Critical Role reveals the design behind Campaign 4's most tragic moment

So far!

Despite being just 31 episodes into Campaign 4, the cast of Critical Role hasn't been pulling any punches. From the get-go, Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan set the tone for the new world of Aramán as fairly bleak, with the first ten minutes of the campaign's premiere featuring a hanging and, later on, a funeral.

That level of melancholy has been reflected in Critical Role's maps, too. We've had haunted trees in desolate forests, venomous basilisks in an underground lair, and even waves of shambling skeletons in dungeons. No matter where Campaign 4's players have gone, there's always been a map that perfectly captures the doom and gloom. Yet even with that in mind, nobody could have predicted that the West Marches-style Dungeons & Dragons actual-play campaign would only get sadder.

Originally split into three tables (Soldiers, Seekers, and Schemers), Campaign 4's players converged and then split again to fulfill different tasks within the city of Dol-Makjar. One such team, made up of Thimble (Laura Bailey), Occtis Tachonis (Alexander Ward), Sir Julien Davinos (Matthew Mercer), Teor Pridesire (Travis Willingham), and Teor’s brother, Cyd, went to investigate House Tachonis' ancestral home, Obrimus Manor, in search of an ally, Mara the Wing.

After the team split up and, due to several poor rolls by Willingham, the cost of exploring the manor quickly became clear. After uncovering the undead monstrosity of Raimond Davinos, Julien's father that was turned into a monster by necromantic magic, in the Tachonis mortuary, Teor and Cyd were overwhelmed and lost their lives.

It was a tremendously sad way to go for the Katari brothers. Now, as revealed via The Lore Keeper’s Ledger — an exclusive monthly newsletter for Beacon members, written by Lore Keepers Dani Carr and Jared Deiro — we know exactly what work went into designing the map where our feline heroes used up all nine of their lives.

During a conversation with Keo Lacebal, Critical Role's map-maker, Carr and Deiro explored the experience of creating the eerie interiors of Obrimus Manor. Lacebal shared that although Critters got to see only three of the maps for Obrimus Manor, (the crypts, the aviary, and the mortuary), there was in fact a total of eight created.

"I began the process by conceptualizing what Obrimus Manor looked like," Lacebal shared in the ledger. "I knew I wanted to highlight the location’s connection to death and reflect the power of House Tachonis and decided to keep the color palette muted, opting for grays and browns with the occasional pop of bloody red or necrotic green."

To best represent the seat of House Tachonis' power, Lacebal had to ensure each room felt unique while also paying special attention to visuals that suited the house's connection to the underworld of the Tenebral Reaches. This meant using skulls, skeletons, and deep purples and greens to signify House Tachonis' relationship — and mastery — over necromancy.

Lacebal would go on to describe the mortuary — where the Pridesires met their tragic end — as a "bloody chamber" that was the perfect place for House Tachonis to create their undead monstrosities. This was beautifully reflected in how many skeletons emerged from the crypts during Teor and Cyd's last stand, whereas the aviary map, located on Obrimus Manor's higher floors and thus not underground, was not as littered with skeletons.

"Once these maps were built, all that was left was for Brennan to bring the locations to life with his descriptions and fill them with undead threats," Lacebal explained.

With the Tachonis' mastery over the undead so expertly signposted by Lacebal, Thimble's rescue of Teor and Cyd's bodies becomes all the more significant. House Tachonis has shown that it isn't squeamish about unleashing the cast's loved ones against them, even if it means using their corpses. Furthermore, Lacebal's dedication to authentic maps enhances the experience for both players and viewers at home, and underscores the effort behind the actual-play Dungeons & Dragons series.