#avalir be damned
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I’m still not done. I’m at the 5hr mark, it has taken me three days and more than 30 pages of notes to be nearing the end of this finale. I just want to take it in. But one more comment. One moment from that last battle that struck me. This one:
Brennan: On a 16, you must make a tough decision. Do you want to further limit the release of energy, and make the release of energy safer for the physical environs of Avalir and Cathmoira, or do you want to ensure that Rau’Shan and Ka’Mort will be permanently banished from Exandria?
Aabria: Laerryn’s little joke to herself was always that the Heart of Avalir was the thing she inherited but it was too small. She made it bigger, she improved it. She improved the Etheric Net, and built this, and that she was the Heart of Avalir, and she gave everything to this city. But I know what people are fighting to protect and I remember what Quay said about going down with the ship. So. We will ensure it. This will work. Avalir be damned.
Brennan: Avalir be damned. No more mistakes. The names are locked into place. You inscribe the final syllables of the list of all the hundreds of names that Patia learned. They’re fixed into the crystal. This cannot miss.
I want to just … I’m going to bring you all back to one of my favourite movies as a kid, and probably my favourite Disney movie ever, Disney’s Atlantis. There’s a moment in that movie (spoilers) when their massive steampunk submarine is attacked by an absolutely titanic alien leviathan machine, and they’ve been grappled and punctured in its claws. It’s a battle they can’t win, and it will be over in minutes. There is this one second shot of Audrey, the ship’s teenage genius engineer, running through the sub’s flooding corridors and closing a bulkhead door while there’s visibly still a crewman running for it on the other side. Because the one thing that cannot happen is the water hitting the boilers and basically vaporising the ship, and she needs those bulkheads to buy as much time as possible. So, in this split-second shot, she makes this absolutely incredible, awful, stone cold decision to seal this one crewman’s fate to buy the rest of the crew more time.
I want to repeat that this is a Disney movie, and this moment isn’t even commented on. Atlantis has an absolutely amazing body count for a Disney movie that isn’t Mulan (incidentally, also one of my favs). Nobody mentions this moment. But it’s the still moment that struck kid!me most strongly in the entire movie, and I love this entire movie.
Audrey, this tough, mouthy, funny, amazing character, this teenage genius engineer in charge of the most advanced steampunk submarine the surface world had ever produced, made the split-second horrific choice to seal a screaming man’s fate to save as many people as possible.
Laerryn: I remember what Quay said about going down with the ship. So. We will ensure it. This will work. Avalir be damned.
The rest of the cast have already done everything that can be done to get people out, by air, by teleport, by tree. They’ve done everything they can. Avalir is overrun. Cathmoira is hopefully being fully evacuated while the devils stand down. As many crew as possible have gotten out that bulkhead door. But the water is hitting the boilers. We have less than 12 seconds. There is no saving this ship. And maybe we can save the rest of the world.
So Laerryn closes the bulkhead door. Because she’s the only one who can. Because she is the Architect Arcane, and this is her city, and this is her Leywright, and Laerryn has always been the most stone cold, goal-orientated person in the room. In any room. She doesn’t hesitate, because there is no time.
The same damned, hellbound determination that got them into this mess is going to get them out, because the Leywright will work. It was always going to work. She cannot save her city, she cannot undo what they have caused, she cannot put the betrayers back in their box. But she will be damned if they use her city and her work and her life to bring through anything else.
They thought they could come to an Age of Arcanum city, with its Architect Arcane in the full of her powers, and use that city further without her express permission?
No bitch. This Emperor and Empress are going on an expressway flight off this fucking plane no matter who likes it or not.
Kid!me was in heartbroken awe watching Audrey in Atlantis.
And adult!me is in awe watching Laerryn.
I suppose what I’m trying to say here is that Laerryn was always going to be my favourite. Nydas snuck up to probably be joint first, and I’ve been in constant fucking awe of everyone these entire last two episodes. But Laerryn was always going to be my favourite.
#exu calamity#exandria unlimited calamity#episode 4#spoilers#laerryn coramar seelie#disney's atlantis#i have a type#avalir be damned#closing the bulkhead door#engineers#engineers and DAMNED engineers
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We have the Divine Gate with its telltale latticework, and a similar weaving that appears around Ruidus, and the "city" within.
And then there is the Tree of Names, once in the center of the Arboreal Calix. A tree growing through the leylines, whose purpose was to be a wall, a gate, a pen, to protect Exandra from things beyond. We know the Gau Drashari created the Tree, siphoning off power to keep it whole and intact, to keep at bay those entities who would wield death and destruction, to write their names over and over across its limbs.
The Ruby Vanguard and Thull are intent on ensuring that "the event” coinciding with the apogee solstice comes to fruition - freeing Predathos from its crimson prison, the release of a hound to chase and consume divine prey.
And Orym asked: What does Zephrah have to do with any of this?
The Ashari hail from the Gau Drashari, Druids who somehow, someway, were able to "tend to the work of the Wildmother and the Dawnfather, to seal [the] Primordials away." Knowledge has been lost over centuries and eons, but secrets that are kept have a way of surviving, being whispered to become legends and lore, guarded still by leaders and sages. So perhaps, just perhaps, the Ashari, the guardians of the portals to the Elemental Planes, might know still how to secure and seal away primordial darkness.
If there exist those who might hold fast the secrets of how to weave that golden mesh, how to scribe names into rites and spells, how to draw forth magic and make it into what could potentially leash a god-hungry hound, then why wouldn't the Ruby Vanguard seek to undermine the most revered and powerful of those tribes? Let loose the monster, but only after bringing ruin to the ones who just might be able to prevent its rampage.
Ancient arcane knowledge might be the only thing that can recapture and wound something from beyond the stars. An understanding of the ley lines, and how they can be manipulated. And somewhere, perhaps, if there are indeed descendants of Maya Agrupin, there may be other secrets held dear - secrets that swirled within a gifted orb, and hold truths of a past forgotten.
#and then there's whatever is going on with the hishari#and ashton's memories#and is D actually devexian and are they seeding the world with aeormatons#because another care and culling is nigh?#there's just so damn much#lore and revelations and hints and just such damn good storytelling#matt mercer playing the eons-long game here#critical role#cr spoilers#ruidus theories#the ashari#and yeah - dammit all - I hope we get to see maya (and patia's) legacy somehow#that orb is really the legacy of the entire ring of brass though#and the bittersweet story of avalir
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We will ensure it. This will work. Avalir be damned. // from “Fire and Ruin”
Further fantasies of an animated Exandria Unlimited in the style of Legend of Vox Machina, this time with me trying some shots of Laerryn Coramar-Seelie. I had a lot of fun with these!
#critteredit#critical role#exandria unlimited#exu calamity#exu#laerryn coramar seelie#exu laerryn#cr laerryn#aabria iyengar#i'm in isolation right now and i haven't been able to focus on anything#so i have been rewatching calamity on repeat. thank you calamity for giving me company.
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There is something so deep about Laerryn's choice in the finale, and Brennan's phrasing of the decision to be made.
To clarify, this scene (copied and pasted from the CR wiki transcripts):
BRENNAN: On a 16, you must make a tough decision. Do you want to further limit the release of energy and make the release of energy safer for the physical environs of Avalir and Cathmoíra, or do you want to ensure that Rau'shan and Ka'Mort will be permanently banished from Exandria?
TRAVIS: Impossible.
AABRIA: Laerryn's little joke to herself was always that the Heart of Avalir was the thing she inherited, but it was too small. She made it bigger, she improved it. She improved the Etheric Net and built this and that she was the Heart of Avalir, and she gave everything to this city. But I know what people are fighting to protect and I remember what Quay said about going down with the ship. So we will ensure it. This will work. Avalir be damned.
or this timestamp of the episode (in case the link doesn't work for the timestamp, the first comment's list has it labelled Laerryn's Tough Decision):
youtube
As we were first introduced to her, Laerryn Coramar-Seelie is the Architect Arcane. As Aabria herself even put, her whole life, all her work, is about taking the city and making it better. Building more. Expansion is the name of the game. So when Brennan specifies that the limiting of energy output will save the physical environs rather than the people, that holds weight.
Just, in a mechanics aspect, there is the fact she is an Abjurer. The whole point of her magic is exactly this choice. To stop things from being destroyed. Her wards that take the damage so that she or others will not. She is not built to bring destruction, leave the fight to others. She will be there to soften the blows that come her allies' ways. She is the one one deciding this, and it feels right, because she's spent her studies dedicated to figuring out how she will prevent the destruction that comes her way.
But that isn't all.
Because any other hero, any other party member, every other soul faced with this question could so easily think that it is a useless decision. A city can be rebuilt, but only if the Betrayer Gods are stopped before they kill all the people that can do so.
But Laerryn, who has dedicated her years to this, the position of Architect Arcane, knows this city and her structures far more intimately. She has been there, step by step, as she forged them. Designed them. Watched over their construction. It is by her hand it was built.
Asking her, specifically, is asking her to choose between everything she's done, or let it all burn. Asking her to make this decision is asking her to decide her legacy. Will she live on as the maker of the land that survived such devastation, but not the people, or will she go down as the one who helped stop the Calamity?
Her choice boiled down to this: Limiting the energy, their work, the libraries and churches, the colleges, grand towers and hallowed halls, stone and mortar, it all can go on unshattered. Or, stopping the Betrayers, the people may continue on.
Was her work more important than the lives she was surrounded by?
Aabria mentions Laerryn was given the Heart of Avalir, jokes how she improved it. But the Heart of Avalir, while magical, is only an engine. It was made, and can be again. So in this moment, I think Laerryn maybe realizes that the true heart of a city comes from the people. Always thinking, thoughts speed by her, whether or not she ever had time to really process the revelations before her demise.
Evandrin is already gone due her hubris. Who else would she lose? Would it have felt like home, without Loqautious there by her side? Would it truly feel like her city, without Patia keeping up with her? What would she cause, without Nydas to hold her back? What is Avalir, without her Brass Ring?
Her assistant, probably still waiting for her, in their offices, and the choice of which will see tomorrow?
How many will feel the heat of Rau'shan's flames as they die? How many will fall to Ka'Mort's earth?
None, she decides. Her friends and neighbors, the kinsmen of her home, will not feel these pains.
I think it is also a moment that beautifully showcases her accepting her death. She will not be here to heal her city. She's going down with the ship. Maybe her blueprints will be found and used, and Avalir will be as it once was. Maybe they won't, and they'll construct it all anew. But she won't see it, so it is their turn to take what was given and build on.
Of course, Rau'shan and Ka'Mort were not the only assets of the Calamity, and damage and destruction was still wrought across Exandria. But there are enough hands to clear the ruins and make their own stories. And that is because of the greatest Architect of them all.
She gave them a chance indeed.
#exu calamity#exu laerryn#laerryn coramar seelie#architect arcane#aabria iyengar#these thoughts refused to leave my head so long they owe rent#but they couldn't pay up so now i'm kicking them out#aka posting it so other people can deal with it#lowkey teared up the entire time i was writing this#which is better than when i'm trying to sleep and it shows up as a late night thought#and then i go to sleep fucking sobbing#because it's so beautiful#this is the shit#that i love#i don't even know like anything else about exandria#i watched calamity for#aabria my beloved#and brennan lee mulligan#was surprised when i saw lou wilson was part of it#Youtube
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"DAMN THE RING OF GOLD, THE PEOPLE OF AVALIR MUST SURVIVE!" nydas im going to frame photos of you all over my house.
#critical role#cr spoilers#exandria unlimited#exu calamity#exu calamity part 4#exu spoilers#nydas#quote#scene#cr liveblogging#lou wilson
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Tonight, on “how many ways can you experience catharsis through someone else’s D&D campaign”:
“You can hold all the knowledge in the world, but if it dies with you, it doesn’t matter.”
“Do I know that he’s gone?”
“Yes.”
“My eye is on you.”
“Don’t touch me”
“I’ve waited so long to do only that”
“No no no no no no no.”
“There is a place among the stars where only your heart can reach, and I’ve known it since I met you.”
“What follows the age of arcanum eventually must be the age of salvation.”
“A love as profound as any that have been on Exandria surrounds you.”
“There is no god that strides this world that I worship more than I worship your heart.”
“I vow this: I bear your name. I bear it on this stone. And one day I will bring you home.”
Revivify and pure ether.
“Hope that you are forgotten.”
“Are your children safe?”
“They are. I hope it was worth the risk.”
“I just cut you off and kiss you.”
“In the kiss, I cast cure wounds on you.”
“I forgive you for anything you think you’ve done, and so does Evandrin.”
“I push the locket into your hand and run away.”
“I cast teleport to Maya, to Cerrit’s children.”
“I think it will be easier for us both to forget, don’t you?”
“And somewhere in the world, someone is holding the work of your life.”
“It’s all on you, smart girl.”
“We’ll all find our way to where we’re going next.”
“Damn the ring of gold, the people of Avalir must survive!”
“The material goods mean nothing anymore, only life. That is what we serve.”
“Avalir comes before any oath I made in a past life.”
“You choose ruin and the world. You choose to cast aside the gift of your court and the right of your kin and all those of the realm of your birth, to remain here in the realm you have chosen.”
“I’m sorry, my lady, I love you, but I love another more.”
“I would rather mine break and yours remain whole”
“Remember the architect arcane, Laerryn, the most beautiful woman in the world.”
“I’ve always chosen the city, and I’m going to choose my son.”
“You will always be five years old to me, no matter how much you grow.”
“What you see on the outside doesn’t matter, my son. Just remember what’s here, and you will always see me for who I really am.”
“Y’all decided to be dads, like what the fuck.” (Aabria and Marisha and I were all on the same page with this).
“Will you marry me?”
“This will work, Avalir be damned.”
“I love you, my family.”
Travis’s INCREDIBLE HDYWTDT
“I would like to ready an action so that, should I fall, I drive my blade into my best friend’s heart.”
“As I go down, I make sure I don’t miss.”
Patia’s final wish.
“Do not leave me. You cannot leave me now.”
“Are you the woman who doomed the world, or are you the woman who saved it?“
“What have you done?”
“My best. Finally.”
“There are many things that you do not see but it would be right for you to know.”
“The last thing you see is a griffin made of stars, called back to its feather, bearing on its back a young boy bearing a journal.”
“Elias leaps into the arms of Evandrin, reunited.”
“I will find the secret of how these worlds were made, and I will come and find you.”
“Do you think anyone will talk about how beautiful your dream was?”
“No, but that’s all right. It was real for us.”
“What matters more? The dream, or the dreamer?”
“There are many more dreams to come.”
“New dreams don’t have to tread the paths of the old.”
“Wingspan, I’m here. They’re both here. They’re both here. Tell me you’re coming.”
“Darling, is this goodbye?”
“No. No. Those children are the best thing we ever did. And it’s going to take a lot more than this to keep me from coming back to them, and you.”
“I’ve been able to become anyone I want my whole life. But I just want to be with you.”
“I can’t believe that the thing I almost broke beyond fixing was us.”
“Meeting you and being loved by you is a miracle, so I know they’re real.”
“I’ll move to the door, and look. My children deserve that.”
“That’s a 31.” Cerrit’s miraculous survival
“The brass ring endures. I want you to know, you gave us a chance.”
“I don’t think you hear anything back, you just feel relief.”
“One day, the people of Exandria will triumph, and the calamity will end.”
“At the end of it all, hope will return, as many times as it needs to.”
“And the fire as brightly as it may burn does not burn as brightly as your love.”
“And on a 31, at the very top of that cloud, the last member of the ring of brass gets to keep his promise to his family.”
“You don’t get to give your kids the world that they deserve, but you get to give your kids the world that they can fight for with you.”
“It did happen, and it did matter. And though the calamity is here, because of you, it will not be here forever.”
Truly an incredible collaboration by every member of the EXU: Calamity cast. I spent so much of this episode experience strong emotions. It’s been a while since I cried during a Critical Role episode, but this one definitely got to me.
#critical role#exu: calamity#exu#critrole spoilers#critical role liveblog#critical role quotes#critical role spoilers#exu spoilers#exandria unlimited spoilers#exandria unlimited: calamity#brennan lee mulligan#marisha ray#patia por'co#lou wilson#nydas okiro#travis willingham#cerrit agrupnin#luis carazo#zerxus ilerez#sam riegel#loquatius seelie#aabria iyengar#laerryn coramar seelie#honestly this episode may be one of the best CR episodes of all time
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It's getting emotional over Nydas Okiro hours
"Damn the Ring of Gold! The people of Avalir must survive!"
"If you'll allow me... I'd like to ready an action, so that should I fall, I drive my blade into my best friend's heart."
"Brother! It's important to dream!"
A man who's loyalties, under all the pomp and bravado, always lay with his people, and his friends.
A man who saw the end of the world coming, and used his final moments to save Zerxus from a fate worse than death.
A man who was never not a comforting and steadfast presence to his family, both in blood and in bond.
The heart, the force of will and goodness behind the Ring of Brass. What an incredible character from an incredible series
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From the moment that Exandria Unlimited: Calamity was announced, everybody was saying that “we already know how it ends, what matters is how they get there. We already know it’s a tragedy.”
Except... it wasn’t tragic. Not really.
Nydas made sure that as many citizens of Avalir survived as possible. He made sure that the students of the Sorcerer’s Academy, his pride and joy, made it out of the city. His brother and his sister-in-law made it out of Cathmoira.
Zerxus got to see his husband again, got to see his son one more time before everything went to shit, He made sure Tempus got out, and because of that, they were reunited. And even though he ended up damning his soul and serving the Lord of the Hells, he did it because there was no other choice he ever would have made.
Patia realized as she died, 1 in-game second into the episode, that you can have all of the knowledge in the world, but it means nothing if it dies with you. Against all odds, she got a second chance, a grand total of an hour and a half before she ended up dying for good, and she fucking took it. She made damn sure that that knowledge didn’t die with her. And she always served Avalir, but Avalir is not the cobble streets or the ivory towers or any of the Rings. Avalir is its people, and she served them to the very end.
Loquatius was given the opportunity to leave, and he chose to stay with the woman he loves, with the world he loves, with the people he loves. He got one final message out, and with it, made sure that as many people were warned of the danger as possible, made sure that they knew to escape and where to go to do so. He got to be there to see Laerryn’s life’s work reach completion, and that was the whole point, wasn’t it?
Laerryn got to see her life work reach completion - not the way she thought it would, but in a way that mattered infinitely more. She did something brilliant and incomparable, surrounded by her loved ones, in and for and as the Heart of Avalir. She and Loquatius made amends and rekindled their love, and in the last few minutes of their lives were married again. ‘Til death do they part.
And Cerrit broke off from the rest of the party, one of the most taboo things in TTRPGs, and because of that he was able to find a way to make sure his family was safe, he was able to get to his children before things got too bad, he was able to get them out of the city. He fucking killed Vespin Chloras, saved his friend’s life, and made it possible for her to prevent the Primordials from re-entering the world. With one final telepathic map from Laerryn and a symbol of a broken pact from Loquatius, was able to escape and make it back to his family.
None of them died with regret. None of them wished that they had done things differently, there was no “would have, should have, could have”. There was more hope than anything else in this story.
#kc speaks#Critical Role#meta#EXU: Calamity#The Ring of Brass#Nydas Okiro#Zerxus Ilerez#Patia Por'co#Loquatius Seelie#Laerryn Coramar-Seelie#Cerrit Agrupnin
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Worldbuilding: A Critical Role Gen-fic Rec List
Well hello friends! Please enjoy these nine amazing fics about the wonderful world of Exandria and the heroes who live there! Oh, and don't forget to show the authors some love if you liked their work!
ways of helping by Mikkeneko (3622,Teen)
Warnings: None
Pairings: Beauregard & The Mighty Nein, Beauregard/Yasha
Beauregard is on her period and having a rough time. The rest of their nein help.
Reccer says: It's a nice little bit of hurt/comfort with a side of xenobiology and thought about what it would be like to have to deal with a bad period on the road.
swallowed with all hope by renquise (14319,Teen)
Warnings: None
Pairings: None
In Eiselcross, Essek writes reports, makes new acquaintances, tries not to die in snowstorms, and thinks of all the things he did and could have done.
Reccer says: It's absolutely beautiful and a very insightful depiction of what Essek's time at the Vurmas Outpost would have been like - and I appreciate the amount of thought that was put into the surroundings and what life would have been like in Aeor.
talon two by jhai (honekujira) (3047,Teen)
Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings
Pairings: Cerrit Agrupnin & Kir Agrupnin & Maya Agrupnin
Kir's history of using codenames over the sending stones
Reccer says: Amazing family feels but also a lovely glimpse into what life might have been like in pre-Calamity Avalir.
A Thousand Words for Snow by Schistosity (21016,Teen)
Warnings: No archive warnings apply
Pairings: Jester Lavorre & Mollymauk Tealeaf, Jester Lavorre & Nott, Beauregard & Nott , Beauregard & Caleb Widogast, Caleb Widogast & Yasha, Fjord & Yasha
A series of studies on the Mighty Nein and their language proficiencies. How language fails us, connects us, and defines us.
Reccer says: It's a fascinating study about how different members of the Nein might interact with the languages they know.
You Can Take a Fearne Out of the Feywild... by Beauteousmajesty (2992,General)
Warnings: none
Pairings: Fearne & Imogen, Fearne & Orym
A series of fics about Fearne and her feyness
Reccer says: I love Fearne, and this series does a very good job of exploring why Fearne is the way she is.
once upon a damn-you-all by grayintogreen (615138,Mature)
Warnings: None
Pairings: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast, Fjord/Jester Lavorre, Beauregard Lionett/Yasha
After their meeting in Zadash, Cree decides to travel with the Nein to try and get Lucien back. Things unfold differently from there.
Reccer says: This monster of a fic (over half a million words, plus multiple sequels) has so much description, worldbuilding, original characters and texture - it's a fantastic read!
Road Rags by Goose (4112,Teen)
Warnings: Discussion of menstruation
Pairings: The Mighty Nein
The women of the Mighty Nein (plus a bird child) talk about handling periods, because Beau is perpetually curious. Later they bother the others about it too, because Jester delights in sowing minor to medium-level discord.
Reccer says: This is a question that I also often ponder, and I love how it was addressed so organically. Also just feels like great girls hanging out vibes
Nova by AnaliseGrey (1221,Not Rated)
Warnings: Some light discussion of starvation
Pairings: Caleb & Nott
Nott discovers that casting magic makes you really hungry, and worries about what Caleb sacrificed for her in the early days.
Reccer says: I love the idea of other, secondary effects of using magic like this, and the way Nott discovers it and the care that it sparks is just lovely
Kinds of Light by Beauteousmajesty (1420,Teen)
Warnings: Major Character Death
Pairings: Two Original Characters
A view of Aeor before the fall, from the eyes of those that just live there
Reccer says: I liked it
If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. And if you would like to make a rec yourself, feel free to reach out to @professor-rye to request access to the submission form!
Next week, we'll be presenting gen fics focusing on parents and parental figures! Moms, dads, great-great-grand papis and stern sea captains who totally are only offering you a job, that's definitely it, no more.
#critter genfic rec lists#critical role fan fiction#cr fan fic#exandrian lore#the mighty nein#bells hells#critical role fan fic rec list#gen fic#worldbuilding
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Okay, okay. As a girl who grew up on the old swashbuckler films. Can I talk about the fucking romance of Nydas Okiro. Betrayed and backstabbed by his crew. Holding his wound. Panting in effort and grief. Telling his traitorous underling that gold means nothing if you do not use it to lift people up. That gold is a resource by which mortaldom climbs. That they are going to save the people of Avalir, and that cause goes above any oath he ever made in a past life.
You can picture so clearly in this moment the kid who joined a pirate crew to climb the skies. The dream he must have had. The dream he shared with Laerryn.
And it’s the end, and he’s betrayed, and he’s standing on what has to be one or two fucking hit points remaining, and he stabs that traitor in the front, and uses every resource he still possesses to get as many people as possible out and to defend them in the process.
And he’s … he’s not only betrayed, he’s rewarded. For the man he’s been. Because Alessander steps up, Alessander thinks to save the sorcerer school, this other piece of Nydas’ dream. When Nydas and his conjured dragon are standing alone and surrounded by devil puppets, the fucking sphinx from earlier, the sphinx from the parade, busts in and rescues him, and has been protecting them the whole time from further tampering of the constructs. Nydas was the first to step up, to try and protect the tree, to try and avert catastrophe, to try and hold the line, and that ripples out. His people stand up around him.
And an entire army of constructs, on Nydas’ word, burst out of the Golden Scythe to defend Avalir as she dies. His ships fly to evacuate her people. The world might be damned, he might be nearly dead, but by Avalir, he and this city will go down fucking swinging, and saving everyone they can.
The romance of this man. I can’t even.
#exu calamity#exandria unlimited calamity#episode 4#spoilers#nydas okiro#i can't#i grew up on pirate movies#my childhood heart sings for this goddamned man
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You solve the mystery of who your children were.
What matters more? The dream or the dreamer?
There are many more dreams to come.
Dad why is your ring glowing?
DAMN THE RING OF GOLD! THE PEOPLE OF AVALIR MUST SURVIVE!
What follows the Age of Arcanum, must eventually be the Age of Salvation
There is no god that strides this world that I worship more than I worship your heart.
Do not bother with my name. In the darkness I saw my name would be destroyed and I asked beyond all things not to be forgotten, and I know the Lord of the Hells will see that wish granted.
Weak.
Sire, I am with the Herald right now. He is about TO CAST A SPELL!!!!--
The replenishment is cancelled.
Yes brother, all will be well.
Do not leave me. You cannot leave me now.
If Domunas is the smile of Exandria, then let’s shatter her teeth!
The chain of islands known as the shattered teeth is all that remains.
The Ring of Brass endures.
Do you think anyone will talk about how beautiful your dream was?
No. But that’s alright. Because it was real for us.
#the ring of brass#exu#exu calamity#critical role#cr spoilers#critical role spoilers#exu spoilers#exu calamity spoilers#i'm still crying#never okay again#the worst is when you wake up to typos lololol
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There is a literal ecosystem on Ruidus, that due to my love of all things speculative evolution when mixed in with a dash of fantasy has me very intrigued.
Dwendal’s likely dead, the Cerberus are fighting themselves, there is unrest across the Empire and others are attacking prisons. Man, that sure sounds like an interesting set up to something. Wink, wink
Vasselheim is turtling.
Many of the Reilora are jealous or hateful of the bounty and joy those on Exandria have known from observing their dreams.
Ludinus is out to absorb the moons power, Leliana is out to do something to free Imogen, and if Predathos gets free and eats the Gods Exandria is facing an apparent Two-Way invasion by Demons and the natives of Ruidus.
Ashton has the Light of the Luxon and the Blood of a Titan pumping through his veins, and they apparently don’t get along!
Imogen is willing to give herself to Predathos to learn what it actually is.
Orym, my sweet boy, has earned himself a title! Savior Blade of the Tempest!
Chet has that evil fucking Demon Blade. (Things can only go well there)
And know we’re going to see Devexian and enter thr moving, elementally-charged islands of the Shattered Teeth!
Amidst the Death Blow of Avalir, picking through the corpses of continent and Primoridal alike, where Calamity was Born, can our heroes find the pieces they need to avert another?
Damn I am truly pumped for the next couple episode for the first time in a WHILE!
Not jazzed that Laudna’s emergent “Whataboutism” has now shifted from the Primordials to the Reilorans, cause the repeated back and forth talks were really dragging me down, BUT, the fact that Imogen, FCG and Orym, all raised points against her theory.
A question though, Predathos gets out… the Heart of Ruidus… what is actually going to happen to that moon?
See y’all next week for the hunt for Devexian (And hopefully a look at Orym and Ashton’s new art.)
#critical role#critical role spoilers#cr imogen#cr fearne#cr laudna#cr orym#cr ashton#cr chetney#cr fcg#ruidus#predathos#reilora#ludinus da'leth
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Cannot get over how perfectly that wave of destruction hit the party's magic items.
With Patia: her staff of power and ring of protection succeeded (she went out protecting Laerynn and casting a 9th level spell), but her ring of mind-shielding failed (she realizes soon after that keeping all she knows to herself is pointless and sends her orb, her memories, to Maya)
With Loquatius: his ring of protection, shiftweave clothing, and message tubes all failed, but the ether spell slot made it (all he ever needed was Laerryn)
With Nydas: his defenders scimitar and ring of protection succeeded (he protected his friends and the people of Avalir till the end), but his bag of holding failed ("Damn the treasure...the material goods mean nothing anymore, only life")
With Laerryn: her all purpose tool succeeded, and her ring of masks failed (to do this all she needed was her clever mind, her clever hands, and to trust in the people around her)
With Zerxus: his holy avenger was obliterated, all of his other magical items succeeded, but his shield failed (I noted this when it happened live, Zerxus can't shield them, shield himself, anymore. And y'know: "you know me, I would never have let my guard down like that. I took those blows." he knew it was better if he didn't)
I know it was all dice rolls and just luck but man, sometimes things work out huh?
#exu calamity#exu calamity spoilers#critical role#cr spoilers#exandria unlimited calamity spoilers#exandria unlimited calamity#sometimes the dice are magic
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Placing such a hard time limit using the Calamity was exceptionally good and also inherent to the tragedy of it and im thrilled by it. Don't get me wrong, forced time limits in tragedies and doomsday stories are common for a reason. They work, and they work well. but just, within the context of EXU Calamity, its really getting me.
because its always about not having enough time, right? its about expecting that you'll have more. There's complacency with power, and mistakes, and wealth, but maybe what the Ring of Brass were most indulgent with was time.
(you always think you'll have enough time, more time, another replenishment, another deal, another broadcast, another batch of bright children. youll get another time to hash out an argument with your father. you'll get another time to stay home with your kids and get to know them. you'll get another time to apologize and explain and fix your broken relationship. there's just something else, right here, right now, that should get done first.)
The Ring of Brass were rich, in so many ways. They had power, and wealth, and a million responsibilities, and so maybe they would've argued they had ZERO time, actually, and they just needed to sort everything else out first, and they'd have enough time to figure everything else out later.
but that's the point, right? There's never really a good time for this. for the important stuff, or the end of the world.
(Laerryn was, perhaps, the primary person in the Ring Of Brass operating under a time limit from the get-go, trying desperately to get the Leyline working, because if it wasn't now, it would be never. Because Quay wouldn't live that long. But even she assumed that was the extent of the time limit, that for Everything Else, there would still be time.)
(And is that such a ridiculous expectation? Is that so foolish of her? Of all of them? You never expect the world to end. You don't have infinite time, sure, but- you've got tomorrow, or next week, or- just not now.)
And so it is tragic, but it is also weirdly satisfying, to see the way time got shattered and stretched and sped throughout that last episode. The first second lasted forty minutes. They get maybe two hours at the hands of a damned demon, and its the best blessing they've ever had. Rounds are six seconds. A broadcast is maybe thirty. A healing word, a Wish, a Wall of Force, all buying paltry seconds that make all the difference. The dawn is coming, Avalir is landing, there's so much that has to be done, and that won't get done. We watch them make hard decisions, over and over, and over, and we keep saying "there's not enough time". Because of course there isn't. There could never have been.
#look i dunno alright ive just got a lot of thoughts and feelings about time and priorities and tragedies#critical role#cr spoilers#exandria unlimited#exu calamity#exu calamity part 4#meta#the ring of brass#my meta#speculation#theres like 5 trains of thought in this meta but im feeling too lazy to break it down into multiple posts so here ya go#its something like 1- the ring of brass were rich and complacent and that extended to assuming theyd have time later#2- the general role of time limits in tragedies and the 'i thought we would have more time' as a very classic sort of setup/delivery/etc#3- sense of urgency and fear and also /purpose/ that the time limit provides working BEAUTIFULLY for calamity specifically#4- laerryn was operating under a time limit before too. the decisions you make under time constraints are not always wise. but youre trying#5- theres not enough time. they shouldve gotten more time. there is unique tragedies for each of them that they didnt get more.#6- time IS a soup#ok im good. this is why i havent written a lot of posts after the finale they all look like this. also ive been busy. i Also dont have time#spar speaks#narrative meta
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In episode 3, after Zerxus absolutely obliterated Mylas Fren, Brennan said, "if you're a warrior of status in a city full of wizards, then you've gotta be a damn good warrior." (IK that's not the exact quote, someone can correct me if they want to <3).
I keep going back to this, because it's not just a testimony to Zerxus' ability. It also distinguishes him from the rest of this city, this city that he thinks is beneath him. It reminds us that he's an outsider here who has somehow managed to stay afloat.
However, I didn't realize until ep 4, until Zerxus failed to redeem Asmodeus, until he looked upon the Betrayer God with pity, until he condemned himself to the hells — that this quip from Brennan was also warning us just how much hubris Zerxus really had.
To be an outsider, who has found a way to rise in the flying city of hubris, must be a man of hubris himself. Zerxus always looked down on the city because he thought himself above the politics, the performance of it all. But in looking down — perhaps in pity — he never realized how similar he really was. He was an outsider, yes: because his ambition was greater than any wizard that called Avalir their home.
#exu calamity#exandria unlimited#critical role#d&d#critical role exandria#exandria unllimited calamity#exu spoilers#exu: calamity#zerxus ilerez#paladin#paladin 5e#ring of brass#first knight#hubris#wizard#wizard 5e#brennan lee mulligan#luis carazo
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How do you pick a favorite Calamity character when they are all so excellent?
Zerxus who believed so strongly that anyone could be saved that he damned the world, damned himself, who given the opportunity to cross over to whatever awaits after chose instead to stay. Hope in redemption still stronger than despair.
Patia who spent her life collecting knowledge and at the end of all things sending that collection away in the hopes that it might someday be shared.
Laerryn who for all her many faults used her life’s work to save the world from a fate far worse than death. To give all the ages after a chance.
Loquacious who could have escaped and left Exandria to her fate, stayed, and in doing so gave the people of Avalir, of Cathmoira, of Exandria the few moments warning they needed. Whose love for Laerryn made all the difference.
Nydas, a pirate, the master of trade, who saw the ending of the world and knew there were things far more precious than gold. Who gave everything he had built to the protection of the people of Avalir. Who in those final moments when all there was left to was run, made sure there was somewhere to run to.
Cerrit. Cerrit who walked away and in doing so saved his family. Both by blood and choice. Cerrit who removed Vespin from the final fight. Cerrit who in the end survived the destruction of Avalir, saw the first hand what awaited and still pressed on to keep his promise to his children.
How do choose between these flawed people who stood at the edge of despair, chose hope, friendship, love and family. Who looked a God in the eye and forced him to blink first.
#critical role#exu: calamity#spoilers#zerxus ilerez#laerryn coramar seelie#patia por'co#loquatius seelie#nydas okiro#cerrit agrupnin
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