Beyond the Heart City

is the seventh episode of Exandria Unlimited.

Previously on Exandria Unlimited
''You've survived weeks of treacherous travel south through the feral splendor of the Rifenmist Jungle, a land that seems almost sentient, animated with the breath of Melora, the Wildmother. And she guards a great secret, one that you have finally discovered for yourself: a great civilization known as the Qoniira Tetrarchy, believed to have been lost in the violent chaos of the Calamity eons ago. It still stands, very much diminished but alive and well in its capital of Niirdal-Poc.''

''Fy'ra Rai, the mysterious fire genasi monk that led you here, escorted you to the city and to a trusted friend of hers, Elam Genar, an earth genasi, before moving towards the central plaza dominated by a massive statue of a feline humanoid with four outspread feather wings and an uplifted hand grasping a strange gray-gold light that you see permeates every part of the city. In the presence of The Observer, our divine soul sorcerer Dariax experienced a moment of communion with this being, and they spoke of The Gift, and spoke kindly and ebulliently of your predilection for chaos and curiosity.''

''You all met one of the four Tetrarchs, an elephantine cleric of the moons named Thrascuur, that saw ill omens and imminent disaster written across the night sky. They translated the fiery rune of the ash-blown mesa as "a place of burning", a point in the world so white-hot with potential energy, both fiery and arcane, that it was marked by glyphs that predate the gods' vulgar Celestial language. You also learned of Tetrarch Umejii's solo mission south through the Beynsfal Peninsula headed toward Tz'Arrm, the heart of the ominous Iron Authority, to suss out if they're the source of Thrascuur's ill omens.''

''Headed back from that meeting, you were accosted by invisible mages bent on abducting Opal. A chase ensued through the streets and valleys of Niirdal-Poc, and through cunning spell work, stone-shattering swordsmanship, and some good old-fashioned fanged violence, you all won the night. But one very powerful spellcaster escaped. Bloodied and exhausted in the foggy darkness, you collected yourselves and parted ways with Fy'ra Rai, whose destiny for now, at least, lay northward toward her long-lost sister.''

Part I
During the remainder of the night, during his watch Dariax wanders to the statue of The Observer, who again converses with him. She tells him she has bequeathed him The Gift: his intuition. If he needs her, she will help him however she can. As he leaves, he notices his spear is a little more effective.

The city seems to be becoming increasingly active and guarded, despite the hour. Dorian goes back to the battle scene and finds his axe among the bodies. He pulls away a strand of spider silk and hears the voice of the Spider Queen taunting him for his cowardice.

In the morning, they all share breakfast wine and talk about what to do next. Orym suggests getting out of town to avoid future attempts to abduct Opal. Tetrarch Thrascuur arrives and their blessing gives Opal five temporary hit points. They give the party a map, telling them that if they follow the constellation of Surrac's Shield, it will lead them to the ruin of what was once the southernmost city of the Qoniira Tetrarchy, Niirdal-Sarqet. Once there, they should keep heading south. They are welcome to return to Niirdal-Poc whenever they choose.

One of the staff who delivers supplies to the party (a very young feline girl who was present at the home of Elam Genar) tries to give them a letter to deliver on Elam's behalf, but they are suspicious. Orym follows her out and learns she is Neera, amd promises to deliver the letter to Umejii.

They head southward out of the city and after a few days' travel reach the ruins of Niirdal-Sarqet, among which they find a slowly rotating massive elaborately-carved stone cube floating 15 feet in the air. They notice the gravity is odd around it, and when Fearne throws a rock at it, it sticks onto one of its faces. Dariax and Dorian each recognize a word on the cube: "universe" and "shield".

Opal approaches it, tethered by a rope tied around her held by Dariax, but he trips and they both are pulled onto different faces of the cube, learning they can walk normally across and around it. Trying to deciper more of its writing, they read "the universe above". As Dariax speaks the words aloud, the lights within the cube change to red.

Orym investigates the area and although he sees no signs of physical creatures, he senses they are being watched. As they decipher each side of the cube, they read "a shield to protect," "decide what comes next," and "remember what came before," and the cube changes color each time. Dariax manages to fall off the side and he and Orym both see a massive stone construct arrive, pulsing with the same colored lights as the stone cube. Dariax reads another side: "The universe within." Fearne decipers the final side: "Provide for all." The cube goes blue, they hear a rumbling, and the sigils begin to shift. The cube breaks.

Break

 * Elder Scrolls Online: Blackwood now available on PC, Stadia, PS4, and Xbox One.
 * Merch Alert! It's Laura herself with some new loot: CR facemasks in adult and child sizes, Hello Bees onesies and child-sized t-shirts available in all four Critical Role shops; Isharnai's hut puzzle in the US, Canada, and UK shops and wherever fine puzzles are sold.
 * Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn coming late 2021/early 2022. Learn more at DarringtonPress.com.
 * Commissioned art montage.

Player Characters

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

Returning

 * Lolth
 * Neera
 * The Observer
 * Thrascuur

Mentioned

 * Ted
 * Umejii

Quotations

 * Matt: (as Liam is deciding to leap from his cube while wearing a Keyfish t-shirt) We're practically mortals!