#spoilers exandria unlimited

[rosemarydisaster]

That joke Brennan made about how "we all take turns causing the calamity" got me thinking how all of the characters make for a perfectly balanced view of the Age of Arcana Society. It makes perfect sense that Zerxus hatred of the Gods and the wizard bunch's hubris are causing doomsday. Because sure, they make extremely personal decisions, but those decisions only make sense in the Age of Arcanum.

Meta incoming, spoilers for episodes 1 and 2 of EXU: Calamity, the entirety of Campaign 2 And very minor spoilers of Campaign 1

Keyleth always doubted the Gods intentions in campaign one, but she was massively outnumbered by holy champions, paladins and clerics. Some characters debated her, but most thought that it was really dumb to question the Gods. Besides, her distrust extended to the betrayers and she would have most definitely doubted anything from Asmodeus mouth. She has knowledge of the betrayers that the people in Avalir has forgotten.

Essek is good example of a person in current time with Age of Arcanum mentality. He stole a part of God to do his funky little experiments with...and his hubris caused a huge fucking war. The fact that him and the Cerberus assembly were just a handful of wizards and not an entire civilization of them explains why it was only a normal war between to countries and not the apocalypse. But also, he sees redemption through a group that has two clerics and a paladin, helping them put to end a civilization of the Age of Arcanum. The fact that Essek completely redeems himself fighting the hive mind of a civilization that though itself above Gods it's quite poetic.

Even the fact that Fjord knew better than to try to pursue more power through Ukotoa indicates how everyone in modern day is pretty fucking aware of the "Stranger Betrayer danger". They know, even without being super educated in history, that there's stuff you shouldn't fuck with. You know who tried to ascend to Godhood (using a fucking city from the Age of Arcanum)? Fucking Lucien, and he dies! Why? Because our good guys and every ally they can call upon know that that is very bad.

This is the reason why the Calamity group works so well, because they truly represent the Age of Arcanum attitude. That is why they are causing the End of The World As They Know It. Not because they are Zerxus, Patia or Nydas specifically; but because they are Zerxus, Patia and Nydas from the Age of Arcanum.

They hate the Gods, they genuinely think they can be better, they are incapable of seeing their own faults and they are completely sure that they are the ones in control in every conversation.

Why does Zerxus trust the motherfucking Lord Of The Hells? Because he has a confirmation bias. He hates the Gods and Asmodeus pretty much tells him that he is right. Hell, Zerxus even prompts him! He is the one saying "the others mistreated you" (the others are bad, he meant). And Asmodeus is over there like "...yeah, sure, that works for me". It's not so much that he needs to lie, but that Zerxus wants to believe his own version so much that he ends up trusting the Master of Lies without even a fucking insight check. And he probably doesn't even worry about his friends because they've been trash talking the Gods the whole time. He also doesn't seem to need approval. He thinks he has the right to decide in the name of all Exandria because He Is Right. He may hate Avalir, but he is just as self important as the rest os them.

That's also very present in Laerryn's investigation. She just assumed it was the best thing ever, and when Loquacious asked why, she was shocked. She surrounded herself with people that saw things exactly as she did, creating an echo chamber. And when someone from outside that chamber disagreed, they all shut down the criticism. They think freedom and knowledge justify anything, and they immediately started working on how to shut down the Arboreal Cortex the second it interfered. They did not think for one second "oh, this must be important!", No. Laerryn went "I hate this thing I did not built and that I don't understand so I'm going to try to bypass it because it must not be that important". Once again, if it doesn't revolve around them, it must not be that critical.

Patia (I love her) is Mrs Nepotism I-am-better-than-all-of-you. She works hard, I'm sure, but she also expect things to be handed to her. She is owed greatness, so if she works hard she deserves to best the Gods themselves, don't you think? She is the most Cutthroat when it comes to Hubris while Nydas may disguise his under a childlike wonder for the unknown. But let's remember how he did not care at all about how dehumanizing it was for the Sphinx to be in the parade. He simply put on a charming face and convinced them of going on with the show. In fact, his first scene was a masterclass on how not to care about reality, only about maintaining an image. Selling The Dream.

Loquacious is just (from what we know) a shady vacuous man that enjoys being the center of attention. He reminds me of Effie Trinket and Caesar Flickerman, but with a hint of duplicity and hidden intentions. One can only guess what his secrets are, but I doubt that he is as innocent as he sells himself to be. But even so, he represents the vast majority of people. The one's that don't care enough about the Gods to truly hate them. The ones that give for granted the wealth and commodities this Age gives them

Cerrit is also there, congratulating his friend on her "we are basically Gods" machine, not seeing a problem with it (mind you, Loquacious saw no problem either. He just not that interested). He disdains the people that try to copy the Matron of Ravens, and he is an extremely capable detective machine at the service of Avalir. He's a cop, never trust a cop. They work for the system and (as I've been saying this whole post) the entire system, not only of Avalir but of the Age if Arcanum, is corrupt.

They will all take turns causing the Calamity because the Calamity is not just doomsday, it's the colapse of a civilization all by itself. Asmodeus and interplanar travel are just nukes, it's the people that push the button.

#critical role #spoilers critical role #spoilers exu calamity episode 2 #spoilers exu calamity #exu calamity #spoilers exandria unlimited #zerxus ilerez #laerryn coramar seelie #loquacious seelie #nydas okiro #patia por'co #cerrit agrupnin #brennan lee mulligan #Asmodeus exu #critcal role meta #cr #spoilers cr

[bixbiboom]

And we catch up with the Crown Keepers…

#opal #dariax zaveon #fy'ra rai #morrighan ferus #dorian storm #critical role #cr spoilers #exandria unlimited #the crown keepers

[ludinusdaleth]

8 intelligence 9 initiative bliss

-Critical Role Campaign 3, Episode 92, "Broken Roads"

#critteredit #criticalroleedit #cr spoilers #dariax zaveon #critical role #campaign 3 #exandria unlimited #mine #matthew mercer

[captainofthetidesbreath]

#Exandria Unlimited: Calamity #ExU Calamity #Critical Role #The Ravening War #Dimension 20 #TRW spoilers #I'm gonna gif this later bc it's funnier as a gif #trw things

[pandaspwnz]

just finished rewatching EXU: Calamity and once again cried so much. It really is one of the most masterful stories I've ever seen/heard, and absolutely the best actual play series ever done, bar none. I'm in such awe of Brennan's dm'ing skills, I adore Marisha's beautiful showing of emotions, I love seeing how much Sam and Travis love their children via how much they feel for these fictional ones, Luis' portrayal of Zerxus was so heartfelt and grounded, Lou always brings his whole soul into what he does and this was no exception, and Aabria being willing to make the difficult choices and how she shows Laerryn's dedication is just. Ugh. chefs kiss. Not to mention the group dynamics, the Aabria-Travis hype man squad, the Marisha-Lou/Marisha-Luis grabby shenanigans, how Sam and Aabria play the perfect divorcees, they're all just so fantastic and did such a good job, etc etc. I truly love Calamity so much, I can't believe it's a real show, I can't believe how fucking GOOD it is. Every single one of those people brought their A-game, but I really do especially have to call out Brennan Lee Mulligan. The way that man portrays people and humanity, how even in the end of things he speaks of the importance of hope, how he narrates and weaves the most beautiful tales and makes it so alive and tangible, how he knows exactly when to drop in some comedy amidst tragedy without detracting from it... he's simply fantastic. I'm in awe of them all!!

#exu: calamity #i have a headache from crying. it's honestly mostly sam's fault if he cries i start bawling #okay i lied i cried at so many things so THANK YOU MARISHA for crying just as much as me!! i love that! #exandria unlimited: calamity #brennan lee mulligan #sam riegel #aabria iyengar #marisha ray #travis willingham #luis carazo #critical role #exu: calamity spoilers #my post

[acebender]

#I only have the break to whip up something and im sick sorry for the quality #liveblogging cr #cr spoilers #critical role #exandria unlimited #crown keepers #aabria iyengar #c3e92

[criticalsorcery]

100 points of emotional damage

#cr spoilers #exu spoilers #exu calamity #critical role #critical role gif #exandria unlimited #exandria unllimited calamity #brennan lee mulligan #sam riegel #aabria iyengar #lou wilson #marisha ray #luis carazo #mine:cr #mine:exu

[seelieyoulater]

The increasingly red CR logo is giving the same vibes as the frame slowly cracking each episode of Calamity

#critical role #cr spoilers #exandria unlimited calamity

[totallynotzzombiecat]

Patia Por'co, the Keeper of Scrolls, Archmage of the Librarium Incantatum

The embodiment of Perfection.

#critical role #critrole #critical role fanart #critical role exu #exu calamity #exandria unlimited calamity #exu calamity spoilers #exu patia #patia por'co #archmage #fantasy #dnd #portrait #stylised #god i love her so much #she's flawless #so coool i just cant #wizards

[sparring-spirals]

brennan, bringing an absolutely masterful, tense, cinematic, beginning rp-sequence to an end: -and you wake up.

travis, speaking for all of us, voice quivering: i think i'm in the wrong class-

#akshfjshdushs #'i thought this was freshman biology-' #critical role #cr spoilers #exandria unlimited #exu cast #exu calamity #exu calamity part 1 #travis willingham #brennan lee mulligan #i cant capture travis comedic delivery properly but it was GOOD #shitpost #cr liveblogging #WAIT I ACTUALLY DONT KNOW IF IT WAS LOU OR TRAVIS #I checked. its travis! #both very funny people though

[djpaige]

I mean it was just SUCH. A PERSPECTIVE SHIFT!!! It was-- UGH.

Like, you're watching episode 1 of Calamity, and you open with "Fire." Just that reminder that THIS IS GOING TO BE A DARK STORY. You know this, this is what you're signing up for! These characters are awful! They're all lying about various stuff! They have these ambitions and secrets and lies that will lead them all to RUIN. And you're watching this story unfold, and it's so tense because you KNOW that the Calamity happens. It's already heartbreaking because it's not so much that you know they *can't* stop it, but because you know they *don't*! It's in the lore! It's in the timeline! The Calamity is a thing that happens! TWO THIRDS of the population dies!!! TWO THIRDS!!!

You spend three episodes wondering how the Ring of Brass will mess everything up so bad that the world gets as bad as it can possibly get. Two thirds of the population! Dead!

And then in that fourth episode, Brennan flips that shit on its head. Because he brings in a worse tragedy. One where EVERYONE dies. No one makes it out of Exandria. Complete and total annihilation. And then gently introduces the idea of... what if you could save some of them?

That last fight had characters with HP in the single digits, no spells left, and it was unwinnable if the goal was to win the fight. But the goal changed and became to just survive long enough. You know they can't all survive this. But you sure as shit can hope that they can last those crucial 18 seconds. Just enough to make the difference between losing everyone, and not losing everyone.

It became a story not of how they lost two thirds of the population, but about how they saved one third. And it was an absolute master class in how to use tragedy to tell a story of hope.

#critical role #cr #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #exu calamity spoilers #exandria unlimited spoilers #how do we even tag things anymore. I forget how to use this website for fandom things. #I eat this shit UP I'm realizing #stories like Lord of the Rings and like Rogue One where everything goes to absolute hell #and these characters cling to SHREDS of hope when things are as bad as they can get #and they push just one step further #and one step after that #also Brennan absolutely SLAUGHTERED me with that 'Why do we tell stories?' #I was like 'BRENNAN. FUCK YOU. NO. You put that shit back on the table! Do not take this story above table! I WILL cry and that is a threat

[rosemarydisaster]

I feel so much for Laerryn. Like, is her ambition the downfall of the Age of Arcanum? Yeah, but she's also so selfless and caring. Let me explain, because it may sound crazy.

Spoilers Exandria Unlimited: Calamity up to episode 3

The worst people you know, in most cases, are not cartoon villains laughing maniacally. They're people that think they are doing the right thing. And Laerryn was absolutely sure she was doing the right thing. She was working on an opportunity for all of Avalir, even Exandria, to expand their knowledge further than they would have ever dreamt of. She's also immensely flawed, in that she was desperate to make it work on this specific Apogee, even though the world was ending, just so her beloved could see her work finished. I think she really wanted Loquacious to understand, to see that she did not want to miss on their marriage. In my opinion she wanted him to see not even because she thought he would like it, but because she thought he would forgive her if he saw how big it was.

I think that's part of what angered Cerrit, the fact that they could stop the descent and 100% save the city, but Laerryn wanted to find another way. Sure, maybe there was another way, but why risk everyone's lives? And this is the part I consider Laerryn's big fatal flaw, her Age of Arcanum mentality of "anything is possible". Of course she would risk it because she has never before encountered a problem she could not solve. But what strikes me is how little she cares for her reputation.

She doesn't want the Leywrite to work so she can have recognition, she does not care about what the city thinks of her. It's Loquacious the one hiding tapes and making videos to defend her and her intentions. She's the one that tells her subordinates that she will take the fall if anything goes wrong. She's counting on the people of Avalir not taking it well at first. But since she thought she was right, she also thought that they would eventually see her work as the gift it was meant to be.

And I think this idea of Laerryn rushing things for Loquacious' sake, doing what she thinks is right no matter what anyone else says, is best exemplified with the casting of Blight. At first she casts blight because she thinks her work is right, so the Tree of Names must be wrong. She sees her friend inside and she does not even question whether he would want out or not. She doesn't even run it by her friends, she acts. But then Nydas begs her not to do it, and Loquacious looks at her with fear, and she falters. Because she wants to do what's right, but she wants to do it for her loved ones. And then she sees the tree attacking Loquacious and Patia, that's when she loses it.

I really like that that's how it went. Because it would have felt wrong for her character to hurt the tree when everyone was begging her not to. Sure, this people are Age of Arcanum condensed in humanoid form, but they are also very much people. And people are complex. Sure, some people willfully cause the end of the world for monetary profit, but that's not the kind of character Calamity shows us. This are people with good hearts, convinced that they're doing what's right. The fact that, even with all her flaws, they still needed to deceive her with illusions. It's her "smarter than thou" attitude what lead her to be in front of the Tree, ready to destroy it. But the reason why she stops and the reason why she goes through with it in the end is her love. Her love for her friend Evandrin, who she blames herself for loosing. Her love for Nydas what makes her hear his plea. Her love for Loquacious what truly makes her stop. And the thought of loosing him and her bff Patia to the Tree what pushes her to the edge.

I support women's wrongs as much as anyone else in this God forsaken app, but I also think it's very important to see the heart in Laerryn's character. Because her mistakes hurt way more when you see her as a flawed good hearted woman and not some egomaniacal girlboss. She didn't care for recognition, she just wanted to give a gift to the world. And maybe, just maybe, she was hoping the love of her life would forgive her.

#critical role #spoilers critical role #spoilers cr #spoilers exu calamity episode 3 #spoilers exu Calamity #spoilers Exandria Unlimited #Exandria Unlimited Calamity #laerryn coramar seelie

[puwumats]

marisha is all of us during episode 4

#critical role #critical role spoilers #cr #critrole #exu #exandria unlimited #exu calamity #exu: calamity #calamity #critical role calamity #exandria unlimited calamity

[ludinusdaleth]

critical role said "THE BELLS HELLS AND THE CROWN KEEPERS ARE INTERTWINED AND SO IS VOX MACHINA AND SO IS THE MIGHTY NEIN AND SO IS THE RING OF BRASS AGES AGO AND WE ARE ALL SO SMALL IN THE FACE OF THE GODS AND ARCHMAGES AND THE COSMOS EVEN LARGER. BUT FOR THAT, WE ARE MIGHTY"

#full on TEARS down my fucking face #cr spoilers #critical role #exandria unlimited #campaign 3 #van speaks

[captainofthetidesbreath]

"whichever of Travis and Sam isn't Aabria's ex" isn't as pithy

#Critical Role #Exandria Unlimited: Calamity #ExU Calamity #Critical Role things #CR spoilers #so many people to tag: #Loquatius Seelie #Laerryn Coramar-Seelie #Cerrit Agrupnin #Chetney Pock O'Pea #Deanna #Deanna Leimert #Fresh Cut Grass #Sam Riegel #Aabria Iyengar #Travis Willingham

[counterspelling]

Endless EXU 23/???

#critteredit #critical role #exandria unlimited #exandria unlimited calamity #exu calamity #exu spoilers #cr spoilers #calamity spoilers #cerrit agrupnin #brennan lee mulligan #travis willingham #aabria iyengar #sam riegel #luis carazo #lou wilson #marisha ray #criticalroleedit #critroleedit #myedit #endless exu