List of Transcripts

Pre-Show[]

MATT: Hello, everyone, and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit around and play Dungeons & Dragons. (shouting chaotically)

MATT: Before we get into tonight's episode, we do have some quick announcements to get through, beginning with our sponsor of the evening, Roll and Play Press and their book, "One-Shot Wonders." Sam?

MORGAN: Hey, everybody! It's so great to be back at the table again.

MARISHA: (stammers) Sam has been back for one episode, and he's already using an understudy, you guys. I can't believe this.

MORGAN: I don't know what you're talking about, Marcia. I'm Sam Riegel, everyone's favorite hot centaur.

MARISHA: Minotaur. He wrote this, right? How did he fuck that up?

MORGAN: And I'm here to talk about One-Shot Wonders, an awesome resource that cuts down D&D prep time from hours to minutes. It includes over 100 different pre-made one-shots, all two pages or less. With session plans, NPCs, locations, and quest rewards, it's a lifesaver for busy GMs.

ASHLEY: Wait, wait, wait. What is the deal? Is Sam stuck in traffic or did he forget about the show?

MORGAN: What do you mean? I'm Sam!

MARISHA: Morgan! Cut the crap, Morgan! I've known you for so long! Where is Sam?

SAM: Chill. I'm here, guys. It's fine. I've been here the whole time.

ASHLEY: Wait, why aren't you reading the ad?

SAM: Oh, while I was gone, I got used to, like, not doing anything. It's really nice. (laughter)

MARISHA: They got you an orange popsicle?

SAM: Yeah, I know. Gives you time to do other things, like-- Sam?

MORGAN: Like going to RollAndPlayPress.com/downfall and see why they won the UK Games Expo Judges Choice Award and checking out One-Shot Wonders' new map library, which includes a one-inch gridded dry-erasable battle map for every adventure.

MARISHA: So--

SAM: You're doing a really good--

TRAVIS: Wow.

MARISHA: Sam is just lazy now?

MORGAN: I sure am.

SAM: I sure am!

TALIESIN: Now?

TRAVIS: Oh boy.

MORGAN: Order One-Shot Wonders and use code Downfall10 to get 10% off at RollAndPlayPress.com/downfall. Be quick, this offer's only valid till the end of July. Matt, back to--

SAM: You know what? I can do this. Matt, back to you.

LAURA: Wow.

SAM: Thanks, Sams, the plurals.

ASHLEY: Good job, Sams!

TRAVIS: Good job, Sams.

MATT: Well done. All right.

MARISHA: Nice talking to you, Morgan.

MORGAN: Okay. Appreciate it.

MATT: Good job, good job.

MORGAN: I'm not that person.

MATT: I'm not going to lie, Sam. I kind of like having him around. We'll discuss your contract later. Marisha, if you want to go?

MARISHA: So, (laughs) okay.

TRAVIS: (imitates Marisha)

MARISHA: (silly noises) While this is Episode 99 of Critical Role, this is also the start of a three-part story exploring a historical memory from an arcane relic within the ruins of Aeor, known as Downfall.

TRAVIS: Downfall!

LAURA: Ooh!

MARISHA: Downfall!

MATT: Other way.

MARISHA: Put it-- Wait, okay, hang on. Schapiro, put it here.

MORGAN: Should it go down?

TRAVIS, MARISHA, and SAM: Downfall!

ASHLEY: Ooh!

MARISHA: Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan will lead players Taliesin Jaffe-- (cheering) Abubakar Salim. (cheering) Ashley Johnson. (cheering) Noshir Dalal. (cheering) Nick Marini. (cheering) And Laura Bailey. (cheering) Through a tragic tale that led to the destruction of the flying city of Aeor over a century into the Calamity. The Calamity lasted for so long. As we left off at the end of our live show, this recording is being shown to Bells Hells, and is simultaneously being shown to you, our lovely audience.

TRAVIS: Oh man.

MARISHA: So we'll pick things back up with Bells Hells as they are grappled with the long forgotten truths that you're about to witness, and we're about to witness, I guess.

TRAVIS: Bear witness.

MARISHA: Yeah, bear witness, on Thursday, August 1st, for Episode 102 of Campaign Three, on Thursday, August 1st, for Episode 102 of Campaign Three, when we will be back to see all of the horrors that have been wrought. Over on Beacon, you can check out exclusive episodes of Cooldown for Downfall, so be sure to stay tuned for all the juicy behind the scenes discussions and details--

LAURA: Are there more popsicles?

MARISHA: -- with the cast--

LIAM: You beat me to it.

MARISHA: -- for each episode. There are more popsicles.

TRAVIS: Nothing like sharing a popsicle.

MARISHA: Yeah!

MATT: Great. Thank you, Marisha.

MARISHA: It's going to be good.

MATT: Liam, you got an announcement.

LIAM: Oh man, I'm going to talk to you about Midst stuff. The season three finale of Midst is here, and Marisha and I sat down with narrators and creators Matt Roen--

SAM: What?

LIAM: -- Sarah Wile, and Xen in person for the first time!

MARISHA: I know, I know.

ASHLEY: The coolest!

LIAM: A round table discussion that dropped yesterday. We dig into their full journey since season one, and all of their creative decisions and collaboration and worldbuilding and inspirations along the way, and you can watch it now on YouTube and Beacon.TV. Guys, if you have not yet listened to Midst, it's an audio drama where three mischievous and surreal sci-fi fantasy tale about complicated--

LAURA: It's amazing.

ASHLEY: Complicated.

LIAM: -- anti-heroes making their very best bad decisions in a world on the edge of zisaster.

TRAVIS: Big. Big.

MARISHA and MATT: (excited noises)

LIAM: You can officially binge all three seasons anywhere you listen to podcasts, over on Beacon, or at Midst.co. Stay tuned, though, for a larger announcement surrounding our next story in the cosmos that we have lightly teased called "Moonward" on July 24th.

MATT: Ooh!

MARISHA: It's going to be big!

ASHLEY: ♪ It's going to be big ♪ (laughter)

LAURA: That's exactly where I was.

MATT: Thank you, Liam.

TRAVIS: Too--

MATT: Yeah. Laura, you're up. (laughs)

LAURA: So I talked about these a little bit before. They were at the live show. We have these half crew socks. Listen up, it's a four pack, but I may have taken home the other socks. (laughter)

TRAVIS: You got to stop doing that!

LAURA: And poor Jerry was like--

TRAVIS: You hoard them all the time!

LAURA: "Did you take the socks?" I was like, "Maybe, and they're all in my dirty laundry, so deal with it," but these ones are great!

LIAM: I'm wearing some right now!

LAURA: Eyy! (laughter)

LAURA: Artist Elena Harris. They're in all of our shops. They're so cozy. Check them out.

LIAM: Better put them away.

LAURA: In addition to that, woof, is--

LIAM: They're in a Doc Marten!

ASHLEY: Put those back down there!

LAURA: Chacka-cha!

ALL: Ooh!

LAURA: Laudna's Dreaded Bloom T-shirt. This one's in the US, Canada, the UK, and the EU, and the artist is Natalie Hall. She's very creepy. Not the artist, the shirt.

MATT: Unless you want to be, Natalie.

LAURA: Yeah, I don't know. Then finally, I haven't talked about this one before. This is our Vox Machina weapons button-down short sleeve shirt. You may have seen our Bells Hells one. You may have seen our Mighty Nein one. But this is our Vox Machina one.

MARISHA: Cool!

LAURA: Check it out in all of our shops. Adriann Helton, you're amazing.

MARISHA: I like the color.

LAURA: I know!

LIAM: Gold, of course, for Vox Machina campaign.

ASHLEY: Of course.

LAURA: Vex inspired.

MATT: Thank you, Laura.

LAURA: You're welcome.

MATT: I got a couple quick things to announce as well, before we continue. We'll be in Miami this weekend for Florida Supercon.

TRAVIS: Miami review!

MATT: My home space. Join us for a panel on Saturday, July 13th, at 11:00am, moderated by the one and only Krystina Arielle, dear friend of the show. She is the best. We'll also be at the exhibitor hall for autographs and photo ops all weekend, and can't wait to see you. Please come out and say hi. You can find more info over at critrole.com/events. Last week, we released a Candela Obscura GM Roundtable where Liam, myself, Aabria, and Spenser shared our best tips and answered questions to help you run games, whether you're new to the game mastering seat in general or simply want to enhance your craft. You can watch it now on YouTube and Beacon.TV.

TRAVIS: (whispers) Craft.

MATT: (sighs) And put those skills into practice during our Candela Obscura weekend later this month. We're encouraging GMs to run games the weekend of July 26th to the 28th, whether at home or at your friendly local game store or online, it's up to you, but check out DarringtonPress.com for more info, like a list of participating guild stores, and join the Darrington Press Discord if you're looking to find a group to play with. So enjoy your investigations.

LIAM: The Flare is supposed to be thin that weekend, so--

MATT: Yeah, it's pretty thin. Well, I think that concludes our announcements for this episode, so-- (oohing)

TRAVIS: The stand up and walk! The stand up and walk!

ASHLEY: Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!

TRAVIS: And a handshake to commemorate--

MARISHA: And the handshake!

BRENNAN: Oh! What the fuck?

TRAVIS: The harbinger of doom!

LIAM: A distinguished gentleman.

MARISHA: Approaches the podium.

MORGAN: I mean--

BRENNAN: [Hand off to Brennan] Oh, that's in brackets. Am I not supposed to read that?

LAURA: Disappointed!

ASHLEY: Yeah, yeah.

BRENNAN: Kill it!

TALIESIN: Kill it.

BRENNAN: Well, gang, I'm so excited to be here. Elated, enthused, overjoyed! And we're going to be telling a story of the Calamity, age of ruin and despair, the fall of the flying city of Aeor, a tale of those agents of the divine that saw fit to lay low the height of mortal accomplishment and send it crashing into the frozen wastes of Eiselcross! Those of you who remember Aeor will know it well, but how did it come to pass, and what knowledge may be gleaned of the gods? We actually just did the whole campaign. But it's fucking-- Get ready! (laughter)

BRENNAN: Thank you for tuning in, and get ready for tonight's episode of Critical Role.

♪ Critical ♪
♪ Critical ♪
♪ It's Thursday ♪
♪ It's Thursday night! ♪

ASHLEY: ♪ One-by-one, we climb until we reach the top. ♪
♪ Two-by-two, we fall. ♪

LAURA: ♪ Will we meet our end or meet our destiny? ♪
♪ Hold your breath and roll! ♪

MATT: How do you want to do this?

ALL: ♪ It's Thursday night ♪
♪ All ye Critters, come join us ♪
♪ It's time to continue our plight ♪
♪ There is magic and mystery ♪
♪ Who knows what will happen? ♪
♪ He might! ♪
♪ But one thing's for sure, ♪
♪ We never give up on the fight! ♪

LIAM: ♪ From the healer ♪
♪ To the renegade ♪

MATT: ♪ We all share the same goal ♪

MATT and TALIESIN: ♪ Adding more allies ♪
♪ Taking more chances ♪

SAM: ♪ Hold your breath and roll ♪

MARISHA: You can certainly try.

ALL: ♪ It's Thursday night ♪
♪ All ye Critters, come join us ♪
♪ It's time to continue our plight ♪
♪ It's Thursday night. ♪
♪ There is magic and mystery ♪
♪ From darkness, our friendship will rise ♪
♪ But one thing's for sure: ♪
♪ We never give up on the fight ♪
♪ Oh, get ready, ♪
♪ Get ready, ♪
♪ It's Thursday night! ♪
(flames whooshing)

Part I[]

BRENNAN: Hello, and welcome once again here on Critical Role with this wonderful table of amazing people we've gathered here together for, it's a little bit of a detour, a storytelling movement. For those of you that are tuning in, you may have seen the last episode of Bells Hells, Campaign Three in the live show where your boy came out on stage to bring us to a recording deep within Aeor, shown to Bells Hells, and in one of the sickest moves, shout out to Matthew Mercer, we will be playing through that very story now being told to Bells Hells. As the light flickers throughout the chamber, we will see the events unfold in recorded memory. But we got plenty of time to get to story stuff. Let's go ahead and say hi to everybody at the table. Please, go ahead and say, "Hi," and we'll go around because we have some guests here. We'll start here.

TALIESIN: Hi, I'm Taliesin Jaffe. I don't normally sit here. It's exciting. I like this view.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: Hi, (stammers) I'm Abubakar Salim. My god, I don't even know my own name! (laughter)

ABUBAKAR: Yeah, and this is crazy! This is great! (laughter)

ABUBAKAR: I'm ready! I'm ready!

BRENNAN: Hell yeah!

ASHLEY: Hello, I'm Ashley Johnson, and I'm here.

BRENNAN: Beautiful.

NOSHIR: Hey! Noshir Dalal. I am not ready, but I am game, so.

NICK: Nick Marini. Honored to be here! (laughter)

LAURA: Oh, I'm Laura Bailey. (laughter)

BRENNAN: I will be your GM for tonight. Brennan Lee Mulligan. Huzzah! And we enter now. Get fucking serious. It's dramatic, okay? This one's going to be-- We're going to fucking-- This one's for real. Light. Light suffusing all. Eternal, undying, infinite. Names beyond counting does this place have in the timeless time in which it existed. But in your tongue, Exandrian, let us simply call it Tengar, the Eternal Palace. Behold endless ramparts and hallways of spinning stars, a nebula so vast that light would age a thousand lifetimes of its origin to cross from the threshold to the ending of this palace. Let us imagine beings of infinite possibility and endless wonder populating the vast and joyous caverns, chambers, hallways, ramparts, all of the chapels and unending mystery that this Eternal Palace has to offer those that have always dwelt herein. Shimmering light, beings of wonder whose potential, having never touched the real, is limitless. Within this place, we must describe for you in words that mortals can comprehend what you have come now to witness. In Tengar, the Eternal Palace, past the hallway of the Unbroken Shard where one can spy the Quill of Infinites, that which writes those worlds that have yet never been. We see a small parade of twinkling lights. These lights that we now behold are, to us, inhuman. But of course, this realm has never known the touch of humans. So let us instead give it a name that we might understand it. Sparkling light traveling down a hall, we see Edun. Edun, a kaleidoscoping ephemera of twinkling lights moving through the palace towards the Orchard of Possibility, as once it was called. Edun beholds a small flickering shape, Aru. Aru, though it would be impossible for a mortal to comprehend, is there some shape or form to your light in this endless palace?

NICK: A roiling ball of light that is roughly spherical, but never quite.

BRENNAN: Edun, much larger than you, Aru, rolls past. "Oh, Aru! Splendid! I was wondering if I might come across any of the vibrant denizens of these wings of Tengar. Have you any friends nearby to call out to? I wish to show you something, if I could." (whooshes) Light spirals out as Edun moves past you. Do you call out to any in this place?

NICK: I will. Perhaps Luz is nearby.

BRENNAN: Ashley, what form of light do we now see arriving in this place?

ASHLEY: It's not just a form, but it's almost something that you feel, it's warmth, pale blue almost, and it sort of changes shape. But it is spherical, in some ways. That's the way, at least, someone would try to describe it.

BRENNAN: Luz, you arrive at the edge of a vast balcony ending in a staircase, descending to an orchard of fractal light. They are trees, but they are also mirrors and stars and perhaps the hands of some great and eternal love for the being of all things yet to come. Edun, this kaleidoscoping shimmering train of light begins to descend the staircase, and you see Aru, eternal sibling of yours rushing behind you, Luz. As you see Aru, a shape comes and turns to look at you "(gasps)" and it's now shimmering blue, but a crackling fire in front of you. This is your sibling Imri. (whooshes) "What's going on? Is something happening? Are we starting a new game?"

ASHLEY: I don't know. What are we doing?

NICK: Edun has something to show us.

ASHLEY: (gasps)

BRENNAN: "(gasps) Well, (laughs) Edun certainly can't show it to all of us at the same time. And I, as ever, shall be there first! (shouts)" And surges forward (whooshes) as a trail of fire shoots down the staircase, into the stars.

ASHLEY: I'll take off.

BRENNAN: (exhales) You begin to rush after. All of you descending. Imri rushes past Edun as quick as possible. (Edun) "(gasps) Careful! Careful!" You see that (whooshes) trees shimmer. Are there any other spirits of Tengar within the Orchard as our friends arrive?

LAURA: I will be there. Purplish light, almost what you would describe Purplish light, almost what you would describe as the reflection of water when it plays on a wall, lounging beneath the trees, fractals playing on fractals, enjoying the peace.

BRENNAN: Imri races past, trips on a purple fractal, (crashing) explodes in endless fireworks (sizzling) and this--

LAURA: Gather together and slowly spread out again.

BRENNAN: (Imri) "(exhales)"

LAURA: Imri.

BRENNAN: "I could've known, always lounging around in the Orchard. Edun! Nahal tripped me!" Edun comes by. (whooshes) (Edun) "Oh, sweet Nahal. I did not wish to disturb your slumber. Imri, you have run much too fast and become a thousand beautiful exploding fireworks. Enough of that!" (whooshes) And begins to surround a tree. Nahal, you look on. You feel a growing sense of something that you've always felt like you might feel one day, but have never yet felt, is unusual in the Eternal Palace to feel anything for the first time. You feel a sense of dread.

LAURA: What is this? It's exciting, and horrible. Edun looks. "Ah, yes! What I wished to show you. A new tree being born in the Orchard of Possibility."

ASHLEY: (gasps)

BRENNAN: Tree shimmers and twitches.

BRENNAN: Tree shimmers and twitches. Sharp, painful. There is a fruit hanging from it, but also a gem, but also a sun falling into itself.

NICK: How beautiful.

BRENNAN: Edun looks up, Imri looks at you and goes, "Beautiful... I don't know if I-- I don't know if I agree. Don't you feel--? Don't you feel a little bit--?" Here, Imri looks to you for the word that they have never had to say before.

LAURA: Terrible.

BRENNAN: Edun reaches up, plucks the fruit.

ASHLEY: Wait.

BRENNAN: Luz, you say, "Wait."

ASHLEY: Wait! Give it a chance!

BRENNAN: (sizzling) A moment too late. (sizzling) "Oh!" (sharp sucking in) Edun's shimmering form ceases. Each point of light is fixed. "Oh!"

NICK: Edun.

LAURA: What is this?

ASHLEY: What is happening.

BRENNAN: "I'm sorry." (sharp whooshes)

ASHLEY: (gasps)

BRENNAN: "I think I'm going away." (gasps)

LAURA: What is that?

ASHLEY: What?

LAURA: What is away?

NICK: Edun!

BRENNAN: A point of lightlessness rests in the middle of the Orchard. Do any other spirits nearby hear or see this event?

TALIESIN: Oh, yes. I feel like I had, not a dream. I feel like I had a desire for something new, and I guess, terrible. I remember wanting something. I've been trying to turn myself inside out for, I don't know how long. I'm a little ouroboros of bits of light that are clearly trying to fall into each other's own black hole as they slowly make their way around themselves, almost like a molecular orbit, if such a thing. This is new!

BRENNAN: Ash, you arrive as other spirits begin to gather from nearby. You see that another spirit, Aily, comes by. She moves as shifting color, who leaves imprints of herself behind her, suspended backwards to show the way that she has come in light. She comes through and goes, "Something new? Did you do this Ash?"

TALIESIN: I wish!

BRENNAN: "Okay."

TALIESIN: This is all I've ever wanted.

BRENNAN: "I think it would be best for me to go get Edun from whatever this is."

ASHLEY: W-W-Wait!

BRENNAN: "Luz, it's all right."

ASHLEY: No, I--!

BRENNAN: "I can get him. (gasps)" She touches the point of lightlessness, is frozen, and you hear noise from elsewhere in Tengar. The endless images of herself stretching throughout space are falling into nothingness behind her, like a row of dominoes falling and vanishing as they hit the floor. (sucking noises)

ASHLEY: (gasps)

BRENNAN: "I'll miss you." (gasps) And she is gone. A far tower crumbles. (crashing)

LAURA: She is away.

ASHLEY: What's happening?

LAURA: She is away!

TALIESIN: And it doesn't--

NICK: Impossible!

TALIESIN: It's not real.

NICK: What is that?

BRENNAN: Our last two spirits, you, within, are seeing a hallway that has been infinite for a timeless timelessness suddenly begin to fall behind you. Describe yourselves as you see your doom now approach in the moment of understanding what doom even is.

ABUBAKAR: Go ahead! (laughs)

NOSHIR: So Edam is a cacophony of sound, constantly collapsing in on itself, and then exploding back into new shapes and forms. It tries to pull objects to it. It mimics, tries to copy the trees it sees. It's always trying to change and explore endless chaotic curiosity. How did you do it? I've been trying to get to nothing forever, and I can't! Who did it? Who did it? I need to know!

TALIESIN: Nothing happened on its own!

BRENNAN: (flashing)

NOSHIR: On its own?

ABUBAKAR: Yeah, Coru is just this shimmering, not necessarily tubular, but it sparkles and it's frantic. But suddenly, it doesn't sparkle anymore. It calms and it stops and watches. Wonderful! And lets it be taken in by this madness that is ensuing and going forward.

BRENNAN: You stand there, watching, and as you do, a thread of pure fate wraps around you as Ihana, the Weaver of Time (whooshes) pulls you towards her as the hallway makes it so that, one moment later, you would never have been.

NOSHIR: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: (exhales)

BRENNAN: Ihana pulls you forward. Already, you see that Tengar is collapsing around you. She looks at all of you and goes, "What are you doing? What are you doing?"

ASHLEY: I don't know what's happening. I don't know. What is this?

NICK: How can there be nothing? We are here. There is we.

BRENNAN: "There won't be if we don't run!" And you see she begins to sprint across the Orchard as nothingness comes to eternity. (grasping whooshes)

LAURA: I follow her.

BRENNAN: She reaches out (whooshes), and spins a seed, which is a ship, which is a star of light and fate in front of you. Running behind you, you see another spirit, Nahala, go, "Wait, Qsar's still in there," turns to run, (whooshes) swallowed, gone, never existed.

LAURA: (gasps)

BRENNAN: (whooshes) Her name vanished. You turn as Imri grabs you, Aru, and you, Luz, and says, "We're sticking together. We're sticking together."

ASHLEY: Okay.

BRENNAN: And pulls you onto the ship.

ASHLEY: I keep looking behind.

NICK: Siblings.

LAURA: Ash, now.

TALIESIN: I am full speed, and trying to push and press from behind to get everyone moving towards the--

NOSHIR: I'm moving really fast.

NICK: Ash, why do we have to go?

TALIESIN: Nothing is too much. There's too much nothing. There's too, too much.

NOSHIR: But where are we going?

TALIESIN: I don't know. Something new.

NOSHIR: Something new.

LAURA: I'm looking for Shosti.

BRENNAN: You see that Shosti steps out and goes, (pants) "I don't want this. (screams) I don't want this." (booms) A wave of force ruptures out and takes this Eternal Palace you have lived in and shatters it to make something destroyed in front of you to protect you. As Shosti does this, you see Shosti has always been pure concussive energy, like heat above a barbecue, and you see that that congeals into flesh and bone and blood, and Shosti is suddenly something realer. This force breaks the bones in his hands and scars his flesh. He goes, "Run, I can protect us." Ship moves. Ihana (whooshes) grabs Shosti, and this ship takes off from Tengar with you aboard.

ASHLEY: Where's Imri?

BRENNAN: Imri is on this deck of this floating ship of light, and you begin to watch your eternal home fall. (percussive whooshes) Perhaps other ships have left. Perhaps other spirits have made their way. But there are only a handful of you here.

TALIESIN: Is this because I wanted something?

NOSHIR: I cling to Ash.

TALIESIN: I didn't want-- I don't know what I wanted.

BRENNAN: All of you, I'm going to need, as you exit eternity and possibility. Welcome to the real. I'm going to need everyone here to make a dexterity saving throw.

LAURA: Oh god. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Oh no.

ABUBAKAR: Okay.

TALIESIN: Just a straight roll?

NICK: 17.

BRENNAN: 17.

ASHLEY: Jesus. Oh.

ABUBAKAR: 14.

TALIESIN: Oof.

LAURA: 12.

BRENNAN: 12.

NOSHIR: 11. (laughs)

BRENNAN: 11.

ASHLEY: 24.

BRENNAN: 24. Luz, you stand tall, along with Imri. The rest of you are thrown to, sorry, the rest of you are thrown to the deck, as suddenly force hits you. Normally, something like this would've been considered or pondered upon, and instead your bodies are thrown to the deck of something that you are traveling on. Luz, you look out and see waves of permeating heat and light and color, as you move from this place towards something that is going to destroy you. Imri looks, "What should we do?"

ASHLEY: I don't know. I don't know.

BRENNAN: Looking and seeing pure heat and force, Imri looks into your eyes, "I'm something, I'm not everything, but I'm something. I love you."

ASHLEY: I love you.

BRENNAN: Imri leaps to the deck of the ship, throws up a wall, and you see that suddenly there is a face and eyes and hair, as Imri goes, "Let us through, let us through. (screams)" Heat pours over Imri and burns him terribly, as he stands at the front of the ship, pushing forward with the will of this eternal place, making a way through the heat for your vessel to--

ASHLEY: I go to help.

BRENNAN: As Imri is dying, you put a hand on him. What do you do? What do you say in this moment?

ASHLEY: I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do. I sort of take my form and the only thing I know how to do is just hold Imri in this moment in the warmth of what feels like a hug.

BRENNAN: (whooshes) You hug Imri, and that is the only thing that saves him from destruction. You heal him. As the heat touches him, it bursts into fire. This mane of-- Imri was so beautiful, and this mane of hair stretches back and the fire burns it until it blackens in two swirling spikes that stretch back from his head, wrapping around him like horns, as the heat touches you and you burn brighter and brighter, until you are pure light. You move from this place, and suddenly burst through and are now standing in roiling, unstoppable chaos. You feel that your ship is being pushed in all directions. What do the rest of you do, the rest of the you that have been knocked to the deck of the ship?

NICK: Shosti was also hurt?

BRENNAN: Yes.

NICK: I will move to Shosti.

BRENNAN: You move to Shosti, who is trying to use pure force to propel you forward. As you move to him, you see (grunts) rage and emotion and becoming real and feeling pain and struggle. You move to Shosti's side, and you see the chaos finds you. You are in a space in between the eternal and wherever you are headed. Shosti looks and goes, "Oh no." Darkness begins to descend on you. (whooshes) "It's here."

NICK: No. We have to remember where we came from. We'll always have a home with each other.

BRENNAN: As you say this, you (piercing whoosh) glow with unending light. The darkness is dispelled, (popping whooshes) as a hand touches Shosti and he stands up, (pants) remembering himself suddenly, as you can see things rendered in light. Now, it's all light. You see at the edge of Aru's aura, there is color and chaos and fighting. You see that there are things trying to rend the ship apart, pure chaos itself. I think, Edam, you look and see that you are entering a place that needs something. Pure possibility will rend you all apart and scatter you to the wind, as you begin to move through this space. What do you do?

NOSHIR: I extend myself as far out as I can, and see lines, geometry, structure, and collapse everything as tight into myself as I can, trying to keep the shape.

BRENNAN: Where Edam stands, a helm appears for the ship. Above Edam's head, a compass, lines extending, (whooshes) colors parted, things that roiled into chaos now made to stand where they ought. And even the concept of ought renders your ship safer and more real. (whooshes) It surges forward, going further and further and further. Aru, you are at the back trying to keep Shosti alive to provide the force that you need. You see Ihana with Imri and with Luz at the front trying to protect the ship from the pure force of traveling forward at this speed. The rest of you on the deck, you can see that there has been given some mathematics, some ability to pilot and chart, but you do not know to where you can go.

ABUBAKAR: I think--

TALIESIN: No, go ahead.

ABUBAKAR: Yeah, I think seeing this, Coru almost erupts and starts to, in a way, paint and react and engage with the elements of a compass, of things of control, and create and construct. Again, it's just pure reaction.

BRENNAN: As you begin to paint with color, the geometry that Edam has created you can use to interpret, express, make meaning. All of a sudden, all of that light begins to form into points of light. You paint the constellations, stars guiding your path, pure beauty made manifest in a dance of mathematics and orbit. Pure artistry surges forward from you. All of a sudden, you are moving in a direction. You have your bearing, but you are burning. Your bodies are made real. All of a sudden, you feel the weight and heft. You feel that you have lost something eternal. As one of you, the you you choose lives, an infinite number of the yous that could have been vanish forever. Where do you head in this realm of stars as you enter into the real?

TALIESIN: I wanted something. I didn't even know what something is. I need something. We need something. We-- We need something, and I'm going to find it. I'm going to find the something.

BRENNAN: You reach out. From the deck of the ship, you reach out. Pure light. Standing near Edam, Ash, you feel it calling to you, and you are the one who finds home. Edam and Ash, standing side by side, move to home. Nahal.

LAURA: I look at the changes. What is this? Maybe away was better.

BRENNAN: Do not worry long over it, Nahal, for even here, you feel the presence of the day that is coming, where that thing back there comes for you, the day that you will never have existed. You move. (air gathers) (booming explosion) Pain, broken bodies, blood, eyes and hands covered in dirt and ash. You look up, broken, frightened, as looming over you, monstrous figures who see that you have come to their domain. A different time and a different place.

LAURA: (brief laugh) Ah! (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: (groans)

BRENNAN: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Ah!

ASHLEY: (exhales shock)

BRENNAN: The town of Hawk's Hill-- (laughter)

ASHLEY: Oh my god.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Hard cut.

BRENNAN: (laughs) That's what we call a hard cut, folks. Everyone get a little bit of water? Everyone good?

TALIESIN: Yeah, no. Oh god.

NOSHIR: Wow.

TALIESIN: Swear to god.

NICK: What's water? (laughter)

ASHLEY: What am this?

BRENNAN: What am this?

LAURA: What am?

TALIESIN: Who am us? Anyway.

ASHLEY: (sighs)

BRENNAN: Hawk's Hill, on the continent of Gwessar. Over a century into the Calamity, a sky choked with ash and ruin, and a village that is in some ways a way station, in some ways a boomtown. This place, essentially, is where people have gathered in the ruins of Exandria for the chance at salvation. Salvation from the gods? No. Most of the gods haven't been seen in decades, even though they choked the sky and burned the lands and laid waste to the vast civilizations of Exandria. The Age of Arcanum is a distant memory for most mortals now, no. Hawk's Hill is waiting for salvation from the last and greatest bastion of mortal magic. They are waiting for salvation from Aeor, the last of the great sky cities, whose skyships still fly, even 100 years since the war of the gods has raged across this place, Prime Deities, Betrayer Gods, their vast armies of devils and celestials, of monsters and dragons, and the fey called to their banners. Hawk's Hill is nestled in between two craggy ridges. If they had known at the outset of Hawk's Hill how long the town would stand here for, they might've taken the time to build some of it out of wood or stone. But with the Calamity, most people aren't willing to make that bet. So some of these tents and shacks have been standing for the better part of a decade at this point. You hear the moving of wagon wheels, people shouting at horses and cattle, moving them into place. There are trading posts and pawn shops and all of it extending in slums and ramshackle dwelling places around a massive central landing pad with a sigil of Aeor across the top where the skyships come and land. You see here in this place that it appears to be swollen to the bursting point. Whatever little mattresses of straw people have to let out to travelers are long since spoken for. People sleep on the ground, animals fly hither and yon. In this time of the Calamity, most people do travel with animal companions. Rangers are some of the only people that know how to get around in this time period. It's very unusual to find any place that can stand long enough to really be called civilization. But Hawk's Hill, to the extent that it can, is alive with activity. Feels like very soon that salvation may come. As we move through this place, I would actually love to meet your guys' characters. I know we had a whole other thing, but let's actually meet your characters now. Moving through with some wagons drawn by some horses, we see a group of people that, for being here in the heart of the Calamity, seem to huddle together for warmth. Ashley, would you describe your character for us?

ASHLEY: Sure. You see a human woman, late 30s, dark brown auburn hair with bits of white throughout. Tanned skin, freckles everywhere. You'd miss her in a crowd, but there's kindness in her eyes. She has on a very large overcoat that she grabbed as she left her home. It belongs to her husband, Amaris. She's walking forward.

BRENNAN: Walking by your side, Nick, would you please describe your character.

NICK: A young, mid to late teens

NICK: A young, mid to late teens human male walks beside you. Brown eyes, brown hair, shield that doesn't look like it's his, shield that doesn't look like it's his, though he wears it on his back comfortably. He walks with a staff with etchings of the moon and stars towards the top. with etchings of the moon and stars towards the top. He looks down and gives Gilly, your dog, a scratch behind the ears.

BRENNAN: Woof! A big mountain rescue dog, those big bear-looking dogs, Gilly. (panting)

ASHLEY: Gilly!

BRENNAN: (cheerful bark)

ASHLEY: Come here!

BRENNAN: (happy shaking) Comes over and nuzzles you, looking around. Gilly's always excited to meet people, and there's so many people here. (panting)

ASHLEY: Stay close.

BRENNAN: You see walking up to you with the clop of hooves, you see Ridge, one of your companions comes up to you. This is a older centaur ranger. He's got a salt and pepper beard, bun of hair that's mostly gone gray now. He's got a heavy leather vest on, bow and arrow, and he walks up and goes, "I talked to some of the proctors. We can pull the wagons up into the middle right here. They're saving a spot for us."

ASHLEY: Wonderful.

NICK: Thank you.

BRENNAN: "That's all right. Well, I wanted to tell you--" You hear behind you, (child) "Mom! Mom! Mom!" Running up, you see two little kids. One of them is tween, tween age, and the other one is a little bit younger, maybe around eight or nine. You see, Trist, your daughter Haylie, and your son Topher run up to you. As they rush up, Haylie goes, "Mom! There's a wagon back there that's got all kinds of fruit on it, bright, red. I've never even seen fruit this red."

ASHLEY: No way!

BRENNAN: "Yeah, it's wild! It's all back there."

ASHLEY: That's amazing!

BRENNAN: Topher looks around and says, "I saw some guys over there that were playing a game with cards and they had money."

ASHLEY: Whoa! Well maybe, don't jump in on that game, okay?

BRENNAN: "I could learn it." (laughter)

ASHLEY: I know you could. I know you could, and you'd probably win.

BRENNAN: "Maybe I will watch. What should I do if they invite me to play?"

ASHLEY: You watch, you learn, and you beat them.

BRENNAN: (palm punch) "They're toast."

ASHLEY: You got this, Toph.

BRENNAN: You see he gives you a big hug. Both of your children have this long, fuzzy ears of their father, as your husband, Amaris, who gladly goes without his coat, smells richly of petrichor and pine, your firbolg husband walks up. Walks up, gives you a kiss on the side of the head, and looks over to you, Ayden, and he claps a hand on your shoulder and says, "I've been taking a look. I understand the plan. There's two wagons, there's two of you. There are people selling emblems of refuge here in the camp. If you didn't want to go alone, we could try to buy some and we could come with you."

ASHLEY: I don't think that's necessary. I think we will be, we will be fine on our own. I think it's better if you stay.

NICK: Ayden will lean down and look at Toph and say: You're never going to learn that card game if you don't stay down here, huh?

BRENNAN: Toph looks up at his dad. He goes, "Dad, there's a card game. We could win a bunch of money. Because when the ship leaves, there's still stuff to do down here." You see Amaris smiles. He goes, "You know, for a holy man, Ayden, you seem to encourage a lot of gambling." (laughter) "Our son is nine, you know. I know you're a young man yourself, I just mean to say, 15, but, you know."

NICK: The stars say it's a good time. (laughter)

BRENNAN: Toph goes, "Stars! We got to go now," and runs off. Haylie goes, "Topher, don't go off by yourself!" Gilly goes "Woof!" and bounds after Toph.

NICK: Ayden will, as Toph runs off, his hand on his shoulder, give him a little Guidance.

ASHLEY: Aw.

BRENNAN: You give some Guidance to him, and you see the kids run off. Amaris looks and says, "You really don't want me to come."

ASHLEY: Of course I want you to come, but I don't need you to come. You need to stay here.

BRENNAN: "I got it. I'll help get the wagons in the train."

ASHLEY: Wait.

BRENNAN: "What?"

ASHLEY: I love you so much.

BRENNAN: He leans in and gives you a kiss and stands up, looking like he's so close to figuring something out that he sort of doesn't want to, and instead he just smiles.

ASHLEY: I just put my hand on his cheek.

BRENNAN: "You're our miracle."

ASHLEY: (enamored laugh)

BRENNAN: "You're the best thing that ever happened to me."

ASHLEY: You all are the best thing that's ever happened to me.

BRENNAN: You hear a voice from behind you go, (gruff) "All right, you love birds, break it up," and you see this stout dwarf, deep bronze-brown skin and deep black beard tied up with rings comes out and says, "Let's break it up, enough smooching! Keep your head on a swivel. This place is full of cutthroats and pickpockets, I swear to god."

ASHLEY: Yes, of course.

NICK: Barahai.

BRENNAN: He looks around and says, "See, you don't have to worry about pickpockets because all you got is a stick and a shield that you won't let me fix." (laughter)

NICK: It's hard to steal something if it's not there.

BRENNAN: You see he looks and says, "Let me just put another leather strap on it, at least. My god, that thing's about to get chewed through, the water damage alone."

NICK: It's perfect just the way it is.

BRENNAN: "(grumbles)" (laughter)

BRENNAN: He goes off.

ASHLEY: (grumbles like Brennan)

BRENNAN: (laughs) He goes off, your husband looks and goes, "I've never heard someone say that phonetically."

ASHLEY: I know.

BRENNAN: He really said it.

ASHLEY: It's really amazing.

BRENNAN: He says, "All right, let's get the wagons in the train," and begin to move it off. We move now to another part of the camp. Walking in from the edge of the camp, Laura, would you please describe your character for me.

LAURA: Sure. You see a human woman walking in in soft green robes, creams, sensible leathers with rich brown hair, walking next to an older man, in a conversation with him pleasantly. At the same time, looking up to the skies, looking around. Then she holds her arm up and a black raven Then she holds her arm up and a black raven lands on her arm. Dearest.

BRENNAN: Your protector and guardian turns to look at you, a mantle of raven feathers over his shoulder. He smiles. He looks older, tired, says, "Well, plenty for the little lovey to eat, place like Hawk's Hill, that midden heap's got to be at least 12 feet high."

LAURA: Maybe you should go and get into trouble.

BRENNAN: (raven cawing) Raven flies off. He turns to look as the bird takes wing, flying, and sighs and goes, "Well, I can try to move out, if you'd like, and try to get a lay of the land, but this is, I suppose, where we part ways."

LAURA: No. You keep saying it, but are you sure you don't want to come? You're still-- you could do it.

BRENNAN: "I would do anything you asked of me, and I will only say before you ask it of me, long or short, we all must decide how we want to spend our lives. I think in some ways, we have to decide how to spend our death. I-- It has been the honor of my life to protect you, and as a devout practitioner of my path, humility is called for. I don't think there's anything that I could stop that you would not stop more gracefully."

LAURA: I take his hands. I would have been lost without you. Thank you for guiding me and always protecting me.

BRENNAN: He looks at you and smiles sorrowfully. Give me an insight check.

LAURA: 18.

BRENNAN: "Ever since the night I met your mother and father and told them that I had had a vision and was sworn to protect you, I watched you grow up, and even when you were a babe, there was something you were looking for. I don't think you ever needed me as a guardian, though it was my life's honor to do so. But I always felt like I wanted to help you find that thing you were looking for, and if this is where we part ways, I want to make sure that you found it. I'm not sure if I did. Is there anything I-- Is there anything I could've done? Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe there's just something I've seen behind your eyes, but I hope that you find that, here and now."

LAURA: You see her warmth drop a little bit. You gave me peace. Thank you.

BRENNAN: "(sighs) I'll save the true goodbye for when the ship arrives, but I'll fan out and see what we can find. You'll be all right on your own, Emhira?"

LAURA: I have my eyes.

BRENNAN: He turns. He bends down to an enormous, very observant, and in some ways still wolf. Bends down, behind the ear. "Go looking." The wolf takes off into the camp. He nods and vanishes into the shadows. As we move from this moment, we see another area of the encampment. We see what our young children discovered, which is massive wagons filled with brilliant bright red and yellow fruit, grapes from the vine, a wagon packed with ice to keep cool grapes from the vine, a wagon packed with ice to keep cool the bodies of large stags and other hunted game. Taliesin, would you go ahead and describe your character?

TALIESIN: She's an elf. Young, but it's hard to pin down, because she's clearly had a hard life. Her skin is ashen and her hair, once dark, has begun to gray in patches. Clearly not healthy, clearly eats only when she can, and clearly a farmer, possibly a hunter, considering what she has. Her eyes are a very bright yellow, and her clothes seem like they were once possibly somewhat grand. They have some beautiful embroidery in them, comfortable and flowing, but old, very old, and put back together and put back together with care. No shoes, and her expression is somewhere else. Not sad, not angry, not nervous, just somewhere else. And, yeah.

BRENNAN: A woman to your side walks up. She's about 6'8", massive burly shoulders. She has a bear claw necklace and one lower canine that stretches up in a point that can't ever come all the way down in this form. that can't ever come all the way down in this form. She leans over and goes, (husky) "Asha. This place stinks of Aeorians. They're not all coming with the ship. There are some embedded here in the town, (sniffs) watching." Another figure moves up, your other two companions helping you with these massive aurochs, these almost prehistoric livestock that move these giant wagons. Sherané comes up. She has a heavy cloak and cowl because her skin is badly burnt, like wood, charred, and two angry orange eyes peer out as another shape moves behind her, a slender man with frost-white skin, eyes, and hair. You see that Sherané turns and says, (strained) "Yes, there are eyes here watching, already, before the ship lands. Do you want us to handle them?"

TALIESIN: Her expression doesn't change. Her mouth doesn't move. In their heads, there is a raspy, distant voice. We are eyes of our own. And I thought I taught you patience.

BRENNAN: The three of them bow slightly, not enough to give the deference that would draw more attention here, and step away as you smell a very familiar smell. (padded steps) A large wolf emerges, looks to you, and puts its nose in between its front paws, rolls onto its back in front of you.

TALIESIN: I get down, give it a nice long pet and nuzzle, and in its head, I put the thought: It's been too long. It's just been too long.

BRENNAN: "I honor and revere that which walks inside and around you, Queen." This wolf, you know its heart and loyalty belongs to a mortal in this world, but it understands what it now beholds. The wolf looks up and gestures to a creature that you already knew in the periphery of your knowledge here, but you see a raven, and smell on this wolf the smell of death.

TALIESIN: You know what you are and you know who you are, and I am grateful for it. These times require hunters. You've done well. If you'll excuse me. She gives a little smile and walks towards the raven.

BRENNAN: Hell yeah. As you begin to walk towards the raven, hustle and bustle throughout the encampment. Over by Trist and Ayden, you begin to see a couple little lights are lit as the clouds part, and you begin to see clouds parting, lights, purple and green, moving through. A massive Aeorian skyship approaches. As it does so, we watch that massive landing pad as some Aeorians stationed here in Hawk's Hill begin to move their lights hither and yon. This massive brumestone powered skyship lands, and you see within that station, a massive landing pad emerge, lit from behind. The light creates a silhouette of several figures, but one at the lead, a herald of sorts that steps now from the ship. Abu, would you describe your character?

ABUBAKAR: He is an Aeormaton, beautiful. The way his frame works is you don't know where it starts and where it ends. It's almost like a painting, and there's these golden freckles that are adorning his body, the frame, and they move a bit every now and then. Very, very regal in look, orange eyes, and he walks down, taking in everything, and he addresses: Denizens of Hawk's Hill, we have come to collect foodstuffs and raw material supplies for the might of Aeor. Please allow the representatives of the Magestri to do their work. After food and supplies have come aboard, then those seeking refuge will be allowed to petition our Proctors of the Torian Guard. Priority will be given to those capable of labor. If you are not chosen, you will be given an emblem of sanctuary. Those with the most emblems will be taken after laborers. If you are sick or wounded, your emblem will not count. If you accost any member of this crew or delay them in their efforts, your emblems will be removed. Please come through.

BRENNAN: The Torian Guard, Aeorian mage knights, begin to walk down the landing pad and fan out through the city and begin to inspect this long train of wagons filled with food, stone, raw material. Some of the wagons have rare minerals, precious metals, gems, things that the magewrights and spell crafters of Aeor need for a project, something that they now work on in secret. You see these wagons aligning, and Trist and Ayden, you see that some of the Torian Guard begin to move up towards you, inspecting in this place. Moving alongside you, you see this as well, Asha, as you begin to move and follow that raven throughout. As you move, you see that your companions move to the wagons, protecting one crate in particular, and staying quite close to it. As we move from this place, I'm actually going to say, I know we're only an hour in, but can we stop for a bio, if that's okay? A bio break?

ABUBAKAR: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: Sure.

BRENNAN: I'm going to stop here real quick. It has become an urgent priority, so I'm going to stop here real quick and jump out to the bathroom. Hell yeah, guys! Awesome!

ASHLEY: Woo! [VHS tape fast forwards]

BRENNAN: Sick!

ASHLEY: This is--

TALIESIN: Picked up so wonderfully.

BRENNAN: Hell yeah.

LAURA: Excuse me.

BRENNAN: All right, let me know if I'm centered and all good. I think I'm good, right? Great. As you guys move through this space, we're going to quickly come back to Emhira. Raven flying overhead, you are moving through Hawk's Hill. What would you do in your time here as you see this ship now beginning to land?

LAURA: I think I'd be staring at every detail of the ship, and then looking down and watching the people around me, watching their interactions, especially interested in you and the children here, because I didn't imagine I'd see a lot of children in this area. I'm surprised that there's laughter in such a horrible place.

BRENNAN: As the guard moves out, you behold Trist and Ayden here. Give me an investigation check as you look around at Hawk's Hill.

LAURA: (sarcastic laugh) I'm really good at that. 13.

BRENNAN: You see the ship. You don't observe any key details about the ship. You see the name, "The Venatoria," written across it.

LAURA: Does that sound familiar in any way?

BRENNAN: It loosely translates as, "A place of hunters," and you see Trist and Ayden. They have a cart filled with food. There are some wagons here that have, supplies are one thing, but in the midst of the Calamity, you see huge bags of milled flour and bushels of corn and things that are quite hard to come by in this wagon, that look healthy. I think as you approach, Ayden and Trist, you both get your wagons in line as the Torian Guard begin to come up.

NICK: Having heard for the first time what the requirements are to board this ship, is there anyone nearby who seems injured or sick?

BRENNAN: Give me perception, or medicine, honestly.

ASHLEY: May I assist?

BRENNAN: Yes, you may. You can give the help action.

NICK: I guess perception is better, but medicine probably makes more sense. Incredible.

LAURA: Wow.

NICK: I rolled a one and a two. (laughter)

ASHLEY: Wow, I'm so helpful. (laughter)

NICK: Seven.

BRENNAN: You hear a man coughing in a nearby tent, wracked with coughs, and I believe, actually, that you hear the same thing. Emhira, you hear "(pained, wheezing coughs)" and can hear some muttered, sad words in a small tent by the wagon train there. You see that there looks to be an elderly couple in the tent You see that there looks to be an elderly couple in the tent looking down at a man even older than them, and you realize that the elderly couple is actually looking at a parent, someone who's truly very venerable. "(uncomfortably pained coughing)" As he's coughing there, I think you look in, and that's the nearest sick person you can see. Emhira, you hear that as well, as the Torian Guard begins to move up further and further.

LAURA: I'm going to walk toward the tent.

NICK: It's daytime?

BRENNAN: At this moment, there's bright light, as though daytime, but it is thick black clouds and night.

NICK: And is this tent open?

BRENNAN: There is a flap open, yes.

NICK: Ayden will walk up, position himself so that his shadow falls over this old man's face, so as not to be blinded.

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.

NICK: He will say: What ails him?

BRENNAN: You see that the elderly couple looks up and says, "My father, he is gripped by a cough." You look in the corner, both of you now, and you feel a person come by your side. They are sitting on a trove of what looks like 12 or 13 of these emblems of sanctuary, meaning that they've been passed over time and time and time again to board a ship bound for Aeor. You see that they look and say, "He's wracked with a cough wasting him in his lungs. There is an illness within. We are not physicians. We know not the name."

NICK: I will-- You've just come--

LAURA: I'm standing next to you.

NICK: Ayden will clock you for the first time, and smile, and he will reach down and hold this old man's hand and say: I hope you feel better. And cast Lesser Restoration.

BRENNAN: Emhira, give me a medicine check.

LAURA: I'm rolling so well. 11.

BRENNAN: You look and watch as this divine power flows forward from Ayden as you cast Lesser Restoration. You see the old man looks up. "(coughing recedes) A holy man. A holy man." A feeble hand moves up to you. "My son and his wife," and the hand moves to gather some of these emblems of sanctuary, and falls limp on top of them.

LAURA: You cannot heal everything.

NICK: We can always try.

BRENNAN: You see that the man starts weeping, looking at his father, as the woman covers her mouth and looks up and says, "What did you do?"

LAURA: I'm going to walk in. You cannot cure age. In this moment, he offered your father peace, which is something we should all be grateful for.

BRENNAN: "But, I--" You watch a moment unfold of utmost loss as both of these people look at a wealth of emblems, and an end of pain, and a path forward from this place. Guilt, sorrow, what it means to move on. I think, Trist, you see this moment, too, unfolding as Ayden has moved in here with this other figure, and watch this man weep over his father, who is finally not in pain anymore. A raven descends on your shoulder, and another figure moves into this space. Asha, you see the group now gathered here.

TALIESIN: You smell of death.

LAURA: Thank you. You smell like fur.

TALIESIN: I pull out an apple and start eating it, and in your heads: I'm surprised how good it is to see all of you. I've missed this.

BRENNAN: The Torian Guard begins to move up, inspecting the wagons. They arrive. You see that Ridge and Barahai, your companions, begin to talk to the guards and explain. You see that one of the guards comes over, this captain, Marcus, who begins to point out and says, "You two, you're the custodians of these wagons here?"

ASHLEY: Yes, that's right.

NICK: Correct.

BRENNAN: You see he says, "Behind these wagons up here," and points to the curve at your wagons, one of which has a large crate in the back. With that, we see SILAHA. You walk up behind the guards here as well, as you see them look out and say, "All right, take inventory. Here are the mills. SILAHA. Is there business that we can assist you with here, milord?"

ABUBAKAR: No. Let me handle this.

BRENNAN: "Very well." You see they turn. You can see an intense distaste in the faces of the Torian Guard for all of the people they are interacting with here in Hawk's Hill, as they move from this space. You see an Aeormaton stands before you, beautiful to behold.

LAURA: A wonder.

ABUBAKAR: Took you long enough.

LAURA: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: (laughs) I pull out these amulets. Here, one for you.

ASHLEY: Thank you.

ABUBAKAR: One for you. One for you. (quiet laughter)

ABUBAKAR: You? Here. You'll follow me. I'll make sure that I take special care of all of you. I look at the crate in the back.

BRENNAN: You look at the crate in the back, and get a funny feeling.

ABUBAKAR: Yeah, I'm like: Whose crate?

TALIESIN: You hear in your head: My crate.

ABUBAKAR: I look at you.

TALIESIN: Always my crate.

ABUBAKAR: Really?

TALIESIN: (laughs)

BRENNAN: The wagons begin to proceed, and you see the Torian Guard begin to wave them on. As they do, you look out. Anyone who wants to, give me an insight check right now.

TALIESIN: I can do that. Just for fun.

NICK: 30.

BRENNAN: 30!

LAURA: Wow.

BRENNAN: You walk from this place, having watched this man pass, and you begin to look around. You see Toph coming back, at this point, with Haylie, and you see, running through the town, and you begin to hear some worry or concern go throughout the camp, and you can feel someone speaking and saying, "The scouting party went out to Highgrove, and they haven't come back yet. I don't know how much longer we have, but if Highgrove has fallen, that means they're making their way all the way here." You can hear voices from the rest of the encampment, and you sense a growing unease as you move though this space, as the wagons begin to move. I think you also see, loading up into this place as you head towards the big ramp onto the skyship, you look out and see there are some people that are clearly beggars. They are starving, looking at these huge wagons of food moving towards the ship as they stand by the wayside, looking up at the wagons move past. Families are coming back. Your companions are also now moving up towards this area. Is there anything that any of you do as you feel this growing sense of unease, as the time of truth is coming where people will find out if they're on this ship or not?

ABUBAKAR: I'm going to look to everyone and be like: Stay close, you're fine. You just see me, from my moving, I'm a lot more fluid when I'm with you guys. Then suddenly, I'm like: I need to handle something. Suddenly, I go rigid and I walk to the front to go and take charge.

BRENNAN: You walk to the front. Wagons begin to get loaded onto the ship. As they do, farmers attached to wagons, taking care of the livestock and the steeds, are being approved. Ayden, Trist, you look and see Amaris comes. Haylie and Topher are there. Amaris, out of his pocket, takes one Sending Stone and looks at you. "You have this, right?"

ASHLEY: I do. I reach into my pocket, take it out.

BRENNAN: "If anything happens," and you see as he blinks, his eyes become the eyes of an eagle, "I'll fly to you. I'll find a way, if anything happens."

ASHLEY: Okay. Okay.

BRENNAN: Barahai looks up and says, "All right, wagons are steady. We'll stay for a little bit, but you know, we'll have to head to Salt River before too long." Ridge looks up and says, "Some starving people in this camp. I'm starting to smell panic."

NICK: We're near these beggars?

BRENNAN: Yeah.

NICK: But how many are there?

BRENNAN: It's a family about five, but you see a lot of hungry people here.

LAURA: You have food to feed them, so feed them.

ASHLEY: We can spare some if we do it quietly.

NICK: I will-- I will say: Yes, I think we must.

ASHLEY: I do too.

NICK: I'll look at this gorgeous construct that is more than a country boy could have possibly imagined is possible and say, "Must our wagon meet a quota?"

ABUBAKAR: I look to you. Yes.

NICK: Then perhaps I can help them find something.

BRENNAN: The wagons move forward. Ayden, what do you do?

NICK: Are these beggars in any sort of hovel?

BRENNAN: They're by the side of the road waiting for something, for a wagon to be denied or something bureaucratic to happen that might mean there's a possibility at food.

NICK: I will-- I will-- I will sort of walk their direction and I will maybe take a tent that we might have from our trip that I won't need anymore.

BRENNAN: Yeah.

NICK: I will set it up for them and say: I hope that this is enough, but please, if you do not make it onto the ship, do not enter this tent until it is gone. You must have faith. I will cast Create Food and Water inside the tent.

BRENNAN: (quiet whooshing) You cast this spell and the tent is set up and you see that they don't go into it, but you see there's this older half-elven man, you can see his ribs pushing out against his skin and you can see that his kids are a little better off than him, like he's been giving them anything he can find. He looks and goes, "Who has a tent to spare? This is too kind."

NICK: I will look at him and say, "A tent is far easier to spare than food."

BRENNAN: He takes the tent and can smell somehow bread, food, life. He looks at you. "It's been a far cry from hope. Thank you."

NICK: Have faith.

ABUBAKAR: You suddenly hear a voice in your head: Be careful, darling. I don't know what you're playing at, but we have a plan. Stop playing hero and get over here. (aloud) Come through, please.

BRENNAN: The wagon moves through. You see the father steps away from you, Ayden, and looks and says, "Faith. Tomorrow's another day," and walks away. Haylie and Topher wrap their hands around you. Haylie looks up and goes, "They let Topher play with acorns and he lost all the acorns." (laughter)

ASHLEY: Dang it.

BRENNAN: You see Topher looks up.

ASHLEY: (laughs)

BRENNAN: He looks up and says, "I can't believe I lost all." There's a pat on his back. You look up. A really scary-looking, obvious fucking criminal like knives on the thing, he has a scar on the throat that looks like he should have died at some point. Looks up and he goes, "Kid." Topher looks up and he says, "Felt bad about you losing those acorns," and flips him a full gold piece, lands in his hand. (Topher) "Thanks, mister!" You see that this guy looks down at this precocious little kid that came to a den of criminals to ask to play a game of cards and there's a little light in his heart. "I had a little brother played as bad as you did." He looks up and says, "Sorry, miss. Didn't mean to intrude."

ASHLEY: Thank you, sir.

BRENNAN: He smiles. Amaris looks, says, "All right, everyone wish Mom goodbye. We'll see you when you get back. Should be a day or two."

ASHLEY: Yes, it will. I reach out and I give Amaris a big hug and I whisper in his ear: I love you so much.

BRENNAN: "I love you so much."

ASHLEY: I lean down to Haylie and Topher. (sighs) Mama will be back very soon, okay?

BRENNAN: Haylie nods and says, "Yeah, I know." Topher looks up and goes, "A full gold piece, a whole coin."

ASHLEY: That's amazing.

BRENNAN: "These people are really scary." He looks over at the Aeorians. "Are you sure you're going to be okay? Do you need help?"

ASHLEY: No, I don't need any help. I have all the help I can get. Do you both know how much I love you?

MATT: "Yeah, Mom." Haylie goes, "Yeah, Mom, I do know, and I love you double triple much."

ASHLEY: Well, I love you double triple much infinity.

BRENNAN: She looks up at Dad. Amaris says, "I'm not-- I don't know math. She's the school teacher, I don't know. That seems like the biggest number," and he smiles and ruffles Haylie's head. The whole family gathers around you. Amaris gives you a big kiss on the cheek.

ASHLEY: I take in both of the kids and I smell the top of both of their heads and I give them both a kiss. (sighs) You take care of everything and don't give Grandma and Grandpa a hard time, okay?

BRENNAN: "But Grandma, she can't even, she-- she gets confused."

ASHLEY: I don't-- I know.

BRENNAN: "It's the same story every time."

ASHLEY: I know.

BRENNAN: "How does she get so confused?"

ASHLEY: But listen to it and you act like you've never heard it before.

BRENNAN: "Okay." Topher goes, "That's kind of lying."

ASHLEY: You know what? You're right. (laughs)

NOSHIR, BRENNAN, and ABUBAKAR: (laugh)

BRENNAN: Amaris goes, "Little lies are okay."

ASHLEY: Little lies are okay.

BRENNAN: "We'll see you in two days."

ASHLEY: I'll see you in two days.

BRENNAN: "Wave bye. Bye-bye."

ASHLEY: Goodbye.

BRENNAN: You move with the wagons onto the ship. You see your family, smell your kids' heads. It's so real. It's just so real. That smell stays with you for as long as you want it to. Asha, your wagon comes up right behind. You see that Madeen, Sherané, "We will watch over this place until you return."

TALIESIN: I think they hear in their heads: I think you should go home. Take the night. Meet people. Find those who are worthy and take them home and test them as you know I would.

BRENNAN: "We will find the worthy." Madeen nods, this massive, ursine-looking woman. "Worthy." You look down and you see little Topher looks up and says, "You're a big lady." (laughter)

BRENNAN: She looks down at him, raises an eyebrow over to you. A wolf lopes out of the shadow. Emhira. You see your champion walk out. "Word's starting to spread through the camp. I think people suspect that this might be the last ship that comes through."

LAURA: There will be chaos. Purvan.

BRENNAN: "Yes."

LAURA: Can you do me one last service?

BRENNAN: "Anything, for all time."

LAURA: Do you see that family?

BRENNAN: "Yes."

LAURA: The two children.

BRENNAN: "Yes."

LAURA: Get them out of here safely.

BRENNAN: "It will be done." He smiles. You move to the ship. As you do, the wagons come aboard and you see the wagon filled with fruit and a large crate. SILAHA, you see the crate in the back. As it's being removed from the wagon, you see one of the Aeorian soldiers goes, "God! How many apples are in this thing? It's enormous!"

ABUBAKAR: I go and help.

BRENNAN: Truly heavy.

ABUBAKAR: Mm-hmm.

BRENNAN: You are staggered by the weight of this crate. You see that, as you're getting on board the ship, you are now all aboard the ramp behind you, looking down at Hawk's Hill. You see that Captain Marcus says, "With food aboard, we will now look for laborers. Line up here, single file, those who can work, those who are healthy." You see that as they begin to line up, those laborers are being brought on board. A soldier turns to you and says, "Should we open the crate here and sort it, or--?"

ABUBAKAR: No. Deal with it later. I look at the crowd and be like, "We need everyone watching the crowd."

BRENNAN: You watch the crowd, laborers come on board. Shortly thereafter, Captain Marcus says, "Those with emblems of sanctuary, step forward." They begin to count out. You see the ship is basically full. There are 400 people waiting in a crowd for a dozen spots. As they begin to move, you look at Captain Marcus, who's speaking down at the bottom, and you see that a small family, looks like that all three of them are going to be able to come. It's a family of gnomes, small folk. You see that Captain Marcus lashes out, kicks an older gnomish woman in the chest, and kicks her off the ramp. You look and see, he says-- The other gnomes scramble to go to her and help her, and you see he begins to bark out at everybody. You see the old woman is clasping something in her hand. You see it is an emblem of the Dawnfather. You see that the captain of the Aeorian vessel says, "I cannot be more clear. No emblem of the gods will make its way aboard this ship, nor the city of Aeor. If it is the gods you worship, then have them and their choked sky and their ruined land. What hope remains for mortals in Exandria remains because of Aeor's might! Aeor alone will see you through. Do you wish to come aboard without her?" You see that the two other gnomes look and say, "Ah, my aunt, she..." You see he goes, "Will she divest herself of that idol?" You see this old gnomish woman with strewn emblems of sanctuary around her, looks up and says, "I've made every step in the light of the Dawnfather. I will not now make one without him." You see that the captain says, "You make steps in his light?" Gestures to the cloudy, ash-filled sky. You see that she smiles and looks up and some clearly broken bone on the ground goes, "Captain, clouds and ash, they cover the sky, but I promise you, the sun is still on the other side. What cannot be seen is not gone forever." You see the captain saying, "Remove her emblems. Remove them, remove them now." You watch soldiers converge and strip this woman of her emblems of sanctuary and the rest of her family looks in this moment and drops their emblems on the ground, takes their aunt and moves back into the crowd.

NICK: Ayden looks at these soldiers and looks at you in particular. Then he looks at this old gnomish woman, whose emblems have just been destroyed and who talks of walking in his light. And he will stare at her.

BRENNAN: She looks at you "(gasps)" and just weeps. "(sobs)" You see that the two gnomes look and see her, assuming that she's overcome with hysterics. They go, "Come, come, come, come." She goes, "The sun is shining, it's shining. It's shining right now. Even when you can't see it, it's still there."

ABUBAKAR: I'm going to walk down to Ayden, look at him. Can you work?

NICK: I am able.

ABUBAKAR: Move. I pull--

BRENNAN: You walk over, you see Purvan with a hand on Emhira look at you as well as he pushes her forward to you as you are now choosing three people to basically take the stead of these gnomes here. He says, "My lord, she can work."

ABUBAKAR: Come through.

BRENNAN: You move on to the ship, and as the door closes, the last thing you hear out there, the waving crowd, you see this weeping gnomish woman as the hands of a large firbolg man go to comfort them. You look out and hear, (barks), as Gilly barks at you. (latch clicks) The doors close, the ship moves into the sky.

ASHLEY: I am going to stand on the side of the ship, and I'm going to watch Haylie and Topher and Amaris and Gilly. I will watch them until I can't see them anymore.

BRENNAN: (skyship rumbling) The ship moves away until they are gone from your vision and for some time thereafter. We come to a chamber within the Venatoria, hidden and obscured. Large doors swung open in this holding bay of a skyship, where SILAHA is given leave to move a large crate. Shadows abound. Asha, your crate is here with you. Do the rest of you join these companions as Hawk's Hill fades and The Venatoria moves through ash and storm?

LAURA: Yes, I'll go into the chamber. I want to see this.

ASHLEY: Yes.

NICK: I will. We should speak with the others. They'll be okay.

ASHLEY: Okay.

BRENNAN: The doors close behind you. Standing before you, a crate bearing an object of considerable heft. Removing the front effortlessly, we see the last member we see the last member of your band that you expect now. SILAHA, you are also aware that time is of the essence because this can only be done before you cross that threshold that you now approach. As the covering is removed, patient and eternal, Noshir, would you please describe the final of our band that we now see in the moment before whatever is to come.

NOSHIR: The crate comes open. Inside is what appears to be a massive slab of stone encased in ice. Then there's a sound that emanates through the mind, like a gate shutting, and a gong sounding, and a scream as the contents pour out and pool at the feet of Asha. A light starts to build in the stone and slowly, a figure starts to emerge. Ice, a face that is devoid of mouth. Holes where eyes should be. Wind swept. Rock starts to crack and break and form into plates of carapace over the shoulders and chest. Inside the chest, there is a thrumming, boom, boom, boom, as light peaks in, as the rock shifts and moves, until finally there is a massive figure huddled at her feet, bent over. You can feel loss and confusion and heartbreak. And then it stops. And slowly, The Emissary turns its face to Asha: She has left me here. He looks around and slowly tries to get up to his feet. He's about 8 feet tall, a massive sculpture of ice and stone.

TALIESIN: I watch.

ASHLEY: I go to help.

NOSHIR: He reaches out a massive hand that completely engulfs yours and slowly gets to his feet.

TALIESIN: Did she say anything before she left? Anything at all?

NOSHIR: My lady is always with you. He opens massive clawed hands. In each of his hands has sprouted a small seed.

TALIESIN: Idiot. I'm going to walk away, find a corner, and curl up into what suddenly is clearly an extremely large timber wolf who is in a corner, upset.

LAURA: Well, this is not what I expected.

ABUBAKAR: Great. Now, where do I start? Look. I look up. I'm like: Put this on. I hand you the amulet and I'm like, this isn't going to fit over your head.

LAURA: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: Hold it. I go over to the wolf like: Now is not the time to sulk. We need to head back.

TALIESIN: I get up and shake.

ABUBAKAR: (scoffs)

TALIESIN: (gruff sigh) I stand up. There will be words later.

ABUBAKAR: Great, happy family. I go towards the door.

BRENNAN: (laughs) You move from this place as all of you witness something that was very much not part of the plan. As the sixth of your number has sent a proxy. You see The Emissary standing with a talisman, small gyroscoping, multiple bands and rings of gold over a green, glowing gem. Some of you now wear these around your neck. Emissary holds one in a massive, icy, stony hand. SILAHA, as you exit, where do you go to on the ship? You see a massive hold filled with wagons and livestock and food and upper decks filled with people. This massive brumestone Aeorian vessel moves through the clouds.

ABUBAKAR: I think before actually I exit, I go to the door.

BRENNAN: Yeah.

ABUBAKAR: I stop. I turn back and I look at The Emissary, and I'm like: Get back in the box.

NOSHIR: He lumbers forward, looks around, and slowly huddles into as small a shape as he can as he fits the little bracelet thing like a ring on one of his clawed fingers.

ABUBAKAR: I looked to everyone like: It's supposed to be apples. I take the lid--

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: -- and close it back, and then go towards the door and leave.

ASHLEY and BRENNAN: (laugh)

BRENNAN: You take a massive terrifying construct, pop the crate top back on, and see written there on the side, "Apples." (laughter)

BRENNAN: Crate closes. Moving through space, you hear an announcement coming over, projected magically through vocal illusion. "Attention, passengers. The Venatoria now approaches the Latimus Princeps. Please steady yourself." All of you feel as the ship moves, it's not a lurching, it's not as though you've met resistance. Instead, you meet a plane that intersects the ship as it approaches a distant point. That plane seems to collapse space and time such that as you move over this threshold, you are made (transformation) thinner and gaunter, and you all feel a profound nausea. The Latimus Princeps was created by Aeor to shield it from those that would attempt to stop their great works. But of course, Latimus Princeps has to allow mortals to pass through it. Otherwise, how could the Aeorians come and go as they please? As you all pass over it, these emblems, these amulets that you have been given by SILAHA glow brightly as you feel something potent and unnatural attempt to repel you. As it begins, just as quickly, it ends, and the ship passes, each of you regaining control over your stomach, or for some of our companions, that which would go in place of a stomach.

NICK: Well, that answers that question.

LAURA: Hard part's over.

NICK: (laughs)

LAURA: (laughs)

NOSHIR: The lid to the crate cracks open and The Emissary pokes his head out. Dark. Just watches what's going on around it.

ABUBAKAR: You hear again the voice in your head: Yes, it's very dark, darling, but just stay inside.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: I lift the thing and stand resolute.

BRENNAN: Flying through space over the skies, looking out through the windows, you suddenly (whooshes) see stars. You are above the clouds. They're beautiful. Twinkling there in the night sky. One of the few constant things that can be relied on if you're fortunate enough to have the power to see them, to get out from underneath all that ash. Rising up in the far distance, green, purple, ice blue, dark red lights. (whooshing) Ships pull alongside the Venatoria, (whooshing) buzzing with power. Mages wearing dark, wrought steel masks, long war staves stand on the deck of warships armed with eldritch cannon. "(muffled exhales) Pull aside, inspection." The mages alight, flying, beginning to inspect the ship. Light. (whooshing) You see spotlights from this fighter craft peeling over the Venatoria looking for magic. As the light touches, it renders (zapping) on the deck above. You hear some of these mages, "Step forward. Scan this one." (zapping) Detect Magic. "Sir, sir, there's clearly a mista-- There's clearly a mistake! No--!" "Illusion!" "(screams)"

LAURA: (gasps)

BRENNAN: And a body disappears over the side of the ship. Looks like a bad liar got on board. You hear boots through the hallways. What do you do in this moment?

ABUBAKAR: These drones, they're electric, right? They're electronic.

BRENNAN: The ships said you are powered by brumestone, but have a number of powerful arcane engines on them. Give me an arcana check, if you'd be so kind.

ABUBAKAR: 26.

BRENNAN: The levitation power is enchanted brumestone. The arcane batteries powering these ships are enormous glass cages, multifaceted, polyhedral, many-layered floating glass prisons that have a demon bound into the middle that is being broken down at its spiritual essence and converted into magical energy.

ABUBAKAR: Hmm. Okay. Wow.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

LAURA: Would I remember from my time, do these sort of scanners see invisibility?

BRENNAN: They can, very much so.

TALIESIN: Sort of Wild Shape spell, would that also be a problem or no? Would I know that?

BRENNAN: I think that would taken an arcana check to know that for sure.

TALIESIN: All right, I'll take an arcana check for that. I just have to. What is-- eurgh-- this? Okay, it's a-- 15?

BRENNAN: A 15, I think that you feel like you'd be winging it. In terms of knowing-- The question is, does Asha feel confident that she knows what Aeorians are capable of?

TALIESIN: No.

BRENNAN: So you have a hunch that maybe it would elide their detection simply by virtue of not being an arcane power, but it's not something that you have a deep conviction about.

TALIESIN: I turn to you: I'm going to need an owner briefly, you hear in your head.

LAURA: I've always wanted a dog.

TALIESIN: I walk over and I turn into a, not ridiculously large wolf, but certainly a very reasonable wolf and just curl up behind. I turn back, I drop my human Wild Shape back to my true form.

BRENNAN: So you see, yeah, Asha leaves her Wild Shape to become a wolf. (laughter)

ABUBAKAR: Jeez. (laughter)

BRENNAN: For the rest of you, you hear a knock at the door of this chamber. As the door opens, you see Captain Marcus is here with two of these visor mask helmeted. You recognize that they are mortal magicians, but the mask is almost evocative of Aeormatons. Like there's some sort of technology that these mage knight mask helmets have been integrated into their human flesh and they're on their skulls. You see captain Marcus says, "Inspectors wishing to review, my lord."

ABUBAKAR: As you were.

BRENNAN: You see the inspectors move into this place and are going to start to cast Detect Magic on everybody, as well as See Invisibility. Is there any of you that would have registered to them?

TALIESIN: Not me.

ABUBAKAR: I was going to try and, I don't know, I mean, Counterspell only works on one creature, doesn't it?

BRENNAN: It does, but you can still give it a shot.

ABUBAKAR: Yeah.

BRENNAN: Would you, okay--

ABUBAKAR: Or Dispel Magic.

BRENNAN: Yes, absolutely.

ABUBAKAR: I was, yeah, I think I'm going to use Dispel Magic.

BRENNAN: Hell yeah.

ABUBAKAR: Just as they're about to start scanning, essentially.

BRENNAN: Amazing. I'm going to say this is a very novel use of Dispel Magic because you don't want them to be aware that they're losing the spell. Go ahead and give me a deception check with this.

ABUBAKAR: I love deception. 21.

BRENNAN: I'll roll this in front of the board.

LAURA: (laughs)

BRENNAN: Because I want to see if on an insight of plus three, what was your roll again?

ABUBAKAR: 21.

BRENNAN: So you need an 18 or higher. On a four, our friend doesn't get it done. You see that one of them comes in with a Detect Magic and it passes over some of you. You guys have magical gear, but that's not really what they're looking for. As it gets towards the crate, the spell suddenly stops, goes (light whoosh) "What's that? What is that?" Looks down and says, "My lord, you inspected this crate."

ABUBAKAR: I go up to it and I'm like, and I point: Apples.

BRENNAN: You see he decides to look in, says, "Apples." He goes over to attempt to lift the crate, cannot do so at all, and then looks over the other inspector and you see that the other one reaches towards a magical device, clicking something on a bracer and casts Zone of Truth. I would love for, you see as he looks at the opposite, you see he says, "Whose is this, this crate here?"

ABUBAKAR: I look to-- Ah--

LAURA: Emhira.

ABUBAKAR: Emhira and I go: It's this one's.

BRENNAN: I'm going to need everyone within this scene to give me a charisma saving throw.

NICK: I'm assuming we're all standing near one another.

BRENNAN: Yeah, absolutely.

NICK: Everyone will have plus five.

ABUBAKAR: Wait, what?

NICK: To that--

BRENNAN: Paladin aura?

NICK: Let me just double. Why won't this go? Well, everyone will have plus five.

ABUBAKAR: To our saving throws of charisma?

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.

NICK: If you are within 10 feet of me, or I think you.

ASHLEY: Yes.

ABUBAKAR: Anything?

ASHLEY: Yes, both have--

NICK: Any saving throw.

ABUBAKAR: That's insane.

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm.

LAURA: Wow.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: That's-- (laughs)

NICK: They'll be 22 of us.

TALIESIN: Oh!

ABUBAKAR: (laughs)

TALIESIN: Mm-hmm!

ABUBAKAR: I got a 20.

BRENNAN: (laughs) Nat 20, sick.

NICK: Is this a spell... it's not a spell that's targeting us.

BRENNAN: No.

LAURA: Zone of Truth is just all, is it encasing all of us at this point?

BRENNAN: "Magical zone that guards against deception, 15-foot radius sphere," so this is a 30-foot diameter.

NICK: But it is-- okay, so I will have advantage on this.

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.

NICK: 30.

BRENNAN: 30, incredible. Did anybody here get under a 19? You got under a 19. Well, that's good because you're apples, so-- (laughter)

BRENNAN: You're a bunch of apples, so you shouldn't be lying anyway. The--

ABUBAKAR: Oh, did you get under 19?

LAURA: Oh, why yes, I did.

NOSHIR: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: What did you get?

LAURA: A one.

ABUBAKAR: No!

BRENNAN: Nat one, hell, yeah. Incredible.

LAURA: Starting off right.

NOSHIR: (laughs)

LAURA: And I go in there.

BRENNAN: So you see that cast the Zone of Truth, all of you resist, however, the spell allows the person casting it to know who has failed or not. On that failure, you suddenly feel, Emhira, moving through that thing, the Latimus Princeps, this arcane ward, this thing that squeezed on you and made you feel nauseous, it's still here, you're still within it. The sickness entered but you feel suddenly like someone who's been walking on solid ground their whole life and suddenly has stepped into the marsh. There's a feeling here that you are disconnected from something that's always been a moment away from you. As all of you see this masked mage knight turn to Emhira, you all suddenly become aware that you really are who you are and you don't have a choice to be anything else right now. You turn and see the mage knight look at you and say-- And feeling now that you cannot lie, you cannot speak a deliberate lie while in this radius-- Turns to you and says, "This crate, what's inside it?"

LAURA: I look at him. Your equipment seems broken. Perhaps you should go have it fixed. And I'm going to cast Suggestion.

BRENNAN: (laughs) You're going to cast Suggestion. Are you doing anything to disguise the casting of that spell? Because I believe that spell has, it only has verbal components, but he will be able to see you casting that Suggestion spell and may have the ability to resist or counter or do something else like that. I'll also allow you to potentially disguise that if you want with a deception or sleight of hand roll.

LAURA: Yeah, I'll try to deceive him.

BRENNAN: Okay, go for it. The number you're trying to beat is a 14.

LAURA: All right. Oh, and I get a plus five to saving throws?

BRENNAN: Oh, it's not a saving throw, it's a skill check.

LAURA: Oh okay. Oh! 17.

BRENNAN: 17. (oohing)

BRENNAN: What are the exact, so you say you should get your equipment--

LAURA: You should get your equipment fixed.

BRENNAN: He turns to look and goes, (sighs) "Everyone stay here, no one move," and you see the other mage knight looks at him as he turns to go get his equipment fixed. You see he goes, "Corporal, wait." As they both walk out of the room together, he says, "We'll be back in a moment to inspect the crate," and they leave this place.

ABUBAKAR: Great.

NOSHIR: Apples.

LAURA: Get back in.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: I'm like: Okay, think.

LAURA: Are you above them?

ABUBAKAR: Social, not the mages.

LAURA: Is there anywhere to hide?

ABUBAKAR: I mean--

NICK: Hide him?

TALIESIN: Would they be missed? You hear in their head: I'm hungry.

ABUBAKAR: Not here. Right. Leave it to me. I going to go out to walk and I'm going to engage with the mages. Or essentially what I might do, actually, is I'm going to cast a Minor Illusion--

BRENNAN: Okay.

ABUBAKAR: Somewhere else in the ship to cause a bit of a distraction.

BRENNAN: Hell yeah.

ABUBAKAR: Yeah.

BRENNAN: What shape does the illusion take as you cast it?

ABUBAKAR: It will take the shape of one of the gnomes that they kicked off.

BRENNAN: (gasps) You cast an illusion of one of the gnomes. As you do so, this gnome flits off into the darkness and you hear one of the mage knights say, "Intruder! Stowaway on the ship." You can hear the running of boots as they rush off after this illusory gnome, and give me a deception check with advantage, if you'd be so kind.

ABUBAKAR: Gladly. 14-- 25.

BRENNAN: On a 25, a wild goose chase erupts on The Venatoria. (laughter)

BRENNAN: You see that there's this incredibly, powerful-looking Aeorian evoker, its robes, deep velvet and leather, tall bracers, high collar, going up to these masked mage knights going, "How can it be that a tiny little groundling gnome has vanished from all of our sight?" You see that one of them turns and says, "I think Bronan's equipment might be malfunctioning. There was an issue with a crate of apples." You see the evoker's broad hand slaps him across this mask, ringing the side as this intense metallic tuning fork noise ripples out over the deck. "Find the gnome!" You see that a couple of them rush off towards these fighter craft and you see that one of them actually peels off to go scouting the skies, as you see coming into the horizon, Aeor. Vast and mighty, wards of the city on the arms of massive stone slabs that circle a central point, light, magical and arcane, so powerful as if to eclipse the brightness of day itself. Colossi automatons, 20, 30, 40 feet tall walk ramparts, ready for war against the endless and undying itself. Aeor, last of the Age of Arcanum, last of the sky cities, the last and greatest hope for mortal Exandria. And that's where we'll take our break.

ASHLEY: Oh.

Break[]

Hello critters! My name is Sam. And I'm Kay. And we are the owners of Roll & Play Press. We recently released One-Shot Wonders which has over 100 one-shot adventures for D&D. It's been hugely popular with game masters all over the world with 1000s using it in their games. Yes. And now we are crowdfunding for the Map Library, which is a huge box set of battle maps for all of the adventures in One-Shot Wonders. So let's dive in and see what's inside. The Map Library is the ultimate collection of battle maps for fantasy RPGs, with digital versions also included with the box set. This case of over 60 maps falls open into a freestanding pocket, so you can easily flick through and choose the map you need for your game. Every battle map in the Map Library has a one inch grid and is dry erasable, so you can easily mark down traps, hazards and spell effects. Each stunning map is inspired by an adventure in One-Shot Wonders, which means you have a D&D session ready to play for every map in the box. If you don't have a copy of One-Shot Wonders, you can pick up one as part of the Kickstarter campaign. The book has over 100 D&D adventures that come with locations, characters, session plans and more. So you can prep your next game in minutes. The index inside the Map Library makes it even easier to find the best map for your game. Head to rollandplaypress.com/library to pledge today!

(peaceful music) (music builds)

TRAVIS: Is it a full coat of fur different lengths or is there some no-fur spots? SAM: No, no, I think he's head to toe, fur. TRAVIS: All over? SAM: Yeah. TRAVIS: Wow. MATT: Just like thin in the face, so- SAM: Yeah, it's just... MATT: Almost humanoid features? TRAVIS: Short hair? SAM: Shorter than that. Maybe he's furry everywhere, but (chuckles) he manscapes just... (laughing) SAM: I don't know how Minotaurs work. MATT: Why am I here? Ah! DANI: Nope, Travis is still in wardrobe. TRAVIS: I'm the problem. (laughing) TALIESIN: I have made this decision that seemed like the good idea at the time. SAM: Braius fucks with that.

KIRBY: And now, a message from your Critical Role lore keeper: Dani Carr. DANI: We here at Critical Role know that life happens. Sometimes your friend becomes a rampaging werewolf that you gotta calm down. Sometimes your other friend needs help dealing with a dead lady in her head. We get it. And when life happens, we are not always able to watch four to five hours of Critical Role a week. That's why our lore department has been working tirelessly to find a way to make it both easier and faster to consume Critical Role's main campaign without losing that rich and vibrant tapestry of story and lore the Critter community has come to love. And after countless hours of hard work, we are happy to announce that we have found that way. Introducing Critical Role Abridged. Each episode of this lore keeper approved series has been carefully crafted by an incredibly devoted team to include everything you need to know to follow the Bells Hells stories all in about one hour. We've even added new pieces of artwork, bringing characters, items, and moments to life thanks to the help of our amazing community of artists from around the world. The time is now to begin your Critical Role catch up with abridged episodes of the Bells Hells campaign. New episodes air every Tuesday at 10:00 AM Pacific on YouTube. Beacon members receive two new episodes dropping every week on Tuesdays and Fridays. (energetic music) (gentle music) (tavern music)

LAURA: Hey Critters! Laura Bailey here to guide you through what's new in the Critical Role shop. Style should never be a dump stat, darling. I mean the Traveler always says impulse purchases are a good decision. It's too powerful! This is seriously magical. Roll an investigation if you want, it's basically perfect. The cuteness! It's overpowering. Oh my gosh, it's so amazing. This is a lot of stuff, you guys. We have, like, so many cool things right now. And hey if you want, you could head over to the Critical Role shop right now.

(heroic music) (tavern music)

NARRATOR 2: Lark opens fire. NARRATOR 1: A blue-white laser beams from Lark's gun like a lightning strike in the dark. A blinding freeze-frame. A hairline razor of deadly light. NARRATOR 3: The air immolates from it, a twenty-foot wall of just neon blue fire gouting instantly up along the beam of the laser as The Fold ignites, billowing into the foggy darkness. NARRATOR 1: Impossibly, supernaturally direct hit. The starboard engine of the foldmersible explodes.

(ominous music) (epic music) (mischievous music) (typewriter clacking) (peaceful music) TRAVIS: Move the rook to B6. MARISHA: Okay, see if that opens it. LAURA: I'm trying it. [clicks] (gasping) [metal clattering] (cheering) MARISHA: Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Wait, it's blank. There's nothing in here. What the hell? TALIESIN: The phonograph said that the answer would be in the journal. TRAVIS: Oh, maybe we missed something, like some clue we're not thinking of! LAURA: Ah, we only have four minutes left! MARISHA: Okay, okay, think. TALIESIN: Okay. The song said, "Look to the beacon." Look to the-- MARISHA: Right. Beacon. Light. MARISHA and LAURA: (gasp) The lightroom! LAURA: Get it out. MARISHA: Okay. TALIESIN: Oh, uh! MARISHA: Uh-huh. TALIESIN: The cryptics! LAURA and MARISHA: (scream) TALIESIN: The key is in the cryptics! LAURA and MARISHA: We know! LAURA: So if every other letter-- MARISHA: Times two. AURA: -- is the combination-- TRAVIS: Did you say times? Times, like a clock. It's in the clock! But how do you open it? LAURA: (uncertain noise) MARISHA: Okay. What is it? LAURA: Okay, it's six. MARISHA: Okay. LAURA: Two. Four. MARISHA: Yeah. TRAVIS: 624? It's 6:24! LAURA: Uh. Zero. [unlocking] MARISHA: (gasp) LAURA and MARISHA: (excited noise) TALIESIN: Guys, guys, I think I found it! TRAVIS: But it's not opening! TALIESIN: So how do you unlock this? MARISHA: That's not the cryptics. This is a cryptics. TALIESIN: Wait, I think if I push my fingers into... No, that's not working. MARISHA: We just need the code word. What's a six-letter code? TRAVIS: I think it's jammed! LAURA: Arlo said that in order to find the answer we need, we have to look to the beacon. MARISHA: Uh-huh. Right. But Colonel Popcorn's telegram says-- TRAVIS: (grunts) [clattering] MARISHA: "Be Aware -(STOP)- Exciting New -(STOP)- Amazing -(STOP)- Critical Role Content Available at Beacon.tv. -(STOP)- Oh my god. No Idea How to Finish this Fake Telegram -(STOP)-" TRAVIS: Reveal your secrets to me! TALIESIN: Can either of you help me, help me with the-- MARISHA: That's not a cryptics! TALIESIN: I am very aware. (groans) LAURA: Okay. What about this? Huh? Um, it says, "Try using Beacon." [shattering] TALIESIN: Hey, Travis. Could you help with the-- TRAVIS: Not now, dude, I'm trying to save us! We've only got 90 seconds left! [slamming] TRAVIS: (shrieks) LAURA: "10% off merchandise. Members-only Discord. Exclusive new series." Is that a clue? MARISHA: I don't know, it just feels too obvious, like something that a lazy writer would try and shoehorn into a script. TRAVIS: (shrieks) LAURA: Well, that would also explain this. MARISHA: I know. That's useless. LAURA: Literally no one says "literally" anymore. MARISHA: Exactly. TRAVIS: We're running out of time, people! Come on! MARISHA: Uh. Okay, we just need a six-letter word that unlocks this artifact and also unlocks amazing content! LAURA: Also, would it kill you to try to help us, Ashley? SHLEY: What do you think I'm doing? While you all are busy sucking eggs in La La Land, I was making an improvised munitions charge that'll blow this door off with minimal loss of life and hearing. LAURA: You don't explode a door, Ashley! That's not how an escape room works! ASHLEY: Oh, really? Because that is literally what this is, an escape room. LAURA: She just said "literally." MARISHA: "Literally." TRAVIS: 30 seconds! TALIESIN: Help! It's again! ASHLEY: Fire in the hole! LAURA and MARISHA: (scream) [lever slams] [alarm buzzes] [door clacks] KYLE: Hey, guys. Uh, good job or not, I guess. Tried your best. LAURA: Did we do it? Did we escape? KYLE: No. No, no, you didn't. TRAVIS: Oh, so close. MARISHA: It was the stupid cryptics. The code word was too hard. LAURA: It was impossible! KYLE: Was it? MARISHA and LAURA: Yeah! KYLE: What was the name of the detective? LAURA: Detective Beacon. KYLE: Yeah, it was Beacon. Yeah? And where did the murder take place? MARISHA: Beacon Street. KYLE: Yeah, yeah. And what was the name of the law firm that hired Detective Beacon to exonerate the Beacon State graduate from the murder on Beacon Street? MARISHA: Beacon, Beacon, and Associates. LAURA: And Associates. TRAVIS: So what was the code word? KYLE: It's Beacon! It's Beacon! LAURA and MARISHA: Oh. KYLE: Yep, see? Here's the room key and here is all the cool new info about Beacon, our new membership program that offers discounts, early access to the Critical Role podcast, and new content like "Critical Role Abridged" and "Re-Slayer's Take," along with exclusive content like "Fireside Chats," "The Crit Role Cooldown," and many more to come. TRAVIS: So how do you get into the clock? KYLE: You don't! That's just a clock! TALIESIN: Kyle. KYLE: What... TALIESIN: I have a problem. KYLE: What did you do? Those weren't even here for the escape room. Where did you even get those? (sighs) (gentle, upbeat music "Hello Bees") THE BEE KINGS: ♪ Hello Bees, it's me again ♪ ♪ Look to the Beacon, my old friend ♪

Part II[]

BRENNAN: We return now to Exandria in the midst of Calamity as The Venatoria docks in the great sky city of Aeor. The Ars Ward, one of the many wards of the flying city of Aeor, which I know some of our players will be familiar with, a district of artistry, innovation, craftsmanship, extends on a massive, rectangular slab of stone. The arms of Aeor are like a massive watch hand, moving around the central spire of the city. Looking throughout, you see lights, automaton. You see Aeormatons moving throughout the city in vast and sundry conflagration of size and shape, number and amount of limbs, speaking sapiently and sentiently. This place where mortals have created life, thinking, feeling, perhaps even with a soul, though that's always up for a heated debate. You behold the city here. There are many constructs and automata beyond the Aeormatons. Massive warrior beings made of steel and arcane gems move throughout this space, and docking on the ship, you look out and see on this massive, stone pier supported by glowing chunks of brumestone held in brass sconces. You see also the mages and wizards of the city of Aeor. You see many of them of high station, gilded and regal and epaulets and medals or robes denoting high station, walk with open demons in the streets of Aeor, bound to their service. You see some have horned, barbed creatures with silver chokers and little bells to mark their subservient station to the might of Aeor's summoners. You see some dressed in wrist cuffs or with small bits of fabric around their neck to denote that all can be bent to the power of Aeor and its mighty civilization. Thrumming from within the core of the city, you feel the genesis, although that's a charged word to use here in Aeor, the genesis of the Latimus Princeps, and, indeed, accompanied by something that in your nostrils feels like the crackling of ozone before a lightning strike, there feels like some charged magic in the air here. Throughout the raised buildings, you see many sky bridges and also venomous, green light from rails of arcane trams that move through the city at speeds so fast that you wonder how the people aboard them can even be safe. (fast whooshes) Spotlights down. What you do see here in this moment, also, is that the streets are very busy, exclusively with military presence. You see there is a wagon in which some young, Aeorian mortals have been cuffed and thrown into the back of an arcane wagon that is not pulled by any beast. Surely anything that moved on four legs would've been turned into food in this place that cannot grow food of its own. But this arcane wagon has what looked like youthful delinquents. You see maybe a little hint of a broken window and some graffiti over in the side, and you see that these youths have been badly beaten and harmed. This city bristles with fear, power, status, and a desperation that comes with being so, so close to making it all worth it.

ABUBAKAR: Isn't it beautiful? Look at it. Incredible, yes? The buildings, the people. Kids have seen better days. But look at it! Amazing, wouldn't you agree, hey?

ASHLEY: I think it's--

TALIESIN: I like the parts.

ASHLEY: Yeah, I think it's incredible what they've been able to achieve.

NICK: Mm. Can you see the stars, or is it too light?

BRENNAN: The light pollution here has removed the ability to see the stars in this place.

NOSHIR: I want to see.

BRENNAN: (laughs) As the crate is moved out, the ship is unloaded, all the foodstuffs taken out, you see that as the food is being unloaded, a lot of the farmers are being led off in another direction. SILAHA, you see that there are some people investigating here, but this has passed enough points of inspection that is a little bit lax. Now is the ingestion. The city wants to swallow up these resources, and feels safe in doing so now that you've passed through the frigates and the initial inspection in Hawk's Hill.

ABUBAKAR: Mm-hmm.

BRENNAN: Looking out, Captain Marcus comes up to you, looking at this crate in particular and the rest of your companions and says, "SILAHA, are you stewarding this package yourself? Is this of interest to the ministry?"

ABUBAKAR: I suddenly turn. And is like: Yes, that is my prerogative.

BRENNAN: "Of course. Understood. Primarch Selena, if you wished to pass on a good word, I hope that I have been able to steward you aboard the ship with hospitality. Some of the crew members are of a social class that can be boorish and unwelcoming to Aeormatons, and I have instructed them to treat you with the utmost respect and hospitality. I hope that, if it pleases you, that if you feel I have committed myself honorably, that word of that might reach the Primarch's ears."

ABUBAKAR: I walk up to him. Did we make a deal?

BRENNAN: "My lord, no. No. I just meant that--"

ABUBAKAR: So you are asking me for a favor?

BRENNAN: "I--"

ABUBAKAR: Respect here is won, owed, worked for. You have gained my respect, but not the Primarch.

BRENNAN: "My apologies, SILAHA."

ABUBAKAR: I will pass good word. Don't worry, Captain. (chuckles)

BRENNAN: "(chuckles) Appreciated. Do you require envoy or help with your belongings?"

ABUBAKAR: No, no. You have done enough. Truly, I thank you. As I said, I will pass good word for you.

BRENNAN: "My appreciation. To the glory of Aeor."

ABUBAKAR: The might of Aeor.

BRENNAN: He bows, and you see that as it exits the ramp, runes along the edge of the platform glow, and as though covering a gift in a thin sheet of paper, the wooden crate, crafted by hand on the ground, is wrapped in scintillating, running bands of runes as it levitates about a foot and a half off the ground. (whooshes)

TALIESIN: This place is beautiful as only an obscenity can be. They're very clever.

BRENNAN: Moving from this place, you see a tram station at the end of the pier, a number of different tracks moving to different wards in the city. You see that at the station there are armed soldiers carrying war scepters, staves. You see the only people here with blades of any kind are the groundling farmers that will soon be turned back to their destination. Anything like a blade up here would denote a commoner status. You watch the crate begin to move. All of you disembark from the ship and you see the captain looks at the farmers specifically that are with you, and waves them on, marking your status and importance. You have arrived in Aeor. What would you now like to do?

ABUBAKAR: I'm going to take them to-- Actually, I've got it here. I'm going to lead them towards the Chamber of Seasons.

BRENNAN: All of you watch as SILAHA seems to know exactly where he's going.

ABUBAKAR: I'm like: Follow me. I know where we're going.

LAURA: I guess it's good you came early.

ABUBAKAR: Mm, yes. (laughs) Very good.

NICK: And you told me to be careful?

ABUBAKAR: Hey.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: I'm not here trying to play hero. I'm simply enjoying myself. Look at the place. (light laughter)

BRENNAN: Disembarking, you walk towards the tram station. Pure humming, arcane metal seats of steel Pure humming, arcane metal seats of steel untouched by glove or hammer and shaped purely through will and the speaking of languages that rework reality itself. These seats crafted by forces unimaginable to the vast majority of mortals that will ever live on Exandria. You see some people sitting on them, opening a bag of snacks. Taking a look at a small map on the side. You see a glowing, helixing orb towards the top announces, You see a glowing, helixing orb towards the top announces, "Vermillion Line. Final destination, Opus Ward. Arynx Station." (quick whoosh) The buildings move past you at a speed that might seem familiar, but here you see no will working it upon this place. Buildings roar past you and suddenly, city skyline.

LAURA: Huh.

BRENNAN: Squat, gray buildings; very few windows here in Aeor. What a strange thing to make it all the way to the sky and then encase yourself in stone and metal. You look over. You see a Aeorian Enforcer. At this time of night, it seems the only people that are allowed to be out and about have some kind of designation. You see a Aeorian Enforcer rub his head, take a small flask of something. "(sips) (grunts) (sniffs) (groans)" A small imp appears next to him. (whooshes) "Sire, I think we might've missed our stop." You see he snaps his fingers. The thing screams and disappears into a little glass emblem as he drunkenly stares ahead. The man has a spirit encased in a thing of glass and is a little bit more invested in having a drink on his way to some station other than the one in which he lives. The tram moves forward.

LAURA: How drunk is he?

BRENNAN: Oh, he's sauced. He's half gone already.

LAURA: As he nods off, I'm going to cast Mage Hand and try to lift the necklace off of.

BRENNAN: (whooshes) The necklace comes off with the imp inside. You see he's also got a small emblem, a medal pinned to his chest that denotes his station.

ABUBAKAR: What is it? Do I recognize it?

BRENNAN: He's part of the city watch.

ABUBAKAR: Mm-hmm.

BRENNAN: Torian Guard, just here protecting the train, supposed to be alert and on the job.

ABUBAKAR: Mm-hmm.

BRENNAN: Stop anyone from coming without proper passage.

ABUBAKAR: Let him mind his own business. We're not far.

LAURA: I turn invisible.

BRENNAN: (whooshes) You turn invisible.

LAURA: I walk over and look at his face.

BRENNAN: "(grunts)" You look up. Give me a perception check.

LAURA: Oh, that's better. These dice are good. 24.

BRENNAN: He stares ahead, not knowing what is right in front of him as it cannot be seen. This man will be dead before sunrise. (gasping)

LAURA: I breathe in. (inhales)

BRENNAN: "(coughs) (coughs) (gasps) (pants) Oh shit. Shit, shit." Not feeling the imp emblem on him, he rushes out of this car, back into another car past him on the tram.

TALIESIN: I'm still hungry.

LAURA: I reappear.

ABUBAKAR: Right. That was fun.

BRENNAN: You arrive at the Opus Ward, a ward deep down far enough towards the base of Aeor that even on a bright, sunny day, it will exist mostly in the shadows of other wards spinning above in the city. Humble stone dwellings, old, old ward. Was Aeor always in the sky? Was it built for this sole purpose? And when it began, how did it begin? In this ward are some stone hovels. Perhaps some of these buildings began their life on the ground. The laborers in this place are so unwelcome in the larger city that the presence of Aeorian military might in this place is thick, but also at a distance. Skyships, spotlights, but there is no higher business to attend to here. Shadows are deep and welcoming. As you exit the tram, whose final stop in this place is but a single track as though it would not be anyone's highest priority to come here, you exit this place, move through shadows. A large stone building, derelict, its roof having caved in some time ago, at the back, a massive gate, cracked open very slightly. As you enter this place, a voice calls out, "SILAHA, is that you?"

ABUBAKAR: Then suddenly, my eyes turn green. Yes, it's me. I've brought friends, done as you asked.

BRENNAN: "How many friends have you brought?"

ABUBAKAR: Five. Maybe six and a half. Six. One seems to be very different.

BRENNAN: You walk into this space and see an Aeorian archmage. As you enter, you are in the antechamber, and all of a sudden, all of you feel it rippling throughout. You're in the antechamber of a temple. This place is somehow forgotten, deep in the bowels of Aeor, and you look on the walls of this antechamber, and you see that there are smashed sections of the wall where once stone images bore faces, images, scenes, tales of miracles. They are defaced and ruined here, but the stones know the faith of those who once tread them. The archmage turns to look at you. She is a beautiful woman, vibrant robes of red and white in geometric pattern, long braids, deep black skin, a golden headdress. She smiles, and her eyes gleam white. She turns to all of you and says, "I am the Archmage Arcadia Cerenvetorix. I trust you all received my vision."

LAURA: Good to see you, sister.

BRENNAN: She goes, she gives Ayden a big hug, turns and says, "Well, it's very unbecoming for me to ever admit to this. I didn't know this would work. Not sister."

TALIESIN: Not sister.

ABUBAKAR: It's quite touchy. It wasn't part of the plan.

NOSHIR: I want to see.

ABUBAKAR: I help open the crate.

BRENNAN: You open the crate. The Emissary, you emerge. "Oh my. Why... Why has she not come?"

ABUBAKAR: I knew she didn't have it in her. I just want to say, I could see it.

BRENNAN: "You also broke the rules."

ABUBAKAR: Well, I mean--

BRENNAN: "I was supposed to scout ahead. One of us was dangerous enough."

ABUBAKAR: Look at the place. It's full of magic. I'm full of magic. It just makes sense.

BRENNAN: "You're full of something."

NOSHIR: Broke the rules.

ABUBAKAR: Oh boy.

NOSHIR: You broke the rules.

ABUBAKAR: Here we go.

LAURA: Didn't you make a deal, and then abandoned us in our moment of need?

BRENNAN: You see that Arcadia puts a hand to her temple. "What did she tell you before she sent you here? Do you know what you're supposed to do?"

NOSHIR: Yes. Share her love with Aeor. Guide them through. I will save them.

ABUBAKAR: She was always a bit dark, wasn't she? Never understood what you saw in her.

TALIESIN: Not now.

ABUBAKAR: Sorry.

BRENNAN: "You are here to follow her commandments, her edicts. Do you wish for help in doing this?"

NOSHIR: My lady's task is prerogative. I will take any and all aid I can receive.

BRENNAN: She reaches into a bag at her side filled with arcane foci and spell components and pulls out a series of clasps that have Aeorian writing on them. They are specifically unenchanted, but as she binds them to you, The Emissary looks for all the world like an elemental summoned here under the purview of some Aeorian mage.

NOSHIR: Mm.

BRENNAN: "Does this disturb you?"

NOSHIR: Why?

BRENNAN: "(sighs) Movement in this place will be challenging. The Ministry of Intention is at the height of their paranoia. There are some within the city, leadership, though much ostracized, the Somnovem believe that great danger is coming. It will be helpful if you look as though you are a part of this. It is a deception, if you can stomach that."

NOSHIR: Lies!

TALIESIN: It's the only thing they know.

NOSHIR: I'll turn to Trist. Little lies are okay.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Yes, sometimes.

NOSHIR: (grumbles)

ASHLEY: I put out my hand. For now.

NOSHIR: For now.

BRENNAN: "For now."

NICK: How long have you been here?

BRENNAN: "I have been here, now, some 30 years. After our last meeting, I came here as soon as I was old enough to understand the nature of what I was embarking on. I'm sure you remember how strange those early years were."

NICK: (scoffs) Yeah.

BRENNAN: "The mind, a mind of flesh of blood, needed time to catch up to great purpose."

NICK: Ayden, being the youngest, well--

NOSHIR: Hmm.

NICK: Perhaps the second youngest here, nods. He says: What have you found?

BRENNAN: "Much, much. SILAHA's been here with me for some time. Our dear friend, our brother, arrived here in a form shapable, and as such, was actually created within Aeor. Very clever way of bypassing many of the defenses herein. However--"

TALIESIN: Very you.

ABUBAKAR: What's that supposed to mean?

TALIESIN: How else would you have been satisfied with your vanity?

ABUBAKAR: Unbelievable. I'm simply doing the Lord's favors. The Lord's. (laughter)

BRENNAN: Arcadia looks and says, "We should speak, but we are not all gathered. They are here, within."

TALIESIN: How many?

BRENNAN: "There are four."

LAURA: Four?

BRENNAN: "There were supposed to be more. Some of them betrayed and lied, and are not here, but four are."

TALIESIN: Little lies.

BRENNAN: "They are waiting within the Chamber of Seasons proper. This was a place of worship at the very foundation of Aeor, earlier in the Age of Arcanum, back before-- Back when distaste for the gods was a small, cultural detail, before it was law and might and writ upon the face of Exandria. This area has been secured magically to the height of my ability, and the fact that it even exists at all proves that it has been forgotten by the powers of Aeor. They are within, waiting for us, and-- Our brethren who are not here with us know, know that there are only four within. Thank you for coming. I know that this plan was profoundly taxing, and asked a great deal of all of us. But having lived here for some three decades, I can tell you, there is no other way we could have done this. The net is knitted tightly, more tightly than I could have imagined. Their power extends-- Their power extends to the edges of my imagination."

NICK: And yet, they do not know everything.

BRENNAN: "They don't know everything, and we know that. Sister."

ASHLEY: Yes?

BRENNAN: "There is one within, I believe, that I do not wish for you to countenance. Those that wait for us within the chamber have harmed us, and I-- I have asked that it is enough that we know that we are us, and they are them, and-- We do not have to reveal. We do not have to reveal anything about ourselves, other than that we are here to do what must be done. They will give us their names. They will give us their names of those lives that they have lived here alongside us on Exandria, and that should be enough for us to do our work."

ABUBAKAR: Right.

ASHLEY: I understand.

BRENNAN: She turns, pushes a door, and walks into the shadows.

LAURA: I just love family drama. I follow her.

BRENNAN: Slink into the shadows.

TALIESIN: I've been a little bit off, looking at the carvings on the wall, trying to find everybody.

BRENNAN: You look at the shattered areas of the wall where something might've been. You find one. No face is left, no feature, but you do see the edges of leaves and vines.

TALIESIN: Is there one I don't recognize? I'm looking for-- Is there one that feels off?

BRENNAN: Give me an investigation check.

TALIESIN: 19. Wait. Yeah, 19.

BRENNAN: There's two that catch your interest. One of them that has been shattered, you see that there is a place where a little bit of the tile, the wall, remains, and you see the image of a chain, a little few links of chain, as though something hanging by chains. Then elsewhere, you see that there is an area of the wall that was shattered, but there should be art here, and instead, it's just blank. It's blank as can be.

ASHLEY: I walk up and stand beside Asha.

TALIESIN: There's a hole in all of us. I'm not capable of blaming her right now, but there are times it's hard not to feel robbed.

ASHLEY: There seems to be a lot of anger towards us here.

TALIESIN: Mm. (sighs) Well, not for long.

NICK: Ayden will walk through the door.

ABUBAKAR: Yeah, I walk through. But eyes are orange again.

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm. You walk in, total darkness inside. Trist and Asha, do you walk in after your companions?

ASHLEY: Yes, yes.

LAURA: Are the doors to the original chamber, are they open?

BRENNAN: They are open.

LAURA: From outside, Dearest flies in, my raven.

BRENNAN: (caws)

LAURA: And lands in front of the area that is blank, and just starts pecking at the rocks a bit.

BRENNAN: (knocks) Emissary, you're the last in the chamber, watching a raven peck the stone in front of a smashed wall.

NOSHIR: To the new.

LAURA: The raven looks at you. "I'm glad you're here, Emissary." (pecks)

NOSHIR: I walk to the statue holding links of chain, and just stand there for a moment. Does it feel familiar?

BRENNAN: Chains, Chained Oblivion, chains of ruin, chains of torture. Thin golden chains holding the scales of justice. That's what you behold.

NOSHIR: Mm. I put my hand to what's left of the statue and just rest my head against it. (quietly hums) And I leave to join my companions.

BRENNAN: This is a place where they tried to kill a story. It's a very frightened thing to do. You move into the dark.

NICK: It is not dark.

BRENNAN: You enter. (whirs) Four figures arrayed at an altar. Standing behind the altar is a kindly old man. White hair, staff. He looks out smiling, standing where a priest would stand. You see a priest of the Dawnfather standing here in this room. Lying on the altar, blood running down from her mouth, a powerful barbarian woman with a massive sword, who saw fit to rest on this ancient altar. At the base of the steps of this raised platform, there is a sickly, deathly looking tortle. Hunched, glowing green eyes, his thick wrinkly skin torn by small hooks. His shell changed by spikes. It looks like it hurts him to move, like his shell is growing things that protrude inside him. Up at the top of a column, with a bow and arrow, is a small halfling woman, who hides there in the ceiling, slowly descends from a rope. See the hulking barbarian woman gets up from the dais, looks at you, "I was a little more comfortable in the dark, but not my temple, I guess. I didn't have a face to smash." (shunts) Puts the sword on her back.

NICK: I look at the priest and say: He would have words with you if he were here.

BRENNAN: "I am, as ever, an open channel for the Lord of the Sun. Let him speak to me if he would. It has been a joy to sow his light. Hello, family." Arcadia steps forward. "We come now to the city of Aeor." You see the priest of the Dawnfather flits his eyes in between you, looking. As he looks over at you, seems to--

ASHLEY: I'm hanging towards the back.

BRENNAN: You see Arcadia. (sighs) "Perhaps our time together should be kept short and useful. A truce has been called to dispense with the city of Aeor. Much has been gleaned since last we spoke. Last I beheld you all, it was at the outset of the city of Aeor's ability to hide itself from our view and repel our approach. By workings of magic that at the time staggered even our imagination, steps were taken to hide themselves from us. Knowing what we knew, we could assume only the worst of why those steps would be taken. If they had the power to hide themselves, to abjure us, what else might they have the power to do?" The halfling lands and moves over to sit on the bottom step. Them in the altar and you guys at the doorway to this larger cathedral chamber. She says, "Who knows? They might do something crazy, like kill a god. (scoffs) Imagine that." (Arcadia) "I am here to say that our worst fears have been confirmed. I have done my best to stay as hidden as possible while still working within the apparatus of Aeor's ministries. A weapon is now mostly under construction, all but completed. The Factorum Malleus. The Latimus Princeps was created to keep us at bay, to buy the city of Aeor time, and time they have used to their advantage. A weapon is now being built within the city to do exactly what we feared it would do. The possibility of this was enough to call a truce within our war, long enough to investigate. And a plan was hatched to bypass the considerable wards and abjurations of Aeor. Those wards having somewhat been bypassed, though I assure you the bulk of our work yet lies ahead, we can move the possibility to a certainty. Aeor will, sooner rather than later--" You see that the priest of the Dawnfather speaks and says, "How soon?" Arcadia says, "Perhaps already. -- will have the power to destroy a god. Not to assume their station, to take their domain upon themselves and see to the stewardship of Exandria, but simply to take something infinite and tear it asunder from the fabric of creation."

ABUBAKAR: I mean, that's impossible.

LAURA: (laughs)

TALIESIN: You, that's impossible.

ABUBAKAR: I mean, come on, think about it. (scoffs) They can't kill us.

LAURA: Trust me when I say it is possible.

BRENNAN: You see that the priest speaks up and says, "Introductions, I think, are helpful. As Arcadia has asked, we can introduce ourselves by name. I am Father Milo Cowst. I am here to serve at the discretion of this assembly, to be bound by our mutual decisions. My companions, Tishar," see the barbarian cocks her head, "Umleta," as he points to the halfling, who smiles, "and Zaharzht," and you see the tortle just stares off into the distance, shuddering. "We should share what we know, I think." You see that Arcadia says, "A plan must be enacted. I have much in the way of information. My advisement, should it please those of us here assembled, would be to fan out throughout the city, spend a week or two trying to discover or find what we can. There are contingencies to be aware of. There's a protocol in place by which the mages of Aeor will, should they feel a threat to this project coming, the knowledge of how to create this weapon has been encoded in several arcane orbs throughout the city. And should the city be attacked in an overt manner, the methods of the weapon's creation will be sent to every corner of Exandria, such that their research can be recreated at some later time. They are taking no chances and leaving no contingency unregarded. I think--" Father Milo speaks up, "Did you say a week?" You see that Arcadia turns and says, "Or however much time we need to act carefully." See that Father Milo goes, "I would say we have one night, given that one of your servants is telling them our plan, presumably right now."

ABUBAKAR: What?

BRENNAN: "Decades is a long time to be away from the throne, wouldn't you say?"

ASHLEY: What are you talking about?

BRENNAN: Even Arcadia looks confused here, and you see he says, "Oh, you don't-- You want to know something I know? Do we value my voice in this chamber?"

ASHLEY: How do I know that it's true?

BRENNAN: "People always think I'm lying."

ASHLEY: I wonder why.

BRENNAN: "Earlier today, a being, a celestial, came to Aeor, and was welcomed by the ministry. The Magestri have opened their doors and I believe this being may be in the Genesis Ward right now. Now, was it part of the plan to have one of your winged servants come and announce our arrival?"

LAURA: What did they look like?

BRENNAN: "Bright-white wings, beautiful face, billowing hair. I don't keep up with your servants as much as perhaps I should, but I imagine that would be worth running down." Arcadia turns and says, "Why? Why would one of our servants--" You see that Tishar, the barbarian, looks up and goes, "You don't think you are impossible to disagree with? You don't think that one of your servants might get the idea that maybe you don't deserve to be in charge?"

ABUBAKAR: Whose side are you on?

BRENNAN: "My side, forever."

ABUBAKAR: (grunts)

BRENNAN: Father Milo puts his hands up and says, "I feel it would be to our benefit simply to act with urgency. A celestial has come to the city, one of the lieutenants of your armies. That should give us some cause for alarm, yes?"

LAURA: Where is the Genesis Ward?

BRENNAN: You see Arcadia says, "Heart of the city."

ABUBAKAR: I assume it's very heavily guarded, right?

BRENNAN: Yeah.

ABUBAKAR: Yeah. Impossible to get through, not even for me.

BRENNAN: You see that Arcadia turns to you and says, "All right. We need to work together quickly to address this. Even under the best of circumstances, there are three elements that need to be accounted for before we can attempt to disassemble the weapon and eliminate any copies of its research." You see that Tishar looks and says, "(annoyed moan) What is this? Disassemble the weapon? Erase the copies? There is an obvious course of action before us. Do we need to spell it out and say it?" You see that Umleta goes, "I mean, you can run and do a lot of research if you want, but it feels like there's a really clean solution." (thuds)

ASHLEY: No.

BRENNAN: "What'd you say to me?"

ASHLEY: I said no.

BRENNAN: "What do you think we came here to do? You think we came here to have them see reason? If they were reasonable, they wouldn't have opposed us in the first place."

NICK: Every child thinks at one time or another that they know better. They are children.

BRENNAN: "A lot of them seem like grownups to me." You see that Zaharzht, this tortle, "(harsh groan) Everyone here is in misery. We should devour them. There's only one release (grunts) from all of this, and it's the back of the throat of something that wants you dead." Arcadia turns to the rest of you and says, "I cannot tell if we are being manipulated right now."

LAURA: It's not without merit.

TALIESIN: It's more than not without merit.

NOSHIR: I don't know how you insight check a god, but can I insight Father Milo?

BRENNAN: Yeah, give me insight, yeah.

NOSHIR: (scoffs) So that's 17.

NICK: Probably not enough for--

LAURA: (laughs)

ASHLEY: Yeah.

NOSHIR: I have Luck.

BRENNAN: Hell yeah.

LAURA: You have Luck?

ASHLEY: Oh.

NOSHIR: 17 again. (laughs) (laughter)

BRENNAN: Hell yeah.

LAURA: It is the gods' will.

NOSHIR: (laughs)

BRENNAN: Father Milo, I think, Emissary, you look, you see this priest seems to be telling the truth. You see that whoever these people are, they have done this thing, they have held to this part of the plan at least and come here. You see Arcadia turns to you in this moment as you behold these other travelers, companions, and says, "We need to make a decision right now if we want to trust them. We cannot question everything they have to say if we are to work together. We either have to make the call now to believe that this is genuine and that the timeline has collapsed, because otherwise, we will not be able to do what needs to be done."

ASHLEY: I, for one, would love to hear your plan. What are the three elements that you speak of?

BRENNAN: "(sighs) The Protocol, the Eravox Protocol, that is the title of it, is if something goes wrong, it's their ability to take what they know and send it across Exandria. (sighs) The engines that power the Obtenerbrator, that which keeps this hidden from divine sight, that is within the Genesis Ward. If that is still operating, our true selves will not be able to find us here. Then the Latimus Princeps, the repelling wall that you felt when you came here, that will have to be the last thing we do because that has been incorporated into the Factorum Malleus."

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: Then we do it.

TALIESIN: I--

LAURA: (laughs)

BRENNAN: She looks also at you, SILAHA, and goes, "You are more ingrained into the city than I at this point. If there is some by which one of our celestial servants has been bent to the will of Aeor--"

ABUBAKAR: I know who to ask. I know who to find. Pretty simple.

BRENNAN: "I think that may be worthwhile. There is--" Oh, sorry.

TALIESIN: No, go ahead. Are we just going to ignore that everyone's gone mad? We're going to find three machines and hope that this knowledge doesn't slip out of the city, like a drop of blood? We can't even keep our own people quiet, you think you can keep this here? That this just won't turn them harder faster? Am I the only one who understood what this was going to be?

ABUBAKAR: To destroy the city?

TALIESIN: (sighs) To destroy the city before they destroy everything, not just us. This is the end. I cannot believe that they are helping us, because they could walk away and they would win.

LAURA: No, they wouldn't. They would end.

TALIESIN: They would win because we would be done. This would be done.

NICK: If we can do this

NICK: If we can do this without destroying the city, that is how we win. This place, these nonbelievers, they hate us because they fear we will do as they have said. But we, we are more than they can possibly imagine. We must use that power to not only protect each other, but to show them a better way.

NOSHIR: Lost children. Redemption or death.

LAURA: One thing, Dad. They don't fear you, they resent you. You think you spare them, they'll be grateful, they'll start praising your name? That's not going to happen. You let them go, they do it again. Whether you like it or not, the knowledge is loose.

TALIESIN: She's smarter than us. We should listen to her.

ASHLEY: If the knowledge is loose, what is the point of destroying the city then?

TALIESIN: It's not loose yet, is it? They covet.

LAURA: They're greedy here and egotistical. They've kept the knowledge themselves, all the cities did. You take it down, you take the knowledge with it. You let them live, they'll do it again. Look, death is inevitable. It's just guiding them to a shorter thread.

ABUBAKAR: Easy for you to say. What? You do you.

LAURA: (laughs)

BRENNAN: Arcadia turns. You see that the four up on the dais watch you talking quietly to each other, smiling, laughing. You see that Umleta shrugs her shoulders and goes, "It's just nice to see that you all don't get along." Arcadia gives her a withering glance and turns back, "These objectives, it feels foolish not to share them now, given that they clearly have knowledge that we don't have. The question I put before us now before we-- To Ayden's point, there is time. I thought we had weeks. Even if we have a night, there is still time. This is us, miracles are possible. The decision before us right now is, do we play fair with them? They did come, they are here, and perhaps there is no way to interact with them and not feel that we are being manipulated. But if they're right, then they clearly have access to knowledge that we don't. I know this is easy for me to say, but I want knowledge, especially that which has somehow eluded me up to this point."

ABUBAKAR: Well, we start-- Well, we start when I take you.

BRENNAN: "Yeah. Do we bring them?"

ABUBAKAR: Yes, why not? Should be fun.

NICK: We are, and always have been, stronger together, even when we disagree.

BRENNAN: Arcadia smiles, "(sighs) Brethren, would you step off the dais?" You see the four of them move over. Milo looks at you, looks over at you, "You are not a god. Someone got cold feet. She knows something I don't know? (laughs)"

ASHLEY: Probably.

BRENNAN: "Well, that makes two of you that aren't gods."

NICK: And two of you who are missing.

BRENNAN: "Ah, it's like herding cats. (laughs) You'd be amazed what the moniker of 'Betrayer' will do to people's sense of cohesion. (laughs) Well, let's spill." You see that Arcadia says, "As I have said, the problems that array themselves before us are the possibility that the knowledge will be moved out of the city, the Eravox Protocol. The second is the Obtenerbrator. That is preventing divine sight. Once the Obtenerbrator is brought down, those of our brethren on the outside can begin to assist us. My understanding, based on my own visions, is that once the Obtenerbrator is down, it might get very windy. Flight out of the city will become impossible."

TALIESIN: Windy? Wha-- How? Why?

BRENNAN: "Our brother does not have to come here in person to send the storm. And the Factorum Malleus. The only wrench here is what they may know about us. That is where SILAHA comes in. We need to find out who from our side may have told them and may have told them what. If it's something as simple as the gods are working their way towards Aeor, they can have guessed that by now. If it's more specific, down to names, faces, how we planned to get around things that were impossible to get around, that becomes very tricky. We don't have time, I think, to do this one by one."

ASHLEY: (sighs)

BRENNAN: "It's too large of a group to move inconspicuously throughout the city." You see that Tishar says, "The four of us can be one."

ASHLEY: No.

BRENNAN: "No? So brave."

NICK: The bravest of us.

BRENNAN: "(chuckles)" You see that Father Milo says, "My goodness. Are you a cleric of the Everlight, young Ayden?"

NICK: I stick up for my family.

BRENNAN: "I'm just glad she's still got a worshiper. (laughs) Fine. We'll split up, if you don't trust us out on our own. We've got just as much reason to stop this as you. The question is this: Do we want to dawdle, or can we agree that we are here to drop this heap of stone from the sky as soon as we get the chance?"

ASHLEY: (sighs)

ABUBAKAR: There is a beauty in destruction. Creation comes from it.

TALIESIN: If the wheel breaks, it stops. The city falls, the wheel turns. Ruin will lead to more life. This thing, this will be rock and nothing else. Three generations, four, they're going to end it for everything. This is too much. They've gone too far, and I will not let this place die.

ABUBAKAR: I think we should just go, you know, relax, see the city, have a drink, find out some more information. Then we can decide what we want to do, right? I understand that you want to bring the city down because that's what you always want to do. But I think there is a way.

BRENNAN: You see Arcadia looks and says, "With all due respect to Father Milo, there is no need to make this decision now. To your point, sister, it dwells ever on my mind the threat of them doing this again. We know it can be done. We know some who have done it. Knowing how they intend to do it matters to me. Life, death, the soul can never die. Those of true belief within this city, if they meet their end, will move to the place that the gods have decreed. Death is an ending and a beginning. That which is eternal never truly dies. However, knowing how they could do this matters and I would not vote for addressing this issue in a manner so destructive that we learn nothing from it. So I would suggest, in deference to those of our companions whose sentiments for Aeor move them, we have time to delay this decision. A moment may come when that time is beyond us. My hope is that we have space to do this carefully. We will know quickly and abruptly if we do not. I think we should get ready to move out." You see that Tishar shrugs and says, "Carefully, all right. Carefully."

TALIESIN: It's not wrong.

BRENNAN: You see Zaharzht "(harsh retching)" coughs up some blood and hooks, moves off.

LAURA: That one's rough.

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: (laughs)

LAURA: How are you--? (groans)

TALIESIN: Don't ask.

BRENNAN: "Hi."

BRENNAN: You see that Umleta goes, "He came back as a big turtle."

LAURA: Yeah.

BRENNAN: "Not a good disguise."

LAURA: (laughs)

BRENNAN: "No. Really bad." She does a little back flip and skitters up one of the columns.

TALIESIN: I'm going to walk over to Tishar, the turtle.

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.

TALIESIN: Just for a second. And get down. I'm going to turn into the wolf. I miss you in there some days. I really do.

BRENNAN: (Zaharzht) "Why don't you come find me?"

TALIESIN: (sighs)

BRENNAN: "I don't want to do this alone."

TALIESIN: I'm so sorry.

BRENNAN: "If I promise to take care of you, can I torture you forever?"

TALIESIN: You already do.

TALIESIN: "(gagging and grunting)" Stomps off.

ASHLEY: I'm going to walk over to the Zaharzht, the tortle.

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.

ASHLEY: Just sort of take in the shell and take in his body and see where all of his wounds are.

BRENNAN: "(grunts) Don't touch me."

ASHLEY: What happened to you?

BRENNAN: "I do this because this is the truth. This is the truth. You know it, too. You don't think you have hooks in you? I know their names."

ASHLEY: Please may I do all I know how to do to give you a moment of peace?

BRENNAN: "(phlegmy snort)"

ASHLEY: I'm going to lay out my hand and--

BRENNAN: Give me, as part of the casting of this spell, persuasion.

ASHLEY: Okay.

NICK: May I cast Guidance?

BRENNAN: Sure. You take a d4 of Guidance.

ASHLEY: I'm going to need it. (laughter)

TALIESIN: I'm turning away from this.

NICK: You can add a one.

ASHLEY: And add a one?

NICK: Add a one.

ASHLEY: Okay.

LAURA: That's the Guidance.

TALIESIN: Do not want to see this.

ASHLEY: Oh, you did the Guidance. That's right. Okay.

NICK: Mm-hmm. Real big help--

ASHLEY: That's an 18.

LAURA: (laughs)

BRENNAN: What's that?

NICK: -- from your cleric.

ASHLEY: 18.

BRENNAN: 18. He recoils as you reach out a hand. "I don't want release. I don't want a moment of rest. At least in the pain, I don't have to be afraid knowing that it will start again. This world was a promise that this would happen. What does it mean to feel peace? It's the calm before the storm. This whole world (snarling hack) is a set of teeth chewing us up. I don't want a moment of peace. You know the last time I saw peace?"

TALIESIN: Please don't.

BRENNAN: "Long before we ever touched this world on a ship. It's a dream now. A ship of light. I looked behind me and I saw the thing that ate our world. That was peace, and everything here is misery until I get back there."

LAURA: What did it look like?

BRENNAN: "You should've asked him. (snorts) (retches)" You see Father Milo turns and says, "A moment to confer with my companions, if we are indeed to travel in mixed company." You see he pulls the other three aside. Arcadia turns to you and says, "I don't know if this is the right thing to do, but I'm going to tell you two things and I'm not going to say them in front of the others, not while they're conferring." You see a glimmer of magic and (magical energy expands) a small cone of silence surrounds you with a small illusion of unaffiliated chatter to cover her trail. Arcadia turns to you and says, "There is power. There is a power within you due to the nature of your construction. You know of what I speak."

ABUBAKAR: I do.

BRENNAN: "Emissary, you are not merely an envoy. You are a herald and you bear something of your mistress. Do you know of what I speak?

NOSHIR: Love.

BRENNAN: "Perhaps. Perhaps in a form greater than we can imagine. It is possible for us to die here. You can feel that we are separated from the eternal. Should we die here, of course the part of us which is eternal will exist once again within Exandria, celestial, all encompassing of our domain. The moment that happens, we will be unable to intercede in Aeor. So while your deaths may not be the death that mortals face, understand that if you die here, we suddenly do not have you, and we will not have you as the moments of crisis compound in the hours to come. Please remain whole. The last I will say is, make sure The Emissary, above all, remains. If what I have seen is true," and you see that the four behind her stop talking. She says, "You must be intact when the time comes."

NICK: I will look at Trist and say: I will go with Father Milo, you with the others.

ASHLEY: Don't let him get into your head. He does not tell the truth.

TALIESIN: Don't let him get into your head. He only tells the truth. It's just rotting.

NICK: I love you all. Good luck.

TALIESIN: We need it here.

ASHLEY: I would like to insight check Arcadia.

BRENNAN: Hell yeah.

TALIESIN: Ooh, smart.

ASHLEY: I want to know if she's holding something back.

BRENNAN: Yeah. Give me insight.

ASHLEY: Okay. That is 32. (laughter)

TALIESIN: Oh.

ABUBAKAR: Ooh.

BRENNAN: You look at Arcadia, goddess of knowledge. She is holding a tremendous amount back. You see a mind burdened by vast, all encompassing knowledge. You can feel in this moment that she has specifically not said something about The Emissary, that she has not made clear or explicit what The Emissary's gift or power is. Arcadia looks at you. "Is everything all right?"

ASHLEY: Are you on our side?

BRENNAN: "Your side?"

ASHLEY: Yes.

BRENNAN: "I'm on the side of-- I don't understand. I'm on the side of us defeating Aeor. My thought was that, at a time of your choosing, we could be more clear about what was to come or about the--"

ASHLEY: I'm sorry, I'm just having a hard time trusting people lately.

BRENNAN: "I understand. I understand."

NOSHIR: Family. Hmm.

BRENNAN: You see that she looks and says, "Have I done something that would make you feel that I--" She pauses. "It was I that brought the knowledge of this to us and it was I who brokered the truce with the Betrayers. I have had more contact with them than is usual. You have every right to be suspicious and to be hurt."

LAURA: Did you know that one of our own would send a servant here?

BRENNAN: "I have been gone the longest. I would look to those who have been here more recently," and you see she looks here at you, Ayden.

TALIESIN: Detect Thoughts.

BRENNAN: Mm-hmm.

TALIESIN: Wisdom save 19.

BRENNAN: Arcadia steps back, resists the spell, but feels it. "Asha, can I help you?"

LAURA: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR: Can I see this as well?

BRENNAN: Yeah.

ABUBAKAR: I'm like: What are you doing?

TALIESIN: I'm checking.

ABUBAKAR: For what? She is on our side.

TALIESIN: There is no sides.

BRENNAN: "Not for you."

TALIESIN: There's what needs to be done, and all of us are odd right now.

BRENNAN: "I've put a lot of work into this mind, and I'll thank you not to touch it."

ABUBAKAR: I really think we should get out of here.

BRENNAN: You see Father Milo says, "I don't think there's even that much for us to do here at this point. This city might defeat you all just by making you talk to one another."

ABUBAKAR: Yeah, I really think we should get out of here.

TALIESIN: I'm starting to agree with them, that's probably a good idea.

BRENNAN: Arcadia looks and says, "The Obtenebrator, the engine is in the Genesis Ward, center of the city. The Eravoxox Protocol is throughout many different nodes. Its decentralization is a part of why it's so dangerous. Then finding out through SILAHA's channels what may have come. Additionally, I will also say, accessing the heart of the Genesis Ward will require access to some form of disguise, passcode, something. (sighs) This element of the plan is the most beyond me. The passwords and bylaws change so frequently and constantly, but some ability--"

NICK: Father Milo and I will go there. I look at Father Milo and say: I assume that is not beyond you.

BRENNAN: "What, to go find us some disguises or passages deeper down into the Genesis Ward? I can manage that." You see that Arcadia says, "We are a council of equals here, but we need some to attack the engine that is hiding us from Scrying. Once that happens, the storms can kick up and that will be providing us some cover. Then the Protocol. The Protocol has to come down prior to the Obtenebrator Engine, because if anything like a storm happens, they will trigger that."

NICK: Asha, you seem in the mood to break something.

TALIESIN: I'm hungry. Yes. Who wants to join?

BRENNAN: You see that Tishar looks at you and says, "I like to break things."

TALIESIN: Very well. You're a talker, too. That's useful.

BRENNAN: "(scoffs) Only compared to you am I a talker." (Arcadia) "The Protocol, tracking down all of the areas within the city that are geared and prepared to spread this information across the globe."

ABUBAKAR: I could find that out.

BRENNAN: "Mm-hmm."

ABUBAKAR: I have good networks.

BRENNAN: "You might also try running down the information about who's been informing on us."

ABUBAKAR: What do they say? Two birds, one stone. (laughs)

BRENNAN: "Two bats with one stone," that's right.

LAURA and ASHLEY: (laugh)

BRENNAN: (laughs)

ABUBAKAR and TALIESIN: (laugh)

LAURA: The old Exandrian saying.

TALIESIN: I was nodding. It had a good vibe.

BRENNAN: It's more impressive to kill bats because they fly at night.

LAURA: (laughs)

BRENNAN: So yeah, she basically cordons out these three different things that all have to happen in quick order and timed quickly. Looking at the rest of you, you see that Umleta, the halfling, looks and says, "I can go with you. I'll be helpful. I'm small, I'm easy to keep out of the way."

ABUBAKAR: Mm. Well, does she look appealing?

BRENNAN: She does, she's kind of a little cutie.

ABUBAKAR: Yeah?

ASHLEY: (laughs)

BRENNAN: Yeah.

ABUBAKAR: Hmm. (laughter)

BRENNAN: "I'm nice. Giving me that stink face. You don't like me?"

ABUBAKAR: No, it's not that I don't like you, I just don't trust you.

BRENNAN: "Why not? We're not that different. It's not like you guys are 'the good guys.' We just had a disagreement about what should happen to mortals."

ABUBAKAR: As long as the Matron comes.

LAURA: I can go where I'm needed. (whooshes) And I'll use Mask of Many Faces and I'm going to turn into the guard that we saw on the bus, or on the train. I'm good at many things.

NOSHIR: Mm.

ABUBAKAR: I know. That's why you're on board. Okay. Kind of look to Trist and The Emissary.

LAURA: I think more people need to go to the Genesis Ward, heavily armed.

ASHLEY: Yes. I'll look to Arcadia, I will stay with The Emissary and I will keep them safe, no matter the cost.

BRENNAN: She nods. The--

NICK: Ayden will say-- Because right now, Milo and I are headed to the Genesis Ward.

BRENNAN: You guys are going to go to try to find passage, find either disguise or some other way of getting you passage to that part of the world.

NICK: And for the Protocol, we have Asha and Tishar? we have Asha and Tishar?

BRENNAN: Right now, it looks like-- You also see, I think, Zaharzht comes over to you for the break shit mission.

LAURA: (laughs)

NICK: I will say to Trist--

TALIESIN: Tishar, Zaharzht, and me?

BRENNAN: Yeah.

TALIESIN: Okay.

NICK: I can-- I can protect The Emissary if you'd rather go with Asha.

NOSHIR: I can break things. May I serve?

TALIESIN: I suppose.

BRENNAN: You look and see Arcadia actually looks at the two of you and says, "I think the-- and forgive me-- I think the subtlety brigade can probably handle the Obtenebrator Engine on its own. A light touch looking after Father Milo would probably be the right move, given that we need to find very human passage to the heart of the Genesis Ward."

ABUBAKAR: So I can take The Emissary?

BRENNAN: You see that it looks like right now Arcadia is suggesting that Asha and The Emissary will go with Tishar and Zaharzht to the Obtenebrator Engine.

ABUBAKAR: Okay, cool.

BRENNAN: You and Emhira--

ABUBAKAR: Emhira.

BRENNAN: -- will head with Umleta to go look after the Protocol and also keep an eye out for whatever the servant is. And that way, there's two of you on each group, that would leave Trist and Ayden with Arcadia, and Father Milo would be the only of the four that would be with you.

LAURA: So both of the main healers are in the same group? (nervous laughs)

NICK: That's what I was trying to split up.

LAURA: Maybe that's not (laughs) what we should do.

MATT: Zaharzht looks over, "I can heal." (laughter)

BRENNAN: "What's up?" (laughter)

LAURA: Should we split up the healers?

ABUBAKAR: I mean, I can heal.

LAURA: Oh, you can?

TALIESIN: I'm not really worried. I feel pretty confident in--

NICK: I think, for this, I think we'll be okay. I can do some stuff to protect The Emissary not even needing to be there.

NOSHIR: Hmm.

ASHLEY: Yeah.

NICK: But I will-- I will look at the group and I will say: Once, in days past, we worked together. Let us, for a moment, remember those times fondly. And in this, broken and forgotten as it is, temple, I will, as a ritual, cast. And I hope that this temple will, up from eight to as many as there are, Rary's Telepathic Bond.

BRENNAN: Hell yeah. (whirs)

NICK: If we are to act as one, we must move as one and think as one. There are disagreements here that we can solve later, but for now, we must do these separately together.

NOSHIR: Hmm.

NICK: They think, and this will be their downfall, that we are more fractured than we need be. Family, we are stronger together.

BRENNAN: As Ayden says this, the light that sheds from him touches the walls of this temple, and for a moment is so blinding that it is impossible to see. And as the light diminishes to allow vision once more, the images of the temple are restored and you behold the gods of Exandria in their glory.

TALIESIN: What about the one?

MATT: A beautiful image of a woman in a white mask surrounded by ravens, as it ever was.

NICK: Ayden will turn to The Emissary and say: It appears that you, most of all, we must maintain. So please, stick around. And I will cast Death Ward.

BRENNAN: You feel filled with light.

NOSHIR: Mm.

BRENNAN: You see that Umleta looks up and goes, "Family." (laughter)

BRENNAN: "I love that." You see, she goes, "Maybe we'll be family after this. It's a little dream I have. Because I feel like when you get down here in the dirt with them, you realize there's not that much to like. Maybe we'll convince you that this little truce can last as long as we want it to, if we all decide to work together. Go team." She somersaults and skitters off. And you see that Arcadia smiles, looks up at the restored temple, looks at you, "To the heart of Aeor, to disarm them of the weapon they would use to destroy the gods. One way or another, this will be our last night as mortals." And that's all for this episode of Critical Role.

ABUBAKAR: Ah man.

ASHLEY: Aw.

TALIESIN and ASHLEY: (groaning)

BRENNAN: Is it Thursday yet? (cheering) (laughter)

Cooldown[]

ASHLEY: Oh, man!

BRENNAN: So that was fucking great, guys!

NICK: Pretty psyched.

BRENNAN: You loved my Turtle Boy!

ASHLEY: Yeah, I love Turtle Boy.

NICK: He's so sad.

ASHLEY: Turtle Boy and Umleta. Obsessed with Umleta.

BRENNAN: Umleta? Oh, the little halfling?

LAURA: Umleta is the best.

ASHLEY: When she was like, "We're going to see reason," I was like, "I love her."

TALIESIN: I loved every fucking minute of-- (chef's kiss). Just (chef's kiss). And they were exactly who I was hoping they were going to be. I was like, "This is what I dreamed of is right here."

ASHLEY: I love that we find them on the altar.

LAURA: Yes!

TALIESIN: I know.

ASHLEY: Because it's so fitting that they would stand up there.

NICK: What punks.

BRENNAN: What punks!

LAURA: And the priest of the Dawnfather.

NICK: Milo is such a jerk.

LAURA: What a dick!

ABUBAKAR: Ah, brilliant.

ASHLEY and LAURA: So good.

LAURA: I love them.

NICK: He's just sulking that I bested him last time.

ASHLEY: I love them.

LAURA: They're fun! It's always fun to be a villain.

TALIESIN: You got on the temple wall. Congratulations. I was kind of hoping.

LAURA: I am there, you guys!

BRENNAN: "I'm there!"

LAURA: Just like it's always been.

NICK: The incredibly frequented temple wall.

TALIESIN: It's better to be in the "Indiana Jones" ones.

BRENNAN: There you go.

ASHLEY: So, The Emissary.

LAURA: Yeah, what the fuck? (Noshir is silent)

BRENNAN: I love him so much.

TALIESIN: I am so pissed. I'm delighted.

BRENNAN: I will say, if I thought I was going to meet my wife somewhere, and a giant made of ice and stone was there instead, I would be pissed.

TALIESIN: I'm holding it in for later, but oh, my. Like, oh wow.

NICK: And there are no apples either.

BRENNAN: Be like, "Hey, I'm here!" I was looking forward to some apples!

NICK: I was promised my wife and apples. And I have received neither!

TALIESIN: It's been several hours. I am out of apples!

BRENNAN: Yeah, I've got to say, too, SILAHA is so fucking fun. I'm so glad that one of the gods is really a jokester. He's truly--

NICK: Yeah, it's so good.

TALIESIN: He's so fun! I cannot wait to see you break into tiny pieces!

ABUBAKAR: I know, exactly.

TALIESIN: It's just so good.

ASHLEY: Your voice is so beautiful.

NOSHIR: Oh, he knows.

NICK: Yeah, he does know.

ABUBAKAR: That was good fun.

ASHLEY: It's fun to listen to you.

TALIESIN: I love every moment of this.

BRENNAN: This was so great. You guys were so fantastic. There were a lot of curve balls in this first episode that everyone rolled with. I thought that whole sequence in Tengar, in the very beginning, which was now a lifetime ago.

ASHLEY: I want to go back.

NICK: I have never felt more unclear and yet felt like I've seen more landings get stuck. I felt like we were all like, "Whoa!" And then we were like, "Ah!"

LAURA: "I'm light."

NICK: It was amazing.

BRENNAN: It was really fucking acrobatic, right? And now, we're in this position where we've been-- We're riding this interesting path as storytellers where it is both totally explicit who you all are, but it's also been so hidden, because you guys are these avatars, you're these mortal avatars and you're moving through this world. And to me, starting with that first thing is really critical to understanding divinity in Exandria. As soon as Matt was like, "The gods came here." It's not like, "I was born from Void, and now I come here and I make creation from scratch." It was like, "We lost a home." There's something about that idea of like, "Born out of loss somewhere else." And we had a lot of conversations around the idea of how trippy supernal realms are. The afterlife is a place you guys made up. It's not heaven. It's like, what's the place before that, that is a font of ultimate creation and possibility? And then the horror of becoming real.

ASHLEY: That's the horror?

BRENNAN: Yeah. And I think that idea of becoming specific. You guys and the Betrayers were not different at all in the first place you were in. You're completely identical. And it's just through what reality and the material world does to all of you.

LAURA: We were saying at the intermission how tragic it is that the Betrayers were the first ones to step up and--

NICK: Defend us.

LAURA: Yeah, defend.

NICK: Save us.

TALIESIN: They bore the brunt of truth, man.

BRENNAN: But I think, too, that there's an element of worship and faith, as Matt has often talked about it, and what that, sort of, does. Like, nature, beauty, redemption, law, sun, even death, even the idea of a psychopomp, a passage from life into death. And then you see things like pain and lying and manipulation and torture. There's an element of-- I was thinking of what the Betrayers were before. So you have this thing of like, "Oh, I'm going to do a big destructive shock wave to get us out of there." And that just becomes bad later. When you have little towns full of little people, they're like, "Please, no big shock waves." And you're like, "That's already my thing!"

LAURA: "But it's fun!"

NICK: "Oh no!"

BRENNAN: "People used to like this!"

NICK: "Whoops!"

BRENNAN: "Whoops!" It's also very cool, too, to think about the fact that the gods are-- that there's an element of the Primordials in Exandria being these beings of ultimate matter. Like that's all they are. There is no ideological element to them. It is like earth, fire, water, air. And that it's you guys arriving that brings the concept of mind, and of beauty, truth, law, whatever, all of it. And it was so heartbreaking that, Taliesin, you were the one to find Exandria. It was so-- I mean, like that's home.

NICK: Good find.

LAURA: I love how bitter the Wildmother's become, though. Because you expect that a Wildmother would be like this crunchy granola, like "I love fucking trees," you know? But you're just, "Ugh."

TALIESIN: The first song on my playlist I started building is Beck's "Nitemare Hippy Girl".

BRENNAN: I love that.

TALIESIN: This is actually, honestly, this is just Caduceus' Wildmother. This is literally just a version of Caduceus going, "Perhaps I wasn't clear. I'm hungry all the time, and I'm violent. Hi. I'm nature."

LAURA: And royal, yeah.

TALIESIN: "Nice to meet you." And she's not happy. I don't want to get into-- The more I thought about the Wildmother, I'm sure everyone else has, is, "Why am I on this side of the fight?" Even if it is an easy reason.

BRENNAN: I actually love what-- Noshir, we talked about the Lawbearer, the person who sent The Emissary. And specifically, I love the idea-- Noshir said something in a meeting we had about the Lawbearer that was beautiful to me. Again, you guys are not "the good guys". There's neutral deities amongst the Prime Deities. I don't think you have any specifically evil ones, but there are ones that are not necessarily concerned with human flourishing and whatever. And Noshir said something to me which was like essentially, when the Betrayers were like, "Let's destroy the world, and start over somewhere else," that the Lawbearer's perspective was not, "Our little guys?! I love them!" But it was like, "That's not the deal. You don't get to just fucking start over." And there are covenants and pacts that are made. We have to live by the consequences of what we did, which I think is a very cool ideological-- It's not like you're a human, and you're like, "Yay!" But it's like, "No, no, you don't get to change the rules in the middle of the game. It doesn't matter if they're not fair. We said these were the rules when we started, and now we play the game that way." And that feels really--

TALIESIN: Don't Etch-A-Sketch the first kid because you're not happy with it. I think that's where we were ideologically right on the same track. "You'll have to tear me off of this fucking planet. There is no starting over here."

BRENNAN: And then we have our real softies, Trist and Ayden, who I love with all my heart.

ASHLEY: Schweet.

ABUBAKAR: It's good, though. It's good. You need that perspective.

BRENNAN: You need it.

NICK: When he was like, "Are you a cleric of the Everlight?"

ASHLEY: (laughter) Yeah.

ABUBAKAR: That's when the darkness came up.

TALIESIN: "Aw, a sunburn."

LAURA: "Don't you talk about my sister that way!"

TALIESIN: "Oh, no, there's a sunspot there. My cell phone just conked out."

BRENNAN: I fucking love it. And your family, your sweet fam. It just is very, I don't know, it was even more touching to me to see, because some of you guys have so clearly constructed these avatars. And again, the point of constructing the avatars is to get to Aeor in the first place, that has repelled the gods. You have to be in mortal form to enter the city. But to have, even on the opposite ends of the spectrum, like SILAHA and Asha, who are almost totally attuned to the divine will. You guys are the gods riding these mortal forms, which is a very mythologically-- you get both in mythologies all the time, right? I think about all the world faith, traditions, and mythologies about the gods where someone incarnates as a god, and it's like, "No, my mortal sentience totally lines up with the divine sense. My divine mind is here as well." And it feels like Trist is like, "No, I really committed. I'm a person."

ASHLEY: "I committed to the bit."

BRENNAN: "I committed to the bit really hard!"

ASHLEY: "Really hard."

LAURA: "I gave birth to the bit."

BRENNAN: "I gave birth to the bit."

ASHLEY: "I gave birth to the bit twice!"

NICK: "And got the dog."

TALIESIN: I literally have in my notes: "I am not in Asha. Asha's in me." And it's very much specifically, "The rest of life on Exandria demands a vote here. Because y'all clearly have a fetish going on, and it's fucking up your judgment. So on behalf of most of the life on this planet, I have opinions." These fucks!

ABUBAKAR: That's beautiful.

BRENNAN: I feel like the perspective Emhira had was so fucking sick. And so great. Wait, can we talk for a second about you stealing that little imp?

LAURA: I know! I have it in--

BRENNAN: I fucking love it!

TALIESIN: Oh, you winner.

LAURA: We have a little imp!

TALIESIN: She's growing on me so much.

BRENNAN: Stolen from a sleepy drunk guy on the subway. That's the human experience right there. That was so wonderful. I feel like Emhira is such a fascinating-- in terms of playing the perspective of someone who started mortal and then comes through here very much vocally embracing like, "Aeor can fall. We can embrace that. We don't have to wait for it to be a last resort. We can embrace that right now."

LAURA: I know what we're capable of. You guys might underestimate it, but I know what they're capable of.

TALIESIN: I'm listening to you now, let me tell you. The last couple hours, I'm like, "Oh, here's the smart one, shit."

BRENNAN: That really zagged on me, too, which was really fun. Here's what it was: The love that Trist and Ayden have for mortals is obviously the most endearing. I would hope that if there were gods, they would be like Ayden and Trist. I went like, "Wow, they really like us. They really want us to do well." But there was something that actually about your perspective, and see if you agree with me here, that cast them in an interesting light (no pun intended) because they were like, "These guys are our children. They need us. They are little. We don't want to hurt them." And you went, "Did I not fucking cap one of you guys like 200 years ago? We are dangerous." There felt like a moment of you really being like, "Do not coddle these people. They will destroy you. You're not that high up above them to be this paternalistic."

NICK: I think a flaw in the way that I think about that is that part of me believes the only reason she was able to do it is because he wanted her to.

BRENNAN: The idea of-- there's a moment I think in ExU Calamity where Asmodeus says something along the lines of, "Well of course you can kill the god of death. Try that shit on me!"

NICK: And also what you did in that first portion was look back longingly at oblivion. So it's like, "Yeah, maybe I too could let a mortal replace me. But if I didn't want that, I don't think they could." I'm not saying that's true. The Dawnfather-- I can't conceive of something truly being able to resist. I think that's where he underestimates you. That's a blind spot--

BRENNAN: That's a really sick thing, too, by the way. That analysis is fascinating. And also, it's very cool because there's two people on this side of the table that actually have played two characters tonight, which is very sick. Laura's played two characters, and Noshir played two characters, because they are not who they were in that very first scene, which is pretty sick.

TALIESIN: I have so many things I am going to say in the next game. It's so much plot back here.

BRENNAN: It's also so funny that we're doing the big fate of humanity, what is to become of mortals, in the middle of a true "Mission Impossible". "All right, we got to break this engine. Hey, I have very strong feelings about what we're doing." Well, speaking of strong feelings about what we're doing, that's all for this Critical Role Cooldown. What a delight, an honor, a privilege. And we will see you next time. Take care, farewell, and we'll see you back at this story of Downfall. Farewell!