Critical Recap: Exandria Unlimited E6 “The Gift Among the Green”

Written by on August 4, 2021

Hello! Welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, the Critical Role Lore Keeper, here with recaps for Exandria Unlimited! Let’s dive into our recap of ExU Episode 6 The Gift Among the Green!

THE LOST CITY

Having passed the Wildmother’s trial, the party finds the next four days of travel through the jungle surprisingly clear. Dorian and Fy’ra Rai clear the air between them, with him telling her that he’s glad she’s here. Opal brings up the purple lady that Ted saw, revealing that Ted is sharing her body. They wonder if this purple lady is connected to Myr’atta Niselor, the elven woman in purple robes that Opal butted heads with in the Verdant Expanse. The Gift informs Fy’ra Rai that someone’s eyes are upon Opal right now, watching her.

At the edge of a cliff, they see a citadel in the distance – this is Niirdal-Poc, their destination. This is not a ruin, but a fully functioning city. It was supposedly lost centuries ago, before even the Calamity, but here it sits. Half the party dives off the cliff’s edge and into the water, while Dorian and Fy’ra Rai make their way down on foot. They arrive at the gates and are welcomed in, but Fy’ra Rai warns them to show respect to the leaders, the tetrarchs. No snarkiness.

The city is massive, with upwards of 15,000 people of all different types of ancestries. Fy’ra Rai takes them to a friend of hers, an earth genasi named Elam Genar, to rest and eat before seeing the tetrarchs. Elam’s dog, Googal, playfully steals the circlet for a short game of chase before Dorian wrests it from him. Fy’ra Rai explains that Niirdal-Poc was the heart of Qoniira, a civilization of five cities. It disappeared long ago but remained hidden, opening up only to those it wishes. When she lost her sister, Fy’ra Rai found Niirdal-Poc and was welcomed here.

GETTING PERSONAL

Taking a moment alone together to cook, Elam updates Fy’ra Rai on the state of things – Ruidus, the second (and supposedly cursed) moon is shining and its presence is a bad omen. One of the tetrarchs has gone south to the Beynsfal Plateau to investigate something to do with the Betrayer Gods. The two return to the others with food and the group shows Elam the rune from the ash hole. The rune’s translation is partly in the way it is drawn: its visual appearance evokes a gate and its rough translation amounts to a ‘place of burning’.

The group properly introduces themselves to her. Elam comments on Dorian’s stage name and asks for his real name. With urging from the group and promises that they’ll all share something about themselves, he reveals that his real name is Bronte and that his mother calls him Bron. He asks for dark and dirty secrets from the rest of them now.

Fy’ra Rai tells a story of her and her sister Fy’ra Kai – her sister fell while climbing out of bounds and Fy’ra Rai told their parents that she was the one climbing, taking the punishment but also the credit. Fy’ra Kai never forgave her for that and refused to allow her to protect her again – leading to her death. Orym informs everyone that while he has no last name, his father’s last name is Tarrintel. He also may have checked out Dariax’s butt while they were swimming. Fearne tells Elam about Mister and that her parents left home fifty years ago. The group is astonished at Fearne’s age of 112.

Dariax admits that he never actually dated Tharla Starr but was only a fan of her work. Opal tells them all that Ted’s actual name is Theodora and her actual name is Georgina. When her mother left, she had her father change it. She’s clearly frustrated by having never done anything without Ted – not even leaving Byroden, because Ted followed her.

POTENTIAL

Elam reveals that it was Tetrarch Umejii who left, which panics Fy’ra Rai – Umejii was who she was bringing the group to see and it’s clear that the two are close. Fy’ra Rai will have to see a different tetrarch. As the group heads out, they come upon an enormous statue of a cat-like humanoid, with feline features and four wings sprouting from their back. This is the Observer. As Dariax stares up at her, his compass begins to glow. The statue speaks to him, revealing that Dariax carries the Observer’s favor. The young dwarf is confused, but he’s happy to meet her.

The group continues to a building with a garden – within is an elephantine person bedecked in symbols of the moons. This is Tetrarch Thrascuur. They welcome Fy’ra Rai and comfort her when she becomes distressed about the danger that Umejii is in. If Umejii needed her, then the Gift would have taken Fy’ra Rai there. But it brought her to these people and she brought them to the Tetrarch.

They go to the roof with Tetrarch Thrascuur, who shows them the stars. Opal uses a mirror to investigate her reflection and sees the visage of her mother, Paloma, looking back at her. The group tells Thrascuur about the rune and the mesa and Gilmore’s request. Thrascuur explains that this rune is a marker that appears in areas of potential energy. Magic is simply raw power, to become whatever it needs to be once a decision is made. The rune denotes something that is deciding what it will become, that it is not too late to change its path.

ANSWERS SOUGHT AND GIVEN

As Thrascuur continues to explain power and choice, Opal calls bullshit. She has no magic of her own and believes that the Tetrarch is speaking from a place of magical privilege. She believes they’re all just at the mercy of those with natural power and have no control of their own. Thrascurr helps Opal realize that her life is under her own control. She walks her own path because she chooses to. Ted walks alongside her because Ted chooses to. Out of love.

Tetrarch Thrascuur tells them they must decide who they will become. Power is neither good nor evil – it is simply power. Dorian speaks up, asking why they don’t go after Umejii and help her, since they are supposedly meant for great things. Opal wants to know what good the translated rune is, since it’s redundant. Thrascuur explains that it is the shape of the thing that holds power and can be used to manipulate the rune. This is the information Gilmore needs.

Fy’ra Rai is upset, confused as to what her path is. Thrascuur asks her what she wants most – to see her family again. In answering this question, she receives a vision of her sister Fy’ra Kai, alive and looking for her. But her sister is far west, away from the group, and this realization makes her hesitate. Thrascuur assures Fy’ra Rai that she has fulfilled her duty of protecting the party. She reveals that someone is watching Opal, likely Myr’atta. Thrascuur casts a spell, making it so that Opal and Ted cannot be scried upon.

For Orym, Thrascuur gives a seed that came to them on the wind. A coincidence they can’t explain, but they know this seed is for Orym, who pockets it with the instruction to make it grow. The group is welcome to assist Umejii, though it is not required. Thrascuur requests that they remember Niirdal-Poc as they travel and the group leaves them to gaze at the stars. Fy’ra Rai turns back, just for a moment. There is a member of the party she fears is being drawn down a dark path – Thrascuur confirms she is right to fear, for that member is losing themselves.

CHAOS IN THE STREETS

The group leaves the building, discussing what to do next – return to Emon or seek out Umejii. As they discuss, Opal feels something hit her neck – a purple dart. She informs the others before she loses consciousness. An invisible someone grabs Opal and runs from the party, resulting in a chase sequence. Fearne changes into a direwolf, locking onto the smell of Opal’s perfume, and Fy’ra Rai jumps on Wolf!Fearne’s back to keep up with the chase.

To add to the chaos, an unseen mage casts animate objects, bringing to life two massive statues of three-headed panther beasts. Opal fights off her unconscious state, assisted by Ted. Dariax transforms himself into a copy of Opal, while Dorian and Orym focus on the statues. Opal casts misty step to join Fy’ra Rai on Wolf!Fearne’s back, and all three continue their chase after the invisible kidnapper.

Wolf!Fearne mauls the kidnapper, killing him. Fy’ra Rai goes back to the statues to help out the boys while a traumatized Opal tries to talk to the dead kidnapper. Enraged, she stabs his chest repeatedly and steals the ring that made him invisible. With his head in her hands, she returns to Wolf!Fearne’s back and the two join their friends in the fray. Orym slays the first statue and Wolf!Fearne slays the second. As the enraged Opal tries to locate the invisible caster, they all hear Myr’atta Niselor say “I will take away everything you hold dear. You don’t deserve it” before casting dimension door.

PULLED AWAY

Orym calms the adrenaline filled Opal down and Ted collapses within her, finally safe from the fighting. As everyone rests, Fy’ra Rai begins saying her goodbyes. They have proven themselves worthy and she must go find her sister. She speaks to Dorian, talking of the past they both remember. He made a terrible choice once, but it is never worth it to be alone. She cannot protect him again and she pleads with him to stay in the light. He tells her that he would do anything for his friends. He will keep them safe.

As Fy’ra Rai leaves, she knows in her heart that she will see them all again. Their time together isn’t over and one day, their paths will cross again for a greater purpose. But for now, she returns to the jungles to find her once thought lost sister.

STINGER

Ted is in her liminal space between spaces…but there are footfalls behind her. A woman in purple smiles at her. This woman has been looking for her for so long, and now she is close. Myr’atta will burn the world down to have her. Ted screams.

That is it for Episode 6 of Exandria Unlimited!

FINAL THOUGHTS

  • What a rollercoaster of an episode! Loved all the insight from the ‘dark and dirty secrets’.
  • I demand that Googal join the party full time.
  • Fy’ra Kai is alive! That’s such a wonderful thing. Fy’ra Rai was amazing and Anjali will be missed!
  • What! Is! Going! On! With! Ted!!!

Anyway, catch Episode 7 on Thursday, August 5th at 7pm Pacific on twitch.tv/criticalrole and on youtube.com/criticalrole or a week later on our podcast. Is it Thursday, yet?



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