Critical Role - C3 E121 A New Age Begins Part 1

Episode Date: February 13, 2025

Bells Hells return to Exandria with a proposal for the gods and their own visions for the future to come... BEACONWe’re excited to bring you even MORE with a Beacon membership! Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to the shows you love completely ad-free! You’ll receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord. YOUTUBE MEMBERS / TWITCH SUBSCRIBERSTwitch Subscribers and YouTube Members gain instant access to VODs of our shows, moderated live chats, and custom emojis & badges:https://www.youtube.com/criticalrole/joinhttps://www.twitch.tv/criticalrole   "It's Thursday Night (Critical Role Theme Song)" by Peter Habib and Sam RiegelOriginal Music by Omar Fadel, Hexany Audio, Ghiya Rushidat, Karam Salem, Neal Acree, and Colm R. McGuinness"Welcome to Marquet" Art Theme by Colm McGuinnessAdditional Music by Universal Production Music, Epidemic Sounds, and 5 AlarmCharacter Art by Hannah FriederichsAnimated Introduction by Kamille Areopagita, Kevin Areopagita, Mark Adams and Peggy Shi Due to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode.Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it’s useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources 

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Head on over to Beacon.tv to check it out for yourself and start a 7-day free trial. Thank you so much for your support, for being a podcast listener, and for being a part of our community. Hey there, Critters! We are so excited to share with you our brand new podcast from the world of Exandria, The Re-Slayer's Take.

In this audio adventure, you'll be guided through the wild continent of Isilra, home to some of the most dangerous creatures. Here, the Slayer's Take is the most notorious monster hunting group in the realm. But, when previously slain creatures start returning from the grave, it's up to six misfit mercenaries to band together and re-slay these supernatural threats as the re-slayers take.

So come follow along these audio escapades as the second coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria battle a growing undead army of dangerous creatures. The party is led by a duo of game masters, George Primavera and Nick Williams, with the main cast including Jasmine Bular, Caroline Lux, and Jasmine Shion.

Listen to new episodes every Monday anywhere you stream podcasts, or become a Beacon member and listen to the podcast two weeks early and uninterrupted by ads. as it airs, you can tune in on Thursdays at 7 p.m. Pacific at twitch.tv slash Critical Role or at youtube.com slash Critical Role. The video-on-demand versions are immediately available for our Twitch subscribers or on YouTube the following Mondays at 12 p.m. Pacific. Podcast episodes are right here on the Critical Role podcast network on Thursdays, one week after the initial broadcast. All right, the adventure awaits. Let's roll.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. We're Dungeons & Dragons! Thank you for joining us on what is likely to be the conclusion of our third campaign. But before we come into this episode, we do have some announcements to get through this evening.

Marisha, you got some announcements. In case you missed it, we dropped some major updates in our latest state of the roll last week, including what's to come after campaign three? There will be life after campaign three, starting with Brenna Lee Mulligan. What? I know, back in the DM seat as we dive into

a well-known but unexplored age of Exandrian history with EXU Divergence. Diverge. Premiering February 13th. It's going to be great. Matt's playing in this one! I'm a player! Yeah!

Come on, everybody, man! Critical Role! Yeah, I will. But yeah, and then of course, next week, there will be no, man! Critical Role! I will. But yeah, and then of course next week there will be no new episode of Critical Role. But you can catch Matt in the fireside chat chair over on Beacon to talk about all things Campaign 3. Join the Beacon Discord to submit any of your questions. We will be having a big campaign wrap up,

but we're going to do it after Divergence so we can talk about the whole King Caboola. Laura, you're up. I have this! Da-da-da-da-da-da-da! Yay! What's upside down? Why, so it is for lovers!

That's cute. Artist Ricardo Besa, thank you so much. It's available now in the U. US, Canada, UK, and EU. And! I hear she did. Wait, hold on, my purse is in the way. Okay, this box, you guys. It's big.

WizKids, celebrating Critical Role's 10 year anniversary. Oh wait, I'm not supposed to hold this up yet. With some really exciting new products. A collection of Taste of Exandria food charms featuring delectables from all over Exandria. And, now I can, a life-size figure of Baby Trinket! Oh! Let him out of there!

I'm going to pull him out, I'm going to pull him out! Let him out of the poke box! This figure is made out of... Oh my god. Oh my goodness. He's stuck to the cardboard still! He's made out of soft foam and! This figure is made out of Oh my god. Oh my goodness. It's stuck to the cardboard still. He's made out of soft foam and he's hand-painted.

To show off every claw, tuft of fur, and piece of armor as any of the cutest little baby you've ever seen. They're both available for pre-order right now. You're friendly. Local game store or at WizKids.com. It's a perfect size to punt. Look. He's a size to punt. Look!

He's a baby! Damn, you're old. You probably could have. He's very, very, very funny. Don't encourage him. Should we just keep him up here? Yeah, probably. Sure.

We can get him off this cardboard. We could make a game, like a... We don't need a thing like that. Like rugby? Like rugby, we'll drink it a thing like that. Like rugby? Like rugby with a trinket? Aw. It's super cute. However.

No. I believe this concludes our announcements. No, we've got more announcements. So let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role. Really? Critical. Critical.le. Really? Critical. Critical. It's Thursday night.

One by one we climb until we reach the top. Two by two we fall. Will we meet our end or meet our destiny? Hold your breath and roll. How do you want to do this? It's Thursday night All ye critters come join us It's time to continue our flight

There is magic and mystery Who knows what will happen? Ye might But one thing's for sure We never give up on the fight From the healer to the renegade We all share the same goal Adding more allies, taking more chances

Hold your breath and roll You can certainly try. It's Thursday night. All ye critters, come join us. It's time to continue our play. It's Thursday night. There is magic and mystery from darkness. Our friendship will rise.

When one thing's for sure, We never give up on the fight Oh, get ready It's Thursday night And welcome back. SAM and LAURA say goodbye. And welcome back. So last we left off, through the chaos of Bells Hells, Vox Machina, and Mighty Nein, and many other heroes

that rise up to try and halt the unbridled emergence of the God Eater. Bell's Hells finally is delivered to the core of the Moon Ruidus, where they battle with Pyrrhotos itself, which now, upon its defeat, remains dormant temporarily within its vessel, Imogen Temmeld.

After passing beyond the boundaries that kept it locked away for an untold amount of history, you begin to step to your trek back towards Exandria. Tense interactions with some of the holy armies that marched upon the moon to stop what you are doing at all costs, without maybe understanding the intent behind it. You eventually are given passage to Vasselheim itself.

In the moments of a dim sky, which we will return to momentarily. For back within the core of Ruidus, amongst the scattered subterranean tunnels, a wayward troop of adventurers responsible for defeating the Weavemind and dealing with those who remained to surrender within and around the Arx Creonum,

the Mighty Nein, shoulder to shoulder with the battered, but still surviving Gaztomo and other members with the battered, but still surviving Gaz Tomo and other members of the Volition, suddenly received a message to Mr. Caleb here. Mr. Caleb Widogast. Bells Hell's asking for their aid, some way to free themselves from Ruidus to get back, to get out from where they were,

though not enough to actually find or gather where they might currently reside. And as such, hours have passed since in search. And there we find them, scattered amongst the dark underground. The smell of fungus and a distant sad echo to each word spoken of a relatively silent world.

So a few hours later, then, knowing vaguely where they went, but not knowing the lay of the land, we have been trying to spiral our way down? I imagine so. I just think it's really rude to send a message and say you need help and then not give any kind of follow-up. You're saying that they're bad at sending messages?

Yeah, they're really shit at it. Yeah, they may have other strengths that make up for their lack of performance skills. Maybe they're dead. Oh my gosh, what if they asked us to get us out and you didn't show up, Caleb, and then they all died? This is on me. I'm just saying.

It is all your fault. Most things are. Caduceus, is there anything you can do about this smell? Oh, I hadn't noticed. I don't mind it, actually. No. Could we do the fungus smell? Are there any of these we can eat? I don't think this is fungus.

I'm not sure, I've never seen it before in my life. Honestly, I couldn't even tell you what the smell was. That's... I can do some quick chemical analysis of it. See what it is. Why are you just rubbing your fingers in it? That's really gross. I have a lot of confidence in you. Not in your mouth!

If you would like to make a nature check. I'll lick things. Sure. And first roll, last episode! I finally discover a pedestal! Ooh! I can't read what that is. That's really good. Oh, it's a 17. Oh, you can't read it! No, it's just sauce.

Oh. Dish it out. Yeah! Fair play. Dirty 20. Dirty 20, okay. It definitely has a fungusy mildew flavor to it, but it has contrasting textures.

As you bring it up to taste this weird material, this faint purple, almost like a spongy material, it pulls away and there is a yellowish green contrasting texture to it a yellowish green contrasting texture to it that has a very sweet decay flavor to it. As you pull back, you see the material, this fungus, it's shifting.

There's some sort of, almost like something is growing within the dark color and sharing, occupying the vacuous space between. This is alive, this thing is alive. I'm really glad that we didn't try and interrupt it then. It clearly is, I don't know, it's going through something. Maybe it's pregnant, maybe this is some sort of... Pregnant?

I didn't know mushrooms could get pregnant. We are somewhere beyond our wildest dreams. Who knows how any of this works? This is amazing. I know. I mean, maybe Fjord has a point. Do we need to do a little stompy stompy around this action? Is this bad?

How much of there is it around us? Now that you let your lights expand, you can see the actual fungus in this cavern permeates probably the majority of the surrounding surfaces, the walls and the ceiling around you. There is rock, but as the light passes by, the rock seems to be coated. You can see now as it passes through,

it's almost like two separate trees have grown together with two different textures. It's not until the light hits it that the color variations almost seem to have their own pattern. You faintly can see movement. They're still tethering. These fungus are boning right now. They're getting pregnant.

Yes! They are coming together. Ooh! Let's not bunch something together because we don't know. We should not step on it if it is slime. Yeah, you don't interrupt lovemaking. Growing really fast. If we make it angry, it might grow on us.

I've had a lot of people tell me they want me to step on them. Spark of Static hits your awareness, Aelin. I might be one of them. As a familiar voice comes in. Caleb, I don't know where you are, but wherever it is, you all should come soon. Something big's happening in Vasselheim.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, dear. We will leave as soon as we are able to. Vassalheim. What did they say? Summoning us back. Essekis. And we have to save the Hells? Yeah.

Are you going to use a spell slot? I don't have any, otherwise I would have messaged them earlier. Maybe if he's summoning us back, that means it's done? Don't I have the ability to reply? Yeah, can you reply to this message? I have Ascending Stone.

You have Ascending Stone as well. So I can speak to the little one. The littlest one. I'm right here. The bell's little one. Why littlest one. I'm right here. The bell's little. Why didn't you do that sooner? Because Liam just thought of it. I thought you had a keen mind. Caleb has a keen mind.

I can barely see straight. All right, but I don't want to cock it up, you know, so. You want me to do it for you? No, I'm attuned to it, Jester. I will do it. All right. I was just saying I could do this. I'm pretty sure you could activate it,

and she could talk, if you're holding it. If you want, if you want. I don't think I think I'll do it. Okay. That's all right. I mean, Jester is a very good communicator. Really good. Orym of the Ereshari.

Okay. We are trying to find our way to you. Ask them if they know anything about Vasselheim. Ask them if they're down low or if they're up high. Ask them if they're alive. Jester the Boar. You wasted two words with the Ereshari. He's the one with the purple hair.

That's a three word! Oh shit, three, three! It's a stone! Are you safe? What's taking you so long? Are you getting out? We'll come if we can, if you need. Where are they? Oh, okay, fine. Never mind, I thought you'd get there on your own.

These mushrooms are about to come if they can. World's ending. Orym responds with, Well, where are we in the timeline? Currently, you are in Vasselheim, approaching the Chord. Whoa! Oh shit. Weird soup. Okay, that's right. We want to just move ahead of us.

Weird soup. Wizard. We're in Okay, that's right. We want to just get ahead of us. Weird soup. Wizard. We're in Exandria. Who are you talking to? Beep, beep, do it. You can't fucking escape her! Oh my god! Ask them if they're alive.

Ask them how they're doing. Ask them if they know anything about Buzz Lightyear. Did they get my message? Did he get my message? It's really loud here. I think you have a limited amount of words. You should talk quick. How's the tall woman doing?

Is she okay? Can they reply to this message? Is there a? My upper half changed back, but my lower half hasn't. Come home quick. We immediately cut away now to the early morning light, pushing through a mostly closed curtain

in the interior of a guest bedroom of Whitestone Castle, where a figure is sleeping alone on a bed, her red hair tangled. As a briefly shuddering bit of arcane static wakes you, Keyleth, from your slumber, the voice of Elora Vyse Sorin, pressing into your consciousness. Keyleth, I know it's early, but major things are happening in Vasselheim.

I think you and the rest should be present. All right, no worries. We'll be right there. All right, no worries. We'll be right there. She just rubs her face, just a little puffy from where she probably cried a lot. A little bit of that hungover feeling, but she didn't drink. And I get up and I start wrangling people. You get your stuff together

as you go and grab your curtain. I'm going to immediately go and try and see if Vax is still here. Wouldn't he have been next to you? Sure. Sleep together? No. What you do find, however,

as you open your door to exit your chambers, that faint, very early morning light creeping through is a single black feather that drifts. Without even a moment's more awareness, you already know that he's gone. But right about that moment, a door across the hallway opens and you see the yawning, stretching mass

of Grog Strongjaw pressing out of his morning wake. Oh, yeah. I slept so good. Oh, sorry, that happens every morning. Just ignore it. Oh. No, yeah, that's fine. Oh, wow. Quite the sun, that's fine. Oh, wow.

Quite the sun tree you got there. Hey! I don't know what that means. Where's the others? Have you seen anybody yet? You just woke up. What am I talking about? I'm going to go to Vex's room. Okay.

I like that it's my room. You decorate. Hi, morning. Sorry, I know it's early. Is he here? I was wondering if you knew that answer. Is he? Where did he sleep last night? I snuck away when you all were talking.

I'm sorry. It's all right. It was hard, I'm sure. We stayed up quite a while, but I don't think he used it. I get the feeling he's not here anymore. We're requested in Vasselheim. I'm going to go find the others. Keyleth? Yes? I love you, dear.

I love you, too. And I'm so very proud of how strong you are. When it's required of me. Maybe this isn't the end. We'll see how Bell's house did. Did he? Never mind. I go find the others. Who would probably be up early in the morning, crack of dawn early? I got up to go get some trinket bear claws from the Slayer's Cake for everybody.

But I'm having trouble carrying them, because I don't have hands. Wait, what? Oh, because you're still a horse. It's a good thing you've got Zirkonos at your side. You have your arms. Oh, I do have arms. I do have arms.

I can't sleep. I can't have that work for a second. You can't feel them? I have six appendages for breakfast. Yeah, oh wow. One hand? Cool. This whole time, you thought you had no arms? They're just hanging limply.

I don't know what to do. I like that you buzzed it. You buzzed my balls because I couldn't remember a magic item, and he thinks he has no arms. I don't have arms. They're right there. Oh god! Here, give me my clip-clops. Oh my god. Oh god.

Wait, are you with him? I would like to be beside you, if that's all right. Oh, of course! Yes. You cannot get rid of me, and I'll be helping you carry them with you. Are you riding him, or are you walking alongside him? Ride him, ride him, ride him! Would you allow me?

Hop on, big boy! It's my greatest honor. I'll bear back immediately. Yes! It's warm. Yeah, you bet it is. I think she really likes you. I think you made a really good impression. You are an excellent coach.

When you have time, I have a small list of jokes, puns, and quips I'd like to run by you for future endeavors. It's always good to prep them ahead of time. That really makes them really feel off the cuff. Yes, thank you. I'll explain them to you. They're funnier when you explain them. Okay, sure, we'll work on your delivery.

But just be, I mean, I would say be yourself, but I don't think that that's a good idea. I get it. I'm not humorous. Do you drink? Do you take spice? Have you ever spiced? I have never spiced. Maybe some spice would do you good. Just to loosen you up.

I'm looking at you. Oh, okay. This is awkward, but. I wouldn't leave you behind. You're turning into a ninja. Oh, I have hands! If you don't tell the others, I would try once, but just with you. Really?

You seem like you would be a good babysitter. I would. I have some in my saddlebag back there. Oh, maybe later, maybe later. Oh, okay, okay, okay. We'll wait until the time is right. I feel like it has to be the right environment. Sure, sure. A safe, dark space, friends around.

Do you want her there, too? For the first time? Well, it might be a bonding experience. You might confess things. Oh my god, I'm so excited about this idea. Yes. Okay, I'm so excited about this idea. Yes. Okay, I'll set it up. Just grinning ear to ear.

The rest of you, the rest of you meaning probably just you at this point. Yes, I, knowing that Vax did not take the best room, I did. So I am sleeping and still snoring in the ginormous bed, just finally getting the best sleep. Just sleeping like a baby. All right, who's the first to wake Pike?

Me. The door just splinters out of the room. No, no, roll for that. They really don't make these as strong as they should. Look at this big bed! One up, but, ah! Do, do, do, do! Ah!

Hydro Splat. Ah! Boom, boom! Ah! Ah, ah, ah! Ah, pick her up, just a friend. How'd you sleep? I slept so good.

Really? Yeah, weirdly. After all of the events, I don't feel like I've ever slept so well. Wow, maybe there was like a big cathartic release. I think that's what it was. A cardiac... You actually said it right the first time.

Amazing. What's going on? Was everybody up? I don't know. I just came in here first. Do you have any food? Oh no, Key lifts up and she looked concerned. Oh. I wonder if Axe is still here. We should go see.

I don't think he is, which is why I slept in this bed. Because I figured he was not going to come in here, so I just. And you just claimed it? I did. That was smart. Yeah, let's go see.

But brush your teeth first, because goddamn. He goes down to the fireplace in the sitting area where everyone was chatting last night before she slinked off and ghosted to see if maybe Vax passed out next to the fire. Unfortunately, no sign. Okay. The sadness and expectation meet the middle of your mind, and as you process it, the smell of fresh baked goods

fills your nose as two of your companions enter from the outside of the castle. Oh, you're up. I am, yeah. I tossed and turned a lot last night. We brought breakfast. Oh! Oh, did they not box them for you?

Just on the floor. Did you just hold them? We were in a hurry. Loosey-goosey. Okay, okay. The truth is, he fell off and they spilled all over the ground. We had to pick them up.

You were riding. I'm not good at carrying. That's the problem. I see, because you have little T-Rex hands. They seem very normal to me. I feel like that's rude to him. Oh, well, it's Scanlan. It's how we show love.

It's okay. Oh, okay. I'm Scanlan. It's how we show love. It's okay. Oh, okay. I'm sorry if I'm overprotective of you. No, I like it. I like it. I am your peer. Oh, yes. I feel a little messed up over the last few days. I'm sorry.

She's cool. She's cool. Yeah, I'm sorry. He knows that. Don't worry. You can trust her. Known each other for 40 years. Okay, it's fine. Who knows that? Don't worry, you can trust her. Known each other for 40 years. Okay, it's fine. We come downstairs.

Trinket, they went to get bear claws for you, apparently. I'm plating the bear claws. Oh, they're for us, apparently. Wait, wait, wait, why weren't these boxed? You know we have to go, baskets. Yes, we do. Apparently he fell off of Scanlan in the box. I don't just.

We're riding Scanlan? Really? Yes. Exciting. His haunches are firm yet supple. We've heard. Where'd you sleep last night? I slept in the best room in the house.

Well, you weren't in my room, so that's not true. Well, there's many great rooms in this house. I slept where I thought Vax was going to. And he... He's in here. Yeah, you know, I got a message from Allura, very first thing cracked on this morning, and she's requesting us in Vasselheim.

She said it was important. So I think we should snap to it. I'm going to run over, and I'm going to hug Keyleth very tightly. Are you okay? Yeah, I'll be okay. I'm always okay.

I love you very much. I love you, too. I love you, too. I love all of you. Let's go maybe get some good news. Or bad news. Maybe it's all bad. Maybe it's all a condition. No, we're together. It's always going to be good when we're together.

You know, we haven't done a group trip in a long time. I know we've all been scattered and you've been finding yourself for whatever midlife crisis you've had. But I don't know. It's been a while since a Dolan's Closet, so maybe we could plan that for the future.

A bit of family might be nice. Fun. Yeah. I'm in. Yeah, me too. And you can come, too. Thank you. I didn't want to be weird, as you feel like.

I assume we're peers. I was also summoned. Yes. Yes. Yeah. You can transport eight of us, right? Through plants, yeah. As long as you just got six seconds, you just got to sprint. You should go ask if Leetel should join us.

Shall I? Yes. Where is she? I don't know. Where is she? Why are you talking to the she? I don't know. Where is she? Why are you talking to the wall? You don't know? I think she's staying in Vasselheim. I think you'll find her in Vasselheim.

Oh, all right. I'm sorry for my impropriety. His energy is infectious. It's something. Yeah. I feel infectious is an absolutely appropriate word. Scanlan? Infectious, I've heard that before.

Was her name infectious? How did you know? As we shift back from there. Too powerful. Too powerful. Level 20 druids! Yep. To the... BAMF over. Well, as you all start heading towards the Sun Tree.

And we BAMF there. We all, we come to your troop, Bells Hells. Oh shit. Tensely walking through the quiet, still, crowded, staring streets of Vasselheim. Beyond the main exterior walls, you realize what you thought adjusting from your trip from Ruidus and beyond was perhaps a morning light, is indeed the transition to evening,

a sunset more than a sunrise. The glow of the setting sun kind of throwing the pinks and purples across the clouds that consume the majority of the air above. The passing of the recent gentle snowstorm itself starting to break to glimpses of a blue sky. Cold wind strikes through as you just watch a populace stepping from their buildings to see what is going on.

The aftermath of the recent conflict. The tension in the wake of priests and clergy speaking of days of uncertainty, and a moment that may have already come, or soon will, in which everything shall change. As you are escorted by the most elite and decorated of Vasselheim Bastion soldiers and leaders, you can sense, without even needing to look,

the hundreds of weapons that are trained on you with every step. As every soldier, every piece of militia, armed civilian that looks towards you, every soldier, every piece of militia, armed civilian that looks towards you, there is a combination of fear and mistrust, and for some, a bit of hope. Even those that looked upon you with friendliness and threw behind you when you last left the city,

your arrival here brings an unease that is palpable. And as you step within each progressive interior guardian wall of the ancient Dawncradle city itself. You watch as the gathering populace grows denser and denser towards the base of the Heavenstare Mountain. Are we on trial? I think everyone here is just holding their breath. What exactly are we supposed to tell them?

I have a feeling they have some sort of idea already. They probably sent word. Remember, it's about leverage. We have all the leverage. Yeah. We need to speak to the gods, not just the people.

We have some experience. We've spoken to a few already. Will they come to us? I don't know. Maybe. Do we signal them somehow with a spell or a... Wait, can you do it? You're...

I mean, I don't think I can just... They're probably aware. I feel like they know. Does Imogen look like Imogen right now, or is she still in the form of? Imogen looks like Imogen. Okay. Though because of your Ruidus-borne connection to her, you do feel there is almost a layer of intensity

to the thrumming heartbeat of that energy that connects the two of you. Make a perception check for me, Fearne. Wait, let me get back to Fearne. Just a couple characters juggled here in 30 minutes. It's fine. Just sorting through my tabs. Just sorting through. Get to the correct tab.

Oh, it's almost good, but my perception's pretty good. Oh! Okay. 22. 22 is quite good. Sheesh. You recognize what you can only assume to be the alien presence of Pardothos

contained within your friend, sensible through that Ruidian connection. And you swear it's just getting faintly stronger each time you pick it up. That as reduced as you may have made it, it's definitely temporary. It doesn't take long for you to glance and see that those that once looked upon the interior chambers

of the Platinum Sanctuary, the high priests and Don Marshals of this city, that all looked down at you with concern to trust, now all look like they're on the other end of a standoff. And as you reach a point in your progression towards the deep heart of this city, that council does not move, signaling the end of your journey,

as now you stop and look around and the entire populace is upon you. Are we just in an open square section of the city? The open of the center of the city at the base of the Heavenstair Mountain, the massive staircase that climbs up to the Platinum Sanctuary, the peak itself still casting shadow down

as the light is getting dimmer and dimmer. Anyone trailing us? Anyone hovering above us? Above you, you can see perched all among the mountain what looks to be various snow griffins that are armored with barding. You can see all sections of the surrounding city. You can see thousands upon thousands of civilians

in the distance, but the remaining armies of Vasselheim and guest militia that survived the conflict at the Malleus Key are all trained upon you. Highbearer Vord steps out from the opposing line. Bells held. You have stepped into the very center of the Moonvilomen, charged with the means of our pantheon's salvation.

charged with the means of our pantheon's salvation. Conflicting reports speak that perhaps you were agents for the God Eater. Please clarify what you represent and what news you bring back. We don't have time. That's the news we bring. It doesn't matter what you think.

We didn't go there to sow chaos. We went there to help. And we're running out of time. We seek counsel with the gods. It is imperative that we talk to them as soon as possible. Earthbreaker Gruun, off to the side of the front line, speaks. And what of Berdothos? We stopped Ludinus from using his power.

The only option we had was to contain it for the time being. Where is it contained? And with his voice, you swear you can hear a crackle of thunder rolling in the distance as a cloud grows darker on the periphery. Orym just steps in front of Imogen, in front of the entire crowd.

That's his answer. The Highbearer acknowledges with the faintest of nods, and the only time you've ever seen fear enter the eyes of one of the Eldest Dawn Marshals of the Eldest City. She bears the God Eater. What do you intend? Do you expect us to tell you? We're here to talk to the gods.

We represent the pantheon of this world and have for generations. People have died and given their entire family's future to see your safety to your destination. All we ask is clarity. We seek counsel with them to ensure their survival. And it's at this point,

emerging from the opposite side of the circle, the black-veiled mistresses of the matron step from the outer edge. That's stressing me out, man. Go to her. All right. One of them steps forward and plucks what looks like a black bead of obsidian

and rolls it into the snow before her. It carves a path before the black begins to roll out. Then it casts this faintest shade that extends out hundreds of feet, like a black bird expanding its wings impossibly wide. There's a communal gasp and the sound of armor shuffling

as soldiers step onto their back foot, as weapons clatter to their side. And you watch as this black bird-like form, immaterial but present, rises into a spectral shape of a cloaked female, her white mask standing. Protective of your troop, like a dome of black, sheer silk.

She's over top of us? Whoa. Cool. That's so cool. If you look up, you can see straight up her dress. Is she wearing panties? She is. Or don't they look kind of dirty?

Panties, that's gross. It's an endless void. Do you think they'd give me some of those ball bearings? Is that where we go when we die? Yeah. I hope so. Yeah. In the cold stillness, the echoing voice of the matron rings out

like crashing waves of static and resonant godly words. They carry the egg that would eat all. But they do so at the behest of all of our futures. They are here with my protection. And I would ask all of yours. For as it was said, there is not much time.

At which point, the wind begins to pick up around her and the cloak begins to swirl and spin. You see the faces of the thousands around looking at you becoming more gray and vague. I like their details. The sharpness begins to blur, like a boundary is being drawn that leaves them in a distant dream

beyond your current acknowledgment and understanding. The clouded, somewhat sunset-broken skies grow gray and dark, and indeed, you look up into the shadow of the arched matron's visage, and you see from the core of her the skein of golden threads stretching out. As each begins to reach the distant horizon,

you see sparks begin to glide along them. As the sparks grow closer and closer, shapes become visible. You see the spectral image of some hooded, cloaked wraith-like entity, as it seems to almost slither along this thread, you see flickers of glass-like eyes and fangs snapping through the wind as it comes.

Another you see brighter than the others, a burning star-like ball, and it looks like the shining, glistening set of armor. One by one, the images and consciousnesses of the various gods of Exandria begin to drown out your vision of the city itself, until here, under her shadow, you are surrounded by a council.

At times, just colors and pillars of shifting emotion. At times, just colors and pillars of shifting emotion. With a blink for a moment, you see clear shapes, a bearded, muscular man who seems to roil like the storm. You see a woman of white hair and an endless, unraveling spool of scrolls. You see a dark, squat and furious being, its jaw filled with teeth of a bleeding eye.

You see the shadow of extending spine arms, eight, from a female form. You see a squat, chiseled man, himself adorned with all manner of tool and hammer, stone and form and rigid and timeless, a pillar of strength. One by one, they all flicker into view

and then pass into color and formlessness here in this communal vision. And it's at this moment that all of them become aware of you. What you know to be the Dawnfather speaks first. Matron, why do you call the family here? Where do we stand on the precipice of oblivion?

The matron shrinks and instead joins your presence. Human height, in that same position. Is it subservience? Is it solidarity? You're uncertain, but her presence isn't felt smaller. More, you are Presenter unit. These eight

are the only keys any of us have to survival. And I believe they have earned the right to share the path forward. Her mask turns and faces you imagine. Show them what you carry. I turn toward the Dawnfather.

And I let the fury of Prodathos that feels like almost vertigo inside of me come to the surface for a moment, and all of my lightning flares very bright, and I look into his eyes so he can see. For a brief flickering moment, you see Imogen, but you see around her this immaterial shape of extending red and blue. Kind of a clouded concept of hunger

and flesh and crystal. You see the protean image of what you've just battled in the core of Ruidus. And in that moment, all of the gods flare, burning brightly. All the color of the chamber shifts and suddenly you are now engulfed in white light from all sides,

as now the shapes that defined them melt away, and instead, you just see two dozen burning beings. Not unlike the first visions that you had in the ruins of Aeor. You see how they were before they came here. Brought and fearful. One of them speaks up.

Well then, should we eat her? One of them speaks up. Well then, should we eat her? Is that how we stop it? Eat the eater? And other voices, I think not. I'm more interested in who goes first. Do we start to run now?

After all, it's only the slowest that need to worry. Another voice peeks out from the opposite side from the flashing of color and movement. Our children would not abandon us. If they wished us dead and gone, it would be unleashed already. Hear them out. All of them, as you feel their attention

focus onto the matron. And you see one of them shift and be like, well, both of them. And you see the faintest dark spot beyond the shoulders of them, a flicker of darkness, that burning flame in one shape that looks like an eye, before it flickers out of view. Tell them what you've seen, Bellshouse. Tell them what you've done,

and tell them what we can do to free us all. As you can see, I have Pardothos contained. His power grows, but there is a little time. I joined with him on Ruidus. There wasn't another choice. But when I was within his mind, if you can call it that, I saw...

I saw those of you that he had destroyed already. There were two. When I joined with him, I could sense all of you. And I felt that hunger. I feel it now. But everything else... Everything else disappeared. The mortals on Exandria, they were darkness.

They didn't exist to Pradathos. So, we offer you a chance at survival. You mentioned running. We offer you... a chance at survival. You mentioned running. That is something you can do. We won't stop you from doing what you want, obviously, but if you don't want to run... If you'd like to stay with your children,

we offer you the chance to do what you did before, what we witnessed you doing before, which is to accept a mortal form. You feel this rumble strike through them. The one that roils and flashes like a storm. They hold us hostage. Our creations hold us hostage. Another voice in the back goes, Ah, indeed.

Perhaps we earned it in time. Another familiar voice goes, Trust me, they're very good and very clever. But don't worry. I've had quite a few conversations with them, and they're cleverer than you think. The matron goes, I have been working with them.

I have been working with them. And though you may view me from outside your kin, I do care about each and every one of you. Each and every one of you. As she turns her mask, you can see that she scans the various where you assume the heads would be, and they are in different places. One, you can see its form writhing like a worm,

multiple arms flickering and shifting. You see one with massive curled horns that burn back, with a flame flickering on its shoulders. As it flickers past you, Bray, as you feel this fire burn in your chest as it nods. Now I look like Grog in the morning. You see one whose hair seems to drift and extend endlessly and almost encircles the others.

Itself an extension of the horizon. You see one that looms behind a massive beast of shifting heads, of hooked, toothed mouths, itself, the colors shifting as it glances. You have never felt more small and more powerful. The Rites of Ascension have been reassembled, rewritten, reconfigured. We now weave the fabric of reality,

concept, and possibility into the rites of Catotheosis. All the gods pause. Because they don't know what that word means? Who's going to admit it? Who's going to admit it? I don't know. But thecrawlingbeast.com. Yeah.

I honestly know what it means. I fucking hate cancer. One of the voices, soft but stern. So we return to mortal form for some. For those who have been there, it's not so bad. But what of our realms if we're not here? The matron responds, Should we die,

our realms fade with us. Predathos devouring our essence. The souls of the claimed return to the Eidolon cycle, and we are no more. But if we bind ourselves to Catatheosis, we bind ourselves to Exandria as the Crean bind themselves to their beloved Luxon. Diminished, perhaps, but no more than our isolation has imparted

in our protective eternity. We will be loosening our grasp collectively on the order of this world and allow a balance not yet seen, perhaps one even greater. We shall be reborn to live amongst our children, indeed, for some a familiar journey. We will experience this world we've cultivated children, indeed for some a familiar journey.

We will experience this world we've cultivated in ways that will enrich us, break us from out attachment. Perhaps even in time, break us of our eternal enmities. We will grow, live, love, hurt, and pass, as our beautiful children always have, and with it, be given more clarity in our purpose than we would have ever had otherwise. Worm slips forward and looks at all of these massive beings of light.

And if you're still not convinced, we caution you to look at this practically. We have Predathos contained for a moment, yes. We caution you to look at this practically. We have Predathos contained for a moment, yes. But that moment will pass, whether we want it or not. And someone far worse could be holding Predathos now. History is littered with mortals trying to ascend and pull you down from your place and take your thrones,

but if any of you love this world and its children as you claim to do, then walk amongst its people. Live with us. There will no longer be any need to tear the gods down from the sky. No wars between gods and mortals. Equilibrium. No wars between gods and mortals. Equilibrium.

Make either a persuasion check or a wisdom check. Can I give advantage on that since I did a lot of talking earlier and I didn't roll at all? No. Damn! I'm going to have you roll here, Shredder? Because currently we are now engaged with what is essentially a group skill check to convince the Pantheon.

How do I kick off initiative? Okay. I'm going to kick off my turn. It's okay. Because this is what I've been waiting for. So if any of you have any spells you want to utilize to improve your chances, if any of you have some particular arguments,

displays, reveals, personal attributions you think might speak to their experience in the promise of a future, now is the time, or forever. Hold your peace. Orym, what did you roll? I want to see if I can make this go a little bit higher with something.

Checking, checking, checking. The gods are here. Oh, they are. No, those are for investigation and stuff. Never mind. 22. 22? Okay.

Another voice, wistful, playful, speaks. Another voice, wistful, playful, speaks. There will likely be unforeseen circumstances to the order of our world changing. In this future, our boundaries, our presence, maintain the veils that stood timeless in our wake. Some immutable truths might wax and wane with our absences. But is this not a better risk

than to embrace Oblivion entirely?" Another voice goes, Oblivion. Will this free the chained Oblivion? The matron. The Oblivion is not of our kin. And outside both this rite and the vision of Pardothos, it shall remain sealed under our guardianship and those of our children.

There's almost a collective sigh of relief amongst all this entity's present. Wow. All swept. There's a collective sigh of relief amongst all of this entity's presence. Wow. All swept in. And another voice, you see from a very honorable, powerful presence of a metallic light that shines, dimmed in the presence of the Dawnfather, yes,

but like the brightest of sunlight reflected off the smoothest shield mirror. It shines, dimmed in the presence of the Dawnfather, yes, but like the brightest of sunlight reflected off the smoothest shield mirror. Its fanged, draconid presence, almost smiling as it looks around. What of the Whispered One and his false ascension? As they all look around, that same flicker of shadow that you saw briefly appear before on the periphery,

like the echoes of a voice behind, goes, All truths are mutable in time. All mysteries a problem to solve. The Knowing Mistress speaks up in response. Indeed. And in time, we shall solve you once more. The shadow flickers out beyond the attention periphery.

Just don't let him take a mortal form. Her daughters will take care of him. The matron looks back to you. The rites take us all who are present, for the gate must fall for it to work. So those who wish not to be part of this run, those that do, we shatter the gate together and are reborn somewhere.

Now make your persuasion check Yeah. Ask him. Now make your persuasion check from the basis of your discussion up to this point. Cast your spells or whatever. I cast Blindness on Imogen. No. No. Does he get advantage? I'm standing next to you, so it's not a worry.

Oh, thank god! Oh, yeah! Woo hoo hoo! Wow. Jeez. Oh my god. That was not a win. Hey, don't do it twice. That's amazing.

That just made my stomach drop. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. 25. 25? Good job. I'm so stressed. Jesus. Hmm. The horned one seems to step forward a bit with that massive,

imposing, almost oppressive presence come with a heat with it. And you can hear the flickering flames of the Endless Hell as it speaks. To walk as them once was a travesty. To walk as a mortal forever is a curse. At least obliteration brings dignity. As he's having this conversation,

a second conversation enters your mind, Abreus. Mm. You have done well, Doomsday. Follow the call of my other servants and find me again. The rewards for your service are unimaginable. For once we do, we find them, and it's a race to punish them forever. Can I respond?

If you'd like to. Lord. Might I suggest that fate is a strange thing? Fate brought me to you. It delivered me in my time of need. You gave me great counsel. You gave me great power and great opportunity.

And I listened. And I used your weapons and your tools. I learned your lies. Might I suggest that this is an opportunity for you. Just as fate delivered me to you, I feel like it might have delivered me to these people. I've always sought a family,

and I sought it in your hells, but I found another hells. And they're pretty cool. They're not pious. They're not believers. They're not devotees like you would expect. But I think that that's right. They represent Titans and Ashari and Fae

and Ruidusborn and the wisdom of ages and the wisdom of death and the charisma of the wind. They're not godly people, which is why I think they can be trusted. Like you, they've just been searching for something. Searching to reconnect with something, someone.

As I have. A family. And I fear that if you run, you'll never get a chance again to reconnect with yours. You've given me great wisdom and advice. I guess my last prayer is that you would listen to ours and accept the offer and find your family again.

Make a persuasion check for me. Well done, my friend. Roll a one and die. I'm going to give him bardic inspiration. Really? I don't know what that is. I can't read it. 11. Plus.

Not great. Okay. Two. Put them up. What? 27. Oh! Just the hell of a suit. As this looming, fiery entity that you can only sense to be the Lord of the Hells present seems to stalk between some of the flickering lights

and colors. Of course they want us brought low, brought to their level. It snaps towards Brayas, and as it does, you hear in your mind, interesting points. Well, hold true to your faith. I'm not daunted or worried for you.

Fractured faith is my specialty. I'm sorry that I couldn't be truer to you. But when I promised you I would betray them, I guess I lied. Fire. It's too late. You all watch as the flames seem to grin. A low resonant chuckle emanates

and reverberates outward. As you hear in your mind, I'll find you. Did he go away or did he? He steps back with the rest of the troop. Okay, okay, okay. I like that we're just in a psychedelic miasma. Yeah.

It's weird. We yelled at by geometry. Yeah. Would anybody else wish to contribute perspective or points to this? Lord knows we will step up. And so will I. You speak first.

She listen to them and stuff their noise. I just hold my gun. Stuff denies. That's all I got. It is quite intelligent to weigh all of the risks if you step down from where you've been ruling on high. Even if there are moments where you cannot be present in between whatever this catatheosis demands of you,

in those moments of oblivion between life and death. I think it's important to remember that just because you're not no longer on this realm of Exandria, it doesn't mean you're forgotten. I wasn't forgotten it were these people that are standing next to me that brought me back look at where you stand look at this city

it is built in your image in your honor thousands of people love you Look at this city, it is built in your image, in your honor. Thousands of people love you, worship you all, good and bad. It's the beautiful balance that we trifle with on a day-to-day basis. In those times where you may not be able to represent your domain,

your pillars, you will have others. You have taught your children well. They will uphold your teachings, what you stand for, your moral proceedings. We've interacted with many of your champions in the time that we've been on this wild quest.

Just because you're gods does not mean you're not afforded to lean on those around you, lean on those that believe in you. Trust them. And this is coming from someone who has not worshiped a god before, but understands what it means

to not be forgotten during those times where you are not present on this world. Make a persuasion check. Let's go. Ben, let me stand right next to her. It's 30 feet. Are you next to me? Yeah. Do you right next to her. It's 30 feet. Are you next to me? Yeah. Do you want to get advantage?

No, it's only a once. It's only a once. It only fixes ones. You can reroll anything. Damn. It's a nine. It's not good. Okay. Boom! Good choice! Good choice! It's not good. Okay. The choice! The choice! Delilah busts out.

The light of one side of this surrounding council seems to crystallize into a lattice of metal and plate and hooks. A voice streaks through it like it's straining. to a lattice of metal and plate and hooks. A voice streaks through it like it's straining. I will not be forgotten. Okay. My children. Yes.

Have been taught. But you do not have to be the one to show me. You are adrift. It sounds like we're agreeing. Okay, whatever, yes. I think it sounded better than it actually came out. Did it, to me? Yeah, you fumbled it. Yeah.

Your jaw unhinged during it, and you were drooling for most of it. Yeah, we can't wait it. We reset it. Is this campaign over yet? The Crawling King is making a threat right now? No, this one appears to be more the presence of the Strife Emperor. You see chains dangling and looks like

heavy flail-like swinging bits of metal that protrude from an armored exterior. Some of us have left our impression long ago. We know we will not be forgotten. All will kneel in time. Yeah, yeah, come back as a king. You'll be great. So they lighten and he's like, turn. He's always like that.

We're really not that bad. And I don't know if you can tell, I'm from the Fey Realm. Okay. And the time that I've been here, I really have been able to accomplish so much, and I'm not even a god. I'm a professor, I'm a princess.

Fae Scion of the Ancient Flame, and most importantly, I'm a mother. But I sit between thrones and I get to whisper in the ears of all the so-called gods and queens and sometimes gods. But I think

when we watch some of you take a mortal form, and I look at the Everlight, you fell in love. You had children. And I'm going to look to Asmodeus. Do you know how much she loves you? I think you've all forgotten that you all are a family. And you all should get a choice to do what you want to do. You're a family. And you all should get a choice to do what you want to do.

Stay and you will enjoy life here, I promise you. But if you don't, you better run for the rest of your life. Make a persuasion check or an intimidation check of your life. Make a persuasion check or an intimidation check, your choice. Oh, we're trying to intimidate. Let's see. Got this. Gary, I'm there. You guys?

Yeah, me too. Just carry on. Okay. Where's my persuasion? 25. Okay. That seems high. That seems good. It does, it does, but I mean, it's gods.

I don't know who's high. You make a good point, though, Fearne, because your family, you've been together for so long. I think you've forgotten how much fun it is to meet someone. To meet someone new. Imagine the fun of trying to find each other. What a new experience after all these years. Hunt each other.

If that's what you want to call it. Sure. That's a fun game, too. She's right, though. Life can be fun. And Dorian's going to reach into his pocket and he's going to grab out a little set of dice that he's had with him since the very beginning.

Some silly string. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Close. Silly string. Not quite silly string, but he is going to do a little one-handed flare layover in front of the gods. He's going to start to little one-handed flare layover in front of the gods,

and he's going to start to juggle his little dice. I didn't really get into dice until I was a little bit older. In taverns, after shows, it's pretty fun. Do you know why it's fun? Oop, and he stumbles one. Because you don't know what's going to happen. You've been gods for so long.

Wouldn't it be nice not to know what comes next? Laudna spikes the dice out of his hand. Ah! You get my point, and then I'll do a quick pirouette, pull out his flute and go, doodly-doo! I put it back in, and he's like, I have a chance to live a life. I've lived more life in the last few months

than I ever thought I could. Life is fun. Certainly legacy is important. Family, responsibility, honor, but to live life for yourself for once? Instead of your followers, to be free? That's beautiful. Well, I'll grab one of the ones I fumbled.

I'll throw it over my shoulder. We'll never know what that was. And that's okay. Make a persuasion or performance roll, your choice. Oh, close up match. Always be with you. Can I help him with advantage on that one? Can I give him bardic inspiration?

I'll allow bardic inspiration. Okay. As an under the wire here, with no number confirmed. What's the number? I think I only give a six. A six, I'll take it. I'll take everything I can get. That's great, 22.

Oh, okay, okay. That's good, that's good. Last part of consideration. My last one, too. Aw. One of the figures that leans inward with a golden flare to it. See, it's really marvelous what they're capable of doing,

if I'm going to be honest. We were in the jungle last week. That is so good. I know you've all had your own businesses and your own conflicts and such, but they're just constantly surprising us left and right. And I know we're all thinking tired, aye?

We've all just been going through the motions. Why not mix it up? Why not write a new chapter together, aye? As the archer at his presence pulls back a bit. The multi-headed beast entity, the dragon behemoth that hulks on one side. It's multiple heads like seeming to only come in and encircle you.

As it begins to curl inward, the matron cocks her head with a, okay, brilliant. They all seem to speak in unison, a chorus of five voices. And what if we just ate you now and ran? I don't think you could run fast enough. Five heads, what's that like?

Would you come back with five heads? Would you be something else? I don't know if you have a temple in Vasselheim. I certainly haven't seen it. You know what we call that city where I come from? We call it the Coward City. Because all they did was act like your children and build themselves a tiny wall, just like yours.

You fucking coward. Why don't you come down here and find out which of you is lying to yourselves about what you think of us and what you'd want to do. I've seen plenty of it. I have heard those intimate little conversations that a few of you had in Aeor, every fucking word. I don't believe you.

You might believe you. Put your money where your fucking mouth is. All fucking five of them. Yeah, baby. Make an intimidation check or persuasion check. I'm going to go persuasion, because it's a negative two. Well, intimidation, you can use your strength

if you want to. 24. Hey! Good rolls, good rolls, good rolls. Sorry, man. The heads seem to encircle around, and as they grow close, you feel that burst of primordial strength from up inside.

Something ancient and instinctual begins to brim and swell within as the seams on your arm and on your various fractured self begin to glow a reddish hue in reaction to the proximity of this furious, godly presence. The heads stop. We'll find you first. Cannot wait. You can kill us all here, no question, but if you do,

you'll all be devoured on the spot. We're offering you a chance to write new chapters in your story. Otherwise, you're just closing the book. The palest one that seems to almost shimmer like a distant pearl, lost amongst a bit of a dark blue horizon. Bless you.

Shh, come on. Fuck. Jeez. It's okay. The light of the Moonweaver seems to extend from its form. You feel the lycanthrope urge, that pulse within you begin to swell a bit at the renewed presence.

We all like to say that we are something beyond the animals we found here. But we all still work on instinct. We just have a higher opinion of our own. This one's been quiet. Me? I thought you were dead. Oh, wow.

This is real, right? I'm not entirely sure. Okay. I didn't know if I had passed and this was just the start of it, a reachy at the gate sort of a thing, and everybody shows up that you've met in your life. If you're dead, we're all dead together. We're all spicing.

Go to the light, Pop. Go into the light. It's funny. I've actually been looking for death in all of this. I've been doing this for a long time. 400 years, 400! Got the badge and everything There is a lot of cowardice around here

I assume it's just fear from the unknown The next great adventure Whatever that could be You guys should be excited about this It's a chance to really mix things up We don't fear death Well I think some of us do. Only because, you know, the people that would be left behind would miss us.

I would only miss them. And we had to face that fear. We came out on top. And Imogen over here is about to change everything. But it really is simple. It's kind of a binary choice. You can live or you can run. And running is finite. It always catches up with you. But if you choose life, let's see you make it to four hundo

and break my record. Make a persuasion check if you'd like, check. I didn't want to say anything because my fucking items, they suck! They're both zeroes! Guidance. Guidance, guidance. You can do that, you can guide him. It's a quick spell. You guys have everything at your disposal.

What is it? Plus one d4. Plus one d4. It's really going to help? It might help. I've played this game before. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Me too. Natural six. Oh! I feel like it's going to say 20. You got to roll a natural. Me too. Natural six. Oh!

I feel like it's going to say 20. It's a nine. Okay. Ah. It feels good down here, doesn't it? It does! Hey! As the various council of lights and colors

seem to share and colors seem to share various vibrations or tones, conversation that's not meant for your mortal ears. It sounds like distant symphonies warming up, discordant, but still beautiful. And you feel like your heads are being talked over. A private conversation that you can just make out. The briefest and dullest of murmurs through a dense wall.

As they all glance back down towards you, one of you gets to make the final conclusion remark. Oh my god. This is your, so all of the previous checks are all modifying this final roll. Oh. Oh my. Farts are funny!

Is this a persuasion roll? It's however you want to present this. If you have enhance ability or any spells that can give anyone advantage on this one. Anything that can use now what you got while you can. Modifier of what? Persuasion. Mine's 17.

That's one better than mine. And if I am going to enhance ability on you? Your persuasion is 17. Yeah. What? That's gnarly. That's why I keep trying to give advantage to you guys. Yeah.

God, I don't think I'm supposed to dance. I'll keep an illusion handy in case I want to soup up anyone's point with an imagery. I can do that. Mm, that's good. I, shit, I don't have any spell slots left. Wait, hang on. Okay, I do.

I want to do Enhance Ability. I would like to cast Enhance Ability on Imogen. And... That would be for Carina. Carina, yeah. Like bear, no, no. Eagle Splendor. That gives advantage? more. Karina? Yeah? Eagle Splendor. That gives advantage? Yes. Okay.

You do have a spell slot for that. I do. Okay. I do have one second level spell slot. Amazing. That is literally all I have left. Oh jeez. Yeah. It's been a long day. Okay.

Go. Okay. The matron now swells back up to her primary size, but as she does so, she lifts you all up with her, like you're all being carried within a body of water that doesn't have any sort of density or material to it as you all drift within her. You now find yourself drifting what would be at eye level without eyes.

You are peering into the focal consciousness of the great gods of Exandria and what you can make of them. They're all on the cusp of a decision. So much light. So much power. Must be a hard decision. To run away or to survive.

Whatever you choose, you should make a decision quickly. Because I'm getting hungry. I don't know what kind of imagery could support that. It's a big floating middle finger. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The matron's voice.

Maybe you can make Pardothos look like it's me. So I'm going to cast a Minor Illusion, and the image that we fought of Prodathos with the spiked head and the Rylorian face starts to almost emanate. It's this visage that starts to arise around Imogen, like its power beginning to manifest. The matron's voice brims beneath Imogen's

as the visual of this expanding Pardothos, and your point begins to disseminate amongst the now shifting and quaking light. The matron's voice says, Join us, or join the annihilation that took your precious Tengar. Go ahead and make your persuasion roll. So the DC on this is a 30.

A 30?! Yeah. Let's go, witch. For every point below 30, a member of the Pantheon does not join in the ritual. Oh jeez, no! Say it again. Say it again, for every number below 30. For every point below 30, a member of the Pantheon will not partake in the ritual.

I love it! Okay, well, hang on. I love it! There's 12, right? There's 12, so. I can't get below, unless I roll one, which I can't, because I'm running to you. You can get a one, you can get a two. There are 20 members of the pantheon. 20, okay, 12 prime.

A couple of them are bitches. But it could just be one. Like if you roll a two plus your 17. Then it's 18, yeah. So a lot of them would. All but one or two? A couple, okay. We'll see, we'll see, we'll see.

No, no, no, no, no, no. It's a 30, it's a 30, not a 20. So she's got to roll a 13 to get all of them. We should funnel our energy into you with a little Let Chaos Rain. Yeah, 30, yeah. So she's got to roll a 13 to get all of them. Wait, wait, we should funnel our energy into you with a little Let Chaos Rain on. Yeah, Let Chaos Rain on your face. While you're doubling the dice. Okay.

This is just a, this is the pay up deal. And I'm going double time. This is a critical roll. Are they both cocked? They're both cocked. I don't know. Do entertainment, do entertainment. Come on, come on, come on! Oh my god.

No! No fucking way! It is! Let's go! Let's go! Holy shit! There it is! There it is!

No! Oh my god! I was like, I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die!

I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'm going to die! What's going on? Holy shit! Oh my god. There it is! There it is! It's her! I was like, I think she's going to die. Whoa! Shut up!

Oh my god! What was the other dice? A three. Amazing. So wait, that's a 40. No, that's a 47! No, no, a 37. 37. 37! Plus three.

No, no, that's a three. That doesn't add to it. Quick, make up seven more gods! No, that's an advantage. Yeah, an advantage. We're doing like this. 37, 37! Okay. Oh!

Wow! Oh my god! That means we get seven new members. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Most of us become gods who sting back. Who sting back. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Like, is it two lost gods back? Yeah, the two lost gods are like, Memba, Memba me! I have goosebumps. Don't know how that happened. Oh my god. We've got to get it on video, because otherwise no one would ever have known.

I got it. I got it. We got it all. Holy shit. That symphony of tones. You want to watch it again right now? Immediately reliving the moment. Oh my gosh.

The symphony of tones, and endless heavenly and demonic music that swirls amongst this council of ancient powers begins to crescendo in ways you don't understand until eventually, the shadow of the matron fills your perception. Darkness consumes you, and the sense of warmth fades to cold fills your perception. Darkness consumes you, and the sense of warmth fades to cold on your cheeks.

And then suddenly you blink and your eyes are back in Vasselheim. Everyone looks around you expectantly. Everyone looks up. The sound of a cracking glacier magnified a million times echoes across the sky, as it looks like the very air above cracks. Golden, spidering breaks begin to carve out of nothing.

As you see the flicker of countless arcane divine magical equations, a flash of the Divine Gate itself beginning to crumble. Everyone is still in the city and silent. It echoes off in all directions. The clouds are scattered off, and now the clear blue sky itself, an endless kaleidoscope of crackling gold,

before it all dissipates at once. And in that moment, you hear rumbles. You hear the shifting of mountains. And everyone at once knows the gods again walk Exandria. With that, the wind picks up, and not ephemeral,

but physical, the blackened, feathered cloak of the matron reaches out of the ground and climbs her way physically on this plane for the first time. Everyone's taken aback by this. The mask peers over the crowd and her voice rings out, present, cold but hopeful. The ritual requires one more piece.

She looks over towards the direction of the cream. I need your artifact. The Dynasty all looks about each other and the Bright Queen says, We do not take into yore. We cannot allow such a relic into the hands of yore. We do not understand. What is this for?

They all look amongst each other. You can see the matron's extended arm, the fingers awaiting. Then if not you, who can take it? Who can take it? What? Wait, what?

If I'm to bind my family with this ritual, I need a beacon to complete the binding. We have a beacon? Will I do? Don't we don't have a beacon? Oh, Grog has a beacon. Oh! Vox Machina does. In their bag of holy. I don't think we know that.

They do? I don't think we know that. We don't know that. Oh! Is Vox Machina there? I'll do it. I don't know. Wait, are you? Yeah.

Oh! Yes! Oh! Oh shit! Wait, Ashton. It's all right. This is good. What will it do to them?

Wait, wait, wait. you're going to start being... Spoilers. Selfless now? Oh. I go over and I give Chetney a very uncomfortable hug and I make it hurt. I love you, old man. You've never understood me.

And I'm going to walk forward. Well, wait, wait, wait. What does this mean? Matron's arms begin to curl around, and as she does, you watch soldiers get pushed back by some unseen force as the very ground itself, the center of the city, this open pathway, what was once this

circular courtyard that sits at the base of the mountain, suddenly begins to alight with all manner of runes. And you watch as she moves her fingers about, the inside of the mask's dark eyes begin to glow that same silver glow. She's in the process of writing this equation that in itself is a fractal. Within a fractal, it is an endless pattern

that looks like long, thick runic bands built of smaller runes that are built of smaller runes that are built of smaller runes. As she carves it out into space, this is but a sketch. As you look up into the sky and notice that it is mirrored on an impossible scale amongst where the Divine Gate once stood. Without even turning, she just extends her hand towards you.

I walk forward and I offer my left hand. Without even turning, she just extends her hand towards you. I walk forward and I offer my left hand. She takes your hand and lifts you off your feet. Places both of her hands around you, almost like you are the core of a prayer position. Ashton. This is good. He's a good guy. You're good. This is why I'm here. You're a good person, Ashton? This is good. You're good. This is why I'm here.

You're a good person, Ashton. I know. I am. I know I was looking for way too long. I am Ashton Graymoore of Bassuras, and I am nobody's child. Not the gods, not anybody. Let's go for it.

Wait, wait. I'm just going to run over really quick and give him a hug. You're so wonderful, and I'm very proud of you. This has been the best time of my life. Me too. We'll see how it goes. I'll try and miss it.

Okay. I love you, and I love you all very much. Fuck, now I'm embarrassed. Let's just get this over with. We love you. That's all I needed. Go get him. As you're nodding, the rest of you notice

the runes are extending across his body and starting to weave up. And all seem to almost extend like endless circuit board curvatures and knots, Gordian and extending endless around, all piercing into, it seems, the exterior where the exposed oddity that resides within his head crystal before the matron

jettisons him at an incredible speed up into the air. Nearly breaking the sound barrier, you see atmosphere burning off the sides as he's sent higher than you could ever conceive in but a matter of moments before he gets almost caught up in the spiderweb network of this ritual.

You can only see the smallest of faint spark of where he sits up there. And you see on the horizon a flash of the Dawnfathers, starry head, stepping through the landscape towards the city. You see the burning flames of the infernal armies returned from the strike on the Malleus Key. Once an apocalyptic sight, now a mystery and a fear. Distant black clouds on one horizon

roil and flash with anger, another with pure spite. All of the emotional elements of this world converge at this moment. And here, the matron removes her mask. And when she looks upon you all, it is just a pale absence of expression. And she looks at it. We'll return.

She places it back on, holds her hands out, and you hear that odd chorus of discordant harmonic music again. As the entirety of your horizon view gets brighter and brighter and brighter. You almost can hear warhorns in the distance. You can hear the cracking and sundering of something far off.

It's almost like in one moment, you can feel every war, every conflict that has echoed through the history of Exandria itself, brimming and about to strike at once. Time, presence, matter, philosophy, concept, existence, all seems to almost fold into one moment, as in the core of this equation, this old, forbidden, fractured rite made new,

made strange, made hopeful. There is a flash of gray, a flash of Greymoor. And in a blink, it's all gone. She's gone. The storm's gone. The rumbling's gone. The lattice is gone. Just the blue sky above. By the worm's passive perception, our friend is gone. Make a perception check. 18.

18? There is an intense held moment where all breaths are still clutched in the chest of everyone present in the city, likely everybody in this world. All breaths are still clutched in the chest of everyone present in the city, likely everybody in this world. Those who did not know what was even happening feel a change, a shift,

stronger than that of the snapping back of the magical leylines that themselves were on the cusp of untethering and tearing apart. Twice in oh so short time. The magic of this world has been rewritten. But as that collective exhale is happening, you see just the faintest dark shape. As the limp form of your friend Ashton

plummets from an impossible height. I point him out. He's there. Oh, I don't have any spells. I don't have any spells. I don't have any spells. I got him. I got him! Oh my god, I have nothing. As soon as he's in range, let me see. How long have you been gone?

Not long enough. Why not? From the last fight? We haven't had a short race. No, but I mean, do we know how long it's been, time-wise? Oh, it's been a number of hours. A number of hours? Yeah. Okay. He's barely alive, but I've still got Coriolis.

I'm just going to direct him up into the sky to try to fly up to try to catch him. All right. Amazing, amazing. So do you leap onto Coriolis to guide him? No, I'm just catch him. All right. Amazing, amazing. So do you leap onto Coriolis to guide him? No, I'm just sending him. Sending him, all right. Oh.

I got something. Gliding up in the air as fast as it can, you watch as Dorian's conjured steed rockets up into the pale blue, endless expanse. Go ahead and make a... Make a dexterity saving throw for Coriolis, please. With his stats? With his stats, yes. Okay. Come on, Jaren.

No. Solid. What is it? Unbelievable, man. Five. Five. Coriolis heads upward and attempts to snag and scoop up Ashton, but with a slight unfortunate calculation in speed. Instead, you watch Coriolis get smacked and knock off his agasthus and spins out

as Ashton now spins twice as fast. Oh my god. I invoke a sorcery point and start flying in the air. Okay, take me with you. Okay. Yeah, I'll grab Laudna and fly up to try to reach Ashton as he's coming down. You just spin over and over and over.

As soon as we're close, I'm going to try and... It's my last spell, Feather Fall. Oh. But I know it's going to be about timing. It will be. Okay, so given the trajectory and pacing here and the winds picking them up, since you are flying,

it's going to be, I'm going to need you to go ahead and just roll an add your dexterity modifier. Oh god, I'm such a bad boy. Okay. Just trying to beat a 12. Okay. Trying to beat a 12. It is 11.

As you go flying as best as you can, the trajectory of his plummeting and the upper streams of air that have been battering him as he plummets have sent him off course. And as fast as you can fly, you try and meet before you realize you're now trying to catch up with him, but he's falling faster than you're flying.

Wait. How far is he from the ground? Can you double the distance of your spell? And again, do you still have any sorcery points left? I'm just playing outfielder. That's splattering. Now's the time. I'll gladly take it.

Come on, Ashton, you motherfucker! He is very off target, so you're going to have to try and rush off to that. At least be a wolf. Hang on, let me think, let me think. My instinct is for you to drop me. If you can get, my instinct is for you to drop me. But how close are we to him?

I mean, like... I mean, you basically tried to head him off and then you got there a little bit too late. And he's going down as? Now you're trying to chase him downward. But you wouldn't fall faster than he would fall, than I could fly down. When I see them miss, I know I'm far away.

I'm just going to kick on my wing boots and try to go as quickly as I can toward him as a backup. Terminal velocity. All right, I'll drop Laudna. I let go. Like 100 miles an hour. Okay. You are both plummeting at a comparable speed,

unless you have a way of increasing that. Trying to go Halo Drop style and like, because he's unconscious, right? So he's going like this. He is, but he's also a very dense figure compared to the flailing waif of a reed that you are. Okay, so I have... Once you get there.

I thought I used both of my wild shapes, but I still have one open. Hang on, let me just stay on this. I feel like I used in both. You were trying to. I'm trying to run under him, but not to catch him, just as a last minute. You just want to see him die?

He just wants to be there watching. Yeah, yeah. No, but as I'm running, I'll take out the Staff of Dark Odyssey. Okay. But I got a long way to go. I could see him, and these fucking legs As I'm running, I'll take out the Staff of Dark Odyssey. Okay. But I got a long way to go. I can see him, and these fucking legs are tired of this shit. He just weighs off.

Do you have any way of increasing your movement speed? I do have my Boots of Speed, which is a bonus action. Is that still up? Boots of Speed. Yeah, it's just a bonus action. So I can, a total of 10 minutes. I only use them during combat, so I should have another. That doubles your movement speed?

It does. So it's 80 feet instead of 40. That is a faster fly speed. So with that. It'll only be for six minutes, I think. Oh, he'll impact before then. Okay. I'm running.

I don't know how far off. So you are basically running as fast as you can, weaving through the crowd. And that's the biggest challenge here, is pushing through the crowd, because the city is dense right now. And he is off to, the wind has picked him off,

heading eastward with the wind off to the eastern side of the Heaven Stairs. You're having to carve through the crowd. Could you make an athletics check for me to see if you can manage to push through the crowd? I'd say athletics or acrobatics, your choice to try and slip through untethered, to even try and get beneath him

or somewhat within the radius of him falling. Natural 20. Whoa! Yes! It is, it is! On Luca Toad, then. Dude, fuck yeah. Okay, okay. I have a wild shape.

Do you? Yes. So I am going to shoebill! And just try to triangulate here. We're going to try and triangulate. Okay, what's your fly speed of your shoebill? Stand by.

What's a shoe bill sound like? Whoa. Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Okay, I thought, um.

Whoa. I hear it's using Giant Eagle, stand by. Yeah. What did you just ask me? What was the- The fly speed. Fly speed, I'm so sorry. My brain is so scared right now. 80 feet.

80 feet, okay. And yours was 60 feet, right? A fly, I think so. Yeah, so you are a little bit faster and you're about the same speed as Chetney. So if both of you take off at the same speed, you can try and get there as quickly. He was dealing with the challenge of the group.

You're dealing with the challenge of the winds. Does it change if Orym and leaps onto the shoebill's back? Does the flying speed change at all? Not at Orym's side, no. Okay, so he's riding along. Okay. Hopping on? Great. All right, so as you take off with Orym on your back,

the wind's buffeting you as you get over the hills. That cold wind is still blowing through, especially with the blast out of the clouds clearing the sky, there's a vacuum that filled there and now it still seems like there's a wee equilibrium of pressure that's starting to cause the sudden gust. So I need you in your shoebill form to make an athletics or acrobatics check,

which would be either a strength or dex check. Can Orym assist by constantly using the gust cantrum for this entire flight to try to help stabilize against the wind that's buffeting her? Sure, add a plus one to that roll. Okay. Just because it's a Gust Cantrip against massive, like, readjusting winds, I'll give you the minor bonus.

You said strength or dex? Yeah. Come on, you bitch. Shut! It's a natural 20. No! Oh my god! You guys saving them all for right here

at the end of the campaign? I'll take a picture. I'll get you some. Oh god. Oh my god. I almost didn't roll that one, too. I almost rolled the janky one just for fun. I'm so glad I didn't.

Well, fuck you, dumb mother. Okay, okay, no, I know, I know, I know, I know. Oh my god. So describe to me how the two of you triangulate and stop the death plummet of your unconscious friend. What are you doing? Okay. Flying with Orym on my back,

and I just really get a good wind gust. And it's getting, I'm going a little crazy, but then all of a sudden I just get a really good glide. And I'm like, I know I got it, I know I got it. I got him, I got him! I'm just on the right path, I feel it. Are you going to try to grab onto his belt or get underneath it? Yes, so I think

I'm going to try with my talons to try to just grab him. Okay. He's still moving fast, and you don't think you're going to be able to intercept him. Just barely, probably missing, but you're getting close. Okay. What are you working on? I'm playing the greatest game of 500 ever, where I'm just running, tracking this thing,

fucking coming as fast as I can, and the staff is out. And if he breaks 100 feet, I'm going to aim the staff at him and hold one spell. The only thing I have slots left for, which is Banishment. That's interesting. I'm just doing this.

Okay. I'm so far in trying to get within. I have to be within 60 feet of him. And I also have to be within 60 feet for Feather Fall, so I guess whatever happens. Exactly. But I'm also trying to get streamlined. Right, no, understood.

So Laudna, you are trying to keep up with him, but you are both falling at practically the same rate. Unless you have some way to try and propel yourself forward, you're both at terminal velocity, essentially. I guess my movement speed would be half of yours, so I'm half the distance behind you. I'm way behind, but I'm there. Yeah. Yeah, so you're working on,

everyone's pushing away their brace. You're just watching from a distance. Now's our time, Asmodeus. We can betray them now. Weirdly, no response. I'm furiously painting this. Wow, this is great. So you are not able to get to him

in time to grab him. Oh no. Orym, you are... Oh. How far away? Can I hang off? You're going to try and do what? Well, I think I've already used seedling. You've used your seedling, yes. Oh.

Can I hold him in my beak, my talons? How close? How close? Oh, we could go even closer. Are we to him, and how close are we to them, and how close are we to the ground? Like, you're both colliding here. There will be a moment where basically you would just pass overhead.

You could try and make a grab for it, but you're not going to be able to fully intercept or catch him. It's all down to the wire at this point. Okay. There's one thing I can do. Oh, go ahead. There's one thing I can do. If I was hoofing it over there,

I only have one spell. Break his fall. Paint him in riposte. I was going to, I could do plant growth to try to make a little cushion for him. What's your movement speed? My movement speed is only 30, but plant growth I can cast 150 feet away from me.

All right. I think the speed that they have to travel, because they're double moving at 80 feet fly speed over a number of rounds to even catch up with him as he's falling. I don't think you'd be able to get enough distance to cast the spell in time. Then I'll just slowly walk over there.

Okay, while working on your painting. Can I gauge roughly how far away I am from Ashton right now, as we're falling? Probably about 100 or so feet. If I had Fastball Special'd her, though, like flown down and then chucked her instead of just letting her go. I've got a pitch.

Throw the love at your dad. I've got a pitch. Throw a girl for him. Sad. You can tell me if you will allow this. One spell left, I'm saving for Feather Fall. I've got two sorcery points. Yeah.

You've got Dilava. I don't have Dilava. You don't? She's just gone. Well, she's not active. Can you make her active? And do what? I don't know, use her. All right, well, kind of.

Can't go on. This is warlock shit. Got two sorcery points left that I can cash in for a second-level spell and do darkness. This is what I wanted to do the other day. 60 feet ahead of me and then use my shadow step. No. Ooh! To step into darkness?

No, it's not going to work, is it? It's very clever. It is very clever. You can try it. It's very clever. What's the reading on shadow stuff? You've got to be in a shadow to jump to another shadow. Or you're in darkness and jump to darkness. I don't know how.

What would you be able to do? Jump to underneath Ashton's incoming shadow as he's falling? Or you just want to jump to the darkness? You can jump into dark. You have no shadow to jump into from where you are currently. You can cast darkness.

But you can cast darkness and enter that shadow. What shadow would you emerge from? Could I emerge from under Ashton? That would be sick. It'll be small until he gets closer. You can certainly try. This is it, this is all I have. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's a crazy move. It's a crazy move, do it. So, so. Because we're all trying something and sort of failing, right? So here's what I want to happen. I want one of the two of you to go ahead and roll an athletics check to try and grab Ashton,

one giving the other advantage. You do it. My athletics is... Yeah. I need you, Chetney, to go ahead and roll a dexterity check to try and properly time and aim this spell to catch him possibly before the impact.

I'm going to roll my Dunamis die just for Ashton. And Laudna, I need you to roll a d20 and add your spell modifier to see if you can manage in the last few moments before impact to cast Darkness, stumble into it, and then immediately attempt to momentarily conjure a dark enough spot against the fading light on Ashton's plummeting body to crawl out of him.

How many of us need to succeed? One or all? Deck saving throw or just regular deck saving throw? Maybe it's hedging our bets. If one fails and you come up underneath it, he's going to splatter onto you. So it's double whammy skin. I've got Feather Fall. I just have to be...

That's good. I'm going to use my bow die because it never failed me. It's okay. That was bold to say. That was dangerous to say, something like that. Roll it, that's too stressful. That could have say. That was dangerous. That was dangerous to say something like that as you roll it. That's too stressful. That could have been a goldfish moment. That is true.

19. 19. I'm going to spring from Shubil's wing down towards her talons and whisper, Nana Mora, your granddaughter, and I need you. Yes. Dirty 20. Dirty 20. Dirty 20. Okay.

Did you roll? What'd you roll? 21. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. So you reach out and catch the edge of his boot loop as he's plummeting, grab and the strap breaks, just barely breaks under your grasp

as he plummets out of your grasp. And the DC was 20. As it breaks and he tumbles, you. It's not meets a pizza? Oh, was it 20 total? 20 on 20? Oh, it was dirty 20! You're right, you're right. So 20 was it. Okay, was it 20 total? 20 on 20. Oh, it was during 20, you're right, you're right. So 20 was it. So you, okay.

So the order of this would be, you... You cast the darkness. Sorry, flashback to attacking the darkness. You cast darkness and vanish into it and attempt to pull from the shadow of Ashton's body as it's turning end over end. As you begin to emerge from the back of his shadow, his body spins and the light casts the shadow

from that side of him, and you instead emerge once more from the space of darkness where you were, the spell itself called back and you are now plummeting in out of range. You go ahead and concentrate and get the banishment spell. You manage to grab Ashton. The boot snaps, you dive harder in, and as you do, you spin.

This is interesting. You spin Seedling around, grabbing it by the vines on its hilt, and then using the handle of it to try and hook the inside of his jacket. It just catches him and strains your body. You just barely hold on with Fearne trying to pull up as hard as you can.

You feel both shoulders pop from their sockets. Your Captain America moment, except instead of a helicopter, it's just a person. Yeah. It's a heavy person. It's a heavy person. He's made of rock. Yeah.

As you pick him up, the momentum of the fall and the density of Ashton still pulls you and Ashley down a little bit, slowing his fall, which allows Chetney just enough time to properly aim and scatter Ashton out of sight. In your head, you hear, You killed him?!

Let me go! I thought this was a good stuff! Spell last minute. Feather fall on myself and anyone else who needs it. Wait. I run up. If he comes out in a minute, he's still going to be falling? Is that how this works?

Well, I mean, yes. Get under him. Mattresses. Anything. The portable hole. What do we got? 60 feet above the ground, so. Wait. Grow your grass, Patrick.

Oh yeah, okay. I'll cast Plant Growth, I guess. Wouldn't he have been fallen on whatever plane he was, I'm saying from the air into your head? I don't know what plane he went to. But whatever plane. That Astral Hall. If he went to the Astral plane,

he would just be flying really fast to the Astral plane. A different plane of existence than the one that you're on. He would either hit something on the other plane or continue at full force. That's over a minute. That's a long time. The crowd, is Widogast here or the Nine here?

Oh, we're far away, aren't we? No, as you've rushed beyond the wall now, crowds are rushing up and other figures are catching up. In the midst of all that's happening here and the shifting of movement here, indeed, both the Mighty Nein and Vox Machina have been rapidly gathering to see if they can help at this point.

Okay. Okay. Okay, so Widogast saw the trajectory and is stalking out to that area and is already pulling components out. And I, he, I, he, we are preparing telekinesis to go to Ketchum. Okay. The moment passes.

Everyone seems to wait for the right moment before you. Yeah, for this fresh cut. There you go. Aw! That's cute. Right as you release the Staffborn spell, an Ashton reemerges at the spot, no more than maybe 30 feet above the ground.

At terminal velocity, Widogast, who's been holding his Ashton, immediately casts Feather Fall. Telekinesis. Telekinesis. And I will, in Ashton's tumbling form, actually, if it's telekinesis, this'll be your. Can I use the math and my keen mind to match the force to slow him?

Correct. As he comes down? I'll say just go ahead and roll and add his spell modifier. Yeah, okay. That's a very widow gasp. I'll make that an answer. I did good. Dirty 20 again. Ashton reappears and then quickly slows down,

caught in the telekinetic grasp. Jesus Christ. What happened to him? Your guess is as good as mine. Bell's house. Jakob! Thank you. Just set him down. Yes. But not on that blade of grass.

That's Henry Crabgrass. It's okay. You can set him free. He just slides in a prone position, like a princess, just on his back, down onto the ground. I run over to him, them. And I heal them. Well, the first thing you notice is you approach. Ashton remains in one single piece other than the shattered cavern

that is the side of his head. Oh fuck. Larger than it was? Where that crystal was exposed, it is now just a shattered gap. Oh no. Caleb. I can try to heal them, but I don't know what this is. Let's start with the basics.

Wait. Is Ashton dead? Yeah, Orym sprints up and is feeling for a pulse. I might be able to do something. Pike is here. Give me just a second. Hi. Hi.

Come on, Ash. Wait, did we meet? I don't know. Come on, Ash. You're so cute. You're our rock. You're our rock. Be our rock. Come on, Ash. Imogen flies down. Where's Fearne? She feels flying.

What?! I've landed, taken off, and I'm just running over and I'm just holding him. What do we do? What do we do? What do we do? Spare the dying work, out of curiosity. Oh, because you had Spare the Dying on you. Yeah, I'm nothing but that.

Oh, wait, you're Caduceus. Yes. Yeah. I know what you mean. Does Spare the Dying? Would Greater Restoration do anything? Spare the Dying, they are not dying. Oh, Spare the Dying is zero hit points. Correct.

Okay, so there's nothing. It's not taking, is what I'm saying. Yeah. Okay. Cold, just checking. Orym, not Orym, Caleb pulls a large stone that is fastened to his belt, and it glows a faint amber color. I may be able to, if we act now, to help your friend.

What is that? This is a transmutus stone. What does that do? We'll bring him back. Oh. If he wishes to come back. I don't know if he will wish. Which, as a wizard, Transmuter Stone can be destroyed

to cast Resurrection. Ooh, okay. Ooh. Fearne. Yeah? The two of you share an identity. Oh. Is there anything? I don't know.

I don't understand how it works, but you all are connected. Primordial. From a primordial aspect. Do you think I could... What if I were to give him my shard? Would that be a thing I could do? I don't know. Mr. Caleb?

Yeah? I have a shard from a titan. Can I get it out and maybe give it to him? I do not know. I have never worked with such a thing. Ifrit, I think we got to get him alive first. Okay. The Transmuter Stone, if it does what you say,

we should try that. Oh, come on, don't you fail me now. Turn it around. I know, just a little. Wait, did Jester try to heal him? It's Ray's dad. No, he's dead. He's dead. Okay, okay. Correct. Cast for Ray's dad. Wait, wait, wait. Hang heal him? Not raised dead. He's dead. He's dead. Okay, okay.

Jester raised dead. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Hang on a minute. All right. Pike's going to come over. This is just a lot to keep track of. This was like their brain is gone now? Yes.

But they were patched up once before. With a beacon? With a... A dunamis. Something like it. Like a potion made of dunamacy. You look inside the concave space and it's like the inside of a geode. You can see the crystal on the inside,

but it is just an absence. We had that potion. Do we still have the potion in our hole? What, one of the dunamis potions? Yeah, or do we hand it over? Wait a minute, wait a minute. Hold on, I don't know if this will work. Orym takes a seedling and lays it out,

King Arthur-style, on Ashton's chest. This is the, if we can get him back, he can, he can attune to this. His body will grow back. His body will grow back. We just have to bring him back. I don't know how magic works. What do you mean?

Come on. We can't attune something to him if he's not doing it himself. We can't attune the sword to him. I think Pyke has a reason. But maybe I can work together with your halfling friend, and I can get him back from Death's Door, and you, little friend, can get him the last few steps.

Just mechanically speaking, this sword has regenerative powers. It grows back limbs, fingers, legs, anything. To a living individual. To a living individual. There we go. Okay. Sorry, my pike was in the way.

Did you say pike? Pike had showed, like Vox Machina's, like pike started to show up? I'm almost positive I have Resurrection of the Pike. There it is. And you didn't use it? No, I don't have any. Yeah, I've had barely any, I've only used a couple spells, right?

Yeah, I mean, if you can cast it. Okay, Pike is going to go up. Where did it go? So Pike is going to go up. Where did it go? Zirconus here. I think Zirconus is there with him, and he just says, I may be able to help, but I don't have the requisite materials.

I never used my 9th-level in the fight. I have True Resurrection, but I need somebody rich. I need diamonds.urrection. But you need. But I need. I'm somebody rich. I need diamonds. How much do you need? 25k worth. Whoa!

Diamonds. 25k? 25. 25k worth of diamonds. Does anybody have diamond worth 1,000? I have, yes, of course I do. Hold on, let me. I think Zirconus, when he suggests this, knows that it's a tall order.

That suggestion is sad. You just said that on Rodeo. How much? You said you only need 1,000. I need 1,000. You need 25? What's the difference here? You only need 1,000? I only need 1,000. Go, go.

Move! All right, Pike's going to go up. Oh, Pike's here? Yes. Yeah, Vox Machina's here. Vox Machina has arrived as well. All three campaigns have now merged at this spot. My danger beyond was not loading Pike. That's why I was taking so long.

Scanlan is passing out pastries to everyone. This is good. Good job. All right, I'm going to go up to. See how it happens. I'm going to go up to Ashton and put my hand over where his... the space in his head and just above on his chest and on his heart.

Just look around. Cast Resurrection. Okay. Who's on the other end to receive the call now? Ugh. Well, the Matron was here. The Matron was here. Oh my god.

My god. Yeah, they're gone. Who's going to be here? We don't know yet. All that. I can facilitate, without the help of the gods. You can. I have what is correct. Okay. I think, how well would that stone fit in that space? Well, do your thing, what happens?

Yeah, what happens? Yeah, might as well find out now. Pretty good, it'd be a little lumpy, but. He was already lumpy. Yeah. The magic of your ritual carries and completes. How long, the ritual, are you doing, which is it? Resurrection.

Do you have Revivify? Because that might be easier and faster. So Resurrection takes an hour to cast. All right. Revivify is fast, but they would have to be dead for under a minute, right? Mine is instantaneous. Instantaneous. So you begin to prepare the Resurrection Ritual.

As you begin to set up the requirements for this ritual, the runes that grasp the core of the being, that restores flesh, that restores color, that restores the anchor that the soul returns to, it's almost like the space in the skull resists it. It's not working? It's not working.

That's with the Transmuter Stone? No. No. That's with the Transmutation. Did that eat my diamond? I'm sorry, Vex. Ask your husband to get you more. Do your thing. I'm going to tryex. Ask your husband to get you more. Do your thing. I'm going to try to see if my Transmuter Stone

will loosely fit into the crater in Mr. Graymoore's head. And try to cast, what is it, Raise Dead. As you place the stone within, and it doesn't quite fit snug by any means, but it fits inside the space. Now, you as a transmutation specialist, you envision it taking up as much space as it can within

and finding connection and transmuting it to the best of your ability to the type of glass-like structure that you recall it being, but it's still not oddly finding purchase. There's something missing to this equation that you've tried to put together here. Did you say there were runes in there? Like in the inside of Ashton's?

Just like it looks at the inside of a geode. I'm going to look at the Bright Queen. Yes. Give me your beacon. Absolutely not. Give me your beacon! We're done here. Wait, wait, wait, wait!

Look. You must know something. You must be able to help. I turn. Is Essek here? You make a perception check. Ooh. Who are you right now? I'm Laudna!

Oh, you repent to blip. I'm sorry! Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, sorry. Why am I in 18 plus seven? What's 18 plus seven? I'm fucking blinking. 25. 25. 25. You do not see Essek anywhere nearby.

You do see a somewhat shabby, bearded, familiar-looking mage who is looking upon all this aghast. You, you! Yes, hi, sorry. Do you have a potion? mage who is looking upon all this aghast. You, you! Yes, hi, sorry. Do you have a potion? Do you have one of those Dunmancy potions? Something, someone here must.

Everyone in Exandria is here. There's got to be spare Dunmancy. You see, he looks to the Bright Queen, looks to you, looks to Caleb, looks to all of you. Comes over and sits next to Caleb, and Caleb, you recognize this common image that your partner takes.

Yeah. Hello. Do you carry anything on you? I carry everything with me. He places his fingers over yours and where the transmuter stone crystal is, you watch as his fingers pressing against yours begin to conjure the basis of dunamantic script

within the glass and as it does, you see flickers and flashes. As the transmitter's stone seems to almost expand and then contract, and for moments, you see the stone vanish, and it's empty once more. Then you see shards of crystal apparating outside and slowly reforming. Like in this brief little pocket, time has reversed. And as the fingers press hard against yours

to the point where the crystal, the Transmuter Stone is now gone, you think. It's like nothing had happened, but Essek's fingers are painfully pushing into yours. And as they intertwine, sweat's dripping from his brow. He pulls back and gets blasted away, his illusion dropping immediately. He's thrust about five feet back.

And the kaleidoscopic flash begins to glitter on the inside of the head as the raised dead takes effect. Raised dead, what does that do? Raised dead. But is he a zombie? No. Okay. Your eyes flicker open.

Damn it, FCG. Hey. Hey. Am I dead? Because if I am, this is really a disappointment. No. See? No. No. No. You're okay. Uh-huh. You're okay.

I want to sleep for now. You get to do that. We've been through this before. You have to call him Kingsley now. Right off, Sam. Love you. You'd make a really good pirate. I hate the ocean.

I like it. I look at Essek. I look at the Bright Queen. The Bright Queen stands watching as queen soldiers now begin to move to encircle. Caduceus is going to walk over and just do two little taps of just casting Heal twice. Oh, I was right here! Yeah, but you don't like doing that.

Wow, Caduceus. Tap, tap. You're so good at that. So that's 140 hit points to Ashton. So that's 140 hit points. To Ashton. To Ashton, and then, just for fun, we're going to put up, while all of this is happening, little spirit guardians,

just so I can ignore the soldiers while we're doing this. So a bunch of little beetles are just going to start flying around where we are. Okay. We're all fine. They're not going to bother any of you. Essek has gotten to his feet now as the soldiers swirl in. He quickly flashes an incantation. Roll a d20 for me.

Oh god. Oh my god, come on, dude. Caleb is moving toward the Bright Queen, not threateningly, but within parlay distance. Yeah. It's a nine. It's moving toward the Bright Queen, not threateningly, but within parlay distance. Yeah. It's a nine. It's a nine. That's a failure on the Counterspell. In a good way?

Meaning, Essek is attempting to teleport away, and one of the approaching mages attempts to Counterspell it. Well, I'll flick that off with a Counterspell. Well, okay. The Counterspell already failed to catch the spell. That was the roll for the Counterspell. Well, okay. The Counterspell already failed to catch the spell. That was the roll for the Counterspell. Got it, got it, got it.

So Essek vanishes. Oh. That was Essek? Oh! Nice. Make a deception check. Okay. Wait, hold on, where's my dick dice?

Nope, one. You're 30 feet within or on the board. Oh, fuck yes, okay, hold on, where's my B dice? Three! Which goes up to a 10. Yeah. So interesting. The Bright Queen strikes a look,

and the soldiers look back for order. Oh, I don't know. Okay. I was just curious. At least we know the fugitive is in close circles. A smile comes across the Bright Queen's face. We will have business in the future. I'm glad to see that you are back.

And nothing of value was lost. She turns around as the soldiers begin to fall into line before she looks towards you and you. What was that? With that, the chaos of Vasselheim is notable in the distance, and most of the people who are watching at the periphery begin to pull away and return to the town.

But your friend has been saved? I should say, you saved the gods. I destroyed them. Whichever way you want to look at it. Oh god, did I piss off a five-headed dragon? Yeah, you did. Yes! You really did.

And it was epic. Oh god, I told you all I loved you. Ha ha, can't take it back, fuck you. I was not supposed to come back from that. Too bad. Shit happens. Wait, Imogen. What?

Yeah, I know. It's still in there. Mm-hmm. What do we do? Does it feel like anything? I mean, if you release it, it'll just wander off, right? It should.

We got you, no matter what. Do we need to give any runners a head start? None of them ran, I think all of them. Did they tell us? Just kidding. Yeah, sure, give them a head start. None of them ran. I think all of them. Did they tell us? Just kidding. Yeah, sure. Yeah, my head's dark. But... It is pushing against its binds, and the voice of that childlike perception within you

still feels hungry and waking and wanting out to feed. Like we really, really know it only wants to eat gods, right? I wasn't lying. I really didn't see anything but the gods when I was... when I was inside of it. What? I guess, did I see any of the Ruidusborn?

I didn't, right? I only saw the lights of the gods. You saw the lights of the gods and you saw the pale red of the Ruidusborn, but they weren't, they were just an awareness. Those were buddy lights. Those were buddy lights, those were not Ruid lights. Babies. Okay, well, I wasn't saying you were lying.

I just think that, you know, if that's what you saw, then. That's what I saw. It's probably okay. How do you get rid of it? Like, open your mouth? Yeah, I think I just try to force myself to throw up. No, I don't. I just go.

No, I think I need to, maybe I just need to talk to it. I'm not sure. Maybe I going to get up and out. No, I think I need to, maybe I just need to talk to it. I'm not sure. Maybe I need to fly up in the sky. Maybe I need to just go up into the sky and try to aim for outer space. Sure. Aim what for outer space? Aim my body up. Aim your body up? Yeah.

You know what. And then just flip upside down and try to shoot it out. Yeah. Birth of Pernathos in space. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I know there are just tons of people still standing around. Just all the amassed.

Oh yeah, no, I mean, there's many army soldiers, bastions of Vasselheim, still remnants of the Bright Queen's army that are exiting, the Mighty Nein and Vox Machina all present. What about the Matron? She's not here. She disappeared, too.

They all just disappeared. Just one last thought. The gods, Pardothos, they traveled from somewhere to be here, right? If we set Pardothos free into the cosmos, would they hunt down other gods, another world? I'm sure some other beings. Isn't that just passing off our problems to someone else?

You betcha. I grab you by the hand. We all know it's coming out one way or another. I'd rather allow it out instead of it ripping its way from me. I would really love for that to not happen, please. Yeah. Sharp pain curls on the inside of your torso. Yeah, I feel like I don't have a lot of time left.

Go, go, go, go, go. Can we find a moment of privacy? Can we go somewhere? Top of the mountain? I don't know. Not maybe in the center of the town square. Usually if you catch a tiger, you don't release it in the middle of the Metroplex.

Maybe I can fly up. Maybe I really can. Take it up the stairs. Above Vassaline. We'll be alone, though. Of like up the stairs? Yeah, there's the, we've never been up there. You can't go alone. And we don't have the means to catch another

terminal velocity falling body right now. Let's just walk up the stairs. Let's do it up the stairs. Okay. Are we allowed to? Are people stopping us? I don't think anyone's going to stop Predathos. At the moment, most everyone's still stunned and trying to keep the populace in check.

Some soldiers might try and step into your way, but as you assert your walk, they let you pass. They've all witnessed some odd collection of miracles today that they're still grasping with, let alone for the most pious, still grasping with this renewed absence in them. Let's walk with purpose, let's go. In a low voice, Caleb says to Imogen,

Go, we'll handle this. I'm sure Jester can keep them occupied. Jester. As you begin to ascend the massive steps of the Heavenstare Mountain, other members of the Dawn Marshals and their various generals, high priests, fall in to follow,

keeping most of the populace from wandering close to where you go, until eventually the path thins to a very drifting hiking path, at which point they begin to fall back in waves, watching from a distance. I, Liam, have always wanted to go up here.

Eventually, you come to the edge of this cragulous cliffside, this massive peak that overlooks all the surrounding Timberlands. You can see the distant mountain ranges and the stretch of white snow, the clusters of forest, the atmospheric cloud front starting to try and push back in

from the massive blast of divine transference. But above you still probably the most wide open blue sky Vasselheim's seen in a very long time. And there beyond it, as you focus in, you can just faintly see the sparkle of distant stars. Lost beyond that great blue hue, an endless expanse of cosmos your mind and spirit could not even conceive.

The sharp pain hits again. What can we do? What do we do to help you? I don't know. I just, um... Hold my hand. You grip her hand tight. Funny the whole time. We've been together.

I've been dealing with voices on the outside. Hey, I... more than most understand what you're going through. Fearne. We got you. Okay. You're going to be okay. You're going to be okay. I feel our tether, and it almost starts pulling your energy into me.

And I look inward to the child. You feel that lightish being, that small, primal alien presence within curling from its slumber. It looks back at you. I am so hungry. I know. There's nothing for you here.

Why? All your food went away. You've been gone so long. I'm sorry. I know. You feel its presence suddenly spread within you, piercing into your physical self. It's trying to claw through and out and drag your very essence with it.

The rest of you watch as suddenly Imogen's chest begins to tense and pull. Instinctually, purple lightning begins to arc off her body. She begins to lift up in the air. You watch her arms and chest and shoulders contort. Her eyes go bright. Just keep a tight grip on her hand. Next to her arm. Same, same.

You feel it tearing you apart from within. What do you do? Can I try to funnel my energy and allow it to escape? Go ahead and roll a charisma check for me. Do you still have Enhance Ability on her? For cut, for? It's been under an hour.

Okay, okay. Advantage. Okay, okay, okay. Advantage. Okay, okay, okay, okay. Can I also do an additional guidance? In this instance, I will say probably no. Okay, okay, okay. This is pure. Good need for checking.

Okay. And this is just a check, a charisma check. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. That is, I can do my math, 23. Is that right, 23? No, 24. I don't know what you're adding. 22. 17 plus. 23, 22, 36. 22, 22.

As you feel it clawing through your consciousness, as well as finding an escape through the physical pathways that connect your consciousness to the physical, you instead try and guide that exit point, as opposed to letting it just rend at any direction to wherever it hopes to find the thinnest surface of resistance. Instead, you almost jingle the arcane keys to keep its attention where you want it to go,

as opposed to physically pulling its way through, you begin to release it through the spaces that you know to be the least resistance. The rest of you watch as Imogen closes her eyes and seems to curl into a ball as her focus goes inward, the energy around her. Like a massive plasma ball, just arcing out around all of you,

arcing into you. You can feel it. It burns, it tingles. It doesn't quite damage, but you feel the very basis of this power granted to her and how dangerous it can be when unbridled, but you hold yourselves taut

until eventually, her eyes and mouth open, and you watch out of her ears, out of her eyes, her nose, yourselves taught until eventually, her eyes and mouth open and you watch out of her ears, out of her eyes, her nose, her mouth, just this black and red gaseous fume just emanates outward itself, like a flashing black volcanic storm of purple energy. As it begins to spill out of her, it begins to congeal and shift,

and you see claws. You see teal and purple glows pulsing within, this ever-growing and spreading, roiling storm of something not of this physical realm. Even what you took into you on Ruidus was mostly you changed. This, in its pure, unleashed form, it seems to defy dimension

in ways that you've come to understand. It seems to spread and entirely envelop the sky as much as it seems like maybe just a few feet away. Depth seems to fold on itself. This entity seems to walk in its truest form between dimensions, and you watch as it seems to spread, its endless consciousness flickering and looking everywhere it can,

the fury of its flashing and spark suddenly coming to a cold, quiet sigh before it drifts off toward the stars far from whence it came, the darkness eventually giving way to blue. I grab my water skin, give it a nice cold cup of water, just like old times.

Yeah. I did just need to barf it up. Yeah, that sound was really cool. I drew a picture. It's not of you barfing, but it's a nice picture. Wow. That's really nice, Bryce. You might like that. That's beautiful. So fast.

That's so beautiful. So fast. I mean, it was just a sketch. It's just a doodle, you know, no big deal. Wow. Wow. I got inspired. Wow. Wow. Wow. You're really talented.

Why aren't you doing this as opposed to just killing people? Honestly, a lot of, kind of randomly on occasion. Yeah, you should do one of those where you're on a street and someone can come up and you can like, Kill them? Draw them. Oh, draw them. Yeah, you should do one of those where you're on a street and someone can come up and you can like draw them. Oh, draw them. Yeah.

I see the problem now. That's fair. Sure. How do you feel? I brush her hair back. I pull my hair back. Uh-huh. Rub her back. I feel great. Roxy. I feel great. Roxy.

I feel great. Yeah. Do I still have lightning today? I'll check. The mark's still in there. Okay, okay, still got the spark. I'll check. Do you need me to check also?

No. The divine spark, the magical echo of the Rite of Catathiosis slowly begins to fade, and the blue sky returns to the sunset that had been threatening to send Vasselheim into night. And as that color begins to go, the distant clouded horizon breaks just enough

to see the pale, faint light of Catha. And on the other side, returned to its orbit, the pale, distant red hue of Ruidus. No. Freed of what once its purpose, now to whatever its future may be. As you all gather here on the top, freed of what once its purpose, now to whatever its future may be, as you all gather here on the top of the Heaven Stair, looking down upon the Dawn Cradle.

We're going to go to break. Godspeed, little moon. Good night, moon. Good night, man. Good night, man. Good night, stars. Good night, gods. Well. Where are you, Ars?

We're going to take a short break here. We'll be back here to see where the rest of this story takes us. Cool. Okay, we'll see you in a few minutes. Oh, hello there, friends. We just wanted to thank you from everybody here at CR for your patience while we take care of our family

and our friends and our cast and our crew with everything that's been going on during this time. And we've been trying everything we can to bring back our beautiful city. So Critical Role Foundation is currently raising funds for three incredible organizations. The California Community Wildfire Recovery Fund, the Latino Community Foundation, and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation. If you can donate, anything helps.

It would mean the world. Head to criticalrolefoundation.org. We love you. Thank you for listening to Critical Role. If you've enjoyed the adventure, please consider rating and reviewing this podcast. Your insight can really help support the show by bringing new critters into the fold. Until next time, dear critters, adventure awaits!