What Dreams May Come

is the 34th episode of the third campaign of Critical Role. Bells Hells grapple with a devastating loss, refusing to accept fate's machinations as they attempt to stay a step ahead of Paragon's Call...

Part I
In the white storm of Imogen's power, Fresh Cut Grass begins to recall his past - Dancer awakening him, his time with the other automatons and the Division of Public Benefit, meeting Ashton. They then recall deeper memories from the vantage point of a flying city, of an unkind man with graying blond hair and later, a noblewoman they liked and cared for.

Chetney remembers two romantic partners, Deanna and Frudell, as well as his life's work as a woodcarver. He then experiences again his lycanthropic transmutation under the light of Ruidus, and the need to hunt and kill.

Ashton remembers taking part in a ritual with many people, among them his elven father and his mother, before a glowing portal.

Laudna remembers a quiet dinner with her parents near the Parchwood Timberlands just outside of Whitestone, and then the dinner with the Briarwoods, in which she felt Delilah begin to overtake her.

Imogen feels overwhelmed by the storm inside her, as if she will explode. She then remembers herself, very young, walking outside and falling, and being picked up by her mother, who also has lavender hair. Her mother comforts her telepathically, but then looks away suddenly, concerned by something unseen. Imogen suddenly is present again in her own body, as Otohan Thull encourages her to embrace her power and Liliana's voice tells her to run. Imogen tries to, but Otohan is everywhere she turns. She attacks instead, and a huge burst of energy is emitted, seemingly banishing Otohan, and the white light goes dark. Imogen stands again in the storm in Bassuras, with the rest of Bells Hells around her, as they had been, and the buildings around her leveled.

Laudna dies, feeling Delilah's embrace as Delilah tells her that she must simply wait, and not to worry.

FCG cannot see Laudna, and so begins to run towards Fearne, asking Imogen what to do. Ashton, meanwhile, emerges from their memories and turns to see FCG and runs back towards him. Chetney, in wolf form, bites at Orym's body and looks around for other people, and sees none in the storm. Imogen sees Laudna's body and screams, then tries to pull her from the rubble.

FCG casts Revivify on Fearne, asking her to stay with them and telling her that they want to help her. Fearne, meanwhile, feels herself pulled at by the Unseelie Court, as she suddenly hear's FCG's call and sees a light. She turns back towards the darkness and sees a dull green crescent moon, and a dark, thorny thicket full of the eyes of something hostile, then moves back to the light and FCG's voice and is brought back to life. FCG immediately tells her that they need her to bring back Orym.

Ashton runs to Imogen and asks her if she can contact Jiana Hexum for help, but Imogen does not seem to understand and continues to try to pull out Laudna from the wreckage, putting Laudna's head in her lap and placing the gnarlrock on her chest, asking for Delilah's help. Chetney runs towards Fearne, carrying Orym. Fearne panics upon realizing Orym is dead, and FCG tries to help her. She calls out to the party for diamonds, and Ashton quickly brings them towards her, while also picking up Laudna to bring her to Fearne as well. With little time left, both bodies lie before Fearne, who only has the slots for one Revivify spell. Imogen mentions that Laudna has come back before, but she doesn't want to leave Orym either. FCG and Chetney suggest flipping a coin, and FCG prays to The Changebringer as Imogen casts Sending, begging Delilah to bring back Laudna. Delilah tells her that she can't, and Imogen angrily tells this to Fearne, who, knowing that time is running out, flips the coin, brushes back Laudna's hair and apologizes, and turns to Orym and tells him that she's scared and asks him for help.

Orym sees Will, as if in a dream, before being interrupted by Fearne's words. He tells Will that he misses him, and to say hello to Derrig for him, and they embrace before Will pushes Orym back into Exandria, where Orym sees Fearne crying over him.

As most of the party regroups, Ashton opens the portable hole and jumps into it to ask Armand Treshi if he has any way to help. Treshi tells him he's not able to, and tries to crawl back up after Ashton, but Ashton kicks him back into it and closes it again. Imogen repeatedly apologies to Laudna's corpse, as the party realizes the Paragon's Call is beginning to regroup. Ashton moves to put Laudna into the portable hole with Treshi but Imogen refuses to let him, so he carries her as they all begin to run towards Imahara Joe's shop.

Part II
Fearne declines to give FCG's coin back as Chetney drops out of wolf form. They run through the streets, seemingly unwatched, and pound on the door to Imahara Joe's and are let in by one of Joe's employees, thinking they're seeking shelter from the sandstorm, which is dying down. Ashton then opens the hole to talk to Treshi, and FCG apologies to Joe for putting him in potential danger. Joe asks Bells Hells to explain what's happening, stressing that he doesn't mind some danger, given that it's Bassuras, but he'd like to know the situation. He also notices that Laudna is dead.

FCG tells him that they are on the run from the Paragon's Call. Treshi calls out that they kidnapped him; Chetney asks him if he was a prisoner or a guest and Treshi tells him "yes". Chetney threatens to bite Treshi, and Joe asks for more information. Orym assures him that they weren't followed, but Joe moves a table and opens a hatch, and tells the party to hide in the storage room if they're going to be here a while, and that he intends to maintain as much plausible deniability as he can. He also tells them that while he likes them, he's not going to sacrifice his own safety for theirs, which the party tells him they understand. Fearne asks Joe if he can resurrect people, to which he responds that he cannot. FCG asks him about the Changebringer, and Joe tells them that he is a follower and has faith in her. The party goes down into the hatch, promising they will only be here for a day or so, and they hear Joe offering hazard pay to his employees.

In the storage room below the store, Chetney looks around and notices a hidden door in one of the walls. He tells the party to watch Treshi, and Ashton ties Treshi up and begins to interrogate the prisoner. Treshi asks them what they want. They ask him about the Shade Mother, which he says was Ira Wendagoth's doing, and it was all part of a plan to convince the Chandei Quorum that they needed the help of the Paragon's Call. Orym punches Treshi in anger, after asking him incredulously if he used Ira solely as a psy op. Treshi tells the party that he was planning to break off his business relationship with Ira before Ira toppled the tower in Jrusar. Fearne realizes there's probably more to it than that, but Chetney and Ashton are unable to threaten Treshi into saying more, and after Joe tells the party to keep quieter, they push Treshi back into the hole. Orym tries once more, after stabbing Treshi in the foot, and succeeds in getting more of the truth out of him: Treshi had hoped to gain more status within House Treshi, and made a deal with Otohan, but realized that the shipments coming from the Ozmit Sea were part of something much bigger. Ashton asks Treshi if he was working with Jiana Hexum; Treshi declines to answer, which Ashton finds revealing. Treshi admits that yes, Jiana was holding onto the shipments for a time.

Chetney and FCG begin to work on the box and crate they took from the shipment at the Seat of Disdain while Fearne holds up one of the vials and asks Treshi about it. He tells her that he doesn't know nor will he ask; he just wanted more power within his family and Jrusar, but then Emoth Kade's involvement broke everything open. Ashton asks Treshi who they should avoid, and he tells them that he will do anything if they can keep him safe from Otohan. He also mentions that he did not realize Bells Hells and Artana Voe were working separately.

Chetney manages to open the door in the storage room and finds that it leads to a tunnel with a smell reminiscent of the the caverns along the Deathwish Run route. He closes the door and begins working on the box, which he realizes is trapped, with a gold wire that will be tripped if he uses metal tools. He carves thieves' tools from wood and rests with the remainder of the party to heal up before attempting to open the box. As they rest, Bells Hells considers their options: they need to warn Eshteross that Otohan knows about him, and he might be able to help. Chetney suggests that Ajit Dayal might have resources; Ashton believes that Jiana, though clearly corrupt, might be able to find someone to bring back Laudna. Fearne says that Morrigan can bring people back, but the party is wary of going to the Feywild now and missing the apogee solstice. Orym wonders if Percival de Rolo and Vex'ahlia can help, since Laudna is from Whitestone, or if Keyleth can bring her back. Imogen says that Delilah isn't strong enough, and Orym agrees. Imogen also takes Pâté de Rolo from Laudna's body and puts him on her belt.

Chetney takes the box into the tunnel with his wooden tools so that only he will be harmed in the event of something going wrong, but with the help of Guidance, he picks the lock successfully, revealing a thick-walled box with a fine, green, glassy powder inside. He brings it to the party, and Orym immediately identifies it as residuum, and tells them that it comes from Whitestone and that they need to contact Keyleth and the de Rolos about this use. Chetney looks at the box to see if they can continue to use it, but doesn't have enough insight into how to permanently disable the lock, so they ask Joe to make them a leaded box, and pay the premium 300 GP he asks. Chetney and Orym then throw the box down the cavern, as FCG Identifies the vials as being full of a Potion of Possibility, which is from a school of magic they do not recognize. Chetney then begins to work on the crate, back out in the tunnel, and is able to break off the poorly-secured lock. In it, he finds six more vials of the potion, and tells the party he only found two before showing all six and distributing them.

Chetney then goes down into the portable hole, confirms Armand's hands are still tied, and pats him down to see if he has any magical items, but finds he does not. Ashton ties up Laudna into a more easily carried bundle, and Imogen asks FCG if he can make her body last longer. FCG promises to look into it after their long rest. After setting up and planning to take watch, the party rests, starting in the late afternoon. Orym goes first, and thinks back to the Gray Assassins attack in Zephrah as he does. Nothing happens. Chetney goes next, and midway through, hears several people enter the shop above and begin questioning Joe about the recent winners of the Deathwish Run. Joe feigns ignorance and Chetney awakens all of Bells Hells, who cover their tracks and hurry quietly out the door into the tunnel, with Ashton and Chetney standing by the door, latching it quietly as the people rummage above and eventually descend into the storage room. The people asking after Bells Hells do a thorough search, but do not seem to see the door to the caverns. Imogen uses Open Mind to check to see if anyone remained in the storage room, and finds it empty. Once the people leave the shop, Bells Hells return to the storage area. Chetney thanks Joe, who asks for an additional hundred gold for the box, which the party gladly gives him. They all resume their rest, with FCG taking the final watch, looking at Chetney's sleeping form and thinking of the fight early that morning. The party completes a long rest.

Imogen asks if she sees Laudna walking into the storm, as Bertrand did, in her dreams. She did not, but Matt tells her to check her feats!

In the morning, FCG and Chetney talk about FCG's episode the previous day. FCG thanks Chetney, and the two apologize to each other. FCG then gives Chetney a carved box with the image of Chetney's tattoo on it.

Fearne brings up Imogen's explosion yesterday and asks Imogen if she knows more. The party all discusses their fight with Otohan. Imogen apologizes, and tells them she isn't sure what happened. They all tell her that it's okay, and they all tried to run. Ashton, upon hearing Imogen saw her mother, asks the rest if they had visions, and Chetney and FCG confirm they did. Ashton talks briefly about their vision of their parents, who they usually do not remember, and what they believe to be the Hishari; all they usually recall of their childhood is wandering around the Hellcatch Valley just outside the city before being put in the Greymoore Home. Imogen tells the party she did not see their memories, and at Orym's urging, contacts Xandis to call the Silver Sun. Xandis tells them that they will be there in about half a day.

The party stays in the storage room, and Imogen tearfully apologizes again. They all note that her Lichtenberg scars have grown more, now reaching her elbows. They also discuss Otohan's powers, and vow to learn more, to save Laudna, and to be there for the solstice. FCG then casts Gentle Repose as a ritual on Laudna to keep her corpse prepared. Imogen casts Sending to Eshteross, telling him what has happened. He responds with his apologies, and tells them that resurrection magic is rare. FCG then casts Sending as well, warning him about Otohan, to which Eshteross responds "I knew this time would come". As they continue to wait for the Silver Sun to be ready, Chetney gives FCG a palette he can use to express his emotions.

They pay Joe, thank him again, and Ashton and FCG leave messages - Ashton for several of the other Greymoore kids, and FCG for D, should they return. Joe agrees, but politely asks them to leave for his own safety. They do so, and make their way through the streets of Bassuras to the outside of the city, unsure if they have been seen. As the Silver Sun lowers towards them, Imogen contacts Xandis again to give a more precise location. Three crawlers give chase towards the skyship, but most of the party is able to jump aboard, and Imogen casts Fly on those who do not make it. They all make it onto the Silver Sun, and begin their journey back to Jrusar.

Bells Hells

 * Ashton Greymoore
 * Chetney Pock O'Pea
 * Fearne Calloway
 * Little Mister
 * Fresh Cut Grass
 * Imogen Temult
 * Laudna
 * Orym

Returning

 * Ariks Eshteross (via Sending)
 * Armand Treshi
 * Dancer (FCG's memory)
 * Delilah Briarwood (voice only)
 * Imahara Joe
 * Liliana Temult (voice only, in a memory)
 * Otohan Thull
 * Xandis

New

 * Will (in a vision)

Mentioned

 * Bennet, member of the Nobodies
 * D
 * Deanna and Frudell, women in Chetney's past
 * Shade Mother
 * Ira Wendagoth
 * Jiana Hexum
 * Keyleth
 * Morrigan
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Shady Sally, member of the Nobodies
 * Vex'ahlia de Rolo
 * Zeeland, member of the Nobodies

Trivia

 * According to CritRoleStats, this episode has the shortest first half (1:15:11) among Campaign 3 episodes. Including one-shots, it is second shortest after (1:11:28). In the second campaign,  has the shortest first half (1:13:56).