"Seven of Them" (E4x02) is the second episode of Exandria Unlimited: Divergence. The group, still stunned by their turn of luck at the fall of Rybad-Kol, must now survive the harrowing journey to hope and safety...
Synopsis[]
Announcements[]
- Brennan Lee Mulligan throws it to Sam for announcements that definitely weren't pre-recorded and thus illegal temporal manipulation. Time cop Liam busts him for his time crime while advertising NordVPN.
- Darrington Press has announced a new board game coming this summer at GenCon, Solar Gardens.
- Merch alert! Allura Vysoren dice set now available.
Introduction[]
We return to the Rifenmist Peninsula in the south of Gwessar, a continent that has not yet earned the name Tal'Dorei, in an age long past, where a group of straggling survivors escape the ruin of the prison of Rybad-Kol, headed north towards a whisper or a promise of safety, a community known as Torm's Hill. Pockets of civilization here in the height of Calamity are few and far between. It's only been less than two years since you were there, but two years is normally long enough for a group of people trying to survive the Calamity to be found and slaughtered. Who knows what you will find? Or indeed, if you will even live long enough to find it? After the events... mysterious, divine, cosmic in ways, and yet, oh so very real... that unfolded, shattered stone, lightning and thunder, roots growing before your very eyes, lights of some strange insect, so very wild and mundane, and yet also so otherworldly, are on the locket of your sister. Scattered from the other companions of your gang, sent forward into the unknown, you have been traveling for days following a stretch of magically conjured woodland, hiding from the eyes of whatever this world now holds, now that up is down and chaos reigns.
Part I[]
The group of now eleven suvivors of Rybad-Kol continues moving northward through continuous rain toward Torm's Hill, growing more dehydrated and exhausted with each day. Fiedra is in particularly bad shape, so Erro Mordaurum begins carrying her. Soon afterwards, Erro himself grows weaker and Crokas takes Fiedra from him.
When they reach Torm's Hill, they see that it has become a massively overcrowded gathering point for refugees from the entire area. One of its leaders, Nez Pilch, greets Erro happily and provides aid to the party. Nia takes the unconscious Fiedra to a warm place and is told to go sleep herself so that she can help care for the other sick in town. Garen goes in search of liquor, hallucinating along the way a vision of Torm himself, the founder of this settlement, which leads him to an ancient cache of Dwarven ale and meat, still good. He gorges himself, then shows the cache to Nez, who is directing the efforts against the rising flooding.
The party wakes up the next morning fully rested, but the community is battling the rising Larksbrook river. Fiedra finds herself a stiletto among the medical supplies and, going outside, runs into Roach Gang members Taveen and Otto, who tell her that they survived by hiding under a giant pot. Kephekedriel joined some kind of weird cult they met along the way, however. Crokas warns them all to keep an eye on Marlath, who sees them looking and walks over. Marlath sees an opportunity in the chaos here to, with Fiedra, take over its organizational structure based on his previous administrative experience in the Strife Emperor's empire. Fiedra is noncommittal, telling him they'll talk about it later.
Meanwhile, Erro runs into a beautiful, well-dressed tiefling woman wearing a symbol of the Moonweaver. She introduces herself as Luz, a friend of Liana, Nia's sister who left Torm's Hill to head northward toward the Snowgrave Pass after receiving a vision of their parents there. She asked Luz to keep an eye out for Nia, whom she expected to meet in Torm's Hill. Erro takes her to Nia, and Nia learns her parents were here more than a year ago and headed to Snowgrave Pass, days away. Nia is eager to set out immediately, and Erro tells her he is familiar with the area.
Garen, meanwhile, finds Nez talking with a bugbear elder, Bulray, about the flooding. Garen volunteers to help build a floodwall and teach the others about masonry, and also helps to construct a footbridge to the food-providing forest. Fortunately, three halflings arrive with a stolen wagon of tools which are distributed to the villagers, with Marlath tracking who gets what. Garen and Bulray are watching the construction progress and chatting when they hear a terrible scream from the village. Turning, they see seven fully armed figures in black iron plate armor, bearing the symbol of the Strife Emperor's guard with several dead villagers at their feet. The captain calls to the crowd to kneel to the Strife Emperor's will, or face immediate execution.
Break[]
- Promos for Beacon, Unend, The Re-Slayer's Take Season 2, and Daggerheart.
- Merch Alert! Allura Vysoren dice set, Grog denim jacket, Scanlan boxers and sleep mask, Lavish Chateau bathrobe and plaid pajamas in all shops; Bells Hells last stand and Whitestone is for lovers t-shirts not in AU; Taste of Tal'Dorei t-shirt in US and Canada only.
- Welcome to Tal'Dorei and Welcome to Wildemount soundtrack albums on all digital music platforms. Critical Recap every Wednesday on CritRole.com. Submit fan art and cosplay for possible inclusion in the weekly online gallery.
- Beacon cures low CR.
Part II[]
The crowd in the village square is silent, stunned by the sudden appearance of the Strife Emperor's guard. Erro quietly walks up behind one and unleashes his fire breath, hitting three of the seven soldiers, then shouts, "Seven overlords, or 1200 of us!" This inspires five nearby commoners to join the battle, and Nia tells several other non-combatant types to run to safety. Fiedra attacks with her stiletto in a battle frenzy while Crokas attacks with his claws doing significant damage. The Roaches attack as well, but miss; Nia convinces several commoners near her to rush forward with her (including Luz), and they hit. When the soldiers counterattack, they hit Erro, Crokas, Garen, and Nia, damaging them severely. Roach member Otto is knocked unconscious along with several villagers. Erro uses his last breath attack against the Captain and two other soldiers, but the Captain counterattacks knocking him out. Erro's last words as he falls are, "Change is coming..." and this convinces several more villagers to join in including a kenku that kills a soldier. The captain, however, attacks Luz, and she falls clutching her symbol of the Moonweaver.
Fan art of Nia at the kill, by Elaine Tipping.[art 1]
Fiedra convinces more commoners to join the fight and wounds a soldier badly. Without even knowing what he's doing, Crokas activates Stormgirdle and becomes a storm avatar. He advances on the Captain, spins him around, and with lightning crackling from his mouth in a mimicry of the breath weapon he lacks, wounds him grievously. With a roar, Garen follows up with a hammer attack, wounding him further. Picking up the fallen Luz's holy symbol, Nia feels the power of the Moonweaver join her own as she becomes the goddess' cleric and casts her first spell, Inflict Wounds, on the captain. Looking into his face as she batters him with the symbol of the Moonweaver, she tells him, "Change is coming... and I am change," as he dies. Another soldier, however, strikes Crokas, knocking him out and killing several villagers.
Fiedra's commoners attack for a little damage against the remaining soldiers, and when she slides in behind the one that killed Otto and stabs, she becomes a first level rogue with sneak attack, finishing him off. Making his first death saving throw, Crokas gets a natural 20 and a lightning bolt streaks down, bringing him back to consciousness as a first level monk. He immediately attacks a soldier, killing him, followed by Garen doing the same. Nia, seeing the unconscious Erro, casts Cure Wounds on him, bringing him conscious again. The two remaining soldiers, not willing to allow a cleric of a Prime Deity to live, attack Nia and she falls. The soldier standing over her considers attacking her unconscious body and ending all hope, but goes after Garen as he tries to cover her body, knocking him out as well. As Erro rises to his feet as a ranger, he picks up one of the fallen soldier's swords and uses it to attack but misses.
Fan art of Crokas, Celeste, and the children, by Odd.[art 2]
Fiedra sneaks attacks and kills the first remaining soldier, while Crokas polishes off the final one with a tail attack. Garen and Nia are unconscious and fail their saves, but Erro drops to his knees beside her and casts Cure Wounds on her. Klasara rushes to Otto and stabilizes him, while Nez Pilch tries but fails to save Luz. She then moves to Garen and succeeds. Crokas is still in a frightening battle frenzy, but he catches sight of the children Celwyn and Celdria, hiding and frightened, who gently approach him and place their heads against his own through their tears, telling him, "It's okay, you don't have to be scared." Their mother Celeste joins their embrace and tells him he saved them, but Crokas cannot understand her Draconic words, having lost his family before learning the language.
Nia moves to Luz's body, trying without success to bring life back. Looking up, she tells the fleetingly visible crescent moon that she may have this one, but watch over her sister. Meanwhile, Bulray tells them there seem to be no more soldiers and the village is safe, for now, and Klasara and Nez invite the group to remain. Marlath appraches Fiedra, telling her that he believes the people who received the stolen tools from the halfling brothers incurred a debt in doing so, which he might be able to capitalize to create a position of power and control. In addition, title to the buildings being used is definitely up for grabs. He offers to utilize Fiedra and the Roaches in doing so. Fiedra offers him a private discussion at sundown behind the village, telling him to bring his ledger.
Erro talks to Garen, telling him he has his trust before going to find Nia, who is struggling with self-blame for Luz's death. Meanwhile, Crokas and Erro talk to Nia, who wants to go immediately to find her sister Liana. They discover most of the camp is unaware of the details of the battle just past, since it happened so quickly. Marlath eventually meets with Fiedra, telling her he'd like to hire her services, since he's reached an agreement with the halfling thieves, and has burgeoning plans to accumulate all the property in town and rent it back to the current owners. Fiedra tells him he's ready to become one of them and motions to the Roaches. Crokas stands on Marlath's tail and holds his mouth open while Fiedra cuts out his tongue, takes his ledger book, and walks off. Nia thanks Garen for saving her life as they drink together and Nia shares memories of Luz, her sister, and herself. As she speaks, the clouds part and the crescent Catha is revealed in full.
The party spends a restful night. Garen, the only one who has not gained a level, thinks of his past powers and abilities, the presence of the All-Hammer, and his pride in being a crafter. He seeks the wisdom of his experience instead of leveling up. In the morning, the clouds have cleared and the sun rises, revealing that Torm's Hill stands at the edge of a vast, fertile valley in the mountains.
Featured characters[]
Player Characters
New
- The Bowdley brothers, halfling boys branded for thievery and habitual drunkenness
- Connor
- Owen
- Rowan
- Bulray, an older bugbear leader
- Fiedra's parents (in a hallucination and dream)
- Klasara Bandy, halfling matriarch at Torm's Hill
- Luz, a tiefling friend of Liana's, worshiper of the Moonweaver
- Nez Pilch, goblin matriarch at Torm's Hill
- Ondetra, a recovering water genasi
- Torm (in a memory)
Returning
Mentioned
- The gods
- Kephekedriel, one of the Roaches
- Liana, Nia's sister
- Starmian Fiddleflask
Quotations[]
- Erro: (as he falls unconscious) Change is coming...
- Villager: (as he kills the first of the soldiers) They can't stop us all!
- Fiedra: Guys, you know it's either us or them-- let's make it them!
- Garen: (Attacking) Some wait for miracles. But we make them with our own hands!
- Brennan: Miracles, when they touch the real world, get dirty.
- Liam: (narrating Erro's thoughts as he is knocked out) Today, he wasn't sure as he uttered the words, "Change is coming," that he himself believed it. But on this day, where he stood instead of fled, as the rainwater seeps into the side of his mouth, maybe he won't see it, but finally, he believes it.
- Garen: I'm not a fighter, I'm a maker. [...] Sometimes you can read a person who's got nothing to lose and wants nothing to gain.
Trivia[]
- Erro's ability as a ranger to cast spells at 1st level and choose the shape of his breath weapon, as well as Crokas's damage die as a monk being a d6, indicates that in these cases they are using the 2024 version of the Dungeons & Dragons rules.
- Just as the "marble" border of the overlays on Exandria Unlimited: Calamity showed progressively more damage each episode, the "stone" border of the overlay in this episode showed more moss than in the first episode of the miniseries.
References[]
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Nia at the kill, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Crokas, Celeste, and the children, by Odd (source). Used with permission.
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