How Hal builds community feels hugely important to his role in the larger party (and why I was very resistant to theories about him leaving Dol-Makjar during Convergence). We've seen him do it in three major ways: providing art for people to experience together (I actually think it's hugely important that he's a playwright, actor, and musician, not a painter or novelist, I know that's basically a given for bard as a class, but also, he specifically makes art intended to be experienced in groups), providing comfort to people in emotional distress, and providing spaces for people to gather. (We also know he does some politicking, but we haven't really seen that in action beyond glimpses yet. Fingers crossed for the next schemers arc.)
Those last two, but especially providing spaces to gather, is what I really want to talk about. Hal is the maintainer of home and hearth. He stays home and raises the children while his brother and lover go to seek a better world. And he is the safe resting place they return to when they can. Pre-campaign, this is true for Thjazi,
for Azune (at least in the past),
presumably for Alogar, and to a certain extent for Thimble (she says this about Hal's house in episode 3) .
Now, it is becoming true for the whole party.
There's a post I reblogged back somewhere about how interesting it is to have a male character fill this role: the one left waiting in hope, ready to provide comfort and a space to rest. Which is true. But it's also just an interesting role to have a PC play in general. D&D is a game geared toward traveling adventure. Yes, you can quite successfully play a whole game in one city, but it was created with the idea of adventurers going out exploring. And yet Hal has historically been, and so far remains, not an adventurer on a quest but a safe harbor for everyone to land in. The Schemers have deliberately not operated out of Hal's home for security reasons, but as soon as the Seekers and Soldiers returned, Hal's home is where everyone went. And now, it is where Teor and Cyd's bodies lay, despite them being people Hal only knew in passing. The Hallowed Round is a space Hal has provided for the free people of Dol-Makjar to gather and find community and inspiration in. Hal's House is a place he is providing for the people fighting to keep Dol-Makjar free to gather and discuss the future and lick their wounds. And providing these spaces, he is building community on both a grand and small scale. It doesn't matter that he barely knows Julien or Kattigan. They both know that they can enter Hal's home freely and safely after their missions because it is the space this community gathers. And Hal, even as he has been forced to join the fight, is also still keeping the home fire burning for everyone to rest around.
And I do actually think this is critical to the story CR4 is telling. Not just a fun idea Liam has decided to explore with his character. CR4 is not a story of found family. Found family might happen because of the nature of D&D parties and playing with your friends, but it is a story about resisting tyranny. And one of the most basic, fundamental aspects of resisting tyranny is building resilient (and non-isolationist) communities. It doesn't actually matter if Thimble and Julien ever like each other. It does matter that they can and do share a community and a purpose. And Hal, by virtue of providing a space for said community to gather, is doing a ton of the work necessary to make that possible
dailybridgerton
romaincrisis
pixelskylines
gamechangershow
gummygunk
2087
areudirty
yousharknotpass
