Elden Ring One-Shot: O Ye of Little Faith

is the 65th special episode of Critical Role.

Announcements

 * Welcome to Elden Ring, the RPG where you can customize the craft of Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R. R. Martin. The game is available on all platforms right now. Learn more and play it at the link above.
 * This one-shot features a lot of Matt's home-brewing, so expect liberties to be taken.
 * Since Brennan Lee Mulligan put on an accent as he introduced his character, Sam will be remaking his voice on the fly.

Introduction
''An entire age has passed since it happened. In the Lands Between, where the once-great realm under Queen Marika was kept prosperous under the Golden Order, the Elden Ring was shattered, the Golden Order sundered, and the runic pieces of the Ring jealously taken and fought over by the queen's demigod offspring. Under the golden light of the Erdtree, the realm was left torn by war, where blood fought against blood, kin against kin. The rule of death was lost with the rune of the same name, calling those who had fallen to walk once more. Even possessing one of the powerful shards, a Great Rune was not enough to gain purchase in this now never-ending struggle. Breaking the land into fragmented shells of the former empire. Within this broken world, a glimmer of hope climbs from the shadows. The Tarnished. You, warriors of ancient blood who were banished from the Lands Between long ago, you now rise to the call of glory. Here, one might reclaim the grace once granted them, now lost. And along that path of redemption, unite the realm once more, and deliver it from the madness of Marika's godlike children. Awaken, O Tarnished, and seek your fate ahead.''

Part I
A group of Tarnished awaken and gather at the mouth of a cavern. Brigidda becomes anxious that Nihl has come to destroy the prophetess Mariah, whom Brigidda fiercely guards. Nihl, Kara Gen, and Marcus kneel to respect Mariah. Mariah speaks in fanciful but empty prophecies that impress everyone except Marcus, who is skeptical.

They exit out into the massive landscape of Limgrave. Overlooking the plateau is a castle atop a hill, from which grows the massive glowing Erdtree. The Erdtree is believed to confer the Golden Order, the laws of life and death. The Tarnished had the Erdtree's grace taken from them long ago and were banished from the Lands Between; only recently have the Tarnished been called back.

Two skeletons attack. Mariah and Kara Gen strike the final blows, reducing the skeletons into glowing, gooey essence. Looking at the essence, Nihl deduces that the loss of the Death Rune caused the dead to rise. Brigidda reduces the bones of one into dust before it can re-form and kicks the other's skull a great distance, hoping this will prevent it re-forming. It does not, so Marcus collapses the skeleton with a blast of magic.

The group moves on and finds a Site of Lost Grace, a magical space of rest. As they rest, Melina arrives to offer a partnership. She urges them to claim the Great Runes, the shards of the Elden Ring, to become the Elden Lord, ruler of the Lands Between. She points them to Stormveil Castle. Brigidda asks Melina why she hasn't claimed the shards herself, and Melina explains many who have were driven to madness and endless warfare. Melina believes one among the Tarnished can claim the shards and end this cycle. She gifts them whistles to summon horse-like spectral steeds and advises them to approach the castle via a path along the coast. Before Melina leaves, Nihl asks if she has seen Nihl's cat, which she left behind when she was exiled. Melina has not but hopes the cat has not fallen in with the lord of the castle.

They travel to the coast, where they encounter an encampment of soldiers. They fail to sneak around them and are attacked. Brigidda sets all the soldiers on fire with her fire breath, and the others dispatch them. Mariah rips out the throat of the last soldier to everyone's awe and even Marcus' begrudging respect. As one of the soldiers dies, he chastises them for loudly drawing something's attention. Immediately, an octopus-like monster rises from the water and attacks them.

Break

 * Pre-order any version of the Elden Ring video game for a digital adventure guide. Releases 25 February 2022.
 * Submit fan art for possible inclusion in the weekly online gallery at https://www.critrole.com/submit.
 * Submit cosplay photos for possible inclusion in the monthly online gallery at https://www.critrole.com/submit.
 * Marisha unboxes all the benefits of subscribing to Critical Role on Twitch.

Player characters

 * Brigidda
 * Kara Gen
 * Marcus
 * Mariah
 * Nihl