Page 86 - Critical Role: Tal’Dorei Campaign Setting

tal’dorei campaign guide

sky, spectral figures dance across Ywnnlas’s surface, bright an incredible multi-level series of waterfalls that cascade
as starlight and casting no reflection. Myth surrounds the down the eastern side of Orencleft Mountain for hundreds
star spirits, of their ancient curse, of their betrayal of the of feet. Swelling with every major rainfall, and beautiful to
moon goddess, and of the limitless power they can grant behold at all times of the year, Tormor Falls is also host to a
to those who pledge their souls to them. The star spirits or number of caves that hide beneath the mist and spray, lead-
the Imprisoned itself are a suitable patron for a warlock who ing beyond the forest and under the Stormcrest Mountains.
seeks the power of the Old Ones. A band of Verdant Guards patrol the base of the falls
throughout each day, and many have explored the caverns
Stone of the archeart
in the past. Some return with nothing, others discover
In the heart of the labyrinth is a column of pure diamond old relics and trinkets from the previous age, while others
in the radiant likeness of an androgynous elf. Though the still fail to return. Rumor even speak of the cave entrances
Archeart is worshiped throughout Tal’Dorei as a god of moving, shifting with each rising sun, leading superstition
magic and art, they are something greater to the elves. and fear of exploring further.
They are a progenitor of their race, a deity of fatherhood
and motherhood, yet also of neither—a liminal deity that tormor falls adventures
by their very nature both embraces and destroys binaries.
thiS cave waS made for me
Elves that are “born of the Archeart” are honored within
Syngorn, and many who seek that honor wander the For mid-level characters: PCs traveling near the edge of the
Reverie Ward in search of the Stone, longing for physi- Verdant Expanse hear distressing news that people from
cal transformation, social power, or arcane might. Some small villages, and even from Syngorn, have disappeared
search for centuries and never find it, but in times of peril, in the night. What they don’t know is that these people
the Archeart always makes their wisdom known to the are leaving the village themselves, hypnotically drawn to
pure of heart. the caves behind Tormor Falls by an aboleth living within
a pool deep inside the cave system.
syngorn adventures
vues’dal waters
the river doeS not run through it
For low-level characters: Word arrives from Verdant Scouts
that the Feshun River has stopped emptying into the The Vues’dal volcano erupted for the last time in the early
Ozmit Sea without warning. The powerful flow from the days of the Age of Arcanum. Its explosion shook the earth
Tormor Falls shows no signs of dwindling river flow, so so terribly that the mountain itself was swallowed by
the party is sent to investigate, only to find a sudden sink- the earth, creating the Vues’dal Basin at the edge of the
hole that has consumed a small section of the Expanse, Stormcrest Mountains. Today, the basin has been com-
causing the river to pour into this massive, underground pletely filled by the Feshun River, and the land around
cavern. The rock and earth below appear to be crumbling the Vues’dal Waters is among the most fertile farmland
at an accelerated pace, and the air therein smells of decay. in southern Tal’Dorei. An elven farming town of about
What could be the source of this rapid destruction, and 1,000 souls exists on the shore of Vues’dal.
how can it be remedied? For the past several decades, the Vues’dal farmers have
clashed with the lizardfolk that dwell in the marshes
a leSSon in tropeS
beyond the basin, but something has changed. The liz-
For mid-level characters: While walking the roads of the ardfolk have grown more aggressive and less bestial. Their
Expanse, the party comes across a wounded, dark elf tactics have evolved, and the local farmers are struggling
ranger and his panther pet, surrounded by many other to repel their attacks.
dead dark elves… seemingly at the hand of this survi-
vor. This injured ranger seeks asylum, claiming to be an vues’dal adventures
escapee, who long chafed at the terrible, immoral dynasty
legionS of the reptile god
of Ruhn-Shak’s elite. Now free and wishing to better
the surface world, they ask to join the party, and request For mid-level characters: The people of Vues’dal have
their aid in being accepted within Syngornian society. unwittingly been skirmishing with the vanguard of a force
However, should one look hard enough past the gleaming that wishes to bring Syngorn to its knees. The spirit naga
scimitars and blue eyes, they may find the essence of a Maledicta Hexos has come from below the Stormcrests
skilled liar and ruthless assassin, scheming to get as close to rally the lizardfolk tribe in the name of the Cloaked
to the Wardens of Syngorn as possible. Serpent. Vues’dal is overrun, and the Verdant Guard has
called for Emon’s aid in driving back the legions of the
tormor falls reptile god. Maledicta’s armies contain not just countless
lizardfolk, but also several hydras and a night hag that
serves as her lieutenant. Maledicta is also in possession of
Feeding the mouth of the rushing Feshun River that one of the Astural Scrolls, an artifact looted from Wrettis
carves through the body of the Expanse, Tormor Falls is that grants her uncanny cosmic powers.

chapter 2: gazetteer of tal’dorei 85