Exandria is the name of the world on which most events of Critical Role take place.[2] Exandria exists in a Material Plane,[3] although it features connections to other planes of existence, such as the portals to the elemental planes guarded by the Ashari.
History
Since the gods first came to Exandria, there have been three distinct ages: the Founding, the Age of Arcanum, and the Post-Divergence. The events of Critical Role take place in the third age. For a timeline of Exandrian history as it is now known, with dates, see the article Time Line.
Calendar
An Exandrian year lasts 328 days over the course of 11 months. Each day is 24 hours in length and the 7 days of the week are named Miresen, Grissen, Whelsen, Conthsen, Folsen, Yulisen, and Da'leysen.
Geographic characteristics
Exandria in Crit Recap Animated.
Continents
- Tal'Dorei
- A northern continent[4] which contains the Republic of Tal'Dorei, as well as the elven realm of Syngorn, the dwarven stronghold of Kraghammer, the city-state of Whitestone and far to the south, the hobgoblin empire of the Iron Authority.
- Issylra
- A continent northwest of Tal'Dorei that contains the region of Othanzia,[5] which includes Vasselheim and Pyrah.
- Marquet
- A southern continent to the south of Issylra and the southwest of Tal'Dorei. Tales spoke of it as covered mostly with desert landscapes and mountainous terrains, sheltering rare bastions of civilization. However, the only verified fact — a third of Marquet is covered with deserts.[6]
- The Shattered Teeth
- Not technically a continent, this archipelago of forty-three islands lies southeast of Tal'Dorei, beyond a fog bank called the "Fool's Curtain".[7]
- Wildemount
- Located to the east of Tal'Dorei, this continent contains the trade oriented Clovis Concord to the west along the Menagerie Coast, the austere Dwendalian Empire within Western Wynandir, and the secretive Kryn Dynasty in Eastern Wynandir.
- Wildemount's Draconia is far enough east of Tal'Dorei's Whitestone that when teleporting from Whitestone in the morning, one arrives in the evening in Draconia.[8]
Oceans
- Frigid Depths: The cold ocean to the north of Issylra, Tal'Dorei, and Wildemount.
- Lucidian Ocean: A vast ocean to the south-east of Tal'Dorei and south of Wildemount, containing the Shattered Teeth.
- Ozmit Sea: The sea separating Tal'Dorei from Issylra and Marquet to its west.
Underdark
The Underdark is a vast subterranean region that exists below the continents of Exandria. A dark and hostile place, the Underdark is almost a world unto itself, with civilizations, monsters, politics, economies, and threats that may interact only sporadically or indirectly with the surface world.[9] Notably, the Underdark has significant connections to the Far Realm, from which many aberrations emerge.
Satellites
Official art of Catha and Ruidus over Xhorhas, from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, by Kent Davis.[art 3]
Exandria has two moons,[10][2][11] named Catha and Ruidus.[12] Though often depicted close to each other, Catha and Ruidus have different orbits and can appear in different points in the sky.
Catha
Catha is similar in appearance to Earth's Moon, though it is closer to Exandria and appears larger in the sky.[11] It has a 30 to 40 day cycle during which it waxes and wanes.[13]
Ruidus
Ruidus appears smaller in Exandria's sky due to its further distance from the planet, and its reddish-purple, maroon-brown color contributes to a dimmer glow.[11] Lycanthropy is relatively unaffected by this moon in comparison to the closer moon.[14] It has a very slow orbit, taking around six months (up to 182 days) for a revolution, and is visible for about half of the year.[15] Myths and rumors about Ruidus abound. Some believe it to be either pre-creation from when the elements themselves were consuming all of Exandria. Others believe it may have not originally existed, but was a creation of the Betrayer Gods, and was some sort of long-running mysterious plot that was cut short during the end of the Calamity.[16] There is a standard belief in various cultures across Exandria of it being an entity of ill-omen.
Languages
Many different languages are spoken across Exandria. Common is the most widely spoken among humanoids, though most races also have their own language.
Map gallery
Official maps
Official map of Eastern Exandria by Andy Law.
Official map of Tal'Dorei, by Andy Law from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting.[art 4]
Official map of Wildemount, by Deven Rue from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount.[art 5]
Official map of Exandria from "The Fate-Touched" (1x103) at 3:18:47.[art 6]
Fan-made maps
Fan made speculative map of Exandria, by West Haberlein.[art 7]
Fan made detailed map of Tal'dorei and Wildemount, by West Haberlein.[art 8]
Fan made political map of Tal'dorei and Wildemount with approximate borders, by West Haberlein.[art 9]
Presence in 5th Edition
Outside Critical Role and its own sourcebooks the world of Exandria has been mentioned in various books and adventure modules within Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition:
- The first mention was made in Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, as the world where Arkhan the Cruel got the Hand of Vecna,[17] a reference to Joe Manganiello's role at the end of Campaign One.[18]
- In Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, the Flotket Alps of Wildemount are suggested as a possible alternative location to run the adventure, instead of using the world of Toril.[19]
- In Candlekeep Mysteries, different worlds and cities are offered to place the large library where the main plot of the book is focused. One of those worlds is Exandria, putting as examples of good locations the Soltryce Academy of Rexxentrum and the Cobalt Reserve in Westruun.[20]
- In The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, two NPCs are mentioned as people that arrived to the domain of Prismeer in the Feywild, coming from "the world of Tal'Dorei": Klee Westerly, a nonbinary human; and Hogus Pinsworth, a male stout halfling commoner.[21]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 See Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 41.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matthew Mercer explained that Exandria is the name of the world and it has two moons (source).
- ↑ Artagan explains, "This is but one of many Prime Materials." See "Blessing in Disguise" (2x95) at 17:53.
- ↑ See "Critical Role Panel w/ Matthew Mercer and Mary E. McGlynn from MomoCon" from 32:58 through 34:30.
- ↑ Matthew Mercer confirmed that Exandria is the world, Issylra is a continent, and Othanzia is a region in Issylra.
- ↑ See "A Warm Welcome to Marquet and Campaign 3!" on CritRole.com.
- ↑ See Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 98.
- ↑ See "The Frigid Doom" (1x64) at 3:14:22.
- ↑ See, for example, Matt's discussion of the illithid after they were freed from K'Varn's influence. See "Talks Machina Fireside Special: Q&A with the Critical Role Cast" (Sx33) at 52:42.
- ↑ Matthew Mercer stated that Exandria has two moons. See "The Midnight Chase" (2x03) at 0:51:48.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Matthew Mercer described Exandria's two moons (source).
- ↑ See "Manifold Morals" (2x74) at 1:35:24.
- ↑ See "Refjorged" (2x76) at 1:44:26.
- ↑ Matthew Mercer clarified that the distant moon doesn't affect lycanthropy compared to the closer moon (source).
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 2:56:37.
- ↑ See "Manifold Morals" (2x74) at 1:37:56.
- ↑ See D&D: Baldur's Gate: Descent into Avernus, 5th ed., p. 112.
- ↑ See "Vecna, the Ascended" (1x114) at 5:32:05.
- ↑ See D&D: Icewind Dale: Rime of the Frostmaiden, 5th ed., p. 8.
- ↑ See D&D: Candlekeep Mysteries, 5th ed., p. 1.
- ↑ See D&D: The Wild Beyond the Witchlight, 5th ed., p. 156. See also page 176
Art:
- ↑ Screenshot of Exandria, by Cyarna Trim from "Exandria: An Intimate History" (Sx61) at 5:09. Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of Ruidus and Catha, by Clara (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of Catha and Ruidus over Xhorhas, from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, by Kent Davis (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official map of Tal'Dorei, by Andy Law from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official map of Wildemount, by Deven Rue from Explorer's Guide to Wildemount. This file is unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Official map of Exandria from "The Fate-Touched" (1x103) at 3:18:47. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan made speculative map of Exandria, by West Haberlein (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan made detailed map of Tal'dorei and Wildemount, by West Haberlein (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan made political map of Tal'dorei and Wildemount with approximate borders, by West Haberlein (source). Used with permission.
External links
- Fan-made interactive globe of Exandria on Map To Globe. Map created by West Haberlein.
- Fan-made interactive map of Tal'Dorei and Wildemount by Red Giant Maps.
