"To the Arx Creonum" (3x115) is the one hundred fifteenth episode of the third campaign of Critical Role. Bells Hells and the Mighty Nein wait in the shadows of the moon city before launching an explosive attack on the Weave Mind's stronghold…
Synopsis[]
Announcements[]
- Sam has a microphone that distorts his voice in a weird but somehow not-unpleasantly-musical way, plugging sponsor TCGPlayer, connecting hobbyists with game stores carrying their favorite games' cards, with 10% store credit on Cyber Weekend. Robbie tries the mic as well, but is not so cool with it. Marisha is even less cool, reminding everyone about #EverythingIsContent Magic: The Gathering, Commander at 7pm Pacific Tuesday, 3 December 2024.
- Second sponsor is Ravensburger's game Oh My Pigeons!, a ridiculous new party game featuring pigeons and puns.
- The Session 0 for the upcoming almost-Philadelphia Daggerheart Live Show is now available, as are tickets for the event itself on 7 December.
- No episode next week because a) it's the 4th Thursday, and b) it's Thanksgiving in the US.
- Critical Role: Der Katzenprinz & Other Zemnian Tales is real! Available for pre-order now; scheduled to release 8 April 2025.
Previously on Critical Role[]
So, last we left off: After an interlude following the legendary troupe known as Vox Machina, as they were one of the groups helming the assault on the Malleus Key, they managed to destroy the key and free the arcane lock that kept Ruidus essentially glued in orbit to Exandria and possibly tearing apart the very fabric of magic in the world, as well as freeing their ghost of a long-lost ally, Vax'ildan, and in the wake of that battle, given an evening reprieve on what could be possibly the last evening on Exandria for some or all. But while they were gone and dealing with this assault, back on Ruidus the two troupes Mighty Nein and Bells Hells have been lying in wait after notifying that they were in place and the assault was to begin.
Part I[]
Bells Hells and the Mighty Nein are on Ruidus, where Jester has just Sent to Allura Vysoren the message that the distracting assault on the Malleus Key should begin as soon as possible.[1] The underground city of Vaterra Kreviris is partially abandoned as its inhabitants have moved toward the Bloody Bridge to await transport to Exandria. The parties are waiting with Gaz Tomo, a member of the Volition group planning their own attack on the stronghold of the Weave Mind, for word that the assault on the Malleus Key has begun.
Bells Hells share with the Nein the little they know about the Weave Mind, and they discuss possible strategies and spells. The Hells admit they may kill Predathos or may set it free, and the Nein share they are much more pro-god and are taken aback by the suggestion the gods should die. Laudna clarifies that some of the gods seem to want to retire. Everyone agrees Ludinus Da'leth needs to die, and they'll have to decide the rest in the moment. When the discussion devolves into the suggestion to attack with exposed genitalia, Rashinna, the head of the Volition, arrives. In preparation for their own attack on the Weave Mind, the Volition has prepared a large amount of an explosive chemical, with supplies scattered in three places around the city. They have also built cable cannons to help get them to the exterior of the citadel, which shoot grappling hooks on 1000-foot cables and have mentally-propelled harnesses that then fasten to the cables. Veth wants to work with the explosives. Rashinna tells them all to join her in 15 minutes at the top of the Zoku Belfry, and leaves.
Caduceus makes tea while they wait. Braius asks Chetney for a quick tattoo, and Jester gives one to Caduceus. Dorian quietly thanks Caleb for encouraging him to speak to Orym about his feelings. Laudna checks in with Imogen, telling her the decision about what to do with Predathos rests with her and Fearne. She encourages Imogen, if anything doesn't feel right, to just get out, although Imogen realizes they can't really do that. Laudna tells her she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to do, and they can still have that cozy cottage together at the end of all this, which Imogen wants as well. Veth approaches Yasha and asks for advice keeping a long-term relationship fresh. The flustered Yasha makes several suggestions which seem to indicate a willingness for an open relationship. Beau joins the conversation but Veth wants to table that discussion. However, Beau agrees that if they survive, she and Yasha will move toward adopting children. Meanwhile, Jester is talking about potential wedding plans with Fjord, and both Fearne and Braius mention that they're picking up hesitancy on Fjord's part, which he denies. Jester gives Gaz some honey to try for the first time, and he is enchanted.
Rashinna arrives with several other reilora, saying they're ready to head out. The Mighty Nein says farewell to Bells Hells, with Caduceus advising them that in the moment, they should choose to do what feels kind. Braius apologizes to Jester for misjudging her originally. Laudna asks Braius again for the mask of the Matron of Ravens and he reluctantly agrees. They both pray with it, and Imogen surreptitiously uses Telekinesis to nudge it away from Braius and into Laudna's grasp, which she takes as a sign from the goddess. At Ashton's request, Veth starts to cast Intellect Fortress but when she realizes it is a concentration spell, only pretends.

Fan art of Orym and Dorian's kiss, by Jenny Dolfen.[art 1]
Orym pulls Dorian outside and asks to kiss him before they head off into the unknown. When Dorian agrees, Orym pulls him in by his sheer shirt for a long kiss, forgetting everything else. When they pull away, Orym asks if Dorian wants to figure out their relationship if they live to tomorrow. Dorian does, and kisses Orym back. As they do, Braius comes around the corner, sees them, and discouragedly trudges away. Meanwhile, Ashton approaches Fearne and asks her, if they survive, if she'll join him in taking some of the weird mushrooms he stole from Caduceus. She enthusiastically agrees and hugs him. As she does, Braius comes around the corner, sees them, and discouragedly trudges away. Imogen telepathically thanks Caleb for talking to her and giving her hope in other possibilities.
The Mighty Nein head off into Kreviris with Gaz and Rashinna, leaving Bells Hells alone to begin their own mission deeper into the heart of the red moon. Suddenly, a familiar screech pushes into Imogen's mind and she finds herself in the strongest red storm of any of her visions. She hears Liliana shouting her name frantically and manages to catch hold of her shadowy form. Their Exaltant powers connect. Liliana tells her she's tried to convince Ludinus, but "he knows", and she's sorry. Imogen can see that her mother's feet are slowly starting to crumble, as the suffering Liliana begs her to "Stop him." Imogen holds her tightly, seeing a vision of Liliana psychically held within a circle of reilora and a long-haired figure with a faintly glowing funnel facing her. With a flash of intense white energy and pain, the vision ends.
Break[]
- Sponsors TCGPlayer and Oh My Pigeons! promos.
- Darrington Brigade box set minis now available.
- Tickets for the almost-Philly Daggerheart live show 7 December 2024 still available.
- Unend and The Re-Slayer's Take Season 2 podcasts now running.
- Critmas Merch Sale on select merch in CR shops now through 9 December 2024. Scanlan boxers and sleep mask, Lavish Chateau bathrobe, plaid pajamas, green hoodie and jogger, Pike Trickfoot hoodie, Keyleth cropped hoodie, and Percy cardigan in all shops; Hope Blooms t-shirt not in AU; Queen by Midnight Quarter Past not in UK.
- Critical Role Presents: Winter's Crest holiday album EP now on music apps and services.
- Welcome to Tal'Dorei and Welcome to Wildemount Critical Role soundtrack albums available now 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 destroys a suburban family.
Part II[]
The Mighty Nein are being guided through the Villums neighborhood by Gaz Tomo, Rashinna, and several other members of the Volition, still under Caleb's Seeming spell. They are approached by guards questioning them moving into the city as opposed to outward, but using his Ring of Telepathy Caleb tells them the Weave Mind has sent them and they are allowed to proceed. Caduceus, however, notices that the guards suspiciously send several of their group to follow the party. Jester Invokes Duplicity and has her duplicates run ahead in several different directions, drawing the guards away. Rashinna leads the way through buildings and alleys to a large belfry with a dark metal bell at its top, and with a good view of the Prime Pillar and the Arx Creonum. The door is opened for Rashinna and they enter the belfry.
Rashinna approaches Veth to join the demolition team while the others remain in the belfry. Caleb, in giant eagle form, receives a message from Allura Vysoren that the Exandrian assault on the Malleus Key has begun. The other Volition members signal to other locations within the city using glowing orbs, then they all simultaneously fire their cables off to hook onto the Prime Pillar. Jester casts Death Ward on Caleb and Caduceus, and in turn Caduceus casts it on her. Veth makes a bet with Beau on which of them will reach the pillar the fastest. The demolition experts take off in their harnesses on the cable, with Veth outpacing them as she runs along below them. Once at the Pillar, the team sets their charges and then runs for safety while Rashinna psychically sets the fuse alight. The resulting explosion destroys a large portion of the front of the Arx Creonum. The Volition engineers immediately fire a new grappling hook into a surviving portion of the citadel, and Gaz urges the party to begin their journeys there.
Beau starts running along the cable and is three-quarters of the way there when Veth, to win her bet, casts Shocking Grasp on the metal cable. Beau sees it coming and uses her staff Belabor to insulate herself from the shock, managing to reach the Pillar safely and win the bet. The rest of the group, except eagle-Caleb and a Flying Fjord, hook their harnesses to the cable and begin their journeys. Halfway there, a few defenders notice them and begin shooting their Ruidian glass weapons at them, hitting Jester and Caduceus, then severing the strap holding Jester onto the cable. As she plummets, Fjord catches her. Yasha's strap then breaks, but eagle-Caleb catches her, taking damage as he does so. Caduceus' harness also breaks, and Jester Polymorphs him into a giant flying dire-beetle. Veth and Beau find themselves on one side of the damaged citadel with multiple reiloran defenders approaching. A heavily wounded eagle-Caleb, with Yasha on his back, flies nearby, as does the Flying Fjord carrying Jester, and Caduceus in beetle form.
As battle begins, Beau attacks one of the Reiloran Juggernauts, eagle-Caleb drops off Yasha then flies low, and dire beetle Caduceus runs as far as he can toward the opening they're all aiming for. Yasha starts moving towards it as well, attacking one of the reilora with a spear as she goes. The reiloran glass cannoneers fire at Yasha doing minimal damage, while the juggernaut Beau attacked tries to use its glass cannon rail gun against her. She deflects the missile and throws it back, inflicting piercing and psychic damage. The other reilora attack Yasha for minimal damage, but Beau more significantly, and she is pushed backward. Two armored feskul arrive to join the battle. Fjord lands Jester on a small ledge low down the citadel wall and she casts Darkness near Yasha (dropping Caduceus' beetle form), while Fjord Hexes the juggernaut near her and then Eldritch Blasts him. The Blade Baron uses his Blade Storm to send his glass blades at Yasha, hitting her. Gaz Tomo arrives but nothing's in range. Veth disengages from the feskul harrying her and fires with her Aeorian Security Cannon at the juggernaut attacking Beau.

Fan art of Veth, Caleb, and Caduceus on the ledge, by TO.[art 2]
Beau leaps down to another juggernaut and uses Belabor to sweep it off the ledge it is standing on to its death. Caleb lands near Caduceus, picks him up, then flies toward the alcove they're all trying to get to, landing on a shelf. Yasha attacks the reilora in the Darkness, hitting him for massive damage, then runs toward the alcove as well, leaping down to join Caleb and Caduceus. One cannoneer hits Veth for minor damage; the other hits Caleb, knocking him out of eagle form and wounding him. Jester's Guiding Bolt misses. A Juggernaut leaps down and hits both Caleb and Yasha, while one feskul hits Fjord and Jester with its bladed tail, and the other bites Veth. Fjord uses Hexblade's Curse and Eldritch Blast against the juggernaut near Beau, killing him, and Caduceus uses Keeper of Souls to heal Caleb 9 points. Fjord then Eldritch Blasts the feskul, wounding it before flying with Jester to join Beau. The blade baron moves its Blade Storm to Gaz, hitting him for minor damage, and Gaz immediately retaliates, killing him. Veth takes off for the others and the feskul's attack of opportunity fails, so she is able to reach the others within the alcove, hitting the juggernaut also there.
Beau reaches the alcove and hits the juggernaut twice; Caleb Fire Bolts him and kills him. As they all begin moving deeper into the citadel, Beau scatters ball bearings behind them. The cannoneers fire as they go, with Fjord and Jester taking minor damage, and Jester falls on the ball bearings as she runs to join the others. One feskul attacks Gaz and the other misses while trying to attack Fjord, who counterattacks and kills it. Gaz also reaches them and offers to cover their rear while the rest of the party moves deeper into the citadel. In return, Jester leaves her jar of honey with him.
Featured characters[]
Returning
- Allura Vysoren (via Sending)
- Dorian Storm
- Gaz Tomo
- Liliana Temult (in a scrying dream)
- Ludinus Da'leth (in a scrying dream)
- Rashinna
Mentioned
Quotations[]
- Veth: You and I briefly dated.
Yasha: Yes, we did?
Veth: We went on one date.
Yasha: I forgot about that.
Veth: Well, I didn't! - Caduceus: (to Bells Hells) I know we disagree on what the outcome of this should be. I know I have my feelings. So I ask all of you-- I'm not here to tell you what to do, but when the moment comes, do what feels kind. I can live with that, whatever it is.
- Orym: If we're here tomorrow, I'd really like to figure out... this. If you want.
Dorian: Oh, I want. - Ashton: (to Fearne) I would do any fucking stupid thing you were ever down for.
Fearne: Promise?
Ashton: Yeah. I like you and I'm bad at this because I don't think about the future ever, but-- you're fun to adventure with.
Fearne: You're fun to adventure with, too.
Inventory[]
Adjustment | Count | Item | Source | Destination | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Crafted | 1 | Slime-like substance | Veth | Gaz Tomo | Made from ammonia, pollen, and salmonella, it does absolutely nothing. Gaz promptly ate it. |
Transferred | 1 | Mask of the Matron of Ravens | Braius | Laudna | |
Expended | some | Ball Bearings | Beau | ||
Transferred | 1 | Jar of honey | Jester | Gaz Tomo | Jester left it for him when he volunteered to cover the others' retreat. |
Trivia[]
- For the first half of the show, the cast sat in their normal positions for Campaign Three. For the second half, Robbie Daymond was missing and the cast resumed their positions for the first, pre-Covid portion of Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein.
- In the Cooldown for this episode, Matt Mercer revealed what the dice rolls for the cable crossing of the chasm would have produced:
- 1 - 3: failure of a harness
- 4 - 6: a mounted feskul attacks doing damage with a chance of grappling and pulling the target off. It would have joined the eventual battle.
- 7 - 10: soldiers throw spears
- 13 - 18: nothing happens
- 18 - 20: Gaz Tomo momentarily regains his psychic ability so they gain speed and skip two rounds[2]
- This is the fifteenth episode in which at least one player plays multiple characters, with the cast, except for Robbie, reprising both their Bells Hells and Mighty Nein characters.[3]
- Sam's Stanley cup says "MOOON UNIT!" behind the cover.[4] He reveals himself to be wearing a picture of Marisha from years ago[5] and his enormous flask also shows up, with a picture of Veth holding her crossbow, saying "N-O-T-T-O-G-O" above it and "You can take me Nott to go!" below.[6]
- Sam's shirt of Marisha is more or less in the same shade of blue as the one he wore in the episode "Solace Between the Secrets" (2x118) of Campaign Two, also with a picture of a young Marisha.[7]
References[]
- ↑ See "The Assembling of Legends" (3x112) at 2:34:24.
- ↑ See CR Cooldown, C3 E115 at 05:15 (subscription required) (Transcript).
- ↑ Previously, a player played multiple characters in "A Bard's Lament" (1x85), "Masquerade" (1x99), "Unfinished Business" (1x100), "Thar Amphala" (1x101), "Race to the Tower" (1x102), "The Search For Grog" (Sx42), "The Search For Bob" (Sx45), "Dalen's Closet" (Sx47), "Long May He Reign" (2x140), "Fond Farewells" (2x141), "In the Shadow of War" (3x110), "The Nein Hells" (3x111), "The Assembling of Legends" (3x112), and "Fight for the Bloody Bridge" (3x114).
- ↑ See "To the Arx Creonum" (3x115) from 1:18:15 through 1:18:45.
- ↑ See "To the Arx Creonum" (3x115) at 2:01:10.
- ↑ See "To the Arx Creonum" (3x115) from 2:42:05 through 2:42:25.
- ↑ See "Solace Between the Secrets" (2x118) at 0:21:54.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Orym and Dorian's kiss, by Jenny Dolfen (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Veth, Caleb, and Caduceus on the ledge, by TO (source). Used with permission.
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