Looming

"Looming"
"Looming"
Campaign 3 episode
	"Looming" (3x108) thumbnail featuring Matthew Mercer and Ashley Johnson.
Episode no.	Episode 108 (3x108)
Airdate	September 19, 2024 19:00 PT
Running time	4:18:11
Links and related articles
Episode links	VOD; Transcript;
Episode chronology
Previous; "Under the Arch Heart's Eye" (3x107)	Next; "A Test of Fate" (3x109)
	List of Campaign 3 episodes

"Looming" (3x108) is the 108th episode of the third campaign of Critical Role. Bells Hells learn just how resilient the Fey can be when it comes to matters of the mind and seek answers from Fearne's estranged, strange father...

Synopsis[edit | edit source]

Part I[edit | edit source]

As Bells Hells regroup, Braius and Dorian provide some healing to the badly injured party. Orym notices two of the Unseelie Court guards who had been previously hypnotized by Dorian beginning to enter the Shrine of Gilded Gifts, but they then stop. When Dorian goes to investigate he sees Ira holding the guards with a spell, and Ira tells him this will occupy them for a time, but not indefinitely. Orym and Ashton take watch over the various Unseelie, including Cashadoor, the emissary who had spoken to Ludinus. Ira confirms to the party when asked that he can try to Modify Memory. Chetney asks him carefully what he saw, and confirms Ira was not present during Bells Hells' vision of the Arch Heart and did not experience it.

The party then takes a short rest during which they make various attempts to modify the memories of the guards and emissary, repeatedly knocking them and Zathuda out when they come to. Chetney casts Bane so Ira can attempt to Modify Memory to indicate Ludinus and the Ruby Vanguard betrayed the Unseelie; when one of the guards begins running Imogen casts Psychic Lance. Upon realizing that it is a considerable way by foot back to Ligament Manor, Imogen also casts Sending to Morri asking her to pick them up, and Morri tells her she can take some but not all. Dorian says he can summon Coriolis, and Fearne considers using Wildshape to bring the rest. Laudna casts a Spirit of Death with the appearance of Bor'Dor on Zathuda to haunt and track him as Bells Hells continues to discuss how to sow mistrust of Ludinus within the Unseelie Court. On Braius's suggestion they attempt a re-enactment of a battle with Ludinus betraying the other Unseelie, but as they do so, they notice that Zathuda has escaped his bindings and disappeared. Laudna uses her spell to track where he is and the party runs from the temple and finds Gloamglut dropping its invisibility and headed towards Zathuda.

After Zathuda is quickly knocked unconscious again, Orym attacks him twice with Seedling, and Zathuda bleeds out and dies. Gloamglut immediately becomes distressed. Imogen attempts to calm Gloamglut and fails, but Fearne, after slicing her arm with the Moon Sickle to show it her blood, calms it down, as it senses her relation to Zathuda. Ashton guards the other Unseelie, and Braius and Chetney hold attacks against them should they awaken or attempt to escape. Morri arrives, Dorian summons Coriolis, and they all leave for Ligament Manor: Fearne, Imogen, Orym, and Chetney on Gloamglut; Dorian and Cashadoor on Coriolis; and Braius, Laudna, Ashton, and the two other guards on Morri, who is in her bird-like form.

Part II[edit | edit source]

The party, along with Morri, fly back to Ligament Manor, though Ira is nowhere to be found. En route, they ask Fearne what she wants done with Zathuda but she is not sure. They all land in Morri's hedge maze and Laudna gives her a rough synopsis of their time in Pravenier, at least in regards to the Unseelie Court and Ludinus. Morri has hedges bind the surviving guards and emissary, whom she puts to sleep, and binds Gloamglut as well. As Fearne cannot think of a reason to bring Zathuda back, Morri suggests putting him on her loom, and Fearne agrees. The party follows her down to the loom. She suggests they not watch, but Chetney says he will, and most of the party agrees. They watch as Zathuda's body is flayed and his soul siphoned away. The flayed skin is then woven into an art piece with his face at the center. Morri then invites them all to her tiki bar, where she hangs what was once Zathuda. Braius also offers the artwork he made of Fearne, which Morri happily accepts and hangs.

Fearne looks at Zathuda's face, trying to find similarities between it and her own features, and notices a few. Ashton joins her and cynically speaks of their own understanding of their birth parents. Fearne then speaks to Zathuda and tells him that he never really knew her, and was simply power-hungry. As Zathuda's personality imbues the art piece, he responds and agrees; he tells her that his own upbringing and position left no room for empathy but that Fearne does share one aspect of him: she will take what she wants, and she shares his curse of ambition. Fearne is largely unbothered by this, and she asks what he knows of the process of becoming a vessel of Predathos. His understanding aligns with that of the Exandrian Accord, that it is bound by something similar to the Divine Gate and that Ruidusborn can unlock it. He urges Fearne to kill Ludinus and become the vessel of her own accord. Imogen asks about the Unseelie Court's plans regarding the Malleus Key. He tells her he knows little about the setup now that the Weave Mind and Ozo Cruth have taken over the site but provides some information about the Reilora forces before sourly remarking he is now furniture. Morri notes that he is here permanently when Bells Hells ask, and that this is a process she's done before.

Fearne then asks about Gloamglut and how to tame him, and Zathuda says that he is young but strong, and does not care to leave the Fey Realm but could be bound by hemocraft to a new master if she does not wish to set him free. The party considers doing a ritual in the morning, led by Chetney, if necessary. As Zathuda attempts to test his boundaries in this form, he does answer that many of the exaltants have been disappearing. Orym asks about Ludinus's weaknesses, and Zathuda says it is his hubris. Ashton asks for more information about the Unseelie's position and about Predathos; Zathuda says that the alliance was always a tenuous one of shared goals, and if it appears Ludinus is losing the Unseelie likely would turn on him. He admits he did not ever go close to Predathos nor did he want to, and reiterates that the exaltants are being sent to do something and are not coming back.

Braius asks if Fearne has any biological siblings and Zathuda says she was his only child, and when Fearne asks if he loved Birdie he says that he might have. The party realizes they should probably hide Zathuda from Birdie and Dorian runs out to check on the emissary and guards, and in doing so briefly runs into Birdie and Ollie. He says hello to them and when Birdie asks if Fearne is there, says yes, but that they should announce themselves before entering the bar. Birdie and Ollie do so and Morri quickly makes Zathuda invisible before inviting them in, and Dorian checks on the guards and finds they are still imprisoned by vines. Fearne briefly talks to her parents but tells them they'll likely only be staying the night. Bells Hells then leave to go outside and check on Gloamglut together.

Laudna and Orym speak as they walk to the hedge and asks if he's alright. He says he's not, but it doesn't matter, and she supports him, as he has supported her, in making difficult choices. He takes her hand. Ashton and Fearne also walk together, and he suggests she sleep outside with Gloamglut and offers to join her. She agrees, and they promise her they won't ask how she is doing. Imogen and Dorian also talk: both were horrified and unsettled by the loom, and Dorian reflects on how this is the first time, in many months of adventuring, that he feels he has a mission.

Morri joins them and attempts to cast a successful Modify Memory with considerable assistance from Laudna casting Bane and Silvery Barbs, but the emissary's skills lie in resisting such effects, and while Dorian is able to cast Geas on the guards, Morri is unsuccessful. She ultimately decides to turn Cashadoor into a topiary shrub within her garden, and takes her leave.

Bells Hells then discuss what to do next. Ashton and Dorian like the Arch Heart's plan, though Dorian doesn't entirely care for the Arch Heart, and believe that cowards are the most honest. As the discussion gets heated, Ashton leaves to go drink in the bar. Orym tells the party that no one has been able to answer what will happen should they unleash Predathos, including the gods, and he will stay with Bells Hells so long as they are stopping Ludinus but he will not aid in any plan in which Predathos is released. Chetney asks Imogen and Fearne, as the Ruidusborn, how they feel and Imogen remarks that killing or chasing off the gods seems unkind to the many people who do worship the gods, and she agrees with Orym, that they do not have any answers regarding potential threats such as demons nor do they have any assurances regarding the invading Reiloran forces nor whether the other gods will leave. Fearne is similarly unsure what to do. The party ultimately decides to see the Matron of Ravens in Vasselheim at her temple to see what she says, and they remark on how there seems to be little agreement across various gods and other powers. Orym goes over to lean against Dorian, who puts his arm around him. They all decide to rest for the night after a bath and some more drinks.

Laudna goes into the bar and finds Ashton, who is drinking and draws a smile on the invisible Zathuda with cocktail sauce. They tell her they left before they started a fight, and she supports them in this. She invites him to join the others in the hot springs, and he agrees. While bathing, Laudna brings back Pâté. Chetney takes off his Demonshell Armor to go in, and it does take a moment to respond after he wills it off, but he is able to remove it. Bompers joins them all in the hot springs, dirtying the water, at which point everyone leaves to go rest.

Braius decides to pray on what to do, and splashes ink on the wall and opens his mind to both the Lord of the Hells and the Platinum Dragon. He sees the ink take on the appearance of the Lord of the Hells, who speaks to him and tells him to chase the rest of the gods away so that he can remain. Braius is taken aback to hear from him. He then takes the opportunity to flirt with Morri, and she returns his affections and invites him up to her room, which he accepts. Fearne and Ashton meanwhile stay with Gloamglut, who is grieving the loss of Zathuda, but Fearne attempts to speak with him and soothe him, and says she will probably let him go free.