Critical Role (campaign three)

Campaign of the web series Critical RoleTemplate:SHORTDESC:Campaign of the web series Critical Role

Season of television seriesTemplate:SHORTDESC:Season of television series

The third campaign of the *Dungeons & Dragons* web series *Critical Role* premiered on October 21, 2021; it is set after the conclusion of the second campaign and *Exandria Unlimited*. The series stars Marisha Ray, Ashley Johnson, Laura Bailey, Travis Willingham, Liam O'Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, Sam Riegel as the players with Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master. Campaign three airs each Thursday at 7 p.m. PT on Critical Role Productions' Twitch and YouTube channels except for the last Thursday of each month.

The campaign is an actual play which follows the Bells Hells, a party of adventurers, in their travels across the continent of Marquet. The campaign begins a few months before the Apogee Solstice, a celestial event which influences the ley lines of Exandria and magnifies magical abilities. The party gets drawn into the mystery surrounding Exandria's second moon Ruidus and the superstitions around the Ruidusborn, people born during spontaneous flares of the red moon. They eventually discover that the gods crafted Ruidus to imprison an ancient evil and that the Ruby Vanguard – founded and led by Martinet Ludinus Da'leth – seek to free this entity during the Apogee Solstice. The Bells Hells have attempted to prevent this by targeting the Malleus Keys, magical devices built by the Ruby Vanguard to aid their ritual.

## Cast

### Main

Campaign 3 has maintained the previous Campaign 2 main cast members, consisting of seven players and the Dungeon Master. The characters met in the city of Jrusar and later named their adventuring party the Bells Hells after a fallen member.

* Marisha Ray as Laudna, a human (Hollow One) warlock/sorcerer who was killed during the massacre that began the Whitestone Rebellion in 810 PD and was resurrected by necromantic magics; she has since occasionally heard the voice of the deceased Delilah Briarwood. She wandered for decades before meeting Imogen in the Taloned Highlands; the two later travelled to Jrusar in 843 PD. Laudna was killed by Otohan Thull of the Ruby Vanguard during a battle at the Paragon's Call fortress which led the Bells Hells to go on a successful quest to magically resurrect her. Later in the campaign, Laudna forms a romantic relationship with Imogen.
* Ashley Johnson as Fearne Calloway, a Ruidusborn faun druid who travelled to the Material Plane from the Feywild to explore and find her parents. She can summon a wildfire spirit which appears as a fiery monkey named Little Mister. She met Orym and Dorian, along with other adventurers, in Emon and they formed the group known as the Crown Keepers. In the summer of 843 PD, she journeyed to Jrusar with Orym and Dorian to support Orym's mission.
* Laura Bailey as Imogen Temult, a Ruidusborn human sorcerer with psionic magic who has reoccurring dreams of a red storm. She and her companion Laudna travelled to Jrusar to investigate the origins of her psionic abilities and Laudna's necromantic abilities. Her mother, Liliana Temult, left when she was a child; the party's investigation into Ruidius leads them to discover that Liliana is an Exaltant Ruidusborn and a general in the Ruby Vanguard. During the campaign, Imogen forms a romantic relationship with Laudna.
* Travis Willingham as:
	+ Sir Bertrand Bell, a human fighter who travelled with Vox Machina to the plane of Pandemonium in 812 PD and in the following decades, exaggerated his accomplishments. After an encounter with animated furniture in Jrusar, he introduced the group to Lord Ariks Eshteross. When he was separated from the party one evening, the dwarf Dugger ambushed and killed him – the party avenges him and later names the group the Bells Hells in his honor.
	+ Chetney Pock O'Pea, a gnome blood hunter/rogue who is also a woodworking artisan. He left Uthodurn in search of aid for his lycanthropy. He approaches the Bells Hells to ask for help searching for a man; following this, he joins the group as a full member.
* Liam O'Brien as Orym of the Air Ashari, a halfling fighter on a mission from Keyleth of the Air Ashari to investigate an attack in Marquet. This attack was similar to an attack on Keyleth in 837 PD which left Orym's husband Will dead. He travelled to Jrusar with other members of the Crown Keepers.
* Matthew Mercer as the Dungeon Master, who organizes the gameplay, describes what effects the player characters' actions have on the world and narrative, and plays the non-player characters (NPCs).
* Taliesin Jaffe as Ashton Greymoore, an earth genasi barbarian who attacked Jiana Hexum's home in Jrusar with a group called the Nobodies and was gravely injured; they were abandoned by the group and have been paying off their debt to Hexum since. On a job, they discovered Fresh Cut Grass and helped the automaton bury their companions. They later convince the Bell Hells to take a job from Hexum which pays off their debt to her.
* Sam Riegel as Fresh Cut Grass (FCG), an automaton cleric with ancient Aeorian design who was reassembled by the tinkerer Dancer in 838 PD. They are the surviving member of the party known as the Division of Public Benefit. They are keen to support the endeavors of the other members of the group which would become known as the Bells Hells. They initially believe that they were built by Dancer but the party learns FCG was a pre-Divergence Harmonious Aeormaton. While they don't have memories of this time period, FCG fears that they are one of the secret assassin Aermatons after learning that they repressed memories of killing the other members of the Division of Public Benefit after going berserk.

### Guests

Additionally, the following guests have made appearances:

* Robbie Daymond as Dorian Storm, an air genasi bard who travelled to Jrusar with Orym and Fearne and helped form the Bells Hells. He later leaves the group to help smuggle his brother out of Marquet and rejoins the other members of the Crown Keepers in Tal'Dorei.
* Erika Ishii as Yu Suffiad, a changeling warlock/paladin who works for Sorrowlord Zathuda, Grove Captain of the Unseelie Court. They were tasked with hunting down Fearne's parents and recovering an object which they stole.
* Christian Navarro as F.R.I.D.A. (Far Ranging Integrated Defense Aeormaton), an automaton fighter/rogue/cleric with ancient Aeorian design who is an companion of Deanna. Similar to FCG, they were brought back to life by a mysterious figure known as "D".
* Aabria Iyengar as Deanna Leimert, a gnome cleric of the Dawnfather. She and Chetney are exes; after they broke up, Deanna married, had a family and died. Her husband went on a quest and found a cleric who brought Deanna back to life two hundred years later.
* Aimee Carrero as Deni$e Bembachula, a dwarf barbarian/rogue from Tal'Dorei who was mysteriously teleported to Issylra during the Apogee Solstice. She was on the hunt for her ex-fiance Dariax, a character played by Mercer in *Exandria Unlimited*.
* Utkarsh Ambudkar as Bor'Dor Dog'Son, a half-elf sorcerer who was also mysteriously teleported to Issylra during the Apogee Solstice. He stated he was a simple sheep farmer without magic before this incident; he wishes to return home because his brother has been sick for several weeks.
* Emily Axford as Prism Grimpoppy, a shadar-kai wizard originally from the Shadowfell who is an apprentice mage at the Cobalt Soul with no field experience. She, along with her sentient spellbook/chaperone Denios, were tasked by the Cobalt Soul to do a survey on experiences during the Apogee Solstice; as teleportation magic goes wonky for her, the Cobalt Soul randomly shunted her on purpose. She also has a raven familiar named Mother in honor of the Matron of Ravens.

## Background

The story takes place after the events of the second campaign and the limited series *Exandria Unlimited*. It is set on the continent of Marquet, which was briefly visited during the Vox Machina campaign. *SyFy Wire* highlighted that Marquet is "home to massive deserts, mountains, and even a volcano" and that it is "uncharted territory for the series".

Multiple characters in this campaign are returning characters. Dorian, Orym, and Fearne premiered in *Exandria Unlimited* while Bertrand premiered in the one-shot "Search For Grog". "Mercer noted that both Johnson and O'Brien brought character concepts they were toying with for Campaign 3 over to *Exandria Unlimited,* where they had the chance to develop them with Aabria Iyengar. There was no expectation to carry the characters over to Campaign 3, but the two players enjoyed the characters so much, they decided to keep using them moving forward. Daymond was brought in a special guest to help carry them forward over into Campaign 3". Willingham's second character, Chetney, was inspired by a character he had previously played in the non-canon one-shot "The Night Before Critmas". Additionally, Mercer has brought back several player characters from previous campaigns as NPCs such as Vox Machina's Keyleth and Pike and The Mighty Nein's Caleb and Beau.

## Production and format

The format is largely unchanged from the second campaign, with videos of the cast and any battlemaps presented in 3-5-hour episodes. Technical changes introduced during the second campaign such as subtitles, character information and pre-recording were maintained. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the show had broadcast live, but has been pre-recorded since Campaign Two Episode 100. A new set, designed by professional amusement park designers Shaun Ellis and Polly Hodges, was built for the third campaign. The cast are no longer divided into socially distanced individual tables, but returned instead to a common table as had been the case prior to the pandemic. The campaign features "enhanced set designs, music, lighting and effects, along with improved sound (each actor will have an individual mic)."

The way in which guest players were scheduled changed for Campaign Three, moving away from single-episode appearances as had been common before. In the first two campaigns, the longest continuous appearance was Ashly Burch's four-episode run in Campaign Two, while Bailey and Willingham were absent following the birth of their child. All guests in Campaign Three have been present for a block of at least five episodes.Template:Source needed Notably, Daymond portrayed Dorian for the first 14 episodes of the campaign. Shortly after his departure from the main campaign, he appeared in *Exandria Unlimited: Kymal* for a further two episodes as Dorian. He has been absent in person since, however he did preTemplate:Nbhyphrecord an audio piece for episode 41. Until Daymond; the guests with the highest episode count had been Will Friedle and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, who appeared in a total of seven episodes over the course of Campaign One.

The show airs each Thursday at 19:00 PT on Critical Role's Twitch and YouTube channels. In a change from the previous campaign, campaign three of *Critical Role* will not air new episodes on the last Thursday of every month; instead, other content by the studio will air in its time slot. The third campaign's premiere was simulcast live in Cinemark Theatres along with the regular Twitch and YouTube livestream. Similarly, the 17th episode of the third campaign was simulcast in Cinemark Theatres, Landmark Theatres, and Cinépolis alongside the regular livestream as part of their 7th anniversary celebration. The show went on hiatus from the end of May 2022 until June 30, 2022.

## Notes

1. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Simpson, Sarah-Jane (March 17, 2022). "Will More Critical Role D&D Campaign Books Happen After Netherdeep?". *ScreenRant*. Archived from the original on March 22, 2022. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
2. ↑ Kopp, Drew (January 3, 2023). Critical Role Just Revealed the Truth Behind Exandria's Cursed Moon (en).
3. ↑ McCauley, Tara (January 6, 2023). Critical Role Hints at a Calamity-Level Threat to Exandria (en).
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Critical Role Celebrates Anniversary With Shocking Moment (en) (March 10, 2023).
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Spangler, Todd (September 30, 2021). Critical Role Sets Campaign 3 Premiere Date, Will Simulcast First Episode in Cinemark Theaters (en-US).
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Critical Role's New Campaign Features Some Surprising Characters (en) (October 23, 2021).
7. ↑ Critical Role: Everything to Know About the Characters of Campaign Three (en-US) (2021-10-24).
8. ↑ Critical Role's New Campaign Contains Surprise Tie to Vox Machina Campaign (en) (December 9, 2021). "There are also lingering questions about how Laudna was resurrected – Laudna is a Hollow One that exists between life and death, but the exact manner in which she was resurrected is still unclear, as is whether it was a deliberate resurrection or merely an accident."
9. ↑ Template:Cite episode
10. ↑ Template:Cite episode
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Critical Role's Matthew Mercer Explains End of Most Recent Episode (en) (November 5, 2021).
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Hoffer, Christian (December 10, 2021). Critical Role's New Character Has Fans Feeling Deja Vu (en).
13. ↑ Critical Role Reveals Shocker About One of Campaign 3's Characters (en) (January 21, 2022).
14. ↑ Matt Mercer Releases Revised Version of Dungeons & Dragons Blood Hunter Class (en) (January 28, 2020).
15. ↑ Template:Cite episode
16. ↑ Kunzelman, Cameron (June 2, 2018). Matthew Mercer Explains How To Be A Good Dungeon Master (en-us).
17. ↑ D&D DM Tips, According To Critical Role's Matthew Mercer (en-US) (November 25, 2020).
18. ↑ Template:Cite episode
19. ↑ Critical Role's Robbie Daymond on Campaign 3, How He Named His Character, and More (Exclusive) (en) (February 24, 2022).
20. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Template:Cite episode
22. ↑ Biederstadt, Derek (2022-04-18). Critical Role: The 12 Best Guest Player Characters (en).
23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 Template:Cite episode
24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 McCauley, Tara (March 17, 2023). Critical Role Makes a Radical Change to Its Table Lineup (en).
25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Template:Cite episode
26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 McCauley, Tara (May 19, 2023). Critical Role Shocks Fans With a Major Bait-And-Switch (en).
27. ↑ Hall, Charlie (September 30, 2021). Critical Role's full season 3 begins next month, live online and in movie theaters (en-US).
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Carter, Justin (September 30, 2021). Critical Role crew promises 'wild ride' in Campaign 3, reveals theatrical D&D kickoff (en).
29. ↑ Critical Role: Where Is Marquet? (en) (October 3, 2021).
30. ↑ Carr, Dani (October 26, 2022). Critical Recap: Critical Role C3E38 "A Dark Balance" (en-US).
31. ↑ Anderson, Julia (March 3, 2023). Critical Role: Matt Mercer's Mighty Nein Surprise Makes Both Cast and Fans Flip (en).
32. ↑ Anderson, Julia (March 10, 2023). Matt Mercer Shocks Critical Role Cast With an Incredible, Unexpected Resurrection (en).
33. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"CR Transcript & Closed Captions Update | Critical Role". *Critical Role*. April 5, 2019. Archived from the original on November 7, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
34. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Grebey, James (July 1, 2020). "'I miss our characters': What the Critical Role cast did during COVID-19 hiatus". *SYFY WIRE*. Archived from the original on July 4, 2020. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
35. ↑ 35.0 35.1 35.2 Template:Cite AV media
36. ↑ 36.0 36.1 ICYMI: Campaign 3 Premieres October 21st & State of the Role Updates (en-US) (September 30, 2021).
37. ↑ Critical Role Debuts New Set for Campaign 3 (en) (October 19, 2021).
38. ↑ Spangler, Todd (October 14, 2021). Inside Critical Role's Growing D&D Fantasy Empire and the Making of 'The Legend of Vox Machina' for Amazon (en-US).
39. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (August 10, 2018). 'Critical Role' Levels Up, Returns to Full Strength in New Episode (en).
40. ↑ 40.0 40.1 40.2 Hoffer, Christian (February 20, 2022). Critical Role Says Goodbye to [SPOILER for Now] (en).
41. ↑ Carr, Dani (December 14, 2022). Critical Recap: Critical Role C3E41 "Call of the Wild" (en-US).
42. ↑ Hoffer, Christian (January 18, 2020). How to Watch Critical Role (en).
43. ↑ Starting today, Critical Role and Talks Machina will now air on both Twitch AND YouTube! Twitch will still be the BEST place to engage with our community with a moderated live chat and immediate access to VODS for Twitch subscribers. Critical Role (January 21, 2021).
44. ↑ Template:Cite tweet
45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Whitten, Sarah (September 30, 2021). Critical Role to premiere its third Dungeons & Dragons campaign in Cinemark theaters (en). "Tickets for Critical Role's third campaign, which cost $25 in the Los Angeles area, largely sold out within an hour of Thursday's announcement. Additional screens have been added on Cinemark's website to accommodate the interest."
46. ↑ 46.0 46.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2022-03-01). Critical Role Returns To Theaters To Celebrate Seventh Anniversary (en).
47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 Marshall, Cass (2022-03-01). Critical Role's seventh anniversary brings the show back to movie theatres (en-US).
48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 HYPE! Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Premieres Thursday, May 26th! (en-US) (2022-05-12).
49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 Critical Role Announces New Exandria Unlimited Miniseries (en) (May 12, 2022).

## References

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