#the cognouza

[greenteacology]

One thing about Matthew Mercer is he will put teeth where teeth should not be

#like everything with cognouza…so many teeth #haven’t watched candela obscura but I heard there’s more Teeth #good for him.jpg #critical role #CR #candela obscura #teeth cw #? #body horror mention

[callowyn]

do you guys think anyone on ruidus was getting cognouza dreams for a minute there? like imagine being the yak farmer assigned to yussa errenis. for a while there you go to sleep and it's

A̶̶̛̟̝͍̖̟̻͖̘͔̺̳͌͌͊̋̂͑ͬ̓̄͌̋ͣ͑͛̿͊̈͋ͯ̅̾̚͢͟͢͢͜͟͝͞͡A̞͎̤̟͐̇̇ͦͩ̈́ͤ̏A̜̙̣͓̪̽̀ͩͨ̈́͂̉͟A̸̤̩̘̬ͨ̔̇̀̋̍͗̀ͩ̔̐ͅḀ̵̛̹̼̥̞̞̦̰̘͚͓̦͕̬̐̉͆͐ͣͯͪ̓̓͗͆͘͠Ã̛͖͎͌̀A̵̴̛͇̹̼̯̥͉̬̥̹ͮͬͩ̊́̀ͭ̀̎͆́ͤ͐̇͛̌̍͠A̵̵̗̦͙̖͚̰͚̩̻̥̟̼̘͈̩̻̳̬͉̮͔̰͊̿̑̓̄̑̊͘͝Ả̷̷̧̡̤̹̞͎͇̲̠̼͕̠̊̍ͧͫ̈́ͩͬ͆͛ͤ̄͒ͧ̑͛̒͘̕͝ͅA͔̮͗̌ͬ͢A̧̛̯̣͔͎̪̭̠̲̪̼̟͎̙͕͉̖̓ͨ̀͗͑ͣ̏̎̎ͪͣ͑̽ͬ͛̿̈́̽̚͜͡͝͝͡ͅ F̸̨̛͎̝̳̺̖͎͉͔͕͔̝̻̙͎̈́͂͛̎͋͂͛ͪ͊̀ͧ̒̒̈ͬ̅́ͫ̀ͦ͘̚͠͡Ļ̵̷̵̩̰̭̥̟͇͚̬ͪ̾ͭ̀͋͋́̃̈́̚͞Ę̶̵̵̶̶̤͈̖͓̟̭͓͆̓ͯ͛͂̒͌ͫ͊̃͐ͦ̍̆̏̅͐̏̑̚͢͠ͅS̛̲̥̬ͭ̉̀ͧ̍H̸̶̛͓͖̗̬̰͖̩̥͔͕͕̅ͪ̈́͆̊̃͊̋ͧ̕͜ͅ Hͬ͆ͣ̂ͤ̉͑Ọ̷̤̮̙̫̯͍̊̆̽͛ͧ̓̎̊̈́ͫ́ͭ̑̔́̂͢͜͟͠R̶̴̦͙̮̥̫̠͊̐̅ͫͦ̍͒͛͐͒ͩ̄̉͐͊R̨̦̪͖͔͍͔̠͖̍̿̐ͥ́̊ͨ̎ͮ̾́ͦ́̀ͬ̓͂ͫ̌̚͟͞Ŏ̡͎̝͍̹ͬ̅̚͘Ṟ̡̢̢̦͇̫̣̩͉̬̝͔̩͌ͯͤ̽̓͂́̄̈́͛́ͮ͂̀͆̇̕͜͜͢͠ F̠̄̇ͪL̸͔̲̞̟͙͍̻ͥ̅̇̐͞͝_̵̢͍͙̼̠̰̘ͫͩ̆͒̈ͨ̈́̈́̉͟ͅͅĘ̡̨̫̻͚̤͖͓͉̆ͫͭ̈Ș̸̟̤̦̥̩́̾ͣ̉͜͠͝H̛̛͙͕͈̱͉̦͔͍̄̂̈̾ͭͯ̂̿̔͘

but then you wake up and go to work. on the moon

#cr spoilers #this is not worthy of the tag meta but I am thinking about it lmao #even if the dreams from cognouza can't reach through the gate #we know exandrian dreams can. and caleb and beau were In It #Welcome (welcome) /WELCOME/ *welcome* #except you're a tax accountant for the mindweave the other 16 hours of the day #fucking wild #critical role

[grayintogreen]

Good news guys. Vax is alive!!

Bad news… um. Well.

#he’s having a little bit of the Cognouza blues is all #critical role #cr spoilers

[gorgynei]

The Somnovem and Predathos Theory

Can we talk about Predathos and the Somnovem? I've been dying to talk about Predathos and the Somnovem. There's something here, I smell it.

Theory under the cut, its a doozy.

First of all, "Factorum Malleus" (translates to Creator Hammer) and "Malleus Keys" (translates to Hammer Keys). Aeor and Predathos have a concrete, canonical connection. Ludinus went deep into the Genesis Ward, found the Factorum Malleus project, and developed it further into the Keys to release Predathos. It's unclear whether Aeor also wanted to release Predathos, or if they were just trying to use part of its power to create god-killing weapons, but regardless, Aeor knew about Predathos. Thats a big deal and it explains why the entire pantheon held a ceasefire during the Calamity to completely wipe them out.

Knowing that Aeor has a connection to Predathos makes their fanatical Cognouza ward more suspicious. It's possible that the Somnovem were actually worshiping/serving Predathos but all record of it's existence was wiped with Aeor's falling, so we never knew.

When the Nein first learned about Cognouza, it was due to a psychic wave put out by Vokodo in his final moments, flashing them all into Vokodo's memories. This is similar to the flash that Imogen put out when she gave into Ruidus's power in e33-e34, even down to Bell's Hells being forced into their own memories. While not concrete, the shared usage of emotion-driven psychic waves and memories is notable.

The Somnovem believed in the power of the mortal mind and imagination. In other words, they believed that a brain could manifest psychic power, and they were right: Imogen Temult is living proof of that. They share in the ideas of the power of the mind, even down to the Somnovem communicating telepathically and in dreams.

The Somnovem, or at least members of it, also share many sentiments with the Ruby Vanguard. The Ruby Vanguard wants to release Predathos in order to destroy the pantheon, release mortals from fate, and embrace freedom in that. Ira, upon meeting the Nein, says "Creation is born from destruction, and if all that is worthy of us is destroyed, then so much more can be created or forgotten. All the Gods and the fates that threw us to torment and death, they all will pay" (c2e137) which mirrors that idea extremely closely. Timorei says "You know the terror of the end, mortal ones. The nothing, the acceptance of fate or even oblivion. We-- we cannot end. No, at all costs, oblivion must be destroyed" (c2e137), once again bringing up the idea of disrupting fate and the natural order of things. It's possible that what was originally interpreted as the Somnovem being split on whether to bring Cognouza into the world could have actually been a much larger debate on whether to bring Predathos into the world and destroy pantheon, at least in part.

When Cognouza was transported into the astral sea, it was harassed by a "terrible psychic storm" that drove them mad. Psychic storms haunt all of campaign 3. There's the red storms on the surface of Ruidus and Imogen's dreams, both intimately connected to Predathos and to the power of the mind. Cognouza could have targeted by a powerful psychic wave directly from Predathos, which would explain the strange mind-melded state they end up in and the madness that permeates the entire city and anyone who gets too close.

Additionally, Ruidus flared in 836 PD. Cognouza was also destroyed in 836 PD. It's impossible to know if these are completely connected or pure coincidence, but if Cognouza was a long-running Predathos plot, it's destruction would likely warrant an outburst from the moon.

While delving in Aeor, Lucien discovers a mural depicting "a ring of nine red ovals, with a dazzling starburst in the middle, and that decorated with a single open eye. Enlightenment" (from the Nine eyes of Lucien). Every other symbol of the Somnovem has been just nine red eyes. This "starburst" in the middle could be a subtle nod to Predathos, especially with the way it seems the nine ovals are inferior to this one, greater eye. Lucien seems to believe this represents enlightenment, and he's probably correct. The Aeorians are famously non-religious, so fanatical devotion to a god-killer and it's ideals may have still only looked like extreme belief in a particular school of thought, rather than worship to a particular entity.

There's the obvious too: the nine eyes being red. Red can mean a lot of things. There are plenty of red things in Critical Role that are totally unrelated to Predathos and Ruidus. But when red is the primary colour and representation of unchecked alien energy, and a strange fanatical city with possible connection to that energy is also red? It stops being so chance. Not a big thing on its own, but worth mentioning.

When Cognouza was destroyed, Kingsley felt the "strange black chains that invisibly wove through that city" break and heard an "angry, unknowable, primal, ancient cry". It's widely assumed that this is Tharizdun due to the chain-imagery and general madness that the city is connected to, and I do think that's likely, but if Tharizdun is actually somehow connected to Predathos (both of them are alien beings that got locked away, after all), it could be both of them.

*gestures wildly at all of this* do you see?? do you SEE???? There's something. There's something here.

#btw if you're curious about how i know that malleus keys translates to hammer keys: malleus is a small bone in your ear that's also #known as the hammer (bc its shaped like a hammer) and factotum is a word meaning ''someone who does everything'' so #factorum -> creator and malleus -> hammer #cr spoilers #critical role #cr speculation #cr theory #critical role theory #predathos #somnovem #cognouza #aeor #mighty nein #bells hells #bell's hells

[aspiringsophrosyne]

One day I'm going to get more in depth into the incredible thematic consistency and weird coincidences of Campaign 2. One day I am doing that.

But in the mean time, one of the things that I still shake my head at is that every time Caduceus Clay got a successful Divine Intervention....it had something to do with that fucking hell city.

First time? The roll was to figure out whatever they could about Vokodo. The info? He punched his way through the planes because he was fleeing Cognouza's appetite.

Second time? It was so the Nein could find and use the entrance into the Aeoran ruins that the Tomb Takers knew about.

And of course, we all know what the third and final Divine Intervention did.

I just love it so much. I hope they at least keep a nod to that in the series.

#Critical Role #critical role campaign 2 #critical role campaign 2 spoilers #critical role campaign two spoilers #cr2 spoilers #the mighty nein #the mighty nein animated #the mighty nein animated series #caduceus clay #mollymauk tealeaf #taliesin jaffe #beauregard lionett #fjord stone #caleb widowgast #veth brenatto #jester lavorre #yasha nydoorin #cognouza #aeor #vokodo #laura baily #matt mercer #travis willingham #sam riegel #marisha ray #ashley johnson #liam o'brien #divine intervention #the wildmother #c2 spoilers

[dent-de-leon]

"He'll make you the vessel instead."

"Run away. Run away with me."

oh!! oh. oh dear--

#critical role spoilers #HELP??? #is this like a cognouza with lucien thing where the eyes and the city made him their vessel and ate away at him inside out #to bring them into this world #is that. the plan for predathos and leliana--

[quinn-of-aebradore]

NOOOOOOO I LIKED THE TREE AMD NOW ITS BAD MATT WHYYYYYYY

#leave Cognouza in the past pls XD #critical role #cr spoilers #cr liveblog

[stardustedknuckles]

Trying to work and just cannot think of anything but Yasha kissing each spot where the eyes were. Like what the fuck. That's so romantic. AND it implies that in that quiet space together, Beau actually told her where the other three or four showed up during the fight. That she not only accepted the affection but deepened it herself after being the one to initiate it. They've come so far.

#i've written a short fic about yasha doing that while still in cognouza #but now I think I want to assume she kissed the three she knew about and later at the grove the others came up #out by the pond #one eye on a passed out molly but eventually just lost in each other until they fall asleep in the cool but comparatively warm evening #so much color in the darkness and beau's sight returned to her normal human limitations #ugh fuck I love them #beauyasha #c2 rewatch

[somecallmekay]

One of the tropes I'm a sucker for is "This city is just downright fucked." The Cognouza Ward. Dunwall. Yarnham. The Eternal City.

Just a really, REALLY fucked up city. If there ever was a god here, we forced them out.

#Cognouza ward #Critical role #Eternal City #Thief 4 #Dunwall #Dishonored #Yarnham #Bloodborne #Really fucked up cities

[dyketrickfoot]

one thing about exandria is there's always a city where it's not supposed to be

#thar amphala. aeor. cognouza. molaesmyr. whatever tf is on ruidus #bh spoilers

[humanbeanisnotamused]

if "avalir" is the root word for shame, "aeor" should be the root word for "unethical"

#every day you hear about these fuckers and they're doing some shit that makes you want to invent a new geneva convention #critical role #cr spoilers #even though i am actually making this post because im learning things about the cognouza ward

[justalittlebluetiefling]

I did not ask to return to Cognouza, Matthew. Get these creeps away from me. 

#i mean we knew molaesmyr was going to be like this #so technically i DID ask #but also i can't think about what these guys look like lmao #at least there's no screamers yet #i am still haunted by the screaming from cognouza #critical role #bell's hells #cr3e57 #cr spoilers #cr lb

[gaawachan]

Critical Role Season 3 Spoilers: Ludinus, the Cerberus Assembly, Cults (this is negative)

So, is the Cerberus Assembly, a massive part of the government of the Dwendalian Empire, a country which has been historically the MOST HOSTILE to religions IN GENERAL but hates the evil culty shit in particular and very actively works to stamp said cults and non-approved religions out completely and has a hyperfocus on “empire over all”... is it just a cultist character generator for Critical Role at this point, randomly sticking evil entities to each member?

Briarwood and Vecna

DeRogna and Cognouza

Vence Nuthaleus and the Angel of Iron

Daleth and Ruidis

.

This is incredibly disappointing considering how much Daleth was hyped up, and makes me all the more irritated that that situation with Trent was stuffed so clumsily into the final episode of season 2, because apparently he was the only villain to come out of the Cerberus Assembly that isn’t an eldritch cultist and actually had something to do with the nature of his government, his country, his culture, his class, etc.

The Cerberus Assembly in-lore is the hyper-competent threat that represents the spine of the Empire’s might, so powerful that many suspect it will simply take over the Empire given enough time, but in execution they come off as a total joke that for all their hyped up secret magic child soldier/spy/torturer/murderers that are constantly on the prowl looking to catch and kill , cannot seem to vet ANYONE even remotely close to a position of power, not even assembly annexes.

What’s next?  Is Hass worshiping Asmodeus?  Is Iresor working for Tiamat?  Why hasn’t the Dynasty crushed these losers?

The worst part is that it almost feels like a compliment to say that Matt might just not have wanted to toss out Ludinus as a villain when CR cut short season 2, so he just tossed him in with the primary conflicts in CR3 so he could stick around, because at least then one could just dismiss this as Matt’s desire to keep Ludinus relevant (even though NO ONE in the party of CR3 cares about the Cerberus Assembly or has any meaningful connection to it or Ludinus), and he just didn’t realize that he’s made almost every single Assembly head we’ve seen in the show a freaking cultist... because the alternative is to say that Matt deliberately planned, for years, for over a third of all the Assembly heads to be cultists... of DIFFERENT CULTS.

How can anyone take the Cerberus Assembly, or the Empire, even remotely seriously at this point, in any respect, be it worldbuilding or even just what sort of threat they are supposed to pose?  I’m looking back over this and it reads like some wonky comedy. Maybe Bertrand Dwendal assigns a cult to each assembly head as a reward for reaching that rank? “You get a cult, you get a cult, everyone gets a cult!”

And the Volstrucker, who are trained to specifically sniff out those who don’t follow approved religions, didn’t notice a thing?  This just makes these hyped up terrifying force look completely incompetent... AGAIN.  Or even worse!  They DID know and deliberately participated in covering it up, which would for all intents and purposes make the anti-religious cult-hunting Volstrucker all active supporters of these cults as well!

The M9 should have just let the Dynasty burn Rexxentrum to the ground.  Clearly nothing of value or interest, in-game or out of it, would have been lost.

.

Edit: I mean... good lord, Ludinus originally inserted himself into Empire politics and helped create the Cerberus Assembly because it “suited his own personal agenda/goals,” and I’m over here like... really?  Of all the countries to insert yourself into for your uber evil culty plans, you picked the government most likely to actively hunt out down and torture you to death over it?  No other place was as good as that one?  For someone who it was assumed wanted to recreate the Age of Arcanum and eradicate the Drow, who he hates, it makes perfect sense for Ludinus to slowly try to take over the Empire over the course of multiple centuries.  For a secretive evil cult?  Remember what the Empire did to the Briarwoods?  The mere citizens of the country *BURNED THEIR HOME DOWN* and sent them fleeing for their lives when they learned that they practiced necromancy- not even that they were a cult, but that they cast the *WRONG* magic; THAT was enough to send them running off into the night.

Sure, whatever.  Everyone’s just a massively incompetent idiot in Wildemount, I guess.

#critical role #cr spoilers #critical role spoilers #ludinus da'leth #vess derogna #delilah briarwood #cerberus assembly #ruidis #cognouza #vecna #angel of iron #trent ikithon #volstrucker #it's so stupid #criticism #negative #don't like don't read

[grayintogreen]

reblogging blood river in antarctica while the m9 are in eiselcross?? fear dot jpg

HAHAHA. It’s fine. It’s all fine. No blood rivers in Eiselcross…..

#Cognouza though… #my asks #life in the margins of redemption

[gorgynei]

no actually this gets to be its own post. i love ruidusborn caduceus so much im implementing it into my headcanons. its the reason why cad is so in tune with cognouza's weirdness and why he had weird dreams about it before even knowing anything about it. its why he felt like he was BORN to destroy cognouza.

#i think cognouza (or a part of it) may also b contected to luddy's secret plan but i dont know. dont quote me on that. #ramblings

[dent-de-leon]

Molly and Lucien playing pretend--

#MOLLY'S 'I LIKE PRETENDING' AND LUCIEN IMAGINING HIMSELF AS MOLLYMAUK IN COGNOUZA TO FOOL THE SOMNOVEM #something something the fact that molly hated acting as lucien but it probably felt so freeing for lucien to think of himself as molly--