"4-Sided Dive: Swordgate" (4SDx24) is the twenty-fourth episode of 4-Sided Dive, discussing episodes of the third campaign up through "Shadows New and Old" (3x96) with guests Laura Bailey, Robbie Daymond, Matthew Mercer, and Marisha Ray.
Synopsis[]
Robbie Daymond is the 24th Tavern Keeper. In a "Breaking News" fashion, Robbie, helped by Dani Carr, announced the topics for this episode.
What the Fuck is up with That?[]
- With all the new information Robbie received recently to catch him up, one of the things he was most freaked out about was discovering the identity of Fearne's real father, Athion Zathuda. Robbie actually prefers only knowing what Dorian would know at this point, although they assume the characters talk offscreen. Laura gave him a quick recap of all the events that happened when Robbie was away.
- Sorrowlord Zathuda was one of the inner people of Ludinus Da'leth's plot to create Ruidusborn that could be powerful enough to become a possible vessel for Predathos. However, Fearne was taken by her birth mother and her adopted father and vanished, then was protected by Nana Morri for most of her life. Zathuda has been constantly told he was a failure at producing a possible vessel, but now believes she is more powerful than they thought.
- Shadow Fearne and the Dark Fey aspect of her history was inspired by the incident in Exandria Unlimited Prime, when the Crown Keepers went through the Verdant Expanse and found the gate. Robbie enjoyed that in that case, along with Liam O'Brien and Ashley Johnson, he understood what was happening while the others at the table didn't, because of their participation in ExU.
- Speaking of parents, Imogen's mother Liliana Temult is quite sketchy, too. Laura thinks she has the potential to be a good mom. She started doing her thing with good intentions potentially, but now she's just fully indoctrinated into what Ludinus Da'leth told her and believes that even if she doesn't agree with Ludinus' methods, the end goal with Predathos is worth it. Laura didn't trust Liliana to come with Bells Hells when they made peace with her, because Imogen wouldn't have trusted that she wouldn't betray them.
- Strangely enough, the parallel between Liliana and Laudna is pretty strong. Marisha says Laudna, like Liliana, has had some struggles with feeling that her life is controlled by outside forces. Laudna watched Fearne and Ashton Greymoore get the Primordial shards that makes them super powerful, and watched Imogen become Exalted, and Laudna assumes she should be getting more powers through Delilah Briarwood, and that even if she gets new power without her patron, in the end it still feeds Delilah. So Laudna assumes she might as well use and exploit her as far as she can.
- How much does Laudna's Warlock status binding her to Delilah inform her narrative choices? Marisha feels that it would make more sense mechanically to take levels in Sorcerer, but after Bor'Dor Dog'Son's betrayal she took the next level as a Warlock because it seemed right. Matt comments that it's sacrificing optimization for the narrative legitimacy of where she's going with the character. She'll do it again if something Delilah-heavy happens to Laudna. This also applies to spell choice, like choosing Animate Objects.
- How is Dorian processing the loss of his brother Cyrus Wyvernwind? It's as close as Robbie's ever come to feeling sad at the table. He never expected him to come to life, and never expected to care for him in a visceral way. But he met him and fell in love with him. Cyrus was never meant to die, and Robbie has regrets about how Dorian handled that situation, choosing vengeance over a possible way to save his brother. He asked Keyleth to find the body, kind of hoping she might be able to save him with her magic, but his vision of Cyrus with Morrighan Ferus seemed pretty final.
- Why did Revivify work on Ruidus to bring Chetney back, when resurrection magic on Exandria isn't functional due to the apogee solstice? Ruidus operates under its own magical ecosystem, while being affected by Exandrian ley lines because of proximity. There are powerful druids and other creatures that are not based in divine magic. Classical D&D holds that arcane magic is outside of the gods, and divine magic is the gods. "But magic is magic. It's how it's filtered and utilized that really defines its source. So, who knows what would happen to divine magic if the gods weren't there? It could be catastrophic. It could be nothing. Who knows?"
- Swordgate! Warlock's going to warlock, baby. None of this was planned. Laudna's had issues previously with being pulled toward powerful artifacts, and when Orym walked in wearing Ishta, the sword that killed Laudna, she got uncomfortable. Matt's heartbeat sound effect cemented that, and suggested the sword was bad, and it spiraled from there. Robbie notes that it seemed Laudna was steering that encounter rather than Delilah, and Laura suggests they're becoming one person, as evidenced by Laudna's new Form of Dread. Marisha admits it felt a little bit good to lean into the darkness.
- There's a brief explanation of the parallels to Bowlgate, the incident in Campaign Two (also between Liam and Marisha's characters) when Caleb wanted to ensure the good intentions of Calianna Mordsson with a Zone of Truth before handing her an artifact used to summon Tiamat, a powerful Betrayer God. Beau snatched it from him and handed it to Calianna, telling Caleb he didn't get to use his past trauma to control other people. Thankfully Calianna was not lying and the party was able to destroy the bowl.[1]
- So they're back in Aeor, a place with a lot of past history on Critical Role. Matt notes that Campaign Three has a lot of facets of the first two campaigns coming to fruition, long term stuff that's been building for the past 10 years. Aeor is ancient Exandrian from the Age of Arcanum, Art Deco meets Brutalist, Cold War Soviet place, where it was function over beauty. Matt briefly summarizes Aeor's history and the fact that Ludinus Da'leth has been utilizing its technology in order to help release Predathos. He enjoys bringing in these old threads from previous campaigns, but tried to make it so that newer viewers could also enjoy it without needing to know all the details.
- Robbie really enjoyed being the reader for the audio version of Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - The Nine Eyes of Lucien, got caught up in the story, and had to take a break when Brevyn Oakbender died. He loves that people coming in from the books will also recognize the current story. Matt comments that Lucien Tavelle was the first entity the Cognouza connected with that didn't lose its mind entirely. Marisha loves seeing Robbie's reactions to things.
Tower of Inquiry[]
- If your character could spend one last campfire evening with FCG after they sacrificed themself for the party, what would you ask them? What would you want them to know? Imogen would ask if there was anything FCG would like them to complete. Matt speculates FCG would ask them to find proof Exandria is flat. Imogen would also tell him she never once doubted he was alive. Laudna would tell him his faith in her helped keep her on the straight and narrow. Both Laura, Marisha, and Matt are frustrated that FCG's not around now that they're exploring his origin place, Aeor.
- If you could ask any character from any campaign a question that they have to answer truthfully, who would you ask and what would the question be? Laura (in Jester's voice) would ask everyone if they're secretly in love with her. Marisha wants to know if Grog fucked a nymph, and the others remind her this was answered in the Campaign One Wrap-up (No, he didn't). Dani feels like she and Travis are the two most appreciative recipients of Matt's lore drops. Robbie would ask what Chetney was doing in his 20s, and Laura speculates he was a total nerd. Matt adds he suspects a trajectory from nerd to pickup artist.
- Matt fails at removing a block from the virtually intact tower of inquiry and it falls at his feet. He admits he may have been overconfident and doesn't like at all the consequence he receives for the games segment.
- How do you decide on updates to official character art? How do you determine what to keep, what to change, and what new things you'd like to add? Robbie thought Dorian's would be revealed before the others, but it wasn't, and he really likes that Dorian's new art was revealed along with everyone else's. Dorian gave Dariax Zaveon all his possessions and is VERY glad there wasn't a battle before he got new armor. Aabria Iyengar and he together came up with the sheer mithral armor for an additional point to AC within his aesthetic. Laura and Robbie bond over love of sheer. Laura wanted Imogen more battle-ready this go-round, but still sheer. Updating character art is usually a communal decision when it feels right. This one, they wanted to incorporate a part of FCG into their looks. Laura loves Laudna's caged look. Marisha told the artist she wanted to incorporate Delilah Briarwood as a framework but remain Laudna, suggesting Delilah influenced the outfit. Matt wasn't sure when they'd drop but there was a natural shopping moment in Zadash.
The Deep Dive[]
- Robbie: How does Dorian feel reuniting with Bells Hells, especially Orym and Fearne, after being guided by sending stone messages? Also talk to us about paying for Orym's new threads. It was a moment that felt right. It was all his money, but Orym wanted it so bad. Returning to Bells Hells felt like coming home. He felt guilty not answering the sending stone messages but apparently it was a magical problem throughout Exandria.
- Laura: What does Imogen think of everything going on with Delilah and Laudna? Laura and Marisha had no idea where any of this, including the rooftop conversation that ended so confusingly, was going to go. Laura sees parallels with her relationship with her mother: trusting that someone you love will be there for you, and then realizing no, you can't trust them. Laudna seems to be choosing Delilah, while Imogen doesn't want to end their relationship or abandon her. They talked about both of them exploring getting more power, but Imogen feels like she abandoned Laudna and should have gone further with Predathos so Laudna wouldn't be by herself with Delilah. It's like being with an addict. Laudna is embracing power, like they agreed, and still doesn't believe she's lying to Imogen, but her struggle with this will be for the rest of her life. But she's conscious it's not a direct parallel with addiction. The way Imogen replied, "I will always love you," when Laudna asked if she still loved her made Laudna realize that Imogen needs to protect herself, as well, and may be pushing her away to help that.
- Marisha: What did Laudna expect when she returned to the group after Swordgate? How does she feel about the kindness she was given? Laudna's tragic flaw is lack of self-worth, and believing it was pure coincidence she has powers at all, even after the group rescued her from death itself. She believes herself unworthy and rejoined the group thinking they might tell her to leave. She hopes she can get through this without losing her friends and may someday get rid of Delilah permanently.
- Matt: Tell us everything about Otohan Thull right now. Please. He's saving that for a campaign wrap-up. You brought back quite a few familiar faces from the Mighty Nein campaign like Pumat Sol and Iva Deshin, not to mention Essek and Astrid. What was it like to return to those characters? It's always fun. He tries to balance presenting new characters with familiar characters presented with a new perspective. He enjoys the little cameos. With Essek, Caleb is busy elsewhere and Essek was the remaining logical choice, as was Astrid. He's trying not to let Essek overshadow Bells Hells' fresh experience of Aeor.
- Robbie: What does Dorian think of everything going on with Laudna? Does he truly trust her? There was some early bonding with Laudna in the start of the campaign, but then seeing her like this was disconcerting and he retreated to Orym, one of his stronger bonds. Orym, Chetney, Fearne, and then Ashton to a certain extent. It was a scary moment. Marisha felt bad when Laudna shut him down and suggests it's odd Dorian is acting like everything is okay after what he's been through recently. Robbie states that Dorian is a master at compartmentalization, and his compartments are full. Dorian was confused why the group didn't all go out to intervene with Laudna and just let Imogen handle it, but Robbie understands the situation and this allowed Dorian to learn about their relationship.
- Laura: How did Imogen feel about her mom finally turning away from the Ruby Vanguard? Did she truly want her to return to Exandria? Imogen really wanted that and believed it could happen, but during their conversation she realized she couldn't fully trust her, after her 20 years with Ludinus Da'leth. Matt clarifies she hasn't been with Ludinus the entire 20 years since she abandoned her family. When Imogen began having the same dreams Lilliana was, she left home trying to learn more to protect her daughter and met Ludinus because she was by far the most powerful of the Ruidusborn being studied. However, in Imogen's mind, her mother was going to be her savior and she finally realized that she would not be. Robbie points out the parallels to realizing your parents are just people, the same as you, and that adult children aren't necessarily their first priority any longer. Matt can't say whether Imogen's choice was correct or not, but it definitely affects the trajectory of the campaign. Laura points out the need to be true to your character, even if it's not the optimum choice.
- Marisha: How are Imogen and Laudna doing now? What did Imogen mean by saying she will miss their cottage? Did they break up? Immediately after that conversation Laura and Marisha asked each other the same question. It feels very rocky right now. They're not broken up, but maybe taking a break. They're both very uncertain.
- Matt: It's really hard not making all your questions about Essek, so, hey Matt, just talk to me, I mean the audience, about Essek. How is he? Essek's been enjoying the quieter life not being actively hunted by the Kryn Dynasty but definitely under heavy investigation. He's been working on his own research along with some members of the Cobalt Soul with his alternative persona of Seth, and is doing okay.
- Marisha: What was it like for Laudna to see a visage of Delilah during her normal internal conversations? She's used to it and accepts it as normal.
- Marisha: Why is Laudna so focused on not being perceived as a liar? Could it be due to Delilah's gaslighting or because of Imogen's original response on the skyship way back when? Yes. Yes.
Tower of Inquiry[]
- Did any of your campaign characters have first draft names that didn't get used? If so, what were they? Early on for Exandria Unlimited Prime, Robbie had a water genasi called Emile Moonwake and a goblin ranger named Flint-tip Bearscat, who later appeared in Narrative Telephone. Angus Boulderbrow made it into a charity stream at some point. His initial Narrative Telephone idea, which he gave to someone else, was Jaxy Flaxseed in the Tabaxi Taxi, a retired monk running a rickshaw. Laura's original name for Imogen was Red, which Matt is glad she changed. The campaign theme was always going to be centered around the Ruidusborn and Ruidus, and Fearne's connection with the dark Fey had already been established in Exandria Unlimited Prime, so Matt was envisioning her as the tether for the campaign. But when Laura made Imogen with a dream of a storm that chased her, he asked her to change it to a red storm and realized he had two tethers. Marisha considered the names Vermilia, Morella, Noxi, and Matilda (which ended up being Laudna's original name). She knew Pâté de Rolo's name before her own, as soon as she saw Hannah Friederichs's art for Laudna.
Gaming[]
After the break, the group plays WE'RE DOOMED!
Quotations[]
- Matt as Essek: Twice I've been here with groups, and they've both been idiots!
- Robbie: Dorian is a master compartmentalizer, so whether those moments present themselves or not, I don't know if it matters, but if they do, there's stuff there. His compartments are full.
Trivia[]
External Links[]
- The gaming portion of this episode is in a separate video "We’re Doomed! | More-Sided Dive".
References[]
- ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21).
Art: