#exandrian lore

[plantskiddo]

never not thinking about them

[somewhatsentientspellbook]

I get that there's needs to be nuance with Vasselheim being an oppressive force in Exandria. It's pretty clearly meant to be a message of how religious structures stray beyond their original intent and grasp for power in a desperate need to spread a certain doctrine.

The thing is, I can already tell that there are going to be people who use what's happening in C3 as ammunition for an anti-pantheon interpretation. But I desperately want to grab those people and shake them telling them that "it's not the fault of the fucking gods."

Do you genuinely believe that the Wildmother, or the Everlight, or the Platinum Dragon are the type to tell religious leaders to go out and kill/silence/oppress anyone who disagrees with Vasselheim? Because based on what we know (based on previous appearances and that these gods are canonically good/neutral aligned) they would be against it!

But, of course, the gods can never win in this debate. Because if they don't do anything - they are apathetic or hubristic and deserve to be taken down a few notches for not caring about their creations. But if they do step in and do something - they are interfering with or restricting free will and deserve to be taken down a few notches for being too controlling.

Like, obviously religious trauma is a very real and valid experience for many people both in our world and Exandria, but once more, this is because of the people in power within the religion, not the deities themselves.

[artists-guild-of-exandria]

My piece of Sylas and Delilah Briarwood -----------------------------------------------------------------

From Twitter:

User - @cvleart Artwork Link - https://twitter.com/cvleart/status/1575837678704148482

[critter-genfic-events]

Worldbuilding: A Critical Role Gen-fic Rec List

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kir's history of using codenames over the sending stones

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

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

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

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

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

A series of fics about Fearne and her feyness

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reccer says: I liked it

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

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

[zeephyre]

CR3: EPISODE 60 SPOILERS

(as I'm typing this out I'm still in the middle of watching the episode so this is just a train of thought mental rant)

I love a good philosophical debate as much as the next guy, but there's something about the pro-god vs anti-god debates in the current campaign (and all the other campaigns too tbh) that hits different.

in our world, gods/god is more of a blind faith or theory but in exandria the pantheon is real. they exist. it's not up for debate that they are there and they have power and influence. some of them are good. most of them are bad. their followers are capable of good, and bad.

and that's true for the real world as well. as someone with a lot of religious trauma, i am always going to be on the side of caution when it comes to anybody exerting religious power over others, BUT -- especially for orym -- hearing someone who hasn't seen what ludinus has done and is willing to do to destroy the gods basically imply that he's just lost his way irritates me. in a good way.

it's never gonna be a "im right, you're wrong," clear cut answer, but like orym has said before, as noble as we can pretend ludinus' goals are, he has killed innocents, destroyed countless lives that were not involved in his beef with the gods. his ambition and cruelty and callousness is driven by his hatred of the gods, and that's just as bad as the pantheon preying on followers and non-believers alike.

ludinus cannot free predathos and he cannot kill the gods, if only because i do not trust the kind of man who is capable of all of those atrocities and all that darkness to hold all the fucking power in the world. who could go against the man who destroyed the gods? it's a recipe for disaster.

[thatoneacecryptid]

Just thought of another sticking point about the Exandrian gods, Aasimar

Aasimar usually have human parents but are born aasimar thanks to being touched or blessed by an angel of the gods or the gods themselves

Eradicating the gods kinda sounds like it would lead to no continuation or at least a decline in the already rare aasimars. And who’s to say that once Predathos is done eating the gods and their celestial agents that it won’t turn around and start eating the much smaller pieces of divinity?

Who’s to say Da’leth - who we know doesn’t really have a “That’s too far” cap - won’t hunt aasimar down either. He has no qualms about killing holy/faithful people

Just some thoughts…

[fully-functioning-pigeon]

This is a humble PSA that I’m tired of giving out but I think is important after the most recent episode and the fandom response

If you don’t like the Bells Hells campaign…don’t watch it

This is not at all to be gatekeepy. If you’re going to watch this campaign strictly for the other campaign characters and then bitch about the bells hells or the storyline involving the past campaign characters, either don’t watch it or don’t bitch online.

If your dragging yourself through this campaign and you still hate it by episode 51, just give yourself a break my man. No one is making you watch it, you are free to go, enjoy what you enjoy and leave what you don’t in peace. Cause other people like it and you’re not the only one on the internet. I’ve said it before I’ll say it again, I am not a fan of the Mighty Nein campaign. Personally the characters aren’t my favs. But hey I’m not bitching about the new series, I’m not complaining about the inclusion of a couple characters into the Bells Hells narrative. Matt made an incredible intertwined world with characters that have connections across the world and the cast made incredible PC’s that have similar connections. Of course they’re going to connect, especially with a world ending situation like the current Apogee Solstice. I’m very excited for everyone excited for the animated series. I’m so proud of the cast for achieving this and I’m excited when they get to see their beloved characters again. This is still an actual play series with real people influenced by what’s happening, im so happy for them that they now have eight years of stories packed into this vast fictional world. It would be unrealistic if they didn’t create interconnected characters and if the characters somehow had similar interests. Just take a step back and look at what is happening, why it’s happening and how it affects others before you start complaining.

You’re just hurting yourself and you’re also blocking up the tag feeds with your hate. Simply, don’t watch it and I guarantee your life will be so much easier when you can just watch the content you want to. You’re entitled to your opinion but your not required to hate on content that a lot of people really enjoy. In a digital world no one seems to get how to keep their mouths shut when all they’re talking is hate.

[solareidolon]

i am now 90 episodes into critical role campaign two and i do not think a single thing has shook me to my core as much as the fact that exandria’s summer solstice is the hottest day of the year. there is no seasonal lag in matt mercer’s world. how the fuck do thermodynamics work in his universe

[moritzarts]

New dnd character! This is Maze Kliarel, pirate and mercenary, daughter of Agathe Kliarel a well known ship captain.

Finally finished this piece and I really love her. What you guys think? Any questions about her?

[herojoselyn]

I'm sorry to ruin the mood, maybe, slightly....anyway, I decided to let the end slide show finish and I saw a picture that I know didn't look like how I saw it tonight. Maybe I seen it like that before and I'm forgetting but I just noticed it now and I panicked. It was a picture of the world of Exandria with all the ley lines surrounding it, and know that there are a bunch of them....

I SAW THREE!!! JUST THREE LEY LINES SURROUNDING THE WORLD!!! And with what happened a few episodes ago....

Critters, I'm scared...

[tangent101]

Stories of Vox Machina in Exandria

So. I was trying to figure out how a character in a story I'm writing would learn about Vox Machina fighting the Briarwoods. I mean, there's the traditional methods of bards telling tales in taverns and the like but I'm unsure if the characters would go to taverns. And then it dawned on me.

They'd find novels on the adventures of Vox Machina.

Seriously. We have Tusk Love out there. We have other stories out there. Well, why wouldn't there be novels written of the Great Heroes of Vox Machina? I mean, these are the heroes who stopped Vecna from destroying Vasselheim. We have Scanlan going around doing theatrical shows on Vox Machina. So why not storybooks, novelizations of Vox Machina? And it's been 20 years after all! That's plenty of time for the stories of the Briarwoods and their downfall to be written up and spread into the world.

While we're unlikely to ever see it, it would be hilarious if at some time a member of Bells Hells or a future group of heroes decided to find out stuff on this "Vox Machina" and found novels written on the characters. Depending on the writer, some of these stories could get quite amusing at that!

[somewhatsentientspellbook]

The Duskmaven, Goddess of Fate, Winter, and Death

[artists-guild-of-exandria]

Jester's bedroom, temple to the Traveller My piece for @ExandriaArtists! :D

-----------------------------------------------------------------

From Twitter:

User - @eyezpike Artwork Link - https://twitter.com/eyezpike/status/1575864019243700228

[critter-genfic-events]

Gods and their Followers: A Critical Role Rec List

Hello friends! Please enjoy these twelve amazing fics featuring the various gods of Exandria and their followers! Oh, and don't forget to show the authors some love if you liked their work!

The Purest Priorities by wtgw (4133,Teen) Warnings: No archive warnings apply Pairings Artagan & Jester Lavorre

Lord Artagan of the Morncrown meets a delightful little creature and feels himself start to become something different.

Reccer says: Artagan's voice here is amazing and I love the concept - of him accidentally tripping and falling into godhood.

(how could i) look at anything in this world and tremble by Chrome (4539,Mature) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Pairings Caduceus Clay & Melora the Wildmother, Caduceus Clay & Fjord & Jester Lavorre

Caduceus is on a mission from god, and forgets that just because he has Melora, it doesn't mean he wouldn't need further backup.

Reccer says: There's a simplicity to Caduceus's devotion to Melora and his thought patterns that's extremely interesting, and I love Jester and Fjord's reactions to him going off on his own.

Morning Elvis by fruitzbat (1000,General) Warnings: no archive warnings apply Pairings Lucien & The Somnovem

A songfic about Lucien making a pit stop near the end.

Reccer says: It's short, atmospheric, and horrifying

Gods and Otherwise by sabinelagrande (2381,General) Warnings: No archive warnings apply Pairings Caduceus Clay & Jester, Jester & The Traveler (Critical Role), Caduceus Clay & The Wildmother

Caduceus and Jester have a late night conversation about gods.

Reccer says: It's very sweet and has a very good voice for Caduceus and Jester both. It's rare to see those two interact in fic, and I'd love to see more of that.

Hope Is A Seed That Blooms In The Heart by Angel Ascending (angel_in_ink) (1744,Teen) Warnings: None Pairings Orym & Melora

One night, Orym reaches out to the Wildmother. The Wildmother reaches back.

Reccer says: I liked it

Troubled Water by CitizenMocha (1327,General) Warnings: none Pairings Fjord & Melora, Fjord/Jester (background)

With/in spite of most of the Mighty Nein gathered in their new home, Fjord takes a little time to himself to try and reconnect with the Wildmother.

Reccer says: I love fics that spend some time exploring Fjord's emotions, and this fic takes place in the middle of the Mighty Nein Reuninted, so he's having a lot of them.

Deity Support Group Meeting by YesIAmPlease (1539,General) Warnings: none Pairings Essek thelyss & The Luxon

The Luxon attends a support group for deities after her attempt to claim Essek as her very first champion.

Reccer says: It's absolutely hilarious

Bitter Earth, Briar Sting by thetickingclock (2407,Teen) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence Pairings Caduceus Clay & Eadwulf Grieve, Eadwulf Grieve & The Raven Queen, Past Blumentrio

Eadwulf worships death. Eadwulf gardens. It's the same thing, in the end.

Reccer says: I love this in-depth look at how and why Eadwulf worships the raven queen, and how that's changed over the years.

It Means Puppet by Beauteousmajesty (1677,Teen) Warnings: Major Character Death Pairings Caduceus Clay & Melora the Wildmother

Melora's point of view on Caduceus Clay

Reccer says: It's gorgeously written and has some interesting concepts in there

Endless Ambition (Athenaeum Finite) by Monarchetype (1434,General) Warnings: none Pairings Ioun the Knowing Mistress & Scanlan Shorthalt, Ioun the Knowing Mistress & Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III

A very cynical take on Ioun's thoughts during the events of The Endless Athenaeum.

Reccer says: It's a very interesting idea on why Ioun chose Scanlan over Percy

and she's breaking my world by grayintogreen (2318,General) Warnings: none Pairings Cree & Jester

Cree and Jester compare minor deities

Reccer says: Jester in particular comes off incredibly well - she comes off as flighty, but it's all setup to rock Cree's worldview. And Cree herself - tragically devoted to Lucien, is very compelling

Fear of Cold by NKMLN (1525,General) Warnings: None Pairings Vaxildan & The Raven Queen

Vaxildan must become something new, now that he is properly the Champion of the Raven Queen. Its a difficult process, but at least he isn't alone for it.

Reccer says: I just really enjoy the care and compassion that the RQ shows to Vax as he adjusts

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. And if you would like to make a rec yourself, feel free to reach out to @professor-rye to request access to the submission form! Next week, we'll be presenting gen fics about Holidays! Get ready for some divine devotion!

[essektheylyss]

Anyway, since we are apparently going hard on 'all bets are off', I'm taking the opportunity to throw out my deeply wishful thinking, absolutely not actually serious, buckwild conspiracy theory, which is that the Luxon heard Ludinus's dumbass monologue through the beacon and went, "Fuck you, bastard, maybe the titans were here before the gods, but I was here before the TITANS" and wrecked his plans.

[earltealord]

Matt should just stream him info dumping the lore about Exandria as a whole because I wanna know about this world he made so bad