Critical Role, Campaign 4 Episode 30
Vaelus alone in the cold open this time? But it's NOT a flashback? She's just wandering the woods with Hannan? Intersting. I wondr if this is potentially turning into an enemies to lovers kind of thing ...
Probably not. The Stone is almost certainly going to be a sticking point if he decides not to give it up ...
It is quite beautiful, yes. The Rungiani and their newfound peace ... but he's definitely thinking about elven kind, isn't he? Deep down ...
Oh wow, he's actually really apologising ... that's sweet ... and her just OWNING IT is really interesting too ... are they really bonding? It would be nice ...
What would you gtive up for the future of your race if they faced such a fate?
I really hope this isn't an unexpected betrayal, it's very sudden ... a Charisma save? Shit ... yeah, 11 isn't good enough ... oh boy ... fuck, it's OPENED ... and this is getting VERY BAD ...
Perception or Insight? Or Rel;igion ... oh boy ... come on girl, your Religion's gotta be ridiculously high ...
Oh bollocks ... yeah, this does sound really bad indeed ... come on Vaelus, make the Stone do what it was TRULY intended to ... or maybe not? Oh dear, that's not actually cruel ... that's a fucked up magical Sophie's Choice right there ... O.O
Fuck, he chooses HERE to call it for the opening ... Brennan, you sadist ...
What are you doing this time, Sam? They have wine ... hmmmm ... now I'm suspicious ... riddles and cyphers, is it? Gods, I hate this shit ... Garfield? Nope ... we're harping on cats right now ... I don't like when we get riddles and puzzles in D&D, it's really NOT my strong spot ... yeah, that was an underwhelming plug there, Riegel ...
Yeah, A LOT went on in the3 last one ... including a MONSTER cliffhanger ... and we're RIGHT BACK in that moment, clearly ...
Yeah, he's definitely freaking out ... Athletics roll! Oh yeah, you got NO CHANCE of breaking those bonds ... he's just PISSED but STILL not strong enough ...
Yeah, I figured that wouldn't stand for long ... Hal's in trouble, clearly ... but I guess we'll get to that ...
Kattigan is NOT being cooperative ... a Wisdom save? Oh dear ... yeah, he won't be good at this ... thunk ... saw that coming ...
Tyranny immediately gets to stirring ... Persuasion check? Hmmmmm ... yeah, not sure how werll this is gonna work ... more because they're all so fucking DUMB though, nothing to do with Tyranny's comparative prowess ...
Yeah, what IS going on with the others?
Okay Bolaire, what are you doing? Wick too, definitely ... seriously ideally you better go SAVE YOUR BOY!!!
Message? Hope this works out ... Arcana check ... balls ... that's a NAT1 ... O.O ... so he tries Tyranny instead ...
More plotting? They just can't help themselves ...
Well, I mean trained actors ARE basically professional liars, so it can be pretty hard to make the distinction ...
She really isn't all THATm convinced, so I think Wick suddenly clearing off might be a little TOO suspicious ... and yet ... Insight check? Hmmmmm ... he's never actually had much to REALLY do with Primus ... but that is an EXTREMELY good roll, so ...
That's it Wick, use that smooth talking you've been putting to such surprising good use of late ... Deception check? Oh boy ... TWENTY-SIX?!!! Fucking hell ... that worked WAY better than expected ... oh yeah, his sister is PISSED ...
A HANDSHAKE?!!! That's actually stunning ...
Oh shit, way to stick it in and TWIST IT, Wick ... yeah, she definitely won't let THAT rest ... another Insight check?
Wow, looks like Wick's suddenly got FANS ... O.O
Meanwhile with Bolaire ...
investigation check! On a VERY tight time limit ... a dirty 20? Hmmmm ... oh yeah, okay, so she's just WREAKING HAVOC right now, looks like ...
These particular family reunions are definitely going to be ESPECIALLY complicated ... yeah ...
Perception check ... oh dear ... yeah, I don't think this is going well AT ALL ... Persuasion now? But a really INTERESTING one ... and Tal is doing something REALLY interesting, too ... he's actually GOING WITH the bad rolls, which can be SO MUCH FUN sometimes ... and another Persuasion check but with DISADVANTAGE ... O.O ... yeah, this is NOT going well ... Insight check ...
Oh yeah, Termina's mind is just a BAG OF CATS right now ... O.O ... you need to be SCARY careful with whatever you do next, Bolaire ...
Phantasmal Force? Oh boy ... but she Counterspells ... balls ... yeah, that's it ... ROLL INITIATIVE!!!
I'm with Whitney, we may be about to see our first true Character Death of the Campaign ...
That sounds insanely bad ... she's not about to throw a Disintegrate at mhim, is she? O.O ... but he rolls a NAT20 ... so perfect ... the table goes INSANE ...
75 points? He would have DIED ON THE SPOT ... O.O ... he dodges it and a stone column behind him VANISHES in dust ... that was almost TERRIFYING ...
Bolaire decides to just RUN AWAY ... Perception or Investigation WITH ADVANTAGE ...
Oh, another sadistic choice ...
The moment he said what the options were I KNEW he was going to do this ... this is INSANE but also it's gonna be SO COOL if it works ...
OF COURSE he doesn't want a witness left behind so this poor young lux MUST die ... but this is almost CRUEL ... reckless abandon with Athletics ... oh boy ... spectacular ...
I can't believe this actually worked ... O.O ... and one last little dig at the lux Adora ... Bolaire: "You have been judged, you horrible woman." LOL
Oh shit, Tyranny's just LAYING IT ALL OUT for them right now? Interesting tack ... I hope this works ...
Both Advantage AND Disadvantage makes it a STRAIGHT roll ... fascinating ... but these are some TOUGH odds to beat ... spend a Lukc point , yeah ... hmmmm ... not THE BEST ... I don't think that QUITE succeeded ... but it DIDN'T actusally FAIL, either ...
And HERE is where we swap out the tables again ... back at the theatre, then ...
Unseen but still profoundly FELT by everyone ... that is SO VERY BEAUTIFUL ... and everybody here is just BASKING in the glow of it all ...
OF COURSE these two are still SO MUCH in love ...
This is now TRULY the Hallowed Round ...
Hal GOT THE SPELL SLOT BACK?!!! Holy shit ... wait, oh, that is EVEN BETTER, so Bardic and Druidic spells cast here DO NOT use up Slots AT ALL ... fucking AMAZING ...
"Possession but in a cute way" ... LOL
Fucking hell, the Boons just KEEP ON COM,ING ... O.O
Lash as gone FULL METHOD ... O.O ... I love this so much ... XD ... and Hal just uses it to make things even wilder and more awesome while he's being a PRODUCER ...
Murray's just having A BLAST ... LOL
Arcana check! With Help from Halla ... thsat's a NAT20!!! Wow ... O.O
Ah, the Bridge is unstable ... yeah ... of course ... yeah, "too much of a good thing" is right ...
So what do we do right now? What CAN we do?
Okay, so Azune's gonna go check on Vaelus and what's goinjg on in the woods ... meanwhile Murray decides to stay put, just in case ...
Another Enhace Ability AND a Bardic I(nspiration for Lash ... nice ...
Guidance with a headbutt from the deer ... wild ...
Thaumaturgy and Illusion but for the SPIRITS? Sounds weird ... arcana check! With lukc ... AND Guidance ... hmmmmm ... oh dear, that sounds awfully complicated ...
Meaning and intention ... hmmmmmm ... the paint is just paint unless it's used for its true intention ... profound ... but ALSO complicated ...
Murray DOES NOT know what Thaisha wants her to do in this moment ... that's a problem ... O.O
Vaelus is still struggling with Sophie's Choice ... oh, but she has A PITCH for a third option ... Brennan is intrigued ... hmmmmm ... wait, SPLIT the Stone? Really? COULD that work?
A sacrifice? This is really dangerous talk right now, Ashley ... OF COURSE he's happy to make a "terrible bargain" with her, Brennan LOVES chaos ... O.O
Playing with chance ... a Religion check with an INSANE high DC ... holy shit, that is SERIOUS STAKES ... you have to roll INSANELY well here, Ashley ... O.O
OF COURSE she casts Guidance on herself ...
Aabria: "Ashley, if you roll and Nat20 I'm gonna have my child right now!"
A moment with Hannan ... and then she takes her censer and SMASHES THE STONE!!! O.O
There is a chance that Vaelus may well DIE doing this ... NO SHIT!!!
Azune runs in on THIS ... O.O ... and he GETS IT too ... fucking hell ... and he UNDERSTANDS ... of course he does ... and it's up to HIM to help her make the decision ... FUCK ...
This really is UNBEARABLE ... oh shit, it IS the Monkey's paw ... fuck ... but she's NOT going to let herself make that selfish choice ... so she just LETS IT HAPPEN as it was INTENDED to ... fucking hell ...
It still needs to be anchored ... so it's up to HIM to do the last thing ... so HE DOES IT ...
A LITERAL DRAGON? Holy shit ... that's unsettling ...
The first dragon to awaken in this land in living memory? Intriguing ...
Murray thinks SHE fixed it ... LOL
Hannan casts Water Breathing on them both and then dives into the water ... okay, guess we're going swimming, then ...
Well this is trippy ... so the Strone IS destroyed, but it also became an anchor of Fae energy ... oh, well THAT is interesting, then ... a new source of power for faeries all over Araman ... powerful ...
Hannan is right ... no more WINGING IT, please ...
Nature check! Or Arcana ... not exactly a safehouse, but something close, at least ...
Oh man, please don't let this break the trust that she'd managed to build with him ... shit ...
Out of the water, then ... and Hanna is just casting Call lightning ... hmmmmm ... yeah, he's TOOLING UP right now ...
Okay, so we're taking a break, then ...
back at the Manor, then ... oh dear ... yeah, we're in the darkness and horror of Occtis' home once more ...
Necromancers, man ... O.O
Oh wow ... Dame Seremai wants to MURDER JULIEN right now, but can't because Occtis won't command her to ...
So ... are they in "the taint" right now?
Oh shit ... yeah, Thimble CANNOT STAY HERE for very long ... you need to GET OUT fast ...
Matt rolled ONE on his Hit Dice ... wow ... and even as a player he's not willing to negotiate with Laura as she tries to argue with him about accepting it ... LOL
Well that went much more smoothly than I expected, to be honest ...
Okay, so ... yeah, THIS might be a potentially threatening situation, then ... this is more like it ... for better or much, MUCH worse ...
Yes, the more trouble we're in the more giggly we get. It's a defense mechanism ...
Arcana check! Oh, and also a Group Perception check ... and WISDOM checks ... crap ... but with Advantage, thankfully ... hmmmmmmm ...
Cyd looks fine too ... phew ...
A wrought iron cage in an aviary ... and a falcon on the verge of death because they can't land ... oh yeah, that's DEFINITELY gotta be the one we're looking for ...
Davinos kinsmen? SERIOUSLY?!!! And Julien's father's remains too ... oh, you fuckers ... the Tachonis must die!
So they are EXACTLY in the opposite place they need to be from where they NEEDED to go ... brilliant ...
Ah yes ... the ABOVE TABLE game ... and the VERY HIGH STAKES inherent in it ... oof ...
So take the safer route but risk losing time, or take the dangerous one but at least it's quicker ... oof ... dagers in both right now ... tough choices ...
The longer but safer route, then ...
He knocked the accent out of Travis' mouth ... LOL
Working out where everybody needs to go while also who's going where and doing what when they split the party ... which of course you should NEVER DO ...
Ah yes, a Shield glyph for Julien ... smart ...
Calm down with the metagaming, guys ... XD
Oh boy ... Investiagtion checks ... with increasing DCs ... yeah ... well that was a bit of a mixed bag ... please do better on the Stealth checks ...
Following Julien, then ... Perception check ... everything you're seeing and hearing suggests going in there is SUCH a bad idea ... 0.0
Insight check? Hmmmmm ... oh wow ... that is a HORRIBLE roll ... I have such a bad feeling about this ...
Investigation check ... yes, looks like that IS what he's looking for ... Perception check with a Wisdom save ... wow ... more mixed results ...
Here we go, Julien just KILLS HIM on the spot ...this should be interesting ... wow ... that is some FUCKED UP SHIT ... but there's a kind of graceful ironic beauty to it too ...
Oh dear ... I had a feeling something was coming ... but not from THIS quarter ... is Julien finally going to be murdered by his own shadow? No, it's more just ... DOING SOMETHING ... well THAT is just fucking FREAKY ... and THIS is where Brennan goes to somebody else ... okay then ... O.O
Occtis and Thimble now, then ... and they're making it into the tower ...
Interesting ... Occtis is making a pact with Dame Seremai ... it's kind of tragic ...
The top of the tower, then ... and moving on to the other two ...
Teor and Cyd find the dead Davinos ... lovely ... oh fuck, that is really unpleasant ... I'm really glad Julien isn't here to see this ...
Wait ... EVERYBODY'S rolling Initiative? Shit ... and Brennan goes to grab the Battlemap ... or is it PLURAL?!!!
That's right, Pin died and he hasn't had a chance to get him back yet ...
I thought so, another Battlemap ... oh, and Cyd FINALLY gets his own mini ...awwwww ...
First up for a Percetion check for Occtis and Thimble ... great ...
Yes, that's right, Because a 13 is NOT a 15 ...
Fucking hell that is NIGHTMARE FUEL ... and EVERYBODY hears that scream ... lovely ...
Of course ... chidlhood trauma ... poor Occtis ...
cctis opens the door ... an undead monitor lizard? Fascinating ... that is pretty cool ... so two ghouls ... and he has it make a multi-attack ... a Rotting Rend? Sweet ... and that's a lot of Necrotic damage ... but no Poison damage this time, of course ... full on SAVAGERY, I love it ...
Teor swings his axe at Raimond ... who is PRONE so he has Advantage ... and he CRITS ... perfect ... THWACK!!! And he pours an extra Divine Smiote into the mix so it's A LOT of damage since he's DOUBLING for the Crit ... beautiful ... INSTANTLY disarmed him ...
One of the ghouls attack the monitor lizard ... which is immune to Necrotic damage ... the other rushes Occtis ... who throws up his Shield to deflect the damage ... phew ...
The late Raimond rises from his plinth and draws his sword ... two attacks with the Dread Blade ... fantastic ... they BOTH hit ... and that;s WITH Necrotic ... which is DOUBLED ... Teor is UNCONSCIOUS ... fuck ... and he has ONE marked failure already, shit ... Raimond wheels around on Cyd ... a Creit Fail! Oh thank fuck ... so he just goes to Grapple instead ... and Cyd fails his strength check to avoid it ... crap ...
Holy fuck, Teor Levelling Up literally SAVES HIM and he is back up ... phew ... and he sees something truly HORRIFYING too ...
Julien has a pretty bizarre interaction with his shadow ... then rushes out and does his best to make his way to the aviary ... Inestigation check! Nice ... roll 1d4 ... two rounds to go before he gets there! Oof ... and his Shadow SAVES HIM from running headlong into some skeletons? Interesting ...
Thimble flanks the ghoul and hits it with her rapier ... the coffee ALMOST cursed her roll but she has Advantage ... phew ... another hit which ALSO lands ... this time with the Toy Sword ... which finally dispatches it ... perfect ... then she buzzes straight through the slats in the door into the next room and the aviary itself ... and she's FOUND Mara!
Shite ... the rest of the Davinos corpses are reanimating ... but they're locked out of the room ... Athletics check! Balls ... they break in and now there are zombies shambling into the room ... fantastic ...
Fuck ... more undead manifest in the aviary ... PROPER undead KNIGHTS ... SHIT!!! Thank fuck Occtis still has his Shield up, he only takes ONE hit ... and BOTH attsacks MISS Thimble ... phew ...
Cyd breaks free and heals his brother ...
Occtis casts a Second level Ray of Sickness at his opponent ... but it's Immune to Poison damage so he just gets the Hit Points back from it ... damn ...
His lizard keeps attacking the ghoul ... and that EN DS IT on the spot ... nice ... so he has it flank him instead against the Knight ... it'll do ...
Teor now has Second Level spells ... okay ... he heals himself ... instead of making an attack ... okay, then, Travis ... might not have been the best plan ...
Raimond is doing a daredevil move ... big risk for big rewards ... this is potentially hairy ... wow ... yeah, Travis is now FUCKED ... oh gods that is A LOT of dice maths he's doing ... he FUCKS CYD UP but somehow he's still up ...second misses ... but then the third WIPES HIM OUT ... he's DOWN ... fuck ... and Raimond STILL has a bonus attack left ... Bloody Claw? Shit ... and technically he has FOUR ARMS right now ... O.O ... and now Teor is POISONED too ... fucking hell ...
Julien ponders what's going on with his Shadow as he rushes ... Insight check ... oh dear, what's this? Okay ... so he's being given a warning ablout teor's plight ... is he gonna go back instead, than? His mother's words? Oh dear ... I can already see this coming ... it's another Sophie's Choice! Oh boy ... yeah, he leaves the brothers to die as he just keeps going for the aviary! Holy shit ...
Thimble attacks the ghost threatening her ...and being a Swashbuckler she's a SLIPPERY customer ... fancy Footwork!" Shoop! Second hit goes through too ... and with extra Force damage ... nice!
The zombies are now swarming into the chamber ... crap ...
Occtis Misty Steps across the room, then blasts a Firebolt at the Knight ... FWOOOOOSH!!!
The lizard lays into it too ... but no Necrotic damage lands, of course ... crap ...
Teor Summons Steed to call in a Celestial dire wolf ... but he's too crowded to get straight o it ... crap ... and all he has is two uses of Desperate Measures ... so he swings on Raimond with the axe ... and uses the DM to pump it right up to MAX DAMAGE ... one hit to go and he can end it ... fuck, it's a 4 ... that just DOESN'T HIT ... I think Teor's going to die now ...
Raimond might STILL flub this if he dumps the roll ... O.O ... fuck ... but a shitty damage roll means Teor is STILL ALIVE!!!
Julien rushes into the aviary, takes a blink to evaluate the situation and takes Occtis' lead that the ghosts ARE a threat ... first attack hits ... thunk! Then hits with the Gauntlet too and with Sneak Attack it's EXTRA damage ... it hits too ... and the ghost is ROUGH ... so he uses his Action Surge ... and hits again ...
Thimble hits it with the rapier ... but misses ... then HITS with the Toy Sword ... and it's a BIG HIT ... which MURDERS the ghost on the spot ... exploding into confetti and fireworks! And she can pick a lock with her Bonus, so ... 21 with Thieves Tools is PERFECT!!! And Mara is OUT of the cage ...
The zombies swamp Teor and start raking at him ... and they KEEP HITTING HIM ... O.O ... fuck ... Teor is GOING TO DIE ... and he has no Deasth Saves left ... fuck ...
In spite of everything ... at least Cyd won't go into whatever comes next alone ...
His final thoughts are his friends ... and even Julien ... hoping thsat maybe he can become a better man after all ... and finally he thinks on Wick ... who receives his Holy Emblem and a Boon along with it ... just as he passes ... and he's GONE ...
Fuck ... so that's it for Travis, at least for now ... but he leaves the table, whispering: "Think of me ..."
Psychic damage to all as the ghost unleashes a nightmarish howl ... oof ... and now Julien is frightened ...
Occtis is doing something VERY RISKY ... interesting ... oh hello, he casts Sword of Shadow and slashes at the ghost ... and somehow he HITS IT despite not being a swordsman! Awesome ... damn lucky, there ... he decapitates it ... and that's it, the last threat expunged ...
Julien kicks the door open and they rush to aid the falcon ... they finally free her but she's unconscious ... but at least she's stable ...
The alert's gone up, they have NO TIME now ...
Thimble flits out the window to look for ANYTHING that can help them get down ... Investigation check! Not great ... she finds NOTHING ...
Thunder? Oh, I think I know what thsat is ... THEY think they're in deep shit but I know for a fact they're actually SAFE ...
Oh my gods they're all just JUMPING OUT THE WINDOW!!! O.O ... oh thank fuck ... yeah, Occtis casts feather Fall on himself and Julien ... phew ...
Thimble's going to STAY BEHIND to look for teor? Damn it ... Stealth AND Investigation ... and she heads inside ... and Brennan calls that IT for her on this session ... while the others make off with Mara ...
Back with Tyranny as she and her sisters arrive at the Tailor's Shop and drag Kattigan inside ...
Rullius and Calastro ... great ... these two again ... aqnd Tyranny continues to bluff her way through the best she can ...
Oh hello, could THAT ruse actually work? P-LEASE tell me one of them is going to put it on ...
CAN she get them on her own? Persuasion check, with Advantage ... hmmmmm ... okay, looks like it might actually work ... I really do hope she really DID fool her sisters after all ... clearly Cruelty still isn't QUITE sold yet ...
Oh yeah, Kattigan is COMPLETELY clueless in this situation ... which is not good ... he DOESN'T KNOW that Tyranny's still on his side ...
Deception check! And she does have a couple of Luck left ... oh nice ...
Holy shit, could they just get genuinely dumb as fuck enough to actually REALLY put the Mask on? Oh my gods it's happening ...
ROLL INITIATIVE!!! Including Bolaire! XD ... yeah, they only have ONE opponent left to defeat now!
Bolaire fakes it the best he can ... Deception check! And it succeeds ...
Calastro hits Kattigan with Hold Person ... and Kattigan has Disadvantage on his Wisdom saver so he's INSTANTLY stuck ... then he strolls off to get the wine ...
Bolaire follows him, pretesnding he's still Calastro ... and casts Dissonant Whispers on him ... which he FAILS to save against ... making him INSTANTLY fl;ee into the changing room ... while dropping his Concentration ... and Bolaire is now pursuing him with the Glass Sword ...
Tryanny tries to convince Kattigan to trust her ... which succeeds ... but while she's at it she IMMEDIATELY sees EVERYTHING that he went through, the tragedy and horror he's suffered ... oh dear, so he's just seen her for what she TRULY is ... but it's NOT as scary as it could have been, it seems ... oh yeah, I think they might actually finally be FRIENDS after all ...
"Not everything born of demon world is wrtong ..." Damn straight ...
Kattigan rushes into the other room and goes STRAIGHT for the remaining brother ... and starts fucking him up ... oh yeah, Estra attack ... and he FINISHES HIM OFF on the spot ... THWACK-CRACK!!!
So I guess that's that, then ...
Now Kattigan is essentially dead, at least OFFICIALLY ...
Good point ... how well HAS HE taken over his new vessel? Oh, okay ... seems like he's cracked it surprisingly well ... and now we're getting a TRUE insight into what it's REALLY LIKE inside that seriously HAUNTED Mask ...
Wow ... so THIS is what Bolaire is REALLY LIKE, deep down inside? This is UNSETTLING ... O.O
Yes, please free Wulfric ...
And now they're going to go down and see what these brothers have REALLY been up to ...
Oh hello, now Bolaire has FINALLY Levelled Up ...
Back to the Villa Aurora and Wick ... who has now VERY MUCH managed to properly worm his way into this little conspiracy ...
Ah, here we go, then ... finally getting the next big lore dump, and this time the insight we REALLY need into Primus' CORE plans ...
Occtis' signet ring? Intriguing ...
Damn, looks like he might be more clued up on what OUR side has been planning than we previously expected ... that's a little worrying ...
The Scar again ... seriously, what IS that?
HA!!! That's gonna be his undoing ... anyone who's stupid enough tom discount the little folk will ALWAYS underestimate the ones who' ultimately dictate their fate ...
He's STILL keeping up his bluff when dealing with Einfasen ... this should be interesting ...
Detect magic? Really? Just like that ...
Wick turning on the flirting game is so funny ... XD ... but it's also revealing something ... INTERESTING involving the twins, too ... and maybe something a little ... MORE ... yeah, that might be a little icky, if that's where they're going with this ... or maybe not?
So it looks like Wick is finally fully back in the grace and trust of his family once again ... hopefully ... if he CAN keep- up the rtuse ... Persuasion check!
Heading back out again ... oh, and something else, too ... Teor's Emblem ... FUCK ... and THAT'S where we call it a night?
