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 seeks to destroy the prophetess Mariah, whom Brigidda fiercely guards. Nihl, Kara Gen, and Marcus kneel to respect Mariah, who speaks in fanciful but empty prophecies that impress everyone but Marcus.

They exit out into Limgrave. A castle overlooks the landscape from a hill, upon which grows the 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 were the Tarnished called back by that lost grace.

Two skeletons attack. Mariah and Kara Gen strike the final blows, reducing the skeletons to glowing, gooey essences. Examining 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. Mariah "prophesies" a literal description of what they see and makes an emotional speech about their lost grace, inspiring further faith in the others despite Marcus' continued skepticism. As they rest, Melina arrives to offer a partnership. She urges them to claim the Great Runes, the shards of the Elden Ring, and become the Elden Lord, ruler of the Lands Between. She points them to Stormveil Castle. Brigidda asks why Melina hasn't claimed the shards herself, and Melina explains those who have were driven to madness and endless warfare. Melina believes one among the Tarnished can claim the shards and end this cycle. She advises them to approach the castle via a cave along the coast and leaves them whistles to summon horse-like spectral steeds. Before Melina departs, Nihl asks if she has seen Nihl's cat, left behind when Nihl was exiled. Melina has not but hopes the cat has not fallen in with the lord of the castle.

At the coast, they fail to sneak past an encampment of soldiers and are attacked. Brigidda sets the soldiers on fire with her dragonfire breath. Mariah rips out the throat of the last soldier to everyone's awe and even Marcus' begrudging respect. As a soldier dies, he chastises them for loudly drawing something's attention. Immediately, a monstrous giant land octopus rises from the water and attacks. Inspired by Mariah throwing a holy water pot into its mouth and burning it, Brigidda leaps into the octopus and kills it with her dragonfire breath from within.

Kara Gen asks who among them should become the Elden Lord. None of them have interest in ruling, and Marcus suggests they decide should the time come. They enter the cave and successfully ambush a group of trolls. Kara Gen gets overenthusiastic and misses a killing blow on the final troll. Marcus urges her to not be distracted by enthusiasm for Mariah, prompting Mariah to kill the troll herself. Mariah, Brigidda, and Nihl triumphantly taunt Marcus with perceived proof of Mariah's power.

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