Long May He Reign

is the one hundred fortieth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. Deep in the heart of Cognouza, the Mighty Nein face the second form of the Neo-Somnovem in hopes of bringing an end to his nightmarish dominion.

Announcements

 * Sam is back as tabletop motivational speaker and author of Dodeca-Heal Yourself Nathaniel "Nat" Twenty, to help everyone realize their D&D Rolltential through Fandom Gaming's D&D Beyond, now running a giveaway of the Legendary Bundle on Twitter.
 * Second sponsor is Bethesda and ZeniMax Online Studios and their 2021 release of Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood coming June 1 to PC, Mac, and Stadia, and June 8 to PSx and Xbox.
 * Critical Role is now livestreaming on both Twitch and YouTube. The moderated community live chat is on Twitch.
 * Laura and Liam continue the adventures of Lex and Lax in Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood, in the next installment of #EverythingIsContent on Friday, 28 May 2021 at 4 pm Pacific.
 * Merch Alert! New Uk'otoa board game now available in all Critical Role shops, at local shops in the Darrington Press Guild, and coming shortly to other local game stores.
 * The Critical Role Foundation thanks everyone for their support of the joint project with 826LA to create a Writers' Room at Venice High School. Get updates by following @CriticalRoleFDN on Twitter and Facebook, and donate at criticalrolefoundation.org.

Previously on Critical Role
''So, last we left off: the Mighty Nein had made their way to the living city of Cognouza, where the Somnovem have existed and called out to the Nonagon, and now you. Upon meeting the Somnovem Omega — their combined consciousness, in itself the nexus, the consciousness of all those who once lived in the Cognouza Ward — as you spoke, Lucien, utilizing your distraction, seemed to assail them with a cluster of intuit charges, and as you fled hearing his laughter in the distance, you returned to find what remained of the Somnovem and Lucien ascending up into the city of flesh itself.'' ''You absconded to the surface to find out what or how you were going to deal with this, and there you found a newly-reborn Lucien combined with the Somnovem, the eyes of the Eyes of Nine protruding from various stalks from his body. He seemed to be pontificating with you about his newly-acquired existence and understanding, and then grew extremely angry when he realized that you had prevented him from jumping the city to the Prime Material Plane like he had planned to at this moment. Upon which, on the rooftops above the city of Cognouza, you did battle, flying around on the threads of the Astral Sea, blasting with spells, diving for cover, and damaging, trying to take down this new form of Lucien.''

''Upon taking a bit of damage, he decided to head back into the center of the city, but not before leaving you all with a number of newly-exposed eyes, as many of you have begun to find red eyes of the Somnovem newly emblazoned upon your bodies. In that brief moment, you give chase down through the hole to the center, and there you find yourself amongst a partially-ruined city: stone structures, towers, buildings, and writhing fleshy masses that they liquefy into, as you now sit at the very center, the very core of Cognouza itself.''

Part I
As the party descends, Beau deploys the second arcane field generator. They see the twisted, winged figure of Lucien rising, merged with the city itself. Beauregard leaps forward and attacks him, and they learn that he still has the same immunities and resistances as his previous form, but also possesses new abilities and access to lair actions. The party can still use bonus actions to attempt to reach Mollymauk, robbing Lucien of a legendary action, but it becomes more difficult with each success. Eyes scattered through the torn and broken city also join the fight, three at a time.

Caleb discovers that they can use their connection with the Cognouza and their imaginations to create spell-like attacks which damage Lucien and have the potential to reach Mollymauk causing Lucien to lose a legenday action. Jester realizes that the eyes can be attacked and take damage, and Banishes Vigilan. Fjord uses Marine Layer, thrilling Veth and succeeding in screening himself. Essek casts Tether Essence on Timorei and Luctus, binding them together so that harm to one causes harm to both, but Lucien responds with six clawed wing attacks against Veth. As a lair action, Lucien creates a Gravity Well, bringing all the party slowly down to the surface so they can no longer float. Luctus vanishes, and is replaced by Elatis, while Fastidan replaces Gaudius.

The party continues to hit both Lucien and the rotating selection of eyes with spells, physical attacks, attacks of the imagination, and attempts to reach Mollymauk, while Lucien deploys his legendary actions and lair actions in addition to attacks both by the eyes and himself. Jester takes heavy damage from Fastidan's Blight attack. When Fjord kills Timorei with an Eldritch Blast, the unseen Luctus to which it was tethered also dies, and Lucien seems to also suffer damage. Beau uses Extract Aspects to learn that the eyes are vulnerable to psychic damage, and immune to charm, fright, and stun. Essek kills Vigilan with Magic Missile.

Lucien summons a cataclysm that topples the tower Caleb stands on, sending him to the ground where he is restrained under the wreckage. Fastidan attacks Veth and she falls unconscious, but Caduceus is able to heal her to consciousness and she dodges Ira's subsequent Fireball. Jester looks toward Sprinkle and tries Divine Intervention but narrowly fails. Seeing Jester, Veth, and Caduceus in danger directly at Lucien's feet, Fjord uses Arcane Gate to reach Veth and bring her under cover of his Marine Layer, but Lucien attacks Jester with his wings, killing her. Veth then kills Ira with her Aeorian security cannon. Fastidan hits Caduceus with a Blight, but Caduceus's Death Ward brings him back at one hit point. Essek manages to pull Caleb free from the rubble of the collapsed tower. Caleb is able to use his mind to move Jester away from Lucien and toward Caduceus, and also cause Lucien to lose a legendary action. Caduceus is able to successfully cast Revivify on Jester and drag her into Fjord's Marine Layer. Having previously broken through Caleb's Protection from Aberrations, Fastidan hits him with a Blight, sending him unconscious. Jester casts Mass Cure Wounds on herself, Caduceus, Fjord, Veth, Caleb, and Essek for 22 hit points each, which brings Caleb back to consciousness. Fjord then kills Fastidan with Eldritch Blast.

Lucien turns his legendary action claw attack on the still-prone Caleb, killing him. Caduceus casts Mass Healing Word on everyone but Essek for fifteen hit points, then uses Path to the Grave on Lucien. Jester follows up with Guiding Bolt and gets the How do you want to do this?, saying, "I know you're in there, Molly. We love you so much and we want you back. Lucien doesn't deserve you!" The blast hits Lucien in the chest and he screams as he rips himself into two pieces, falling back and collapsing to the ground.

Break

 * Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood coming June 1 to PC and Stadia, and June 8 to PS4 and Xbox One.
 * Everything you need to know about Dwarven Forge in sixty seconds.
 * Help build the Critical Role writer's room at Venice High School by donating at CriticalRoleFoundation.org.
 * Submit questions for the Campaign Two Wrap Up by May 31, 2021 at 10 pm Pacific time at this link.
 * Clips from.
 * Merch Alert! "Uk'otoa" board game, Cobalt Soul tassel pin, Critical Role lapel pins, and Mighty Nein temporary tattoos available in all four Critical Role shops; Xhorhas lightweight slouchy beanie available in the US shop.
 * (YouTube VOD only) Matt gives special thanks to Russ Charles and Mat Hart of Steamforged Games for the Lucien boss minis, Mats by Mars for the final battle map mat, and Colm McGuinness for composing two custom battle tracks and other music cues for the final fight.
 * Taliesin channels Rod Serling to invite viewers to the Twitch Subscription Zone.
 * Critters' art montage.

Part II
Lucien's torn body lies at the party's feet, the remaining eyes of the Somnovem vanished. They hear hundreds of whispers in their minds, all saying, "Thank you", as motes of light begin to drift out of the walls and surrounding space, and float up and out, the individual spirits and souls of the Aeorians trapped and suffering for over a thousand years, now at rest. The red eyes on the group's bodies also fade.

Jester and Caduceus run to Caleb's lifeless corpse, and Jester successfully casts Revivify on him. The whispers of "Thank you" continue around them, as Beau and Yasha kiss and walk together to Lucien's body, joined by Jester. The eyes on Lucien's body are gone, but he is still half-consumed by the formerly-living city. Yasha begins digging the body out of its flesh tethers, and she and Beau pull and tear at it until it lies free.

Caleb places his Transmuter's Stone on Lucien's chest, asking why they came so far and fought so hard if not for this. The others are hesitant, worried that rather than getting Molly back, they may return Lucien to life. Caduceus gives Caleb a diamond while Fjord searches for but cannot find the stolen Bag of Holding until Jester imagines it emerging from the dying flesh of the city, and he immediately verifies that the Cloven Crystal is still within it. Putting the crystal back into the bag, he hugs Jester in gratitude. Caleb uses the Transmuter's Stone to cast Raise Dead on Lucien's body, seeking to bring back Mollymauk. The stone cracks, and the ritual begins. Yasha places Molly's coat over the body and begs him to return, kissing his cheek. Jester takes out the tarot cards and asks him to return to teach her about them, and then Beau lays his belt over the body and tries to push the blood back within. Matt makes the final roll... and it is a natural one. The ritual fails.

Caduceus offers to take the body back to the Blooming Grove, with Jester noting that with the name "Mollymauk Tealeaf", he was really asking to be turned into dead people tea. Caleb begins casting his Vault of Amber around the body. A frustrated Essek talks to Fjord, who urges him to use the anger he feels to fuel his effort to turn his life around. Caduceus begins casting Decompose on the city around them.

As the others talk about their sorrow and their sense of defeat, Caduceus reaches a decision and quietly, in the corner, casts Divine Intervention. It succeeds, and he asks the Wildmother, "Whoever it was, just put it back. I think they've earned it. Put it back." Plants, vines, and moss begin to grow and bloom around the body, encasing it, and a warm breeze blows. Mollymauk's eyes open. He bolts up and runs.

However, he then stops and looks around, saying, "Empty. Empty. Empty." Yasha tells him his name, and he slowly looks around at the others, giving them names: Yasha is "Love"; Caleb is "Magician"; Veth is "Tinker"; Jester is "Joy"; Fjord is "Sea"; and Beau is "Rumor". Jester paints him a replica of Molly's original clothing, and Yasha returns his coat to him. He is confused, and without language, but trusts them. They introduce him to Caduceus, who recommends giving Molly some time.

They all want to return home, but there is some discussion of where "home" is. They decide to go to the Blooming Grove for now. Fjord heals Molly a bit and Yasha heals Beau, while Jester paints the large pillar to look like a giant dick with the symbol of Captain Tusktooth at its top. As they all join hands, Caduceus casts Plane Shift pulling them away from the Astral Sea and the now-dead city of Cognouza.

The Mighty Nein

 * Beauregard Lionett
 * Caduceus Clay
 * Caleb Widogast
 * Frumpkin (not mentioned)
 * Fjord
 * Jester Lavorre
 * Mollymauk Tealeaf
 * Veth Brenatto
 * Yasha Nydoorin

Returning

 * Essek Thelyss
 * Lucien
 * Artagan

Quotations
Essek: It's not fair. It's not fair. You've all come so far. It's just not fair. Fjord: It rarely is. You did more for us, and for him, than most anyone we know. Essek: I spent my entire life studying the intent to not let things like this happen to chance. That can't be it, can it? Fjord: I don't know. But if you were to ask my wise friend, Caduceus, I'm sure he would tell you that life continues on. It changes, it evolves, and it grows. I don't think there's an end. You just might not be able to see the next trip. But you have more time. You have more time to study. You have a talent that I don't understand. Use that anger, that frustration. Let it fuel you. If you have any regret or grief over what you've done in your life, I see nothing but good, and nothing but an opportunity for you to turn it around. You've shown me all I need to see. Yasha: Molly? Mollymauk Tealeaf. Molly: Empty? Yasha: No. Molly: Love? Love. Mollymauk: Empty? Caduceus: Yeah, he's as riveting as you all said.
 * Beau: (to Lucien, as she wraps Molly's belt around her fist) If I can't beat you out of him, I will beat you with him.
 * Fjord: (to Essek, after the failed Raise Dead on Mollymauk) Are you all right?
 * Beau: We may be heroes that no one knows about, but we know.
 * Mollymauk: Empty. Empty. Empty.
 * Caduceus: Mollymauk, I guess? Mr Tealeaf? Hello. How are you feeling?

Trivia

 * Molly's resurrection ritual is the first one in the history of Critical Role to fail. Although in Vox Machina's campaign the initial Revivify attempt on Scanlan Shorthalt failed, the later full resurrection ritual succeeded.
 * This is the fifth episode in which one player plays multiple characters, following "A Bard's Lament" and "Race to the Tower" in Campaign 1 and the Search for Grog and Search for Bob one shots. It is also the third time following "Race to the Tower" and "The Search for Bob" in which said characters interact with one another.