Critical Role Age of Umbra characters explained: Classes, species, and players

If you thought Critical Role Campaign 4 had plenty of freaks on the menu, we’re here to tell you that you’ve seen nothing yet. Age of Umbra: Sallowlands is a new Daggerheart miniseries from Critical Role, and, as revealed by the show’s character art and the premiere episode, these creepy folks look like they’ve crawled straight out of Elden Ring.

Ed. note: This article contains spoilers for Age of Umbra: Sallowlands premiere episode.

Set in the godless and despair-ridden Halcyon Domain, the new gothic miniseries follows Critical Role co-founder Laura Bailey, Jennifer English, Abubakar Salim, Vico Ortiz, and Zachery Renauldo as Sister; Dillwyn and her companion Badger; Caguama; Alphonse; and Mercy, respectively. Matthew Mercer stars as the Dungeon Master of Sallowlands.

We’ve only had a small taste of what these characters are about so far, but what little we know shows that, scary as our new cast of adventurers look, there’s more to them than meets the eye. Who are they? And what else do we know about them outside of their search for salvation and hope in the salt-caked Sallowlands?

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Sister

Player: Laura Bailey

Ancestry: Fungril

Class: Hedge Witch

Known for: Laura Bailey is one of the co-founders of Critical Role, but she’s also an esteemed voice actor, best known for her role as Abby in The Last of Us: Part II.

Sister isn’t the first time that Laura Bailey has played a Fungril, a humanoid mushroom, but Sister is far from being as cheerful and cutesy as Sweetpea Betabean. This foreboding hedge witch isn’t afraid to put herself in danger for what she believes in.

A fungril witch from a lost community, Sister has left her sisters behind in search of a cure to “stop the drain of magic” that she and the other witches like her have felt for so long.

Sister also has some connection to Abubakar Salim’s character, Mercy — though it is unclear whether it’s because he, too, is a Fungril like her or because they have encountered one another before. Only time will tell.

Mercy

Player: Abubakar Salim

Ancestry: Giant-Fungril

Class: Juggernaut Brawler

Known for: Abubakar Salim is a well-regarded actor, with his most recent role being Alyn of Hull in HBO’s House of the Dragon. He also voiced Bayek in Assassin’s Creed: Origins.

Abubakar Salim’s Mercy doesn’t have time to think first — just punch, punch some more, and if that doesn’t get the job done, punch again. Yet, despite this rough-and-tumble fighting style and the fact that he towers over almost everyone else, Mercy is a rather sweet and thoughtful Fungril who cares deeply for his best friend, Dillwyn, as well as her bat companion, Badger.

Like everyone else, Mercy is heading towards the Sallowlands after hearing rumors of a city out there described as full of “beauty” — something the Halcyon Domain is in short supply of because the Umbra, an ethereal mass, corrupts everything it touches.

A big mystery surrounding Mercy is that he does not seem to know who he — or at least, the body he inhabits — was before he gained consciousness. What is he? Who is he? Let's hope Sallowlands will provide us with those answers by the time the finale rolls around.

Dillwyn Hellekin and Badger

Player: Jennifer English

Ancestry: Wildborne Simiah

Class: Beastbound Ranger

Known for: Jennifer English is a voice actor who shot to fame with her performance as Shadowheart in Larian Studio’s video game, Baldur’s Gate 3. She has since played Maelle in the 2025 video game Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. This is her first time playing with Critical Role.

As fast as she is charming, Dillwyn’s origins have yet to be revealed beyond her close bond with the pig-like bat, Badger, with whom she can communicate.

Unlike the other party members, Dillwyn’s reason for searching for the Sallowlands is her friendship with Mercy. The two have known one another for a while, and Dillwyn sees the giant-fungril as one of her closest friends — though what brought them together remains unknown.

An evasive and powerful ranger, Dillwyn’s ability to move fast helps the party escape the forest and puts them on the right track towards where they need to go in the Sallowlands.

Alphonse

Player: Zachery Renauldo

Ancestry: Reborne Elf

Class: Order of the Specter Blood Hunter

Known for: Zachery Renauldo is a TikTok and Instagram content creator best known for his comedic sketches about Dungeons & Dragons.

While Sister, Mercy, Dillwyn, and Badger meet under fairly neutral circumstances, the same cannot be said for the skull-wearing elf, Alphonse. The party encounters the blood hunter during a battle, where they see him go head-to-head with the renowned bounty hunter Endros.

While the party manages to fight off Endros and their cronies — with Endros in particular making a hasty escape — Alphonse doesn’t divulge much about himself outside of the fact that he too is looking for that utopian city that everyone has been hearing about.

However, unlike the other party members, Alphonse doesn’t believe that place exists at all and sees it as more likely a trap used to hurt others. Alphonse travels to this mystical place in hopes of stopping others from getting hurt by uncovering the city's true nature.

Caguama

Player: Vico Ortiz

Ancestry: Seaborne Galapa

Class: Divine Wielder Seraph

Known for: Vico Ortiz is an actor, drag king, and activist best known for their role as Jim Jimenez in the pirate romantic comedy Our Flag Means Death. They have also had roles in Harley Quinn and Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake.

In a party full of badasses who aren’t afraid to cut anyone who looks at them the wrong way, Caguama’s first impression isn’t that of a battle-hardened warrior. In fact, the vibes are that they’re more of a kind, elderly grandpa who probably gives out sweets and warm hugs.

However, while the first impression of the Galapa shows him cowering in fear, we know from Vico Ortiz that there’s more to Caguama than meets the eye. For one thing, he was alive before the Halcyon Domain became godless, making him more than a century old. So it’s safe to say that Caguama has lived a full life.

Most importantly, Caguama’s tendency towards diplomacy puts them in stark contrast with most of the party — as we see during the Tatra bird encounter near the end of Sallowlands episode 1. Caguama’s desire to see the good in everything might seem troublesome, but it may be just what the party needs as they head further into the Sallowlands.

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Age of Umbra: Sallowlands premiered on July 9 on Twitch, YouTube, and Beacon.tv at 7 p.m. PDT. If you didn’t catch the episode live, don’t worry — Critical Role posts the episode to YouTube the following Monday at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.