[Spoilers C3E121] An Alternative Ending

I have been having some thoughts about C3 that I needed to get out of my head, especially regarding how Matt set up the ending section of this campaign. What follows is a proposal for an alternative set up that I think could've been more interesting, as well as my reasoning. Enjoy.

Others have pointed out that the choice of entering Predathos' chamber and letting Imogen be the vessel was not much of a choice at all. While ethically dubious, it was clearly the most interesting and climactic choice. Killing Ludinus('s clone) as the final boss and just leaving simply didn't seem interesting to the players. I would've absolutely done the same thing in their shoes, and I believe most players would have as well. In this sense, it wasn't much of a choice at all.

Given that, I've been thinking about how the set-up could've been different to give the cast more interesting and dramatic choices. As such, I've written a little proposal for how the ending of C3 could've been set up by Matt. I'd like to preface this by saying that I did geniuenly enjoy this campaign. I don't think Matt messed anything up, per se, but I do think there are ways that the ending could've been a little more satisfying. It goes without saying that my proposal is based on my own sensibilities regarding what I like about CR, and what insight I have into the cast's preferences as a viewer.

Exandria divided. While the Hells convince many of the major forces of Exandria, Vasselheim remains insistent that their forces be the ones to engage the Vanguard on Ruidus. Other than that, Bells Hells' journey up to Ruidus is much the same as before.

The gods go nuclear. We've seen it happen before, and it really did feel like the whole campaign was leading up to a similar moment happening again. Of course, the threat was always present, but the gods' lack of direct action as Bells Hells simply walked into the Hallowed Cage gave off the sense that they were just counting on the Hells acting in their best interest, when they had no reason to trust some non-believers with the power to end their lives.

Here's my proposal: with the doomsday clock approaching midnight, the Gods say fuck it and break down the Divine Gate. Both the one surrounding Exandria and the one around Ruidus. Chronologically, this would occur right as Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein succeed in their respective parts of the plan. With the Malleus Key destroyed, Vasselheim forces have no easy way to reach Ruidus, and this seems to be the only hope from the gods' perspective.

The gods transport the Vasselheim forces as far as they can, empowering their champions with incredible boons. Their efforts are focused on the Hallowed Cage, and as such Bells Hells only witness the catastrophic fallout they leave in their wake. Treat these as environmental challenges. They have also left behind forces to guard against anyone reaching the Hallowed Cage. Perhaps a named character such as Earthbreaker Gruun has been appointed as the final guardian before the players reach their destination. Can he be reasoned with?

The main intention of this section is to further enforce the brutal and self-serving nature of the gods (as this is one of the bigger themes of this campaign). And now that the Divine Gate is no more, they are actively dangerous. Bells Hells now has a really good reason to unleash Predathos.

Lilliana as the vessel. Ludinus has been characterised as a cruel manipulator who would do anything to reach his goals. While having Lilliana as a willing vessel was ideal, the gods breaking down the Divine Gate has forced his hand. Now, Lilliana has been forced into opening the cage for Ludinus to pass through. Unlike what we saw, the cage immediately closes after a Ruidusborn and their companions enter. Even the gods cannot get through.

Lilliana, as an unwilling vessel, fights against Predathos' influence. The transformation is slow and painful. It is on the cusp of Predathos taking over that our heroes arrive. Imogen and Fearne can allow passage for their companions, but they can also decide to work with one or more champions to let them through as well. This would make the fight easier, but Bells Hells might be forced to deal with them if they plan to unleash Predathos. Think of this as a bonus fight after the big boss battle. Not too difficult, but the act of killing a champion will have its own consequences.

Predathos itself attacks indiscriminantly, and Bells Hells can reach out to Lilliana in order to have her momentarily take control, directing Predathos' attacks against Ludinus, who doesn't expect to survive this fight. He believes that with the Divine Gate shattered, Bells Hells will do the "right thing" and unleash Predathos even if he himself is gone.

Vessel for life. After the fight is over and Lilliana is released, the players are given a new piece of information: that a vessel, upon unleashing Predathos' power, is joined with it for eternity. If the party wishes to free Predathos in order to avert potential calamity, they must sacrifice one of their own. Lilliana insists on being the vessel to save her daughter.

We've seen over three campaigns that the cast are much better at engaging with small, personal dillemas rather than large-scale political events. This need for a sacrifice is meant to give them a dramatic moment of a choice, one they would excel at as performers.

All in all, we have the following choices:

• Contain Predathos and let the gods walk free. The players may be able to negotiate with the gods, many are likely willing to create another Divine Gate. Even so, the Betrayer Gods will put up a fight.

• Release Predathos, sacrificing a vessel. The party can still convince the gods to go through with Catatheosis, as per the existing ending.

Both of these endings are sure to change the world in a significant way, as per Matt's intention. But the one that we saw the players choose now requires a sacrifice and gains a more obvious benefit: averting a Calamity that might start very soon. It is less arbitrary, and more dramatic.

Thanks for reading all that! I'd like to reiterate that this is an undeveloped, broad-strokes outline for an alternative ending. I don't claim that this is "what Matt should've done" or anything like that. There's a lot that goes in to session planning, and it is very likely that my ideas would've fallen flat without further iteration. I still wanted to share this, though, since I love talking about CR and wanted to see what other people would think.