe there's something in this word dump that catches your attention.