Ultragramps @lemmy.blahaj.zone Consider me a consultant and confidant conveying coherent communications.
"But that won't happen to us, cause it's always been a matter of trust." - William Joel
Programming Schedule: Week of July 1st, 2024
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below. We will be returning with a new episode of 4-Sided Dive on July 9th and Critical Role on July 11th.
The Re-Slayer’s Take
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- The Re-Slayers (Bonus) Take w/ Matthew Mercer releases Monday, July 1st on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episodes 8 releases Monday, July 1st at 5am Pacific only on Beacon.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 11 releases Tuesday, July 2nd at 10am Pacific on YouTube and your favorite podcast streaming platform!
- Campaign 3, Episode 28 releases Tuesday, July 2nd at 10am Pacific on Beacon
- Campaign 3, Episode 29 releases Friday, July 5th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
Untitled Voting Poyum by Len Pennie
This poem is not in the book shown. This was transcribed from an instagram post made on June 18, 2024.
--- Take your pick of politicians, out of touch so deeply. Who crave your vote to steer our boat jump into bed to sleep li- asing with corrupted frauds who desecrate their post. The parliamentary parasites who wank to Thatcher's ghost. What I really think is not politically correct. I'm sick of seeing sycophants whose job is to perfect The art of causing chasms and dissolving public unity. A poison, puerile, pestilence polluting our community. Where's the money skimmed from taxes getting siphoned for expenses? Where's the justice for your mates who commit criminal offenses? Where's the empathy for humans that don't look or act like you? What are all the citizens who are in poverty to do? Where are all the refugees who simply need our help to go? Just stick em on a barge or plane; maintain the status quo. Use them as an excuse for why we can't afford to heat The homes that we will never own, the food our kids can't eat. Pick the one who's gonna rule us with the minimum disruption. Who'll only break the records of malfeasance and corruption. The way that they are hollowing out Britain starts to grate. Taking try of this country giving back the right to hate Anyone who's black or brown disabled, queer, or working class. A woman or an immigrant, to them the blame will pass. If the people fight among ourselves, divided we will fall. When we look after each other and seek liberty for all A rising tide will lift all boats, do not let them distract Because the people have the power and it's time for us to act.
Programming Schedule: Week of June 24th, 2024
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 6 releases Monday, June 24th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episodes 7 releases Monday, June 24th at 5am Pacific only on Beacon.
LIVE Fireside Chat with Marisha Ray
Join us in the tavern for a monthly Ask Me Anything (AMA) series where you can sit down with us and learn more about our Critical Role cast and guests! Questions will be curated directly from Beacon members via Discord and each episode will feature a different cast member for a 30-60 minute fireside chat. Cozy up by the fire and enjoy the deep dive with us!
- Starts Monday, June 24th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 10 releases Tuesday, June 25th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 26 releases Tuesday, June 25th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
- Campaign 3, Episode 27 releases Friday, June 28th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
Candela Obscura:
Game Master Roundtable
Join Aabria Iyengar, Liam O’Brien, Spenser Starke, and Matthew Mercer as the four of them gather together to discuss their experiences being game masters in the world of Candela Obscura
- Airs Tuesday, June 25th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Tuesday, June 25th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- VOD out Thursday, June 27th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out July 2nd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
MIDST: Season 3
SERIES FINALE Join our three mischievous and unreliable narrators as they spin a surreal, sci-fantasy, space-western tale about complicated antiheroes making bad decisions in a world on the edge of disaster.
- Episode 19 releases Wednesday, June 26th on YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Ménagerie a Trois | Daggerheart Cooldown
Get a backstage pass to our LIVE Menagerie Daggerheart One-Shot and experience the cast’s post-show reactions!
- Releases Thursday, June 27th at 12pm Pacific only on Beacon
Cooldown
- 03:20 Sam's character is a horny himbo attracted to red flags
- 07:07 Matt:"[it's] not too dissimilar to Patia's Orb. It's a thing that collects masses of information. This one was tuned to things of divine threads. Specifically it was (for lack of a better term) a surveillance device for all beings in Aeor where it just recorded their presence. It's like super-invasive memory keeping. The Thalamus was a secret project in Aeor."
Brennan:"I love the idea that Matt's gonna have to be in the wings for the run and if it gets too far in one narrative direction, Ludinus just starts shaking the VHS. "Actually fuck what I said. Nevermind. This thing fuckin' sucks!"
Battle Maps and Figurines!
Dominox bleeds cursed chains and his tail looks like a fire-breathing dragon. Rule of cool achievement complete.
LUDA!
Etymology Lore
Little note on kaitiaki, It's not a Mercer original, it's drawn very directly from Te Reo Māori. I'm from Aotearoa New Zealand, though I'm not Māori myself (just a Pākehā who does her best). Kaitiaki means more appropriately 'guardian' and the term it is associated with, kaitiakitanga, refers to the process of guardianship over nature and the environment in accordance with tikanga Māori. While this is about the right sentiment for druids, it's sort of like greeting people at your local church with the word "priest." Like, if we accept that they're crudely using Te Reo Māori as a druidic thing (which, that's a whole can of appropriative worms along with the divorcing of the concept from tikanga Māori that I shan't open, they almost certainly chose the term when it was a home game), they are basically just greeting each other by saying "druid." comment by Reddit user u/AdmiralPegasus
Across the interior of this chamber, the slowly rotating gem there spins tiny mag-lev figurine
INITIATIVE!
Teven at the top of the order, blade drawn and burning with rage says,
"I knew it from the moment we stepped in here, it HAD TO DIE!"
- 02:25:20 Dominox's Lair Action yoinks the team (Except Orym, Dorian, and Braius)
- 02:28:32 Essek sounds a little like Bronson Pinchot saying, "I will not be having this."
- 02:28:39 Travis:"Scuse!" (Daggerheart reference)
- 02:28:43 Travis:"Grab your butt and run." Sinbad reference
- 02:31:33 Dominox is thrown and unfortunately lands on Fearne.
- 02:34:48 More bromance between Dorian and Braius.
- 02:35:33 Marisha is quick to cast Counterspell to save Teven.
- 02:36:08 Travis brings out the counter-jinx trash talk for Marisha's dice and it works.
- 02:36:51 Braius drops the act and declares himself the Herald of Asmodeus.
- 02:39:44 When Matt says "bow low" it sounds like Bolo. Coincidence?
- 02:42:21 You see a lithe figure in long blue robes. Platinum long hair, and a withered black hand that has gold caps along the fingers, who looks like they're rushing in your direction. As soon as you come through, they stop and go,
"What have you done, what are you doing? We have to stop it now." - 02:44:10 Marisha:"...shit! Tits! Bonus action,
Form of Dread!" - 02:44:45 Fearne goes marsupial and Wildshapes into a mint green wombat and pouches the crysta. When Chetney arrives wombat makes the gesture for "uppies" when Chetney arrives
- 02:55:03 Imogen telekinetically chucks Chetney (Fastball Special reference?)
- 02:58:30 Teven swinging for the fences
- 03:01:10 Liam:"I leapt up and stabbed him right in the crotch." The Gooch Garrote.
- 03:02:28 Orym on the effects of the speed potion feels like a hummingbird
- 03:09:10 Dorian's clutch dance magic, Otto's Irresistible Dance.
- 03:10:04 Bromantic embrace
- 03:10:25 In the focus of concentration on the missing stone that it's bound to, the appearance of Ludinus, and the chaos all around it, it forgets to use
Legendary Resistanceand (is currently the massive, terrifying, nearly 20-foot-tall, long-sealed great demon, used as an implement of arcane power by the ancient mageocracy of Aeor, recently unleashed to tear through and destroy the Ruby Vanguard and Ludinus' plot here in Aeor) begins to cut a rug. - 03:15:08 Fan Art Moment Riverdancing Dominox bleeding cursed rusted chains from its wounds.
- 03:16:25 Part of the set next to Sam falls over.
- 03:24:10 Essek:(to Ludinus)"Hello...It's been a while."
- 03:24:36 Laura nudges Liam to have Orym look up Essek's robes as he floats past
- 03:26:45 Ashton recreates the Office Space scene where a printer is destroyed
- 03:31:07 Matt gets a killing blow as an NPC and gets to ask himself "How Do I Want To Do This?"
- 03:31:39 Teven there, holding up his blade in front of the gate, the swirling chaos of the Abyss beyond with Dominox crushed to it's knees from the Gravity Fissure. Now trying to reach up to claw back out of the gate as it's swirling around. Blade in the air, he says,
"Ah, my Lord. I smite thee, ancient evil. Fair play in your name. See you never again."
Brings the blade up and drives it into Dominox' chest. As it hits, he's going to leap in the air carving it in half. As it does, it lands and the body splits and begins to burn to ash on the form of the Abyss where it dissipates forever on its plane. Dominox sundered. - 03:31:16 Braius asks Teven for his autograph.
Teven:"Those are rare. (I better not see this on eBay!)" - 03:41:48 You step down this extended, wide, echoing hallway until eventually it opens into this massive dome chamber. The ceiling itself cracked heavily and you can see it's still held firm, but along the dome there are patterned globes of a quarts-like crystal, a lattice, like an umbrella that spreads out around it. You can see numerous gold beams that connect between them with extremely intricate, scattered runes that seem to interconnect all of these like a web network.
Within the dead center of this wide, circular chamber, lies two massive statues of robed mages holding lanterns. One of them fallen and broken, the other still holding against time, holding against the memory of the historical fall of Aeor. You can see them both flanking a central, damaged, metallic dome construction with massive rivets and textured arcane technology around it. It's next to that Ludinus stands, arms crossed, looking out at you with a soft smile.
"Welcome to the Occultus Thalamus. The high mages of the Age of Arcanum were the greatest minds of Exandrian history. The call to innovation created great societies of ingenuity, ambition and endless potential. Using the gifts of the gods bestowed upon them, they began to unravel the great secrets of the universe. Prideful, perhaps, but beautiful.
And they feared it.
Once the child becomes the parent, often those in power can grow resentful, and they did. When more came crawling around, a war of omnipotent children bickering, these brilliant minds had to adapt, focus to implements of war beyond just implements of progress. When the divine threatens your families, your children, the very future of life as you know it, they reveal themselves as the enemy.
I saw it. I was there in the final days of The Calamity. I watched mountains brought to dust, whole countries set aflame, the tantrums of the gods wantonly murdering and massacring the majority of all civilizations on Exandria. When the dust had settled and their rivalry paused, the few of us that survived wallowed in the dust and ash and spent centuries trying to rebuild from what scraps we could find, while they vanished beyond their gate to protect us, or perhaps to hide from us once they saw what was capable. I survived, watched as a child, acknowledged what they wrought as they fled to the mystical hideaways.
This world has been manipulated, duped in its opinion, it's understanding of divinity. For those that write the history books are those in power and there is no power higher than them. There's a reason they fear me. Some of it's Predathos, yes, but I found something equally important here. Sometimes the most important weapon in information. These mageocracies, in many places, had ways of recording things, knowledge, history, some lost to time. But Aeor created the Thalamus, a device that recorded the spiritual memory of all in the city, including those that brought it low. I've spent a day or so studying this and I found something, something I think you want to see."
He reaches over to the cracked central dome and places his hands near it, and as he doescrackling noiseit begins to open up. Mist billows out and you watch as this light green orb emerges. An endlessly fractal network or threads of arcane power, layered upon themselves over and over again, and it drifts beyond them.
"Within here lies the memories of Aeor. Fractured, but enough. And what I will show you, I will show the rest of Exandria."
As he changes the hold on the sides of his hands, the orb begins to spin rapidly, whirs loudly. It begins to brighten. This light begins to burst and pulse. All of you feel instinctively like you have to recoil as the very space around you is entirely filled with light. Your spirit is filled with light. Your mind is filled with light. All there is is light.
BLeeM arrives and Matt gives him the GM chair
Light.
In a space beyond the real, there was (made of light) a palace. Which is to say a garden, or a fountain, or a mirror, or a heart, or more than any of these, an idea. A swirling nebula of glimmering potential, cresting eternally upon the threshold of being. But if it aids you, Exandrian, to imagine what the mortal eye can never see, envision then, as I have said, a palace. It's floors the dancing stars in unmapped orbit. It's ramparts light and ice and fire. Its hallways memory and time. Our story begins at the ending of the infinite, at the doom that pierced eternity. Fractured images of a lost world and of the ones who lost it. Remember now a place which was not less, but rather more than real. Remember tragedy, betrayal, calamity, downfall. In the recording of this memory, may the answers to many questions lie. But one question yet and shall forevermore remain:
"Is It Thursday Yet?"
♪Episode Song References♪
ᕕ( ᐛ)ᕗ
- 00:30:00 Billy Joel - You May Be Right
- 00:54:54 Dorian knocks Shave and a Haircut
- 01:38:55 Vanessa Carlton - A Thousand Miles
- 01:42:30 Dorian:"...losers, baby." Beck - Loser
- 02:40:10 Rolling Stones - Paint it Black
- 03:24:10 Disturbed - It's Been A While
Highlights
- 00:28:59 Imogen seeks the entity and seems to retcon increasing the range of her spell.
- 00:31:10 Imogen's nightmare
- 00:34:43 "Destroy the pinion"
- 00:35:26 Teven Klask is indeed in the process of searching the exterior of the chamber.
- 00:38:52 Teven:"You've bound your energy to that of my master, the Lord of the Hells. The thread of fate that pulls you through the Great Matron's skein now runs dark with his (Asmodeus') influence. The smell of brimstone will now follow where you walk and would you need aid, whenever you need his help, perhaps he might be there, at a cost...Mind you, I wouldn't be against you racing into our fiery embrace below, but it seems you have things to accomplish. But when you're done, I'll be waiting."
- 00:44:20 Travis and Marisha:"Jesus!"
- 00:48:24 Ashley:"Drink it. Taste it."
Laura:"Twist it."
Taliesin:"Lick it."
Laura:"Bop it." - 00:50:45 Fancy looking cloak with chains and partial scale mail and potential tetanus infection from rust is found in a barrel and immediately put in the hole. It smells weird and not in a good way.
- 00:52:05 The runes on the table are draconic and would be used as a safety mechanism for volatile magic or materials being worked with.
- 00:55:45 Sam's Return! Behind the second silver door is a closet with an injured minotaur surrounded by shattered glass and ceramic. (Bull in a china shop metaphor?)
- 00:56:47 Liam:"I hope this doesn't awaken something in me."
- 01:00:24 Braius immediately recognizes Teven somehow and feels he can trust the group.
- 01:04:16 Dorian offers to help Braius, "May I?" and they are immediately shipped.
Matt:"Happy Pride." - 01:04:43 Robbie
rolls three 7sfor Cure Wounds and is thanked with a brief shoulder rub from Sam, "Powerful magic from a powerful man. You got me halfway. I'll take care of the rest with my own hand." andcasts Lay on Hands.
Liam:"Still better when somebody else does it."
Fearne:"Braius, what are you doing here in this closet?"
Braius:"...I like your knees. They bend the way mine do." - 01:08:31 Ashton's nightmare.
- 01:10:42 Ashton:"You know, you can just fucking talk to us. You don't need to play these fucking head games. It doesn't make us like you. Make a deal."
- 01:14:09 Braius:(to Teven)"...and she is with you."
Fearne:"Well, that's not entirely-"
Braius:"Are you two?touches fingertips
Teven:"We are bound, yes."
Laudna:"Lean into it."
Fearne:"Yes, we're bound. We're So bound."
Teven:"I am also bound to many."
Fearne:"That's totally fine, cuz so am I." - 01:15:29 Dorian:"This is so fun. It's almost like he was built for us!"
- 01:17:19 Essek points his finger over from beneath his fur coat towards the walls of the chamber outside of that other brass door and there are these foot-wide, black, they look like windows, like portholes almost. You peek through and you realize there was a glass there, a protective thick glass. As you look into it, below you, a large square-looking sunken chamber with three elevated platforms about 10 feet off the ground. You see fallen rubble and the roof is slightly off kilter. You see so many chains strewn across the floor and the walls, tangled and pushed into each other, woven chaotically around. You see these glowing massive glyphs on the ground that pulse in unison. In the very center of this chamber is a 25-foot tall cylindrical machine (that itself just completely consumes the center of the room). You can almost feel the vibration in the wall and the proximity
vibration noises. As it does that, you can see bits of crackling energy that spark off to these spires around us (these multitudes of Aeorian tech spires throughout the center chamber). In the middle of it, hovering in the air and slowly rotating, you see this quad-spire platform that is spinning in the air, and in the middle, pulsing, a small purple crystal (the Pinion of Service). - 01:20:18 Braius:(to Dorian)"You know, you're not going to mess with a bard, buddy."
- 01:20:34 Braius:"Wait, there's a difference?"
Demons vs Devils lore
Demons are almost always Chaotic Evil in alignment, spreading destruction and mayhem every day of their lives. They despise rules and anything that impedes their freedom, which often results in indiscriminate killing, annihilation, and meddling with the plans of others. Devils on the other hand are Lawful Evil, favoring a more structured approach to life. They often have elaborate plans behind their actions and attacks, with some spanning millennia to see through, relying on alliances and deals to achieve.
- 01:21:27 Does Matt almost pull another Shivering Quift?
- 01:24:12 Looking at these glyphs on the ground, best you can ascertain, part of this is a containment abjuration and other facets have a transmutation (for the purpose of manipulating and extracting power).
- 01:24:38 Travis misses catching a flying bug with his hand and pretends to throw it in his mouth.
- 01:27:07 Ashton suggests the smashing solution
- 01:28:18 As Matt gets into the description of Dominox' newest incarnation, a small girl with long hair, Travis signals his time to leave the table out of fear (The Ring is known to be a particularly scary movie for him). The entire team sees the same thing this time.
- 01:29:22 After choosing doors and winning prizes, the analogy is completed as Ashton says,
"Let's Make A Deal!"
- 01:29:42 Laudna:"She's Fun-Scary!"
- 01:31:42 Dominox:"I was hungry."
- 01:32:49 Braius's Blessing:
"Oh Lord, please guide us in battle ahead.
Don't let the little girl terrorize the old man.
Let us find our quarry.
That we may bring you glory." - 01:36:22 Chetney accompanies Teven down some stairs,
"Fuckin' chisels out, baby!"
He nods and you see a grin pull across his mouth. The sharpened teeth exposed as he tightens the grip on his blade. The two of you begin to descend the stairs that curve downward into an open metal doorway that leads into the darkened chamber. The only light sources you have are those glowing glyphs and the electrical buzzes of the nearby equipment that's surrounding and are a part of the central Nox Engine. The occasional arc sending a splash of light across the room and casting instantaneous shadows that vanish as soon as the light does. You begin to step inside and that smell, that strange metallic buzzing smell that you caught on the weird cloak that you acquired. - 01:42:00 Dominox:"So, hungry."
- 01:47:20 Because of logistics on the large stage, we get to hear the whisper Matt would have given Ashley for her
rolling a 31on an Insight check on Dominox:
It is hard to read a being of pure Abyssal chaos kept in darkness and shadow for 1,000 years, broken and half-given-to-madness. Here it gives to you a truth that you can sense is false. There is a desperation to her voice and a focus on this crystal that is borderline obsession. - 01:53:33 Braius:"Are you single?"
Imogen:"Oh, I'm not sure."
Marisha gets up to leave - 02:00:10 Dominox' True Form
- 02:01:27 Liam:"I only chanced it because the demon was grabbing Pop-Pop.
- 02:02:30 The cast of Animated Objects: Boaty, Ropey, a series of cosplay helper objects, and new member Doory. (Laudna
casts Animate Objecton the door to open it.)
INTERMISSION
Braius Doomseed
Why is he monochromatic? (click)
It is believed that the Minotaur Bard-Paladin Multiclass is based partially upon Social Repose. You can see similar cheek marks on the early sketch.
CR Abridged Art Archive on Tumblr
> Record of every art piece published with CR Abridged. Managed by u/taly_slayer. > Yes, I also read the url as Crab Ridge Dart.
(click to reveal artist list)
- Hannah Friederichs (@agarthanguide)
- Shaun Ellis (@shmaba)
- Bree Williams (@larkspurns)
- Lap Pun Cheung (@lappuncheung)
- Wesley Griffith (@wesley_griffith)
- Deven Rue (@devenrue)
- Cris Trinci (@galaxybandit)
- Hampus Viklander (@spookystirfry)
- Azraelion (@azraelion)
- Mike Pape (@wingbuffet)
- Elisa Serio (@ellinainthesky)
- Clara Daly (@eldritchblep)
- Nikki Dawes (@nikkidawes)
- Ian MacDonald (@ian_macdonald_art)
--- Monthly Archive
Dorian and Braius Bromance.
(Twitter Fan Clip Compilation)
maybe it takes two people to check a demon for a hernia... You Don't Know
New Miniseries: EXU: Downfall
What We Know So Far
- Critical Role's new campaign arc, "Downfall," will be helmed by "Dimension 20's" Brennan Lee Mulligan.
- Regular cast members Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, and Ashley Johnson.
- New Blood ! Abubakar Salim ! Noshir Dalal ! and Nick Marini.
- The episodes, part of the CR crew's third campaign, will air on July 11, 18, and 25.
- The three-chapter series is all about the fall of Aeor, an ancient civilization.
- "There's only one known time, throughout all of Exandrian history, that the "good" and the "bad" gods ever said 'game off' (implying a temporary truce out of necessity) and that was when they destroyed this city (Aeor)." -MFMM
Fan Art Gallery: Piercing Through History
by SmallBearArt
by Xandrik
by TealBird5
by FunScaryy
*by Cielbenn
[Spoilers C3E98] Live Show at The Greek!
Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST
> | Runtime | Break start| > | :------ | :------ | > | 3h 54m | 2h 5m |
Episode 98: The Nox Engine
In the long wake of the Solstice, Bell's Hells find Exandria and their world turned topsy-turvy as Ludinus Da'leth and his cadre of followers (known as the Ruby Vanguard) plan to unleash the god-eating entity Predathos that was long sealed in the red moon Ruidus. After travelling to this very moon, interacting with its people and returning with intel on hopes to stop what they're doing, they discover that they've been sourcing ancient, long-buried Aeorian magical technology as part of their plan. And not just that. Ludinus Da'leth is there right now dealing with a strange wrinkle in his plot with the name Dominox. Bell's Hells, escorted by a figure with some experience in the ruins of Aeor, one Essek Thelyss (crowd shouts 'Hot Boi') on loan from his 'partner', brought them to the strange, northern, frozen realm of Eiselcross where the very fabric of magic is strange and prone to unexpected apparation subforces. They went to these ruins, delved beneath, discovered that the Ruby Vanguard that had been delving within, scattered, killed (not by the terrifying denizens of these ancient dark ruins, but by eachother in strange fits of almost religious madness, carving glyphs into their flesh). Going towards the darkest depths of the basements of the ruins in the center of the Genesis Ward at Essek's guidance, they come upon a strange chamber where upon the ancient bodies mingling with the new freshly dead (now dangling by blackened hooks from long chains that seem to have apparated from nowhere, almost grown from the surrounding stone of the crumbled rock and ruin). They heard some of these long forgotten corpses asking them questions through magic: hearing things of a Nox Engine, hearing that Dominox was once (or may still be) a grand demon of ancient times sealed away and harnessed for nefarious magical purpose within this Nox Engine by the mage lords of Aeor long ago now recently running rampant upon the Ruby Vanguard. Right as they discovered this, strange visions began to come to them. First Chetney Pock O'Pea being overcome with a mystical vision of a familiar darkened wood of the past and the bloodied faces of the children, seemingly called from dark, maybe buried, memories asking why he hurt them, why he killed them. Uncertain if this was real or not, he had to pull himself from the vision before attacking his friends. Right as they began to collect themselves, searching for the source of this strange dark magic, hoping to either find Ludinus or perhaps this Dominox and figure out what or who is the right villain in this instance, poor Dorian Storm fell to his own vision. As they pass between these hanging chains looking upon one of these hung corpses, he sees the face of his recently deceased brother Cyrus, who looks up at him with dead sunken eyes saying, "Why have you done this to me brother?" It's here in these shadows. Dorian Storm, the blood pouring from his blackened sockets here in the shattered expanse, the rest of it just a shadowy dark blur around you, Cyrus looks towards you from that shadow. "Why? Why, brother?" As you glance up towards his face to try and make eye contact, his now-somewhat-shriveled corpse arms reach out and grab your lapel and pull you close (where you can smell the early decay on him) his lips curl back with the gums in the early stage of decomposition. "Not all is lost, brother. I'm not beyond saving. My spirit lingers, haunts this realm now without peace, and I am not alone." You see these little sparks glow on the horizon around him, these other souls lost in the limbo, now in the post-Solstice era. The hands no longer grasping you; now just touching your cheek with a sadness and a hopeful longing. "Within this engine, a curse keeps us, brother. Free us. Let us rest, brother." As the body begins to fade, the last thing you see in his shadow are a sparkin flash of a spinning purple crystal before you blink, and the body hanging before you is a long-dead skeleton, withered and armored in that of the ancient Aeorian guard.
---
Previous Episode: "Ancient Sins"
Programming Schedule: Week of June 17th, 2024
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 5 releases Monday, June 17th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- The Re-Slayers (Bonus) Take w/ Matthew Mercer releases Monday, June 17th at 5am Pacific on Beacon.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 9 releases Tuesday, June 18th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 24 releases Tuesday, June 18th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
- Campaign 3, Episode 25 releases Friday, June 21st at 10am Pacific on Beacon
MIDST: Season 3
No new episodes this week.
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 98
(Bells Hells Live Show)
We’ll be airing our Critical Role LIVE show that we had at The Greek Theatre in Los Angeles! Tune in for Episode 98 of Campaign 3 as Bells Hells gathers their courage and their allies to stop Ludinus Da’leth and his planned destruction of the gods.
- Airs Thursday, June 20th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, June 20th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, June 21st at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, June 24th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out June 27th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 98
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 98 at our Critical Role LIVE show! Join the cast backstage as they discuss the events of their first LIVE show as Bells Hells.
- Releases Thursday, June 20th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
ScreenRant Plus Interview: Taliesin Jaffe on Bells Hells and More!
ScreenRant Plus Interview: Taliesin Jaffe On Bells Hells Live, Ashton's Origin & Sword-Gate Inter-Party Conflict
> Taliesin Jaffe discusses the Critical Role's Bells Hells live show, exploring Ashton's origins, feelings about FCG, and the aftermath of Sword-gate. > Critical Role's Bells Hells Live Show will take place on June 15th at The Greek Theatre. The livestream will be available on Thursday, June 20th, with the VOD on Monday, June 24th. > Read our full interview and article here
Programming Schedule: Week of June 10th, 2024
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 4 releases Monday, June 10th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episodes 6 releases Monday, June 10th at 5am Pacific only on Beacon.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 8 releases Tuesday, June 11th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 22 releases Tuesday, June 11th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
- Campaign 3, Episode 23 releases Friday, June 14th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
Daggerheart Version 1.4.2 Update Livestream
Join us LIVE as Matthew Mercer and Spenser Starke walk you through the changes made to Daggerheart in version 1.4.2, releasing that morning (Tuesday, June 11th)!
- Airs LIVE Tuesday, June 11th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD releases immediately on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube
MIDST: Season 3
Join our three mischievous and unreliable narrators as they spin a surreal, sci-fantasy, space-western tale about complicated antiheroes making bad decisions in a world on the edge of disaster.
- Episode 18 releases Wednesday, June 12th on YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 19 releases Wednesday, June 12th at 5am Pacific for paid subscribers and Beacon members
The Menagerie Levels Up with Daggerheart!
The Menagerie characters level up to levels 5 and 6 after the events of their last one-shot! Watch as the adventurers gain more experience, increase their abilities, and choose new domain deck cards.
- Releases Thursday, June 13th at 10am Pacific on Beacon and YouTube
The Menagerie Part 3
Daggerheart Open Beta
The Menagerie is back again! Join Game Master Matthew Mercer as he leads the cast of Critical Role through a LIVE one-shot using the Daggerheart system!
- Airs LIVE on Thursday, June 13th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD releases immediately after for Beacon Members, Twitch Subscribers, and YouTube Members
- Rebroadcasts Friday, June 14th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Thursday, June 27th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out June 27th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
The Legend of Vox Machina: Season 3 Trailer
Through the eyes of Vax’ildan, the golden thread of fate connects to the adventures yet to come.
---
Season 3 begins October 3rd!
[Spoilers C3E97] Episode Discussion
Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST
> | Runtime | Break start| > | :------ | :------ | > | 3h 42m | 1h 53m |
Episode 97: Ancient Sins
Upon hearing that Ludinus Da'leth was indeed not on Ruidus, but was dealing with another important factor in Exandria that had been noted to be towards Eiselcross (specifically in the long-buried and frozen ruins of Aeor) to the far north of Wildemount. After gathering yourselves, Dorian Storm was returned to the troop. Gathering some materials in Zadash after an interrogation, after making some orders and setting yourselves up for a dangerous and chilly journey, and a number of failed teleports, you managed to finally arrive on the outskirts of the ruins of Aeor. Your guide (revealed to be Essek Thelyss, a fugitive from the Kryn Dynasty) had previously had experience wandering through these ruins a number of times. Guiding you through, you began to traverse the subterranean ice-covered layers; the strange and oddly magical, and magic-altering auras that occasionally flow through this space. You found the shattered, broken (and in some cases, still locked in time) memory of this ancient mage city. As you began to delve towards the central portion of the Genesis Ward (in which, looking for information on this locale that came up in the interrogation; The Occultus Thalamus seemed to be tied to what Ludinus has been doing down here and where he likely will be) you investigated a Vanguard tent that had been built in one of these city streets that still remained. Investigating, you found the people within had all been slaughtered, Vanguard members, bloodily. Looking into its history and the scene of the crime, it looked like one of their own had done the deed before killing themselves, after carving an odd symbol into their chest with a blade. During this investigation, some heavy thuds were heard nearby and as you all gathered yourselves, and darted off into the nearby shadows, some strange creature began to lumber around. This massive, elongated, gray-and-black-fleshed entity (with these sunken jowls seemingly-faceless, and this odd, bug mouth of teeth in the center of its torso) began to (seemingly stirred by the sounds and conversation you were making) look about the space. One of you, unfortunately, had a rough time hiding and caught its attention, where a number of these translucent, armored, chitinous, insectoid creatures began to emerge from its mouth and crawl across the ground in your direction.
---
Previous Episode: "Shadows New and Old"
Re-Slayer's Take: Getting To Know The Team
Game Masters: Nick Williams and George Primavera
- Farah Vallari (Jasmine Chiong) Level 5 Half-Elf Blood Hunter, Order of the Ghostslayer ! > A half-elven woman with silver hair. She sits tall and proud, her worn, studded-leather armor (that she no longer fills out) suggests a life of adventure she has long left behind.
- Frog (Caroline Lux) Level 5 Aeormaton Monk, Way of the Cobalt Soul ! > Frog stands about six feet ten inches tall. Her body is humanoid in shape, but metallic in nature. She is copper gilded with ornate accents that now have taken on a greenish patina over time. To cover this up and blend in more, she wears a hooded poncho and belted, high-waisted corduroy trousers. When she's active, her eyes glow a dull blue, so she wears large round spectacles to dim them. Across her back she has a worn leather knapsack, which holds her most prized possession: a beat up looking journal where she jots down all her notes and discoveries.
- Heera Agneheart (Jasmine Bhullar) Level 5 Tiefling Rogue, Inquisitive ! > Heera is a tiefling with an ochre complextion. She wears leather armor embossed with henna designs, strapped over green, emerald green, and Prussian blue silks. She has water buffalo-style horns that she ties with ribbons and peacock feathers.
- Idrin Shadowstep (Jasper Cartwright) Level 5 Uniya (Elf-Orc) Wizard, Chronurgy Magic ! > On the back of his left hand is a tattoo of the moon. On the back of his right hand, there is a corresponding tattoo of the sun. He wears matching gold earrings in both ears. He's wearing flowing robes in tones of reds and browns and golds with a pattern that looks like fragments of a starry sky. Then he moves his hand to his satchel that sits on his left hip next to a dagger. He reaches in and finds a silver coin that rests between his clay-toned fingers and his painted black nails.
- Timpani Guff (Nick Williams) Level 11 Firbolg Druid, Circle of the Shepherd NPC ! > A shorter-than-average, more-portly-than-average firbolg. With a shock of red hair on top of his head, coming out of his ears, and in the form of a large bristly moustache on his face. He wears canvassy pants that have been patched over many times, a simple tunic, and a barn coat that is in similarly bad repair.
- Poogs (George Primavera) Level 3 Goblin Fighter NPC ! > The first thing you notice about this goblin are his perfectly straight white teeth (upon his release from The Curse of Strife, his first free action was to remove all his teeth and found a wizard to replace them).
---
S1E1 The Carnivorous Cube Four adventurers journey to the humble town of Himblewood in hopes of joining the legendary Slayer’s Take. But when their goal seems just within reach, mayhem breaks loose at the market.
We open on a chilly, misty morning in the Vesper Timberland. As the citizens of the humble town of Himblewood begin preparing for their festive montly market. The vibrant, lush woodland of the Vesper Timberland frames the town in a truly picturesque embrace and soon, colorful tents and awnings are erected all along Himblewood's uneven cobblestone streets. The plain hodgepodge of houses and shops are quickly accented with decorative streamers, gawdy signage, and flamboyant displays and as noon rolls around, the market gets into full swing. The air is filled with a variety of dazzling aromas. The smells of fruity frosted cakes, pungent stinky cheeses, and briney slimey fish mix in the air. At the edge of a street band's captive crowd, we see a tall hooded figure looking shyly on. A figure we know as Frog... The band's song ends. There's a polite applause from the surrounding crowd, and then the crowd begins to disperse. As you wander on, Frog, you reach a small eatery with barrels stacked up behind a small counter with a couple of chairs and tables spread out on the cobblestone main road. At a countertop, there is a hunched figure that seems to repel everyone else's presence. Even the shopkeep behind the counter mixing colorful beverages, seems to avoid her gaze. Frog, it strikes you just how lonely this must be for someone to sit all alone on such a joyful day. Turning to see who just sat next to her, we see Farah... Frog, as you stare joyfully ahead, Farah scrutinizes your person. Farah, you notice sticking out of the pocket of this enormous figure's corduroys, is a familiar red-hued piece of parchment. One that you happen to have in your own pocket... At the fishmongers at the other side of the market, standing in front of an enormous and bizarrely-colored swordfish on a bed of ice, we see Idrin Shadowstep...
S1E2 The Bog House The party is assailed by sinister snowmen in the forest. After one of their rank is taken, they must venture further into the ghostly light for answers.
S1E3 The Frozen Puppet Finding themselves in a spectral tundra, the party delves deeper into caves once explored by the legendary adventurers, Vox Machina.
S1E4 The Voiceless Village Following a lead about travelers disappearing in swampland far to the west, the newly-formed Re-Slayer’s Take travel to the backwater town of Josgren’s Hollow where nothing is as it seems.
S1E5 The Whispers (featuring Dominic Monaghan) The Will-O’-Whispers descend upon our heroes, forcing them to look for allies in unlikely places.
Podcast Addict RSS Links
Programming Schedule: Week of June 3rd, 2024
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 3 releases Monday, June 3rd on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episodes 5 releases Monday, June 3rd at 5am Pacific only on Beacon
Candela Obscura Cooldown:
The Circle of the Silver Screen
Join Spenser Starke, Matthew Mercer, Khary Payton, Marisha Ray, Laura Bailey, and Taliesin Jaffe as they discuss the events of their LIVE Candela Obscura One-Shot after the show.
- Releases Monday, June 3rd at 12pm Pacific only on Beacon
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 7 releases Tuesday, June 4th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 20 releases Tuesday, June 4th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
- Campaign 3, Episode 21 releases Friday, June 7th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
4-Sided Dive, Episode 24
Discussing Up to Campaign 3, Episode 96
Join Robbie Daymond, Laura Bailey, Marisha Ray, and Matthew Mercer as they discuss the return of Dorian Storm, the current state of the group, and the continuous moon nonsense still afoot! They’ll, of course, also pull questions from the Tower of Inquiry and play a very “relaxing” game called WE’RE DOOMED!
- Airs Tuesday, June 4th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Tuesday, June 4th at 7pm Pacific on Beacon
- VOD out Wednesday, June 5th on YouTube at 12pm Pacific
- Podcast out Tuesday, June 11th on your favorite podcast streaming service
MIDST: Season 3
Join our three mischievous and unreliable narrators as they spin a surreal, sci-fantasy, space-western tale about complicated antiheroes making bad decisions in a world on the edge of disaster.
- Episode 17 releases Wednesday, June 5th on YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 19 (the series finale of Midst!) will release on June 12th for subscribers.
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 97
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, June 6th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, June 6th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, June 7th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, June 10th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out June 13th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
NOTE: There will not be a new episode of Critical Role on June 13th due to our Bells Hells Live Show on June 15th.
Instead, we will be airing a new installment of The Menagerie in a Daggerheart LIVE One-Shot!
Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 97
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 97! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, June 6th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
Candela Obscura Anniversary Live Show Broadcast
Candela Obscura is 1 Year Old!
> We recorded our Candela Obscura Live Show from our Los Angeles event on May 25th! Come check out this special one-shot with players Matthew Mercer, Laura Bailey, Marisha Ray, and Khary Payton with a story led by led by Game Master Spenser Starke. The inimitable Taliesin Jaffe also joined us as our Master of Ceremonies!
Candela Obscura is a tabletop roleplaying game that places you in the roles of investigators working for an esoteric order. In this game of investigative horror, individuals of varied talents are brought together under the organization Candela Obscura. You’ll pursue strange occurrences and encounter dangerous magicks, fighting back against a mysterious source of corruption and bleed. Candela Obscura is the first to use the Illuminated Worlds System, a system that uses 6-sided dice and lends itself to narrative, arc-driven play.
The Circle of the Silver Screen
Alternate Front End VoD
Credits
- Lead Game Design: Spenser Starke and Rowan Hall
- Written By: Rowan Hall and Spenser Starke
- Editor: Karen Twelves
- Managing Editor: Matthew Key
- Production: Ivan Van Norman and Alex Uboldi
- Proofreading: Jacky Leung
- Additional Game Design: Christopher Grey, Tracey Harrison, and Taliesin Jaffe
- Layout: De La Rosa Design
- Cultural Consultants: Basheer Ghouse, Pam Punzalan, Erin Roberts, Christine Sandquist, Liam Stevens
- Military & Political Consultant: Anthony Joyce-Rivera
- Game Development Consultant: Mike Underwood
- Additional Editing: Jared Deiro, Darcy Ross
- Additional Writing: Carlos Cisco, Tracey Harrison, Anthony Joyce-Rivera, Sam Maggs, Mike Underwood
- Graphic Design: Aaron Monroy, Bryan Weiss
- Artists: Shaun Ellis, Jamie Harrison, Allie Irwin, Amelia Leonards, Lily McDonnell, Justin O’Neal, Sunga Park, Gustavo Rodrigues Pelissari, Doug Telford
- Map Design: Marc Moureau
- Cover Artist: John Harper (Limited Edition), De La Rosa Design (Standard)
- Artist / Ancient Languages / Spell Design: Stevie Morley
- Original Concept Created By: Taliesin Jaffe and Chris Lockey
- Illuminated Worlds System Design: Stras Acimovic and Layla Adelman
- Illuminated Worlds Preliminary Design: Daniel Kwan, Eloy Lasanta, Matthew Mercer
Purchase Available in:
- Critical Role shops (US, UK, CA, AU, and EU, standard & limited, bundled with a PDF)
- Darrington Press Guild stores (standard & limited)
- Other friendly local game stores (standard only)
- Demiplane’s Candela Obscura Nexus
Programming Schedule: Week of May 27th, 2024
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 2 releases Monday, May 27th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 4 releases Monday, May 27th at 5am Pacific only on Beacon.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 6 releases Tuesday, May 28th at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 18 releases Tuesday, May 28th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
- Campaign 3, Episode 19 releases Friday, May 31st at 10am Pacific on Beacon
MIDST: SEASON 3
Join our three mischievous and unreliable narrators as they spin a surreal, sci-fantasy, space-western tale about complicated antiheroes making bad decisions in a world on the edge of disaster.
- Episode 16 releases Wednesday, May 29th on YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 18 releases Wednesday, May 29th at 5am Pacific for paid subscribers and Beacon members
Daggerheart Cooldown
Get a behind the scenes look at our Menagerie Part 2 Cooldown session! Experience the cast’s post-show reactions for our Daggerheart Open Beta LIVE One -Shot!
- Releases Thursday, May 30th at 12pm Pacific only on Beacon.
Character Creation for Candela Obscura Live Show
Get an exclusive look at the character creation session for our Candela Obscura LIVE event!
- Releases Thursday, May 30th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon.
Candela Obscura LIVE Show Event
We recorded our Candela Obscura Live Show from our Los Angeles event on May 25th! Come check out this special one-shot with players Matthew Mercer, Laura Bailey, Marisha Ray, and Khary Payton with a story led by led by Game Master Spenser Starke. The inimitable Taliesin Jaffe also joined us as our Master of Ceremonies!
- Airs Thursday, May 30th at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, May 30th at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, May 31st at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VOD out Monday, June 3rd at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out June 6th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Three Big Bads Everyone Should Know
Flashback to Campaign 2
In the yuan-ti (snek ppl) temple on Urukayxl, the Mighty Nein saw three murals:
- one showing a gigantic sea serpent emerging from the water with many small eyes of amber and three large eyes
- one of a worm-like creature with three eyes of ivory inside its mouth, plowing through the earth
- and one depicting a giant purple bird with fire-like wings and three eyes of onyx
The three lesser idols have a pact: if one escapes, it will help the others.
Uk'otoa, The Great Leviathan
! Uk'otoa is a creation of Zehir, the Cloaked Serpent, and lived in Lucidian Ocean south of Wildemount. When Zehir was sealed beyond the Divine Gate at the end of The Calamity, Uk'otoa was left masterless and without purpose. He claimed the domain of his master, the Lucidian Ocean, for himself. Zehir, enraged, ordered a secret sect of his Marquesian worshipers to seal Uk'otoa in the seafloor of the Lucidian Ocean. With the help of a cult leader in the Allegiance of Allsight, Zehir's worshipers defaced and corrupted a series of Uk'otoa's temples with Zehir's influence and used them to successfully imprison Uk'otoa with three seals. Uk'otoa typically reaches out to sailors, particularly those shipwrecked.
Mighty Nein London
In Misuthar 837 PD, a storm giant follower of Uk'otoa named Thoonum and seven deep scions, including a mage, attacked the Nein Heroez and successfully retrieved the last Cloven Crystal to free Uk'otoa from his bonds. Uk'otoa sent Fjord a vision just prior to the attack, telling him "I found you." The scions were able to unleash Uk'otoa by breaking the seal in the final temple in the Cyrios End Forest. This awakened a statue of Zehir, who initially blamed the Mighty Nein for unleashing his creation, then tasked them with going after Uk'otoa and demanded a pact and Fjord obliged. Uk'otoa created a massive storm in the southern Lucidian Ocean, near Brokenbank. The Mighty Nein chartered the Drensala Vis to take them there so they could fight Uk'otoa. They ultimately defeated Uk'otoa, and Fjord, using the runes put upon him by Zehir, re-sealed the leviathan. When he did so, Uk'otoa vanished, leaving three new Cloven Crystals, which Fjord collected and hid.
Quajath, The Undermaw
! Quajath was either created or birthed by Torog, and acted as his scout during the battles of the Calamity. It was presumed dead when a sizable chunk of its body was left on the final battlefield, but a small piece was able to crawl to Eiselcross and burrow beneath the icy surface to rest and regrow. When Quajath attempted to rise again, it found itself trapped beneath the thick ice of Eiselcross, where it still remains as of 835 PD.
- Quajath exerts telepathic control over those who eat of its perpetually regenerating flesh; the influence is stronger if the flesh is eaten sooner. Eating is not necessary, though: by mere proximity, a cryogenically preserved sample of Quajath's tissue telepathically influences a clan of kobolds in Blightshore
Desirat, The Twilight Phoenix
! Desirat was the companion and mount of Asmodeus during the wars of the Calamity. She was captured and imprisoned beneath Mount Mentiri by the original pre-Divergence Cerberus Assembly and remains there, contributing to the geothermal activity in the area. In the 843 PD Apogee Solstice, the wards that bound Desirat to Mount Mentiri were dispelled. Desirat passed over Zadash, damaging several buildings before moving on.
The Julous Dominion
The Julous Dominion was established "numerous decades" after the Divergence, when the nomadic peoples who struggled for survival, battling hunger among barren, rocky lands of the Marrow Valley, defending themselves against wild beasts, and fighting with each other over fertile land. Among the chaos, small civilizations started to emerge, eventually united around the central township of Zadash. The town built in the center of the valley around 435 PD or about four hundred years before 835 PD, and ruled by the Julous family (by some accounts, a family of noble blood taking its roots before the Calamity). The discovery of Herathis mine, a rich platinum mine within the Julous Dominion, further increased the appeal for empire's expansion. Religious uprisings swept the Dwendalian Empire but were swiftly scattered, and the rebellious priests executed by Emperor Manfried Dwendal in the event that would be called the Admonition. To distract the public's outrage from this event, the emperor proclaimed the Julous Dominion an enemy of the empire, and later that year, declared a diversion war on the neighboring nation, called the Marrow War. Baron Inock Julous and Baroness Tessandra Julous attempted to hold a peace negotiation, but were executed on Emperor Manfried's order at the event. Their bodies were displayed publicly along with the narrative that they had attempted an assassination on the emperor during the peace talks. Left without both of their rulers, the Julous Dominion ceased to exist and was subsumed into the Dwendalian Empire. How much you wanna bet that there were two surviving members of the Julous family named Cyrus and Brontë?
[Spoilers C3E96] Episode Discussion
Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST
> | Runtime | Break start| > | :------ | :------ | > | 4h 06m | 1h 45m |
Episode 96: Shadows New and Old
After speaking with Keyleth (about the next leg of their ability to aid the coming dangers and the Ruby Vanguard's plots upon Ruidus), with a thread of information that Ludinus Da'leth seems to be entwined in a place called the Ruins of Aeor to the far northeast in a land called Eiselcross. You were granted (from an ally to the Exandrian Accord here, an individual who has some experience here, a stealth mage who was revealed at some point during an interrogation in the city of Zadash to be a figure really called Essek Thelyss of the Kryn Dynasty) discovering a little bit of information about where Ludinus might be within these ruins after interrogating a member of the Cerberus Assembly here in the city of Zadash within Wildemount, you began to do your preparation for a journey to a very chilly place to the far north. After doing a little bit of shopping (picking up some new acquisitions, and making some orders for some wardrobe that'll help you in many ways, but as well some cloaks to stay warm in such a cold area) you went to the Lodge of the Eclipse, watched a show, drank a bit, and all of you went to rest for a night before you went on this odd and dangerous leg of your journey into the unknown. In the middle of the night while everyone was asleep, Laudna, seeing the very blade that had speared her and many friends on the back of Orym, attempted to take it while he rested. However, he awoke, and a scuffle began to ensue, fighting over control of this blade and arguing amongst what should be done with it. When the rest of the team had awoken and the argument had not resolved, Imogen and Laudna escaped out the window to the rooftop, where it seems there is still quite a bit of tension about what has transpired and what is going on between this group of friends. Here, as Laudna and Imogen hold each other, trying to understand what is to come, we return.
---
Previous Episode: "Gathering of Needs"
Thumbnail origin (click)
There was an unscheduled testing of the live stream before the fireside chat on Tuesday and an impromptu Beyblade tournament was displayed with backdoor gambling, brackets and fights. Just some mad goofin.
Programming Schedule: Week of May 20th, 2024
Please note that these broadcasts are only scheduled for the times listed below.
The Re-Slayer’s Take: Season 1
Episode 1 (Podcast)
Episodes 1-3 (Beacon)
Follow the escapades of the second-coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria: The Re-Slayer’s Take! After six misfit mercenaries are rejected from the elite monster hunting group, The Slayer’s Take, they band together, battling supernatural creatures across the rugged continent of Issylra.
- Episode 1 releases Monday, May 20th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episodes 1-3 releases Monday, May 20th at 5am Pacific only on Beacon.
Critical Role Abridged
All the twists and turns of an episode of Critical Role in half the time! In Critical Role Abridged, the rich tapestry of a Critical Role campaign is lovingly distilled to its most pivotal, hilarious, and poignant moments in about 60-90 minutes per episode.
- Campaign 3, Episode 5 releases Tuesday, May 21st at 10am Pacific on YouTube
- Campaign 3, Episode 16 releases Tuesday, May 21st at 10am Pacific on Beacon
- Campaign 3, Episode 17 releases Friday, May 24th at 10am Pacific on Beacon
Fireside Chat LIVE with Matthew Mercer
Join us in the tavern for a monthly Ask Me Anything (AMA) series where you can sit down with us and learn more about our Critical Role cast and guests! Questions will be curated directly from Beacon members via Discord and each episode will feature a different cast member for a 30-60 minute fireside chat. Cozy up by the fire and enjoy the deep dive with us!
- Starts Tuesday, May 21st at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
MIDST: Season 3
Episode 15 (YouTube, Podcast)
& Episode 17 (Subscribers, Beacon)
Join our three mischievous and unreliable narrators as they spin a surreal, sci-fantasy, space-western tale about complicated antiheroes making bad decisions in a world on the edge of disaster.
- Episode 15 releases Wednesday, May 22nd on YouTube at 10am Pacific and your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
- Episode 17 releases Wednesday, May 22nd at 5am Pacific for paid subscribers and Beacon members
Critical Role: Campaign 3, Episode 96
Bells Hells continue on their adventure…
- Airs Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube
- VOD and Podcast out Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
- Rebroadcasts Friday, May 24th at 12am Pacific and 9am Pacific on Twitch
- VoD out Monday, May 27th at 12pm Pacific on YouTube
- Podcast out May 30th on your favorite podcast streaming service at 5am Pacific
Critical Cooldown: Campaign 3, Episode 96
Get a backstage pass to Campaign 3, Episode 96! You’ll be right there at the table immediately after Matt says “Is it Thursday yet?”, experiencing the cast’s post-show reactions.
- Releases Thursday, May 23rd at 7pm Pacific only on Beacon
Vox Machina Season 3 footage will be shown at IGN Live
IGN Live, IGN’s new in-person fan event, is only one month away, and more exclusive game, entertainment, and comic partners are being announced daily.
> The cast of The Legend of Vox Machina will be in person at IGN Live to reveal an exclusive sneak peek at Season 3! Grab your tickets to the event to make sure you don’t miss out on the fun. > IGN Live, IGN’s new in-person fan event, is only one month away, and more exclusive game, entertainment, and comic partners are being announced daily. For a full list of partners, scroll below and be sure to check back daily for updates on new partner reveals!
> If you’re interested in attending the event, tickets for IGN Live are on sale now.
> For those not able to attend the show in person, don’t worry! IGN has you covered. Content from the event June 7-9 will be streaming live across IGN platforms.
[Spoilers C3E95] Episode Discussion
Watch the episode live on Twitch and YouTube at 7pm PST. Restreams on Twitch at midnight and the next day at 9am PST
> | Runtime | Break start| > | :------ | :------ | > | 4h 39m | 2h 10m |
Episode 95: Gathering of Needs
Bell's Hells, after returning from Ruidus (and reuniting with their old friend, Dorian Storm), are in the final throes of gathering what information, power and allies they (and the rest of Exandria) can before trying to stop Ludinas Da'leth and the Ruby Vanguard through their alliance with the entities that control Kreviris on the surface of Ruidus from releasing Predathos, the god eater. As such, you've learned a little bit of information about Ludinus not being on Ruidus at the moment, and it seems he's had some dealings with an ancient ruin of one of the many fallen cities from the realm of history known as the Age of Arcanum, particularly a place called Aeor. Some of you may have heard this a little bit in passing history, but more information can be gleaned. What you do know is it apparently contains some ancient magical technology (that is both dangerous as it's being understood and is seemingly being funneled and repurposed through a lot of what the Ruby Vanguard is doing both here on Exandria and on the moon above. So, Ludinus is apparently present and having dealings within these ruins, last you heard. After speaking with Keyleth and the Exandrian Accord (the alliance of all those who ae wanting to stop those who are wanting to stop those responsible for this) you were given, through a series of connections, an escort who had some experience with these ruins. A mage of somewhat schlubby persona, but seemed to be somewhat knowledgeable in their connection with the Cobalt Soul. They had a lead on someone who is a member of the Cerberus Assembly who might know exactly where in these ruins (or at least lead you in the direction of these ruins) where Ludinus might be. Then, you headed towards the city, through teleportation, the city of Zadash in the Dwendalian Empire. These streets seemed to have sustained some recent damage and there was a sense of tension in the air of some recent dangers that seemed to have swept through. As you plug through the streets, getting to the exterior of an interesting little bookshop and a trinket shop known as Chastity's Nook, selling all sorts of knickknacks, decor, and very wonderful smutty romantic books. You were led to the back room, where one of the more recently-hired employees, Erma, had been sitting and reading a book. As this escort mage had spoke a phrase that "Bren sends his regards," immediately tension in the room built into what seemed to be a rapid-paced wizard battle, all of you rushing in and throwing whatever you can to subdue this figure. In the midst of this fray, your escort, this mage, threw down an anti-magic shell, which dispelled the illusion on your target and themself, revealing themself to be a dark elf mage of some esteem, and your target being an individual known as Astrid Becke, a member of the Cerberus Assembly and the Archmage of Civil Influence. Here in this tense moment, as you hold the Archmage back, and this dark elf (who named themselves Essek Thelyss, an enemy of Ludinus Da'leth) you are in the right place to commence an interrogation and discover where you are to tread next. Here as Astrid is held somewhat tense (and realizing in the moment) at your disposal. Essek looks amongst the people in the room around him. "Well, friends, what do we need to know beyond where he may be doing his dealings? Astrid, do you know where Ludinus is? Do you know what he's up to? Do you know how we can find him?" As she sits there, held at bay by a number of you, she grits her teeth for a bit. "I know Ludinus and his cohorts have been working on something in private, reallocating resources and dealing directly with foreign factions in secret. Now, I kept my nose mostly clean of the entire affair and would never have expected his plotting to be so universally disastrous. Knowing the world's sight now falls squarely upon the Assembly following the Solstice, that is why I went into hiding. I am not in league with him. I am not part of his plan. I just do not wish to be imprisoned for something I was not a part of. So, it seems I now join you living as a fugitive, am I not?" Essek just clenches his jaw for a moment. "I will ask you again. What do you know of Ludinus' plot and where his dealings are within the ruins?" She eyes across all of you. "I was not part of his plan, so I do not know specifically, but I know his research is burrowed deep within Eiselcross. Imperial control of the side has been nearly absolute as of late, causing tensions with the Dynasty, and those relations go sour once again. But it seems little care was given when compared to the scope of his plot. My place within the Assembly allowed me a little clearance to inquire to his work, but I do know that he had spent the better part of the last five years within and around the Genesis Ward and beyond. I managed to get a name once from an associate who took a shine to me within his project's outskirts. He mentioned something called the Occultus Thalamus. I am uncertain what that means directly. This individual seemed spooked he had even let it slip. If you're going to look for him (or those that work with him) that might be the place to start."
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