you spice?

Azune was there. The story we've been told is not the whole story. Something else happened, and Julien looked humiliated and, honestly, near tears at one point when he realized Azune had seen everything.

Like, what the fuck happened? Does Thimble know? She once said, "Julien always lies." Which was weird in the moment, cause he doesn't really, but now it's looking like he lied about Thjazi's defeat...but why?

It destroyed his relationship with his father, probably earned him no points with Aranessa, and, honestly, seems to have ruined his life, turning him aimless and to a life of distraction by any means.

And if it was all a lie and something else happened, why would Thjazi, Thimble, and Azune all keep to that story? Especially since no one else seems to know. Thaisha brings up the assumed story when she's arguing with Julien in episode 1. If there is another story, why wouldn't someone have told her? She's not an acquaintance. She's Thjazi's sister-in-law and seems to have had a close relationship with him!

And then, Azune promises Julien to only tell the story Julien wants him to tell! Azune who obviously cared for Thjazi a great deal, agrees to lie for Julien's sake. Granted, it seems Azune is working on the correct assumption that Julien is at least passively suicidal, likely more, at this point, so he may just be making whatever promises he thinks will get Julien away from the proverbial edge.

Is it that Thjazi turned himself in? With our current info, that seems like an exceedingly unlikely choice, as there would be no benefit to Thjazi to do so. Did someone else defeat Thjazi and Julien took credit for it? Did something else happen?

There have been some awesome posts going around about how Murray refuses to code switch, and they made me want to look more closely at the Primus/Ellipedes/Murray conversation in particular. It's the highest stakes moment so far where code switching would normally be expected.

The first time watching this scene I was so terrified Murray was going to get murdered on the spot that I couldn’t fully appreciate it. ALL the DM danger flags were flying and serious props to Marisha for sticking to her guns regardless. I would have folded like a cheap chair.

What stuck out on a second watch was just how civil Murray was being throughout most of that exchange. Just not civil in the way Lord Primus Tachonis expected or demanded.

Primus walks in and immediately causes Murray (and presumably Ellipedes) physical discomfort just by looking at her. Something about his presence causes her saliva to cool and get stuck in the back of her throat, causing her to cough a bit. He then addresses Ellipedes and rudely ignores Murray entirely. Murray responds to his behavior by making some faces/going cross-eyed.

When he comments on it, asking what is wrong with her eyes, she doesn’t do what Primus expects and change her register or tone, but she DOES give him and everyone a polite, face-saving out. “Allergies.” It’s obviously a lie, but one tied to the coughing he inflicted earlier. He rejects the out by insulting her teeth instead. She responds pretty gracefully, proudly showing off her gemstone components, and again gives him an option to deescalate and a chance to acknowledge that she is a whole person by asking if he likes them. He, again, says no in the coldest, most condescending tone possible.

It’s only then we get the bemused “Oh, well fuck you.”

Sure Murray is blunt in this interaction, but Murray is also FURIOUS with this man and everything he represents. She is holding back. She isn’t going full lightning bolts (kaplow!), she’s responding to what he’s doing and throwing his energy back in his face while still maintaining a veneer of civility. It’s just a different veneer than Primus is used to and not one of total acquiescence. And anything other than total acquiescence will never, ever be enough for Primus because Primus Tachonis expects her to be furniture.

Tallbarrel, in a microcosm of their conversation with Murray earlier, is ready to be furniture (a cheap folding chair) and immediately tries to smooth things over. Tallbarrel doesn’t prioritize how Primus perceives him or the institution of the Penteveral. Tallbarrel sees a threat and frantically tries to get everyone he cares about out of there alive and hopefully with at least Murray’s job intact. It doesn’t matter that Murray is absolutely justified in responding to Primus like this, or the precedent that allowing this sort of behavior sets, Tallbarrel is worried about the immediate consequences (initially disciplinary measures, then an unjustified cursing, followed by straight-up death).

Primus tells Tallbarrel he wants Murray to face disciplinary action for being ‘coarse’ in his presence, then goes back to the matter at hand (where’s my kid?). Murray, already pissed off, refuses to tone herself down for Primus even after being threatened with serious consequences. She doesn’t stay quiet, but keeps reminding Primus she is still in the room, continuing to involve herself in the conversation and even gets a few digs in at Occtis's appearance but also refers to him as “honestly a good kid.”

Notably, Primus doesn’t respond to either the insults directed at Occtis or the ‘good kid’ comment. He calmly continues the conversation as if Murray hadn’t spoken instead. He states, “My house has arrived here in Dol-Makjar to attend the funeral of the criminal who attacked our guards in the marketplace. I’d hoped to entreat with my son, whom I’m given to understand has somehow worked out a way to acquire the gifts of shadow in the Realms Beyond that his own constitution was either too weak or sclerotic to arrive at under normal means?”

Murray is enraged by this statement more than anything so far. His incredulity about wizardry having actual value gets to her. Marisha describes Murray feeling like the back of her head is on fire, that she is chewing on the inside of her mouth, literally biting her tongue so that she does not make a massive mistake.

And with that as the set up, the next thing out of Murray's mouth is, “What was it, Primus? Can I call you Primus? I don’t want to be (laughs) indecent.”

She is still being polite here! Just on her own terms and not how a Sundered House Lord expects! She is demanding to be treated like a person and an equal. When he responds by calling her a ragamuffin and a commoner and is incredulous that she might believe she has a right to call him by his first name she plays it off politely in her own way (“oh thank you, I haven’t been called a ragamuffin since my early twenties”) but also stands firm with the crux of the whole conversation:

“Yes, That’s the thing. That’s what we actually believe her in the Penteveral. That, you know, despite anyone’s status, they can rise above what they were born into, whether it be wealth or poverty, and make something of themselves. And regardless of what I think about…your family…I gotta give credit where credit is due and Occtis did just that.”

Which just gets a flat look and a “Hmm.”

She goes on in a much more casual tone, mentioning that she’s hasn’t seen Occtis, that he hasn’t been around for the last little while, and then gets hit with a wisdom saving throw for an upcast Bestow Curse.

Murray makes the save with a 21, but it’s clear that whatever she avoided was bad. It was subtle cast, so there’s no visible proof that it was Primus, and there’s nothing in his expression that has changed or given him away, but it is so clear that this is how the Sundered Houses operate. Punitive magic with no oversight and no accountability.

She gives him a knowing nod, but Still. Keeps. Going.

She chats as if nothing had happened, offers recommendations for vacation spots near her home, and makes it abundantly clear that she is not thrown or intimidated.

And that’s when Primus stops being subtle and just openly says, “If you continue to speak to me, I’m going to kill you where you stand.”

Which says so much about the kind of power Primus believes he has. Arcane power, social power, and political power. Killing this woman for the crime of annoying him will not cause him any problems or grief - not legally, magically, or otherwise. And it becomes clear that Tallbarrel, at least, absolutely believes this to be true, that this is not an empty threat.

AND MURRAY IS STILL READY TO THROW DOWN. Her next words aren’t an apology or cowed silence, but, “Oh! Okay, yeah, you know?”

And at this point Dean Tallbarrel jumps in to try and salvage the situation. He interrupts Murray (not Primus!) and tries to soothe Lord Tachonis, but Murray still isn’t done. She attempts to cast detect magic to prove if it was in fact Primus that cast it or some invisible crony of his, casting some sleight of hand. It goes unnoticed by Primus, but not Tallbarrel who counter spells her, using the teapot pratfall as cover, and messages for her to “go, go, go go, go, go go go, go, go.”

Tallbarrel accepts the castigation from Primus without complaint, laughing off being called a ‘ridiculous man’ and still tries to keep Murray employed after getting her out of the room (what would be a worse punishment? being fired or struggling to do magic as a commoner? aha so funny!). There’s the nat 1 insight check that Marisha absolutely commits to, and everything that follows from it.

It’s a fascinating nailbiter of a scene, especially since we know from the cooldown that Primus Tachonis was absolutely not making an empty threat and if things had shaken out differently that could have been the end of Murray. It really establishes who Murray is and what she stands for as well as what she won’t stand for. Murray truly believes that anyone can rise above where they came from, and we see in this moment what she means by rising above. She not only doesn't buy into the nobility of the houses, but sees that worldview as a failing needing to be overcome.

CRITICAL ROLE vs. THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA

CRITICAL ROLE vs. THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA

I have been meaning to post this by itself, so here you go! The last fanart I did of the mighty nein as the campaign ended.