HYPE: SEA What Lies Beneath in New Series: Thresher!
Written by Gary on April 9, 2025
WHAT IS THRESHER & WHAT THE HELL IS BENEATH THE TIDE?
Thresher is a unique world created by Matt Linton and Jacqueline Emerson and homebrewed for gameplay by Jasper William Cartwright, based on Candela Obscura, an Illuminated Worlds game from Darrington Press.
Grab your gear, snacks, and dramamine to adventure below the surface watching the Thresher crew take on and discover the unknown that lies along the seabed.
Game master Jasper William Cartwright leads a motley crew of troubled individuals deep in the abyss where hidden horrors and ancient creatures lurk. The crew’s mission is to explore the long-abandoned Rán Boer Station, a geothermal energy facility resting in the ocean’s unforgiving depths—silent, decayed, and waiting. Will players Jacqueline Emerson, Abubakar Salim, Mark “Sherlock” Hulmes (aka Mara), Jane Douglas, and Noshir Dalal come together or will their characters die alone on board the deep-sea submarine, the S.S. Thresher?
But, as pressure mounts both literally and figuratively, the crew must battle the claustrophobia of a metal tube, the terror of lurking behemoths, and the increasing paranoia of mutinous cabin-mates.
This 2-episode series offers excitement for Critters, Darrlings, and Beacon Bits alike BUT you don’t have to have been a long-time fan of any of our games and content to dive head first into this series. There is a ton of jaw-dropping action and enticement for all those who enjoy gameplay brimming with hair-raising thrills, deep sea adventure, character challenges, and so much more!
Watch in pure suspense as Emily Wodsworth, Daemon Adams, Beatrice “Betty” Callahan, Valerie “Val” Sutton, and Hercules De Baudin venture into the mysterious facility of the Rán Beor.
THRESHER: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!
You can watch Thresher on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube! Episode 1 premieres on Thursday, April 24 at 7pm Pacific with the second and final episode streaming on Thursday, May 1. The YouTube VOD will be available the following Monday after the episode’s initial broadcast and the podcast version will be available on your favorite podcast streaming service in two parts the week after broadcast: part 1 on Thursday, part 2 on Monday.
WHO MAKES UP THE S.S. THRESHER CREW?
WHOA! The sharks will be running to hide beneath coral when they see the stellar cast aboard this vessel!
Character: Our harrowing Game Master!
Jasper William Cartwright is an actor and producer across multiple mediums including TV, Film, Podcast & Video Games. He is starring in leading roles in multiple upcoming animated features and TV series, while featuring in video games like, playing the role of Prince Sven in Dragons Dogma 2, Errol War Groove 2 & others to be released. Since founding and hosting the award-winning 3 Black Halflings podcast, Jasper has established himself as a key figure in the TTRPG scene and has subsequently guested on countless Actual Play shows including performing as Thorn Vale on Dimension 20 & taking over as the GM of the Rotating Heroes Podcast with Zack Oyama.
Character: Emily Wodsworth
Jacqueline Emerson is an actor, singer, and writer, who can be seen in various film and television projects for NBC/Universal, Fox, Disney, and CBS, in addition to her most-known role as “Foxface” in THE HUNGER GAMES. Upcoming appearances include Hulu’s GOOD AMERICAN FAMILY, as well as Paramount’s WINTER SPRING SUMMER OR FALL. As a voiceover actress, she has lent her voice to projects for Dreamworks, Disney, Netflix and Bethesda, as well as commercials for Wells Fargo, Clorox, Legoland, and Queens of the Stone Age. Her fantasy obsession led to her co-creating “Thresher” with her writing partner Matt Linton, and she is thrilled to see it come to life with the incredible team at Critical Role / 12-Sided Studios.
Character: Daemon Adams
BAFTA nominated actor Abubakar Salim is an actor, producer and video game Creator. Recently, stepping into the role of Alyn of Hull in the highly anticipated second season of House of the Dragon currently streaming on Max. Salim recently starred as ‘Father’ in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi drama series Raised By Wolves for HBO Max. He also appeared in Scott’s Napoleon, starring Joaquin Phoenix. In 2019, Salim formed Surgent Studios and secured a major deal with Electronic Arts and its EA Originals Label. As CEO and creative director, Salim set out to create content stemming from human truth. This April, he and his team, along with Electronic Arts, released their first game, Tales of Kenzera: ZAU. Salim has produced many award winning projects over the past several years through Surgent Studios, including Wild Goat Surf and the short films Essex Girls, Things I Never Told My Father and The Whale. Born to Kenyan parents in Hertfordshire, Salim began his career at NYT (National Youth Theatre of Great Britain) before furthering his craft as an actor at the prestigious drama school LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts), where he was awarded a Genesis Foundation scholarship to train. On British television, he starred in the period drama Jamestown as well as a recurring role in the Sam Mendes produced BBC/Amazon series Informer. He also played a leading role in the mini-series Fortitude for Sky opposite Dennis Quaid. His other credits include Black Mirror, the Netflix/Canal Plus drama series Spotless, and Jonah in the BBC adaptation of The Cuckoo’s Calling. He is a jury member for BAFTA Games, Film and Television, and he is part of the Advisory Council for the Genesis Kickstarted Fund, designed to enable outstanding freelance artists to stay on their career paths and explore new possibilities in a world radically altered by COVID-19.
Mark “Sherlock” Hulmes, aka Mara
Character: Beatrice “Betty” Callahan
Mark “Sherlock” Hulmes, aka Mara, is a professional Dungeon Master, Twitch streamer, and D&D writer best known as the DM for the UK TTRPG show High Rollers and the Baldurs Gate Cast play D&D one-shot. Friend of CR, they have made several appearances on Critical Role before, as the guest character Calianna in Campaign 2, GM for the My Little Pony One-Shot, and even as a nefarious international meddler in the D&D Beyond Presidential Campaign. They have also been a prominent figure in other TTRPG shows and events, such as Nights of Eveningstar, Idle Champions, DND Live and many more. They are also the writer and designer for the Price of Beauty adventure in Candlekeep Mysteries and the Amethyst Knife villain party in MCDM’s Flee Mortals!
Outside of TTRPGs, Mark/Mara is a passionate LARPer and enjoys painting miniatures.
Character: Valerie “Val” Sutton
A presenter and content creator with over a decade of experience in the games industry, Jane is best known as co-founder of gaming YouTube channel Outside Xbox and a member of Oxventure, one of the UK’s most popular TTRPG actual play groups.
Character: Hercules De Baudin
Noshir Dalal’s acting career began in New York City theatre, before moving to LA to work in TV and film, and eventually discovering a career in video games and animation.
A kinetic storyteller, some of his fan favorite roles include: Charles Smith in Red Dead Redemption 2, Kotallo in Horizon Forbidden West, Yone in League of Legends, Mysterio in Spider-Man 2, and the English voice of the titular Sekiro. He’s also enjoyed his fair share of hate, portraying: Vice Admiral Rampart in Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Bode Akuna in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, FU in No More Heroes 3, Adrian Graye Vernworth in The Owl House, and Garkahl the sadistic Moclan Interrogator for The Orville’s critically acclaimed episode, Midnight Blue.
More recently, Noshir has been honored to sit at the table with the amazing folks at Critical Role, hunting living nightmares as Prof. Rajan Savarimuthu in Candela Obscura’s third campaign – The Circle of Tide and Bone, and fighting alongside the Gods of Exandria as The Emissary in Downfall. He is grateful for the chance to once again join a table and tell stories alongside friends, old and new!
