What Comes Next

is the eighth and final episode of the first season of Exandria Unlimited.

Pre-Show
Even though she usually prefers "Game Master", Aabria's outfit suggests "Dungeon Master" is more appropriate tonight. The cast introduce themselves, their characters, and their relationships to latex before throwing to their favorite time-traveler, Cozy Matt.

Announcements

 * A startlingly blue Matt announces the first sponsor: Bethesda and ZeniMax Online Studios and their latest release The Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, now available on all platforms.
 * Second sponsor is Sega and Humankind, a turn-based historical strategy game available for pre-order at 17% off.
 * Critical Role is now livestreaming on both Twitch and YouTube. The moderated community live chat is on Twitch.
 * Next Thursday, August 19th will be the second one-shot inspired by Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, DM'ed by Marisha Ray and starring Aabria Iyengar, Michelle Nguyen Bradley, Sam Riegel, Laura Bailey, and Taliesin Jaffe.
 * The Exandria Unlimited roundtable-style campaign wrap-up, hosted by Marisha, will be streamed on Thursday, August 26th.
 * Aabria thinks it's great Matt did the last Announcements read in full Dorian cosplay.

Previously on Exandria Unlimited
''One night in Niirdal-Poc: revelations, realizations, and a new direction forward. You decided to head south through the lower jungle towards the heart of the Iron Authority in order to find Tetrarch Umejii, to find and avert some yet-unknown disaster. You came across the ruins of Niirdal-Sarqet, the spiritual center of the Qoniira Tetrarchy, and marveled at a massive floating stone hexahedron covered in runes and light. You climbed it, translated it, and inadvertently gave portions of your own life force to summon violent stone constructs. Fearne, you seized control of the entire cube, and by halting its rotation caused it to shatter apart and release a bright blue miasma of arcane energy that flows around you and through you and remains still.''

''It also called her to you all. Myr'atta Niselor, the purple-clad arcanist from Syngorn that has stalked you halfway around the world and even into the streets of Niirdal-Poc, has arrived. She attacked Opal during your fight, sending residuum needles into both of your shoulders and your forehead, and tethering you to something. As she stepped out, finally, into view, she spoke words of greeting, even as her magic slammed Opal to the ground. Ever defiant, our warlock growled back. And as she stood over Opal, our villain retorted: "I'm not talking to you."

Part I
Orym, 40 feet away, notices the stone construct he had knocked off the cube fragment earlier is now approaching Little Mister, and also sees that Myr'atta has two additional allies (an archer and a mage) behind her. He leaps down, runs to Myr'atta and Opal, and interposes his shield between them as Opal mentally reaches out to Ted, whom she senses is screaming in terror. As the battle progresses, she manages to put on the Ring of Greater Invisibility, although she remains pinned to the ground by the residuum needles in her shoulders and forehead.

Lightning shoots from Myr'atta's hands and the blue miasma surrounding them turns purple as a sigil resembling those at the ash-blown mesa begins to form. The area within a mile-and-a-half radius is flattened. Orym continues to defend the prone Opal against Myr'atta, who focuses on the center of the clearing with her hand out. The ground rumbles and erupts with large pseudopods made of dirt, earth and old ruins, held together by the miasma around them, building something strange. Opal realizes Ted's screaming is coming from it.

Dorian manages to finish off the stone construct and uses his Winged Boots to hover near Dariax 15 feet above the ground and inspire him. Opal is pinned down further with two more residuum needles in her thighs, tethered to the object rising in the center of the clearing. As she struggles to rise, she hears the voice of the Spider Queen in her mind urging her to wear the Circlet of Barbed Vision in exchange for all her health and spell slots back.

Orym climbs up to the elven archer, gaining all of his superiority dice back along with an additional maneuver, and succeeds in knocking her heavy crossbow to the ground. Fearne wildshapes into a dire wolf and attacks the elven mage, knocking him prone. The ground rumbles again and the pseudopods form more concretely into a warped face and hand protruding from the earth, with Myr'atta now riding on top of the hand.

When Dariax attempts to help Opal, he receives the effect of a Haste spell. Dorian hears the voice of the Spider Queen taunting him, daring him to put on the Circlet, but he resists. When he pulls a residuum needle out of Opal's forehead and lifts her to her feet, they both take minor psychic damage and Opal feels her connection to Ted diminish. She asks him not to remove more of the needles, even though it limits her movement. Myr'atta retaliates with Eldritch Blast, knocking Dorian unconscious.

Oryn attacks the elven archer, pushing her off the plinth, and leaps after her, landing on top and killing her. When Fearne attacks the mage, she too hears the Spider Queen's voice, urging her to promise to take the circlet in return for aid in ending the mage, but she resists. The mage retaliates with a Cone of Cold, using his last strength.

The ground shakes again, knocking Opal back to the ground, and the form in the center of the clearing is now clearly a misshapen head... Ted.

Epilogue
''Poska holds court in a dimly lit room that could barely pass for an office. She kicks her feet up on the desk, soft, split-leather soles giving some inkling as to her roguish nature. And all around her, though unseen, the gentle creaking of leather alerts you to the other people in the room, so often accustomed to leaning back, hanging in the shadows.''

"All right, then. I thought we could be different, nobler than the Myriad or the Clasp, more incisive in our purpose. But my generosity was exploited and I'm not at my best when my feelings are hurt. So, violence, then. And woe betide any of those fools if they should come back into my city."

Player Characters

 * Dariax Zaveon
 * Dorian Storm
 * Fearne Calloway
 * Little Mister
 * Opal
 * Orym of the Air Ashari

New

 * Ula

Returning

 * Lolth
 * Myr'atta Niselor
 * Poska
 * Ted

Mentioned

 * Eduard
 * Paloma
 * Tharla Starr
 * Umejii