Exandria Unlimited: Calamity is a four-part miniseries set in the Age of Arcanum, following six adventurers as they uncover a hidden corruption beneath the city they've sworn to protect, and attempt to prevent The Calamity.[1] It is set in the floating city of Avalir.[2] It is the third mini-campaign of the Exandria Unlimited series.
Cast[]
The Ring of Brass:
| Actor | Character | Race | Class |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aabria Iyengar | Architect Arcane Laerryn Coramar-Seelie[3] | High Elf | Wizard (School of Abjuration) |
| Luis Carazo | Zerxus Ilerez,[4] First Knight of Avalir | Human | Paladin (Oath of Redemption) |
| Marisha Ray | Patia Por'co, The Keeper of Scrolls[5] | Elf | Wizard (School of Enchantment) |
| Sam Riegel | Loquatius Seelie[6] | Changeling | Bard (College of Eloquence) / Warlock (The Archfey) |
| Travis Willingham | Cerrit Agrupnin, Guardian of the Seventh[7] | Eisfuura | Rogue (Inquisitive) |
| Lou Wilson | Guildmaster Nydas Okiro[8] | Human | Sorcerer (Draconic Bloodline) / Bard (College of Swords) |
| Brennan Lee Mulligan | The Dungeon Master | ||
Production[]
Photograph of the cast of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, by Michael Schmidt.[art 1]
All episodes of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity were pre-recorded before airing.
The "Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Wrap Up" (Sx70) was streamed after the conclusion of the four-episode series, on July 12, 2022.
Development[]
Brennan Lee Mulligan said he was inspired to set Exandria Unlimited: Calamity in the Age of Arcanum following a dinner conversation he had with Matt Mercer in 2021. Mulligan stated that Mercer was a generous resource "during the conception and prep-work" for the series and that Mercer "was also excited for Mulligan to flesh out and expand on a period of Exandrian history that Mercer had only imagined in broader terms".[9] On setting the series in the Age of Arcanum, Mulligan compared it to the Arthur C. Clarke quote on magic and technology being indistinguishable past a certain point. Mulligan said, "people will see some similarities that exist between our world and the Age of Arcanum in terms of an accessibility of magic that is so promulgated that it just seeps into the workings of everyday life in a way that is not present in current day Exandria. That is something that was truly lost".[10]
On setting Exandria Unlimited: Calamity during an apocalypse, Mulligan said, "If your only question is 'does the Calamity happen or not?' that's a different series. The question here is 'What is the nature of mortal beings when faced with this?' [...] There are different — and, in my opinion, more interesting — questions to be answered here than 'does the doom come or no?'".[9]
Fan art of Asmodeus and the Ring of Brass, by Tyler Walpole.[art 2]
Character creation[]
Unlike typical Critical Role campaigns, where characters are developed separately by the players, the cast of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity developed their characters together as a group.[11] Marisha Ray said, "We entered this knowing that we are playing in the Age of Arcanum, so we knew we were playing high-level characters in very high positions of power. Brennan wanted us to be very powerful out of the gate, with characters who are in control and are movers and shakers. So, that required a lot of history, and lore, and understanding our positions before we even got started. One of the first things that we did when making our characters was just sit around a table together and talk about our relationships, and how each of us as individuals fit into the power structure of the city we live in".[11]
On creating characters in the Age of Arcanum, Sam Riegel said, "What was the government? Why was magic so popular? So to develop a character for that, not really knowing the world that you're in, is hard. It was a more fruitful process making the characters together. [...] But since Exandria Unlimited: Calamity is such a contained story in such a strange place and a strange time, it made a lot more sense to build the characters together. And we got some cool relationships out of it".[11]
Episodes[]
| No. | Title | Original airdate | Link | Runtime |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Excelsior" (E3x01) | 2022-05-26 | VOD | 4:10:46 |
| The flying city of Avalir begins its triumphant return to the continent of Domunas while the Ring of Brass, a group of eminent city dignitaries, begin to uncover hints of something rotten within their gilded home... | ||||
| 2 | "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) | 2022-06-02 | VOD | 4:37:56 |
| The Ring of Brass deepen their investigation into Vespin's inconceivable ritual while juggling their own profound desires and lofty ambitions... | ||||
| 3 | "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) | 2022-06-09 | VOD | 5:21:36 |
| Confronted with how deep Avalir's corruption runs, the Ring of Brass must face hard truths about themselves as impossible choices are made and lines are both drawn and sundered... | ||||
| 4 | "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) | 2022-06-16 | VOD | 6:07:33 |
| With time running out and an ancient terror unleashed, the Ring of Brass make their last stand for Avalir, for Exandria, and for their souls as calamity draws near... | ||||
Fairy tale[]
The story of the Ring of Brass, a version of which Cerrit told to his grandchild and which was altered as it was passed down through the centuries, is the basis for Himmelsschloss ("Castle in the Sky"), one of the stories in Critical Role: Der Katzenprinz & Other Zemnian Tales.[12]
Trivia[]
- This campaign has the earliest in-universe chronological setting to date.
- During the four-episode run, the border of the overlays on the show progressively displayed more and more damage.[13]
- Brennan Lee Mulligan created a pamphlet titled "A Player's Guide to Calamity" that he provided to the players to aid with character creation, which was a precursor to the 20-page lore document referenced by Sam Riegel in the first episode.[14] Many of the reference images used in the player's guide are taken from movies such as Jurassic Park, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and Independence Day, reflecting Calamity's structure being akin to a disaster movie.[15]
- Calamity has previously been compared to Rogue One by Marisha Ray in that the audience still roots for its characters despite knowing how the story ends.[11]
Related interviews[]
- 'Critical Role' team teases fans only think they know how 'Exandria Unlimited: Calamity' will end (May 23, 2022) on SyFy Wire
- Critical Role's Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Is Their "Rogue One" (May 24, 2022) on ComicBook.com
- Critical Role Explores a Bigger World With Exandria Unlimited: Calamity (May 25, 2022) on ComicBook.com
- Critical Role’s newest DM changes the game (May 26, 2022) on Polygon
- We Chat With With Critical Role's Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Cast (May 26, 2022) on Bleeding Cool
References[]
- ↑ See Hype! Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Premieres Thursday, May 26th! on CritRole.com.
- ↑ Sheehan, Gavin (May 26, 2022). "We Chat With With Critical Role's Exandria Unlimited Calamity Cast". Bleeding Cool News And Rumors. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ↑ Critical Role [@CriticalRole] (May 26, 2022). "We find the Architect Arcane, Laerryn, hard at work in the heart of Avalir - played by @quiddie! Art by @agarthanguide #ExUCalamity #ExUSpoilers [Image]" (Tweet). Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Twitter
- ↑ Critical Role [@CriticalRole] (May 26, 2022). "Let's meet our distinguished heroes from the Age of Arcanum ✨ Our adventure kicks off with Zerxus played by @Luiscarazo! Art by @agarthanguide #ExUCalamity #ExUSpoilers [Image]" (Tweet). Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Twitter
- ↑ Critical Role [@CriticalRole] (May 26, 2022). "And finally, we arrive at the summit of Avalir where Patia, The Keeper of Scrolls, is taking care of business - played by @Marisha_Ray Art by @agarthanguide #ExUCalamity #ExUSpoilers [Image]" (Tweet). Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Twitter
- ↑ Critical Role [@CriticalRole] (May 26, 2022). "Loquatius is here to greet the city of Avalir played by @samriegel! Art by @agarthanguide #ExUCalamity #ExUSpoilers [Image]" (Tweet). Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Twitter
- ↑ Critical Role [@CriticalRole] (May 26, 2022). "Our story moves to the Eyes of Avalir to find the Guardian of the Seventh, Cerrit, played by @WillingBlam Art by @agarthanguide #ExUCalamity #ExUSpoilers [Image]" (Tweet). Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Twitter
- ↑ Critical Role [@CriticalRole] (May 26, 2022). "The ringmaster of a circus of impossible wealth, The Dragon of Availr, Guildmaster Nydas watches over the vault - played by Lou Wilson! Art by @agarthanguide #ExUCalamity #ExUSpoilers [Image]" (Tweet). Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Twitter
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Grebey, James (May 23, 2022). "'Critical Role' team teases fans only think they know how 'Exandria Unlimited: Calamity' will end". SYFY Official Site. Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ↑ Rancic, Michael (May 26, 2022). "Critical Role's newest DM changes the game". Polygon. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Hoffer, Christian (May 24, 2022). "Critical Role's Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Is Their "Rogue One"". ComicBook.com. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ↑ Critical Role’s EXU: Calamity Gets The Fairytale Treatment (April 30, 2025) on Temple of Geek.
- ↑ See the tweet from the artist confirming that this was intentional, and done at the direction of Kyle Shire.
- ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:24:15.
- ↑ See Brennan Lee Mulligan On Dimension 20, Matt Mercer's Genius & Critical Role Calamity at 25:38. See also Brennan Lee Mulligan Breaks Down Critical Role: Downfall, Inspirations & Dream Final Calamity Story at 13:17
Art:
- ↑ Photograph of the cast of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, by Michael Schmidt (source). 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 art of Asmodeus and the Ring of Brass, by Tyler Walpole (source). Used with permission.
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