Critical Role - C2E37 Dangerous Liaisons

Episode Date: October 5, 2018

Live from New York! The Mighty Nein are taken aboard the Squall Eater, and Fjord learns more about his mysterious patron...Watch Critical Role live Thursdays at 7pm PT on https://www.twitch.tv/criticalrole

Hello, bees! This is Laura Bailey, here to welcome you to the Critical Role podcast. If you'd like to tune into the show as it airs, you can watch Critical Role Thursdays at 7 p.m. Pacific on twitch.tv slash criticalrole and youtube.com slash criticalrole. Our lovely Twitch subscribers can view the episode on demand right away. Or you can find it on YouTube Mondays at 12pm Pacific. And of course, for all you fantastic podcast listeners, Critical Role episodes hit feeds on Thursday mornings, a week after the episode first airs. With all that said, let's get into another episode of Critical Role. Hello New York! Wow! Wow. Wow.

I would ask how everyone's doing, but I can already tell. Who's ready to get turned up tonight? You know, I talked to Taliesin a couple weeks ago, and I said, how in the world do we top what you did for me for Gen Con? And he said, I have five words for you, Brian. The goth of Wall Street. Well, we have a great show planned for you guys. I am really interested to see how this is going to go. Given the last few episodes, I'm sure you are.

I have a couple of bad cop announcements. That's what I get paid to do. Up first, and, you know, we're all really waiting to see what Sam's going to do. Am I right? Everybody's, hide your kids, hide your wives. First of all, feel free to engage along with the show tonight. Some of the ways you can engage along with the show is clapping, which you seem to do very well. It's wonderful. You can definitely cheer. This one's going to be hard. You can cry. That sounds good. Sounds genuine. The one thing that we do ask that you refrain from during the live shows is shouting out any rules, suggestions, things like that.

Use feather fall. Shit like that's not going to fly. You have two spell slots left. Nobody cares what you have to say. And especially no jokes that you think are going to either get a reaction from the cast or from the rest of the audience. And take it from someone who knows. Sometimes you think you have a great joke.

And it's a fucking terrible one. And at Gen Con this year, some people decided to rebel against the rules and nothing made me happier than hearing someone yell out a joke and then it bombing. I was up on the balcony leaning down going, welcome to my Tuesday night every week. I guarantee you guys, Matt and the cast are going to put on a fantastic show for you tonight. Yep. Despite the fact it will not contain any of your bad jokes. Up next, we will be broadcasting at an hour delay tonight. So there is an extremely strict no spoiler policy in the house tonight. So, there is an extremely strict no spoiler policy in the house tonight. There's really, after Sam comes out and sits down, there's really no need for you guys to have your phones out tonight. So, please do not spoil it for all of our critters watching

literally around the world. Don't get on Twitter. Don't get on Tumblr. Don't get in the Twitch chat and say shit. Don't be a dick. Please, please, please. And, you know, ultimately, there's more of them than there are of us, so we gotta be careful, if you know what I'm saying. I don't want people coming after us.

Okay, if you're at New York Comic Con this weekend, please check out our schedule at CritWorld.com. We're gonna be busy. How many people at New York Comic Con this weekend, please check out our schedule at critrole.com. We're going to be busy. How many people are going to Comic Con? Wow. Wow.

That's going to be awesome. Let's see. Oh, yeah. Introduce the cast. Okay. Without further ado, I would like to introduce the cast of Critical Role. Travis Willingham. Marisha Ray. Taliesin. Jackie.

Ashley Johnson! Ashley Johnson! Sam Riegel! Sam Riegel! Liam O'Brien! Oh, Brian. Motherfucking Laura Bailey. Ladies and gentlemen, on your feet for Mr. Matthews. Mercer! Thank you. Oh, my God. That is an Arash, I don't know what is. Oh man. Hello everyone, and welcome. Two words. Welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role, where a bunch of us nerdy-ass voice actors sit

around dressed as pirates and play Dungeons & Dragons. All right. Now, before we make our way into tonight's episode, we've got a few announcements to make, so be patient, please. First and foremost, the second episode of All Work No Play debuts tomorrow. Our fantastic Sam and Liam, they learned how to tap dance, kind of, loosely. But that'll be debuting tomorrow at 7 p.m. Pacific. For those of us here on the East Coast right now, that's going to be 10 p.m. But that'll be at twitch.tv slash Critical Role. So check

it out. It's really funny. We watched the episode earlier. I hope you enjoy it. Between the Sheets, our new episode airs Monday at 7pm Pacific, 10pm here. Our guest this week is the fantastic Liam O'Brien over there on the side table. We love you, Liam! So check that out on Monday at twitch.tv slash Critical Role. Also, we do not have a Wyrmwood giveaway this week. Because instead, all of our live attendees tonight at the show, when the show is over on your way out, you'll be receiving a $25 Wyrmwood gift card.

Whoa! Our amazing friends at Wyrmwood have been so kind to help facilitate this for all of you amazing critters out there. So on your way out tonight, make sure you grab it. Don't forget it. You'll regret it. Man, my heart is going ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom. Yeah. Never get used to this. And a quick little thing before we get started in the game. We mentioned it earlier this year.

We have our fantastic continuation of the Vox Machina Origins comic book with Dark Horse that we're in development on. The next six issues are currently in the process of getting them going. Currently the planned date is the summer of next year. We're happy to announce that our original artist, Olivia Sampson, a fellow Critter from the community, has done an amazing job as returning to be the artist for this.

And we're going to reveal a couple little art pieces here to show you of some of the new characters you'll meet next summer, including our very own Pike and Percy, if you want to go ahead and give a quick view of that up there. That was really cool. Some of these characters you may have seen in our pre-stream recap video from years ago, but you also get to see some of these cast hasn't seen them until right now. We've got Abjurus Nosia, we've got Wilhan Trickfoot up there, we've

got Pike when her hair was still dark before her first death. Stonejaw Strongjaw! We have casual prison Percival. And his true Whitestone pale ass self. We've got Drezvina, we've got a temple keeper who is working for Lady Kima in Westruun. We have realm seer Eskilrind Darien, who you saw a few times throughout the first campaign. As well as Nala the Dryad, who you got to meet. The nymph. The nymph that you got to meet later in the campaign.

You get to see her first interaction with Grog. And a couple other fun characters that you'll get to see throughout the story. So anyway, really excited about that. More information will become available as it does. But hopefully you guys get to enjoy it next year. So, without further ado, my friends. They've got a few quick announcements again. Like how we did that?

Yeah, yeah. Pull on search things. But no, we have our fantastic sponsor for the evening. Yes. Since the beginning of the campaign, our good friends at D&D Beyond. Yeah. D&D Beyond, guys, you know them, you love them. And to celebrate Critical Role Live in New York, D&D Beyond has set up a discount code. Just for a limited time, it'll get you 25% off digital books on the D&D Beyond marketplace, but you

have to use this code, and I'm not making this up, it's SAMISOURHERO. So go check it out. In fact, I'm so flattered that they named their code after me that I wrote a little Broadway song. Can't even hear the pitch. Okay. About their discount code, Sam is our hero. Okay. I'm going to sing it a cappella.

Sam is our hero is the code to use to buy your books at steeply discount rates when you go to D&D Beyond, just mention me. Sam is our hero and he's handsome too. Look at that smile and such a boyish face. Oh my god. These lyrics are so crappy. Why did I agree? This crowd is loving my song. They think it's slightly too long. I'll win a Tony Award after all. I'll do whatever it takes.

This was an awful mistake. I cannot wait for our curtain call. Sam is ruining Hamilton. I hope the audience knows that Ashley told him no. And we know that we should start the game now. But it's such a pretty song for D&D Beyond, so we sang it anyway. Bid day, bid day. Tim is all here again.

Bid day, bid day. Oh, can that take you away? Away! Oh, my god. Amazing. Thank you, Sam and Ashley. And thank you, our friends at D&D Beyond. And thank you, Hamilton, for hopefully enduring that terrible butchering of a wonderful

piece of music. I think when Lin-Manuel wrote the song, he thought that it would be used in a D&D Beyond ad eventually. I think it was hard to avoid down the road. Well, all right, guys. Let's go ahead and bring us in to tonight's episode of Critical Role.

Ooh! When do I change into my sailor outfit? I wonder why I changed them when I saw her up there. Thank you. Yeah. Oh, gosh. And welcome back. So. Is the mic working now? Yes. Perfect. There we go. Welcome back.

So last we left off, the Mighty Nein, in following a thread of information that may tie into some aspect of Ford's curious history, after he chess-vored a sphere, discovered that it was apparently a group of individuals were hired to retrieve this and bring it to a captain of Antica. Upon following this thread, you found your way to the city of Nicodranas on the Menagerie Coast, outside of the Vandalian Empire. You met up with Yasha once more. You happened to take care of a man who was bothering Jester's mother. Very thoroughly. And coming upon this character, Marius de Poil, who you've been following, you got into an altercation at the docks

and accidentally took their boat. However, you managed to sneak your way back to Nicodranas the following day before it seemed there was much of an uproar searching for you. You stealth hired a crew, including bringing Orly, the turtle bard, on as your navigator. And made your way out to sea towards this island called Uruk-Hazel that you believed may have been

the one based on this piece of a map that you had recovered within the ship, the Mist. You changed the name of the ship to the Mistake. You became Captain Tusktooth, was it? Yes. Yes, yes. I mean, yeah, yeah. Yes. Yes, I'll make it. I mean, yes. Yes. Following the map, you made your way through the reef, taking on a bit of water briefly, but thankfully through some ingenuity, some quick repairs, and the tenuous use of a magical

tent, you kept it from sinking. Going towards the shoreline of Uruk-Ezel, there appeared to be another ship, a larger ship, waiting in the nearest bay. Upon attempting to possibly make your way around it to run it aground, the ship seemed to be cutting you off and fired a warning cannon shot across the bow. You decided it was best to stop and began to gather yourselves as two small rowboats were making their way towards the outside of the mistake to whatever ends that may come to. Caleb, are you still below deck holding onto your spell?

Good. Because I believe that is where we left off. So Mighty Nein, as you see these two small boats just slowly rowing their way towards you from the far side of the bay, what do you do? Fjord? Yeah. Is this like one of those, what is it,

like a parfait? What's it called? Oh, with the yogurt? Those are really good. No, no, no. Those are really good. No, not that one, when you talk with other people who know how to sail. Parley? Parley.

That one. Yeah, I think it will be a parley, unfortunately. Oh, parfaits are bad. Why unfortunately? Well, I don't know who these people are, what kind of ship they've come in on. I mean, this can go one of two ways, either very amicably or we all die.

Do you think it's the captain, Avantika? Oh, I don't know. Do we have a spyglass on board this ship? Lead? Anything? Ooh! Oh! Oh! Caleb gave me his, uh me his frumpkin. Frumpkin. I said a spyglass, and you pulled out

a bird. Frumpkin, go spy on the ship. Oh. Thankfully, the intelligent creature managed to swoop up before hitting the surface of the ocean there. But Frumpkin continues to head off towards the other ship. At this point in time, the rest of the rowboat's travel is just about to reach the bottom of the

mistake. Oh, they're that close? Yeah, as you're waiting here. If there's anything else you want to prepare in the meantime. I know you said you changed your form to look like the previous captain. Yeah, so I'm going to look like the half-orc captain, but was I close enough to hear him talk when he was on the dock? No, you were far away. Shit, fuck, balls ass!

Okay, so I'm going to make myself look like him. Yeah, it was less that you were far away and more that you were in the water and then made a thunder strike and then were far away and then he was paralyzed. No, we don't have to relive it. Sorry, go ahead. From down below inside the bubble of Leomin's tiny hut,

I pull out the wire and I cast message up to Ford and say, I have plugged the bottom of the ship, so I think our troubles are behind us now. Can I reply to that message? We're about to be boarded by fucking pirates. Tell him they might have yogurt with them. So can I make myself look like Captain Jawgrass? Can I put a bloody bandage around my throat as if I suffered a wound, and I'll just talk like this?

You can certainly try. Okay. Or do you want us to look like anything along with you, or should we just look like ourselves? Well, I mean, not that you're already really super dangerous looking, but maybe you could menace it up a little bit. Okay, I look like

me only menacing. So what, your eyebrows just go like this? Like that, and I put a lot of cool tattoos on my arms, and I make my fangs even longer. Okay. I envision the anime girl, where all of a sudden the eyes are covered in shadow. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, perfect.

And my dress is like tight now. Anybody else? I don't even know how to interpret this kind of input. God. First of all, I want to see how many people are in these boats coming in. Are they armed? Make a perception check. I'm going to roll a perception check. First roll. It's terrible, but I'm pretty perceptive, so that's 12.

They're getting pretty close, so it's not a terrible DC at this point in time. There are two figures in one boat and a very large figure in the other, alone. You see one of the boats is kind of like sinking in the water. Not only sinking, but it's definitely pushing towards the boundaries of buoyancy. The other boat, however, seems to carry two figures. One looks to be a female, a little older, maybe in

50s or 60s. The other figure seems to be the one who's rowing. What does her jacket look like? I mean, sorry. I will say, you cannot quite make out that detail from this distance. Looks like a jacket. Are you lowering any of the rope ladders? Yeah, no, hold on. I know the name. Yeah, I'm going to tell Beau to go activate the windlass and lower the anchor.

I go over and I smack Yasha's ass. Is that? Wait, that's what you said, right? No, no, no, nope, nope. The windlass. The windlass. Yeah, and we'll make sure that flag is nice and high that had the gray. You got it.

Yasha? Am I in your way, Beau? Oh, I don't know how to sail, so. That's all. Okay. At this point, you hear the two dull of the two other small rowboats hitting the bottom of the ship, and you hear the climbing of the side of the boat. Eventually emerging, the first thing you see is one giant, meaty hand come over the top of the side of the ship, and rising up, you see what looks to be a haggard female ogre.

You see stringy, greasy hair that's peeling in front of the face, obscuring part of one eye. The other one looks to be a bit clouded. You can see almost these streaks of dark what would have been possibly makeup. And beyond that, just a leather tunic and just these thick, rippling, muscular arms. She eventually gets over the side of the ship and then puts her hand over and helps the other two up. One of them appears to be a gentleman, probably in his late 30s, mostly bald, a little bit of hair on the sides, kind of like a light blonde. And he seems to be a little more demure compared to the two. Immediately his gait and presence seems to

be more of at least a lower position on the hierarchy of the other ship. The last one that comes up is the woman that you saw. And this woman you see, she's a tougher-looking, middle-aged woman, thicker, heftier body, weathered face. You can see she's wearing what looks almost like tattered robes, but beneath that there is a set of leather armor. There is a cutlass to one side, and she has this small amulet that's dangling from a heavy chain around the neck. Oh yeah, before they even come up, I'm going to look like the chef's cook. I am not looking aggressive for this. I am putting on chef's outfit and getting small and human with awful red hair. So yeah, I'm out.

All righty. As they step up, the ogre looks around at the rest of you and grins with this broken, toothy glare. The woman clears her throat and addresses you. You are requested to the bowels of the Squall Eater immediately. Oh! It's the ship! That's the ship that she owns! Yeah, yeah. Oh shit. That's the ship that she owns? Yeah. Who do we offer the ship to? Shit. Bullshit.

It is recommended by the captain that you immediately make your way across with whatever boats you have available. There's a space for some with us. But should you decline or make any move outside of complete and utter compliance, you and your ship will sink. Actually, funny you mention sinking.

Our boat sustained some damage. So if I could request of the captain perhaps some grace while we go into shore. I'm afraid if we try to make it to our ship, we might be on the bottom of the ocean. His throat was slit, you can probably see. afraid if we try to make it to our ship, we might be on the bottom of the ocean. His throat was slit, you can probably see. So he has a hard time talking. She turns to you with an intense glare and goes,

Jawgrasp, you seem to have sustained some sort of terrible wound. Yes, my throat is all fucked up. Make a deception check with advantage. Okay. Oh, yes, yes! 17. If you come with whatever your most immediate crew is, and she looks about and says, And it would appear that you've lost most of your previous crew?

Yeah, heavy casualties. The butcher's bill was very steep. So you bring unproven individuals into our plans. It would seem that way. But these are battle-hardened men and women, every one of them. Ha! Yo ho! Ho! The woman glares back and forth

across the troop of you and goes, Well, then some of you come on to the ship. The rest take it in to shore with Baldriggat, and points to the ogre, and the ogre goes, To shore. Jesus. Do you think you can accommodate seven of us on your two craft? Do you not have a ship of yourself? Do we? I mean, we have this boat. We have a rowboat.

You have a rowboat. We have a rowboat. We have a rowboat. We will accompany you to the Squaleater. Then come, please. And she immediately starts to climb down with the help of Bouldergut, the ogre, down into one boat. The helper that she was with goes down with the help of Bouldergut, the ogre, down into one boat. The helper that she was with goes down with her, and there are now the two rowboats

and the rowboat that you have at your disposal. It looks like the ogre is staying on board to help whoever's behind take the mistake to shore. I'll turn to the rest of the crew and be like, Just do whatever she, he, she says. Big, big grin, the rest of the crew, who has known you for three days, just goes like, huh.

They start getting the ropes ready, and start pulling the anchor up. Nott, make sure that Caleb comes with us. He's awful grumpy below decks. He needs to be on the part of the boat with us. He's awful grumpy below decks. He needs to be on the part of the boat with us. You want me to go get Caleb? Yeah, go get fucking Caleb! Okay, okay. I think in addition to your throat getting slashed, you might have sustained a bump on

the head or something. All right, I'll go get Caleb. I run downstairs. Turf-hanging fighter, just make sure he's on the boat. I'll go get Caleb. Okay, okay. As you're sitting there concentrating with all this going on, the tension of what we were just told by Fjord a moment ago, you watch as Nott runs down to grab you.

Yeah, I'm inside a giant sphere of glass, basically. Can you just, can you keep it going, but not be here? Because we have to go, we have to go. No, I cannot do that. I have to stay here in this bubble, or the boat will sink, presumably. Will it sink quickly or slowly?

Well, it lasted between 10 and 20 minutes while I got this going, but I am not a boat expert. That's Fjord's MO, so I can't say for certain how long this will sail float. No. Listen, we've just got to make this decision on our own. So, because he's entrusted me to come get you, we have to go on this boat with these pirates, or else we'll all be killed. So can you just temp it? Just temp it in. Just kind of like rough it in.

Just sort of close the wound as much as you can. Nine. I cannot do that. But I could walk away from this. Are we all leaving? There are actually pirates above? There are real pirates. We're going to get on a boat with them

and go to're real pirates. We're going to get on a boat with them and go to another to see other pirates. And... But everything's okay. Everything's going to be fine because Ford has convinced them that he's the guy that we

killed before except with a massive throat laceration. Okay. before, except with a massive throat laceration. Okay. Okay, I am trying to process this as quickly as I can. I'm glad that I spent all the time making this. Let's go. I walk out of Leomund's tiny hut, goes.

Okay, you watch as the sphere immediately vanishes as you exit the exterior of it. And what brief repairs were placed against there seem to hold for the time being. There is a slow leak. You do see it is taking on water, but it is, at the moment, a trickle. Is Galen still down there fixing it up? Galen. Galen had, in the rest of this journey when you came out of the Reef, Galen had done his best to repair it, but there's only so much you can patch something like that.

It may hold for a while, who knows? Galen literally, as this is happening, sees it leaking and is like, okay, you know, this is, it should work. As long as we don't stay out here for too long, I think we'll be okay. Yeah, and as we go up topside, I say quietly to Nott, you know, I did not allow for Gallon to go inside the bubble, so it's all the same to him. Let's go. All right, let's go.

Great, perfect. Have fun wherever you're going. Oh, yeah, you'll be fine down here. We'll send word soon. You said something about pirates? No. Yeah, you'll be fine down here. We'll send word soon. You said something about pirates No Hi rats There were rats on the top of the mast and we took care of them make a deception 16 hey No good at these. 16. Hey! He goes, oh, I mean, I hate fucking rats.

Yeah! I'm glad you took care of them. That gets real bad as far as the food stalls down here in the Cargo Hold. Thank you for that. Aye aye. All right, toadaloo. He sits down and gets himself an orange, unaware. Poor bastard.

All right. So you guys make your way back to the deck of the ship. Yeah, and going up also, I grab hold of that leather thong that's tied around my thigh, and I cast Mage Armor on the way up. Okay, good to know. Leather thong! I hope that's written in your inventory. Hey, Caleb. I took Frumpkin and I threw him overboard to go spy on things. So if you do that thing where you get all hazy, we might see shit. Don't do it right now. Wait till we're on the Yeah. Your bird's spying on a pirate. Tally-ho.

All right, so are you all getting into the boats, or are some of you staying behind? What's the plan? Let's all get in that boat. I think better together than not. All righty. So all of you make your way down into one of the three boats and begin rowing your way across this gulf to this ship. As you approach this ship, you can see it's a massive, trimassed ship. You can see where those doors were open, there are large, heavy cannons facing your direction.

Coming out of the gun port? Yeah. I'm so proud of you. Travis, you look really hot. Yeah. You're so pretty! From the gun ports on the gun deck, or the tween deck, as it's sometimes called. Anyway, so as you make your way towards this massive ship, The large rope, I wouldn't say a ladder more than a giant net-looking ladder is thrown over the side. That hits and breaks the surface for a bit,

some of it floats, the boats come up to the side, and the older woman who's inside the boat gives a look for the rest of you and goes, After you. All right. I'll go first. I think it's women and children first that are supposed to go, actually. No, that's not right at all. Okay.

All right. So you'll go first, Fjord? Sure. Yep. I mean, yes. As you guys are climbing, you see the mistake is now being led over towards shore. You make your way to the top of the deck,

and as you come across, one by one, you see there waiting for you is probably about ten figures, all in various scattered bits of seafaring attire, leathers and billowing cloths that seem to have seen many a journey out here on the open Lucidian Ocean. But immediately your attention is grabbed by the central figure, a female elf with light brown skin, with red wild hair that falls and like clustered strings around her face and down the back.

You see that she's wearing a long sleeveless gray coat with a high collar that kind of just bends at the edge of the shoulders with a thick scarf that's around her neck. You see she has heavy elbow-length gloves and knee-high boots that look weathered with use and probable brutality. They're staying in places where that could only have been

acquired by meeting the face of somebody else. As you step up, she has her arms crossed in front of her, talks to her head at the side, and looks towards you specifically and goes, Hello, Captain. So, you have returned from your journey, Jorg-Rasp?

Oui. We suffered heavy damage and casualties, but we have returned successful. Successful? Well, Wanderers, please give me the item requested. Sorry, when he means successful, he means unsuccessful. Who are you? I... Captain, it would appear to me that you have brought the mist all this way across our specific route through the reef with a crew that I have not met. Please introduce me. Oh, yes.

We actually came under such heavy heat, we had to rebrand the ship as The Mistake. This surprises me not at all. Yeah. Yep, and we came across some new crew. May I introduce... Tracy. Tracy the Bowman.

Tracy Bowman. Next to Tracy, you will see... Oh, uh, Philip. My name is Philip Bonjour. Philip is a talented boun. May I also introduce the tall and powerful? Hello, my name is Janet. Janet? Janet. I do various things on the ship for him. So many things. Just all of the things that need to be done.

She nods along with a very confused look on her face. Arrgh! That's great. That's great. We're all going to die. Cornelius, and I apologize for the way I'm dressed right now. I was in the middle of, well, it's obvious, I was making a stew, this really nice vegetable stew, and everything just went just topsy-turvy so quick,

I don't even... It's so good. Very good stew. It's true. Very talented. He's a talented cook, that one. What was your name again? Cornelius. Cornelius, yeah, the food just blows your mind.

Sometimes they call me Stu, because I just cook. Cornelius. Very well, I look forward to seeing what you're capable of cooking up, Cornelius. Oh, very excited. This one. I'm a pirate! Hashtag I'm a pirate. Pirate Sapphire.

Aww. He's adorable. Arr, thanks. And what about this little rant you brought on? I'm Gilligan! Gilligan! I was just... I was told this was only going to be about three hours long.

To be honest with you, I just thought we were going on a pleasure cruise. But you know, I've met some people and we've had a great time and yeah. Really nice boat you got here. And we've had a great time, and yeah. Really nice boat you got here. Aw. She turns back to you. And begins to just walk a circle around you,

arms behind her back now. I can see it. Kind of folded. Jean Grasp, so you come to me with a new crew, and you tell me that you are successful, but yet you are not. Describe to me what transpired to prevent you from acquiring this thing you were paid for. Well, you see, we now know the location

of the artifact you seek. It's as good as ours. And how did this terrible, terrible thing happen to you? She reaches up and touches the side of your neck. Her hand passes through the illusion, and she steps back and goes, Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit. All part of the plan. Chit, chit, chit, chit, chit. All part of the plan. I must commend you.

It has been a very long time since someone has been so bold with such massive balls to come onto my ship. And think that perhaps I got to where I am today not by seeing through a few vulture illusions. Well, I must commend you on your perceptiveness. My balls are quite large. And I will drop the mask. You drop the Disguise Self. Okay. As you say that and the Disguise Self drops, you hear a series of sounds that you hadn't really heard in succession before. As you see, most of the crew

now wielding some variation of the firearms you had seen both in Hupperdook or the traveling armies of the Empire eastward towards the boundaries of Xhorhas. now has her hands crossed in front of you and goes, well, I guess now that we are out in the open, who the fuck are you? And how did you come in the possession of the myth? That is a wonderful story. One that I would love to share. You have the honor of being in the company of the Mighty Nein.

But there are only seven of them. It's a long story, but I'm afraid we won't be able to tell it or further converse unless we have an atmosphere of equal exchange here And this hostile act is not a step right direction Captain So you are the captain of that ship. Are you suggesting that we? are they

Say yes for yes Yes Say yes, Fjord. Say yes. Yes. Very well. Well, since you've been so forthright, Tracy, Philip, Sapphire, Cornelius, Janet,

and Illegon? Illegon? And, Il-er-gon? Il-er-gon? Welcome. Welcome aboard the Squall-Eater. I am Captain Avanna. Now, the fact that you are here, that you made your way across the reef, that you managed to best our sister ship, and the crew on board, which I assume have all been displeased? Indeed. Just out of curiosity, if I look back over my shoulder, do I still see our boat?

Oh, yeah. You do, you do. Woo! It's noticeably lower, but in maybe a short 10 minute period, it'll be finding its way onto the beach. It's also got a giant fucking ogre on it now. Yeah.

Can I look around real quick and see if I see Frumpkin? Make a perception check. Leaves are so big. Sorry. Shit. I think that was an eight. Get your hat out of the way. This is not a good dice for this lighting. 11.

11. You look around real fast and you see a few birds are perched up in the sails, but you don't know which one's Frumpkin if Frumpkin's up there. One of them does look kind of small. You might be him. I lost another fucking owl. It's a theme. I hear her say that and just for 10 or 15 seconds jump into Frumpkin's vision to see what I see. Right now you look up and you can see

through Frumpkin's vision down on the deck. Frumpkin has a view from above and is present. The captain continues. Well, then my next question is what are you planning here? Why have you gone through all of this trouble to kill my crew, to bring the ship right back to me, and then, to be perfectly honest, prostrate yourself before us? Well, I imagine there must be a hefty reward for the item that you seek. We went through great troubles just to acquire it.

Good hat. Do you know the purpose of this item? Yep. She looks... She looks at you with an eye that has tore through a thousand lies and gives a surprising smile of acknowledgement. Interesting. Well, you've proven that you are talented at least to have survived this far, but I'm

a bigger fan of loyalty. Talent and loyalty. Well, that is obviously my birthday. As it stands, the Mighty Nein, there are two paths you can walk. You, one, could live under the crew and prove yourselves as both skilled and as trustworthy as I hope you may be, if our goals are indeed aligned.

Perhaps even join us, if the deeds please me. Or two, we weigh your corpses down with rocks and leave you here amongst the reef. Those are the only options there? I'm afraid so, little Sapphire. Cool. So, Captain, what was your actual name? Ford. Captain Ford. What will it be?

Actually, Captain Tusk, too, but... We'll stick with Ford. Uh, Cornelius, what say you in this highly delicate matter? I don't know. I've got some very specific burial needs if we're actually going to go that way. I'm kind of unhappy with everything at the moment. I would really like to negotiate just some base points of this deal. At the moment you say this, you feel this cold sensation in the back of your skull as one of the cocked rifles is now pressed up against the base of the head. Do I know what a rifle is? You have no idea.

I think you know what a cock is. Ah, that's cold. Oh, that's really cold. She goes, There is no negotiation. I'm sorry, but the choice you make now, that is not necessary. We would absolutely love to prove our loyalty in your service. I would say this, though, just as a curious tourist. If you were to kill us, you would not find the location of the item. Well, based on the fact that you brought yourselves this far to tell me that you have it, I would assume that it's somewhere either on your ship across the way that I currently am in

possession of, or it's on your person so we could rummage through your bodies to find it afterwards. How far would that rummaging entail? I'm just curious how far you would look. Have you ever seen The Fifth Element? It's a really popular play. I don't... I'm afraid I'm not as involved in the arts as some, perhaps. She puts her hand up and raises her fingers twice, and you feel the pressure of the barrel back off. All the guns eventually stay

trained on you, but they pull back a bit and go lax a little bit. Do you agree? We don't have a choice, so yes. Yes? It's a resounding yes. Yes! Well then, Mighty Nein, welcome to Zisqually. All the guns pull back a bit. Everyone stays present, and they're keeping an eye on you. As much as this agreement has happened, there's still a sense of careful watchfulness from the crew, but Avantika seems to drop that kind of intensity and reaches forward a hand to shake yours.

So do we pick our quarters first? Or do we get assigned roles? Or is there a uniform that we need to wear? Does the yogurt come before or after? Really looking forward to that. If you're hungry, there are plenty of fruits to pluck from the trees on the island. First order of business, some of my men are going to work

to begin repairing my other ship. In the meantime, relax, bring your things aboard. I would like to question some of you about what you know. File me. Hey guys, let's steal a boat. It'll be so much fun. So as the captain turns to the older woman who accompanied you and goes, Vera, let me introduce you to your charges for the evening. Vera?

Oh, Jesus! Caleb died! I must have been shot! Cardosis has been shot! Sorry, guys. We've never been on stage before. It's a learning curve. We'll figure it out. So, the captain will return in just a little bit.

But in the meantime, Vera can answer your questions. Don't do anything. Never. Never. Good. The captain steps down into her quarters, and Vera approaches, kind of looks you all over, very into your hair. All right, go on.

Welcome. Are you hungry? Always, yes, of course. Usually. And she turns around and begins to leave. You begin to see in the distance another boat. One of the boats that you guys have taken to the ship has made its way in the direction of Mistake.

But what would you like to do while you're here on the ship? I'll make my way over to Janet, Yasha, and just take her by the arm and say, You okay with it? If I ask her, let her know that I don't. I think she'll... Oh, you don't think she'd believe me? Well, what if one of us asked her what it does, like you won't tell us or something? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That's fine.

Yeah, like I hoard the information. Yeah, I like that you brought Yasha, yeah, like I'm, like I hoard the information. Yeah, I like that you brought Yasha aside and then all of us just kind of. Jumped right in. Sorry. Sorry, I just, I couldn't help but hear what you. Very special, yeah.

Work your magic. Okay. We're gonna ask Avantika if she will tell us. If she'll tell us? Yeah, because he won't. Why would she tell us? Because we're very charming. We are that. That's true. How long are we going to hold these disguise?

Well, I think I look really good, so as long as it lasts. And then I might make my dress permanent. No, that's really good. Are we off on our own a little bit from everyone training guns upon us? They're still watching you. You're still on the deck. But you have some time to discuss or anything you want to... Not making any movements to move the ship. At the moment, nothing. What is our plan here?

I'm trying to move my lips as little as possible. We just go with this for the time being, and then when the moment is right, we get away, or are we just pirates now? I second that question. Yeah, I third that question. So what I have worked out is that we have what she needs. We got to try and find out as much as we can about why she wants it and what it does. Where she wants it for it does where she wants herself or speaking

that's not all i got that is oh is marius lapal back on the other ship yep oh he forgot marius that poor bastard oh our turtle Oh, we forgot Marius! That poor bastard. Oh shit! Our fucking turtle! Well, we're not leaving, though. We're not leaving anywhere. They gotta fix that ship. They better not sing! No, she said we could go back and get our things. It's not like there... you know, there are things. They need to crew that ship.

I like Orly. Yeah, okay. I would warrant a guess that we are stuck here for the time being, but I think at a certain point we are going to want to go. And if that happens, all of you, if you see a window in which we can get away, tell Nott or myself, and we will start a, like, snow chain. A what? A what?

We will tell our friends that it's time to get out of here. Oh, yes. So just find you or me and we spread it quickly. Just so we don't leave anyone behind like we almost fucked off without the deuces. From the doctor. Sorry again about that. No, that's okay. I mean, I wasn't that worried.

Fair enough. I feel like we can make some ground without fighting if we have to. I feel like we can find out what we need and maybe flip away, I think that's a great idea. Okay, but still, that doesn't, why would we run if we don't know what this thing is inside of you? And I'm assuming you want it out of you, right? I kind of fucking like it actually so we just need information and then we run well they're

also fixing ship some point ships so we'd steal both of them. That's pretty cool. How about, in the meantime, keep an eye on the people around, right? Watch what they're doing, the things they're doing on the mast, on the rigging, right? Try and familiarize yourself with the work. Shit, we're supposed to learn from these people? If you can. I think for the time being, we are, in fact, pirates.

And, Ford, you are absolutely correct. Learn as much as possible when the opportunity is right. But for now, we are just with them. They are our new best buddies. Sure, yeah. Our partners. Captain Tusktooth. Yes, Sapphire. Could you maybe make some more of those idiot's guides and spread

them around through the rest of us? More of the what? Those guides that you made, the sailing guides. But... This is mine. that you made the sailing guides. But... This is mine. I earned this. And it's not actually in the game.

Within a short time of you guys having this conversation, Vyra returns to the deck of the ship and goes, The captain would like you to please join her in the quarters below, please. All of us? Sure. It would be our pleasure. So you guys follow Vyra down below to the darker. It takes a second for your eyes to adjust, going from the bright daylight to the darker quarters in the deck below. But you're led to the captain's quarters.

This beautiful open room almost has like a mismatched patchwork of old carpets that have all been laid over each other from various designs from around Exandria. You can see there's kind of a desk that has a bunch of carve marks into it. There's some papers laid out. And there you can see Avantika sitting with her legs up on the desk, very like eating on some sort of a tropical fruit. Just watching you all enter with a bit of a grin on her face.

Please, fill this space. Yeah, mind if we partake of your beautiful bread here? There's food in this bitch. Make a perception check. 14! Yes, actually. On the right side of the room, you see there is a small pack of freshly collected tropical fruits. There's some nuts. Looks like a cheese that's been designed for longer travel and will eat well By all means

No put it back. It's a candle bar. The doors close behind you, but you do see before the doors close, all the rest of the crew that were armed are essentially right nearby, waiting to storm at any given point in time. Outside the door? Right outside the door. So is it essentially us and the captain?

It's just you and the captain, for what you can tell. It's just you guys. Are there port-police windows? Is that... I don't know. No. No, okay. Are there windows? You see what looks to be a couple of windows and a doorway behind her that leads to a balcony

that looks out the back of the ship. Does she have paper on the ship? You see a couple of papers. Actually, you see a familiar-looking map. Oh! Kind of akin to what you guys were supposed to have last week, but the mail service decided not to have it. But we have the map of the Menagerie Coast and another map that has a similar layout to what you found mostly burned in the mist, as well as a few other pieces of paper that appear to be tucked away into portions of the desk. While they're having the conversation, I want to do a scan and see if I can see floorboards that look like they popped up, any marks on the floor, chests,

anything that looks like it could be a secret compartment. Make an investigation check. Actually, this will be a perception check. Just a glance, but it's going to be a higher DC. An investigation, you'd have to actually physically rummage through the room. Yeah, I'm also glancing around for both. Both of you make a perception check. Also glancing around for both. Both of you make a perception check. Yeah, that's balls.

Big balls. Like four-size balls. You get you a d20, instead of a one, it just has a pair of balls. Just a pair of balls. An eight. The room looks pretty solidly made, and the floorboard, while there are scuffs to it, there's nothing that gives you the idea that there would be any hidden compartment or any

small cubby that would be out of view. What'd you get? Big 11. 11. You do see what looks to be two books that are laying on the shelf to your left amongst what looks to be a set of candles. There's a small lantern. You see what appear to be a set of navigation spools that are barely poking out of a small wooden box. There's a small lantern. You see what appear to be a set of navigation spools that are barely poking out of a small wooden box. But yeah, there are two books there. You can't quite see the binder or if there is anything written on the sides. It's pretty plain bound.

Anyways, the door is closed. The captain looks at you and goes, All right. So now that you've agreed to become our friend, I would like to see the first test of you proving your loyalty. You have this item I require? You have the spear? Where is it? It's very dangerous, and before we tell you anything about it, we want to make sure that you know how to handle it. Little goblin girl. First, have a decent idea of what I'm doing.

A decent idea? But we've seen it do things. Scary things. We've seen... Worry terrible things. We've seen someone melt while touching it. Make a deception check. That's a 12.

Oh, minus three. A nine. She goes, nine. Oh my goodness, that sounds terrible. Well, obviously we cannot have you touching it then. Fine. Oh my goodness, that sounds terrible. Well, obviously we cannot have you touching it then. If you don't mind my asking. Please cut through the bullshit for me, please. Captain Ford?

Tusktooth. Will you tell me if I call you Tusk? No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Then, Captain Tusktooth, please tell me. That's awful. That's awful. Just trying to use them titties.

If I could, you seem so anxious. When was the last time the item was in your possession? I'm so excited to reunite you with it. I feel like if you tell us your story, we'll share in that sense of triumph. Respectfully, you're not in a position, once again, to negotiate. You tell me, and I'll tell you. A little back and forth. But honestly, the one who has to prove their loyalty right now is not myself.

You're correct. I have it on very good authority. The island that is surrounded by the deep row reef houses the item. You see. First time to swim. I see. I found a twin pup. Get the- Twenty! And you know precisely where it lies in the reef?

I do. Show me. And she pushes forward the map. The same, similar map to what you were given. Yep. Do you have it with you? Uh, I do. Fuck, I picked the one reef that doesn't have any goddamn islands.

She doesn't know that, and I'm not saying this out loud. Yep. Secret island. Yeah, yeah. Oh, uncharted island? Yeah! Hey! Let's not do that.

Um... If you make your way to the Deep Row Reef, right off the shores of Vyde Kay, you'll find an unguarded, old ruined fort. There, the island is being protected and held. So you stole my ship and came all this way to tell me that this item was not in your possession and is in another place. Why were you coming to the island? I'm very confused well you see uh marquis le poil let us know that you were in dire need of it and that there was heavy coin and glory in its delivery now as you can see i lost my original crew and found these bunch of fuck wits

but you see i do owe them a little bit of coin they their trouble and I sure would hate to give them candy. Plus, I want to see what happens when you're reunited with your profession. Well, first off, Marius Le Poil is merely a bullshit messenger, but I'm glad at least he could bring you to us. Is that all you know about the actual sphere? Perhaps. She's looking right into you, like lids half closed, this dagger stare of trying to read any sort of give.

Captain, I hope you understand that this is not my first road. And if I were to tell you everything that I know right now, why would you need me alive? Very well, let's wait a bit. The object I have not seen before, but I know of it and hoping to bring it to this island for a purpose. I had recently hired an individual known as Jamedi Kosko, a very well-established adventurer, delver of dungeons, and Costco is a...

Not Costco. That's what I heard. That's what I heard, too. Costco? C-O-S-K-O. Costco. Great pizza place. Yeah, yeah. You can get your crew in bulk. Yeah.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Take it easy, take it easy! To spend a few days across the jungles of the island to see what there is to be found there. You see this object, this sphere, it needs to return. There is a temple in there that's from long ago and has been since refitted by its current denizens. Something at the very bottom of that temple requires to be reunioned, reunited with this thing I seek. So?

What is it at the bottom of the temple? Do you, does the name Ukotoa mean anything to you? Sure as fuck doesn't. Could you say that again slower? Yeah, I'm sorry. You have a very thick accent. Sometimes it is... I'm losing a couple of things here and there.

No offense. You see as she throws a quick dagger in the direction of Caleb that drags the cheese from his hand. of things here and there, no offense. You see as she throws a quick dagger in the direction of Caleb, that drags the cheese from his hand. She sticks to the wall. Was I eating cheese? Apparently.

You were. My perception is so low. Stay away from the captain's cheese! I thought that was a metaphor. That was a triple-A scooter. No, but really, what did you say? What was the name? Uk-Ottoa. That was a triple-A scooter. No, but really, what did you say? What was the name? Uk'otoa. Spelled U-K, apostrophe O-T-O-A.

Uk'otoa. Uk'otoa, the Great Leviathan. Krakatoa. Gate of the Leviathan? The Great Leviathan. Oh, the Great Leviathan. Oh, the great Leviathan. Oh. Oh. I can't believe it. You know what that means?

The great Leviathan. Well, I have a good sense of it. It's a fucking Leviathan. Frigging warlock. I don't know what the fuck that means. What? What do you mean? It's in your book.

It's in your book. Her eyes are trained on Fjord as she says this. What do you see? I am the chosen of Uk'otoa. As she pulls the scarf down from under her neck, and you can see in the sternum there's a tattoo of an eye. You're Uk'otoa? No, she's the chosen. You're the chosen of Uk'otoa. Sorry, the sound, the speed.

You see, this great serpent once ruled the Lucidian Ocean. Perpetual. Leviathan. Your reactions are killing me, Travis. Shortly after the Calamity washed this land clean, and Zaheer, the Cloaked Serpent God, was banished long away, one of his greatest creations

was left to rule this ocean, Uk'ator. Uk'ator. The indigenous people of this series of islands, the Sylvain Islands, called the Kinau, were granted the blessing of Ukator. Ukator. And nothing. Nothing and no one would stand before them.

However, the surviving worshippers of this once powerful god now banished, grew jealous. And sealed him beneath the rocky depths of the ocean, defaced the temples built in their name. I did bring him back. And with their blessing, this seat's mine. So let me tell you, you've put in with the proper lot. So say we all.

She puts the scarf back up to hide the tattoo. So, I've shown you mine. You show me yours. Caleb is in the background just pulling cheese from the wall. Are we all supposed to get naked now? I don't... She doesn't flinch. Actually, if we're going to be getting ready for some trouble, I better change into my trouble gear if we're going there.

And I'm going to drop disguise self. Which puts your head pretty much right into the top. I try not to frighten people, but I figure if we're getting messy... I love this color palette. I really like this whole room. I think you've done a really good job with it. This is great. So back to Ford. In just a moment. Do you have some secret tattoos that we haven't seen yet? No.

Ford, maybe we should just come clean and form an actual partnership with this person. If we keep lying to her, we're gonna to lose. Not, not. I'm pretty sure you're not

playing this out all the way. That shit's in my body, okay? Um, you guys, you realize she's standing right here. We're whispering. We're stage whispering. I turn around, and I just start dancing to distract her from what we're doing.

Avantika. Yes? Make a performance check. Perfect. Oh, wait. Oh my god, that's good. 20. You can tell the captain's... Yes, but it's also kind of like peeking out the corner of her eye

at this strange display. Hold on, let's take advantage of this. Is there anything else we need to talk about? Well, clarifying question. Did Avantika just watch Ford yell at Nott, that shit is in my body? I don't know. I want to know.

You don't know if she's heard it, but you guys are in a very enclosed space, and she sees you all deliberating about something that you're all deciding whether or not to reveal. Right. So she's not just like, oh, everything's fine.

She knows something's up and she's just waiting for someone to come out with it. Avantika. Yeah? How can you be certain that you're the only chosen one of Uktoa? Bless you. Uktoa.

Uktoa. Chka-chka-chka. Did you guys all do that together? I'm so that together. Slow. Okay. Well, I'm not certain, but I'm the one who has the dreams. The dreams. Okay. She said dreams. She said dreams. You have dreams. You have dreams, too. You do. You do.

I have dreams. You have dreams. I have dreams. You have wet dreams, too! You do! You do! I have dreams! You have dreams! I have dreams! You have dreams! I love it! This big smile curls across her face, and you watch her go a little flush. She goes, what kind of dreams?

Do you often wake up vomiting salt water? Do you have wet dreams? You don't have to be embarrassed. You beat me to that by like 0.2346 seconds. She beats you to the wet dream? She looks a little confused, but says, No, unlike some, I can hold my brine. Not looking at me, right? I'm a...

You have dreams. I've had dreams of being deep underwater. There's a giant eye that sees me. I hear a voice speaking to me, but I can't reply. Does that ring any bells? Her smile just grows wider. So, Okotoa has spoken to you as well. Oh, he was supposed to do the thing. So perhaps it was not just some strange coincidence you found your way here, then? Perhaps not. Perhaps this is destiny. I must tell you, I am very eager to see what this leads to. I haven't been entirely honest. The item you seek does not lie on Vile Co-

What the fuck is it called? Vile Cave! It does not reside there. I have it protected in an alternate dimension, and I'll use Minor image to show the sphere and make it disappear. Oh. Oh.

If we can work together, I would like to accompany you to this temple you speak of. I would like to see it find its resting place. Also, we're not just some dumbass crew we hired. We totally murdered all your guys, so... And you know what the craziest part is? We don't really know why we did it. We're loco! Avantika, it's almost a palpable passion behind her, like the excitement and the adrenaline is pumping through her body, and you can see her now leaning forward in her seat,

her feet are off the desk and her hands are grasping the sides of it in her gloves, and she's just looking across, most of you, but focused on Fjord and says, Well, I'm very curious to see where this leads us. Well, then perhaps let us stay the night on board. Let's wait for Jamedi. Wait for Jamedi to return, if he's plotted out the course to this temple. If who's plotted out the course of the temple? Who? Jamedi.

Kosko. Kosi. Kosko. Kosko. Kosko. Kosko's a terrible person. And if this is indeed the kismet you speak of, what better way to prove your loyalty to me and my ship than to be the ones to go into this temple with you? Yeah, absolutely. This is an advantageous moment for all of us,

and if we can help your and your hentai cult achieve your goal... You will all come out as winners. This is true if my name is Philip. It is. She looks around at the rest of you, claps her hands twice, the door opens behind, and Vera enters. Captain, you're summoned.

She looks about to the rest of you in the chamber and turns to her and goes, Please, clear out some quarters for our guests. Tell Zoen and Waldark to sleep on the deck tonight. Give them comfortable rooms and bedding. And please, keep a close eye for Jamedi. Any day now. I can feel it. I'm very, very . Jumanji? Is that Costco?

That's Costco, yes. Yes, yes, Jumanji Costco. Jumanji Costco! No, no, no, no! He makes a note every time! Crunchy Costco. Crunchy Costco. No, no, no, no! He makes a note every time. The tradition continues. Somewhere the spirit of Purvan sits next to Vax'ildan looking down going, come on!

So, Vera nods and looks a bit curious. I'm moving. Follow me. I'll lead you to your chambers, as the captain wishes. She looks confused and taken aback by this sudden burst of generosity. What do you guys do? You follow? Yeah. Yep. Absolutely. And I shove a bunch of the fruit in my pockets on the way up. What do you guys do? You follow? Yeah. Yep.

Absolutely. And I shove a bunch of the fruit in my pockets on the way out. Okay. I shove a bunch of fruit in my pockets on the way out. Is that right? There you go, there you go. As we turn to leave the cabin, the captain's quarters,

quick look at anything that looks like info about where this temple is in case she decides to fuck and slit our throats in the middle of the night. Make a perception check. Come on, come on. A 10. A 10. You don't see any indication of the temple or anything,

but you see now, above the door as you're exiting, there's a small shelf, and you can see what looks to be a tiny little black iron shrine that looks to be almost like an Ouroboros serpent that's eating its own tail. But there's about every inch or so, there's an eye across the length of its body. And in the center of it, you see a single metal sphere with a similar cloven line down the center of it.

Awesome. Also, if we're leaving this chamber and there were all those people outside with the Percy sticks. Well, below the deck, a lot of them have put the rifles away and they just kind of have their hands on the side of their various cutlasses and long swords and short swords.

Yeah, if there's any out, maybe there's not, but the thing I'm going to do leaving is to try to subtly get a good look at size, what I think they're capable of. Roll an intelligence check. You can definitely instantly, with your feet, the DM's Bane feet.

Ah, 12. 12, okay. You get a quick glance at it. From a superficial level, you have a good idea of how it looks. You're not entirely certain of the components required. Can I say at least, is it this or this? It depends. Is it the fully cocked rifle, or? You see about three of them are longer barrels. They're like a two-handed piece, Is it a rifle or?

You see about three of them are longer barrels. They're like a two-handed piece, and there are a handful that are just a simple... Laura Bailey, ladies and gentlemen. I'm out of here! Sorry, sorry, sorry. And a few of them that have what look to be some sort of a flintlock. One of them has what looks to be a multi-barrel spinning piece.

Ooh. Oh, oh, okay. Familiar to some. Strange to others. But is there anything else you guys wish to do as you're being led to the chambers? Is he saying that like we're supposed to be doing something guys wish to do as you're being led to the chambers? Is he saying that like we're supposed to be doing something? No, just as you walk and you are led,

your watch as Vera tells two of the various deckhands to grab their shit and leave for the night. They confusedly do so and look a bit put out by it, but you guys are led to these two chambers that are, I mean, more comfortable than at least the area you just left in the mistake. As we're moving through, can we clock what's being kept in the ship? Are there cells? Are there barrels? Are there packages of things?

That would be down in the cargo hold, which you have not been led to. You guys are currently just on the main crew deck. But you But you led your chambers. There are still guards posted on the outside. There isn't a complete trust in this regard, but it's not having weapons trained on you the entirety of your stay now, at least. Did we previously see what the flag they were flying was and what it looked like? I can't remember. You didn't pay a very close attention to it, but you can go and check the flag. Can we do that now?

Sure. You head up to it, and the flag actually is an exact, like knives and stuff. Both. Both? They have blades sheathed for close combat. Gun, you know, when you're below deck, generally you want shorter blades and things that are good for close quarters. The firearms are more for if they have to do something. Okay. So most everyone here is packing, then? You've seen at least seven or eight of the crew

with some form of firearm. Okay. And their make, from a quick glance, you saw a lot of their make and construction varies, so they seem to have been plucked from different sources. Captain Tusktooth. Yes. Doesn't your weapon have an eyeball on it? It does.

That's cool. But I don't want her to know. on it? It does. That's cool. But I don't want her to know. Oh, but oh, because she would also swallow so she would know that her weapon would have it. I can't know that for

sure, but I know that as soon as she has it, there's very little reason to keep us around. Right. Caduceus, would you mind telling me, did you feel anything coming from the captain? Like what? I don't really know. Well, I don't know. You just seem to make these strange comments about how people feel and stuff. I thought maybe you were like a mind reader. I was really kind of just listening for that word

because I wanted to play the speak-along game. I wasn't really paying that much attention. I'm so sorry. I got a little distracted in there. That was really fun. Yeah, it was a fun game. Yep, it was. Let's pay attention next time, shall we?

Cool. Fjord, if I may, I'm sorry, Cats and Tusktooth, if I may, when we find this Rukatoa, Rukatoa. Rukatoa. Rukatoa. Rukatoa. And you have this thing inside of you.

Is your goal to get rid of the thing inside of you? To commune with it? To bow down and serve this monster? Or are you going to become like a god or something? I feel like we are learning a lot about you right now and not from you. Are we alone? That's funny you asked that question.

I thought we were in our chamber. No, you're in your chamber. You're alone, but you don't know how thick these walls are, and you know there are people stationed right outside of your door. Can I look around and see if there's any peepholes in the walls or anything? Make an investigation check.

Oh, good. Well. You take a moment to glance around the space and feel along the walls. Well... You take a moment to glance around the space and kind of feel along the walls. You don't notice anything that catches your attention. Okay. I pull out the wire in view of everyone and cup in my hands and say to Fjord, is there anything that you maybe want to tell us about that you haven't already? I mean... Wait! Anything that you maybe want to tell us about that you haven't already?

I mean... Wait. Before you talk out loud, can't you use your magic to make some sound or something to muffle what's happening in here? Um, no. Okay, good. Wait. Go on. Wait, wait, Caleb. What if you use your anti-sync bubble?

Well, I would have to ask the DM. I don't know about this. That bubble, I don't know if it is soundproof at all, because I just got that spell. Let me check. I do not believe it is. I don't think it is. But I will check real fast.

I can use storm lethargy to make it sound like there's ominous whispers all around. Yeah, that's good. Actually, if we both do that, maybe it's going to be white. Yeah, it'll be like White Noise Machine. Can we create white noise? Yeah. Yasha can fall asleep.

It prevents creatures from entering and exiting outside the ones that you choose, but it does not shift, alter, or stop any sound passage. So that means everyone heard Bow and Keg Bone is what you're saying. Well, you were upstairs, so only if you're screamers. Well, some of us actually saw it. It's good night.

No shame. No shame, no regrets. Can Caduceus and I use our thaumaturgy to make ominous whispers all around us so that it's like white noise, so that we can whisper in time? Sure. Yeah, that's what we do constantly. We'll trade off, so it's like white noise, so that we can whisper in touch? Sure. Yeah, that's what we do constantly.

We'll trade off, so it's like. Krookatoa. Krookatoa. Krookatoa toys. All my whispers are just saying that in different pitches and it's- Right, right, okay. Look, I'll tell you- All of mine are just saying,

like playing the penis game. I'll tell you what I know, and that's that I see visions. Sometimes, it's been a long time since, and there's a giant eye, and I hear a voice speaking to me. I don't know where it comes from, and I don't know where I am, if it's the past or my future, but I feel like it happened that night when the ship exploded, and before I found myself on the shore with the sword, I feel like those things are all connected,

and when I saw the sphere, it reminded me of that eye. So you have, I'm speaking very quietly amongst jesters. Yes. I am too. Penis, penis, penis. You have been having...

Penis. Crocodile, crocodile. This is an ongoing dream that you have been having? I wouldn't say ongoing. It's happened like three or four times. Um, sure. Sure. Three or four times. Three. Three or four times you have

had a dream with a thing that has a giant eye like the one on your sword and like the inner motifs of this woman's office? Yep. You know, there were several eyes in that Ouroboros. Right.

I wonder if that's how many other chosen ones there are. Oh my god, what if there's that many other eyeballs? Yeah, there might be a lot of eyeballs. And you can, like, swallow them all and then you become, might be a lot of eyeballs. And you can swallow them all, and then you become ultra-powerful. Or I can summon the dragon. I think you get the wish.

I have been having them, but I wouldn't think to comment on them because they're just fucking dreams. Yeah, okay. Were you able to summon scary, transparent tentacles before that explosion on the boat and those dreams happened? No.

Yeah, that shit ain't dreams, man. Were you vomiting seawater before you had those dreams or making a sword come out of the palm of your hand before that explosion? Not to my knowledge. So, and no judgments here. But is it safe to say that you have been under sharing with us i don't know he's kind of told us all that before every single bit

yeah kind of i think so did i Did I? No, you're right. I have undershared, and I'm sorry. I just didn't think it was relevant. Seems pretty relevant. Well, yeah, fucking now. Well, look, I mean, Jester gets visited by the Traveler. Yasha has thunder. Dreams and visions.

She has dreams and visions. Maybe you guys are just, you know, special or whatever the fuck they tell people. Yeah, Yasha, I mean, do you vomit after you, you know, talk to the thunder? I only vomit if something upsets my stomach. Yeah. So I don't wake up from dreams or visions vomiting anything. Me neither. It happened one time, so. Okay.

Just the one. Right. Yeah. Look, I feel like if we can get on land at least in some sort of landing party, we'll have a better shot. Not you're terrified of the water. I mean, we're on unfriendly ground. mind trying to slip away or forcing our way out of this situation, but I sure would like a resolution and at least a better place to stage some sort of action

than on an enemy boat. Ship. Ship. It's a ship. How many? How many? How many? Three masts. Mismast, mainmast, foremast. I got it. Ha ha ha! Three masts. Mismast, mainmast, foremast. I got it.

But our goal right now is not to run away, right? Yes, this was my next question. I personally was thinking about getting the hell out of here, but... We're here for Fjord. We are here for you, and you want to understand what is happening to you? No, I just want to know where the temple is. I don't care if these people

die. No, no, but... The thing inside of you... No, that's what I meant. I know you want to leave. I do as well, but we need to play this game a little longer, yeah? Yeah, I think we are, you know, we're friends. I think as well, but we need to play this game a little longer, yeah? Yeah, I think we are, you know, we're friends. I think we're trying to figure out...

Caleb, we're friends. Don't say it like that. Don't say, don't say, we're friends, like a question. It's, it's downward. We're friends. We are friends. We are friends. No! Oh, that's not good. That was a question. It's a down. But, but, but, addendum.

Now we are friends with a, you know, a giant squid being with a giant eye, so I'm just trying to... Where'd squid come from? Ouroboros, giant eyes, lots of tentacles. I heard serpent and leviathan. Okay. Is leviathan a giant squid?

Well, it's like a serpent. I mean, we've all read stories of sea creatures. I'm just vibing here, go with me. The point is... The point is we're here to support you in finding out what's going on inside. In your heart. And what's going on in your past.

And if that means we have to go fight some shit, we're with you. And if it means you say, let's run, we'll run. But we got your back, big guy. That is the point. I mean, look. As long as I don't have to swim. Avantika seems like she's had this gift

and these visions for quite some time. Maybe you could learn something about yourself. Talk to her a little. Does that mean she swallowed one, too? I mean, like really though, does she have one inside of her? If there's multiple ones? What if she has more than one and she's more powerful than you?

How do we get to look at her belly? Should we go swimming, hope she wears a bikini, and just check for scars? What if I'm walking along and I fall, and I accidentally go like... Like, on her stomach? That's not bad. I don't know if you can feel me.

Lift your armor up, Fjord. I've been trying to find out for a long time if I can actually feel a lump. Lift it up, lift it up. This is important. I need to know. I'm not comfortable doing that. Just shit.

I think we are past the point of secrets here. Yeah. And we need to know what is what. Exactly. I need to feel your abs. Make a medicine check. Not straight charisma? Make a medicine check. Lil, lil, lil, lil, lil. Not straight charisma?

Oh, in provision. 18. So, having a fair understanding of the half-orc body, while Fjord is generally a little more lithe and trimmer than most more burly half-orcs, still decent build. But you don't feel any particular strange lumps. Maybe lower, go lower.

You know, the V. The V. If you could be succinct, I'm a little fucking ticklish, okay? You don't feel anything, unfortunately. No, don't feel any lumps. The hunt for Fjord's third ball continues. It's technically fourth ball at this point, I think, is actually. That's the face I wanted. So are we okay to play this out see how it goes at least get on land and see if we can find this temple this crazy bitch talks about hell yeah yeah let's do it yasha you look rapidacious i just feel like we should ask her more questions.

Of her? Yeah, like maybe she knows us. Yeah, I think that's it. Well, she's coming with us, right? We can ask her on the way. Maybe, Yasha, you can intimidate her with your girth and

and darkness. No, no. I'm not sure you can intimidate her with your girth and... Nah. And darkness. No, no, she has this... And piercing eyes. She's not an intimidable person. I mean, you can just look at her. I disagree. I think, I think,

I think from what little I was, I gleaned, I imagine vanity is the way to play this one. Vanity, youity? Yeah. I mean, some people just want to talk, and I think she just wants somebody to talk to. That's the vibe

I get. Yeah, we did say we were going to get better at that. Or we can murder everyone on the boat! We're trying to do less of that. Okay. Yeah, this is too simplistic. It could be both.

Okay. Yeah. For now, we are allies. All right. For now, we work together to figure out his problem. And if we have to eventually... Me? No, not you. I mean, yes, if you turn evil and bond with Rukatawa.

Rukatawa. Chika chika. Is it nighttime now? Are we going to sleep? I'd say it's late afternoon. It hasn't quite dusk yet, but whenever you want to, essentially, you're ready and prepared for an evening's rest, we'll go through that.

Okay. Do it. All right. So you go ahead and find yourselves settling in best you can for the evening's rest. I'm going to sneak down into the cargo hold. Make a stealth check. With my cloak on.

So that's an advantage-y thing? Yeah. With your cloak, yes. Okay. Stealth, 26. I'm not even going to roll. Is that a stealth on all of us, too? You snuck out on us?

I probably told you that I would be right back. I had to go to the little girl's room. All right. Well, for one thing, as soon as you... Because there's only one exit to the chamber. Huh? There's only one exit to the chamber. And the door that leads out, as soon as you look, you see the guard is posted right there.

You feel pretty quiet, and you're pretty, you feel that you're in the groove where you can get through pretty quickly without being seen, but you have to get past that one guard that you can see stationed right outside of the door. Okay, I'll use a spell then. And I'll do

I'll do I'll take a little bit of I think it's cloth, fleece, and as Caleb taught me, and I'll create a silent image down the hall. Can I just peek out the door a little bit?

I'll say because of your stealth check, yes. You very carefully nudge the door open just enough to I'll say because of your stealth check, yes. You very carefully nudge the door open just enough to get an inch of viewing space between that both reveals the guard and the hallway further down. And I'll just make it look like Costco is just walking by the hall, and then walks back.

Okay. Back again. Is it a guy in a Costco t-shirt? Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. Keepin' a tally. We're in New York. I don't know if they have Costco. Sam's Club.

All right, so you create the image of him walking back and forth. The guard notices and goes ahead and pats another guard that you don't see on the upper side of the door. He goes like, Is Costco back? We side of the door. He goes like, Is, is, uh, let's go back. We'll get the captain. And the other guy goes and walks away, and the other guy stands there, nervously looking back and forth.

Jaimedi? I'll have Costco moonwalk across the hall. Ja-me-dee. Ja-me-dee, and he goes and starts walking in that direction. Okay, I'll make my runaway, my getaway. Okay, you get outside of the door. Are you running to the right or the left?

Left. All right, you're running left. You go running down the hallway, and you're now not that far behind the other guard who is rushing off and heading up a small set of stairs that leads up to the captain or the left? Left. All right, you run to the left. You go running down the hallway, and you're now not that far behind the other guard who is rushing off and heading up a small set of stairs that leads up to the captain's quarters. You remember this before. So you're actually heading away from the cargo hold this way now. Oh!

Oh! I don't want to do that. I'll just turn around and go the other way. Okay, you go ahead in the other direction, and the guy who's now walked up towards up towards Cusco, towards Jamali, is now rushing up to it and goes and is like talking to him, like, sir, hello?

I'll have Costco, is there a stairs or a ladder near here? Make a perception check. Okay, oh, that's a four. You're not sure. You see a couple of chairs, a table, like a card table that's currently empty. You can see the hallway continues past where this illusion is happening.

Oh, card table that's currently empty? Costco's going to sit down at that card table and start dealing two hands. Oh my god. As he does so, the guy's like, Jabari, the captain will be right here. Just looks really confused. Is there a way to slip by?

You're a stealth check. Yes, there is. You dart past, and right at that moment, you look over your shoulder, and you can see the captain is now heading down the hallway in your direction. Okay, I'll make the effect disappear. He goes, Oh, but I'll leave the effect of the cards still there. You run to the end of the hallway, and just as you see, you see there's stairs descending

down into the cargo hold below, and you hear over your shoulder, And where is he? No, but a captain, he was right, um, look at the cards! Poof. You hear the argument and the guy desperately trying to explain what he just saw as you disappear down into the cargo hold below. All right, I'm gonna just look around for boxes

and interesting stuff, bullets, black powder, any books. Also, in your ear, very quiet, you hear, oh, hey, is everything okay, going well? Hi, I'm just going number two! It's going to be a while. That hard tack is hard coming out, too. On the way down the stairs, there is another floor that is the gun deck

that you do pass by, and you can see the back end of these large cannons that are all situated. They're all angled up a little bit, but there are these doors that lead outward, and there are a number of cannonballs and what looks to be some bits of black powder and small barrels set up in that region. If you can continue down to the hold. Sure, keep going. Looking for interesting stuff. You head down to the cargo hold, and you see one source of lantern light. You can see there is one of the various deckhands

is down below, just keeping watch, has a single oil lantern on what looks like a crate and is just like a small handheld jug of some sort of, I'll assume, a liquor, and it's just sipping from it. I'm kind of leaning back and stretching. I'm just keeping an eye out. I will use Mage Hand,

and he's just got the one lantern down there. Currently, yeah. I will use Mage Hand to try to snuff out the flame. Easy enough to do. Goes dark. And I'll keep going using darkvision to look around and see things. Okay, so you start making a rear round. As you do, you start seeing sparks of a flint. Oh, he's trying to light it again.

He's trying to relight the lantern. He's like, what fucking shit, stupid little lantern. All right, so make an investigation check if you want to start looking through the cargo hold. All right, investigation. 22. Woo! So, how thorough do you want the search to be? Because it'll take you a while to go through the entire cargo hold.

Looking for interesting boxes. I don't want to spend more than five minutes down here. Okay. You'll probably have to snuff the lantern one more time. Sure, sure. Can I grab it out of his hand? The flint snuff the lantern one more time and just really flush straight the hell out of him. Maybe I can, can I grab it out of his hand? The flint? Or the lantern?

Yeah. Like make him drop it? Okay. All right, so he lights the lantern, holds it up, and you knock it out of his hand? Yeah. All right, hold on a second. I gotta make a rule here.

We all go down in a blitz. There's a lot of gunpowder on this ship. Well, they shouldn't be using candles then. Yeah, you're fine. You fucking fuck. The lantern hits the ground and tips over and a little bit of oil spills out, but it doesn't scatter and ignite.

And he's like, shit, shit! And he quickly goes and picks it back up again. While you're investigating, the first couple crates you can get to without making any sort of noise that gets his attention, you can tell, you lift up the top ones. The first one you come to is filled with just hardtack. The second one you come to, a smell gets your attention

immediately and you lift it up and it does have a similar smell to that gunpowder-type material that you encountered on that pistol. Are they in bags, pouches, boxes? Is it just loose? It looks to be small kegs that are currently closed off. I'll take a keg. Okay, it's about that big.

Yep. Going to pull it out. You got one. Okay, next box. Okay, he's now picked up the lantern again, because you've looked through two crates now. Okay, ah, shit. I'll use that mage hand again, and this time, I'll, I'll, I'll,

I'll unbuckle his belt. All right, he's clutching that lantern with a death grip now, and is now scanning the room, and then suddenly his pants to the ground. He's like, oh shit, and he's reaching down with the other hand, trying to pull it up, and he's got the lantern in one hand and his hand on the outside of the pants on the other,

and it's tripping a bit and bumps into one of the crates. All right, you manage to get to a third crate. You open up and look inside, and it looks like it's a bunch of coiled rope. It's a lot of repair materials for the ship. It was like a thick tar-like substance almost. It was probably used in some form of repairs. Okay, can I get to one more box?

Okay, he gets his pants up. Okay. And he's now in the process of walking through the room. Is there anything else you're going to do? I have things. I have some, I have, I have things. I have some shards of shiny pottery. I will throw them across the room.

Make a dexterity check. Oh my god. You said dexterity? Yes, something you're good at. 13. Okay, no. Small shadow, you guys are like, who goes there? And goes walking that direction.

You get one final crate that you get to. You go ahead and pull it open. Looking inside, it looks to be, this appears to be, and I'm sorry there isn't a whole lot more to find, but most of the cargo here is food. Okay. But you find a lot of the, what looks to be an older set of fruit,

maybe various things that were brought from their last destination. So the smell immediately hits you of fermenting orange and other types of various sweet, or at least now sweet and fermented fruit. Yeah, I'll grab some of that too. Okay. Quickly fill your pockets. It grab some of that too. Okay. Quickly fill your pockets.

It's kind of squishy to the touch. And like one of them you put in there, it kind of on the inside. You feel it kind of the cold wetness of it kind of spilling against your shirt, but you get some pockets filled with fermented fruit. Okay, so I got an armful of gunpowder. Yep.

Armful of rotting fruit. Yeah. That's a success. All right, make your way back? I'm going to head back, yeah. Okay, make another stealth check. Oh boy, with advantage, I hope. Not needed.

29. What? That's money well spent for you guys. Thank Mr. Pumat Sol for getting you that ability. That's right. All right, so you make your way back. While this is happening, you guys can hear the argument outside from the other guards and the captain

lambasting them for pulling her out of her quarters or telling ghost stories and getting her excited that Jamali had returned when he actually hasn't. Then they go quiet and you hear the footsteps come by your room and the door opens. And the captain looks inside and goes, Captain Ford, you have to join me. Oh! But of course. Right this way.

And she walks and heads towards her quarters. Caleb's alarm spell is just going, ting-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling-a-ling. Do you follow? I do. All right. As you follow the captain, quickly behind Nott, you make your way into the chamber. Tick-tick-tick-tick-tick. Close the door behind you.

Oh, what is that smell? Oh, I got some old mango and papaya. These are, I think they used to be oranges. And I got this. This is a keg of black powder. It goes boom. It's like a bomb. Yeah, yeah, we can use it to blow shit up!

That's amazing, are we going to blow up the ship? We could, I found out that there's lots of black powder downstairs, so if we wanted to, like make a getaway or something, we could go in, set it off, blow it up, everyone would die, yeah! Would you do me a favor, just as a rule, maybe keep that ten feet away

from me, please. Oh, sorry, Caleb. Yes, of course. No, it's useful. Just, you know, oil and water. Okay. You are kind of a walking hazard right now. I just... I have the itch. No. Look, I'm not shaming you for that.

I'm just saying maybe we should put the black powder in the haversack. Oh, good idea. Oh yeah, it'll give it to me. That's smart. There you go. While that's happening, Fjord, you make your way to the captain's quarters.

Woo! Walk behind and close the door. And that's where we're going to take a break. Over! I think we're taking a break. Okay. I have a thing for you. I like it. We've got to figure out how to do it. We'll be right back here in a few minutes.

We're going to take a quick break. Be patient. But yeah, we'll see you here shortly, guys. Why, hello there. This is Critical Role's resident art dad, also known as Liam O'Brien. We are continuously amazed at the artwork this community creates. That's why each Thursday at 8 a.m. Pacific, we share a curated gallery of submitted fan art over on CritRoll.com.

If you'd like to submit your art for consideration, visit CritRoll.com slash submit. And thank you to all of the incredible artists who share their talents with us week after week. All right, all right. Everybody find their seats. Everybody find their seats, please. Hey. That's your seat? That looks very comfortable. No, I don't want to watch that. How you guys doing so far? Man, this is fun.

There's trash. Oh, no, these are, oh, someone wrote a letter. How sweet. Okay, this is for Ashley. I thought Sam just threw shit off the table and, like, whatever else. Okay, let's see. Oh, no, that's a subpoena. We'll just put that there. All right, guys, I can't hear what you're saying. I'm so sorry.

Later on tonight, I'll think, what was that? Guys, before we bring the cast back out, we have a very special guest here tonight. And this person is no bigger fan of the show or of you, the Critters, none other than the person who we have to thank for Mr. Sam Riegel. It's Momlin! Look at this. She's got her dice bag. Oh my god. I'm glad you're out here. Say hi to everybody. Hi everybody, I'm so excited to be here. Great to see you all.

Momlin and I have been watching the show from upstairs and it's so much fun. Are you having a good time? I'm having the best time of my life. Are you? Yes. Are you so happy to see so many great critters in your home of New York? I love all critters and I feel the love. Oh, I love it. Okay, why don't you welcome back the cast? Okay, great. Wow, glad to say this. Welcome back the cast of Critical Role. Yes. Okay, let's go over here and we'll do that part over here.

Okay, all right, before we get started, Momlin told me backstage that you have a question that you've always wanted to ask Matt Mercer since you've been watching the show. I want to ask Matt a question. Matt. What time is it? What time is it? Let's go. Only because it's you. let's go, let's go.

Wait, only because it's you. What's that? It's our new home. Oh man, oh man. You're welcome, New York, you're welcome. Take a bow, take a bow. That was the Momlin free pass. Enjoy it while you can. Oh, man.

I told you they loved that. I told you they loved that. Are we back? Are we on? We're on. Hey, before we go, can I just say there was one special critter here who got the farthest back seat in the entire theater.

Someone who is in balcony, row K, seat 32. If you look next to your seat, I left you a little present. That's you. That's you, way, way, way, way back in the back corner right there. You. He is shit under the chair. Yeah, don't be that. Just look to the right of your seat. Balcony row, K, seat 32. Okay, good. Look at this. It's the wrong person.

It's that person up there. They'll never find it. It's going to be found in like six years from now. Look at this theater of beautiful faces. This is absolutely surreal. Those are amazing. I love you of them! But it is not the time for loving. Well.

It is the time for Dungeons & Dragons. Why not both? So, picking up where we left off. All right. No, you're actually not. You're here. Fjord. They finally found it. You got this, you got this.

You walk into the captain's chambers. Yeah. Closing the door behind you. It's dark lit. The back door is open to the balcony out there, and you can hear the waves crash against the ship. There are a few candles lit in the room where they were before.

Bow, bow, bow! But the captain is standing in the doorway, looking out over the ocean, and as soon as the door closes behind, turns around and looks at you and goes, So. I would like to talk with you about how you've been reached out to, how you were touched by this magnificent entity. Uk'atora, it has been a very long time since I've met anyone else chosen, so please tell me how this happened.

Before this goes any further, because I'm fascinated, I would like to attempt to go into Frumpkin, the one-ounce elf owl, if possible. Yep. Frumpkin is still up on the deck. Yeah. I remember where that room was, so Frumpkin is taking a little fly around. Okay. It's better when somebody's watching. All right. So Frumpkin goes and perches on the outer balcony of the Squall Eater. Captain, I admit I, too, am very encouraged to find someone that seems to have gone through the same sort of visions and trials that I have. You said it's been a long time since you've met

another Chosen? Are you saying you've met previous? I found myself feeling I was the only one that was experiencing this vision. Thought you were going to say something else. She leans her shoulder against the doorway, looking over at your eyes, distantly reaching for memories. There has been one of them many years. This came to me through a series of unexpected... You see her searching for the right words and says, I've always considered myself a very lucky man, and at first I thought this was a terrible Beautiful. Ukatoa spoke to me.

But it was a purpose that nobody else in Dark Po was built upon. And with that, I began to gather my people. And it took a while, but each of them began to believe as well. All of them supported me. And when this is done, the blessing is with me. They will be as unstoppable behind me as I am on this sea. The blessing, you say? I haven't heard speak of blessing. I've heard words of encouragement.

And your crew believes as you do. They have now, yes. I've read the books. I've looked up about the key now. I have learned of the history. And as they once were the masters of the Lucidian Ocean, so too will be I. so too can be us. I look forward to this very, very much.

I noticed as we were leaving your quarters that beautiful iron piece above your doorway, the snake circling back upon itself, the eye in the middle, but it seemed there were small eyes all around the body of the snake. They say that Katoa is an infinite-length entity, a serpent that entwines the entirety of the water. That his eyes across its body see what else it must conquer. Sounds... Beautiful? See what else it must want. Sounds.

Beautiful? Exactly the word I was searching for. Speaking of beautiful. Oh! I was so taken by that marking, that tattoo you had, I was wondering if you might show it to me again. I think they're about to get naked. I'm uncomfortable with what's happening. Natural 20. She tugs down the scarf to reveal the tattoo without breaking eye contact and goes, I'll do you one better. Oh!

Zip? Removes the glove off of her right hand. And in the palm, you see a familiar yellow eye emerging from the center. Okay, okay. This is the blessing, at least the first stage. I have been chosen to be one step to his unsealing. Between your fucking eye or a tattoo of an eye? Make a perception check.

Yeah, 16. You hope it's a tattoo, but the way the candlelight hits, it looks smooth. Oh god. Somewhat glassy. Fuck. That's getting weird. We're about to get a little full. Yep. There's some Pan Labyrinth bullshit going on. My, my. Fuck it. I feel now you and I are more connected than I could have ever imagined, and I'll summon the sword.

With a flash and a scattering of ocean water across the far wall of the chamber, the falchion emerges in your dress. It's what it's always done! Wait, which sword? What do you mean, sword? Caleb can't hear any of this, but in the middle of the room, he says, It is getting very kinky in that room. Goddamn it! Jester's just pacing back and forth, maybe.

Yeah. She immediately takes a step forward, holding her palm forward still, and not even looking at you, just looking at the sword and specifically focusing on the eye in the center of the hilt. And she's speechless for a moment. You hear her breathe in suddenly. Perhaps it was destiny. Perhaps it was.

Do you know what will happen if we... Sorry. Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry. Do you know what will happen if we take this sphere to the place of its choosing? Have you seen what's unleashed? Or have you only heard? I've only heard. As far as I know, when these survivors of Zaheer, this long-sealed god, grew jealous that they are the ones who put Uk'otoa away below the ocean. Down! If I'm correct, and this is one of the original temples,

then I think we can bring him back. I admit I found myself very curious. This is but one. There are three I know of. Three temples? Three temples across the Swain Islands. All of the same construct, all looking for the same... What do you call it? I don't know if there's a name for it.

I just call it the sphere, the eye. Same. I'll be honest, the dreams that I have, it's mostly just feeling and an occasional word, like he's being held back. But I feel that if we can, one by one, release him from these bindings, he can be more direct with us, one by one, release him from these bindings.

He can be more direct with us, be more direct with his blessing. And we, we will bequeath this sea unto us. My god, the sea. What does the eye say to you? Anything you remember? Tell me to watch, to learn. To consume? To consume? To consume. Oh, God.

Oh, my God. Matt and Travis are going to make out? It's just so much, you guys. It's just so much. Detail! What is happening? What is happening? I confess, having spent so much time on the water, the command over it seems like too great a gift to receive, but I crave it.

She steps around the desk. Oh, fuck. And just places her fingers on the hilt of the sword where the eye is. Then you'll need your rest. Indeed. M'lady. We will all... I will put my hand on hers and say, we will all need our rest for the trials to come. Thank you for sharing your story with me. I don't feel quite as alone in this. Thank you for your honesty, eventually.

It's like an onion, you got to peel it, you know. Understood, understood. Anyway, and she pulls her hand away. Go. And may sweet dreams find you. I turn and I head towards the door, and as I get there, I look back. And I walk away. That was fucking awesome! She's dead!

All right. I thought they were going to make boomson, but it did not happen. They didn't? They didn't? At this point, the door opens and Fjord returns to the room. We weren't listening to anything at all. We know everything. Can you please fill in the details? What was going on? What did you guys do, huh? What happened? Want a seven-day-old banana?

No, thank you. Where did that even come from? That's okay. Not much, actually. She is far more under the influence of whatever this is than I initially thought. She took off her glove, and there was an eye in the palm of her hand, and not another tattoo. I think it was, like, a fucking eye. Eye.

Yeah, I know. So she showed me hers and I showed her mine. Eyes are eyes on the sword. Did you tell her the orb was inside of you? I did not. Well, I'm assuming if she's got the eyeball on her hand, she has an orb inside of her. Fuck. I didn't even think of her. Fuck. Yeah! I didn't even think of that. I mean, it's got to be right. Yep.

Question. I am still watching her. What the fuck do you mean, still? I know it's confusing. I like to stay inside this Zemnian accent so much, but I did not say that out loud. That was for the DM. Ah, shit!

Question, Caleb? Yeah, I did not stop watching her after he left. Right. What is she doing? Make a perception check. Okay. Roll well. Just a 10. Okay. You watch as she takes her glove and puts it back on, looking at her palm as she does, looks out over the ocean and steps out to the railing, where Frumpkin has to move away to get

out of the visual perspective, and just spends a minute or so looking over the water, then turns back, goes and closes the door, walks over to underneath the main doorway where that shrine is, and she pulls a stool up to stand up by eye level to where the shrine is. Then she pulls her glove off once more, makes a small cut on her finger, and just drops a few pieces of blood onto the small iron shrine. It's maybe about that big.

Oh. Then puts the glove back on, said mumbles a few words beneath her breath, though Frumpkin might not be able to see from this perspective. Then goes ahead and snuffs the candles. So she did some arcane shit. Did she also look very hot and bothered?

With that perception roll, I'd say you don't know. Yeah, but you know. I don't know, man. Not for me, I'm real bad at seeing that. All right, so eyeball, hand, you showed her yours. Okay. Was she, I don't know, did she say anything else about how? Yeah, no, you're right. She actually said there was one before that was also chosen. What happened to him?

Yeah, when you asked what happened to him, what did she say? Where was that fucking pigeon? Uh... We didn't get to that part, but I feel like, because I saw my former captain, Vandran, with the same sphere that he might be the one that she was talking about. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Wait. Wait.

Wait. Wait. What if Vandran had a different sphere? What if there was a whole bunch of them? Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. Wait. The walk. What if Vandran had a different sphere? What if there was like a whole bunch of them? There's a chance. She said that this temple that we're about to visit was one of three.

So there's three. What if Vandran and you and she have them? Yeah, and they're all keys to the temple. What if Vandran had one, and then she knew it, and she killed Vandran, and now she's going to kill you, and she's going to try to take your orb? Jester, I don't think she killed Vandran. He was on the ship when it exploded.

I don't even know. How did the ship explode? She has a ship with cannons. Also, Nott said that there's a fuckton of gunpowder under the ship, so. No, I understand. Sabian, my crewmate, he went down and sabotaged the ship. He set off an explosion.

That has to be what happened. Who was Sabian working for? Avant-garde. Also, if she has a sphere and can talk to serpent gods, I'm assuming she has some sort of magical powers, kind of like you have magical powers. So, and she she has cool robes and is wearing an amulet that just screams magic. Yeah, also, after you made the flirt talk that I was watching.

The flirt talk? Oh, they were both pouring it on pretty thick. Well, I think we were being pretty respectful. That's a subjective thing, my friend. Anyway, she is very interested in you. And after you left her room, I watched a little bit longer, and she did some cutting. She dropped a little bit of her blood on a miniature altar or something.

Do you do this? I do not. Altar? The little iron piece above her doorway? Yeah. Yeah, she stood on a stool, and she did a little... I saw that on the way out. I don't do anything like that.

I don't know what that would... I have a question. She said that there was somebody that was before her? She did. She said there was one other chosen besides herself and now me. Or did you look for other... Get a closer look. I did. The tattoo. Did that look... Have I seen that anywhere else?

To you, I would say no. Not in the time that you saw it. Didn't... Didn't Molly have... Did he have any tattoos that had eyes in them? Like the peacock feathers? He had nine of them. Nine eyes? Nine eyes? Ooh. Nine...

Nine eyes? I mean, he also had that all-seeing eye on his back, right? What? I mean, you roomed with him, Fjord. Didn't you see him naked? Yes. Sure. Don't be a bad roommate. He was a bad roommate. Don't be a bad roommate. Could be nothing.

Could be nothing. I mean, eyeballs. We all have two. There's a lot of eyeballs around. Yeah. Just saying things have eyes. Yeah. Right. Just trying to be skeptical. Yeah, I know. Yeah.

So she said we should all get some rest. I feel like we've earned some trust. I feel like we'll be in good hands. I don't know if I entirely trust her, but I do feel like she is motivated to see where this leads. That's one way of putting it, yeah. I will say she seems a bit on the fanatical end. And she spoke of acquiring powers that I can't even begin to comprehend, control over the oceans and seas.

Whoa. Her other follow. What, it sounds cool. Yeah, that's a big power. But doesn't that sound like too much? I mean, what would you even do with that? I mean, what's the point of it, really? Well, I know what I would do with it. What would you do with it?

Get rid of the seas. Tell them to go away and go somewhere else and have more land. See, and that's just a point of a higher motivation for something. I mean, like, there's got to be a step two. She seemed very maniacal, is the word that I would choose. She seemed very driven.

Deuce has a point. There's got to be a goal at the end of all those powers, right? Well, we'll find out tomorrow, I suppose. We will. And in the meantime, I would suggest that we act like we are as interested and motivated to see this through as her followers. Otherwise, I think we'll stick out. Did she say anything else about what she wants?

No. I mean, it sounded like she wanted power, and a lot of it. She does. Unleashing things that are too terrible to talk about, but you can use your imagination. Was that a dick joke? Nope. Jessie, are you all right? I mean...

You've just had this really kind of anger face in the corner for a little bit. Oh, I don't know what you're talking about. I'm just sitting there with my sketchbook drawing Captain Avantika with daggers. Sticking into her like a voodoo doll. You're not drawing like this, you're drawing like this? Yeah, aggressively. I don't know what you're talking about, I'm happy over here. No, that's the third pencil you've broken, so I just wanted to, just curious.

Fourth. Lord, if we venture into this sticky wicket, do you share, even in a small way, similar desires as this woman? Do you want to troll the sea? It's the first time I've heard of it. I mean, it sounds incredible, but I can't even begin to fathom what that would be like, that responsibility.

I don't know who I would be if I could wield something like that. Well, you are grappling with a great deal of power. We have watched you do it. Are you trying to understand this thing better be free of it master it understand it would be a start you can't know what to do until you understand it i mean that's step one yeah and once you understand it we'll try and help you make a reasonable decision about what to do with it what if the closer you get to it,

the weirder you get? Like, what if you start feeling those urges like she has and stuff? What urges? Like the powerful urges. That's a good question. Well, I've asked Beau to check me, and I'll check her on areas of aggression.

And if I start controlling the oceans and shit, maybe we'll talk about it. Okay. But until then, I can only tell you, I only want to know more about this and find out about what happened to my friend. That's about as far as I'm thinking. Okay.

Let's do that, then. I'm into it. Let's get some rest. Yeah, try to sleep. All right, you guys all get yourselves to sleep? Mm-hmm. Yeah, I place the elf owl back on Beauregard's shoulder and go to sleep.

Okay. As you guys all find yourself to rest. So good. Is your mic not working? What? It's working. Oh no, it's not working. We've lost Ashley. Share with Tal.

You can share with Tal, Allison. Oh, wait, wait. Nope. Nope, it's gone. We'll share. That's fine. All right, so as you all go to sleep, finding yourself into an evening of rest, board.

No, goddammit! Should we leave the stage? Do we need to leave the stage? No! You don't need to. That was more helpful earlier in the campaign when everything was a super mystery. He kind of spilled all the beans recently, so it's fine.

You walk in darkness. Mm-hmm. Your eyes trained on a barely visible horizon of faded blue, the lightless midnight horizon that breaks this endless void. The ground is soft beneath your feet, and your slow gait bounces slightly with each step, like time is crawling in this buoyant space.

You look down at yourself, obscured by shadow, until a faint yellow light bursts from your sword. The light of a yellow eye, now open from the hilt like a lantern, lighting a tangled forest of kelp before you. Bubbles escape the corner of your mouth, but you breathe the waters calmly like a thick vapor. Burn.

You search through the mass of shifting, slick sea vines, continually eventually coming upon the base of a staircase, going up. Grow. What do you do? I climb those motherfucking stairs. As you ascend the cold stone stairs, the beam of the eye lighting the way. Your passage is suddenly blocked by something. A statue, humanoid but featureless.

Provoke. I'll fire two blasts of Eldritch Blast at it. The statue breaks apart, its various shards emerging from the detonation and slowly sinking in what is now the thick waters around you. As the head stumbles past the light at the edge of your sword, the face is recognizable in a flash.

Sabian. You push beyond, continuing to ascend the stairs. You come upon another statue, larger and looming more than the last. What do you do? Witch bolt. Right into its chest. As the darkened energy arcs from the hilt of your blade, hitting it, you watch as the cracks spider up the stone before it detonates

into hundreds of shards of dark stone. You see half of the face slowly hit and clatter onto the stonework while you're falling off to the side. Vandran. Do you continue up? The stairs, are they staying the same? Is there anything at the foot of the statue after they break apart?

Looking down, the statue itself is now immaterial. You've entirely annihilated it, and you glance over the side, and what few shards still remain slowly drift beyond your view into the dark abyss below. I'll move forward. Continuing to ascend these steps one by one. They grow more and more narrow,

but you think you see what appears to be an approaching surface of some kind. You're clear of the water, suddenly breaking the surface, and you're standing in a dark stone chamber. You've managed to get all the way up, standing within the ankle-high water in the middle of the stone chamber,

and you watch as all the liquid begins to drain until there's no more water around you. Revealing in the center of this chamber an intricate circle in the ground, maybe two feet across. Beautiful, ancient craftsmanship, detailed to depict a serpent body coiled. Carved eyes emerging from the creature's body every few inches. The center of the water is a circle of water, like a well. Watching. What do you do?

I'll summon the sword and hold the eye up, facing the circle. As you pull the blade up, you see the light hits the water and is absorbed by it. You don't see anything beneath it. It seems to be almost just a void that eats the light.

Void that eats the light. Void that eats the light. Can I walk into the center of the circle? You step into it. Well, I definitely do now. Well, that's what you want to do? Yeah. Okay. You step into the circle.

It's only a few inches deep of water, and your feet feel the bottom. It is shallow. But you're now standing above it. It's only a few inches deep of water, and your feet feel the bottom. It is shallow. But you're now standing above it. It's only about two feet across, so it's basically you standing over this small pool. Is there a ceiling? Are there walls?

Are there statues in this space? Looking around you, you can see stone walls, and you can see a ceiling above you. It is this almost plain, featureless room, aside from the very edges of what looks to be stone stacked upon itself. Watching. Can I look into the eye of the sword? Do I see anything? You look towards the hilt, and the eye stares back at you, the light temporarily blinding you for a moment as you adjust.

What the fuck? Can I try and take the edge of the blade and press it into the floor? You press the blade in through the water, and it hits the stone. Jesus. I don't know what you want from me! No response. Ah! Then you hear once more, Watch. Then you hear once more Watch I've stared at the eye Fuck Fuck.

I have no idea. Make a perception check. Ooh, 19. 19. 19. The handle of the sword is somewhat slick in your grasp from the water you were traveling from before, and you feel the blade almost trying to turn in your grasp, turning the eye away from you. I'll let it go where it's leading

and point it towards the floor? It slowly finds its way, just resting, facing down towards the pool. Okay. Sure. Can I put my down into the water, and as opposed to the stone surface you've seen there, it is just this vacuous black void. And there you see in a sudden instant, the eye opens up before you, the bright yellow light enveloping you. Suddenly there's searing heat and you pull back out of the pool and the entire chamber is filled with blazing hot steam.

It hurts at first, but then it begins to feel nice. This burning sensation crawling across your body, going instead from pain to a surge of strength, of control, of purpose. The voice again says, Reward. And as you look up around you, the stone falls away,

and on the distance, you can see that horizon once more. Now an endless ocean, you can see the faint ripples of waves across a sourceless bit of moonlight. There you just see dozens of ships coming towards you. Ooh! What do you do? Can I look behind myself real fast? You turn behind you, and it is just darkness, inky, infinite. A shitload of ships coming towards me.

Cool. Are there any pigeons in this dream? Yeah, cool. Are there any pigeons in this dream? Make a perception check. 16! No. Can I reach my hand out and try and control the ships? Yeah! As you concentrate, looking towards the right of you,

where it looks like four or five vessels are in a localized portion of this black, endless ocean, as you concentrate, you see the water begin to boil beneath them. Yeah, we're going to go ahead and grab whatever the fuck that is and pull it up. You watch as the ocean fires up like a spire, a pillar of solid ocean water.

You watch as the ships are scattered in different directions, as it slams them down once more, scattering them into thousands of pieces of splintered wood. Can I take both hands and just do a coup de gras like two big over the top? You watch as the center of the ocean parts, giving this slight vacuum, this almost dual-sided abyssal crevice in the center of the ocean. On the opposite ends of where your hands rise, you watch the waves rise up, and in one fell swoop,

two solid, crystalline walls of water slam together and then even out. As the ripples subside, all you can see are the thousands and thousands of glittering shards of what once were that armada. Look at Moses' shit. Don't wake up, don't wake up, don't wake up. Rehore.

Take it. And you wake up. Aww. Shit. Wow. Another dream with semen scattered everywhere. It's somehow worse with that outfit. Oh yeah, yes. It's my people. Wow. Cool.

As the rest of you come to consciousness in the morning, Fjord seems to be sleeping in a little bit before suddenly shooting up with a gasp. Did you have a dream? Did you have a dream? What? No, no, I didn't. You're drenched in sweat. Just to point that out there.

Yeah. Real soggy. Yeah, no, we were fighting, and just crazy beasts and monsters and all this talk of serpents. I feel... Fjord! Are you lying? Make an insight check. Make a deception check. Also, why did you talk so funny for a moment there? Oh, come on!

16. Well, I rolled a fucking one! No. I mean, he seems perturbed by something, but you don't disbelieve him. Caduceus, however. I just woke up. I don't actually know what's going on right now. Fair enough. Oh, but looking at passive insight for both. You sounded like you had a different accent for a moment there, Fjord. What?

I'm not going to say anything. I don't know. I'm so used to copying people, I get all sorts of stuff just mixed up in my head. Let's go. I missed something. I don't... You sure you don't want to talk about it? Talk about the dream?

Yeah. I mean, it's just a dream. What is there to talk about? Nobody likes to hear other people's dreams. It's really boring. It's very boring. First thing in the morning, you're just like, oh, I know, it was amazing. Tell me more. Yeah, it's true.

I mean, wait, you guys didn't have any dreams of a similar nature, did you? No, we didn't. What kind of dreams of similar nature? I had this dream that I was walking in this field, and then there was this banana tree right in front of me, and I climbed it, and I got some bananas, and then they turned bad really fast. So I think it had something to do with that.

And then the grass was kind of purple, and then this guy came up to me, and he was like, I just thought, but then his face turned into an eagle, and he flew away. What do you think it means? You should write those down. You should write those down. You should write those down.

They're really important. Okay. All right. Just as someone who still doesn't have any type of dreams, whatever's going on, it's just, it's not normal. Just want to point that out. She just wants you to know that you're not normal.

Should we go off to our adventure now? Yeah. All right, you guys head your way up to the deck. Except that I pull Beau back while everyone proceeds upstairs. All right. Speaking as a massive liar. Yeah. I think he is lying to us a little bit.

Look, we can know, just like I know about your shit, we can know about Ford's shit, and we can just keep that on the down-low, right? I'm interested in knowing about people's shit, not exposing it. Sure. One eye open. One eye open. I don't think he knows what he wants yet.

Oh, and you think you do? You're the authority on knowing what other people want. No, I'm the authority on knowing what I want, Beauregard. Yeah. Me neither. Couldn't be happier. He spoke with a different accent for a split second. I've heard Fjord speak with a lot of different accents.

Yeah, to a purpose, not when he's waking up instantly. He clearly had some sort of fucking dream. We know that. Okay. He'll tell us when he wants to tell us, all right? I walk upstairs. Okay. He'll tell us when he wants to tell us, all right? I walk upstairs. Okay. As you guys have made it to the deck,

it's early morning, the sun's only really been up maybe an hour or so, there's still a mist across the ocean, and you can see the distance where the reefs kind of encapsulate the surrounding area of this island. The mist is so heavy that you cannot see beyond, other than maybe a few other signs that you recall when you first pass through that reef. Looking off the way of the shore, you can see that the Mystique is currently grounded and looks like there is a small crew trying to do repairs. You're not quite sure to what extent and how long it'll take, but the ship

seems to be, at least at the time being, out of commission. Hopefully we can fix our mistake at some point. That'd be nice. Not an opportunity. Thank you, sorry, carry on. You can see Vera, Captain Avantika, and a few other crew members are currently in a conversation with a man that you hadn't seen before. You see a gentleman, completely bald head,

very, very dark brown skin, a heavy kind of leather coat with what looks to be like a few belts or bandoliers attached to it. He has a satchel on the side and a few blades that are sheathed and kind of hanging. He looks like an individual

who's ready to just travel in case anything happens. He's prepared. Kind of, and maybe a little cleaner than Caleb, but definitely a little ramshackle in appearance. But the middle of a conversation, and as soon as you approach the deck, the captain notices your presence and goes,

good morning, ah, come, come. It seems that our destined journey is just around the corner. Please, the Mighty Nein, may I introduce you to a good friend who is hoping to be arriving soon, Jamedi. Jamedi, this is the Mighty Nein. He turns to you and goes,

Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you all. The captain has told me that we are to be traveling to the island together, yes? Oui. Oui, that? Oui. Oui. That is correct. It is a pleasure to meet you as well. Well, I will tell you, it is very dangerous.

Bring what you think is necessary. The island itself is indeed cursed for the creatures that call it home. Well, you've explored it. Why don't you tell us what's necessary to bring? I was about to get to that before you so rudely interrupted me first thing in the morning. Okay, well then, go on.

What? Gives a look to the captain, the captain's like, There are a number of lizardfolk that patrol the outskirts of the island, calling it home, hunting. I could not quite suss out the source of where the society is, but they seem to live on the exterior of the island. Further in, I did find the temple, but it is not abandoned. There are villages of snake men that surround this stone shrine. Their

mutations are various and strange. I managed to avoid being seen, and I made it to the initial interior chambers of this village, of this stone obelisk of a temple, but I surmised it would be best if I went further with aid of those who were capable of defending themselves. So I came back. I do have a path that I think is of, how you say, least resistance. So

I would say bring what is important to perhaps deal with lizards and snakes. These lizard and snake people. Yes. Do they seem nice? No. Did you see any snake and lizard women and children?

There were various of both sexes and perhaps between. I do not know the full idea of these creatures' physiology. All right. That's all you wanted to know? I just wanted to know if they had happy families. That's all, you know? I did not look too closely into the... Like, what do they do for fun?

You know? Jester, we're probably going to kill all of these people. Maybe we don't care what they do. I would not suggest trying to kill them all. Trying to avoid them, expediency, using the shadows and travel without being found, I think is our best bet at survival. I would agree.

I think they're quite territorial. We would do best to remain unseen. Have you run into these people before, Fjord? No, I haven't. Oh. Have you had dreams about them or something? No, no. What was your comment?

I didn't know. Is this not ringing a bell for any of y'alls? Snake people, temples, the Naga. We already fought them. Done this once before. I think that's where we got the little sphere thing that went towards the thing. Had a little circle with a pool in it and you could see shit.

They were like fish people, not like snake people. I don't remember any of this. Yeah, they were like. All right, all right, but hear me out, because we fought those people in the swamp. They were the Marrow people, right? Yeah. Maybe they're still worshiping the same type of serpentine deity. I see where you're going.

You could, you know, a lot of different people, a lot of different types. What if we were already in one of the temples? That you're looking for. You said there were three, right? Oh, yeah. That's one I just... What if that was a were three, right? Oh yeah, oh. That's what I just. What if that was a temple, right?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what you were going for. That's what I was totally going for. I understand. Yeah, yeah, yeah, thank you. I thought it was metaphorical that we were still in the temple and just having some elaborate, I don't know,

like a dream of life, and we've all been in this temple all along. And I mean, that would have been really cool, although really convoluted the more I'm thinking about it. It doesn't make any sense. Before we go stealthing in, Fjord, do you want to look at the Dodecahedron or anything? Would that be good?

Me? Yeah, you. The captain goes, What is a Dodecahedron? Oh! Yeah. It is a sigil of our group that is sometimes viewed

just to, like, focus one's, you know... Like a pep talk. But I don't think I need it. I'm very focused on the fucking job at hand. Perhaps someone that needs help with, like, stealth. You know? Not me. Oh, plus zero. I'll look at it.

Should have looked at that first. Yeah. The captain claps her hands twice again, to get everyone's attention. Vira, look after the sheep, look after our men, their men. Jamali, lead the way. Jamali? I am excited to see what we uncover together, huh?

Indeed. And I hope you slept well. Come to the boats, at which point the rope ladders are led over once more. You all descend into these rowboats. Between the two of them, most of you can get onto it. A little awkwardly, but enough to at least make your way the few hundred feet to the shore.

You eventually come upon the beautiful white beaches of Uruk-Hazel. You see the occasional shard of driftwood or a glimmer of a smooth abalone shell scattered amongst the sandy beach. The jungle line begins about 40 feet before you and immediately grows dense and tangled with vines, root, and the various jungle, tropical trees

that choke the sky above. Gemini turns to the rest of you and goes, now we must be quiet. Move quickly, as the island has many denizens that would find us exotic meats. So, are we ready? Oui. We're ready.

Then come. He begins to lead the way, and Captain Avantika looks to us. This'll be fine, yeah? Should be. As you all slowly begin to duck in towards the tree line of the jungle, we'll pick up there next one. Oh!

You fast. That was fun. Some Treasure Island shit. Oh. There it goes. Oh shit. Oh my gosh. Oh man. Should we take a picture? Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh.

Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh man. Oh man, oh man. You gonna take a bow? I don't know. Thank you guys. Thank you guys all so much for coming and being a part of this fantastic live show. Our first time doing a live show here in New York City. Thank you to all our fantastic Critters at Home that are watching this live or on VOD. We love you you too! This is perpetually such an

incredible experience that continues to build on itself, and the fact that we get to do it together is so amazing. A huge thank you to D&D Beyond for being a wonderful sponsor this week. Thank you to Momlin for being an amazing appearance. One word for the evening. Thank you to my wonderful players for dealing with my crazy bullshit. Oh man. And thank you all for just being you and making this so special for all of us. This is incredible. We love you guys! And so, everyone have a wonderful night.

We love you. And is it Thursday yet? Good night. Step around. Step around. We're doing this. Sure. Thank you, guys. This is so fucking surreal. Oh, is it still on? Remember when you first found out about Critical Role? Was it through a friend or a family member or maybe even through the words of a stranger in the review section of our podcast? Many listeners find our show through word of mouth and recommendations. So please consider rating and reviewing our podcast because each review makes an impression that may just inspire someone new to give our show a try.

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