Critical Recap: Critical Role C3E84 “Red Rural Revelations”

Hello! Welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, the Critical Role Lore Keeper. Let’s dive into our recap of Critical Role Campaign 3 Episode 84 Red Rural Revelations!

LIFE ON RUIDUS

Bells Hells quickly befriend the gentle Ruidian who found them in the supply shed. This is Dono and he is a bormodo – the people of the land. Each bormodo has a bonded animal-like companion known as a cytaa. Dono welcomes them to the village of Razora and takes them to Elder Barthie, who cannot outwardly voice his displeasure with the Imperium but is happy to answer questions. Exandrians are the Dreamers, the people whose dreams the bormodos see when they sleep. The bormodos’ own origin myth is that they were carved from the rock at the will of the One Who Sleeps and shaped into reflections of the dreams. The recent arrival of the Dreamers led to a crisis of faith, as Exandria, or the Blue Promise, was considered their afterlife.

Kreviris is the capital city, run by the Kreviris Imperium. Their military, the Dominion of Cruth, has been pressuring the farmers to produce more war mounts known as avadons (the faceless beasts). The Weave Mind are the masters of the Imperium, the ones who connect them all to the One Who Sleeps, aka Predathos (though this name is forbidden). The Weave Mind have been exerting their influence for the last 500 or so years, even destroying the original writings of the people. They are a council of old and powerful Reiloran Mystics who act as a conduit to Predathos; they usher the flares and control the city, as well as the minds of any who speak out.

Imogen asks why the bormodos have not boarded the Bloody Bridge to Exandria, if they hope to one day go there. Barthie believes that most of the people aren’t ready for that transition. They don’t want to cause trouble with the Reilora – they’re simple livestock farmers. There are societies carved through the layers of Ruidus itself, with most of the farming underground and even levels of Kreviris underground, as well. The gates to these areas are in the capital city; the others on the outskirts were closed off.

REBELS

Barthie asks Bells Hells about Exandria. He is given a pastry, as well as a pencil and a wooden sword from A Taste of Tal’Dorei. His cytaa, Chu, expresses her distrust in the party, but they assure her that they will not hurt Barthie. Chu also believes that Exandria is a disk, endearing her to FCG. The bormodos have free reign of the open plains, but must be escorted throughout Kreviris. Imperial guards are constantly keeping watch. The city is a few days’ travel and Barthie recommends they keep to the approved imperial lanes; otherwise they’re in bane worm territory.

If Bells Hells intend to go to Kreviris, Barthie has a friend they could talk to. The Imperium has been demanding double supplies in preparation for an event to come. They sent Willmaster Edmuda, a cruel high-ranking enforcer for the disciplinary division known as The Will, to pressure Razora. She is a Reiloran with a terrifyingly penetrative mind and is aiming to snuff out friends of the Volition, a resistance group against the Imperium based near Kreviris.

Barthie’s friend is Zhesh, a Volition glass-shaper who may be on a soon to be arriving caravan. These traders are coming from the Bloody Bridge and heading to Kreviris, so Bells Hells might be able to hitch a ride. They ask about the flares – they consider them a beat of the heart of Predathos. The land will light with a red hue and a euphoric, unified dream washes over them all. Loneliness is cast away and everyone feels connected. They have seen the symbols of the Exandrian gods and find the myths of their miracles quaint and beautiful.

WILLMASTER

The group has four more hours of mist form, so they are hesitant to sleep here. Barthie tells them that Dreamers are typically escorted by a Reiloran. As they discuss Imogen summoning a Reiloran or Fearne disguising herself, Orym notices a commotion in the distance through the window. Dono leaves, discovering that the caravan has arrived. Imogen casts sending to Zhesh, asking if they can speak with her, but Zhesh refuses to give anything up.

Before Bells Hells can leave, there is a knock on the door – Willmaster Edmuda has arrived. The party tries to hide and Imogen attempts to turn into mist, but the Willmaster sees them. FCG casts fast friends, but the Willmaster saves. As other Ruby Vanguard members enter and two Reiloran Shrikes arrive, Laudna tosses a fireball, sending the Vanguard running and causing a teenager to unlock their Exaltant powers due to stress.

The Willmaster uses a terrifying ability called meat shield, which allows her to force civilians to take hits for her. The Reiloran Shrikes have an ability called mind blur that allows them to vanish from the sight of an enemy. Ashton knocks out the Willmaster, releasing the townspeople from her hold. During the fight, the wuukor livestock are agitated into a stampede. Bells Hells manage to kill the Reiloran enemies and knock out two more Ruby Vanguard members. They begin to clean up the bodies from the street.

That is it for Episode 84 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Why does Predathos share the dreams of the Dreamers (Exandrians) with the Ruidians? What purpose does it serve to have them dreaming?
• Orym can cast hex now. Did he get that from his bargain with Nana Morri?
• So much information about how life works on Ruidus! I want to know EVERYTHING about this moon that has tantalized us for years!!

Catch Episode 85 on Thursday, February 15th at 7pm Pacific on twitch.tv/criticalrole and on youtube.com/criticalrole or a week later on our podcast. Is it Thursday yet?