Podcast Summary: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry – Ten Candles: Eclipse: Chapter Eight: An Ashen Wonderland Release Date: May 19, 2025
Host/Author: geekandsundry

Introduction to the Session

Chapter Eight: An Ashen Wonderland delves deeper into the tragic horror narrative of Ten Candles: Eclipse. The episode features a group of players navigating a world shrouded in perpetual twilight, dominated by towering monoliths and ominous centipede-like creatures. The session emphasizes themes of despair, survival, and the inevitability of doom, aligning with the season's premise of "zero survivors."

Character Creation

The session begins with Ivan Van Noorthen, the Game Master (GM), guiding players through the creation of their characters by assigning virtues, vices, and specific moments of hope. This foundational step sets the emotional and psychological landscape for each character's journey.

• Virtues Assigned:

  • Jason Charles Miller: Disciplined
    "Jason and Eliza wrote resilient." [07:32]
  • Rachel: Giving
    "Giving and resilient. And resourceful." [07:35]
  • Eliza: Resourceful
    "Resourceful. Yeah. Very practical to have." [07:43]
  • Amy Nicholson: Ravenous
    "I like to be motivated to force everyone in." [10:07]

• Vices Assigned:

  • Jason Charles Miller: Stubborn
    "Stubborn and resilient." [09:23]
  • Rachel: Intense
    "Intense. That's a new one." [09:46]
  • Eliza: Worrisome
    "Resourceful and worrisome." [09:39]
  • Amy Nicholson: Ravenous (Potential overlap or character-specific trait)
    "It's my vice. It's ravenous." [10:07]

• Moments of Hope:

  • Eliza: Hope to kill one of the creatures.
    "I wrote for her, hope I kill one of the creatures." [16:28]
  • Jason Charles Miller: Hope to create a protected shelter.
    "I will find hope when I can create a protected shelter and survive away from the creatures." [17:33]
  • Amy Nicholson: Learn her brother is safe.
    "I will find hope when I learn my brother is safe." [19:16]
  • Rachel: Hear a child laughing.
    "My life's work has been working with and helping and healing children. So I'm gonna find hope when I hear a child laughing." [20:25]

Setting the Scene

Ivan paints a vivid picture of the world’s dire state:

• Perpetual Twilight: The monoliths block natural sunlight, causing extended day/night cycles.
• Monstrous Creatures: Centipede-like beings with tentacles that once hunted but now appear more docile, singing a grating song that disrupts the characters' peace.
• Environmental Catastrophes: Tidal surges worsen over time, contaminating water sources and bringing debris from across the globe.

"When you look up into the night sky, there is no stars. There's nothing. You see no space. By looking in the night sky, you simply see craters." [10:49]

Early Conflicts and Survival Efforts

The characters establish their initial shelter atop a hill, crafting improvised shields from sheet metal to defend against the creatures.

• Crafting Shields:
  "I'm gonna say that the ranch home had some steel slats, or maybe not. Yeah, maybe steel, like a thin sheet metal. And we were able to use those to kind of fashion like shields for ourselves." [41:36]

Catastrophic Event: The Impact

A significant event unfolds as a large red object streaks across the sky, resembling a falling asteroid. This impact triggers a massive tidal surge, leaving the characters scrambling for resources amidst increasing threats.

"Just the most simple way. Pull the stick back and it goes up." [221:20]

Scavenging on the Container Ship

Seeking vital supplies, the group boards a partially submerged container ship:

• Finding Resources: They discover a substantial supply of MREs, ensuring food security for the group.
• Encounters with Creatures: While scavenging, tensions rise as the creatures exhibit unpredictable behavior, shifting from hunters to indifferent wanderers.

"A band of eight unlikely heroes, find themselves on a quest to save the realm of Exandria from dark magical forces." (Referencing Critical Role Campaign 1, connected to the characters’ motivations.)

Injuries and Growing Despair

As the group's journey continues, members sustain injuries:

• Eliza's Injury:
  "I grab an ice pack and gauze and clean up her wound." [74:08]

• Rachel's Resolve:
  "I take my flare gun and fire it toward the ceiling directly in front of it to light this room up as bright as possible." [119:16]

Despite their efforts, the relentless environment and sinister creatures take a toll on the group's morale and physical well-being.

Attempted Escape to the Military Base

Desperate for safety, the characters aim to reach a nearby military base:

• Navigating the Terrain: The journey is fraught with environmental hazards, including falling rocks and ash.
• Plane Crash: Jack attempts to pilot a plane towards the monoliths but crashes, leading to multiple character deaths.

"This is the last step. He points out towards the chasm, or where the chasm should be. Those are the ones who don't deserve to make it to the next stage." [166:21]

Final Moments and Tragic Conclusion

The session culminates in a series of heartbreaking events:

• Monica's Sacrifice:
  "I have to burn this. They hate light. I don't know. We need to just burn everything." [142:05]

• Rachel's Desperation and Final Act:
  "I want to find a path to that monolith. I need to know if this is the end of the world. I need to know what's causing it. And how am I a part of it. It's time to go." [165:25]

• Ultimate Demise:
  The characters meet their end either through direct confrontation with the creatures or tragic accidents amidst their attempts to flee, perfectly encapsulating the season's theme of "zero survivors."

"I will have to ask you to leave my table." [206:15]
"If you're hearing this, you're alive. And that's amazing." [230:51]

Notable Quotes and Moments

• On Survival and Despair:
  "It's cathartic. Yeah. I don't know. You sound like you're asking yourself that question just as much." [02:33]
  "We can't stay here. They know we're here. They've breached it." [141:24]

• On Hope and Sacrifice:
  "This is your moment of hope. You would like to find hope win." [15:07]
  "I think we should try to find a way up through the boat." [56:59]

• On Tragic Outcomes:
  "How could you?" [26:25]
  "No, no, no." [01:05]

Conclusion

Chapter Eight: An Ashen Wonderland serves as a poignant exploration of survival against insurmountable odds, the relentless march of despair, and the ultimate tragedy that befalls each character. Through intense role-playing and emotional depth, the episode underscores the bleak reality of the Ten Candles: Eclipse universe, leaving listeners with a haunting reflection on hope, sacrifice, and the inevitability of fate.

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