Page 20 - Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting

tal’dorei campaign guide

the betrayer gods annihilated during the Calamity, and those who weren’t are
either suspended in self-induced stasis or hunted for sport
by the servants of the Spider Queen and the Crawling King.
Those known as the Betrayer Gods are the deities who
But perhaps the Cloaked Serpent is merely biding his time,
strayed from the ideals of the Founding, taking to the
waiting for the proper moment to unleash his hidden armies
destructive chaos of the Primordial Titans, or were taken by
upon the world once more.
selfish impulses in the shadow of the early creations. Rarely
The Cloaked Serpent loathes the Lawbearer and the
do the Betrayer Gods work together, considering each other
Wildmother, for he despises life, order, and love above all
threats more than allies. This weakness allowed the Prime
things. His surviving worshipers relish in using poison
Deities to defeat and banish them, ending the Calamity.
and fire to undermine civilization and consume nature,
the chained oblivion hoping to throw the goddesses into fury and consequently
cast Exandria into chaos.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil • Domain: Death, Trickery Many forgotten temples were once built to the Cloaked
Serpent, and within these chambers you would find
It is darkness unending, less like a god and more like
his image engraved within much of the architecture. A
another world. Life and death do not exist within the
human body with a half-dozen arms that houses a gar-
Chained Oblivion, an engine of utter destruction and
gantuan serpent head, fanged and frilled in aggression.
madness. Even the other Betrayer Gods treat this mad
Strands of thick, dark hair that sprout from the scaled
god with caution. In its endless imprisonment, it dreams
body swirl around to form layers of shadow, obscuring the
the infinite depths of the Abyss into reality, along with
entire form of the entity.
all its demonic legions. The Prime Deities had thought it
locked away during the Founding until it nearly returned
commandmentS of the cloaked Serpent
to ruin the world during the conflicts of the Calamity.
• Keep your acts obfuscated and secret. The night is your
Now, its chaotic mind has fallen into more frightful
greatest ally.
dreams, imagining nightmarish aberrations into existence
deep beneath Exandria. The Chained Oblivion’s demented • Strike quickly and without reason. Blind the target with
cultists work without word from their twisted patron, await- their own confusion.
ing the Epoch of Ends, when its freedom will be attained
• Kill slowly. Agonizingly. Or worse, make them enjoy it.
and all beings shall be consumed in deathlessness unending.
The few remaining followers of the Knowing Mistress the crawling King
are dedicated to ensuring the Oblivion is never again
unchained. Their goddess leading the charge against Alignment: Neutral Evil • Domains: Death, Blood
the all-consuming destroyer god’s re-emergence, and
The dark god of the endless tunnels and caverns beneath
though her bravery allowed the other gods of good to
Exandria, the Crawling King acts as patron to torturers,
shackle their enemy, the victory nearly cost her immortal
slavers, and jailers across the realm. His tears of pain
life. Some say the Knowing Mistress can only be fully
and anger carved the pathways under the world, and his
restored if the Chained Oblivion is destroyed for good.
realm of imprisonment is a network of deadly caves and
Few attempts at depicting the image of the Chained
manacles where few return. Those who rob others of their
Oblivion exist, and the existing texts speak of a creature
freedom offer prayers to him in cellars and other sub-
of rolling, hungry ink and darkness; of a spreading cloud
terranean domains, and other creatures who live in the
of lightless destruction born from a thousand ravenous
darkness below worship him and seek his guidance.
mouths. Current references constrain the nightmare with
The Dawnfather and the Everlight defeated the Crawling
chains of black and gold, barely keeping the dark at bay.
King during the Calamity by drawing their nemesis above
ground. The Dawnfather pierced his body with 10,000
commandmentS of the chained oblivion
lances of sunlight, and the Everlight imprisoned him within
• Offer and siphon power to the Chained Oblivion until his
her serene rays. The tears of suffering and rage the Crawling
liberation comes. King shed burned through Exandria, and his faithful fled
• Uncover, restore, and exalt forgotten shrines and relics into these tunnels to escape their enemies’ holy light.
in his honor. The Crawling king is largely rendered as a swollen,
malformed worm that slithers through the dark below, a
• Ruin and raze the realms to prepare for the Epoch of Ends.
screaming, hairless human head at the helm with three
the cloaKed serpent arms carving through the lightless rock.
Alignment: Chaotic Evil • Domains: Trickery, Blood commandmentS of the crawling king
• Seek and exalt places where no light touches.
Wanderer in shadow and creator of snakes and serpent-kin,
the Cloaked Serpent is the evil god of poisons, assassins, and • Revel in the pain you inflict upon others, and relish the pain
darkness. Much of ancient serpent-kin worships him over all you suffer yourself as an offering to the Crawling King.
other deities, dragging screaming offerings to their temples
• Imprison those who cannot resist you, and drag all life into
in his honor. Most of the Cloaked Serpent’s worshipers were
the darkness.
chapter 1: campaigns in tal'dorei 19