HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 1:25 Familiar Problems 3:10 Murder us all 3:55 Intro cinematic 5:30 EPISODE STARTS 9:35 We believe that you can fail, Patia 10:55 Elbow or shoulder 13:55 Cerrit is fine 16:25 Patia’s items get hit 18:30 Loquatius’s items get hit 21:55 Nydas’s items get hit 22:55 Laerryn’s items get hit 23:50 Taking it easy on them (Zerxus’s items get hit) 26:10 The Holy Avenger 28:00 The Calamity is Marisha’s fault 29:20 Brennan is cheating with this damage (call Gygax) 31:10 Patia dies 32:45 Laerryn is the only one left 33:40 Laerryn fails against physics 35:25 The time stop 36:40 Nydas’s expression 37:50 Patia’s expression 39:00 Loquatius’s expressions 40:00 Laerryn’s expression 42:15 Zerxus in the time stop 45:55 Zerxus reaches out 49:15 Zerxus and Asmodeus 51:05 Zerxus and Zerxus 53:15 Lou is crushed by emotion 58:30 The problem of atonement 59:15 The Godless 1:01:05 The sin of pride 1:02:05 Zerxus gets killed super hard (Cerrit is just chillin) 1:03:10 Overlapping time stops 1:03:50 Family strife 1:05:45 It’s a living 1:08:45 Zerxus has pity 1:10:40 An offer 1:13:20 The second ends 1:17:05 Leaving Loquatius 1:19:45 Death saves 1:22:25 Asmodeus’s plan 1:24:05 Don’t worry, Laerryn will save us (Sam ruins death) 1:26:15 Brennan is not nice 1:29:10 Maya and Kir 1:31:10 Cerrit’s ring glows 1:34:20 Cerrit walks through his house 1:44:30 Evandrin and Zerxus 1:57:10 The Age of Salvation 2:02:45 Zerxus takes control 2:05:55 Redeeming touch 2:08:40 Redeemed Vespin 2:12:30 Loquatius’s gift saves the day 2:14:20 Vespin will not be forgotten 2:16:55 Coming back together 2:26:55The Hall of Prophecy 2:28:45 Jinxing Aabria 2:35:10 Please ignore me 2:36:00 Healing smooch 2:37:25 Disrespecting this dragon 2:38:30 Blaze it 2:41:20 BREAK STARTS (the character growth of Brennan getting better at calling breaks) 2:50:30 Art Montage 2:52:30 BREAK ENDS (scablamity) 2:54:00 Patia and her grandfather 2:57:05 Preserving a history of Avalir 2:58:30 Patia’s parents 3:04:55 Eldamir actually sucks 3:08:40 Mock this dragon 3:10:05 Nydas gives an inspiring speech 3:11:55 Betrayal 3:17:45 HDYWTDT 3:19:45 Alessander got a promotion 3:22:55 Ferromine 3:25:20 Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red dawn! 3:27:05 Aria is on call (Bolo has been calling) 3:29:40 Elmenore calls her children home 3:34:55 Throw in some ad reads 3:36:10 Elena Tuvaris 3:39:35 Wall of force 3:41:10 Loquatius Seelie’s greatest broadcast 3:45:05 Mercer’s spell ink 3:47:25 Laerryn still hates Aria (resignation) 3:52:15 Zerxus and his son 3:56:40 Hard to have kids in this game 3:57:40 Commanding the fiends 3:59:45 Transport via plants 4:01:25 Laerryn gets to work 4:07:00 Getting the map out 4:10:00 Nydas’s tattoos 4:11:35 Prepping for Zerxus 4:14:50 Difficult placement 4:16:10 3 rounds 4:19:40 Battle begins (Round 1) 4:23:55 FOR AVALIR (off keto) 4:27:50 Vespin is the archmage of drip 4:34:50 Nydas has set the bar 4:36:00 Vespin is weak 4:41:10 Brennan is bad 4:44:25 Bonus action propose 4:47:20 DnD Beyond is a snitch (Round 2) 4:49:25 Cerrit always gets his mage 4:56:00 AC 30 4:58:50 We’re still up 5:02:15 Laerryn makes a tough call 5:04:25 Stained glass 5:09:15 Tempus is a good boy 5:11:30 Power Word Kill 5:18:05 HDYWTDT 5:19:30 Round 3 5:21:10 Nydas makes a leap of faith 5:25:25 Nydas doesn’t miss 5:27:30 Patia falls 5:31:25 Readied heal 5:33:15 The spell finishes 5:38:00 Shattered Teeth 5:38:55 The sorcerers escape 5:39:55 Zerxus makes his choice 5:43:55 Nydas and his brother 5:46:30 Patia chooses the dreamer 5:49:50 Cleareye to Wingspan 5:53:30 Loquatius and Laerryn 5:57:15 Cerrit makes his escape 6:00:05 Brennan wraps up 6:05:40 Why do we tell stories? 6:07:10 Episode Ends The in-game start date for the episode was not technically in the year 0, as I believe the dates count from the defeat of the Betrayers, rather than their release. Next week I will be starting at a new job, working in a lab to develop new carbon-neutral aviation fuel and water desalination technologies, fighting in my own small way against the Calamity of our own world. I almost let my dream job pass me by while I focused on my everyday grind, and I just wanted to remind everyone that you deserve to spend your time doing work that matters to you, and that to hope and strive and fight together against the end is the only rational course in the face of the apocalypse. And don’t worry, I intend to still post these timestamps for the foreseeable future. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?
*sees load less than 30 seconds ago.. scrolls down to see if i beat Flando...* "i think i've done it... i think i beat them to the viD...OH FOR GOD SAKE!"
@@Goop_3 Haven't seen that face on him since Undeadwood when he realized that him encouraging Aloysius to gamble is why he lost his emotions and turned on Clayton.
@@diegofoliene3288 Links get deleted on youtube, but here is her quote in response to Brennans promo tweet: Brennan would come home from filming this and I would wake up because it was the middle of the night and he would go “I just played the best D&D of my life” and the truth is he is ALWAYS playing the best D&D of his life because he’s the greatest of all time and I love him!!!!!!
I actually think they're both right though... he is *always* pushing himself and his party to the next level. This really is the best he's done so far. Just like how Starstruck Odessy was the best he had done prior to that. The man squeezes every ounce of talent out of everyone at the table, including himself. I'm constantly in awe. Tldr; the man's a monster
I just decided to watch it cause of Bell’s Hells finding some inscribed names of the party. (I have yet to see if they in fact are the ones who inscribe so I will continue watching this.)
We came in from the last three episodes thinking "The Calamity killed 2/3 of Exandria. What did these people do that led to the death of 2/3 of Exandria." and we leave realizing that what they actually did led to the survival of the remaining 1/3. Edit: The Brass Ring did not personally cause the Calamity. The ball was already rolling. We learned that Vespin Chloras' ritual happened two weeks before this evening (the entire mini-series takes place in a single night!) and Brennan said on an interview that if Laerryn hadn't been the ones to destroy the tree themselves, his contingency was that the cultists would have done it. The Calamity was an inevitability as soon as the game began and everyone contributed a bit of themselves. Nothing that happened in the course of the game *caused* the Calamity. As they put it, the wheel was already spinning, its gilded fulcrum rotting from within.
i was talking to a couple of my friends about this specifically. it was a really masterful way of giving players a sense of agency and a feeling of accomplishment while still having the predetermined path remain the same. how do you make your players feel like they're still playing, like their actions still have meaning, when they know the entire time that their actions will lead to arguably one of the worst events in history? you raise the stakes and have them prevent something so much worse from happening
Thats big FACTS my friend, i gotta stop crying and go to work man, JESUS!!!! I'd love to see Brenan DMing campaign 4 so Matt can finally deeply develope 1 PC for an entire series
It makes me wonder what he would have said if the players had actually failed. Like, would he have spun the 2/3 dying as being the destruction they foresaw?
@@GrndAdmiralThrawn not sure, though i doubt it. i do wonder if brennan is going to do anything like an AMA or a deep dive, tho. it'd be interesting to see the behind the scenes on this one
@@mugi-wharingan8150 omg thatd be a dream. Brenan is amazing, and to see Mercer get to just PLAY a campaign would be a gift. all Dms want at least some time in the players seat
I love that "dad, why is your ring glowing?" because you just fucking know that the moment Travis said he wanted a ring that detects lies Brennan came up with that heartbreaker of a line
I can just imagine that Brennan in his head was doing that little gremlin dance he does whenever he concocts a truly evil scenario while saying "I'm gonna make you lie to your kids!!!"
My gods, the karmic energies that were active through the "less than a second" start of this episode: - Patia losing not just an arm and digits that help her somatic components in her greatest pride: spellcasting, and then dying with most of the knowledge she just learned. - Quay the changeling, ever shifting in the eyes of the public, losing his Shiftweave, but still keeping his gift from his wife. - Nydas the merchant, losing his bag of holding and getting blasted by coins. - Xerxus the First Knight of Avalir, protector, losing his shield. - Laerryn surviving the blast consciously to see the damage she wrought. - Cerrit, the Eyes of Avalir, absent and unable to see the calamity upon his closest friends.
Brennen improvising multiple pages of narration: Put's Shakespeare to shame. Brennen needing to get through the basics of intro/outro: Deer in headlights. God damn is he a good DM.
@@kylem6165 I always love how as he's going through stuff that he's 100% got pre-planned it's so much "Uhh... err... ahh... buh-buh-*buuuuh...* " but then he just needs to casually create some super intense interaction that also provides worldbuilding and exposition while doing a deep character analysis in a dialogue and he doesn't miss a fucking *beat* as the whole scene just flows to the point that you forget it's not scripted. To be fair while I never reached BLeeM heights of improvisation my DMing did improve when I started to plan less because when I plan things out my brain locks in on doing things in a specific way even when that doesn't *really* work for the story. If I know the story, the major players and places and beats, it's often better for me to trust in my intuition and just roll with the flow. But personally I had to (well I didn't *have* to, but I enjoyed it switch to a different system because 3.5 which was the last edition of D&D I truly DM'd it was hard to run it *without* planning shit out. I can improvise a social and a narrative scene, but I can't improvise the stat-block of a medium earth elemental or whatever. Brennan is like my GM aspiration. His style matches my own but I just *wish* I could reach those heights.
@@Brion57042 there seems to be multiple seasons of LA by Night. Can you please tell me which season features Nines Rodriquez? Also, is the video on youtube?
@@Brion57042 Sounds like a cool character, but I got a decent bit into the first episode and I don't think it's quite my speed. If I lived multiple millenia like most of the main characters in that show probably do, I would definitely watch it.
I didn't understand why he would ever try to redeem / trust Asmodeus. It seemed naive bordering on idiotic. The literal father of lies. Out of this entire series, that plot point and Laerryn being so insanely selfish to an also idiotic degree were the parts I didn't like. Otherwise it was great, but those 2 things made it a 9 out of 10 instead of a straight 10/10 to me.
@@nickr0425 See, those were the things that took it from an 8/10 to a 10/10 for me. Do you really think those professional D&D players didn't know where the story was going? Of course they did, and that's exactly why I find it so cool that they still decided to create an amazing story by leaning into the fundamental flaws of their characters. Watch the wrap-up episode they published if you want to hear them and Brennan talk about it more.
@@TheGIJew. I mean I'm pretty sure they banned worshiping the Betrayer Gods as well lol. Seems implied. (And you don't get the power unless you do the worship).
Yeah, there's a 20 minute discussion from C1 with Highbearer Vord about Vasselheim's position on things (Big interesting lore dump about several different things, should really check it out Ep 43 2:08:01 - 2:36:13 BIG Spoilers if you haven't watched C1 Obviously) and you really can put the feeling to it better now. Before they just seemed repressed and stuck up, but you know what, some of them are probably old enough to have lived through the tail end of this shit, so fair enough lol. And if they didn't, their parents or grandparents did, for the longer lived races, this is Shockingly recent, which intellectually I've always known, but this does help to make it more visceral, like riding through the Barbed fields of Xhorhas did the first time seeing the left over damage lingering even a thousand years later.
There's just something about Nydas Okiro, once a small cabin boy who dreamed of living in a city that flies in the skies. And with sheer passion and genius, became the richest and most powerful sorcerer in Avalir. A man who dreamed so big and lived so fully, that beneath all the riches and hubris, believed in uplifting EVERYONE the most. Building the Sorcerer's University, providing automatons to the citizens of Avalir, funding Laerryn's Astral Leywright to bring the city to new planes - all of this, built beneath his true purpose: to help everyone that cannot rise on their own. It's in this sincerity that he views gold not by what it is, but by its value of what it could accomplish. So when the world was about to end, he fights and he saves everyone as much as he can. And when his life was about to end, all he felt was content that his beautiful dream can be a beacon of dreams far greater than his. So he smiles, in the memory of a young boy's dream - content with the life he lived. GOD Lou really shined with this character UGH HE'S JUST TOO GOOD
@@patrickrogers9689 Same here!! Cause I watched Fantasy High and already saw Lou play Fabian, which is also quite a charismatic pirate, and I thought I've seen some parts of this before. But Lou, just like in any other character he's ever played, surprises us and just gives much more depth to his character in moments that truly matter.
Such a great depiction of the "moral" layers that can separate ppl who can all be friends, yet see what fulfills them in life so differently... The lifting of others, the drive to achieve the realization of lifting onesself, or ones ultimately self serving dreams, and beyond.
I love that players are usually excited when the dm calls on them, while in this episode they all look like students praying the teacher will forget they exist
Brennan is such a chameleon. He was terrified to look at when he was Asmodeus. He looked soft and lost when he was Cerrit's children. He embodied Elias enough to bring Sam and Travis to tears.
The one place where it falls apart a tiny bit is near the very end. Before I call this out I want to make it clear this is by no means a condemnation of what is one of the best things CR has ever made happen. However near the end when over Cerrit's sending stone you hear: "Wingspan, this is Cleareye". "Cleareye" was meant to be the codename for his wife but Travis thought he was talking to his daughter whose codename was meant to be "Egghead". Travis can be forgiven for not keeping those details in mind at the end of a 6 hour session with all the emotional strain that was inflicted upon him and Brennen can be forgiven for having a limited voice range for differentiating two female characters. But just to show how amazing Brennen is at thinking on his feet he quickly rectified the confusion within the narrative without calling out his player. Again this is a very minor nitpick to one of the best actual play series I've ever witnessed.
@@Mezmero I totally noticed, too! I did ascertain that Cleareye was the wife as well. He can definitely be forgiven for the little mishap. It was an emotionally charged moment, everyone's minds were racing!
"My greatest heartbreak is that when I have gathered every mortal soul, and all of my siblings into my pit, that I will *only* have Eternity to punish them." WHAT THE FUCK BRENNAN.
I interpreted that as a subtle elution to the mathematic concept of Aleph number sets an infinite set made up of infinite sets. Which shows just how powerful of beings we are seeing if it could knowingly exist so far outside of time (one infinite set) as to be jealous and sad about not having access to more sets of infinite sets.
During Loquatius’ last broadcast, at the end he says to remember everyone in the party but HIMSELF. Being someone who loved fame and adoration, I thought this was a brilliant touch to point out, whether intentional or not, I really think that it shows Loquatius’ true character.
According to Aristotle "The tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a character between these two extremes, a person who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". He continues, "A perfect tragedy should imitate actions that excite pity and fear.” Can we all agree that EXU: Calamity is a perfect Tragedy?
@@oriandthesleepytime Indeed. It hits perfectly the characteristic "tragic irony" of greek tragedy. The audience, unlike the characters, know the fatal flaw, and the inevitable downfall, and experience catharsis as they watch it unfold. Truly brilliant
the exact line from the lord of the hells was "If Domunas is the smile of Exandria, then lets shatter her teeth!" SO fucking good man, the consistently brilliant and chilling lines from Brennan for all the NPC's he rp'd and voiced was too good to put into words. This was my entry to dnd and I feel like I've been spoiled and punched in the dick at the same time.
@@matthewnewman4435 I can wholeheartedly recommend campaign 2 of critical role if you enjoyed this as much as you seem to. Personally, I never got into campaign 1, and campaign 3 is a bit too combat-heavy for my tastes (so far) so I'll likely be saving it up for when I'm more in the mood for that, but C2 will always hold a very special place in my heart as my introduction to DnD as well as for just being an incredible story with characters I've grown to absolutely love. Particularly Nott (Sam's character) hit very close to home for me.
@@matthewnewman4435 welcome to Brennan's style of storytelling. He and THIS CAST(!) were so amazing together. I loved when Marisha passed her Nonchalant roll to grab the Box of Tear Erasing and began passing it back between her and Aabria like she was invisible as they waited to see where Brennan would unleash another emotionally crippling blow.
@@Hakasedess I know the legend of vox machina is out so people like yourself and new comers can enjoy that campaign, but.... the pure fucking poetry that campaign 1 has I think far surpasses that of 2, I still love 2, but 1 story..... I've legit have never cried more for any piece of media ever...
The poetry of Cerrit's first and last rolls of the show to be 31s paired with the little blurb Brennan gave in episode 1 about most DC's not even mentioning anything above a 30 is literally the perfect summation of this show.
his roll for architect arcane's scroll when he is about to leave the group was 31 too. 3 31's and 3 of his characters keypoints. This whole thing was something else. I can't imagine this being fully scripted and being this perfect. And btw, he was the only person who wasn't in on the whole world-ending shady bussiness and he is the only one who lived. And knowing that this whole leaving the area without dying was a group effort makes it 10 times more perfect. The ones who did wrong didnt get the good ending but they helped the one who did nothing wrong but had some regrets to fulfill his promise to the thing he regretted. Im not very good at writing english stuff but I just love how this is classic literature while being a mostly improvised dnd campaign. It feels kind of shakespearean in a way. "bad guy" didnt get a good ending bad they let the good guys get what they deserve.
Can we just admit that Brennan’s Asmodeus is probably the best representation of the character ever. I swear everything he does is spectacular. Make him a regular please!
I almost believe Brennan is better as a player then a DM. He then only has the DM constraining him, not the story. But, I don't think his creative mind would want to stop being an DM on Dimesion 20 to be only a player. Though I believe Brennan, Lou and Luis need to guest star on the main campaign. Luis stole the show on this series, only rivaled by Brennan and Travis.
I love how Brennan's so intense acting as Asmodeus during the argument with Zerxus, then just casually says, "and then he reaches over and rips the skin off of your skull."
The fact Brennan came into this show knowing how much pressure there was on him and how important this moment in Exandrian history was and managed to come out of it with - I'll just say it - the best thing Critical Role has ever done is nothing short of unbelievable. I don't know how Mr. Mulligan managed to wrench this many emotions from me within a 4 episode mini series but I feel like I've known these characters for a lifetime. The cast also embodied these short-lived characters better than most players could do over 100 sessions. Everything about this was bottled lightning. I'd be really interested in knowing what sort of prep went into this because I honestly have no idea how they pulled this off. How much homework did the players do to seem like they've lived in this world for an entire lifetime? How much homework did BRENNAN do? I barely saw him look at his notes and he was spouting off the deepest most intricate lore like it was seared into his brain. Fan-fucking-tastic.
I want to know all that too, it was just so amazingly put together. One thing I do know tho, is according to Matt Mercer, this has been in the works for quite some time now. I can't imagine how many hours Brennan put into this before the series had even started
@@Answerisequal42 If you like the vibes, I'd recommend Fantasy High. It's more lighthearted, but still has a lot of intense depth and serious emotional moments. And, best of all, the first season is all free!
Damn all it took was for Brennan to mention Maya was proficient at history one time for Marisha to create a beautiful scene where she passes on all of her knowledge and dreams to the child of her best friend to atone for her selfish decisions and pass on the torch. In my opinion this was the moment that showed her brilliance as a player and her ability to latch onto small details meant for other players and RP off of it. Well Done.
Her whole thing with working in the stain glass window to have the Aviler protect them when they made their whole life about the city was genius too. She didn't need to go that hard for the details but she did, and I'm so glad she did, because not only did she turn just a really cool set peice into a weapon/barrier she also tapped into the history behind it that linked just about all of them there. From a storytellers standpoint, that tiny detail was POWERFUL. Marisha is SO good at feeding into the world and making it feel more alive.
@@TonksTheFool it does very much help that her husband... Created The world lol. Its a great help for her to know some of the inner workings of the world,even if not plot points (since she is a player anyway) gives her alot of insight.
@@NGBH I don't think she has any more insight into the world than any of the other main cast. Just because her husband's the DM doesn't mean he's giving her secret BTS info that others don't get.
@@jasperxalicecullen I'm not saying he's telling her every single fact I'm just saying that she probably gleams off more info than others whether accidentally overhearing a part of world building,or seeing a map,or matt just being excited about talking about stuff with her. From what I remember he keeps all the story/campaign stuff that they might run into or reveal top secret even from marisha,but some things related to world and such they brainstorm together,and she gives ideas sometimes.
As a pessimist, this quote changed my perspective on having kids (and this whole series in general). Personally I don't want to have kids in a world that is mostly shitty or let them experience the bad things what I or my gf have experienced ourselves. But maybe I should fight the world together with them, for a better future and a better life.
@@Futurism99 I held a sentiment quite similar to that which you expressed. I always said that the difference between an optimist and a pessimist was that the optimist was happy and the pessimist was right (I'm certain that I didn't make that up. I know I heard it somewhere but I don't remember when or where). I didn't want to be in this world, let alone have kids in it. My life and perspective has changed a lot since then. I can tell you that one of the greatest joys I have ever experienced is fatherhood. I get to be the father I always wanted and give my son a life full of the things I never had: laughter, joy, hope, and love. More importantly, I can raise him to be the kind of person who changes the world for the better. Even if he doesn't become some world-renowned leader for some positive movement, he can still be a good person and make the world a little better, day by day, through positive impacts on those around him. In my opinion, what this world needs is for people who have been the victims of abuse, violence, hate, malice, greed, and other acts of evil to raise a generation who will be kind, peaceful, loving, compassionate, generous, and good. You and I may never meet, but I truly and genuinely hope that you and your girlfriend will be able to transcend the terrible things you have experienced and make this world a better place for it. Also, if you choose to have children, I hope they bring you the kind of joy you never thought you could experience as you raise them to be good people who grow up to make lasting impacts on the world around them. The world needs more good people, not fewer. I wish you well, stranger. :)
@@colbydotcom Damn, thanks for the kind words and taking your time to respond. I don't know what else to say but I feel like you're completely right. I wish you all the best as well, stranger ;)
@@Futurism99 i just wanted to interject and say that adoption is an option. You can still do all those things and raise a lovely person to create a better tomorrow but you dont have to add to the already existing millions of children.
The reveal of Farrowmine coming in to save the day put the biggest smile on my face. Everything was so intense and grim and then you get a callback to this comic relief bit from the beginning of episode 1, and it changes the game.
Brennan tends to do this quite a few times, I’ve noticed. Even again in this campaign, the “haha gotcha” bit of the Fireworks Extravaganza starting came back again, not only as a second “haha gotcha” with the Extravaganza’s finale, but also as a plot point by The Lord of Hells’s conspirators to cover up the explosions damaging the arcane batteries in the Meridian Labyrinth. I honestly love how often he does this, it really adds to the worldbuilding by saying “yes this is a comedic bit, but given certain circumstances these characters and events do matter and do create consequences, be they good or bad, in the world we are playing in”.
So underrated too. Not just for the comedy, but the positivity. In an episode that is inherently so hopeless, giving the players a fun success like that scene brings *so* much energy to the table. You need those bits to keep from being lost in the despair, and Brennan has obviously really worked hard to know how and when to use them.
I just would like to point out that Loquacious’ speech to the people of the city is our first automatic natural 20 we’ve ever seen. Congratulations Sam. You can roll natural 20s with your words now. You are a real life bard and truly inspiring.
I mean, not only did Sam write that speech in session while Lou was doing his bit, not only did he deliver it perfectly, he also remembered to add a Market of Wonders ad spot at the end off of a throwaway joke Brennan did while they were improving…that was like a nat 30.
And Sam too. That's the only time I remember seeing him cry other than (C1 SPOILERS BELOW) When he couldn't save Vax from the Raven Queen at the very end of C1
Lou is an amazing role-player. I've watched him on Dimension 20 for several runs, and he's just amazing in every role. In fairness, all the cast of Dimension 20 are amazing.
@@Daddy._Life Kingston Brown from Uptown is for real one of the most charismatic dnd PCs i’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Lou puts his full soul into all his characters
I just realized one of the reasons Travis is losing it over killing Vespen is the fact that this has been some mystical big baddy legend lore guy Matt Mercer had been using for like all of the Critical Role Campaigns. And he's here like 'Holy shit, it was MY character that did it?? WTF'
One of the most powerful, hubristic wizards in the entire Age of Arcanum (a very high bar to clear), empowered by the same energies which have damned his soul for eternity.... and it all comes down to a completely magically illiterate officer of the law with a keen eye and a handaxe.
@@vaethe_w He shouldn't be able to respond though, as he was stabbed through the heart.. I found that a bit petty of Luis that he refused to play along with the DM's story, but a cool scene nevertheless.
Of all that happened in this mini-campain and especially this episode, this was definitely the moment tears started to flow for me. Gosh that line had no right to hit as hard as it did!
@@Congele_ Yah, I loved all of the campaign, but that moment with the kids was fucking heart breaking. Even Brennan making sure to add in the backstory of the brother spying on the sister was magic.
At the very end, as sad as I was for every one else's impending death, Cerrit's survival was all I cared about. His kids made this story so tense and sad
the descrition that brennan gives about his kids room has me in a literal mess i currently sobing because i can understand the heart beaking truththat he may very well not see his kidsever again
as an avid CR viewer it goes without saying I'm a huge matt mercer fan and am in awe at his dm skills, but its that tid bit right there that made is so easy for me to think "Brennan plays kids so well" compared to matt playing luc. Brennan was a camp counselor for years and wants to be a dad so much, you could really feel it in those scenes. S P O I L E R S: Sam (who is a father) didnt even cry when luc died in C2, he was just clearly emotional, because matt doesnt play kids v well. Every scene Brennan acts like a child both travis and Sam (the fathers in the room) start to cry/are on the verge of tears because Brennan GETS IT. those scenes had extra power is was beautifully sad
@@irongiant5951 Oh that's silly to compare this to the Fire Plane adventure, though. Those are two completely different scenarios. Everyone knew from episode 2 that Cerrit's kids were in serious danger because it was the friggin' Calamity. What happened to Luc was incredibly sudden for a couple of different reasons.
@@belindaluna2067 don't be daft, plane-jumping blindly while escaping mage-assains is just as deadly. Kinda sick that Luc got nixed on the fire plane tho, that's a titanic tie in right there.
@@christopherkecun8349 ....I mean you do recognize the difference between the CR main campaigns and this miniseries, right? How in Calamity the near total apocalypse is a foregone conclusion but in the main campaign if different choices had been made, not only could they have avoided the fight with the elemental, they could've avoided the trip to the Fire Plane entirely? Things were _always_ going to be dangerous for Maya and Kir no matter what the Ring of Brass did, but that wasn't the case with Luc.
2:13:00 can I just say how absolutely wild it is that this Chekov’s Gun of an extra spell slot was set up last episode with a crazy counter-spell, and then only survived the explosion due to a nat 20, and this was entirely improv and chance rolls. Incredible.
Him describing THE PEOPLE GETTING CUT IN HALF because there were too many people in the teleportation circle made a visual so horrible in my head my stomach dropped and I felt ACTUALLY scared
@@CharmChampion Also a sort of Star Trek warp incident, like there was too much mass for the enchantment to properly function so it just took the upper half of everyone until it met the weight limit
"My greatest heartbreak is that when I have collected every last mortal soul and all of my siblings into my pit, that I will only have eternity to punish them."
Brennan: (Pointing at each PC) "Unconscious. Unconscious. Dead." Travis: "I am so hot for you right now. This is great." Man of the people, the voice of the masses, the illustrious Travis Willingham. He knows. He gets it.
@@T0NI_ The one consistency amongst pretty much all of the characters played by Travis is that they will *all* press the Big red button if presented with one unless someone else holds him back from it
@@apollo193 he wanted nothing more than to free uk’atoa throughout pretty much the whole campaign from when they got through the second temple haha. He just kept letting himself be convinced not to
Literally my whole thought about Travis during that whole scene was "he is us, how is he THIS us???" I love that he loves being the audience with us and being blown away by the story too
Luis: "Do I have a moment to do anything? Then I cast a spell!" Brennan: Allow me to demonstrate how badly you have misunderstood the nature of this dialogue. 1:02:45
Haha, ok I was not the only one confused by this. But the stubbornness fit Brennan perfectly he loved to play along :D It also fit Zerxus' character, a sunken cost fallacy reaction to his mistake is very realistic.
The fusion of Matt's huge-scale world-building and global stakes with Brennan's Godlike acting, emotional storytelling and oratory ability to improvise staggeringly beautiful literary passages is such a perfect marriage. This is some of the absolute best dnd content ive ever seen, everyone was so incredible. Please more Brennan in CR and more stuff like this goddamn.
I think Brennan took years of improv classes which goes to show his incredible acting skills but the amount of knowledge this man has in general is absolutely another level. He has to have a genius level iq.
Man, that line about Cerrit solving the mistery of who his children were was amazing. I mean, how does Brennan comes up with that on the fly? Just incredible.
@@Vault25-8 They weren't anyone. But Cerrit was always so busy working and not spending time, real time, with his children, that he didn't know them. They aren't any important NPC or anything world shattering. They were just children, just kids. But not even Cerrit really understood them until that moment.
There is something so great about hearing Lou say "How many dice is that, you fuck?!" to Brennan as he rolls all those dice. It resonates with me on a deep personal level.
I think the Market of Wonders joke from Sam is one of the best jokes I've ever heard. Doesn't kill the emotional moment but actually rounds it out. Perfect
"you use your vast intellect to unlock the mystery of who your children were" *Seems I must have failed my con check because I'm crying* Dangit Brennan, making me feel things like this. You're on a whole other level.
Like honestly. For the first 4 years of my daughter's life and first 2 of my son's, I was a stay at home dad and had plenty if time. Just got employed after graduating college January this year and I'm terrified of not knowing them as they grow up.
@@AltrTheEgospeaking for myself as grown-up child of a dad who worked long hours for most of my formative years, I never felt like anything was missing. Dad was out working hard for the family. And I knew he loved me. Though he worked long hours, he made time to come to my events, my concerts, football games on the weekends. He showed up as much as he could. Only piece of advice I'd say is make sure you take time to ask your kids about their lives but also share about yours and your childhood.
I know I’m late, and nobody will ever see this, but this is the absolute peak of Dungeons and Dragons. I have been playing since 2017, not a long time, but I have played/DMed over 300 DnD sessions, and heard every single episode of Dungeons and Daddies (surprisingly good), Critical Role, and I’m 3 campaigns in to Dimension 20. I grew up on stories of my father slaying powerful vampires and destroying evil and ancient artifacts. My entire life, I’ve loved DnD and everything it stands for, but this is the best example of DnD I’ve ever seen. It inspires me to be better, contributes to the lore of a world I’ve seen built over years, and makes me feel things that I’ve never felt to my core. I know nobody will ever find this at the bottom of 5000+ comments, but it’s enough for me to know I contributed in the slightest to the spreading of the greatest achievement of improvised storytelling created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson almost half a century ago. Thank you, Brennan, Aabria, Sam, Marisha, Travis, Lou, and Luis for this. I’ll be 90 and dying of Alzheimer’s before I forget this
Your comment brought tears to my eyes. :) I'm so happy to share this beautiful hobby with so many kind-hearted, brave people. I see you and I wish you many delightful and touching DnD sessions more. :)
“At the beginning of time, the Gods made all of the gold that there ever will be. There will always be more people.” Hardest line I’ve ever heard god damn that’s metal
This series is one of the best that critical role has ever done. It was such an emotional rollercoaster, I couldn’t stop watching. I hope they start a kickstarter because this needs to be turned into a movie! BRAVO to Brennan and the cast!
Especially because of what it implies about the influence of infernal forces! If he was a scholar who was seduced into this and was so remorseful, then infernals can do this to others too.
@@TheKrou I think it's less a case of him being tempted and more along the lines of: he tried to accomplish something for the good of all mortals and failed horribly. And what became of him are the consequences of his failure.
With that moment, he demonstrated how great of a wizard he was. He understood what he saw in an instant and managed to amend the contract made by a god. Even for a little bit.
_Fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over._ _- Neil Gaiman_ i loved this story
Travis: I'm increasingly attracted to Nydus. (no one hears it because Lou is too busy explaining his 30 AC) Travis: *looks around like OH GOOD NO ONE HEARD THAT*
To Patia, thank you for seeing yourself, both the beautiful and the broken. To Laerryn, thank you for chasing your dreams and conquering them. To Loquacious, thank you for your courage to love. To Nydas, thank you for living true to your golden heart. To Xerxus, thank you for hoping against impossible odds. To Cerrit, thank you for keeping your promises. To Bolo, thank you for the drinks.
@@padenbang7375 True. Much underappreciated in the comment section. I think he probably had the most amount of solo interaction with DM. Very good to and fro between Luis and Brennan all through the 4 episodes, especially Asmodeud and Zerxus parts
SPOILERS I've seen many a comment about the "Shut the fuck up" line from Nydas to the dragon, but the line that followed - "I am the *last* dragon of Avalir, and you will do as I command" - gave me chills. What a brilliant line. It not only gives the perfect juxtaposition of having the First and the Last Dragon in the same room, in the same moment, separated by hundreds of years but connected by a love of gold and, when it matters, a deep need to protect that which they have spent their lives accumulating - be it wealth or friends or both. But more than that, this line is Nydas coming to terms with death. He knows that Avalir is falling, he knows that he's not going to make it to sunrise. Never again will there be a dragon to watch over the wealth of the city. But he lets it embolden him. Death is in front of them all, waiting patiently in a white porcelain mask, ready to catch them in a blanket of raven's feathers, but Nydas grips onto whatever life he has left and decides to go down with the ship as a proud captain and not a scared cabin boy. Fuck, man.
This is going to be the nerdiest and possibly lamest reason I thought of this, but it reminded me of something I read in an Avatar the Last Airbender fan-fiction many years ago about dragons and their hoard. Nydas has come to the realization that his hoard is not the gold, nor the treasure, but the people of the city he loves, and “a dragon will do anything to protect what/who it considers their own.” A valiant effort to save his people, from the honorable First and Last Dragons of Avalir.
Also, he was the only one in the group who didn't in some way contribute to bringing about the calamity, so it is kind of narratively fitting that he survives to fight what comes next.
@@M99THESHaM Not strange at all, actually. Less time to live means less reason to hide behind false faces and false sentiments. Think about how much crazy progress humans make within a century of life at most, versus elves making about the same amount of progress in their many centuries.
Brennan wasn't kidding with "I came here to hurt people"; even he choked up when he delivered that line about Cerrit's kids not getting the world they deserve... 😭
He's said something in an adventuring academy about how parents trying their best for their kids always gets him (I could be wrong but it was definitely something about families fighting for each other). It was in reference to how he was trying to make a player on d20 cry but he ended up making himself cry.
@@lookingfortherain I think he said on gamechanger that another thing that gets him is people trying their best against insurmountable odds, so Cerrit's situation fits both bills.
Brennan gets hit deep with a counter from Travis when he says that Cerrit looks at all the things in his office and he's FURIOUS, starting at about 1:37:18. Brennan is SO close to breaking, and it's relatively early in the ep all things considered.
@@zhaoluyue1995 Yeah Cerrit's failure aside from his family seems to be that while he was ever vigilant against threats to Avalir, he obviously did not put his closest allies under that same level of scrutiny, when it turned out some of his closest allies were the greatest threats. Had he trusted them less, maybe he could have stopped them.
I think I got closer to crying than I did for Dimension 20s A Crown of Candy, and that's saying something. What a beautiful story of love and life and loss and the power of hope in the face of knowing disaster.
@@Zahnpuppy Personally, I'm a huge fan of the anthology show he DMs for most seasons of Dimension 20! There's some free seasons available on TH-cam, but I think you have to have a dropout subscription to watch A Crown of Candy. Well worth it, in my opinion, but I'm very biased, lol, I've been a fan for years.
@@Zahnpuppy Also, Aabria DMs a side quest season on there too, called Misfits and Magic, where Brennan was a player! And she's on a few other seasons as a PC.
@@Zahnpuppy Crown of candy is really good, imagine GoT but with food and somehow as stupid as that sounds it’s absolutely amazing. The other D20 seasons are also worth a watch imo. Personal favorite is a starstruck odyssey, while Brennan brings chaotic energy as the DM, all of starstruck odyssey was the players being absolutely batshit crazy. They’ve got a lot of the first episodes on their channel, give them a watch and see if they sell you.
As funny as it was for Sam to add in the sponsor roll to the broadcast, there was also something tragic about the herald of the city persisting in his duty to the end.
58:41 "You're trying to atone me...and I didn't do anything wrong" gives me so many chills, it's unbelievable how good Brennan is at building character scenes.
And then you have to watch Lou from like 58:19 on. Everyone else is leaning in, listening, and then freaking out when the line comes. Meanwhile Lou has PTSD from Brennan's villains, he knows _exactly_ what's coming before it drops. The dead look on his face tho 💀
Who else thinks that in the moment Loquacious and Laerryn decided to get divorced, Loquacious tried to use the threat of it as a wakeup call to Laerryn and she just accepted it instead.
That's a brilliant theory, but I wonder if it's simply that he couldn't be around her after he'd killed the truth for her, and she, being Laerryn, just saw him being even more of a flirty inconsistent dilettante.
"In general rolls tend to be asked for in moments where chance is required, but occasionally people, without having to roll a die at all, just give you a nat 20." BRENNA LEE MULLIGAN EXPLAINING IN (1) SENTENCE WHY I LOVE THIS GODDAMN GAME SO GODDAMN MUCH.
This is why the rule of cool exists. Sometimes you just have to look at your players and say, “You know what? No roll necessary. You can have that for free.”
Is anyone going to talk about how he said he’d break the smile and all that’s left of the continent is a string of islands called the broken teeth?? That’s some gorgeous lore, history and world building.
I was surprised none of that cast reacted when Brennan said "If Domunus is the smile of Exandria, lets 'shatter her teeth'" ... Gang... The Shattered Teeth! It's down south!
Yup, some geniuses were speculating since he said that Domunus was the Smile of Exandria and it just clicked in place so well I was hoping/dreading it was going to happen. Because that's exactly the kind of clever bullshit Matt and Apparently Brennan both love. But once it actually happened I was just screaming lol. I had been wondering because it was such a weird turn of phrase, but when I saw the theory I was just like... oh... OH....OH NO. Then this episode dropped lol.
Sam: “I got nothing left.” Marisha: “Spell-wise, or emotionally?” Sam: “…yes.” I feel that lmao this series was a WILD fucking ride and I loved every second. Can’t wait to see more from Brennan and the D20 cast on CR in the future!
Same lmao, With that shout I felt like I had lived in Avalir my whole life and that fighting for it was not only something I had to do, but something that I could do well. I don't think I've ever felt that emboldened before, at least not just by words.
Watch the Dimension20 side story Misfits & Magic. Lou's character just exudes that energy the whole time, and it is joyous. MESS WITH THE GOAT, YOU GET THE HORNS! GOAT! HOUSE!
It takes five minutes for a 5 hour hike, it takes 5 hours for a five minute fight, and it takes one hour for a second to pass when Asmodeus is having fun.
We knew how this was going to end, but the journey, this journey was breathtaking. When you've made Sam Riegel tear up, you know you have something special in your hands. I'll miss this combo of cast and guests.
idk how they could do it but it would be REALLY cool if in the future they did an "EXU The Brass Ring" prequel series where they go on some cool adventure using all the nifty shit from the age of arcanum
And that's why I never cared for spoilers. Spoilers aren't as bad as people make them out to be. You just need to reframe how you are looking at a story to just see how spoilers aren't actually that important. We all knew the end. Avalir WAS going to fall. The smile of Exandria was going to be shattered. People were going to die. The how is more important than the what for stories, a lot of the time. The what is still important, but it's the static set in a narrative.
"Hope that you are forgotten" is a crazy line from Brennan Mulligan as Vespin Chlorus to the party. Kind of the antithetical - "Fly you fools!" Gandalf moment where both influential wizards get collected by devils. Thank you and bravo to everyone involved for this incredible story. I will cherish this as much as I cherish the LOTR. So to this fellowhship I say, "You have my gold!"
I put off watching it until now because I was too busy and barely keeping up with C3, and same. I was not expecting how unparalleled an experience this was. The perfect miniseries. Absolutely masterful on every level.
"Fire." "Everything feels slow." "There's movement and there's heat, but only noise you can hear, despite all this chaos, is breath." "It's yours. But it's also a stranger's." This is how the first and the last episode of this campaign starts and I just think it's amazing how Brennan made it work so good in both situations ^^
I agree! The D20 cast love to fuck up Brennans plans and I love seeing Travis be PUMPED about Brennans particular brand of brutality lol. Theres a moment where Travis is screaming excitedly about Asmodeus and Brennan glances up with this little delighted grin.
@@JacopoSkydweller I never denied that, that's what I was implying with "you have to take both".... Also the cast's characters, like they say in the table discussion, were meant to be "nasty" and represent the lights and shadows of their own society. The difference is that while everyone (the cast included) had a part in the calamity they were the ones that made it a lot less deadly. So if you look the situation as a whole your mixed feelings are still totally valid, it kinda was the point.
Oh man. I was not expecting to tear up when the Arch Fae of the Seelie Court said, “My child, my heart breaks. But, I would rather mine break, and yours be kept whole.” Brennan is killing me with some of these lines. Incredible.
I love how Brennan phrased those last words: “...And though Calamity is here, because of you, it will not be here forever.” Our cast may have played a major part in bringing about the Calamity, but despite that they were able to downscale an eternal apocalypse to an age of ruin that the world could and would recover from. I love this story.
"Bonus Action: Will You Marry Me," is definately going to happen at some point in real life now while a couple is gaming, now that it has been said in CR.
@@KCMMFB TBF people just thought Zerxus was just falling for a bad boy. His monologue as he got stabbed was proof he was just as full of himself as the rest of the Ring of Brass.
It got a bit distracting afterwards; Revivify doesn't restore lost body parts, so I was constantly wondering "Is anyone going to mention that one of her arms is missing?!"
@@paulgibbon5991 It also doesn't fix injuries, so...I just imagined that Zerxus put her head back in the correct direction before revivifying her, though he said nothing about it.
@Paul Gibbon I think it was just a rules flub. Marisha was miming testing out her hand and arm after being revived so i think everyone just assumed it made them whole again. It’s not really a big deal anyway. Maybe the Age of Arcanum’s version of revivify was just stronger.
@@paulgibbon5991 Yeah it kept sticking around in my mind too. She was doing her hand motions and everything and my mind is just "Soooo we're not going to explain how she is slinging spells with only 2 fingers and a missing arm?"
While I am a rules lawyer at heart, with this episode I am comfortable enough in the fact that these PC's got more than their fair share of punishment that I don't care about this too much (amongst other things)
HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing
1:25 Familiar Problems
3:10 Murder us all
3:55 Intro cinematic
5:30 EPISODE STARTS
9:35 We believe that you can fail, Patia
10:55 Elbow or shoulder
13:55 Cerrit is fine
16:25 Patia’s items get hit
18:30 Loquatius’s items get hit
21:55 Nydas’s items get hit
22:55 Laerryn’s items get hit
23:50 Taking it easy on them (Zerxus’s items get hit)
26:10 The Holy Avenger
28:00 The Calamity is Marisha’s fault
29:20 Brennan is cheating with this damage (call Gygax)
31:10 Patia dies
32:45 Laerryn is the only one left
33:40 Laerryn fails against physics
35:25 The time stop
36:40 Nydas’s expression
37:50 Patia’s expression
39:00 Loquatius’s expressions
40:00 Laerryn’s expression
42:15 Zerxus in the time stop
45:55 Zerxus reaches out
49:15 Zerxus and Asmodeus
51:05 Zerxus and Zerxus
53:15 Lou is crushed by emotion
58:30 The problem of atonement
59:15 The Godless
1:01:05 The sin of pride
1:02:05 Zerxus gets killed super hard (Cerrit is just chillin)
1:03:10 Overlapping time stops
1:03:50 Family strife
1:05:45 It’s a living
1:08:45 Zerxus has pity
1:10:40 An offer
1:13:20 The second ends
1:17:05 Leaving Loquatius
1:19:45 Death saves
1:22:25 Asmodeus’s plan
1:24:05 Don’t worry, Laerryn will save us (Sam ruins death)
1:26:15 Brennan is not nice
1:29:10 Maya and Kir
1:31:10 Cerrit’s ring glows
1:34:20 Cerrit walks through his house
1:44:30 Evandrin and Zerxus
1:57:10 The Age of Salvation
2:02:45 Zerxus takes control
2:05:55 Redeeming touch
2:08:40 Redeemed Vespin
2:12:30 Loquatius’s gift saves the day
2:14:20 Vespin will not be forgotten
2:16:55 Coming back together
2:26:55The Hall of Prophecy
2:28:45 Jinxing Aabria
2:35:10 Please ignore me
2:36:00 Healing smooch
2:37:25 Disrespecting this dragon
2:38:30 Blaze it
2:41:20 BREAK STARTS (the character growth of Brennan getting better at calling breaks)
2:50:30 Art Montage
2:52:30 BREAK ENDS (scablamity)
2:54:00 Patia and her grandfather
2:57:05 Preserving a history of Avalir
2:58:30 Patia’s parents
3:04:55 Eldamir actually sucks
3:08:40 Mock this dragon
3:10:05 Nydas gives an inspiring speech
3:11:55 Betrayal
3:17:45 HDYWTDT
3:19:45 Alessander got a promotion
3:22:55 Ferromine
3:25:20 Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red dawn!
3:27:05 Aria is on call (Bolo has been calling)
3:29:40 Elmenore calls her children home
3:34:55 Throw in some ad reads
3:36:10 Elena Tuvaris
3:39:35 Wall of force
3:41:10 Loquatius Seelie’s greatest broadcast
3:45:05 Mercer’s spell ink
3:47:25 Laerryn still hates Aria (resignation)
3:52:15 Zerxus and his son
3:56:40 Hard to have kids in this game
3:57:40 Commanding the fiends
3:59:45 Transport via plants
4:01:25 Laerryn gets to work
4:07:00 Getting the map out
4:10:00 Nydas’s tattoos
4:11:35 Prepping for Zerxus
4:14:50 Difficult placement
4:16:10 3 rounds
4:19:40 Battle begins (Round 1)
4:23:55 FOR AVALIR (off keto)
4:27:50 Vespin is the archmage of drip
4:34:50 Nydas has set the bar
4:36:00 Vespin is weak
4:41:10 Brennan is bad
4:44:25 Bonus action propose
4:47:20 DnD Beyond is a snitch (Round 2)
4:49:25 Cerrit always gets his mage
4:56:00 AC 30
4:58:50 We’re still up
5:02:15 Laerryn makes a tough call
5:04:25 Stained glass
5:09:15 Tempus is a good boy
5:11:30 Power Word Kill
5:18:05 HDYWTDT
5:19:30 Round 3
5:21:10 Nydas makes a leap of faith
5:25:25 Nydas doesn’t miss
5:27:30 Patia falls
5:31:25 Readied heal
5:33:15 The spell finishes
5:38:00 Shattered Teeth
5:38:55 The sorcerers escape
5:39:55 Zerxus makes his choice
5:43:55 Nydas and his brother
5:46:30 Patia chooses the dreamer
5:49:50 Cleareye to Wingspan
5:53:30 Loquatius and Laerryn
5:57:15 Cerrit makes his escape
6:00:05 Brennan wraps up
6:05:40 Why do we tell stories?
6:07:10 Episode Ends
The in-game start date for the episode was not technically in the year 0, as I believe the dates count from the defeat of the Betrayers, rather than their release.
Next week I will be starting at a new job, working in a lab to develop new carbon-neutral aviation fuel and water desalination technologies, fighting in my own small way against the Calamity of our own world. I almost let my dream job pass me by while I focused on my everyday grind, and I just wanted to remind everyone that you deserve to spend your time doing work that matters to you, and that to hope and strive and fight together against the end is the only rational course in the face of the apocalypse. And don’t worry, I intend to still post these timestamps for the foreseeable future.
Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?
Took you long enough.
thank u sir
*sees load less than 30 seconds ago.. scrolls down to see if i beat Flando...* "i think i've done it... i think i beat them to the viD...OH FOR GOD SAKE!"
Best of luck in your new gig! Go save the world and thanks for being here every week :)
Congrats on the new job Flando!!
Travis: I want a ring that detects deception
Brennan: it’s a surprise tool that will break him later
Dude, that was so masterful. You could see the moment Travis internally just goes "fuck" then instant panic
The face drop of oh God what have I done.
@@Goop_3 Haven't seen that face on him since Undeadwood when he realized that him encouraging Aloysius to gamble is why he lost his emotions and turned on Clayton.
I was at WORK when I got to this part, man! It was so hard to keep it together and not fall to pieces
@@VonSnootinghamUndeadwood was such a good series, it sucks that it's unwatchable now.
Izzy's tweet about how every night Brennan would come home and say "I just played the best D&D of my life" was so sweet and incredibly accurate.
Do you have link please? I would like to read those.
@@diegofoliene3288 Links get deleted on youtube, but here is her quote in response to Brennans promo tweet:
Brennan would come home from filming this and I would wake up because it was the middle of the night and he would go “I just played the best D&D of my life” and the truth is he is ALWAYS playing the best D&D of his life because he’s the greatest of all time and I love him!!!!!!
@@noone-ld7pt They are both just so sweet 😭
I actually think they're both right though... he is *always* pushing himself and his party to the next level. This really is the best he's done so far. Just like how Starstruck Odessy was the best he had done prior to that. The man squeezes every ounce of talent out of everyone at the table, including himself. I'm constantly in awe.
Tldr; the man's a monster
And we will be seeing her soon in Marisha one shot, The Familair Problem. 😀
Lou summoning his dragon again and right away going “SHUT THE FUCK UP” was pure comedy gold amongst this tragedy.
---ooop? *pikachu face*
it was a much needed breath of air having watched part 3 and jumping straight into part 4 with no pause. i felt like i was choking
"AS THE FUCK I SAY"
Every time the spotlight turned to him was amazing.
@@pretentiousname01 did not know Lou before calamity. Started fantasy high and omg he’s just so fun to watch.
Nearly a year later, and this is still the greatest session of D&D I've ever seen.
I just decided to watch it cause of Bell’s Hells finding some inscribed names of the party. (I have yet to see if they in fact are the ones who inscribe so I will continue watching this.)
The plot twist and turns are soooo good
@@GoobieTheGoob wow i did not see that ! do you know in wich episode of C3 that happen ?
@@kurojeu9192 I think it was The Sorrow of Molaesmyr.
@dharmeshmistry342 I think so too, it's when they find all the names looking for things about ludinus. Laeryn is in the list.
Huge thanks to Marisha for crying through 90% of this so I don't feel like I'm the only one.
I was overwhelmed with emotion constantly. I didn't know I was going to cry so much or so hard...or so consistently for the majority of six hours!!!
+1
That last 30 minutes or so... I went through so many tissues.
You definitely weren't the only one. I cried for most of the six hours. 10/10
I cried too! The whole time. Sometimes out of joy even! This was an amazing episode
We came in from the last three episodes thinking "The Calamity killed 2/3 of Exandria. What did these people do that led to the death of 2/3 of Exandria." and we leave realizing that what they actually did led to the survival of the remaining 1/3.
Edit: The Brass Ring did not personally cause the Calamity. The ball was already rolling. We learned that Vespin Chloras' ritual happened two weeks before this evening (the entire mini-series takes place in a single night!) and Brennan said on an interview that if Laerryn hadn't been the ones to destroy the tree themselves, his contingency was that the cultists would have done it. The Calamity was an inevitability as soon as the game began and everyone contributed a bit of themselves. Nothing that happened in the course of the game *caused* the Calamity. As they put it, the wheel was already spinning, its gilded fulcrum rotting from within.
i was talking to a couple of my friends about this specifically. it was a really masterful way of giving players a sense of agency and a feeling of accomplishment while still having the predetermined path remain the same.
how do you make your players feel like they're still playing, like their actions still have meaning, when they know the entire time that their actions will lead to arguably one of the worst events in history? you raise the stakes and have them prevent something so much worse from happening
Thats big FACTS my friend, i gotta stop crying and go to work man, JESUS!!!! I'd love to see Brenan DMing campaign 4 so Matt can finally deeply develope 1 PC for an entire series
It makes me wonder what he would have said if the players had actually failed. Like, would he have spun the 2/3 dying as being the destruction they foresaw?
@@GrndAdmiralThrawn not sure, though i doubt it. i do wonder if brennan is going to do anything like an AMA or a deep dive, tho. it'd be interesting to see the behind the scenes on this one
@@mugi-wharingan8150 omg thatd be a dream. Brenan is amazing, and to see Mercer get to just PLAY a campaign would be a gift. all Dms want at least some time in the players seat
"How many dice is that, you fuck?"
I adore Lou
Dome Energy on the CR set
@@Dimloep Strong Dimension20 energy. Lou's like, "I'ma be a pirate again" and Brennan is like, "Did I not hurt you enough the last time?"
@@e.l.puppington978 EXU: Calamity, 9/10, not enough Chungledown Bim
@@DimloepIs he gonna shit in Nydas’ mouth too? Scar Lou across campaigns
@@Dimloep "He's gonna shit in my MOUUUUuuuUuTtttHhh!!!"
I love that for nearly an hour and 15 minutes, Brennan Lee Mulligan would actually _not give them just one second_
Literally insane. Unreal play. The absolute best
Timestop is a helluva spell
Brennan: "Fire."
Players: "AAAAHHHH NOOO!!"
I love that "dad, why is your ring glowing?" because you just fucking know that the moment Travis said he wanted a ring that detects lies Brennan came up with that heartbreaker of a line
That was so rough!
I can just imagine that Brennan in his head was doing that little gremlin dance he does whenever he concocts a truly evil scenario while saying "I'm gonna make you lie to your kids!!!"
Duuuuuuuude. I texted my buddy who demanded I watch that immediately
I come back to this every few months and it destroys me all over again.
Of all the emotional moments, this was the first that had me practically sobbing.
My gods, the karmic energies that were active through the "less than a second" start of this episode:
- Patia losing not just an arm and digits that help her somatic components in her greatest pride: spellcasting, and then dying with most of the knowledge she just learned.
- Quay the changeling, ever shifting in the eyes of the public, losing his Shiftweave, but still keeping his gift from his wife.
- Nydas the merchant, losing his bag of holding and getting blasted by coins.
- Xerxus the First Knight of Avalir, protector, losing his shield.
- Laerryn surviving the blast consciously to see the damage she wrought.
- Cerrit, the Eyes of Avalir, absent and unable to see the calamity upon his closest friends.
This hits hard. I love it.
Truly poetic rolls.
Xerxus also lost his holy sword
@@tawilk you're right!
Additionally, for Patia, the damage came from her Ring of mind shielding, the item that kept her in control and allow her to keep those knowledge.
Anyone- “Brennan, I’ve been shot in the leg and I’m actively dying.”
Brennan- “Incredible, let’s roll initiative”
AMAZING
BRILLIANT
IN….CREDIBLE
His perfect but frequent use of "Incredible" and "Amazing" always gets me lmao
don’t forget hell yea
Brennen improvising multiple pages of narration: Put's Shakespeare to shame.
Brennen needing to get through the basics of intro/outro: Deer in headlights.
God damn is he a good DM.
One of the best. For sure.
Brennan improving: EASY
Brennan knowing the rules for Counterspell: IMPOSSIBLE
@@kylem6165How was counterspell done wrong?
Brennan pushing through the session as 5 hours pushes to 6: *WE’RE OFF KETO*
@@kylem6165 I always love how as he's going through stuff that he's 100% got pre-planned it's so much "Uhh... err... ahh... buh-buh-*buuuuh...* " but then he just needs to casually create some super intense interaction that also provides worldbuilding and exposition while doing a deep character analysis in a dialogue and he doesn't miss a fucking *beat* as the whole scene just flows to the point that you forget it's not scripted.
To be fair while I never reached BLeeM heights of improvisation my DMing did improve when I started to plan less because when I plan things out my brain locks in on doing things in a specific way even when that doesn't *really* work for the story. If I know the story, the major players and places and beats, it's often better for me to trust in my intuition and just roll with the flow.
But personally I had to (well I didn't *have* to, but I enjoyed it switch to a different system because 3.5 which was the last edition of D&D I truly DM'd it was hard to run it *without* planning shit out. I can improvise a social and a narrative scene, but I can't improvise the stat-block of a medium earth elemental or whatever.
Brennan is like my GM aspiration. His style matches my own but I just *wish* I could reach those heights.
"At the beginning of time the gods made all the gold that ever was. There will always be more people." Cold shit.
Brennan always gives his villains such great lines.
He didn't realize the implication there was that his life was forfeit for the sake of Avalir.
Not going to lie, Asmodeus’ rant about redemption is pretty epic too.
Brennan really came into this session with " Imma kill that dog" energy.
He’s all the bad guys know what I’m saying
@@Cynicalease 😜
✌
Except this time, "that dog" is my heart.
@@hannahnielsen5165 👏🏾 excellent emoji work
And the dog is nearly everything good in the world.
“Because I did nothing wrong” might have been the single greatest line of character I have seen this decade.
One of the absolute best moments I’ve witnessed.
timestamp?
@@woulaiverine8417 from 58:13
"YOU _ARE_ WRONG!" will forever be a close second.
The way he transitions from soft-spoken to snarling makes it perfect.
I had no clue who Luis was, but his portrayal of Zerxus Ilerez was literally perfect.
Oh yes! Excellent chemistry in his to and fro with Brenan as well, in the zerxus asmodeus interactions.
@@Brion57042 there seems to be multiple seasons of LA by Night. Can you please tell me which season features Nines Rodriquez? Also, is the video on youtube?
@@Brion57042 Sounds like a cool character, but I got a decent bit into the first episode and I don't think it's quite my speed.
If I lived multiple millenia like most of the main characters in that show probably do, I would definitely watch it.
I didn't understand why he would ever try to redeem / trust Asmodeus. It seemed naive bordering on idiotic. The literal father of lies. Out of this entire series, that plot point and Laerryn being so insanely selfish to an also idiotic degree were the parts I didn't like. Otherwise it was great, but those 2 things made it a 9 out of 10 instead of a straight 10/10 to me.
@@nickr0425 See, those were the things that took it from an 8/10 to a 10/10 for me. Do you really think those professional D&D players didn't know where the story was going? Of course they did, and that's exactly why I find it so cool that they still decided to create an amazing story by leaning into the fundamental flaws of their characters. Watch the wrap-up episode they published if you want to hear them and Brennan talk about it more.
Brennan: 18 Seconds left before sunrise, 3 rounds to decide it all.
Me: *glances at time left and sees over 2 hours left of dnd*
Absolutely love dnd
The first second of the episode didn't happen for over an hour. I loved every second of this show
@@5AMACE even if each second takes 90 minutes
@@5AMACE all nineteen of em lol
This is the most accurate description of D&D I’ve ever read
Za warudo
Vasselheim banning magic and its extreme distaste for it does make a lot of sense now.
Yea, this entire series is basicly: And that kids, is how you screw up everything for everyone. So let's take this and do none of that.
It still seems nonsensical to me, since half of divine magic comes from the Betrayer gods but they only have a problem with arcane magic
@@TheGIJew. yeah that was always my confusion
@@TheGIJew. I mean I'm pretty sure they banned worshiping the Betrayer Gods as well lol. Seems implied. (And you don't get the power unless you do the worship).
Yeah, there's a 20 minute discussion from C1 with Highbearer Vord about Vasselheim's position on things (Big interesting lore dump about several different things, should really check it out Ep 43 2:08:01 - 2:36:13 BIG Spoilers if you haven't watched C1 Obviously) and you really can put the feeling to it better now. Before they just seemed repressed and stuck up, but you know what, some of them are probably old enough to have lived through the tail end of this shit, so fair enough lol. And if they didn't, their parents or grandparents did, for the longer lived races, this is Shockingly recent, which intellectually I've always known, but this does help to make it more visceral, like riding through the Barbed fields of Xhorhas did the first time seeing the left over damage lingering even a thousand years later.
There's just something about Nydas Okiro, once a small cabin boy who dreamed of living in a city that flies in the skies. And with sheer passion and genius, became the richest and most powerful sorcerer in Avalir. A man who dreamed so big and lived so fully, that beneath all the riches and hubris, believed in uplifting EVERYONE the most. Building the Sorcerer's University, providing automatons to the citizens of Avalir, funding Laerryn's Astral Leywright to bring the city to new planes - all of this, built beneath his true purpose: to help everyone that cannot rise on their own. It's in this sincerity that he views gold not by what it is, but by its value of what it could accomplish. So when the world was about to end, he fights and he saves everyone as much as he can. And when his life was about to end, all he felt was content that his beautiful dream can be a beacon of dreams far greater than his. So he smiles, in the memory of a young boy's dream - content with the life he lived. GOD Lou really shined with this character UGH HE'S JUST TOO GOOD
Gonna be honest, when the series started, I thought Nydas was the least compelling character, but by the end, he was just pure awesome.
@@patrickrogers9689 Same here!! Cause I watched Fantasy High and already saw Lou play Fabian, which is also quite a charismatic pirate, and I thought I've seen some parts of this before. But Lou, just like in any other character he's ever played, surprises us and just gives much more depth to his character in moments that truly matter.
What a good description - thank you for capturing the character of Nydas so eloquently!
Such a great depiction of the "moral" layers that can separate ppl who can all be friends, yet see what fulfills them in life so differently... The lifting of others, the drive to achieve the realization of lifting onesself, or ones ultimately self serving dreams, and beyond.
Man it’s 6am and you made me shed a tear 🥲
I love that players are usually excited when the dm calls on them, while in this episode they all look like students praying the teacher will forget they exist
"Dad, why is your ring glowing?" BRENNAN. WHAT. THE ACTUAL. HECK. ARE YOU DOING TO ME.
He's so evil hahaha what a sad moment
Zerxus' son holding the spell kite broke me.
Such a beautiful moment
this moment totally took me off guard, i was wtf Brennan that was brilliant
This *destroyed* me
Brennan is such a chameleon. He was terrified to look at when he was Asmodeus. He looked soft and lost when he was Cerrit's children. He embodied Elias enough to bring Sam and Travis to tears.
When Brennan as Elias says, "Dad, Dad!" Sam just couldn't take it. 😭
@@PlanetLovingMom this was one of the main moments where I just bawled. Seeing Sam cry.
@mikea hiooi To be fair, pretty early spells like create food and water can kinda break the world.
The one place where it falls apart a tiny bit is near the very end. Before I call this out I want to make it clear this is by no means a condemnation of what is one of the best things CR has ever made happen. However near the end when over Cerrit's sending stone you hear: "Wingspan, this is Cleareye". "Cleareye" was meant to be the codename for his wife but Travis thought he was talking to his daughter whose codename was meant to be "Egghead".
Travis can be forgiven for not keeping those details in mind at the end of a 6 hour session with all the emotional strain that was inflicted upon him and Brennen can be forgiven for having a limited voice range for differentiating two female characters. But just to show how amazing Brennen is at thinking on his feet he quickly rectified the confusion within the narrative without calling out his player. Again this is a very minor nitpick to one of the best actual play series I've ever witnessed.
@@Mezmero I totally noticed, too! I did ascertain that Cleareye was the wife as well. He can definitely be forgiven for the little mishap. It was an emotionally charged moment, everyone's minds were racing!
"My greatest heartbreak is that when I have gathered every mortal soul, and all of my siblings into my pit, that I will *only* have Eternity to punish them."
WHAT THE FUCK BRENNAN.
Poetry from hell literally. Terrifyingly amazing
oh geez that was also in this episode--it feels like that line came from forever ago
I interpreted that as a subtle elution to the mathematic concept of Aleph number sets an infinite set made up of infinite sets. Which shows just how powerful of beings we are seeing if it could knowingly exist so far outside of time (one infinite set) as to be jealous and sad about not having access to more sets of infinite sets.
@@johnathanbrandt2526 think about it in terms of countable infinity, and uncountable continuum
You had the perfect opportunity to react with "What the hell?!" and you missed it. :P
During Loquatius’ last broadcast, at the end he says to remember everyone in the party but HIMSELF. Being someone who loved fame and adoration, I thought this was a brilliant touch to point out, whether intentional or not, I really think that it shows Loquatius’ true character.
And remember the market of wonders
...I have watched that scene so many times and I didn't even notice that, holy SHIT. Thank you for your year-old comment, sincerely
brennan has successfully weaponized the naivety of these bird children to break my heart like 5 times this episode.
Absolutely destroying my ability to not cry
I was straight up in CONVULSIONS at the kitchen table when that scene happened. I would kill and die for those little peeps.
Haha straight up!
It lights up *voice crack* when there's danger.
**Ring glows *again**
The sadness those children generated was more than everything else combined!
According to Aristotle "The tragic hero must be neither a villain nor a virtuous man but a character between these two extremes, a person who is not eminently good and just, yet whose misfortune is brought about not by vice or depravity, but by some error or frailty". He continues, "A perfect tragedy should imitate actions that excite pity and fear.”
Can we all agree that EXU: Calamity is a perfect Tragedy?
classic
Absolutely!
@@oriandthesleepytime Indeed. It hits perfectly the characteristic "tragic irony" of greek tragedy. The audience, unlike the characters, know the fatal flaw, and the inevitable downfall, and experience catharsis as they watch it unfold. Truly brilliant
It is not from Plato, though, it is from Aristotle's Poetics...
YES
"Domunas is the smile of Exandria"
"All that remains is the chain of islands known as the Shattered Teeth."
Poetry, pure poetry.
the exact line from the lord of the hells was "If Domunas is the smile of Exandria, then lets shatter her teeth!"
SO fucking good man, the consistently brilliant and chilling lines from Brennan for all the NPC's he rp'd and voiced was too good to put into words.
This was my entry to dnd and I feel like I've been spoiled and punched in the dick at the same time.
@@matthewnewman4435 I can wholeheartedly recommend campaign 2 of critical role if you enjoyed this as much as you seem to.
Personally, I never got into campaign 1, and campaign 3 is a bit too combat-heavy for my tastes (so far) so I'll likely be saving it up for when I'm more in the mood for that, but C2 will always hold a very special place in my heart as my introduction to DnD as well as for just being an incredible story with characters I've grown to absolutely love.
Particularly Nott (Sam's character) hit very close to home for me.
@@matthewnewman4435 welcome to Brennan's style of storytelling. He and THIS CAST(!) were so amazing together. I loved when Marisha passed her Nonchalant roll to grab the Box of Tear Erasing and began passing it back between her and Aabria like she was invisible as they waited to see where Brennan would unleash another emotionally crippling blow.
Good callback, I was trying to remember if there was any mention of Domunas in the other campaigns.
@@Hakasedess I know the legend of vox machina is out so people like yourself and new comers can enjoy that campaign, but.... the pure fucking poetry that campaign 1 has I think far surpasses that of 2, I still love 2, but 1 story..... I've legit have never cried more for any piece of media ever...
The poetry of Cerrit's first and last rolls of the show to be 31s paired with the little blurb Brennan gave in episode 1 about most DC's not even mentioning anything above a 30 is literally the perfect summation of this show.
Brennan is a fantastic storyteller, of course, but the dice do plenty of their own great storytelling without ever saying a single word
I'm so glad someone mentioned it. The poetic symmetry of it, just...this entire series was a masterpiece
@@minion-mastr333 it was beautiful. both 31's to kill Vespin too!
his roll for architect arcane's scroll when he is about to leave the group was 31 too. 3 31's and 3 of his characters keypoints. This whole thing was something else. I can't imagine this being fully scripted and being this perfect. And btw, he was the only person who wasn't in on the whole world-ending shady bussiness and he is the only one who lived. And knowing that this whole leaving the area without dying was a group effort makes it 10 times more perfect. The ones who did wrong didnt get the good ending but they helped the one who did nothing wrong but had some regrets to fulfill his promise to the thing he regretted. Im not very good at writing english stuff but I just love how this is classic literature while being a mostly improvised dnd campaign. It feels kind of shakespearean in a way. "bad guy" didnt get a good ending bad they let the good guys get what they deserve.
The "Is this a spell effect?" only to be responded with, "No this is physics," is just glorious. God what an episode
“It’s only 10d6”
“Survived the spells only to be killed by physics…”
Can we just admit that Brennan’s Asmodeus is probably the best representation of the character ever. I swear everything he does is spectacular. Make him a regular please!
"I DID NOTHING WRONG."
-Quote from the man who invented something Wrong.
I almost believe Brennan is better as a player then a DM. He then only has the DM constraining him, not the story. But, I don't think his creative mind would want to stop being an DM on Dimesion 20 to be only a player. Though I believe Brennan, Lou and Luis need to guest star on the main campaign.
Luis stole the show on this series, only rivaled by Brennan and Travis.
I love how Brennan's so intense acting as Asmodeus during the argument with Zerxus, then just casually says, "and then he reaches over and rips the skin off of your skull."
so much feels for Asmodeus... Well done Brennan
The trope of "evil by nature" is such a bad trope, but Brennan gave a reason to be evil, to a literal devil.
Travis Willingham once again demonstrating his incredible power to roll natural 20s exactly when the story demands it.
Let's not forget that bittersweet ending
He really saw the mage slayer feat and said "oh I´ll SHOW YOU MAGE SLAYER"
that's probably how he became the CEO, by rolling a nat 20 🖤
Where?
@@aaronjohnson1286 5:16:56
Sam only breaking at the moments when Cerrit's kids are scared and calling out to their dad made me cry, feeling how much he loves his own kids 🥺😭💔
This is about my 7th time watching this through and I just noticed Luis wiping his eyes after
Me too, seeing Sam wiping tears hit me. Being a parent I could feel the whole Cerrit part
The fact Brennan came into this show knowing how much pressure there was on him and how important this moment in Exandrian history was and managed to come out of it with - I'll just say it - the best thing Critical Role has ever done is nothing short of unbelievable. I don't know how Mr. Mulligan managed to wrench this many emotions from me within a 4 episode mini series but I feel like I've known these characters for a lifetime. The cast also embodied these short-lived characters better than most players could do over 100 sessions. Everything about this was bottled lightning. I'd be really interested in knowing what sort of prep went into this because I honestly have no idea how they pulled this off. How much homework did the players do to seem like they've lived in this world for an entire lifetime? How much homework did BRENNAN do? I barely saw him look at his notes and he was spouting off the deepest most intricate lore like it was seared into his brain. Fan-fucking-tastic.
I want to know all that too, it was just so amazingly put together. One thing I do know tho, is according to Matt Mercer, this has been in the works for quite some time now. I can't imagine how many hours Brennan put into this before the series had even started
I'll be honest. After this I am gonna binge dimension 20. Just bcause this is so freaking great.
@@Answerisequal42 If you like the vibes, I'd recommend Fantasy High. It's more lighthearted, but still has a lot of intense depth and serious emotional moments. And, best of all, the first season is all free!
Yes THIS
Honestly, as a D20 fan, Brennan as DM is one of the best improvisers I've ever seen. This sort of thing was MADE for him.
Damn all it took was for Brennan to mention Maya was proficient at history one time for Marisha to create a beautiful scene where she passes on all of her knowledge and dreams to the child of her best friend to atone for her selfish decisions and pass on the torch. In my opinion this was the moment that showed her brilliance as a player and her ability to latch onto small details meant for other players and RP off of it. Well Done.
Her whole thing with working in the stain glass window to have the Aviler protect them when they made their whole life about the city was genius too. She didn't need to go that hard for the details but she did, and I'm so glad she did, because not only did she turn just a really cool set peice into a weapon/barrier she also tapped into the history behind it that linked just about all of them there. From a storytellers standpoint, that tiny detail was POWERFUL. Marisha is SO good at feeding into the world and making it feel more alive.
@@TonksTheFool it does very much help that her husband... Created The world lol. Its a great help for her to know some of the inner workings of the world,even if not plot points (since she is a player anyway) gives her alot of insight.
@@NGBH I don't think she has any more insight into the world than any of the other main cast. Just because her husband's the DM doesn't mean he's giving her secret BTS info that others don't get.
@@jasperxalicecullen I'm not saying he's telling her every single fact I'm just saying that she probably gleams off more info than others whether accidentally overhearing a part of world building,or seeing a map,or matt just being excited about talking about stuff with her. From what I remember he keeps all the story/campaign stuff that they might run into or reveal top secret even from marisha,but some things related to world and such they brainstorm together,and she gives ideas sometimes.
@@NGBH "some things related to world and such they brainstorm together,and she gives ideas sometimes." where is this from? where's your source?
"You don't get to give your kids the world they deserve, but you get to give them the world that they can fight for with you."
As a pessimist, this quote changed my perspective on having kids (and this whole series in general). Personally I don't want to have kids in a world that is mostly shitty or let them experience the bad things what I or my gf have experienced ourselves. But maybe I should fight the world together with them, for a better future and a better life.
@@Futurism99 I held a sentiment quite similar to that which you expressed. I always said that the difference between an optimist and a pessimist was that the optimist was happy and the pessimist was right (I'm certain that I didn't make that up. I know I heard it somewhere but I don't remember when or where). I didn't want to be in this world, let alone have kids in it.
My life and perspective has changed a lot since then. I can tell you that one of the greatest joys I have ever experienced is fatherhood. I get to be the father I always wanted and give my son a life full of the things I never had: laughter, joy, hope, and love. More importantly, I can raise him to be the kind of person who changes the world for the better. Even if he doesn't become some world-renowned leader for some positive movement, he can still be a good person and make the world a little better, day by day, through positive impacts on those around him.
In my opinion, what this world needs is for people who have been the victims of abuse, violence, hate, malice, greed, and other acts of evil to raise a generation who will be kind, peaceful, loving, compassionate, generous, and good.
You and I may never meet, but I truly and genuinely hope that you and your girlfriend will be able to transcend the terrible things you have experienced and make this world a better place for it. Also, if you choose to have children, I hope they bring you the kind of joy you never thought you could experience as you raise them to be good people who grow up to make lasting impacts on the world around them. The world needs more good people, not fewer.
I wish you well, stranger. :)
@@colbydotcom Damn, thanks for the kind words and taking your time to respond. I don't know what else to say but I feel like you're completely right. I wish you all the best as well, stranger ;)
Why isn’t this up higher?? I had to dig to find it again!!!!
@@Futurism99 i just wanted to interject and say that adoption is an option. You can still do all those things and raise a lovely person to create a better tomorrow but you dont have to add to the already existing millions of children.
The reveal of Farrowmine coming in to save the day put the biggest smile on my face. Everything was so intense and grim and then you get a callback to this comic relief bit from the beginning of episode 1, and it changes the game.
ITS A BOOOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Brennan tends to do this quite a few times, I’ve noticed. Even again in this campaign, the “haha gotcha” bit of the Fireworks Extravaganza starting came back again, not only as a second “haha gotcha” with the Extravaganza’s finale, but also as a plot point by The Lord of Hells’s conspirators to cover up the explosions damaging the arcane batteries in the Meridian Labyrinth. I honestly love how often he does this, it really adds to the worldbuilding by saying “yes this is a comedic bit, but given certain circumstances these characters and events do matter and do create consequences, be they good or bad, in the world we are playing in”.
And the hobonhinds attacking the fiends was funny too
So underrated too. Not just for the comedy, but the positivity. In an episode that is inherently so hopeless, giving the players a fun success like that scene brings *so* much energy to the table. You need those bits to keep from being lost in the despair, and Brennan has obviously really worked hard to know how and when to use them.
"Let's call this the boon, and I would like to be paid for my performance in the Parade..." XDDDDDDD ❤
I just would like to point out that Loquacious’ speech to the people of the city is our first automatic natural 20 we’ve ever seen. Congratulations Sam. You can roll natural 20s with your words now. You are a real life bard and truly inspiring.
I would like to point out that Quay never got the robe he requested and gave that speech entirely naked.
@@WorldbuildyMcNPCface That's the reason it was an automatic natural 20
Two words; body paint - er - pigment. That is all you need for the naked (half) truth.
it was indeed the first time we saw a Take 20 ruling!
I mean, not only did Sam write that speech in session while Lou was doing his bit, not only did he deliver it perfectly, he also remembered to add a Market of Wonders ad spot at the end off of a throwaway joke Brennan did while they were improving…that was like a nat 30.
"Dad did I do something wrong?"
Crushes the runestone in his son's hand.
100% HEARTBREAK, ABSOLUTELY SOUL CRUSHING
😭😭😭
That DESTROYED me
That whole scene had me in tears. Just incredible.
And Sam too. That's the only time I remember seeing him cry other than (C1 SPOILERS BELOW)
When he couldn't save Vax from the Raven Queen at the very end of C1
Timestamp?
"DAMN the Ring of Gold, the people of Avalir must survive!"
Full body chills. Lou is on another level. God I hope we get him back soon.
Lou is an amazing role-player. I've watched him on Dimension 20 for several runs, and he's just amazing in every role. In fairness, all the cast of Dimension 20 are amazing.
He's a regular on D20! His and Brennan's chemistry is amazing! I recommend starting with Fantasy High as Lou plays another pirate character.
His Character on Unsleeping City was amazing
@@Daddy._Life Kingston Brown from Uptown is for real one of the most charismatic dnd PCs i’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. Lou puts his full soul into all his characters
There will always be more people
I just realized one of the reasons Travis is losing it over killing Vespen is the fact that this has been some mystical big baddy legend lore guy Matt Mercer had been using for like all of the Critical Role Campaigns. And he's here like 'Holy shit, it was MY character that did it?? WTF'
Cerret killed the big baddie of ancient history, and then dodged the destruction of an entire continent to get back to his kids.
M. V. P.
One of the most powerful, hubristic wizards in the entire Age of Arcanum (a very high bar to clear), empowered by the same energies which have damned his soul for eternity.... and it all comes down to a completely magically illiterate officer of the law with a keen eye and a handaxe.
That description gives major Sam Times vibes from discworld
"You´re trying to atone me, and I *didn´t do anything wrong"* CHILLS CHILLS CHILLS
"Why would I want to change if *I'M ALWAYS RIGHT?!*"
-- Simon, Infinity Train season 3
One of the best moments in the series, if not CR history.
*rips skin from skull*
Amazing. Luis responds to it so well with the YOU'RE WRONGGG!
@@vaethe_w He shouldn't be able to respond though, as he was stabbed through the heart.. I found that a bit petty of Luis that he refused to play along with the DM's story, but a cool scene nevertheless.
"Dad, why is your ring glowing"
Holy shit Brennan, that hits so deep and was sooooooo quick.
Of all that happened in this mini-campain and especially this episode, this was definitely the moment tears started to flow for me. Gosh that line had no right to hit as hard as it did!
@@Congele_ Yah, I loved all of the campaign, but that moment with the kids was fucking heart breaking. Even Brennan making sure to add in the backstory of the brother spying on the sister was magic.
At the very end, as sad as I was for every one else's impending death, Cerrit's survival was all I cared about. His kids made this story so tense and sad
what if the ring was glwoing because of maya loying about the party? brendan is the lord of lies
the descrition that brennan gives about his kids room has me in a literal mess i currently sobing because i can understand the heart beaking truththat he may very well not see his kidsever again
"The one thing Brennan wants more than anything, is to be a dad."
And you can really feel that in the story telling with Travis and Cerrit's kids.
as an avid CR viewer it goes without saying I'm a huge matt mercer fan and am in awe at his dm skills, but its that tid bit right there that made is so easy for me to think "Brennan plays kids so well" compared to matt playing luc. Brennan was a camp counselor for years and wants to be a dad so much, you could really feel it in those scenes. S P O I L E R S: Sam (who is a father) didnt even cry when luc died in C2, he was just clearly emotional, because matt doesnt play kids v well. Every scene Brennan acts like a child both travis and Sam (the fathers in the room) start to cry/are on the verge of tears because Brennan GETS IT. those scenes had extra power is was beautifully sad
I was thinking the same thing
@@irongiant5951 Oh that's silly to compare this to the Fire Plane adventure, though. Those are two completely different scenarios. Everyone knew from episode 2 that Cerrit's kids were in serious danger because it was the friggin' Calamity. What happened to Luc was incredibly sudden for a couple of different reasons.
@@belindaluna2067 don't be daft, plane-jumping blindly while escaping mage-assains is just as deadly. Kinda sick that Luc got nixed on the fire plane tho, that's a titanic tie in right there.
@@christopherkecun8349 ....I mean you do recognize the difference between the CR main campaigns and this miniseries, right? How in Calamity the near total apocalypse is a foregone conclusion but in the main campaign if different choices had been made, not only could they have avoided the fight with the elemental, they could've avoided the trip to the Fire Plane entirely? Things were _always_ going to be dangerous for Maya and Kir no matter what the Ring of Brass did, but that wasn't the case with Luc.
2:13:00 can I just say how absolutely wild it is that this Chekov’s Gun of an extra spell slot was set up last episode with a crazy counter-spell, and then only survived the explosion due to a nat 20, and this was entirely improv and chance rolls. Incredible.
The dice gods know what they're doing
@@saskiascott8181 Agree
Yeah they have really clever writers.
Him describing THE PEOPLE GETTING CUT IN HALF because there were too many people in the teleportation circle made a visual so horrible in my head my stomach dropped and I felt ACTUALLY scared
Definitely using that in my campaign c:
1:27:06 by the way for anyone curious
Reminded me of how they overfilled some the lifeboats towards the end of the Titanic.
@@CharmChampion Also a sort of Star Trek warp incident, like there was too much mass for the enchantment to properly function so it just took the upper half of everyone until it met the weight limit
Ghost Ship intro.
"My greatest heartbreak is that when I have collected every last mortal soul and all of my siblings into my pit, that I will only have eternity to punish them."
Brennan is the goat
This is so raw, even without context it's an amazing fucking quote, but with the knowledge of the full weight behind it, it's scoarching man.
Brennan: (Pointing at each PC) "Unconscious. Unconscious. Dead."
Travis: "I am so hot for you right now. This is great."
Man of the people, the voice of the masses, the illustrious Travis Willingham. He knows. He gets it.
I loved that as well. Travis is here for whatever is the most fun/dramatic, even if that means a TPK
@@jeepersmcgee3466 Hell, he'll be the one to press the button on the tpk if he needs to lol
@@T0NI_ The one consistency amongst pretty much all of the characters played by Travis is that they will *all* press the Big red button if presented with one unless someone else holds him back from it
@@apollo193 he wanted nothing more than to free uk’atoa throughout pretty much the whole campaign from when they got through the second temple haha. He just kept letting himself be convinced not to
Literally my whole thought about Travis during that whole scene was "he is us, how is he THIS us???" I love that he loves being the audience with us and being blown away by the story too
Luis: "Do I have a moment to do anything? Then I cast a spell!"
Brennan: Allow me to demonstrate how badly you have misunderstood the nature of this dialogue.
1:02:45
HAHAHAHA beautiful summation
Haha, ok I was not the only one confused by this. But the stubbornness fit Brennan perfectly he loved to play along :D
It also fit Zerxus' character, a sunken cost fallacy reaction to his mistake is very realistic.
The fusion of Matt's huge-scale world-building and global stakes with Brennan's Godlike acting, emotional storytelling and oratory ability to improvise staggeringly beautiful literary passages is such a perfect marriage. This is some of the absolute best dnd content ive ever seen, everyone was so incredible. Please more Brennan in CR and more stuff like this goddamn.
I think Brennan took years of improv classes which goes to show his incredible acting skills but the amount of knowledge this man has in general is absolutely another level. He has to have a genius level iq.
✊
Totally agree he absolutely destroyed this 4 part series in the best way possible I would love too see matt at his table again
Brennan’s improv is top of the class. It just flows so naturally and constant like he can monologue at a moments notice.
Definitely amazing art. Truly incredible.
Man, that line about Cerrit solving the mistery of who his children were was amazing. I mean, how does Brennan comes up with that on the fly? Just incredible.
This. How much drama this man can pull from thin air is amazing.
Ha! "On the fly" 😆
I see what you did there!
It’s because that’s what he was feeling. Brennan was about to crack before Travis lit the wall on fire
@@Vault25-8 They weren't anyone. But Cerrit was always so busy working and not spending time, real time, with his children, that he didn't know them. They aren't any important NPC or anything world shattering. They were just children, just kids. But not even Cerrit really understood them until that moment.
@@afineegg1040 As a Father myself, this moment struck me hard. All the parts with Cerrit and his kids did.
There is something so great about hearing Lou say "How many dice is that, you fuck?!" to Brennan as he rolls all those dice. It resonates with me on a deep personal level.
that's real best friend energy right there
Watch Dimension 20, you'll hear it a lot
Sam went full Nick Fury there.
"I recognize the council has made a decision, but given that it's a stupid decision I've elected to ignore it."
I think the Market of Wonders joke from Sam is one of the best jokes I've ever heard. Doesn't kill the emotional moment but actually rounds it out. Perfect
what an amazing speech that was. Just perfect
I howled from both laughter and tears. Truly genius.
If you get a chance to check out the recap, Brendan complimented Sam on it directly in a fairly similar way!
@@alaregret1270 oh yeah I just saw that!
In moments of actual sadness we have to go through tragedy to get to comedy.
"you use your vast intellect to unlock the mystery of who your children were"
*Seems I must have failed my con check because I'm crying*
Dangit Brennan, making me feel things like this. You're on a whole other level.
Like honestly. For the first 4 years of my daughter's life and first 2 of my son's, I was a stay at home dad and had plenty if time. Just got employed after graduating college January this year and I'm terrified of not knowing them as they grow up.
That line was the thing that finally made me cry
@@AltrTheEgospeaking for myself as grown-up child of a dad who worked long hours for most of my formative years, I never felt like anything was missing. Dad was out working hard for the family. And I knew he loved me. Though he worked long hours, he made time to come to my events, my concerts, football games on the weekends. He showed up as much as he could. Only piece of advice I'd say is make sure you take time to ask your kids about their lives but also share about yours and your childhood.
I know I’m late, and nobody will ever see this, but this is the absolute peak of Dungeons and Dragons. I have been playing since 2017, not a long time, but I have played/DMed over 300 DnD sessions, and heard every single episode of Dungeons and Daddies (surprisingly good), Critical Role, and I’m 3 campaigns in to Dimension 20. I grew up on stories of my father slaying powerful vampires and destroying evil and ancient artifacts. My entire life, I’ve loved DnD and everything it stands for, but this is the best example of DnD I’ve ever seen. It inspires me to be better, contributes to the lore of a world I’ve seen built over years, and makes me feel things that I’ve never felt to my core. I know nobody will ever find this at the bottom of 5000+ comments, but it’s enough for me to know I contributed in the slightest to the spreading of the greatest achievement of improvised storytelling created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson almost half a century ago. Thank you, Brennan, Aabria, Sam, Marisha, Travis, Lou, and Luis for this. I’ll be 90 and dying of Alzheimer’s before I forget this
Your comment brought tears to my eyes. :) I'm so happy to share this beautiful hobby with so many kind-hearted, brave people. I see you and I wish you many delightful and touching DnD sessions more. :)
Thank you for sharing. Thank you for spreading this truly wonderful art of storytelling.
I saw this as the 3rd comment down. I agree with everything you said! And I appreciate what you said. This series has been an absolute joy to watch.
You're comment was beautiful. I thank you for your contribution.
I see you
“At the beginning of time, the Gods made all of the gold that there ever will be. There will always be more people.” Hardest line I’ve ever heard god damn that’s metal
hehe get it because gold is a metal (/j this line goes SO HARD LIKE WTF)
This series is one of the best that critical role has ever done. It was such an emotional rollercoaster, I couldn’t stop watching. I hope they start a kickstarter because this needs to be turned into a movie! BRAVO to Brennan and the cast!
I would definitely back it up
I'd go for a mini series
Brennan and Matt only dm's that should dm the show.
@@Unlimitedossibility Aabria too
@@Unlimitedossibility why do you have to start this shit
I think Vespin having a moment of redemption is possibly one of the the best “new lore” pieces to come from this.
It gave a monster a chance to be a person again, one last time, to give the Brass Ring the chance they needed to essentially save the world.
Especially because of what it implies about the influence of infernal forces! If he was a scholar who was seduced into this and was so remorseful, then infernals can do this to others too.
@@TheKrou I think it's less a case of him being tempted and more along the lines of: he tried to accomplish something for the good of all mortals and failed horribly. And what became of him are the consequences of his failure.
"BAD CONTRACT!" Sits near if not at the top of my favorite moments.
With that moment, he demonstrated how great of a wizard he was. He understood what he saw in an instant and managed to amend the contract made by a god. Even for a little bit.
_Fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the gift of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over._
_- Neil Gaiman_
i loved this story
im glad to have yet another thing to worship Neil Gaiman for
“Fiction is a lie that tells us true things…” is such a profound statement on the power of storytelling.
Is it a lie if you make it true?
@@imjang2430 well, you can't cast fireball irl, so
Travis: I'm increasingly attracted to Nydus.
(no one hears it because Lou is too busy explaining his 30 AC)
Travis: *looks around like OH GOOD NO ONE HEARD THAT*
timestamp? lol I missed this
@@bingbongalong 4:56:20
Marisha peeped his commented and point at travis in agreement lol
Good catch it was so silent
What a catch
Now that the episode’s up on TH-cam, the whole community can watch Sam and Travis repeatedly take 10d10 Dad damage. Happy Fathers Day from Brennan!
That was so painful to watch, which is why I watched those parts 100x times
Second time in CR history I’ve ever seen Sam cry at the table, and certainly the closest I’ve ever seen Travis come to crying
@@lexim.7582 you give Brennan (or Matt for that matter) ammunition?”, he’s GOING to use it
As a father that moment almost killed me
@@shadowpsykie the man never takes his finger off the trigger
“I’m buttering you up because I’m about to make you QUITE SAD!”
The man is not lying. Have some tissue and water handy, and enjoy the ride.
Truth
the confidence in his skill and total trust on his player this man got to say that upfront and actually delivered, masterfully even. I love him
To Patia, thank you for seeing yourself, both the beautiful and the broken.
To Laerryn, thank you for chasing your dreams and conquering them.
To Loquacious, thank you for your courage to love.
To Nydas, thank you for living true to your golden heart.
To Xerxus, thank you for hoping against impossible odds.
To Cerrit, thank you for keeping your promises.
To Bolo, thank you for the drinks.
To you, thank you for the laugh in the midst of the sobbing I am doing 😂 that bolo line just sent me
To the Market of Wonders, thank you for selling Mercer's Spell Ink.
If they ever release a "The Chronicles of Exandria Unlimited" book, I feel like this should be printed in the preface
To the earth, so long, and thanks for all the fish
Thank you. I needed that laugh so much. T_T
Luis brings an intensity to his character that fits so well
Not enough love in the comments for this man. The weight his acting/improv carries is truly exceptional.
@@padenbang7375 True. Much underappreciated in the comment section. I think he probably had the most amount of solo interaction with DM. Very good to and fro between Luis and Brennan all through the 4 episodes, especially Asmodeud and Zerxus parts
SPOILERS
I've seen many a comment about the "Shut the fuck up" line from Nydas to the dragon, but the line that followed - "I am the *last* dragon of Avalir, and you will do as I command" - gave me chills. What a brilliant line. It not only gives the perfect juxtaposition of having the First and the Last Dragon in the same room, in the same moment, separated by hundreds of years but connected by a love of gold and, when it matters, a deep need to protect that which they have spent their lives accumulating - be it wealth or friends or both. But more than that, this line is Nydas coming to terms with death. He knows that Avalir is falling, he knows that he's not going to make it to sunrise. Never again will there be a dragon to watch over the wealth of the city. But he lets it embolden him. Death is in front of them all, waiting patiently in a white porcelain mask, ready to catch them in a blanket of raven's feathers, but Nydas grips onto whatever life he has left and decides to go down with the ship as a proud captain and not a scared cabin boy. Fuck, man.
Damn, I didn't catch the gravitas of him saying that. Yeah, Nydas was a gigachad for sure.
This is going to be the nerdiest and possibly lamest reason I thought of this, but it reminded me of something I read in an Avatar the Last Airbender fan-fiction many years ago about dragons and their hoard. Nydas has come to the realization that his hoard is not the gold, nor the treasure, but the people of the city he loves, and “a dragon will do anything to protect what/who it considers their own.” A valiant effort to save his people, from the honorable First and Last Dragons of Avalir.
Right? That’s straight up my favorite line from Nydas and you explained why very well too!
God damn this is a beautiful description
You're dang right. Very well said.
The mage slayer being the only survivor of the group in this age of arcanum is so meaningful.
Also, he was the only one in the group who didn't in some way contribute to bringing about the calamity, so it is kind of narratively fitting that he survives to fight what comes next.
Strange when I believe his race has the shortest lifespan of this cast that has the hugest balls it appears
@@M99THESHaM Not strange at all, actually. Less time to live means less reason to hide behind false faces and false sentiments. Think about how much crazy progress humans make within a century of life at most, versus elves making about the same amount of progress in their many centuries.
@@Caitydid561 that’s a fair point, the bloody elves either layabout or make a flying city in their lifespan
aarakocra lifetime achievement award speedrun
Brennan wasn't kidding with "I came here to hurt people"; even he choked up when he delivered that line about Cerrit's kids not getting the world they deserve... 😭
Brennan is usually Rock solid but the veneer was slipping even for him at moments.
He's said something in an adventuring academy about how parents trying their best for their kids always gets him (I could be wrong but it was definitely something about families fighting for each other). It was in reference to how he was trying to make a player on d20 cry but he ended up making himself cry.
@@lookingfortherain I think he said on gamechanger that another thing that gets him is people trying their best against insurmountable odds, so Cerrit's situation fits both bills.
Brennan gets hit deep with a counter from Travis when he says that Cerrit looks at all the things in his office and he's FURIOUS, starting at about 1:37:18. Brennan is SO close to breaking, and it's relatively early in the ep all things considered.
@@TheRedParasol that was the moment I spotted.
It’s fitting that Cerrit should survive, he’s the only one who wasn’t directly responsible in some way
"I have done literally nothing wrong since I got here."
Which you can theorize what would have happened if Cerrit was more involved? Would his involvement have made things better?
On the other side, he also failed to do much to stop it.
@@zhaoluyue1995 Yeah Cerrit's failure aside from his family seems to be that while he was ever vigilant against threats to Avalir, he obviously did not put his closest allies under that same level of scrutiny, when it turned out some of his closest allies were the greatest threats. Had he trusted them less, maybe he could have stopped them.
just reminds me of that when there are 9 naz1s and u sit with them, there are 10 naz1s at the table
Brennan was the perfect choice to GM this series, he totally relishes being the lord of chaos ripping your heart out in every way possible
I think I got closer to crying than I did for Dimension 20s A Crown of Candy, and that's saying something.
What a beautiful story of love and life and loss and the power of hope in the face of knowing disaster.
@@bonsairyan this is the first time I've seen brennen DM. Is crown of candy worth watching?
@@Zahnpuppy Personally, I'm a huge fan of the anthology show he DMs for most seasons of Dimension 20! There's some free seasons available on TH-cam, but I think you have to have a dropout subscription to watch A Crown of Candy. Well worth it, in my opinion, but I'm very biased, lol, I've been a fan for years.
@@Zahnpuppy Also, Aabria DMs a side quest season on there too, called Misfits and Magic, where Brennan was a player! And she's on a few other seasons as a PC.
@@Zahnpuppy Crown of candy is really good, imagine GoT but with food and somehow as stupid as that sounds it’s absolutely amazing. The other D20 seasons are also worth a watch imo. Personal favorite is a starstruck odyssey, while Brennan brings chaotic energy as the DM, all of starstruck odyssey was the players being absolutely batshit crazy. They’ve got a lot of the first episodes on their channel, give them a watch and see if they sell you.
As funny as it was for Sam to add in the sponsor roll to the broadcast, there was also something tragic about the herald of the city persisting in his duty to the end.
Big titanic vibes
playing the violin on the deck of the titanic
@@Galaxy613 THIS. I knew it reminded me of something but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Brilliant.
58:41 "You're trying to atone me...and I didn't do anything wrong" gives me so many chills, it's unbelievable how good Brennan is at building character scenes.
That scene/line was so good. I don't even know how many times I replayed it.
The creeping realization that this is a twisted soul
I paused and screamed "OH MY GOD, YESSSSSS!" like 5 times after this.
And then you have to watch Lou from like 58:19 on. Everyone else is leaning in, listening, and then freaking out when the line comes. Meanwhile Lou has PTSD from Brennan's villains, he knows _exactly_ what's coming before it drops. The dead look on his face tho 💀
@@cinquine1 omg
“And he stabs you through the heart”
Marisha: *clutches pearls, grabs Lou* 😱
Lou: *blank, thousand yard stare*
Who else thinks that in the moment Loquacious and Laerryn decided to get divorced, Loquacious tried to use the threat of it as a wakeup call to Laerryn and she just accepted it instead.
DUDE! 🤯 YES!
I can totally see that happening
That is probably why he learned the Gift of Gab in the end. Officially making that my headcanon
@@phobiawitch835 Ohhh, damn. Love that.
That's a brilliant theory, but I wonder if it's simply that he couldn't be around her after he'd killed the truth for her, and she, being Laerryn, just saw him being even more of a flirty inconsistent dilettante.
The entire arc of that single vial of Ether was genuinely straight out of a movie script
Vial*. I agree. It was sickk
@@Anon-qp3kt Thought something was wrong there, fixed it
Chekhov's Ether
@@Driretlan So we have, Chekhov's Ether, Chekhov's Sphynx, Chekhov's "Domunus is the smile of Exandria" Anything else?
@@mayaenglish5424 I will never forgive Brennan for not giving us Chekhov's Bolo
"In general rolls tend to be asked for in moments where chance is required, but occasionally people, without having to roll a die at all, just give you a nat 20." BRENNA LEE MULLIGAN EXPLAINING IN (1) SENTENCE WHY I LOVE THIS GODDAMN GAME SO GODDAMN MUCH.
And the smile on Sam's face to hear that :)
@@beanofglory1051i had a DM do the same for me once when I gave a speech in character, felt amazing as a reward for roleplaying
This is why the rule of cool exists. Sometimes you just have to look at your players and say, “You know what? No roll necessary. You can have that for free.”
Is anyone going to talk about how he said he’d break the smile and all that’s left of the continent is a string of islands called the broken teeth?? That’s some gorgeous lore, history and world building.
I missed that!! Thank you for pointing that out. Damn, that's amazing. Now I'm swooning all over again
Oh my GOD your BRAIN
I was surprised none of that cast reacted when Brennan said "If Domunus is the smile of Exandria, lets 'shatter her teeth'" ... Gang... The Shattered Teeth! It's down south!
Yup, some geniuses were speculating since he said that Domunus was the Smile of Exandria and it just clicked in place so well I was hoping/dreading it was going to happen. Because that's exactly the kind of clever bullshit Matt and Apparently Brennan both love. But once it actually happened I was just screaming lol.
I had been wondering because it was such a weird turn of phrase, but when I saw the theory I was just like... oh... OH....OH NO. Then this episode dropped lol.
@@mayaenglish5424 I mean he loterally said "Let's shatter her teeth!" As Asmodeus, it only makes sense.
"Cool.
He counterspells it with a 9-th level spell slot and breaks your spine"
Stone. Cold.
It's not about the win. It's about the message
Sam: “I got nothing left.”
Marisha: “Spell-wise, or emotionally?”
Sam: “…yes.”
I feel that lmao this series was a WILD fucking ride and I loved every second. Can’t wait to see more from Brennan and the D20 cast on CR in the future!
Timecode? I must have missed this!
Sam says his around 4:18:37, Marisha is shortly after. Haha I probably wouldn’t have picked up on it if I wasn’t watching with subtitles!
Yes!!!!!!!
This. So much this.
God every time Lou shouts FOR AVALIR I feel like I could fight a bear unarmed and naked in the middle of a Siberian winter and come out unscathed
Real life paladin with inspiring leader and some killer auras up
Same lmao, With that shout I felt like I had lived in Avalir my whole life and that fighting for it was not only something I had to do, but something that I could do well. I don't think I've ever felt that emboldened before, at least not just by words.
Watch the Dimension20 side story Misfits & Magic. Lou's character just exudes that energy the whole time, and it is joyous. MESS WITH THE GOAT, YOU GET THE HORNS! GOAT! HOUSE!
😆
I got a bardic inspiration in real life
Brennan: "You have a half hour to redo your life's work"
Laerryn: "But what do I do with the other 29 minutes?"
I mean...her gorgeous, loving husband is right there so...
@@TheConjurersTower but his #$%^ is shaped like the DM!!!--
@@branharak1331 You say that like it's a bad thing...
@@TheConjurersTower ...*Smirk*
“Cuddle?”
Lol Aabria at 3:54:15 looking at the camera like “yep the irl dads are going through it”
Right?!? Sam just literally tearing up when Elias said “I don’t know why I didn’t send it” will just break your heart!
It takes five minutes for a 5 hour hike, it takes 5 hours for a five minute fight, and it takes one hour for a second to pass when Asmodeus is having fun.
We knew how this was going to end, but the journey, this journey was breathtaking. When you've made Sam Riegel tear up, you know you have something special in your hands. I'll miss this combo of cast and guests.
idk how they could do it but it would be REALLY cool if in the future they did an "EXU The Brass Ring" prequel series where they go on some cool adventure using all the nifty shit from the age of arcanum
Even the way Travis got during the moment with the kids, I've never seen his rp go that way. That was rough.
And that's why I never cared for spoilers. Spoilers aren't as bad as people make them out to be. You just need to reframe how you are looking at a story to just see how spoilers aren't actually that important. We all knew the end. Avalir WAS going to fall. The smile of Exandria was going to be shattered. People were going to die. The how is more important than the what for stories, a lot of the time. The what is still important, but it's the static set in a narrative.
"Hope that you are forgotten" is a crazy line from Brennan Mulligan as Vespin Chlorus to the party. Kind of the antithetical - "Fly you fools!" Gandalf moment where both influential wizards get collected by devils. Thank you and bravo to everyone involved for this incredible story. I will cherish this as much as I cherish the LOTR. So to this fellowhship I say, "You have my gold!"
thanks so much for watching!
its also huge considering that vespin wanted to become a god, where ur name is forgoten. just like the raven queen. so its huge props honestly
I did not come into this series expecting it to be my favourite thing to come out of Critical Role, but here we are. The Brass Ring endures.
I put off watching it until now because I was too busy and barely keeping up with C3, and same. I was not expecting how unparalleled an experience this was. The perfect miniseries. Absolutely masterful on every level.
I've left it in my own comment for the channel, and Imma leave it for you, gentle stranger.
*Why must you hurt me like this?*
"Fire."
"Everything feels slow."
"There's movement and there's heat, but only noise you can hear, despite all this chaos, is breath."
"It's yours. But it's also a stranger's."
This is how the first and the last episode of this campaign starts and I just think it's amazing how Brennan made it work so good in both situations ^^
I had to go back and rewatch the beginning of the first episode to compare, and now I'm trapped in a loop of wanting to watch the entire series again
Woahhhh
So I rememerd it right!!!
I was like "He didnt just use the exact same words from the very first session"
OMG! guy deserves and award for this!
this is also how loquatious starts his speech... so poetic
I hope we see Travis as a guest in a future Dimension 20 series. I love him and Brennan's chemistry!
him and lou have such a great vibe together too i would love to see them all play together again in a more light hearted campaign lol
it would be fun to do "CEO Swap": have Sam Reich guest appear on Crit Role, and then have Travis Willingham appear on Dimension20.
I agree! The D20 cast love to fuck up Brennans plans and I love seeing Travis be PUMPED about Brennans particular brand of brutality lol. Theres a moment where Travis is screaming excitedly about Asmodeus and Brennan glances up with this little delighted grin.
Soooo... when do we start the Kickstarter campaign to make this an animated series?
This *NEEDS* more likes!
I’m down
I want to see that!
This would make an incredible 2 hour animated film.
YES
The Travis Willingham-Lou Wilson connection is amazing, would love to see Travis on D20 someday
This hard-boiled character would've been perfect for the world of Mentaoplis
I would love a boys night type event with Liam, Sam and Travis with Brennan, Lou, Zach and Murph
@@mattturner5750 sign me up!!! I'd pay pay-per-view $$ for that one-shot
2:37:27 When Lou says, "...I am the Last Dragon of Avalir..." oh man, what a line, such a good line. Underrated.
The world of Exandria may never remember the Ring of Brass.
But *we* will.
As those that brought about the end of an age because of pride.
Straight up reach vibes
@@Ashtor1337 AND as the ones who saved the world from certain doom. It happens often that you have to take both, I guess...
@@KirkandKarma Yes but also they heavily helped said doom come to be in the first place.... Mixed feelings here.
@@JacopoSkydweller I never denied that, that's what I was implying with "you have to take both"....
Also the cast's characters, like they say in the table discussion, were meant to be "nasty" and represent the lights and shadows of their own society. The difference is that while everyone (the cast included) had a part in the calamity they were the ones that made it a lot less deadly. So if you look the situation as a whole your mixed feelings are still totally valid, it kinda was the point.
“I am aware that the septarium has made a decision, but seeing as it’s a dumbass decision, i have elected to ignore it”
Can you timestamp the dialogue
@@miziazis It's basically the whole scene from 3:37:25 to 3:48:46.
I was fully expecting this to be said while watching lmao
Oh man. I was not expecting to tear up when the Arch Fae of the Seelie Court said, “My child, my heart breaks. But, I would rather mine break, and yours be kept whole.”
Brennan is killing me with some of these lines. Incredible.
SAM : I am empty.
MARISHA : Do you mean, spell-wise... or emotionally ?
SAM : Yes.
I love how Brennan phrased those last words:
“...And though Calamity is here, because of you, it will not be here forever.”
Our cast may have played a major part in bringing about the Calamity, but despite that they were able to downscale an eternal apocalypse to an age of ruin that the world could and would recover from. I love this story.
"Bonus Action: Will You Marry Me," is definately going to happen at some point in real life now while a couple is gaming, now that it has been said in CR.
Aaaaand now this HAS to be the way I’m proposed to, it’s just too good 😂
complete with the feather eating
Eww, I hope not but to each their own I guess xD
Unm.. you better use your whole action for that.
rogue cunning action: get engaged.
I love at 3:10:30 when Lou almost says “Basrar” instead of “Badran”. Like, yeah, an ice cream djinn *would* be pretty nice right about now
I love how eps 1-3 we were all like "oh the hubris of wizards" and we totally forgot that paladins are _by design_ weaponized hubris.
ikr? imagine thinking you can change the lord of hells? what??? completely went above my head the first few eps.
@@KCMMFB TBF people just thought Zerxus was just falling for a bad boy. His monologue as he got stabbed was proof he was just as full of himself as the rest of the Ring of Brass.
Brennan crackin open a coke, chugging some of it, and going “we’re off keto” is 100% the highlight of this stream
Time stamp?
@@milesnevarez993 4:24:17
And then going for that second can within the minute
Coffee and Bacon and eggs everyday... Brennan I worry for you
@@blackwidow1417 he needs to eat properly and crush some weights. Keto is terrible
You know it's going to get intense when the episode begins with "The good news is that your arm gets severed at the elbow."
It got a bit distracting afterwards; Revivify doesn't restore lost body parts, so I was constantly wondering "Is anyone going to mention that one of her arms is missing?!"
@@paulgibbon5991 It also doesn't fix injuries, so...I just imagined that Zerxus put her head back in the correct direction before revivifying her, though he said nothing about it.
@Paul Gibbon I think it was just a rules flub. Marisha was miming testing out her hand and arm after being revived so i think everyone just assumed it made them whole again. It’s not really a big deal anyway. Maybe the Age of Arcanum’s version of revivify was just stronger.
@@paulgibbon5991 Yeah it kept sticking around in my mind too. She was doing her hand motions and everything and my mind is just "Soooo we're not going to explain how she is slinging spells with only 2 fingers and a missing arm?"
While I am a rules lawyer at heart, with this episode I am comfortable enough in the fact that these PC's got more than their fair share of punishment that I don't care about this too much (amongst other things)