Critical Role's Age of Umbra: Sallowlands brings Matthew Mercer back to the DM screen for a dark Daggerheart miniseries

Critical Role has unveiled Age of Umbra: Sallowlands, a new Daggerheart miniseries with Matthew Mercer returning as Dungeon Master. The series debuted on July 9, set in the bleak Halcyon Domain — a world abandoned by its gods and turned nightmarish as a result.

The story follows five adventurers heading into the unknown region of the Sallowlands after rumors surface of a mysterious metropolis full of life and magic that appeared out of nowhere. One of those adventurers is Caguama, a galapa seaborne seraph played by Vico Ortiz, who spoke to Polygon about the character and the series ahead of launch. Ortiz described Sallowlands as a story built around grief, lost community, and guilt — and noted that their path to the Critical Role table ran through a chance reconnection with Marisha Ray at a UK convention. Ortiz also revealed a fun detail: the name Caguama means "sea turtle" in the indigenous language of Puerto Rico, but doubles as slang for a large beer in Mexico, which immediately split the comments section along national lines.

Daggerheart is Critical Role's own tabletop RPG system, published by Darrington Press, designed as an alternative to D&D with its own distinct mechanics and tone. Age of Umbra is set in the same Daggerheart world Critical Role has been building out, and Sallowlands is its latest chapter — a miniseries format that lets the crew explore darker, more contained stories outside the sprawling main campaigns. Mercer stepping back behind the screen as GM is a draw in itself; he spent years as the DM for Campaigns 1 through 3 before handing off duties for Campaign 4's West Marches format.

Polygon's coverage frames the miniseries as a strong argument for D&D fans to give Daggerheart a proper look, suggesting the system's tone suits this kind of grim, atmospheric storytelling well. With the series already live, fan reaction to the Elden Ring-esque dark-fantasy vibe and Ortiz's character in particular looks set to be a talking point for the Critical Role community throughout the run.