Critical Role Campaign 4 teases a surprise connection with Vox Machina

A familiar divergence appears

Critical Role has made sure that Campaign 4 isn’t easy to mistake for its previous three campaigns. Not only is it being run by Brennan Lee Mulligan instead of Matthew Mercer, but it’s set in the war-torn world of Aramán, where there’s wild magic, political machinations, and undead aplenty.

However, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been any references to Exandria, the setting of the previous three campaigns, at all. In the latest episode, “Make Merry”, one character was gifted with an item that was describedin a way that makes it instantly recognizable to Vox Machina fans.

[Ed. note: Spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 4’s episode 11]

During a campfire sequence at the very end of “Make Merry”, there is a moment where Kattigan Vale (Robbie Daymond) approaches Tyranny (Whitney Moore) with the knife she had previously stolen from Ulbid, a sweet old gnome the Soldiers had met on their journey to Sloak. Previously, Kattigan had yelled at Tyranny for stealing it, but in this episode gave it back to her to impart a lesson in wisdom.

However, Mulligan made it clear that this was no ordinary knife. He described Tyranny’s attuning to the knife (the D&D process by which a player can equip and use a magic item), narrating: “You attune to this knife, but its final form eludes you. For indeed in another world, another time, an object like this might have been referred to as a Vestige of Divergence.”

For newcomers to Critical Role, this reference might (justifiably) go over their heads. In the world of Exandria, there was a great Calamity — a war between two factions of gods. To prepare for the war, these deities crafted legendary artifacts known as Vestiges of Divergence. However, they became lost after the war, some scattered and unrecovered, while others were kept by governments or noble families. A number of them, however, were found by Vox Machina on their adventures (and one was also found by the Mighty Nein).

What’s fascinating about a Vestige of Divergence is that it grows in power with the experience and strength of the person who wields it. However, it can only be awakened through “extreme personal challenge, evolution, and achievement.”

A weapon that grows with your experience is pretty powerful for a D&D player, as it often means you don’t necessarily need to search for other items to upgrade your arsenal. It’s notable that Tyranny has acquired a weapon like this so early into Campaign 4, but if the knife really is like a Vestige of Divergence, she’ll only be able to tap into its full power by going through some extreme hardship.

Fortunately — or, unfortunately, if you’re Tyranny — it doesn’t seem she’ll have to wait long for that. “Make Merry” had her come to the realization that her patron, Ksha’aravi, the High Prince of Demonkind and the Shadow of Suffering, likes it when she lives up to her namesake and spreads discord throughout the world. Will the knife reach its exalted state only if she continues to do so? It’s hard to say so early on in the campaign, but it surely sets an interesting dilemma for Whitney Moore going forward.

While not officially called a Vestige of Divergence in the world of Aramán, the knife is like one, which makes us question whether the wild magic — courtesy of the Shapers’ War and the loss of the gods — of Aramán has something to do with its existence. Or if there will be any other legendary artifacts like it within Campaign 4. It goes to show that Exandria’s heartbeat is still prominent within the worldbuilding of Aramán, making it even more exciting for viewers who care about the larger Critical Role universe.