Critical Role - The Tomb of the Heretic Saint | Age of Umbra Episode 8 Part 2

Episode Date: August 5, 2025

Part 2 The diminished but defiant group arrives at the Barrow of Blind Repose, seeking the last hope for the people of Desperloch... DAGGERHEARTDaggerheart is OUT NOW! Visit https://daggerheart.com to learn more. Purchase your copy at friendly local game stores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other bookstores, or Critical Role shops:US: https://shop.critrole.comUK: https://shop.critrole.co.ukEU: https://shop.critrole.euAU: https://shop.critrole.com.auCA: https://canada.critrole.com AGE OF UMBRASmall communities hold fast against the darkness of a dying world in Age of Umbra, a dark, survival fantasy 8-part Daggerheart mini-series with Game Master Matthew Mercer and players Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Sam Riegel, Taliesin Jaffe, and Travis Willingham. Death lurks around every corner, but five characters of the small community of Desperloch must band together to fight for hope for their community, risking it all for those they love. BEACONCurious what happens when the camera turns off after an Age of Umbra episode? Watch the Cooldown episodes with the cast discussion after each episode, exclusively on Beacon! 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. CREDITSKey Art & Character Art by Anthony Chong Jones | @robotpencilPlayer Miniatures by Hero ForgeSpecial thanks to Solar Simon DMMain Theme Song by Omar FadelSet Design by Shaun EllisSet Fabrication and Production Design by Noxweiler Berf Due to the improv nature of RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If hearing discussions of 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

Hey there, Critter Podcast listeners. We have a special new membership service at Beacon.tv, where you get early access to all new podcast episodes, including Critical Role for the first time ever. Beacon members also get things like live event presales, merch discounts, access to a private community discord, and new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown. Think of it as our digital critical role land.

Hit on over to Beacon.TV to check it out for yourself and start a seven-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. This is Ashley Johnson. And Tell us and Jaffe. And we're popping in here to talk about our new podcast on Beacon Weird Kids. In this series, we're diving into our lives as former child actors, from unraveling our eccentric upbringings to embracing all the delightfully odd interests we still have today. We're covering so many topics like antique toys. taxidermy, Japanese pop culture, and honestly, anything else we come up with.

Weird Kids is available exclusively on Beacon, but good news, we're offering a one-month free trial on Beacon.tv so you can take a look before you become a member. Just use the code Weirdoes at beacon.tv to start the trial. You can also find fellow weirdos by following the series on our At the Weird Kids Pod Instagram and using the hashtag Weird Kids. to all the misfits, outcasts, and weirdos out there, come take a seat at our table and celebrate all things unconventional, nostalgic, and wonderfully weird. Welcome to Weird Kids. New episodes release every Tuesday. Hey there, Matthew Mercer here, and you're listening to Part 2 of this episode

of Age of Umbra, a dark tale and campaign setting from our recently released Tabletop RPG Daggerheart from Darrington Press. If you haven't checked out part one yet, pause this now and head over there first. Otherwise, let's return to our adventurers striving against the darkness in part two. Welcome back. Here, in the wady silence following the destruction

of the returned saint, Ivoire. There are Acolytes, and three of your allies sacrificed towards the struggle of the salvation of Desperlachanol within. And in the same moment you try and process the adrenaline that's still pumping through your system, the burning exhaustion that sits in your joints and your muscles,

the emotional depth of the sorrow of losing so much, much and the reality is you look over across that stonework, not far from Snix's body's hand. One of the few, one of the only remaining blessed branches known to the realm is yours. You both make eye contact for the first time since the silence took. You all right? No. But I will be. How about you? Are you wounded?

Sure. Can't remember the last time I wasn't. Yeah. The branch. The scepter. I go over and grab the branch first. Pick up the scepter and toss it to idle. Notice anything about it, strange, or just metallic scepter?

Metallic scepter that seems to have carried historical significance to the events that led you here, historical and otherwise, that led you here. I'll look down from the scepter to where snickses and look over at Brixton. You know what we have to do. I do. Perhaps we can at least

give them the guise of an honorable death in a funeral and utilize these caskets that are still here. And then and then light them. Yeah. Help me. All right. Start moving the bodies into the casket.

Oddly poetic. Three wooden caskets when you arrived. Empty. And three wooden caskets once again four. That's messed up. As you closed the lids upon them, the final lid locked in. locked in, you hear the faintest scratch from inside one of them, but you've latched it closed.

And with as much stoic emotion as a life here in the domain can allow you, you expand your torches and light them aflame. Thanks, Snakes. Thank you, Misty. Scree, find happier times. Pretty poetic. You're on hollowed ground. And release them back into the Aetherweave.

Can't believe Screeve even came back. He had no personal investment in this. cause. Nothing if not determined. Now we have to complete that little task of... Getting back. Making it all the way home. We were granted sanctuary at Celsian, Athenium.

Maybe we can stay more than just a single night or gain our strength. Hell, maybe even other pilgrims might want to make the journey with us back to Desperluck. I think if you open the invitation, you might be surprised at how many take you up on it. It's fair. About what time of day is it now?

Deep in the night? It would have been probably by this point into the midnight. You took a short rest before you entered, and you had already traveled through the wood in the Cinebar after leaving the Indian before you were last long rest, so I'd say, yeah. Chance it? Or take shelter for the eve and start at first light? Um. Part of me wants to chance it and get the fuck out of here.

There are people waiting on us. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe just a short rest, and then we'll sleep in Celsius and Athenium. Yeah. Okay. You both settle in, gather yourselves, gather your resolve, and say your final goodbyes, before you pick up once more and head out into the starless nights of the realm, trekking

back through the wooded path that still lays open, the one that you earned entrust with the fame warden. Trying the best to retrace your steps, I would like one of you to roll a D4 for me. Ooh, all right. Just normal hope and fear, yeah? Oh, D20 you said? D4. Of D4. D4?

Yes. Scott. How do you cock a D4? How do you cockadee for? That's impressive. One. Okay. So, this is now your fourth night since you left, right? Yes. You have just added only one more evening to the length of time in which the umbral winds will reach Desperlock.

Okay. So lower is better. Lower was better. It was better. It was, yeah. It was, uh... Jeez, Tom Guy, before he rolls, oh, my God. So, it was a week before, since you left, before the wind arrives, on your fourth night that only shortened to six.

You have two days to sprint and return home to beat the wind. So if I had rolled higher, that would have been better. That would be. Because it would have added. It would have added. Oh, I thought you were like adding to the wind coming. Nope, we got it. So you are now in a sprint.

All right, well, fuck an extended vacation at the Celsius. Yep. At least we got clarity. Fuck that, yep. All right. I can get that name anyway, the dwarf with the rings and stuff. I'll find her later. Yeah.

So to that point. Oh, man. I'm marking over here just two more nights. You all, the progress clock here set. Oh my God! To make the journey back to Desperlock in time. Okay. So, over the next two days,

how are you planning to make this sprint? Can we say we grabbed Snix's satchel, the scepter, any other packages he had. That salmon potion that was on Screeve. The crystal. Still have the arcane shard. Yeah. I'm gonna look at Brickson.

I'm gonna slap her. Slaps me back. What the fuck? Let's go. Okay. And it's like on the hop. Not a full run, but we're moving. And I say we take that brink.

We take that bridge. Yeah, I think you're right. We take the bridge. The speed option. The fully exposed speed option. The benefit is the majority of your return track is downhill. Actually, having done endurance races, that's the best thing I've ever heard. It's music.

Oh, God, thank you. All right, so who is helming this first leg of the return sprint through the middle of the night? Still you. Still you. That's my fault, basically. I would like you to roll an instinct or knowledge roll to either recall the path you took that is safest or sense it on the return trip.

I will try and sense it. 12 with hope. 12 with hope, okay. Now, at this point, this portion of the forest, which has been cleansed, the difficulty was lowered for this because of the previous ones. That is just barely a sense. It's very early as success.

Okay, okay, okay. Take that hope. That clicks on the progress. You trek through the majority of the night. Coming back to the exterior, the Cinebar Quarter, you remember and recall the path that you took to the top. Now you can either try and clamber up and through the district once more, as you see just the faintest bit of light cresting over the horizon, the promise of a sunrise just around the corner, and maybe the district could be fairly quiet at this. early morning hour.

They did party. Or you could attempt to find another way around, climb on the outside of the sheer wall that drops hundreds of feet down into the valley below. Choice is yours. Call it. I'm going to put my money on the fact that it was, what's her name, the Damasque Queens?

Farah. It was Farah's birthday. It was Farah's birthday. and they've probably been up all night. Toll up, yep. Yes, and that they are passed out fucking drunk. Tattoos and stuff. Yeah, passed out in a drunken stupor.

Mustaches on their faces. Uh-huh. Okay. So for this, I'll allow you to make a group finesse or agility roll. One of you wants to lead it. The choice is yours. This is agility for me. Yeah, I'm only plus one, go for it.

Okay. All right, so you go ahead and roll yours first to see if you add or subtract from her final roll. Yo, that's a 20 with, it's a 20. Oh, yeah, that's a reaction. So add a plus one to your final roll here. Come on, come on. Okay, well, it's a 12-1-1,

and that's with adding my angelia, 12, 14, 15, 16 total. The difficulty was 15. Oh, no! So as you both clamber up onto the top of the outer wall and go skulking along it as quickly as you can, you can still see, you saw just the one mark set up, but there are multiple camps still burning bonfires

that are still crackling in the middle of this district. And yet they've been parting all night, and they're still partying. As you begin to run past, you can still hear the sounds of instruments that no one's really bothered to learn how to play, but still plucking away, drunken here in the wee hours of the morning,

now turning into the rising sun beyond the clouded skies. You hear shouts, you hear a fist, You hear fist fights, you glance over to the left, and you can see that there's a fight ring that has started, and people are just watching others beat the shit out of each other. Who knows how much liquor and wine has been recovered as they've torn through someone's subterranean basement and are celebrating a proper birthday,

like Farah likes to do whenever she feels it. Or days? But there is enough distraction amongst this continued revelry that you both continue along the wall, and from this perspective, managed to avoid being spotted just as it grows light enough where your concern grows too high. You jump down past the other gate

where you had returned and make a charge towards the Athenium. Running excerpts. With that, as you begin to approach, it grows slightly lighter and the morning has truly come. And as you approach, you hear the shadow of a guard above. You! Who is that? Running your weapons!

We're running by it. We're going straight. No, you hear that from the Athenium. Sorry. The guards above see you approaching and rushing towards their gate, and they're shouting, It's Brickson and Idol! We've returned!

They don't recognize that name. Oh, we're supposed to tell. Commander Kieran! We have passage! Brickston and Idol! They've returned! As for sure, Darren! All right, you dropped the name, Commander Kieran.

I would like one of you to make a... to make a presence rule here and the other support. Same. All right. So who's supporting the other? I'll support you. All right, so go ahead and roll. Reaction roll here for presents.

It's good, that's good, that's gonna be 21. It's a plus one on your role. Plus one, hey, 17, plus one, 18. With hope. Between the agility roll to get through that district and your success on that persuasion that brings the progress count. or down to a three.

You come to the edge and the gates open for you. No arrows are loosed, though two, no more than, no less than two dozen were aimed at the two of you as you sprinted. You rush inside the Athenium, and there may contact and are allowed a night's rest. They offer to keep you for some time, but indeed, you don't have time. Okay. but you are exhausted and need a full sleep. Okay.

So with that, you rest through the rest of the day and awaken as night falls, because now your circadian rhythm is completely fired after a full night of travel. So you do take your long rest here. I get unstoppable back. You do. I'm so sorry about that, but sometimes the timing

of using abilities, I know. I'm gonna buy. the scepter to my glave just just for just for shits and giggles but that's how repair to gain a hope yeah yeah I'll kind of extend my magic through it so clear my stress and I'm also prepared to gain hope so we can get to hope right yeah if we prepare together you can take too much so we can get to hope as we um affix banets Yeah. Pretty much. Yeah, basically.

And you do not have to keep watch because you are within the safety of the sacred pyre here. You can't help but continuously check on the branch as you, before you go to sleep and before you wake up, there's an obsession of just ensuring that it's nearby, that it's safe, that nobody else sees it. I've like, because I've got this, this anointed chain armor, I've got my breastplate, so it's like, It's like tucked under my breastplate, like latched down under, like my undergarments. It is like, it is basically duct taped to my chest. All right.

You're smuggling it. Yes. Yep. With that, the next night is upon you. You're now on the fifth night of your journey. One day. And there's, it's with. Look, fuck.

Fuck. So. The evening is yours? Do you want to tread back through the drowned sprawl? Or do you wish to attempt to go along? Since you are up or above, you could try and go across the rampart top. But you have no concept of what to expect of there. Whereas at least with the drowned sprawl, you know what to expect in this journey.

The choice is yours. From what we could tell as we were preparing, to head up, is the rampart more of a straight shot? It's certainly a straight shot along the large outer perimeter wall. You've just also seen many flying creatures of different sizes. You couldn't tell at that distance that seemed to perch and nest up there. But time. But time, I know.

Yeah, we've got to go. How much time would it add on to our journey? I thought it took two days for us to get. We were in the second day to get up to the Ashcall Quarter. or to the drowns brawl, sorry. We were in our second day, so unless we got luckier than we could possibly fathom, we're not going to make it back. We have to go the shorter way.

Okay. Yeah. You both at the first start of night, hoping that the shadow will be enough to keep any predators at bay. You give a nod to the commander, and you'll let out the gates on the southern side of the Athenium. and the two of you, a small troop, attempt to go into cover of night and rush along the parapets of the outer wall of the drowned sprawl. Which one of you is helming? Are you going on a full sprint or are you going stealthily? Quickly, but stealthily. One is going to be the fastest, but might draw attention. The other is a little slower, but safer. I think we're forcing fate. I think so too. I think we've got to go fast. Yeah, we're sprinting. All right.

This will be a strength role to see how long you can keep the endurance of your run as things chase you along the way. Great. Because they will see you. Lungs pump battery acid. Yeah. So who is assisting on this part of this group action and which one is helping it? I'll assist you. Okay. All right, go ahead and roll strength on your end there. Whoa! 20.

Puck. It's a plus one to your role, Brickston. You can apply any experiences you've done. I'm supposed to say, can I spend a hope to use calloused hands? Because like that is manual labor, that is stamina, that is long nights guarding the power, fire. I'll allow it in the context that the ramparts aren't just a straight shot. There's a lot of jumping, climbing, having to like clamber up onto upper ledges and continuing to run, helping the other up. I would spend a hope and use shining a light in the dark, which is like, so that our terrain is more illuminated.

It does illuminate it more, and it makes you more of a tariff. for those that hunt you. What do you think? Well, better choice. Let's see what happens. Flying creatures are coming towards you as you charge and run. It was almost a crit.

Okay, you said plus one from you? Can I spend that hope to use that experience to give her advantage? Yeah, if you want. That was what? I will check one thing more fast. Yeah, I'll allow it. Okay.

Okay, so it's 10, 15. What? What? 21. You need to be to 15. Okay. If we're on with? Fear.

Unfortunately, it's almost a crit. So, you continue to run as you're being dive bombed by these massive bat-like creatures. You watch as they swoop down, their mouth itself consumes most of its torso. It kind of opens up to the side. It's meant to scoop you up. It doesn't have like, talons to grab you. It has legs to land on, but it is like a pelican that is filled with teeth as it tries to scoop to grab you. You both sprint and run and grab the edge of platforms, pull your way through, run across an open bridge that goes from one section of the parapet to the other, both leaping off as one swarps towards you. It just barely misses you both land hard on your ankles, roll and get up. Oh, that's going to hurt tomorrow. But if tomorrow comes and you're home, then that's all that's going to matter. And you keep running. You keep running the pain.

your lungs, there, other streaks come, other creatures begin to climb up the sides called by the yelling of the other predators, shapes that you can't even pay attention to because you're just looking ahead and going. I'm going to spend two fear, and I need you both to roll D-4s for me. Oh, shit. Not the one I rolled the four, that would betray me. One. Three. You mark three stress.

Oh, shut up. I keep rolling a long way. You never know. It's what I'm a ha. As the physical exertion and mental exertion of this activity has driven you past any limits you thought conceivable. But the memory of those that gave their lives to get you there and back home hold strong as you both charged to the edge of the rampart until eventually

Still chasing you, you glance down and recognize the path below. To the left of you, down below is the beginning of the Imperium Bridge. To the right is the path you took to the screaming forest, which means you are above the Amber Gate. You begin to climb down, you find an entryway that leads to a series of staircases that go down into the sides of the Amber Gate until eventually you emerge from the side and charge back through. The creatures are still searching the top of the gate,

while you all hide amongst the scrub, and coast along the outer rim of the surrounding Ash and Sea marshes. So who's helming the push into the screaming forest? I took the last one, so I'll help you. Now, you did succeed on that, so I'm going to count that down to a progress clock of two. Okay. Okay. What is this one? What does this roll? So for this here, you're trying to lead back.

Okay, just the question I'm going to ask, are you going to go back through the familiar space of the screaming forest that you last went through, knowing that mother is dead, but it has its own challenges. Or do you wish to coast along the side of the ashen sea that you know is also extremely haunted and you manage to avoid notice from the spirits before but are present strongly throughout the night?

Which path do you take? Once again, which one's faster? They're both about this. The sea might be faster, but it is definitely Also unknown, and I think we made up some time there, so maybe we can hedge some, yeah, we can hedge a little. Agreed. Okay. So following the familiar path, you tread into the screaming forest. Your eyes pick up some landmarks, and you can see from this kind of descending hillside that's leading down into the kind of the divot that the forest encompasses right here. Before the marsh takes over, you can see the sinkhole that it emerged to your first time back, and that immediately, kicks you into knowledge of the position you need to continue to travel. I need you, or whoever's helming this, to make an instinct or knowledge role

based on if you want to just keep your eyes open and sense those landmarks or analyze and recall the exact path that you took and just keep that sort of attention and detail driving you forward. I'll help you. Okay. And I can pick either or? Pick either one. I'll pick knowledge.

I'll go from a knowledge perspective here. Okay. Um. Okay. 13. That's a minus one. Minus one. I'm going to use my instinct to navigate and perceive and sense our way through the lens that we've been through once before.

Come on. That's cocked. Okay. Okay. That is 16 with hope. 16 with hope. That is a success. That counts.

the progress countered down to a one. As you charge through the screaming forest, you can see the fungus that you had previously encountered seemed to shift with your footfalls. But since you are in a full sprint, by the time it acknowledges you, its sound vanishes. You can feel the forest coming alive,

but by its own nature, it doesn't come alive quite as quick as those as determined as you are. Most people that travel through this forest have to take it somewhat slow for the fear of unknown, for the fear of the hive, for the fear of the hive, for the fear of things that ever hunt and seek here.

But you've already been through here and have more important matters so you can hear the screaming forest beginning to rouse behind you, but you are keeping pace enough where it's just one step behind. You hear the distant sounds of a buzzing network, four, 12, this low-

Oh, God. Oh my God, okay, okay, okay, okay. Of a cloud of winged entities. likely bent through hunger or vengeance, trying to follow suit. But you break free from the southern tree line and begin to break for the trees that surround the exterior of Vokoro.

And with that, the threat of the screaming forest is behind you. Oh, God, we're like, right there. We're so close. Through Vokoro and the sunken rampart. You are exhausted just as the light of day begins to creep into the morning. You think?

I still have a stamina potion if you need it. And as we, I'm okay, I'm okay. As we hit Volkoro or the outsides of it, can we check the skies? Like, how does it look? I mean, the skies look fine. It's the sound. It's the sound, the sound you're familiar with

because umbra winds are recurring presence in this realm. No one knows quite what or why the umbra is. But wherever it goes, But wherever it goes, it goes with intent and hunger. And where it goes, the screams, the squeals, the distant, high-pitched whines, the sound of a thousand souls crying out at once. And it's getting louder and louder and louder.

Do you rest or do you continue to go? We keep going, baby. We keep going. And I also just say, we have to consider the possibility that we might have to create a new pyre if we can't get there in time. And we could bring people to it, but if we're lost also, there's no hope for Desperlok.

But we push through. You're right, you're right. It's a last resort. Okay. As you rush around Vokoru, the soldiers shot. We have arrivals. Hello, who goes there? The right, the, hello? You just arc past.

No, no. Start rushing west. Stay inside. Danger's coming. You see, like, looking up there, they are battening things down. Previously, there was a whole battalion of scouts, but now there's just maybe four. And you can see they're like closing windows, and where the bustling city once was, it is silent. Yeah.

Everyone is preparing for the coming storm. and it will hit them first. But they live under the protection of a pyre. It's like trying to get home before a hurricane hits. Yeah, on your little BMX bike. As the two of you go sprinting out across the sunken rampart, the somewhat broken path of crumbling history, the crash of ocean 50 feet below filled with the jagged rocks,

who is spearheading this hopefully, maybe final portion of the trek with a success. Damn, it's you again, baby. Okay, are you going to assist me? Yeah, 100%. All right, so go ahead. I will say for this, you can either use either use knowledge to recall the exact path you took

to remind you of where the best Step points are, the strongest foot holds, and to know where to, to know where the pain beasts are hunting. Okay. Or you could try and go for finesse to make this jumps better, but danger might find you along the way. The choice is yours. Finesse sucks.

I'm going with knowledge. Go with knowledge. All right, go ahead and roll knowledge first. Just part of the group action roll. Okay. Um, 15 for me. 15? Yeah. It's a plus one. I'm going to spend my last fear as the shrieks and screaming of the coming umbra just gets louder.

You can't help after focusing forward as hard as you can. Like, you know, the necessity to look forward as you charge. The, uh, uh, it's like Haiti's down. You're just about to say. Don't look back. It's very much that moment of, like, knowing you don't want to look and you can't help but look over your shoulder and you can see the darkened swell of shadow

that swirls and swarms. And you have disadvantage on this role? Ah, no! Wait, can I spend hope to give him advantage and negate that? If you have a hope to spend. I do. You have one left? Yeah, I have two left.

I got one. Yeah, I'm gonna spend a hope, and I'm just praying. You're like, she's full zealot praying over the course of this. 15 is the difficulty on this. Okay. Straight roll. Knowledge is zero. Plus one with her help. Plus one.

Must be the bear of gods, please. Do not forsake us. Cursed away. The Humble wins. Twelve. With hope. With hope. You take a hope.

And as, so the The progress clock does not continue. The umber goes closer. The exhaustion is peering through you, and you get halfway across the rampart before part of the rampart crumbles, and you watch his idol begins to slip. Can I grab him?

You grab his hand and keep him there held. You pull him up on the edge, but you both realize this jump that's ahead of you is the wide jump that your troop had battled the pain beasts before, and this is a jump that's a little too far unless you really try and rally with this. I need you both to mark two stress

with the approach of the umbra. Oh my god, oh my god. We're so close. You're one success away from finishing this progress clock. One success away. But if either of you, how close are you both to becoming out of stress? I have two stress left. I have three stress left.

Okay, okay. We'll see. We'll see. You might have one or two more chances, including this one. Are we able to pop to those stamina potions? If you got stamen of potion, yeah. I'll pop a stamina potion if it's not going to belabor us. No, you just grab it as you run. I toss you one. Do you want one? Yeah, because we still have that one that was on screen. All right. You take that. So. One.

Geez, well, it's something. It's something. All right, so both of you stand here and you hear the, the entire western sky is darkness in the late morning, and just the minute you glance over again, you swear you can see it shifting. And for a split second, you can see this monstrous face and it just, you blink and it's gone, and you look away,

and you're like, fuck, fuck, fuck. What do you do to cross this gap? What do we do to cross this gap? What do we do to cross this gap? Okay, I have a pitch. Do we still have that rope? We do? I toss, idle the end of the rope.

Okay. Toss idle the rope. Toss me the rope. Toss me the rope. Toss me the rope. On the count of three, I want you to jump as hard as you can. I'm gonna try and give you a little boost. Okay.

Okay, ready? One, two, three. Three. And right as he does his arc, I want to try and do forceful push and see if I can launch him the rest of the way across in the air. I love that. All right, so what I'm going to do is I'm going to have you do a strength action roll, but the difficulty is going to be lowered to a 10 because of your forceful push. That's fantastic. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. That costs you a hope or stress? Uh, well, a secondly attack thing, so it's an attack roll situation that I'm doing. I'm going to say it takes a stress for you to do this in the middle of this chaos because it's not attackable.

I can do that. I'll call that. So, would you roll? 22. Hey! With fear. As you leap, you slam him with the shield and almost like you push off the shield as it hits you. You tumble and spin in the air and your torso catches the edge and you're about to slide. You grab the stone and pull yourself up and now you both hold both ends of this tether across the way as the

approaching Umbra still miles away, tens of miles away. tens of miles away, hundreds of miles away, it's hard to tell at this scale. Wrapping around my arm, actually find a pillar on the, on the other edge of the bench, ratch him around my waist. Fucking jump! I got you! You run and you leap, you get across the way, the rope easily enough to guide you there. You both are now on the opposite side of the ramp part. You also hear at this point.

Come on, man. The sound of a pain beast had heard your shouts and is now giving chase as well as you both run. So, going back into a continued sprint. Oh, God. You now have a pain beast. I'll fire just over my shoulder a beacon bolt, like, just kind of one. Go ahead and roll for your spell cast on that.

13, that's a 9 plus 4, which is 13 plus 3, is 16, which hits. 16 with? With hope. With hope? Nine on the hope die. Okay. That.

We'll finish the progress clock, because with a failure, with a failure that would have marked down the last one on the Oh my god, oh my God, oh my God. So cavalierly, just shot that over my soul. I know. But as the pain beast leaps to pounce onto Brickston, in the air, you blast back with the bolt, it hits it in the chest, and knocks it just off enough of its arc axis,

that it misses both Brickston and the wall, and tumbles down into the ocean below. You hear both impact in water and rock as it breaks against one of the shoal stones below, and you just continue to run. Run as... As hard as you can, it gets darker and darker and darker. What should be a noonday sun is now a dark and clouded sky.

The winds rush past you as you breach the outside of the jungle. Maybe Dora. Instinctually, instinctually, you look for the flame of the sacred pyre that carries you home before you have to remind yourself there is none. The winds are getting louder. Brickson gets the blessed branch out

and clutching it in her hand now. You fear you might be lost. You fear as you run, charge forward the path before you, the broken bridge in the path you both leap over the water as best you can. Get about waist deep in it, continue to push forward, the iciness of it, soaking through your armor and your pants.

We're so close. Anyway, both of you together grab onto the edge of the riverbank and lift up onto it. The wind blowing past even louder still. You can't hear yourselves unless you shout now. The wind is so strong. And once again, you look back and see that face. Rushing towards you, breaking through the jungle line

and pushing down the path. You go, you go, you feel. your vision start to tunnel, you feel the exhaustion creep in. You feel like maybe your body's about to give out. Maybe it's not enough. Maybe it was worth a shot, and you did your best, but there are limits to everything. And you just get a glimmer of the slag wall. And as you rush towards it, you can't, your mouth is dry. Your lips are cracked. Your voice, if you try and utter a noise,

and it comes out like a squeak. And as you run towards it, you see two figures themselves, like battened down and fearful. You see five figures. You see the vigil, the vigil that remains standing on the wall, ready to accept the terror of the storm that's about to consume them. Open the gates! They all turn and look.

I just like push that. that I, like, pump the blessed branch up into the air. They all look back in disbelief as a hand reaches forward. And you see, standing there, Ghost Hook, where his right hand was is now gone, instead of blade is affixed to it, having returned, and by the sign of no pyre without a branch. Looks down and goes,

Open the gate! All of a sudden, I begin to mobilize. The civilization on the brink of destruction and accepting their own demise with what strength and honor they had left suddenly move the glimmer of a last moment of hope. They reach over and grab the chains

the gates open. The wind is pumping against the sides of the wall. You hear the whistle of it creeping through the nooks and crannies of the stone and slag. You charge into the middle as the society, the civilization of Desperlok is now gathered in troops

huddled, trying to help the families, the crying the acceptance of their end in these final moments, just leaning on each other. Look to the sound of yells as the two of you rush in. Amber Warden! As you charge forward, you see the Ember Warden runs on. My God.

Rips up! The wind's picking up, shh. You swear you can see. Tendrils of shadow reaching over the slag walls as the storming is to push, the shrieks, deafening the now your voice barely peeks out from the wailing of this storm. Go, Brickston!

I just fire a purple through the weapon just into the clouds, like, swallow in nothing. Run! You glance up, and where it was swallowed, you see the cloud closed like a mouth. That face once more turns into a void, turns into a dark doorway, a precipice of oblivion,

an echo of what you've seen haunt you in your dreams, Beyond the angel, beyond destiny, here is where the darkness takes you. And as the cloud of the storm reaches out to swallow you and the families around you, you rush towards the pyre. The ember warden reaches forward, sparks the flint as you set the branch outward.

And I just like fucking dunk it full. Flames burst into a massive inferno around. A light that not fire can create, but a flicker of divine prominence. A momentary image of the old world's protection returns as the fire burns upward and the shriek of the umbral storm becomes a shriek of agony. The sky threatens to tear itself apart

as the shadow, Shhh, dissipates. And then, quiet. The winds progress, and you hear the sound of the umbra passing by, dividing around you like a stone in a river as it rushes into the jungle beyond. The entirety of the city stands, and still locked.

300 people in disbelief as they all turn and see the flickering beacon of safety that carried all of them and you from the accepted precipice of oblivion. The silence breaks with crying and cheering and cheering and sobbing and yelling and backpats. The entirety of desperate luck clambers forward and embraces you,

embraces each other. The communal sigh of relief. Hail the pirate war. Yeah. Brickson just takes her sword, drops it, similarly collapses. As the shadow of unconsciousness claims you both. Here in the darkness, dreamless forever.

Perhaps that was it. Maybe that was your final bet. And this is the sweet release of death finally, letting you rest. But the flame flickers in that shadow. And the call of the pyrekeepers burn brighter and brighter and brighter.

As you glance up, you see the faces of the children you grew up with. You see the faces of your chosen brethren who came into this position with you, those lost and those still here. You? That dark oblivion passes. And whereas the visions of late have been of dark destiny or confusing promise. Now it's just thoughts, quiet spiritual prayers in your silence of sleep for those that gave it

all so you can do this. No golden omens, just memory. Weeks have past. And Desperlock reclaims its normalcy as much as any settlement can here in this dark century. But Brixton, where do we find you here in the times that follow your charge and return to Desperlock? Brickson has put a lot of thought into the value of a life, the cost of others and saving those. I think she struggled a lot wondering

if it really was worth it. You can weigh one life, two lives, three, half a dozen, and say their sacrifice was worth it. That's just in the numbers. six versus 300. But that number, the five fellow companions that she was with, God knows how many more from Ghost Hook's steam.

That number will always be etched in the back of her brain. She returns to her duties as a pyrekeeper. But that lingering thought, the crying faces of the Celsian Athenium, a settlement arguably far more fortunate than Desperlock, in the pervasive misery that still plagued them. Her thoughts about okros in the gardens and Adelia's life that never was.

Her romanticization of the life of an adventure of being chosen. But the grass was never greener on the other side. This is the idle hollows. There never was grass to begin with. Brixton is older in age, at least for the lifespan of one in the Halcyon domain. She doesn't know how many more years she has left.

she has left, but she dedicates the rest of her time to being a pyrekeeper, to scouting newer power pyrekeepers for those that we lost, training them, teaching them the scriptures and our tenants and our ways. and maybe if she has time on the side, builds tiny little pocket monuments, maybe a little wall of remembrance in a little corner of the slag wall of Deppesperlock.

To all those that we've lost, not just Misty in August and Screeve and Adelia and Snakes, but also the pyrekeepers, Corbin and Romand, those we've lost from all of the delvers, all of the vigil. Five lives for three. 300, but it's still too many. As you caught in this thought, your face tense. Hand clasps your shoulder. You hear the voice of Emma Ward and Sheena.

I know that look all too well. It's a way to it. The surviving enduring bear, the longer we live. live. I've seen it on your face. Mm-hmm. That's why it's so recognizable. I know the thoughts going through your head

because they've gone through mine many a time. Is it worth it? It's not about it being a sacrifice that you've made or any of us have. us have. It's just the unfortunate nature of this work. We do our best, and we endure and continue to live and teach and laugh and tell stories and farm and garden. because those who are brave enough will do whatever it takes

to give us that opportunity. Is it fair? Never. But would you want your memory sullied with others concerned about whether or not your sacrifice for these children was worthy? I didn't think so. So, when you leave these offerings here,

and she gestures to your little shrines, do so with gratefulness. It's never fair. But it is incredible. As the Amber Wardens, words wash over Brixton. And she hears the laughter of the children. There's almost the faintest, briefest moment

where she thinks she hears... Violet! And she turns. Shakes it off. Just the last. laughter of children. Idle, in the weeks, months to come, the recovery and regrowth of Desperlark,

where do you find yourself? I think. Oh, and Aaron. I can't forget about Aaron. She's in there too. All of them. Sex, they're all in there. Sorry.

I think Idle takes some time. Idle takes some time at Garrick's place to reconnect, but also realizes that the time for hiding his light has passed. He joins up with Ghost Hook and gets a debrief on everything that happened at the gilded shambles. Because if a blessed branch indeed resides there, failure should not deter them. Resources or resources.

He's also gonna work with Irova Khan and Trevor Ostok within the Triarch two. Work with the scholars of Luzel and the Delvers because the monastery remains unexplored and the only way that that blessed branch that they found in the Barrow of Blind Repose was even located in the first place was because there was bravery that came before them.

and knowledge that was returned at great cost. So he will work on continuing to delve within the monastery. And in his time in Desperlok, he will also work with the youth because it's not just about hiding who you are because you think others may have a judgment, a feeling about what it is that you are gifts, are. He tells the story of August, of Misty, of Snicks, and of how the most assuming of folks can turn out to be exactly what you need in the darkest of times. It just matters how you

put the pieces together. One afternoon as you're walking away from Garrick's place himself, probably a little toasty after a long conversation where he lost track of how many cups he had poured himself of some recovered wine that he traded off of one of the Delvers and walks alongside you. I gotta tell you, boy, it's real. It's a little special what we have out here to the east.

I know it's always hard for some of us. Life-hardened men. Sometimes show deep emotion, but I just want to say my appreciation for all you've done for everyone here. Please don't... Don't think I hold anything against you. I still miss Aaron a whole lot. and I see her in every kid's face here, and I hear her laugh when they laugh.

And a little part of her lives on in all of us. I don't think it would surprise you if every time I'm out, I think of her little laugh. and how it was absolutely impossible to keep up with her or to try and sneak out without her. So I think it's fair to say that she's with us, everywhere we go. I'm just toasty enough to go tend to my rash,

so I'll see you around. Patsy on the shoulder and walks off as you Continue on to the city. Where are you heading? If it's a night of rest, I'll probably make my way down by the pyre just to see if Brickston is around. Along the way there, the voice goes, Eiddle. You turn to see Ghost Hook who's approaching you. Stoic, tense. Ghost-hook.

They've been talking with some of our compatriots. And while I know that the challenges in which we faced in the Shambulis were based in the very challenged timeline, the part of me still thinks that there is something there to find. If you didn't make it in far enough to confirm that there is nothing there, then that is the definition of unexplored, my friend. And there are very few that can do what we do. Then maybe we, in a few weeks' time, go back for a round two. Maybe. Let's get smarter first. Let's make sure we leave in strength with numbers and well-rounded.

Of course. Leadership has its place, but I think there are diamonds in the rough around here. Are you trying to teach me lessons now, I think. What's that saying about old dogs? You've never seen him crack a smile. But a little grin pakes the side, gives you a nod, pats your shoulder. Oh, fucking, like granite walks off. You continue on to the pyre here in the afternoon. Where Brixton currently finishes

instructing one of the newer pyre keepers, You take, you see these sticks? Yeah, yes, of course. You take the sticks. Throw one to the fire. All of them? Just a little at a time. Okay, right, because it's...

It doesn't need a lot. Right, okay. Go ahead. Yay. No, no, no, no. How many did you throw on there? How many did you throw on? Like, six, seven, six.

No, I thought we were supposed to be like... You threw on more than one. I'm sorry. Everybody can tell us! Ah! Good. Hey? You did good.

There's honestly not a lot to it. It's more of, um, it's more of a philosophical station. If you've been beyond the walls, you would have to come a day where I have to as well? If the failed gods have any Any saying that, I certainly hope not. I'll stay here then. I'm gonna go chase my pants. Is it still pyrekeeper, or is it Ember Warden now?

Sheen is still around, but you get the sense that Sheena's probably looking for retirements. I think it's just a pirate keeper for now. Okay. Plus, there's not too many of us. There. But maybe in time, we'll see. If I last that long. Would it surprise you if I told you that Ghost Hook wants to take another quarry out to the gilded shambles? Because infernal and demons are just so easy.

You're gonna go with him? Yeah. You should. It suits you. suits you. But I'm only as strong as the people around me, so I think I'll wait until you feel like the pyre is protected enough. Well, you know me.

I am your shield. Yes, at nausea. nausea. Ha ha ha ha. Ha ha. Who is, what's the name of that old, that old coot? Who had the wine that Snick's always got him? Deferring to Hallorin, the son.

Hallorin. You think he'd bum us a little bit of wine? I think he has to at this point. Yeah. Isn't it a year? We saved his life. Yeah. I think it's everything.

within a year from the new pyre is free. That's what I heard. Yeah. I feel like I heard that too. Yeah. As you both walk in tandem to go acquire some owed wine from an old member of the Praxis Collective, we leave Desperlock,

still clinging to its happiness in a very, very unhappy realm. But that's the purpose of the enduring is to continuously find the light in that dark and rally against it. It's a dying realm as long as you let it. The two of you and the others who bravely gave everything alongside you are proof.

proof. And that will end our tale of this part of the history of the age of Umbra. But one small journey of a vast land. Perhaps one day we'll get to see another. But you don't get to play again if you died once. You're done, would you die in the house? You die for good. That'll close our story. Thank you guys so much. So much.

Fun. That was so fun. I love the ship. Oh, this game. A part miniseries. I'm still getting all choked up here in the end, man. Before we go here, I do have a series of thank yous to give to a lot of people who help make this happen.

I want to give a big shout out to Sean Ellis, who did the incredible set design that you see around here. He's amazing artist through a multitude of the Dagger Heart book. So many of the pieces you'll see are his staple incredible talent. Alongside him, the set fabrication was done by Knox Weiler Berth, Knox's incredible talent,

who also is part of our painting team. I helped paint that final boss mini. So, Knox, thank you so much. Anthony Jones, AJ, is our amazing art director for Dagger Heart and did the wonderful character art for our troupe of spooky and fun players through this story. The opening theme of this was orchestrated and put together by Omar Fidel, who has done a wonderful series of tracks

for us here at Critical Role for a number of years now. Thank you so much, Omar. The PC miniatures by the players were provided by Hero Forge, our friends at Hero Forge. They look fantastic. Thank you so much for your help there. The minis themselves for the monsters and stuff, a big thank you to Bastiarium Games,

bestairnagames.com, who had such amazing scopes that helped inspire a lot of these encounters and creatures. Thank you so much for your designs, as well as Myreson3.com, for helping get some of those to me very quickly on a fast turnaround. So a big shout out to them, Myreson3D.com. We also have our wonderful miniature painters that helped on this. We have Keo Laszabal, who's done a lot of A lot of these amazing bosses here, our own CAO here at the studio, kicked ass at this.

A lot of the train pieces, too, are painted by some of these people. Long time for an iron tusk. Ian, who has done so much great painting on this. Angela Bassett, not that one, but an incredibly talented painter, who has done a lot of wonderful work on both minis and terrain with us. Thank you so much, Angela. Eric Longquist, thank you so much, Eric, for helping with this painting work. And, of course, Knox with the boss mini.

All these painters, there's an amazing job bringing these creatures and terrified. entities to life. And of course, our amazing crew, Schmidt, Athena, Chris, Stevie, Taylor, and Parker. They've all been busting their ass behind the scenes here to get this production moving forward. Thank you all so much. Shout out to our producers, baby. Producer Max and Steve. All the wonderful people who have made all this shit work. A wonderful team. I had a production, Vinnie Singh. All of our post team.

Our post team. The one of the folks who helped build this game from our publishing. Wing, Darrington Press, created it. I'm excited if you guys to try it out. I fucking love the system so much. Yeah, I wanted to do it. I know I said I hated it earlier, but that's not true. And a big thank you to all of wonderful players who came in, who will come in here to talk about this after the cool down

here in just a moment afterward on Beacon. I think they're waiting in the wings. You guys want to come on in here? Come on and give a wave. Give a wave before we go to cool down. Before us, we can finish out this finale. And once again, for anyone you're still alive, for anyone who doesn't know,

we have an amazing after show that is exclusive to Beacon called Cool Down, so you can come and check it out and see all of our thoughts, feels, cries. I'm gonna tell all my backstory. And then Sam's gonna read the backstory. I guess we could tell our backstories.

We can do that. We can do that. So me. But thank you all so much for joining us on this Age of Umbra series. Very special for me because this game of Dagger Heart has been such a hard bit of work for so many wonderfully talented people. But also this setting was something that I was really excited to put into the book as a campaign frame. Not thinking I'd have the opportunity to actually explore it here. And really, really enjoyed this.

Yeah, more umbys. So hope you enjoyed it too. If you like it, please watch it. friends, because if it does well, maybe we'll do more down the road. But, once again, thank you all so much for joining us. We love you very much, and is it Thursday. Good night.

And we finished up this episode. Thanks for coming along on this wild journey with us. If you like the adventure, consider leaving a review on your podcast platform of choice. We're always looking for new critters to share our stories with, and your review may help a new batch of Wayward Adventurers discover the show. See you next time.