#also cerrit agrupnin from calamity

[alittlesliceofcucumber]

It's been a while but...

Finally decided to post some more of my original music!

This is a character theme for one the major NPCs in our dnd campaign, Rex Winterfall. He's a (fired) detective and tired loving dad who the party may or may not have gotten killed...

#playing alan wake 2 and alex casey reminds me of him too #haven't played max payne but i assume they're similar #noir sheriff #also cerrit agrupnin from calamity #might post more later #considering opening character theme commissions too #but one step at a time #original music #original song #dnd #dnd music #rex winterfall #random fandom ramblings #Youtube

[captainofthetidesbreath]

I know that literally only Cerrit and Vespin know this, but someone should tell all post-Divergence spellcasters—wizards, clerics, sorcerers, and otherwise—that the damnation of Exandria to eternal suffering was, ultimately, prevented by a man with an ax.

In a party of spellcasters of varied sources—even the other martial fighters were casters—the one who stopped Vespin Chloras, history's most infamous wizard, from guaranteeing that the Betrayer Gods would win the god-war and ensuring that the Calamity ended in fire and ruin for all peoples forever wasn't any of the spells cast but a sharp piece of metal swung into his head by a strict-martial-only mage slayer.

Someone's gotta tell all casters in Exandria, especially the wizards because they forget this a lot, that the fate of the world was decided by a melee weapon in a skilled hand. Keep them humble.

#Also tell them that that very same man also escaped the destruction of Avalir and Domunas by outrunning it from the epicenter. #Critical Role #Exandria Unlimited: Calamity #ExU Calamity #Cerrit Agrupnin #Critical Role things

[aq2003]

exu fucking party time is still real to me

#exu calamity #zerxus ilerez #patia por'co #laerryn coramar seelie #loquatius seelie #cerrit agrupnin #bolo from aeor #nydas okiro #fabian seacaster #critical role #ring of brass #my art #cr #d20 #exu:c #SOMETIMESSSSS you get attached to six doomed heroes with tragically fatal flaws to Cope #bolo and fabian are here too because theyre also so important and essential to me :)

[critter-genfic-events]

Worldbuilding: A Critical Role Gen-fic Rec List

Well hello friends! Please enjoy these nine amazing fics about the wonderful world of Exandria and the heroes who live there! Oh, and don't forget to show the authors some love if you liked their work!

ways of helping by Mikkeneko (3622,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Beauregard & The Mighty Nein, Beauregard/Yasha

Beauregard is on her period and having a rough time. The rest of their nein help.

Reccer says: It's a nice little bit of hurt/comfort with a side of xenobiology and thought about what it would be like to have to deal with a bad period on the road.

swallowed with all hope by renquise (14319,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: None

In Eiselcross, Essek writes reports, makes new acquaintances, tries not to die in snowstorms, and thinks of all the things he did and could have done.

Reccer says: It's absolutely beautiful and a very insightful depiction of what Essek's time at the Vurmas Outpost would have been like - and I appreciate the amount of thought that was put into the surroundings and what life would have been like in Aeor.

talon two by jhai (honekujira) (3047,Teen) Warnings: Choose not to use archive warnings Pairings: Cerrit Agrupnin & Kir Agrupnin & Maya Agrupnin

Kir's history of using codenames over the sending stones

Reccer says: Amazing family feels but also a lovely glimpse into what life might have been like in pre-Calamity Avalir.

A Thousand Words for Snow by Schistosity (21016,Teen) Warnings: No archive warnings apply Pairings: Jester Lavorre & Mollymauk Tealeaf, Jester Lavorre & Nott, Beauregard & Nott , Beauregard & Caleb Widogast, Caleb Widogast & Yasha, Fjord & Yasha

A series of studies on the Mighty Nein and their language proficiencies. How language fails us, connects us, and defines us.

Reccer says: It's a fascinating study about how different members of the Nein might interact with the languages they know.

You Can Take a Fearne Out of the Feywild... by Beauteousmajesty (2992,General) Warnings: none Pairings: Fearne & Imogen, Fearne & Orym

A series of fics about Fearne and her feyness

Reccer says: I love Fearne, and this series does a very good job of exploring why Fearne is the way she is.

once upon a damn-you-all by grayintogreen (615138,Mature) Warnings: None Pairings: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast, Fjord/Jester Lavorre, Beauregard Lionett/Yasha

After their meeting in Zadash, Cree decides to travel with the Nein to try and get Lucien back. Things unfold differently from there.

Reccer says: This monster of a fic (over half a million words, plus multiple sequels) has so much description, worldbuilding, original characters and texture - it's a fantastic read!

Road Rags by Goose (4112,Teen) Warnings: Discussion of menstruation Pairings: The Mighty Nein

The women of the Mighty Nein (plus a bird child) talk about handling periods, because Beau is perpetually curious. Later they bother the others about it too, because Jester delights in sowing minor to medium-level discord.

Reccer says: This is a question that I also often ponder, and I love how it was addressed so organically. Also just feels like great girls hanging out vibes

Nova by AnaliseGrey (1221,Not Rated) Warnings: Some light discussion of starvation Pairings: Caleb & Nott

Nott discovers that casting magic makes you really hungry, and worries about what Caleb sacrificed for her in the early days.

Reccer says: I love the idea of other, secondary effects of using magic like this, and the way Nott discovers it and the care that it sparks is just lovely

Kinds of Light by Beauteousmajesty (1420,Teen) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings: Two Original Characters

A view of Aeor before the fall, from the eyes of those that just live there

Reccer says: I liked it

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. And if you would like to make a rec yourself, feel free to reach out to @professor-rye to request access to the submission form! 

Next week, we'll be presenting gen fics focusing on parents and parental figures! Moms, dads, great-great-grand papis and stern sea captains who totally are only offering you a job, that's definitely it, no more.

#critter genfic rec lists #critical role fan fiction #cr fan fic #exandrian lore #the mighty nein #bells hells #critical role fan fic rec list #gen fic #worldbuilding

[mak-1338]

Patia Por'co Past and Future

Alright, so I have not been able to stop thinking about the wonderful and complicated Patia Por'co, Keeper of Scrolls for the Library of Incantatum. Obviously I will never be able to ask Mathew Mercer and Marisha Ray in person. So this will have to do.

I know there is a theory about Patia, possibly being her daughter, but I've seen others pick plotholes in this and I agree there are some I can't explain away.

Personally, I fully believe it was a mentor/student bond the two shared, but was there something more? Not romantically. More like a pseudo motherly figure for Patia, because we know she lost the memory of her parents. It was also basically confirmed they were taken by Imyr Por'co and not the mind wiping of the previous god of death and the Matrons name.

I ask this question from the pov of the Matron. Because if I worked my entire life to do this one thing that could change the very fabric of Exandria. Why would I tell my random student about it? So there has to be more that only Matthew or Marisha could say. Right?

In my opinion and Travis has talked about this a little bit in talks about Fjord. But if you are missing a person in your life like a mom or dad or teacher or friend, etc. We sort of go looking for replacements to fill in those gaps. We can even see this a little bit with Imogen and Deanna. Trying to replicate what Liliana and Imogen could of possibly had. So it isn't out of the ballpark for Patia to go looking for the same connections.

All that being said, what is their Relationship? Depending on the answer, it could make Patia's view of the gods even more tragic. She cared greatly for this motherly mentor figure and just like everyone else in her life up to that point, she leaves as well.

My second question is about her orb she sent to Maya. I think we've all heard the theory at this point. It's very popular for a reason amongst the fans. If you haven't heard it basically Patia had a hand to play in creating the Cobalt Soul.

I love this theory because it's so Meta. Marisha has crafted a connection (possibly unknowingly) to all of her characters. If you don't beleive me, Patia had a hand to play in destroying the tree. As well as finding out the secret meetimg between the Gau Drashari. A group who would later be known as the Ashari aka our favorite Voice of the Tempest, Keyleth. She was there at the kick start of the Calamity which leads to many battles one of which Pelor plants a tree for Ioun after being very wounded. To people setting there aka Whitestone. (This one is more of a stretch I know, but it ties really well to the raven queen and the distint connection both Patia and Laudna has to their respective Death deities.) Sorry for the rant.

Getting back to the actual topic and connection Patia has to Beau. So my theory is that She gave the orb to Maya, but like previously stated. This theory also has several plotholes and it kind of unrealistic. The calamity was this massive century spanning war killing 3/4ths the population and Eisfuura do not live long. So maybe instead of Maya building the Cobalt Soul. The Agrupnin family seek out protection through the Prime deities. Ioun would be the most fitting for the family just because of Cerrit's views and skill set about knowledge. (Finding it and Protecting it.)

I also theorize Maya would learn to view the memories of Patia, making her push for the end of corruption for future generations. It was out of hand and hurt alot of people. Including a factor in starting the war. Still like I said, it's a little unrealistic because they don't live long. In spite of that Cerrit could still train a group possibly including the kids with his to go find information about any threats. Betrayer gods, their armies, etc. In hopes of one day ending the war. The techniques, the orb, the information, and overall message to stop corruption could have slowly passed down in time until someone could fully begin the organization.

I would even be fine with the orb not being with them currently. We saw a mysterious village in the mountains with the Wildmount group in C3 during the teleportation mishap. It could be there. As long as the message was passed down and Maya and Patia had a hand to play in the beginning of our favorite Expositor's story. That's all I ask.

I know this was a long read. I rambled a lot. So if you made it this far. Thank you for reading my Ted talk. Also please forgive any spelling/grammical errors. I would love to hear your opinions, because I've had this thought in my brain for as long as the calamity has been around.

P.S. any and all theories could/will very much likely be disproven by Matt and future CR. In fact I expect it too and will be ecstatic when we do find the canon explanations. Also sorry if this doesn't make any sense. This is my first time interacting on Tumblr.

#critical role #patia por'co #exu calamity #raven queen #maya agrupnin

[resistingtheborg]

Thoughts about EXU: Calamity

PI had a thought about some of the details in Exandria Unlimited: Calamity recently. When I came upon it, I wanted to post it, and a few other thoughts asked if they could join in. So here you go!

As far as I know, Sam Riegel’s character in the current Bell’s Hells campaign, Fresh Cut Grass, is an Aeormaton. These are stated in-universe to have been constructed in the Pre-Calamity city of Aeor. And when I remembered that, I also remembered a detail about F.C.G. that saw a tiny bit of controversy after it started coming into play.

F.C.G. is a cleric, but he claims that all of his cleric abilities are built in. There aren’t any deities involved.

What brought this to mind? Well, in EXU: Calamity, we are introduced to a contemporary of Aeor: the flying city of Avalir. And in Avalir, the divine is treated with... well, if not an air of contempt, not much respect.

The first character we encounter is Zerxus Ilerez, the first knight of Avalir. Zerxus is a somewhat unorthodox paladin, in that he lacks what is mockingly referred to as an “intermediary,” instead drawing power from the people of Avalir themselves (as per the wiki. I can’t remember where this was stated in-episode). When a champion of the Raven Queen, the future legend Purvan Suul, appears, he is regarded as quaint, and people aren’t exactly impressed. Another player character, Patia Por’co, establishes her dim view of the divine within minutes of appearing onscreen.

Functionally, F.C.G. and Zerxus feel very similar, in that they are both classes commonly associated with the divine, produced in a culture and era without respect for the divine.

After this, we come around to the player characters. These people refer to themselves as the “Circle of Brass,” the people who don’t straight up run the city, but the “movers and shakers” who keep Avalir running. In the leadup to the first episode airing, Zerxus and police detective Cerrit Agrupnin were described as the “moral” members of the group. Indeed, the “greyest” action that Cerrit takes is to try and suppress investigation into something big and scary while he investigates on his own. Zerxus, for all that his relationship with his family is strained, comes across as a pretty stand-up guy.

Then we come around to the other characters.

Media magnate Loquatius Seelie turns on the charm whenever he’s on camera, but off of it he’s a bit of a political manipulator, choosing which officials to back and push towards glory--he even notes that he hopes one of them remembers “who put them” in their position. Beyond that, he’s kind of a jerk, and ditches his plus-one at a party in a situation that she has no idea how to deal with. He even makes fun of Purvan’s name!

(As an aside, I really want to see Bolo from Aeor and Aria the assistant hang out at some point)

The other really obvious bad egg is Nydas Okiro, a powerful merchant who, from the very first, is seen to be not a great person. When he needs to fill out an order for wands that he can’t yet, he draws from the school supplies that he maintains for a magic school. When people want payment for services rendered, he puts it off as long as he can. And ultimately, he’s even selling off excess aether (which appears to be illegal, though I’m not completely sure of the implications).

Remember Patia, from before? She’s in on it. When someone comes digging who it turns out shouldn’t know, she’s furious and goes looking for whoever leaked.

Even Laerryn Coramar-Seelie, Architect Arcane, is doing something behind the scenes. She’s excited for the upcoming Apogee due to what it means for a secret project of hers, and she desperately wants to get her hands on the celestial gold bow that’s a part of Cerrit’s investigation.

Zerxus is probably the only one of these people, who’s completely above-board, and even that’s in question considering how closely he works with them.

I saw someone referring to these guys as something along the lines of... “the villains of another campaign,” and it’s a very apt description.

Finally, I also saw a post talking about how everyone in the Circle of Brass is very knowledgeable about their genres, and they’re about to run into something that they straight up aren’t ready for. In particular, Cerrit is a hard-boiled noir detective, who’s going into a thriller. Except that I remember a movie my dad was watching a long time back, about a police investigation that turns up a more demonic culprit than they were expecting. Cerrit’s investigation involves a particularly dangerous wizard by the name of Vespin Chloris, who has gone missing lately... and who appears to threaten Cerrit from beyond a mirror at the tail-end of the episode.

Sounds like the setup for a horror story, if you ask me.

That’s not including Zerxus’s nightmare from the beginning of the episode--one that presents betrayer god Asmodeus (usually portrayed as a villain in Exandria) getting the snot kicked out of him by a surprisingly sinister Pelor. He’s been having these dreams for a while now, and in this latest one he sides with Asmodeus against the cruel and haughty Pelor. It seems that good and evil may be a little more complicated here than previously imagined...

... except.

We don’t know where the dreams are coming from. And we don’t know if they’re on the level.

And if it’s a portent of things to come? Who says that Zerxus will still be a hero when they do?

It’s really interesting stuff.

#critical role #exandria unlimited #exandria unlimited: calamity #zerxus ilerez #cerrit agrupnin #loquatius seelie #nydas okiro #patia por'co #laerryn coramar-seelie

[floodfier]

Let's talk about names! I really like symbolism through names so I'm going to go through the EXU: Calamity gang and see what I can find. Any references to foreign languages and names were looked up with a google search so please correct me if I'm wrong!

Nydas Okiro: Nydas is one of the most obvious when it comes to seeing where a name comes from. Nydas is a reference to the Greek myth of Midas. This is made even clearer by his brothers name: Eaedalus, which is a reference to the mythical Greek inventor Daedalus. The myth of Midas is that he is a king who is granted the power to turn everything he touches to gold by Dionysas, fitting for the man who runs so much of the city's commerce. Okiro, is a Japanese word that means "to get up" and also a Benin name meaning "a child with a fat cheek" (x). It's unclear to me if either of these have any meaning relating to the character.

Patia Por'co: Patia is a Spanish name that means "noblewoman". A fitting name for her given her heritage and status. In Italian, the name Porco is an occupational surname that is given to people who care for hogs. This probably doesn't mean anything, but with Patia thinking of herself and the Ring of Brass as the only people who get anything done in the city, she clearly thinks of them as beneath her.

Zerxus Ilerez: I couldn't find anything on the name Zerxus so it's possible that Luis simply came up with the name, however it sounds and is spelled very similar to the the Greek version of a Persian name: Xerxes which means "hero among heros". Given that a fatal flaw of every character in this series is arrogance and his station is basically head of the knights of Avalir, this seems fitting. I couldn't find anything on the name Ilerez which may mean that Luis simply came up with the name and there is no deeper meaning or thought put into it.

Loquatius Seelie: He has the clearest name when it comes to meaning. Loquatius is derived from the name loquacious which means "tending to talk a great deal". Obviously, as the Herald of Avalir he is incredibly talkative which goes along with this name very well. Seelie is a reference to him being from the Feywild as one of the courts is known as the Seelie Court. Part of me wonders if this is supposed to mean that he was once part of the Court himself, but it's more likely Sam just picked the name for the connection to the Feywild.

Laerryn Coramar: Laerryn and Coramar unfortunatly have no meaning that I can find. When I googled Laerryn it suggested the meaning of the name Lauryn which means "laurel or sweet bay tree; symbol of victory" which is a fun coincidence given what we learned about trees in episode 2.

Cerrit Agrupnin: Cerrit and Agrupnin also seem to have no meaning.

Extra!

Purvan Suul: Purvan means "One who Helps Others" and Suul is a kind of grass that is used to make baskets.

#critical role #exu calamity spoilers #exu calamity

[risingroleakira]

Help, it's again.

Time to rewrite this introduction post cause a few things have changed :V

Hey there fellow Critters! My name is Rose, and this is my Critical Role sideblog. (they/he pronouns)

About me: I'm a queer artist with a lot of free time, but not enough functioning braincells to use it properly.

I like to draw/paint, play videogames, worldbuild, tend to my OCs, daydream to music - all that good stuff.

My timezone is Central European Standard Time. Most of the time I'm somewhat nocturnal, especially in the days surrounding new CR episodes, but my sleep schedule also flips around a ton and might differ from day to day.

This is my sideblog, risingroleakira, mainly for Critical Role content and discussions of adjacent series. This includes Candela Obscura and MIDST. For my artwork, visit my art blog, risingroseart ...and maybe drop some reblogs while you're there! (This blog also includes my critical role art. I don't update it very often however, so alternatively visit my Artfol - also not perfectly up-to-date but definitely better) For my very messy main blog, where I mostly just reblog random stuff, visit risingroseakira.

Critical Role related info:

When did I start watching?

I caught the first half of C3E1 as it aired, then had to stop watching and take a break for a while due to external life stuff. A couple months later I binged the rest of that and all the other episodes that had aired since then.

What campaigns/series have I watched?

Finished or up-to-date: > Critical Role C3 as it airs > 4-Sided Dive as it airs > EXU:Calamity > EXU:Kymal > Candela Obscura Arc 1 - Circle of the Vassal and the Veil > MIDST Season 1 Work in Progress: > Watched Campaign 1's original version of the Briarwood Arc, as I cannot watch TLOVM due to the visual violence that I can't stomach. > After several attempts over the past few years, I finally have a successful attempt at C2. I haven't finished yet, and I've very much slowed down (or rather, stopped for a bit and am now slowly progressing again), but as of writing, I'm all the way up to C2E128.

Will be watching as it airs: > Candela Obscura Arc 2 - Circle of the Needle and the Thread > MIDST Season 2

Current favorite player characters? (spoilers ahead for the stuff I've watched)

> Ashton and Orym. I love all of the hells, so they're all included in this list, but out of all of them these two are easily at the top. There is strength, but there is pain; there is pain, but there is strength. Like vines, we grow together.

> Caleb. I don't think there's too much to say here, we all love him. Easily my favorite of the Nein, no question.

> Fjord and Caduceus The former the only bitch (/aff) I actually have merch for, the latter an aroace icon hehe. I love them both

> Dorian. It's 🎶been a while🎶since we've seen him, but as most of us do I miss the blue boy. At the start of C3 he was my favorite of the Bells Hells, and now I just miss him so much. > ..Most of the Bells Hells party, really. Between the lot of them it shifts around frequently. Ashton and Orym are pretty much constantly at the top, but it's generally almost the whole group that I love. >Percival Fredrickstein von Musel Klossowski De Rolo III. that was from memory, i refuse to not use his full name lol Look, I may not know most of C1, but the Briarwood arc, his design and what we saw of him in C3 were enough. I like that bastard too much to not put him here > Cerrit Agrupnin. I love the entire EXU: Calamity party, but Cerrit is easily my favorite. The Brass Ring endures.

> August/Auggie and Charlotte The Vassal and the Veil and these two in particular mean so much to me

Current favorite NPCs?

Lord Eshteross in C3 was at the top for a long time. Imahara Joe and Captain Xandis are also high up, and I love Milo so much,,, and NPC-Keyleth, obviously. In terms of C2, well, who doesn't enjoy Pumat (plural). I also quite like Yussa. But, of course, the blorbo of the NPCs is Essek

Favorite characters to draw or paint?

Ashton, hands down. I haven't really gotten to draw a lot of characters from CR other than Ashton and FCG, but like. come on. How can you not love drawing the nonbinary punk rock. How can you not enjoy painting their colorful gem and crystal hair and golden cracks and funky eyes and- Anyway that's my introduction post! I’d love to meet some fellow critters - especially newbies that love the Bells Hells as well, seeing as I’m a bit anxious in these types of long-lasting fandoms and therefore more comfy with people who are also a bit new to everything. Still - feel free to say hi whether new or old fan of cr! :]

If you watch the Pixelist Podcast, I'm on their discord every Thursday and during other CR related streams, chatting in the CR text chats. Feel free to say hi there!!

#i hope there's no big typos #i had to take a big break inbetween first writing this and editing a thing or two #main issue w the old post was the things I had watched though there were a few other things as well i wanted to change #pinned post

[thishazeleyeddemon]

had a dream about cerrit agrupnin and his kid Maya despite not having watched Calamity. It was all about them trying to find a safe place to live and I think there was a suggestion Cerrit had been kept in a cave at one point because he brought Maya there before a huge slug monster came and they panicked and fled.

Maya was definitely a lot younger than she was in the show, because she was like. Baby sized. Or 3-4 year old sized?

At one point they flew out of Fenrir's mouth so I think that dream got. VERY psychedelic sgshsk

OH. Typing this I remember. I also got hunted by Nandor in a supermarket and had to distract him with clementines which are really good. I also remember yelling for Guillermo to come and help me but like, remembering it, the character model my dream used for him was definitely Nandor himself. I don't know why I was calling Nandor Guillermo. I also haven't watched WWDITS.

I think for the through line between these scenarios was I was Cerrit trying to hide Maya and I'd gotten spooked by being attacked by Nandor? I'm aware that this is OOC for Cerrit by the way, the Eyes of Avalir don't run from some vampire. Recall this was a dream and please don't critique my characterization

At one point me and Maya ended up in South America, not anywhere Real just generically south America.

They were also griffons, I think? Not aarakocra. I recall Cerrit/Me and Maya being leonine as well as having wings.

#exu calamity #wwdits #nandor the relentless #cerrit agrupnin #I'm filling out the tags and what the fuck doesn't he have a daughter named Maya? She definitely was Maya in my dream #maya agrupnin #does she not have a tag #omg #dreams #moth talks

[captainofthetidesbreath]

A fun thing I learned from my mom today that is probably why our favorite bird detective named his daughter Maya:

In the Philippines, the word for a category of small birds, including sparrows and finches, is "maya". The chestnut munia (the red maya, or "mayang pula") was the national bird of the Philippines until the honor was transferred to the Philippine eagle, which Cerrit is designed after and presumably his children as well.

#Eisfuura is probably derived from a similar word in Arabic for small birds: عُصْفُور (ʿuṣfūr) #Critical Role #Exandria Unlimited: Calamity #EXU Calamity #Maya Agrupnin #Also it's not really about him but it's related #Cerrit Agrupnin #Critical Role things