Bells Hells[3] is an adventuring party that met and joined together while they were all in Jrusar, Marquet in the summer of 843 PD. They are the protagonists of the Third Campaign of Critical Role.
Founding[]
Fan art of the party meeting in the Spire by Fire Inn in Jrusar, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 2]
Three small groups came together near the Spire by Fire Inn in Jrusar when a magical disturbance nearby created several animated objects that threatened to attack innocents in the street. One group, Ashton Greymoore and Fresh Cut Grass, had been at the Inn looking for employment; another pair, Imogen Temult and Laudna, had been shopping after inquiring about how to enroll in a prestigious university in the city; and Dorian Storm, Fearne Calloway, and Orym had been sent to Jrusar on a search mission to locate Oshad Breshio. As they spontaneously coordinated to fight the animated objects, Bertrand Bell arrived and was impressed by the seven individuals' effectiveness as a combined team. Bertrand, who knew Lord Ariks Eshteross was looking for talent, promised to make introductions to high-placed people in the city to help the seven with their various goals, and took them to see Eshteross.[4]
Adventures[]
Fighting crime in Jrusar[]
At the request of Lord Eshteross, the party investigated the Prudaj Textiles warehouse, looking to stop ongoing thefts. They found a ledger with evidence that the warehouse manager, Danas, was covering up the loss in warehouse stock. Tracking Danas, the party arrived at the Weary Way Tavern just in time to witness her murder at the hands of her partner in crime, a pale dwarf known as Dugger, who overpowered the group with the aid of a number of shade creepers and made his escape. That evening, while taking a late-night stroll, Bertrand Bell was cornered by that same individual, who swiftly took his life. Seeing Bertrand in a recurrent nightmare of hers, Imogen raised the alarm, and Bertrand's body was found soon after. Going back to the tavern room where they fought the dwarf, the party found a hidden hole under the desk that seemed to be as deep as the spire itself. With information from the Hubatt Corsairs, the group found out where Dugger lived. The dwarf exhibited strange abilities, like a viscous physical form, but the party was able to kill him and avenge the death of Bertrand.
Fan art of Lord Eshteross, by Sam "Qelric" Spencer.[art 3]
Official art of Chetney Pock O'Pea, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 4]
As they looked for clues related to Oshad Breshio, the group also investigated disappearances at the Dreamscape Theater and disposed of the spitting mimic that was responsible. After the fight, they were approached by Chetney Pock O'Pea, who hired them to find his missing guide, Gurge Kisgregg, and offered to help them until they could find him. Before they could begin their search, they were accosted by Dorian's brother, Cyrus Wyvernwind, who let them know that he was working with the Hubatt Corsairs and that he had a big bounty on his head. The group began looking for Gurge, and found out that he turned into a terrifying beast and was taken by the bounty hunter Artana Voe to her client, Vali Dertrana, the business commissioner of the Mirror Towers. After quickly scouting the Moon Tower, Ashton split off to pay a short visit to his employer, Jiana Hexum. It was revealed that she was the one who put a bounty on Cyrus' head, and that Ashton owed her a debt. In the middle of the night, the party infiltrated Vali's office. At the end of a secret passageway, they found Ira Wendagoth, an eerie-lookie fey also known as the Nightmare King, who was keeping Gurge in a cage. The party released Gurge and battled Ira and the furniture that he made come to life, with Chetney revealing his true identity as a werewolf. Ira left the scene after activating a powerful magical reactor, and the group ran away just before the tower was blown up.
The next day, the group visited Lord Eshteross to tell him about Ira, and were able to determine that he was working for Armand Treshi, who would be attending a ball later that week. In the meantime, the group visited House Lumas to meet Oshad Breshio, the man Keyleth had tasked Orym to speak to and learn about his attack, before heading to the Starpoint Conservatory, where Imogen was finally allowed in to research her powers. She found out that a study had discovered several individuals across Exandria who were prone to the same dream as her seemingly caused by the celestial solstice, including her mother, Liliana. In the following days, Imogen saw two figures holding hands amidst the storm in her dream and thought it might be the Lumas twins, who were the last known people to have read the study.
Official art of Dorian, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 5]
On the night of the ball, Dorian and Eshteross appeared as guests while the others acted as their respective entourage. During the Dance of the Crossroads, they managed to replace Armand Treshi's prize ring with a traceable, enchanted copy. Because he wore a mask of the Nightmare King, Ashton was challenged to a duel by General Ratanish, leader of Paragon's Call, which he lost. While spying on Armand's date, Lady Emoth Kade, Chetney found out that she was meeting up with Dorian's brother Cyrus. He saw that she could command shade creepers and called the others, who arrived as Emoth killed several guards in a form similar to Dugger's. Emoth escaped, but the party managed to save a single guard, who asked who they were. Imogen gave him their new name: "Bells Hells". As they returned to the ball, Dorian saw his brother being arrested by the Green Seekers and threw a smoke grenade, managing to sneak him out of the area. After they had all made it home safely, Eshteross offered to smuggle Cyrus to Emon on his skyship since he was now a highly wanted fugitive. Dorian decided to leave with his brother, saying goodbye to the rest of the group.
After Dorian's departure, the Bells Hells discussed their future plans, including the mission Jiana Hexum had for Ashton, but were soon confronted by the Green Seekers, Gus and Olly, who were investigating the strange activity in Jrusar. After both groups shared common information, they decided to work together temporarily and go down to the Underrush Mines, where, after an awkward conversation with Gus' ex-boyfriend, Ogdes Friez, they obtained information to delve deeper into the mines. There they faced different variants of shade creepers, some larger and more aggressive. They eventually reached a section of the mine where they saw a mutated Emoth Kade, and when Chetney went further he found the noblewoman in a chamber talking to a strange slug monster she called "Mother". After the Shade Mother contacted Chetney telepathically, he returned to his group and, after some planning, they entered the chamber to attempt to capture Emoth Kade. The battle turned in the heroes' favor when Fearne cast Daylight, weakening their photosensitive foes. Chetney managed to catch Emoth Kade with one of the magical beads provided by the Green Seekers, while F.C.G. activated a mine augur and Orym used his Rope of Climbing to pull the Shade Mother's tail into the grinding gears of the machine. Before they left, Imogen took a purple crystal from an orrery in the lair. Both groups returned to the surface and the Green Seekers took the imprisoned Emoth Kade away, revealing their employer to be Mistress Orlana Seshadri.
Very weakened, Bells Hells went to a tavern to rest, in which Fearne contacted Dorian (via sending stone) to check that he was all right. The group was worried about Fresh Cut Grass (who was glitching) and Chetney proposed a romantic meeting with Fearne (although he would fall asleep before the agreed time). Imogen, who was interested in the crystal she had taken from the mines, could feel strange, twisting fey magic within it, and inadvertently fell asleep cradling it. Imogen dreamed of the red storm again, but she had the purple gem in the dream, and she felt she could use it; however, she ended up running away from the storm, and waking up, telling Laudna what had happened and leaving the crystal with her. The next day, a more recovered FCG was able to identify the strange object as a fragment of the Gnarlrock, an element of the Feywild that changed its surroundings.
A bet in the Heartmoor[]
The party (after pre-paying rent at Zhudanna's) decided to accept Jiana Hexum's job in the Heartmoor: stealing a designated object from a "friend" of hers, Evon Hytroga, in the Twilight Mirror Museum, before the team from another "friend" (Mistress Isha Sabanis) can do so. During their reunion Lady Hexum showed a great interested in Letters, speculating they were worth more than 20,000 gold. After preparations for the journey (which included informing Eshteross and checking with Milo so they could inspect the cleric) they left Jrusar. On their way to the Heartmoor, Orym gave Imogen a Feywild shard he had recovered from an almiraj, and found a blue Chromatic Rose for himself. During different night watches, members of the party opened up to another: Ashton confessed to Fearne that he hadn't always looked rock-like; Laudna talked to Orym about her traumatic life, death and revival in Whitestone; Fresh Cut Grass and Imogen simultaneously cast Detect Thoughts on each other, sharing their memories and emotions; and Orym talked to Chetney about his tattoo and his late husband, Will. In their last night in the jungle they were attacked by a a large, 15-foot tall, crane-like plant creature pretending to be a faerie-like being. During that fight, Laudna almost died and her patron's voice encouraged her, and Imogen's wild magic turned her skin blue; the next day they kept traveling, meeting another group, and they finally arrived to the Heartmoor Hamlet.
In town the party met with Evon Hytroga in the museum, agreeing that the wager challenge would start the midnight of the next day, after which they went to the Mosslight Manor, meeting Estani, the astronomist who worked with the Lumas twins before their deaths. The old uniya welcomed them and talked them about the twins and their studies, telling them about the Ruidusborn (people born under the flares of the red moon and offering them the use his telescope later. Bells Hells walked around town, with Fearne making a brief exploration of an extradimensional aquatic space inside a fountain, and buying stuff in preparation for the bet. They returned to Estani's and when they looked at Ruidus, Imogen (with some help from the more perceptive Orym) identified the red storms in Ruidus' surface as the ones she saw in her dreams. The group talked about the meaning behind that, and Estani gave them the names of experts in the subject in Yios. That night Imogen dreamed again, but she refused to run from the storm, encountering inside it a woman who smiled with malice; when the sorcerer woke up she expressed her worries to her friends.
Next day Bells Hells prepared more and bought potions of healing, and near midnight they went to the museum, discovering that the other group they had encountered in the jungle (called The Verdict), were their rivals. Evon Hytroga explained the rules of the heist and described the earring they had to bring him, after which the competition began. Inside the museum, the party explored the different rooms, checking elements of Hytroga's exhibition while activating or avoiding traps, and having Chetney invisibly spying on the other group. At one point the werewolf fell into a trap with a translucent acidic floor, and while he was being rescued by Orym he lost control of himself and attacked him, but FCG's healing magic helped him put himself back together.
Fan art of Orym and Chetney, by andromedaisfree.[art 6]
While they were trying to take the earring out of its glass case, two humanoid constructs made of shifting clay emerged, and they fought them; soon after that, when The Verdict was in the other room, Imogen used her mind to activate a fire trap several times, hurting the rivals a lot, although Fresh Cut Grass would heal them before they left. Bells Hells left the museum with the earring (as well as some pieces of the exhibition and documents that they secretly stole), winning the competition.
Back in the hotel F.C.G. used Remove Curse to make Imogen's blue skin normal again, and they tried to peek into her mind, since she had been acting strange, but she resisted that attempt. Before the group left the Heartmoor Hamlet, Chetney had a tense moment when he discovered that a local toymaker, Zadro Ichlen, also knew Oltgar, a person from his past. Estani also went to them to speak to them about the Grim Verity, and he gave a letter to Orym so he could deliver it to Ebenold Kai in Yios. During the journey back to Jrusar, Bells Hells discovered that most of the things Hytroga had in his museum were fake replicas. They also discovered his documents revealed dealings with the Clasp, as well as Jiana Hexum's transactions with dealers in Wildemount, acquiring some crates that were familiar to Ashton from his last job with his previous group; after returning to Jrusar, he would have fragmented dreams about that. The next morning the group went to Jiana Hexum who paid them as promised; she also had a brief chat in private with Fresh Cut Grass, very interested in their design and origin, although they stopped her when she started being too intrusive in her behavior. When they left Hexum's home Letters talked to the group about the traumatic attack in which his previous group was killed.
Chase in the Hellcatch Valley[]
Bells Hells reunited with Eshteross and caught up. He asked them to pursue Armand Treshi (now a fugitive, guilty of conspiracy) to Bassuras, offering them his skyship, the Silver Sun, as transport there, since it had returned from transporting Bertrand Bell's body to Whitestone and brought back a letter from Lady Vex'ahlia de Rolo thanking the party. Before leaving Jrusar again the party visited the Dayal Hall so Chetney could talk to Ajit Dayal about his lycanthropy and learn more about the Gorgynei; they went to the Trove of Marwa where they bought, among other things, a portable hole; they also went to Krook House, where thanks to Milo, Ashton learned a bit more about his accident in the last job with the Nobodies, and how Milo had "fixed" him, using in the process a strange crystal vial with weird greyish liquid that the genasi was clutching. That same night Imogen and Letters combined their magic to recover Ashton's memories about the accident, revealing how traumatic it was, and how the group (except for Milo) abandoned the barbarian; Ashton was furious about it, and later theorized that some aspects of Milo's memories had been altered that night. After everyone else went to bed, Orym used the sending stone to tell Dorian where they were going, adding that the bard had been missed; Dorian replied that he missed them all, too. That same night Chetney broke into the Prism Emporium and attacked and terrified the owner, Tuyen Otwana, warning her about her overpriced wares before leaving in wolf form.
Next morning the party went to say goodbye to Eshteross, who gave them cookies for the trip, and they went to the skyship, meeting Captain Xandis and their crew. During their journey, the ship was attacked by skirath hunters, and during the battle Orym was pushed off, being saved only thanks to Laudna's Feather Fall that gave Imogen enough time to cast Fly and go rescue the halfling.
Fan art of Imogen flying after Orym, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 7]
Later in the journey, Imogen told Laudna she still had the gnarlrock and it made her feel safe, but she didn't think her dependency on it was healthy. Laudna compared it to her own acquisition of power from an unsettling source, and eventually asked to hold the crystal, with Imogen agreeing only if she was careful with it; in that moment, Delilah's influence took over Laudna's body, absorbing the warmth and glow of the gem, breaking it. Imogen was shocked and accused Laudna of lying to her, with the warlock denying it. Imogen went to bed, and Laudna, furious, demanded an explanation from Delilah, to which she simply said that she had taken care of it, and not to worry. The next day the party helped a caravan that was being attacked by a dusttra and during the battle it was evident that Laudna and Imogen weren't on the best terms.
They finally arrived in Bassuras, and almost immediately were confronted by a Crawler gang riding multiple wheeled constructs, but Ashton convinced them to let them be. The group checked the tracking device Eshteross gave them to follow Treshi, and since he didn't appear to be moving, they decided to rest for the night; F.C.G. was bothered by a bird outside, waking Chetney up and confessing his bad relationship with birds, since one in particular, "Shithead", was their nemesis. Chetney pledged to protect his friend from the mysterious bird, which made the cleric consider him a trusted companion from that moment. The next day the group saved Dusk, an elf, from attackers in the street (during that battle Imogen's wild magic made all her hair fall out), and after speaking with her for a bit they discovered she was from the Feywild, which made Fearne bond with her almost immediately.
The group and their new friend went to a theme restaurant, A Taste of Tal'Dorei, and they talked for a bit, discovering that Dusk was looking for some friends that turned out to be Birdie and Ollie Calloway, Fearne's parents. Imogen cast Sending to talk to Birdie, agreeing to meet at a local shop in a few days. Laudna went to the gift shop to buy something that would regain Imogen's friendship, asking Letters for advice, while Imogen herself talked to Orym about her falling out with Laudna, manifesting some jealousy about her being so friendly to Dusk. Later Bells Hells discovered that the ring they were tracking had been sold by Treshi to a tent called the River of Renewal, and deduced the dwarven noble might be hiding with Paragon's Call, a local gang, so they went check their fortress, the Seat of Disdain On their way there FCG discussed with their friends their own nature as an automaton, since in Bassuras there were a lot of non-sentient constructs.
Fan art of Quokka-Fearne, by arcticwaters.[art 8]
When they arrived at the Seat of Disdain, Fearne, in the form of a cute quokka, managed to get "adopted" by one of the members of the gang and have a look inside the building before escaping and returning to her friends. While the members of the party were reuniting Ashton asked Laudna about what had happened to Imogen, giving her advice about it; at the same time, Dusk asked Imogen if she and Laudna were romantically involved. As the group gathered they discussed the interior of the fortress, about which they had only confirmed Ratanish was inside. After planning how to lure Treshi outside (which included using a receipt Imogen had received buying a ring so Orym could forge a note with the pawnbroker's handwriting), they went to sleep. That night Dusk contacted with her mysterious boss, revealing a secret agenda involving the Calloways; Imogen dreamed again, finding in the red storm a woman surrounded by other figures, and when she woke up she realized that Ruidus was flaring. She asked F.C.G. to try to draw the woman in her dream from a description.
The next morning Bells Hells had a brief encounter with members of the Call that had noticed their scouting the previous day, but they convinced the gang that they were in Bassuras due to Ratanish's job offer to Ashton. That day Ashton reunited with an old friend and told his group that the Deathwish Run was a good way of being accepted by Paragon's Call. Preparing for it, FCG met with Esmer Balenta, the owner of a black powder shop who was also a former lover of Dancer (Letters' creator), who revealed that Dancer was, in fact, alive, to FCG's shock. Esmer also guessed that FCG's "fritzing" could be caused by the melding of technologies when they were assembled. Meanwhile Orym and Laudna discovered that Treshi was, indeed, still in Bassuras and under the protection of the Call. Bells Hells went to the shop of Imahara Joe get one of the skirmish-crawlers for the Run. He told them about the rules of that competition, told Fearne that he did know her parents, and revealed that Fresh Cut Grass (or their disabled body) had arrived already-built in Bassuras, with Dancer being the one who acquired him and made him functional again. Joe also told them that Letters' design was very old, most likely an aeormaton. Later that day the party talked about all the information they had received, including Fearne's connection to her parents and the postcards they supposedly had been sending her; they also chose a new place to rest (since Paragon's Call had found them that morning). After a brief talk in which Laudna declined Dusk's offer of having dinner together, the warlock and Imogen talked and reconciled, with Imogen giving her the ring she had bought, and talking her about her recent dreams. Later they pretended to fight to let FCG help them and feel useful, but the aeormaton was quite stressed and started behaving strangely, so the two worried sorcerers pretended to make up and thanked him for helping them. Ashton was also concerned about FCG, telling the cleric that he would kill anyone who made them feel bad. During Laudna and Imogen's conversation Dusk and Orym sparred for a bit with toy swords, with the battle master being interested in the elf's fey style; when they finished Dusk asked him on a date to get more fighting pointers, but the halfling kindly rejected the proposal.
The next morning Bells Hells, after visiting Esmer again (getting in the process a description of Dancer), returned to the Seat of Disdain, where they met with powerful figures of Paragon's Call, including Ratanish and Otohan Thull, a local war legend who looked very similar to the woman in Imogen's dream. Since the party had to prove themselves to join the gang, Ashton chose to do it in the Run. The group made preparations for the competition (including speaking with the All-Minds-Burn to help them cheat in the Run), and when they gathered for it with their own vehicle and the one provided by the Call, four other skirmishers were ready to compete as well. The Deathwish Run was very chaotic, basically like a battle, and Bells Hells (minus Fearne, who tried sneak in squirrel form onto Paragon's Call's racer, without success) used their two vehicles, even putting Fresh Cut Grass in the place of the front wheel of one of them so he could participate.
Fan art of FCG and Laudna in the Run, by BlackSalander.[art 9]
They used magic and other tricks to deal with their competitors, and in one section of the race Orym used his blue chromatic rose to cast a cone of lightning on the Paragon's Call crawler, their sole remaining rival. However, soon after they were attacked by a kagaronk, a local creature that started running alongside them. Orym managed to knock the creature prone, so the group outraced it out of the cavern. In the final section of the race Laudna ended up unconscious (being healed by Dusk's magic), and spectators tried to sabotage the event near the finish line (Fearne tried to deal with that but ended up falling in her own portable hole), but despite everything, Bells Hells survived the race and impressed their rivals, who accepted them into Paragon's Call. While Laudna was talking to Dusk about healing her in the race Imogen tried to read the elf's thoughts, without any success. F.C.G. was damaged and stressed by the race, so they brought them to Imahara Joe's. Chetney, suspicious of Dusk, casually proposed an alliance to deal with the Calloways, but she looked confused by it. That night Imogen tried to peak into Dusk's mind again, but something was blocking her efforts.
The next morning the group reunited at Imahara Joe's where Birdie Calloway arrived, reuniting with her daughter (and being surprised about her being an adult, since from her perspective they left her only six years ago), but soon they were distracted when Dusk revealed their true form. They had been using Bells Hells to get near the Calloways. The fey agent (whose real name was Yu Suffiad) was quickly confronted by Bells Hells, but they weren't sure who to trust in that situation (since Birdie was acting suspiciously as well).
Fan art of the standoff with Yu, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 10]
Eventually the group decided to go with Birdie and Hondir to the place where Ollie and Ira were hidden with their mysterious project. On their way there they were intercepted by members of the Fist of the Ruiner, who tried to rob them, but Bells Hells faced them and successfully defeated them (although with some damage to themselves caused by Imogen activating an explosive device with her magic). When they finally reached the Calloway Layaway Fearne was reunited with her father, Oleander, and he told Bells Hells how he and his wife had come to Exandria, and how they had spied on and robbed the Unseelie Court. Fearne gave the Weave Lens (a crystal Morri made for her to deliver) to her father, who gave the crystal to Ira Wendagoth. The Nightmare King acknowledged the party, downplaying their previous encounter, focusing more on the project at hand now: the Veilscatter Scope. While Ira was preparing the telescope with its new piece Fearne and her parents kept talking, and it was revealed that her foster grandmother was in fact a solitary but powerful hag that sometimes made deals in exchange for things that she added to her collections; Fearne questioned if she herself had been a "payment" to the fey crone, causing the Calloways to turn to Ira in dismay, but he simply announced the telescope was ready. Imogen was able to see some sort of arcane cage around Ruidus, and with Orym's help, she also noticed that on its red surface there was a city. However, they didn't mention the city when Ira asked them what they had seen, and after the Nightmare King used the telescope himself and was satisfied, he extracted the Moontide Crown from the apparatus and disappeared.
Bells Hells shared their knowledge about Ruidus and the things they had discovered looking through the telescope. The Calloways were very sorry for having left Fearne, but after Imogen and Fresh Cut Grass checked Ollie's mind, it was clear that at some point his mind had been influenced, possibly explaining their prolonged absence. Despite that Fearne admitted to Imogen and Letters that she still felt hurt about being abandoned, although she was willing to work on her relationship with her parents. Later Orym had a small chat with Imogen in which he encouraged her to take a more leader-like position in the group, and also asked her to send a message to the Voice of the Tempest to inform her about the new discoveries. He himself checked in via sending stone with Dorian, and they exchanged a few words, stating they missed each other and the group. That night Fearne took two fragments of gnarlrock that Ira had brought to the layaway and stealthily gave one to Laudna and the other to Imogen, with only Orym noticing; hours later, when Laudna discovered hers, Orym mentioned to Imogen where the other was. FCG, who had recently tried contacting Dancer, did so again, but her scared answer gave the aeormaton such an amount of stress that they went comatose. When Chetney hit their head to make them react, Letters became suddenly aggressive and started attacking the group, being neutralized by Fearne, Ashton and a very paranoid Laudna (since Delilah's voice was convincing her that her friends were betraying her). After a sincere conversation in which it was clear that FCG didn't know what had happened or why, the whole group compromised to improve their work together and make sure that none of them would lose control like that again. Soon after, they returned with Birdie to Bassuras.
Fan art of the one-eyed monster, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 11]
Back in town, Fearne and her mother parted ways, and Bells Hells looked for and managed to meet with Dancer, who, reluctantly, talked about how she had met Fresh Cut Grass and how the aeormaton had killed their previous group. Despite not being able to forgive Letters at the moment, Dancer did give them enough information for the group to continue their research about their cleric. They went to Imahara Joe's who, with Fresh Cut Grass' consent, looked inside their body to understand better how they worked; he also provided information about "D", the mysterious person that sold FCG's pieces to Dancer. Joe told them what he knew about the aeormatons and their history, but reassured Letters about himself and gifted the cleric a medallion of Avandra the Changebringer who had helped him in the past.
Bells Hells finally went to the Seat of Disdain, where Paragon's Call had prepared quarters for them, and a minotaur member, Rockmond, showed them around. They investigated for a bit. Meanwhile Ashton and Laudna went outside in the middle of a dust storm to recover the tracking ring Treshi had sold; during their mission they talked to each other about their traumas and shared worries. Thanks to Fresh Cut Grass's magic and Chetney's stealth they discovered that Treshi was hidden in a luxurious cell in the depths of the fortress. They started planning what to do with their target and the goods Paragon's Call were moving (since they seemed suspiciously similar to the ones Jiana Hexum had had in her home), but the Seat of Disdain was suddenly attacked. In the chaos that followed, Bells Hells divided. Orym, Chetney and Imogen successfully abducted Treshi (and encountered Artana Voe in the process, who seemed to have a shared objective with them); Laudna briefly encountered Otohan and clumsily tucked the tracking ring under her cloak; and the rest of the group managed to take control of a crawler and use it to get out of the fortress. However, they were soon stopped by Otohan herself, very interested in talking to the group, and summoning echoes of herself that Orym recognized as the ones that had attacked his home.
Otohan, who also had recognized Imogen, was interested in knowing who was the group's benefactor, reading Orym's mind to extract Eshteross's name. A battle soon ensued and it was clear that Otohan was too powerful for them, knocking Ashton unconscious with only three hits; the party started combining healing magic with attempts to split up and flee, but their enemy was very fast and strong, and her echoes made it very easy for her to reach anyone. Despite all of that, Bells Hells were able to deal some damage to the war veteran, but it wasn't enough. After a bit, Otohan lost her patience and became even more deadly, murdering Orym soon after, confirming that she had seen him in Zephrah years ago. Laudna tried to negotiate with her using the information about Ira and the Moontide Crown as a bargaining chip, but the warrior proceeded to murder Fearne as well, telling she was indeed Ruidusborn, but not strong enough. At that point Imogen was desperate and willing to surrender to Otohan, who seemed very interested in her, but the veteran, not satisfied by that, chose her next prey: Laudna, Imogen's favorite. The sorcerer tried to defend her best friend with her magic, but Otohan resisted it and wounded Laudna very badly. Unable to contain the torrent of magic within her, Imogen released a sudden burst of energy, and everything went white.
Due to the surge of psychic energy released, the members of the group who were still alive had visions of old memories (FCG reminisced about their days before the Calamity, Chetney glimpsed snippets of encounters in his life, Ashton remembered his parents and the Hishari , Laudna saw her life before she was hanged) while Imogen, in a flashback with her mom in her childhood, was confronted by Otohan, from whom she escaped. When the flash of energy subsided the leader of Paragon's Call had disappeared, but Bells Hells returned unscathed despite the destruction unleashed on that section of Bassuras; shortly afterwards Laudna passed away due to her injuries. In the short time they had to perform that magic, Fresh Cut Grass casted Revivify on Fearne, since she also had healing magic, but was faced with the dilemma that she only had the resources to heal one of her friends: Orym or Laudna. Imogen had tried to persuade Delilah using the shard of gnarlrock she had to help revive Laudna, and when the hollow one and the halfling were presented to Fearne, the sorcerer also tried to persuade Delilah through Sending, without success. After the faun druid went through a period of anguished indecision they used the Changebringer's medallion (to which Letters dedicated a tentative little prayer) to draw lots, and Orym was the revived one (in his brief time out he had the opportunity to speak with his husband, Will, and both spouses exchanged words of affection).
After making sure that Armand Treshi was still alive in the portable hole and confirming that the noble dwarf had no resources to revive Laudna, the group went to Imahara Joe's to ask for sanctuary (on their way there FCG asked Fearne for his Changebringer coin back but she refused). Joe agreed to let them stay in a storage space of his establishment, and he also briefly talked to FCG about his trust in Avandra; in their hideout, the Bells Hells questioned Treshi, learning that he had used his influence to increase the reach of Paragon's Call and facilitate smuggling between Marquet and Wildemount (with Jiana Hexum guarding those goods until it was time to ship them), and stating that Ira Wendagoth had turned out to be a dangerous ally who had become involved with dangerous beings like the Shade Mother. The adventurers also took the opportunity to inspect the stolen goods from Paragon's Call: potions of possibility, as well as residuum destined to the Cerberus Assembly. They discussed who could revive Laudna, and proposed different powerful figures, although it was clear that their first priority was to get out of the city. At one point members of Paragon's Call came to Imahara Joe's to search for Bells Hells, but were not discovered because the group hid in a tunnel adjacent to the storage space. Joe and his workers were unharmed in the process, but he decided to rise the price of the commissioned lead box that Bells Hells wanted to use to keep some of their stolen goods.
The next day the party notified Captain Xandis to come looking for them, and alerted Eshteross about the mission and the information Otohan had on him. Fresh Cut Grass also casted Gentle Repose on Laudna to keep her magically incorrupt longer. Chetney and FCG exchanged gifts: the aeormaton handed over a (with some difficulty) handmade toolbox as an apology for their lack of control the day before, and the werewolf gave a mood indicator dial to better reflect emotions. Finally, Bells Hells left Imahara Joe's after picking up the lead box and asking him to find out more about the mysterious "D" who had sold the parts of FCG, and ask about Ashton's old acquaintances in the city. The group managed to reach the outskirts of the city, where the Silver Sun was arriving, and although it attracted the attention of some crawlers who tried to attack the skyship, Bells Hells managed to get on board (in Chetney's case with some help from Imogen, who magically blew him away) and headed for Jrusar.
Recovering a friend from Whitestone[]
At the beginning of the journey, the group questioned Armand Treshi a little more thoroughly before locking him in a storage room; they also discussed with each other what their future goals were, and what options they had to resurrect Laudna. As part of that they magically contacted both The Voice of the Tempest and Jiana Hexum; the talk with the noblewoman from Jrusar caused FCG to consider offering themself as payment to her in exchange for helping Laudna, to which their friends refused, with Ashton expressing his particular distaste for the idea. That night Chetney had a strange impulse to howl at the moons, and briefly his hands were covered with fur. The next day was a bumpy one, as a sandstorm damaged the ship (Chetney would later help with the repairs) and knocked all the members of Bells Hells but Ashton overboard, although with a little help they were able to get back on board before the desert creatures attacked. Ironically, the day after that, a new sandstorm formed, but being behind the skyship, its air currents propelled it and helped shorten the journey.
When the group reached Jrusar they said goodbye to Xandis (to whom Orym discreetly returned the spyglass that Fearne had stolen from them on their previous trip) and went to see Lord Eshteross; along the way, Fresh Cut Grass also took the opportunity to ask Fearne to return his symbol of the Changebringer, to which she ended up agreeing. Back at the home of their noble benefactor (who had set many traps in his mansion as a precaution against a potential attack from Otohan) the group informed him of the discoveries they had made about Treshi and the Cerberus Assembly, and discussed how to resurrect Laudna. Lord Eshteross paid them handsomely for accomplishing their mission, and when the party went to deliver Treshi to Orlana Sheshadri she rewarded them with even more money, though she didn't quite believe their warnings about the Cerberus Assembly because they had no solid proof to give him.
That night, at the Spire by Fire Inn, at Ashton's request Imogen and FCG casted Detect Thoughts to revisit the genasi's memories of his accident trying to rob Jiana Hexum, to see if they could find something new. Just like last time they revisited Ashton's fall from the balcony and how Milo poured a Potion of Possibility into his skull while trying to heal him, but at a certain point, the sorceress and the cleric parted ways in the psyche of their friend: Imogen found herself in a space full of stars where she saw infinite versions of Ashton, each one with a different life; FCG experienced Ashton's memories first-hand, their psychic form adapting to reflect the barbarian's appearance, aware of both their strength and the constant pain they suffered. In the physical world Ashton began to bleed from the nose, and somehow, his mind had captured both spellcasters inside him, and when Fearne inspected the crystal in the genasi's skull, she saw two tiny figures floating there. After some effort and some Commands, they managed to finish the spell and Imogen and FCG were freed, but although they had figured out how the barbarian's powers worked, they hadn't discovered anything new from their memories. Before going to sleep Imogen sent a message to Delilah Briarwood to ask her what they should do to save Laudna. The warlock's patron declared that they should do whatever it could take, warning Imogen that she was weakening, but if she disappeared, she would make sure to take Laudna with her.
Fan art of Keyleth meeting Bells Hells, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 13]
The next morning Bells Hells picked Laudna's body from Eshteross' and they went to the Aerie Spire to meet Manaia Turei, an allie of the old orcish noble that could potentially help them go to Vasselheim, where the Voice of the Tempest was. However, it was Keyleth herself who ended up meeting them in Jrusar, coming through a tree. After being shown Laudna's corpse by Bells Hells the archdruid casted again Transport via Plants and brought the party to Whitestone, claiming to know who could help them. In the city-state, Keyleth led them to the Whitestone Castle, asking for an audience with Lord Percival de Rolo III before leaving to attend other business in Issylra (although before she left Bells Hells let her know about their discoveries about Ruidus and Otohan, causing the Ashari leader both interest and stress).
Lord de Rolo was very serious and formal during the meeting (except when he allowed his youngest daughter to stay and read a book), and initially he wasn't willing to allow Laudna's resurrection just because she was born in his city; however, after her friends insisted, with Imogen remarking that Laudna had died because of Vox Machina, he decided to summon Pike Trickfoot to the castle, since he didn't have healing abilities himself. While they waited, Gwendolyn de Rolo (to whom Chetney gave a miniature wooden rocking wolf) told her father about the conversation between the party and Keyleth that she had eavesdropped on a few minutes earlier. Soon after Bells Hells met with both Pike and Percy's wife, Lady Vex'ahlia de Rolo, who recognized them as the ones that sent Sir Bertrand Bell's corpse to Whitestone (mentioning that his tomb as in the city), and being in favor of resurrecting Laudna whe she knew that the warlock had been her double in the Sun Tree, offering the necessary diamonds for the ritual. Pike began the resurrection process, but when it was revealed that the soul of Delilah Briarwood was attached to Laudna's, Percy refused to participate further, determined to protect his home, family and legacy from such a woman, although allowing them to try alternatives that didn't involve bringing Delilah back; he restated that feeling in a private conversation with Ashton, who was angry about the noble's attitude. Ashton would soon after meet Trinket, Vex'ahlia's bear companion, and asked the animal to poop somewhere inappropriate as a sort of revenge on Percy.
Bells Hells, accompanied by Vex'ahlia, went to Pike's house, where after some minutes Pike found instructions for a spell to send the spirits of the adventurers to the place where Delilah held Laudna's soul. FCG was insecure about the plan, since they believed they had no soul, but Pike's divine magic confirmed not only that the aeormaton had a soul and life, but that Avandra had her attention on the cleric. After a time of preparation (in which Lady Vex'ahlia presented Orym with a better sword as a precaution for his spiritual journey) Pike cast her spell. Bells Hells appeared in a gloomy place, a kind of forest made of stone and full of ominous whispers. There they found a hut with a small fire burning, in which a shadow from Laudna's past was doing crafts. The whispers became the voices of those who had pursued and attacked Laudna in life, driving away her shadow and causing the fire in the cabin to spread. After an attack by spectral creatures, the party extinguished the fire and found a tunnel that led them to a sort of dark and corrupted version of the city-state of Whitestone. There, the streets constantly changed and bone structures rose from time to time. They witnessed several different shadowy echoes of Laudna's life.
Fan art of Imogen, by Haven Burley.[art 14]
Official art of Imogen and Fearne destroying the tree, by Jessica Nguyen.[art 15]
When they reached the withered Sun Tree, in whose branches the real Laudna was being held, Delilah Briarwood appeared. She declared that it was in their best interest to resurrect Laudna but confirmed their two souls were interwoven. Eventually Bells Hells attacked Delilah, while the Sun Tree swallowed Laudna. During the battle, Delilah's magic managed to destroy FCG and Orym's spiritual forms, sending them back to the Material Plane, but the adventurers discovered that Delilah and the Sun Tree were connected, so they began attacking it instead of focusing on the necromancer. After a long battle, Imogen's Lightning Bolt split the massive trunk in two, at which point the remaining four party members awoke in Pike Trickfoot's house.
With Delilah's power over Laudna greatly reduced, Pike cast Raise Dead, successfully reviving her. After a brief period of mistrust, in which the cleric, Lady Vex'ahlia, and Lord Percival (accompanied by various law enforcement officers from the city-state) wanted to ensure that Laudna was herself, she was allowed to walk the streets, visiting the Sun Tree and allowing herself to enjoy how the city had healed since her last visit there; while there, the warlock also took the opportunity to bring Pâté to life, making him her familiar. That night Bells Hells dined with Lord and Lady de Rolo, whom they told of the discoveries they had made during their travels in Marquet regarding Ruidus, the apogee solstice, and the residuum smuggling. The couple gifted Fearne a small gun for Little Mister, and allowed the party to keep a small portion of the residuum in case they needed it; Vex'ahlia, showing her regret for the suffering she had unintentionally caused Laudna, presented her with a ring of protection.
Bells Hells and the Sun Tree, by Kamille Areopagita and Kevin Areopagita from "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76).[art 16]
That night the group camped at the foot of the Sun Tree, since the castle brought back bad memories for Laudna, and in dreams, Imogen and FCG (connected to the sorceress' dreamspace with the cleric's magic) witnessed the red storm sweep away a spirit suspiciously similar to Lord Eshteross. That morning Fresh Cut Grass visited the Horizon Temple in the southern edge of Whitestone, where he spoke with Guide Osli Kamyda, who offered advice on how to pray and connect with the Changebringer. The group visited Gilmore's Glorious Goods: Whitestone Expansion before returning to Jrusar with the help of Manaia Turei (although Fearne was able to speak to the Sun Tree, she lacked the ability to open portals on it).
They went to the home of Lord Eshteross, since Imogen had tried to Send to him without success. Pâté and Chetney (hidden with his Invisibility spell) sneaked into the mansion to check it out, coming across signs of struggle that led them to Arik's quarters, where he laid dead. Chetney recovered Lord Eshteross's weapon and several important letters (including a will leaving them ownership of the Silver Sun, a year of service from its crew, and a cookie recipe) and the group reconvened. Examining the traces of blood, Orym determined that the same toxin that had kept his husband and his father dead had been used on Eshteross as well. The adventurers contacted Orlana Seshadri, trusting her to distribute Lord Eshteross's last letters to different figures in Jrusar, and after a brief mistrust (the Green Seekers escorted Bells Hells to Eshteross Manor to confirm that they had not killed the orc) Mistress Seshadri tasked the party with finding Otohan Thull as the culprit in Eshteross's death.
The journey to Yios[]
Bells Hells decided (after some final preparations in the city) to use their newly acquired airship to travel to Yios and gather information there. Along the way (somewhat bumpy in the Hellcatch Valley section) Ruidus flared one night, causing another of Imogen's strange dreams, in which she caught a glimpse of her mother, Liliana; on deck, Chetney lost control of himself and changed into his wolf form, attacking Orym and Fearne, who managed to keep him in check until he regained control. After this Bells Hells met in Ashton and FCG's cabin, in which they discussed the incident with Chetney, Imogen's dream (after which she managed to contact Liliana via Sending, confirming that she was alive) and the increasing dangers of their journey, in which the vast majority (with Orym being the perpetual exception) seemed to have something that made them dangerous to the rest of the group. Shortly after Orym went up on deck to inform Dorian with his sending stone of the news of his trip, during which Ashton also went up and comforted Orym, showing concern for the pressure the fighter was under.
The journey continued, and after passing Bassuras the Silver Sun had a run-in with some cockatrices fleeing from a chimera (curiously they appeared after FCG asked Avandra for a signal). After defeating or fleeing the creatures in a battle in which Imogen demonstrated new Ruidus-connected powers and Chetney wielded Turmoil for the first time, the airship arrived at the Gloomed Jungles, where the The gnome was interested in finding the Gorgynei, who Ajit Dayal said could advise him on his werewolf status. Bells Hells descended into the jungle to accompany Chetney in his search for the mysterious sect, and after he howled (twice, the second time accompanied by his friends) and after some waiting in a ruined tower, a small group of lycanthropes appeared. The leader, a weretiger, agreed to take the adventurers, who had been recommended by Ajit, to their village, Barinak, where Chetney told them a little about his condition and his circumstances learning to control his animal side, as well as his concern for the strange influence Ruidus had over him. After it became apparent that Bells Hells could not afford to stay with the Gorgynei during the extensive training that Chetney would normally require, Annaline decreed that the next day the blood hunter would be tested at Zha'Vrollo, the temple to Sahyaadon, the Keeper of the Savage Heart. In the temple, Sahyaadon transformed Chetney into a more powerful and savage wolf, and Bells Hells had to fight him while he tried to regain control; when he finally did, he gained the feral spirit's respect and the strange itch caused by Ruidus disappeared. Being in a good mood, the group of adventurers and the Gorgynei that had accompanied then when outside naked, and before leaving the temple, Orym received a blessing from the Wildmother (Sahyaadon's creator), who enchanted his sword. The next day Imogen contacted Captain Xandis, and after a morning of light training, Bells Hells said their goodbyes to the Gorgynei and returned to the Silver Sun to continue their journey to Yios; while in the skyship, FCG, who had tried cooking with Manad, attempted to bake cookies for their friends with Denalia's help.
Fan art of Bells Hells gambling, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 17]
They reached the City of Flowing Light without complications, and after establishing in the docks that they would stay a week at most, went to a casino in order to have one fun night before starting their mission in the city; they played several games, being successful for the most part, and when they went to their rooms Imogen went out to talk with her mother in private, but through Sendings Liliana kept avoiding to give any hints of where she was. The next day the adventurers met with Landon Kreshawl (a guide they had met the night before), and he showed them the city and talked to them about its history while bringing them to the Aydinlan Seminary. However, before they walked in, they noticed a creature looking at them perched on a gargoyle: Shithead, the avian nemesis of Fresh Cut Grass.
After a short fight (during which they discovered the bird's regeneration and undead nature, as well as its deliberation chasing FCG) Shithead fled, and Bells Hells (minus Ashton, who left to do something else during the battle) went inside. In the Seminary they asked a few questions and briefly met one of the judicators that Vasselheim had sent to the city. However, Fresh Cut Grass ended up casting Fast Friends so the receptionist Carolle would guide them to Ebenold Kai's home. There they found a locked house with several traps, but thanks to Chetney and Orym they were able to access a secret basement in which Ebenold Kai was hiding with Baryn Vestisho; scared by the intrusion, Baryn used a Spell Scroll of Plane Shift to transport themselves to the Elemental Plane of Fire, but Bells Hells were quick enough and followed them through the magical circle.
They appeared in a field lab and were received by Planerider Ryn, its owner. After confirming that the adventurers weren't hostile, the three older academics, all connected with the Grim Verity, started talking to the group about their research regarding Ruidus, the Ruidusborn, the Cerberus Assembly and the strange interplanar activity connected to all of it; they also revealed to them that, thanks to some ancient text taken from Vasselheim (the reason why judicators were in Yios), they had discovered that the red moon was a prison for a dangerous entity called Predathos, who was presumably giving power to certain Ruidusborn, including Otohan, with whom Liliana (Imogen's mom) was apparently working. Knowing there was some great plan involving the apogee solstice and the construction of machines in the Feywild, the Shadowfell and the Material Plane, Bells Hells declared themselves willing to try and sabotage any plans that would affect Ruidus and endanger Exandria (Imogen even cast Sending to Morri Calloway to ensure her help in the Fey Realm). However, they ended up returning to Yios with Ryn's help, appearing again in Kai's basement just when someone was entering the house.
Fan art of escaping the cellar, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 18]
These three intruders used an air elemental to find the basement and the adventurers hiding there. The party tried to confuse the newcomers into thinking they were having a party with adult content, but the farce eventually ended, and a brief battle ensued: Bells Hells managed (not without difficulty) to scare off the air elemental, knock two of the the intruders and Banish a third, and fearing that the battle had drawn the attention of neighbors and guards, they escaped taking one of their enemies for questioning, loading him on Fearne's back (transformed into a horse).
When they found a place with enough privacy (and after thwarting their hostage's brief escape attempt), the adventurers interrogated him, using Imogen's telepathy and FCG's Fast Friends. They discovered that his name was Tuldus and he was a member of the Ruby Vanguard, an organization led by Ludinus Da'leth who wished to free Predathos to devour the gods and free all mortals from their divine yoke. After questioning him some more, Bells Hells decided to contact Ryn for her help, and she immediately came, helping them confirm their immediate plans (to travel to the Feywild to break one of the Malleus Keys, the machines built for Da'leth's plans) and granting them an hour of rest before going to pick them up, so they can meet Ashton again and resolve their affairs in Yios. Through the Sending spell Imogen agreed with their barbarian friend to meet again in the Aydinlan Seminary, so they went there (leaving Pâté watching over Tuldus). Ashton showed up covered in food and explained how he had run into Violet (someone from his past) who had dragged them into a chaotic mission against a local mob. Bells Hells divided into three groups: Chetney, Orym, and Ashton would stay at the entrance of the educational center (while the genasi updated them on his adventures in Yios); Laudna and a still stressed FCG would visit Vitro Isham, expert in automatons; and Imogen and Fearne would visit Kadija Sumal, an ally of the Grim Verity and the professor who had worked with Liliana Temult.
The visit to Professor Isham proved to be very effective: the firbolg identified Fresh Cut Grass as a Harmonious Aeormaton (intended for peaceful and diplomatic activities), and confirmed that they had most likely been modified to participate in the Care and Culling; he also reassured the cleric, assuring him that he could choose his own path and that he should not let himself be defined by memories that he no longer had, and before saying goodbye, at the request of FCG himself, he installed an oven-like device in their body to be able to cook with the residual heat of his arcane accumulator. Imogen and Fearne, for their part, met with a skittish Professor Sumal, with whom they shared a conversation about the Ruidusborn, their nature and their connection to strange dream entities; Kadija was willing to share with Imogen the few documents from her study that she still had, but at that moment Ludinus Da'leth showed up at the office, deprived the orcish teacher of her free will with a spell and he took said papers for himself; before leaving he chatted briefly with the sorcerer and the druid, identifying both as Ruidusborn and the former as Liliana's daughter, and exchanging impressions of the deities and the loyalties of each person present there before the old elf departed. Ashton, Chetney, and Orym saw the Martinet of the Cerberus Assembly pass by, and the fighter identified it, watching him walk away with two members of the Ruby Vanguard before teleporting away; the three friends rushed to find the rest (after intimidating Carolle into not giving them trouble), and they all ended up meeting at Sumal's office. After such an encounter, and seeing that Kadija had been left in a very fragile state, they decided to call Ryn, who came and confirmed that she would seek help for the professor and would take care of the still spellbound Tuldus (relieving Pâté of his role). As promised, the Planerider transported Bells Hells to the Feywild in that very office.
Mission in the Fey Realm[]
Fan art of Bells Hells and the fey flowers, by Cait May.[art 19]
Bells Hells appeared in the Harrowcall Fens, a marshland with strange plants and anomalous landscape, near the home of Fearne's grandmother. The faun, excited to be back in her childhood plane, began leading her friends around (although they were kept up by some music-loving flowers and an animated tree that tried to bar their way). However, they managed to successfully reach Ligament Manor, the home of the Fatestitcher. When the adventurers were inside the gloomy house, Fearne hugged her grandmother (a strange hag of impossible proportions), who welcomed them and offered them a cocktail. The group stayed at the mansion for the rest of the day, and Fearne caught up with her grandmother, who, despite her sinister appearance, was very welcoming. The druid showed her friends her old room and (with Morri's permission), the Fatestitcher's collection. After visiting the garden Bells Hells went to their quarters, where they talked about the information they had about Ludinus and the Vanguard (they decided to continue their plans about stopping them, regardless of their ideology) and, having seen that Ruidus was visible in the fey sky, FCG decided to cast Shared Dream on Imogen, Laudna and himself; in the dream they were able to locate the ruins in Marquet where one of the Malleus Keys was being built, and Imogen was able to briefly interact with her mother before Liliana forced her to end the dream. The next day the adventurers said goodbye to Morri, who gave them directions on how to get to Unseelie territory and how to find a portal back to the Material Plane; grateful for the magical bust the mortals had given her, the hag gave them magical items and a substance to ensure their return to Exandria without suffering from the time warp.
On the way to Sun's Shadow the adventurers met first Dr. Nesbitt (a bird friend of Fearne's who had followed them to say goodbye to her before leaving) and then a patrol of three nomadic centaurs who tried to capture them to sell them to the Unseelie Court; however, Bells Hells managed to knock two of them unconscious and kill the third and the animated tree they had summoned, and Imogen's Feywild Shard caused the sorcerer to summon a Fog Cloud which the party saw as a benefit to their infiltration mission. With the help of said fog and the (relative) orientation of Fearne the group advanced until they found strange towers that arose in different points of the Sablecast Grounds, and thanks to an avian-shaped Pâté they discovered that it was better to avoid them so that they did not mark their positions.
When they reached the entrance to the Shiver Keep they had to hide from a patrol of Unseelie guards by combining Invisibility with Ashton's earth magic (although, ironically, Ashton was briefly trapped by the ground itself). Once inside the keep Bells Hells they managed to avoid attracting the attention of the eremads (fey hounds from which it is impossible to hide), and then they divided: combining Invisibility and Spider Climb Laudna and Orym went forward, finding Otohan Thull arguing with Sorrowlord Zathuda by the Malleus Key. As those two left (and the rest of Bells Hells advanced further by combining a distraction from Chetney with the portable hole, in which they suffocated two guards), the group set out to sabotage the machine that was summoning Ruidus in the Fey Realm. Laudna, Orym and Fearne (the latter in the form of a slow loris) managed to get into the structure itself, where they inspected its components to see how they could damage the machine, leaving dynamite inside before leaving. One of the eremad finally took notice of the intruders, and a brief confrontation ensued in which the mortals emerged victorious, and during which Fearne cast Wall of Fire to engulf the Malleus Key, causing even greater destruction than they had expected; however, the sound brought Zathuda back on his draconic mount, Gloamglut (who had been patrolling the area and had destroyed Pâté's physical form). The Unseelie captain unleashed his beast on the adventurers, who tried to avoid as much damage as possible while trying to escape, having already destroyed the Malleus Key.
Fan art of Bells Hells encountering Terrosh, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 20]
As they traversed the Sablecast woodland, the adventurers tried to orient themselves while dodging magical warning spires and hiding from their pursuers with their Harrowcall Veils. Gloamglut's dark fire reached them more than once through the undergrowth, and in desperation Imogen contacted the Morrigan for help; the Fatestitcher did not answer, instead riding a gigantic dark bird to face Zathuda and his mount, giving Bells Hells enough time to reach the portal. There they met Terrosh, the guardian of the place, to whom each of the adventurers had to deliver an offering while speaking in rhyme, which they all did with more or less difficulty.
Race against the solstice[]
Thanks to the ointment Nana Morri had given them, the party returned to Exandria the same day they left, appearing a short distance from Gelvaan, Imogen's hometown in the Taloned Highlands. They contacted Ryn to inform her of the success of their mission, discovering that the Planerider had allies performing the same task in the Shadowfell, and that she herself was checking out the ruins where the Ruby Vanguard had established themselves; however, the communication was interrupted. Orym also contacted (through Imogen) Keyleth to inform her of the situation, and FCG told Captain Xandis to come look for them with their skyship. Imogen was reluctant about returning to Gelvaan, but after dreamily exploring the ruins where Ryn was and discovering that the tiefling wizard had been petrified, Bells Hells confirmed their course to the town where the Silver Sun would pick them up.
In Gelvaan, with some discomfort, Imogen met with her father, Relvin Temult, asking him about his past with Liliana and informing him that they were trying to rescue her and stop the plans she was involved in. While there was still tension and unfinished business between Imogen and her father, the latter gave information to Bells Hells and gave his daughter a locket that belonged to Liliana, after which the group boarded their skyship, dramatically leaving the sorcerer's hometown.
While on their way to the Tishtan excavation site, Bells Hells noticed strange lights in the sky, and determined that it was the ley lines, visible due to the proximity of the solstice. Aboard their skyship, the adventurers ran through their potential allies, sending various messages (including one to Dorian Storm, who informed them that he and the Crown Keepers also had concerns in their corner of Exandria, specifically about Opal's condition) and trying to determine a plan of action; that night, moreover, Imogen tried to talk to her mother in her sleep, and she showed her conviction about Ludinus's plans, briefly causing her daughter to doubt, although a chat with her friends restored her determination to continue their mission. They ended up deciding to go to the Calloway Layaway to pick up Ira (also interested in destroying the Malleus Keys) and collect materials in Bassuras with which to attack the Ruby Vanguard.
After a brief stay with Fearne's parents, during which they spent most of their money in Bassuras for magical items while Chetney and Laudna painted the Silver Sun to look like a Cerberus Assembly ship, the adventurers set out for the Tishtan excavation site with the Nightmare King. Along the way, in addition to the rough weather of the Hellcatch Valley, they ran into an arcane wind phenomenon caused by the ley lines, whose effects almost destroyed the skyship; later, they also had a run-in with an ember roc in the middle of a dust storm, but some clever use of Fearne's Polymorph saved them a battle. Shortly before reaching their destination, and with barely two days to go before the apogee solstice, Keyleth contacted Orym, updating him on her mission in Terrah and expressing her interest in getting involved in the fighter's mission and meeting with Bells Hells in Marquet to confront Ludinus. With the prospect of a new ally on the way, the adventurers continued their journey on the last day before the fateful event.
During the last leg of their journey Bells Hells reviewed their plan to infiltrate the Tishtan excavation site and try to destroy the Malleus Key by crashing the Silver Sun against it; it was then that the plan was first reported to Captain Xandis, who agreed with some persuasion and the promise of a new ship and more work. With the help of Ira, the adventurers marked the route to their destination, and before arriving they stopped to leave the skyship crew in a safe place. Later, Bells Hells split into two groups: FCG and Fearne would stay with Xandis and Ira (who they didn't quite trust) in the Silver Sun while the rest of the group, disguised as members of Paragon's Call and the Ruby Vanguard, would infiltrate enemy territory; there were brief farewells and displays of affection between the friends, but with the general insistence that they would succeed and reunite again later.
Imogen, Laudna, Ashton, Chetney and Orym headed towards the ruins, and along the way Orym marked one of the local trees with his sword to make it unique and allow Keyleth to travel through it when the time came. After coming across the remains of a skyship (which they deduced had been shot down by the Vanguard) the adventurers reached their destination. Although they initially managed to infiltrate successfully, after a while one of the enemies (whom they had faced in Yios) found the suspicious group, which led to a battle in which the adventurers managed to kill a handful of members of the Ruby Vanguard and disable one of the automatons without causing undue commotion; however, this did draw the attention of another intruder who, after a brief but tense debriefing with Imogen, revealed herself to be Beauregard Lionett, an adventurer who, along with her friend, Caleb Widogast, had arrived at the place with Ryn in order to stop Ludinus' plans and arrest the archmage. After sharing information and establishing an alliance for their common goals, the members of Bells Hells set out to go deeper into the excavation and undermine its defenses to continue with their own plan.
In the Silver Sun, after contacting Orym and him commenting that he would like to have FCG with them, the cleric decided that he and Fearne would go down to join the rest of Bells Hells, leaving Ira and Xandis to charge of the skyship (and making Ira promise to save the captain when the time comes). In the ruins the adventurers finally met, and FCG was able to get inside the deactivated Warder and connect to it, gaining control of it. Bells Hells hid inside the Warder (except Imogen and Orym), and, despite a tense encounter with Ratanish on the way, they entered the excavation proper. After a brief combat against some enemies (which included an Exaltant like Imogen) the party began working to damage the mechanisms and power sources of the excavation machinery, at which point explosions (possibly caused by Caleb and Beau) alerted everyone at the site, and ironically prevented Otohan from discovering the group.
The enemy's preparations accelerated and people began to gather around the Malleus Key right after FCG failed to recover the petrified Ryn. Ludinus began to deliver a speech to his followers and had the captured Caleb and Beauregard brought in, while Bells Hells tried to continue their mission stealthily and help however they could. After the archmage used dunamancy to speed up the hours and obtain a clear night sky with Ruidus visible, Xandis and Ira, following their plan, tried to crash the Silver Sun into Malleus Key (escaping in time with the fey's magic) but Ludinus protected the machine with his magic (although many of his followers died from collateral damage). As part of the ritual, all of the Ruidusborn present, including Imogen and Fearne, began to glow with reddish light, and soon after, Keyleth arrived transformed into an earth elemental, and was immediately paralyzed by Ludinus for Otohan to attack her with her echoes. Bells Hells tried to defend the Voice of the Tempest and stop the ritual, damaging Thull's source of dunamancy or the structure of the Malleus Key. However, everything was happening in accord with Ludinus's plan, and when the Champion of Ravens appeared to protect Keyleth, Liliana (who had been holding back due to her daughter's attempts at mental persuasion) used her magic to activate a trap, transforming the celestial being into a dark sphere, the missing lens of their machine.
Fan art of the Malleus Key activating, by BlackSalander.[art 22]
The Malleus Key activated and suddenly, after an immense release of energy, Bells Hells were sent far away: Laudna, Ashton and Orym appeared in a place with geysers from which the beam of red energy hitting Ruidus was visible; FCG, Fearne, Chetney and Imogen appeared at dawn in the Crystalsands Tundra near Uthodurn, the gnome's former home.
Bells Hells divided: Team Wildemount[]
The members of the group that appeared in Wildemount tried to contact their friends through the Sending spell, but the energy of the solstice seemed to block magical communication, even though it didn't affect other spells. Since Chetney had recognized where they were and it was very cold, the three of them started moving with the idea of reaching Uthodurn; however, since the city was far away they decided to stop in a cave to protect themselves from the cold, but it turned out to be the lair of a frost salamander.
Fan art of the meeting with Deanna, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 23]
While that dream adventure was taking place Chetney was having a sincere and friendlier conversation with Deanna, but that night was a full moon, so he ran away to avoid transforming in front of her. FRIDA, deducing what was happening, followed the werewolf into the forest, trying to attract it and help it regain consciousness; although after a while the rest of the group reached them, the aeormaton was somewhat injured, receiving several claws and bites from the lycanthrope. Luckily, the next morning Chetney returned after a night of hunting, and FRIDA had recovered from their fight, even praising how invigorating it had been.
The group continued making their way, and they finally reached Uthodurn, discovering that the people there were nervous because magic wasn't working properly, and the streets were darker than usual. The adventurers visited the Vellum Steeple Archive, learning that not only communication magic was being altered, but also transportation magic, scrying magic, as well as very old enchantments that they thought to be permanent. While Chetney spied inside (discovering that the wardens in the archive were extremely nervous) his friends talked to Ressia Uvesic, revealing the information they had surrounding Ludinus and his plans, and commissioning an investigation about the Martinet.
Fan art of Fearne and FCG with Umudara, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 24]
Official art of the party escorting Umudara through the city, by Clara.[art 25]
Not long after, a strong noise and rumble coming from the Grand Disk called their attention, and when they went to investigate, they learned that some creature was on the loose, causing an evacuation while the glassblades kept the area sealed. Following FCG's heroic initiative, the party decided to enter and confront the monster: a strange celestial-like bull, Umudara the Sentinel Beast, a being who used to guard the Veluthil Forest and was now confused, disoriented and aggressive. The adventurers, led by Fearne, managed to calm Umudara and gain its trust, and after learning its identity and situation, most of them helped it move through the city and reach the surface, giving it directions so it could find its forest; meanwhile Chetney stayed behind, looting the throne room of the dual monarchs and later using his scythe to pretend that he was one of the wounded by the bull monster.
After receiving the general admiration of the people of Uthodurn, as well as an invitation to meet the dual monarchs the next day, Bells Hells retired to Deanna's house for the night, where FCG had the opportunity to inspect FRIDA's mysterious dreams. The next morning, after a delicious home-cooked breakfast, the group set out to run a few errands before going to the Grand Disk, and decided to stop by the shop of Chetney's old associate, Oltgar Dradegon. There they discovered a new problem, as several swarms of pymon firebugs (which would normally be part of children's toys) were loose and causing a fire hazard, as well as the potential metamorphosis of the craskkalid larva that Drixlitch Ovana (Oltgar's new partner) kept as a pet.
The adventurers agreed to solve this problem in exchange for money and the opportunity to inspect the workplace, and although they initially tried to talk to the firebugs, just as they had with Umudara, they ended up confronting them, killing many and capturing some more. However, the ambient heat had (just as Drixlitch had warned) caused the shop's pet larva to enter its chrysalis and emerge as a dangerous giant insect. Fearne settled that second battle by Polymorphing the creature back into its larval phase, then pulling it out of Uthodurn and letting the glassblades at the entrance deal with the monster once it regained its adult form. While at the store they found documents revealing that Drixlitch was using child labor from Shadycreek Run to create toys, and was setting up Oltgar's death to keep D&O Toy Emporium for himself. The adventurers decided to show this to the dwarf who had once been Chetney's mentor, agreeing that the toymaker should leave Uthodurn and leave his entire shop to his corrupt partner, as the adventurers intended to imprison the elf with the evidence they had found; Oltgar agreed.
Bells Hells came to their meeting with the dual monarchs, who thanked them for their service to the city of Uthodurn, naming them Protectors of the Diarchy, and offering them access to the entire city and some resources. The adventurers told them about recent events (including the accusation against Drixlitch) and shared their knowledge about the apogee solstice and Ludinus, prompting Imathan Talviel to share her own experience with the archmage in Molaesmyr. The party decided that traveling to the Savalirwood might offer them answers, so they prepared their trip, using the support of the dual monarchs to get new equipment. On that last day in town Deanna visited the temple of the Dawnfather, encouraging the keepers to keep in touch with the people and support them, despite the recent uncertainty about divinity; FRIDA and FCG, for their part, expressed their mutual appreciation before and during the visit to Jaquoby Macyl's house, establishing a romantic connection between them; Fearne also encouraged Chetney to open up to Deanna, threatening to woo her if he didn't.
The next day, after a very brief visit to the Matron of Ravens' temple to confirm that indeed her followers also felt her distant, Bells Hells acquired several flot goats to cross the Flotket Alps and reach the Savalirwood. Although the low mountain temperatures initially proved unsightly (particularly for Chetney and Imogen), and despite a brief encounter with frost giants from which they emerged largely unscathed, the adventurers managed to successfully reach the Boreal Omen River; there, thinking how much faster they would travel following the course of the river, Deanna led them in building a raft, but the next morning they came to the conclusion that their goats would not be able to travel with them, so after killing Jerry for its meat and wool, Fearne instructed the rest of their mounts to stay in the area to help them on the way back to Uthodurn.
Thanks to the Bells Hells' raft they advanced until entering the ominous Savalirwood, and one night, in a section of the river course, they found a group of pixies and a bog wretch that they had to face, scaring off the tiny fey and destroying the big monster after a battle. The party continued advancing, trying to avoid the dangers of the forest when possible, until they came within sight of the ruins of Molaesmyr, returning to the river bank to get closer. Once there, Imogen Summoned a Crimson Shade to scout for potential danger while the group watched from a distance, attracting the attention of an elk-like mutant monster that destroyed the aberration before beginning to scour the ruins of the elven city. Using FCG's Telepathic Bond to maintain contact between them, Bells Hells began to search for Ludinus Da'leth's old tower, finding along the way remains of camps and several corpses, some more recent and others as old as the fall of the city, trapped or fused to corrupt trees. Using Avandra's divine help they found a path to reach the tower sooner, but on their way there they had to fight some ghosts, hide from a strange winged monster with one single purple eye, and flee from the Wolf-King, managing to hide inside the tower they were looking for before this last predator reached them.
Inside the Gildhollow Tower the group found old notes from Ludinus, connected to his obsession with magic and divinity, as well as a strange circle in the wall that reacted to magic, absorbing it. While Chetney was investigating and trying to clear away the vegetation that had grown on the building he accidentally awakened a strange amorphous monster made of pinkish shapeshifting flesh. The adventurers managed to defeat the creature, although in the process the room they were in began to burn because of Imogen's Lightning Bolt; FCG's powerful Command made the circle on the wall reveal a compartment with a satchel that they took away before leaving, imprisoning the strange monstrous humanoid that emerged from the remains of the recently defeated in the burning tower. Bells Hells tried to leave the ruins of the city stealthily, but they caught the attention of the Wolf-King again, so they had to flee, climbing a wall and entering the forest, managing to leave the monster behind.
The recovered satchel turned out to be a Bag of Holding containing Ludinus' notes, as well as money and some of his magical items. Thanks to Deanna's Detect Magic and knowledge of the Elvish language, they deciphered the archmage's papers, revealing how he had performed experiments with fey magic, how he had first contacted Predathos, and how, attempting to communicate with the entity in Ruidus, he caused the corruption that destroyed Molaesmyr. After a brief discussion about what they could do next, FRIDA requested that Fresh Cut Grass and Imogen combine their Detect Thoughts spells to delve into the gunslinger's psyche and find out why they were familiar with some names read in the Gildhollow Tower. Their friends did that, accessing FRIDA's memories in Aeor, fighting in the service of their people and later facing off against their own compatriots to defend the Factorum Malleus, moments before the floating city was destroyed.
Fan art of the passionate night (cropped from a larger image), by Melissa Hahn.[art 26]
This experience worried FRIDA, who rebuffed Deanna's attempt to hug them, making her emotional. Chetney went to comfort her, and the two gnomes had a heart-to-heart in which they both expressed their mutual concern for each other's safety. He gave her a carved wooden conch shell, and they began reminiscing about their fling, leading to a passionate night in the woods that Fearne joined at Deanna's request.
In order to decide where to go next, FCG cast Commune: Avandra confirmed that the rest of Bells Hells were alive, and that they could surely meet up with them in Jrusar; she also hinted that the future of the cleric's relationship with FRIDA was yet to be determined. Before the spell ended, the Changebringer spoke directly to the aeormaton, warning them of the approaching danger, demanding that Fresh Cut Grass and their friends help stop the release of Predathos. At the same time Pelor sent a vision to his own cleric, commanding her to do the same, proving that the deities were nervous about Ludinus' plans involving the Red End. Deanna and FRIDA decided that their new friends' fight was now their own, and decided to accompany them on the next leg of their journey. Using the Staff of Dark Odyssey, which they had found in Ludinus' bag, Imogen used the Teleport spell to lead the group to Jrusar.
Bells Hells divided: Team Issylra[]
Fan art of Laudna, Orym and Ashton, by Edu Benavente.[art 27]
The members of this group appeared on a cliffside, and although they could still see the red beam connected to Ruidus very far away, they had no idea of where they were. With a little help from Laudna's Immovable rod they started climbing, meeting halfway up with Mona, a dwarf of Tal'Dorei who also appeared there without warning. The four continued together, finally reaching solid ground, and entering a dense forest. There, after a while, they found a cart, a small campfire and a half-elf named Bor'Dor Dog'Son, who was so confused and scared that he cast Lightning Bolt against Mona; however, after some tension the group clarified they were not enemies, and were allowed to join Bor'Dor, who had also been sent there from his home in Wildemount. Shortly after they were joined by Prism Grimpoppy, an elven wizard from the Shadow Realm that was working as an apprentice for the Cobalt Soul, asking people about their experience with the apogee solstice, and having been transported to this new place without warning. During that conversation Mona accidentaly revealed that her real name was Deni$e.
Fan art of Orym, Laudna and Ashton with their new friends, by Melissa Hahn.[art 28]
While the six of them were speaking about the solstice three plant monsters appeared and attacked them, so the group fought them. Orym, Laudna and Ashton followed their usual strategies incorporating their new friends into them. Bor'Dor, despite his initial panic, managed to manifest magical attacks to defend himself with, though he still had some assistance from the halfling fighter; Prism turned Invisible, but she used her magical spellbook and her raven companion to help the group and make it easier for Deni$e to hit their enemies. After the battle the party decided to rest in a place nearby, using Prism's magic, Bor'Dor's previous bonfire and two corpses Ashton had in the portable hole to create a warning system if someone walked too close to where they were sleeping. The group talked for a bit about Ludinus Da'leth and his plans involving Ruidus, but later they went to sleep. During their watch, Bor'Dor and Prism bonded over their lack of experience in battle or interacting with the world; Ashton comforted Laudna, who was trying really hard not to panic at not knowing what had happened to the rest of their friends; and Orym and Deni$e discovered that the ex she had been chasing (and that she had spotted just before teleporting away) was in fact Dariax Zaveon, for whom she still had some feelings. The next morning, with more light, they were able to identify the Ascendant Bridge Mountain, revealing they were in Issylra; the new group decided to stay together and travel to the nearest town or city. The group continued traveling along what they would later discover to be called the Outerwalk Road, passing the abandoned remains of a gallows at a crossroads, and later noting that certain spells in the area seemed empowered.
They ended up arriving at Hearthdell, a humble village where the presence of guards wearing the symbol of Pelor made people uncomfortable. After speaking with some locals and discovering that eleven townsfolk had been teleported away by the magic of the solstice, and after reflecting on the knowledge that Bells Hells had about Predathos, the Grim Verity and the Cerberus Assembly, they arrived at the house of Elder Joan Abaddina, the spiritual leader from the village. In exchange for using her scrying well in the near future, the adventurers agreed to help her drive off the religious guards sent by Vasselheim, as they were oppressing the local culture and cult of the Demithore Eidolons. Bells Hells attended a secret meeting at the Fairfroth Brewery, where they laid out the plan: Orym and Bor'Dor would try to win the trust of the guards and convince them to send their forces to Marquet to confront Ludinus instead of staying in Hearthdell, but if they failed, the rest of the townspeople would attack the Sunrise Sanctuary.
The fighter and sorcerer managed to strike up a conversation with the bastions (and the half-elf laced their drinks with laxative), but when Flameguide Kiro, the religious leader, arrived to speak with them, she was somewhat suspicious and tried to take the two adventurers to the temple for questioning; Orym gave notice to the rest of his team, and the attack began. During the battle the adventurers tried to neutralize their enemies, taking advantage of the assistance of the villagers and Elder Abaddina (who summoned a powerful earth elemental to force his way through the gate) and the convenient effects of the laxative that some of the guards had consumed. Bor'Dor managed to kill Flameguide Kiro and collect some of her blood for Prism, and during the confrontation with a Judicator Laudna managed to manifest the Hound of Ill Omen for the first time to attack the holy warrior. The combat became more complicated when a Dawnborn Angel summoned with Kiro's dying prayer descended to the temple to defend it, but thanks to the blood of the recently killed woman, Prism was able to cast Summon Greater Demon, bringing a barlgura to face the celestial warrior.
Fan art of the Dawnborn Angel fighting Orym, Deni$e, and a barlgura, by iwilltryalittlearter.[art 29]
Although Elder Abaddina was scared of the angel her Earth Guardian stayed and helped the adventurers, who little by little prevailed over their enemies: Laudna's hound and Prism's barlgura managed to kill the Judicator, Ashton used the elemental's help to reach the Dawnborn Angel and hit him, and so did Orym and Deni$e with the demon's help. Finally, the barlgura managed to throw the angelic being to the ground, and Bor'Dor, wanting to end the fight, kissed the celestial's forehead and cast Inflict Wounds, destroying him.
Some documents and tithes collected by the temple were taken by Bells Hells before Elder Abaddina destroyed the building with the help of her eidolons, after which the money was given to the townsfolk, who celebrated the victory and the expulsion of Pelor's followers (to except for a young guard who was originally from Hearthdell and stayed looking for redemption). The exhausted adventurers took Joan to her cottage so that she would let them use her scrying well the next morning; before sleeping, they chatted with her for a bit about the gods, the spirits, and the morality of mortals in relation to those entities (although Orym ended up leaving to sleep outside, not in the mood for such conversations). The following morning, after preparing breakfast for the adventurers, the soothsayer used her scrying well for them thrice using objects connected to the targets of the magic: she showed Bells Hells that the other half of their team were still alive near Uthodurn; she allowed Deni$e to see a very concerned Dariax, as well as Dorian Storm, whom the other adventurers recognized; and she revealed a house connected to Bor'Dor's dagger, although surprisingly that was not his home. After that the group asked the old woman about how could they travel to those far lands they have seen through the well, and she recommended asking Hevestro, her old master, for help; the group briefly considered traveling to Vasselheim instead, but they ended up discarding the idea. Joan provided them with a wind eidolon guide that took the form of a cougar, after which Bells Hells set off for the Irriam Canyon.
It took the adventurers little more than three days to traverse the Serratus Wilderness and reach their destination. Along the way, they helped Bor'Dor practice magic and Ashton meditate; they found a small crater with the petrified remains of a githzerai and a magic ring; they met more of the Demithore eidolons, who danced with Orym; and made an attempt of Scrying on Bor'Dor's brother and Ludinus (finding the former's cabin empty, and being magically blocked by the latter). When they finally reached the Irriam Canyon, they successfully found the cave they were looking for (managing not to wake up a large creature camouflaged as a flowery hill); inside there was a strange obelisk surrounded by crystals and a face that smiled at them from the ceiling.
The smiling being was Evithorir the Taker, a dark fey entity that had killed the protectors of the Emerald Tree and possessed Hevestro, claiming the place and the archdruid as theirs. The adventurers tried to negotiate very briefly with the shadow being, but ended up confronting him, managing to separate them from their elven hostage, after which they were able to attack him more freely and finally defeat him (Laudna even absorbed their remaining necrotic energy). Grateful, Hevestro gave them information about Evithorir and about the Hishari (when Ashton asked about them), and agreed to help his saviors return to their respective homes the next day, once he had regained his strength. While he was away, burying his fallen friends, Bells Hells had the opportunity to chat in private. Deni$e, who had been suspicious of Bor'Dor's behavior recently, used the excuse of returning his slingshot (which she herself had stolen) to immobilize him and ask him what he was hiding from them. The sorcerer admitted that he had made up the story of the sick brother when he met the group in order to be endearing to them and gain their trust; encouraged by the other adventurers, he rose to his feet, revealing his true appearance and demeanor (more scars in his skin, eyes full of pain, marked by loss) and told them his story: how his mother had taught him to use his powers and trust the gods, how she had taken responsibility when Bor'Dor accidentally left badly injured a rich bully with a spell, how the sorcerer's father and brother died trying to save their wife and mother, and how Bor'Dor had fled, leading a lonely life in the Cyrios Mountains until the Ruby Vanguard found him.
Revealing that he had been in Marquet, witnessing how the original seven Bells Hells killed his friends in the Tishtan excavation site, Bor'Dor cast Vitriolic Sphere through the refracting crystal he had collected in the cavern, which led to a fight with the other adventurers. Though hurt, the party members initially tried to neutralize Bor'Dor, blocking his magic and preventing him from escaping. However, Laudna, deeply affected by this new betrayal, invoked her dark powers and cast Hunger of the Shadow, severely weakening the other sorcerer; a very hurt and sad Prism took the opportunity to punch the half-elf, leaving him at death's door, and Laudna, feeling that what she was doing was giving her some sense of control (in an overall stressful and chaotic situation), killed the member of the Ruby Vanguard with Wither and Bloom. No one from the rest of the team stopped her. After that the remaining adventurers were very nervous and disturbed, but ended up burying Bor'Dor within the cave itself, taking most of his items; Orym left there the locket of one of the Ruidusborn he and his friends had defeated just a few days before.
The following day Hevestro offered three uses of his Transport via Plants spell, before which the team had one last conversation and session of Scrying. After discovering that Dariax was now in Westruun Deni$e was sent there; Prism, who wanted to explore the world and gain more knowledge (instead of returning to the Cobalt Reserve in Emon), decided to visit Marquet as well, so when Hevestro opened a second portal to Jrusar (where the rest of Bells Hells were supposed to be), Prism jumped through with Mother, being followed by Orym, Ashton and Laudna.
Reunited but still traveling[]
Team Wildemount's first attempt Teleporting surrounded them with chaotic magic, and they ended up appearing in a birdfolk settlement in Wildemount; although the locals there were very aggressive initially, they agreed to blindfold the newcomers and fly them down the mountain, far from their home, so they wouldn't be able to find it again. After that, the adventurers rested for the rest of the day, and the following morning, when Imogen's new staff recovered some of its energy, they Teleported again, successfully reaching Jrusar, appearing in the Smolder Spire. They immediately tried to find their friends, first asking Zhudanna via Sending (she didn't know where Laudna or the others were), and later visiting Pretty at the Soot and Swill (he hadn't seen the rest of Bells Hells either, although he was very happy to see the ones present). They ended up going to the Spire by Fire Inn, waiting there while they gathered some information about the inusual presence of foreign soldiers in the city.
Fan art of Bells Hells reunited, by Melissa Hahn.[art 30]
Team Issylra (minus Deni$e and Bor'Dor), on the other hand, talked with Prism (after saving her from going down the cliff) about her potential destinations in Marquet, although they agreed to stay together, while they looked for their friends; they also managed to get some information from a terrified gnome courier, who told them about the strange situation of the city the last days, and how the Chandei Quorum had brought allies from different continents of Exandria. The group finally reached the Spire by Fire Inn, and reunited with the other half of Bells Hells.
After a warm greeting and an exchange of anecdotes, the ten adventurers went to their room, where they began to share the experiences and information they had obtained in the days they had spent apart, and they all discussed what they should do next. During that conversation Deanna (who stepped out for a few minutes for Commune with Pelor, showing her disapproval of what she had heard from his followers on Issylra) also confirmed to Bells Hells via Scrying that one of their allies, Keyleth, had been rescued alive and brought back to Zephrah, though she was still very weak. After some discussion, the group agreed to split up: Prism, Deanna, and FRIDA would go on a research mission starting at the Starpoint Conservatory, to find out as much as possible about the gods, Predathos, and the primordials, and provide their friends with useful information in their cause; the rest of Bells Hells would return to the Tishtan excavation site, above which Ruidus was still visibly bound. After an affectionate farewell, the three new allies of the party left.
Bells Hells stayed in the Spire by Fire a little bit longer, talking about their adventures and trying to determining what was their next step; during that conversation it became evident that the part of the team that had been in Issylra was way more nervous (specially Laudna), and after some debate they decided the following day they would Teleport to Zephrah in order to speak with the Voice of the Tempest. In the meantime, the party divided in three groups: Ashton and FCG visited the Krook House, and the former gave Milo some materials to update his gear, and also took the chance to speak with the aeormaton about FRIDA, expressing how glad he was that the cleric had found someone; Imogen and Laudna went to Zhudanna's house, making sure she was ok and offering to buy food for her, during which the two sorcerers kissed and had a sincere conversation about the time they had spent apart (including the possibility of Delilah's return) before discovering there were magical spheres projecting holograms of Ludinus giving a speech in the city; Orym, Fearne and Chetney visited the Dayal Hall to, among other things, gather information about the situation en Jrusar, after which they decided to visit the local temple dedicated to the Duskmaven. This last group was stopped before arriving to their final destination, since a dwarven warrior sent by Tuyen Otwana tried to capture Chetney, being scared away by the combined effort of Fearne and Orym; after that they arrived at the temple at the top of the Smolder Spire, where, after a candid conversation with a priest, the three adventurers drank water and, in a meditative state that seemed eternal (despite lasting less than an hour), received a vision of the goddess of fate, who showed them the still activated Malleus Key, and the sphere containing the Champion of Ravens, who screamed in pain.
When the group reconvened, Orym, Fearne, and Chetney told the rest what they have seen in the temple, as well as the priest's advice that they would need faith to achieve their goals; this led to a debate about the value of divinity and where the faith of each resided. Before going to sleep Fearne and FCG cast Scrying at the same time, trying to locate Ludinus and Liliana Temult; the druid failed, but the cleric succeeded, and he could see that both Imogen's mother and the archmage were in the midst of a red storm on what appeared to be the surface of Ruidus. The following morning the Ruidusborn sorcerer informed her friends that her new staff needed one more day to recharge before being able to cast Teleport, so they used that extra time to take Ashton's stuff after Milo finished working on them, and also to Scry on Ira Wendagoth, discovering he was on the red moon as well, interacting with what looked like a reilora. After one last night in Jrusar the group successfully Teleported to Zephrah.
Upon their arrival they were greeted by a group of Ashari with skysails who attacked them with wind magic, stopping when one of them, Maeve, recognized Orym (her brother-in-law). The half-elf led the adventurers to the home of the Voice of the Tempest, where they were greeted by Leeta (another of Orym's sisters-in-law), who brought them before Keyleth. The weakened Archdruid told Bells Hells how the raid they had come to call "the Battle of the Red Center" had gone, and how they had suffered several casualties, with the Voice of the Tempest and three others still suffering from the effects of Otohan's poisonous attacks; Keyleth explained that a strange flower (the blue perennem) could counteract the effects of the toxin, and asked Bells Hells to travel to Grey Valley to find said flowers and hopefully the first team sent to collect them (which included Baernie, Orym's third sister-in-law). Before leaving Zephrah the adventurers visited Orym's home and met his mother, Alma, who was very welcoming and spoke with them for a bit, about her son's childhood and the current situation in their corner of Tal'Dorei. They also did some errands at the local armory and tailor shop to order new equipment for Orym and Ashton; once that was agreed, the party met again with Maeve, who cast Transport via Plants to take them to the Grey Valley.
Thanks to Avandra's guide (through the Divination spell), the adventurers traversed that new desolate terrain in the proper direction, using Pâté as a scout and hidden by Ashton's Pass without Trace; eventually they found some of the blue perennem flowers, but shortly after they were attacked by recently deceased undead Ashari warriors (Turan and Fira) as well as a Devourer demon that still had a soul trapped inside its ribcage, and the wraiths said fiend summoned. Bells Hells fought valiantly, with Fearne being particularly useful with her Aura of Life and Daylight spells; the adventurers defeated their enemies and, after Imogen killed the Devourer demon with her Witch Bolt, they took some time to bury the fallen Ashari (an elven individual) and free the soul trapped within the ribcage, which banished after confirming the direction Orym and his friends were following. During their short rest they talked a bit about their general opinion of the gods, making quite clear that most of the group felt unsure of divinity.
Fan art of Bells Hells voting, by Melissa Hahn.[art 32]
After some more walking (and a brief encounter with vrocks), the adventurers reached the Iridon Bastion, where a demon incursion had resulted in several deaths, as well as the damage and taking to the fort by the fiendish forces, that were preparing a celebration and some sort of ritual during which they intended to kill their hostages. Bells Hells fought the demons with the unexpected help of Teven Klask, a champion of Asmodeus that told them that even the Lord of the Nine Hells wanted to prevent Predathos from being released, after which he declared himself a conditional ally of the adventurers, and forged with Fearne (the leader of the group, from his perspective) a pact so that she could summon him if necessary. During the fight Chetney took a talking sword from the demon leader, and Orym, finally, reunited with Baernie and the surviving Ashari, who revealed they had been collecting the blue perennem flowers; since none of them had the power to teleport back to Zephrah immediately, they decided to spend the night in the Grey Valley. They had a conversation about the talking sword that Chetney had found, and it presented itself as Graz'tchar, the Luminary Blade after being Identified; none in the group was very sure about who should wield it, even less after FCG's Legend Lore revealed there was demonic influence in the weapon. Before going to sleep the cleric had a short conversation with Avandra via Commune, during which she confirmed that the gods could be helpful to the group, that she was worth saving and that she was scared; that night Imogen dreamed of Ruidus, discovering that there was life in its surface, and that her mother was there, still determined to follow Ludinus' plans.
The following morning Chetney decided to keep the sword, not very worried about its potential danger, and Bells Hells, accompanied by the rescued Ashari, as well as the two survivors of the Iridon Bastion, Uwon and Diedrich, started looking for a way to leave the Gret Valley. Following Ashton's idea they decided to combine the portable hole and Imogen's staff to Teleport back to Zephrah despite being too many people for the spell. Once they were back they gave the flowers to the local herbalists, allowing them to prepare the antidote that healed Keyleth's wounds. She publically praised Orym and the other Ashari that had helped during her recovery, after which she met with Bells Hells in private.
The Voice of the Tempest and the adventuring party exchanged information, news, and ideas about their next move against Ludinus; during the conversation Imogen revealed her most recent discoveries about Ruidus, and even summoned a Reilora in that very room, being able to talk to one of those creatures for the first time, discovering they were intelligent, but not necessarily friendly towards Exandrians; Ashton also got the chance to ask Keyleth about the Hishari, telling her about their own origins connected to the cult, which led to Keyleth revealing that the genasi had, somehow, a fragment of primordial, which made them a titan of blood. After that they all discussed potential destinations and ways to gain more power to use against Ludinus, which included visiting the Shattered Teeth looking for the Great Tree of Atrophy, and potentially using Ludinus' old harness against him or to empower people in the group (although that led to a discussion about who could repair the harness, and FCG cast Divination several times trying to get a clear answer, without success). Keyleth didn't mind that chaos, and took the chance to thank Orym for all he had done for her, calling him her friend, and assuring him that he honored Derrig and Will with his behavior; she also granted him a title, "Savior Blade of the Tempest", which got the rest of Bells Hells excited; they even proposed getting matching tattoos to celebrate.
The members of the group split up: Orym, Fearne and FCG went to Nel's house, with whom they visited the graves of Derrig and Will, after which they spent some time with the herbalist and ate biscuits; Ashton, for his part, hid for a few minutes, suffering a panic attack after the revelations about his own nature, before leaving to collect his new outfit and return to the main group; Chetney, Laudna and Imogen showed interest in the skysails (although the latter did not want to ride one) and ended up convincing a local instructor, Ulli, to let them use them with supervision, which led to a "battle" (which Imogen would join with her Fly spell) which ended with Chetney crash-landing and Laudna leaving her halfling co-pilot severely traumatized (though the rest of the Air Ashari thought it was all part of some sort of show).
Fan art of Bells Hells celebrating, by Melissa Hahn.[art 33]
After the party was reunited and Orym went to the blacksmith to collect his new armor, they met in a bar, the Airy Eyrie, where they drank together, toasting the late Sir Bertrand Bell, celebrating and talking a bit about the gods; at some point Imogen and Laudna watched the sunset together while debating if the latter should try to worship the Moonweaver to fill the space Delilah had left, but shortly after, after a long time without speaking, the warlock's patron spoke into her mind, reminding her she was hers. After that they returned to Alma's home, partying for a little bit longer with her and Scrying on Dancer, who was in Yios. The following day they decided to go visit FCG's old associate first, and when they told Keyleth, she decided to go with them, since that would allow her to send them later to their next destination using her own magic; before they left she gave them some of the antidote that had healed her, in case they needed it.
After Fresh Cut Grass Teleported the group to Yios (with some difficulty) they found Dancer, and after some tense conversation (given her history with the aeormaton) she agreed to help them fix the harness; however, when she examined it she admitted she would need Imahara Joe's assistance to do it. When Bells Hells were looking for a tree to travel through, they were found by Shithead, who attacked FCG; the adventurers defended their friend, and when Fearne (using Speak with Animals) asked the undead bird why it was attacking, it revealed its real name, "Gargo", as well as its inability to die since its former master was gone; however, it ended up being permanently killed by the cleric's Destroy Undead. After that incident they managed to find a tree, and Keyleth used her magic to transport them to Bassuras.
After Keyleth agreed to meet them later, the adventurers went with Dancer to visit Imahara Joe, but when they found her shop completely closed they became suspicious, and after investigating with magic they discovered that there were people being held inside. This led to a fight between Bells Hells and the seven enemies within, mercenaries members of Paragon's Call and led by General Ratanish, which FCG managed to Banish. The group managed to defeat all the other enemies, even preventing one of them (a desert warden druid) from flying away in eagle form with the two prisoners (who only ended up bruised after falling from a great height); when only the general was left, Bells Hells gathered around the point where he would appear again, and when he came back to the Material Plane he was mercilessly attacked; Orym disarmed him and made him fall to the ground, leaving him exposed for Ashton, who crushed the goliath's chest with his hammer. Once combat was over (and after looting the bodies and keeping some in the portable hole for necromantic interrogation) the adventurers and Dancer were able to speak with Joe and his associate, Verna the Viper, and after reassuring the neighbours, alarmed by the racket of the fight, they all together went to Hondir's house (now abandoned), where the three tinkerers were able to inspect the harness, determining exactly how was working and how it needed to be fixed, while warning them that it would take time and resources.
Fan art of Ashton and Imogen talking while Laudna fears the worst, by Melissa Hahn.[art 34]
While that was happening Ashton decided to visit the All-Minds-Burn with Imogen, finding Shady Sally (a member of the Nobodies) there; the genasi told her to gather the other members of the group, since they would be needed to help save the world, and then went with Justi Pross; the eisfuura guided the two adventurers to the bowels of their headquarters, where she introduced them to the strange entity that personified the All-Minds-Burn: a mucous mass that connected the minds of all the members, being the source of their psychic powers, and that kept the bodies and part of the essence of those who had already died. Ashton and Imogen showed their intention to collaborate with the psychic organization, and the entity, trusting them, agreed to be their ally, on the condition that if they traveled to Ruidus they would take the Brood Pit (a seed) with them to leave it in the red moon. After they left, Ashton and Imogen exchanged impressions of that meeting and had a candid conversation about their worth; when they returned to the group, however, they were met by a panicked Laudna who believed the barbarian had kidnapped the sorcerer.
Fan art of a dolabo, by Jenny Dolfen.[art 35]
When Keyleth returned to the group she told them about the situation in the city (since she had been talking with an acquaintance of hers) and agreed to bring Imahara Joe, Dancer and Verna to Whitestone so they could work on their new project under better conditions. Before that, however, she cast Transport via Plants so Bells Hells could go to Slival. When the adventurers arrived at the archipelago, finding themselves in a potentially hostile territory whose thick fog prevented them from searching for their next objective, they began to move, entering the forest, followed by several local dolabos. That night Fresh Cut Grass was able to contact the tiny creatures, and thanks to them the group learned about dangerous creatures on the island.
Granting the dolabos' request, the following morning the adventurers went to a hill and lit a bonfire for the winged beings, attracting the attention of a local monster, and Jirana and her giant toad shortly after. The old galapa was welcoming, answered their questions about the islands, Evontra'vir and their mission, and shared some wisdom and resources with them. After discussing how to move through the Shattered Teeth, Bells Hells decided to take a risk, taking a compass Jirana offered them to summon the ghost ship of Captain Urlu Novos, who (in theory) would be able to take them to Kalutha.
Before doing the summoning the adventurers decided to use the corpses they had taken from Bassuras to learn more about the plans of the Ruby Vanguard. Using FCG's Speak with Dead and disguising Imogen as her mother, they interrogated the desert warden druid, learning that Otohan was still in the Red Center, protecting the Malleus Key with the help of an army (and benefiting from the fact that their enemies lacked unity). When they repeated the process with Ratanish, however, they didn't learn a lot, since he answered simply and during the process he got suspicious about why "Liliana" was asking him stuff. After disposing of the bodies at sea, Bells Hells used the compass to call Captain Novos, and his vessel, the Crimson Abyss, appeared. Initially the undead privateer sent his skeletal crew to kill the party and retrieve his treasure, so an intense battle ensued; during the fight Fresh Cut Grass Turned Undead, and Laudna used that oportunity, along with Urlu's willingness to speak to her, to go onboard to parlay.
After some negotiation (and some tricky semantics) the captain agreed to provide transportation for Bells Hells, but only after they gave him the compass and Graz'tchar, which they reluctantly did. Since the journey would take three days, the living group started socializing with the undead crew, with Ashton confessing to Cyrillia (the navigator) that Ruidus was about to cause some big changes in Exandria, while below deck Imogen introduced other skeletons to the game known as "Rollies", which they immediately loved. During their time on board the adventurers inquired a little more about the captain, and became friends with Kyle and Vendallo, with the latter tattooing a flaming bell on each member of Bells Hells, as well as inscribing text Primordial on Ashton's hard back; Fearne managed to convince Urlu to let her sleep in his quarters, trying to negotiate with him for the return of Graz'tchar (without success) and giving him a fragment of her warmth while they were spooning. Although Cyrillia became somewhat hostile because of the druid's actions, that ended up leading to the navigator and the captain spening time together, which improved the mood of the entire vessel. Before leaving the Crimson Abyss Bells Hells organized a party, and the skeletons, surprisingly, enjoyed it a lot, although Captain Novos promised them that he would hunt their entire bloodlines if they told anyone that his crew had been dancing and having fun.
When the group arrived at Kalutha they began to explore, entering a cave and confronting a strange giant two-headed caecilian. Once they defeated it (and after inspecting the remains of its previous victims) they were able to continue their search for the Great Tree of Atrophy. On their way there they crossed a river with hippos, were attacked by shadows, encountered Aishio hunters (to whom they returned the belongings of their compatriots who were victims of the caecilian, including raito charm, receiving in exchange some information about the area), until they finally found the dark sinkhole between mountains, inside of which the Tree waited for them.
Fan art of Evontra'vir, by Niko Vanhala.[art 37]
Evontra'vir, recognizing Ashton as the child of Efterin and the result of an old prediction, shared their knowledge with the genasi, explaining the nature of his elemental power (a shard of the Empress of Earth), telling him about the spark of the Emperor of Fire in the Chynes Maw, and even allowing him to use his Pipe of Remembrance so they could see the Gau Drashari's most heroic moment in life. They also answered some questions from the other adventurers, telling them that their enemy, Ludinus Da'leth, should be defeated, and that their chaotic team had the potential to undo the archmage's plans and decide the fate of the gods. Soon after, the Great Tree of Atrophy detected a presence, and revealed that someone was Scrying on the group, so it opened itself, creating a portal to bring Bells Hells to Igthuldus as soon as possible.
Bells Hells appeared in a snowy mountain, with a cloud jaw flying near them. They soon found a crack in the mountain to sneak through, and together they began to descend. Although the space was extremely narrow, and many of them had to ask for help or use magic to make their way through, they managed to reach a chamber with a pool of magma, around which several magma mephits lived. The small elementals revealed that they existed thanks to Rau'shan's spark, which was beneath the surface of the lava, and Ashton launched himself at it, receiving considerable damage (reduced by his ring), although he was assisted by Fearne, along with which managed to bring the crystal-like relic to the surface (causing all the mephits present to die). The adventurers debated a bit about what they should do with the spark of the Emperor of Fire, questioning whether Ashton should use it or whether Fearne should deal with it, and determining that their best option was to use the harness they had left in the hands of Imahara Joe. However, before he could do anything, two members of the Ruby Vanguard, accompanied by two Reilora and Ludinus Da'leth himself, appeared in the chamber. This led to an intense battle in which the archmage managed to hold Fearne with Telekinesis, but in which Chetney hid the elemental artifact in his bag of holding while the rest of the party eliminated the enemies one by one. They managed to damage Ludinus enough for him to free Fearne, and he, after finding himself overwhelmed and without allies (and after Laudna Counterspelled his attempt to cast an extremely powerful spell) threw himself into the lava, revealing that he was a Simulacrum. Bells Hells, after recovering a little, decided to Teleport immediately to Whitestone.
They arrived (with some difficulty), appearing next to the Sun Tree, and members of the Pale Guard brought them to Whitestone Castle; there they reunited with Dancer, Imahara Joe, and Verna, who were being assisted by Lord Percival and Allura Vysoren in the reparations of the harness, which was identified by the latter as a Quintessence Array. When it was finished Chetney made sure it worked (draining the magic of an enchanted silverware), after which the group and the tinkerer team talked for a bit about their encounter with Ludinus and the spark of Rau'shan, and considering the risks of using the harness. After that the adventurers got the chance to rest for a bit (FCG talked with Dancer and Laudna spied on Percy and Allura, learning that Lord de Rolo feared for his family and his city) before being called to joing a meeting with Ebenold Kai, Keyleth, and her mother Vilya; there they talked about their allies and future plans, and Bells Hells offered to be the ones to go on a scouting mission to Ruidus. After that the group reunited with Gwendolyn de Rolo, Percy and Vex's youngest child, and they talked for a bit, until something she noticed in Laudna scared her away.
The group was divided into three: the witches (Laudna, Imogen, and Fearne) tried to go and talk to Gwen, who admitted to the Ruidusborn that she had felt hatred in Laudna, after which they left the girl alone; Ashton, Orym, and Chetney visited the Altar of the Raven, in the Greyfield, and managed to see a vision of the Raven Queen by entering some stone sarcophagi; FCG, for his part, returned to the Horizon Temple, and also had a vision in which Avandra comforted him and praised his ability to choose his own destiny. After that, the friends reunited in front of the Sun Tree, where Imogen was trying to make a crepe seller named Andrew (believing him to be Whitestone Andy) apologize to Laudna for treating her badly in her childhood.
Fan art of the witches opening the door, by UsikuNox.[art 39]
Finally Bells Hells returned to the castle to rest, but the three witches rose again for another adventure during the night: they started exploring the castle, eventually finding a room that once belonged to Lady Johanna and Lord Frederick de Rolo, a place that Laudna remembered from her time in the castle with the Briarwoods. With some assistance from Sivaana, a reilora summoned by Imogen, they entered the room, discovering a walled passageway that they accessed thanks to Fearne's Stone Shape. They came across an abandoned laboratory where three specters (former victims of the Briarwoods) attacked the witches. They defended themselves, and during the process Laudna channeled Delilah's strength in such a way that, at the end, the silhouette of the warlock's patron stayed and communicated with the adventurers, expressing her interest in them saving the gods (since according to her, Vecna's existence guaranteed that of the wizard and the Hollow One) and that Laudna manifested her full potential (which left her very worried).
The following day there was snow, so Bells Hells went outside to play for a bit and do some errands, after which they attended another meeting. Lord de Rolo and his allies presented new resources for them and explained their plan for them (which involved Allura going to Marquet with them and creating an illusory diversion so they could approach the Bloody Bridge). After that, the adventurers finally agreed to use their now fixed harness to absorb the power of the shard of the Emperor of Fire, for which they descended with Percy, Cassandra and Allura to the ziggurat under the castle.
Fan art of Ashton transforming, by TheBlackRibbon.[art 40]
Although most of the group thought that Fearne would take the power of Rau'shan, she and Ashton had talked about it, and he took it for himself. As Evontra'vir had warned, this started destroying the genasi's physical form with unbearable elemental heat, and when his friends realized, they started using magic to try to save him. At some point, the barbarian died and their body exploded, being immediately revived thanks to the Ring of Temporal Salvation, which, combined with magical healing, allowed them to survive the whole process, as his body finally adapted to the new power it had absorbed... Although the rest of Bells Hells were absolutely furious for such a reckless decision right after. This anger was joined by frustration when he saw that Ashton vomited a reformed shard, since the power of the Emperor of Fire had rejected the genasi.
Laudna and Fearne, feeling betrayed by the barbarian, left there: the former walking through the tunnels and returning to her old cabin in the woods (where she made a new doll while talking to Delilah); the latter was followed by Chetney, who (after removing the harness he had taken) helped her vent by breaking several windows, before she went to the Altar of the Raven to pray to the Matron of Death, expressing her concern about gaining power and transforming into a version of herself she didn't want. The rest of Bells Hells stayed with the increasingly regretful Ashton and were eventually joined by Chetney, who urged the genasi to leave the party if they felt they couldn't control their own impulses. After a tense night morning came, and the adventurers reunited. Although they were still willing to work together, it had become evident that they weren't quite ready to go to Ruidus yet. After some debate, they decided they should visit Ligament Manor again, in order to reconnect with each other while making sure they wouldn't waste extremely valuable time in the Material Plane.
When they told Allura she agreed, using her magic to go with them, bringing them to Morrigan's domain. The hag, still recovering from her battle injuries, was being visited by Birdie and Ollie too, which led to a reunion of the Calloway family, during which the Fatestitcher agreed to help Bells Hells, and expressed a lot of interest about her granddaughter's fate and potential, insinuating there were things she hadn't discover about herself yet. Thus, the druid went to speak with her mother, returning after a while to share with her friends what she had learned: that her biological father was Sorrowlord Zathuda Birdie's lover before she met Ollie (who had decided to raise Fearne as his own child). The adventurers spoke about the connections between the faun and the Unseelie Court, asking questions to both Allura and Morri (who had been organizing the scavenger hunt with FCG, erasing the cleric's memories about the process). The hag showed great interest about both the Quintessence Array and the spark of Rau'shan, but eventually led Bells Hells to the event that they had asked for.
Three activities had been organized for them, focused around three concepts: honesty, communication, and trust; in each of them, Morrigan had provided a magical item as a reward. In the first one, she dropped her Monocle of True Essence to a ravine, and Bells Hells had to retrieve it at the same time they shared truths that made their task magically easier (Bells Hells shared many secrets and sincere thoughts, and they succeeded). In the second one three blinded people (carrying fragments of a fake Scarf of Intrusive Intent) had to walk through narrow paths, being guided only by their comrades' voices in order not to fall into the void, while also trying to avoid the thunder wasps (Chetney and Imogen made it, but Ashton fell because of the angry insects, so to compensate Orym did a fourth part successfully). In the third and final one they had to look for three sections of a blanched ivory branch while dealing with two doppelgangers disguising as two of the adventurers (they managed to find the three pieces while being cautious with each other, but towards the end they decided to trust each other and completed the task, after which Morri revealed that the doppelgangers had never been an actual part of the game).
Bells Hells woke up in the room where they had been drinking tea, and Morri congratulated them, praising the beginning of an improved bond between them. More confident about her potential, Fearne decided it was the moment to absorb the spark of Rau'shan, so everyone (as well as multiple critters and other strange creatures) gathered in the garden, where the faun used the Quintessence Array to take the elemental shard. The process was as long as Ashton's own experience with the harness, although the latter helped the adventurers prepare by giving Fearne different boons and items to resist the magical process; although at the beginning Delilah tried (and failed) to influence Laudna to take the power for herself, and towards the end FCG lost control and tried to attack their friends, Fearne successfully took Rau'shan's power, gaining fiery benefits from it. The rest of Bells Hells insisted that she and Ashton should make contact somehow to see how he reacted, and when they shook hands, Ashton's own shard reacted, granting him earthy benefits in a similar way.
While Ashton and Fearne were playing with their new powers Chetney decided he wanted to make a deal with Morri before they left the manor, so he visited her in her Collection room (naming the talking door while he waited); there, he promised the hag a piece of Predathos in exchange for her influencing fate so he would become a notorious toymaker. When Bells Hells were together again, all of them (minus Chetney and Fearne) used FCG's Shared Dream to join Imogen while she explored Ruidus and its influence, waking up a few moments before her when she gave in to said influence; that same night, while everyone was sleeping, Orym made a deal with the Fatestitcher too: he would have her assistance if he ever needed it to ensure that every member of Bells Hells completed their mission and returned home alive, and in exchange, Orym would serve the hag and make her company.
The following day, after breakfast, the adventurers said goodbye to Fearne's family, and Allura, with Morrigan's assistance, used her magic to travel with the adventuring party back to the Material Plane, appearing near the Tishtan excavation site seemingly the very same day they left.
Exploring the Moon of Ill Omen[]
Fan art of the Bloody Bridge, by EyeOfTheNewt.[art 42]
Allura presented Bells Hells in a meeting in the encampment created by the alliance against the Vanguard. The people present (which included Lord Percival de Rolo and Keyleth) were happy to work with the adventurers, and although Tofor Brotoras and Mythtaker Qi Mandozi became cautious when they discovered that Fearne and Imogen were Ruidusborn, Earthbreaker Groon's trust in them calmed things down. The follower of the Stormlord later showed the Exaltant sorcerer a vision of his god, in which the Prime Deity encouraged her.
While Allura and Mythtaker Qi created an illusory distraction combined with one of Percy's inventions and Groon's own forces, in order to attract the attention of the forces surrounding the Malleus Key, Keyleth used Wind Walk to bring Bells Hells as close to the excavation as possible, before she focused on the diversion as well, leaving the adventurers with their own mission ahead. After infiltrating the ruins, the adventurers used a combination of stealth and deception (since they were wearing Vanguard outfits) to advance: they managed to get a young recruit to go to the battlefield, leaving his tent free, and when some reilora noticed Chetney , the gnome and Imogen pretended to make it look like she was imprisoning him (although in the end they had to face the Ruidians anyway). At one point they encountered a prisoner, Ishto (a paladin of the Lawbearer who had acted as the bodyguard of a now defeated group), and they killed his captors, allowing the holy warrior to come with them. After getting close enough to the Malleus Key (and witnessing how Otohan put her allies on alert for potential intruders), Bells Hells activated explosives as a distraction and fought their way to the Bloody Bridge. Although there was a lot of chaos around, with some clever use of magic and the assistance of Ishto (who despite his injuries insisted on helping them), the adventurers, one by one, managed to reach the red energy beam, being transported to Ruidus.
Fan art of Bells Hells as clouds, by Pyromeekorai.[art 43]
When the adventurers arrived at the Moon of Ill Omen they had to put the reilora-turned-possum chasing them inside the bag of holding, and then hide and use magic to avoid being detected by the rest of the enemy forces (both the residents and those pursuing them from Exandria), managing to avoid them and distract them long enough to get away from the Bloody Bridge and go explore in the form of clouds. After a while, Bells Hells found a cave to take refuge in, and taking advantage of the relative tranquility, Imogen (noticing that her connection with Ruidus and other Ruidusborn seemed amplified) tried to connect with Predathos again, being swept away by the power of the God Eater, which asked to be awakened. However, the sorcerer managed to wake up, and the group briefly debated whether they should repeat such an experiment, and what their priorities were on the mission.
After checking their bag of holding and discovering that the reiloran juggernaut had suffocated, they turned into clouds again and floated away, eventually finding Razora, a Ruidian village inhabited by reilora (connected to the Imperium) and bormodo, a second sentient species. The adventurers decided to reveal themselves to one of the latter, Dono, who was surprised and curious to find them, becoming very nervous when he thought the adventurers were agents of the Imperium trying to test his loyalty; however, they managed to gain his trust.
Dono led Bells Hells to the home of Elder Barthie, another bormodo who showed them hospitality (despite the wariness of Chu, his cytaa companion) and agreed to exchange some questions with them, so that each side could learn more about Ruidus and Exandria respectively. The elder revealed to the adventurers a potential ally in the Volition, enemies of the Imperium, but before they could meet with one of their members, Zhesh, they were attacked by members of the Ruby Vanguard accompanied by Willmaster Edmuda (a reilora sent by the Imperium]]. A chaotic battle ensued, in which the Willmaster used her powers to control the villagers and use them as meat shields, but with some effort (and an unexpected cattle stampede), Bells Hells managed to neutralize their enemies and free their allies. After convincing the people who had come to the area that everything was going well (and discovering that Evon Hytroga was among the members of the Vanguard visiting the village with the caravan) the adventurers focused on the three captured enemies they had trapped inside the portable hole.
Fan art of Bells Hells' telepathic conversation, by Elaine Tipping.[art 44]
Edmuda, who had already woken up, used her powers to control Ashton's mind and make them attack their friends, but they managed to knock her out once more, and by using the Quintessence Array, they left her powerless for a day. After interrogating the Willmaster and learning what the Imperium gained by collaborating with the Vanguard, Bells Hells focused on the two members of the Vanguard, Petrov Godo (the Exaltant) and Verdo (a sympathizer of Ludinus), managing to convince them both that they had been working for the Ruby Vanguard looking for traitors, and that Edmuda was one of them. With the plan of infiltrating the caravan, they let the young recruits go, escorted by Fearne and FCG, while the rest of the team dealt with Edmuda. The druid and the cleric, however, where discovered by Otohan Thull, being attacked by her until Fresh Cut Grass, in an act of desperation after telepathically warning their friends about the danger, cast Banishment on the three of them; the Legend of the Peaks resisted the effects, but the adventurers disappeared for a minute, using that time to take the form of clouds again. Although Thull tried to attack them again when they came back, Fearne and FCG fleed through the air; their friends joined them shortly after, once they made sure Barthie would be ok, and after killing Edmuda (the plan was for Orym to absorb her essence during the following hour, but due to the lack of time, Laudna absorbed the Willmaster's life force with her own powers).
Fan art of the proto-elven city, by Elaine Tipping.[art 45]
Bells Hells flew through the Ruidian sky as fast as they could, but when a storm began to take shape they had to descend. The group, still in mist form, moved through a narrow tunnel they found, eventually discovering an underground river that took them to a waterfall and to some enchanted elven ruins, which maintained a magical garden and some remains of its former inhabitants. After resting there for a bit, the adventurers decided to scout through the water, and Fearne, taking the form of a powerful leaf sheep sea slug, began to go upstream and follow a light until she found herself in a lake surrounded by snow and vegetation, unable to hear the telepathic voices of her friends. She returned immediately, informing the rest of the group of what had happened, and after a brief debate during which they ate the Goodberries they had collected, they all agreed to go through the portal.
From the lake they went to the nearest settlement, an abandoned village that, after some investigation, they identified as Ria'Doin, in Issyra; they learned that the place had been empty for a while after a series of disappearances frightened the locals, and since they were tired and had made a valuable discovery (a "back door" to Ruidus) they decided to spend the night there. During watch Imogen and Orym discovered that Sending seemed to be working again, so they used it to contact their allies; however, while the halfling was trying to speak with Dorian he was distracted by some noise, feeling the urge of going outside. He, along with Ashton, Fresh Cut Grass and Chetney, started walking towards Lake Umamu, and although the witches tried to stop them, they had very limited resources to do so, so they all ended up in the water, although still benefiting from Fearne's Water Breathing. At the bottom of the lake, a strange undead entity was trying to attack Bells Hells with shadowy tendrils, so a battle ensued. With some effort, all adventurers managed to return to the surface, although they couldn't kill the creature, only scare it away with FCG's magic.
After leaving some warnings in the dock for future visitors Bells Hells returned to Ruidus, resting a few more hours before setting off towards Kreviris. They oriented themselves thanks to the intuition of Imogen and Fearne (who were invaded by ecstasy when the red moon flared during the journey) and Ashton's titanic powers. Eventually, they made out the capital of the Imperium on the horizon, and as they approached, they discovered that there were strange carnivorous tadpoles in the area, so they decided to travel on top of a rock Imogen moved with Telekinesis; shortly after another Ruidian flare and an attempt of communication with Ira (during which the fey avoided confirming his ubication), Imogen contacted Zhesh again, who agreed to meet them in the Jagged Edge.
The adventurers stopped in an outpost, Tyran A, to get more water and learn a bit more about the area, with Fearne Disguised as Edmuda while Imogen pretended to be her in telepathic communications; after that they met Asha and Kelito, two children of the Clutch that gave the Exandrians some insight in the lives of the more humble citizens of the capital. Later, while they were looking for the Jagger Edge they encountered some Reiloran Juggernauts and their avadons, and they ended up fighting them and killing them, acquiring in the process a trapped box from the Cerberus Assembly; they also became alarmed when Laudna checked her tracking orb and discovered that Otohan was in the general area of the valley. When they finally met with Zhesh she revealed that neither she nor her comrade Jidoh were active members of the Volition, although they gave them instructions to find them in the city. Shortly after, while Bells Hells were hiding in the cellar planning and examining their new items, they were telepathically warned to stay silent, as Imperium agents entered the shop, looking for the slayers of a patrol in the streets of the capital. Those responsible remained hidden in the cellar, protected by Laudna's Darkness spell, and trying not to attract the attention of the slithers that their chasers had brought. However, when one of the creatures detected Imogen and began to attack her, they had to improvise: while the adventurers silently killed the monster, Fearne was sent in that same form to replace it, tricking the slitherlord and the rest of the Imperium agents into taking to the streets to follow an inexistent trail, after which the druid lost track of them and returned to her group.
Bells Hells stayed with Zhesh until sunset, taking the chance to acquire more gear and to open the box they had stolen, revealing a piece of ancient Aeorian technology. Then they went looking for the Volition, moving among Imperium forces thanks to Imogen's striking resemblance to her mother; they found Earot, thanks to whom they located the Dust Pit and were introduced to Rashinna of the Golden Hammer, the Reiloran leader of the rebels. While she was cautious at first, the proof presented by Bells Hells (Imperium corpses) and Imogen's statement (introducing her group as enemies of the Imperium and the Ruby Vanguard) caused the Exandrian adventurers to be accepted, and the plans of the Volition in the underground section of Kreviris were revealed to them. Rashinna took the time to explain to them some of the context of the conflict with the Weave Mind and the history of Ruidus itself, and also introduced them to some allies (Gaz Tomo and Vezoden Amerai) that were going to lead missions the following day, telling the Exandrians they could help with whatever task they liked. They also found out that Ira Wendagoth had been with the rebels the whole time, and was now leading pyrrhic missions against their enemies.
After discovering that Imogen's mother was likely to be the target of an assassination attempt, the group decided to have the sorcerer speak to her in her dreams to make one last attempt to persuade her, but Liliana was determined to follow Ludinus Da'leth's plans, believing that she could influence him to obtain the best possible result; after that, the party had a long conversation about their plans and their opinion on the gods. The next morning, the adventurers divided into two teams: Fearne, FCG and Ashton would accompany Ira (cloaked with his Seeming spell) to sabotage the plans of Sorrowlord Zathuda, who was in Vaterra Kreviris; Imogen, Laudna, Orym and Chetney (hidden with the magic of Ivanas, an old reiloran mystic) would try to rescue Evoroa, a bormodo scientist who had been researching the technology used by the Ruby Vanguard.
The first team followed the Nightmare King through the streets until they arrived to their destination, where Gloamglut was sleeping. They were guided by some reilora to the barracks, where Sorrowlord Zathuda was having a meeting with Sunder King Ozo Cruth. When the latter was leaving, one of the avadons with him noticed the unusual smell of the Exandrians, and stayed in the room; however, Fearne and FCG combined their magic to send it away and Ira used some of his own to deal with a witness who had noticed his companions casting spells. While the Sorrowlord was busy supervising the excavation, the team moved deeper into the tunnels, until they reached an area with machinery and several workers. The Nightmare King used his magic to send them away, but the juggernaut stayed, barely Charmed by Fearne, and ended up confronting Ashton. Ira, who had planted the explosives and (due to a misunderstanding with Fresh Cut Grass) timed the detonation for just one minute, began the retreat, Polymorphing the hulk into a snail, after which he and Ashton carried Fearne and FCG respectively, fleeing at full speed. The explosion (partially camouflaged by the aeormaton's Silence spell) began to devastate the tunnels and all their occupants, and the Nightmare King moved outside along with the druid with Dimension Door, disappearing immediately afterwards after creating a platform for her with Wall of Force. Ashton, still holding FCG, activated the shard of Ka'Mort to move through the walls, and when the explosion was reaching them, they used the portable hole to partially protect them from the blow, although they still received a lot of damage and were sent out of the cavern at great speed. While the shrieks of a newly awakened Gloamglut could be heard, Fearne located her friends and joined them, spotting Liliana Temult rising into the air in the distance.
The second team went to the base of the Prime Pillar, accessing it through a balcony with Laudna's help. Once inside they realized that they had a stowaway in a satchel: Gona, Evoroa's cytaa, who explained to them where her bormodo had been taken, and offered to guide them to the Engineering Bay, sensing she was still alive nearby; however, she accidentally drew attention to the team by screaming in horror when she saw Chetney transform into a wolf, so the Exandrians had to move more cautiously. With Invisibility and the use of the two legendary toys crafted by the old gnome, the adventurers made their way through members of the Ruby Vanguard and Reilora, finally reaching the arcane laboratory. There they found reiloran scientist working, and although there was a lot of interesting stuff (including remains of genetic experiments, a dead judicator being disected, and a theoretical representation of the entirety of Ruidus), they located Evoroa floating in liquid inside a glass tube, barely alive. It was then when they felt the detonation caused by the rest of Bells Hells, and Chetney took the opportunity to order (as a deep, sourceless voice) that everyone evacuate the facilities. Two reilora stayed, but the first one (a mystic) was killed by Imogen and Orym; the second one, however, was a shrike that used their psychic blades to break a glass tube, releasing an unfinished vidulch that attacked the group, although with some more effort Orym finished off the remaining reilora and Chetney killed the insectoid monster. After freeing and healing Evoroa a bit (and looting the lab a bit), Imogen used her magic to turn the entire group invisible, after which they walked through the building and exited through the balcony they had entered. From where they were they also saw the pink energy surrounding Liliana as she flew, and Imogen and Fearne heard a horrible telepathic scream, followed by a question: "Did she know?".
The team escorting Evoroa began moving through the streets avoiding the guards and the mystics interrogating people. When a magical wave emitted from the Prime Pillar made them visible (and cut their telepathic connection with the other half of the party), Imogen once again hid her team (though not herself) while Evoroa gave them instructions to reach the surface; however, they were stopped shortly after when Liliana, who had detected her daughter, came down to talk to her. Imogen managed to convince her that she knew nothing about the attacks, and that all she wanted was to save her, getting the promise of a meeting later. However, just a few seconds after that, illusions of the five members of the Weave Mind appeared to tempt the party by promises and claims of connection with them. When they saw that the group was resisting, they withdrew. The team rejoined the rest of Bells Hells in disguise as slithers, who had evaded the searching Gloamglut and Zathuda, calling to his daughter. To evade them, Fearne transformed herself and FCG into slithers so they could join Ashton in moving through the ground. The adventuring party, now reunited, kept moving, and after confirming via Sending that they could not return to the safe house, they began the journey through tunnels to the surface.
Fan art of FCG's sacrifice, by Melissa Hahn.[art 46]
Laudna detected with her orb that Otohan was approaching, but despite their evasion efforts the Legend of the Peaks confronted them, a formidable opponent who killed Chetney in one round. FCG immediately Revivified him with the party's last diamond. Although Otohan was willing to kill Imogen despite her value as an Exaltant, Imogen was able to rip off Otohan's damaged backpack with Telekinesis, rendering it useless and preventing its owner from summoning more of her dangerous echoes. The battle continued and Otohan gradually took damage. When she felt herself in danger, she unleashed her Exaltant Fury to becomed even more powerful and focused on neutralizing the group's healers. Waking up after being knocked unconscious, Fresh Cut Grass's stress reached unprecedented levels, but instead of going into an unbridled rage, the cleric became determined to save Bells Hells. He launched themself towards Otohan Thull while casting Guiding Bolt against their own body, hitting his core and causing a detonation in which the enemy was burned to death and the body of the aeormaton burst into pieces.
Extremely affected by the event, the adventurers fetched Evoroa and Gona (who had been hidden until that moment), and after recovering the mortal remains of Otohan and FCG, as well as the latter's magic items, they reached the surface where Liliana (who had been contacted by her daughter in the middle of the fight) joined them. After a tense conversation in which the older Exaltant reiterated that she believed that Predathos was harmless to mortals, they reached an agreement: Liliana would help them in the future, although staying on her side of the conflict, and after giving them some information about the plans for the Red End, she Teleported them to the Bloody Bridge.[6]
Champions of the Exandrian Accord[]
Back at the Tishtan excavation site on Exandria, the adventurers confirmed via Sending that they would reunite with Keyleth in the nearby military camp. While they walked there, exhausted, they shared their thoughts about FCG's sacrifice as well as recent events, but when Ashton insinuated that all the effort and cruelty of the Ruby Vanguard might be worth it, Orym, angered, walked away. Evoroa elaborated on what she knew of the plans for freeing Predathos and confirmed that Ludinus was on Exandria, likely in the ruins of Aeor dealing with an issue. Orym used his sending stone to message Dorian, telling him where they were and asking him if he could get there, telling the bard how much he missed him. Dorian responded he would be there. When the party arrived at the camp, they found that Keyleth and Dorian (who had traveled to Zephrah following the dissolution of the Crown Keepers and the loss of his brother Cyrus Wyvernwind) had recently arrived. The assembled Bells Hells spoke at length of the many events they had experienced on their respective adventures, the losses they had recently suffered, and the threats they now faced, after which Ashton got large quantities of alcohol and they all toasted together to their situation and to the memory of Fresh Cut Grass and Cyrus Wyvernwind.[7]
After a very hard day the adventurers went to sleep, but before sunrise, Fearne was woken up by a sugar glider who she followed out of the camp, followed stealthily by Orym; she was led to Sorrowlord Athion Zathuda, who was waiting for her to discuss the druid's destiny and potential. She was suspicious, causing the Unseelie captain to attack her using a mirror to summon dark versions of her. Although Orym warned the rest of Bells Hells before joining Fearne, by the time the group reached them the two adventurers had managed to defeat the dark reflections, and Zathuda was leaving with Gloamglut, causing alarm in the fortress nearby. The next day Bells Hells, more rested, attended a meeting with Keyleth and other authorities of the Exandrian Accord, and shared with them information they had obtained on Ruidus (also showing some of the "souvenirs" they had brought back), and explained what had happened in the encounter with the Sorrowlord Zathuda. After discussing it for a while, they agreed for the adventuring party to go investigate again, this time to the ruins of Aeor, where Ludinus was supposed to be; first, however, they called Seth Domade, a sorcerer allied to the Accord, to escort Bells Hells in a brief mission to inquire about the current state of the Cerberus Assembly. Before they left, the members of the group were called "champions of the Exandrian Accord", and their new spellcasting ally was told to show them respect.
Seth brought them to Zadash, in the Dwendalian Empire, leading them to the Chastity's Nook, where they met with Erma, a woman working there; following their guide's instructions, Bells Hells tried to restrain Erma as soon as he gave them the signal, and although she fought, they managed to stop her long enough for Seth to cast Antimagic Field, revealing Erma as Astrid Becke, Archmage of Civil Influence of the Assembly, and himself as Essek Thelyss, an ally of Caleb Widogast and enemy of Ludinus Da'leth.[8] After some persuasion, Astrid agreed to share with the adventurers her knowledge of Ludinus's activity on Aeor, working on something called "Occultus Thalamus" in the Genesis Ward of Aeor; she also told them that although the archmage was incredibly difficult to read, the only time she had seen him show weakness was when he visually revealed a discomfort or itch at the base of his neck, and he wasn't happy when others knew about it. After acquiring some erotic literature, Bells Hells left the book store, and set about visiting local businesses to order outfits appropriate for the cold weather and purchasing magical gear; in this last errand, the shopkeeper Pumat Sol told them about the multiple disasters that were taking place around Wildemount due to the solstice, and after some weird explanations, he accepted pieces of Ruidian glass as part of their payment for magic items.
That night the group stayed at The Lodge of the Eclipse, and after enjoying a burlesque show, they went up to their rooms. Ashton showed his new wizard companion the strange crystal on their head, and revealed to them his dunamantic nature, and how his former ties with the Cerberus Assembly had led to the creation of the potion that now empowered the barbarian. After these revelations, the adventurers spent a little more time chatting among themselves and working on some crafts that they would incorporate into their new outfits, but they ended up going to sleep. Laudna, however, stayed awake, and when she noticed that Orym had kept with him Otohan's sword, the one that had killed her and many others, she started obsessing, and Delilah whispered in her head that the weapon was surely cursed and the warlock should destroy it and take its power. This led to a confrontation when Laudna accidentally hurt Orym trying to take the sword, and he instinctively attacked back. The rest of the group woke up and there was an argument that ended when Chetney gave Laudna Scream Needle, Otohan's secondary weapon, as a gesture of good will so that Orym could keep Ishta. Laudna left the room followed by Imogen, and overwhelmed by Delilah's will, absorbed the blade's power, just to collapse in the arms of her girlfriend shortly after.[9] That was followed by a series of conversations about trust among the members of Bells Hells, and when the seven of them gathered again in the room Orym decided he wouldn't wield Ishta after all, and Laudna promised to be sincere and share anything going on with her patron (and suggesting to use her power only to deal directly with evil enemies).
After a night of relative rest, the adventurers got their new gear, completed in record time, and after equipping it, they met with Essek, who cast Teleport. Due to the strange magic surrounding Eiselcross, they were not successful right away: the first attempt failed and they did not even leave Zadash, the second took them to the outskirts of Lyrengorn (in Tal'Dorei), the third took them to the Fortress of the Dead Jarl (close to their destination, but too dangerous to stay), the fourth took them to the top of a mountain, the fifth (using Imogen's staff) took them to an unknown pine forest near a lake and a city, the sixth (after Essek rested for four hours) took them to a mountain slope down which they began to slide, and the seventh and final attempt (cast almost instantly) finally made them appear in the valley the drow was familiar with. The group stealthily accessed the ruins through a cavern full of sleeping ice trolls, and started exploring Aeor; despite Essek's warnings, Bells Hells were very curious and interacted with some of the structures, magic domes, and lost treasures of the ancient city, but they reached the Genesis Ward successfully. When they were examining a Ruby Vanguard tent, in which one of the members had gone mad and murdered his companions before killing himself in a ritual, Orym warned the rest of the group that something big was approaching, and they hid; Soon after, a huge monstrous entity dragging a hammer passed nearby, and began to release strange translucent insects that came out of its body to explore the area. Laudna accidentally made a noise, and the creature located them.[10]
Name[]
Official art of the Bells Hells logo, unveiled in "From the Boughs" (3x37), by Jordyn Torrence.[art 49]
Immediately after the party was first formed, Bertrand Bell began suggesting names, which the rest of the group ignored. However, after his death (and after hearing of Ashton's former team, the Nobodies) the party actively began looking for a name. They asked several people what word first popped into their mind when looking at the group.
During the masquerade ball held by the Chandei Quorum, Imogen first used the name Bells Hells to refer to the party when Dunot, a guard that they saved from Emoth Kade and her shade creepers, asked what to call them.[11] Later that night when Dorian was taking his leave with his brother Cyrus, he asked the others if they liked that name, to which they toasted.[12]
Suggestions[]
- Sir Bertrand Bell and his Sorcerous Swords (by Bertrand Bell)[13]
- Bertrand's Bells (by Bertrand)[14]
- The Shit Handlers (by Dorian)[15]
- New Nobodies (by Ashton via Jiana Hexum)[16]
- Bells Hells (by Imogen and Laudna)[17]
- Bell's Hellions[18]
- Focus, Group (by FCG)[19]
- The Moving Crew (by Imogen)[20]
- "First Word" suggestions:
Members[]
| Name | Class | Status | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Greymoore | Barbarian | Alive | Adventuring with Bells Hells |
| Bertrand Bell | Fighter | Deceased | Murdered by Dugger; body sent to Whitestone |
| Chetney Pock O'Pea | Blood Hunter/Rogue | Alive | Adventuring with Bells Hells |
| Dorian Storm | Bard | Alive | Adventuring with Bells Hells after several weeks with his brother and the Crown Keepers |
| Fearne Calloway | Druid/Rogue | Alive | Adventuring with Bells Hells |
| Fresh Cut Grass | Cleric | Deceased | Sacrificed themself in Vaterra Kreviris to save the party by slaying Otohan Thull |
| Imogen Temult | Sorcerer | Alive | Adventuring with Bells Hells |
| Laudna | Sorcerer/Warlock | Alive | Adventuring with Bells Hells |
| Orym | Fighter | Alive | Adventuring with Bells Hells |
Companions[]
| Name | Species | Master |
|---|---|---|
| Carpaccio Caviar | Hound of Ill Omen | Laudna |
| Little Mister | Wildfire Spirit | Fearne Calloway |
| Pâté de Rolo | Familiar | Laudna |
Level progression[]
| Level | Episode |
|---|---|
| 3 | "The Draw of Destiny" (3x01) |
| 4 | "Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06) |
| 5 | "Make It Fashion" (3x12) |
| 6 | "Promise and Potential" (3x22) |
| 7 | "A Stage Set" (3x32) |
| 8 | "The City of Flowing Light" (3x42) |
| 9 | "Far From The Others" (3x52) |
| 10 | "Reunited" (3x64) |
| 11 | "Roots Between Worlds" (3x74) |
| 12 | "Ruidus" (3x83) |
| 13 | "True Heroism" (3x91) |
Relationships within the group[]
| Ashton | Chetney | Fearne | FCG | Imogen | Laudna | Orym | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton | Ashton | Ashton & Chetney | Ashton & Fearne | Ashton & FCG | Ashton & Imogen | Ashton & Laudna | Ashton & Orym |
| Chetney | Chetney & Ashton | Chetney | Chetney & Fearne | Chetney & FCG | Chetney & Imogen | Chetney & Laudna | Chetney & Orym |
| Fearne | Fearne & Ashton | Fearne & Chetney | Fearne | Fearne & FCG | Fearne & Imogen | Fearne & Laudna | Fearne & Orym |
| FCG | FCG & Ashton | FCG & Chetney | FCG & Fearne | Fresh Cut Grass | FCG & Imogen | FCG & Laudna | FCG & Orym |
| Imogen | Imogen & Ashton | Imogen & Chetney | Imogen & Fearne | Imogen & FCG | Imogen | Imogen & Laudna | Imogen & Orym |
| Laudna | Laudna & Ashton | Laudna & Chetney | Laudna & Fearne | Laudna & FCG | Laudna & Imogen | Laudna | Laudna & Orym |
| Orym | Orym & Ashton | Orym & Chetney | Orym & Fearne | Orym & FCG | Orym & Imogen | Orym & Laudna | Orym |
Mounts[]
Horses[]
Five horses were rented in the Rapid Path Stables of Jrusar for 150 gold with an additional 150 gold deposit to be refunded if the horses were returned,[25] which they were when the heist in Heartmoor Hamlet was complete.[26] Each of them was given a name:[27]
- Fearne — Sir Floppers
- Laudna — Escargot
- Imogen — Heart
- Orym named the horse he shares with Chetney — Rabbit
- Ashton took the name suggested by Chetney — Loonch (Ashton previously suggested "One-way")
Goats[]
Six Flotket goats were purchased by Team Wildemount in the Gruffside Livery in Uthodurn, for their journey to Molaesmyr. The surviving goats were left on a river bank, their current fates unknown.
- Imogen - Belle
- Fearne - Donnie Boy
- FCG - Fabio
- Deanna - Jerry (deceased)
- Chetney - Musky
- F.R.I.D.A. - Patchwork
Ships[]
Silver Sun: Bells Hells inherited the Silver Sun from Ariks Eshteross together with a year-long payment to the skyship crew.[28] The skyship was destroyed the night of the apogee solstice.
Allies and friends[]
Player Characters
- Percival de Rolo
- Vex'ahlia
- Pike Trickfoot
- Keyleth
- Beauregard Lionett
- Caleb Widogast
- Vax'ildan
- Deni$e Bembachula
- The "Lore-sonists" (name suggested by Orym/Liam)[29]
NPCs
- Ariks Eshteross (deceased)
- Cyrus Wyvernwind (deceased)
- Milo Krook
- Yash Mangal
- Green Seekers
- Imahara Joe
- Birdie Calloway
- Oleander Calloway
- Xandis
- Ryn
- Ira Wendagoth (questionable)
- Morrigan
- Dancer
- Verna
- Justi Pross
- Elder Barthie
- Evoroa
- Essek Thelyss
Enemies[]
- Dugger (deceased)
- Shade Mother
- Emoth Kade
- Ratanish (deceased)
- Otohan Thull (deceased)
- Delilah Briarwood
- Ludinus Da'leth
- Bor'Dor Dog'Son (deceased)
Trivia[]
- This party is the first to feature returning characters from a different Critical Role series: Orym, Fearne, and Dorian appeared in Exandria Unlimited, and Bertrand appeared in "The Search For Grog" (Sx42) and "The Search For Bob" (Sx45).
- Chetney, while not a returning character, is based on an existing character: Chutney Chocolatecane from "The Night Before Critmas" (Sx41).
- Jester Lavorre from Campaign Two was also a returning character, but not from a Critical Role production.
- Unlike the Mighty Nein, this group's appearance was not teased before the campaign began airing. This was likely to avoid spoiling the fact that existing characters would appear in the series.
- All main members of Bells Hells (with the exception of Bertrand) are confirmed spellcasters, either by lineage, class or feats.
- Ashton can cast Pass without Trace as a earth genasi, Orym knows two nature-based cantrips as part of his Ashari background, Imogen is a sorcerer, Fearne is a druid, FCG is a cleric, Laudna is a sorcerer/warlock who even in her youth manifested magical inclinations, and Chetney has the Shadow Touched feat and can cast Minor Illusion as a forest gnome. All the guests (except for Deni$e Bembachula) have magical abilities as well, with Dorian being a bard with the Levitate spell given by his air genasi lineage, Yu Suffiad being a warlock/paladin, F.R.I.D.A. being a cleric, Deanna Leimert being a cleric and a forest gnome, Bor'Dor Dog'Son being a sorcerer and Prism Grimpoppy being a wizard.
- All active members of Bells Hells are in one way or another members of the LGBTQ+ community.
- Both Ashton and FCG use he/they pronouns, Orym is gay, both Fearne and Chetney have flirted and/or showed attraction to people of different genders, and both Imogen and Laudna have had male crushes in the past but share now romantic feelings for each other.
- Of the three main campaigns of Critical Role, the third one has the group with less connections with the divine, since none of them are religious nor connected with any cult. Fresh Cut Grass became the main exception as a new follower of Avandra the Changebringer.[30] Sam Riegel admitted that he was reaching a point where he wasn't able to flavor his cleric spells to be robot-themed, since the most powerful of them rely on a connection with deities or celestials, so narratively, FCG finding faith justified their access to new holy spell).[31][32]
- Despite their adventures being based mostly in Marquet, only Imogen was born on the continent.
- This marked the first time since Taryon Darrington joined Vox Machina that a main campaign party had members from different continents.
- According to Taliesin Jaffe, Bells Hells seem to be like a collection of NPCs that an actual party would encounter during their adventures (with the exceptions of Imogen, who according to him has a feeling of intense destiny that makes her appear as an actual character, and Dorian, who had a sort of similar feeling before he left "for his own main character story", as Laura Bailey put it).[33]
- Conversely, in more recent times Marisha Ray has described them as potential nuclear bombs, people that are only a few steps away from becoming monsters. Upon hearing this, Liam O'Brien assured that his own character was fine, which led Laura Bailey to joke about Orym eventually having to fight the rest of Bells Hells alone.[34] Orym later admitted to the party that he had been thinking about ways of neutralizing each of them if it came to that.[35]
- Taliesin also said that all the members of Bells Hells have some sort of parental issue.[36] Ashton is an orphan, Orym's dad left his family, Imogen's mom disappeared and her dad neglected her, Fearne's parents were absent for almost a century doing shady business, FCG was rejected by their maternal figure, Laudna was traumatically separated from her parents, Chetney's parents weren't very close to their children, and Dorian felt pressured by his parents' expectations about their family's legacy.
Art[]
Official art[]
![Official character line up of the party, by Hannah Friederichs.[art 50]](/wiki/File:CR_C3_char_lineup.jpg "CR C3 char lineup.jpg (258 KB)")
![Official art of of the characters of Campaign Three (fan edit), by Hannah Friederichs. Fan edit of the original lineup replacing Bertrand Bell by Chetney Pock O'Pea..[art 51]](/wiki/File:C3heights.png "C3heights.png (1.29 MB)")
![Official art of of the characters of Campaign Three, by Kendra Wells. Released as a wallpaper for the 2021 festive season..[art 52]](/wiki/File:C3groupshot.jpg "C3groupshot.jpg (4.28 MB)")
Fan art gallery[]
![Fan art of the campaign three party, by Toby Sharp.[art 53]](/wiki/File:Campaign_3_Party_Toby_Sharp.jpeg "Campaign 3 Party Toby Sharp.jpeg (1.06 MB)")
![Fan art of the campaign three party, by pixelllls.[art 54]](/wiki/File:C3_party_pixelllls.jpeg "C3 party pixelllls.jpeg (1.16 MB)"){kind=tracking}
References[]
- ↑ See "Promise and Potential" (3x22).
- ↑ See "The Tunnels Below" (3x15) at 1:20:33.
- ↑ The name was initially spelled in official sources as "Bell's Hells" in the possessive form. See Critical Recap: C3E14 "In Too Deep", CC on the Twitch VOD for 3x14: "In Too Deep" at 4:42:42 (subscription required), and the Critical Role Linkable Transcript for 3x14: "In Too Deep" (taken from the original YouTube CC). The name was later updated to use the plural form of the spelling.
- ↑ See "The Draw of Destiny" (3x01). These events were covered in the entire episode.
- ↑ See "Blood and Dust" (3x33) at 1:16:58.
- ↑ See "Broken Roads" (3x92).
- ↑ See "Bittersweet Reunions" (3x93).
- ↑ See "Where The Red Fearne Glows" (3x94).
- ↑ See "Gathering of Needs" (3x95).
- ↑ See "Shadows New and Old" (3x96).
- ↑ See "In Too Deep" (3x14) at 3:46:13.
- ↑ See "In Too Deep" (3x14) at 4:27:08.
- ↑ See "Trial by Firelight" (3x02) at 33:20.
- ↑ See "The Trail and the Toll" (3x03) at 3:40:21.
- ↑ See "Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06) at 1:09:12.
- ↑ See "Chasing Nightmares" (3x11) at 4:37:24.
- ↑ See "Make It Fashion" (3x12) at 4:30:18.
- ↑ See "In Too Deep" (3x14) at 4:27:47.
- ↑ See "Make It Fashion" (3x12) at 2:26:21.
- ↑ See "A Dance of Deception" (3x13) at 4:00:02.
- ↑ See "Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06) at 1:36:38.
- ↑ See "Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06) at 2:50:59.
- ↑ See "Growing Bonds and Teasing Threads" (3x06) at 3:00:00.
- ↑ See "Behind the Curtain" (3x07) at 1:48:13.
- ↑ See "Heart-to-Heartmoor" (3x17) at 1:39:26.
- ↑ See "Fight at the Museum..." (3x21) at 3:39:29.
- ↑ See "Heart-to-Heartmoor" (3x17) from 2:30:10 through 2:33:41.
- ↑ See "A Dark Balance" (3x38) at 4:11:41.
- ↑ See "Reunited" (3x64) at 4:14:52.
- ↑ See "What Dreams May Come" (3x34) at 1:35:02.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Liam Laudna-Hands" (4SDx06) at 1:39:29.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Liam Laudna-Hands" (4SDx06) at 1:41:08.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: Party of NPCs" (4SDx02) at 0:21:08.
- ↑ See the Critical Role panel from London's MCM Comic Con at 47:36.
- ↑ See "To Hurt Is to Heal" (3x79) at 2:44:09.
- ↑ See "4-Sided Dive: From Dusk Till Faun" (4SDx05) at 1:05:04.
Art:
- ↑ Official art of the party, by Hannah Friederichs (source). From left to right, Laudna, Fearne and Little Mister, Fresh Cut Grass, Chetney Pock O'Pea, Orym, Imogen Temult, Ashton Greymoore, and Dorian Storm This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of the party meeting in the Spire by Fire Inn in Jrusar, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Lord Eshteross, by Sam "Qelric" Spencer (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of Chetney Pock O'Pea, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of Dorian, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of Orym and Chetney, by andromedaisfree (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Imogen flying after Orym, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Quokka-Fearne, by arcticwaters (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of FCG and Laudna in the Run, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the standoff with Yu, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the one-eyed monster, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Laudna's Gentle Repose, by SharpDim (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Keyleth meeting Bells Hells, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Imogen, by Haven Burley (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of Imogen and Fearne destroying the tree, by Jessica Nguyen (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Bells Hells and the Sun Tree, by Kamille Areopagita and Kevin Areopagita from "A Gathering of Heroes" (3x76). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells gambling, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of escaping the cellar, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells and the fey flowers, by Cait May (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells encountering Terrosh, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells sleeping, by @zhellers (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Malleus Key activating, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the meeting with Deanna, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Fearne and FCG with Umudara, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of the party escorting Umudara through the city, by Clara (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the passionate night (cropped from a larger image), by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Laudna, Orym and Ashton, by Edu Benavente (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Orym, Laudna and Ashton with their new friends, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Dawnborn Angel fighting Orym, Deni$e, and a barlgura, by iwilltryalittlearter (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells reunited, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Imogen and Laudna, by cvleart (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells voting, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells celebrating, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton and Imogen talking while Laudna fears the worst, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of a dolabo, by Jenny Dolfen (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the flaming bell tattoo, by Sam Rusk (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Evontra'vir, by Niko Vanhala (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells, by @zhellers (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the witches opening the door, by UsikuNox (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Ashton transforming, by TheBlackRibbon (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Fearne and Ashton, by @zhellers (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the Bloody Bridge, by EyeOfTheNewt (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells as clouds, by Pyromeekorai (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bells Hells' telepathic conversation, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the proto-elven city, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of FCG's sacrifice, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of FCG's sacrifice, by Odd (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Dorian's return, by Odd (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Official art of the Bells Hells logo, unveiled in "From the Boughs" (3x37), by Jordyn Torrence (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official character line up of the party, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of of the characters of Campaign Three (fan edit), by Hannah Friederichs (source). Fan edit of the original lineup replacing Bertrand Bell by Chetney Pock O'Pea. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Official art of of the characters of Campaign Three, by Kendra Wells (source). Released as a wallpaper for the 2021 festive season. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Fan art of the campaign three party, by Toby Sharp (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of the campaign three party, by pixelllls (source). Used with permission.
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