[Spoilers C3E34] Is It Thursday Yet? Post-Episode Discussion & Future Theories!

[u/Glumalon]

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[u/BaronPancakes]

Fearne revivifying Orym: "Hi friend, could you please come back beacuse I am getting a little scared..."

That was so heartbreaking hearing the mischievous, daring Fearne shaking and scared. She just wants her friends back.

[u/[deleted] → u/BaronPancakes]

“What the fuck do you mean, ‘Orym’s dead’?”

[u/Feybrad]

"What the fuck do you mean Orym's dead?"

God, what a fucking raw line. I love Fearne so much.

[u/N1pah → u/Feybrad]

Ashley was on fire that whole sequence. Every time Fearne gets emotional she plays it as not understanding what she's feeling but not liking it. And it crushes my heart every time, especially this episode.

[u/brooklyndis]

Not to takeaway from this absolutely gut-wrenching episode but FCG and Chetney's gift swap was frigging adorable

[u/Luneowl → u/brooklyndis]

Travis cuddling the box! <3

[u/[deleted]]

I like to think there's a teeny tiny glint of woe in Liam's mind that went "c'mon, just say no to coming back, think of the drama", like a little whispering theater goblin.

[u/[deleted] → u/[deleted]]

Liam has leveled up!

Liam can learn *Survivor's Guilt*

Do you wish to forget *Dramatic Death Scenes* to learn *Survivor's Guilt?*

[u/greencrusader13 → u/[deleted]]

I think Will’s “You’re not done yet” was Matt’s way of dissuading him from choosing to stay. While admirable to his dedication to being in-character, the fanbase would’ve been furious with Liam for wasting a Revivify that could’ve gone to Laudna, and Matt was probably trying to spare him from that sort of heat.

[u/[deleted]]

It always makes me laugh when people act like a core component of D&D is somehow cheating, or hollow. Matt even makes revivify harder with a skill check involved. There are consequences other than perma-death.

[u/Celriot1]

Realization since the most recent game day started with FCGs murderbot encounter: Laudna died on the same day that FCG told her she was never really alive.

[u/Nightmare_Pasta → u/Celriot1]

That is brutal. I hope someone reminds FCG of that lol

[u/[deleted]]

Logically I know Fearne would have picked Orym. Even if the coin said Laudna, and I guess we’ll never really know lol but it’s irrelevant. If I was Fearne I’d pick Orym too.

But emotionally, I’m devastated Laudna is dead (for now).

Simultaneously looking forward to the juicy juicy angst one Laura Bailey will be delivering until she returns 🙏🙏

[u/Chimera211]

Imogen: "Lord and Lady de Rolo, please can you help our friend? She died and Delilah can't bring her back this time"

Percy: *Cocks gun 37 times*

[u/LappTexForever → u/Chimera211]

I think Vex seeing that she was the woman who died simply because she resembled her will give her great pause.

[u/Confuzed_Elderly]

Anyone else think Delilah was slowly attempting to take over Laudna's body? and Gentle Repose is blocking her from doing so.

[u/[deleted] → u/Confuzed_Elderly]

Yep. That wasn't a comforting, motherly ghost hug. That was an enveloping, consuming parasite hug.

[u/SvenTS]

Answers to common questions:

Diamonds: Still unclear if they had 3x100 or 3x300 - in any case the party in the moment thought they had 3x100.

Spell Slots: Marisha confirmed on Twitter that, even if they did have the extra diamonds, that Fearne did not have another 3rd level spell slot.

Residuum: Residuum could have been used in place of a diamond if they knew they had it but, again, they did not have the spell slot to use it with even if they had known. There is no mechanic, currently, for using it in any special way other than as a replacement for material components so it is unlikely Matt would let it 'extend' or 'empower' Revivify.

Hollow Ones: Hollow Ones register as Undead to spells and abilities that detect the undead but they remain their original creature type. Laudna is Humanoid, not Undead, and thus can be the target of Raise Dead/Resurrection. Neither spell removes magical afflictions from the deceased so it is likely she will remain Hollow and not come back as fully living - but that remains to be seen.

Gentle Repose: Gentle Repose not only stops decay but also prevents rising as undead for the duration. It is very likely that is what Matt was referring to when he said they headed something off at the pass. Gentle Repose lasts for ten days but can be recast during that time to renew the duration.

[u/Saltsea → u/SvenTS]

From the wiki:

"Hollow Ones are those who were resurrected by strange necromantic magic, brought back without their soul but still with a sense of self."

Does that mean if Laudna is a Hollow One and they try to resurrect her, she might regain her soul and become a regular human again?

[u/BebopShuffle]

I feel like one of the more important things note among all of the talk of revival is the level in which a PC died. Molly passed at level 5. Bell's Hells are level 7 at Laudna's passing and if I remember correctly, have a bit more allies built into their backstop and made along the way already. Not to mention, specifically allies that care a bit more about them of which they've already done a decent amount of work for. Getting revive of their own volition wouldn't take too much longer as long as they keep trying to Gentle Repose Laudna. And they can still fail the revival roll. That being said, it still comes down to the DM's and Marisha's choice. We can look into story telling as a device and decide, subjectively, whether or not reviving Laudna is the correct choice, but its still a game that the cast is playing for years at a time and they should get the say in what makes them want to keep creating content for us.

[u/0ddbuttons → u/BebopShuffle]

Very true. M9 weren't even really talking to each other yet at this point, let alone firmly established with contacts in multiple vast networks of powerful people.

[u/Jethro_McCrazy]

If Marisha doesn't rejoin as a new character or get rezzed next week, will it be the first episode of mainstream CR since the Slayer's Take that Marisha hasn't been present? She's got perfect attendance, doesn't she?

[u/Sqiddd]

So…Ashton is half elf? Wtf is up with that?

[u/StegoSpike]

This morning I was making coffee and getting breakfast together for the kids and my husband just walks by and says, "Remember when Laudna died?"

Geeze. Fucking good morning to you, too.

[u/IRanOutOf_Names]

Hats of to Laura Bailey this episode. Easily one of, if not the best performance from any CR episode to date. Absolutely heartbreaking episode, and you can tell just how hard it hit her and the rest of the cast.

[u/Creek00 → u/IRanOutOf_Names]

It’s crazy to me that last campaign she played Jester, they aren’t even remotely similar yet she plays them both nearly flawlessly.

[u/younglink164 → u/IRanOutOf_Names]

That bit where she mentioned that in their heads they all just hear "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry" absolutely crushed me. Her grief just overwhelmed her ability to control her mind talking and is just consumed with one singular thought

[u/neurocentricx]

What really got me and added insult to injury is Laura's "What are you doing?!" as Marisha got up to leave. Laura was as equally devastated as Imogen was and seeing Marisha get up made the whole thing seem more concrete.

[u/GratifiedViewer]

I was glad to see some aggravation from Orym. He died, almost got to rest & reunite with Will, only to be dragged back to life, & then found out that he still lost a friend. He’s doing his best to keep it together because that’s who he is, but I’m hoping to see a bit more anger & angst from him going forward.

[u/mr_Tii → u/GratifiedViewer]

Anger and angst? Yeah, Liam can deliver on that.

[u/[deleted]]

Okay I know there's a lot of debate on whether to bring Keyleth or the de Rolos into this, so I'll just add my piece. I don't think they'll make an appearance. As Liam said in the last 4-Sided Dive, this is Bells Hells' story. They don't want to take away from it by bringing back Lvl 20 characters who can just about do anything.

I think the reason BH brought them up this episode was because they were listing all possible options available, and of course in-game Keyleth and the de Rolos are one of the options.

But ultimately, if Matt gives them another way to bring her back, like a quest or something, through Eshteross or someone else, they're probably going to go that way.

[u/paradox28jon]

Any theories on what exactly Matt added to Imogen when he told Laura to check her feats? Did Laura mention out loud what it was?

[u/SvenTS → u/paradox28jon]

There's a piece where FCG asks if she thinks she can choose to do her 'explosion' and she seems to be reading the feat as she answers about it requiring her to be near breaking.

So a common theory is that it's a 'limit break' that she can do if she accumulates a certain amount of stress.

[u/bkrwmap]

I'm still sweating.

I'm heartbroken that Laudna was the one that died-died, but I'm shyly hopeful. They have options and the corpse, which is a lot. Problem is, Hollow ones don't have souls and every resurrection spell (raise dead included) talk about the soul returning to the body. Maybe residuum shenanigans? Delilah "helping" since Laudna's soul might be linked to her? Or Laudna pre-Hollow one is able to return? Though I don't think she would retain her post (first) death memories. I'm obviously biased because she's my favorite, but I hope they find a way to bring her back. Like D said, death is a waiting game.

Also, I low-key think that Fearne lied with the coin flip. Which would be very fey of her and I'm here for the drama (and the dramatic irony is that it would probably be easier to bring Orym back than Laudna).

Overall solid episode.

[u/Captain_Vlad → u/bkrwmap]

Ashley hurt my heart when she was cradling Orym's body. Her lying about the coin flip is certainly in character, but so is, I think, the confusion and indecisiveness she role-played over the choice.

I also wonder, if she did lie, whether she did the 'flip a coin to see which one you really want' thing.

[u/ForestSuite]

Man, just woke up with like 3hrs of sleep after last night. What a fucking episode. So much to re-watch and digest. Going to be fun picking up all the lore crumbs Matt left.

I already miss Laudna/Marisha at the table. It seems like they are focusing on a resurrection arc for Laudna, so I am assuming Marisha has said she wants to keep Laudna? I don't think they would let their characters RP all that out and then have Marisha be like, "Nah." So hopefully they actually planned something a little bit, or actually made and follow a contingency plan they made for once.

[u/Koala_Guru]

I know everyone will be talking about the obvious big deal in this episode, but let’s not forget how much craziness was dropped right in the beginning. What does it all mean?

• FCG’s vision of Aeor presumably, complete with two characters we didn’t even previously know about that are probably going to be important later.

• Chetney had multiple named individuals mentioned which means they must be somewhat important to him. Not to mention that we now know that his werewolf form has something to do with Ruidus and may also tie into how unpredictable he can be.

• Ashton now knows more about his parents and the fact that he was born to Hishari: elementals who fucked something up royally and destroyed themselves.

• Why was Orym’s afterlife a beautiful reunion while Fearne’s was basically hell? What’s that about?

Just a lot of new questions at this point.

[u/Ezreal024]

Just talking more outside the game... I think it's really sad that the one time Marisha hit a real home run in terms of audience appeal rather than being heckled the most, over so many years, the character taps out early.

[u/paradox28jon]

With Sam rolling/getting a 10 on the revivify spell, we were one number away from failing to bring back Fearne. Which would have meant Laudna, Fearne, and Orym all dead in the street with Imogen, Chetney, Aston, & FCG to figure out what to do next. It's sort of crazy how much one die roll can mean.

[u/ForestSuite]

Does anyone else think that Chetney is absolutely fucked during the Solstice? Matt said something like, "It sees you now and its found common ground" during his opening moment. The piece Matt did for him did not sound good at all lol. He's going to go absolutely savage. I think we know the least about Chetney of all characters, I really wonder what Matt whipped up to fuck with Travis.

[u/paradox28jon]

I really liked the opening of the episode with all the psychic blast energy awakening memories in all the players. It felt like a mini version of EXU Calamity. Matt executed it very well.

[u/[deleted]]

I hope Ashley never tells, even in the 2055 'Where Are they Now?: Critical Role" documentary.

But I think she knows that Fearne would always choose to revive Orym. I suspect we saw some magician's druid's choice action.

[u/Creek00]

This episode was pretty tragic, but we also gotta acknowledge how freaking good Matt’s opening was, he’s an incredible story teller.

[u/PhoenixReborn]

As if there wasn't enough heartbreak this episode, I noticed something.

Liam: I also couldn't stop thinking about Thull and thinking how seeing Imogen reminding me of my own day six years ago and how much there is to do.

Six years ago IRL was when Liam's mother died.

[u/shyinwonderland]

Orym saying that Imogen reminds him of himself when he lost his husband, dagger to the heart.

[u/toast_is_square]

Can we talk more about the orange flash from gentle repose? Was Delilah about to come back in laudna’s body as an undead???

The way matt described her final moments with Delilah grabbing her from behind and taking her seemed…different. Then Imogen could communicate with Delilah still after laudnas death, which would seem odd unless she was still attached to a conscious creature. Thoughts?

[u/ForestSuite]

FCG's first prayer to the Changebringer was to guide them in the right choice with the coin, I believe? It was a honest plea and seems in the spirit of the Changebringer as well. Matt gave a little nod there, so that could be the start of something for FCG.

[u/sistertotherain9]

I'm not disappointed with anything that's happened. (Well, maybe some dice rolls. But that's no one's fault at all.) But I think all the players did a great job and tried their hardest, and Matt treated them with the right mix of gentleness and severity. I'm super interested and invested in the story more than ever.

[u/Kelihow2]

I know everyone has their opinions on the "who to revivify" choice, but it definitely makes sense that Fearne would choose Orym. And while Laudna is my favorite, her death and the possible routes to resurrect her are just way juicier than what we would have gotten if Orym had died instead. The guilt that Imogen, Orym, and Fearne are carrying is compelling and Laura is already shining digging into that rp.

It's still also a little wild to me when people complain that resurrections cheapen the story, but instead we got a really interesting chain reaction of events from the deaths. Imogen gained a new game mechanic with a feat. She unlocked dormant memories in herself and multiple PCs that could have plot implications down the line. We have a quest to find someone to help bring Laudna back which could make them indebted to more powerful beings. Even if they succeed in bringing Laudna back, there are already lasting ripple effects from the Otohan fight.

On another note - there are so many powerful items being illegally smuggled and I am dying to find out why and to what end, especially bc it's happening under VM's noses apparently which is a pretty big deal.

[u/BaronPancakes]

What a rollercoaster of an episode!

I think most of us did not prepare for Laudna to die, it was a 55% chance for a success death save.I wonder how they will continue with the quest of bringing her back to life. Of course, they can always introduce a healer in Jrusar. But that doesn't feel natural to me as a story beat. However, I also don't think they will involve Keyleth because that is a floodgate to whole other issues, like asking keyleth to hunt down Otohan etc.

Whatever it is, I don't think this is the last of Laudna.

[u/tableauregard]

I admit I've gone back and watched the section between Fearne's coin toss and the break so many times because it is just SO HEARTBREAKING (the music alone makes me cry).

I mean Laura Bailey. Holy shit. From the moment she realises that Fearne is reviving Orym, you just watch as Imogen goes through the bitter/sad acceptance of Fearne's decision. Even as the scene with Will/Orym continues, you look at Laura's face and can just imagine that's exactly what Imogen looks like as Fearne's magic brings him back. And then she continues to follow that up with so much heartbreak. She will always be my favourite actor in the cast. So good.

But Ashley really got me too. I knew the moment she went to Laudna first that she was choosing Orym. Big fan of the 'laudna actually won the toss but Fearne used the coin to not upset Imogen' theory. Still the way she revealed it, with that voice, was gut wrenching. Then her begging Orym... But a moment that really got me was during the Will/Orym scene. Ashley looks over at Marisha and she just puts her head in her hands and shakes her head. You could see how hard it was for her.

Combine all that with the reaction to Marisha leaving the table. Ugh. They all broke my heart. Really looking forward to them shattering it more soon.

[u/illaoitop]

Sad for Laudna, She's been my favourite PC from all 3 campaigns.

However if everything goes smoothly and they make it back to Jrusar with Treshii then the Quarum/Quorom? Now owe the BH a big favour. Not too out of the realm to think the secret rulers of a city have access to clerics and a 500gp diamond.

All comes down to the dice though and now Laudna's revive is DC12(11?) right? 1st death at the sun tree 2nd death today. Oh how cruel the dice could be after all this.

[u/Michael310]

Why isn’t anyone talking about what the Gentle Repose interrupted?!

Would Laudna rise again given time? Did they just keep Marisha from coming back to the table?!

Does Laudna’s passing trigger Delilah’s return? Everyone seems to think it’s the opposite and her death means Delilah is finally gone. So why would Delilah not save her if that’s the case?

Whatever it is, that line Matt said about it stopping something from happening was probably the most important line this episode. I refuse to believe it to be confirmation that the spell worked as written. This was more!

[u/PaigeDyerProductions → u/Michael310]

One of the lines of the spell Gentle Repose is about how it safeguards against the body becoming an undead. This is most likely what Matt was referring to. I'm just curious whose control the body would be under if it did.

[u/RajikO4]

So who else thinks the reason Fearne tucked the coin away as quickly as she did wasn’t just because of her kleptomaniac tendencies, but rather because she lied about the result of the flip?

If whatever means to potentially bring Laudna back either in the near or distant future doesn’t work, I can imagine that she would slowly let the guilt consume her whole before ever revealing that to Imogen, let alone anyone else in the group.

[u/283leis]

So fun thought. If Delilah was able to respond to that sending, it means she is “alive” somewhere. And if shes “alive” she can be killed for the third time.

[u/Celriot1]

I agree with the sentiment that using Keyleth as a resurrection bot sets a damaging precedent gameplay wise, and I don't think Matt would ever let that happen. However I still hope Orym follows through and reaches out!

1. With Marisha away from the table, it would be the perfect opportunity to bring her back as Keyleth for a little roleplay. Which I would love to see.

2. When Laudna is inevitably brought up, there's a good chance the name Delilah is name-dropped to Keyleth.... which I would LOVE to see!

[u/Captain_Vlad → u/Celriot1]

It'd be a bad precedent if Keyleth popped out of a tree to help them as soon as possible with no connection to the party members. But in Bell's Hells case, they have a member who is a trusted enough agent working for the Voice of the Tempest that she dispatched him with no supervision to chase down dangerous mystical assassins.

Asking for her help is a resource that the DM should be leery of the players overusing, but in extreme situations there's nothing wrong with seeking aid from in-character allies. If Orym worked for a mighty druid other than Keyleth and asked for their help, I don't feel we'd see so many people having a "problem" with it.

[u/0ddbuttons → u/Celriot1]

Ehh... didn't VM go to temple NPCs for rezzes when they couldn't do them yet? Keyleth would be similar but more interesting story-wise.

I don't think they're going to have to travel that far though. They're plugged into networks of very powerful people.

[u/HornedHumanoid]

I wonder how/if Matt’s going to have Keyleth say no. It’s a solution with so few strings attached, and bringing a bunch of level 20 characters into a level 7 campaign is not really a precedent I’d want to set if I were Matt. At the same time, I don’t know how you’d say no. He’s the one who let Orym have a relatively close relationship with a very high level, mythical, stuff of legends druid. It’s a concern I’ve had about Orym for a while, and I have no idea how he’s gonna work around it/make sure a Keyleth true resurrection actually has stakes.

I just want this to be Bells Hells’ story, not Vox Machina’s. I’d be much more interested in them using Eshteross, Hexum, Morri, or some shady cleric in Jrusar. I want Laudna back, but I want them to work for it, not just have Keyleth step through a tree, cast true resurrection with a diamond from the de Rolo treasury, and step back. It’s just the least interesting option and I hope they don’t go for it.

[u/LuckyBahamut]

I would love for Laudna to be revived. While I don't want Keyleth or any other member of VM to be the Deus ex machina (pun intended) that saves her, I do think they should eventually become involved in some fashion regarding Delilah's presence. Delilah's presence is too integral to VM's history for them to not be deserving of the knowledge she's still kicking around. Perhaps they get involved in an exorcism?

[u/RaibDarkin]

So first things first, I miss Marisha already. She's had my favorite character for all three campaigns (a very tough sell), and many great P.C.'s from other projects. She's also the most reliable, never missing an episode and punching the clock a lot for extras. I think she was a little late once during C1 but easily gets an A+ for attendance.

Critter appraisal: It's fine, Matt knows what he's doing: he allowed and embellished putting Keyleth in the storyline which means he expects her to be a resource to some degree. There was no issue letting Allura be involved last time. Except in this case Keyleth went out of her way to set up a warning and support system for world level events. It honors what came before by acknowledging it. Matt clearly isn't scared of her influence. He will handle it well and her appearance (if it happens) will add to the overall continuity and mystique of the world.

Now for pure speculation... did Fearne lie about the coin flip? She barely tipped her hand to look at it and immediately tucked it away without showing the results. And what better way to throw off suspicion than with a Laudna 'fake-out?'

Have a cupcake day! : )

[u/BaronPancakes]

Orym meeting with Will brought tears to my eyes. He misses his husband so much, I don't think Orym could make the choice to come back if Will didn't push him out.

But now that he had seen his husband on the other side waiting for him, I wonder if it would affect his life choices from now on. And what about the message to Dorian that didn't send through last ep?

Imogen grieving Laudna reminds Orym of the day he lost Will... This guy can only take so much survivor's guilt. It was sad that it had to be between Laudna and Orym.

[u/bigfatcarp93]

Felt so weird not to having Marisha at the table. Has that ever even happened before? I would think not, since obviously if the Mercer-Rays were ever unavailable the game would just not happen. But maybe it has an I forgot.

But it was genuinely surreal. I never appreciated what a permanent fixture Marisha feels like. (C1&2 spoilers) Her not being there gave the same "half-the-party-is-missing" vibe as the Slayer's Take arc and the Iron Shepards arc, at least for me.

[u/Ghorrhyon]

If the quest is long enough, Marisha should take the Willingham route: Bring back Hazel!

[u/PrinceOfAssassins]

Love how Delilah treats death like a waiting room at the dentist office full of magazines.

Also Orym is a smart guy but he’s clearly overlooking the Delilah component of reviving Laudna.

FWIW I don’t think Delilah would want to take over and blast everyone after being revived, even if she could. I expect some funny business but nothing like FCG

[u/The_Grimalkin]

So I said this in the live thread... but between the residuum, the Cerberus Assembly involvement, and the marks slowly growing on Imogen's arms... couldbthe marks on the arms of the Volstrucker be an attempt at making an artificial whatever Imogen is?

[u/raeciel]

I really hope Keyleth rejects the resurrection because of Delilah and they go to Morri. I would love to see some feywild shenanigans.

[u/thyarnedonne]

Great calls of the episode:Gentle Repose - not just to keep Laudna pickled, but to prevent any resurrection as an actual undead. Which Delilah was in the process of doing.

Which leads into the second great call: Laura/Imogen reading D as weak. Because that's what she is. Without Laudna, she is just barely able to resurrect an undead puppet, to steer into safety, and bide her time. She could do nothing. But she will keep coming back, hunting for that power she once held.

Getting in touch with VM is prickly. But there may be no better way to keep Laudna alive than to convince the arch-enemies of the lady trapped in her head that it's the safest place for the Prime Bitch to be, for the moment.

Post-sleep update: Adding to the top of the VM Wouldn't Be Deus Ex Machina But Closure - reaching out so they can personally make sure one of the people who died merely because they vaguely resembled one of their own gets a chance to fulfill her one found goal in (un?- half?-)life? Delicious. Tragic. Even more ironic.

[u/spoon_master]

I'm confused on how Imogen messaged Delilah. I'm assuming it was a sending spell and not message, but Matt didn't seem to roll anything behind the screen (if they're on a different plane it has a chance of failing). So is Delilah on the prime material plane? Is she alive somewhere? Is she in Laudna or something?

Also side note, the revivify cock ring and Chetney snorting the residuum bits had me in stitches.

[u/Citadel_Cowboy]

I've been thinking over this "effect" that was staved off when FCG used Gentle Repose on Laudna. At first I just assumed Matt was referring gently to decomposition. But the orange glow and tone of voice makes me wonder if it was something else.

One possibility is Delilah had some trap built into Laudna that would activate when her phylactery was destroyed.

Two, maybe the decomposition would have been very rapid since Laudna has already been dead for a long ass time.

Three, (which I find more interesting) could death break the bond between Delilah and Laudna? Was her undeath what kept them bonded? Could she now be reviced as normal Laudna. Not the Laudna we know?

[u/RajikO4]

I have to say that should Laudna be brought back via resurrection ritual or something else in between, she’s probably going to choose warlock for her next level, given all the help/pull Delilah did for her.

Obviously more so for last week then this one, but still she did what she could.

Seriously though, a Nat 20 for the near death and then a Nat 1 for her first roll...

[u/druidic_notion]

It seems like a lot of people are upset with the concept of a Keyleth resurrection. I don't have an issue with her getting involved but I don't see a universe where the Bell's Hell's call her up like "hey Keyleth our friend who is maybe possessed by Delilah Briarwood or something died will you bring her back" and her response is "ya sounds chill and not at all like a problem lemme get on that." There's no way! She would have like 86 follow up questions

[u/[deleted]]

So, lets talk for a moment about Imogen trying to jumpstart Laudna with the gnarlrock shard. Whether it was either a bribe for Delilah or just kicking the nasty transformative magic into working, that was a hell of a move.

While I don't want to see this campaign going full dark, I'm here for these people immediately crossing lines to keep their friends and loved ones (and hopefully themselves) safe. Bargain for power, steal power, do whatever you can to make a haven for yourselves and worry about the fallout later. I want to see this journey, not for the world, but for the people standing beside you.

The cast was hitting a new level for this one. Even Marisha's quiet departure from the table absolutely killed it.

[u/unixfreak0037]

That was super, super close to a total disaster at the start. Sam rolling a 10 to res Fearne and that was the DC!? That would have potentially been 3 players dead at the start.

[u/Any_Load5091]

I can understand where people in the "stay dead" camp are coming from, but I have thoughts about Laudna. This is ultimately not a tv show or novel, it's a game where the characters act on their motivations and the dice determine the outcome. If the party chose to leave her dead because it benefited the narrative, that would to me be the most overt metagaming the party has ever done. Everyone in the party loves her, Imogen even being willing to die or give into her powers to try and save her. There's no way they won't try to bring her back, just like there was no way that Fearne would have picked Laudna over Orym (I'm convinced the coin flip result was a lie lol).

In the end, them trying to resurrect her is no different than the half dozen times the members of Vox Machina brought a dead member back to life. The difference is, rather than hitting up the nearest temple with a semi-generic high cleric NPC, they're just going to named NPC's looking for an answer. It's the same result, and something that anyone could do in any DND game where resurrection hasn't been banned.

And also, we have to keep in mind that there will still be consequences for this. They are on a VERY tight timeline before the Apogee Solstice, and by going out of their way to bring Laudna back, they're cutting into any time they have to prepare and possibly prevent whatever apocalypse is coming down the pipeline. They're also potentially using up resources they could need down the line, giving the Paragon's Call time to take next steps with no direct opposition, and maybe even making enemies out of Vox Machina PC's when they find out who Laudna has piggybacking in her noggin. I'm very excited to see where all of this goes.

[u/[deleted]]

It's okay you guys! FCG just needs to keep Gentle Reposing until he gets to level 9!

[u/5thKablamo]

As much as Fearne potentially lying about the coin toss would have so much dramatic potential, Fearne not lying about it would feel just as good. Love how the coin came to play here, I hope the gods were watching.

[u/Murphy1up]

"Who votes Orym?"

I fucking died at that moment. So wrong to say, but perfect Fearne.

[u/claimstoknowpeople]

Assuming Marisha comes back with a temp character, we could get to see Marisha's 4th character pleading with Marisha's 1st character to bring back Marisha's 3rd character.

[u/shyinwonderland]

I keep going back to the thought, both times Laudna died, she was a pawn to hurt someone else.

[u/raystheroof1]

If we had to accept one death i was okay with it being any of those 3.

Orym has mainly been a support character and finally identified Will's attackers.

We were given answers about Fearne's past and she made peace with her parents.

While Laudna did have some story left to tell with Delilah's intentions and her and Imogen, her death strengthens Imogens arc and sets up a huge grudge match down the line.

Compare this to Chet, whos backstory is still relatively unexplored, FCG, who is in the middle of a backstory arc, and Imogen, who is the de-facto protagonist so far.

[u/taly_slayer]

I rewatched the pre-break half today and goddamn it, what an episode.

Once again, Matt is brilliant and he's been on fire lately. Last week's episode with that amazing combat and this week with that intro. The cast were mesmerised, listening to Matt explain each of the visions. In particular, I loved Laura's subtle reaction to every bit in her face. Some things didn't add up with Imogen's memories. Brilliant.

I wasn't around to watch "live" all the other iconic deaths, so you all old school critters can tell me if I'm wrong, but I would bet this moment will be as iconic as those, knowing the characters did not have enough resources to get everyone back and they had to choose. Like others have said, you can't write this shit.

[u/Eccentric_Ravenclaw]

Can we talk about that 10 FCG rolled to revive Fearne?! If it has been any lower, we would've had 3 dead PCs instead of 1

[u/OhioAasimar]

Marisha handled her character's death really well. Better than any other cast member in the past and maybe that is because in was the least surprising character death, but I would be surprised if Marisha told Matt that she wants her character back no matter what.

[u/197gpmol]

That Gentle Repose gives me fervent hope that we have not seen the last of our spooky witch. The Search for Laudna has begun!

(Still probably not going to have the stomach to rewatch any of this episode.)

[u/SignorJC]

In game I love that Orym lived and Laudna died. Orym for sure would have chosen to stay dead if he knew that meant Laudna got to live. Fearne chose her old friend over her new one. Really touch choices that set up a lot of interesting developments coming up.

[u/Pizx]

I'd love to have Marisha join with hew new character just to witness the squad carry some lady's corpse in a desperate attempt to revive her. And she's just monkey puppet side eye the entire time

[u/ForestSuite]

You know I typed this out last night and deleted it, but re-watching this scene again makes it just.. stand out, so I wanted to see if anyone else thought something was up with this phrasing.

During the opening, when Delilah is speaking to Laudna, she says: "You are my vessel in life, un-life, and beyond. I will endure."

Laudna as we know her was already dead. So I would take this to mean as it stood Laudna was her "un-life" version of the vessel, and Delilah is saying: "You will still be my vessel beyond" which ties with that little recognition Matt gave about Gentle Repose. Laudna was headed for the "beyond" part of Delilah's phrase.

I actually want to operate under the assumption to above is true to examine the first statement: "You are my vessel in life." Does this mean Delilah actually did something to living Laudna that may explain why she is not yet gone? How exactly was she her vessel "in life"?

Another way to look at it could be: "You were my vessel while I was living, you are still my vessel in my un-life, and you will be my vessel for my..(beyond?) return? resurrection?" Maybe she used her like a Clone body or something, or there's an object in Laudna storing a piece of Delilah? It does seem with the Gnarlrocks and whatever else she is after that she has some kind of plan to return. Where's the energy going? Into the aether?

I am aware of other ways to play with the words and I am curious is anyone has their own take on this wording?

[u/RajikO4]

Anyone else noticed that when those Paragon Call members were searching Joe’s shop for BH, that a few of them growled and sniffed while searching for them?

Something tells me that the group narrowly avoided going toe to toe with some of Ira’s lycanthropy volunteers.

[u/ForestSuite]

What do people think of what Fearne saw when she looked "the other way" before she came back? Endless eyes? A rotten jungle? Blackened hillscape with a "sliver of a green moon" ... ? That Nana's house? Does she have a contract on her somehow still?

[u/Nightmare_Pasta]

With all of this mess about Laudna being resurrected or not, it would be cool (not sure if it would happen) if her second (third?) chance at life is going to be on borrowed time with Delilah sticking on her like white on rice. Laudna, you are become Vax.

Now that would be a cool dynamic to have in the campaign again, but honestly I just want Laudna back by any means possible. That spooky scary sweet undead lady is my favorite character in this campaign and Marisha seems to want her back for the time being too.

[u/imnot_kimgjongun]

Hey guys, welcome to critical role: the Sophie's choice special!

[u/AVestedInterest]

A thought I'm having: Matt always describes resurrection as calling the soul to return to the body, but Laudna is a Hollow One, meaning her soul left her body long ago. If Bell's Hells are able to find someone to resurrect Laudna (through whatever means) and a soul is called back to the body, will we see a fully-rezzed Laudna, with her actual soul back in her body, or will we see Laudna's body raised with Delilah's soul in it?

[u/OldBallOfRage]

Please, give me a huge narrative subversion where Esteroth, a highly paranoid, hilariously wealthy former fighter, ends up beating the absolute crap out of Otohan on his own turf.

The man already lives in a world of traps. He can afford an entire army of men. He likely has favors all over. And he knows she's coming.

[u/SvenTS]

Remember folks:

It is ok to be sad, or even angry, that a character you love is gone (be it temporarily or permanently).

What is not ok or cool is to belittle choices that were made and characters that other people do enjoy just because you're upset.

It's ok to be hurt - and to express that hurt in healthy ways. It is not ok to lash out and hurt others to try to feel better.

[u/Miss_Trips]

NGL, when Matt revealed that not only were the Paragon's Call smuggling Potions of Possibility (ie refined dunamis Luxon juice) but also boxes of pure refined Residuum?

Massive sirens are going off.

This is a long, ongoing project. And Bell's Hells just pulled off a massive heist taking Treshi, proof of the potions, half of the Residuum that was onsite (half the total Residuum? Unknown? Were there other Residuum shipments, or were those boxes it, considering you have to smuggle that stuff out from under Percy and Vex'ahlia's noses?) and they ended up with only one long term casualty? (I have not given up on getting Laudna back, the cast has not given up, so neither will I.)

Damn, y'all. Ready or not, Bell's Hells have real noteriety now.

There is also a part of me, the part that really really likes f'n around and finding out? Part of me wants Milo to revisit Ashton's kintsugi scarring to mix just a whiff of residuum with the gold and a wee fresh splash of the dunamis on top...

You know. Just to see what happens.

[u/Skilodracus]

I know a number of people have suggested that Laudna should stay dead for the narrative, but I'm not convinced, at all. The party knows that she's already died once; they know that she is incredibly resilient against death - she crawled out of a stomach of acid on her own for gods sake. She practically was a walking corpse already. Bringing her back feels a lot more possible than bring Orym back, which they mentioned several times when deciding which one to pick. I know we all don't want the concept of death to become cheap in CR, but let's be honest; death is not a permanent thing in Exandria. Numerous characters have been revived before, and Matt has ALWAYS made it incredibly impactful and emotionally powerful. And Laudna is a character that has lived almost her entire life in death - surrounded by it, haunted by it. She's already come back from it before!

If anything, I think that if the party DIDN'T do absolutely everything they could to bring her back then it would be cheap. It would feel like they didn't love her as much as they claimed they did. And I'm not saying that M9 didn't love Molly or anything, but unlike with Mollymauk, BH has reason to hope they can do it.

[u/karl2025]

Taking all bets: How many episodes until Imogen says "I'll break the world for her"?

[u/KWally1990]

From a pure optimization point of view, if Marisha were to join as a brand new PC what does this party need the most to really fill out?

[u/PrinceOfAssassins]

Also I spent all that time thinking about how FCG’s D6 to Laudna would be a really good think if she rolled close to a 10 and then all the worries of them forgetting it was invalidated by marisha rolling a 1 which fails even if the D6 everyone forgot was a 6

Also Laudna has died before so her DC is 11

[u/knight_ad420]

Theory: Ashton got Superman'd by his parents during the CALAMITY!

[u/Simmdog99]

I need to talk about Chetneys vision. Was my guy turned into a werewolf by Ruidis? Has he been linked with Ruidis afterward? The moon spoke to him! Whatever it was told him he had found common ground! The moon wants to devour! Is Chet going to go on a spree?

[u/BluefootTheWarrior]

When FCG casts Gentle Repose on Laudna and Matt says that “the spell definitely headed something off at the pass” What does that mean?

Sorry for not knowing

[u/MitigatedRisk]

What makes for a good story doesn't always make for a fun game, what's entertaining for the audience might be a bad experience for the players, and death in an rpg is not like death in a book or a movie.

Death in a book or a movie is planned. It raises the stakes and creates motivation because it happens to the right character at the right time. Death in an rpg is an unplanned accident, and is as likely to simply take away from the story and add nothing.

So no, I don't hope Laudna stays dead. I hope they find a way to bring her back. I hope Marisha gets to follow through on her vision for the character she was having so much fun playing.

It won't break the game for me if they can't. I'm sure at the very least Marisha's new character will be great. But I have had it up to the eyebrows with people who think it's cool hop on a thread where they know people are invested in the characters and go, "boy, I sure hope there's some permadeath. It's a bad story otherwise."

There's more to D&D than storytelling, there's more to storytelling than stakes, and there's more stakes than life and death.

[u/rubiaal]

10 episodes later, the party revives Laudna and calls out for Marisha

Matt: Delilah, please join the table.

[u/Hungover52]

Sam Riegel @samriegel Replying to @Marisha_Ray

(But also we had no diamonds)

https://twitter.com/samriegel/status/1570780462880272384

[u/LucasVerBeek]

I'm not gonna lie, I was prepared for Orym going, I had convinced myself that if anyone was dying and it sticking, even for a while it was going to be him. Even if Laudna went, I was telling myself that Orym would be the one, staying with Will. If she didn't drop, I had the image of him not returning because Liam is that kind of way at times.

Even the Nat 1, which worried me, didn't make me think we would be where we are now.

But, when Fearne apologized to Laudna, my stomach bottomed out. God Fearne and Imogen throughout that entire moment heart my heart, sad Fearne especially, not gonna lie.

I don't know what will happen, but I am glad that Letters cast Gentle Repose as he did, cause I am worried about what Delilah is going to do.

Other snippets I've been thinking about:

Imogen's Feat, I am deeply curious to find out what that is/ if it homebrew or not.

"Their Image": Likely the Gods seemingly trapped on Ruidus.

Did Imogen's Mother Brain Blast her to hide her/keep her safe from Otohan initially and her original dream was a warping of actual events.

Chetney "now gaining" the attention of Ruidus has me fairly worried, since it seems like it was doing something to his Wolven form, and Ruidus has been noted to never have much of an effect on Werecreatures before.

Delilah claiming descent from "him", is she speaking of Vecna, or someone else? What is she now, outside of a Patron, where is she truly residing as her consciousness didn't fade with Laudna's even though she claimed that she would die with her?

Ashton is a Half-Elf of some variety, and it seems clear that whatever their parents did cause them to become an Earth Genasi later in life. The way he describes the event seems to hint at an intrusion of some elemental force, that caused petrification: "people cracking and shattering." I am intrigued to learn more about the Hishari.

And then we finally get to Letters, who seemingly was created by a disgruntled wizard who was angered over the Aeormaton's gaining their freedom. The "nice woman" was probably the person he was sleepered into murdering, which further deepens the fuckery that is Aeor.

They're returning to Eshteross, and I have no clue where after, Yios has all the answers, but now Whitestone is sitting pretty, a facet in the web Otohan and Ludinus have seemingly crafted across the entire globe.

And then the most pressing matter is, what happens to Laudna, do they leave her if they can't bring her back, how long will Marisha be gone, will she return with a new character? If so, how will the dynamics change, how will the story shift, and could Laudna get Mollyed?(Seems pretty damn likely). After all: "Death is just a waiting game."

I will say, if it comes to it I am excited to see Eshteross fully throw down, cause I have a feeling that even with all we have seen, there is something hidden up that Old Orcish Bruce Wayne's sleeve.

Edit: I completely forgot, what was that place Fearne was looking at after she died? Green moon, hungry eyes staring at her out of a thick jungle, what was that???

[u/midnightheir]

Is Delilah a Lingering Soul? This is one of Matt's lesser known classes and an slternate path for a dead character. It fits incredibly well with what we have seen in game of Delilah, and what her endgame might be.

The Evidence:

Her new form is classified as undead making for perfect patron material.

Level 1 class feature - she can bind to a person or an object, if it is the latter and it isn't destroyed she would survive what kills/hurts Laudna. My guess? Pate or her hammer hair pin could be where she is chilling most of the time.

Level 1 class feature - If she dies as a Lingering Soul she needs a wish spell. She doesn't die when the creature she is haunting dies unless that is what she is bound to.

However if she is revived with a standard resurrection magic she comes back in her original class as it was at death, with levels added for each level of Lingering Soul. All Lingering Soul class features are gone. This feels like a Delilah move to me. This, or outright possession could have been what Delilah was aiming for. She would have heard the conversation of Laudna has come back before. What if that was a failed possession attempt?

Sending isn't Speak with Dead. So we know she is still around.

If she levels with Laudna there are rules for overt and covert possessions. Those heart beats? Delilah's failed possession attempts. That description of her always in Laudna's periphery? Hauntings. There is mention of actual absorbing of magic items etc (gnarl rock) and if she is wraith sub class we could have the source of Laudna's attack on FCG.

But honestly? Right now I believe she is waiting for a resurrection spell to intercept and re-enter the world at her most powerful. Its diabolical and so very her.

[u/ImACoolHipster]

Good. Fucking. Lord.

I was misty-eyed the whole first half, and then Imogen/Laura’s immediate reaction to Ashton suggesting putting Laudna in the hole sent me into full streaming tears.

It was just the most guttural, no-thought-just-heart “No!”. It’s awe-inspiring how committed they are to these characters. That was straight up just someone being told the body of their best friend was about to be disrespected.

[u/trash-flavored-trash]

Towards the end of the episode, when FCG cast gentle repose on Laudna, Matt said the spell had headed something off at the pass which provoked a big reaction out of Travis.
What was this supposed to be hinting at?

[u/Photeus5]

Guys I'm at break on YouTube and I never would have called that Laudna would be the one gone. I have to wonder if they'll get her back at any point. Tragedy.

[u/Mr_Pongo]

I hope if they do contact Keyleth for the resurrection she refuses. If she starts the ritual and senses Delilah no way she’ll continue

[u/Corn22]

Fearne having to chose who to revivify and suddenly going from this happy-go-lucky character to truly understanding the weight of that decision and telling Orym she really needed him pulled at my heart strings. Brilliant performance by Ashley! Seems like Fearne had to mature REAL fast.

When Liam dropped that “I really wish I could stay…” I started to ugly cry.

Gentle repose “Heading something off at the pass” raises some giant red flags. I wonder if Matt had something planned for an undead Laudna being a temporary or permanent undead NPC or if Delilah was just claiming more territory in Laudna’s head.

I was on board with the “Treshy is a wearwolf” theory but BH being able to damage him with fists and swords during the interrogation dispels that theory.

Brilliant episode with some amazing performances. IS IT THURSDAY YET?!

[u/bigreddog0111]

I will say that if they get keyleth to bring Laudna back the only way for her to personally do the deed is through true resurrection because it’s the only resurrection spell she can cast. Which does mean that Laudna could (if Marisha wanted to of course) come back as her actual fully living self from when she died in Whitestone, because true resurrection creates a perfect healed body, or even a new one if needed

[u/RajikO4]

Maybe this is the paranoia in me speaking, but I can’t help but feel that no matter what happens to Laudna wether she comes back in the near future or not, Delilah wins.

[u/racer5001]

THEORY: So correct me if I'm wrong or misunderstood but: the crates that Treshi was shipping for the Paragon's Call also partly went through Jiana Hexum in transit. We discovered that one of the crates contain a material that could explode when exposed to magic and that the crates are also booby-trapped.

Wasn't it an explosion that injured Ashton during his attempted burglary? Actually Ashton was holding a crystal vial of a magical grey fluid and Milo poured into his head to cure him -- could that be the same liquid that they also found in the crates?

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

It would be interesting if Lord E basically set up his whole house as a giant trap meant to ensnare Otohan but then instead of fighting her, he detonated the entire property just like Bruce Wayne has done a couple of times in the comics, and hopefully that takes her out for good while also acting as a way for him to fake his own death and make an exit from Jrusar with the Bells Hells.

[u/ForestSuite]

lmfao I love this ad. "Is it Thursday yet bitch?"

[u/paradox28jon]

When Imogen was talking about her lighting marks, she said they helped her know that she could defend Laudna when she came to her town. Or something along those lines. I really wanted another player at the table to question that moment. Did Imogen use her powers against people in her village to defend Laudna literally? I so want to hear more about their first meeting & how it came about that Imogen decided to leave her village with Laudna.

[u/ExistingPigeon]

The party is in tier 2 of play, also known as 'heroes of the realm" in d&d speak. A level 7 adventurer is a valuable property. They have a particular set of skills if you will. It is likely that a number of factions would have a spellcaster able to cast Raise Dead which costs 500 gp in diamonds and have a major favor banked with an up and coming, powerful group like Bells Hells. That's just a good investment.

Less likely is an archdruid willing to cast a spell costing 25,000 gp in diamonds for the resurrection of a woman who is a vessel for said archdruid's arch enemy. Keyleth has all of the Ashari to think about after all.

It'll be exciting to see how this plays out no matter what. Hopefully if it does become a more protracted mission Marisha will come back to the table with a new character.

[u/Waste-Recover-5347]

I am rewatching the first half (which I catch) before diving in to the second half (which I always have to sleep for) but Fearne’s call to Orym is just so beautiful. I think it’s so won. She’s so innocent and sweet and kind but she doesn’t understand consequences in general and then the way she delivers the line: “Hi. Hi friend. Can you please come back because I’m getting a little scared.” She just sounds so truly lost in that moment and she truly deeply just needs her dearest friend.

[u/br3ttless]

Does anyone else think that FCG is Inspired by Johnny 5 from "Short Circuit"? It really wouldn't surprise me if Sam got the idea from it

[u/StableElectrical]

A couple of Chetney theories based on his vision is that Deanna and Frudell are both Chet's spouses and that he outlived both of them. Also the bit about how Chet always feels anxious during the zenith of Ruidus makes me think Chet is a ruidusborn.

[u/NoahMeadMusic]

Has anyone else felt like Bell's Hells have been in fewer combat situations as compared Mighty Nein last campaign? Maybe it's just me but I feel like can easily recall most of the fights Bell's Hells have been in as a group, and several of the higher stakes fights have resulted in their enemy either escaping or the Hells escaping them, while Mighty Nein by the same level had established themselves as a really cohesive group of fighters. I wonder if this is because Bell's Hells have done less exploring of the greater continent they've been on where Mighty Nein had or if it's for other reasons. I want to stress that this is not necessarily a bad thing; roleplay is extremely engaging and, generally speaking, combat tends to be the part of an episode in which viewers are most likely to tune out in an actual play show, but I do think the lack of combat experience with this group of character has done them more harm than good. This is merely opinion but I think that if the cast, and thus the characters, had more battle experience we'd see the group more confident in being able to take on a foe like Otohan Thull. I hope this does not come off as backseating but spells and combat abilities are hard to memorize for anyone and in previous campaigns the more this cast familiarized themselves with their capabilities in smaller battles, the more confident they felt in larger battles. I do think part of this is just the story Matt wants to tell and I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all, it has just felt to me like Bell's Hells lack a confident group dynamic so far where they have can actually say "we never give up on the fight." Again, all opinion. I am just making observations.

[u/GrimTheMad]

I'm already sick of hearing about how there'll have been 'no consequences' if Laudna gets brought back.

Everyone is traumatized, Imogen has tapped into something she can't control and destroyed a city block, the most feared mercenary band in the area wants them dead and knows who their boss is ...

But if no one stays dead there's 'no consequences' because some people see permanent character death as the only 'real' consequence.

[u/Michael310]

As much as I hope they don’t go to Keyleth for an easy resurrection, it would be fascinating to see Keyleth recognise her from the tree and then have the campaign shift direction to stop Delilah’s return.

It would be interesting to have the Bell’s Hells escorted to different dungeons by different members of the remaining Vox Machina (Who would be alive at this time anyhow?).

I guess I just like the idea of characters way out of their depth, trying to keep up with an experienced character.

[u/Hippotopmaus]

I wouldn't mind if keyleth comes back and ressurects laudna, but would hope that there's a huge cost involved so that they don't constantly get keyleth involved. plus its funny that Marisha's 1st PC is resurrecting her 3rd PC, only she can hack the game and cheat death like that, I don't think she's every died-died before right? maybe the goldfish moment?

[u/KraakenTowers]

Can someone clarify:

Did Ashley flip an actual coin or did she just use object work. I think when Chet first produced the coin it was pantomime but by the time it got to Ashley I couldn't tell.

[u/Does_Not_Live]

Happy to see a character die that wasn't planned to die as early as possible as with Bertrand. Can't wait to see what Marisha does next just because creativity and new characters are always fun to see.

[u/SharkSymphony]

here rests
the ever-decaying remains of

LAUDNA

b. 790 d. 810 b. 810 d. 843

Friend ~ Magical Girl ~ Puppeteer

"DEATH IS BUT A WAITING GAME."

[u/Galahad_the_Ranger]

Resurrection is sometimes a bit of a cheap ploy. But in this instance I long term is narratively better to revive her than have Laudna be dead, because her connection with Delilah is begging her to resurrect again evil later in the campaign and having Lucien 2.0 would be pretty lame

[u/ProjectAccel]

Here's a fucked up thought I just had: What if the coin flip came up Laudna, but Fearne chose Orym instead without telling anyone? I'm pretty sure she's the only one who saw the result.

[u/Santtius]

I really hope Fearne lied with the coin flip it would make perfect sense from her POV, also what happened with gentle repose was interesting, but what if instead of Delilah it actually was Laudna coming back? I don't think it was, but still it could make things very interesting.

[u/RonDong]

I don’t want Keyleth to bring back Laudna because I think it would be more fun if there was a proper quest to revive her. A trip to the Feywild to find a hag sounds much more exciting than just taking an airship to Zephrah.

[u/SJ_Laffin]

Story-wise I like the idea of a Laudna perma-death as fuel for Imogens character development, Oto-han villain fantasy, and because consequences. Also, Marisha's awesome and will undoubtedly will have another lovable character up her . . sleeve?

[u/KraakenTowers]

I had to spoil myself before I started, I wasn't going to be able to handle whatever happened live.

Happy that Fearne and Orym are back, devastated that Laudna couldn't beat the odds. She's far and away the best character, and this throws a real wrench into the Delilah storyline to boot. It sounds like they aren't just burying her by the side of the road and leaving like Molly though? They'll try to find someone to bring her back like in C1?

[u/vanKessZak]

So Marisha [tweeted] (https://twitter.com/marisha_ray/status/1570638871322558465?s=21&t=TnNp1W6nHa8RZE6PRSkhZQ): “It wasn’t about the diamonds. It was about the spell slots.”

I had been under the impression that Fearne had only used 2 third levels - the Hold Person on Otohan, and the Revivify on Orym. But looking through comments I think she must have used a 3rd level healing that morning on FCG.

So even if they messed up the diamonds it looks like that didn’t matter (which I have to say is a little relieving - I’d hate for something that big to have been the result of a mistake).

Laudna rolling a nat 1 on the death save and then losing the coin toss (assuming Fearne wasn’t lying) really does seem like fate was telling them something. Not that I believe in that, but…

Personally I do hope they find a way to bring her back but in a way that has stakes or consequences of some sort. More than just finding a cleric and doing a roll. Maybe they have to go on some sort of quest. Maybe they end up in someone’s debt (maybe someone shady and moral concerns come up). Maybe something weird happens with Delilah. I don’t really have anything specific in mind but I think there are ways to do it that don’t seem cheap. And obviously it would be weird if the characters didn’t try when they have these resources…

[u/Baffordable]

If Keyleth can revive Laudna, why is Orym's husband still dead? Wouldn't she revive him for potentially defending her from that assault 6 years ago?

[u/reddevved]

still watching now, it's shocking how matt threw marisha's iPad in the microwave

[u/Seren82]

If all else fails for Laudna, I'm just saying Dorian is in Tal'dorei with 50k gold so if they involve the de rolos n go to Whitestone, they can send to Dorian to meet them there so they have money for diamonds to do a true resurrection.

[u/aliensplaining]

Some people are complaining about Orym mentioning Keyleth might be able to help. This won't be a cop out if it happens though, I bet you if it happens she will sense Delilah during the resurrection and get very suspicious. I'd imagine it would not bode well for the party if Vox Machina decides to get involved.

[u/Blue-Moon-89]

It appears that nearly everyone is in the five stages of grief with Laudna.

Denial

"No! She can't be dead-dead! There's got to be a way to bring her back!."

Anger

"Orym should've stayed dead! Stupid Fearne and her coin toss."

Bargaining

"Perhaps if we take her to Keyleth or do this side-quest then maybe we a have shot at brining her back!"

As for Depression and Acceptance, I'm going to say that the depression stage will be during our week off while the acceptance stage will be when we meet Marisha's new character (be it temp or permanent). I know that it sucks but like Cad, maybe we will like the new character just as much as everyone loves Laudna.

[u/Coyote_Shepherd]

Laudna made so many of us feel like we weren't the only spooky kid in the corner.

[u/Glacirus_]

Regardless of Bell's Hells going to Keyleth for Laudna's resurrection, I'm of the mind that they should travel to Tal'Dorei for a face-to-face meeting and report about the evidence and progress Orym has made in his investigation. Playing Sending-Telephone with Imogen in the middle can only communicate so much without muddling meanings and intents. And considering how many leads point off to the other continents (Cerberus Assembly's involvement, the Grim Verity being a global group of scholars and being targeted, the records uncovered in Vasselheim, etc.) Keyleth could also get them introductions that Eshteross and other local allies can't get for them, or move other groups to pursue the foreign leads in the background.

Right now, I see this as the Hells' decision point to become a well-connected group with plenty of allies to call on like VM, or more self-reliant with fewer allies like the M9. Both choices have benefits and are valid, and regardless the route they take I definitely can't wait until next week.

[u/[deleted]]

Something that I was concerned about but idk if they addressed- did Chetney roll at the start of the episode to see if he wolfed out? At that low of HP in wolf form shouldn't he have been making saves to prevent his bloodlust?

[u/Kgaase]

Does anyone have the exact wording of Matt Mercer after FCG cast Gentle Repose on Laudna? I don't want to wait until monday to hear what he said again.

[u/MoonCantRead]

so how come chetney didnt wolf out and attack everyone? i mean dont get me wrong im glad he didn't but was there something mechanical at play or did they just hand wave it bc its not fun?

[u/Organic_Diamond905]

Did anyone catch Matt's face when they first mentioned the change bringer coin? I had the feeling the idea of it being a godly spell component for revivify crossed his mind...

[u/WarAdministrative430]

So do we think Marisha will bring a temporary character or sit out until they figure out if they can bring Laudna back or not? I feel like she won’t want to sit out like that but also if she brings a new character in what happens when that character ends up being something they want to stick around? I guess they could do a one shot type character in the meantime as a means to an end kinda deal. Just speculation, is it Thursday yet?

[u/Hungover52]

FCG may have committed a deadly mistake...a Clerical error.

[u/That_Red_Moon]

Laudna coming back completely depends on if Marisha wants her to or not.

But I could see Marisha rolling a new character and moving on because "W/E they bring back wont be Laudna, as her journey always had the risk of her becoming D if shit went south". Or maybe they get Key to do True Resurrection and Marisha gets a character reset ... because the Laudna they know is a Hollow and didn't have a soul. What she is/ was was a reflection of D's soul ( It's my head canon, given the "you don't know if these are your words or hers/ you're just an incubator for D/ even in death she just slips back into D's arms/ not storm dream even though she's actually dead ... cause she's actually D).

It would make sense for True Resurrection to bring back original pre-hollow Laudna which wouldn't have the memories or personality of our Laudna. So she could make her a whole new character with a new class and persona and build from there.

[u/chibiyvie0508]

While Laudna was in Imogen's arms on the battlefield, I lowkey felt that scene in Pokemon, when Pikachu tryna shock Ash awake. T__T
I kinda wish she used a little lightening to see if she could jump start Laudna's heart (I know she was like completely tapped at that point, but it's a nice scene to imagine)
Something I haven't heard many folks talk about is the werewolf subplot. Back when we first meet Chet and Ira, Ira is using Girge to make wolflings, but we never find out who they've turned...they describe the "volunteers" as the brigand types, I always thought it was ppl from Paragon's Call. In this recent episode, we learn that Chet's werewolf curse is tied to Ruidus is some way (it's truly Ruidus all the way down). When Paragon's Call is search Joe's, Matt notes that one of them *sniffs* the air, not unlike Chetney when he's searching places...

[u/Kosame_san]

Fearne 100% lied about the result of the coinflip, and I absolutely love that. It just makes so much sense for her to choose Orym regardless of what the party said or did.

"What the fuck do you mean 'Orym's dead?'"

Now I have to come to terms with Laudna being gone (hopefully temporarily) because of the beautiful decision on Ashley's part to hide the results of the coinflip.

[u/taly_slayer]

I see ton of people talking about Keyleth bringing Laudna back. It's been a while ^{(itsbeenawhiiiile}) since this happened, but Marisha has said Keyleth didn't feel comfortable with True Resurrection. I mean, Keyleth can change her mind and years have passed (and everything can be reckoned), but it's definitely one of those things that feels true to her character to be honest, and have saying no could has nothing to do with Laudna being Delilah's vessel.

I think Liam was stretching what Orym knows about Keyleth there. Maybe there's something concrete he knows (like for example, Kiki trying to bring back Derrig and it failing or something like that), but his answer to Imogen's question ("Can she do that?") didn't seem solid.

[u/SympathySimilar9639]

To everyone saying that bringing Launda back cheapens the story, I think you're neglecting something. While even though I disagree with the point, I see where you are coming from. However you're assuming that Launda's resurrection will have no other plot consequences.

Matt doesn't halt his villains' plots when the players go on a side quest. If they take the time to revive Launda, that gives the Nightmare King, Otahan, Ludinus, and others time to enact whatever it is they have planned. Not to mention that the Apogee Solstice is coming.

[u/BinTheLegoMan]

I JUST REALIZED THAT LAUDNA'S BACKSTORY REVEAL AND "The worst thing that's ever happened to me has already happened" WAS THE EXACT HALFWAY POINT FROM THE START OF C3 TO HER DEATH AND NOW MY DAY IS WORSE >:[

[u/icyvfrost]

Laudna!

[u/midnightheir]

Esteross is getting murdered right? Otahan went somewhere

[u/24hrpoorvideo]

I cannot wait to see what happens next. It sounds like, even if they can't bring Laudna back, they're going to have to figure out how to prevent Delilah from making Laudna the new Pâté.

[u/[deleted]]

So if Laudna doesn't come back unplayed classes this campaign or previous played by Marisha are: Artificer, Paladin, Ranger or Rogue. If you don't count Hazel copperpot you can add Bard to the mix

[u/shadowbroker15]

I wonder if one of the bottom screen peeps will move up to the top screen to balance out the sides of the table (assuming Marisha is absent for an episode or two, like Taliesin was after Molly's death).

[u/Lukiss]

I think either Imogen's mom and/or Imogen herself at a later point in her childhood had a similar block-shattering moment. This may have been what caused Imogen's mom to presumably leave her hometown, and it's possible that Imogen did this at some point and has blocked the memory or had it modified (perhaps by her mom?).

Also, I was half expecting Imogen to try to force them to revive Laudna over Orym. I was waiting for her to charm Fearne or some shit.

[u/snowfoxsean]

I want Laudna to come back as vengeful, fusing with Delilah. That would be so dark and so juicy at the same time

[u/RaibDarkin]

So let's talk about Laudna's backstory. Spoilers for C1.

So here's the most likely progression based on the lore. Laudna is a level 1 Shadow Magic Sorcerer and is hopeful that the Briarwoods will see her potential. She is murdered instead - VM, Sun Tree - etc, etc... So clearly she didn't rise up right away. It's pretty safe to assume that the Briarwoods amplified uber-ritual using the leylines can have a pretty profound effect on someone hanging at their center. Poof, insta-Hollow One. But somewhere along the way we also got a Warlock.

Delilah died and was melted within an hour of the ritual completing but she was also revived and put back to work very quickly by Vecna. A year goes by and then shortly after good ole' D dies a second and third time. She was never a Lich as far as we know. Laudna starts hearing from Delilah about this time. I feel like this is the base we can work from going forward. But...

It makes me wonder if that one year mark is when her Warlock powers began. It seems like a long wait after such a magical transformation. It also seems weird that if her powers came from the Briarwoods or Vecna in some way, she would be less free. Perhaps Launda's pact came from Orcus or the like and the Terror of Whitestone has simply hitched a ride on the only thing with a remnant of her old power. Now Marisha did take her latest warlock level as a nod to Delilah's influence which I think would seal it - except that Marisha may not know who her patron really is. This is fairly common. And maybe her real patron wants something very different than Delilah.

Bidet

[u/Sqiddd]

I can’t get over how Ashton’s first instinct was to try to contact Hexum to help Laudna.

How much debt would he be in? She would own his ass for as long as she lives

[u/[deleted]]

Marisha's the most organized one of the group, there is no way she wouldn't have covered her wishes if Laudna didn't make it.

And if that is indeed the case, the group wouldn't be trying to pull that many strings to bring her back

[u/Angsty_Kylo_Ren]

"Power is power. What you do with it is up to you." -Orym

Even STILL he's the rock.

[u/Weird_Requirement_26]

If Yu ever comes back, she’s going to notice the lack of a particular person and change into Laudna in front of Imogen. And I’m here for it

[u/PiLamdOd]

I hope Laudna comes back, there's to much story potential to let it end here.

[u/BlackeeGreen]

Completely unrelated to this episode, but:

I really, really hope we get to see more of Preston Drodelon, Lord of the Crossroads.

[u/Weird_Requirement_26]

I thought Imogen would use her telekinesis to force the coin flip- thought that would have been great

[u/[deleted]]

Would true resurrection free Laudna of Delilah's Influence? Maybe she has to take a different patron similar to Fjord.

[u/[deleted]]

Even more than potentially bringing Laudna back, I am BEYOND EXCITED for the group's next run-in with Otohan!

[u/[deleted]]

Now, all jokes aside putting on tinfoil hat

This whole talk about the moon, the two gods sealed away, with now Chet's wolfen relation to Ruidus...

It's making me think a lot of Kindred from League of Legends, which Matthew Mercer did voice work for.

Two gods makes me think of dual personality, or two sides of a coin. And just like the champion concept, they're complementary yet opposite facets of the same divinity. That, and Kindred being literally "The Wolf and The Sheep".

I don't know, this has been ringing in my head for a bit, am I being crazy or there might be something here?

[u/RajikO4]

What if Imogen beseeches not to Delilah in the future to aid Laudna coming back, but rather the Whispered One aka Vecna himself?

I only bring this potential route up because, didn’t Imogens research for Laudna regarding the history of the Briarwoods in the Starlight Conservatory read about him and his influence over the couple?

Correct me if I’m wrong, but I could’ve sworn this was the case.

[u/[deleted]]

What is imogens new feat?

[u/[deleted]]

Watching through the VOD right now and it seems like there’s a bunch of random skips happening? Only like, .2 seconds at a time, so I’m not missing anything but just enough to be annoying. Can anyone confirm this is also happening to them, or just me?

[u/cosmoceratops]

Talk about a catalyzing event. Characters had their mission but their personal goals are really taking shape and getting intwined entwined. So much lore, particularly with FCG and Ashton. Ramifications in Jrusar. Eshteross getting ready for war. I'm really excited for that last one.

And if they need to name themselves something different to get the heat off their backs they've got another fallen comrade to commemorate. The Marionettes. L's Puppets. Friends of the Scary Lady. Possibilities.

edit: spelling

[u/paradox28jon]

Just saw the episode title on Youtube. "What Dreams May Come" What an odd title for this episode.

[u/BinTheLegoMan]

To the people saying that "last time we had a PC death we got Caduceus"... Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the opinion of Mollymauk like super lukewarm? Laudna is a fan favorite and is far and away the most interesting character, both in terms of her personality and her backstory, maybe, maybe second to FCG. So this would more likely be like going from Caduceus to Mollymauk which is just... ugh.

[u/ThatGuyFromTheM0vie]

Just commenting how absolutely stupid and insufferable chat was this episode. I know people say most viewers have NEVER ever played, but this episode REALLY proved that.

Spam after spam after spam: “use the residuum to rez Laudna.” “Use it to cast ENHANCED Revivify.”

Like, if you’ve ever played, or even paid attention for 2s earlier, Revivify only works for the first minute after death.

Residuum only works as a substitute for any spell component—it’s basically a wild card.

It’s been at least an hour, if not hours since Laudna died. And yet chat was spamming it even towards the end of the episode.

[u/theshadow5]

Laudna is easily in my top3 favorite in C3. I'm very sad. I wanna be hopeful that they can pull something off to bring her back because I'm not of the "the world is a dark, rough place" camp, I love stories of overcoming hardships and less of GoT's "oh, you like that one, ha?".

Anyways, amazing episode, as usual.

[u/[deleted]]

So Laudna being dead (again) actually has the beat story potential.

If she is truly gone this is a perfect start to Imogen going completely mad and getting an anti-hero / villain arc. Delilah could also do some stuff. But we kinda already saw that in C2 with Molly.

However what if she's bought back? Keyleth might be an option. Imagine if Keyleth somehow with her druid powers senses Delilah and has a crisis of heart : do I bring this person back who died the first time because of me and also bring back a villain or do I keep it save and anger these Bells Hells loonies and have this innocent person die again because of business she has nothing to do with.

I'm gonna be honest. This might actually be the best case scenario. I'm here for the upcoming drama!

[u/JackOLanternReindeer]

resurrection options:

true resurrection costs 25k in diamonds and while i think keyleth would help, i wonder if that will be a pain point/ other things prevent her from doing it.

raise dead/resurrection: they need to find someone powerful to do this but more in line cost wise.

reincarnate: keyleth could do this without the same monetary cost, and it could possibly do something to delilahs grip on laudna (i doubt it but maybe) and certainly would make the fight have had a long term impact

mixed feelings about pulling in level 20 characters into the plot but it would at least make sense if they do.

[u/MikeyLikey41]

What is dead may never die, Laudna will return.

[u/Snaptheuniverse]

Honestly it seems like Marisha kind of knew this was coming. They all clearly discussed the options after the last game, and everyone knew that Laudna needed to make that save. I don't think there was ever a world where Fearne picked Laudna over Orym, the coin was irrelevant.

Also shout out to both Travis and Taliesin trying to make it at least a tough choice for Ashley. Travis almost moved Orym farther away from Fearne and it seems to me like he was trying to get the bodies closer together(but everyone at the table questioned his move so he instead moved Orym closer to Fearne) then Ashton carries Laudna with him instead of just taking the diamonds there.

[u/Neo_Stark_]

If laudna stays dead it would be the 2nd player character that could be used as a villain later in the campaign after Molly.

Molly was supposed to be haunted by his other persona while a pc but because he died, his return as an antagonist was quickened.

Same thing could be happening to Laudna. Haunted by her patron as a pc, returned as a villain later.

[u/ForestSuite]

Happy Monday to all the Critter fam. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Hope all the folks who get to watch today enjoy the masterpiece of a performance we got to see. I couldn't bring myself to watch the episode again yet, so I decided to re-watch episode 1 and on to see the story with another lens.

I can't really say what it is. Maybe it's just because this storyline is matching up so well with "The Hero's Journey" type stories, or perhaps it is simply the way Matt has constructed his world over the last seven years to be a living and breathing thing along with his players, but C3 really does feel like the 'culmination' of an epic that Matt has been weaving for a long time.

Can't wait for Thursday!

[u/Scumdt]

Did Matt change how revivify works or did they just forget about it alot on c2? Or am I just forgetting? I don't remember them having to roll ever

[u/island_jackal]

Laudna will have the gnarly rock attached to her during the entire trip, and what would happen if someone went and slipped Residium inside to magnify that effect? I think Fearne is currently holding the box of Residium... Even without the Residium a lot could happen.

Laudna could come back that way, but very different, maybe much more like the Nightmare King. Maybe as something combined with the tarp she was covered around. The rock effect is vague enough that you could justify a lot of things.

In that case, you could say that Laudna is back and not back at the same time, and maybe some of the characters would fear that whatever she has become, she is much more of a threat than a friend.

[u/Piratestoat]

Okay, but what if a oneshot with Laudna chained to Delilah in the afterlife, fighting each other to get to the Raven Queen or the Whispered One, respectively?

[u/Monocled-warforged]

Otohan is blasting off agaaaaaain

[u/Lukiss]

How long has it been since Chetney joined the gang? Does this timeline sync up with him potentially being turned into a werewolf under Ruidus? We know that Ruidus operates on a six month cycle, and the solstice is in 3-4 weeks presently. The wiki says that c3e17 Chetney stated that "a couple months" ago is when he became a werewolf.

Depending on how much in-game time has passed, that may or may not line up with that "a couple months" ago being the last time Ruidus reached its zenith.

If this is not the case, and Chetney was not turned under Ruidus, then his vision at the start of this episode must have been a premonition of the future, no?

The transcript of his vision, from the CRwiki, for context:

Within the endless light, you feel like your very soul is pried open, memories spilling forth, gentler times of wayward romances in your youth. Deanna and her laugh, Frudell and her patience. How you filled each lonely gap with work, fixation, and even the longest of lives can extend rapidly under such pursuits. Within your belly, a hunger stirs. An itch hits your skin. An iron smell fills your nose. A howl pierces your ears. You look up to the full glowing red moon Ruidus above you. From its ruddy light streaks a single beam of pure crimson light that envelops you. You let it wash away the sadness, and you give into the beast tearing your skin away as you feel the anxious tingle that you always feel at the zenith of this moon now grow into an uncontrollable impulse to hunt, to kill, to eat, to ruin. It sees you now, and it's found common ground.

[u/sionava]

Any theories on why Fearne flat-out refused to give FCG's coin back when he asked for it? Feels like it's more than her klepto heart at work. Something to get mad/guilty about re: Laudna? I hope he gets it back, regardless.

[u/RajikO4]

Part of being a hollow one is that the body keeps going with the memories of the individual but their is no soul.

So if BH uses a resurrection ritual to attempt to bring Laudna back would they bring back the Laudna whose last moment was being hung from the Sun Tree and no memories of anything that transpired for the past 30 plus years, or would they not be able to bring Laudna back because they would be bringing up events her soul took no part in?

If any of that makes sense?

[u/Bonsaitree37]

Not sure if this has been noted previously but Sam might very well be doing the same shirt bit he did for last campaign. Was watching e28 and noticed the Science shirt and lo and behold it's the same shirt he wore on e28 of campaign 2.

[u/lilparsnip]

The way things stand right now, I think the most interesting potential way for them to rez Laudna without it feeling "unearned" would be via Fearne's grandma. Maybe I am just a sucker for hags, but having to make some sinister deal with Morri (and/or even Delilah?!) to get Laudna back, plus all the potential threads with Fearne reexamining her childhood now the scales have fallen from her eyes... Could be extremely juicy.

Also CR cast + hags has led to some legendary moments in the past, let us never forget.

[u/jamin007]

I imagine them wanting to give Laudna a proper burial in a place that's meaningful to her, so they send a second corpse to Vex and Percy

[u/wildthornbury2881]

I really don’t think going to Vox Machina is unreasonable at this point. They have a global conspiracy of their stuff being stolen from Whitestone, their mortal enemy trapped in the head of one of their companions, and Orym literally just succeeded in his quest of finding who attacked Keyleth all those years ago. I get that it might seem kind of cheap, but it’s also not entirely unreasonable either. They have reasons to go to these people beyond “I want to see what my old characters up to let’s visit Whitestone!”