The lore of Critical Role's world of Exandria has been carefully plotted and constructed for years by Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer. Mercer dedicated his efforts to crafting the world his players explore in their live-stream Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, establishing an immersive and believable universe complete with vibrant landscapes, heartwarming NPCs and tumultuous history.
In campaign one, Vox Machina found themselves going toe to toe with the Chroma Conclave, led by a red dragon named Thordak, who dubbed himself the Cinder King when he began wreaking havoc on Emon. To defeat Thordak and his band of nasty chromatic dragons, Vox Machina needed immeasurable power, which they began accumulating in a series of long forgotten, legendary magical items known as the Vestiges of Divergence. Now, with Tal'dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, Critical Role fans can bring these treasures into their own D&D campaigns and enjoy the benefits they provide.
What Are Critical Role's Vestiges of Divergence?
It isn't uncommon for world settings in D&D to have suffered through some historical cataclysm, and for Exandria that world-altering event was known as the Calamity. The Calamity saw the dark forces, known by all as the Betrayer Gods (or the Demon Princes), band together for a short time against the Prime Deities. Historically, their inability to join forces and work side by side made them much easier to deal with, but united (even for a short time) they posed a major threat to the world, its people and the gods themselves.
Archmages on both sides of the war began gathering power from the intense overflow of magic created by these epic battles. They wove that power into legendary magic items blessed (or cursed) by the gods themselves and then offered to rising heroes who became champions of the gods. Though the vestiges were lost or hidden away over time, they retained their power even after the Calamity ended, though the power itself laid dormant and in need of awakening.
Vox Machina uncovered eight of the Vestiges of Divergence during their campaign, including Cabal's Ruin, Deathwalker's Ward, Fenthras, Mythicarver, Plate of the Dawnmartyr, the Spire of Conflux, Whisper and the Titanstone Knuckles. Vox Machina also managed to unearth the Wreath of the Prism, but it was taken by Arkhan the Cruel. The Mighty Nein managed to uncover a tenth vestige known as Dwueth'var (or The Star Razor), and in the Exandria Unlimited mini-campaign, the party found the Circlet of Barbed Vision.
One of the most interesting things about the Vestiges is that they are generally dormant upon discovery. Through specific deeds and/or actions (usually determined by the DM beforehand), vestiges first reach an awakened state that grants them incredible power. Over time, with use and through a specific DM-determined deed or action, vestiges can become exalted, which increases their already incredible power to legendary proportions.
How to Use the Vestiges of Divergence in Any Dungeons & Dragons Campaign
One of the exciting things about alternative content created for Fifth Edition, especially content from Tal'dorei Campaign Setting Reborn, is that it can be easily integrated into just about any world setting. Even though the gods of Exandria differ from those of Faerûn or a homebrew pantheon, they share enough similarities to canon gods and common mythological tropes that have been established over the years. Warrior-type gods could present their rising champions with boons like the Titanstone Knuckles, while a death-focused god might offer the Deathwalker's Ward to their champion.
This means the Vestiges can be easily integrated into a campaign setting in which the gods themselves are dormant or locked away. Upon discovering these items and beginning the process of awakening them, the gods can begin to stir and return to the world. However, because these items are so immensely powerful, even in their dormant states, it's important not to simply hand them over to players to avoid breaking the game before it even gets off the ground. When using the Vestiges of Divergence, it's vital to hide them well and make sure uncovering them is a challenge worthy of such an epic reward.