Oh My Gods | 4-Sided Dive | Episode 26: Discussing Up To C3101

[@TheWindwall]

(In a parallel universe) Ashley: "It's C Block Time!" Brennan: "Oh, what's that?" Sam Reich [enters]: "It's Tiiiiiimmmmeee for a Gaaaamee Changer!" Brennan: "Nooooooooooooo!"

[@gamergeek322]

That's right. I've been here the whole time.

[@bryanmize8558]

I think my brain would have explode out of pure joy

[@rinnyandlenny]

I was waiting for a get in the comments line

[@danmcnamara4640]

plot twist: its dropout america sam

[@angrygnome44]

it would have been an amazing twist.

[@Tobius211x]

I do love how as soon as the tower of inquiry started. The "Game Changer/Um Actually" switch got flipped in Brennan's brain and he decided that he must win it

[@ThatsPrettyFunnyMan]

Sam Reich have forever scarred him by introducing the concept of rigged games that Brennan can never win in.

[@oneringliveca]

I love how when that switch got flipped you can see him looking for Sam Reich toreveal that he had been here the whole time.

[@shawnmayo8210]

And here you are getting in the comments! Brennan would be proud!

[@DulishusWaffle]

hah, yeah there's a visual change in demeanor

[@theeviljames]

When the rules change a little, I bet he's having flashbacks to Game Changer S02E06, "Yes or No" :)

[@uselessmitten7836]

Dawnfather's internal dialogue: "Send the optimist to do the potentially deadly mission. He will either be right or he will be dead, either way works for me."

[@PrettyGuardian]

That seems very specifically the way that a divine being would approach it. It has a certain omniscience to the bigger picture and detachment from the outcome that a mortal rarely has the luxury of having.

[@lockedheartnokey89]

Knowing Brennan and Laura are competitive, I think a Brennan & Izzy vs. Laura & Travis game night would be hysterical!

[@Liv-bf3wk]

I could get behind this. 🤣

[@ThatLexPlays]

um actually s10 when

[@spoonlolol2]

Game changer couples episode

[@fishbananas]

Add Matt & Marisha, and Emily Axford & Brian Murphy, and THEN we're cooking with gas.

[@babserella2778]

OMG THIS NEEDS TO HAPPEN

[@TheAshyNY]

"that b*** that destroyed Vex's family" I DIED

[@redrichmond8485]

So did Vex and Vax.

[@TheAshyNY]

@@redrichmond8485 💀💀

[@Batini]

Funny, I hadn't noticed Laura was playing with Percy. 😶‍🌫

[@NWolfsson]

1:53:15 Nick is a great player, and at first I thought he was a creatively unbound new player... THEN the God's Hammer fight happened and I realized "Oh no, he's that good because he's on the other side of the experience spectrum."

[@Neosun8]

Adding to the phrases that will forever live in my brain now: My mother was a dragon, my father was a reporter.

[@margaridabaptista3712]

Real "his mother was italian, his father was a license plate" energy 🤣

[@resonantwisdom]

And my grandma was a bicycle

[@Shunnimi]

Also I like how in Downfall gods keep repeating to nps "you won't comprehend this, mortal" when in reality all their situation is very much comprehendable, but it's more like "you won't like this, mortal"

[@Morcarag]

There was one element that they touched on, but didn’t emphasize nearly as much as they should have. The implication of the whole setup is this: There are things out there (Predathos) that can unmake reality. Even all the gods working together are not necessarily powerful enough to stop these things, but for there to be any shot as many of the gods as possible are needed. The gods know it’s only a matter of time before an entity of that power comes upon Exandria. So to keep Exandria safe they need ALL the gods available. If the mortals kill any of the gods then they may be dooming everything. So weighed against non-existence for all things forever, any temporary damage is justifiable (and mathematically trivial). The mortals did not understand that things like Pedathos existed and why the gods, as evil as some may be, are necessary to keep around. The mortals have not experienced this first hand and arguably cannot comprehend something that unmakes reality.

[@Miner49er201]

@@Morcarag This campaign has made the lore go from the Odyssey to the Neverending Story.

[@endorsedbryce]

Great, "you don't understand" is a cover for "we Don't want to admit the reality of the situation" They are lying to themselves as much as anyone else about their own motivation.

[@miafiolekova5817]

@@Morcarag This argument that you need all the gods you can to protect Exandria, falls apart when you realize mortals have the potential to become gods themselves as the Matron has shown. But the OG gods didnt like that. So if they really need more gods to protect Exandria they could guide some mortals to become gods. But the Gods do not like to share power.

[@Morcarag]

@@miafiolekova5817 I like that! Definitely an argument the mortals should be making and exploring. I wonder if mortals can become new gods, or if the Rites of Ascension always replace an existing one. If they can just make new gods without replacing existing ones, then yeah the more the merrier! If the have to replace one, then I can see why the gods would be more hesitant and it wouldn't really change the available power to fight Predathos.

[@cole9799]

Nick was so calculated in what he said (so much thought behind each sentence) "I will say" or "Aiden will say" to start almost all the interactions. He was so laser focused on staying true to his backstory

[@ArchReverend]

Only downside to him picking his words so carefully was it meant he spoke so slowly with many pauses, but worth it in the end.

[@cole9799]

@@ArchReverend I agree, it was a little annoying at first

[@Anzy.99]

the reason why the 3rd episode is 6 hours long

[@cole9799]

@@Anzy.99 partially.

[@Fenglang1]

​@@ArchReverendyeah he was positivly shatnering 😂

[@Migolcow]

What about Slitch? Did the matron take him to work in the afterlife? Did he get banished back to the hells? Is he still trapped in that artifact somewhere in aeor, constantly muttering about how he did his best and the matron still betrayed him?

[@amymurata]

That was literally the only unanswered question I needed to be addressed haha

[@JamesBuggemo]

Gonna be a character in Campaign 4

[@Garuwashii]

this guy running to spoil a 3 hour video that came out 20 mins ago

[@Migolcow]

@@Garuwashii Saw it last night live but was too tired to think about it. Thought just came to me today "Wait what about slitch?!"

[@mac_sour]

@@Garuwashii literally not even a spoiler... stop being a sourpuss

[@Hyperdragon97]

Brennan really went "Y'all are really comin' for ME with a game of consequences? Buddy, I'm a veteran of *Game Changer* , I deal with Samuel Dalton Reich on a daily basis!"

[@bcoussens13]

I love so much that Dani has her desk now and is not just awkwardly hanging out on the side, having to step back into screen when they need her. It's more appropriate for how important she's been in filling out the lore for these discussions

[@Dimloep]

The return of the Dani Cam ™️

[@blakebarion]

There is a saying that I heard that definitely makes sense about the human point of view of Cassida. "People lose faith because heaven shows them to little, how many people lost faith because heaven has shown them to much"

[@ESPHMacD]

They do say to never meet your heroes. To understand that they are so big to you and you are smaller than a speck of sand to them is damaging.

[@snorpenbass4196]

IIRC it's from The Prophecy - highly underrated little cult thriller about angels. With Viggo Mortensen, Christopher Walken, Virginia Madsen, Elias Koteas, Eric Stoltz.

[@AlyxGlide]

perfect

[@22ukiuki]

The Bolo moment is the most important part of this episode

[@LordDonnington725]

Ashley: "Nick is so knowledgeable when it comes to D&D its amazing" Brennan: "Yes, but also fuck that guy"

[@meggyrichard]

"I don't like leading or following" is the most relatable thing ever said!!!

[@OctopusOwl]

Ashley really is all of us.

[@PrettyGuardian]

Some of us are just happy to be there lol

[@Amorcea]

The fact that all the players are playing Gods while the GM plays everyone else is kind of brilliant in the way it mirrors how the Gods see themselves compared to humanity- from Asmodeus's perspective, the Schism was his fellow players choosing some lame NPC's over him. Not that he was right, of course- mortals are just as real as the Gods, even if they don't live as long- but there's ludonarrative consonance in why Ashley chose to go with the other players and why Everlight chose to go help her "eternal family" over her NPC family.

[@emmakane6848]

This is such a good point! Asmodeus was very clear that he didn’t feel as deeply for mortals as he did for his siblings/family. Primarily because he sees them as being more real and important than mortals.

[@ESPHMacD]

It reminds me too of during Calamity when Cerrit knew that Loquatius was being secretive and sneaky and chose not to push it because of their close ties. The things we do for those we call family.

[@ArchReverend]

This is the overarching element of tribalism. People tend to choose their tribe over another and i think this is what Ludinus is trying to show Bells Hells. That when the gods are stuck with the choice of "save the mortals or save themselves" They will always choose themselves, Exandria be damned and its only a matter of time before the world is thrown into another calamity because of them. The key difference between mortals and the gods is mortal parents will shield their child from a rain of arrows with their own body, where the gods would shield each other while the arrows of their own war rain down on mortal kind. They may call mortals their children but really mortals are their constructs, their toys, their flesh robots, they can always make more or start over, mortals cant. What i think is going to happen if Predathos gets unleashed though is its gonna turn on Exandria first and devour mortals and the gods are going to have to make a choice. Either they sacrifice themselves to save mortals, or they hop on their ship of light and sail away to a new world to save themselves again. Considering their track record, its not looking good for mortals.

[@SzarakZornig]

@@ArchReverend wow.

[@miafiolekova5817]

@@ArchReverend I really do hope Ludinus lets him out. I really want to see it.

[@jamesmaclennan4525]

Final Fight went from Round 1 "F*ck we are getting our butts kicked" to Round 2 "Cower before me puny Mortals"

[@trajanthegreat2928]

Round 3: "Oh we are too strong"

[@SnekkySnek]

meteor swarm >:)

[@danijay6410]

Round 1 was more like sucker punch, that the gods weren’t expecting And round 2 was like you have our full attention now

[@kagemarunl]

SILAHA would like to take their turn now. Prepare to repent, fuckers. :D

[@ArchReverend]

It was a great way of showing how the elation of ultimate power is so short lived and quickly overshadowed by boredom and indifference.

[@Odin_All-Father]

The Everlight: "We can do this with the least amount of blood shed possible." Meanwhile outside the Latimus: The Storm Lord and Bahamut are giving her the side eye.

[@Landis963]

And inside the Latimus, the Wildmother and Matron were right there with them.

[@xogirlwonder]

I just wish we could have heard more from Abubakar, Nick and Noshir (I can't afford Beacon, so I didn't get to see them in the Cooldown). I bet they'd have some cool insights. I wish Downfall could have had its own roundtable wrap up like Calamity did.

[@Soullsent]

I wanna hear more from nick and noshir. They were my favourite in downfall and I'd love to hear more from them about this

[@danlaw1991]

So much insight and also teasing of stuff that didn’t play out during downfall. To have been a fly on the wall whilst the cast were creating their characters. Love the whole Purvan & Emhira dynamic be discussed. Hearing them talk about Abu, Nick & Noshir’s incredible performances is simply the greatest. The mutual admiration & respect that players who come to the CR table have for each other is such a joy to witness.

[@flopilop4596]

I like that Brennan gets to flex his RP muscles on CR, I feel like a lot of the Dropout shows are very lighthearted at heart but man THIS, when brennas gets to the wheen on CR its BRUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTAL

[@suntiger745]

He also did a great job as a human priest who is part of the Society of Leopold, who knows about vampires, on LA by Night. :)

[@jamespryor5967]

Lighthearted? Crown of Candy? Neverafter?

[@flopilop4596]

@@jamespryor5967 I am not saying they dont do it it just feels different on dropount and CR hes is very skilled either way.

[@flopilop4596]

@@jamespryor5967 and I mean crown or candy, it’s sure more serious but less than CR it’s still candy GOT. Never after was amazing

[@endorsedbryce]

@@suntiger745 Man I loved his portrayal on LA by night.

[@awkwardaquamarine19]

I love how ridiculously smart Critters are that they easily figured out Bolo was the silver dragon. My favorite part of Downfall was how the Gods all get aspects of their divine powers back one by one as each ward gets destroyed. That was a stroke of genius. But all I really want to know now is what's the significance of the Arch Heart pulling a strand of his hair and the Dawnfather's tears falling into the sea.

[@mentalrebllion1270]

Same!!!

[@nateous]

Not sure about the archheart, but the context I got about Aiden, is like the opposite of Christian mythology. Old testament, God is vengeful and spiteful and ruthless etc. He gives the world Jesus as a sacrifice, new testament God is more compassionate. In this story the dawn child is like Jesus, hopeful optimistic. And like a tear he is shedded/discarded away from the dawn father who forever will be rigid and cold in his divine righteousness.

[@awkwardaquamarine19]

Interesting take, @@nateous. Yes, I got the God-Jesus reference with Dawnfather and Dawnchild. But I just now realized that when Nick Marini said with shedding a tear, the last vestige of Ayden is gone. But my point about the tear is that will it become something else? Like a sea monster, a rare artifact, or something. During the live airing, I thought he said Ayden (close captions not available yet) shed a tear into a "seed" so I thought that seed became the Sun Tree or a similar manifestation. Then I rewatched the episode and he definitely said a tear fell into the "sea."

[@thetank5115]

My thought about the tear, isn’t there a river of lava that flows through that area that has never been stated where it came from.

[@awkwardaquamarine19]

Exactly. Thank you,​@@thetank5115. I mean, they are gods and have enormous, near limitless powers so that tear must have some impact on the land/area. I like your idea of there being a portal to some realm. Also, Matt and Brennan are known to be detail-oriented so if one of the players add in a narrative, even in passing, they would have made that canon. For example, Matt making it part of the Vox Machina story that Percy lost an arm because Sam nonchalantly said it during the "Search for Grog" one-shot.

[@peterptchronic9696]

When Brennan was going off about how kerplunk was rigged, I was begging someone to say, "You have a problem with games being rigged? Huh, I can't imagine why. Hey, do you wanna answer a whole bunch of questions about birds now?"

[@LuckyDragon289]

Roseate. Spoonbill.

[@DParkerNunya]

​@@LuckyDragon289 That's a chicken.

[@celesteelka]

The best part of this is Laura and Brennan planning a play date for their kids where they can eat edible play doh like they're in Hook 😍

[@xubilubilubs]

I kept rewatching when Asmodeus was burning while they were at the boat and Everlight hugs him the whole way, and after seeing Brennan's interactions with Ashley...gold

[@zenith110]

I would love to see Brennan's mood board and/or other character development process. We know as DMs for home games it doesn't need to be super complex, but I love to think about these things. I would be grateful for these types of insights!

[@Nathan_Talisien]

Same here! I never thought of using a mood board... Which is extra silly on my part; the first thing I do when I start planning for a session is pick a song for each key point I want to hit that game, something that has the vibe I'm shooting for and can use as a touchstone if I hit a mental block.

[@Trekkierthanthou]

You are in luck~ Brennan hosts "Adventuring Academy" on Dropout, a show about world building, character development, etc. wherein he discusses process with guests. Presently in its 5th season.

[@zenith110]

@@Trekkierthanthou I have watched that in the past and they were usually very informative! I just wish they were more frequent

[@sabriam]

I could do with a mini-sode of "Happy Fun Time with Father Milo"

[@Amorcea]

I'm picturing something like the demented storybooks from Monster where every mini-sode ends with a horrifically wrong moral like "you can't trust anyone" and "if you're suffering it's because you deserve it".

[@Maessiah_____]

Somewhere out there, in the town formerly known as Hawks Hill, we have two divine half-firbolg demigods in need of a follow up story

[@ChadTheThirdUK]

"Maybe it's good that Molly died...." SAVAGE!

[@Migolcow]

I mean Jester being the only healer all campaign was a TPK in the making...

[@Ripcookiethief]

Molly was a boring character imo.

[@manossteele1335]

​@Ripcookiethief I completely agree.

[@mistermustachiogmc1256]

​@Ripcookiethief "The guy who was around for only 20 episodes before he fucking died was boring" is an interesting take.

[@Kaosbunny000]

@@Migolcowonly the first 20 something episodes

[@ArcaneTwister]

«My mother was a dragon my father was a reporter» chief kiss

[@xjakanton2576]

It's interesting to me that, even though you have Primes and Betrayers, the most likely god to betray the other gods is the Everlight of all people. Kinda makes you think.

[@Sirfinchyyy]

Laura did an awesome job portraying The Matron of Ravens. It may not have been subtle, but that is appropriate when you consider the character she was showing. The Matron is not really evil or good, but unavoidable and final in the end.

[@jetvulcan2020]

man the ideas the gods had. raven queen "I have done the mortal thing alredy playing easy mode this time giving myself a pact of warlock power" wildmother "going to be a hungry predator I know why we are here." everlight "I am going to live a real life and have a family... oh no" dawn father "going to let the body live a life but follower the everlight to keep her on the right path as well. arch hert "I am going to have fun and have our creation build me with the gifts we gave them. lawbearer I am sending someone else cause I know what has to be done

[@hieunguyenminh5738]

the fact that the lawbearer is THE god that already made up her mind is so cool to me, of course she did.

[@gorgonheap9770]

At 1:34:00 Ashley says the Everlight's choice to meet one of her other characters would be to give comfort to Yasha... maybe she *did*. Yasha's from a celestial bloodline after all. Having already brought up her children I'm surprised nobody made the connection.

[@chloegaribaldi]

I thought Caleb would have been a perfect fit for the everlight: an everlasting flame of compassion and redemption...

[@skalskabar2]

I figured she was from The stormlords lineage but yeah i could see it make sense

[@strifenineteen]

@@skalskabar2 based on the storm that rages in her head id say she is part of The Stormlord bloodline if not a direct result

[@TheGIJew.]

It is interesting the contrast there. The Everlight would have tried to heal and comfort her. Kord gave her a path to work towards helping herself. Yasha had to fight for and earn his help, which maybe ended up more rewarding for her than if it was just given to her.

[@strifenineteen]

@TheGIJew. considering the self imposed beating she took in the tournament after she was freed from Oban I'd say she would hate to be given an easy path

[@wilderwisdom]

noshir's iron giant-esque dialog was absolutely my favorite part of the whole downfall cycle

[@katieflaggirl8518]

When he went to take the brunt of the blast I was waiting for home to say: Appleeeeessss (“Superman” 😢 style)

[@uselessmitten7836]

Everlight just played Sims for 30 years. We get it.

[@manossteele1335]

This whole mini-series really made me want to set up a primal d&d campaign. Set at a time when the gods are truly walking the planet, making and destroying at a whim. Imagine being a person living at that time just trying to survive. I think that would be a blast.

[@Brion57042]

Brennan - Okay, pick three gods you want to portray. Ashley - Everlight. ... and... Ashley - :D Everlight. :D ... and... Brennan - Don't you F'ing say it. Ashley - :D EVERLIGHT :D

[@methylphenidate1270]

Brennan experiencing "Laura Bailey Privilege" for the first time and getting into his defense mode of "this is some Game Changer/Umm Actually bullshit" is my favourite moment of this episode.

[@mayodeftinwulf4226]

There is no more flesh tongue. Only the mind throat.

[@ESPHMacD]

36:39 For me, it’s the biggest indication from the name difference. She’s not Mother Earth, she isn’t Te Fiti (the name that popped in my head with Laura’s description), she’s the Wild Mother. Mother Earth can have such inherent matronly, motherly softness, with luscious greens and blossoming bushes so full of life. A lush wild space in its infancy. But the true Wild is unpredictable and does not remain forever unchanged while there are interventions being made upon it. The wild is animalistic, complete freedom, and yet so rigid in its ways. The laws of the wild are unfeeling, and encompass all habitats beyond just the most luscious deep tropical jungle untouched by man. I loved Taliesin’s take on it so much. She is nature, she is wild, she is family, she is our Wildmother.

[@hfar_in_the_sky]

It's also important to remember that while these days we depict "Mother Earth" as this giant, benevolent lady that brings green growing things and bountiful harvests, that's not always been the case across different cultures. Coatlicue from Aztec culture was a ravenous titan that ate people, Asase Ya from Ghana had a sword that cuts down anything in its vicinity until told to stop, and Pele from Hawaii would bury you in molten lava if you insulted her. Mother Nature, as they say, is scary

[@ESPHMacD]

Exactly. Kind sure, but nature is unforgiving and unpredictable. We see Mother Nature or Mother Earth as a protector, but how much do we understand the power and strength it takes to actually protect and the violence that can necessitate.

[@OctopusOwl]

Knowing that there was a period on earth, between dinosaurs and modern day, where for 10,000 real earth years, a spot on earth NEVER STOPPED ERUPTING. Nature is SCARY, and I’m glad Tal got to play with that.

[@Phiro00]

@@ESPHMacD the wildmother is absolutely capable of being that green nature motherly figure though. Dont forget that. She just wasnt during the calamity days because the planet was all fucked up and grey.

[@jkbarber99]

I was very happy to hear Taliesin's thoughts on his Wildmother portrayal, and agree.

[@mookvibe]

Man, I wish there was like an Episode 26.5 where Brennan was the host and Nick, Noshir, and Abu were the others. They absolutely crushed it and I want so much more of them. Downfall was incredible! The final episode is one of the best things I've watched.

[@kayleighstax]

I know this is part of the official lore of the gods that the Everlight tried to redeem the Lord of the Hells. But when that was mentioned in Downfall I couldn't help but think about Zerxus trying to save as many as he could. What an amazing twist it would be if he was the first mortal avatar of the Everlight and just didn't know it at the time. Since their themes interlink so much...

[@Vinsch2510]

with the everlight leaving a bloodline on exandria i keep thinking of Bor'dor. didn´t he and his mother have divine blood that rarely comes forth in their family? The implication that Bor'dor could have been a distant relative to the Everlight and through his trauma CHOOSING to help destroy the Gods makes this Character so much heavier

[@toddalexander5015]

Head cannon approved!

[@kendras8545]

2:37:18 I don't think it's a question that it's a "good thing" Molly died in that fight. M9 would've 100% been TPK'd without Cad.

[@robs.1868]

How overly utilitarian. Molly might not have become a villain who fought his friends if he had lived. Is that not a better ideal?

[@KristenWood317]

Molly and Cad are my favorite characters so...I am going to say this with that thought process in mind. Mollymauk's death became the catalyst for the entire story. The story of M9 is found family and what extent you will go to for them. Molly dying and becoming the bad guy was perfect in that story and felt correct. Cad was the healing balm that saved the broken family that needed him.

[@robs.1868]

⁠@@KristenWood317Both in the campaign and in life one thing holds true. The story happens regardless of what the story is. The lessons we learn are the lessons we were meant to learn. They just didn’t live in the timeline where Molly didn’t have to die and have to be reborn twice. That being said, if there are options it would’ve been nice to choose the least painful. The one with the least lessons to learn.

[@Heavensrun]

Without Cad, Matt would have changed his encounter balance, made potions more readily available, and/or provided magic items for better survivability. D&D does not rest on the shoulders of the players alone.

[@Heavensrun]

The question of the impact or value of a character death should always be story, not game balance. Game balance is the GM's job.

[@pirateking56128]

One detail that I enjoy is that the Lord of the Hells keeps saying how much he hates his siblings, hates his family, and I think there is something greater to that. Because nobody just hates someone out of nowhere. You can't just Hate someone over any tiny little thing. All hate, in all it's forms comes from love. I believe it's possible that the Lord of the Hells, more than any other, loved his family. Only with such love could a person, could a god, be driven to such all consuming hatred. Every time he says "I hate you. I will always hate you", there is a silent implication of "I loved you." That's where the true tragedy of his character is imo.

[@jamespryor5967]

I think he still loves them. A toxic, possessive love.

[@Daniel-ii5mh]

Well we must remember that he is the god of lies, maybe he is lying when he said that he HATED them, and that's why Ayden as the Dawnfather said to The Lord of Hells, "Don't you lie to me!". Maybe what he really saying was that he loved them, he loved them all.

[@AB-xj9tz]

I totally agree!! Took the words out of my mouth.

[@DrStormaggedon]

When Ashley said "I don't like leading or following" I felt that.

[@sydneymckenzie-hougestol5555]

Their conversation about the importance of stories reminds me of the quote by Neil Gaiman: “Fairytales are more than true, not because they tell us that dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten.”

[@jus4000kicks]

I love Brennan bringing up the fact that stories about people trying to do the right thing are far more complex and interesting than stories about people trying to do the wrong thing. It's a common fallacy that people have in thinking that villains are always more interesting. In fiction there are characters that always do the right thing so we get the impression that good characters are boring but in reality it's very difficult to stick to ones morals and be a truly good character. The nature of ethics is more interesting than many people realize imo. A villain who wants to do bad things is generally more simple in their motivations. Much like the mind of a child who never grew up.

[@endorsedbryce]

Well creating a sympathetic villain, can be difficult, someone that thinks they are doing the right thing. Or at least has an extremely relatable reason for being bad. But it is still ultimately wrong. They're doing so in such a way that their ideas actually make sense. (Unlike the thanos example, You're what he wants to achieve just doesn't make any freaking sense)

[@toribiogubert7729]

Ppl like vilains because they do things, while protagonist usually react to things. At least in most média, RPG is way different than books or movies in this aspect, since protagonists (PCs) drive the plot forward.

[@jus4000kicks]

@@toribiogubert7729 I'd have to disagree to that notion. But I see what you are saying. I'm sure I could find many in which the protagonist is doing things.

[@chaosrulerofall]

It's harder to be kind and show empathy then to throw insults and toss people away.

[@condonsutherland1059]

I loved the Arch Heart’s interpretation so much by Abu, I wish he was there to talk about it and give his voice to the group about his thoughts on character creation.

[@pazz]

WAIT- Tal said he named his character Asha to tie it to the Ashari, I didn't connect this before... Were those people that Asha was travelling with (as they arrived in Hawk's Hill) the earliest Ashari people? Did they go on to establish what would become the Ashari we know and love?

[@Churagai]

Ashari come from Gau Drashari, an ancient order of druids that protected Exandria from many threats, internal and external. I think the name Asha coming from Ashari was just Wildmother acknowledging the godless protectors of the nature, just like Keyleth using a staff of Wildmother that is a traditional Ashari leader vestige. They're not necessarily the exact same faction but they're cool with each other because they both value very similar things above all.

[@brightlittlething]

I love that when Brennan was talking, I thought I left the playback speed on like 1.25 or something. He's a treasure

[@davidcurry5240]

Big thanks to Brennan for statting out how deities should work! My players are getting pretty high level and quantifying how terrifying the gods should be is very difficult.

[@AnnaHMariucci]

1:12:00 Brennan was so ready for Sam Reich to appear out of nowhere and start a GameChanger episode 😂

[@matthewgordon3281]

The struggle to do the most good for the most people in a truly messed up situation. And the conflict of different people's definitions of what is the most good.

[@Landis963]

1:59:06 I remember sitting there when _one_ of the powers was revealed: "Oh, we're going full bonkers." And then we saw the other _six._

[@sambrea]

I wish the guest stars had been on as well, that would have been amazing!

[@John-nf9jn]

Brennan quoting Job, Talesin quoting Stephen Fry...all to talk about DnD... i love it

[@RijackiTorment]

In the same sort of earth shattering event as Molly living through that fight, what would have happened if Vex had checked for traps on that tomb.

[@Viraliygurov24]

Don't remember if we know exactly where Ludinus is from / how old, but first thought when Matron teleported Halice away was: "that's kid Ludinus right?"

[@rosalie4509]

What Race were they though? Ludinus is an elf, but were these folks humans?

[@courtneyo.6240]

I was thinking it was Hallas!

[@kaeleastlord]

@Viraliygurov24 according to Ludinus himself, he's around 1000 and has seen the horrors of the calamity. However, we know from the records in Uthodurn that he was from a town in Issylra called Ivaadel prior to going to Moleasmyr and blowing it up. And that he was young when he arrived there. So around 500 biologically. If he extended his life with the fey spirits is still up in the air.

[@mentalrebllion1270]

I don’t think that was Ludinus because the mother, Cassida, was human. We know that much. But, I don’t know what race Selena (spelling?), S.A.L.H.A.’s builder, was. He did save her and push her into a portal at the end there. We don’t know where she was transported to. It’s possible that Ludinus is her descendant but is distant enough to have not been taught the specifics of the weapon but close enough to have known and heard about the downfall of Aeor from her. Let’s also keep in mind that he is from Molaesmyr which spent time in the feywild and had that weird time stuff going on that is typical for that place. We don’t know much of the specifics of any of that. But that’s my theory. I don’t think Ludinus is Halice though. Halice might be Halas however, who was human and we know was around after Aeor fell. But no guarantees there. It’s also HIGHLY possible he is the unnamed hero that is buried in the Grove of Caduceus’s family and the other locations of Clay, Dust, and Stone, as that was a hero from near the end of the Calamity in the lore. Lots of possibilities.

[@groovydude4511]

@@courtneyo.6240 Thats what I thought! I can't believe it was brought up in the episode and it didn't get confirmed.

[@perigraph6644]

"Is this because I wanted something?" reminds me of a comment from The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe: "I always wanted to be someone. I guess I should have been more specific."

[@not2sharpmd]

I would love another round-table type discussion with everyone who was in Downfall. I have so many questions I want to ask. For instance, had Nick watched Calamity? He seemed to react the most when Brennan mentioned that the tree was a gift from the Golden Scythe.

[@emmakane6848]

The fact that the Matron of Ravens said that they would just destroy the speakeasy in Aeor, and rebuild it somewhere else, and then they *didn’t*. (Because mortals didn’t advance to that level of technological prowess again before they left.) Like the Lawbearer and the Planetar said, they don’t even keep their own promises. To themselves or each other, let alone mortals.

[@ArchReverend]

Sucks for the couple that JUST got engaged in that speakeasy "Will you marry me?" "By the might of Aeor YES!" 30 minuets later... CRASHING INTO A FROZEN LAND SMOTE BY THE GODS!

[@Vegas242]

I mean to be fair, she didn't say when they would build it again or that the gods would go there. Eternity is a long time, I'm sure the monkeys on the typewriter will get there some day

[@DeCode343]

The intro to downfall was an exceptional well done piece of storytelling!!! Having the gods go down from beeing every Possibilitie, thought, emotion, light, sound, etc. go to beeing something defined, 'loosing all the other possibilities you could've been (Brennan) becoming something ('I wanted something' Taliesin) was a great start and tge table handled it quite great in what was coming afterward.

[@DaniScaperoth]

I'm now imagining Purvan in that scene from My Big Fat Greek Wedding where Gus is introducing his whole family like "this is Purvan, PurVan, purvany, my brother Purvan, and I... am Purvan"

[@princessblazena]

"Nick, Nick, Nicholas, Nicole, Nicky..." 😂

[@cooperalt7980]

2:42:58 Loquacious + Bolo = Gloamglut confirmed???

[@hansonrowe234]

😂

[@ESPHMacD]

I need Laeryn’s (Aabria’s) take on that double quick 😂

[@TazzleSundress]

Oh my god this is amazing!

[@happyclam1266]

I hope everyone appreciates the gift to the world that is BLM. I don't think I've ever heard anyone popularize complex ideas on the level he does (except maybe Matt and Alan Watts and Carl Sagan and people like that). And Brennan is still so young. What a master communicator. What a great 4 Sided Dive.

[@hanguhbur]

When I started reading your comment I was wondering what the Bureau of Land Management had to do with anything, but then I kept reading and realised what you were talking about.

[@georgej.2481]

Competitive Brennan: 1:11:58, 1:26:01

[@Juice1984]

There is no other kind.

[@senoritoburrito2224]

I just really want CR to know that the quality and accuracy of the closed captions has severely deteriorated over the last few months to a year. SO many blatant mistakes which make no logical sense with what is happening. It was especially disgusting during Downfall, where very few of Abu's lines were transcribed correctly. Those who are hard of hearing or deaf would have NO idea what the hell he was saying most of the time. Its really the opposite of accessibility at this point. I know y'all are spending money on getting CC's done officially, so i think its important for you all to know that the money is not going towards the quality of work you may be expecting.

[@ashboren6845]

yeah it makes me think they started using AI captions. also the last c3 episode and the cooldown both don’t have any captions in beacon, so it makes beacon fully unusable for people like us who rely on captions. pretty disappointing.

[@necromaster998]

Agree 100% here, if they actually are paying for these captions then they are getting fleeced. The auto generated captions frequently do better

[@senoritoburrito2224]

@@necromaster998 yeah, they have been paying for transcriptions and captions for several years now, but in this last while it's really gone downhill. I'm not hard of hearing but I have an auditory processing disorder and rely on captions in order to make sense of what I'm hearing and not keep having to rewind every few minutes. It was severely distracting and took a lot of my attention away from the downfall episodes especially, when the lore was really important and at times hard to follow without captions

[@ForestRaptor]

This!

[@daneroberts1996]

I’ve left similar comments about this, glad to see I’m not the only one noticing. The captions used to be exceptional, with even little jokes sometimes by the writers. Idk what happened but it’s a bit upsetting to see the quality drop so blatantly

[@barilllapasta]

whoever complained about the C block sleep with one eye open

[@phoebica]

THIS!

[@HaveaBiscuitt]

I am so upset, think of all the Travis-in-full-terror-while-playing-VR-FNAF moments we’re never going to get now 😞

[@courtneyo.6240]

I bet it’ll be zombified by Goth Xmas (Halloween)

[@milesbismarck]

c block?

[@courtneyo.6240]

@@milesbismarck it’s the third act in this show, usually aired separately, where the cast plays a board game while attempting to answer more fan questions. They had a memorial for it in the first 3 mins of this episode.

[@TyrannoLime]

SO What I'm hearing is we need Nick Marini and Emily Axford at the same table to fully break Brennan

[@brittanyscott8240]

Talisen calling out Spike and Cordelia! Thanks for the (very accurate) Buffy reference here.

[@shurshette]

Here faster than Bolo could get the drinks

[@GhostWriter520]

I desperately need Critical Role cast members showing up on even more Dropout shows

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

co-signed!

[@reed13k73]

I keep wondering about what potential 'gods' were lost when some of the protos were eliminated as they were absorbed and elminated from existence.

[@ESPHMacD]

2:36:46 In a separate comment….. But with this question my first thought was how much of Everything is changed if Percy doesn’t mess with the armor that caused Vex to die and Vax to bargin with the Matron to bring her back….. So much different with Vax and Keylith I would think.

[@squishies4life123]

Oughh that whole discussion at like 11:30 about how good is interesting was incredible

[@JeshieWafflez]

Removing the C Block when Brennan finally gets into one of these is downright F***ING BLASPHEMY! That would've been so entertaining! 🤣 But oh well... 😭

[@cobaltsable1800]

That whole Archeart conversation took me back to the "Arc Hark's Cart"

[@toddalexander5015]

The Matron being a warlock patron to herself is THE most wizard thing

[@shadowX2121]

1:34:46 Bolo was the silver dragon confirmed!!!

[@vjeranjanes5783]

whoever was complaining about the c-block, i'm coming for y'all. shit was fun af.

[@MNTNHMESMO]

If they replace the C-block with more time for discussions on the 4sided episode, then it was absolutely worth it.

[@manossteele1335]

They just need to bring back Mame Cabinet and the other game type shows.

[@adam1third]

Didn't they say it was just for this episode?

[@AliceP.]

​@adam1third I mean, they litrlly made an "in memorian" video and showed its tomb stone...

[@Jarnathan-l5g]

Would be nice if they (the person running the prompter or whatever) didn’t push for the tower of inquiry with a silly question like “what power would you like yo have?!”, in a moment when they are having profound discussions about morality and symbolism and character psychology and all those cool stuff. It completely derailed them and Ashley got confused and frazzled in a like “omg we’re done” way and the question was so trivial. Please, for the love of gods, just let them discuss topics that are meaningful and interesting and relevant, and not this buzzfeed-y questions.

[@mateochavez8455]

Taliesin dropping a Gene Wilder Little Prince reference... Taliesin seems like a person that would have seen and loved that movie.

[@saskiascott8181]

Good is more complex than evil is such a great take that feels really important to remember in real life.

[@scbafreak]

One thing I think BH hasn't really discussed that maybe this series will bring up is that the gods aren't perfect or all knowing. They are just a different kind of people and are doing their best just like everyone else.

[@wiseathena97]

It's tough but I think its because no one really has a close connection to any gods? Like FCG sort of spoke to the changebringer but it's not like back in c2 when the wildmother would answer some of cads questions with "idk lol" (paraphrasing). They're more or less portraying the opinion of the common folk who don't have direct access to the gods which is an interesting take compared to the rest of the campaigns! Regardless I'm glad that they (and we) got additional info firsthand during downfall

[@redbeard5939]

Or not doing their best, as the case may be

[@joedouglas237]

When Ashkey was talking about how there's so many questions she wants answers to instead of doing the tower...we all feel the same! Just do roundtable discussions, please!

[@thesepretzelssuckass247]

I’m hoping that they’re starting to understand that the 4 sided dive gimmicks are overstaying their welcome the tower is usually not too intrusive but the objective of the segments should stimulate conversation around the game and not distract from it

[@heikesiegl2640]

As you talked about how the mortal life changed the gods, i imediatly thought about The last Unicorn. A beeing that we percive as beautiful and is so beyond humans, turning mortal, turning back immortal and not beeing able to shake of and leave behind bits of the mortal life

[@cait8480]

omg getting to hear sam crooning again on that memorial track, i wonder if he recorded that post-surgery? i really hope so 😭 it would make me so happy to know he’s well on the mend

[@meganpopple9100]

Also, Vespin Chloras will never meet the Matron of Ravens, because he is bound in immortality to Asmodeus and the Hells. 😢

[@GwynnFyrion]

He would because the Matron’s job is to usher souls to the appropriate afterlife, she would be the one who sends his soul to hell

[@Ziaotic]

​@@GwynnFyrion but Vespin didn't die, he was dominated

[@EpicMuttonChops]

i love that tal got to play the wildmother, ashley played everlight, and laura did the matron. it's almost poetic

[@JeffreyMcLain]

Dammit Taliesin....you just said a thing, and now I have to go do a thing. I've been struggling with get comfortable being uncomfortable....and now I have to go push myself to do the thing to try and see my dreams happen....F....no more excuses for me I guess....

[@Juice1984]

10:16 All I could think about was Brennan playing the CEO of Skype. "Zoom!!"

[@turtleman5405]

Taliesin Jaffe with the Buffy reference made my heart explode.

[@ladyteruki]

2:17:15 I have never wanted anything in this moment more than knowing whether Taliesin has seen The Booth at the End. If he hasn't, can someone please, PLEASE relay to him that he might like it.

[@SzarakZornig]

@ladyteruki Taliesin WAS the man in that booth 🔺♾👁

[@ladyteruki]

@@SzarakZornig That explains a lot !

[@HailHydra27]

Future predictions: Brennan DMs a post-c3 mini with Liam and and Robbie that ends in the Silken Squall getting crashed

[@treymarcum]

We still have Zemniaz floating around Brennan to break

[@Fsecret]

14 : 00 it gives me hope that we will get the full story of how a Mortal Killed a God Of death AND took its Place. AND Non of said Gods Siblings (as Far as we Know) Objected to it. COME ON Matt, Brennan ... Give Us The Story of Her ASCENSION !!! I got Curious About Her Backstory Ever Since Vax Told Her That she looks Lonely Behind Her Mask... Also, Does anyone Else Thinks That, The Empyrean From Search for Grog was Related to The Former God Of Death? If i got any of the CR lore Wrong Here, feel free to Correct Me!

[@maskedconquest3657]

there is a theory that Patia Por'co is the daughter of the raven queen because Patia has no memory of her parents and was told information by the mortal form of the matron. Also Brennan was saying in this story that the Matron might have felt some similarity between her and the mage with the child for the way the Raven Queen gave up everything in the pursuit of godhood.

[@kaeleastlord]

​@maskedconquest3657 patia knew the raven queen pre-ascension. The woman was her teacher. But, her identity was erased from all minds and records when she ascended. As for her status among the pantheon, before she gave up the bead of divinity to make the tremmels in c1 she said her position in the pantheon was still tenuous and that giving up that little bit of power could be a move that lets the others take her down.

[@christiandavegutierrez475]

@Fsecret the empyrean has already been confirmed to be the child of the former god of death, he was supposed to be in the equivalent of being grounded in his room, except the god died before he was allowed out and lost his mind waiting for his parent to return millenia after millenia. Matt said it in one of those campaign wrap ups or talks machina, i forgot which

[@Phiro00]

did they forget that the archheart send selene through a portal? she has the knowledge of the weapon and (presumably) survives.

[@ninaillum3724]

That is so true! Do you remeber if we know where the portal gate led? I didn’t catch it and have thought it might have been to another plane, maybe Corellons plane?

[@Phiro00]

@@ninaillum3724 im not sure, but im assuming it was the feywild, as that is corellion's home.

[@adamgettings2557]

The player said he made a gate to get out. Never went into details as to how far out of the range of the blast zone of the emissary. He could have meant the surface of Aeor or surface of Exandria or another realm.

[@halfwaybrooks4202]

I thought the "portal" was the hole/ form of the facto malleus thingy. (Cant spell sorrt) that they threatened to throw the knowing mistress into.

[@mentalrebllion1270]

My theory on that is that Ludinus will be a descendant of hers. Knows just enough to know what happened but not enough to know how the weapon was built. I don’t recall what her race was so I could be very wrong.

[@Robstopper78]

Sooooo... Brennan acted totally normal during the "Is Ludinus Hallis?" theory question right?... RIGHT??

[@Dragonited]

Though Ludinus is an elf and Cassida, Hallis mother was a human, so he can't be Ludinus unless he first died and was reincarnated as an elf.