The Cobalt Soul is a mysterious organization that plays a significant part in the lore of Critical Role. Members claim to seek out knowledge and truth and can be found throughout the world of Exandria. But what is the Cobalt Soul really, and how might you bring this faction into your home game? Keep reading to find out!

Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for the first two campaigns of Critical Role.

• A history lesson on the Cobalt Soul
• The Cobalt Soul today
• What is the Cobalt Soul’s mission?
• Notable members of the Cobalt Soul
• Bringing the Cobalt Soul to your D&D campaign

Journey around the world of Exandria

Call of the Netherdeep is Critical Role's first full-length adventure book. Characters will travel across Exandria, from the wastes of Xhorhas to Marquet, on an epic quest. The book includes new monsters and rival NPCs, as well as lore on the world of Exandria. The book releases March 15, but you can preorder your copy today!

A history lesson on the Cobalt Soul

The Library of the Cobalt Soul traces its origins all the way back to the Calamity, when gods and men waged war around Exandria. The Calamity brought an end to the Age of Arcanum—a period of great magical discovery—and the fall of Ioun, the Knowing Mentor, who was mortally wounded by the Chained Oblivion. From the ruins of this devastation, the Cobalt Soul arose, and its goal has since been a simple albeit daunting one: to recover lost knowledge and usher in an age of enlightenment for Exandria.

The Cobalt Soul was founded in Wildemount during the Julous Dominion. When that nation fell to the Dwendalian Empire, Dwendalian rulers allowed the faction to continue operations. Doing so was a political move to ease the conquered population through the transition of power.

Since then, the Cobalt Soul has been decidedly more active. It has opposed its ideological rival, the Cerberus Assembly, for nearly a century. While not overtly hostile to the Assembly, the Cobalt Soul sees itself as a checks and balances system for the Dwendalian Empire.

The Cobalt Soul today

The Library of the Cobalt Soul is based out of the Dwendalian capital of Rexxentrum, and thus finds itself still locked in opposition to the Cerberus Assembly. Nevertheless, the Library has far-reaching operations throughout Wildemount and the rest of Exandria. 

Within Rexxentrum, the Cobalt Soul coordinates with its satellite libraries (known as Archives), organizing the acquisition, preservation, and distribution of truth and knowledge. Each Archive is overseen by archivists who administer tasks, training, and even engage in the acquisition of artifacts and records, often covertly. Above each group of archivists is a High Curator, who directs the actions of their Archive as a whole. A High Curator may decide who are enemies and allies of their respective Archive and direct dangerous expeditions.

These expeditions are undertaken by the monks of the Cobalt Soul. The highest-ranking of these agents are known as expositors, and they are known to have a mastery of the mystical life force known as ki. Such mastery allows expositors to not only learn the secrets of their adversaries through deft strikes but actually rob them of their ability to deceive and tell falsehoods. An expositor monk of the Way of the Cobalt Soul hones both body and mind and can be a deadly adversary.

Beyond the archivists and monks, countless more strive tirelessly to restore the legacy of Ioun. Her paladins and clerics devote themselves to spreading truth and revealing deceptions. Bards and wizards gather lore and wisdom, be it from lost libraries or oral traditions of the diverse peoples of Exandria. Agents, operatives, and spies move silently through the political machines of the world, undoing revisionist histories and working to destabilize regimes that would oppress and tyrannize.

What is the Cobalt Soul's mission?

The primary objective of the Library of the Cobalt Soul is to gather and share knowledge, enlighten others, and provide fertile ground for truth to blossom. Although their patron deity Ioun still recovers from her grievous wounds within her infinite library in the Endless Athenaeum, her glory is slowly returning to the world. As it does, the Cobalt Souls' duties grow.

Under Ioun's guidance, members of the Cobalt Soul devote themselves to unraveling mysteries and using that knowledge to guide civilization down a path toward peace. As such, the Archives of the Cobalt Soul are open to any who seek the wisdom found within their walls. Despite this, some knowledge is seen as dangerous by the Cobalt Soul and remains hidden from the masses, at least until the faction deems it safe to share.

The Cobalt Soul also opposes the misinformation, deception, and propaganda that nations spread. They believe in undoing the falsities sown by power-hungry rulers.

Corruption within the ranks

An organization committed to truth and knowledge is liable to draw its share of deceivers. Spies and agents of power that oppose the Cobalt Soul, including the Cerberus Assembly and worshippers of the Chained Oblivion, have infiltrated its ranks. Some seek to manipulate knowledge in their favor, while others look to destroy it altogether. In response to this threat, a covert group of expositors move in secret within the Cobalt Soul, seeking out the corruption and tearing it out by the root.

Notable members of the Cobalt Soul

• Beauregard Lionett, Way of the Cobalt Soul monk. A member of the adventuring party known as the Mighty Nein, Beauregard Lionett, or Beau for short, has a contentious history within the Cobalt Soul due to her dislike of authority. This, however, has lent itself well to the Cobalt Soul monk, as she was given the freedom to pursue leads under her own recognizance.
• Expositor Dairon. A fellow monk of the Way of the Cobalt Soul, Dairon has a strong disdain for those who hold power, having been hurt by such individuals in the past. Closed off and withholding about their own past, they have a close bond with Beau and assist in her training.
• High Curator Yudala Fon. Herald of the Rexxentrum Archive, Yudala Fon runs their Archive within the heart of the Dwendalian Empire. The one thing they fear above all else is the revenge of former Cobalt Soul member Kon Bruda, who holds a tight grip over the religious heart of the Dwendalian Empire.

Bringing the Cobalt Soul to your D&D campaign

The Library of the Cobalt Soul can make for an interesting and useful faction in your D&D campaign. Archivists can be used as quest givers or knowledge brokers for the party, or the Library itself could act as a group patron. If you want to go a step further, you can even run a campaign where the party works for the Cobalt Soul, helping serve as the faction's eyes and ears in the field.

If you permit unofficial content, you could allow the Way of the Cobalt Soul monk subclass in your campaign. However, any kind of monk is a good fit for the Cobalt Soul. To tie the other classes to this faction, see below:

• Artificers make for great seekers of lost knowledge, particularly pertaining to constructs, tinkering, and alchemy.
• Path of the Zealot barbarians dedicated to Ioun might serve as muscle for the Cobalt Soul.
• Bards of the College of Lore would make for excellent archivists, while those of the College of Whispers might seek out corrupt members.
• The Knowledge and Arcana cleric domains, or any domain dedicated to Ioun, would naturally be found within the Cobalt Soul.
• A Circle of Stars druid might look for secret knowledge of the heavens and seek to preserve it within the Library.
• The fighter class, especially those focused on tactics and intelligence such as the Battle Master and Eldritch Knight, would be excellent frontline operatives.
• Paladins of the Oath of Devotion, Redemption, or the Watchers would all serve Ioun and the Library. They might seek to uphold Ioun's noble virtues of wisdom and knowledge, and root out corruption.
• Horizon Walker rangers might seek to uphold the Library's defense against a second Calamity by seeking out knowledge of extraplanar threats.
• Rogues are a natural fit for the covert nature of the Cobalt Soul, especially the Arcane Trickster, Inquisitive, Mastermind, and Scout archetypes. In more dire circumstances, a Thief or even an Assassin may be employed.
• Sorcerers might gravitate toward the Cobalt Soul to better understand their magical origins.
• A warlock could invoke the power of the Library itself, choosing the Great Old One patron.
• While a wizard of any arcane tradition is a natural fit for the knowledge-focused Cobalt Soul, the Order of Scribes is an exceptionally fitting choice.

Davyd is a moderator for D&D Beyond. A Dungeon Master of over fifteen years, he enjoys Marvel movies, writing, and of course running D&D for his friends and family, including partner Steph and his daughter Willow (well, one day). They live with their two cats Asker and Khatleesi in the south of England.