Critical Role Call of the Netherdeep playthrough commentary [spoilers]

[Parmandur]

The issue is, why these Cobalt Soul from Marquet, on the other side of the planet, rather than Cobalt Soul from Rexxentrum, which is the main base, and tens of thousands of miles closer?

Are they following the Vemillion Dream, if so, why? The Allsight is the organisation that keeps an eye on them. Or is the Vermillion Dream following them? In which case, why didn't they message head office and get them to send someone? How did they get there anyway? It would have been really useful to have the sequence of events immediately prior to the PCs' arrival spelled out.

The most likely scenario would be the Cobalt Soul in Marquet found something so important that they immediately travelled to the other side of the world to investigate (although there is no evidence that the clues they have are particularly important to anyone but the PCs). The Vermillion Dream fallowed them, and the Allsight followed the Vermillion Dream, on general principles.

The Cobalt Soul has Teleportation Circles in all of their branches to ease travel (there was a hilarious sequence.ij the show where the Mighty Nein talked their way into the Teleportation room and zipped all around the world so the Keenijd Wizard would have their location markers all memorized), so they could come from anywhere easily. They are sort of Shaolin Jesuit Harpers.

For some context, Candlekeep Mysteries suggests using the Candlekeep material for the Cobalt Soul HQ.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

The Cobalt Soul has Teleportation Circles in all of their branches to eas, so they could come from anywhere easily. They are sort of Shaolin Jesuit Harpers.

For some context, Candlekeep Mysteries suggests using the Candlekeep material for the Cobalt Soul HQ.

Sure. We know there is a Cobalt Soul HQ in Marquet. It features in Chapter 4. But one would expect a big organisation like this to send people from the local office (which is also central office), not the other side of the world.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure. We know there is a Cobalt Soul HQ in Marquet. But one would expect a big organisation like this to send people from the local office (which is also central office), not the other side of the world.

But if the people from the other side of the world are looking for something, they can go find it themselves easily.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

But if the people from the other side of the world are looking for something, they can go find it themselves easily.

But the adventure doesn't establish what they are looking for.

 

[Parmandur]

But the adventure doesn't establish what they are looking for.

No, but it's a hook moving forwards.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

No, but it's a hook moving forwards.

Sure, that's the meta reason. But story-wise, if the players ask Question "Why are you here?" She doesn't know what the answer is.

 

[Parmandur]

Sure, that's the meta reason. But story-wise, if the players ask Question "Why are you here?" She doesn't know what the answer is.

Being evasive would be in character.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Being evasive would be in character.

When one of the player characters is also a Cobalt Soul monk?

Players have Insight and other means to winkle the truth out of NPCs. So the DM needs to know what the truth is.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Session Five.

Chapter 3

And here is where we start to come off the rails...

But firstly, this is what I wrote to flesh out Question's backstory:

Question was in archives of the Cobalt Soul in Ank’Harel investigating a “Lost Vestige” known as the Jewel of three Prayers, that was carried by a hero of the Calamity known as the Apotheon. Question believes one of the prayers, to Avandra the Change Bringer, occurred at the Battle of Betrayer’s Rise. In order to investigate further she travelled by teleportation circle to Rexxentrum, where she persuaded a couple of fellow monks to accompany her to Bazzoxan. Upon arriving, about two weeks ago, she discovered an agent for the Consortium of the Vermilion Dream already poking around, so arranged for a message to be sent to The Allegiance of Allsight back home. The Allsight sent an agent (by teleportation scroll) to try and find out what the Vermilion Dream was after.

So, as I half suspected, when offered a bag of gold, the players agreed to escort Aloysia through Betrayer's Rise. Something that isn't accounted for at the end of the chapter. I suspect it was cut for space. So the party will encounter the rivals working for Prolix, who the PCs never encountered, as they didn't visit the crematorium. I'll let you know how that falls out!

The other issue was pacing. The party spent around 2 hours from arriving in Bazzoxan until entering Betrayer's Rise. This seems far too short for them to gain another level. So they are facing the dungeon at level 5 rather than 6. There are seven of them though, including Aloysia, so I expect they will be okay...

 

[Paul Farquhar]

Preping chapter 4, I notice there isn't an encounter table for Ank'Harel. It's not a big deal, I can use the one in the DMG, but it seems an odd choice to include one for Bazzoxan, and not have one for Ank'Harel, where the PCs are likely to spend a lot more time walking the streets. I think this chapter would be very difficult for an inexperienced DM to run.