#char: orym

[lyuenger]

** Authors note. Obvious C3E91 spoilers.

[[ update, thanks to @ReaderOfDragons sending me an invite I'm now on AO3, and it's posted! I did make a few changes/updates/fixes - so read it there for the updated/better version ]]

Also, my first fan fic (and I don’t have an Ao3 invite yet, so I’m sharing here). The moments after played in my head, and the players didn’t act it all out, so I figured I would share tge version in my ''mind palace'. I’ll be sharing more art soon, now that my main job is on summer break.

Note that it switches perspectives. Also, pasting it here messed with my formatting (but I think I fixed most of it).

Faithful End

Chet couldn't hear the sounds of the metal clanking around him, only the ringing in his ears, as he stood in shock and disbelief. The air tasted of blood, sweat and red earth. Quickly his world snapped back into focus and he began to survey the battlefield. What remained of Otohan was charred and strewn about near the freshly made crater on the cave floor.

Orym.

Orym lay still and limp, covered in blood (surely both his and his foes), his sword in the nearby dirt.

A slight rise of his chest showed he was still alive, somehow.

He's alive.

Ash..

A quick look to where he had finally fallen at Otohans blade showed Imogen and Laudna rushing to aid him.

Chet rushed to Orym, knelt down, and fumbled in his pockets until he touched the cool glass of his last healing potion. He uncorked the bottle, pulling the limp Orym up and cradling him into position. “You did good, my boy.” He quietly croaked, as he carefully poured the red fluid into his mouth.

Orym’s chest rose, filling with air, and fell again as he started to exhale, then cough. Green, tired eyes opened and looked up into his own. Chet sighed in relief.

******

Orym coughed, the metallic taste of iron and the familiar herbal taste of a healing potion filled his mouth.

He hurt.

Everything hurt.

He just wanted to sleep, but he felt someone gently holding him, stroking his hair. He lazily opened his eyes, and saw the blue eyes of Chetney looking at him with concern.

Otohan. I have to kill Otohan and get everyone back safe.

With a new burst of adrenaline flowing through his veins he quickly, albeit unusually clumsily, pushed onto his feet. Intense green eyes, framed by the fresh blood that smeared his face, darted around.

There was an odd stillness on the battlefield.

Laudna and Imogen were clutched together.

Shaking.

In fear?

No. Crying. They were crying. Sobbing.

He lowered his eyes and saw an empty glass bottle abandoned near Imogen.

Alert green eyes shifted slightly, resting on Ashton. He was sitting next to them, face buried in a large stoney hand. He couldn't make out his words, but he knew Ash… “Fuck. Shit. Piss.” Surely.

His eyes shifted once more and discovered a newly formed crater, and the charred and bloody remains scattered around the red and now sparkling earth. The sight caused his heart to skip, until he recognized the features… Otohan.

Oh thank the Gods.

He hadn’t believed they would survive that fight, but his friends had pulled it off. He closed his eyes and worked to catch his breath… slow his heart rate. It was over.

It would be okay… he gave himself a moment to let the adrenaline subside, and opened his eyes again.

The sparking red soil caught his eyes now. Pieces of metal? Where did all the metal pieces come from?

The gears in his head began to put the information together, but it didn’t seem to want to click into place. His shifting eyes scanned the cave once more and fell on Fearne. His Fearnie…

He watched those big eyes of hers filling as she stepped into the crater bent down.

Wait, what happened… why was she so upset otohan was dead? Why were the others so upset. They won, somehow.

At least this fight. He knew it wouldn't be their last.

He scanned the cave again checking on his friends. Immogen and Laudna were looking pretty battered and drained, but not quite as rough as Ash. Then again, Ash always looked pretty rough. Chet (who had moved over to check on Everoa) looked real rough, but he had went down hard. Luckily FCG had helped him.

FCG. Did he escape? He had been running…

Movement caught his eye, and he looked over in time to watch Fearne stand, clutching a large metallic chunk… what remained of FCGs smiling face. The eyes were cracked and FCGs smile was now disjointed and crooked, but it somehow still felt… warm.

“Letters?” He heard the words croak out of him, as he looked into Fearne’s and then Chets eyes. He read their faces. Tight, with wet eyes. Feeling his heart shattering, he knew.

“No. Nonononono.” The words softly left his lips. Fearne, barely holding back tears, rushed to him. Her comforting arms gathered him up and Orym buried his face into her.

****

Ash woke up, feeling like he had been ran over by a dragon, but that was nothing new. He always hurt. Although he didn’t always feel this weak.

Having friends, with concerned faces, helping him up was new though. So he sat up, and then stared wide eyed at scraps of metal that had settled across the ground.

Why was there metal on the floor?

That color…

The same color as… The color of FCG.

He scanned the room, quickly taking in the destruction. The crater. The remains.

Why?! Why did he do that. We talked about that.

He knew that damn automaton was going to sacrifice himself one day… he had hoped he would get through to him, but no.

No one gets left behind.

But Letters was gone.

His friend was gone. Gone.

Bits spread everywhere across the cave.

He tucked his face into his hand.

“Fuck.

Shit.

Piss.

Damn it.

You self sacrificing litt….” The words that escaped his mouth registered in his brain, and his eyes flew wide with panic.

Wait.

Orym. She got Orym. I have to help Orym.

Eyes darted to where he had seen him fall, and saw Chetney holding him as he set down an empty glass bottle. Orym’s tiny body shuttered as he coughed awake. Ash felt his body exhale in relief.

Orym will be okay. He's a little guy, but the toughest guy I know.

He's okay.

He's okay.

He took a deep breath in an attempt to steady himself, wiped his eyes, and looked around the room again. So many metallic scraps littered the rusty red floor.

“Fuck. Shit. Piss.” He muttered angrily to himself, and punched the ground in frustration.

He vaguely took in Ferane running to Orym and Chet, and the other two witches clinging to one another for another moment before jumping up and rushing around to look for something.

He stood dumbfounded and unsteady, leaning against his hammer and lost in thought, until his eyes caught on an unnaturally bright glint of metal in the cave wall.

No one gets left behind.

The words echo in his head on repeat, but all that escapes his lips is “Fuck.”

He takes several slow strides as his feet lead him to the rocky wall near their exit.

The piece of metal, a distinct shape…

The coin. That. Fucking. Coin.

That fucking coin that he always trusted.

What a lot of damm good it did him.

He jammed his fingers into the rock around the metal, gripped firmly and yanked. The rock crumpled away easily and he palmed the coin, staring at it for a minute before slipping it into his pocket.

“We have to make this count” Chets scratchy voice stated matter of factly. Ashton looked over to see him snatching up the backpack.

“Right.” Ash muttered to himself, and he moved to help the others gather anything they could.

***

The blood and dirt covered halfling wiggled out of Fearne’s arms, so she reluctantly set him down gently, making sure he was steady enough on his feet before fully letting him go. His eyes darted around the debris littered on the ground. He knew, deep down, it was futile, but he helped them gather all the pieces they could.

Fresh Cut Grass.

His body may have been weak from exertion and damage, but Orym’s perception didn't fail him. He could sense Fearne following near him, as he maneuvered towards a shiny chunk that had caught his eye. He wearily crouched and picked it up, turning it over in his small hands carefully, avoiding the sharp edges. Familiar slash marks arched across it. Like blades of grass reaching for the sun, or swaying in the wind. Tiny, calloused fingers, stained a brownish red with the soil and dried blood, carefully caressed the recessed lines in the smooth metal.

Letters.

He closed his eyes and hugged the piece of metal tightly to his chest.

FCG.

Faithful Care Giver.

FRITA. Fuck.

What am I going to tell FRITA…

Unconsciously he gently rubbed the moons on his shoulder. The physical pain taking a backseat to the anguish that burned through him. It was not a new feeling. He didn't like it. He would rather feel the physical pain.

It should have been me…

Letters should be with FRIDA, and I would be with Will. And Dad.

Oh Dad, I failed.

Again.

This is too big, and I'm, I'm too li….

A firm hand gripped his shoulder, breaking him away from those spiraling thoughts. He glanced up, first to the hand, then up Fearne. Her expression was full of concern, her voice soft, warm, and comforting, “You okay?”

He didn't think he knew the answer to that yet, and he knew he couldn't talk without falling apart, so he simply flung himself around her in a tight hug. If she could feel the tears soaking into her skirt, she didn't say anything.

*****

Fearne was barely holding it together. FCG was gone. She had never lost anyone she loved like that. But her best friend needed her, so she focused on him. Orym was a hardened soldier, the Savior Blade of the Tempest. He fought steady and bravely. He was a little guy, but so strong and agile. She had never seen anyone do so many sit ups, or wield a sword with such grace and control.

But his heart was fragile, having already been broken, and not yet fully mended.

Not that it ever could be. Some wounds never fully heal. She was starting to understand that. Her heart began to crumple under the weight of their mutual loss, compounded by seeing the pain in Orym’s face. She could feel his rough, gasping breathing as he clung to her.

She couldn't fix their broken hearts.

So she gently rubbed small circles onto his back instead, pushing away the sad thoughts, and focusing on comforting him.

I can't fix this, but I can remind him that he's not alone.

Orym suddenly jerked his head away from her to look down the cave entrance. She could see the damp (and blood and dirt stained) spot he left behind… Although her clothes were already quite soiled before that. Chet had also glanced over his shoulder at the same time. They must have heard something.

Quietly but firmly Chet informed them “We have to move, we won't be alone here long.”

She watched Orym nod, his face now stern and determined.

A soldier's face.

Orym slipped the hunk of metal he had been gripping into his bag as Fearne lifted him, easily swooping him up and onto her shoulders. Man was he light! And so drained, his grasp weak as he held on. Being so drained from the fight, she was sure he couldn't move as fast as they needed to. And they needed to move fast. They needed to find a safe place. They all needed to rest.

***

“Let's go!” Chetney growled.

“On it!” Ashton raged and punched the wall where the exit was.

“We still need to find the …” Laundna’s frustrated statement was cut short.

“Found it!” Imogen exclaimed, briefly holding up the staff FCG had been carrying. Laudna stopped her search with a sigh of relief, and they made their way to the others.

Smart.

Imogen was smart. Orym had known for a while that she was leadership material. They would need the staff for it's ability to teleport everyone. Soon. Too bad it needed to recharge first. Not to mention, someone would need to attune to it.

Because…

Letters.

Letters was gone.

I failed. I failed Letters. I wasn't enough, even with the powers Nana Morey gave me.

Orym felt a firm squeeze on his leg, grounding him. Fearne kept one hand gripped firmly on his leg to make sure he didn’t slip off and she rushed down the tunnel.

He held onto her with as much strength as he could muster, as the remaining Bell’s Hells fled for their lives. He looked at his friends, all beaten and tapped out, but pushing themselves past their limits once again. Helping to steady one another and make sure everyone was keeping up. Orym hugged Fearne’s head tighter and nuzzled it a little. He had great friends. Weird, but great.

I couldn't save FCG, but for now I need to focus on getting the others home.

Home safe.

Alive. Somehow.

Dad and Will wouldn't stop fighting, and neither will I…

[nephriteknight]

There are pieces of Ashton in Orym's pocket.

He isn't really sure why he picked them up in the first place; he remembers the half-formed thought to clean up, to do damage control, to not leave this important place a mess, and he remembers wondering if Laudna might want them when she came back, for some kind of horrifying art project, maybe. Laudna had run off without a word, and that was another thing to worry about. Ashton was still lying on the ground, and Fearne had stalked off and Orym should really have gone after her, but he hadn't been able to move, to shake his mind from familiar tracks, to do anything but watch his family fall apart. So he fell back on instinct, out of politeness or fear or just needing something to do with hands.

They were almost hot enough to burn when he picked them, and they felt solid in Orym's hands—just a little bit too pliable to pass for normal rock. He'd become familiar with the feel of Ashton's body lately. It had been jarring to feel it so warm; it's worse now that they're deathly cold. Something charred and flaky had coated Orym's fingers as he picked up the pieces, and he didn't realize until later that it was blood.

There are still pieces of Ashton in Orym's pocket as they prepare to leave Ligament Manor and head to the fucking moon. His moon, Orym can't help but think. The little one. And every time Orym puts his hands in his pockets he feels them, and he sees it all over again, and he has to turn to look at Ashton just to prove reality to himself. Once or twice he makes some excuse to walk by them, patting his arm as he goes. Warm, not cold, not burning. Ashton is alive. For now. Orym holds onto the pieces, just in case.

[masterqwertster]

New fic for my personal hopes of some things to go down in episodes 92+

Breaking, Mending

Ashton is good at breaking things. But now they're trying to fix something. One of the most important things. MAJOR SPOILER FOR EPISODE 91

Ashton comes to with a healing potion on his tongue. There’s also that scent in the air specific to arcane explosions.

At first they think Fearne must have used that detonation ability that she has in her titanous form. Risky. But if she could get the space to not hit Bells Hells, maybe just enough to bring Otohan down. And they’re pretty sure that bitch is down, given that psychic vibration of her Exhalting is gone.

But Imogen sits above him, with tears streaming down her face, and Ashton knows something is wrong.

When he looks beyond her, beyond Chet and Orym and Laudna and Fearne, he sees it: a crater with a charred corpse and littered with yellow scraps of metal.

Ashton knows.

They know that what they have feared for fucking months (have they really only known him for months? Not even a year? How the fuck did he make it feel like they’d always known him?) has finally happened: FCG martyred himself. The aeormaton is gone.

It’s not even a thought to let the earth take Ashton’s body, drag and rotate and slide it around until he’s standing upright before the crater, witnessing the devastation of Fresh Cut Grass’s sacrifice.

It shouldn’t have come to this. They should have– They could have– Why–?

Ashton searches for FCG’s stupid fucking Changebringer coin. They would have wanted that. He spots it embedded in the wall, forward towards the exit to the surface. A last message from FCG. Or the Changebringer fucking with them, using the death of the only person here to give a fuck about her (if it’s the latter, the gods and titans will fight again. That’s a fucking promise. Fresh Cut Grass is worth punching their goddess in the face).  

They slide their fingers into stone and pull the coin free within their fist, the rock unresisting to them. Ashton is going to give it back to FCG as soon as they get him resurrected. And they will get him resurrected. Ashton is not going to any less lengths to bring Fresh Cut Grass back than they did Laudna.

Continue on AO3

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 75

Nord VPN again? So what ... oh gods no ... no, please don't sing, Sam. Please don't sing ... crap ... full-on Rodgers & Hammerstein ... we're in Hell ...

Laura: "Now I see why it took you so long for sound check."

No more announcements? Just straight into the game then ... big things are brewing then, clearly ...

First time in a little while we're jumping into COMPLETELY unknown waters ... so what now?

Wait, that was COLM?!!! Blimey, Sam ...

Ah yes, the Ashton Greymoore origin story ... how many superheroes are we gonna have on the party by the end, then?

Chetney's velvet jogging suit keeps him warm ... XD

No, no more jumping ...

"Flying is the best climbing" ... LOL

A tight warm crack ... I'm so glad Sam didn't pick up on the potential innuendo this time ...

Ashley rolls a Crit Fail ... of course she does ... Fearne: "I have no traction with my hooves!"

Low ceiling = much inconvenience ... so FCG turns himself into a lowrider ...

Oof ... this place is totally giving me flashbacks to The Descent ...

Slickshimmer oil? Oh yeah ... might come in handy ... and now Chetney's just making it weird ...

Oh yeah, she can just Wildshape ..

A lil snowbat ... awwwww ... yeah, she will be completely blind, but at least she can eccolocate ...

Oh, here we go then ...

Shit, it's a full blown drop further down ... but tight ... oh boy, this isgonna be problematic ... fuck, that's just it? Crap ...

IT JUST STOPS. So what now?

Bat sonar it, Fearne! Oh, it's just a blockage? Hmmmm ... so what do we do about it, then?

Orym tries to pry through ... pop! Oh crap ... here we go ... A CHARRED SKULL?!!! WTF? Laura (angrily): "Matthew!"

Claustrophobic Fearne forgetting she's currently a bat ...

Sam's fake teeth are still there ... Matt: "I hate it so much ... don't put it BACK!"

Crap ... whenever everybody has to keep doing individual checks it's such a worrying thing ...

The coins are melted onto the rock? That can't be good ... please tell me this isn't a fucking lava tube ...

DISASSEMBLE Letters? Really? Chetney is WAY too enthusiastic about that idea ...

Chetney: "Consent I all I need. I got a whole bag of tools." O.O

FCG ALMOST gets stuck ...

Great, now Imogen IS stuck by her ankle ... crap ... Matt: "This is my nightmare. That I'm inflicting on all of you." Damn it ... Marisha confirms this is most definitely a thing ...

Fuck this is getting worse all the time ... this really IS turning into The Descent ...

She takes her boots off and is FREE ... okay ... and now she's stuck on FCG ...

Good roll + bad roll = logjam ... of course it does ...

And now Letters is clanging down the passage like a ball bearing ... crap ... and he crashes right into Orym ... fuck ... now they're both FALLING ... crash! Ouch ... Orym (winded): "Take ... your foot ... out of my gooch ..."

Imogen drops hoping one or both will catch her ... phew! That was almost bad, but ultimately okay ...

Bones. A fuckload of bones ... charred and melted bones and other stuff ... and it's HOTTER in here ... crap ...

Flashes of intense heat ... please tell me there isn't a fucking DRAGON in here ...

Odd, unpredictable low vibration in the rock ... not a good sign, I'm sure ...

Black volcanic rock, and it's newer ... crap ... fresh lava flow, clearly ... DEFINITELY not a good sign ...

FCG casts Detect Magic ... ooh, magic ring ... cool ...

DO NOT go digging through the suspicious volcanic floor ...

Oh, they're doing this after all ... maybe let the others KNOW what you're doing first, guys?

Laudna is UNIMPRESSED with this plan. As she should be ...

Stoneshape ... gods this is DUMB ...

Just LIGHT? Please just be light ... and now it's hotter ... okay, so what's down there? DO NOT just fly down through there! Are you an idiot?

Literally the floor is lava ... yeah, I saw that coming ... XD

NOT a whole lake of lava ... oh, so there are CREATURES here ... imps? SERIOUSLY?!!!

Another communication about further plans ... Laudna: "Are you absolutely insane?!!"

A rock water slide to JUMP the lava? Are you SERIOUSLY considering this plan?

Ashton goes first and RAGES as he goes to try and widen the passage ... oh boy ... a Nat20? Really? Because he's an Earth Genasi AND a Titan this actually WORKS ...

Laudna is dislocating herself to fit through and then FORGETS to pop the joints back into place ... ye gods ...

Fearne is going to fly down and try to COMMUNICATE with the impish things ... right ...

This is a BUST ... yup ...

A whole load of chaos as they try to formulate a plan ... oh boy ...

Okay, here we go ... Ashton cracks the floor and NAT FAILS so the WHOLE THING just gives out ... crap ...

That was almost VERY hairy ...

No way out? Crap ... Travis: "We came down here for NO REASON."

Fearne tries to speak to them ... they're less freaked than just curious ... wow, they ARE cute, aren't they? :3

Oh wow, they're being BORN out of the lava blow ... wait, that one just DIED?!!! Already? Whoa ...

Who's the Elder? Oh, the one that just died ... of course ... another one: "I'M the new Elder!"

Oh, they KNOW about the Shard? Okay ...

Wait ... the Shard is IN the lava itself ... so what happens if they TAKE it?

They have no concept of time ... of course they don't ...

Elder: "Others have come and angered the Spark." Okay then ...

Ashton's going to try and touch the lava? Really?

This whole thing is like NINE FUCKING LEVELS OF SUPREMELY STUPID ...

Cue chants of "Rock! Rock! Rock!" Like in Galaxy Quest ... XD

Ray of Frost? Okay ... please don't trigger the explosion ...

Fuck, Ashton's going straight in ... wait, what ring? He needs to atune first ... aaaaagh ...

So he's flying over towards the bubble, then ... it's CALMING DOWN? Is this a good sign or really bad? And he's Raging now ... fuck, he's IN THE LAVA now? Oof ... ouch, this is gonna be SO NASTY ... an Investigation Check? RIGHT NOW?!!! 22? Wow ...

He HAS THE SHARD!!! Get the fuck out of there, man! 12 ... crap ... no joy? Imogen tries to communicate with him and just picks up a lot of cursing ...

Ashley: "This is so dumb ... I'm gonna jump in." O.O

FUUUUUUUUUCK!!!

I mean if ANYBODY could actually DO THIS ...

Telekinesis? Really? And Matt will actually allow it ... oh, nice roll ... Holy fuck this is actually working?

Go go go ... be strong, Ashton ... Nat20 for 28 total? Oh shit ... IT'S WORKING!!! IT'S ACTUALLY FUCKING WORKING!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!! Lava shower! Crap!

Ashton is FUCKING GLOWING ORANGE right now! Holy shit ...

Oh man, the imps are all dying? NOOOOOOO!!!

That was horrible but also totally worked ...

Ashton is really hot. LITERALLY.

Holy shit ... this gas actually HEALED Ashton's original cracked damage somewhat? Seriously? Oh, and he's just full on shirtcocking it right now ...

Wait, yes ... give it to Fearne! Give it to her! Let HER be the Empress!

He tries HOLDING IT to the crystal in his head and thinking through it ...

AND ALL THE TIME HE'S STILL TAKING FIRE DAMAGE!!!

Do not SMASH IT Ashton! Are you NUTS?!!!

Imogen holds it in the air so it won't keep burning him ... oh, that is beautiful and powerful ... like the fish in the meme ... XD

Laudna wonders if they might actually be in the belly of a Titan ...

Imogen TOSSES Chetney the Shard to make him do Grim Psychometry on it ... ouch! XD

Oh this is just INTENSE ...

Ashton is going to press it to his chest WHILE HE RAGES?!!! Oh shit ... and another 9 points of damage ...

Ashton: "I don't think it's FOR ME. I mean it's for me ..."

Yes. Seriously. Give it to Fearne.

Marisha fretting about rolling for Arcana because she's been rolling SHIT all game ... oh! Nice! Marisha: "I need Travis talking shit to me all the time!" Good roll!

A Funnel? OH SHIT!!! The Harness! They gotta go to Joe!

A flash of light? What the hell?

Ruby Vanguard? Crap ... and Reilora? Double crap ... oh fuck ... IS THAT FUCKING LUDINUS?!!!

Laura: "Telekinesis! I'm gonna throw the lava they're above AT THEM!!!"

Matt: "And we're gonna come back to that zfter a break." AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!

Crap crap crap crap crap ... how bad is this gonna be?

Aaaaaah! Battlemap! Cue Wizzkids plug!

Holy shit ... nice terrain ...

Nice reminder from Liam that Ashton is currently doing this half naked ... and not the polite half, either ... and what about Fearne?

Shit this is REALLY bad ...

Ludinus succeeds his Dex roll? Of course he does ... but ONE of them fails ... okay, then ...

ROLL INITIATIVE!!!

Ashton up first ... SUPERHERO IT, BOY!!! He Rages ... he's getting heavy? Oh, Gravity effects ... here we go ... he's shielding FCG? Even though he's low on hit points right now? Ballsy ... he grabs the Shard and tucks it behind him ... so he takes MORE damage next round? Bloody hell ...

Imogen tries to grab the skinny Reiloran with Telekinesis snd he fails to save ... yanks him into the lava! Matt tells her to roll EIGHT D10!!! Fucking hell ... 50 POINTS OF DAMAGE!!! Fucking hell indeed! Then she Quickens another spell for bonus action, Mindwhips the big Reiloran ... it saves so only takes HALF damage ... 7 points? Oof ... not too impressive, then ... mostly just made it angry, then ...

Orym is up! Gets close as he can so he can CUT THE AIR with Seedling to hit the submerged Reiloran ... and that is IT for it ALREADY!!! Wow ... second strike to the soldier with a vine, succeeds and drags HIM in too ... Holy shit, that's a FUCKLOAD of damage ... and HE'S DEAD TOO?!!! Holy fuck, wee man!

Ludinus came to offer an OLIVE BRANCH? Really? Oh crap, he just recognised the staff ... what's THIS mean? What's he doing?

Fearne is now DANGLING OVER THE LAVA!!! Shit ...

Reiloran JUGGERNAUT?!!! I'm sorry? Oh lawd he comin! Orym has to make a strength save? Crap ... and it's a fail ... and he's just DRAGGED into melee with it ...

Chetney grabs the Shard, slips it into the Bag of Holding, then goes invisible! Okay ... now he just BOLTS for Imogen ...

All FCG can do is hit Ashton with a 3rd Level Cure Wounds ... 17 Points back ... it'll do ... then he gives Fearne a Bonded Blessing ...

Fearne's turn ... what CAN she do? Just spells, but attack rolls are at a disadvantage ... crap ... Wall of Stone? She wants to completely encase Ludinus ... oh yes, that sounds sweet ... yes! Do that! Do that! Holy shit, and it actually WORKS too ... but she's still stuck ...

Laudna's turn ... she Quickens a spell for Mirror Image, then Blights the Reiloran. And he FAILS ... okay then, that's 8 D8 of Necrotic damage! Here we go ... 32! Sweet!

The last one just holds his action? Hmmm ...

Ashton burns a Chaos Burst and ALMOST knocks the Reiloran into the lava ... second same ... hmmm ...

Imogen chucks a bunch of lightning at all of them ... oh shit, boom indeed! Now none of them can SEE!!! Okay ... that doesn't ACTUALLY change anything for Fearne, though ... then she casts Blade Ward on herself ...

Orym steps under Ashton's legs and detects Chetney close by from smell alone ... XD ... attacks the Reiloran and hits him with THREE Pushing attacks ... he fails so he is now IN THE LAVA!!! 33 points of damage! Nice ... and now he JUMPS on the Reiloran's head, slashes away down on him ... Action Surge? Okay ... bang bang bang ... but Matt keeps rolling SO WELL ... one more try ... HE GETS THE HDYWTDT!!! YES!!! He kills the fuck out of him and jumps back off again! Now he's just SOLIDIFIED in the lava ... Orym you absolute WILD MAN!!!

Ludinus casts Dimension Door to bamf out of the wall ... crap ... he raises her EVEN HIGHER ... She can't break free ...

Fuck, is he gonna JUMP AWAY with her?

Chetney clicks his Boots of Speed, gets close enough to Ludinus to ... do something he CAN'T do because it's ALSO a bonus action? Crap ... so he DOESN'T do that but just holds his action instead ... crap ...

FCG pulls Spiritual Weapon on Ludinus ... since it's a hostage situation, he makes it a hsnd holding a pepperbox pistol right to his temple ... JUST hits him ... nice damage, but doesn't do anything major ... then shoits a Sacred Fame at him too ... which he fails to save against ... ouch! Nice ... he's looking rough but still strong, apparently ...

Fearne casts Wall of Fire on Ludinus? Wow ... can he Counterspell? Nat20? Crap ... that didn't work, then ... Ashley tries to work out what else to do ... and just tries to negotiate instead? Hmmmm ... roll good, Fearne, be charming ... 18?

Laudna unleashes her Hound of Ill Omen upon Ludinus! Okay ... Phantasmal Force? Oooooh ... and he has DISADVANTAGE?!!! But he still succeeds ... crap ... but it's now the pooch's turn! Attack hits! 10 damage and heneeds to roll a strength check ... FAIL!!! He is now PRONE!!! Nice ... but he STILL maintains concentration ...

The last guy attacks the Hound ... and KILLS IT!!! What? Seriously?

Ashton gets as close as he can and tries a Wormhole Strike on Ludinus! Fuck ... and it HITS!!! Nice! 20 damage! Second misses, though ... crap ...

Imogen casts Lightning Bolt on BOTH of them ... defender fails, but Ludinus STILL makes his save? Shit ... that's a lot of dice though ... 42 points on the defender ... and he goes DOWN in a smoking heap ... AND LUDINUS' CONCENTRATION IS BROKEN!!! Fearne is FREE!!!

Orym runs in and chucks 2 daggers at Ludinus, misses with BOTH because he's prone ... nuts ... nothing else he can do ...

Ludinus gets up, steps past Fearne so she has an attack of opportunity ... he starts brewing a Sphere, Laudna Counterspells ... but it's a LEVEL NINE?!!! Holy fuck ... did she just CRIT?!!! SERIOUSLY?!!! Oh my gods she fucking DID IT!!! Nice! So he tries to Counterspell HER? And he FAILS?!!! OH MY FUCKING GODS!!! Amazing ... suddenly the dice gods are with us! So hejyst keeps walking ... INTO THE LAVA? AND JUST DISINTEGRATES?!!! Bloody hell ... he was a FAKE!!! Bugger ...

Fearne TRIES to grab the stone he wore ... it's cracked ... nuts, only MAYBE a clue now ...

Smart thinking, might be a good idea to run ... but first LOOT THE BODY that DIDN'T burn ...

Fancy robes ... NOT damaged by the lava? Handy ...

Time to Teleport out, then ... but where to?

Oh, Whitestone? Yes. Go there. Definitely.

Here we go, then ... aiming for the Sun Tree ... they jump ... and Matt calls it there BEFORE they roll ... oof ...

At least they killed his villain speech before he could deliver it ... but yeah, that was one HAIRY fight ...

[vexing-imogen]

seal my heart (and break my pride)

"She told me she was proud of me."

Imogen's voice is a quiet thing on any given day, and tonight it's almost lost to the winds of the Hellcatch. Were Orym not so very close to her (always the protector Lita had gently teased, watching him interact with the Hells, just like Dad), were he not able to read lips, he suspects her words would have been lost to the night.

He simply hums in response. A question, but one she doesn't need to answer if she isn't up to it.

"My mother," she clarifies, and he can just see the shine of fresh tears on her cheeks in the dusk. "It was the last thing she said to me before she-" She swallows hard. "Before she died."

It's the first time she's actually said the words out loud. They'd all watched Liliana sacrifice herself in the eleventh hour, teleporting directly into the path of the blade that Otohan was about to sink into Imogen's back. She'd died in her daughter's arms with no chance of resurrection. (Not that they would have wasted their resources on trying; not for her. Not unless Imogen had explicitly requested it. All of them, with the exception of Letters, had agreed that the gesture was too little too late.)

Imogen has been a shell of herself since. It's different than it was with Laudna. She'd had hope to cling to then, a goal to fulfill. She has none of that now. He also suspects that it's difficult to mourn someone you barely knew, who turned out to be so very different from what you imagined.

"Yeah?" he prompts gently.

She laughs, a hollow, broken thing that echoes in the desert. "And I felt absolutely nothin'," she confesses. "Here's my mother tellin' me everything I'd ever wanted to hear; that she loved me, that she was proud of me, how I was the very best part of her life. And none of it meant a goddamn thing."

She stares at the marker that Chetney had made. "I just wish..." She finally turns to him. "I wish she were still alive so I wouldn't feel so guilty for bein' mad at her."

Orym lays his hand on her wrist. "You're allowed to be angry, Imogen," he tells her. "One good deed doesn't make up for decades of bad decisions. Not the least of which was abandoning you."

"I don't hate her," she says after a minute. "And a part of me wonders how much of her was still left in there y'know?" She sighs. "But all the stuff she did, all the stuff she was tryin' to do..."

"You can't just forgive and forget?" he guesses.

"Yeah." Imogen pulls the marker out of the ground, traces over her mother's name. "Maybe it's best if..."

She doesn't finish her thought. The smell of ozone is all the warning Orym gets before a bolt of lightning strikes the wood in Imogen's hands, shattering it into pieces. He gets his shield up just in time to avoid a face full of splinters.

Imogen isn't quite as lucky. Her face and chest are a mess of bloody scrapes. Orym winces as she pulls one particularly large splinter out of her cheek. He digs a healing potion out of his pack and hands it to her.

"Feel better?" he asks.

Her lower lip quivers, fresh tears making even more of a bloody mess of her face. "No."

Eventually, she tucks the largest piece of wood away in her bag; the piece with part of Liliana's name still legible on the charred surface. She drinks the potion, uses her magic to clean herself up, and then turns to him.

"Don't tell Chetney?"

He takes her hand, can feel the static electricity still buzzing through her fingertips. "I wouldn't dream of it."

[seasinkarnadine]

prompt snippet

okay so Im still working on the prompts yall sent (Im now upwards of 4,000 words...) but I wanted to share a little sneak peek as thanks for sending. (Prompts: 4. Trying to hide your injury from them, but failing miserably once you faint right in front of them

Imogen calls Ruidus and takes way too much damage (does Laudna even know about this?)

----- It’s a bandit attack. That’s why the smoke smells weird. The meat cooking isn’t cut from a hare and roasted on a spit; it’s human remains. It’s charred hair and clothes and blood. “Well, fuck.” Ashton hefts their hammer on one shoulder. “Now what the fuck do we do?” Imogen looks at the overturned crates and smashed carts. The debris is scattered all over the hillside. The bandits seem long gone.

“Don’t suppose they mighta missed it?” She asks while she turns over a bucket with her boot. Fearne purses her lips as she looks out over the ruined campsite.

“Mama said that this captain, what was his name? Crawford? Crake?”

“Crotchgrab?” Chetney supplies.

“Cramer,” Imogen corrects.

“Yeah, Crampy, that he would probably keep it close to him.” Fearne nods. “So if we can find his body, it might be in one of his pockets.” As if to demonstrate she reaches into the depths of her fur and withdraws something small, hard, and round. She gives it a sniff, and then shrugs and pops it into her mouth. A moment later she spits it back out and scowls at it.

“We might not even need to do that. Hey Letters, are we close enough for you to cast Locate Object?” Imogen asks. The little robot wheels up beside her with a contemplative hum.

“Let me give it a try…. Oh!”

“Ya get somethin’?” Imogen leans closer to him like it’ll cause the effects of the spell to transfer to her.“I sure did! Come on, this way.”

“Don’t get too fuckin’ far ahead!” Ashton shouts after them as Chetney mutters,“Somethin’ about this place is makin’ my nose itch…”

“Something dangerous?” Orym asks.

“Might be. Might be.”

“Let’s everyone keep alert.” Orym says. He adjusts his grip on his sword, a determined crease to his brow.

It’s only as Imogen starts following after that she realizes Luadna’s hand slipped from her grip. Looking back she sees Laudna silhouetted against the night sky. In front of her is a shallow pit overflowing with corpses. Flames leap from the bodies and spew sparks up into the darkening sky. Laudna stands at the edge, staring into the flames, unmoving..

“Laudna?” She doesn’t move. Why isn’t she moving? “Laud, honey?” Imogen steps towards her.

“Mmm? Oh, sorry, lost in thought. Did we find it?” She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

“FCG thinks they found it.” Should she ask if everything is alright? Or should she wait for Laudna to say something? She could always take a peek…no, no. Boundaries, Imogen.

“I’m alright,” Laudna says reassuringly. This time her smile graces her lips with a natural curve.

“Yeah?” Imogen smiles back and reaches out her hand. Laudna takes it.

“We’re going to get this gem, and we’re going to power that machine, and we’re going to figure out what is going on with Ruidus, and we’re going to make your nightmares stop. And then we’re going to get ourselves a little house in the Heartmoor and I’ll bake you cookies every day.”

Surrounded by burning bodies and blood isn’t a place one should feel joy, but that doesn’t stop a laugh from escaping Imogen’s chest.

“Yeah. Yeah, we are.”

 “YOU GUYS COMING?” Ashton hollers from halfway up the hill. The others are waiting near the top.

“We’re coming!” Laudna waves back to him. “Shall we?” Imogen links their arms and they follow after their group.

[bisexuel]

hm people are mentioning wanting orym to multiclass into a paladin of the wildmother but even if it weren't for his stats (he meets neither of the requirements for str and char) and the fact that we've already seen a wildmother paladin arc and liam has already explored a paladin multiclass. i still think that was more of a "hey you were having a rough time in that fight (and in general) but you still tried thank you for your help here's a gift" type situation

[duskoscrawl]

12 (13) fics for 2022

i have published 49 fics in this last year. here is my favourite from each month (and one extra):

january - focus - critical role campaign 2

As the story of the Mighty Nein comes to an end, the Raven Queen considers what has been, what could have been, and then what could be. Aka: the final arc of C2 is a corruption arc. What if it wasn't Molly's? Featuring one corruption arc for each member of the Nein

february - guiding bolt - critical role campaign 2

Jester leaves her home with a head full of storybooks, confident in the practiced courtships of her fictional heroes. She knows the routines that lead to smut, to love, to the epilogue, wherein everything is perfect, is happy. Jester leaves her home confident that she will find a man to make her happy and dance the steps of love with her, leading them into their epilogue, so that they can be happy forever. Aka: eight times a member of the Nein helped Jester to understand how love works and one time she helped someone else.

march - don't touch the marble - critical role campaign 3

Percy and Vex needed a holiday, at least, that's what Keyleth had gotten out of her most recent work meeting with Vex. And Keyleth is a level twenty druid, she is competent, she is a friend, she can give them a holiday by having their children to stay with her for a week. Five children should be fine for a week. What could possibly go wrong? Orym is a young man, but in the space of a week he gains the permanent exhaustion of a father of five. Will is threatening to quit if the Voice of the Tempest decides to babysit five children at once again, at least if she hasn't gotten rid of that magical marble by then.

april - a seagull interlude - ofmd - from a minivan called the revenge with @doctors-star

Since the 'incident' the Bonnet-Teach household has been unsettled (and Teach-less). Karl and Olivia do what they can, but it's rather hard when you're a stuffed seagull who can only really talk to one of the many, many distressed children. Things work out for the best, though, even if that best involves being covered in jam as Buttons eats his breakfast.

may - firebird and flame - critical role campaign 2

'Some beings that naturally reincarnate, such as the phoenix, are considered holy creatures that carry a shard of the Luxon within themselves' (EGW 38)

Bren is born burning, with phoenix blood running through his veins. He might be sacred in the Dynasty (not that he knows that as a sixteen year old), but to Trent Ikithon he is a curiosity, an experiment in motion. Years later, once he is freed, he keeps his nature hidden from his closest friends and dies and dies again to be revived in fire. He catches himself in Essek Thelyss' orbit and they swirl around each other, the heretic and the shard, the hero and the traitor, only to crumple to death in Essek's arms as a flesh city puts up its last stand.

june - waldhexe (spare us from your claws) - critical role campaign 2

Blumenthal, bread bowl of the Empire, knows hardship - doubly so with the taxes raised recently by the war that steals farmhands from the fields. Hanna and Torsten Ehrler are deeply acquainted with hardship. As they watch their children vanish off to war, one by one, they see them vanish past the charred remains of the Ermendruds' home. For fifteen years, they are uncertain as to whether they've managed to recover all the bodies from the wreckage - there are graves for three in the cemetery, but no certainty.

No certainty on the final moments of their friends, until after fifteen years, an almost ghostlike red-headed figure appears on the spot where once Una Ermendrud had grown green beans.

july - stay with me - critical role campaign 3

Milo is the last Nobody in Jrusar. The watch people who were once family depart like scattering pigeons, leaving family for dead in the street. 'Stay with me,' they beg their final friend, as they work for three days to stabilise and heal Ashton, 'stay, please'.

august - from western woods - chronicles of narnia

Edmund learns a crueller Narnia than his siblings. The others are greeted by high teas and lullabies and snowball fights. Edmund learns Narnia in ice and chains and enchanted food. He learns it in threat and death and violence. And yet he still kneels and takes up a sword for it. He is eleven years old when he becomes the King of the Western Woods, eleven years old when he is sentenced to death over Turkish delight.

Aka: Edmund's Narnia from the Wardrobe to the Dawn Treader

september - flōd æfter ebban - the sandman

Eating cheese before bed is said to make your dreams weird. Hob used to take cocaine for a cold, so he's not scared of cheese before bed. Anyway, that cheese toastie comes back to bite as Hob has one of the weirdest dreams he's ever had. Good thing it's only a dream, then, and he won't see the subject of it for over sixty years.

october - find familiar - critical role campaign 2

Peck Beck is the best guard goose in the Zemni Fields. At least he is according to Astrid, his favourite family member. He meets her when she is six and follows at her heels until she is sixteen and leaves him on guard whilst she goes off to school. Good thing he's such a good guard goose. Nobody is getting past him to hurt his family (or his chickens).

november - how quickly we burn out - goncharov

Caught in the moment between the pivotal dinner party scene and the boat scene, Katya and Sofia take a moment on the balcony and the world hangs in the balance. Katya has a loaded gun strapped to her thigh and all the the jewels she wears tonight are glass. Her husband is coming. Things will end tonight.

december - to the radiant, southern sun - chronicles of narnia

Susan Pevensie is thirteen years old when she is made a Queen of Narnia. She is also thirteen years old when her mother pushes her onto a train with a promise to look after the younger ones. Susan Pevensie is an eldest daughter in a warring world that is not kind to eldest daughters. She watches her mother adapt to each change, and she copies, learning to make the best of the world she is given.

bonus, special mention:

january (part two!) - stronger than you - atla - for @ash-and-starlight

A vision from Agni is not something to be scorned, especially not a vision of a Firelord. By why, just why, are Azulon and his family being confronted by this upstart little wretch?

Aka: Zuko briefly pops back in time to stir shit up and then leave.

[cranesofibycus]

T H E _ R E D _ C I T Y

[notophelia]

Lightbulb that I think was sparked by that wonderful thoughtful post about Bell’s Hells as disability/chronic pain representation…

Exandria - in some ways even more than other 5E worlds - is a remarkably high-magic setting. Its very calendar is counted from a divine war that forever marked the physical world. Most of the cosmopolitan areas we’ve encountered in both Tal’dorei and Marquet boast a diverse populace with ancestry from various planes of existence; even the dominance of Dwendalian xenophobia in Wildemount is a reaction to that everyday reality. Every market district has a place to shop for magic items or texts, wealthy travelers book passage on skyships, minerals with arcane properties figure prominently in international trade, and nobody bats an eye.

It seems like the last place the common fantasy truism “all magic has a price” would be reflected on the very bodies of its users, and yet…

Every aspect of Laudna’s appearance reflects her reanimated circumstance, and at least half her magic involves temporary further distortion of her form. (Not to mention I fully expect Delilah’s influence to grow stronger as she levels up, which is sure to play merry hell with her mental health at the very least.)

Ashton, too, is only alive due to (currently poorly-defined/understood) arcane intervention, and has adjusted to going about their daily life with a whacking great hole in their skull.

FCG operates on energies unknown, which have now, for the first time in their limited recall, built up a charge that interfered with their ability to function.

Imogen’s lightning tracks scars down her arms. One of Fearne’s hands appears elongated and charred. Chetney is a werewolf who draws his own blood for power.

Of the current members of the group, only Orym - born and raised in a magic-centered community but using only the simplest of druidcraft himself - bears no consequences of magic on his body. Only on his heart.

And now they face forces that warp dwarves and elves into jelly people, and others (or perhaps ultimately the same ones?) that reduce victims to a scattering of smoke.

They are, all of them, scarred by magic as their world was scarred by the Calamity. And this is where this line of thinking dovetails with the other brilliant post going around, enumerating all the evidence that the veils between planes are growing more permeable and that what’s coming might be no less than another Calamity. Which is… oooof, a bigger thought than I meant to head toward in this post.

I just find it striking, I guess.

[arclundarchivist]

Ignorance Was Bliss (Spoilers for C3E17)

Orym looks over at her, his youthful face and old eyes looking at her with a reserved sadness, "What is amazing about you is that you are the happiest person in this group."

She chuckles and turns to face him, "Well, of course, the worst thing that could ever happen to me already has."

"Did we win a prize?"

Laudna turns, looking back to see Lady Briarwood place a necklace around the neck of the neighbor's little girl. She clutches Laudna's father's hand while the rest of their small party stare about with fear and wonder.

"You've been chosen for a very special event," Delilah states, smiling.

Her eyes flick to Laudna, and a shiver goes down her spine as Lord Briarwood slowly tilts his head behind her.

Silent handmaidens had put feathers in her hair as she slipped into a tunic of blue with furred accessories.

The others emerged in similar odd fashions.

"Right this way, if you would." a voice remarks. She turns, taking in a bespeckled man's wide, smiling countenance in grey finery.

"I would hate for you all to miss this meal," he states, and something about his smile hollows her out from the inside, but she goes.

"The dinner was quite lovely," Laudna states, leaning back as Orym stares at her, a dawning horror beginning to cross over his face as she continues.

"And then...they beat us."

Their forks have barely been set down when a set of guards roughly force her father out of his seat and drag him off. Another, a Half-Giant with slate gray skin, grabs the blonde-haired young man and practically throws him into the hands of another pair of guards.

She tries to stand, and Lord Briarwood freezes her with a stare, "Please...relax, the entertainment will be beginning soon."

Lady Delilah tilts her head as the others are dragged off one by one, the little girl and her younger brother screaming for help as they are carried away like luggage.

The Lady smiles.

"Take her to her room," she orders.

And the ugly toad of a man grabs her and drags her limp body away, the Lord's glinting golden eyes severing the ties of mind and form.

She is dragged down, deep down, past rooms of rusting torture implements and a cage where a cloaked figure with a charred stump for an arm tilts their head and watches her go past.

The blows keep falling, pleading words bashed back down her throat by the fists of that ugly grey beast.

"Enough."

She looks up, spotting the bespeckled man from before, entering the room with his nose upturned.

"Ah, fuck off, Anders, I'm not done working on this one yet." the Toad growls.

Anders snorts, "What comes next requires a practiced hand, a steady hand."

The Toad growls and freezes when the Lady glides into the room.

"Leave, Stonefell," she orders.

Wiping her blood on his tunic, he obliges with a bow of his head. Anders steps forward, and Delilah leans against the door frame, her eyes burrowing into Laudna as she traces her fingers along the necklace on her neck.

Laudna fights to scramble back, opening her mouth to speak, but Anders cuts her off.

"Shhh." he mutters, his eyes glinting silver, "This will take a bit of concentration, so try to stay quiet and still, please, my dear."

Once more, she feels her autonomy vanish as he pulls a thin knife and moves her hair back from her ears.

The pain is excruciating, but she can not scream. All she can do is stare into the menacingly curious eyes of Delilah Briarwood until her world goes blank.

"I woke up being hanged..." Laudna states, and she sees Orym flinch and has to marvel at herself the look of fury that is overcoming him as her tale continues.

The feeling of something being placed around her neck wakes her from unconsciousness, blinking she looks around, taking in the torches, the sneering face of the Toad-man Stonefell, the emotionless countenance of the Half-Giant, and the decayed form of a Giant, rictus grin and bulging eyes staring down at her. She was sitting on the ground, the huddled forms of her family and unlucky strangers resting at the foot of the Sun Tree, nooses around their necks. She barely has time to register this when the Half-Giant speaks.

"Pull'em up."

The giant heaves, and suddenly she is in the air, her vision going dark as the noose closes around her neck instantly. Some of the others jostle awake, strangled gasps filling her aching, bleeding ears. Her eyes flick up to the sky, and peering down through the clouds, the muted red-light of Ruidus, the only impartial observer to her senseless, effigizing death.

That same moon stared back at her from the tensing shoulder of the halfling staring up at her.

But that hadn't been the end of her. A brief snippet of warped consciousness on another night, struggling against her noose as a beacon of sunlight lancing down from the night sky.

True consciousness, sitting bolt upright from beneath a cloth covering, cold, empty, confused, surrounded by the bodies of her kin.

She had reached a hand out to touch her father's face, the shock too great to fully recognize the new unnatural pallor of her skin.

But others had.

"Look out!" a voice yells, several figures whirling on her, farming and mining implements made weapons rising to scatter her once more. She ran. They'd given chase, but somehow, she avoided them by some warped providence.

"It was a long time ago," she states, waving a hand.

Orym leans in, "Respectfully, what the fuck does that matter?!"

Some of the others shift in their sleep at his outburst, and she smiles slightly at the tiny bit of shame that slips in at that moment, always the respectful one, this little warrior. Her own eyes fall to Imogen, and that smile widens.

"There has been plenty of good in my life since then."

A chance meeting in a crowd, a deep connection, comforting warmth in the chill of her life, a look in the other woman's eyes like Laudna was something that she had always been looking for.

She snaps back to Orym's arms wrapping around her, " You seem okay, but no one should have had to face anything like that. I am sorry, and I am impressed with you."

She attempts to return this sudden display of protective affection, " Well…thank you. That's very kind. It's strange. I don't think anyone's apologized for that, but it means a lot."

And she's drawn into another memory.

A crackling fire.

In a distant cave.

Left in her half-existence for almost a year, she had learned to live...somewhat.

A shadow on the wall.

A familiar presence.

She pushes to her feet, staring at the shifting form born from her little blaze.

Two eyes...filled with burning curiosity.

Familiar eyes.

A familiar voice.

"You have been chosen."

Laudna watches Orym lay down with his back turned away from her as Chetney takes his spot.

Her story haunts him, she can tell.

There is more to that dark tale, of course, but as she said, this is enough for now.

Laying back, she takes her position against the familiar warmth of Imogen and catches through the canopy, the dull form of Ruidus, observing her once more.

She shrugs to herself. What more could misfortune take from her.

And yet, as she feels the pull of sleep, her mind fluctuates to the individuals around her and Dorian on some distant shore.

And despite herself, she clutches Imogen a bit tighter.

[yeetcircle]

Standing at one of the railings of the Silver Sun, Imogen wishes to whatever god can hear her that a barrage of stray bullets from the crawlers chasing them down would fly up and lay her to rest. That’s as wishful as she’ll allow her thinking to get at the moment. White-knuckled and short of breath, she peers through the clouds and searches for an answer.

Orym recognizes that tension in her jaw, the sudden way in which the mountainous presence of Imogen crumbles into the visage of a helpless young woman, a way-finder without her north star.

He doesn’t know how she knows, but she does. Before his footfalls get close enough to echo within her ears, Imogen’s head turns, falling tiredly in acknowledgement. She stands, eyes despondent, as he approaches. He reaches an assured hand out to rest upon her clammy one and she lets out a shaky, guilt-riddled sob.

    “I- I’m sorry, Orym, I can’t-” Her eyes screw shut, her neck swivels away with a worrying speed he hadn’t known she possessed. Imogen grabs the side of her head and grits her teeth, fingernails digging into her skin, before she stills once again and shakes herself from her stupor. She laughs a mirthless laugh.

“I can’t do this,” she begins choking out, “I’m sorry, I can’t stand here and pretend like I don’t look at you and see her heart beating in your chest,” at that, it’s Orym’s turn to release a startled noised, guilt-ridden in turn. Before the breath fully leaves him, she’s apologizing. “No, no, no, Orym, I’m sorry, I-'' She shakes her head once more, rattling whatever thoughts she has away from the forefront of her mind. “No, I’m sorry, I’m hurting, you didn’t deserve that… I didn’t mean it.” Orym knew that, and, god, did he know more than anyone about placing blame.

    “Y’know,” he starts slowly, “The day after- When we had to pick up the pieces after the attack, I lashed out at anyone I could,” Imogen’s eyes shift, almost imperceivable, to his shoulder, before traveling back to whatever spot she’d decided would keep her interest as she listened. “Every soldier who’d fought by my side, my mentors- the Tempest, my sword master- I blamed them all. For days, months, I dunno, I couldn’t look at any of them the same way… I looked at them and saw Will’s shadow… every single time.”

    “A-And I love Zephrah, I love my home. I would give my life for my home… I couldn’t bear to see the streets without him traveling on them. I hated it. I hated everyone that I could blame.” Still, she doesn’t look at him. Her face would be the perfect case study on impassivity if it weren’t for the tears welling up in - and brightening - her eyes.

“And where did that hatred settle, Orym?”

“Where’d you think?” Their gazes finally meet in one contentious moment as they feel the twin flame of self-hatred in their hearts char them black as night. Imogen tears her eyes away.

“I-We know what she means to you.”

    She practically wails, kneeling on the deck and clutching to the fabric atop her heart as if trying to make room for the ache wrenching it apart. “Fuck, Orym, I don’t even know what she means to me.” He follows her movements to the floor without a second thought and kneels by her side, a sentinel in wait, as waves of her grief threaten to drown her.

“Trust us- Ashton and I- trust that we’ll give you the time to figure that out, okay?” She’s unable to respond as the sobs wrack her body, shaking her frame with heaving cries he’d only heard himself make before.

“We cannot lose you right now Imogen. Make sure she has someone to return to.”

[gorgynei]

draw ur fave char from each cr campaign hanging out !!

orym isnt my favorite from c3 HOWEVER. i think it would be so funny for him to see a 6'5 tower of muscle run up and start petting a wild shaped keyleth

[sparring-spirals]

if there was a hypothetical grog's oneshot-type thing for c2 and c3, which characters would you pick to DM for their parties?

(sorry for the small delay, i actually hadn't seen this oneshot and was torn between skimming it or somehow finding the time to watch it in full)

(i did not find the time. Don't worry, I recognize the more iconic bits from it, aka Sam Fully Fearing For His Life Thanks to Laura Harp Music Bailey.)

This is an extremely fun question heyyyyyy :D

For C2, of course, my first thought goes to this fantastic comic.

but knowing I can't beat that! I think Jester is my first thought: partly because I think she'd take to the sandbox/worldbuilding like a fish to water, AND would build out some fascinating PC's. But also I think many of the other M9 chars deserve a little make believe fun time. Let Caleb be a barbarian. Let Beau be a wizard. Let CADUCEUS be a barbarian. Bless.

(Also Jester would probably be a menace as a PC, I can't subject someone else to that.).

And. Cmon Jester would be fun as hell as a DM :D That said, I do think Veth might also enjoy it, especially pulling tricks over on the ret of the party. OH WAIT, NOTT THE BEST DETECTIVE AGENCY CO-DM???

...

For C3, I was stuck a little, primarily because I think a lot of these characters deserve a break from themselves, except Fearne, who under no circumstances should be a DM.

BUT, I actually think? Chetney. Chetney would be very good at it- got the right mixture of bloodlust and passion and love for rules that would make combat exciting, keep things moving, and encourage Tomfoolery™.

(Also, again, I think a lot of the party deserve to have a little time to be someone other than themselves. Let Orym let loose! let Ashton try out some wild shit or try to break the game rules! Laudna can do something off the wall! ...I feel like there's a chance Imogen might /want/ to be DM initially but lbr she's already mentally tracking enough all the time. Go sit down and play a monk and you can just pop pop :) )

...honestly I think most of my reasoning comes from me not really favouring the "smart" "logical' characters as DM- those are the ones MOST in need of some time to be a make-believe character with as many cool abilities as they can handle. Let the semi/full wildcards* full of energy DM, and I think the vibes would transfer to the table. :'D

*Excluding Fearne, who is the wildcard of Maximum Vibes Minimum Thoughts and would probably not appreciate the amount of planning and consideration required.

[grigori77]

Critical Role, Campaign 3 Episode 68

It always concerns me when the plug starts without any obvious gimmick ... Matt: "There it is." Ah yes ... it's gonna be about D&D monsterfucking isn't it? Oh dear ... and he's roped Liam into this too ... "I'm confused, is this what you think romance is?" Honestly, I think we're ALL concerned about what SAM RIEGEL thinks romance is ...

Liam: "I'm getting Death To Smoochy vibes over here!"

Holy shit! Robbie got an action figure! Dorian! Sweet!

Oh yeah, the sexy demon paladin ... XD

Preparing for rest in the cave, then. The Butcher's Bib? Oh gods ... what is Chetney planning here? And Imogen's fallen in the Hole ...

Ah, spoils ... so what IS the thing with this sword, then? Graz'tchar, the Luminary Blade? Hmmmmm ... oh, yeah, I'm totally not buying this shit for a second ... I bet it's really evil. Matt is DEFINITELY giving Travis another cursed sword ...

"Romance the sword! Romance the sword!" XD

Six inches wide on a 3 foot blade? This thing's like a fucking ANIME sword, isn't it?

And now FCG is attacking Chetney ON REQUEST ... Sam rolls a 1, just jams it in the CEILING. Yup ...

Ashton doesn't trust it. Ashton is all of us, clearly ... now it's offering HIM a bond? Okay ... the Council of Tal'dorei? Hmmmm ... yeah, he's just WEIRDED OUT and I don't blame him ...

The sword is now reeling off a story of its previous wielders ... and Ashton's commentary is very amusing ...

FCG casts Legend Lore? Ooooooooh ... "the Light is false"? Oh, okay then ... yeah, definitely a cursed sword! And FCG keeps it yo themselves. "Here you go Chetney!" Oh boy, here we go ...

NOW he's trying to convince Chetney NOT to trust the sword? AFTER giving it back?

Laura: "Chetney would totally fall for an Internet scam!"

Chetney: "It's just a sword, if it turns out to be evil we can just throw it in a lake and let someone else deal with it."

Romantic smut fiction action for Fearne, courtesy of Sam's flask ... ye gods ... LOL

Orym (to Baernie): "So this is the crew I run with now." XD

Making plans for getting back in the morning. Hmmmm ...

Ashton: "Chet, you get the least bit weird, I'm gonna crush your hand." Chetney: "Define weird." Ashton: "No."

Everything's gone red after they go to bed! Not good! Not good!

And now Imogen's having another storm dream ... great ... and now her mother's telling her to run! Definitely not good! Wisdom save ... Nat20! Nice!

Going to check out calm spots in the red stormscape ... herds of beasts running through valleys? "There's an ecology here ..." Whoa ... a presence behind her? It's her mother ...

She REALLY IS freeing Predathos ... Lillianna: "You deserve to be free." Imogen: "But at what cost?"

And she's BOOTED out of the dream ...

FCG communes with the Changebringer in their sleep? Or a spell? Hmmmmmm ... "Are you scared?" She is ... oh boy ... FCG: "Okay ... I'm coming."

Everybody completes a long rest. "YAY!!!" XD

Is Chetney dead? Has he DIED in the night? He has to ROLL to check? Oh boy ... yeah, he's still with us ...

He's calling the sword Char. Cute. Snd now he's attuned to it ... yeah ...

Heading out, then ... ah crap, there's a few demons scattered around. Time for stealth, then ... oh yeah, Pass Without A Trace! Good job, Fearne ...

Imogen remembering the dream ... and she's sick of it. She just wants it to go away, so she's on the side of the gods, looks like.

Once again, all signs are pointing for them to go to the moon ...

Now it's "Sir Chad"? Oh boy ...

Oh shit, it's heard of Ludinus ... crap ... it didn't trust him? Hmmmm ... the Matron of Ravens? Obviously it knows HER ...

Group Stealth Check ... here we go ... oh wow, Laura manages to roll a 1? Oof ...

Aha! A suitable tree, then ... time for teleport, then ... what, put folk in the Hole and then EVERYBODY goes at once? Seriously?

Oh wow, they're actually doing it ...

And now there are creatures coming ... everybody on the Hole! Now TELEPORT!!!

"Soaking"? Seriously?

Oh thank fuck that worked ... okay! Let them out of the Hole! Phew ...

FCG says hello to Scuffy ...

Leeta's deeply relieved to see Baernie alive ... yup, that's nice. :3

Nel? Oh, hello ... such a sweet reunion! D'awwwwww ...

Fixing up the cure ... here we go ... and they go heal her! Okay ... just in time, then ...

Ooooooh ... and it's WORKING!!! YAY!!! Yes, Keyleth is getting BETTER!!!

Yeah! Voice of the Tempest is BACK, baby! Oh nice! She is full on MENDED!!!

Kiki thanks Orym snd OH MY GODS this so clearly means THE WORLD to him right now. Oops ... okay, she's still not ALL the way back, but on the way, definitely.

Imogen Prestidigitates Keyleth's hair so she doesn't have bedhead any more. :3

Oh sweet! The Mantle! I love it ...

Yeah, I agree. Nice to have a win ...

Oh man ... Orym's being offered a chance to JOIN Keyleth on the balcony! Sweet! And he's being LAUDED!!! Oh my gods that's so awesome!

Oh yeah, Orym's like TOTALLY a hero to his people now. "Kaitiake!" YES!!! So cool!

Nice, time for a party! Yay!

Oh, they're meeting with the Voice NOW?!!! Okay then ...

Time for a break? Okay. Seems the smart time.

Sweet, Chapter 2 of Candela Obscura looks equally cool ...

And we're back ... so, the meeting! Here we go ...

Time to watch Marisha especially closely as this gets ever more meta for her ... XD

Ludinus went to the Dwendallian Empire? Hmmmmm ... grrrr, the Cerberus Assembly ... great, JUST what we need ...

Oh boy ... Orym's gonna tell her about Vax screaming in the Orb, isn't he? Crap ... yeah, he is ... oh fuck, here we go ...

The raven's perch? It's empty ... oh man! Tears! Tears, I swear ...

Yeah, she's got BEEF with the Matron. That's only fair ...

Oh wow, Fearne fawning over the demon paladin is just weirding Keyleth out, isn't it?

Imogen: "There's people on Ruidus!" Wow, she just blurted that right out there ...

Oh, okay ... Imogen Summons her Crimson Shade. Yeah ... oh, that's a lot more intense than last time ...

Whoa ... crazy muscular red shark man! That's just MENTAL ...

Yeah, Keyleth is FREAKED and it makes sense ...

And now Imogen's communicating with it ... it wants to SERVE HER "until her Binding is done"? Okay ...

A vision of a pale grey flower with a gem in it ... that's its NAME? Hmmmmm ...

Oh snap ... is this something they want or not? Hmmmm ...

Predathos is the PROGENITOR?!!! What the actual ...?

Wow, and now it's just GONE ... oh, and turns out Keyleth was totally ready to KICK OFF ...

Ah, so they want something MORE out of their lives, then ... that's ... interesting ...

Yeah, no shit Keyleth's been through this kinda shit before ...

Okay, so potential allies ... ooh, is she thinking about calling in the rest of Vox Machina? Yeah, that would be cool ...

Who else COULD they call on?

The Hishari? Here we go ... and Ashton mentions his origins ... yup ... oh okay, are we getting proper Ashton origin story revelations now? Go, Kiki!

Ooooh, this is gonna be good ...

Ashton is of TITAN BLOOD?!!! WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK?!!!

Whoa ... seriously, this is some QUALITY fresh infodumping ...

Keyleth: "The fact that you're standing here and functioning is a testament to your willpower." Yeah, no shit ...

So it looks like Ashton might basically have been the end result of what the Hishari were trying to do ...

The Shattered Teeth? Whoa ...

Keyleth admires FCG's optimism. :3

Marisha and her ridiculously convoluted notes strike again and its beautiful ... XD

Yes, the Gau Drashari ...

Yeah, the gods might well be a prickly issue with the Primordials ...

Ashton talked to an Earth Elemental ... oh yeah ... and Keyleth just nods knowingly ...

Wait ... Keyleth went to the Shattered Teeth once? Oh, I see ... when she was trying to free Vax from his debt? Hmmmm ...

Jirana? "Like a therapist"? Hmmmm ...

XD Travis trawling for a MAP of the Shattered Teeth ... oh, so they MOVE?!!! Hmmm ...

Showing Keyleth the Harness and Funnel and all of Ludinus' notes ... wait, so he's using this to MIMIC Keyleth's extended life thing? That's fucked up ...

"The Root" is at the base of the neck? Hmmmm ...

Ragging on Marisha's note taking ... XD

Sweet, the Whispered One ... yeah, Vecna gets a namedrop ...

Fuck ... hearing that name gives Laudna a VERY SPECIFIC chill ... O.O

Yeah, honestly it doesn't really make sense to think that Ludinus would actually be SEEKING godhood given what he's actually DOING ...

No, I don't think giving in would be a good idea, Imogen. PLEASE don't do that ...

Sweet, digging away at Percy, I love it ... XD

FCG tries to Scry on D. Okay ... somewhere on a coast ... the Menagerie Coast? Cool.

What, try Dancer instead? Hmmmm ... nor sure that's actually gonna work out too well ...

So he's gonna try it anyway, like a glutton for punishment ...

There she is ... just asleep on a random room ... no help AT ALL ...

FCG's gonna try asking the Changebringer who would be the better choice to help them out ... okay ...

The one they're "most bound to"? Well that's not very helpful at all ...

Trying again then ... oh this is ridiculous and we love it ...

Matt can't get past the idea that it's going through Sam's "arse mike" ... LOL

More vagueness ... oof ... yeah, Sam is just BURNING spell slots trying to get this to work ... yup, once again it's a total bust ...

Keyleth: "I'll tell you a story about a goldfish one day." OH MY GODS!!! LOL

Yeah, she needs a break, anyway. Best call it a day.

Keyleth tries to help Orym find a little peace and chill ... it's really quite sweet. "I see a bravery in you that matches the immensity of your heart." :3 This is just so adorable ... gods, she is being SO KIND AND COMFORTING TO HIM AND IT'S MAKING ME TEAR UP ...

Yeah, she needs a rest. Time to go, guys.

"Saviour Blade"? Sweet ...

Oh yes, tattoos could be cool ...

Demon concubine, maybe? I like that one ... XD

Yes. Good place to call it a night, Matt. Nice chill place to move on for next time ...

[the-punslinger]

Exandria Unlimited Quotes and Memorable Moments - Series 1 (27/?)

Aabria: "Dorian, make a wisdom saving throw for me. Dorian: "Betrayal. Five. Ashley: "Betrayal!

Aabria: "Orym make a-- Nature? Nature or perception check. Let's make it nature. Orym: "[groans] I have advantage on perception now. Aabria: "Sorry. Aabria: "Not going to make you do the one thing you're good at. Liam: "Well, it's a 19. Aabria: "That was mean. I apologize for being mean. Also, that was a very good roll." Orym: "It's all right, step on me"

Fearne: "Well, how is she a queen if she doesn't have her crown?" Dariax: "That's a valid point. Is she the Spider Lady now?" Fearne: "Does it work that way?" Orym: "I don't know that it does." Fearne: "I don't know" Opal: "No, I mean, I have a few titles, like Miss Byroden. I mean, I'm still Miss Byroden, I don't have my crown, but I still..." Fearne: "That's a very good..." Orym: "Right. No one can take that away from you." Opal: "No one can take it away."

Aabria: "And the vine from where you're holding it, as if burnt, turns black and charred and withers and falls away. And it's dramatic, but you know, sometimes jungles are dramatic."

Dorian: "May I try a pie? And I'm going to approach him." Dariax: "Oh, totally. I got a-- actually, I don't even remember what these are. One of them is probably chicken." Dorian: "I'm not interested in pie."

Aabria: "Nothing happens." Dorian: "How do I feel?" Aabria: "Fine." Dorian: "Fuck, all right. I'll take a-- Do you have one of the fish ones?" Dariax: "No, no. Weirdly enough those don't last quite as long, so I got rid of those yesterday, but the other one I have down there is a currant, kind of like a-- It falls apart in my hand."

Dariax: "Fy'ra, you know this jungle. You want to point us in the right direction?" Fy'ra Rai: We're already moving in the right direction." Dariax: "Oh, perfect, great. We're not moving yet. Are we moving?" Orym: "We are now." Dariax: "Okay, let's move." Aabria: "I was assuming a Sorkin walk and talk the entire time. Vibes." Anjali: "Apologies, that was so not 'yes, and'... I have really could have been not listening to..." Dariax: "No, no, I like to imagine it's funnier that they've been walking this whole time but he's been so in his head that Dariax didn't realize until this moment that they've been walking this whole time. He's like: 'Oh, you're right. Yeah, we have been walking, wow.'" Fy'ra Rai: I mean, we've not been walking in circles, at least. Orym: "'So, you know this jungle?' 'We're on a boat.'" Anjali: "This is not a jungle, it's an airplane! Yes, indeed, I'm so good at improv, yeah." Dorian: "11. " Opal: "Six." Dorian: "Still with us." Fy'ra Rai: Pew pew pew!" Orym: "Just dodged dysentery." Opal: "Oh no, Mary Jane got cholera."