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willowmansdaughter · 2 months ago

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In the three-pronged endgame of Campaign 3, Vox Machina coming out of retirement and setting their sights on the Bloody Bridge was 100% personal and, what's more, the story 100% allowed it to be. The assault on the Malleus Key was happening that day whether Vox Machina were part of it or not, the collective armies of Exandria had amassed for the singular purpose of bringing it down, accompanied by a host of celestials and the champions of deities both prime and betrayer. What the collective armies of Exandria were not doing, however, was sparing a single thought for the one celestial imprisoned in the Key they were about to destroy. With the fate of the gods and Exandria itself at stake, they couldn't afford to. Not when they elected to leave the Key standing despite his suffering, so long as the Bloody Bridge was of strategic use to them, and not now, when it had served its purpose and been marked for destruction.

Keyleth understood this all too well. As Voice of the Tempest, she'd had to act in concert with the rest of the Exandrian leaders while the Key was allowed to stand, and she knew there wouldn't be a single able body spared, among the entirety of the Exandrian Accord, for the purpose of of even attempting to free Vax from his prison inside the Key before it was reduced to rubble—not even hers. The only thing she could do for him was raise her old adventuring party out of retirement and bring them along so they could prioritize his safety. So that's what she did, and that's why they were there. The Bloody Bridge was coming down that day with or without Vox Machina; the one thing that was only going to happen if they joined the fray was Vax being freed from its inner workings before it was reduced to rubble. They weren't Exandria's only chance, they were his. With her dying breath, Vex'ahlia made that manifestly clear: "Save him."

That the key to his release ended up being the key to shutting down the Bloody Bridge was convenient, yes, but narratively it was more than that. Vox Machina were there to save Vax. Being able to do anything at all for him, in the right here right now of their lives, was deeply meaningful for them, and the story not only gave them licence to focus on that by sending in armies to help on the battlefield, the enormity of this moment for Vox Machina was underlined, amplified, and reflected back on the whole of Exandria: As soon as the beacon was removed and the path to freeing Vax was cleared, the very moon itself was set free from its tether, and the leylines disentangled, restoring magic to the world entire. And only some time after that did Vax himself tumble out of the orb and shake out his wings, because the rule of ascending order of narrative importance was applied: First the moon was set free in the sky again, then magic was restored, and then Vax'ildan was there in front of them and Vox Machina were made whole for the first time in three decades—and then given the stage to do that thing they do, to some baddies who were asking for it, with him at long last among their number again. Bloody lovely stuff.

The Mighty Nein had nothing in the way of personal stakes that could ever hope to touch that, so the story instead asked them to save all of Exandria from a hostile alien invasion, free the people of Ruidus from the Weave Mind's centuries-long reign of tyranny, and have a good time doing it. So they did that, and they made a whole twelve-course meal of it, with a floor show (complete with ornamental fire dancers) and betting pool and, oh, what the heck, some fun math problems because why not. Have a pinch on the butt with your fireballs and trigonometry! Welcome to the Mighty Nein! The exit is through the gift shop!

Which brings us, then, to Bell's Hells, the stars of the show in this, its epic grand finale. As emotional stakes and rewards go, the Hells haring off to rescue the woman who imprisoned Vax inside the orb where he was suffering still in the moment Ludinus turned on her was, quite simply, the weakest of weak sauce. Bell's Hells are the hope of Exandria right now, but they needed Liliana Temult to be in peril in order to get their asses in gear? You cannot convince me that anyone in that party who isn't Imogen came anywhere close to caring about saving Imogen's deadbeat mother as much as Vox Machina—to a man, woman and centaur—cared about saving Vax or, in a similar vein, as much as the Mighty Nein cared about tearing through Super-Somnovafied Lucien in order to reach Molly in the final boss battle of their campaign. Robbie and Ashley did a nice enough job of acting (in their professional capacity) as though Dorian and Fearne cared about doing this for Imogen's sake, but then you had Travis and Marisha's whole face journey as Laura gave the party-without-a-cleric's chonkiest healing potion to the BBEG's second in command and counted out 61 points of healing they'll never get back.

Travis (quietly, to Marisha): Of course she might become an ally. Marisha: Bitch better.

This episode, with it's slimy tunnel rides and adorable sentient mushrooms, could have been their equivalent to the Mighty Nein's freewheelin' zipline to the Arx Creonum. They had to do (almost) everything they did in order to get to Ludinus anyway, it could have just been quirky, exciting and fun—as evidenced by the way Dorian and Braius ended up running away with the episode, even before they were one-shotting minions and force-caging megalomaniacs, with their acts of pure romantic chivalry and note-perfect romantic comedy—but it got bogged down by the sudden imposition of a ticking clock they had to beat in order to save a woman who, absent Imogen being her daughter, they would have been content enough to leave to the end her actions had wrought (a Lucien abandoning Cree to her doom moment), forcing them, in their haste, to blow through some high level spells they'll be sorely missing when they actually have to fight Ludinus or, worse, Predathos.

Caleb cast disintegrate and finished off the final four remaining Weave Mind. Laudna cast disintegrate and finished off one minion before the boss battle had even officially begun.

And going forward? Well, there's the thing. I find myself in the truly bizarre position of being unable to actively root for the supposed actual heroes of the campaign because I do not know what their ultimate goal at this point even is, let alone that I can endorse it. This is Bell's Hells' big moment—the epic, world-and-the-gods-themselves-in-the-balance finale of their three-years-in-the-telling story—and my single biggest hope for them is, not the heart-in-my-throat “You go and save your bird boy!” that it was for Vox Machina, nor the giddy “Have fun storming the castle!” that it was for the Mighty Nein, but a thoroughly guarded, “Whatever you do, just don't fuck this up for everyone else.”

I'm still hoping that Matt can deliver a twist that will galvanize and unify the party, and get my fist pumping the air, but it's hard to imagine one impressive enough to fully counter everything that's brought me to where I am with this party and this story right now.

I'll be glad at the end of the next episode to be relieved that BH didn't screw VM, the M9 and the rest of Exandria over, and not wishing they'd sat this one out. I find this utterly fascinating as an observer who likes to see what makes things tick—like I am genuinely looking forward to the post-mortems when the campaign is over, and not worried about the players being able to deliver a stellar Campaign 4 (as their turns as Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein here, along with 'Downfall', have proven that they still have it)—but disheartening, to say the least, as a lover of stories.

#Critical Role #Critical Role spoilers #C3E117 #Bell's Hells #Vox Machina #The Mighty Nein

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saphira-artandoc · 2 months ago

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C3 Swap AU

Orym of the Air Ashari

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This post can contain spoilers!

If you wonder what the swap AU is, I recommend checking it out right here!

Once again, major thanks to @theplatinumcritter for helping me out!

Title: Orym of the Air Ashari, Saviour Blade of the Tempest

Age: 36-37

Class: Fighter (Eldritch knight, lycanthrope)

EXU - Campaign 3 E69

Orym was born and raised in Zephrah by his mother Alma and their neighbor, Derrig and Nel. He never knew his biological father, only his last name being Tarrintel. He grew close with Derrig and Nel’s son Will, and eventually both fell and love. They married in their mid 20s around 833 P.D., and both worked as Tempest Blades knowing the risk for their relationship.

In 837 P.D., an assassin tried to take out the Voice of the Tempest, but ultimately failed to do so, only killing a handful of Blades instead. Unfortunately, both Will and Derrig perished during that attack, breaking Orym.

He left Zephrah a few weeks after the attack, needing to grieve.

During his solo travels, Orym has been ambushed by a werewolf, that eventually bite him during the fight. While he did survive the encounter, he had been afflicted with lycanthropy which made his travels even more hellish. He stayed away from civilization and opted to wear his sash around his neck as a scarf, hiding the bite mark left by the werewolf.

By the time Fearne found him in 842 P.D., he was relatively stable in his grief, but still hid his lycanthropy to her. She eventually found out about his curse one day after a full moon, but decided to stay with him on his journey. Dorian met their settlement a few days after the reveal of Orym’s curse, and the other members of the Crown Keepers soon joined in.

When the group found the Circlet of Barbed Vision, Orym was the one that propose to get rid of it and seek out the Fire Ashari to help, alongside of taking care of the residual they’ve found. Unfortunately, the Fire Ashari settled at the Flamereach outpost were already dealing with an issue, which prompted the Crown Keeper to volunteer to help. The circlet was later kept by the group, believing the Fire Ashari wouldn’t be able to help. After their fight with My’ratta Niselor, he would start to learn magic, integrating it to his fighting style.

In 843 P.D., Orym would be tasked to come back to Zephrah, the Voice of the Tempest having heard of a similar assassination taking place in Marquet. She said to Orym to seek out Oshad Breshio, a survivor of the attack. She would also let him know to travel with members of his group, opting for Fearne and Dorian to join him.

On a mission to Bassuras to get back Armand Treshi, Orym would discover that person responsible for the attack of Zephrah, was also the leader of the Seat of Disdain and a famed warrior of the Apex War, Otohan Thull. To have this wound reopened let Orym be cautious and warned Bells Hells of Thull’s assassins. It wouldn’t save him, as he fell in battle to Otohan. They recognized him, not only as the warrior of Zephrah, but as Tarrintel’s son. After the fight, a coin flip was done by FCG to decide who between Orym and Imogen would be revivified.

With Bells Hells, Orym learned to open up about his situation and let himself use his lycanthropy to help in dire situations. Although Chetney and Fearne wished he could bite them, he refused to do so, afraid of the consequences. He was proven right to be worried when Annaline of the Gorgynej mentioned that if Orym were to loose himself again to the beast’s control, then Bells Hells should not hesitate to put him down. He has kept himself in check ever since, not wanting to injure anyone else.

When the group had been separated by the Malleus Key’s activation, Orym woke up with Ashton and Laudna in Issylra. They would meet up with Deni$e Bembachula, Bor’Dor Dog’Son and Prism Grimpoppy. They help the civilians of Heartdell to assault the Dawnfather’s temple, which Bor’Dor had been happy to do. It was later revealed that Bor’Dor was a member of the Ruby Vanguard, and tried to kill his party. He failed to do so, dying to Laudna instead.

Orym would later made a deal with Morrigan, The Fatestitcher, to be strong enough to protect his friends in exchange of his eternal servitude to the hag when they come back from their mission on the Red Moon. With this bargain, his pupil changed from black to light green, and the standard vines and flowers on Seedling would change into dark ivy. He can still use Hex on his enemies with the bargain, but he also gain Vicious Vines. This abilities allows him to cast once per day Entangle by using the ivy growth on his arms and, on a fail save by his foe, use Shocking Grasp on the vines without losing a spell slots, using them as a relay system. Ever since FCG’s sacrifice, it is unknown if his bargain is still up.

While not clarified as partners, his current love interest is Dorian, who is also reciprocating his feelings.

Masquerade ball

Like his canon counterpart, Orym opt for a sherwami style coat with roomy pants buckling at the ankles. Instead of his sash, he wears a light reddish scarf to hide the scar on his neck. His mask is one of a wolf, made with the help of Chetney using cherry wood from Zephrah. On the day of the ball, Orym added some druidcrafted cherry blossom to the mask, completing his outfit.

He wears his shield as a decoration and has hidden a dagger to his leg thanks to his roomy pants. He was also able to bond to his sword, manifesting it during the fight against Emoth Kade.

Return to Zephrah - Saviour Blade of the Tempest

Back home with his friends, Orym prepared himself for the treks ahead with a new armours made of leather. He also wears the sash back around his waits into a belt, with a blue decorative rope with tassels combined to the sash. He also wears more teal, to have a bit of home back with him. His hair had been cut a little by Deni$e before leaving, and he styled it into a braids that ties into a little ponytail. Forget-me-nots and laurel leaves are druicrafted behind his ears, complementing the design.

He received the title of Saviour Blade of the Tempest by Keyleth, after coming back from their mission on the Grey Valley where they rescued the lost Tempest Blades tasked to find the blue perennem flowers to heal her.

Vasselheim - Preparing for battle

In Vasselheim, he upgraded himself with the Zephyr armour Dorian bought for him.

Since the deal with Morrigan the Fatestitcher, some things changed to his physiology. His pupils are a light green instead of black, and dark ivy vines are growing from his body and around Seedling. Ivy flowers are also decorating him, although scarcely. His hair has grown a bit and covers again part of his vision, but he kept the braids in place.

Lycanthropy

Orym can transform into a werewolf at will, or under a full moon. He has longer hair due to the curse, accelerating its growth faster than a standard humanoid.

During the fight with MirDor, a Doppelgänger resembling Dorian, Orym would fail to resist a Dominate Person spell cast by the Fey creature. Under the control of the Fey, Orym transformed into a werewolf and attacked his friends, biting Dorian in the process. After the fight, Orym told the Crown Keepers he’d understand if they weren’t willing to stick around with him and his condition, but they refused to leave him, just like Fearne did.

When he and Bells Hells fought against Ira, Chetney, their newly acquired party member, knew the telltale of his curse and told him to release it.

On the Silver Sun, a Ruidus flare had influence on his lycanthropy, making him lash out at Fearne and Chetney. It was later revealed by the Weave Mind they could have power over lycanthropes with the flares.

With recent development, his werewolf appearance wears a light layer of clothing, the sash, and has ivy covering his upper body. Orym rarely transforms into a werewolf willingly, since the process is painful for him.

Estranged family - Tarrintel

Tarrintel is Orym’s biological father and a potion maker. He is also an Exaltant, and worked for the Cerberus Assembly and the Ruby Vanguards to create the Potions of Possibilities.

Contrary to his canon variant, Tarrintel stayed with Alma longer after the birth of their son, but ultimately left Zephrah out of fear for his child to become like him. Even if Alma told him he shouldn’t have to worry about their son being born under a flare from Ruidus, he needed proofs. He left Alma, promising he’d get back to her and their child, but never stepped a foot in Zephrah in the last thirty years since he left.

He had been part of a study made by the Omen Archive in Yios around 831 P.D., before he had been found by Otohan Thull and Ludinus. The elf promised him he’d find all the answers he’d needed if he trusted him, and Tarrintel fell for it.

In 837 P.D., Otohan Thull would attack the Voice of the Tempest, trying to taunt the Champion of the Matron of Raven, but failed, only killing a few Tempest Blade. He was immediately worried for his family to be caught by the crossfire, but realized it is too late to help them now, as he is too deep into Ludinus’ plans to turn back.

With his Exaltant abilities, he investigated possible Vessels for Predathos by visiting the dreams of Ruidusborns and Exaltants, and would ask them to join their cause. This is how he first contacted Imogen and Ashton, seeing the potential inside them.

By the time he found out Orym was travelling with them, he demanded Imogen to go away and forget about the excavation site. Bells Hells wanted to put an end to Ludinus’ plan, and Imogen tried to converse with him, asking Tarrintel to switch side. He, however, hadn’t been swayed, and stood by Ludinus’ side and proceed with their original plan of trapping the Champion of the Matron of Raven.

On Ruidus, he had been warned of possible dangers that would befalls him via Imogen, which he tried to shrug off. After a failed assassination attempt, Tarrintel would eventually switch side and work as a double agent for Bells Hells. This would lead to his downfall, with Ludinus finding out of his betrayal and use the harness on Tarrintel to kill him. As he felt his body slowly turn into dust, Tarrintel would invoke a dream on Imogen and Ashton, asking them to kill Ludinus and tell Orym he is sorry for everything. He was rescued by Bells Hells, but his Exaltant powers were absorbed by the new version of the Quintessence Array, leaving him weak and pale and his connection to Predathos nonexistent.

Relationships

Alma: One of the few midwives of Zephrah and Orym’s mother. She raised him with the help of Derrig and Nel, their neighbor. When asking about his father, she mentioned his last name, that he was a potion maker and he had to leave to seek out answers. Alma is very proud of her son, and only wish for him to come back home safe.

Will: Orym’s late husband. Both were friends since childhood, often getting into troubles with Fearne in their teenage years. He was the one who came up with the nickname Big Moon, Little Moon and later propose to him. They discussed of their future and the possibility of adopting a child at some point, but those plans quickly fell at Will’s death. Even in death, Will looked over Orym and was the one who pushed him into living again, and not stay in his shadow.

The Crown Keepers: The first group of people that accepted Orym for what he is since the reveal of his curse. He is deeply protective of all of them, and was worried of what the Circlet of Barbed Vision would bring. While he felt desolate at Opal wearing the Vestige, he accepted it was only a form of power, but tried to keep a close eye on her condition.

Fearne Calloway: Orym knows Fearne since her arrival to Zephrah with her family, becoming an older brother figure to her. She would leave in 842 P.D. to find him, and has been travelling with him ever since. When she was younger, she would pull Orym and Will into her shenanigans, often time ending with Orym becoming the voice of reasons of their trio.

Dorian Storm: Orym’s love interest and close friend. Both made a deal to each other to not let the other go on a dark path since the battle at the Feywild gate in Tal’Dorei, which Orym tried his best to keep. He had been more affected by Dorian leaving than he thought, sometime being reminded of him in every blue things he sees. When he recognized he began falling for Dorian, Orym had been afraid of pursuing them, not knowing if it was okay for him to love again after Will. He would eventually confesses to Dorian inside Caleb’s towers, which Dorian reciprocated. They would both kiss the next day, promising to discover this blossoming relationship once the fight is over. He let Orym ride on Coriolis to have better range against Ludinus, to which Orym was grateful of and kissed his cheek as thanks.

Chetney: Chetney is what Orym would equivalent to the odd grandfather at Winter Crest who shares some of the wildest story, which you don’t even know if they are true. He does eventually warm up the Chetney, even relaying on him to make sure if he goes out of control, he can handle it. This made Chetney become one of the main target of his attacks when out of control.

Tarrintel: Orym’s estranged father. Both Tarrintel and Orym share a few similarities in appearance, mainly with their green eyes and brown hair. Orym even posed as Tarrintel to gain informations on the Ruby Vanguard druid and Ratanish, with various levels of success. He never bothered looking for his father, believing he was dead. At the discovery Tarrintel had been working for Ludinus and by extend, Otohan Thull, Orym was angry. He was, however, open to learn more about him when he choose to switch side, discovering all of his work for Ludinus had been done *for Orym*, since Tarrintel didn’t know if Orym would develop the same curse as he has. Orym wouldn’t forgive him for abandoning his mother nor working with Otohan and not doing anything to stop her from attacking Zephrah. When he learned Tarrintel was in danger and sucked into the harness by Ludinus, Orym was quick to react to the situation and ready to help save him. He might not be the greatest of father, but he was still a victim of Ludinus’ machination and he wouldn’t let that man take another life. Bells Hells manage to push back the Ruby Vanguard keeping him and Ludinus. Orym, with the help of Dorian’s steed Coriolis and a well-placed Forcecage cast by the bard, rescued Tarrintel.

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And that’s an all for Orym! However, be warned that our next character might not be showcased until I get a new laptop. Sorry FCG…

#orym of the air ashari #my art #artists on tumblr #critical role spoilers #critical role #dorym #bells hells #c3 swap au

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