Critical Role unveils the bone-chilling Age of Umbra: Sallowlands trailer

Matthew Mercer returns behind the screen for Critical Role's bleak new Daggerheart adventure

Age of Umbra: Sallowlands, the latest tabletop role-playing miniseries from the minds of Critical Role, is almost upon us. After months of various teasers, the creepy, gothic series trailer has been revealed exclusively to Polygon — and we’re happy to share that it’s just as spine-chilling as the previous Age of Umbra series.

Critical Role revealed its five adventurers at the heart of the miniseries in mid-June. They are Sister; Dillwyn and her companion Badger; Caguama; Alphonse; and Mercy, played by Critical Role co-founder Laura Bailey, Jennifer English, Abubakar Salim, Vico Ortiz, and Zachery Renauldo, respectively. Matthew Mercer, who took a break from serving as Critical Role’s Dungeon Master during Campaign 4, will return to guide these new players in this Daggerheart miniseries.

As revealed in the Sallowlands trailer, the five survivors will explore the perilous Halcyon Domain. What was once a glorious, celestial landscape of the old world, ruled by the God-King Oethedias, has become decayed and joyless. The gods are gone, communities are shattered, and people are quickly losing hope. What makes matters worse is that the dead are often reborn as twisted nightmares, bringing destruction and rot that plague the land.

That changes when a rumor surfaces about a “gargantuan metropolis appearing out of nowhere.” The possibility of a new place, teeming with life and magic, fills our survivors with hope of a new world that could bring them salvation — and the first true sign of something glorious.

The official description of Sallowlands on the Daggerheart website notes that players will “encounter brutal adversaries and high stakes in this dark and emotional actual play, which explores themes of desperation, survival, and love in the face of overwhelming odds.”

We expect plenty of violence in this grim fantasy world, but Critical Role is known for stories about finding hope even in darkness. Critters will see how much light the series offers when the first episode of Age of Umbra: Sallowlands debuts on July 9.