Critical Role - Broken Wing | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 2 | Part 1

Episode Date: October 16, 2025

Part 1 This episode is sponsored by Hit Point Press. Spooky Season is here! Get 30% off your order on tarot, oracle, and spooky items at http://hitpointpress.com/critter - Use code “CRITTER” This episode is sponsored by Aether & Iron. Wishlist Aether & Iron on Steam! Play the demo available now for this decopunk narrative RPG! Coming Soon to Steam Next Fest - https://bit.ly/AetherAndIronCR   The loved ones of Thjazi Fang must contend with the ramifications of his past plots and schemes still reverberating across Dol-Makjar and their own lives... Use Code OVERTURE for one month free on Beacon! https://beacon.tv/joinNew Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays.Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/   GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACONWe're excited to bring you even MORE Campaign 4 with a Beacon membership! Get access to exclusive shows like our behind-the-scenes Critical Role Cooldown and ask the Campaign 4 cast your burning questions directly through our LIVE monthly Fireside Chats.You'll also receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant ad-free access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord.Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to everything Critical Role! OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee MulliganLaura Bailey as ThimbleLuis Carazo as Azune NayarRobbie Daymond as Kattigan ValeAabria Iyengar as Thaisha LloyTaliesin Jaffe as Bolaire LathaliaAshley Johnson as VaelusMatthew Mercer as Sir Julien DavinosWhitney Moore as TyrannyLiam O’Brien as Halandil "Hal" FangMarisha Ray as Murray Mag’NessonSam Riegel as Wicander "Wick" HalovarAlexander Ward as Occtis TachonisTravis Willingham as Teor Pridesire CREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireEdited by Taylor Burke and Emily "Stevie" StevensonVisual Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceMiniature Painting by Payton Keo LacebalTheme Music by Neal AcreeCharacter Art by Loren HontanillaAdditional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why, hello there. I'm Brennan Lee Mulligan, and welcome to Campaign 4 of Critical Role. Thank you for joining us on this journey as we explore Aramon, a world of fractured kingdoms, tumultuous rebellion, and sorcery that rises from the graveyard of the gods. You're listening to Part 1 of this adventure, with Part 2 arriving this upcoming Tuesday. Our episodes typically arrive on the Critical Role Podcast Network, week after our initial Thursday night streams on Beacon, YouTube, and Twitch. But if you'd rather listen to a full podcast episode of Campaign 4, right when it airs, without any ads, consider becoming a Beacon member.

You'll receive access to exclusive content, discounts at all our online Critical Role shops, pre-sales for live events, and so much more. Start your seven-day free trial today at Beacon.tv. Now, without further ado, let's begin this episode of Critical Role. I need all of you to roll a D4. What? What? What I thought it's going to happen?

What do we get? Four. Two. Two. Two. Four. I'm going to need Azunay and Kattegan to each give me a death saving throw. Overhead.

The head arrows fly through the sky. Nearby Loza Blade, about 12 or 13 years younger than the last time we saw her, cries out as two arrows go into her shoulder. You see that she takes a small axe off a holster under an arm and hucks it across a battlefield as an archer commander says, Arnavox in the head falls to the ground. She says, get back under the hill!

And shoves a young, Tunks, the boarman, who at this point is only about 16 years old as like a kid. I see grunts and snorts back into the waiting darkness. You see overhead a rippling spiral of green necromanic energy. Shoot overhead. Far away from you, you see your friend Milo looking up and saying, Everyone came moving for Skull gone dead to the ground. Death saves from you two.

Okay. Save. Fail, seven. Woo! What's your doing? Cadigan, on the ground. Describe your character for us in this moment and describe the injury that is starting

to bleed out past the point of repair. Oh yeah, he's sliced, sliced up. Basically, he's always fighting low, so all of his injuries are up high in his body. Shoulders, neck, he's got puncture wounds, super close to lungs and heart. He's jacked from the waist up mostly. Yeah.

Ozene, where are you, and how do you look in this distant memory? I am 15 years old. I'm young, I'm shorter, I'm skinnier, and the last thing I remember before the lights went out was struggling to keep up with my group, these two guys that grown men at this part of my life that I've grown to emulate in a way.

I saw how Teo, or blocks things with his shield and the way that Cattigan fights with his weapon and the noise, the screams, and I wasn't ready for that and the smell of blood and I misstepped. And next thing I know, the lights were out. I don't even know at me.

You see overhead, the sky darkens as two sorcerers of the sundered houses fly under their own power. One of them drops through the sky, looks across the battlefield, A tiny moat of light as time almost slows. Down! I'm gonna get everybody here to roll initiative.

Oh my God, I'm not ready, yes! Whoop? What did we get, Azine? I got a six. What did we get Teor? 18. What did we get Thimble?

15. What did we get Cat again? Quincy's 18. Much like before, Cattigan and Teor are going to act on the same initiative. I'll remind you, Teor. Big cats. Big cats.

I'll remind you, Teor, unfortunately for you, my friend, your first level. Oh. It's your turn. What do you do? I try and spot, Jesus. Can I see both Katagan and Azuna down on the ground?

Yes, you can. Give me a medicine check. I'm bleeding out, man. Oh, that's natural 18 for a dirty 20. Dirty 20. Triage, you've learned enough about medicine working for Loza. Over your shoulder, you see a dwarven woman. You see she's got a thick braided beard,

an empty upper lip, thick braided beard. You see that she leans down, reaches into a satchel, takes out a small, Dwarven poultice, crushes it in her hand. A red mist surrounds her as she punches into the empty hole created by a spell in your comrade Lucia's chest. She's got an open cavity, ribs exposed, punches into it and says,

oh, this broken can be mended. Come on, girl, you're not done fighting yet. It rips her fist out and leaves a bunch of the flesh from her own fist, stitching up Lucia's body as your Dwarven medic gets her up on her feet. Norma turns to you and says, remember, look at him. Gut bad! Limbs, they can stay!

And as you look out and see Azunay and you see Katagan, you see that Azunay's injury is all shoulder and chest muscle, and Katagan's got something that's bad and bleeding. That's your medicine check. Got it. I'll try and search the air for Thimble. Any sight of her? Overhead, you see near where Loz is closer to the top of the hill,

running down the trench as fast as possible. You see Thimble coursing down. towards you with Theazi right behind, right behind her. You see, Thiasi's got something in a dirty tarp wrapped up over and over and over again. Looks like he's sprinting. He here is about, like, you know, late 20s, just running as fast as he can. You see he's got about eight gilded gem studded, like staves and wands wrapped up in a tarp. Just as fast as he can.

But you see Thimble is way ahead of him. I'm lit up and trying to lead the way. I'm going to call out to Thimble. read me to close ranks, and I'm going to run towards catting it as fast as I can and just try and put pressure on the main chest cabinets. Using your action, go ahead and give me a medicine check. The difficulty is 10.

10, okay. Natural 16 for an 18. You lean down. Reaching into a bag, Norma's magical healing is great, and she is one dwarf. And so you reach down and just grab gauze, rag, wrap it around, staunch the bleeding, Cadigan stabilizes.

Fimble, it is your turn. Where am I trying to lead theazi? Theazi's looking up. He goes, he goes, the auxiliaries, the belladry, we gotta go, oh shit. You see that he says, Loza, do they fall back? You see, from up on top of the hill, she looks out and you see sees something closing ranks.

A sorcerer drops out of the sky. You see this. a third one. You see beautiful white flickering tunic. This is a sorcerer of House Cormoray who puts points at the ground. Roons appear all around Loza. She looks, sees it happening in real time, and bursting up from a nine-pointed star is a snarling summoned Drake, like a 15-foot dragon. You see, she goes, they're over the hills! The house! He didn't fall! back, just takes her axe and thugs it into the side of this massive, summoned creature. Fiazzi looks up at you, Thimble, and says, over the top, and just gets his staves,

whispers a little sort of arcane word under his breath, and you see that what is being created by this sort of burning fire in the outer reaches the battlefield hits him, and you see that his shadow splits into three different shadows of himself. and he tosses a bunch of staves to all of them, and they all start running over the edge. Awesome. Awesome. As fast as he can. Thimble, it is still your turn. I'm darting ahead, and I'm trying to find one of the sorcerers,

and I'm trying to get through the ranks, get it right behind them to the back of their head while they're distracted with all of the other shit going on. Hell yes, you see that Cormoray sorcerer looks down, shouting, for the honor of House Cormoray, for the honor of the Sundor! Go ahead and give me an attack roll. If you want to do it from hiding, you can. Okay, okay, okay. Oh, so that's advantage.

Yeah, huh? Okay, okay. That's 16 plus seven. That is a hit. Go ahead and roll damage. Okay. I know what I'm doing. Oh, good. Eight plus four. Remember, you only have a D6 because you're first level right now. So you only have one D6 of sneak attack. A sneak attack, you're right. Yes.

Plus five is 13 plus two, 15 points of damage. 15 points. On a natural four, the sorcerer is not felled by this blow, but does drop concentration on the summoned Drake. You reach out with your sword. I want it right here, like up into that soft part of the back of the head. Stabbing in under the skull,

a little bit of blood seeped into the corner of their eyes as they lurch forward. You see whatever magic item is compelling their flight stays active, but their concentration on this summon dissipates. As Loza says, good looking out, Zimbel! You look in that exact moment. Ozni, I'm going to need a death save from you here. You have one success, yes.

Can I use a look point for a death save? Yes, you can. Great. So while I'm in this darkness, I see my dad's face, and I see the moment that he had passed me off to the mercenaries way back when years before this. And the only thing I remember is him telling me that I was lucky, that I was getting a second chance.

And that sort of rings in my mind as I, hopefully, I succeed. Hell yes, you begin to stabilize. You see your father's face. There's something. It's not going to happen here. On a battlefield, arrows and spells fly overhead. Fiazzi runs as he does thimble

from behind the sorcerer. You look and see, Fiazzi is hit in the side and scatters. His shadows all vanishing. As he hits the ground, looking forward, you see a yaw. The shape dart from the shadows ahead of him towards his body, seeing an incoming barrage, flapping wings.

Wyverns taking to the sky. Loza looks up and says, fall back, fall back! A shape runs towards the Ozzie's body, and at the last moment you see gets two arms underneath it, lifts up his body, throws it on his shoulder, and rushes it. rushes forward as fast as he can, thundering with heavy boots, drops into the trench right in front of you,

saving Fiazzi from the oncoming barrage of these flying wyverns. As you return from the sorcerer, as the lozocals to fall back, the face lifts him up. Looks at you. Kazimir smiles. I'll go to him. Let's fall back. And we'll find out the fate of our old friend Kazimir on this episode You can't just casually drop it!

Hey! No. Wait, did we keep going? We keep going. We're still in it. Something's never changed. So earlier this week, we had our New York live show with Ford Ingesters Wendy! But if you missed it, our partner Fathom Entertainment is bringing it to movie theaters across the United States and Canada for one night only on October 15th at 7 p.m. local time.

Tickets are available for purchase at Fathom Events. Nope. Fathom Entertainment.com slash critical role. We're sticking with it, baby. Matt! Thank you, Marcia. We also have a Kickstarter going on right now for the Dagger Hard Class Packs. A new entry point of the game for some or a chance to get a second set of cards for your oops, all serfs party, or oops all wizards, or oops all anything, really. But these packs of cards hold anything an individual player needs to play their class from level one all the way to level 10.

It includes ancestry cards, community cards, subclass cards, and all the cards from the two domains that combined to create each unique class. So check it out now at Bitley-D-H-Classpacks, and I can't wait for you to check them now. You're up. Guess what? In honor of Ford and Justice.

Ow, I hit my elbow. We made some shirba. We made some Shiba police. Jackets. Oh. You're looking at yours. This is the Ford one. And this is, this is the Jessup!

Shut up. Are they reversible? No, but they just got really soft, fabulous lining. Both of them. Oh, look it out. It's got like that four. They're so cute. These are so Ashley Johnson.

I know. I think they're so super cute. Come on. So anyway, we made the Jester one and we liked it so much. We're like, we have to make a Ford one too. So there's that. You mean the Ford one was a part of these? Give me a break.

The Ford one was not the OG. The gesture was the OG. Is there a tiny bee? There's a tiny bee. There's a tiny bee on it. Also, does that one have like an anchor? He's a little wild mother. A wild mother.

Actually, it's not wild mother. It's an anchor with the wild mother floor. A wild anchor. I'm afraid this is going to make noise with my microphone. Just go for it. Just slide it down. This is super cool this next thing. I'm going to talk about as well.

Wait, there's more? Wait, there's more. You all know Spirit Halloween, you've seen them pop up all around your towns. They're the best. They just launched the first ever Critical Role costume. Yes! That's not true. That's not for a while, but...

Which of my characters is it? It's not yours, aha. They picked the popular ones. There's a gesture one. Wait, this isn't the official packaging. I shouldn't show you this part. There's stuff! Come on!

That's not cool! There's so, look at it online. Go to SpiraHlloween.com and you can see them online and you'll see how amazing these costumes are. In addition to the Jester one, there's also a Molly one. Yes. So these are all in, they're all chaotic in here because everybody's been putting them on around the office.

Yeah, you're presenting them actually a trash bag. I know, listen, this is not, I didn't look at these ahead of time. They're so cute though. They're quality. They're, yeah. Here's today. There's more designs on the coat than there will be in the animated series.

I was wearing this around. Oh, it's actually quite comfy. Insanely. Oh, wait. I'll put it on. They're so cute. They're so cute. That's really cute.

I know. Look at the little sleeves on this. Oh, yeah, they don't only get them right. They made the sleeves right. Good job, thank. Best announcements ever. Yay. What happens now?

I don't know. All right. All right. I believe that concludes. our announcements here, the Critical Role Announcement Playhouse. Let's go ahead and jump on back into Aramon. We return here to Dormakiar, the eastern edge of God. That's right, I'm opening the episode with the butt kicker in the table.

Upstairs in Hallandale Fang's office, side by side with Tisha Lloyd. You stare at shuddering flakes of black ceramic, curved in outline like a shattered mask, dancing under the vibrations of the table, closer and closer together. Downstairs in the funeral, Vailis, wandering elf from the mournvale coming and seeking a stolen artifact.

Boler of the Loy Wing, Curator of Artifacts, Murray Magnessen, a dwarven wizard of the Penteverell, and Sir Julian Davinos, a vassal of the House Royce. All hear a shaking and shuddering elsewhere in the home. As you look around and see the guests, look and see if anything strange or unusual has occurred. In this moment, we cut back upstairs, Hal and Tysha, what do you do?

Hallandiel, I don't know what I brought. I'm, what, what are we looking at? It looks like a mask, I don't. You brought, Gazi asked me to get this. This is, Octus and I, when we were in Venatis, this is what we were meant to find and bring back. I was supposed to hand it off to, I was supposed to hand it off to pull there.

Are we still, GM, are we looking at remnants still with diffragments, or have they formed? They have no longer formed, but they did, for what it's worth, shutter inward towards the center, towards each other. Okay. Can I reach forward with one? I'm just like, nudge two pieces together. Give me a Constitution saving threat.

Why? Natural one. No. Howl's hand did snake out to her wrist. I don't know if that is going to continue it over me. Give me a DC, what's your dexterity? Oh, God, I don't know. Not enough.

We'll see how quick Hal is on the draw here. I got a 13. 13, how, give me a, you got a 13 dexterity. Give me a DC 13 slide of hand check. That's not great, hold on. Curse, curse, curse. That's only a 10. 10, got it.

Die, die, die, die. Die, die. Die. That's game. Tycha, on a Nat 1 Constitution saving throw. You warmed up this time. We're gonna be really clear. This is episode two and I'm going to set a really important,

let's call it precedent about touching stuff. Tisha, you touch and stuff. Tisha, you touch one of the flakes. And how? What you see immediately in this moment is, first of all, everybody downstairs hears as Taisha, you touch this fragment in the center. The fragment drops through the velvet, which itself, the velvet drops into a conical swirling mist. The mist spirals down, spreading as the velvet magically transmutes into mist. swirling down, down, as the fragments instantaneously fall in until every velvet lining of this box is instead thick, ice-cold mist.

And amongst the fragments that disappear and the fabric, the other thing that disappears in this moment is your consciousness as you collapse to the ground. You take one point of falling damage. No. So mechanically, drop to unconscious. Drop to unconscious. Oh, all right, so how falls to his knees scoops underneath.

Wait, so you didn't catch me? No, there was no. We all saw the ten. The half-assed trust fall to the ground, yeah. All right. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And his arms are going to, like, run down along her arms, and he will say,

one word, and nobody hears it because I'm alone with my unconscious baby mama. But he just says the word stay, but it reverberates, it echoes low as I cast healing word. Incredible. So you say stay, you heal one hit point of damage. As you say stay, I think Tisha,

in unconsciousness, your eyelids flicker. The sclera and pupils of Tisha's eyes are a roiling cool mist. Everybody downstairs? Maybe you should give her mouth to mouth. I'm down with Bayless. She can have whatever she wants. We're going to go back downstairs.

Is anybody reacting in this moment to... I'm going to start walking upstairs. I'm still holding my cocktail. Push past... Push past Bayless. This none, because hell no. Hey, do you guys think that we should, and there they go.

All right. I guess, yeah, I'll follow. You follow upstairs. As you head up, you see that Shadia is still going to run upstairs as well. You see Oldgood looks, seeing a bunch of you all head up and goes, uh, nobody else. And you see he gets, he just sort of gets on the stairs and tries to play defense. He looks, this is sort of an aging theater producer who looks at this armored elven warrior

and is like, I don't think if I say don't go up there, she'll listen, and just sort of boxes everybody else out. However, Murray, you want to head up there, Julian. What are you doing? Julian's going to stay below and kind of more or less interpose himself between Lady Arnessa and whatever this might be up the stairs. She kind of keeps a keen eye.

She says, is everything all right? We don't know yet, but let other people get in the front of danger before us. And if it gets bad, we'll leave immediately. She looks up and goes, Ever Valeris, Sir Julianne. She, she,

so, Boler, Valas, and Murray, you rush up the stairs, Shottie, looks at you, Hall, and goes, Dad, Mom! And reaches down to look into Tisha's eyes. The three of you, Boler, you see the box,

missed, you do not see. There's no longer anything in the box other than mist that stops swirling and now is just lined with thick fog. Can I roll an Arcana check to see if I know what the fuck is happening? Let's do it. 15 gets you something, 20 gets you more, 25 gets you everything. Uh, that's, uh, hold on. Double 18s.

Yes, double 18s. So that's, uh, 18, 19, 21, or 25. 25. 25. 24. Sorry. 18, 19, 22. 24. 24. Everything.

Hell yeah. 24. Great. Amazing. So you look and see here, it's a silver box. It's about yea big. It's not a music box. It's large.

It's not solid silver, but the plates that adorn what you believe to be a, a wooden box, just looking at, in terms of its construction. So it looks more like the silver or is in solid plates, it's worked. You recognize this language as an archaic, heightened version of Kessian, which is a halfling language, interspersed with certain celestial glyphs. You recognize some terms on it. There is a word here. One of the words that's written here is obsidia in celestial,

which is an archaic no longer used term for the tennebral reaches. Prior to the Shaper's War, the realm of death was as a shifting veil of shadow. A momentary darkness passed through on the way to the realms of final rest, the halls of the gods. The underworld used to be a metaphysical clearing house,

a momentary place for souls to travel, and legends of the undead in ages, of Aramon passed were the stuff of myth and legend. To have a spirit so powerful that it could resist the resting places ordained by the gods was something of profound magic. Obsidia was a term for that veil. It was a sort of a celestial term for that veil. But you would be a be well aware that after the Shaper's War, what was a curtain expanded slightly. As the gods were destroyed, their realms of rest vanished in the worst instances of catastrophe and doom-saying by the population. Some believe that they were destroyed and all those eternal souls.

destroyed due to the hubris of the mortals that rose up against the gods. Others that, you know, the clerics that have come since that work in theoretical metaphysics that Blair would be well aware of, believe that the afterlives are still out there, just untethered from Aramon currently. That's a matter of theology and conjecture, and a lot of very flustered clerics would tell a worried mortal, we're working on it. Now, oh no. You realize that you're looking at it, this artifact, the silver plates are ancient, but you don't believe

that this box is ancient. You believe that this was constructed with older materials and has to, and you see makes reference to obsidian and in, the parts in Kessian refer to the realms of final rest, which would be a common part. of the afterlives, the various halls of the gods. And you realize as you're looking at this and looking at this ancient halfling language on it, you're not looking at a box.

You're looking at a coffin. Oh. It's halfling? Halfling sized. Oh, a big box. It's halfling size? About that big is a coffin for a halfling. Yeah.

Oh boy. What happened? Tisha just showed me this, and she opened it, and here we are. I'm just saying if you guys wanted to hotbox the place, it would have been nice to share and get an invite. I don't think you want some of the smoke I just got, but thank you. Are you okay? No. Tisha give me a perception check.

I'm afraid. Oh, the dyes do go higher. How fun. Plus seven. 25. As you look up and see Vailas, you connect, the mist begins to leave your eyes, but as you look at her, you hear a distant bird song

of a bird that you as a druid know is not native to this part of the world. You hear the call of a nightingale, distantly. Night song. What happened? What happened? I. He already said it.

Get out of my face. We opened the box. I touched part of the remnants of what looked like a mask, And then I died a little bit, and now I'm here, and everyone's a little too close to me right now. One breath at a time. You touched a mask in an ancient silver coffin. I, I.

A little. And I've learned an important lesson here. I'm not normally a gambling woman, but I'd be willing to bet my left tit that this has something to do with whatever this fancy lady wants. Right, what is the fancy above table? What's the fancy lady doing right now in this moment?

Yeah. Um, I am taking in the scene, mostly focusing on how Tysha and Shottia them as a family and watching Shottia care for her mother. Give me an insight check. Oh boy, which one do I pick? You got it. Okay, okay, okay.

Don't ask me. I'm gonna do this one. I'll also say in this moment of privacy, how you're looking at Belair here. Belair, you're looking at this box. It is, you're on that 24, you know there are things here that are escaping your attention at the moment. but you know where you have resources to dig in

where you have research and knowledge specifically about objects of this construction. Is the box closed right now? It is open and as you see that roiling mist in there, I think you in particular feel, you feel your stomach gurgle or turn a little bit. a little bit in a way that on a physical level is jarring. I cannot go through this here.

Can anyone close the box without touching it? Yeah, I got you. Just calm down. Everybody calm down. And I use a magian to close it. The box latches, and all of you can feel, not immediately, but after a moment or two, the temperature in the room starts to rise, making you feel that enclosing the box,

the box that that mist maybe is not, like, waiting for you in there. My attention is split to multiple people. I am trying to, in this moment, read if Belair seems like he knows what's going on. And if Valus is a threat to my family. Insight deception. What was your insight rule? 16. 16. 16. I think you see that Shadia is very worried. Hal is very worried. I think on a 16,

Let me actually roll. If I feel you, like, tensing up beside me, I'll just reach a hand up, and I'll cast guidance. Shadia rolled a four. Shadia is angry at her mother in this moment. She is bending down, caring for her, but as her mother speaks about reaching out and touching this thing, you see that there is

a familiar set of well-worn lines in this 25-year-old half-work woman's face as she looks at her adventurer mother with a look of disappointment and frustration. I think that having helped Tysha not completely eat shit, hitting the ground and reviving her a bit, our fingers are kind of intertwined in a familiar way,

and you can feel me tensing up, which my hand grips harder, and I guess the guidance goes through that. and my insight is a 24 with that little bit. Do you want to give me a deception? 17. 17. You've known Boler for a long time. On that 17, with a 24 versus 17,

Tau, go ahead and let Liam know what he's able to read on Polair's face. I know something. I am both fascinated and angry at her. Does that also include? I think she's a champion. She's a hero.

Legend. Same insight for Valus being a threat to the family? Is Valis a threat to the family in this moment? Undecided. I think she's a legend. She's a legend. My eyes flashed my brother's sore. on the desk, then back to the party here.

You know, I'm looking at Boler. We need to get that out of this house. Yeah, clearly. You know, I could. If we want to take a minute, I could do a little bit of a, you know, a little tinkering, a little scanning. But, you know, we are a mixed company. But if it would just make everybody feel better.

I touched the wrong thing many years ago. many years ago and I've had this thing stuck to me ever since. Half the people at the museum have been maimed touching the wrong thing. Whatever else shows up tonight, do not touch it if you don't know where it came from. Who touched what? Sir Julian is now stepped carefully up to the door frame and entering the scene a little late. Oh, you're still here. Where did this come from?

I'm going to take it away, and you will be the first to know what I know. Blair, the museum's protective gloves on your hands, a little subtle piece of, not necessarily anti-magic, but at least warding. I'm gonna give one of them to you, because this is big. This is big enough that I do not want

to accidentally slip and drop it. This is a bomb. I think we should take maybe the back streets, get this to the pentairo, get this to my office, and then we can do our investigation there. I may have a carriage, yeah. And I think in lieu of, like, responding to that, like, well-earned, like, castigation,

Tisha's, like, kind of hanging back and leaning against Hal, and just sort of passively started, like, it's not really a whistle, it's like something wheezy in her chest, but it sounds like a nightingale. All right. I'm going to, yeah, on the way. I'm going to look at everybody. How?

Condolences. We're going to be in contact. Great funeral. I think the Ozzy would have gone on. I think he'd think this whole thing was really funny. He'd get a kick out of this. We're going to go, I'll call you. All right.

I'm going to call. Yeah. As the two of them head out, yes, Velas. Before you leave. So we investigated the box. Yes. So all of that information was just on the box, we didn't touch the mask.

By the time you got up here, there was no mask. Okay, got it. I broke in my chair, I'm so excited. Oh. Borks. There was no mask. There was no mask. The mask was gone.

So we just saw the box. I am going to kind of whisper to Bayless before we go out. Look, do me a favor. Do me a favor. Please try not to murder this family. They've been through enough. They don't need you going on a rampage, all right? I think I can help you. So let's not harass people who are in over their deaths.

Absolutely. There will be no unnecessary murder here today. Please. You got it. Thank you. Shottia looks over you and goes, what about necessary murder? Why don't you head downstairs and make sure that whoever's left is looked after? I'll head downstairs, Dad. All that conversation is happening.

Sir Julian has leaned forward and put his hand out towards Tisha and says, Looks like it took a nasty spin. Thank you. And I'm gonna grip your hand just a little too tight on the way up and pull. As Marie and Belair head out, you see that Aranesa turns to you, Howe, and says,

Are you going to be all right here? Just sir, eyes over to Veilis. If you need anything, I think Sir Julian and I will return to the Devinos estate. I'm going to look at Veilis. No. A visitor and I don't have any griefs. We do not.

I have nothing to hide in my house. That's good to know. As the night winds down Julian, you see Marianne Boler heading off to his carriage and taking off. across the river towards the Loy Wing. And then Julian, Erness, it turns to you. Are we done here?

I believe our business is concluded, yes. Let us get to safer spaces. I'll turn to Hall. Lever, thank you kindly for your hospitality. Always and for all. and for all. Murray and Boler jump into either side of a carriage headed to the Arcanade across the river in, I believe, the neighborhood of the, this would be, yeah, this is in Marud all the way.

Oh, sorry, no, this is in Lugzash across the river. As you head across the river, think, Belair, you have a moment in your finery turning to look at the wide-brimmed hat of this Dwarven wizard across from you. You guys have been in contact before, but now you both head to the museum together. Charming night. Isn't it just? We see another carriage pulling away from the funeral.

As Julian, you get into the back of the carriage with the lady Aranesa, who goes, who looks in and says, That dwarven woman with gemstone teeth. She is a lot. You're not wrong. Well, she was absolutely right. The Ozzie would have loved all this crazy shit happening at his funeral.

Seems like even in death, this machinations linger. I don't trust what's happening in that house. No. No, no, I suppose I don't either, but I don't know if I trust what's happening in ours either. General Raymond, I believe, should be waiting for us back at the manor. Wonderful. It'd be good to see your father again. It's been a while. Sure.

Were you able to pay your respects? Yes. His demeanor is definitely darkened the mention of his father, and he just kind of looks out the window at the carriage with his hand on the hilt of his sword, and now his jaw just tensing for the rest of the ride and quiet. And we move from this place. We'll say farewell to our friends, Belair, Murray, and Julian,

as we move forward in time to the end of the funeral. many of the last, the fires have died down to Ember. Many of the guests have left. It's basically, I think, you know, how, I don't know who you would, who would still be, basically who would still be here to help clean up at the end, Shadia, All Good. Would be members of the troop.

Yeah. I think if you're looking at members of the troop, it's all good. There's a much older woman here. Nevada who's helping looking at and saying an absolutely darling time

that you all had here it's been so tragic you know I think theater is at its best when she's got these sort of

like hair tied up and this gorgeous to do she's like it's all black but it's a lot of frills and puffed shoulders and he just goes I've always thought

The theater was at its best when there was a scotch of a criminal element. And to think that Thiasi won't be around anymore. Let me help with these platters. Goes to sort of gather them up. Well, we are one inch removed from my brother's world. I, Veilis, who's still here, with just the closest people to the family,

still here and trickling out. Just permit me a few more moments. I'd really like to get over the whole stranger's thing. One second. Hero, hon. As you see, Elity is preparing to leave as well. Hero comes over and goes, Dad? Do you have your liar? Yeah. Do you want me to get it? I can go get it.

Yeah, grab it. You see that she runs over and grabs a small liar. Brings it over. brings it over, Elity stands near the door, but seeing this, takes a seat and smiles. I'm trying to pass off like a platter of cranberry rolls to Eladie. Ellie goes, oh, I couldn't.

I insist. I insist. She looks and sees stacks of cranberry rolls and goes, I'll bring them. Thank you. I'll throw these out. I look around at the last few people in the room and taking in you, as I say this, I find it pretty appropriate that my brother's last day is as full of drama as it was,

in death, even as in life. I think tensions ran hot. In our home today, and there are many things I could say, but instead I'll let my daughter and I, speaking away that's best for the Aussie. And I grab my own liar from off of a mantelpiece here. Hero, play Broken Wing. And Hero starts to play quietly on a liar,

a song that is familiar to anyone who was around for the Falconer's Rebellion. It was played in taverns and halls and military tents early. in that conflict when people were hopeful for the change that was being sought after in the Falconer's Rebellion. And as hero, my youngest, begins to play the main melody of that song, Hal harmonizes and plays around her on his.

I taught her how to play. We've played for many years together. As the song liltz, you see Loza Blade still here waiting for Teor's return, who fought and was the Ozzie's commander in the Falconer's Rebellion. A stand taken in this world by the brave and just when they realized that a world. that had risen up against the tyranny of the gods, had, in the span of a few short generations, replaced that tyranny with ones of their own devising. And Loza,

a woman who does not do this lightly, does not actually shed a tear, but you see her eyes, water as she looks at theazi, another name added to a long list of people that she's had to say goodbye to. And here in this place with family surrounding, the song picks up, she hums along to it. Its meaning has changed over the years

from what it meant at the beginning, to what it meant at the end, to what it means now. I think his house supports his daughter's playing through his own plucking of the liar's strength. he uses thaumaturgy to dim every light in the house down low and lower to nothing except for one that rests close to theazi and to Loza so that that light is shared between the two of them

as the world falls away in the heart of that song. As the song plays, I'd actually love for there to be some other people who get to hear you play this song because I think it will mean a lot to them. to them. I'd love to have our friends come join us who are returning from the tanners. I know I'm moving in. I feel like an end. Okay. I'll sit next to your point. I'll want to be up. I'll miss you. Hi.

Let's fucking die. Which means they're entering a very darkened home with only with only the body of the Ozzy live. Yeah. Center of that. Cool table. Cool table, cool table. Cool table.

Ooh. Hey. Yeah. Walking back from the tanners. all of you have just met Cadigan Vale again after many years being apart from each other. You reviewed the attack on Fiasi and Fimble's hiding place, found crow feathers, worn as garment left, bodies removed, a glass. A glass essentially holder container for an artifact shattered, the stone of Night Song gone.

Thimble, you have with you a letter, about, slightly larger than your body, with you with the name Bolair on it. As you return to the rookery, Thimble, you've been to house home many times, but you will be the last, guest to arrive at the Ozzie's funeral. As all of you move up, you begin to hear

an Azune, Teor, Thimble, and Cadigan. You hear two liars playing. Octus hide, they give me an insight to check if you'd be so kind. Oh, I have not good at those. You could do it? I want you back to do it. Thank you.

Eight. Octus, you are unable to read the cause of the cause of the shift that happens now as all of your companions, all of whom fought in the Falconer's rebellion, hear this song and know what it means as they approach Hal's home at the top of the rookery.

Moving in to the home, all of you see a shift, light. And you see Loza and Fiazzi laid out on the table, dimly lit in shadow, Hal, and hero are playing on their liars, and you see Loza near Theasi's body. But as you enter, you can see surrounded candles and lighten treasures and beloved artifacts all around. Then you see Theazi for the first time.

No. No. And I'll fly over and land on his chest. You stupid fuck. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. That was like, I ruined it. And I'll walk up his chest and

place my hand on his chin. What am I gonna do without you? I'm so sorry, Hal. The song winds its way to the end and all the light in the room slowly begins to rise to full. I wasn't sure if I'd see you today. You all right? I missed it all. And I look up and I see you.

I fly up in the air and my light starts to glow. Was this you? Did you do this? And I'll fly over, I'll get right in your face. Did you bring those people? No. What people? I don't know what you're talking about. I did have nothing to do with this.

You came for that. You came for your stupid stone. I did. And I will get it. You took it from me. It doesn't belong to you. It doesn't belong to him. It belongs to me.

I am very sorry. It's gone. What do you mean it's gone? And I'll fly back over. And I'll stand up that. There was, um, some people broke in and ransacked the place. Are you okay? I did before we got there.

I'm an inside check. Yeah, go for me. Make sure they're not lying. Uh, 17. Five people walking into a room is a lot of people to get a story straight with. I think you would take the words as true. I want to insight check her as she's inside checking if she had anything to do with the Aussie step. Go for it.

I can't dare you to read that diet. Yeah. I couldn't tell. I can't. Sorry I made fun of you for your dice all these years. Oh, no. Oh, no, you can't read. Oh, vicious full circle presents itself.

It's just a 14. It's okay, I have more I can't read. Give it time. It's hard to say. But I think in this moment, it occurs to you, Tisha, As that song sort of rose up, that nightingale song you still hear, and you know it's only in your mind that you can hear it.

As you speak in this moment to each other, I think the song has diminished, but its last sort of echoes. The lights come up. You see, for Teor and Azunei and Kattegan, who allowed this moment to sort of play out, I think maybe you guys stand over closer to Loza, who looks at all of you. Loza doesn't sit, literally doesn't meet you. She gives you like one moment of eye contact, corner of a smile, and just slides this massive,

knuckled hand over your shoulders, and just brings you in under the crook of her arm. And at the end of the song just goes, I can still hear the phone. Elkins cry. Hell, as you look up, I think as you walk back to land again on theasi's chest, Thimble, you look under his chest and you see there's a little, he's a couple different necklaces.

He kind of, like a lot of thieves and scoundrels, you know, collected little bits of jewelry from here and there. But you see that a silver necklace is kind of bunched up that has his old wedding ring on it that he was wearing around his neck. And I think there's a moment where how you're standing nearby and you just remember being in a tiny little tower room of Castle Royce to

two young guys, orkish commoners from Dolmachyar in this Noble's wedding, and your brother dressed in gifted finery looking at you and being like nervous. I don't know why I'm so nervous. I can't, none of this fits. I'm getting a Noble's coat on loan from these people, my fiance's family, and a knock at the door. and her hand over her face, the lady Aranesa,

going, I'm not looking, I'm not looking, your brother are looking, saying, I can't see you, I can still see you right now if you cover your eyes and she's like, I don't know how it works, I've never been married before, holding this gorgeous flower that looks like it's either Foxglove or prickle poppy, this gorgeous flower. And she says,

In our tradition, I'm supposed to, it's for you. It's a wedding gift. You should have it before the ceremony. And the flower opens. Oh. And with that ring on a little table beside, Thimble for the very first time in the mortal world, looking much different than she does today,

appeared in that moment. As the Ozzy looks down at you and goes, Hi. Oh, hi. Sorry, the fairy's a gift. I don't agree with any of this. You know, I think it's kind of weird myself, but. I don't, do you want to be a gift?

You don't have to be a gift if you don't want to be a gift. Just shut up and say thank you. Thank you. Thank you to you, frankly. I don't know. You see that. And the Ernestsa says, of course, it's not like that. It's, it's a, she's free.

If you wish. then you marrying into the family have the protection of the fay. And as our family has enjoyed, Thimble is a warrior fairy from the gardens. I can kill a bunch of mice in your house. Also, I'm

really good at breeding hair. See, Fiazzi goes, is that related? Are those skills from one in the same? No, you know what? Now, here's what we really need to do. We need to catch a bunch of mice, braid their hair. Keep everybody here on their toes. We can do that.

We can do anything. I'm looking at the lady Arnessa. I think I'm really like it here. I'm going to really like him. And I'll fly over and land on his shoulder. He lands your shoulder and says, are they giving you a little outfit too? I don't like this stupid dress.

So if we can get something different, I'd be thrilled. We'll go to a dollhouse upstairs and see what they got. Over my shoulder to Ironessa, I should say, I think you just bought yourself. a lot of trouble. Oh God, everything about this is ill-advised. And as you hear in this memory, everything about this is ill-advised. You're just looking at the stubble on his face, the ring on the necklace. You remember that first little, he would not, the whole wedding was delayed because he wanted to get you something from the dollhouse that you would enjoy wearing before

before you had to go down the aisle. Touch the ring. We have to make this right. Nothing's ever gonna be right again. I don't know how to do it. I'm gonna, Octus walks up next to the line. body next to it. We'll figure it out.

We can, we can figure it out. Figure out what we were wrong. You grew up. I guess so did you, although you're not any bigger. I think I take that opportunity to make eye contact with Azane and Teor and just, not wordlessly, but as quietly as possible to hold space for this moment. Do you know what happened?

We had a plan. I looked at Taylor her, and I look back towards you, Tysha, and I just give you a nod. And it was the, How's music playing with his daughter, although it stopped, it's still sort of like, I can still feel it in my ears, and I look over, to Howe and suddenly I remember myself in a way in Howe's home and with that music lingering in this very unexpected reunion of people that I met so many years ago part of

this rebellion this fire that the Ozzie had lit and then I remember Something about that look and Tysha's face. All the different ways that this could have gone wrong. And I walked towards the Ozzie. You're still on him? Thimble, I'm so sorry, but I need to check him. I need to see if the thing that pinged for me is still on him so I can compare it

to the one that we found with you. fly up in the air and hover about a foot above his body. And I, as carefully as I can, I just kind of turn him over because my understanding is that it pinged in his back pocket, so I search for that which, that thing that pinged. I'll light up and try to go down to where Azunei's looking and see if I can light up any area of it.

I'll start to search him and with you nearby. I do turn to you and I say, I'm sorry, Thimbel. I lied to you earlier and I feel really badly about it. The moments that I had with the Ozzie, where they went by so fast, it wasn't much time for him to say anything to me about anybody, and I just saw how hurt you were when you realized what had happened and I just couldn't bear it,

so I just wanted you to feel a little bit better. It's okay. And I'll go back to searching. I was struck by how thick the air in this room is with history and how his brother was something different to every person in this room. I can even tell those I've never met before today have a story with my brother.

And that story has come to a close. You reach into that the back area. Go ahead and give me an investigation check. That is a 19. Small in seam pocket. You know that there would be, and you can see in and see where the stitching would have been cut, that one of the sort of hems of the coat, you could slip and drop something in to this hidden pocket in the back of the coat. You reach

it on a 19 and pull out what looks like a small, sort of cheap piece of ceramic. It has something sort of scrawled on it, but it doesn't look, it's not what Thimble made. And it's still registering to you with that residue of magic that was on it. Give me an Arcana check. I'm standing there as well. Can I... Go ahead, yeah. Each of you give me Arcana rule. We'll call it difficulty of, honestly, 13. Can I, since this is intentional, can I guidance myself? Yeah. On this check, thanks. 27. 27. 27. I have one thing. It is now.

It is now. It is for me a total of 13. 13. You look at it. This just doesn't look carefully made. I think I'm lost in how this was my part of the assignment. And I believe this to be the right thing. And now I'm faced with this fake.

You're looking at it. This is an extremely well-constructed forgery. What you notice is the physical craft. of this is careless. The magical craft of it is very careful, almost like someone knew there would be no safe way to actually visibly see the object.

But the magical wards around it, you can feel the hum of magic off of it, and its illusion and conjuration, which was exactly what Fiazzi needed to be able to make his escape. But you, on that 27, peer at that illusion, Oh, that's a perfect cover

because the conjuration is illusion too. Yeah. Mm. And anyone that would have been looking for illusion would have found it and they didn't have to work very hard to hide this. This is a magical aura warping that will fade come morning.

Ahzune, you, at least for your part, didn't fuck up. It's exactly what you were looking for. It's just the illusion you were looking for is, in fact, an illusion. It's meant to fool you. Somebody betrayed us. Somebody did betray us, and I have a hunch. There's only two people in our group that are unaccounted for, Sid, and Casimir. They didn't show up.

They didn't show up to the execution. Sid never, well, obviously, he didn't make it to the car that Sid was driving, so Sid never showed up for us. Yeah. Casimir was a member of the Crowkeepers. This clearly was a setup by someone who knew our plan. They knew every step of what everyone's involvement

was going to be. They knew where I was gonna be. There were feathers in the house. Well, Cadigan found him. Does your... Need water? I just point at the giant wolf, I guess, just in here? That no one said anything about.

Yeah, Cadigan has sort of made his way over to a chair and he's just scrounged up the last bit of meats and he's sitting there eating meat watching this drama unfold, slowly flicking pieces to Wolf or a kid's wolf on the corner. Yeah, no, he's all right. Yeah, okay. He gets his own water. What do you?

And I want to just look at the wolf. Oh, okay. Is this just like a normal wolf? What am I looking at? Druid to dog. What is happening here? He is dog. Yeah, he's a wolf like a gray wolf, black fur.

He is adorn with armor and a cowl. If you're looking for anything that would stand out on him, he has an empty quiver on his hip that's got nothing in it. in it. But the one thing that you would notice right away is that there's like a bracer on his front paw. And where a physical paw would be, there's nothing and there's this tangible projection of a paw. So in essence, he has like a magical prosthetic. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's really cool.

Yeah. This is stupid, so I'll do it. I'm going to burn a cell. I'm going to kind of speak with animals. Yeah. Yeah. As you cast speak with animals here, you see a powerful, give me actually a religion or a nature. Oh, oh, huh. We're back. Natural 20.

Natural 20? Yes. I fucking gave you that die. Thank you. As you attempt to speak with this animal, a potent magical bond between Cadogan and Wolfrick. I'll put it this one in at 20. If you attempt to speak with Wolfrick in this moment, it'll be the second potent, magical thing

you have touched this evening. God damn it. The first one went so well. I've learned nothing. It's literally just a... You good? Do you want a cranberry roll? First, I think you speak with animals. I think you cast people with animals on yourself.

Yes, correct. So I think that, as you say, are you good? I think that Wilfrick just looks back to you and keeps the counsel of his constant companion, not in a disrespectful way, but in a way that is like, I don't know, that you're, like, Wolfrick may not be wild in the ways that a typical animal that you would speak to would be.

There is something that he is within that is potent and magical. I just want to like, yeah, sniff out the bond between the two of you, because I spend time with Octus, and I know the bond between him and Pinn, this is something very different, and she'll just linger in the connection of it.

And then just the last thing before she like shuts it off, is just, if you need something, don't go in the kitchen. We've already done that. A demon did that earlier. Why am I telling you, I'm gonna stop, and I just shut it off. You said my brothers, Name, Seed, was working with you.

Yes. How long has he been a part of your plan to try and save the Azi? Mm. How long? For the past two weeks, I mean, because the Azi got arrested two weeks ago. For about two weeks, yeah. And he has been a reliable measure in this?

You say that like we, that's surprising to you? It's been years since I've seen my brother, but dependable is not always a word I would. use to describe him. Good, glad we brought him on board. Perhaps things have changed, but you must be as alarmed as I am to not see him here. Yes.

Yeah. And you haven't seen him since you've entered. It's been years, no. You see Loza, who's right by your side as well, goes. Well, Casimir was a young mercenary in the Torin banner, you know, quiet type. I never knew Kaz that well. By the time Kaz joined up, I was already

because of the commander, I know that Kaz was, he wasn't in Theazi's unit either. He was, but he worked the mess, so I think he knew everybody. Theazi struck up a friendship with him there. Looks over and goes, Sid, I know when Sid left, he headed, West for Dolmachiar and I knew we'd had a problem with Sid in the past. I mean, there were certain things that we weren't supposed to steal. You know, if you win a battle, there are certain things that you can take as seized contraband and there are certain things that you have to leave. And Sid was, this was a long time ago, Sid was much younger, but I found him with stuff on him that he wasn't supposed to have.

I had sticky fingers. No, nothing wrong with sticky fingers. Who brought him in? That. Because I don't know anyone, so it wasn't me. Thimble, how related were you to the planning of all of this? Super related. Okay.

I know everything about it. Start at step one and elaborate it all the way to the end. Thimble, I think you had almost no time to put this together. I didn't have anything to do with it. I was busy. Sorry, wait. This is a wild change of story. But I would have known when Sid came on board, right?

Yeah, I think, Thimble, the... Casimir's the one that I feel the least sure about, out of all of this. Sid was way closer to Theazi than Casimir was. The reason you had to use Casimir is that Casimir is a smuggler. So he could get a wagon with a trick compartment. he could get you something like on a road out. The plan was you get the glyph to Thiasi. Fiazzi has a way to basically misty step through the wall

into the hidden compartment of the wagon. Kazimir was not going to be able to show up with the wagon, but Sid worked as a driver. That was like his above, as like a coach wagon driver. So it was going to get the wagon into position where it would be within that short distance through the wall. drive on out of there, and Octus and Tysha were going to not be anywhere near the execution because they're highly visible.

Tysha is a member of the Circle of Ancients. Octus is a member of the house Taconas, but that would be an asset getting out of the city if you weren't near the execution anymore. Did anyone check on the wagon? I never saw it. The wagon never arrived. The wagon wasn't there. You're sure.

Sid was never there. I wasn't there. That would be the two of you that were at that post. But what about the waiting point? The wagon never showed up to you, but was Sid ever in the place that he was supposed to be? I don't know, we were supposed to stay far enough away. Yes.

Ahzene, you would know that there would have been revolutionary guard within sight of that area of the wall. You can potentially check in with your fellow, like, arcane marshals or guard members. It's in the middle of the night right now, but tomorrow you'd be able to say, did anybody see a wagon pull up to this point? As that light bulb goes off, I'll turn to Teor.

I can check in with the Arcane Marshals. I know people that had eyes where we expected Sid to be. If you have another lead to follow to search for your brother tonight, I will go with you. But if you don't, then we can wait until tomorrow morning when I can speak to someone that can give us some information. And I should check me to the thieves guilt, see if Casimir... Right.

You see Loza says, I think that's a good idea, Thimbel, but if you're gonna check on the Thieves Guild, make sure that you're checking on them with some friends in tow. I don't know, the city haven't been in Dolmachia. You see, here she turns to you Teor and says, I've had a long night here.

Tomaciar Teor is, the gray tower is asleep at the wheel. I mean, we've known for when, When the Revolutionary Council failed to come to the aid of the Falconer's Rebellion, we knew that things had become bad, but even in the last 12 years, it's worse. The council's asleep at the wheel. The sundered houses have moved in this chamber of the Lord's advisory. The only voice slowing, they've passed laws against using magic in the marketplace.

the only voice within this hundred houses that's been any kind of voice for moderation or slowing things down has been House Royce, and I spoke to the Lady Aranesa during the funeral. She was made to wait for four hours and then wasn't allowed an audience with the House of Halavar. Speaking of which, I made a little inroad for you with the kid, the shiny... Wicander. Oh. Wicander. He's a total fool, ninkap.

Mm-hmm. Can't be, yeah. Well, he's a lamb amongst lions. I got a bead on the kid, and he, I asked if he was required any security mercenary aid with his presence in the city and the execution, et cetera. So he seemed amenable to meeting with you tomorrow if you want to go check on him and see if there's any

potential lead there. Halevar is in this. I wouldn't trust, no offense, kid, the Toconis. No, I get it. But Halevar is in it, but maybe doesn't care as much about Fiazzi as the Taconis do. Yeah. Whatever happens, if you're trying to run down the crowkeepers to see what they know, just make sure you don't go along. Do we know, do the crow keepers, like, wear, do they wear feathers? Do they do, like, a whole crow fucking thing? Yeah.

Are they birds? Are they just birds? They do a bunch of bird-themed performance art. Yeah, just like, go ahead and give me. You can give me either insight or history, and you can do it with advantage, because this is about your, you can give me either insight or history, and you can do it with advantage, because this is about like a criminal network in the city. All right. Let's go.

Let me now. All right. Let me do the shake with my history. 17. I didn't do history. I did investigation. My history is shit. Gotcha.

That's great. Yeah. You've been living in the city for years. Where you would probably want to head to to. I think that the crowkeepers are all over. They are the oldest Thieves Guild in Dolmachar, which means that they're, in a weird way,

they're actually not the most dangerous. Like hot-headed kill people thieves guilds don't typically have a long shelf life. You know what I mean? Like these are guys that have a code of conduct. There's a kind of honor amongst. Mafia. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

There's like an honor Amongst Thieves, there's a tavern in Caravan Hill called The Guard Tower. Depending on the time that you go, by the time you got there, it's very unlikely that anyone important or knowledgeable would be there. It would be, it would probably be like almost closed down for the night. If you go tomorrow night, it'll be jumping. If you go tomorrow during the day, that's actually typically when most of the crow's keepers are, there like they work at night so during the day they're at the guard tower getting a meal for free because they protect that place you know drinking for free talking to each other kind of like settling up accounts from the previous night okay um you mentioned the gray tower before that's like the point of power in dolmong yes that's the that's the hall of the revolutionary guard um uh the revolutionary council i should say um uh that crowkeeper

Tavern and Kiriband Hill is where you'd want to go. I am, this is, have one slight concern about us in this conversation we're having right now. Well, who are you? We're just talking about all this stuff and I don't know who you are. I push myself off of the wall after hearing all of this and seeing all of this emotion. So, hello, I am Vailas of the Sisters of Salandry.

I don't know who that is. How sad for you? So what I am gathering here is you tried to stop the execution of the Aussie? He gathered that much. Well, I gathered a lot more. I haven't finished just yet. Okay. Mainly I'm here, I just need one thing. So I am trying to find that one thing that was stolen.

Mm-hmm. Yes. And that is the stone of night's own. And it was taken. Yeah. Possibly by the crowkeepers. Possibly your brother. Potentially.

How did you find us? I was trying to find the Aussie. I wasn't looking for any of you. I was trying to find him to take back something that was mine. How did you find our home? I was told. By who?

I am not going to say. Oh, why not? We're your best chance of getting that back. There's only friends in here. We'll trust. You've had our cranberry rolls. I actually haven't had one yet. Who did you tell we had it?

How did they know we had it? Whoever was looking for that stone ruined everything. Fuck, I don't know. Maybe they just took it. They might not even been looking for the stone. Been looking for the stone. They took everything. What do you mean?

They took everything in the hideout. Where is the hideout? We're not incentivized to tell you that. That's how information works. Give some and get some. Used to us now either. Loza looks over at you and I think makes that kind of with you thimble and goes,

the stone. Were there any wishes for it that Theazi had before he died? In other words, and I know it's your stone, but I'm saying Thimble, is there a reason left to you to cling on to this stone? Or is it something that the use of it has left us along with Theossey?

I have a letter. I don't know. I understand. It seems like you don't very much like being here amongst these people that were a friend of someone who stole from you. And it seems like this stone may not be exactly near and dear to our hearts.

Things are rotten in Dolmachiar right now. There's no need for us to be be at cross purposes. It sounds like we have a conversation on the horizon with these crow keepers, and you might be on that same side of that conversation as us. I agree. How are you with that censor?

Great. All right. She looks and says, it's late. We're in house home. I think it's time. We said good night. Thank you for your, I would say hospitality, but thank you for giving us a place to gather. I know my brother would be glad to have you here today. Glad to have you here today. We will follow up in the morning. I'm going to go over to Thimble.

May I speak with you privately? I'll fly up the stairs. As that happens, I'd like to go over to Cat again. And I say to Cat again. I need a word with you, please. What? I sit down in one of the chairs in whatever room we're in, and from behind the chair comes, Pinn, walks around, and I go, you keep an eye on her. And my vision goes into Pins, and he's going to follow Phelis up the stairs. I'm very sorry. I can see that you cared about this person very much.

I'm not here to hurt any of you. You didn't do this? No, I did not. And I try as much as I can to sort of show her that I am not the person that caused his death. I'm not the bad guy here.

This was... something that was taken from me. I think we're on the same side. Someone who did let me in the city, his name is Bo Lear. Yeah. I look down and I see PIN. Give him a wink.

In the living room, you're just here. Shit. Did she notice the fox following? Shut up. Anyway, I... I know you were there when the stone was taken, but I also know you were a gift, and you probably didn't have a choice.

Oh, I have free will. You do? Yeah, what do you say? And I fly up. You're an elf. Yes. What? You know our history.

They do. Better than me, probably. Probably. The Aussie was great. He didn't keep me. He was my partner. We were equals. Can you believe that?

Equals. I'm sorry, I took your stone. I'm sorry, it's lost. It's fine. I will find it again. What do you even need it? I don't fucking care. And walks up, being seen, walks up and stands like underneath where Thimble has flown up

and just kind of sits. Hi, Octus. Give me a perception check with advantage in this moment, if you would for Valas. Let's go. Ooh. Okay. 23.

Let's go. 23. Valis, you look down and see this strange little fox walks in. that's stitched together. It's a little undead thing. Um, I am going to crouch down next to it. Where you go. Wait!

When you crouch down next to this fox, you see that its front right leg is of a red fox, but the most of it is an arctic fox. Most of it is an Arctic fox. And it's got little patches, one of its ears is from a red fox. It's mixed of different pieces of foxes, but its eyes are two purple buttons. And it has a purple scarf around its neck.

But it's looking at you, you can tell it sees you, but its eyes aren't real. What a beautiful creature. We move from upstairs. Look downstairs, Losey. See Hal, it's getting about time for the night to be called. You see it just with the fellow members of the former members of the torn banner,

Cadogan, Azunay, and Tejore, you see Loza just goes, for this meeting with the Helovar tomorrow. Would you like company on the way there, or you prefer to do that alone? I think it would be best if you stay clear of this. See what we can scrounge of on our own. She nods.

She looks over to Utah. actually sort of invites you over to stand a little closer, because tomorrow I am retiring. I'm headed west to Ulungia. Is there anything you want me to tell grandmama when I see her out there? She was always a peach to me. The whole Blade family, you Lois always looked after us.

So, tell her. No. It's okay. I've got this. Go be incredibly old together. You have earned it. The fact that you have compared me to the advanced age of your... Yeah. And we say grandma, but it's not grandma. It's not grandma. There are so many generations. But she looks great.

When they call it the circle of ancients, they're really not kidding. She looks and says, it just leans in looking over her shoulder at Octus, and she just sort of narrows her eyes and says, The Tacannis kid. Did the ancients know you're working with him? You see she stops herself before she says one of them. Yeah. Immediate.

No. Fiazzi needed something. That fucking box from Venatus. We were thrown together, but he's a good kid. All right, if you say so. I trust your insight. Trust your insight, I just, that little dead fox running around. It seems like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Yeah. Problem is, every noble family, these sundered houses, whatever's happening here will come for the rest. We're running out of friends. I'd say we're running out of time. Make some new ones. Eyes completely winded out as just sitting in chair. All my senses are in him.

He's so fucking weird. You see the old, like, bell dame of the theater is like, I would just find a distaste for when a gentleman doesn't help when there's cleaning going on. Just pitchback. You see, you can tell he's a noble. He's not lifting a finger. You see, Losa looks back over it at Cat.

again specifically and goes, you've been all right? Wow. Yeah, I've been just beachy. How about you? Look a little worse for wear these days. Everyone says that to you. Maybe take the note. Now, I can't discipline her, all right?

Her family built the swords that killed the god of war. You, on the other hand, I will smack at a funeral, no, I know, I know, I heard it, I just took an opening. You see, you see, she just smiles and says, I don't know, it's good to see you. It's good to see you too. I'm headed west to green vines, wide orchards, my family's old farm.

would do me good to know that the banner was still looking out for each other. And here she reaches and says, here, let's head to the inn. I'll, we'll head on out. I think as you step out, Teor, she reaches into a sort of interior lining as she's walking with you and says,

I'll head out before you wake tomorrow, I'll get out before first light. and hands a small scroll case to you. You've seen it amongst her effects for a long time, but she passes it to you. It's been 12 years since we had to disband as a condition of our, what do they call it, amnesty or clemency.

So we disband it. but I could never get rid of it. You see she opens it up and you see tattered and threadbare half of a banner. This. You've had this on your person this entire time. Who would you like me to make sure this gets to.

I'm looking at him. Cadigan laughs and just claps tear on the back and makes his way toward the Ozzie's coffin while they finish their peters. I don't know that it'll ever fly again. But I know of everyone who would know if the time ever came. There are things, gifts of yours, Teor, that you have

that I know I can't explain and I bet you can't either. Just hold on to it. I just, and you see, she looks over at all of the treasures around Theasi's body. Some things have to go into the shadow, and some things are so important that even in darkness, they can't be thrown away. Thank you for everything. I hope the vines of the West repel you with their calm and their peace.

I think I'm gonna go fucking crazy. but my knees hurt, so what can you do? And I think we'll say goodbye to our funeral here. And I think as you depart, I think we'll say goodbye to our funeral here and move to the next day if that's okay. As Veilis leaves, you know, I know it's cold comfort in light of you looking for your special rock, but please take some of these pastries. I really have way too many, and we're not gonna eat them all.

I've learned for all of the years that I've been alive that sugar is very bad for you. What? Aren't you immortal? I insist. Sort of. Also, where are you going? Where are you going?

I, do you need to please a place to stay? I don't have to stay here. I've got you, but take the fuck. Take the pastries, and I got you. And I'm not offering. If you bring that level of threat into my house near my family again, I promise you you will live to regret it. Good night.

Let's shake on it. I put a whole tray of pastry. I start as I walk away, I just leave the pastries on the porch, and I sit at the end of the house, and I stay there outside for the night. Not needing rest, you purge in the shadows. Like a gargoyle observing the home. You see, I think as she steps out, all good, your partner looks over at you, Hal,

and goes, if I couldn't eat sugar, I wouldn't want to live another day, let alone centuries. And that is what is wrong with religion. You see, no sugar glade. We move from this place, and I'll ask everybody except Travis to please depart from the table.

Yes. Good luck. Do we please bring Sam and Whitney to the table? Yeah. Oh my gracious. Now the good feeling comes. If you feel a vibe, go with it. See what happens.

If you let tickle, that's me. It's him. There's many things. Oh, the ticking and bringing stuff. I know, I know. I know. Bust your own tables, folks. I can't fit.

I can't fit. This is going to make me call my diet. all my dice collection. In the high Western ward of the city of Dolmachyar, in the neighborhood of Mirzash, the Via Arora, the Via Arora, the home of the Kandesach, the home of the candestine, Creed, the house of Halevar, is built here in this gorgeous place. Sam, let me ask you if you have any thoughts about how your family would appoint their beautiful home here in the gray city of Dolmachiar. Had not thought of that, but let's just say that everything is made of white stone

or, you know, off white stone. Built tall with maybe a central tower or something that has sort of glass, sort of prismatic top to it, and on top of it is the symbol of the candescent creed, which is sort of like a sea shape with rays of the sun coming out of it. some security around the perimeter

of the Via Aurora, but not like heavily super armed guards. They are serene looking with teal robes and, you know, they don't wanna be scary. Gorgeous. Walking through a palatial set of windows, like one of those exterior, almost like Versailles hallways where it's just enormous Window, window, window, the very tops of which have in gold-stained glass, the candescent symbol,

and then panes of sheer glass. You can see that the gray, the normal sort of gray of Dolmachiar is even slightly alchemically boosted by that gold-stained glass, almost like solar lamps, is that within this there's a little more sunlight coming in than there would otherwise be in Dolmachiar. Walking down the hallway to answer and a at the front gate is the aspirant tyranny. Tyranny, as you tread the hall by herself. Oh, great. As you tread to go, how is tyranny feeling

as she approaches the front gate? I feel good. I mean, I think that last night it didn't go great, but at least Wick got his scimitar, and I think everybody kind of understood that his intentions were good. I'm glad I got him out of there before he got his ass kicked kicked by Lady Aronessa, so I feel all right.

Yes. It's really hot in these halls. As you are walking along with sort of the solar heat coming from the stained glass, you hear a voice to the side walking out of another hallway, joins you your towering sister, Enmody, who is flanked by your other sister, who's a little bit shorter than you, but just stunning. Ruby red lips, small, pronged, silvery, horns, this sort of whipping tail behind her.

This is your sister, cruelty, turns to you and goes, tyranny, how'd it go last night? I heard you had to deliver a sword. Hi, sister. Hi. Ever bright, ever light. Sure. It went okay.

Yeah, we gave the sword. Oh, good. I'm glad you gave it. It's so good for the Lord Wickander to show up at the funeral of someone we just executed. I'm sure it sends a clear message about where our values are. Agony, where are you? And you see that your last sort of a small sister

who is very, wave, which doesn't look that big, and you see that for being a demon has spectacles on and her white robes are much more monkish, sort of like hide her figure. She goes, coming! She's got like bright blue skin, goes, get out, and just hits the deck. God!

Ow! Hi, Agony. Hi. How you doing? You okay? Yeah, I'm okay. Oh, she gets up. I think I chipped a tooth.

And Middy turns and says, The Lord Wickander, did he acquit himself honorably at the funeral? Did he aspire to the heights of the creed? I mean, he's sure. told everybody to call him by his big boy name he said he's sorry I think that he feels really bad to be honest and he is still as devout as ever he believes in light yeah he believes how fun you think that's fun don't you I mean he's supposed to be

the face of the house, so I mean, it's sort of lovely in a way that he holds true to those tenets of the whispered light. Yeah, I think that it is, I think it's really fun that he believes in something. I think that he, well, I know he's the only one, so I don't want to touch it. Are you nervous about? No. You see, Emmidy says, you feel as though your very essence shudders

at the approach of some catastrophe. Listen, man, I just think that we're here to help and think that your guys are like a little bit more cut out for this kind of thing than Wicke is, and I don't know. Help? Who? Tyranny.

Who do you imagine I'm here to help? You see, cruelty says, yeah, the mortal world is so much more confusing than the pit. It's just important to keep perspective, don't you think? Yeah, I have perspective. Here to help the family and get them to where they are supposed to be. You see, the cruelty says, great. Glad we're on the same page.

And Middy says, We'll leave you to your work. We have other more pressing matters, tyranny. See that you remember. Remember, and you see that she lowers a clawed finger and puts it right on your clavicle here and digs in enough to draw blood that turns to smoke. Remember where you are from.

Her eyes glow red and what you are. Yeah, and by the way, I made a friend last night. As if you care, her name's Tysha, she's really cool. She's in love, so. You see that Agony turns around and says, You made a friend? Yeah, I made a friend. Oh, good.

We'll be able to use her to our ends, right? Oh, sorry, and you see, I mean, he says, Agony, now with me, whips around and begins to leave his cruelty, sort of waves at you, and Agony trips on her rope, and clips against a sort of shelf, God, ah! And just gets, and many swoops down with a massive clot-hand and just starts to drag Agony down the hallway. Can I get her a helmet?

Oh, she's so much. Proceeding down the hallway, you arrive at the front door. The door opens, revealing Teor Pride Sire, with guards on either side, Aspirants, Tewanee, presenting Teor Pride Sire, mercenary errant, and I believe a compatriot of Loza Blade, a warrior of some renown here in the city of Dormacchia, for audience with his lordship, the bright Wicander.

What's up? It's good to see you again. Yeah, thanks for coming to the House of the Cece by the Beam Ritchu. The Cece? Oh, yeah, the Candy Creed. The Candy Creed. Yeah.

Got it. Ah, the Candescent Creed. Mm-hmm. How was the rest of your evening after your departure, I take it that delight priest as well? He is decompressing, ever strong. He had a really, you know, everyone had sort of a tense day. And, you know, he went to his quarters.

I think that all in all, pretty good. I think, yeah. He looked. Most distraught as he left. I was only wondering if perhaps a chance for conversation might alleviate any concerns he could possibly be holding onto and maybe shed some light on. How such horrible tragedies could be avoided in the future.

I think he'd love that. I think he has a lot to say. Should I go get him? If you would be so kind, and my time is yours. Okay. Well, I trot down, clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp. We see the Lord Wicanders, I suppose, like, offices are study.

Where does, what does Wichander's work area look like? Sure, yes, I guess he probably has living quarters and studies sort of connected in sort of a suite. From behind the closed doors, you hear a fumbling and a clanging. and he'll throw open the door and you, you, Tyranny, notice that his mantle is sort of on backwards. Oh, hello, hello. Behind you, you can see his offices.

There's a large desk. There's some paintings of different family members, some busts, scripture, lots of scripture everywhere, scrolls, some handwritten, some seems more more bound and of course behind him a large like not stained glass but prismatic glass window looking out into a courtyard beyond and it looks a little bit disheveled and oh hello may the beam reach you how I what's um was I what time is it are you okay yes I was just I had a rough night last night and I was

I barely slept. It was just such a, I've never had so many people angry at me before, you know? Yeah, you almost got your ass kicked, too. It's a good thing I puked. Yes, it was fortuitous that you got us out of there, but I must say, tyranny, at a ceremony, a function like that. An aspirant is meant to protect, observe, and obey. I always remember, P-O-O. P-O.

P-O. P-O. All right. Well, thank you for that wisdom, your radiance. It's really good to see that you are still on the ball in terms of teaching me a lesson, and I have come to bring you a message. It's a really big guy that wants to you.

He's very furry, and he looks like he's got really big, strong hands. Oh, dear. Wait, is this the gentleman from last night? Yeah, Taylor. Tale, tale. Um, before, hey, listen, he wants to hear you out, and so I assume that you're going to say something. He's a big, strong fighter man, right? Yeah.

What do I do with that? I think that you, okay, I adjust his ropes, and I say, okay, just, um, take a breath, and know that this is a good thing, right? Because you went in basically to the lion's den, and everyone was real, really, really, really mad at you. And you managed to not get yourself or me killed, which I appreciate, and sort of just, you know, communicate that this was not to your intention.

And so I think that having an audience right now is a good thing. So just, you know. He's probably come to make allyship with us, knowing the strength and the reputation of the Hale of Oz. He wants my assistance in something or wants to offer his blade to us.

And I will gladly accept it. I'll make him ask a few times. No, no, no. But yes, maybe we can find him something to do. I will say this, just always trying to be a guide to you, into the lion's den might be offensive to his kind. So maybe just don't, I don't know, I don't know how their people work.

You're so correct for that. And I just wanted to say, before we go, The light is all, illumination sparks with faith. I know, I'm glad that you're studying your script. There's something in here about, there's something in here about. You both hear an enormous crash outside. Oh, oh dear, we run out to find out what it is. Teor, outside, this place is kind of wild because it's palatial,

but you see there's a huge lowering pathway, gravel stream, everything here is like white, imported stone, gravel, It's like, you know, looking out, you see a wagon coming up this from a, like, lower area underneath the palace. There's sort of a walled drive that goes down, and a large wagon that you see has the symbol, not of the candestant creed, but an older symbol of the house Halevar that shares some of the same iconography. It's a little bit hard to tell where the faith begins and the noble house ends. but I would recognize some of House Halivar not as much the candesic. Yes, comes out, and you see struggling up the driveway, you see it's heavy, it's low down on the wheels.

Someone forgot to fasten the back. A crate slides out coming up the ramp from down below, lands on someone's foot, like one of the sort of workers. And as it does, you see a bone break and something shatters, and this glowing white liquid seeps out through the wooden box and badly burns their leg, they're on the ground rolling and kind of like screaming.

I will run over to them immediately. Extend yourself. Can I lift this crate up with... Yes. Go ahead and give me an athletics. It's just a DC. We'll call it a DC 5, honestly. Just get this crate off.

That is a, yes. That is a gigantic natural 20. Oh, natural 20? I'll say on a natural 20. If you also want to, yes, you talk. This thing off of him. And I'll say in the same action if you want to, also you can, if you have any other abilities you want,

you see he's like. Yes. Yes. I would do, I would just, I would lift and also just do a very like a lay on hands just to try and do a little heel to ease some of his pain. Uh, wick. We run out to see some of this. As you exit the, the door, you step out into the courtyard and see The Teor Pride Sire, on a Nat 20, single-handedly lift this crate over his head and reach down a lion-headed emblem at his side

glows radiant with light. As you see light extend from his paw, and you watch this man heal an injured guard here in the courtyard. I think on that Nat 20, I'm gonna, Nat 20's crazy. On a Nat 20, the cloudy city of Dolmachiar,

momentarily there's a breakthrough and the wagon and surrounding area and Teor in particular are bathed in sunlight in this moment as you exit the courtyard. I will, I was rushing out to see what the commotion was, but upon seeing this, I, the breath is taken out of me.

and I momentarily stumble and have to just lean on tyranny for a moment because I'm so taken by the almost painterly beauty of the moment and clearly this man has been touched. I'll also stand and rise and as I turn. Oh shit. The main kind of hits in the wind and the gold of my eyes sort of fades post-net 20. Whoa.

Oh, that was so cool. That was very cool, yes. Um, uh, what seems to be going on out here? Just a moment, and I'll help up the banner. He looks up and says, uh, thank you kindly, sir. Are you, are you a priest of, of the light? A friend of the light. Uh, pleasure, sir, thank you.

That's, that's marvelous. I was worried I'd lose my leg. They have you transporting horrible. horribly, has this. Look, but what was this that you were moving? That's nothing. No concern of yours. It's just church business. Church business. Sorry, the gentleman, Lord Wakander, heal my leg. So I won't have to miss a shift at work. Everything will be all right. You won't have to...

Worry not. Just take this where it's going. To my father? The Lord Goddard has already said everything. Well to do. We're to ship this out to Azir first thing tomorrow. We're moving it down to Caravan Hill right now. Make it so, and have a bright, have a right. May the beam reach you, my lord. Thank you so much. I'm sorry for being injured. You see, he... Accepted. It is a truly wonderful thing to have people that are so devoted to you in their service. You must be an incredible man to work for. Well, I...

The best. Please, tyranny. I... I must remain a man to work for. humble. Some have called me a great man to work for, sure, but I don't hear that, nor do I acknowledge it. It's just who I am and who we all aspire to be. It is wonderful to see you again. Please allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Theor, Pride sire, and when I grasp his hand, it is iron tight and does not let go. Mine is like a raw cut of veal. just sort of clammy and soft.

I see one of his pinkies just flirting with the idea of dislocation, but just kind of keeping it there. Yes. I was so moved by your concern last night and the raw, pure emotion that you showed over my friend, my fellow comrade, and I wanted to thank you for that

and see if we could speak a bit further about what it was that was making you so upset. Certainly offer him your hand. Oh, can I also shake your hand? Actually, this is great. Hi. Ah! Dear honey.

Wow. Your hands are so big and rough. His hands are so soft. It's crazy. Soft with the holiness of the creed. Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you and yes. Thank you for coming.

I'm sure we can find a way to assist each other. I can guide you in any way you need to go and perhaps you could be of assistance. be of assistance to my family as well. I would be very open to any such suggestion. I came here to serve the amazing Loza Blade, but obviously my brother and others that know, the Ozzy, we have been way late by this. It is hard to know what to do next,

but I saw in you the kindred light. The feeling that answers lie in that light. And I knew that if I found you, I could find someone that would help me guide, guide the others to that light. You see, Tyranny, when you carry yourself with goodness and justice, others see it, respect it, and home in on it. Always carry yourself with respect, self-respect. Understood, Uranians. Yes, I'm sure I can guide you to somewhere where your true heart can do its best.

A friend of the light is a friend of mine. And please, come inside with us. Thank you, that's most kind. You enter into the manor and arrive up at your study. The Via Aurora is beautifully appointed, and you have a little bit of privacy here to discuss. Well, if I may ask, how were you friends with the Aussie? Do you mind if I make myself comfortable?

Sure, go ahead. I'll reach back and take the shield that's on my back and take it off, and underneath it, you'll see a giant golden flail with an angled head underneath it, and when I put it down, it weighs a lot. Oh, that's much better. The Aussie was a friend but also a mentor. I looked up to him in the torn banner of the Falconer's rebellion. It meant a lot to me. It meant a lot to me and the people that I served with.

But we had gone our separate ways over the years, and it was a blade and I were coming back to Dolmachiar, and we meant to find him and my brother. Sid, do you know him? Do I know Sid? Sid, Pride, Sire. Give me a history check. Okay.

Tell Sidemir. Oh, nice. History, 16. 16. The name Pride Sire rings a bell. I'll say on a 16, history. The Falconer's Rebellion, I forget how old Wick is. How old is Wick? He's only like 28, 29.

So you would have been a kid at the end of the Falconer's Rebellion. The torn banner you know on a 16, which meant that this mercenary in front of you fought on the other side of the war from your family. Oh, oh dear. Well, forgiveness is one of our central tenants. Do you still harbor resentment or ill will towards the noble houses? Of course not. No, such things are the ways of the past. All of that has been remedied and new power has been instilled, has it not? It has, yes. And we are to bury the old hatchets and move forward with friendship and partnership with even those who fought against us. That's why tyranny and her sisters work with us.

They form our shadows. Our faith believes that the light can burn through any shadow. And she and her sisters were once demons. Well, I still am a demon technically, but I'm on my way. Yes, yes. How redemptive? How many sisters do you have? I have three sisters.

A handful, to be sure. Do you have siblings besides sisters? besides Sid. Just my brother. Hmm. A small knock on the door, and then without waiting for a response, the door opens a number of servants out there, and the photarch, Vanessa, walks in, your grandmother. Grandmothers.

Yes. I pick up my cane and sort of comport myself well. She walks in and says, Rott Wick, we need to tell you. Hello, and who are you, my friend? Téor Prydsayer, it is a pleasure to be in your presence, Fautark. I understand that there was an accident outside and that you healed one of our porters. With not only healed, with radiance. He might be luminous or some sort of light-touched.

Are you one of the luminous? Are you one of our faithful? This term is new to me. I admit I am new to the candescent creed, but tales of your light has spread far and wide outside of Dolmachiar. I had journeyed into the city to learn more. Give me if you feel so inclined to deception or persuasion. With each one of those is better.

Oh, it's not gonna matter either way. Five. Five. She looks at you and says, how wonderful that news of our order has reached, that the light spreads as it must and always shall. A warrior gifted with innate connection to the light itself, might I ask,

I looked on a register that the inimitable loza blade, whose reputation far precedes her, had made an appointment with you. She vouched for Teor here. Well, the House Taconas, having arrived for the somber and tragic execution, are currently present, and they believe they're made be some danger afoot in the city. I think a bolstering of house security may be prudent. I hate to think

of such things. I wish only that peace and justice prevailed in the hearts of all, but until such time as the light can fully spread, such that nuns seek violent response, I think it might be worthy of us to take the word of one such as Loza Blade. If it's all right with you that we increase your security detail, my grandson. I'm, of course, more than capable of defending myself. And with tyranny at my side, I have even more protection. However, absolutely, Fotark, if you recommend even more security. Fotark, if I might be so bold, Loza Blade, is, well,

to be fair, a fan of this honored household. Despite our past differences, we see the The good that's been laid and the time spent, if I may, I would like to put my name for as perhaps a consideration for that protection. I'd like a moment. Dangerous times and a sturdy fellow is offering himself, it's like fortuitous here. Let's take Master Pride, Sire. Servant, let's say that Master Pride Sire is, first of all, can we not supply a drink or some food or something of that for?

Right. Master Prides-Aye. That's on me. Go ahead and take him, and we'll send Sir Philonius to you. That would be... My uncle, he's... My uncle, our head of security. Sir Philonius, wonderful.

And we'll have that all settled. Thank you so much. The light, as always, moves in all directions, and it is simply for us to open our arms and receive it. Thank you. Thank you, Fort Arc. See the young... Master Prideshire.

outside to some food aspirant. Yes, we're talking from Yannessa. All right, let's go get snackies. Are you okay? I think so, yes, yes, thank you. You are shuttled out. The door closed, so it's just Yonessa and Wicander. Yonessa turns to you and says,

get rid of the old throw rug, would you? What? The cat man? Yeah, he's up to some funny business. Look, you see, I got no such thing. When are you kind of open your arms? and realize that our house has got enemies.

Loz of Blade was the commander of the torn banner. Yes, that was years ago... They also had been hanged as traitors. I thought that we had let bygones be bygones and we were moving forward with friendship and... There are no bygones. There are never bygones. Everything is another drumbeat

of a drum that's been ringing since the dawn of time. The hail of ours were the house of priests. second only to the royal house of Obridemia. We were the golden crowned. And then the shapers war cast our homeland into eternal darkness. One after the other where the gods fell, the bearer-dells rose. This world is half-poisoned, wastelands, ruins, magic chaos, eternal night.

That's the thanks for killing the gods. And you're going to let one of those torn banner walk. in here and what? Ask you about why the Ozzie Fang is dead? This whole plan has been a mistake. This whole plan has been a mistake. Now, I'm sorry, I'm sorry if I've done something wrong, but what plan are you talking about? I thought we were going to spare Thiassi to show our goodness to the people of this fine city. To earn some of the forgiveness that is baked into our seven shining tenets, forgiveness is one of them. I thought we were meant to forgive people like the torn banner and like the Ozzy.

Why couldn't we have spared his life? The Taconas are moving, and we need to move and keep up. Do you understand? They are our closest our eyes. Sure. And that means that our backs are right within reach of their nine. Oh. Why are they still so strong? Their lands destroyed and sundered, halfway between storm rack and eternal night? Why? What moves are they making on boards we can't see?

Fiazzi had to die because the Taconas wanted him to die, and right now we need them close. I still can't get my eyes on what exactly it is that they can do. they can do. You. I've done you wrong. I've betrayed you. No, not you. No, no, no, no, no. You speak only truth. I thought. I thought it would be of great benefit to our house that our Sion should walk only in the light. But there's nothing solid that doesn't cast a shadow. Yes.

I made a mistake and I've been making it and it's time to set things right. Don't make any plans for tonight. When your father returns, it's time for you to know the truth. The truth. You mean to promote me? Yeah, Wickey, you get him promoted.

And she opens the door and leaves, and that's where we'll take our break. Yeah, Wickey, you get him promoted. And that's where we'll leave our story for now. Part two of this episode of Campaign 4 drops this Tuesday. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you soon for more. Critical Role.