History WMG / CriticalRoleCampaignThree

Funny how we currently have an arc about releasing god-eating abomination and have just introduced character claiming gods aren't necessary in the first place.

[[WMG: The Matron of Ravens [[spoiler:is gone or will be the first god to go]]

[[WMG: The Malleus Key WILL [[spoiler:tear The Weave]]

[[WMG: The Matron of Ravens [[spoiler:is gone or will be the first god to go]].]]

[[WMG: The Malleus Key WILL [[spoiler:tear The Weave]].]]

[[WMG: Fresh Cut Grass is not a cleric.]]
At least not in a roleplaying sense. In a manner similar to Jester, the cleric class is just the type of powers that F.C.G. has, but in roleplay, they'll be drastically different. While it is still early, they haven't shown any outward signs of any sort of faith. It's likely they'll be played more like a DoAnythingRobot with the cleric abilities serving as a sort of PowersAsPrograms.
* Possibly confirmed, as Sam has occasionally used altered names for his abilities that remove any religious or divine references, and there has been no mention whatsoever of F.C.G. following or even being aware of any kind of deity.

[[WMG: Bertrand is actually a Changeling]]
If he doesn't die, this could also be the reveal.

[[WMG: Opal makes an appearance...]]
...with the twist that she's freed herself of the circlet by ''destroying Lolth and becoming the new Spider Queen.''
* Subverted. She's back in a EXU followup, and Lolth is still around, but she technically frees herself of the circlet.
* Double subverted when Aimee Carrero joins the main campaign... as Deni$e.

[[WMG: Bertrand is scared of Laudna because she reminds him of Lieve'tel Toluse]]
A gothic woman with strange powers? Yeah, that sure sounds like Bertrand's old fling, and his last adventure (that we know of) with someone like that ended up with him retiring, the poor soul...

[[WMG: Fresh Cut Grass is responsible for the death of their last party, and is either unaware or hiding it.]]
While we don't know exactly what race they are, playable constructs in D&D are usually conscious and aware of their surroundings when they "sleep," so the idea that F.C.G. missed whatever killed Dancer and the other automatons due to being in stasis is dubious.

[[WMG: Ashton's Rage abilities]]
So the Path of Fundamental Chaos is obviously a homebrew for them, but just going off what we've seen, I think we can predict a few abilities that Ashton may still be packing. His abilities seem to be based the four fundamental forces of nature (gravity, electromagnetism, weak & strong bonds). So far we've seen him create a gravity well, cause a red/blueshift, as well as imbue his attacks with both lightning and force damage. One possible damage option he may still be packing is radiant damage, as well as potentially having abilities that negate flight (by making them to dense to fly) or even bonding enemies so closely together that they can no longer move.

[[WMG: Possibilities for Travis's new character.]]
Given that the party, minus Dorian, consists of two frontline fighters (Orym and Ashton), two sorcerers (Imogen and Laudna) and two healing casters (FCG and Fearne), there are a few options he might take to fill in his own niche.
* Gunslinger: To represent the continuing spread of firearms in Exandria, he might play a grizzled western-style bounty hunter, a former soldier from a rifleman brigade, or maybe an inventor developing the technology further.
* Artificer: Either an Armorer so he can continue to get into the thick of it in battle, or an Artillerist.
* Bard: Since Dorian is a guest character, he may choose to play a bard so the party has that extra boost of support.
* Rogue: The group is lacking a rogue, which would also be an apt choice for a Corsair, the likely source for Travis' new character given the group's current situation (surrounded by hostile Corsairs, looking for a former member of theirs).
** Confirmed, then Jossed, then re-Confirmed. Chetney was introduced to the party as a Rogue, but later revealed to be an Order of the Lycan Bloodhunter (essentially a werewolf). After Episode 21 he multi-classed and took a level in Rogue.

[[WMG: Dugger is an undead]]
An acquaintance of Dugger describes the dwarf as just a regular, healthy-looking dwarf until his more recent, pasty appearance. While this person suggests it's due to suude abuse, what if something happened to Dugger that changed him into an undead creature, perhaps a Hollow One like Laudna?

[[WMG: Imogen is Laudna's descendant]]
Native Marquesians are mostly dark-skinned, so Imogen may either be a foreigner or a child of foreigners. Her parents may have been Laudna's children, or niece or nephew, and their spouse, and that would be why Laudna is so attached to and protective of her.
* Probably Jossed - Laudna became undead as a young adult, and she made no reference to being in a relationship or having any children at the time. She gave specific mention to her parents being present at the feast held by Lord and Lady Briarwood, but not to any other relatives:
-->"My parents thought that getting an invitation to the palace, to the castle, to meet the Lord and Lady Briarwood was a great boon. We were promised a wonderful feast and an amazing party. We were told we were going to be serving a greater purpose for Whitestone... I remember being tossed clothes to wear, told to change. We'd be served a wonderful dinner, which we were. It was actually quite fantastic. It was like filet, a little surf and turf, had some lobsters. And then... That was it. They dragged me away, separated me from my parents. I was brutally beaten and then... It's a little fuzzy after that."
** That doesn't however rule out the possibility that Laudna had siblings who survived and had children

[[WMG: Laudna is a SoulJar for Delilah Briarwood.]]
Since we know that Delilah was teaching the young Laudna magic, she may have been experimenting on the girl as well, trying to turn her into a [[BodySurf back-up body]] a la the ''Clone'' spell. But Laudna died before her and caused the spell to go wrong, pulling her soul back in & becoming a Hollow One. Now Delilah's dead, but her new body still has an occupant, leaving her soul as a disembodied voice in Laudna's head.
* Possibly Jossed. Delilah never tutored Laudna, and there's no indication that Laudna met either of the Briarwoods prior to the night when she and her family were invited to the palace. Laudna was beaten and her body was mutilated before she was put on display -- not exactly something a body surfing necromancer would be keen to do to a future host. Notes on the first character playlist that was released for Laudna read "The necromantic blast unleashed by Delilah Briarwood would latch onto the magic spark that was lingering in Laudna's still veins. Confused, terrified, and alone, Laudna would wriggle her way free from the noose around her neck and run as fast and as far away as she could from the only place she's ever known. Little did she know, her fate was still intertwined with the woman who broke the world." And in episode 12, Laudna tells Imogen she started hearing Delilah's voice in her head "a year after she [Delilah] dies." With all those facets taken together, it doesn't seem like Delilah ever intended to bring Laudna back or use her body as anything but set dressing.
** Or at the least, decide to use her for a message instead. It is possible Laudna was intended to be a replacement body at first but then Vox Machina made themselves an issue. So when the Briarwoods decided to send a message, Delilah decided to use Laudna for Vex, reasoning she could always pick out a new victim to be her next body. But even if Laudna was picked to be her new body, she didn't have the position at the time of death.

[[WMG: Chetney is also temporary]]
Just because how funny would it be if Travis introduced a character older than Bertrand, doddered around with the group for three episodes, died, and then came back as somebody ''even older''.

[[WMG:More guesses for Travis' next character]]
* The golem from Cyrus' backstory
** Partly jossed with Chetney, since there's no guarantee he'll be around for the long run either

[[WMG: Chetney is a wanted man]]
Ignoring the obvious parallels between him and Chutney, who tried to kill Santa, Chutney has made several dodgy comments about his potential past, frequently lies to the party about why he needs Gurge so badly, and let slip that he may be in the city because he had to flee bounty hunters. He did ''something'', likely murder or attempted murder, possibly of an abusive or manipulative employer.

[[WMG: FCG is going to go full Johnny 5 rage when he finds Dancer's killers]]
DISASSEMBLE!!!

[[WMG: There's some sort of self-protective mechanism in FCG's head.]]
The mysterious "two points" Matt had Sam take after Imogene looked into FCG's mind was referring to the self-protective mechanism weakening upon FCG trying to actively remember the events surrounding the night of his friends' deaths. If he keeps probing or having other people look into his mind, the mechanism will eventually break down entirely and he'll remember everything. Now, whether that's a good thing or a bad thing...

[[WMG:Fresh Cut Grass' name is not just a joke for its sheer absurdity/being [[InherentlyFunnyWord an inherently funny string of words]], it's a literal (if mildly convoluted) translation of an out-of-universe name.]]
English-language names often have meanings that people would have to look up to understand: just citing FCG's party members, "Imogen" means "maiden" or "innocent", and "Ashton" is derived from a place meaning "ash tree town". Characters named "Maiden", "Innocent", or "Ash Tree Town" would certainly raise eyebrows, but "Imogen" and "Ashton" doesn't (or at least less so). Sam Riegel's wife Quyen Tran is Vietnamese-American, with a Vietnamese name (albeit written in Western convention). In Vietnam, "Hương Thảo" or "Phương Thảo" are ''terribly'' common as names. "Thảo" means "grass", and "Hương/Phương" means "fragrant". What is fresh-cut grass if not fragrant?

[[WMG: Fearne's True Name Isn't "Fearne Calloway"]]
Fearne is from the Feywild, and fey have traditionally been linked to [[IKnowYourTrueName powers attached to names]]. (One such example can be seen in the Archfey Artagan, who's gone by aliases like Garmelie and The Traveler.) And if Nightmare King Ira's recognition of Fearne as "a Calloway" is anything to go by, then Fearne's family seems to have some level of power and influence in the Feywild. If names are indeed a source of power to fey creatures, it would be strange for a fey from a powerful family to give out her name (and her Grandmother's name (Morrigan) and her parents' names (Birdie and Oleander)) so freely, even to her friends. Perhaps "Calloway" is a sort of courtesy name that Fearne's family uses, so as not to give away their true names.

[[WMG: Ashton wasn't born as a Earth Genasi]]
two things point to this theory
* 1) Ashton has outright said that he was "soft" when he was younger until his body suddenly started hardening.
* 2) Going through the Museum it's specifically noted that the mask and armor from the Hishari tribe are familiar to Ashton, and of those we get this little bit of lore
--> "It is a village in Issylra to the north of Marquet. It was born as a commune around a charismatic leader that delved into esoteric elemental worship, was eventually found decimated a couple decades ago"

only a couple of decades ago since this village was wiped out under mysterious circumstances, and while we don't know Ashton's exact age, we do know they're at least old enough to be 20 or older maybe, and we also know they were raised in an orphanage from a young age.
What if Ashton was from the village of Hishari, and the "Esoteric Elemental Worship" they were involved in caused him to change into a genasi?
* Ashton's contemplation of the "strangely familiar" Hishari helmet (stolen from the Twilight Mirror Museum back in episode 21) while camping out at the Calloway hideout in Episode 31 lends credence to the theory that they're connected to the Hishari.

[[WMG: Fearne (and maybe some other Fey creatures like the Nightmare King) came from the Feywild through Artagan’s doorway.]]
It doesn’t seem like you can just casually walk from one realm to another, unless you inadvertently stepped through a door that was left open.
* Subsidiary material released alongside ''Exandria Unlimited'' already confirmed that Fearne entered Exandria through the gate built by Vox Machina for Artagan.

[[WMG: The R.T.A. ''is'' the Royal Toymaker's Association.]]
It serves as Uthoderm's own version of the Volstruckers/Scourgers but hides its activities by having all its members be toymakers, turning it into a MilkmanConspiracy. The leader, Oltgar, is an {{Expy}} of Santa who uses his extensive information network to silence those who cause problems for the king ("He sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good so be good for goodness' sake"), and Chetney used to be one of his operatives before deserting after being sent to kill a child - something that Chetney couldn't accept, seeing it as a violation of his duty as a toymaker.

[[WMG: "D" is a Lich]]
Laudna's patron "D" has become a Lich and Laudna is the unwilling vessel of her soul. "If you go," D says. "I Go."

[[WMG: "D" is Devexian]]
His metal mask is actually his face, and he's rooting through the ruins of an Age of Arcanum city in the Rumedam Desert.
** It could be that the reason he's going around selling pieces of technology and other dormant Aeormaton's is because he and the other's he might have awakened havent figured out how to repair them by themselves and so hope that the people who would most value buying such tech would be the most capable of fixing it, something that seems to have panned out at least somewhat with FCG
** Going back, the Campaign 2 wrapup mentions that Devexian is traveling the world and restoring other Aeormatons, so this theory seems more and more likely.

[[WMG:Players with dead [=PCs=] will reprise their previous characters, either from campaign 1 or 2.]]
The most likely combination is Pike, a cleric who can resurrect people as well as deal damage; Caleb (and possibly Essek and/or Beau in tow), who has a vested interest in dunamis, and Keyleth (assuming Laudna dies), because she's been a driving force behind some major events.
* Jossed as of Episode 37 -- Matt has played all previous [=PCs=] to reappear thus far, including Keyleth, Percy, Vex, and Pike.

[[WMG:Laudna was orphaned and adopted at some point prior to her fateful dinner at Whitestone Castle.]]
When seeing some of Laudna's memories in Episode 37, her younger self is called Matilda, but seeing the memory of her just before the dinner, she's called Laudna by her mother. It may be that her birth parents died at some point and she was adopted and her parents gave her a new name. (More mundane alternative, she just started using her middle name because she liked it better.)
* Possibly Jossed -- Marisha stated in an episode of "4-Sided Dive" that Laudna's birth name was "Matilda Bradbury," and she kept it for several years after reviving and fleeing Whitestone. She assumed the name Laudna after a prolonged period of isolation caused her to start "losing touch with who she was and where she came from." Matt also stated that it was his intention to convey the sense that "the scenes were starting to kind of crumble a bit," with Delilah having a difficult time maintaining control over the environs.

[[WMG: Liliana Temult Knows (and is Potentially Working With) Otohan Thull]]
As of Episode 37, Liliana Temult has only ever appeared as a figure in Imogen's dreams (and one repressed memory) imploring her to run from the specter of Otohan Thull. Imogen has refrained from contacting her mother and has no clues as to her current location or status. Bells Hells learned that Liliana participated in a study of Ruidusborn individuals run by Professor Kadjia Sumal (and by extension the Grim Verity) out of the Aydinlan Seminary in Yios around 831 PD, twelve years before the start of Campaign Three. Hondir (a researcher likewise associated with the Grim Verity) recalled that "she was gifted with incredible capabilities" and compared Liliana's powers to Imogen's.\\
When Imogen encountered Thull in Basuras, Thull repeatedly provoked Imogen to "give in" (presumably referring to Ruidus' influence) and made references to "others" (presumably other Ruidusborn or members of Thull's conspiracy). Based on Thull's interest in Imogen's powers, she would certainly have a similar interest in Liliana if she knew of the woman's existence. Based on dream-Liliana's reaction to Thull's presence in Imogen's dreams, Liliana is aware of the threat that Thull poses to Imogen.\\
What if Liliana's antipathy towards Thull comes from personal experience? It could be that they've crossed paths before, with Thull attempting to recruit Liliana to her cause to exploit the other woman's powers and Liliana managing to escape. It could also be that Liliana is working with Thull, willingly or not; she may have been brainwashed (this would echo how Fearne's parents were lured into a partnership with Ira Wendigoth and had their memories tampered with when they tried to break away from his influence), blackmailed, or otherwise coerced (perhaps with the threat that Thull would turn her attentions on Imogen should Liliana not play her part) into cooperating. Maybe Liliana is working with Thull in an attempt to undermine Thull's operation from the inside... or maybe she's working with Thull because she earnestly believes in Thull's cause, and her warnings to Imogen are a desperate plea to keep her daughter from getting involved in the danger and violence that comes with Thull's work.
* Imogen has messaged her mother in Episodes 39, 40, and 42 to ask for information. On all occasions she's been rebuffed, with her mother telling her to "run." In Episode 43, Professor Ebenold Kai tells Imogen he believes Liliana turned her back on the Omen Archive and the Grim Verity to work with Thull's army, as "She grew frustrated with her inability to give the answers she sought and Otohan found her as did the Assembly. And I think her... her personal need for answers overrode her judgment."
** Confirmed. Liliana is working with Thull at the Tishtan excavation site to assemble the prime Malleus Key. When Imogen contacted Lilliana in Episode 49, Liliana expressed implicit support for Thull and Da'leth's goals (releasing Predathos and destroying the gods).

[[WMG: The Split-Party Situation Will Be An Opportunity for Players to Reprise Past Characters]]
The Apogee Solstice saw player characters from Campaign 1 and Campaign 2 make an appearance (with Keyleth, Vaxildan, Beau, and Caleb all showing up to try and stop Da'leth's plans), all played by the DM. At the end of Episode 51, the activation of the Maleus Key appears to have teleported the Bells Hells across the face of Exandria in two groups. Fresh Cut Grass, Fearne, Chetney and Imogen found themselves in the Crystalsands Tundra of Wildemount, while Laudna, Ashton, and Orym wind up lost in an unknown location (a rocky landscape with sulphurous fumaroles and a view of the now-tethered red moon off in the distance). Logistically speaking, it will probably take a couple episodes to get all the members of Bells Hells back in one place. The next few episodes could be run with half the cast offscreen at a time as the split party tries to regroup... OR with the cast members reprising past characters to aid their current team. Team Wildemount could hypothetically encounter Beau and Caleb, while Team Lost might work with members of Vox Machina.

[[WMG: In a reprise of the Trial of the Take arc, the two parties will be joined by guest stars]]
Laudna, Ashton, and Orym could be joined by the Crown Keepers, and FCG, Fearne, Chetney, and Imogen meet up with another group in Uthodurn.
* Confirmed. In Episode 52 the party of Chetney, [=FCG=], Fearne, and Imogen were joined by the Cleric Deanna Leimert (played by Aabria Iyengar) and Fighter/Rogue/Cleric F.R.I.D.A. (played by Christian Navarro). In Episode 59 the party of Ashton, Laudna, and Orym were joined by Barbarian/Rogue Deni$e Bembachula (played by Aimee Carrero), Sorcerer Bor'Dor Dog'Son (played by Utkarsh Ambudkar), and Wizard Prism Grimpoppy (played by Emily Axford).

[[WMG: Bor'Dor Dog'Son is a Border Collie sheepdog that got polymorphed into a humanoid]]
Pretty self-explanatory, really, the name, his description of himself as a shepherd, stating that his father raises sheepdogs, and his general demeanour.