C3 E121 A New Age Begins Part 1

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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 and 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.

Mercia, 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 be life after campaign three, starting with Brennan Lee Mulligan.

I know, back in the DM seat as we dive into a well-known but

unexplored age of Xandrian 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.

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 three.

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 Hulking.

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and mystery from darkness our friendship will rise.

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And welcome back.

So,

last we left off.

To the chaos of Belle's Hells, Vox Machina, and Mighty Nine, and many other heroes that rise up to try and halt the unbridled emergence of the God Eater.

Belle's Hells finally is delivered to the core of the Moon Ruidus,

where they battle.

with Perdathos itself,

which now, upon its defeat, remains dormant temporarily within its vessel, Image and Temult.

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 Xandria.

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 Vassalheim itself.

In the moments of a dimmed sky,

which we will return to momentarily.

For back within the core of Ruidis, amongst the scattered subterranean tunnels,

a wayward troop of adventurers responsible for defeating the Weave Mind.

and dealing with those who remained to surrender within and around the Ark's Creonum,

the Mighty Nine,

shoulder to shoulder with the battered but still surviving Gaz Tomo and other members of the Volition,

suddenly received a message to Mr.

Caleb here, Mr.

Caleb Buddogast.

Belsell's asking for their aid, some way to

free themselves from Rudis 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 than knowing vaguely where they went but not knowing the lay of the land uh we have been trying to spiral our way down.

I imagine I just think it's really rude, you know, 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.

It is all your fault.

Most things are.

Kadusi, is there anything you can do about this smell?

Oh, I hadn't noticed.

No, could we could we do the

fungus smells?

Are there any things 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 at me?

That's really gross.

Oh my god, not in your mouth!

If you would like to make a nature check for you.

Lick things.

Sure.

And first roll, last episode.

Ooh.

I can't read over the pencil.

That's really good.

Oh, it's a 7-year-old.

No, it's just sausage.

Yes, shit out.

Yeah.

Fair play.

Dirty 20.

Dirty 20, okay.

It definitely has kind of a fungusy mildew flavor to to it, but it has contrasting textures.

And as you kind of bring it up to taste this weird material, this like faint kind of purple, almost like a spongy material, it kind of pulls away and there is kind of a

almost like a

yellowish green contrasting texture to it that has a very sweet

kind of decay flavor to it.

As you kind of pull back, you see the material, this fungus,

it's shifting.

There's some sort of like almost like something is growing within the dark color and kind of 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

maybe it's pregnant.

Maybe it's 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 mean,

maybe Ford has a point.

Do we need to do a little stompy-stompy around this action?

Well,

how much of there is it around us?

Now that you kind of let your lights expand, you can see like 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.

And you can see now as it passes through, these

it's almost like

two separate trees have grown together with two different textures.

And it's not until the light hits it that the color variations almost seem to have their own pattern.

And you

faintly can see movement, like they're still tethering.

There's still shape.

Fungus is boning right now.

They're getting pregnant.

They are coming together.

Let's go.

I love being to step on it.

Also, it's 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.

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 Vassalheim.

You wouldn't believe me if I told you, dear.

We will leave as soon as we are able to.

Vassalheim.

What did he say?

Summoning us back.

Esacus.

Don't we have to save the hells?

Yeah?

Are you gonna 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 a sending animal.

You have to go to the sending star as well.

I'm right here.

The bell's living.

Why didn't you do that sooner?

Because Liam just thought of it.

I thought you had a King Mark.

I can barely see stretch.

Alright, 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.

I'm pretty sure you could activate it.

She could talk if you're hoping.

If you are, if you are.

I don't think I think I'll do it.

That's all right.

I mean, Jesser is a very good communicator.

I really like that.

Forum of the Arishari.

Ask him if they're down long or if they're up high.

Ask them if they're alive.

You wasted like two words with the Arishari.

He's the one with the failure.

The shit!

It's a stoon.

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't.

World's ending.

And Aurum responds with.

Well, where are we in the time limit?

Currently,

you are in Basilheim, approaching the cord.

Whoa, shit.

Weird.

That's right, we were just.

Wizard.

We're in Xandria.

Who are you talking to?

How do you appreciate it?

Oh my god.

Ask them if they're alive.

Ask them how they're doing.

Ask them if they know where to leave my business.

It's really loud here.

I think you have a limited amount of work.

You should talk quick.

How's the tall woman doing?

Is she okay?

Can they reply to this message.

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, Keelith, from your slumber, the voice of Allora Visorin pressing into your consciousness.

Keelith,

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.

Um

we'll be right there

She just kind of like rubs her face still 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 wringling people

get your stuff together as you go and grab your curtain last thing you immediately go and try and see if Vax is still here

Wouldn't he have been next to you?

Sure

What you do find however as you open your door to exit your chambers that faint kind of very early morning light kind of creeping through is a single black feather that kind of

drifts

Without even a moment's more awareness, you already know that he's gone.

But right around that moment, a door across the hallway opens, and you see the yawning, stretching mass of Grog Strongjaw pressing out of his morning wake.

I slept so good.

Oh, sorry, that happens every morning.

Just ignore it.

No, yep, that's fine.

Oh, wow.

Quite the sun tree you got there.

I don't know what that means.

Um, where's the others?

Have you seen anybody yet?

You just woke up.

What am I talking about?

I'm gonna go to Vex's room.

Okay.

I like that it's my room.

You decorate it.

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 mean, I'm.

I'm sorry.

It's all right.

It was hard, I'm sure.

We stayed up

quite a while, but I thought he would go.

I offered him a

best room, but I don't think he used it.

I get the feeling he's not here anymore.

We requested in Baselheim.

I want to go find the others.

Keleth?

Yes.

I love you, dear.

I love you too.

And I'm so very proud of how strong you are.

And it's required of me.

Maybe this isn't the end.

We'll see how Bellzells did.

Did he

never mind?

I go find the others.

Who would probably 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.

You have your arms.

Oh, I do have arms.

I do have arms.

I don't know how that worked for a second.

They're just hanging limply.

I don't know what to do.

I like that you thought it was.

You bust 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 clothes.

Oh, yeah.

Wait, are you with him?

I would like to be beside you if that's all right.

Yes.

You cannot get rid of me and I'll be helping you carry them.

Are you riding him or are you walking alongside him?

Would you allow me?

Come on, big boy.

It's my greatest honor.

I'll bear back immediately.

Yes.

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 indeed.

It's always good to prep them ahead of time.

That really makes them really feel off the cuff.

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

do you drink?

Do you take spice?

Do you spice?

Have you ever spiced?

I've never spiced.

Maybe some spice would do you good.

Just to loosen you up.

I'm looking at you.

This is awkward, buddy.

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.

You know, I have some in my saddlebag back there.

Maybe later, maybe later.

Oh, okay, okay, okay.

We'll wait till the title's 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.

Yes.

Okay, I'll set it up.

Just grinning eerie.

The rest of you.

The rest of you meaning probably just you at this point.

Yes,

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.

Sleeping like a baby.

All right, who's the first to wake Pike?

Me.

The door just

inside the room.

No, no, roll for that.

They really don't make these as strong as they should.

Look at this big bed.

What up, buddy?

I pick her up, dust off her head.

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 card cardiac.

You actually said it

first time.

What's going on?

Was everybody up?

I don't know.

I just came in here first.

Do you have any food?

Oh, no, Keila's up.

And she looked concerned.

Oh.

Wonder if if Axe is still here.

I 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.

Yeah.

Let's go see.

But brush your teeth first, because goddamn.

To see if maybe Vax passed out next to the fire.

Unfortunately, no sign.

Okay.

The sadness and expectation kind of 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?

You were just

holding it

loosey-goosey.

Okay, okay.

The truth is,

he fell off and they kind of spilled all over the ground.

We had to pick them up.

You were writing.

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 scamming.

It's how we show love.

It's okay.

Oh, okay.

I'm sorry if I'm overprotective of you.

Oh, I like it.

I like it.

I am your peer.

Oh, yeah.

I feel a little messed up over the last few days.

I'm sorry.

She's cool.

She's cool.

Yeah.

He knows that.

Don't worry.

You can trust her.

Known each other for

sure.

Okay, it's fine.

Come downstairs.

Trinket!

They went to get bear claws for you, apparently.

I'm like plating the bear claws.

Oh, they're for us, apparently.

Wait, wait, wait, well, why weren't these boxes?

You know, we have to do this.

Yes, we do.

Apparently, he fell off of Scanlon in the bottom.

I don't just.

We're right at Scanlon.

Really?

Yes.

Exciting.

His haunches are firm yet supple.

We've heard.

Where did 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 isn't 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 us.

I'm gonna run over

and I'm going to hug Kayleth 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 all of you.

Let's

go maybe get some

good news.

Or bad news.

Maybe it's all bad.

Maybe it's gallicant.

We're together.

It's always going to be good.

It's going to be good.

You know, we haven't done

like a little group trip in a long time.

I know we've all kind of been scattered and you've been like

finding yourself for whatever midlife crisis you've had.

But I don't know.

It's been a while since like a doll in's closet, so maybe we could

plan that for the future.

A bit of family might be nice.

Yes, that could be fun.

Yeah.

I mean,

yeah, me too.

And you can come too.

Thank you.

I didn't want to be weird.

Like, assuming

weird appears, I was also summoned.

Yes.

Yeah.

You can transport eight of us, right?

Through plants, yeah, as long as you just got six seconds, you just got a sprint.

You should go ask if

Louie Tell should join us.

Shall I?

Yes.

Where is she?

I don't know.

Where is she?

Why are you talking to the wall?

You don't know?

I think she's Vaselheim in Vaselheim.

I think you'll find her.

She's from Vaselheim.

In Vaselheim.

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 in Scotland.

Infectious.

I've heard that before.

Was her name fectious?

How did you know?

As we shift back from there.

Too powerful.

Level 20 druids.

Yep.

To the...

Bamf over.

As you all start heading towards the sun tree.

And we bamp there.

We all we come to your troop, Belles Hells.

Oh, shit.

Tensely walking through

the quiet,

still crowded, staring streets of Waselheim.

Beyond the main exterior walls, you realize what you thought adjusting from your trip from Rudis 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.

The cold wind kind of 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 Wasselheim 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, there is a combination of

fear and mistrust.

And for some

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 Dawn Cradle City itself,

you watch

as the gathering populace

grows denser and denser towards the base of the Heaven Stair 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.

Though, because of your rudest-born connection to her, you do feel

there is almost a...

a layer of intensity to the kind of thrumming heartbeat of that energy that connects the two of you.

Make a perception check for me, Vern.

Wait, let me get back to Fern.

Just a couple characters juggled here in 30 minutes.

It's fine.

Just sorry.

Sorry, Jeff.

Oh, it's almost done, but making perception is pretty good, I think.

Oh, oh, okay, cool.

22.

22 is quite good.

You recognize

what you can only assume to be the

alien presence of Perdathos 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 dawn marshals of this city, that all

look 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 like in an open square section of the city?

The open of the center of the city at the base of the heaven stair 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 Vassalheim and guest militia that survived the conflict of the Malius Key

are all trained upon you.

High Bear Vord

steps out from the opposing line.

Bells held.

You have stepped into the very center of the moon of Illomen,

charged with the means

of our pantheon's salvation.

Conflicting reports speak that perhaps you are 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 Grune, 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 the cloud grows darker on the periphery.

Oram just steps in front of Imogen, in front of the entire crowd.

That's his answer.

The high bearer

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 families' 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.

One of them steps forward and plucks what looks like a black bead of obsidian

and kind kind of rolls it into the snow before her.

And it kind of carves a path

before the black begins to roll out.

And 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 like over top of us.

So cool.

If you look up, you can see straight up her dress.

Is she wearing panties?

She is.

Don't think they're kind of dirty.

Panties that's gross.

It's an endless void.

Do you think they'd give me some of those ball barrels?

Is that where we go when we die?

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 kind of 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 acknowledgement 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.

And 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 Xandria 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.

And 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 full of the teeth, with teeth of a bleeding eye.

You see the shadow

of extending

spine arms, ate

from a female form.

You see

a squat,

chiseled man,

himself adorned with all manner of tool and hammer,

stone in 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.

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What you know to be the Dawn Father 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 represent a 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 Pradathos 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 ruitus

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?

Is that how we stop it?

Eat the eater.

Another 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 focus onto the matron.

And you see one of them kind of shift and be like,

or 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, Dalzels.

Tell them what you've done.

And tell them what we can do

to free us all.

As you can see,

I have Perdathos contained.

His power grows.

But there is a little time.

I joined with him

on Ruides.

There wasn't another choice.

But when I was within his mind, if you can call 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 Axandria

they were darkness, they they didn't exist to Perdolphos.

So

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.

And though you may view me from outside your

kin,

I do 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 kind of flickering and shifting.

You see one with massive curled horns that burn back, a bit of flame flickering on its shoulders.

As it flickers past you, Braus, you feel this

fire burning 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 catatheosis.

All the gods kind of pause.

Because they don't know what that word means.

Who's gonna admit it?

Who's gonna admit it?

But the fraudulent world is awesome.

no, I'm not.

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.

Perdathos devouring our essence.

The souls of the claimed return return to the Eidolon cycle,

and we are no more.

But if we bind ourselves to Katathiosis,

we bind ourselves to Xandria as the Creen 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 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.

Orm steps 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 Perdathos contained for a moment, yes.

But that moment will pass,

whether we want it or not.

And someone far worse

could be holding Pradathos 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 no longer be any need to tear the gods down from the sky

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.

I'm gonna have you roll here shortly.

Because currently we are now engaged, what is essentially a group skill check to convince the Pantheon.

How do I kick off initiative?

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 and the promise of a future?

Now is the time or forever.

Hold your peace.

Oren, what did you roll?

I want to see if I can make this go a little bit higher with something.

Checking, checking, checking.

No, those are for investigation.

Stop.

Never mind.

22.

22?

Okay.

Another voice.

Wistful,

playful,

speaks.

There will likely be unforeseen circumstances to the order of our world changing.

In this future, of 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 right and the vision of Perdathos, it shall remain sealed under our guardianship and those of our children.

There's almost a collective sigh of relief amongst all this entities present.

And another voice...

honorable, powerful presence of almost a metallic light that shines, dimmed in the presence of the Dawn Father, yes, but like the brightest of sunlight reflected off the the smoothest shield mirror.

Its

feigned,

drachnid presence, almost smiling as it looks around.

What of the whispered one in this false ascension?

And as they all kind of look around, that same flicker of shadow that you saw briefly appear before on the periphery,

like the echoes of a voice behind,

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 kind of flickers out beyond the

tension periphery.

Just don't let him take a mortal form.

Verdothos will take care of it.

The matron kind of 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 from the basis of your discussion up to this point.

Cast your spells or whatever.

I cast blindness on images.

No, no, no.

I'm standing next to you, so it's not a wild.

Oh my god.

Don't hurt twice, I'm making a lot of money.

It just made my stomach.

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

Twenty-five.

Twenty-five.

Jesus.

The horned one seems to step forward a bit

with that massive

imposing almost

oppressive presence come as a heat with it and you can hear the flickering flames of the endless howl

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, Breyas.

You have done well, Doomseed.

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 Ruidis born 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 the one and die.

I'm gonna give him Bardic inspiration.

I don't know what that is.

I can't read it.

Not great.

What the mother is.

27.

As this kind of

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 Braus, and as it does,

you hear in your mind.

Interesting point.

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.

You all watch as the flames seem to grin.

A low, resonant chuckle kind of emanates

and reverberates outward as you hear in your mind.

I'll find you.

Did he go away or did he step back with the rest of the troops?

Okay, okay, okay.

I like that we're just in a psychedelic miasma.

It's weird.

Yelled at by geometry.

Yeah.

Would anyone else wish to contribute perspective or points to this?

Lord knows step up.

And so will I.

You speak first.

Listen to them and stuff their noise.

It is quite intelligent

to weigh all of the risks

if you step down

from where you've been ruling on high.

And 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 Xandria.

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 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 worshipped a god before, but

understands what it means

to not be forgotten

during those times where you are not present on this world.

Make persuasion check for me.

Let's go.

It's 33.

Are you next to me?

Do you want to get away in it?

Only ones.

It only fixes ones.

You can re-roll anything.

It's a nine.

It's not good.

Delilah busts out.

The light of one side of this surrounding surrounding council seems to

crystallize into a lattice of metal and plate and hooks.

A voice kind of streaks through it like it's straining.

I will not be forgotten.

My children

have been taught.

But you do not have to be the one to show me.

You are a drift.

It sounds like we're agreeing.

Okay, whatever.

Yes.

It sounded better than it actually came out.

Did it?

Yeah.

To me.

You kind of fumbled it.

Yeah.

Your jaw sort of unhinged during it, and you were drooling for most of it.

He reset it.

Is this campaign over yet?

The crawling king is

making a threat right now?

Uh no, this one appears to be more uh

the presence of the Strife Emperor.

You see chains uh kind of dangling and looks like uh

like heavy flail-like uh

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 the light and he's kind of like turn.

He's always like that, man.

We're we're really not that bad

And

I don't know if you can tell

I'm from the Fae 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...

I'm a professor.

I'm...

a princess

Fae Sion 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 gonna look to Esmodius.

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.

Stay and you will enjoy life here, I promise you.

But if you don't,

you better run for the rest of your life.

A persuasion check or an intimidation check, your choice.

Oh, wasn't trying to attempt it.

Let's see.

Got this.

Okay.

Where's my persuasion?

I didn't know.

Uh

25.

Okay, that seems hard.

That seems good.

That's good.

It is, it does, but I mean it's God's.

I don't know if it's good.

You make a good point though, Fern, 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.

Teacher.

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 gonna reach into his pocket, and he's gonna grab out just a little set of dice that he's had with him since the very beginning.

Some silly string.

Yeah, yeah.

Close.

And

not quite silly string, but he is going to do like a little one-handed flare-like 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 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 cots for so long.

Wouldn't it be nice not to know what comes next?

A lot more spikes and dice out of his hair.

You get my point.

And then I'll do a quick pirouette, pull out a flute and go, doodly-doo!

Put it back in.

And he's like,

We 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?

It's beautiful.

Well,

I'll grab one of the ones I fumble.

I'll throw it over my shoulder.

We'll never know what that was.

And that's okay.

Make persuasion or performance roll your choice.

Always be windows.

Can I

help him with the Vianjan Allen?

Can I give him Bardic inspiration?

I'll allow Bardic inspiration 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.

No,

it's good.

Last Vardic inspiration.

My last one too.

Um,

one of the figures that kind of like

leans inward with like a kind of a golden flair to it.

See, it's really marvelous what they're capable of doing, if I'm gonna be honest.

I learned a jungle last week.

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've all been getting tired, eh?

We've all just

kind of been going through the motions.

Why not mix it up?

Why not...

Why not write a new chapter together, eh?

as the archheart's presence kind of pulls back a bit

The multi-headed beast entity the dragon behemoth that kind of hulk someone's side It's multiple heads like

seeming to only come in and encircle you as it begins to kind of curl inward the matron just kind of cocks her head with a okay.

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 Vaselheim.

I certainly haven't seen it.

You know what we call that city where I come from?

We call it the coward's city.

Cause 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.

I'll fucking five of them.

Make an intimidation check or persuasion check.

I'm gonna go persuasion since negative two.

Well, intimidation might be you can use the microphone.

And I know he wants to speak.

24.

Okay.

Good rules, good rules, good rules.

Sorry, money.

The heads seem to encircle around, and as they grow close, you feel that

like burst of primordial strength kind of from up with inside.

Something ancient and instinctual begins to kind of 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.

Come on.

The light of the moon weaver seems to extend from its form.

You feel

the kind of

lycanthrop

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, like, passed and this was just the start of it.

I greet you 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, and we're all spicing.

Go to the light.

Pop.

Come on to 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, but only because we 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 a 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 400

and break my record

Make the persuasion check if you'd like Chat.

I didn't want to say anything cuz my fucking My MSA sucks

zeros

You can do that you can guide him

It's a it's a quick spell.

Yeah, you guys have everything at your disposal

Natural six

It feels good down here, doesn't it?

As

the various council of lights 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 role.

Oh boy.

Farts are funny.

Is this a persuasion role?

It's however you want to present this.

If you have enhanceability or any spells that can like

advantage on this one,

anything that can

use now what you got while you can't.

Modifier of what?

Persuasion.

Mine's 17.

That's one better than mine, though.

And if I'm gonna enhance ability on you.

Your persuasion is 17?

Yeah.

You're awesome.

That's why I keep trying to give advantage to you guys.

I'll keep an illusion handy in case I wanna soup up anyone's point with an imagery.

I can do that.

That's good.

I.

Shit, I don't have any spell slots left.

Wait, hang on.

Okay, I do.

I want to do enhanceability.

I would like to cast enhanceability on Imogen.

And

that would be for Corruption.

Courage?

Eagle Splendor.

Megas Advantage.

Yes.

Okay.

And you do have a spell slot for that.

I do.

Okay.

I do have one second level spell slot.

That is literally all I have left.

It's been a long day.

Okay.

Maybe.

Go.

Okay.

The matrix.

Now kind of 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 Xandria and what you can make of them.

And they all are 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.

The matron's voice.

Maybe you can make Perdathos look like it's

so I'm going to cast a minor illusion and the image that we fought of Perdathos with the spiked head and the Rhylorian kind of face starts to almost like emanate.

It's this like visage that starts to arise like

around Imogen, like its power beginning to manifest.

The matron's voice kind of brims beneath Imogen's as the visual of this expanding Perdathos

and your point begins to disseminate amongst like the now shifting and quaking light.

Image and voice is

join us

or join the annihilation that took your precious Tengar.

Go ahead and make your persuasion roll.

So the D 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.

Jeez.

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 12s.

I can't get...

I can't get below.

Unless I roll one, which I can't

get one and get away from the panel.

There are 20 members of the pantheon.

20.

Okay, 12 primes.

A couple of them were bitches.

But it could just be one.

Like, if you roll a two plus you're 17.

Then it's 18.

Yeah.

So a lot of them would.

All but one or two?

A couple.

Okay, so we'll see.

We'll see.

It's not a 30.

It's a 30.

Yeah, it's a 30.

Yeah.

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 Right.

Yeah, let Chaos Raw.

While you're doubling the dice.

This is just a.

This is the Pantheos.

And I'm going double 10.

This is a critical role.

Are they both changed?

They're both cocked.

You're going to take it.

Just roll.

What was the other dice?

A three!

Amazing.

So wait, that's a 40.

No, that's a 47.

No, you're no, a 37.

37.

37.

That's three.

No, no, that's a three.

That doesn't add to it.

Quick, make up some more gods.

No, but this one's in advance.

37, 37.

Oh, my God.

That means we get seven new members everywhere.

We don't know.

Most of us will become gods who stay who's staying back.

Yeah, the two lost gods are like, memoirs, memo means.

I have goofy loss.

Don't know how that happens.

Oh my god.

Otherwise no one would ever have known.

I got it.

Not at all.

Holy shit.

That symphony of tones.

I'm going to put you on watching it right now.

Immediately reliving the moment.

Oh my gosh.

The symphony of tones, an 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 on your cheeks.

And then suddenly you blink and your eyes are back in Waselheim.

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 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, a 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 Xandria.

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,

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 kind of all looks about each other and the bright queens is.

We do not take into your...

We cannot allow such

a relic into the hands of your.

We do not understand

what is this for

all look amongst each other.

You can see the matrons kind of extended arm, the fingers are waiting.

Then, if not you,

who can take it?

Who can take it?

If I'm to bind my family with this ritual,

I need a beacon to complete the binding.

We have a beacon.

Well, I do.

Do we don't have a beacon?

Um, whoa, grog has a beacon.

Oh, Fox Machina does.

In their bag of holy?

I don't think we know that.

We don't know that.

I'll do it.

I don't know.

Wait, are you.

Yeah.

Shit.

Wait, Ashton.

It's alright.

It's good.

What will it do to them?

Wait, wait, wait.

You're gonna 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 is

her 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 path that was once this kind of circular courtyard that sits at the base of the mountain, suddenly shh begins to alight with all manner of runes.

And you watch as she kind of moves her fingers about, the inside of the mask's dark eyes begin to glow that same kind of 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.

And as she carves it out in the 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.

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.

This is a good person.

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 Graymore of Bassarus, and I am nobody's child.

Not the gods, not anybody.

Let's go for it.

Wait, wait.

I'm just gonna run over really quick and give them a hug.

You're so wonderful.

And I'm very proud of you.

This has been the best time of my life.

Me too.

And uh.

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.

It's all I needed.

Go get him.

As you're nodding, the rest of you notice the runes are like 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 kind of 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 spider web 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 Dawn Father's

starry head

stepping through the landscape towards the city.

You see the burning flames of the infernal armies returned from the strike on the Mali's key.

Once an apocalyptic sight, now

mystery and a fear.

Distant black clouds on one horizon royal 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.

When she looks upon you all,

it is just a pale absence of expression.

As she looks at it,

it will 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 war horns 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 Xandria 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 right made new, made strange, made hopeful.

There is a flash of gray.

A flash of graymore.

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.

With worms passive perception, our friend is gone.

Make a perception check.

Uh, eighteen.

Eighteen.

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.

Those who did not know what was even happening feel a change, a shift, stronger than that of the snapping back of the magical ley lines 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

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 we been gone?

Not long enough.

From the last fight, how long?

We haven't had a short wave.

No, but I mean, how long?

Do we know how long it's been, time-wise?

Oh, it's been a number of hours.

A number of hours?

Yeah.

Okay.

Uh, he's barely alive, but uh, I've still got Coriolis.

Can I just

direct him up into the sky to like try to fly up to try to catch him?

Alright.

Amazing, amazing.

So do you leave onto Coriolis to guide him?

No, I'm just sending him.

Sending him.

Alright.

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.

Was it been with his dance?

With his dance.

Okay.

Come on, Drake.

No.

Solid.

What is it?

Unbelievable, man.

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 axis and kind of spins out as Ashton now spins twice as fast and is now like a fish.

I invoke a sorcery point and start flying in the air.

Take me with you.

Okay, can I?

Yeah, I'll grab Laudana and fly up to try to reach Ashton as he's coming down.

We just

got over and over

as soon as we're close.

I'm gonna try and

it's my last spell of featherfall.

And I know it's gonna be about timing.

It will be.

Okay, so given the trajectory and pacing here and the wind's picking him up,

since you are flying,

it's gonna be

I'm gonna need you to go ahead and just roll and add your dexterity modifier.

You're just trying to beat a 12.

Okay,

I'm trying to beat 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 kind of meet before you realize you're now trying to catch up with him, but he's falling faster than you're flying.

How far is he from the I mean, how far is he from the ground?

You double the distance of your spell.

And again, do you still have any sorcery volume?

I'm just playing outfilter.

That's flattery.

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.

But how close are we to him?

I mean, like.

I mean, you basically basically tried to head him off, and then you got there a little bit too much.

And he's going downward.

Now you're trying to chase him downward.

But you wouldn't fall faster than he would fall.

Then 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.

Alright, I'll drop Ladna.

I let go.

Okay.

You are both plummeting at a comparable speed.

Unless you have a way of increasing that.

Try and go like 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 damn you and see if she can use it.

I can't think I use them 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?

She wants to be there watching.

So, 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 kind of see him, and these fucking legs are tiny.

He's a ways 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

total 10 minutes i only use them during combat so i should have another that doubles your movement speed it does so it's 80 80 feet instead of 40.

that is a faster fly speed

uh so with that it'll only be for

six minutes i think oh he'll impact before then okay

of 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: pushing through the crowd because the city is dense right now.

And he is, 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 like 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.

Oh, it is, it is.

Who could tell it though?

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 flight speed of your shoebill?

Stand by.

What's a a shoe bill sound like?

Wow.

What did you just ask me?

What was the speech?

Flying 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 Orum hoop up and leaps onto the shoe bill's back?

Does the flying speed change at all?

Not at Orum's speed.

Okay, so he's riding along.

Okay.

So hopping on gradients, yeah.

Alright, so as

you take off with Orum on your back, the wind's buffeting you as you kind of like get over the hills out.

That cold wind is still blowing through, especially with the blast out of the

clouds clearing the sky, there's kind of a vacuum that filled there, and now it still seems like there's a equilibrium of pressure that's starting to cause the sudden gust.

So, I need you in your shoe bill form to make an athletics or acrobatics check, which would be either a strength or dex check.

Can Orm assist by constantly using the gust cantrim 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,

because it's a gust cantrim against massive

readjusting winds, like it'd be a minor bonus.

you said strength or decks.

Yeah

at the end of the campaign.

I'll take your pictures.

Oh god.

Oh my god.

I almost didn't roll that one too.

I almost pulled the janky one just for fun.

I'm so glad I didn't.

Okay, I know I know, I know, I know, I know.

Oh my god.

Describe to me

how the two of you triangulate and stop the death plummet of your unconscious friend.

What are you doing?

Okay.

I'm flying with Auram

on my back and I'm just I just like really get a good wind gust and it's you know getting I'm going a little crazy, but then all of a sudden I just like 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?

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 comes if he breaks like a hundred feet I'm gonna aim the staff at him and hold

one spell the only thing I have slots left for which is banishment

so I'm just

I'm just doing this

okay

so I'm still falling trying to get within 60 feet of him and I also have to be within 60 feet for feather fall so I guess whatever happens exactly I'm also trying to get streamlined.

Right, no understanding.

So, Lodna, 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 kind of pushing away their brace.

You're just watching from a distance.

Now's our time, Asmodeus.

We can betray them now.

No.

Literally, 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

or him.

You are

going to hang off.

You're going to try and do what?

Well, I don't.

I think I've already used seedling.

You've used your seedling.

Yeah.

Can I hold him in my beak, my talons?

How close?

How close?

Are we to him, and how close are we to them, and how close are we to the ground?

It's the element like you're both colliding here.

There will be a moment where basically you would just pass overhead.

You could try and like make a grab for it, but you're not going to be able to intercept or kind of catch him.

Like it's all down to the wire at this point.

Okay.

There's one thing I can do.

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 reposting.

I was going to, I could do

plant growth

to try to make a little cushion for him.

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 like 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, well, walking on your panties.

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 dirt,

like flown down and then chucked her,

just letting her guy

come past it.

I've got a pitch.

Bro, girlfriend.

You're going to tell me if you will allow this.

One spell left, but I'm saving for Featherfall.

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, like, active.

Can you make her active?

And do what?

I don't know.

Use her.

All right.

Well, kind of.

King 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.

To step into darkness?

no it's not gonna work is it

clever that is very clever try it and very clever but what's the what's the reading on shadow step you gotta be in shadow and to jump to another shadow or like in darkness and jump to darkness

i don't know how what would you be able to do jump to underneath at like 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.

But you can cast darkness and enter enter that shadow.

What shadow would you emerge from?

Could I emerge from under Ashton?

That would be sick.

Oh, it's a good one.

It'll be small.

It'll be small.

It'll be small.

You can certainly try.

This is it.

This is all.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's an easy move.

Do it.

So

he's took it out of the round.

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, the other 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 gonna roll my dunamis die just for Ashton.

And Lada, 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 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.

Maybe it's like hedging our vets.

If one fails and you come up underneath, he's going to splatter onto you.

Well, so it's double, double whammy skin.

I've got further follow.

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

danger.

That was dangerous to say something like that as you roll it.

That's too stressful.

It's called it a goldfish moment.

That is true.

19.

19.

I'm going to spring from Shoe Bill's wing down towards her talons and whisper,

Nana Mora, your granddaughter, and I need you.

Yes.

Dirty 20.

Dirty 20.

Okay.

Did you roll?

Some.

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

20 on 20

20 you're right you're right so 20 20 was it so you okay so the order of this would be you

um

you cast the darkness

Sorry, flashback to attacking the darkness

You cast darkness and vanish into it, an 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 him 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 Fern trying to pull up as hard as you can.

You feel both shoulders pop from their sockets.

So a helicopter is just a person.

Yeah.

I have to hide.

He's made of rocks.

Yeah.

And as you pick him up,

the momentum of the fall and the density of Ashton still like 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!

Feather fall on myself and anyone else who needs it.

Wait!

I run up.

If he comes out in a minute, he's still gonna 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!

I'll cast plant growth, I guess.

Wouldn't he have been falling on whatever plane he was?

I'm sorry.

He wouldn't be falling.

I don't know what plane he was.

But whatever plane.

He would either hit something on the other plane or continue at full force.

I can scan the crowd.

Is Widow Ghast here?

Are the nine here?

Oh, we're far away, aren't we?

No, as you've rushed beyond the wall now, like 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 Nine and Vox Machina have been rapidly gathering to see if they can help at this point.

Okay, okay, so Widow Gas saw the trajectory and is

stalking out that area and is already like pulling components out.

And

I, he, we, are preparing telekinesis to catch up.

Okay.

A moment passes.

Everyone seems to wait for the pot, the right moment, before you...

Yeah, France Fresh Cut.

Right as you release,

the Staffborn spell, and Ashton re-emerges at the spot, no more than maybe 30 feet above the ground.

At terminal velocity.

Widow Gast, who's been holding his Ashton, immediately casts feather fall.

Telekinesis.

Telekinesis.

And I will.

Actually, if it's telekinesis, this will be your.

Can I use the math and my keen mind to

sort of match the force to slow him

as he comes down?

I'll say just go ahead and roll and add his spell modifier.

Correct.

That's a widow gas.

I'll make it inside.

Dirty 20 again.

Ashen reappears and then quickly

slows down, caught in the telekinetic grass.

What happened to him?

Your guess is as good as mine.

Bell's house.

Jack him!

Thank you,

set him down.

Yes.

But not on that blade of grass.

That's Henry Crabgrass.

It's okay.

You can set him down.

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, or where that crystal was exposed, it is now just a shattered gap.

Oh no.

Caleb,

I can try to heal them, but they don't know what this is.

Let's start with the basics.

Is Ashton dead?

Yeah, Auram sprints up and is like feeling for a pulse.

I might be able to do something.

Pike is here.

Give me just a second.

Hi.

Hi.

Come on, Ash.

I don't know.

Come on, Ash.

You're a rock.

You're a rock.

Be a rock.

Come on, Ash.

Imogen flies down.

Where's phone?

I'm

flying.

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?

I'm nothing but that.

Oh, wait.

You're cadooces.

Yes.

I know what you're doing.

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 check.

Not Aurum.

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

to help your friend.

Which is that?

This is a Transmuter's Stone.

What does that do?

We'll bring him back.

If he wishes to come back

as a wizard, Transmuter Stone can be destroyed

to cast Resurrection.

Okay.

Fern.

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 my shard?

Would that be a thing I could do?

I don't know.

Mr.

Caleb?

Yeah.

I have a I have a shard from a Titan.

Is it can I get it out and maybe give it to him?

I do not know.

I have never worked with such a thing.

The transmuter stone, if it does what you say,

we should try that.

Oh, come on, don't you fail me now.

Darn her.

I know.

Um

wait, did Chester try to heal us?

No, he's not.

He's raised dead.

No,

Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.

Hang on a minute.

Alright.

Pike's gonna come over.

This.

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

potion made of dunamacy.

You look inside the

concave space, and it's like the inside of a geode.

You can see like the crystal the inside, but it is just an absence.

We had that potion.

Do we still have the potion in our home?

Yeah, or do we hand it over?

Wait a minute, wait a minute.

Um, hold on, I don't I don't know if this will work.

Um, and Orm takes seedling and lays it out

King Arthur style on Ashton's chest.

This is the if if if the if we can get him back

he can

he

he can attune to this he he

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 thing

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 and grows back limbs, fingers, legs, anything to a living individual.

To a living individual.

There we go.

Okay.

Sorry, my pike was anything.

Did you say pike pike had shown?

Like box walking as like pike started to show up.

There it is.

It was like marked with image and you didn't use it?

No, I don't have anything.

Yeah, those are barely any spells.

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?

Sirconis.

I think Sirconas is there with him, and he just says,

I may be able to help, but I don't have the requisite materials.

I can...

I have...

I never use my ninth level in the fight.

I have true resurrection.

But I need...

Or somebody rich.

I need diamonds.

How much do you need?

$25k worth.

Whoa!

Diamonds worth.

25k?

25.

25k worth of diamonds.

Does anybody have diamond worth a thousand?

I have.

Yes, of course I do.

Hold on.

I think Sir Conas, when he suggests this, knows that it's a tall order.

That suggestion is sad.

You said you only need a thousand.

Do you need 25?

What's the difference?

I only need a thousand.

Go, go.

Yeah, move.

All right.

Pike's going to go up.

Oh, Pike's here?

Yes.

My Jeringer Beyond was not loading Pike.

That's why I was taking so long.

Scanlon is passing out pastries to everyone.

This is good.

This is like a short time.

Alright, I'm gonna go up to the bottom of what happens.

I'm gonna go up to Ashton

and sort of put my hand over where his

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?

But

the matron was here.

The matron was here.

Oh my god, I got it.

Oh, the gods.

Yeah, they're gone.

Who's gonna be here?

We don't know yet.

I can facilitate

without the help of the gods.

You can have what is

correct.

Okay.

I think

how well would that stone fit in that space?

Yeah, what happened?

Yeah, might as well find out now.

He was already lumpy.

The magic of your ritual

carries and completes.

How long the ritual are you doing?

Is it resurrection?

Because that might be easier and faster.

So, resurrection takes an hour to cast.

Revivify is fast, but they would have to be dead for under a minute.

Mine is instantaneous.

So you begin to prepare the resurrection ritual.

As you begin to set up the requirements for this ritual,

the

runes that kind of 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 the trend With the transmuter stone?

No, no.

That's with

that power.

Did that eat my diamond?

I'm sorry, Vex.

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.

in Grimoire's head.

And try to cast.

What is it?

Raised it.

As you place the stone within, and it is, it doesn't quite like fit snug by any means, but it fits inside the space.

Now you as a transmutation specialist, you kind of envision it kind of taking up as much space as it can within and find 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 it's still not

oddly finding purchase.

There's something missing to this equation that you've tried to put together here.

Did you see there were runes in there?

Like in the inside of Ash?

Just like it looks at the inside of a geode.

I'm gonna 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.

Who are you right now?

I'm Lorda.

Oh, you were pale.

You're kind of bled.

I'm sorry.

Uh-uh, uh-uh.

Uh, sorry.

I'm in.

Uh.

18 plus 7.

What's 18 plus 7?

I'm fucking blinking.

25.

25.

Uh, you do not see Essek anywhere nearby.

You do see a somewhat shabby, bearded, familiar-looking

mage

who is kind of looking upon all this aghast.

You, you, yes, hi, sorry.

Do you have a potion?

Do you have one of those dude Mancy potions?

Something, someone here must.

Everyone in Xandria is here.

There's got to be spare dude Mancy.

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.

Hello.

Do you carry anything on you?

I carry everything with me.

And 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 dunimantic script within the glass and as it does you see flickers and flashes

as the transmitter stone seems to almost expand and then contract and for moments you see the stone vanish and it's an empty once more and then you see shards of crystal operating 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 transmitter stone is now gone, you think.

It's like nothing had happened.

But Essex's fingers are painfully pushing into yours.

And as they intertwine, sweat stripping from his brow.

And he

pulls back and gets blasted away, his illusion dropping immediately.

He's thrust about five feet back,

and

the kaleidoscopic flesh begins to glitter on the inside of the head

as the raised dead takes effect.

Ray's dead, what does that do?

But, like, is he a zombie?

No, okay,

your eyes flicker open.

Damn it, FCG.

No, that isn't.

Am I dead?

Because if I am, this is really a disappointment.

Nelsie?

No.

No.

No.

You're okay.

Mm-hmm.

You're okay.

I wanna sleep sleep for

now.

You get to do that.

We've been through this before.

You have to call him Kingsley now.

You'd make a really

good pirate.

I hate the ocean.

I look at Essex.

I look at the Bright Queen.

The Bright Queen stands watching as Queen's soldiers now begin to move to encircle

Cadus is going to walk over and just do

two little taps

of

just casting heel twice.

I was right here!

Yeah, but

you don't like

tap tap.

You're so good at that.

So that's a...

I already said I was going to do it.

I couldn't help these on it

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 kind of 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.

Isaac has kind of gotten to his feet now as the soldier's swirling.

He quickly flashes an incantation.

Roll D20 for me.

Oh god.

Oh my god.

Moving toward the Bright Queen, not threateningly, but within parlay distance.

It's a nine.

It's a nine.

That's a failure on the counterspell.

In a good way?

Meaning, Esic 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, well, the counterspell already failed.

Oh,

that was the role for the counterspell.

So, Essek Mini vanishes.

Oh.

That was ASIC!

Make a deception check.

Okay.

Wait, hold on.

Where's my dick, guys?

Nope, one.

You're 30 feet with an or.

Oh, yes, okay, hold on.

Where's my knee dice?

Three!

Which goes

The Bright Queen strikes a look and the soldiers kind of look back for order.

At least we know the fugitive is

in close circles.

A smile comes across the Bright Queen's face.

We would have business in the future,

but 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.

With that, the chaos of Vasselheim is notable in the distance, and most of the people who are kind of watching at the periphery kind of begin to pull away and return to the town.

But your friend has been saved?

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?

You did, I used to do it, you really did.

And it was epic.

Oh god, I told you all I loved you.

Haha, I 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.

What do we

do?

Does it feel like anything?

I mean, if you release it

You know just wander off right

should

We got you no matter what did we need to give any runners a head start?

None of them ran I think all of them did they tell us

just kidding they sure give them a head start

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 like really really know it only wants to eat gods right

I wasn't lying I I really didn't see anything but the gods when I was

when I was inside of it

I guess...

Did I see any of the rudest born?

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 rudest born, but they weren't...

They were just an awareness.

Those were buddy lights.

Those were buddy lights.

Those were not rude lights.

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 know.

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 like aim for outer space.

Sure.

Aim what for outer space?

Aim my body up.

Aim your body up.

You know what?

And then

just flip upside down and try to shoot it out.

You know,

birth of Pradathos.

Cosmic space.

Yeah, yeah, cosmic space.

I know there are just tons of people still standing around.

Just like all the amass.

Oh, yeah.

No, I mean,

there's many army soldiers, bastions of Vassalaheim, still remnants of the Bright Queen's army that are exiting.

The Mighty Nine and Vox Machina all present.

What about the Matron?

She's not.

She disappeared too.

They all just disappeared.

Just one last thought.

The gods, Perdathos, they traveled from somewhere to be here, right?

If we set Perdathos free into the cosmos,

would they hunt down other gods, another world?

Or some other beings?

Isn't that just passing off our problems to someone else?

You bet.

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 really love for that to not happen, please.

Sharp pain kind of curls on the inside of your torso.

Yeah, I feel like I don't have a lot of time left.

Can we 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 can't.

Make it up the stairs.

We'll be alone though.

Yeah, there's the

you can't go alone.

And we don't have the means to catch another terminal velocity falling body right now.

Are we allowed to?

Are people stopping us?

I don't think anyone's gonna stop Pradathos.

At the moment,

most everyone's still stunned and trying to keep the populace in check.

Some soldiers might try and step 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 Jessa can keep them occupied.

Jessa

as you begin to ascend the massive steps of the Heavenstair Mountain

Other members of the Don 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 Vaselheim has 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 and 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

grip her hand tight.

Runny the whole time.

We've been together, I've been dealing with voices on the outside.

Hey, I uh

more than most

understand

what you're going through.

Vern, we got you.

Okay.

You're gonna be okay.

You're gonna be okay.

I feel our tether

and

it almost like starts pulling your energy into me.

And I

look inward

to the child.

You feel that

light-ish being, that small

primal alien presence within

curling from its slumber.

It looks back at you.

So lonely.

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 like 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 of 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 are fun.

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 enhanceability on her for

an hour?

Okay, okay.

Okay.

Advantage.

Okay, okay.

Can I also do an additional guidance?

This instance, I will say probably no.

Okay, okay.

This is pier.

Good news for check.

Okay.

Uh, and this is just a check, a charisma check.

That is, I can do my math 23 is that right, 23?

No, 24

22.

17 plus 23, 24, 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 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, 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 Ruidis 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 kind of 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 from whence it came, the darkness eventually giving way to blue.

Um, I grab my water skin, give it a nice cold cup of water, just like

just like old times.

Yeah,

i did just need to barf it up yeah that sounds really cool yeah i i i drew i drew a picture it's not it's not a view barfing but it's it's it's a nice picture

wow that's really nice brand

that's beautiful

that's so beautiful

i mean it was just a sketch it's just a doodle you know no big deal wow Wow, I think I'm inspired.

Wow.

Wow.

Wow.

You're really talented.

Why aren't you doing this as opposed to just killing people

honestly a lot kind of randomly on occasion?

You should do like one of those where you're like on a street and someone can come up and you can like kill them.

Oh,

draw them.

I see the problem now.

That's fair.

Sure.

How do you feel?

I brush your hair kind of back.

Pull my hair back.

Rubber back.

Oh, I feel great,

Yeah.

Don't sell blinding today.

I'll check.

The mark's still in there.

Do you need me to check also?

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 Waselheim 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, return to its orbit, the pale, distant red hue of Ruitus.

Freed of what once

its purpose,

now to whatever its future may be

as you all gather here on the top

the heaven stare

looking down upon the dawn cradle

We're gonna go to break

Godspeed little moon

we're gonna take a short break here.

We'll be back here to see where the rest of this story takes us.

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 Wild Fire Recovery Fund, the Latino Community Foundation, and the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation.

If you could 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.

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