Bells Hells

 is an adventuring party that met and joined together while they were all in Jrusar, Marquet in the summer of 843 PD. They are the protagonists of the Third Campaign of Critical Role.

Founding
Three small groups came together near the Spire by Fire Inn in Jrusar when a magical disturbance nearby created several animated objects that threatened to attack innocents in the street. One group, Ashton Greymoore and Fresh Cut Grass, had been at the Inn looking for employment; another pair, Imogen Temult and Laudna, had been shopping after inquiring about how to enroll in a prestigious university in the city; and Dorian Storm, Fearne Calloway, and Orym had been sent to Jrusar on a search mission to locate Oshad Breshio. As they spontaneously coordinated to fight the animated objects, Bertrand Bell arrived and was impressed by the seven individuals' effectiveness as a combined team. Bertrand, who knew Lord Ariks Eshteross was looking for talent, promised to make introductions to high-placed people in the city to help the seven with their various goals, and took them to see Eshteross.

Fighting crime in Jrusar
At the request of Lord Eshteross, the party investigated the Prudaj Textiles warehouse, looking to stop ongoing thefts. They found a ledger with evidence that the warehouse manager, Danas, was covering up the loss in warehouse stock. Tracking Danas, the party arrived at the Weary Way Tavern just in time to witness her murder at the hands of her partner in crime, a pale dwarf known as Dugger, who overpowered the group with the aid of a number of shade creepers and made his escape. That evening, while taking a late-night stroll, Bertrand Bell was cornered by that same individual, who swiftly took his life. Seeing Bertrand in a recurrent nightmare of hers, Imogen raised the alarm, and Bertrand's body was found soon after. Going back to the tavern room where they fought the dwarf, the party found a hidden hole under the desk that seemed to be as deep as the spire itself. With information from the Hubatt Corsairs, the group found out where Dugger lived. The dwarf exhibited strange abilities, like a viscous physical form, but the party was able to kill him and avenge the death of Bertrand.

As they looked for clues related to Oshad Breshio, the group also investigated disappearances at the Dreamscape Theater and disposed of the spitting mimic that was responsible. After the fight, they were approached by Chetney Pock O'Pea, who hired them to find his missing guide, Gurge Kisgregg, and offered to help them until they could find him. Before they could begin their search, they were accosted by Dorian's brother, Cyrus Wyvernwind, who let them know that he was working with the Hubatt Corsairs and that he had a big bounty on his head. The group began looking for Gurge, and found out that he turned into a terrifying beast and was taken by the bounty hunter Artana Voe to her client, Vali Dertrana, the business commissioner of the Mirror Towers. After quickly scouting the Moon Tower, Ashton split off to pay a short visit to his employer, Jiana Hexum. It was revealed that she was the one who put a bounty on Cyrus' head, and that Ashton owed her a debt. In the middle of the night, the party infiltrated Vali's office. At the end of a secret passageway, they found Ira Wendagoth, an eerie-lookie fey also known as the Nightmare King, who was keeping Gurge in a cage. The party released Gurge and battled Ira and the furniture that he made come to life, with Chetney revealing his true identity as a werewolf. Ira left the scene after activating a powerful magical reactor, and the group ran away just before the tower was blown up.

The next day, the group visited Lord Eshteross to tell him about Ira, and were able to determine that he was working for Armand Treshi, who would be attending a ball later that week. In the meantime, the group visited House Lumas to meet Oshad Breshio, the man Keyleth had tasked Orym to speak to and learn about his attack, before heading to the Starpoint Conservatory, where Imogen was finally allowed in to research her powers. She found out that a study had discovered several individuals across Exandria who were prone to the same dream as her seemingly caused by the celestial solstice, including her mother, Liliana. In the following days, Imogen saw two figures holding hands amidst the storm in her dream and thought it might be the Lumas twins, who were the last known people to have read the study.

On the night of the ball, Dorian and Eshteross appeared as guests while the others acted as their respective entourage. During the Dance of the Crossroads, they managed to replace Armand Treshi's prize ring with a traceable, enchanted copy. Because he wore a mask of the Nightmare King, Ashton was challenged to a duel by General Ratanish, leader of Paragon's Call, which he lost. While spying on Armand's date, Lady Emoth Kade, Chetney found out that she was meeting up with Dorian's brother Cyrus. He saw that she could command shade creepers and called the others, who arrived as Emoth killed several guards in a form similar to Dugger's. Emoth escaped, but the party managed to save a single guard, who asked who they were. Imogen gave him their new name: "Bells Hells". As they returned to the ball, Dorian saw his brother being arrested by the Green Seekers and threw a smoke grenade, managing to sneak him out of the area. After they had all made it home safely, Eshteross offered to smuggle Cyrus to Emon on his skyship, Seeing as he was now a highly wanted fugitive. Dorian decided to leave with his brother, saying goodbye to the rest of the group.

The morning after, the Green Seekers, Gus and Olly, followed Bells Hells from Eshteross's home and confronted them. They decided to temporarily work together, as they shared an interest in finding out the underlying cause of the strange shade creeper entities, and went to the Underrush Mines, where Gus's ex, Ogdes Friez, worked as a foreman. Ogdes permitted them to investigate the closed portion of the mines. There, they came upon Emoth, who was speaking to a massive, slug-like creature she called the Shade Mother. Combat ensued; Bells Hells learned this was where the brumestone had been going, as the Shade Mother used it to levitate. In the fight, Chetney was able to encapsulate Emoth in a Bead of Imprisonment given to him by Olly. After Orym trapped the Shade Mother, the party escaped via the mine elevators, but not before Imogen telekinetically took a strange purple crystal out of the lair. The badly wounded party then went to rest and recover as the Green Seekers took Emoth to Orlana Seshadri, their employer; Imogen found that the crystal felt warm and comforting, and fell asleep cradling it.

A heist in the Heartmoor
That night, Imogen had another dream of a red storm, but felt comfort from the rock. Upon awakening, Imogen asked FCG, now rested, to Identify the crystal, which he determined is a gnarlrock, a strange rock from the Feywild that causes mutations. Fearne, despite being fey, was unfamiliar.

The party decided to take Jiana's offer to serve as her team for a heist in Heartmoor Hamlet. When they arrived at Hexum Manor, Jiana explained the bet: they are to steal the object her rival Evon Hytroga, who runs the Twilight Mirror Museum, with a generous payout and money for travel, and an additional bonus should they humiliate Evon. She also expressed interest in FCG, which Ashton was wary of. Bells Hells made their preparations, with Laudna and Fearne updating Eshteross; Ashton, Orym, and FCG going to Krook House to have Milo Krook check FCG; and Imogen and Chetney hiring horses and a small cart for the journey. They then left along the Honored Trails leading to the Heartmoor.

In the course of about a week of travel, the party found a Feywild shard, which Imogen took; a Chromatic Rose, which Orym kept; and had several conversations. Notably, Ashton revealed to Fearne that they had not always had their genasi form; Laudna told Orym she had been one of the corpses hung on the Sun Tree; and Orym told Chetney that he was a widower, and his husband Will had been killed in the attack on Zephrah Orym was now investigating. Bells Hells also encountered a tree-like fairy creature which attacked them in the night; elvish ruins; and another party of travelers before reaching Heartmoor Hamlet.

At Heartmoor Hamlet, they rented rooms and went to check out the Twilight Mirror Museum, but Evon told them they would not get a tour, and that the competition would begin at midnight the following night. Bells Hells then went to see Roe Estani, the man who had been with the Lumas twins at the time of their death. When Orym explained that Oshad Breshio had sent him, he let them in. Estani explained that he and the twins had both been interested in celestial solstices and Ruidus, and that the twins had intended to go to Yios to look at the Omen Archive before they were killed. Upon learning more, the party discussed whether Imogen was possibly Ruidusborn, and Estani offered to let them look at Ruidus through his telescope that night. Following a brief shopping trip, during which Ashton and Imogen learned that the toy shop owner was a former associate of Oltgar and that the travelers they'd met on the way were likely the rival team, Bells Hells returned to Estani's home. There, looking through the telescope, Orym and then Imogen saw that a red storm like those in Imogen's dream raged on the moon. That night, Imogen had the dream again, this time with figures appearing within the storm.

The party arrived at the Twilight Mirror Museum at the specified time and confirmed the travelers, known as The Verdict, they'd encountered on the road were their rivals. Evon showed them the object they needed to obtain - a lapis earring purportedly belonging to Harudan - and the race began. Bells Hells encountered many traps and challenges within. At one point, Chetney lost control of his lycanthropy and attacked Orym briefly. Several clay wardens did significant damage to both parties, and Bells Hells deliberately activated a flame trap multiple times, nearly killing The Verdict. They obtained the earring, and on the way out stole the alleged journal of Vespin Chloras, a ceremonial helmet belong to the Hishari, and a number of important papers from Evon's bedroom.

On their way out of town, Chetney stopped by the toy store and spoke with Zadro Ichlen, the owner; despite their mutual hatred of Oltgar, the conversation was tense. Estani approached Orym and told him that he was a former member of the Grim Verity, an organization that seeks out secret information that may be helpful should the party go to the Aydinlan Seminary at Yios. He told them to seek out Ebenold Kai if so, and gave a letter of introduction. Bells Hells then left Heartmoor Hamlet to return to Jrusar. En route, they looked at the letters stolen from Evon, many of which concerned his acquisitions and commissions of fake artifacts, but a few of which concerned shipments to Jiana from Wildemount.

Preparation and travel
Upon returning to Jrusar, Bells Hells checked in with Jiana Hexum for their reward. Jiana expressed particular interest in FCG, believing she could fetch a high price, and asked to speak with them alone. Ashton remained with him. Jiana told FCG that they are a particularly intelligent automaton, which interested her; as this happened, Ashton began to recall flashes of the night they robbed Hexum Manor. The party then checked in with Eshteross. Eshteross told them that by interrogating Emoth Kade, Orlana had found Armand Treshi was a guilty party, but Treshi had fled towards Bassuras, per the tracker ring. He asked Bells Hells to take his skyship, the Silver Sun, to bring back Treshi to Jrusar to await justice. Bells Hells agreed to leave the next day following a number of errands.

Bells Hells first went to Dayal Hall to meet Ajit Dayal on Chetney's behalf. Ajit told Chetney how he had come to know the Gorgynei, and gave him information on how to contact their leader, Divaasheela, in the Gloomed Jungles. He also told Chetney that it is possible to cure lycanthropy, if he is interested. Chetney declined but admitted some precautions might be beneficial. The party then went to the Trove of Marwa and purchased several magical items, including a portable hole, before stopping by Krook House to speak to Milo about the night they repaired Ashton. Milo told him that he had been clutching a vial full of a gray liquid, which Milo mixed into the glass they used to repair Ashton's injuries. At the Spire by Fire, Imogen and FCG both probed into Ashton's memories, at their request. They uncovered some the events of the night Ashton fell, but not all. In the middle of the night, Chetney also broke into the Prism Emporium, which had overcharged him, and threatened Tuyen Otwana, the shopkeeper.

The following day, Bells Hells met Captain Xandis of the Silver Sun and took off towards Bassuras. They encountered several skiraths, during which Orym fell off the ship but Imogen, using Fly, was able to save him. Towards the end of one of the days of travel, Laudna pulled Imogen aside to ask if she was alright, and Imogen admitted she wasn't sure if the feeling of safety she had from the gnarlrock was healthy. Laudna asked to see it, and Imogen, after asking her to promise not to do anything to it, handed it over. However, once it was in Laudna's hands, Delilah took over her body and seemingly absorbed the power of the gnarlrock, leaving it broken. Imogen told Laudna she'd lied, and left to go to bed; Laudna screamed angrily at Delilah, who thanked her and told her she'd taken care of it.

The party encountered a dusttra the next day, which Xandis noticed was unusual; Imogen learned, via telepathy, that its children had been taken from it. They reached Bassuras that evening and were let down outside the wall of the city, where they were met by the Gajakhandas, one of the many crawler gangs in the city, who recognized Ashton and let them through. They found rooms for the night at the Raha Den, and while on watch, FCG told Chetney about Shithead, a giant bird who had terrorized them when they were last in the city. Chetney promised to protect him.

Meeting Dusk
The following day, while out in the city following the tracker orb to Treshi's ring, Bells Hells noticed someone outnumbered in a fight and rushed to help them. After dispatching the attackers, the person they rescued introduces themselves as Dusk, and said they had spent some time in the Feywild and now their memory is somewhat hazy regarding their prior history. The group decided to discuss this more at the Taste of Tal'Dorei theme restaurant. At the restaurant, Dusk told the party she had met Fearne's parents, Birdie and Oleander Calloway, while in the Feywild, and had returned to the Material Plane but were separated from them. After some discussion of past fey they've encountered such as Ira, Imogen offered to contact Fearne's parents via Sending on Dusk's behalf. When Imogen included information only Fearne would know, Birdie told her to meet at Imahara Joe's in a few days. Several party members also spoke with Imogen and Laudna, who were still fighting, to see how they were doing. The party then went on to trace the tracker ring to the River of Renewal, a pawn shop, and with some magical assistance from Dusk were able to learn Treshi was likely at the Seat of Disdain, the Paragon's Call's headquarters and fortress. They scoped out the location, with Fearne doing recon in the form of a quokka, but did not find Treshi. They retired, with Dusk, to the Raha Den for the night.

That night, Dusk secretly contacted their patron, Zathuda of the Unseelie Court, revealing that they were in fact sent to retrieve the Moontide Crown and kill the Calloways. Imogen, meanwhile, had another dream of the red storm, but this time, several figures, including a woman in dark gray armor were present. The woman said "How interesting," but Imogen woke up before she could learn who they were. At breakfast, the party was stopped by several members of the Paragon's Call, who had noticed them the day before and said that Ratanish wished to speak with them. Bells Hells convinced them they were only checking the location out because Ashton wished to take Ratanish up on the job offer. The party then split up, as Ashton told them a likely outcome of this encounter would be them entering in the Deathwish Run, a no-holds-barred crawler race around the city. FCG went to Finders Takers, a shop run by Esmer Balenta, whom they knew previously. Esmer revealed that she had recently seen Dancer, which unsettled FCG, who had believed her to be dead. Ashton, Imogen, and Chetney went to see Ashton's old friend Justi Pross at All-Minds-Burn, a rival crawler gang to the Paragon's Call, to call in a favor. While there, Imogen realized the group was a hivemind and there was something beneath their house. Orym and Laudna meanwhile staked out the Seat of Disdain and eventually saw Treshi emerge on the roof.

The party reconvened at Imahara Joe's. Joe provided them with information about the Deathwish Run, and the party commissioned two crawlers from him. Joe also indicated he was very interested in FCG, and that FCG had not been built by Dancer but rather had been sold to her. Joe also recognized FCG as a pre-Divergence aeormaton, which FCG had not realized he was. The party also asked Joe about the Calloways, and he confirmed that they came in regularly to purchase arcane batteries. The party then went to the Undercarriage for their rest, in order to avoid the Paragon's Call at the Raha Den. At Chetney's proposal, they decided to send a small group to the Seat of Disdain the following day to express interest in joining. Also that night, the party realized Fearne's postcards were likely from Nana Morri rather than her parents; Dusk invited Laudna out to dinner, which Laudna, flustered, turned down; Imogen and Laudna apologized to each other but in the process learned that FCG seemed to be glitching; and Dusk and Orym sparred for sword practice. Dusk also hit on Orym, who declined on the grounds that he was only interested in men.

When they went to the Seat of Disdain, Bells Hells were met by both Ratanish and Otohan Thull, whom Ashton recognized as a hero of the Apex War. Fearne, Wildshaped into a rat, learned that Otohan had a strange backpack-like device but could not ascertain its nature and was nearly captured. Otohan tells them that to prove themselves, they can either fight one of the Paragon's Call's champions, or enter into the Deathwish Run that evening. Bells Hells chose the Deathwish Run, and made their final preparations with Justi and Imahara Joe before heading to the starting line. As they did, Imogen recognized Otohan as the figure in her dreams. Bells Hells won the race, eliminating the competition and a kagaronk in the area of the Hellcatch Valley through which the race ran, and were congratulated by Otohan and Ratanish. Imogen hid in order to not be seen by Otohan. FCG seemed particularly disoriented following the race, and the party brought them to be repaired at Imahara Joe's when they returned the crawlers. Ashton insisted on staying there with FCG, while the others headed to a bar to celebrate. While there, Imogen told Laudna about Otohan, and Laudna apologized to Dusk over the awkwardness of her rejection. Chetney, meanwhile, told Dusk that he actually thought she was collecting a bounty on the Calloways rather than meeting them. Dusk denied it to both him and Fearne. Imogen realized, before the party retired, that Dusk's thoughts were protected.

The next morning, they all went to Imahara Joe's again to pick up Ashton and FCG and meet Birdie. Birdie and Fearne initially reunited, and it came out that there was a significant time discrepancy; Fearne believed it was 90 years and Birdie only six. Fearne then introduced Birdie to Dusk, who she did not recognize initially, at which point Dusk's form changed to that of a changeling. As Dusk grabbed both of the Calloways, Birdie said "You led them right to us." The confrontation leads to an extended accusation and discussion, in which Dusk revealed their real name to be Yu Suffiad, and that they were an agent of the Unseelie Court tasked to reclaim the Moontide Crown and kill the Calloways. Birdie, meanwhile, told the party that she and Ollie were working with Ira on a device having to do with the upcoming apogee solstice. She and Ollie had noticed Ruidus appearing in the Feywild, which was not normal, and had investigated and ultimately stolen the crown out of a device in the Unseelie Court after none of the courts had helped them. An ally of hers in the city, Hondir, would be able to explain to the party why the crown was needed and what Ira was doing. Fearne showed Birdie the gem Morri had given her, a Weave Lens needed for Ira's creation. Eventually, they came to an agreement that Yu would claim the crown after the solstice, when the Calloways no longer needed it.

The solstice and the Calloways
Bells Hells then followed Birdie and met Hondir, a Grim Verity member hiding out below a water tower in Bassuras. He explained that the nexus of the upcoming apogee solstice was likely going to be in the northern Hellcatch Valley, where several leylines intersected. He also told them that Verity members had recently been the targets of the Gray Assassins, who matched the description of both the attackers of the Lumas twins and at Zephrah. However, Hondir confirmed Keyleth was not a member of the group and told Orym he was unsure of the cause of the attack. Birdie, meanwhile, elaborated on her involvement; Fearne had actually been born in Exandria during a Ruidus flare, and some time later Ollie had a vision of Ruidus destroying the Feywild. When Ruidus appeared in the Feywild, they investigated, eventually stealing the Moontide Crown and escaping to the Material Plane after leaving Fearne with Morri. Birdie also noted that the Gray Assassins seemed to be working with the Unseelie Court.

Imogen then asked Hondir and Birdie if Otohan was one of the Gray Assassins, which they confirmed, leading Hondir to decide to leave his hideout and stay outside the city with the Calloways. Hondir also noted that the information the Grim Verity had taken from Vasselheim might mean the assassins are tied to that city. He recommended Bells Hells seek out Planerider Ryn for more details on the solstice. He also recognized Imogen as the daughter of Liliana Temult. Birdie apologized to Fearne, telling her that they couldn't communicate due to trying to keep her a secret from the courts, though now, via Yu, they would know. The party, while hesitant about Ira's involvement, decide to go back to the hideout outside the city and pick up their crawlers from Joe's to do so.

Other than a brief encounter with the Fists of the Ruiner, the journey to the Calloway's hideout was uneventful. There, Fearne was reunited with her father, Ollie, who like Birdie believed it to have only been six years since he'd left. She handed over the Weave Lens, which Ira used to complete the Veilscatter Scope, a device intended to bypass the enchantments blocking a clear view of Ruidus. Ollie corroborated Birdie's story, and noted that an older elven man was often at the Unseelie Court along with Otohan. Hondir explained further about the Ruidusborn dreams Imogen had been having. Fearne attempted to learn why the time dilation seemed so extreme, and while her parents were unsure and promised they had not offered her to Morri in exchange for the lens, Ira evaded the question by offering to show the party Ruidus. Imogen, with Orym's help, looked through and saw there was a lattice surrounding the moon, and a city on the surface. Ira then took over the scope, blocking anyone else from seeing through it as he directed it elsewhere, and after telling the party that he needs to see Otohan and the elven man, Ludinus Da'leth, "fall", took the Moontide Crown for himself before teleporting away. Hondir verified the lattice Imogen saw sounded similar to the Divine Gate as Ashton, curious about whether it was magical, smashed the Weave Lens and disenchanted it in the process. Birdie and Ollie apologized for being tricked by Ira, and agree to have their minds read by Imogen and FCG to find out more about the time dilation.

The Detect Thoughts reveals that the Calloways' memories had repeatedly been modified by Ira, and they had tried to leave several times to return to Fearne, but further probing led to Ollie's nose bleeding, so Imogen and FCG stopped. Some of the party investigated Ira's notes to try to learn more or render the scope operable again, and Imogen and Fearne discussed Fearne's anger and frustration towards her parents. Fearne then told her parents it was not her fault, but she was upset, and that while she'd like to get to know them, they are effectively strangers at this point. Orym then took Imogen outside to encourage her towards leadership as well as ask for her to contact Keyleth to provide an update on his findings, which she did. FCG, meanwhile, cast Sending to contact Dancer, who seemed frightened and asked him what he wanted. Bells Hells then took their rest.

The following morning, Laudna contacted Delilah to learn more about solstices, but Delilah only said that she had used the power of one. Meanwhile, FCG contacted Dancer again, who told them she barely escaped and does not want to see them again. At this, FCG froze up until Chetney hit him with a mallet, at which point he attacked the party, insulting them as he did so. Despite Ashton's protests, Bells Hells fought back until FCG fell unconscious, at which point they tied them up before healing them to consciousness. FCG had no memory of the last few minutes. Ashton realized that the wounds on the party members looked similar to those on the bodies in Evishi, and that one of FCG's lenses had been damaged at the time, making FCG the one-eyed monster. The party all admitted that, aside from Orym, they are loose cannons, and FCG asked the party to hold on to his weapons but otherwise is ready to leave. Ollie and Hondir stayed at the hideout while the rest returned to Bassuras.

Return to the city and the Paragon's Call
In Bassuras, they met with Dancer, whom Imogen had contacted. Dancer told FCG that she had indeed purchased them from D, a merchant who said they'd found them in the Rumedam Desert. She also confirmed that he had attacked the rest of the Division of Public Benefit and killed them, and that while she had enjoyed their time together prior, she can no longer trust him for the time being. The party then went to Imahara Joe's to learn more about D and FCG's mechanical makeup. With FCG's permission, Joe took them apart to reveal their energy source. Upon learning about FCG's attack, Joe told Bells Hells this sounded like the Care and Culling, and Aeorian assassination plot in which many people were killed by their aeormaton companions. With Joe's permission, Imogen read his mind to gather more information about D. Bells Hells then left for the Seat of Disdain, but not before Joe gave FCG a coin engraved with the face of the Changebringer as a token. On their way to the Seat of Disdain, Orym noticed Artana Voe, who gave him a vague answer about visiting friends when he asked why she was in town.

Bells Hells were greeted by Ratanish at the Seat of Disdain and given a tour and barracks, as outside, a sandstorm began to whip up. They noticed that several large crawlers were being loaded with a number of crates for shipment, some of which had the symbol of the Cerberus Assembly and looked like the crates Ashton had seen at Hexum Manor. Following the tour, FCG confirmed Treshi was somewhere in the lower levels of the fortress. Chetney invisibly scoped out the lower level and found that Treshi was being kept in a dungeon cell, but one that appeared to have been made comfortable. Meanwhile, Ashton and Laudna went out in the dust storm to the River of Renewal and purchased the tracker ring to go with the orb. The party reunited in their room and discussed potentially taking Treshi, as they worried he might be smuggled out on the crawlers with the shipment, but were interrupted when alarms sounded and the fortress came under attack.

Bells Hells took advantage of the attack to split up. Orym, Chetney, and Imogen retrieved Treshi from the dungeon, and ran into Artana Voe, who was trying to do the same, in the process. They put him in the portable hole. Ashton, Fearne, FCG, and Laudna helped load the crawlers, and in the meantime also stole a crate. Laudna planted the tracker ring on Otohan, who noticed her and found the timing strange. The party reunited and left through the gate, but were stopped by Otohan, who demanded to know who had sent them. When they refused to answer, she psychically retrieved the answer from Orym, and attacked the party, invoking a number of grayish echoes familiar to Orym as she did so. The fight was brutal, and as she encouraged Imogen to release her powers as a Ruidusborn, killed Orym, Fearne, and Laudna. Imogen finally gave into her powers, and everything went white. The still-living members of the party remembered moments from their pasts, and then came to as they were, with much of the block around them leveled and Otohan gone. FCG was able to quickly resurrect Fearne, who only had enough spells to bring back one of Orym and Laudna. After some heated discussion, Fearne flipped FCG's Changebringer coin and resurrected Orym. The party then ran to Imahara Joe's.

Joe let the party in and offered them his storeroom in which to hide, while warning them that he cannot cover entirely for them, for the sake of his own safety. Bells Hells agreed, and stayed in the storeroom overnight. They interrogated Treshi and learned he had been involved in a plot to convince the Chandei Quorum that they needed the Paragon's Call, but did not have any insight into the shipments held at Jiana Hexum's nor what the Paragon's Call was trying to do beyond that. He also was terrified of Otohan. FCG was able to Identify the potions in the crates as Potions of Possibility, and Orym recognized a glassy green powder as residuum. Bells Hells commissioned a leaded box from Joe and called Xandis to pick them up. They also discussed potential options for resurrecting Laudna. When members of the Call came to search, the party hid in a tunnel outside the store room and were undetected. They then thanked Joe, paid him generously, and left the city stealthily. Several crawlers chased them as they approached the skyship, but they were able to get on the Silver Sun and take off.

Saving a soul
Bells Hells traveled back towards Jrusar with little issue. En route, they interrogated Treshi further, and Imogen, via Detect Thoughts, confirmed that Treshi had only sought to improve his own standing and had made deals with the Paragon's Call to do so, but did not have much information beyond what he needed to know to assist them. Treshi offered a bribe or favor, which the party refused. FCG reached out to Jiana Hexum regarding potential resurrection options, and she said she might know something. Orym suggested they try Keyleth, and Keyleth told them she also might be able to help in a few days after she completes some tasks in Vasselheim.

Despite several sandstorms in the Hellcatch, the party reached Jrusar in good time and met with Eshteross, who, following their warnings, had given Evelyn Wress some time off and had extensively trapped his house. Eshteross paid them and told them they could either drop Treshi off anonymously or directly to the Chandei Quorum, which they decide to do. He also offered them a contact, Manaia Turei, who could help with transport. Imogen further solidified plans with Keyleth. The party then dropped Treshi off to Orlana Seshadri, who was impressed and paid generously. but did not answer further questions about the solstice or the Feywild.

That evening, Ashton asked Imogen and FCG to try to uncover his memories again. This time, they probed deeper, becoming trapped in their mind. FCG was able to bring up the memory of Milo desperately saving Ashton's life, and Imogen accessed the many possibilities of Ashton's future. After several attempts, they are able to extract themselves, and Ashton, who had been bleeding from the nose, woke up. FCG learned from the experience that Ashton experiences chronic pain. Imogen then contacted Delilah, offering anything in exchange for Laudna's life, but Delilah, who seemed to be fading, told her she could not do anything.

The following morning, the party went to the Bodhan Collective to see Manaia, but instead messaged Keyleth, who arrived and took them to Whitestone. She and Orym discussed that prior deaths due to the Gray Assassins could not be resurrected, due to a toxin. The party updated her on what they know about Ruidus and the solstice, which, though she told them she is quite busy, she promised to take under consideration. She then dropped them off in Percy's office. Imogen told Percy, who had been reading with his daughter Gwendolyn, that Laudna was a resident of Whitestone who had originally been killed by Delilah Briarwood. Percy initially interpreted this as Bells Hells bringing Laudna to be buried in her home city, and seemed skeptical and slightly unwilling, but asked Pike to come to analyze the situation. Vex also joined as Pike began the resurrection spell, only to stop when she realized that both Laudna and Delilah's souls were tied to Laudna's body.

Percy immediately became extremely against Laudna's resurrection if it had a risk of bringing back Delilah. Upon Bells Hells insistence that Laudna deserved a chance and Vex asking as well, Pike offered to look for potential rituals of the Everlight. The rest of the party followed Pike to her cottage while Ashton angrily yelled at Percy. Pike found a ritual to send the others to the location where Laudna's soul was being kept to free it, and when Ashton returned, sent them there, after verifying that FCG had a soul.

Bells Hells traveled through scenes from Laudna's past, including one of the cottages in which she had made Pâté, and a dark version of the city of Whitestone in which they met a boy who had teased her, Laudna as a young girl making dolls, and Laudna as a young woman preparing to go to dinner at Whitestone Castle. Eventually they reached a dark version of the Sun Tree, where they were greeted by the spectral form of Delilah Briarwood. Delilah told them she had tied her soul to Laudna's, but had several options to return to life. Chetney successfully convinced Delilah to permit Laudna to briefly speak to them, during which she told Imogen that it was up to her. Between some fire magic from Fearne, and a final lightning bolt from Imogen, the party split the tree and returned to consciousness in Pike's cottage. Pike then reattempted the resurrection ritual after warning the party that while Delilah was weakened, she was not entirely gone. The ritual was successful. Immediately upon Laudna's resurrection it was revealed that much of the military might of Whitestone, as well as Pike, Vex, and Percy themselves, were prepared to fight the party should Delilah had come back, but Pike was able to verify Laudna was indeed herself and Delilah did not appear to be present.

Laudna left the cottage and communed with the Sun Tree, changing her Form of Dread to a more tree-like appearance. Percy approached and apologized to her on behalf of his family for how she had suffered under the Briarwoods' reign, and Vex invited Bells Hells to Whitestone Castle for the night. After Laudna cast Find Familiar to bring Pâté to life, Bells Hells accepted, and over dinner told Vex and Percy about their findings regarding Ruidus and the upcoming solstice, which the de Rolos promised to research, notably the residuum trade. Laudna then requested the party instead stay out by the Sun Tree, which they did. That night, FCG cast Shared Dream on Imogen, and came with her into a dream of the red storm. While there, they appeared to fly to the surface of Ruidus. Imogen also saw a figure she believed to be Eshteross within the storm. Upon waking, she attempted to reach him by Sending, but there was no response. After most of the party did a small amount of shopping, and FCG visited the Horizon Temple in order to explore their growing interest in the Changebringer, Bells Hells were brought back to Jrusar by Manaia's Transport via Plants.

The party immediately went to Eshteross Manor, which was silent. FCG was able to detect Eshteross inside, unmoving. Chetney and Laudna (via Pâté) infiltrated the house after there was no reponse to repeated knocks and messages, and discovered signs of an extensive struggle, before Chetney found Eshteross's body. He also uncovered a number of letters to various people, and opened the one to Bells Hells, which thanked them for their friendship and granted them use of the Silver Sun for one year, and his weapon, Turmoil.

Departure and Gorgynei
Imogen contacted Mistress Seshadri regarding Eshteross's death, believing her to be a trustworthy recipient of the letters he had left. They were quickly apprehended by the Green Seekers as potential suspects in Eshteross's murder, having been the ones to report it as well as beneficiaries, but were assured that the details of his death would quickly be discovered. Bells Hells were taken to Eshteross Manor, where Seshadri, along with a number of Wardens of Jrusar and Grave Mystic Weva Vudol investigated the murder. Weva's Speak with Dead exonerated Bells Hells, confirming that Otohan had murdered Eshteross. Bells Hells then made preparations to leave for Yios in the morning to further investigate the solstice and Ruidus, after getting some more information on Otohan from Mistress Seshadri.

Bells Hells left for Yios the next morning on the Silver Sun, choosing to fly over the Hellcatch Valley, with a plan to stop in the Gloomed Jungles. While en route, Ruidus flared again and Imogen dreamed again of the red storm, this time seeing a figure with lavender hair within it. Upon waking, Imogen contacted Liliana via Sending, and received a response of "Imogen?" Simultaneously, on deck, Chetney lost control of his lycanthropy and attacked Orym and Fearne before regaining himself. Imogen spoke of her dream to Laudna and messaged her mother again, but Liliana only told her to stay away for her own safety and did not respond to Imogen's questions. The party all eventually made their way to FCG and Ashton's room to discuss Liliana and heal Chetney. Orym left briefly to message Dorian on his sending stone, and Chetney slept in restraints for the remainder of the journey, to the Gloomed Jungles, which went smoothly despite a chimera attack. During the attack, Imogen summoned a strange red entity to fight alongside them.

The party took advantage of a rainstorm during which Xandis landed in the jungle to wait it out and contacted the Gorgynei. Their leader, Annaline, revealed that Divaasheela was a code name for those she trusted, and brought Bells Hells to the Gorgynei's village of Barinak. After some discussion among themselves and with Chetney, the Gorgynei agreed to take him to Zha'Vrollo, a temple of the nature spirit Sahyaadon whom they worship, to stand trial and gain greater control over his lycanthropy, particularly in relation to Ruidus. The party traveled through the jungle to the temple, where Chetney meditated and was overtaken by the spirit and attacked Bells Hells as his trial. They were able to fight him and help him regain his control, and Sahyaadon told him he had passed. As the party celebrated, Orym noticed a smell reminiscent of Will, and followed it to a statue of the Wildmother that held an empty scabbard. He placed his shortsword in the scabbard, and it was overtaken briefly by vines that also clasped his hand. He retrieved the sword, and found it was now magical. He named it Seedling.

The next morning, as Bells Hells waited for the Silver Sun to arrive and continue the journey to Yios, Ashton trained with Annaline, and Fearne showed Laudna some fire magic. Fearne also apologized for not resurrecting Laudna, and instead choosing Orym. The ship then picked up the party, and they reached Yios after a few days of calm travel. They spent their first night relaxing and gambling at the Lakecap Skyport and Lounge, during which Imogen again attempted to contact Liliana, but again received only warnings from her mother to stay away. They then set out with Landon Kreshawl, a local guide, towards the Aydinlan Seminary, but were attacked by a strange, undead bird that FCG recognized as Shithead. In the fight, Shithead revealed that it merely hated FCG and had no greater reason for attacking him. During this time, Ashton noticed Violet, a former associate, and slipped away from the rest of the party.

The Verity and the Vanguard
Following the fight, the party went into the Aydinlan Seminary, where they noticed a massive figure in an eyeless mask. Fearne recognized this as a Judicator, a holy warrior dedicated to the Prime Deities, from Vasselheim. Carolle, the clerk, would not let them in or reveal information about the professors as Ebenold Kai, the person for whom Bells Hells had a letter of introduction, was on leave. FCG eventually magically charmed her into leading them to Ebenold's house. They found the house seemingly empty and abandoned, and broke in. Chetney was able to smell recent anxious sweat, and Imogen could detect two people below them. Laudna and FCG found the entrance to the basement, and the party went down into it to find two people in hiding. The people tried to distract or frighten them and read a scroll which opened a portal, through which they fled. Bells Hells followed them through and found themselves in a cavern on the Elemental Plane of Fire. After Bells Hells showed them the letter and promised not to harm them, Ebenold Kai and his companion, who introduced herself as Doctor Baryn Vestisho, lowered their weapons, and explained that they were hiding from the Judicators and others hunting for the Grim Verity. Planerider Ryn also revealed herself as the resident of this chamber.

Through discussion and the sharing of information, Bells Hells learned from the Grim Verity members that the texts they'd stolen from Vasselheim dealt with Predathos, an entity who, before the Schism, had devoured two lost deities, Ethedok and Vordo. Predathos had then been sealed in a prison by the other gods and primordials, and this prison became Ruidus. This information had been closely guarded by Vasselheim ever since, hence their suspicion and animosity towards researchers into Ruidus. Ebenold also explained that while Exaltant Ruidusborn, such as Imogen, are rare, they had been growing exponentially in number in recent years and Otohan and Liliana are among them. Ryn, Baryn, and Ebenold told Bells Hells that they could best help by sabotaging the devices their enemies had been building on the Material Plane in a site once holy to the ancient Tishtan people; in the Feywild; and in the Shadowfell. Ryn then sent Bells Hells back into the basement of Ebenold's house while Ebenold and Baryn stayed with her. Back in the basement, the party heard footsteps and voices above, searching for them.

Bells Hells attempted to deceive and distract the people searching for them once they broke into the basement, but ultimately killed most of them and captured one, Tuldus. They questioned him in a nearby warehouse and learned that he was a member of the Ruby Vanguard, a society planning to release Predathos to devour the remaining gods and "free" Exandria, of which Ludinus Da'leth is the leader. He also called the devices Malleus Keys and admitted the Feywild key was the weakest. Imogen contacted Ryn to retrieve Tuldus for further questioning, and Ryn arrived to do so. Imogen then messaged Ashton, who reunited with the party near the Aydinlan Seminary. They revealed that they had been in a complex fight in a kitchen pertaining to a local organized crime gang. Bells Hells then split up within the seminary; FCG and Laudna sought out Vitro Isham, an expert in automata, and Imogen and Fearne went to see Kadija Sumal as the others waited outside.

Vitro provided FCG with some more insight into his inner workings and origins, as well as some philosophical advice on the nature of personhood. FCG asked him to create an oven within their chassis, which Vitro, intrigued, agreed to do. Meanwhile, Imogen and Fearne found Kadija, who was at first deeply reluctant to open the door and appeared very tired and anxious, but eventually became helpful after Imogen revealed herself to be Liliana's daughter. She brought out the Omen Archive, which had been hidden, and explained that Liliana had been their first subject in their study of Ruidusborn, but eventually left out of frustration. Outside pressures caused the study to be shutdown, and Otohan, also a subject, similarly left. Around that time, members of the Grim Verity began to disappear and be murdered. Kadija also discussed the Reilora, red alien beings whom some of the Exaltants could communicate with in their dreams and who appeared to be tied to Ruidus flares, using Exaltants as "anchors" to Exandria. This conversation was interrupted by Ludinus Da'leth, who magically opened all the locks on Kadija's door and quickly overtook her mind and stole the Omen Archive. Ludinus then invited the two Ruidusborn women to ask him any questions they had, implying both that he had lived through the Calamity and his fury at the gods came from their inaction and cowardice during that conflict, and that he was Ruidusborn. Fearne told him he seemed incredibly angry, and intuited he was in fact jealous of Ruidusborn. Ludinus then teleported outside, where Orym noticed him from afar and went in, along with Ashton and Chetney, to warn the others.

The party all reunited in Kadija's office and determined Kadija's mind had been altered. They contacted Ryn again to help Kadija and to transport them to the Feywild to see Nana Morri and destroy the key there. Ryn arrived and promised to care for Kadija and find her the appropriate healing, and transported the party to Morri's domain, the Harrowcall Fens of the Feywild.

The Malleus Keys
Bells Hells found their way to Ligament Manor, Morri's home where Fearne grew up, and met Morri, who invited them to partake in cocktails. Fearne and Morri caught up, and Morri shared what she knew with the party: she believed the Malleus Key was holding Ruidus in the Fe ywild, and knew the key was in the Shiver Keep, in the Unseelie Court. Morri introduced herself as someone who could play with the tangles of fate. She was intrigued by and unable to identify the source of Ashton's abilities. She then went to rest and look through her collection, and Fearne showed the party through the rest of the manor, introducing them to her friends. She and Imogen also updated the rest of the party on their interaction with Ludinus earlier that day, before taking their rest. That night, Imogen, accompanied via Shared Dream by Laudna and FCG, tried to direct her dreams to her mother, and had a vision of the Malleus Key at the Tishtan excavation site on the Material Plane before Liliana seemingly noticed them and dismissed the dream.

The following morning, Morri offered the party more advice on traversing the Feywild to the Shiver Keep, and gave Fearne the Gloomscale Breastplate and the rest of the party Harrowcall Veils, which would help them hide. She also told them how they could find a portal back to the Material Plane once they had finished their mission, and gave them a salve to help counteract the potential time dilation between planes. Bells Hells began traveling, encountering some centaurs whom they dispatched before reaching the Sablecast Grounds of the Unseelie Court. Pâté was sent to scout the spire-covered grounds, and Laudna was able to get the lay of the land before Pâté was seemingly eaten or otherwise killed. The party stealthily approached the Shiver Keep, and noticed a device they assumed to be the Malleus Key, from which a red beam connected with the image of Ruidus. The rest of the party, meanwhile, saw Otohan speak to Zathuda, who was on a fey dragon mount. Zathuda told her that Sammanar was growing impatient, but Otohan seemed unconcerned, told hem they were close to their goal, and used a scroll to teleport away.

After some planning, Laudna and Orym invisibly infiltrated the keep, avoiding the eremads, and Laudna determined they would need to damage the arcane core to sabotage it sufficiently. Chetney distracted a guard and Ashton trapped another in the portable hole as Orym and the spellcasters attacked the Malleus Key magically, with Fearne's Wall of Fire and some of the party's dynamite ruining it beyond repair. As the image of Ruidus faded, the guards turned on the party and an alarm was sounded; Zathuda's fey dragon, Gloamglut, gave chase. Bells Hells fled the keep, heading towards the portal. By using the Harrowcall Veils and moving stealthily, the injured party managed to avoid detection. Imogen contacted Morri for help, and Morri did not respond to her Sending but instead appeared in the form of a massive flying creature who attacked Gloamglut. Bells Hells paid the tolls and rhymes of Terrosh the Lidless Slumber and exited a portal into the Material Plane. Laudna and Imogen quickly determined they were in the Taloned Highlands, about two days from Imogen's hometown of Gelvaan.

Name
Immediately after the party was first formed, Bertrand Bell began suggesting names, which the rest of the group ignored. However, after his death (and after hearing of Ashton's former team, the Nobodies) the party actively began looking for a name. They asked several people what word first popped into their mind when looking at the group.

During the masquerade ball held by the Chandei Quorum, Imogen first used the name Bells Hells to refer to the party when Dunot, a guard that they saved from Emoth Kade and her shade creepers, asked what to call them. Later that night when Dorian was taking his leave with his brother Cyrus, he asked the others if they liked that name, to which they toasted.

Suggestions

 * Sir Bertrand Bell and his Sorcerous Swords (by Bertrand Bell)
 * Bertrand's Bells (by Bertrand)
 * The Shit Handlers (by Dorian)
 * New Nobodies (by Ashton via Jiana Hexum)
 * Bells Hells (by Imogen and Laudna)
 * Focus, Group (by FCG)
 * The Moving Crew (by Imogen)
 * "First Word" suggestions:
 * Trouble (by Yash Mangal)
 * Eclectic (by Lord Eshteross)
 * The Sweetest (by Zhudanna)
 * Lucky (by Tefta)

Horses
Bells Hells rented five horses in the Rapid Path Stables of Jrusar for 300 gold in total, including the 150 gold deposit to be refunded if the horses were returned, which they were when the heist in Heartmoor Hamlet was complete. Each of them was given a name:


 * Fearne — Sir Floppers
 * Laudna — Escargot
 * Imogen — Heart
 * Orym named the horse he shares with Chetney — Rabbit
 * Ashton took the name suggested by Chetney — Loonch (Ashton previously suggested "One-way")

Vehicles

 * Silver Sun, a skyship once owned by Ariks Eshteross but was inherited by Bells Hells after his death. Crashed when attempting to destroy the Malleus Key.
 * Red Moon, a skirmisher-crawler purchased from Imahara Joe to participate in the Deathwish Run.
 * Buck Fucket, a skirmisher-crawler loaned from Imahara Joe for the Deathwish Run, returned to Joe afterward.

Allies and friends
Player Characters

NPCs


 * Ariks Eshteross
 * Cyrus Wyvernwind
 * Milo Krook
 * Yash Mangal

Antagonists

 * Dugger
 * Ira Wendagoth
 * Emoth Kade
 * Otohan Thull

Trivia

 * This party is the first to feature returning characters from a different Critical Role series: Orym, Fearne, and Dorian appeared in Exandria Unlimited, and Bertrand appeared in and.
 * Chetney, while not a returning character, is based on an existing character: Chutney Chocolatecane from.
 * Jester Lavorre from Campaign 2 was also a returning character, but not from a Critical Role production.
 * Unlike the Mighty Nein, this group's appearance was not teased before the campaign began airing. This was likely to avoid spoiling the fact that existing characters would appear in the series.