#chetney you will always be famous !!!!!!!!!!!

[oddthesungod]

who let this half naked gnome in the surgery room??? 🤨🤨🤨

[fear-ne]

i’ve been working on a woodworking project for a day and a half and i truly feel my body being possessed by a 400 year old gnome

[astralleywright]

Chetney Pock O'Pea you will always be famous!! (3/7)

[utilitycaster]

How Funny is it for Chetney to Die on the Next Long Rest: 3x81

look folks I've given the breakdown trackers a go but while they sometimes work, they're really more an Endgame Nein vibe, to be brought out on special occasions. But I've wanted to have something similar and so, see above.

Getting this out of the way: it's always going to be fucking funny. It's going to be sad! It's also going to be funny. Tragedy is the salt of comedy and vice versa. We can acknowledge that. This is about how fucking ridiculous it will be. As such we are moving to a Sam Reich in Make Some Noise vibes-based system, to the chagrin of people who are trying to win something. Let's start:

Hilarity Considerations:

They will be on Ruidus. This is terribly inconvenient. This is the root of all comedy, as British people and everyone in a sitcom B-plot can attest.

Ashton is the only strong person in the party other than Chetney, and Percy is back at base camp, giving us the potential for us at two Taliesin Characters having to deal with the corpses of two Travis Characters in this campaign.

I'm sure there's some kind of werewolf lore joke in here that, should he die on the moon, I will put in effort to make.

Technically I think he has been made the most famous toymaker already though it might be contingent on bringing the piece back so if it's the former everyone's going to suddenly be like OH MY GOD CHETNEY POCK O'PEA DIED? and the funeral is going to be fucking lit.

Funeral on the moon, or Mooneral.

Hey Orym! deal's null and void! That's fun!

Hilarity Complications:

who the FUCK is Travis going to play in this scenario. My vote is a Ruidusborn who broke out of the compulsion. Recovering Vanguard cultist or something.

If he doesn't get his end of the bargain that is a little sad; died before he could become immortal in the way that matters.

Matt is incredibly good at rolling with the punches but personally if he was like UHHHHHHHHHH BREAK I would NOT blame him.

Bells Hells coming back with a different person and a dead body is going to be a WILD time given that the base camp war council is already kind of side-eyeing them.

I don't mind if we don't explore Chet's backstory; the reveal was enough to provide the shading and nuance. However it would be nice if the party had enough info to try to find any nieces and nephews or similarly ancient siblings.

TRAVIS DO YOU HAVE A PERCY OR VAX-ESQUE DEATH LETTER YOU FUCKING BETTER.

Forecast: 1% chance of Chetney Death; A Bloody Bridge Too Far level of hilarity.

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e81

As a reminder, because I sort of missed it in my last post: Fearne absorbing and re-activating the shard also awakened Ashton's shard, and they were both transformed.

"What if every so often an ancient stone titan surfaces on Ashton's face and he goes, 'oh, the ancient times!'" boy that is RICH coming from Laudna--

On the bright side, now that the shard has been absorbed, Delilah's want for it has subsided.

Chetney talks about his family. He doesn't blame them for leaving, not at all — they were fleeing a red dragon — but he's considering making a deal with Nana Morri for his youth.

Outside, Ashton and Fearne are figuring out their new powers. While in their transformed state, Ashton can glide through unworked/loose earth or stone freely, and it sounds like their speed is increased. They can use this to run up sheer cliff-faces, and by submerging themself only halfway in the stone they can carry people up with them like an elevator. Their pain is gone in this state, and when it returns, it feels welcome.

For Fearne, while in her transformed state she's immune to fire damage, a creature that hits her takes 1d8 fire damage, and her fire spells are more powerful now. She also floats about a foot off the ground, so her movement ignores difficult terrain, and when she touches the ground she leaves little black scorch marks. Even in her un-transformed state, she has a slight smoke drifting from her hair, and a little flame in her pupils.

Both Ashton and Fearne have abilities that they can unleash that will exhaust them significantly. It's unclear how long their transformed states last for and how many times they can use them per day.

Meanwhile, Chetney goes to Nana Morri to ask about a "wish."

Monsters, frost worms, opening bottles, wind, fire — whatever. I will always be impressed by the quality and variety of Matt's hinge creak sound effects.

Morri reveals that she doesn't grant wishes, she makes deals — there has to be collateral, and if people don't hold up their end of the deal, they become like the topiaries in the garden.

Chetney very, very carefully proposes a deal: he gets imbued with some of Morri's power, in exchange for the ability for her to exert more of her power over the mortal realm. (Chetney's shadow touched feat suddenly makes a lot of sense — a suspicious amount of sense, actually.) Morri changes the scenery to a dark, empty space with a single table.

"What is it that you want specifically? Tell me your dreams." "Well, I would love to never die, but that seems a little much. So — I was wondering... do people ask to return to their youth?" Both are things she's granted before, but she cuts to the root: Chetney came in here with a singular desire, greater than either of those requests. "I want to be the most famous toymaker the world has ever known." "Now that just requires a little bend of fate, doesn't it?" Morri pulls a golden thread from Chetney's chest, it stretches from dark to dark, and as she pulls on it a cold sensation courses through Chetney. "And what will you give me?" "What would you want?" "Bring me a piece of what you hunt. Bring me a piece of the God-Eater." "Let me do some simple arithmetic here — it's a deal." As it is stricken, she runs her hand over the lantern, alights her palm with white fire and clasps Chetney's hand with it — the cold touches his palm and that golden thread seems to twist and tangle a bit, then she withdraws. "Very well. Make me proud, and you'll be notorious."

(god this is going to backfire so badly — like, if Predathos is anything like the Lovecraftian horrors it's very clearly modeled after, a piece is all it needs. am I the only one thinking of a color out of space here?)

They start their long rest and have the campaign's first heroes' feast! FCG feeds the Bells Hells plus Allura, Pate, and Mister. Their HP max goes up by 13, they are immune to being poisoned and frightened, and they make all wisdom saves with advantage for the next 24 hours.

For the first time in many, many days, they set up their dream ritual. FCG brings everyone except Chetney and Fearne into Imogen's dream.

Imogen's intent with this dream is to enter the beam and travel to Ruidus, to see what happens when she does. She glides past clouds beneath the starry sky and eventually finds herself in a corkscrew, drifting — all five of them are already gliding along the Bloody Bridge, hurtling upward toward the Moon of Ill Omen. Sparks pulse through it and almost catches them up in it — they're shunted, dragged through, like a rollercoaster. Before long, they untether from the beam and start free-falling toward the dusty surface of Ruidus. There are mountain ranges, chasms, and slivers of silver carving through the landscape — before they arrive at the core of the Ruidian storms. In this lost space, there is no sense of up or down, just the storm, the wind — they're lost.

Imogen opens her mind, and for a brief moment she feels like she's tapping into a greater consciousness, minds like background radiation that flicker beyond reach; the storm clears like she's in the eye and she sees Exandria above. The ground itself is vibrating like there's a stampede, it's warm, the stones seem to shift. And she lets go.

The only thing that's kept her dangling above an abyss, Imogen allows it to snap. She tumbles into the ground and the black warmth envelops you; to the rest of them, the dark is rough, jagged, scary. They see and feel nothing except for dread, and an alien presence that washes over and through them — but Imogen feels comfort, sensations of running into Liliana's arms, Laudna's arms, memories of hugging her horses, a sense of belonging. They pass through rock, flashes of color — cavern networks that snake like a labyrinth beneath the crust of the moon. Glimpses of teal crystal and subterranean rivers, water, oceans — alien, red life that swim through it whose green eyes track them. But darkness, still. A distant voice calls — "wait, Imogen, no—" and it's gone.

Their descent stops. The rest of them drift into suffocating darkness, Imogen is gone — the shared dream spell ends.

Imogen senses a presence unlike anything she's ever experienced. It's so immense that her entire being vibrates with power, she worries as it suffuses her that she might be pulled apart — that white flash she saw, these moments where the world rent itself around her, that power pulls to rend her but she belongs here. She is home. This is the womb, and she wishes nothing more than to return to this place with her entire core — but she wakes, then. Moments later.

This is an excellent setup for this, especially because it's giving Laudna and Imogen conflicting information and motives. Laudna, FCG, Orym, and Ashton all know that this darkness is rough and lifeless and it will shred them, suffocate them — but Imogen is being supernaturally coerced into selfishness. This feels like a big red flashing sign that says "some powers are not worth embracing, sometimes giving in to power will change you irreparably and you will not like what you see in the mirror anymore" and yet they're still pushing her to embrace it against her better judgment.

I am once again begging someone to acknowledge that FCG does not, in fact, need to sleep and can keep constant watch with no detriment to themself

Their long rest passes without issue, but in the middle of the night, when he's sure no-one is watching, Orym knocks on Nana Morri's door.

"The way I understand it, from what Fearne tells me, you can help people. You make deals. Well, um... my friends are all pretty amazing, the things they can do, I can't even fit it all in my head, and I'm really good with a sword but I'm a little nervous I'm not ready for what we're about to do tomorrow. [None of you are ready.] The point is, I feel the least ready in our group, and I wanna see this through, I wanna get it done, and I wanna get them back. I wanna get Fearne back, and all of them. So... if you can somehow make me better at protecting them, or stronger, more capable at what I do, I might agree to a lot."

Morri's eyes look past Orym, beyond, and when Orym looks back he's in the same dark space, with the same white lantern on the same table. "Your passion is to protect your friends, yes?" "My friends, your granddaughter — I don't know if there's a friends and family discount, but...?" "And what do you have to offer, little Ashari?" "Well, if I see them all through and we get it done, I'll serve you." "You smell of the touch of divinity. That makes you enticing. Well, now that Fearne's all grown up and might be finding her own way, it does get a bit lonely here in the manor. Maybe it'd be nice to have a caretaker." "These have to be worded just right, Imogen said — that's if we see it through. Every one of Bells Hells makes it back and we see it through. That's an easy trade. Back alive, happy, safe, and healthy." "Well, you have to leave happy to return happy, and health is in varying states at least. Return at least as you are." "Return alive." "Very well."

Morri grants Orym the ability to call upon her when he's in need (and probably some other abilities, too) in exchange for his service to her, provided that every one of the Bells Hells returns from Ruidus alive.

They get a long rest, but Imogen falls asleep missing that sensation she experienced at the core of the moon.

I have 3 primary thoughts about Orym's deal. First is that there is a Laudna-sized hole in Orym's insistence that everyone returns alive — in fact, he specifies that against Morri's stipulation of "returns as they are," so it sounds like Orym was working in a loophole. Second, this has the potential to be a big act 3 setup centering around breaking or finding a loophole int hat deal. And third, FEY PALADIN ORYM !!!! (he doesn't have the stats to multiclass into warlock but ancients or devotion paladin?? yeah.)

In the morning, they have a meal, then head back to Exandria. It's hardly been an hour since they left. They arrive in the familiar Hellcatch Valley, where there is a strong reddish hue to the entirety of the landscape. Ruidus hangs above them, larger than they've ever seen, silent and consuming the air above them. They're miles away from the Tishtan excavation site, and as they walk towards the west encampment (where Allura's allies are), then can see numerous legions, signs of battle, skyship wreckage — there has been warfare here, skirmishes, sides testing boundaries but nothing all-in. There's an air of held breath.

As they enter, Allura is met by three authority figures: Myth-Taker Qi Mandozi, an older orcish man, of Ashanedoor; Guardian Tofur Bratoris, a silver Dragonborn woman in full plate armor, wearing the symbol of the Council of Tal'dorei; and Dawnmarshal Earthbreaker Groon, the most muscular grandpa they've ever seen, leader of Kord's temple in Vasselheim.

All of them carry a presence, but Groon has a force that carries a massive weight; he is an individual who walks with the strength of the gods. "Underestimation is a powerful thing."

Into the war-tent!

Ohohoho, Earthbreaker Groon has some kind of Ruidus-born radar — Fearne catches him staring at her and Imogen like a parent looks at a child who's done something wrong.

Also inside the war-tent are Percy and Keyleth! They explain that the reason the Bells Hells are so important in this endeavor is because they are not being watched, they are not being paid attention to — "because so few, for now, know of you."

The Ruby Vanguard is trying to divide the world. Doomsday cults are rising in response to recent events, and the Vanguard is taking advantage of them to raise support for their cause; in doing so, they are waging ideological war on the home-front in addition to waging a militaristic war around the Malleus Key.

Percy unveils one of their distraction attempts: "butcher wagons," cloaked with illusions to look like a massive assault but instead stocked with buckets of blood; the Vanguard's forces will be drawn away and the wagons will be detonated, creating the illusion of an actual battle to keep them occupied for up to 30 minutes. That's how long the Bells Hells will have to get to the key. Luckily for them, the Vanguard's most intelligent members are already on the moon.

The Bells Hells will enter from the opposite side and slip in unnoticed during the battle. Because of their sabotage of the key earlier, the dispelling field is not present, but there are a significant number of Reilorans on the ground who can sense their minds — the scrolls will help with that.

"If you are discovered, ensure there are no witnesses. Whatever that means to you — whether silencing them or taking them with you — this is war. This is about all of us. All of us." Groon speaks with the voice of Kord on that last line.

Allura advocates for redemption and rehabilitation of the members of the Vanguard, if possible, when Laudna questions what the threshold is. But again — this is war. Keyleth, without eye contact, pipes in. "Save who you can, but do what is right."

Their mission while on Ruidus is to learn what they can. Who the Reilora are and what they want, whether they have a leader who can be parlayed with, what Ludinus' intentions are and how long he needs to achieve them — anything they can get, until they feel it is too dangerous to continue.

Fearne approaches Groon and asks about the look he gave them. "These eyes do not look anywhere; I sensed you. You are Ruidus-born, both of you." The entire tent knows, now. Keyleth advocates for them in good faith, not knowing what Imogen just did the night before.

They had tried to work with Ruidus-born before, and at a certain point, they just forgot what they were doing and joined their new friends. "Well, that's not gonna happen with us." FCG, you fucking wish, buddy—

Allura advocates for them too, and Groon looks back at them. "I trust they are capable, for they know that if they turn, the storm will find them. But you are of the storm, are you not?" "I am the storm, baby." "It seems your friends have more faith in you than you have in yourself. Be prepared to rely on them, when the time comes."

"You are the tip of the spear, and we are everything to follow. We just need you to guide us." Keyleth turns to Percy. "Why does it always take a bunch of assholes to get anything done?" (Ashton, reading Percy like a book: "He likes us!")

And here we go with Laudna enabling Imogen in literally anything even when it means giving up everything. "What if it is your calling? I don't want to stand between you and what you really want—" I am going to s c r e a m

But Laudna goes and asks Keyleth about what was distracting her before: it's Vax, trapped in that orb. "We need to set him free." She also confirms that the bridge is the only connection Exandria has to Ruidus; the moon is completely shielded against divination, teleportation, and everything else. The bridge needs to stay, Vax needs to keep screaming, until their business is done.

Before they leave, FCG casts telepathic bond — y'know, that one spell that allowed the Ring of Brass to hear each others' last thoughts as the ground came up to meet them and that eventually enabled the escape of a flighted scion who carried their memories into the after-times?

Earthbreaker Groon puts a hand on Imogen's shoulder, and she sees a flash of Kord in a roiling storm, and she hears his voice, growling. "You have my eye. There is greatness in you. Do not let us down." "I won't."

something something about how Ruidus being tethered to Exandria may have opened it up to the influence of Exandria's pantheon and the one who would have the greatest influence over the surface and of Imogen's dreams would, of course, be the Storm Lord

But as the preparations end, the two fronts roll out.

Allura, Qi, and Percy accompany the wagons, while Keyleth brings the Bells Hells in close. She casts gaseous form on them all, and they begin their trek toward the Malleus Key.

From above, they can see the illusions overtake the butcher wagons: a charging wave of gargantuan armored beasts, thirty feet high and four arms each, like massive gorillas; rhinos, armored; an entire frontal assault, flanked by massive elementals with flaming rock-wings, the married imaginations of two high arcanists working in tandem.

Their bodies reform at the edge of the crater and Keyleth turns to them. "You have a few minutes to gather your thoughts; then, be on your way." The clouds above her grow thick and dark, flashes of lightning break, and the entire vicinity is as if a thunderous hurricane has touched down in the center of Marquet. Lightning strikes clear a path for them as they don Ruby Vanguard robes, but they can already see the entire perimeter guard doubling as the attention is drawn to the surface, then to the wagons.

Gaseous form lasts for 8 hours, so it could be of use to them down the road — not just now, though, because of how long it takes to transform into and out of the form.

They begin to approach, and horns sound from inside the site — the first group stealth roll of the encounter rounds to about 28-30, so I think they're in the clear for now as dozens of crawlers and Reiloran warriors collide with the illusion. Spells are being flung from inside the illusion, Percy's contraptions fire cannons and explode payloads, the illusion shapes and reacts — it's a magnificent display of arcane prowess as they crest the edge of the Tishtan site.

[cringefaecompilation]

(Haven't seen much of MN, so this is a very incomplete view)

The thing that puts me off trying to get back into it is what seemed a lack of character responsibility/consequence - to npcs, and each other. (again, just from first impressions, and a few things you've mentioned about MN)

I find the suspension of disbelief harder when you feel a person realistically shouldn't be able to act a certain way without push back. (Chetney attacking that shopkeeper then being capture dozens of episodes later for it, people being scared when Laudna does something scary...)

All I can remember is Beau getting flack from the other pcs for being rude, but that's about it?

I'd like to enjoy MN, and you're pretty objective about it, so would you say I'm way off base with my impression of it?

this is kind of a tricky subject to talk about given i doubt i’m very objective but i’ll try my best to work it out. for the most part, i would say your initial impression feels like it's very much rooted in early c2, so we'll work from there.

if it’s a “how dare nobody yell at jester or punch her in the mouth for being annoying to soldiers or goofing off in temples! she should have been punished for not taking things seriously!” put off, that gives off vibes of “how dare fearne never face legitimate consequences for stealing or trying to steal!” sometimes a joke is just a joke and i feel if jester was given anything harsher than getting thrown out of a library it’d feel gratuitous and kind of cruel. i don’t want to watch jester lavorre get the shit kicked out of her for drawing a dick on a building.

if it’s a “i’m disappointed that the characters will make super important game-changing dice rolls that allow them to coast by in the story without much conflict that would have been interesting to explore” put off, then on some level it does bug me too, but what am i supposed to do if the dice decide beau and veth should get out of jail free by jester giving the hag a cupcake or caduceus sneezing and sinking a million ships or bringing back a fan-favorite character? i do not control the way the dice roll. the same thing just happened with laudna and briarflop

but if it’s a “this serious rp moment was ruined by a joke or they straight-up forgot it happened or refused to engage with it because it didn’t personally affect them at the time” put off, now we’re getting somewhere. i did notice that post-bowlgate the players basically got scared into being a little less punchy with each other in ways that felt realistic (there’s way more gifsets of beau and caleb being actively aggressive at each other post-molly’s death than prior to it, let’s put it that way) and while i do appreciate a lot of the heart-to-hearts i feel like they can get a little… too nice to each other? some of the best moments in the campaigns are when tensions ride high and it isn’t so "yay look at us we are friends" coded. angel of irons arc you will always be famous!

(will say was horrified when both liam and travis said they might have left the nein 80-90 episodes in. because, holy shit what do you mean you were going to abandon everybody?)

this is a problem with all the campaigns; for example, in campaign three they sped right on past the talking tree the second it gave ashton the info he needed and nobody else got a turn with it, which pissed me right the fuck off. though i appreciate that for the most part we always get conclusions to small things that come back to bite the cast later on even though it has been a pain in the ass watching orym’s arduous journey into class consciousness for the past 40 episodes because of the plot getting in the way of the character moments and i just want it to happen already. i know it’s going to happen but fucking when

the one time i genuinely think there was a moment with an utter lack of responsibility or consequences was how they handled xhorhaus and the kryn dynasty. on some level, sure, ashley had a busy schedule and they didn’t have a lot of time to get into her backstory with it but they really did just speedrun getting the bright queen on their side and the moment they had her trust, away went them interacting with the war or with anti-monster sentiment. which felt double weird given fjord and how he was bullied for being half-orc but when it came to that possibly getting addressed in that context… crickets.

and of course… essek. the guy who kind of ruined countless lives without them knowing it. and i agree with caduceus that punishing him then and there wouldn’t bring back all the people he hurt. i can see how caleb could tie his own struggle believing the lies of a superior to his. but then, it’s kind of uneven. caleb was a teenage boy and essek was an adult man. nothing that the nein did or attempted to do (veth threatening to reignite the war as payment for the hag does not count as actually doing it!) possibly matched up to the actions he chose to perform with no coercion. they were also under no pact to allow him to brainwash someone into thinking they did it with the only excuse being “he was a jerk to essek and we like essek!” and having that total stranger getting his life ruined to end the war with zero fanfare.

there could have been an interesting story beat there with someone they trusted and saw as a friend turning out to be a traitor, but they said no, so let’s throw in a sexy beholder to be the last bbeg! and then we can mug an old guy and oops we only have five minutes left in the campaign, let’s set up a five-year-plan to stop the empire which we just now decided needs to go.

i was told there apparently was a huge argument at the end of campaign two about the ending feeling like neoliberal feel-good “change the system from the inside!” trash and while i wouldn’t go that far, i’d say it’s so disappointing because you know it’s not going to work. you know that you can’t change the system incrementally and eventually it’ll be too much to handle and blow up in your face.

conversely, campaign three’s biggest flaw is how violently it shatters the illusion of a perfect fantasy world and makes it impossible to enjoy previous campaigns without that nagging feeling in the back of your head. it shows the world’s ugliness in full overdrive that even a fantasy world is not exempt from. and that can be jarring for people who were just here to turn their brains off and enjoy people doing stuff alongside blue people and magic and the lack of downtime added to that can make people feel like they're just going through the motions or listening to a boring worldbuilding infodump

so i guess, sure, if you’re annoyed by a noticeable lack of consequences with character actions that either get brushed off as jokes or are never fully explored due to the players’ own incuriousness, then you might wanna watch crit recap animated for mighty nein or wait until the cartoon comes out. if you can overlook that, i say give it a shot! it’s still a good story even if i feel like it could have been better had they tried to take more risks and not be so safe with it.

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 81

Merry Critmas guys!

Another Meta Quest promo? Oh boy ... so this one will get weird again, clearly ... a magical year, really? Yeah, the editors are indeed fucking with you, Sam. XD Ah, highlights! Lovely ...

That's right, it IS Asgard, Samuel. NOT Ass-Gard ...

"Ass-Matt?" "Cominics?" Hmmm ...

Dani Carr! Hiiiiiii!!! Always so great to see you, sweetie! :3

Matt still can't quite get past their shenanigans, can he? At least they're consistent. XD

Yeah! That's right! Fearne and Ashton are full blown SUPERHEROES now!

Sam's shirt derails the game almost IMMEDIATELY ...

Oh shit, yeah ... that's a good point actually ... ARE THEY the same people now?

Well yeah, I mean Laudna does seem a lot more upbeat now, doesn't she? That's surely a good sign.

Chetney really does want to make a wish with Nana? Oh yes, good, they're doing the best they can to talk him out of it ... oh, now it's just getting surreal ... oh boy ...

Ah yes, the ill fated topiary garden ... O.O

Fearne (to Ashton): "Shall we see if we can make some lava?" Oh gods ...

Ashton is Raging, while Fearne shoots a Scorching Ray at him? Bloody hell ...

So ... they're like RIDICULOUSLY supercharged when they're together? Oh, MORE playing around? How crazy is this gonna get?

And now Ashton is IN THE GROUND ... oh, so he can just pop up anywhere he wants? Cool ...

Fearne is a Satyr version of the Human Torch? Pretty sweet ...

Ah, so he can't actually run through plant life, only stone ... that's interesting ... what, they're going to the ruin to see how deep Ashton can go? Hmmmm ...

Well no, he really SHOULDN'T be able to actually BREATHE through rock, should he?

Phasing like Kitty Pryde? Oh, that would be cool ... oh wow, that is SO AWESOME ...

Don't wipe yourself out for days, Fearne. Not right now ...

Oh yes, Fearne is FLOATING ... Wow ... that's ALSO very handy ... running and trying to set fire to the ground at the same time ... yay, scorched track marks ... I love that ...

Now we're seeing if he can use her spell along with the hammer ... okay ...

Whoa ... DOUBLE the damage? That is EXTRA sweet ... oh, and dhe is COMPLETELY IMMUNE to fire damage now? Extra cool ...

Ashton tries to shut down the effect ... uncut diamond form? Wow ... that's weird in a really striking way ...

He feels weird? Hmmm ... oh, here we go ... back to his normal physical form? Interesting ... but the idea that he's so used to the chronic pain that he's actually RELIEVED to get it back? I really don't think I like that ...

What fresh hell have you brought with THIS week's flask, Samuel?

Fearne: "We'll just have to accept our greatness." Ashton: "I'll accept YOUR greatness." Awwwww ... :3

Oh wow ... are they FLIRTING again? I don't mind that at all ...

And Fearne goes back to normal again too ... but not ENTIRELY ... which is cool ...

IS HE going to do the wish thing? Are you sure, Chet? Oh gods, he's really doing it ...

Oh that is just so creepy ...

Name the door ... oh boy ... Artax? What? Oh boy ... Push-Pull? Sir Push-Pull? Oh boy again ...

And now it's ASKING to be named Sir Push-Pull ... ye gods ... and Morri's all right with this ... wow ...

And here she is ... unsettling as ever ... hmmmm ...

Oh, so those poor buggers tried to RENEGE on their deals? That's ... interesting ... in a really horrible way ... oh, and now he's asking ...

Is this like some kind of pocket dimension for her to make deals in?

He wants to be the most famous toy maker in the whole world ... wow ... oh, what's he going to trade? Hmmmmm ... she wants a piece of the God Eater? A piece if Predathos ... that's actually not bad ...

The Golden Threads of Fate ... so cool to see that come back ... O.O

He's keeping it to himself, playing it cool ...

The Witch In the Woods ... oh yeah, like the Monkey's Paw, that's right ...

And now they're just teasing him about it. I live this so much ... Fearne is being especially cruel about it ... yup ... XD

Allura does not want to have anything to do with this foolishness and I do not blame her at all ...

Time for bed before they have to go to the Moon ...

FCG's been cooking? H'wine rolls? What the sweet fuck is this craziness ... a Hero's Yeast? Dear gods ...

Oh, so Mister and Pate can get in on this action too? That's pretty cool ...

Yeah, the Hero's Feast is always such a cool booster thing ...

Imogen's going to try that dream thing? Oh boy ... so who's going in with her? Everybody except Chetney and Fearne ... okay ...

Yet again, Travis rolls to see if Chetney DIES IN HIS SLEEP ...

Into Imogen's dream, then ... taking the Bloody Bridge, up to Ruidus ... oh, it's all very Stargate all of a sudden ...

Ruidus, then ... here we go ... and the studio lighting changes ... I really do hate that ...

Touchdown ... okay ... eye of the storm, now ... hmmmm ...

"Bring me home." Oh boy ... Imogen gives in ... it pulls her in ... oh, this is rightly terrifying already ... this is suddenly looking like a really BAD IDEA ...

Caverns? Some kind of labyrinthine tunnel network inside the Moon ... hmmmm ...

Wait ... the others wake up ... but Imogen DOESN'T?!!! Oh fuck ...

Fuck, is she trapped? What the fuck is HAPPENING?!!!

Oh thank the gods she's back ... is she okay?

Orym tries to get a read? Another big Insight roll ... LAURA gives Liam a Whispers? Crazy ...

Laudna is worried and rightly so ... this DOES NOT feel right at all. I am suddenly EXTREMELY uncomfortable about all of this. Could this come back to bite us in a really bad way later?

Brumestone? Hmmmmm ...

Oh yes, this IS going to be a problem, clearly ...

Yes, keep an eye on her while you're sleeping please, Laudna ...

Time for bed. A Long Rest ...

Orym goes to visit Nana Morri in the night? SERIOUSLY?!!!

Oh, that is disconcerting that she can sneak up on him ...

Fuck, is he REALLY going to make a deal with her too? Come on, Wee Man ...

Well he's doing this for his friends, maybe that's going to be enough to protect him in this ... but WOULD SHE actually take him up on this? Oh fuck, she really is ... Orym, come on ...

Fuck ... he's willing to offer himself up to HER service if she sees them through? Fuck ... I hate this already ... a "caretaker"? Jeez ...

If every one of them makes it back and they see it through ... very specific terms, at least ... fuck ... at least it's very dependent on their success ... shit, snd that's it, then ...

Gods damn it, Liam O'brien, making clandestine deals with dark entities again for the sake of his friends ... how much worse than Vax is this gonna be?

Time for a break ... gods ...

Matt: "Ten years nearly, I've had to put up with you guys." XD

Morning comes ... time to go, then ...

Ah, the creepy Fey Menagerie returns ... as unsettling as ever ...

Food? Okay ... Birdie and Ollie are cooking? Well that's a relief ... a nice pleasant breakfast ... and now here's Nana ... hmmmm ...

She has something special for FCG? Hmmmm ... a weird sphere of something ... IS IT food for him? Okay, he's giving it a go ... so it's just fine silver ... and he burps ... with SCREAMS ... fucking horrifying ... LOL

Wow, so Fearne is now the hot new thing in town? That's pretty cool ...

Allura, still as creeped out by Morri as ever ... XD

So heading to meet their allies in the Hellcatch Valley ... okay, then ... so they're making the move ...

Fearne says goodbye to her parents. And they are just SO PROUD of her, aren't they? :3

Working the spell, then ... WHOOSH!!! Time all but freezes ... oh, and that was CHAOTIC ... but they're finally back in Exandria. Right on target ...

Yup, the Red Moon still dominates the sky. Lovely.

Chetney's still slow for a minute ... Laudna: "You made his voice all sexy there." XD

Wow, this is a WHOLE LOT of people who've gathered here to help fight ... and they're all pretty tense about it, too. That's just great ...

Some kind of purpose made citadel "grown" specifically for this effort? That's pretty cool ...

These all look like some pretty interesting folk ... the Council of Tal'dorei? Interesting ...

Whoa ... BIG guy ... seriously BUFF old dude ... fascinating ... the Stormlord? Interesting ...

Oh, so they've been expected? Hmmm ...

Mythtaker Qi Mandozi? Cool.

Guardian Tofor Bretoris? Okay.

EARTHBREAKER GROON?!!! FOR REAL?!!! AWESOME!!!

"Mercenaries ... we get shit done."

Oooh ... is this some kind of fancy honour guard?

Earthbreaker Groon is clearly fascinated by Imogen and Fearne, but in a strange disapproving way, kind of? Interesting ...

Percy! Hey! And Keyleth! Yay!

Ah yes ... the timey wimey weirdness of the Fey Realm ...

Ah ... your typical war briefing, then ...

Butcher Wagons? Hmmm ... so very charming ... a nice gory diversion ...

Ten to thirty minutes to infiltrate? So ... not a MASSIVE window, then ...

Ah yeah ... the Reilora ...

Percy needs a little more time ... of course he does ... but then they do need setup time ...

No witnesses? Crap ... that is NOT a good ultimatum at all ...

So there is SOME flexibility, but still ... it's disconcerting all the same ...

Oh yeah, the Ruby Vanguard disguises ...

What are they looking for? What is the intelligence they need to gather?

Fearne questions Earthbreaker Groon ... oh, here we go ... he knows they're Ruidusborn ... oh, this is a sticky thing here? Chill out, guys ...

Oh yeah, these two witches be something special ...

Groon: "You are of the Storm, are you not?" Imogen: "I AM the Storm, baby."

Of course Keyleth still has utmost faith in them all, and Orym especially. :3

Qi likes FCG because he's funny. I like that. XD

A safe word for Imogen? In case the pull becomes too much? Probably a good idea ...

Fearne: "We're just the tip, guys. Just thd tip if the spear." Ashton: "Yeah, that's the safe word."

Laudna goes to talk to Keyleth. "You're very pretty." XD

Oh yes ... Vax. That's right ... she's covering, but yeah, that's at the core of it for her ...

His energy is being used specifically to power the bridge ... yeah ...

Keyleth: "I'm sorry." Laudna: "For what?" Keyleth: "For everything." Oh man ...

Telepathic Bond? Oh yeah ... that should be helpful ...

All right ... so it's time, then ... setting up for the distraction ...

Earthbreaker Groon wants to talk to Imogen ... oh no, THE STORMLORD wants to talk to her ... that wasn't, like, foreboding at all ...

Time to go ... everybody's ready ... and it sll hoes OFF ... the Butcher Wagons are rolling ... Allura gives the nod ... cue gibberish words as Imogen uses one of the Scrolls ...

And now they're just living clouds ... lovely ...

Coasting in over the Site now, approaching the Malleus Key ...

Crazy beasts on the attack in front of the Wagons ... oh, that's pretty slick ...

Touchdown on target ... okay ... Keyleth prepares their stormy cover ... Nice ... Voice of the Tempest indeed!

Oh yeah, Kiki you are AWESOME!!!

They put on their disguises, Fearne casts Pass Without A Trace, and FCG puts a Death Ward on Imogen.

Time to head in, then ... they make their way down and into the Storm ... Orym's leading the way ... no, Fearne ... maybe the better choice in this ...

Group Stealth Check with Advantage ... yup, BOSS rolls all round ...

Oh it is all just KICKING OFF right now ...

Aaaaaaaaaaah! Reilorans! Oh boy ...

CHAOS!!! IT'S A TOTAL MESS OUT HERE!!! And now the first Wagon bursts ...

They make their way in ... and Matt calls it a night!

Oh, visual preview of what's to come? Ooooh ... yay, Battlemap! Sweet ...

We'll see next session ... in the New Year ... roll on 2024 ...

[utilitycaster]

Level Up: Bells Hells Level 12

As always: are there errors or major omissions? Let me know! Your preferred feat or spell isn’t listed? That’s because it’s not my preferred feat or spell, and you should make your own post for your own preferences! Additionally, because level-ups are no longer done at the end of sessions but are rather their own separate videos, I now include speculation for the next level(s) since there’s often very little time to speculate on the current level.

Chetney: He could take another rogue level, as Fearne has, but I think leveling in blood hunter is by far the wiser choice, though Travis does have the rare carte blanche for being good at mechanics award I just made up. Anyway, rogue would give him cunning action, but blood hunter is a big one: hemocraft die goes up to d8, unarmed strike bonus goes up to +2, and he not only gains another use of hybrid transformation per rest but also can now regenerate a small number of hit points at the start of each turn while injured, which will improve his already impressive tanking prowess. Looking forward: I think he should stick to the single rogue level, honestly, and keep leveling in blood hunter. 12 is an ASI level, so: ASI to strength, int, or con, all key stats, would be best in my opinion. He could even out his wisdom score, but also he's rarely been badly afflicted with bloodlust and this party does not lack for wisdom but does need all the int, str, and stacks of HP it can get.

Laudna: You've already seen my thoughts on sorlock before (if you haven't, basically: I think it's not as strong as people think) so this is a bit tough to optimize. Anyway, warlock 4 is a very narratively valid choice if Marisha wanted to level in order to indicate the impact returning to Delilah has had. It would grant her an ASI/feat, another spell, and another cantrip. Personally, I am once again asking Bells Hells to get some intelligence; as a warlock base Laudna's WIS save is already pretty solid, though a DEX bonus wouldn't hurt her either. I don't actually have a ton of feats in mind since she came in with a bunch of feats. Meanwhile, if she continues in sorcerer, level 9 is something of a milestone level and grants access to 5th level spells (and a new known spell) in addition to the usual sorcery point increase. Ultimately this is a tough choice - I think sorcerer is the superior choice mechanically, but warlock might make more sense in-story. Looking forward: really dependent on which path she takes, honestly, but if she does level in warlock I think she should level in sorcerer next. [Note from JUST NOW: she's taking sorcerer; place your level 5 spell bets now]

FCG: It's an ASI level for the non-multiclassers of the group, and: Wisdom. Up wisdom. I don't care if it's a +1 feat or a +2 ASI, either are valid, but increase wisdom. Last time I mentioned skill expert and observant as options; skill expert is I think the better choice since Orym has observant covered. Looking forward: it's a quiet but powerful time for clerics; level 13 grants seventh level spells and pals, all of them are bangers. Plane Shift and Resurrection are the famous ones, but Fire Storm? Divine Word? Etherealness? Symbol? Not a dud in the bunch.

Fearne: She took rogue last time so I do hope she takes a druid level, because cauterizing flames seems thematically appropriate with the shard and with embracing her power -both its healing and harmful sides - and also it's a fantastic ability. If she does take rogue, I feel like thief is the subclass that makes most sense because in combat, she's going to be relying on druid powers, and thief provides some great out-of-combat utility (and is generally an underrated rogue class). Looking forward: I do like the idea of thief Fearne, but also, level 11 is when she gets Transport via Plants, which is pretty key. Level 11 has a bunch of other great druid spells, as fans of Keyleth during the Briarwoods arc would know: Heal and Heroes' Feast both overlap with FCG's abilities but it doesn't hurt to have access to both; giving Fearne Conjure Fey is particularly funny; Sunbeam rules and she's done great things with Daylight; and Bells Hells is already learning the value of Wind Walk.

Imogen: ASI level and I say even out your stats: + 1 each to INT and WIS. She has a lot of feats already and the only one that I think makes sense to take now is War Caster, but right now she does not have a great wisdom save bonus and again, even a +1 to INT wouldn't hurt (plus she is, iirc, proficient in investigation, making her better at it than anyone but Chetney, so another point in that won't hurt in this part). Looking forward: I am assuming she's going to keep leveling in sorcerer and if things happen re: Predathos or Kord it will be represented by a subclass change rather than a class change or multiclass, but watch this space. Anyway, level 13 is time for seventh level spells, and my vote is for teleport since FCG can cover Plane Shift, but I must admit I do love Prismatic Spray.

Orym: it's another ASI and he gets a zillion of them! My boring ASI-loving ass says +1 to INT and CON. He could also take Sentinel although the big three generals can all probably teleport so I don't know if it's that useful, but Mage Slayer probably would be. Looking forward: At level 13 he gets a second use of indomitable, which is great but there's not a ton to say about it. At level 14 he gets another ASI and he should take whichever of the recs I have up here he doesn't take at level 12.

Ashton: An ASI to them too. I feel the move is to max out strength at this point. The CON loss sucked but their CON was already very good; focus on hitting a little harder. Sentinel and Mage Slayer are also valid options for them, though I'd go for the ASI and let Orym, he of the zillion ASI levels, take those. Looking forward: Brutal critical comes at L13, and a path feature at L14; as their subclass is homebrew I have no idea what that feature might be, but I'm excited.

[utilitycaster]

(this might be a silly question, and please take this in the best possible faith, i don't mean it to be any kind of a gotcha or a trap, okay now that that's out of the way) i'm a cr fan who hasn't started c3 yet (still trucking through c2 and loving it) but i've been a quiet observer to whatever tf has been happening in the tumblr tags for it and have enjoyed your takes/opinions. so, asking this as someone without context who's not trying to comment on any recent ship developments (don't worry about spoilers though, not trying to avoid any), are there parts of c3, either characters or plot or backstories or whatever, that you do really enjoy/find compelling? (you might have already answered this, i've only been following you for like. a week and a half.) thank you!

Hi anon!

Yes, there definitely are! I completely get where you're coming from for this question, too, but I appreciate the context because I have gotten questions before where I feel like someone is trying to corner me and say CAN'T YOU BE POSITIVE??? Anyway, more on that at the end because I want to get to the things I do like, because there are, in fact, a lot. Also, because you've been vaguely following stuff this is chock full of spoilers just FYI.

Ashton, Chetney, and Fearne are all great characters. There is a lot of thought put into all three by the cast members who play them, I find their backstories and their inner lives rich and interesting, I am actually pretty patient with the Hishari plotline because Ashton has so much else going on that while I'm curious, I don't feel deprived. Chetney is just a great concept (for real people need to play older adventurers more often) and Travis is perhaps an unparalleled generator of interesting plot hooks, and Fearne constantly surprises me with her emotional depth and mischief - after two campaigns of Ashley playing characters who were often more, if not subdued, restrained or thoughtful, it's wonderful watching her let loose and be chaotic and cause problems.

Imogen is tricky because she's a character archetype I love, but her closest relationship does nothing for me. I would really love to see Laura lean into the darkness and moral ambiguity more. With that said her relationships with most of the rest of the party are great and I'd like more of them, and her family dynamics are also fascinating. With Imogen...I do want payoff but there has consistently been enough to keep me going.

Orym and FCG are interesting cases because I always liked Orym well enough but he was extremely Just A Guy - he delivered consistently but never wowed me - and I could not stand FCG earlier on. However, Orym's current arc is phenomenal. Liam's style doesn't always work for me but when it does, it really does, and the past few episodes have been top-tier Orym content. Similarly, after FCG learned of their history and met Dancer, they have been on an upswing that has not ended. I have never before turned around on a character to this degree but I love what Sam is doing. So if you're early on and FCG pisses you off: valid, but he gets good around episode 31 and then keeps being good.

The party split arcs are great. I love Uthodurn, I love Molaesmyr, I love getting to see some of Issylra, there's some great combat, the guests are all fantastic, it's a standout Laudna arc (quite literally part of why I've been recently frustrated with Laudna is because it's like every scrap of character development vanishes when she's within 15 feet of Imogen, like the dumbest paladin aura, but episodes 59-63 Laudna you will always be famous.

Earlier on, everything while Dorian is there is a fun time. Eshteross is precisely up my alley as are the Green Seekers. I also love the Twilight Mirror Museum heist.

The Bassuras arc is rough because there's a lot of good stuff going on but the plot is all weird and slow and I did not enjoy the guest arc. That said: some great interpersonal conversations, and also the Deathwish Run is a fun time if, like me, you love combat.

Yios casino episode, also a good time. The best way I can put it for someone watching through is that like...episodes 1-23 are typical finding one's characters/figuring out what's going on early campaign stuff, enjoyable overall, and the flaws within them can be attributed to that. 24-38 have plenty of bright spots within them (some of which I talked about) but it's a real slog at times. 39-42 are great. 43-45 are nonstop lore dump time, which isn't to say they are bad - there's some good stuff in there - but after 24-38 being lore dump and weird setup city it's a bit exhausting. Once the party goes to the feywild in 46 things get good and stay good. Like, for all the current romance isn't doing anything for me it's also, at this point, literally 2 minutes in an episode that otherwise fucking rules.

So just to get back on the bit about positivity: I tend to talk a lot more about what isn't working than what is. Some of this is because I firmly believe complaining is an art and a skill and is more fun to write. Some if it is also because I think if I like something, I just...like it! I can probably figure out why I like it if I want, but there's something very enjoyable about, well, just enjoying something. But if I don't like something, it's important for me to try to tease out why. Sometimes it's just that it doesn't work for me. There have been past CR characters who, while I can talk through the things I find I don't like about them, in the end it really comes down to "I think this personality is annoying, and that's valid and also a personal opinion." But sometimes I can frame it in terms of lack of narrative weight or momentum, or mechanically suboptimal builds that don't fit in with the character, or what have you, and I think it's valuable to be able to say that instead of just "wow this sucks." Like, there's meta to be had in why I don't care for something, whereas, for example, Fearne's incredibly clutch moves in the most recent episode were things I called out in my liveblogging but I don't have much to say other than "Ashley made some baller combat choices."

[cringefaecompilation]

"GUESS WHICH ONE!" chetney you will always be famous. please don't die immediately.

[12pt-times-new-roman]

c3e36 — whitestone is for lovers

4+ hour episode!

"there's lots of lore in here because I have a problem" — quick someone find all the hidden lore in the tarot cards

oh my god please let Fearne try to steal from Keyleth

The reason Keyleth's attempt to resurrect Will and Derrig failed was because the swords were imbued with a toxin. It was a particular type of extremely rare venom, extremely expensive, designed to deny the working of divine magic.

That is for FUCKING SURE frigid woe.

Which is an Aeorian disease that the mages of Aeor manufactured to prevent magical healing, so that they could fight the agents of the gods without having to worry about their divine healing.

"Frigid woe is a special disease developed by Aeor's mages that cannot be cured by conventional treatment or magic. The only way a creature infected with the disease can be cured is by finding and drinking the manufactured antidote, a milky liquid stored in gold vials found in Eiselcross' ruins."

Cassandra is in Lyrengorn on business. This is a very small city in the northernmost reaches of Tal'dorei, and it's famous for the "Moonweaver's Ribbons," the northern lights.

The lord is in his office

one of the de Rolo children is stalking them through Castle Whitestone

Keyleth Got A Message

Her response— "Of course. Yes, no, I understand, I'll — I'll be there as soon as possible."

Vasselheim is planning a huge celebration on the solstice to reinforce and renew the divine wards around the city and to enact massive rituals not usually achievable.

There are also a lot of people doing a lot of things. Agents of the Betrayer Gods, mages, arcanists, people gathering rare materials and crafting usually-unachievable rituals — etc, etc, etc. Otohan and whatever the fuck she's up to is, for all she and the Hells know, a tiny blip on Keyleth's radar.

"My current focus with the other Ashari leaders is a rogue faction in Issylra, but the less you know, the better." that's definitely the place the Blightstar ship came from, yeah? or maybe whatever remains of the Hishari?

"[The Changebringer] is one of the good ones, one of the freer ones, one of the more fun ones... if you like where the winds can carry you, you might like the path that she leads. If faith is your thing."

Percy keeps his mask up on the wall so it's looking out over his office.

Talisein unconsciously mimicking Percy's mannerisms is so fucking funny to me, especially since it's pretty clear Matt is doing the same thing behind the screen

Percy is an excellent father and you cannot take this away from me.

"I know it's early, but if you would, please wake Pike Trickfoot and summon her to the castle. If she's not at home, she might be at the bakery."

my heart is so full

Gwen named the wolf Chetney carved for her Galdric ;-;

AND VEX??

oh that's right, Vex would age a bit slower than Percy because she's a half-elf

"She was the woman that Laudna was... she's very beautiful." Imogen my heart

we talk so so much about old adventuring parties helping out new ones and doing things for them, or about how the actions they take will affect future campaigns. but this is an instance of the Bells Hells, a level seven party, presenting an opportunity to 20th-level world leaders to at least partially undo something that has been plaguing them for decades. to make right something they thought would always be wrong, and to do it in a way that really, actually matters. "we have to help them. darling, we have to."

"I can feel her soul. It's adrift-- not yet beyond our reach, that's good. What... there's something else here. There's something... it's holding her back, I can't — Percy?"

"There's two souls bound to this body, and I can't separate them. Not like this." "Two souls?" "Yeah. And one of them is Delilah Briarwood."

akdjfgshj

yeeeeeah, Percy ain't gonna let this happen

"When you call a spirit back, you have to call out to the spirit and be like, 'hey, come back,' and they say 'yeah okay' or 'no thanks,' but I can't even talk to your friend because Delilah's there."

If Pike finishes the ritual, there's no telling which spirit will return.

Vex wants to find a solution, Percy doesn't want to take the risk

"Wasn't your soul held by another? What did your friends do?" GET HIS ASS ORYM

"What if we could get rid of her for good?" "Then do so. Without my aid."

"Darling, at least let them try... I mean... we both have some fault in this, don't we?" "Then tell me if you find a way that is satisfactory, but do nothing without my approval. Delilah stays gone."

Beau would get into so many fucking fights with Percy, I would pay money to see them interact. Cobalt Soul Whitestone branch when?

Pike thinks there might be scripture of the Everlight that could help them with exorcism or separating the soul but it's not her specialty, so now they're all gonna go back to her house to look, I guess?? and then maybe to Vasselheim?

"Do we need the old guy? Do we need that fucker?" Ashton follows Percy as he leaves??

"I just wanna say a piece, maybe make an offer. I don't like to lose." "I suggest you get used to the idea." "Let me tell you, I have. I have lost everything, everybody. I have had a lifetime of bad hits, problems, lost people, promises broken, people died, it is the background of my daily life. I have died. This is madness up here, this is not something that just fucking happens. This is what happens when the universe really doesn't like you and decides it wants to keep you around a little while longer. And then I met these people, and life changed in a very intense way. Not in a lovey-dovey 'I've found love and friends' way. The world got weird, there is weird shit happening, and now I'm feeling very small in a very big world, when I used to feel very small in a very small world and that's where I was comfortable... I'm not here for love, or happiness, or joy, or whatever the fuck— I'm here because it's important." "Don't lose that anger. Use it to build. To create. And guard it with your life... I'm not sunsetting the idea. But I need certainties. My children will not grow up in a world where that woman exists. And if you bring [Delilah] back, I will send you all to the same place I will send her. For my family."

I really want to know how much of that was Ashton being genuine, and how much of it was them trying to convince Percy of something in a way they thought would work.

TRINKET!!! BABY TRINKETS!!!

"Must be nice to get people to do what you want them to do just by growling at them, not by having to explain yourself. I'm jealous."

I am rotating Ashton in my head like they are in a microwave. They have such an interesting brand of self-deprecating hubris, such a confidence in their fatalistic tendencies, I cannot wait for them to break. I cannot wait for the moment they just break the fuck down, 'cause Ashton's disposition is like stone -- they'll never bend, they'll never yield, but when they break it will be fucking catastrophic. And when they do, I really hope that they're forced to accept that people care about them and that they care about people. Caleb's journey to that conclusion was slow and gradual and we saw every step of the way— Ashton's, I think, will be a cliff that they're pushed off of before they learn to fly.

Pike has some ideas for rituals that could help!

One seems like an astral projection type thing, very old and very powerful. The Bells Hells would need to go to where Laudna is being held by Delilah, and then separate the two of them long enough for Pike to pull Laudna away.

When a soul passes on, they go to whatever realm best matches their faith or alignment. But Laudna was in a "cold, separate" space that Pike had never felt before, and it felt "very much like Delilah." Like a fucking demiplane or something?

FCG's soul is a "unique, strange, semi-translucent light... not as bright as hers, but present, this fuzzy sparkle. As you turn your hands, you can see them shifting and moving, almost like electrical pulses, but not electricity, not arcane— it's hard to explain. You just feel warm."

"It means that you're alive. And it looks like you already have eyes on you." FCG saw the symbol of the Changebringer on their soul.

did FCG just alert Vex that the party has residuum?

YEP

YES THEY DID

"And if it goes right, we are at your service." Hm. That's something I actually hadn't considered. Vox Machina would have no reason to intervene in something that the Bells Hells are dealing with if VM knew that they were handling it. So if the Hells tell them about Otohan and that they're confident they can deal with her, VM will have no reason to get involved until after the Hells have already failed (if they fail), at which point it's probably too late anyway.

.....The Hells didn't pass through the Divine Gate when they astral projected out to wherever Laudna and Delilah are.

They're standing on a stone floor that's covered in black fog.

FCG looks a little more amorphous; whereas everyone else is crisp and defined, the shape of them is more ethereal and fuzzy. "It's not the metal that's defining the spirit; it's more like the shape that resides within is taking form."

In this landscape, there are bits of gravel and dark gray stone, all in grayscale. There are cliffs that drop off, and areas where the fog just... stops. Beyond the immediate vicinity, sound cannot travel, like the void does not allow vibrations to transmit.

Oh this is super fucking inspired by Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous. If anyone has played that game, this sounds very very similar to Aryshulae's dream realm.

There's a faint smell of vegetable rot, like a bog or compost. The wind is voices. Whispers. Multitudes. Sourceless, genderless, distant and beyond the fog.

yo that is an awesome use of the immovable rod. Ashton has affixed it underneath their bracers, so they can activate it and hold on if they fall.

As they move forward, spire-like rock formations get taller and more frequent — a valley of rock needles, until eventually they push up past beyond the fog. Some of them begin to grow branches and the whispers grow louder. "There she is." "Get her." Eventually, they get to a petrified forest — petrified or mimicked by stone, they can't tell. The ground is mimicking pitfalls, bushes, ferns — but it's all stone.

There's a built structure, like a cabin or hut, and there's a firelight coming through the window. Near it, the whispers get louder. "Hit her! She's here! Where? Gather them up, burn it down. The witch, the witch is here."

oh.

oh no.

how long has Laudna been here? hollow ones don't have a soul. so has Laudna's soul been here ever since she died, trapped by Delilah?

"There is a cot, a stone fireplace resembling the stones gathered from the forest, and within it a small fire burns. There is a small table and a stool, and on the table, you see tools— a pair of scissors, a knife. The body of a rat. On the stool, you see a shadow shape, a black flame barely holding there, flickering in and out of existence... you don't feel like she's there, but you see the shape of Laudna sitting there, making something at the table... you see a small purple light that just kind of sits in her chest."

The whispers get louder. "There she is! There's the witch, burn her!" The black flame vanishes, the fire curls up, and the stone cabin begins to burn. A bunch of shadows converge on the cabin, and start initiative!

ohhhh. maybe these are Laudna's memories (making it even more inspired by Pathfinder WotR btw). maybe she tried to make a life for herself outside of Whitestone or some other city and got chased away for being a "witch." maybe that's why she was on the run when she found Imogen. maybe we'll get to see the scene when she and Imogen met.

and that would also track. because what if all of this shit is stone and grayscale because these aren't actual memories, but neurological imprints left on the physical form of Laudna? things that were never experienced by the soul, never imprinted on the soul, but were in the body, so now they're here like echoes?

Ashton rage build update: Tal finally rolled possibility! also, their entire astral form flickers with the energy of their rage, not just their head. an ally within 10 feet of Ashton (including themself) can add 1d4 to attacks and saving throws. it's essentially a 10-foot radial bless that lasts for as long as they maintain their rage. know your enemy is Liam's keen mind of C3, and the possibility rage build is Tal's bless of C3.

yeah. yeahyeahyeah. Imogen said "they always-- that's how they always ran her out of town." so this is a memory of the Laudna we know -- Laudna after she died the first time.

combat done!

maybe it's because the lighting is making it easier to envision all of this in my adhd/asd brain, but it feels like early C3 is much more cinematic than early C2 was.

there's a little alcove underneath the house with roots. the roots lead to a tunnel. this goes to a ziggurat, right? like, this is some kind of fucked up amalgamation of Laudna and Delilah's memories because they were intwined in undeath?

"You're going down, but as you step out, you see sky facing you. A purplish, faintly obscured starscape, like a night sky with purple nebulous cloud in the distance, like you're staring into a cosmic shadow. On the sides, you see more roots, pushing downward. As you step forward, the gravity seems to shift, and suddenly you're emerging from the floor of another forest-like realm around you... you see more of these trees, and then beyond them, a wall, partially crumbled. Rooftops. Not far beyond them, a massive leafless tree, hundreds and hundreds of bare branches looming over this shaded city, with a faint bit of green light drifting out like a mist, filling the city and lighting it from underneath."