Campaign 4 of Critical Role will feature the largest cast and thus the most main characters of any campaign. Matt Mercer is sitting at the table as a player while Brennan Lee Mulligan helms the campaign as the Game Master. Details about the characters remain scarce, but fans have already been theorizing based on a teaser video from Critical Role and the official art.

Luis Carazo has joined the cast as a regular. Carazo is no stranger to Critical Role, having been a part of “EXU: Calamity” and one of the “Candela Obscura” campaigns. He has also been a part of many other actual play series, including “Tales Unrolled,” which he GMs.

In an exclusive interview with Temple of Geek, Carazo compares Azune, his Campaign 4 character, to Zerxus, his “EXU: Calamity” character. Zerxus also appeared in “The Legend of Vox Machina” long after the events of “EXU: Calamity.” Carazo explained why he loves complicated characters and specified how Azune differs from Zerxus.

“I Like Complicated Characters”

Luis Carazo

“Sometimes I feel like I’m making a whimsical character, and to me they feel whimsical, but then their outward projection is not so much. I think that I like complicated characters. I like characters that have parts of themselves that they know well and parts of themselves that they don’t know well at all. And so, I think that in the complexity of it, I hope that Azune is kind of similar in the sense to Zerxus.

The big difference, I think, is that Zerxus had a very narrow scope of what he thought was possible and what must be done and what is true. Azune is not there. He’s a lot more malleable and more flexible and going to be more changeable, I suppose. To me, what’s exciting is for me, a lot of what is gonna determine that, is his interactions with the other players. I’ve already taken note of things that have shifted him in one direction or another.”

Zerxus was strict in his belief that redemption was possible. So much so that he attempted to find redemption for a God that saw it as an affront. His desperation was out of a need to prove that redemption was possible for the most irredeemable. For Zerxus this would mean he was worthy of redemption, which, in his own eyes, was out of reach.

Luis Carazo Teases How Azune Is More Malleable Than Zerxus

Of all the character traits Carazo focused on when comparing Azune and Zerxus, he zoned in on malleability. Azune will no doubt be complicated and likely dealing with trauma from his past, but it seems he may not be as stagnant in his beliefs. This could mean that Azune is a more morally grey character. However, it may also mean that he is open to changing when faced with others’ perspectives.

Carazo crafts characters with depth, flaws, and wildly interesting complications. Zerxus has had a harrowing evolution throughout “EXU: Calamity” into “The Legend of Vox Machina.” This progression was shown through a relatively limited amount of time. “EXU: Calamity” takes place in only one night. And while “The Legend of Vox Machina” takes place hundreds of years later, his time on the animated series is brief.

Now, Carazo has the opportunity to fully flesh out and sink his teeth into Azune. Carazo has described him as complicated with a wider scope of what he sees possible and a more malleable understanding of the world. How Azune will be introduced and changes will surely be enchanting to watch throughout Campaign 4. Carazo’s excitement is palpable, especially in how he teases events already shifting Azune in one direction or another.

Campaign 4 of Critical Role premieres on YouTube, Twitch, and Beacon on October 2nd at 7pm PT.