The Reign of Emrys

*The Reign of Emrys* was a campaign set in the world of Ylos, also known as Generic Fantasy Setting #17735. It featured a new cast and setting and was heavily inspired by the works of Alexandre Dumas; as such, it focused on adventure, political action, and intrigue in an empire ruled by the fusion of magic and science.

The series began broadcasting on February 19, 2021 over distance to accommodate Covid-19 pandemic and social distancing measures. It broadcast weekly on Friday nights at 7pm Pacific Standard Time, with some exceptions, and concluded on January 21, 2022.

## Premise

The story followed a group of strangers who were hired to accompany a noble on a pilgrimage across the Emrysian Empire and became embroiled in a treasonous plot to overthrow the empire.

#### Main Characters

* Amy Godfrey as Liadan An Mariabh, the Aasimar Grave Cleric of the Orphan
* Robin Holford as IVI, the Human (former Abyssal Tiefling), raised by the Imperial Science Divison to be a Order of the Mutant Blood Hunter
* Katrina McGie as Veritrix Solstar, a Halfling Artillerist Artificer who works for the Imperial Armory
* Christine Rattray as Claudette Belmont, the Human Bladesinger Wizard
* Caitlan Vinkle as Talfryn Pryderi, the Human Barbarian on the run from the law

#### NPCs

* Kelly Clark as:
	+ Dirke Milos
		- An all-around wholesome young man with ambitions of being a better fighter, Dirke considers him and Talfryn traveling companions and Talfryn considers him a royal pain in his behind.
	+ Salarias Alwynn
		- A friend of Talfryn's and a Tiefling who runs a speakeasy with a fighting ring and gambling den called "The Butchery" in the outskirts of [town]. Him and Talfryn became good friends, Talfryn doing odd jobs for Sal and regaling him with stories of his adventures, and Sal supplying him with ale and gambling tips to use elsewhere. Sal knows a bit about Talfryn's past, but he isn't very open with that information to anyone.
	+ Zetran 'Zete' Kaldre, the Half-Orc Gunslinger Fighter

## Production

### Development

With the end of *Curse of Strahd* and *The Secret of Hexador House* looming, Kelly was inspired to run another Dungeons and Dragons game to round out the channel's lineup. The idea was to expand the cast to five members and to make a game that was a bit sprawling in scope. After casting, the players were polled to see which of Kelly's concepts were most appealing. Setting a game in the techno-fantasy empire of Emrys, a place only hinted at in the *Shards of Nyrn* continuity, was chosen.

Thoroughout the campaign, Kelly dropped hints and teasers regarding when this story took place in the world's timeline. During the finale, he confirmed that The Reign of Emrys took place approximately one hundred years after The Shards of Nyrn.

### Casting

The usual suspects of Christine, Amy, and Katrina were quickly added to the game. Robin, who had just joined *Hexador*, was also invited. With *Werewolf the Forsaken: the Bitches of Brewery Park* going on a break between seasons, Caitlan was invited to round out the cast. The mix of personalities and performance styles lent itself to an amazing and incredible experience.

### Filming

Filming began on February 19th 2021, with a session 0 on February 5th, and finished on January 21, 2022.

*The Reign of Emrys'* design and frames were created by Michael Ilott, who plays in several other Dork Tales games.

Art for this campaign was commissioned from Hailiiz (https://www.instagram.com/hailiiz/).

## Episodes

### Series overview

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