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Runtime Break start
4h 43m 1h 37m

Episode 91: True Heroism

Bell’s Hells, here, slowly crawling toward the center of the chaos here on Ruidus. You found the subterranean core of the Kreviris Imperium here in Vaterra Kreviris. This massive underground cavern. The space where a singular glass pillar (his massive central piece of strange Ruidian glass that marks the center of their culture here) surrounded by evocative and interwoven city.
You’ve made friends with the Volition (the rebellious group that’s been fighting against the Imperium) and decided to embark on two of their multitude of simultaneous missions to both prove yourself an ally and to help the cause.
You decided to be part of a bombing mission (this side of the table helped alongside Ira Wendagoth while the other side went to go and retrieve a very important ally and figure with information about what’s going on between the Imperium, the Weave Mind, and the Ruby Vanguard).
During these separate missions, it seemed the bombing mission was a success through illusion and conversation, though the setting was at a much quicker time than was anticipated. Ira Wendagoth (not one to think about other people’s safety other than his) mostly managed to escape, though a little bit of wear and tear, as the detonation caught up with you and blew two of you out the exit like a cannon. As the explosion rocked the interior, this cavern, shaking the space within, this team here had infiltrated an engineering bay within an area south of the Arx Creonum. Here you found a number of creatures that were being experimented on, mutated and changed. Your target was indeed inside one of these liquid-filled chambers.
You essentially ambushed and managed to rapidly slaughter some of the dangerous guardians of this engineering bay laboratory and after battling with one of these partially incomplete terrifying creatures that was released in the middle of the scuffle, you managed to break the glass and abscond with the half-conscious target of your interest here, Everoa (a female Bormodo who has been working with the opposing side while also feeding information in bits and pieces to the Volition). With her under your arm, Imogen cast Invisibility across that troop and you managed to just barely escape the now incredibly dangerous, intense and Imperium-filled interior of this structure.
As you’re now scattered into various places, here within the main city, trying to reconvene, you hear the chaos of shouts and screeches as the armed forces of the Imperium are beginning to gather in response to this massive explosion that rocked the interior of the subterranean community.
You also hear the screech of Gloamglut, as your (Fearne) supposed father, the Sorrowlord Zathuda (who was also within the cavern when it detonated, by the way) whose mount is seeking above. You all notice across the way, another explosion outside of the aforementioned music hall where your mother was to be assassinated. You see that streak of power go firing up into the air and then hear a voice scream into the minds of the two Ruidus-born present.
“DID SHE KNOW?”
As we come back into this chaos right now, in the midst of this response, seeing this, into the dark expanse, just barely-lit glow of the inside of this cavern, what are you four doing?

Previous Episode “Mission: Improbable”

  • Lladra@lemmy.worldEnglish
    3·
    7 months ago

    Wow. An intense episode, Looked like a TPK so many times. SPOILER:

    FCG literally went nuclear to save the party, the mission, and maybe the Gods.

    • jawa21@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
      2·
      7 months ago

      It felt like they finally got to the meat of the campaign. We knew the stakes were high for the campaign, but it was dur8ng that fight that they really sunk in (for me at least).

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    2·
    7 months ago

    Level 13!

    • Ashton taking another in Barbarian, gains the Advanced Brutal Critical (you can roll one additional weapon damage die when determining the extra damage for a critical hit with a melee attack. This increases to two additional dice at 13th level) ability.
    • Fearne takes a level in Druid (after three in a row in Rogue), making her a 10th lvl Druid, granting a
    Wildfire Circle Ability

    Cauterizing Flames
    At 10th level, you gain the ability to turn death into magical flames that can heal or incinerate. When a Small or larger creature dies within 30 feet of you or your wildfire spirit, a harmless spectral flame springs forth in the dead creature’s space and flickers there for 1 minute. When a creature you can see enters that space, you can use your reaction to extinguish the spectral flame there and either heal the creature or deal fire damage to it. The healing or damage equals 2d10 + your Wisdom modifier.
    You can use this reaction a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and you regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

    • F.C.G. takes a level in Cleric, gains a 7th level spell slot.
    • Laudna takes a level in Sorceror, gains an additional cantrip, the Metamagic feat, and the Empowered Spell ability.
    • Imogen also takes a level in Sorceror, gains a 7th level spell slot.
    • Orym takes another level in Fighter, up to a total of 33 passive perception. Matt offers to just give Liam his notes for the campaign. He also gains another use of
    Indomitable

    you can reroll a saving throw that you fail. If you do so, you must use the new roll, and you can’t use this feature again until you finish a long rest.

    • Chetney takes level in Blood Hunter (Blunt Hunter in the recorded short on Twitter), bringing him to 1 Rogue and 12 Blood Hunter, granting an Ability Score Improvement.
  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    2·
    7 months ago

    Sam’s Flask


    reads I N B I O at the bottom.
    With the cat mask, the joke is “Pussy in bio” a phrase more suited for a dating app.

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    1·
    7 months ago

    ♪Episode Song References♪

    ᕕ( ᐛ)ᕗ

    Highlights

    • 00:02:18 Mouse to you
    • 00:05:07 Liam:“lurcal kermit shirp.”
    • 00:14:56 Laura:“Boot her to the curb!”
    • 00:22:16 A Gigantic unstoppable Mass Dispel wave pulses out from the central spire.
      Marisha:(weakly)“Counterspell?”
    • 00:22:59 Laura sinks into her chair already
    • 00:29:03 Ashton makes a door with his hammer.
    • 00:32:04 Taliesin:"I’m going to punch the wall of a building we’re not going into…Natural 20 (finally 90 siege damage)
      Matt:“You hit it right on its load-bearing central pillar, and the entire structure (collapsing noises). Mind you, there’s a part of your brain that’s super impressed that your friend just single-handedly destroyed a building. Immediately, every other soldier shifts over into space, and you hear (Gloamglut screeching) .”
    • 00:35:27 “Dark Fire Gaze”
      Sam:“Save against the gaze (realizes from Marisha’s awkward laughter that it sounds like he said ‘Against the Gays’)… it wasn’t intentional.”
      Liam and Marisha:“They are fire!”
    • 00:35:42 Travis and Liam enjoy Taliesin’s hand gestures.
    • 00:38:50 Travis:“I just realized, that outfit is sus.”
    • 00:42:21 Zathuda:“FEARNE! That was you at the Sablecast Grounds, wasn’t it? How fitting my singular kin fights against me. Bucks the order and call. You are your mother’s daughter.”
      Marisha:“He sounds hot.”
    • 00:48:37 Ashley sounds like an auctioneer while figuring out what creature to choose for Polymorph.
    • 00:57:06 Liliana Temult arrives after trapping the group in a cage of Stoneshape.
    • 00:58:30 Imogen:“Know what, Momma?”
      Liam becomes intensely interested in the results of the roll and can barely contain his excitement. Then back to serious face.
    • 01:01:20 Liliana:“I don’t want Ludinus to see how powerful you are. He’ll make you the vessel instead.”
      Marisha’s reaction
    • 01:02:24 Marisha:“Come on, bish.”
      She looks back at the city, her hair floating in the air, and you can see the central glass pillar starting to thrum and pulse with light. She goes,
      “The Mind is lookin’. I have to think…I’ll find you. I’ll find you. Go. Go!”
    • 01:04:17 Travis’ precious reaction to encountering the Weave Mind. Looks like he’s trying to jump in Liam’s arms.
    • 01:07:44 Sam:“Quick! Distract them with a toy!”
      Matt:(laughing)“You will…ooh!” slide whistle noise
      Liam:“Whoever can get the crazy ball in the cup!”
      Travis:“Give in to your wonder!”
      Liam:“It’s called a Slinky.”
    • 01:09:05 You get, with each of these bits of focus, you feel like your mental fortitude becomes paper. You are being looked through like a screen door. They just glide around, these illusory Reilorans, calm. The rest of the chaos and screams around you all becomes this distant, muffled (soft dissonance).
      Orym:“Nana Morri I really need you right now. We need to get out of here, all of us. Now.”
      The four of them look past you (Orym) and back to you (Imogen).
      “You. You’ve come home. We’re happy to have you. The rest may stay. No. They resist. They must go. Welcome home.”
      The illusions vanish.
    • 01:15:53 The teams find each other. Sam considers this the perfect time for a playful jump scare while they are slithers.
    • 01:17:43 Imogen:"God, I wish we had a way to burrow a tunnel.
      Sam:(garbled squawking)
      Laudna:“It’s the fucking slithers! Get it!”
    • 01:20:34 FCG finally has a tongue as a slither
    • 01:24:03 Ashton:“I leveled a building. It’s been a weird day.”
    • 01:25:10 Fearne and Imogen’s Wonder Twin Powers… end up not being needed. But it was a cool idea.
    • 01:25:45 Imogen:“Have you seen any big worms on Exandria?”
      Fearne:“So many. So many.”
    • 01:29:04 Travis:“You had one job.”
    • 01:30:23 Fan Art Moment Ashton’s Orca-style tunnel collapse.
    • 01:35:26 Laura:(in a loving/backhanded reminder to Travis)“You’re the only one that rolled and failed.”
    • 01:36:00 As you think ahead and listen, you don’t hear anything coming from any direction. You glance out of the corner of your eye, from one of those side tunnels, and you see a shadow running, with no sound, just made of some dark, ethereal, gray power. As it runs in (wooshes), it suddenly has color and Otohan is here.

    INTERMISSION

    • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
      1·
      7 months ago

      As you are going through the shifting tunnel expanses, the rocks and platforms and sections of it, still kind of rough and very makeshift and “function over aesthetics”, of course, the various offshoots. You come across one as the shadow of Otohan Thull arrives and she translocates into its place as she pulls the blades from her side, glancing about.
      “Oh, you are irritatingly slippery.”

      • 01:52:10 Marisha:“The Ring of Brass endures!”
      • 01:53:51 Marisha and Ashley:“Teacher’s pet!”
      • 01:54:47 Sam:“I’m in the middle, in the open right there.”
        Laura:(heavy sarcasm)“Great idea…”
        Ashley:“What’re you doing?”
      • 01:56:56 As Orym makes a beeline for Otohan’s backpack, one of his teammates is inspired to “let him cook”.
        Travis:“Take your time, chef, take your time.”
      • 01:57:29 Travis:“How dare…”
      • 01:59:12 Mind you, the backpack has been slightly reinforced since the last time you fought.
      • 02:01:30 Laudna summons a hellhound named Carpaccio Caviar into battle.
      • 02:03:24 Ashley successfully begs for fries. Sam does not.
      • 02:05:16 Ishta, the Summit Blade
      • 02:08:44 Scream Needle?!
      • 02:09:08 Marisha:(weakly)“Bane.”
      • 02:09:55 Marisha:“Ugh! Fuckin tits!”
        Liam:“This is not as enjoyable as that.”
      • 02:11:32 Chetney is killed by Otohan. “For four hundred years, I looked up to the moon. Not a bad place to go.”
      • 02:12:38 Matt rolls again for Otohan’s Psy-Knight damage bonus. This is usually limited to once per round. Maybe it’s the backpack?
      • 02:14:29 Fan Art Moment Ashton emerging from the wall in his Legendary form, slamming into Otohan.
        Travis:“That mini is ridiculous, bro.”
        Matt:“I know. I’m so happy how it turned out.”
      • 02:14:53 Ashley:“Don’t fuckin leave the table right now. Don’t you dare.”
        Travis:“I had a wedgie. Glad I got this burger.”
      • 02:17:11 Matt updates terrain ON THE FLY! Fancy pants!
      • 02:20:24 Fan Art Moment Fearne goes into her Legendary fire titan form.
      • 02:23:12 Marisha:“I played a monk for three years, shut up! Let me read into this incorrectly!..Maybe she’s not a monk…”
      • 02:24:53 Random flying fries!
        Laura tries eating one sideways and makes a funny face.
      • 02:25:51 F.C.G.:“Chetney Claws lives!”
      • 02:33:15 Imogen successfully removes that damn backpack from Otohan.
        Matt:“Can’t use any of her Echo or Incarnation abilities now. That’s a shame.”
      • 02:34:55 Travis quietly wishes Laura wasn’t “talkin shit”.
      • 02:37:40 Laura’s happy dance during Orym’s turn.
        Matt:“Crit machine, over here.”
        Sam:“It’s Critmas.”
      • 02:41:40 Marisha:“I am shooketh.”
      • 02:42:15 Marisha:“Fuck you! I’m coming for you, you cunt!”
      • 02:42:46 “No one puts Baby in a corner.”
      • 02:46:05 Imogen falls to 0 health.
      • 02:47:20 Caviar (the goodest boi) misses an attack. Sam barks for encouragement. Ashley rolls a nat 20.
      • 02:51:50 Chetney “Chetters” Pock O’Pea, healer extraordinaire.
      • 02:52:17 Liam:“Let’s go Titans” (works with Remember the Titans or DC Teen Titans)
      • 02:55:05 Sam:“I’ll go get Liam.”
      • 02:57:37 Ashley:“What bullshit!”
      • 03:02:05 Caviar misses and everyone barks in support.
      • 03:03:38 Matt:“That’s why she’s the Legend of the Peaks, man.”
      • 03:09:26 Orym scoots from the crowded corner
      • 03:10:48 Sam:“What do I want to do” rubbing nipples
      • 03:11:30 Laudna casts Hunger of the Shadow (makes a melee spell attack against a creature. On a hit, the target takes 4d8 necrotic damage. When Hunger of the Shadow is used by Laudna, it strengthens her connection Delilah Briarwood)
      • 03:13:18 Laudna casts “Yell at Plants” (Blight)
      • 03:17:50 Otohan ascends to “Exalted Fury” form.
        Laura:“Full DBZ. (in Travis voice) Did she just fucking go Super Saiyan?!”
      • 03:18:41 Marisha and Laura power up.
        Travis:“That’s my favorite.”
      • 03:21:36 FCG embodies the Gunshow comic This is fine.
      • 03:21:44 Sam:(cartoon voice)“Eradicator! (DC Comics character)”
        Laura:(Mickey Mouse laugh inspired by Taliesin’s mouse ad)
      • 03:23:11 Laura:“How fucking dare…” (callback to Travis earlier 1:57:29)
      • 03:25:24 Imogen and Chetney are knocked unconscious
        Chetney:“Deanna…”
      • 03:30:07 Travis:“Look at that face! What did you make?! She doesn’t even have a backpack on!”
        Marisha:“Fuckin’ terminator.”
      • 03:32:52 Fearne casts Flaming Marisha Ray at 5th level
      • 03:33:36 Ashley:“BITCH!”
      • 03:34:02 Ashley’s wonky dice bring her ridicule
      • 03:36:00 F.C.G. is knocked unconscious.
      • 03:37:45 Imogen revives with a nat 20 on a death save and she plays dead.
      • 03:41:00 Marisha sounds like Miss Piggy
      • 03:43:07 Laudna revives F.C.G. with Wither and Bloom.
      • 03:48:28 Otohan uses a Supreme Healing Potion for 66 hp (20d4+20)
      • 03:48:48 Dani:“Fuck you!”
      • 03:50:11 Orym is knocked unconscious
      • 03:56:40 Matt:“She is the Legend of the Peaks, man.”
      • 04:01:48 Casting Mass Cure Wounds puts F.C.G. over the stress threshold and goes berserk.
      • 04:03:17 Imogen sends to her mother:“Otohan has us in the tunnels. It’s about to be over. Help.”
      • 04:12:03 Orym is knocked unconscious
      • 04:15:13 Laura:(to Sam)“Don’t you get to choose detonate?”
      • 04:15:44 Travis:“I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne…” (Indiana Jones Last Crusade reference)
      • 04:16:10 Sam:“It would kill everyone.”
      • 04:16:22 “OH MY GOD”
      • 04:16:46 Ashton falls unconscious.
      • 04:18:56 Imogen once again remains silent in the face of pain, deceiving Otohan into moving on
      • 04:22:56 Laura:“Orym and Ashton have one hit point.”
      • 04:24:01 Matt:“To me, it’s the end of a story. Which means opportunities.”
        Laura:“Oh my god. He’s talking like we’re going to die. He’s already talking about a TPK, we’re at that.”
      • 04:25:29 Sam puts in his extra set of lucky teeth.
      • 04:26:13 Sam chooses to cast on himself to self destruct. “The rage that I feel. The stress being so high. The fuel pumping through my core. It has reached a level it’s never reached before, and it is so intense that for the first time, I realize that I am made of metal and wires, but I am alive. I’m alive for the first time. And I am alive, not because I was made by D or Dancer or even the Changebringer. I’m alive because they (Bell’s Hells) made me alive, and it’s the connections that I made with all of them. It’s a feeling of joy, and I’m happy to do this, because they saved my life, and I’ll save theirs.”
        Everyone contributes dice for his damage roll (20 d8).
        Otohan is successfully killed in the blast.
        “I think the last things I see things I see are Bertrand and Dorian and F.R.I.D.A. and I just feel connected to everybody. Some connections are made with wires, and some are made with blood, and some are made with bone, and some are made with wood, but they all matter. Even in this dark, dark cave, they make every day a smiley day.”
      • 04:35:53 F.C.G.'s stats image is changed to greyscale
      • 04:37:15 Sam:“What about the little wooden feet hanging on the rock?”
        Matt breaks:“You motherfucker.”
      • 04:38:11 Laura:“I’m going to kiss my fingers and put em on the ground, ‘Thank you, Letters.’”
      • 04:38:41 Numb and distracted, but pushing ever onward because that’s what this is about, you eventually all clamber, breaking through to the red light surface, the feeling of the wind and dust on your face, terrifying but also welcoming, as it’s quiet up here. You see the lavender spark of Liliana begin to descend. She takes your (Imogen) hand already knowing from your faces, she says
        “I’m sorry.”
        Imogen:“Me, too.”
        Here, as the dust gingerly rolls by, the clouds clear on the distant horizon, the vision of Exandria up above, the stakes are clear.
      • 04:40:42 Taliesin:“I like being on the other end of this.” (Not really the same as Ashton’s sacrifice was the opposite; selfish and everyone was pissed, but wutevs)
      • 04:41:30 Forgot about the Staff of Dark Odyssey, oops.
      • 04:42:17 Matt:“Fucking Sam Riegel.”
      • HedlosaEnglish
        1·
        7 months ago

        4:40:42 I think Tal was referencing PC death, not the sacrifice

        • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
          1·
          7 months ago


          by HugoP.arts


          by battle_furanky


          By Samurai Rusk


          by Jenny Dolfen

          • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
            1·
            7 months ago


            “A Game of Cat Ad Mouse”


            Catchin’ fries


            “How dare…”


            “Maybe she’s not a monk…”

    • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
      1·
      7 months ago


      Eating fries sideways makes funny faces


      If Travis could jump in Liam’s lap, he would


      The vessel?!


      Saiyan power-up

  • UltragrampsOPMEnglish
    0·
    7 months ago

    Combat Round Breakdown

    by DustSnitch

    Legendary actions are bolded, the hyperlinks are for D&D spells publicly available on D&D Beyond or Critical Role Wiki, and reactions are italicized and placed right next to their trigger.
    The casters’ number of spell slots are listed from their lowest level to their highest (ex. 1/1/1 means the character have 1 spell slot of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd level).

    • Otohan Thull: More than 440 HP, 2/2 Action Surges, 12/12 Psi Dice, 3/3 Legendary Resistances
    • Orym: 102/144 HP, Action Surge 0/1, 2/6 Superiority Dice
    • Laudna: 117/117 HP, Spells: 3/3/3/2/2, Sorcery Points 9/10*, Unsettling Presence: 0/1, Mirror Image in Effect
    • Chetney: 97/108 HP
    • Ashton: 33/132 HP, Rage: 4/5, Chaos Burst: 4/5
    • Fearne: 67/83 HP, Spells: 2/3/3/1/2/1, Wild Shape 0/2
    • FCG: >17/113 HP, Spells: 1/1/3/1/1/1/1, Channel Divinity 0/2, Divine Intervention 0/1, Staff of Dark Odyssey 4/8 Charges,
    • Imogen: 75/83 HP, Spells 2/3/1/2/1/0/1, Sorcery Points 5/13, Mage Armor In Effect

    End of Combat Status

    • Orym 0/144 HP, Action Surge 0/1, 0/6 Superiority Dice, Indomitable 1/2
    • Laudna: 55/117 HP, Spells: 0/2/2/2/0, Sorcery Points 0/10, Unsettling Presence: 0/1
    • Chetney 23/108 HP
    • Ashton: 0/132 HP, Rage: 2/5, Chaos Burst: 2/5
    • Fearne: 49/83 HP, Spells: 1/3/3/0/0/0, Wild Shape 0/2
    • Imogen: 1/83 HP, Spells 2/3/1/1/0/0/1, Sorcery Points 3/13
    Faithful Care Giver
    • FCG: Dead, Spells: 1/1/2/0/0/0/0, Channel Divinity 0/2, Divine Intervention 0/1, Staff of Dark Odyssey 4/8 Charges

    Notes

    • This total is assuming Marisha is marking off 1 Sorcery Point for every use of Quickened Spell, because otherwise she would have ended the fight using 3 more sorcery points than her maximum.
    • With four attacks and two action surges, it’s safe to assume that Otohan is a level 20 Fighter with access to the maximum 12 psi dice.
    • Exaltant Fury restores both of Otohan’s Action Surge, gives her Resistance to all damage, and increases her Armor Class by 4 to 25, one higher than the AC of Campaign 1’s final boss.