#location: zemni fields

[exandriacityshowdown]

Round 1 Stage 6 Poll 8

Zemniaz: Zemniaz was a pre-Calamity flying city. Little is known about it except for its crash location, which gave its name to the Zemni Fields and the Zemnian people who founded the Dwendalian Empire. I just think it's neat :3

Avalir: Avalir was a pre-Calamity flying city made out of the top half of the mountain Ygora. The Ring of Brass (ExU Calamity's PC party) lived and worked here, and by a certain definition it could be said that the Calamity began here, with the destruction of the Tree of Names beneath the surface. 

image is official art by clara daly/eldritchblep

[exandrianxnightsxdm]

The Adventure Begins || Thread 001 || Quest 001

welcome to Wildemount.

The year is 836 P.D., or post Divergence, this continent is divided both by jagged terrain and political powers. The Menagerie Coast, a collection of city states united under the Clovis Concord, monopolizes the southwestern shores and ports of Wildemount, thriving on open trade and cultural freedom. Beyond the Cyrios Mountains lies the massive region known as Wynandir, bisected by the Ashkeeper Peaks. Eastern Wynandir houses the expansive wastes and turbulent badlands of Xhorhas, overrun with all manner of beasts and terrors; relics from the final battles of the Calamity; a ruinous, scarred landscape. Western Wynandir calls itself home to the powerful, religiously conservative and militant state of the Dwendalian Empire.

This story, however, begins in the north eastern reaches of Wildemount, in the lawless lands known as the Greying Wildlands. Separated from the Dwendalian Empire by the jagged Dunrock Mountains and the Quannah Breach, this landscape of dense, desiccated forests, rolling mountains, and icy tundra finds itself relatively unclaimed by human hands. A curse is said to taint the land, making survival a constant challenge for those that find themselves outside of the established blips of society.

The southern section of the Greying Wildlands is known as the Savaliarwood, renamed but three centuries ago from it’s prior designation of the “Veluthil Forest”. The once beautiful thicket has, in the time since the fall of Molaesmyr, became corrupted; the trees resemble less of a thicket and more of gnarled, cursed wood and the creatures that dwell within have begun to evolve into unrecognizable monstrosities.

The northwestern area of the Greying Wildlands is known as the Crystalsands Tundra. Once a beautiful expanse that connected into the Veluthil Forest to the south, this land is rumored to have been ravaged during The Calamity. A battle so intense that the region was dashed into rock and sand in which winter quickly reclaimed it as a new, icy desert. Tall dunes glitter like piles of diamonds in the daylight, shifting with high winds and the movements of creatures that burrow and hunt beneath the sands. Between the giant hawks and owls that fly over from the Flotket Alps, the nomadic goblinoids that stalk the frost dunes in search of food, and the creatures that lurk beneath the surface of the shifting sands in their ice-marked tunnels, most adventurers prefer to find magically means of moving from place to place or choose their travel paths with extreme caution. 

To the east of the Savaliarwood lays the Rime Plains - fields of rolling tundra with bursts of boreal forest that seems to stretch on and on, covering the entirety of the southeastern section of the Greying Wildlands. The Rime Plains are mostly open, untamed wilderness where survival depends on one’s ability to endure the elements and navigate the wilds skillfully. More than the natural wilds lurks around each turn, though, as nomadic bands of Orcs known as the Jez-Araz react violently to anyone and anything they come across as they navigate the Plains.

Our story, however, begins much smaller. Nestled among the northwestern part of the low cliff boundary of the Crystalsands Tundra, along the cold shore of the Frigid Depths is the village of Palebank. The denizens of Palebank often take to ice fishing, trapping, or hunting, returning in small caravanas to Uthodurn within the Flotket Alps to sell their wares and restock their supplies. Territorial monsters wander close to the village, so rotating squads of Glassblades - the protective force that keeps an eye on Palebank Village for the capital city of Uthodurn - are assigned to protect the people.

Within the wooden palisades that protect the outer edge of the village there are over a hundred shacks and cabins - some living quarters, some shops - with no true layout to the town. On the outer edge, toward the northern cliff that overlooks the docks rests the town graveyard, and beside that -- The Shattered Rose Inn. It is here, along the snowy coat of the Frigid Depths, that a handful of wandering destinies begin to intersect.  The Inn has a quaint appearance, it’s ramshackle building houses a two-story inn and pub that is known for its ostentatious storytelling barmaid and cheap housing for drunkards and adventurers alike.

The sun hangs low in the sky on the evening of Conthsen in the month of Misuthar as a group gathers -- not at the Inn that you had been instructed to arrive at, but at the graveyard beside it. Snow gently falls from the sky and wind bites your cheeks as you stand on the outer edge of the graveyard, listening to folks giving their last goodbyes as the body of a local dwarf named Urgon Wenth is lowered into a freshly dug grave. 

[quantummindclassicalheart]

Because I haven't seen this discussed much yet-- I'm super curious what happens to the continent of Domunas, where Cathmoira is located and where Avalir will soon be docking. Domunas (at least by that name) isn't part of Exandria by the time of the main campaigns, so what happened to it?

We know it's not Tal'Dorei (known in this age as Gwessar), and it's not Issylra or Marquet (since all three are mentioned as separate places), so that seems to leave two possibilities: (a) the continent was destroyed in the Calamity, or (b) Domunas is Wildemount a thousand years before the main campaigns.

Both are fun possibilities, but consider the following:

The other three floating cities we know of are Aeor, Zemniaz, and Kethesk (later Draconia), and all three crashed in Wildemount. Aeor crashed in Eiselcross, in northern Wildemount; Zemniaz in the Zemni Fields; and Kethesk in the Dreemoth Ravine in the southern tips of the Ashkeeper Peaks.

The Betrayer Gods made their capital in Ghor Dranas (mentioned several times in the first episode) in Xhorhas, where the Kryn capital of Rosohna was later built on the ruins of Ghor Dranas. The Barbed Fields in Xhorhas were also described as "ground zero of the Calamity."

This is definitely all circumstantial, but it's not a totally wild idea either...

[iatethepomegranate]

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences (for now)

Relationship: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

Summary: After Aeor, Caleb buys a house in Rexxentrum with Beau and Yasha. For the first time in more than seventeen years, he has some semblance of stability. Caleb is not sure he's ready to handle it, but he's trying, and his friends are eager to see him live a good life, by force if necessary.

And then Soltryce Academy approaches him with a job offer, which could give Caleb the chance to protect the next generation of wizards the way he had needed at their age. Caleb's goal of preventing what happened to him from happening to anyone else, however, takes a far more personal turn than even he could have anticipated.

(In other words, here is a fic about Caleb settling down and learning how to be a person again. Also Professor Widogast will be a thing. Fic title is a lyric from I Have Made Mistakes by the Oh Hellos. Chapter title is a lyric from Mind by Sleeping At Last. More detailed tagging and notes are available on AO3.)

_____

Chapter 1: It's the first brush stroke of a self-portrait

Caleb had mixed feelings returning to Rexxentrum after spending so long in Aeor… and everywhere else he had been, including a fucking flesh city in the Astral Sea. Sure, he had popped back to Rexxentrum regularly to update the Cobalt Soul on his discoveries, and to testify at Trent’s trial, during the conclusion of which he had the satisfaction of turning down Da’leth’s offer to assume Trent’s position as the Archmage of Civil Influence. But now he was back on a more permanent basis.

He didn’t know what to do with that information. With this place, that was both so familiar and so foreign. Full of some of his best memories, and some of his worst.

Caleb had spent so long avoiding this place, or at least the challenging parts of it, and now Beauregard was dragging him and Yasha down the street, infodumping about a house she wanted the three of them to buy together.

“Caleb, don’t give me that look,” she said. “You’re gonna love this place. I know you like your space, dude, and this is the best of both worlds. It’s technically two houses, but there’s, like, a door between them so we can visit each other. Because you’re a fucking genius but you also forget to feed yourself.”

Yasha smiled at Caleb over Beau’s head. “She’s not wrong, Caleb.” Her soft tone made Caleb a little emotional, but he categorically refused to start crying in the street. “I like my space, too. This is a good balance. And there’s room for a garden.”

“Yasha’s not an Empire citizen,” said Beau. “It looks better if there’s two of us Empire kids on the deed so no one thinks any weird shit about her.”

Caleb sighed at her. “I will look at the house, Beauregard.”

Beau yanked them around the street corner. “It’s a great location. You can walk anywhere. I can get to the Archive, and you can get to the Academy.”

Caleb raised an eyebrow at her. “Do you know something I don’t?”

“Maybe. Astrid says hi.”

The implication that Astrid and Beauregard had been speaking to each other recently was of concern. Caleb was too tired to unpack it. He would find out what that was about eventually. It was not worth Beauregard’s sibling-level mockery if he tried to extract the information early.

“Oh, and Veth sent you this,” said Yasha, passing a wrapped package over Beau’s head.

“Yeah, I might’ve told her we’re buying a house together,” said Beau. “She made Yussa send that to the Soul so I could grab it for you.”

Caleb didn’t open the package, but he did shake and squeeze it a little. It felt like coins. A lot of coins. Oh, Veth. Still taking care of him from miles upon miles away. They’d both come so far from Veth sneaking coins into his pockets because he had felt strange about taking her money even when he desperately needed it.

“Danke,” he said softly. That was all he could say, before he risked bursting into tears again. That was happening to him a lot lately. It… wasn’t the worst thing. More of an inconvenience. He chose not to unpack it.

Beauregard was looking at him strangely. He elbowed her. It probably hurt his elbow more than it hurt her, but she was successfully distracted from his bullshit. She punched his arm. Even holding back like she did, his arm did go numb for a few seconds.

Yasha sighed. “Children, we’re almost there.”

Caleb had been down this street before. Rarely, as it was entirely residential. But sometimes he, Astrid and Eadwulf would explore the city to find excuses to get away from the Academy, especially after they had commenced their training with Trent. But, with Caleb’s memory, he could call upon the map he had drawn in his mind. This was a middle-income area on the southern edge of The Tangles, home to mostly professionals--well-off storeowners, any researchers who did not live in the Shimmer Ward or have access to quarters with the Cobalt Soul, some teachers, architects. Largely people looking to settle down with the money to stay out of the Mudtop Ward.

It was close to the Shimmer Ward, a little southwest from the gate, but not so close that Caleb felt an itch on the back of his neck. The Tangles were the oldest part of the city, with narrow looping streets with little logic to them. This area was slightly newer than most of The Tangles, but still old. Regardless, The Tangles were fairly central to the city and an easy starting point for any travel. If you didn’t get lost on the way out.

This far south in the area, the houses were a little more spaced out. A little more green space, more gardens. Duplex-style houses were common, mostly built of old stone or lumpy brick on the first floor and clay bolstered by wooden frames above that. Children were out in force, running and screaming through the narrow streets while their parents watched from the porch of their homes. Well, for those who had porches.

“There she is,” said Beauregard. They had stopped in front of another duplex-style building, newer than some of the others but still respectable in age. The first floor was made from dark reddish brick and the upper two floors panelled with dark wood to bolster the white clay walls. The first two floors were full in width, and the third consisted of two dormers peeking through the darkly thatched roof.

There were two entrance doors on the ground floor, each spaced a third of the house’s width from the outer corners. The rectangular windows were framed in white-painted wood, dividing the glass on each window into six little squares.

Before the three of them was a low wooden fence, also painted white. The paint was chipping a little, revealing the deep brown heartwood that Caleb suspected was oak. There were a number of oak trees in the Pearlbow Wilderness. Caleb had slept under them several times in worse days. Oak was rather expensive, if he remembered correctly. He usually remembered correctly.

“She’s pretty hot, right, Caleb?” Beau said, snapping out of his hyperfocus on the history of timber in the Zemni Fields.

“Oh… ja.”

“Cool, so the owner will be here in a few minutes to let us in so we can have a look. She wants to sell the place as a package deal.”

Caleb had, in some ways, trained himself out of being too attached to places or most material things (with a few exceptions such as his spell components, spellbook, and the letters he had written to his parents). Unless there was something horrifically wrong inside, he didn’t care where Beauregard and Yasha wanted to live. It was practical that they live together, after all. Caleb had healed immensely this past year, but he was self-aware enough to understand he probably shouldn’t live alone. Of the Nein, Beauregard knew how to call him on his bullshit and Yasha understood him pretty well and knew he needed space sometimes, so it was a reasonable arrangement.

“I am really not picky, Beauregard.”

“Yeah, because you still don’t care enough about yourself to give a fuck about this. We know.” Beauregard looped her arm around his neck, dragging him down to her level so she could rub her knuckles across his scalp, ruining the two narrow braids Essek had worked from Caleb’s hairline to his messy ponytail that morning before they had parted ways beside the secret entrance to Aeor. Caleb talked himself out of getting upset with Beauregard over it. She couldn’t have known, and she was being affectionate like he really was her brother.

Once he was free, Yasha fixed the braids, and Caleb had to stop himself from crying again because she had noticed it bothered him and just… fixed it without making it a thing. Beau straightened her expositor’s garb, clearing her throat.

“Sorry, dude.”

Caleb conjured a mage hand to tug on her ponytail. Beau swatted at it, but her hand went right through it. She gave him the finger. Yasha finished fixing the braids. Everything was normal again.

The owner, a half-elf woman with long blonde hair coiled into a bun that looked like a cinnamon scroll, arrived and immediately shook Caleb’s hand.

“Mr Widogast, a pleasure. These ladies have told me a lot about you. My name is Alphira Winterheart. I teach evocation at the Soltryce Academy.”

Caleb still felt a spike of anxiety when he heard the name of that place. At this point it was ingrained, even if he held out a small amount of hope he would get to teach there one day. It would be easier to fight corruption if he had some say over what the Academy put into those children’s heads.

“A pleasure,” Caleb replied, a little flatter than he had intended. He mentally shook himself, remembering to actually grip her hand for a proper handshake. “Evocation? I used to specialise in that area.”

“Ja, Ms Lionett told me you are now a Transmutation specialist but still frequently partake in the Evocation school in your travels. I’m glad to hear you intend to put down roots here in Rexxentrum. I would love to exchange theories over coffee.”

Beauregard smirked. Caleb remembered a conversation with Essek where they had agreed to return to Aeor and exchange theories. They had meant that literally. But it had indeed sounded like a euphemism to someone like Beauregard. Well, she hadn’t been wrong in the end, but certainly the intent at the time had been more about a meeting of minds than a meeting of…

Caleb concentrated on the conversation in front of him instead.

“Ja, I would enjoy that,” he replied. “What level of Evocation do you teach?”

“Oh, I teach the beginners.”

“And you live here in the Tangles?”

“I did,” said Alphira. “Archmage Beck has offered me lodging on her estate, so I am selling this house. It was always a little large for one person, and it seems you three could make better use of it than I did.” She leaned closer to Caleb, as if to tell him a secret. “The place on the left is where I prefer to experiment and study. I would recommend you look at that one in particular. The dormer is slightly larger. You could even put a teleportation circle up there if you were so inclined, given your need to travel.”

“Danke.” Caleb still felt a little weird about Rexxentrum mages not wanting to kill him, but he didn’t sense any untoward motives from this woman. She seemed genuinely friendly. “How… is the new Archmage settling in?”

“I have no complaints. She seems competent, if a little terrifying. I am uncertain if that is her past as a Volstrucker, or a necessity of the job. She has been nothing but kind to me, and I would certainly prefer to be her friend than her enemy.”

“Ja, we are familiar with her,” said Caleb.

“Caleb most of all,” said Yasha.

Beauregard had to turn away before she burst out laughing.

“We should look at the house,” Caleb said before the conversation could go anywhere strange. Gods, he missed Aeor already.

Alphira unlocked both front doors. They checked the one on the right first.

“This one has a larger living area,” said Alphira, leading them through the entrance. “I am offering the furniture as part of the sale. I have already taken everything I need.”

Beauregard threw herself onto the large couch in the centre of the room. “Yasha and I call dibs on this side of the house. Since you’re gonna spend so much time here with us anyway. We’re taking the larger living area.”

“Beauregard, we have already established that I do not mind.”

The floor underfoot was a pleasant hardwood, probably more oak, and a large rug occupied much of the space. They would have to purchase candles for the evening, but it was well-lit during the day. Caleb followed the women through each of the rooms on the ground floor on this side, largely going through the motions. The kitchen was equally large, and had a good oven for Yasha to practice baking. They would need to purchase a larger dining table.

There was one large bedroom upstairs and two smaller ones, alongside private areas for bathing and other such activities. This was where they found the door between the two houses. The top floor dormer was full of assorted furniture and household items Alphira didn’t need, but they would likely use. Beauregard and Yasha discussed the possibility of turning this into another bedroom for when they had friends over. Or perhaps converting one of the lower bedrooms into a workout space and using this as a replacement. Caleb did not need to contribute much to the conversation, aside from promising he would help move furniture with telekinesis.

Truth be told, Caleb was having a hard time concentrating on the whole thing. He hadn’t really had a home in a long time, and he could not wrangle his mind into understanding the change. The Xhorhaus had been easier to stomach, as nobody had expected to live there forever. But this? Putting down roots? Real , long-term roots?

Maybe Caleb had been homeless for too long. It was beyond his comprehension at this point. And maybe it frightened him a little. He could not afford to inspect those feelings, not right now.

He pulled himself together in time to inspect the other side of the building. His side. His house. Scheisse .

The living area was a little smaller, but could still easily welcome the Nein (just in rather cosy quarters). The kitchen, also smaller but still respectable--a little larger than his childhood home in Blumenthal. There was less furniture on this side; Alphira had evidently used this side more and therefore had more furniture to take. There were two bedrooms on the second floor, one slightly larger than the other. Caleb found himself thinking that he would probably take the larger one just so there was enough room when Essek was over, or maybe he would take the smaller one so Veth could bring her family with her. Fuck. He didn’t know what to do.

And then they visited the dormer. It was indeed larger than the other one. There was a table in front of the window, with a few dark ink stains, and plenty of floorspace to spread out notes or create a teleportation circle. A few chairs were stacked in the corner, seemingly in good condition, and one wall was lined with empty shelves.

Caleb had always been partial to a tower, and this was pretty close. It would make a great study.

He was genuinely excited over a house. In Rexxentrum. A short journey from where his childhood home once stood. He was going to hyperventilate if he thought about this too hard.

“There are already plenty of shelves in my new house,” Alphira said. “These are all yours.”

Caleb nodded slowly, pulling his mind back into his skull. “Wundervoll, danke.” He took a calming breath. “This is a nice place, Professor.”

Alphira smiled. “Yes, I did not make nearly enough use out of it. But I hear you three have a lot of friends from out of town.”

“Ja, we do not see them enough.”

“Perhaps you will see them more once you have a place to welcome them.” Alphira led them back downstairs, and into the other side of the house where they could sit around the small dining table. Alphira already had the paperwork they needed to sign; Caleb got the impression Beau and Yasha had already decided to buy the house before they spoke to him about it. He was glad the decision was out of his hands.

He signed the paperwork, using both his legal name and the name he now wore (Alphira had apparently been briefed on this, and had consulted a contract lawyer on how to make it work on a binding document). Caleb had needed to sign various statements as part of Trent’s trial, so signing in Bren’s name was not as strange as he feared it would be. He was relieved. Beau and Yasha had insisted on finding a way that his new name would also be included, given he had not gone through any legal name-change process. The money Veth gave him more than covered his part of the cost. He needed to hug her. He needed to hug all of them.

Alphira gave them three copies of the contract and handed over the deed to the property. “I will head to the housing authority and file the paperwork immediately.” She slid the keys over the table to them. “Congratulations on your new home.”

She left. Caleb traced the shapes of the letters on his copy of the contract, over and over, letting reality sink in. He had a house. A house in Rexxentrum. A house in Rexxentrum with two of his best friends. It wasn’t at all what he imagined he would have when he was seventeen, when he thought he and Astrid and Wulf would one day have done their duty for the empire and settled down together.

But this was good. This was right .

He cried. Yasha was probably crying, too, but he couldn't see. The three of them hugged across the table, the edges jabbing their ribs.

[definitely-not-gremlins]

Shadowgast. Flowers.

Soft. I like it.  -

“You or me?”

“I do not mind taking us there, if you will be responsible for bringing us back?”

“Ah, yes. Gladly.”

“Hand it over, then, will you?”

Caleb handed Essek the root. They had been doing this for a while. Studying together, of course, but also doing brief travels of a few hours together, spurred on by the pursuit of knowledge and experimentation. It was an easy thing. Not the conundrums they tossed back and forth, but everything else. Meeting, talking, experimenting. Academic successes made grander by a like mind to share them with. And the failures turned motivators by the promise of doing better next time. Together.

It had quickly become a cherished, treasured thing to Caleb.

That day they were headed to a – hopefully – safe area of Blightshore.

“Shall we?” Essek offered his hand, grasping the root as a focus in his other.

Handholding was not and never had been a requirement for Teleportation. Caleb knew this. He knew that Essek knew this. And, likely, Essek was aware of Caleb knowing all this, too. “We shall.” Caleb placed his hand in Essek’s. It was a gentle connection.

Essek met his eyes. Caleb smiled softly.

A few arcane words and waving of the root later the floor dropped away beneath their feet. And they were off.

And then it was bright and windy. Essek let out a pained hiss. Caleb blinked, his eyes taking a moment to adjust from the dimly lit interior of Essek’s towers. He hoped Essek had brought his parasol. Though Caleb would not have minded draping his coat over Essek’s head again.

Caleb’s eyes perceived something other than bright and he gasped. Essek and him were standing in the middle of a huge meadow of flowers. Around them were wide lands, consisting of fields and meadows and gentle wilderness. On the horizon, shapes of mountains, dipped in blue, flat against the bright sky above. The flowers were rocking gently in the breeze. Caleb was standing knee deep in them. A wave of bittersweet nostalgia hit him.

This was not Blightshore. Not even close.

“Well, this is-“ Essek was shielding his eyes from immediate sunlight with his forearm. “This is wrong, I believe.”

Caleb looked at him. Dressed in dark purples, he looked like an ink spot on a memory of spring. Oh. They were still holding hands. “Ja. The shopkeep must have lied about the origin of the root.” He looked back out at the fields. He placed that feeling of nostalgia. Its origin sat somewhere on the horizon, beyond the meadows but in front of the mountains.

“Right.” Essek agreed. “Well, judging by the placement of that dreadful sun, the wind and the terrain…”

“We are in the Empire.” Caleb said. He felt something tugging in his chest. Something that wanted to be warm and comforting but was not quite right. “Near… near the Zemni fields.”

From his peripheral, Caleb saw Essek shrink a little at the information. “… Are you-“

“Alright.” Caleb cut him off and he even thought it was true. They were far enough away. Too far. Not far enough. All of it at once.

Essek gave a slow nod. “Well, it would be disastrous for me to be seen in the Empire. So… Would you like a focus for Rosohna? I do not think we’ll find the proper space for a Circle anywhere close.”

Caleb looked at Essek. “The next village is not for a few miles. No one will see you here.”

Essek hesitated. “Alright, but, this is not our intended destination, is it?”

That was very true. It wasn’t. Well, not of the spell, at least. “We will not make it to our destination today, I believe. So, do we have elsewhere to be, Herr Thelyss?”

“Need I answer your rhetorical question, Caleb?”

“Pointing out that it was rhetorical is answer enough.” Caleb gave him a brief smile. He released Essek’s hand. He didn’t miss the disappointed look on Essek’s face though it vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

“Regardless…” Essek used his free hand to flick his wrist and summon a familiar parasol into existence. “Do we have reason to stay?” He opened it and held it above himself and exhaled a pleased sigh. Pity. Caleb would have liked to see Essek hide himself away in a coat-mantle combination again. Essek took the relief of shade as an opportunity to look around. “It’s... quite beautiful.”

Caleb followed suit. Reds, blues and yellows bouncing softly in the wind, held aloft in a sea of green. “Ja. It is.” He decided to ignore the question for a reason and allowed his gaze to sweep over the landscape once more. “You have never been in a meadow like this, ja?”

“I have not had the opportunity.”

“You have instantaneous travel to most any location.” Caleb pointed out.

“I have not had the reason to seek it out.” Essek rephrased, but his tone betrayed no annoyance. Instead, subtle bemusement.

Caleb nodded. Then he sat down.

“What are you doing?” Essek quirked an eyebrow.

“You will see. Join me?” Caleb smiled up at him.

Essek appeared to consider the offer for a moment before sinking down to the ground beside him, parasol still propped up over his head. Momentarily, Caleb wondered how Essek had the audacity to look graceful even when sitting down.

Essek was a vision. Well, he always was. But he looked like he had stepped out of a romantic painting. His fine features drawn into an expression of curiosity. His eyes ever bright and keen. All of him cast into the soft shade of the parasol and outlined, contrasted against the vibrant green of Zemni flowers. Sitting there with him, hidden by the meadow itself, Caleb felt… oddly safe. “Would you let me show you something my mother taught me?”

Essek looked intently at him. “Of course, I would be flattered to learn.”

Caleb felt his heart warm at the words and he smiled faintly. He looked around. “Tell me, which ones do you like most?”

“Which flowers?” Essek asked.

“Ja.”

“Might I know the intent I’m choosing for?”

Caleb’s smile widened a little. “They will go on your head.”

“On my head?” Essek pushed.

“Unless you don’t want them to. That is fine, too.”

“I have one condition.” Essek said and Caleb suddenly found him averting his eyes. He looked more vulnerable. “If I am to wear flowers on my head, I would loathe to be the only one present to do so.”

Caleb felt a hint of joy in his nerves. “Both of us, it is, then.”

[peach-the-owl]

Really love Carry On, both powerful and wholesome. You may not going to like this as the one I request before. 61, 47 and 52. But hear me out! How the Nein and Mommy Jester (that sound wrong) reach to child first kill? It up to you.

I'm so glad you liked Carry On, it was a lot of work but defiantly felt worth it once I had finished it. My good friend, I hope you know that I am always willing to hear a request out 😁

First Blood

Child of the Nein (Jester & Child!Reader)

47- I’m so proud of you, 52- Please, don’t do this, 61- Is that blood!?

A small town out in the Zemni Fields was having a goblin problem and promised a handsome reward to anyone who could get rid of them, so of course you all agreed to help. When you had located the hideout you see a rather large group of goblins, to you at least. You waited a bit and once the right moment came you leaped into action taking most of the hideouts inhabitants by surprise. With a mace in one hand and a shield in the other you did what you could to help the party. You had never actually taken down an enemy by yourself before only assisting someone else, today was the day you change that. You were facing off with a goblin, it took a swing at you just missing by inches, you retaliate and manage to knock it to the ground.

"You leave me and my friends alone." You say, trying to sound intimidating, the goblin just hisses at you in responce. You swing down your mace and for a moment you see a hand help gently nudge it over for a direct hit, deciding to also add a Divine Smite to it. As your weapon strikes down on the goblin a flash of greenish light emits from it, the goblin gives a quick screech before falling silent. You proceed to inspect the now dead goblin seeing that your mace had caused its chest to cave in a few bones pokeing out. It grossed you out a little but you were more excited at the fact that you had finally killed your first bad guy all on your own. You head over to Jester to tell her your good news now that the remains of the hideouts inhabitants were either fleeing or dead.

"Is that blood!?" Fjord asks alarmed staring at you. You look at yourself now noticing that you did in fact have some of the goblins blood on you. You just turn and give him a smile.

"It sure is! It’s from that goblin over there I killed all by myself." You say with great pride, placing your hands on your hips triumphantly. Fjord stares at you horrified while Beau bursts out laughing in the background giving you a thumbs up, the others seemed indifferent to the situation.

"Please, don’t do this, and don’t sound so cheery either."

"Why not?" You ask, tilting your head to the side.

"Because it’s not supposed to be a cheerful occasion? I… how is nobody else concerned about this?"

"As concerning as it seems, it was bound to happen eventually." Caduceus remarks.

"Yeah, what he said. Besides you guys get to kill the bad guys all the time, why can’t I have a turn." You cross your arms and pout at Fjord, who looked exasperated and at a lose for words. Beau comes over and pats him on the shoulder while ushering him off. You then feel yourself get lifted up into a hug and spun around.

"You did so good! I’m so proud of you." Jester cheers with you still in her arms, you give her a nice big smile. She then pulls out a cloth and starts wiping off some of the blood on your armour, giving you a boop on the nose every now and again making you giggle every time she did. "You know what we should do now?"

"Celebration?" You ask excitedly, giving her a hopeful and mischievous look. She nods with her own mischievous look and you give a little cheer. You exit the now abandoned hideout, Jester still holding you in her arms and make your way back to the town for the reward and an evening of mischief you know will put a smile on the Travelers face.

[primrose-path-of-dalliance]

prim’s wildemount map scale adventures

i apologize in advance to the folk that use screen readers for this post’s reliance on image references, i will do my best to make my logic and the contents of the images comprehensible in the text portions.

this post isn’t about spoiler territory either, so i won’t go into detail about how recent developments with e111 were the initial reason i started thinking about distance on the official wildemount maps. besides, i think plenty of people will understand when i say that my digging got a lot bigger than the initial question itself lol. regardless, i’m making this post in the hopes that it might be a little helpful for anyone dealing with the same confusion.

see, i realized the funny thing about the official wildemount maps is that they don’t have any scales. as a basic explanation, scales are those funky little bars usually found on maps that illustrate what distance on the map is equivalent to what distance in ‘reality’—AKA the scale of the map.

however, for whatever reason, matt and co. did not create any for the broader wildemount maps like of the menagerie coast or the zemni fields.

[id: two images from the explorer’s guide to wildemount. the first depicts the region of the menagerie coast and related islands in the lucidian ocean. the second depicts the zemni fields, which is the central area of western wynandir and the dwendalian empire at large. map scales are absent from both images. /end id.]

this was a little baffling and unhelpful, but i’m not here to judge matt about his choice to not include scales, considering how it would give people on twitter even more ammunition to rudely question his dming with.

but then i discovered that the maps of the major cities do have scales.

(continuing past a readmore.)

[id: an image from the explorer’s guide to wildemount. it is a map of the city of rexxentrum, the capital of the dwendalian empire. in the lower left corner is a compass rose illustrating the cardinal directions and a scale. /end id.]

at first, i was excited. maybe i could use the city’s map scale to approximate a scale for the larger maps. it wouldn’t be super accurate, especially as things got bigger and errors grew larger, but it would be a little better for some thought experiments than no scale at all.

but then it got weirder.

since the map of rexxentrum takes up a full page, the resolution of the image makes it difficult to read the map scale. so let me zoom in.

[id: an image at a higher resolution of the lower left corner of the rexxentrum map, clearly displaying the compass rose and the scale. the scale is a thin horizontal bar separated into four equal lengths of alternating black and white, with indicators claiming that each part represents 500 miles for a total bar length of 2000 miles. /end id.]

so. maybe some of you can already tell what the problem is.

for those with slightly worse spatial understanding though, that map scale is measuring in miles. and a mile is pretty damn long.

let’s have a comparative illustration from real life to show my point. los angeles, california, is the city in the united states where the critical role cast live and work and stream us their wonderful d&d games. the los angeles area as a whole is massive. anyone who lives there understands what i’m saying and has probably wept before while in traffic (and i’m sorry).

if we use the google maps function to get a distance in miles between two points in the los angeles area...

[id: a screenshot of a google maps route for traveling on foot from the olive view-ucla medical center in the far north of the los angeles area to the los angeles international airport in the southwest. the route is fairly direct as the bird flies due to the on-foot nature of the route and is labeled to be a distance of 31.1 miles. /end id.]

this is a pretty good representation of the distance from one end of los angeles to the opposite end. a modern city with a population of about 4 million people, filled to the brim with urban sprawl and suburbs.

and that distance is 31 miles, or about 50 kilometres.

that scale in the corner of the rexxentrum map? its claimed length of 2000 miles (over 3200 km) measures less than a seventh of the apparent width of rexxentrum. according to the scale, you would have to travel a distance of over 14,000 miles (over 22,500 km) to get from one end of the city to the other.

simply put, that scale at face value is nonsense lol.

[id: a screenshot of discord messages with no identifying account attached. the messages begin with, in all caps, “EXCEPT THE SCALE FOR REXXENTRUM MAKES NO SENSE” (new line) “WHAT IS THIS MATT MERCER?????” an image of the lower left corner of the rexxentrum map follows. below that is the final visible message which reads, in all caps, “DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG A MILE IS SIR. DO YOU KNOW HOW FAR TWO THOUSAND MILES IS SIR.” /end id.]

so. maybe you are wondering if matt, huge nerd that he is, is making some oblique historical reference to a previous measurement of a “mile” that is way shorter than the modern standard mile. that was the first possible explanation to occur to me! unfortunately, based on the wikipedia article on the mile throughout history, there is no prior known definition of a “mile” short enough to make this scale make any sense.

so maybe the explanation is a unit error. maybe it’s meant to be a smaller unit of length, like a metre or a foot.

i spent a bit of time trying to guess which unit it might be by comparing details of the map to each other, since there are detailed individual buildings and roadways illustrated. it quickly became obvious, though, that the details were more for artistry and not to a reliable scale.

so it was time to dive into the transcripts.

i looked for a point where matt not only described the length of time it took for the mighty nein to travel from point A to point B within rexxentrum, but a point A and a point B that i could locate with confidence on the map. i found a scenario that fit the bill in e86, “the cathedral,” when the party raced from the cobalt soul branch in rexxentrum to the chantry of the dawn.

MATT: [...] And you've stepped out from the Rexxentrum Archive of the Cobalt Soul into the wet, slick cobblestone streets of the city, heading eastward towards the base of the Shimmer Ward, where it is believed this cathedral, known as the Chantry of the Dawn, stands.

this bit (beginning 13:39) is the first clue in matt’s narration to locating the endpoints on the map. the chantry of the dawn is located near the base, suggesting the immediate south, of the shimmer ward, and is in an eastward direction from the cobalt soul. this is consistent with the relevant textual descriptions in the explorer’s guide to wildemount: the rexxentrum branch of the cobalt soul is located within the court of colors on the west side of the city, while the chantry of the dawn is near the southern wall of the shimmer ward.

[id: two images of the rexxentrum map. the first is composed of the center and western area of the city, displaying the labeled wards of the tangles and the shimmer ward along with individual points labeled “R7,” “R6,” “R3,” “R1,” and “R2″ from west-most to east-most. at the bottom is the map scale, added for reference, that measures about a fifth of the entire image.

the second image is the legend of the map, which defines a few of the illustrated details and clarifies the R-series labels. truncated to relevance: R7 is the court of colors, R6 is the vigil’s circle, R3 is the academy grounds, R1 is castle ungebroch, and R2 is the candles. /end id.]

as the party made their way to the chantry, matt revealed a few more notable details on where precisely they’re traveling through (17:18).

MATT: [...] Your [Caleb’s] eyes train on the rising walkways and towers of the Soltryce Academy that are peeking over the walls of the Shimmer Ward that you can just make out on the horizon as you pass by a series of buildings where the roofs are a bit lower than the other ones you've been rushing by. You can see pale yellow walls that surround the Shimmer Ward of the capital.

You begin to approach the exterior of the Vigil’s Circle, which is a region between where you are and your destination, as noted by the network of ring-like streets that denote the circular marketplace, some varied shops, and industries that normally fill this area, as well as the mini-fortress of gray rock known as the Tower of Writ.

the view of the soltryce academy is consistent with an approach from the western side of the city, since the academy is located along the inner side of the shimmer ward’s northwest wall. the placement of the vigil’s circle in between the cobalt soul and the chantry is also consistent with their depictions on the map, as the vigil’s circle is both labeled and illustrated through a pattern of circular roads with an apparent depiction of the tower of writ in the center.

anyway, the mighty nein had traveled a little ways into the outskirts of the vigil’s circle from the west when they were abruptly stalled by a giant purple xhorhasian worm coming out of the ground.

at that moment in time is when liam gets a travel time from their current location to the chantry (21:26).

LIAM: Caduceus just asked how far we are from the chantry. Would I know that?

MATT: You would know you're probably about, I'd say, depending on— with it being pretty empty, maybe seven minutes.

this brings me to getting a precise location on the chantry of the dawn. both the explorer’s guide to wildemount and matt’s narration only describe the chantry as located within the tangles and near the southern wall of the shimmer ward. that’s a wide potential area to be seven minutes from.

there’s a pretty helpful pattern in the map details, though. most landmark buildings are visible—the soltryce academy campus is clearly delineated, as well as the colorful tower rooftops of the candles and, as previously noted, the top of the tower of writ. castle ungebroch stands massive in the center of the shimmer ward illustration.

so if the chantry of the dawn is both a huge structure and a significant landmark, that should merit a visible illustration of it on the map.

[id: the image of the western and central area of rexxentrum plus map scale appended to the bottom, edited to include my personal labels. R7 is encircled in red with the label “cobalt soul,” R6 and the visible circular road complex is encircled in blue with the label “vigil’s circle,” and a large rectangular rooftop by the southwest corner of the shimmer ward is encircled in red with the label “chantry to [sic] the dawn.” /end id.]

the position of this large building fits the details of the narration and its description in the explorer’s guide—it’s near the southern wall of the shimmer ward, it is eastward of the cobalt soul, and streets of the vigil’s circle lie on the direct path from the court of colors to this building.

so there’s the approximate location of the chantry of the dawn. we also know the approximate location of the mighty nein on this map.

[id: an image, almost identical to the last, of the marked-up western and central area of the rexxentrum map plus map scale, but with a further addition of an orange star in the northwest corner of the vigil’s circle labeled “mighty 9.” /end id.]

since they had entered the outskirts of the vigil’s circle from the direction of the cobalt soul, they would be within its northwest area by the time they were interrupted via purple worm shortly after.

two approximate locations with a travel time in between means that now i could estimate a distance in length. so i took a look at the d&d official rules for movement speed:

a fast pace is about 400 feet per minute,

a normal pace is about 300 feet per minute.

for campaign 2, matt as a dm tends to follow the official rules. so taking into account how the urgency of the situation had the party moving quickly, along with the emptiness of the streets eliminating the variable of a slowed pace through crowds, the mighty nein are likely traveling between 300 and 400 feet per minute to get to the chantry.

with matt’s provided estimate of 7 minutes, that means the on-foot distance from the party’s current position to the chantry is somewhere between 2100 to 2800 feet.

[id: a zoomed-in image of the marked-up western and central rexxentrum map, focused on the vigil’s circle and the chantry of the dawn. imposed beside the orange star representing the mighty nein’s location and the chantry is the map scale edited to remove the ‘miles’ indicator. its position allows a viewer to measure the distance between the mighty nein and the chantry to about “1500,″ or three-fourths of the total length of the scale. /end id.]

since the scale there measures distance as the bird flies, comparing it to the probable distance the mighty nein had to travel needs to account for the twists and turns of the streets.

with that in mind, though: an as-the-bird-flies distance of around 1500 feet sounds like a pretty good approximation of the estimated on-foot distance of 2100 to 2800 feet!

so with that, it’s probably safe to guess the map scale meant to claim feet instead of miles as its unit of length.

so far i haven’t puzzled out how i might translate this into a makeshift scale for the larger maps, since none of the cities like rexxentrum are clearly illustrated on them. but if anyone was very confused about the unit of length for the city maps’ scales, i think i’ve reached a reliable conclusion that it should be feet.

hopefully some of you find this helpful!

[luckyjak]

some wild mass guessing based on last night’s episode

Smarter people than me have probably already said this, but I like writing things down in one place, so here, have some thinky thoughts:

1. Caleb is a consecrated soul

This is an old theory, and better people than me have argued for it, but I think more and more this is shaping up to be true. Especially if you consider:

2. ALL Scouragers are consecrated

Oh, you mean to tell me that every scourager we’ve met just happens to be Zemnian, and, to the surprise of everyone, likely from the same rural area of the Zemni Fields? That makes sense only if there is a Beacon in the area, and it’s creating consecrated souls. Ickython just happened to “find” a Beacon? Please. I’d argue he’s had one for years.

Hell, at this point, I think Trent was working with the Dynasty traitor who stole it in the first place. And if Trent himself is a consecrated soul (maybe the first to be born human?) or a lich-like creature like Halas, then he’s probably had it a long, long time. 

3. The Scourager training process involves memory manipulation and suppression

We already know this is true, but if we take the above information as fact, then I imagine most of the Scourager training is “suppressing reincarnated memories and replacing them with Imperial indoctrination.” Caleb said it himself: they were willing to do horrible things for the glory of the Empire. We already know Trent is willing to manipulate memories: he implanted fake ones in Caleb about his parents being traitors. Whose to say there isn’t something he’s able to do that can suppress reincarnation memories? Especially since the implication we have from the Dynasty is that the consecrated memories don’t come easily or naturally. It might not be that difficult to suppress them.

4. Caleb has a kill-switch/Winter Solider trigger

In other words, Trent can do to Caleb what Obann did to Yasha. 

I don’t think it will last as long as it did for Yasha (clearly, Liam isn’t going to be gone for months filming Blindspot) but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s something going on with Caleb magically where Trent can have control over him, just like Yasha was. It may not last long (a minute? a round? a day? an hour?), but it will be long enough to cause trouble.

Assassinate the Bright Queen? Kill the Emperor? Or...

5. We’ll see a reverse Gilmore/Vax stabbing with Essek and Caleb

One of the most iconic moments of campaign one was when (spoilers) Gilmore stabbed Vax and nearly killed him. Of course, it wasn’t actually Gilmore, but boy did we think it was at first.

Can you imagine the same thing happening in season two, with Caleb and Essek, only this time Caleb’s the one who does the sudden stabbing? I can!

(Mind you, this is mostly me with my shadowgast goggles on, but what’s the point of a wild mass guessing post unless you put something you want to happen on it?)

6. The neutral meeting ground will be Traveler-con

Mostly, it’s just because of the timing, and because an island in the middle of nowhere is a pretty good neutral location. Also, what if it meant we got Essek and the Bright Queen on the Ball Eater for a trip? That would be amazing!

Also, can you imagine the Traveler having so many important people at his conference? The pranking potential? *chef’s kiss*

[occidentalavian]

*UPDATED* Map of Eastern Exandria

Full size image [HERE]

Since my previous post, I’ve gone through and made several updates and changes to make this map as accurate as possible, fixing spelling errors, adding missing labels, and adding locations missed in my previous map! 

I have also decided to share the files for this map! If you have the map making program Wonderdraft, you will be able to download and edit this map for your own purposes! I’ve also included the custom Wonderdraft map theme used, as well as a high qualtiy .png of the map!

Wonderdraft File and .png [HERE]

Elven Tower Cartography assets (required to open map) [HERE]

Change Log below the cut.

Full Change Log

Additions

Added map title and year.

Added credits.

Added The Ghostlands.

Added The Emberhold.

Added Yug’Voril.

Added Ruhn-Shak.

Added Ruins of Vos’sykriss.

Added Rill’s Mouth Mine.

Speculative Additions

These locations are speculatory, and are subject to change. Should new information arise concerning these locations, they will be updated accordingly.

Added Blumenthal.

Added Port U’daa.

Added The Zemni Fields.

Added Crispvale.

Added Herethis Mine.

Added Giant Cities (Jovatthon, Vulkanon, Jotunborg, Skyanchor Citadel, Ruins of Tempestar).

Added ocean trade route labels.

Fixes

Enlarged mountain symbols on Tal’dorei.

Added Flotket Alps label.

Added Beynsfal Plateaus label.

Added Xhorhas label.

Added Gravelway Path label.

Fixed Savalirwood spelling.

Fixed Ivyheart Thicket spelling.

Fixed Quannah Breach spelling.

Fixed Labenda Swamp spelling.

Fixed Felderwin Tillage spelling.

Fixed Yrrosa spelling.

Fixed Lotusden Greenwood spelling.

Fixed Rifenmist Peninsula spelling.

Fixed Mooren Lake spelling.

Fixed Owlset Bay spelling.

Fixed Foramere Basin and Foramere Waterway spelling.

Fixed The Neverfields capitalization.

Fixed Temple of Uk’otoa capitalization.

[utilitycaster]

Accents of Exandria

I’m doing this more by accent rather than by location first, due to accent diversity in major cities and racial ties to certain accents.

One thing to note: accents in fiction are important signifiers of class and background based on our own preconceived notions, and it’s worth keeping that in mind. For example, most people associate an RP British accent with being upper class and educated, and the characters who speak in this accent typically are either nobility, wealthy, educated, or all three, even if they come from very different regions. It’s a common shorthand in media and that includes Critical Role. Consider Lord of The Rings - Sam and Frodo are of the same race and in the same region with the same native language, but they have very different accents to show that Frodo is wealthy, worldly, and highly educated, and Sam is more working-class and provincial.

Obviously spoilers for both campaigns all over and I’m sure I’ve left plenty of things out - feel free to send me suggestions! I’m sure I will write a follow-up at some point. 

And finally, I am just a nerd who loves accents. I took a few linguistics classes in college and learn about them in my free time, but I’m no expert, so if you are one or have corrections let me know!

Scottish: Dwarvish, and by extension places primarily populated by dwarves. Examples: Kraghammer.

RP British: a large number of elves (including many drow), educated/upper-class people (especially humans). Examples: Percy, Vex, Vax, the elves of Syngorn, High Bearer Vord, Lieve’tel, the Briarwoods, Taryon, Zahra, Yussah. Artagan seems to have this too, further indicating an elvish/fey influence. Vex and Vax have a bit more of a drawl than Percy’s more clipped accent, which could partially be a personality difference and partially their more humble, frontier childhood in Byroden. This also seems to be Fjord’s original accent, indicating some level of education (which we know is the case - he’s quite intelligent and trained in history).

Mid-Atlantic: The Old Hollywood one, not the Tidewater one. Sort of in between RP and US Neutral (hence the name Mid-Atlantic - it’s seen as a blend between British and U.S. accents). Also seen in a lot of educated/upper-class people who aren’t elves, and people imitating them. Examples: most of Emon’s upper class including the Tal’Dorei family and Allura. This is probably not Gilmore’s native accent, but it’s his accent now. I’d put Scanlan here as well, which fits, particularly since this accent was the ‘theater’ accent in the first half of 20th Century America.

United States ‘non-regional’: Westruun, the Air Ashari, a lot of regular middle-class humans, halflings, and gnomes, a lot of Firbolgs, Shady Creek Run. Examples: Keyleth, Beau, Caduceus, Kima, Pike, Kerrek, Kashaw, Thorbir, Lyra, Keg, Tova, Twiggy, Yeza, and a whole lot more. The Doylist explanation for this is that all of the main cast and most guests speak like this normally, and not all guests are comfortable playing an improv-based game that many of them have never played before while also doing accent work; as such it’s sort of a catch-all for a lot of average people. In Westruun in particular it sometimes skews a bit midwestern (slightly flatter vowels - compare Kima’s accent to most of the other people on the list).

United States southern: unclear but my guess is based in the north of the continent, perhaps along the Empire’s borders: Starosta Wyatt, a halfling in Zadash, has this accent; Fjord has a deeper version which is in turn an imitation of Vandran; Lorenzo and Wursh both have it as well which raises the question whether this might be related to ogre/orcish languages. Note that the accents many people would class as Southern in the US encompass a pretty broad region. IIRC Wyatt sounded a bit more Appalachian whereas Fjord (so Vandran) sounds more Texan.

Irish: I think we’ve seen this most consistently in Kymal (notably in Kaylie), but Molly also has an Irish accent so I wonder if it’s particularly common among entertainers? On the other hand we have no reason to believe Molly didn’t have this accent in previous lives as well.

German: Zemni Fields. Explicitly linked to a region of the Empire and to a language that is distinct from Common or any of the racial languages. Zemnian as a language is still alive and well, and the Zemnian people are as far as we’ve seen well-integrated into the Empire’s fabric - Caleb’s parents were very pro-Empire, Zemnians are found in high positions, Dairon notes that a Zemnian accent in Xhorhas would be recognized as Dwendalian, and Zemnian words are used in Zadash pretty regularly (Zauberspire, for example). As a result this seems to indicate that while the Empire took over Zemni Fields, they let Zemnians maintain their culture. Examples: Caleb, Trent, Ophelia Mardun.

French: Menagerie Coast, Bisaft Island. Unclear exactly where on the coast. Examples: Avantika, Vera. Interestingly, other French-based accents (like Cajun) are also seen in this region (eg: Orly) which might imply that there’s a fantasy French equivalent (a la Zemnian for German) spoken in this region with varying dialects.

Eastern European: Unclear, but actually this is not uncommon in Tieflings - not only is it Jester and Marion’s accent despite them having a somewhat French-sounding last name, but it’s also seen in Campaign 1 for both Vanessa of the Slayer’s Take and Lillith. But Cree (Tabaxi) has it as well. Eastern European is also a pretty broad term and IRL Eastern Europe encompasses a whole lot of different languages, not all of which are related. Anecdotally, Jester’s accent reminds me of a few native Romanian speakers I know. Overall, seems to be mostly Tieflings and Wildemount.

Russian: in the notes Matt’s published, this is stated to be Oremid Hass’s accent as well as some others in Zadash. Seems to be specific to the Empire - some of the towns (eg: Nogvorot) have Russian-sounding names, but the region is unclear.

Scandinavian: thus far only seen in Yasha, so this may be specific to the Iotha marshes of Xhorhas.

Working Class London-ish accent: rough types more so than any region. It’s Grog’s accent and the accent of the Herd of Storms, but we also see similar accents among some of the criminal types in Zadash, along the way to Shady Creek Run, and at the Sour Nest.

Southern European: I’m not positive about the Kryn Dynasty upper-class accent found among many members of the consecuted Dens, but it sounds a little Greek or a little Spanish, depending (thanks,the International Dialects of English Archives!) Examples: Zethris Olios, Leylas Krynn, Shadowhand Essik.

[vanny-solo-ttrpg-adventures]

Character Profile - Eliseo Pindalli. Tiefling Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer.

Name: Eliseo Pindalli (he/him) Species: Tiefling Class: Level 1. Draconic Bloodline Sorcerer. DndBeyond Sheet: TBA. Setting: Exandria (Critical Role) Homeland: Rexxentrum. Zemni Fields in Western Wyandir. Dwendalian Empire. Background: Criminal (Myriad Operative).

Orphaned as an infant and unaware of the grim circumstances of his birth. His mother was a half-elven arcane researcher who specialized in the spellcraft of dragons and his father a cut-throat tiefling mercenary, both working enthusiastically with the Chroma Conclave sect located in Wildemount.

Participating in a ritual that would ensure her child would be born with sorcerous capabilities, the cult eliminated his mother quietly with the hopes of raising Eliseo unquestioningly loyal to their order. His father was convinced of the lie that she died in childbirth and supported the endeavor… until a sympathetic midwife forced to serve the Conclave escaped with an infant Eliseo into the wilderness. Exhausted and fearful for the life of her own infant daughter (another child who participated in the ritual but did not obtain magic), she left Eliseo to be raised in an obscure shrine dedicated to the Platinum Dragon. A few short years later, the woman was hunted down by Eliseo’s father and blamed her for his disappearance. He then took her daughter to raise as his own and the two have not been heard of since…

Eliseo himself was raised in an orphanage located in a remote part of the Zemnian Fields. When he was old enough, he joined up with a roving band of orcs and half-orcs who took him to Rexxentrum. There, he scraped by on odd jobs and learning magic from books he shoplifted now and again… until he was caught by a dragonborn shopkeeper by the name of Gaardoshtergad Paskan. Though retired, the unlawful mage seemed to recognize Eliseo’s combination of magic and street smarts for what they are and began involving him with Myriad business.

If Eliseo can prove himself to his mentor and to the Myriad, they will help him establish his own arcane shop which will serve as a front for the Myriad.

Bond

Gaardoshtergad Paskan. (She/her). Elderly CN blue dragonborn. Blue-scaled with age spots at the edge of her old brittle scales that have turned orange with time. Dresses in plain but comfortable looking clothing, as she seems to enjoy the growing quiet of life in her twilight years. Often seen with a walking scepter which also works as her arcane focus.

Gaardosh is Eliseo’s mentor in the criminal front business and current contact in Rexxentrum. Although they argue a lot, she can’t help but feel a sense of kinship with him.

Mannerism. Brittle and demands respect from the youths in her life which is everyone. She softens up if someone makes her laugh.

Motivation. Held a lifelong career working for nobility, appraising magic items and despising them all for their wealth and ostentatiousness while the rest of the city’s poor suffered. She collaborates with the crime syndicate as a matter of principle.

[utilitycaster]

Truesight pt 2

(I wrote this a while back as the follow-up to Truesight but never posted it. It’s AU now, but I love the idea of reluctant allies Essek “Hot Boi” Thelyss and Expositor Dairon. This and the first part both take place right after episode 77, in which Essek executes the scourger prisoner and Jester learns that Yasha, under Obann’s control, had attacked the Cobalt Soul in Zadash)

Dairon tried to spend the day clearing their head, despite the terrible news. Cleaning the house took little time given how briefly everyone had been back in town; meditation only could last so long, as could exercises; and so the day went agonizingly slowly. The knock from Essek that evening was nearly a relief, and the sole benefit of all those long hours was plenty of time to prepare.

“It’s been a long day for me, and I suspect it may have been the same for you. I’ve brought a drink,” Essek said as he glided in.

“Great,” said Dairon, bringing out two glasses. Essek nodded in thanks and gave them each a generous pour.

Well, thought Dairon, this might be an advantage.

Essek spoke first. “Have you had any more messages?” Dairon nodded. “Not from Jester, but from a colleague. The scrying was correct. There has been an attack by demonic forces on my home, and several did not escape with their lives. Others hang in the balance.” There had been no updates on Zeenoth since the first message, and she desperately hoped no news was good news - he could be fusty, but he was a good archivist and she would miss him dearly if he didn’t make it.

Essek passed her the glass, which she accepted. “I’m sorry. Bazzoxan endures these frequently, and Asarius has had several recently as well. It is never easy.”

“Did you learn anything from your prisoner?” asked Dairon after a moment.

“Oh yes, said Essek, and took a long sip. “Most of the questions were not mine to ask, but I did help disguise a priest of the Luxon as an elven soldier in imperial garb, which was very helpful in getting her...essence, I suppose, to talk.” He was silent again and Dairon sighed inwardly.

“Shadowhand Thelyss, might I remind you that you approached me for help combating the Cerberus Assembly and that this is intel I can help verify or act upon?”

Essek cocked his head. “And might I remind you that you are an enemy spy in hostile territory, undiscovered because it would damage both my goals and my standing? But you make a point.” He drained his glass and poured another. “What do you know of the Mighty Nein?”

“All of them? I am sure you have figured out that I know much of Beauregard’s history,” Dairon begain. Essek shook his head.

“Never mind. What do you know of the scourgers?”

“Not much, but their existence is what led me to begin to look into the Assembly. There were some...incidents in Zemni Fields. Odd happenings.”

“Odd happenings?” said Essek.

“Towns nearly being wiped out, but in a way that made little sense. Illnesses that burned through isolated villages and disappeared - with no record of a quarantine. Towns that hadn’t seen more violence than a tavern brawl in a century being struck by the most ruthless of murders in the night. Fires when it had been raining for weeks. And all explained away quietly.”

“And what is your theory?” said Essek quietly. Dairon, a teacher herself, recognized the tone. They took a steady breath, exhaling slowly before responding.

“I told Beauregard once that her friends - really, any connections - would become a liability for her. That may not be true, but still, I think that Beauregard’s initial skill was at least partially motivated by her familial difficulties.” Dairon had chosen from the moment Essek walked in not to let the bittersweet alcohol affect her, but it would be wise to act as though it had and be just a little more forthcoming than usual. “I suspected the scourgers were doing something a bit more...permanent than merely distancing themselves.”

“According to our priest’s inquiries, your suspicions are correct,” said Essek, halfway through his second glass already, and Dairon noticed for the first time how strained he looked. He gave her a brittle smile over the glass. “And yet from the Wuuyun Gorge to Rexxentrum, they tell their children tales of the barbaric cricks.”

Dairon was trained enough not to flinch at that.

“You have vouched for the Mighty Nein and so will I: they share my concerns - and yours - about the Assembly.” They finished their glass and waited for Essek patiently. After a moment, he began to talk again.

“You work alone and behind the lines by choice. If I were not quite so gifted, I would be at the front lines with most of my peers.”

“Do you wish you were there?”

“Light, no,” Essek scoffed, but then softened. “But there are a few I wish were back here.”

Dairon considered him, and then made her request. “You have seen me as I am. May I have permission to see you as you are?”

Essek gave them a look. “I’m not in any disguise.”

“That’s not quite what I mean. I apologize for this in advance -” and with that Dairon drove their hand hard towards his shoulder and connected. Essek cursed as Dairon felt the technique take hold.

“You will not be able to lie for a moment, though you do not have to answer. Have you told anyone about me?”

“No,” grunted Essek painfully.

“Will you?”

“Not unless you do something stupid.”

“Why are you trying to work with me?”

“You have access to the heroes of the Dynasty and their trust in a way that I do not.

I told you the truth this morning. We share a goal. I do not want more of my friends to die. I want the Empire wizards to stop trying to steal the knowledge we in the Dynasty have studied and nurtured and harnessed. I care not for conquest, just an end, and the return of the artifacts of The Light and...yes, a return. And,” he added, still holding the shoulder Dairon had hit, “an attack against the leaders of the Assembly would not displease me.”

“What information did you really want from me about the Mighty Nein?”

“About the scourgers. And about Caleb Widogast in particular.”

“Why?”

Here Essek lifted his chin and held their gaze, but did not answer. Dairon sighed.

“I have listened in on your conversations with him, and more in this house, and I think you are wise enough to appreciate the irony of you attempting to protect a child of the Empire from me. I know he was trained in that way for a time and that he is familiar with the assembly. I know no specifics of his training, and I do not think Beauregard would share them, even if she knows, even with me. What I know is what you know: he is intelligent enough to study the arcane yet either ignorant or foolish enough to enter the Dynasty with no attempt to hide his accent. He has very neat handwriting. He does not ever leave his spellbooks unattended, not even when he sleeps, and if he keeps a journal I have not found it. Oh, and he is very devoted to his magical cat.”

Essek turned back to his drink for a moment. Upon finishing it he mumbled something.

“What was that?” Dairon asked.

“If you must know, I was testing if I could lie again, and since I am not a moorbounder it seems I can. You do realize that was your only chance for that, er, maneuver.”

“I do,” answered Dairon. “And I am sorry, but you must realize I would like to know sooner rather than later if I should flee the Dynasty or if I can indeed work with you. And, Shadowhand, I think I can, but I have some recommendations.”

Essek gave her a skeptically amused look. Dairon noted that the breeze that seemed to accompany his robes remained but the strong drinks were affecting him. He seemed tired, and worried, and she realized as he relaxed a bit in his chair for the first time, no older than she was. And, from what he’d said earlier of his peers being sent off to the front lines, probably lonely.

“All right, what are they?” he finally responsed.

“First,” they said, “while the Mighty Nein are away we cannot meet in this house unless you can come up with a cover story - and even then we cannot talk at length without some kind of illusion or at the very least, tightly drawn curtains. Or I suppose you could make some subtle hints that I am an agent of the Dynasty working with you, an extra eye on your charges. But if we do not do that, I propose we find a neutral location.“

“Agreed,” said Essek. “I can think both those options over. Few people would see through your disguise as I have and I know nearly everyone who could, so I am sure we can find a suitable tavern should it come to that.”

“Second: if I may be so bold, no matter how much he does for the Dynasty you will have a difficult time should you choose to court your student and asset.”

Essek looked as though he would try to deny it for a moment, but he quickly crumbled as his posture deteriorated further. He rested his head in his hands. “Light, am I that obvious?”

“Yes,” said Dairon.

Essek looked up slightly blearily. “I listened in to his conversation with the scourger.”

“You speak Zemnian?”

“It’s a simple spell to do so. He was...complicated, yesterday. I know his name was not always Caleb. I know he has it in him to be an executioner.” Essek paused, his jaw tight. “I know I do, too. And I know that while the scourgers are enemies of us both” here Essek gestured at himself and Dairon, whose expression softened for a brief instant in acknowledgement, “and are trying to steal the magical heritage I carry, I also fear we will lose a generation of dunamancers in trying to fight them, and only I will remain.” He stopped himself. “Your truth telling isn’t still working?”

“No, you got yourself drunk in front of the enemy, which is my third point: I am a trained spy in service to the goddess of knowledge. You are a scholar and arcanist thrown into spycraft. When it comes to covert operations, while this is your geographical territory, it is not your area of expertise.”

Essek attempted to gather his dignity at the last statement. “Anything else, Expositor?” he asked, attempting to be biting and nearly achieving it.

“If you ignore my second piece of advice, at the very least do not ask other races what it’s like to grow a beard. They do not appreciate it as a question, even if you are, ah, involved with them.”

Essek appeared to be fighting a smile. “I will keep that in mind. Anyhow, he seems solely interested in what I can teach him of dunamancy, if I am being honest. I suppose if someone else with talent respects and cherishes this craft one day as I do, and manages to survive this conflict...that will have to be enough.” He nodded at Dairon, who opened the door for him, and glided out with only the faintest unsteadiness.