Critical Role - Opening Night | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 29 Part 1

Episode Date: June 18, 2026

Part 1   Everyone takes their places across Dol-Makjar as the Hallowed Round presents a show that promises to be unforgettable...   New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays. Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/     GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACON We're excited to bring you even MORE Campaign 4 with a Beacon membership! Get access to exclusive shows like our behind-the-scenes Critical Role Cooldown and ask the Campaign 4 cast your burning questions directly through our LIVE monthly Fireside Chats. You'll also receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant ad-free access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord. Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to everything Critical Role!   OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CAST GAME MASTER Brennan Lee Mulligan Laura Bailey as Thimble Luis Carazo as Azune Nayar Robbie Daymond as Kattigan Vale Aabria Iyengar as Thaisha Lloy Taliesin Jaffe as Bolaire Lathalia Ashley Johnson as Vaelus Matthew Mercer as Sir Julien Davinos Whitney Moore as Tyranny Liam O’Brien as Halandil "Hal" Fang Marisha Ray as Murray Mag’Nesson Sam Riegel as Wicander "Wick" Halovar Alexander Ward as Occtis Tachonis Travis Willingham as Teor Pridesire   CREDITS Produced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle Shire Set Designed by Shaun Ellis Production Designer: Noxweiler Berf Character Art by Loren Hontanilla Edited by Taylor Burke and Emily "Stevie" Stevenson Critical Role Announcement Playhouse Editor: Vinny Celesti Opening Title Editor: Paul Foyder Opening Title Colorist: Peter Koocheradis Window Effects by Christian Brown Graphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn Torrence Dol-Makjar art by Daniel Jiménez Villalba Miniatures Painted by Payton Keo Lacebal Opening Title Theme by Neal Acree Campaign 4 Key art by Hannah Friederichs Additional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs   Episode QC by Catherine Zimmerman & Paula Flores Assistant Editor: Gianna Gencarella Post Production Coordinators: M Swing & Bryn Hubbard Closed Caption Editing by Margaret Dill, Nikki Kindelberger, Courtney Knewtson, Danielle Lackie, Eleanor Smith-Dufresne & Alice Tsoi Post Production Supervisor: Tal Levitas   HEALTH & WELL-BEING Due to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode. Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it’s useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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

You'll receive access to exclusive content, discounts at all our online Critical Role shops, pre-sales for live events, and so much more. Start your seven-day free trial today at beacon.tv. Now, without further ado, let's begin this episode of Critical Role. Gazing out the waters of Lake Nahami. the hour growing later in the day. It's perhaps now only an hour

before Howell's big play is set to begin. The elven warrior, who you followed out here to the lake, made a pointed statement about family. Cadigan looking out at the water, where are you in this moment? Dangerously close to the water's edge. I think thinking those thoughts that come to you when you're alone

and they're not always the brightest. I think Cadigan is a strong man. But I think when you're strong, you can only bear so much weight for so long and after a long enough time, it doesn't matter what's getting piled on top if it's stones or pebbles or a feather, it all starts to add up.

And I think when that last jive came in over the past few weeks, Cadogan's been around more people than he's been around in almost a decade, seven years. And those have added weight to his burden. And I think this last one, even though it was maybe said in jest or attempting to sort of pry in an easy way,

that was that last feather that sort of broke down his resolve. And he can't lie or avoid his feelings anymore. And that solitude starts to press at him. And as Wolfrick sort of nozzles at his neck as dogs tend to do when they know something's wrong with their master. He all falls away, and he just lets himself feel without alcohol or without jokes or playing the fool. And that's where he is in his mind.

The water laps up onto the shore. Wolfrick by your side, the clarity of sobriety. thundering silence of solitude. Alcohol makes noise in the mind, buzz, a blur, a haze, action. Feet falling forward gives a rhythm to beat out thoughts that are not welcome. And in the still and silence, the noises that you have been attempting to cover begin to come back to you. Wind in the branches, the babbling of a brook much smaller than the river Frosh. Woods around your home, the feeling of sunset, air, temperature dropping rapidly, strange wind, storm clouds that had been set. to pass north, the starlings gone deathly quiet.

What was the first noise? The first thing that took that pool of dread in your stomach and moved into something sharp and horrifying. When the stag turned away, an old bull, ready to be taken, how did he pause? What did you hear that I couldn't? Whisper on the wind. I turn and run toward home.

Your feet fall as fast as they can. Thundering through the wood. Not fast enough. Faster. Pushing forward. You see it. The sun has set all the way beyond the edge of the mountains. Everything about the landscape of Emery's soft, beautiful.

The forest's whole. and kind and yet suddenly every voice of kindness has gone dark. You see the cottage. Is there a light inside? Arthur to be late. Mariana! A light, not warm red, but something ill and venomous. Shadows cast up from the ground like spectres yawning. Light in a single flash.

scream, voice that meant every soft and beautiful thing in its final gift to you could only chill your blood and turn your stomach. First one and then the other, the clattering noise, those. If you're light, everything, your heart, your heart falls to the ground in two thuds, one smaller and softer than the other. Is you there? Do you see it? As fast as they are, arrive to see the figure

in the doorway, and now the earth is lit as the flames begin to creep up from the fireplace. Wolfrick burst from my side, just a pup on the hunt with me. I knock a bolt and throw with every fiber

of muscle in my body, every strength I have. I throw at this shadow. The bolt luminous With your own magic in this moment Flashes forward And you see the face Spattered across

Vacant eyes and a wide smile Older man Dark cloak and robes So wide As the bolt Is cast aside A shield of magic so effortless No hope

of your mortal frame causing any damage this world knows. Sorcery. Some are born with the gift of magic. I sprint toward him. Shadow. Light faces cackling shadow. And all of a sudden, he is gone. His laughter off the mountainside.

Frantic, searching for my wife and daughter, heard the sounds of a body. All I see of their footprints from the day. There is nothing, nothing to find. Deepest loss. And the deepest love. No chance against power in nature. And there is nothing I can do as a man. Laughs of townsfolk, different taverns on different roadsides.

How many years do you search for the sorcerer? I didn't mean to get six years. At every abbey, every college, every school of magic, everyone I talked to. No one knew the man. I'm so sorry I gave up. The trail ran cold. Of course it went cold, Cattigan. A sorcerer of Aramon, murdering some drunken crofter's wife and daughter.

And of course, there were no bodies and there was no blood. And perhaps she, perhaps she just... thought better of her lot in life than to spend it with you. No, she was happy. Fuck you. We were happy. Well, maybe. Maybe it was all just a dream. After all, Tracker like you should have been able to pick up some kind of trail. I snap back to myself at the lake. Wolfrick, by your side.

I look at him my only companion. The scars on his face and missing limb and I think of our years together on the roads and in the wild and happy to have him, but he is my family, but not as I remember a family to be. He gazes up at you in that sorrowful canine way, and as he looks at you, you hear movement nearby.

I'm going to need Liam and Abria to come out and join us, please. Um, Cadigan, um, being pulled from your reverie, uh, in, in a moment you hear, uh, sort of clumsy crashing through the brush, or I should say, well, clumsy crashing from at least some, but the speed is picking up. And, uh, Tysha and Hal rush into the lakeside, uh, getting to you as fast as possible. Oh, fuck. Katagan! Hi.

Oh, Carigan. Yes, yes. Help. Tayor. Teor is in trouble. Come, come. I'm off. You're off? I'm off.

Wolfrick, by your side. Wolfrick, you guys rush away from Lake Nhammi, not towards the hallowed round, but actually towards the road, the Victor's Highway that goes up through the center of the city. Pulling up into view, you see there is an enormous, a strong carriage with a driver at the front, with four horses going.

going, Mr. Fang, this is highly irregular. You're ready to go. Get in, we'll tell you on the way. All right. Leaping into the carriage, you see Wolfrick leaps in after you, you jump into the carriage, the driver gets down and slams the door and shunk, bars it. Lock, iron bars on the windows, cat again.

What's happening? What's going on? You see that the driver looks over at you and goes, that was easy. as cruelty appears and says, we are good at our job. And we'll pick up with Kattegan on tonight's episode of Critical Role. Welcome back to the Critical Role announcement playhouse.

Before we jump into our game tonight, let's go ahead and get through some quick announcements. Hey, Travis, you got announcements. We sure do. Matt, episodes 1 through 6 of The Legend of Oxmogna, season 4 are available to watch right now. As a friendly reminder, the mid-season episode of our talkback show, Inside the Legend of Voxmock,

and releases this Friday, June 12th at 3 p.m. Pacific. Join some of our cast and crew as we discussed the making of the first half of season four. There will be spoilers, however. So watch episodes 1 through 6 first. You look like a serial killer. I'm not thinking about it. I love this fit. You kind of look like Chris Bernowski.

Yeah, totally. What's the legend of season? That show. Don't sound like him. It's okay. I think that concludes our announcements. So let's get all the rest of these pencils in this old pencil holder.

I like pencils. And let's jump back into tonight's adventure in Arama. Welcome once again to the city of Dolmachiar. Having arrived back from various adventures, across the face of Aramon. Our soldiers returning Talcidemir Pride Sire now reconstituted in his own body and here to help. Our seekers bringing news of far off Tannasar

and the workings of House Taconas and our schemers who have been hard at work setting up for a great meeting of this hundred houses, the opening night of Howells' play Cotheri, and indeed making alliance with King Augustus Valian of Timony, We find ourselves returned to the Tanners, the selfsame neighborhood with one of Theazi Fang's hideouts where Teor first found Fimble on the night of Fiazzi's funeral.

And up on the hill overlooking the tanners in the darkest, dimest, most shadowy and gloomy place of Dolomakia is Obramus Manor. You approach the Gothic, estate, high stone walls topped with wrought iron spikes, a grounds built into the mountainside, massive keep and adjoining gatehouses spires and smaller towers. Don't you ever feel like it was just a little too on the nose? Not I get from outside perspectives that it looks a bit much.

Gazing out, you see that the central, massive door of the manor stands in a huge stone arch. The door is painted a lightless, the opposite of glossy, it is a deep matte black such that it looks like it just fades into shadow itself and above it, two tall arching windows that give the manor and its central keeps, the appearance of a yawning skull overlooking Dolmachiar.

I just want to manage expectations. I didn't live here a lot. I know my way around to a degree, but like I don't. It's like I spent summers here, you know? Yeah, it's enough. It's been decorated like a summer home. Yeah. By comparison?

Oh. So you had, you grew up, congratulations. No, I didn't really. Did you have servants? Yes. Wow. Then the berry. The berry, yeah.

Rub finger for servants. Yeah, yeah. I guess, yeah, there were other problems, but money wasn't one of them. Well, here we are. Yeah. What time of day is it? The sun has set.

You guys, I think, probably waited to approach until fully the sun was out of the sky because this house is filled with some of the most, deadly sorcerers on your world, except for right now. Yes. Unclear to you. I mean, if you guys want to have cased and seen if you could see who was leaving.

I think that would have been wise. We would have watched who left the key. I asked someone to come and case the place during the day, didn't I? I think Sid said he was going to case it. Yeah. You said Sid? He offered. Oh, sure.

Sid, looks around, I just rolled a four. Sid goes, so I'll tell you what, this place I've been casing it, the strengths and weaknesses, main strength so far is huge wall. Can't see, can't see shit really. Right, yeah.

Weakness, they can't see me through the wall, can they? Not that I know of. Okay. carriage left big procession procession yes

soldiers Nat 20 exact head count two dogs he actually you see he was a soldier so he goes and he says and listen I drive garage for a living

so based on the rear axle and say go full Marissa Tome for my cousin Gary yeah yeah the suspension made those tie amoks That's what she sounds like. The, uh, uh, you, he says, uh, in the, in the carriage,

I'm around the corner at this point to see, the Lord, the main, the main guy, Primus. He was, he was back. He's it back already? You saw him on the carriage? Yeah, he had across the river. Okay, well, then his return isn't part of what's happening. Okay, I don't know.

That's information. Primus, Toconis is in carriage. Your twin sisters. Okay. And young fellow with sort of, it looked like the most normal out of all of them. Younger guys, black hair is back. Sort of, he had like a vest, bare arms,

but he had the cloak. You've seen Etherand wear that before. That's, um. Who's there? It's Etherent. That's who killed me. Oh. Sorry. Sticky subject. It's okay. It's just, um, good. I wish she was here tonight, though.

Aye, Nick, take him out. If we find what we need, maybe some of us can stay behind. I mean, okay, I just want to be clear. We're all on the same page. Stealth is our friend in this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, obviously. We're here from Mara. Okay, great, we're here from Mara.

and also to see if we can find the relic for your sister. Yes. Yes. Just so we're all clear and on the same page. If we can avoid tripping any of the alarms or anything that may be set up, shouldn't be that much resistance with them all gone. Do you know where the alarms are? I mean, they're not physical.

Okay. But I can look for them. This says... I'll also say at this moment as well, looking out, Teor, you being here on our birdwatching mission, we should probably also establish earlier today. Because last night you had made the determination that you would go to the theater,

but that you and Tysha ended up. Couldn't be apart from my brother, right? See, Sid, when you give Sid that news, he says, that'll make me really happy because you, per second, I think, like, oh, he's mad that I got turned to stone. You don't want to... I mean, I was, but I go to theater. I'm terrible in the audience.

I'm a huge man. No one sits behind me. It's terrible. I'm just trying to be considerate of others. He'd be really noticeable. I don't know why I just started doing your accent. I was doing your accent. It's a little... I'm sorry. You see, he looks and says, it looks at his, he's pretty catchy. He looks and says, you know, I don't know you hear this. Do you hear him? You hear him say, he's huge main.

I did, I heard it. It's fine. It's bigger than yours. He's pretty boss, though. I want? Not by volume. Mine goes down my back, like halfway down. That is not always a positive thing.

I'm just saying. Maybe it's also possible. He's good. He's got a really thick skull. It might be bumping it up. Look, look. We're standing out in the street yelling about mains in front of my family's houses,

probably not the best idea. Sorry. Okay. Dangerous, necromanic witchcraft. We are in a lot of witchcraft. We are ready. Just a little more conditioning for both of you. Conditioner?

You mean like my town? Like detangled. You're gonna fucking tangled up. It's always been. Anyway. I'm sorry. It's fine. Do we're good.

Okay. Okay. I'm gonna try and go. We're obviously going in. Who? Can I just say that even though you're dead, you can still get flustered and I find that really comforting. Um, who, uh, can you see in the dark?

Yes. Can you see in the dark? No. Can you see in the dark? No, of course, why would you? But I can light up? Okay, I can, depending on the situation, I can either make some of us see in the dark

or make light, depending. Two cats, two dark visions. Yes, great. I don't know what, again, I don't know what they've set up. Sorry, I'm a little flustered. Leastened, first step inside the gate. Is there, besides the main entrance, is there any sort of side entrance or side,

into the walls? Yes, there is a large coach entrance for carriages and things like that, a smaller servants entrance, and there may be other points of ingress as well that you wouldn't know. Like, the only place you would know from the time you spent here is the main gate

and a smaller servant's gate. All right, let's go by the servants entrance. Get in that way, not walk through the main doors. I'm gonna go. I start leading them that way, and I'm gonna walk up next to Kimball and be like, hey, look, this is, I don't know what's in there. I don't know, I haven't been back in five years, I don't know what's changed.

Five years. Or, yeah, I mean, more than that, it's been a long time. Um, but if, if things go bad, I need you to go, okay? I can't have you dying in there. Well, you can just bring me back. I mean, that's like what you do now, right? So far, I'll live with animals. I'm...

You're not an animal. No, I'm not, obviously, but, I mean, I don't know what happens to my soul. I feel like it could be special. I mean it is, but I just don't know what to do with it. I'll leave, okay? I'll leave. Octus? Yeah? Where are we going within, beyond the entryway? You see, you spent a few summers here.

What is the layout with wombs? If they're keeping Mara, it's probably in the sub-part of the manor, the basement-ish, there's a lot of rooms down there, but they're probably keeping her down there because anywhere that they keep it upstairs, she's a bird. Where do they keep their treasures? Treasures. Like, where would they keep the thing for June?

Possibly downstairs, but there's also, there is a small vault that, you know, most of our family wealth is back at the main house, but I'm sure they keep some stuff here. Okay. And just to say it, because you're talking about going into the basement of this place, but you don't know of any sewer grates or manhole coverers

or anything. Not to my knowledge. Okay. I mean, not to say they don't exist. I just don't know where they are. Perhaps the cellar entrance? It could be. Give it out.

getting to the front or to the servant's entrance make sure there's no is there anyone still at the gates any guards or anything like that having sort of been watching from a corner yes you believe that there are guards at the gate you see that there's a

that main gate is a giant shuttered sort of like portcullis that the characters would move through that's been closed and can only be open from the inside. So you know there are guards in the courtyard probably. Over to the side, the servant's entrance actually has a normal-sized door

that has a small sort of almost like a kiosk. It's a little like octagonal in-wall area that has diamond-iron lattice, like windows. So the windows, so in other words, there's like, it's not big sheets of window. Instead, it is cross-iron. with these small diamonds of glass in it. And there's some small sputtering candlelight in there

as a Taconas servant is just seated there at a desk looking over reports from people coming in and going. And it looks like that servant's entrance is actually, even though it would make sense for things coming through the coach gate, this is actually where deliveries happen. So food and things like that come through the small servant's entrance and that person is managing like a guest book. Look.

I can fly up and over and see if there's anybody want. I'm going to say also you too. I mean, you as well, probably have way more experience infiltrating a place than I do, so if you have any suggestions, I'm listening. Walk quietly. Yes. Don't fall down.

Great, two things. Got it. If anybody sees any of us, and it looks like they're acting suspiciously. Kill them. Don't be suspicious. Yeah. Quietly.

Quickly. Yes. Can I, um, what color is your cloak? Well, my, my normal, like, Fighter's cloak on the side is a dark green, but what I have right now is probably like a dark, gray, weathered, like heavy cloak for travel with the hood up.

I'm gonna go up and take my sword and cut a rectangle out of it and cut it up and put it over so that I'm not like a bright neon green thing. Just little wings. Yeah. And then like, hell yeah. Go ahead and give me whatever role you're going to make.

I'm also going to, at this point, above the table, I'll let you guys know something. Oh, no. I have a watch running on this scene. And when I cut over to however long the meeting at the Sundered Houses takes, these numbers will match up. Meaning when that meeting ends, you've run out of time.

Okay. Let's go. So waste as much time as possible. Okay. All right, can I fly up stealthily and try to case the joint, like up over the wall, see if there's guards walking around. Thimble, you fly up and look into the courtyard.

Do you fly over the courtyard? Or are you trying to look from an angle? I wanna fly up and kind of t-k on the wall and like peer up and over. You fly up and cannot land on the wall. A boom, cool. Okay, appears, give me Arcana. Great, great.

That is going to be 25. A, on a 25, there is some intense magical stuff going on. The thing you just saw, probably some kind of magic circle against good or other kind of thing, you think, in other words, you don't think that would stop necessarily Teor or Julian, you think it stops thimble. Right. So the fucking mosquito screen.

So you said there's servants and trance is where a lot of deliveries are made, and with the family here in the city, good chance deliveries have been made. Younger Catboy, when you were watching the place, did you see any deliveries being made and what did they look like if they were? There was some food to be delivered here. I think they prepared for meal or feast tonight maybe.

The person was delivering them, what was there? Look normal, in fact, looked like Dolmachiar. It did not look like Taconos, looked like a grocer from the city. You can change how you look. Yes. What if we bring what we think or anticipate to be a delay delivery, get that person to step from the doorway?

You grab them, shank them, step inside. Great. I love it. Also, Octus, on that 25, the magic has gotten much deeper here since you were last here as a kid. But without using some form of divination or magic on it, I don't know that you'd be able to ascertain more. Okay.

Yeah. I'm gonna wave my hand in front of my face, and you see as it crosses, my features changed into sort of a, well, just a courier, just a random man you'd see on the street carrying goods, and I walk up to the gate. Theo, stay the sides of the door. Try and like, I kind of like.

I'm gonna land on Julian's head. Excuse me. Shut up. You see that the clerk looks up and says, Oh, hello, sir. Yeah, sorry, a late delivery, We got held up traffic, you know? Oh, that's all right.

What's your name? My name is Pierre. Pierre. Pierre, from which grocer? We're from Phillips down the street. Phillips. I don't have you on here. Really?

There should be... Oh, no. Okay, here I have some paper. You can take a look at what we got out here. You see he shoves a little sort of thing open and one of those like under the window trays is there that like you can slide something under. And he says, hey, huh? All right.

No, it's bigger than that. It's not going to fit in there. Fimble, as you look at that tray, I'll tell you what could fit in there. I know. I was like, can I, if he's looking down or is he looking up? Can I time it when he's looking up and? Sure. You want to give me a stealth check here?

You can give me a deception check. For persuasion, actually, is more honest. 15. 15. Natural 20. Natural 20. Fimble, you get down into the tray, totally unseen, and you see that he goes to, like, slide the tray.

back into his side, I am going to need you to make a strength saving throw for me. Okay. You got this, you got. Super gonna be good. Uh, four. Four. What's your modifier? Negative four.

Thimble, you take three points of damage. As you land in there totally unseen, he goes to close it and that exact same boom of magic slams you into the back of the dragon. as he moves it, you're being crushed in between the spell protection of Obermus Manor and the back of the drawer as he goes, bing, and he goes, stupid fucking thing's broken. And, and...

Three, three, three. They was just dead. He was like, Timble, we have to... However, due to that Nat 20 stealth check, seeing that his drawer is broken and can't slide all the way out because it's crushing you, he goes, fine, and goes, goes, opens the door to the little kiosk, and opens the servant's entrance door.

As soon as that happens, I'll look at the time. Yep, I take out Ingrid's great axe, and I'm gonna go, but I'll swing it just right across. I'm gonna try and aim like straight for clavicle. Oh, like this is he, blood? I'm gonna shine him. I'm gonna go low from underneath the arc

and see if I can go for the abdomen. Go for it, and if you guys want to do this quietly without rolling stealth, roll the attack with disadvantage. Fuck, that was a natural 20. Natural 20 and a 14, that's great. We both got natural 20 to hit. I'm a disbanded. 22 to hit.

22 to hit. That's still a 2017. So that's gonna be a 23 to hit. No damage roll necessary. This is a total just servant. You axe, throat, sword, blood down to the ground, blam, gone. Help.

Oh, we ruined his clothes. Pull open the drawer again. That sucked. That sucked. Are you okay? Instantly roll inside the door and just do clean sweep. Like anybody else looking at the doorway, or are we free of eyes?

You guys get into this little coach kiosk. Go ahead and give me perception or investigation. All of us? Yes. That would be 21. 21? Great. Seven. I'm spitting on the course. 16.

You're good at that. 15. Tayor, you scan inside this. area here and as you do so, da-ta-da-da-da. Let's go here. Looking around at the gatehouse before you, you don't see anything in the kiosk.

The door goes in a short hallway. You see that there is another small chamber off to the side which basically looks like a coat room for people working in this gatehouse. So the door is already to the interior of the building. There's not like the wall. wall and then opened ground to the house. The kiosk is basically has a,

if you think about it this way, it's like little glad, little sort of like, almost like ticket kiosk at like a theater next to this door. He just opened the door and you got him and for the first time see in and see very short hallway that goes to the back of this little gatehouse tower house. Gotcha. That hallway has one little tiny door to the right

that literally goes into this little cockpit kiosk with a sputtering candle and like paperwork in it. You scan that. down this hallway, there is the big, strong iron bar door that you can tell goes to the courtyard. You can see the sort of ghastly, you know, Oberimus Manor light seeping into the door of like the main white courtyard. And to the left, there's a small quote room and there's a small spiral staircase going up to the upper level of this little gatehouse here. The little gate guard. Did he have any keys on him, anything that would help us like get through doors, any sort of pendants?

On a 21, he got to ring a keys on his belt. I'll snag that. You should hide him, right? Hide the button. Can you get it? Can she get in through the door? Uh, boom, boom. You look and see them.

Just hold, hold onto me and pull me through. Okay, right. I'm gonna squish me again. Cratt, put her in my hands and pull my hands through. Three. What is, what is going on in your mind as you pull Thimble through? What are you concentrating on?

Um, concentrating on parting the magic, making a space for Thimble to pass. So you want Thimble to come in six. Yes. Invited by a member of House to come as Thimble enters the estate. I thought it was good or evil. You'd be like, think about kicking puppies. I also, at that point, again, I said, great, and I snap my fingers, and the floating disc that I have off to the side carries the body across the street and threw into the door. And PIN is sitting on the thing, and I just go, Jesus, PIN, and I'm, just, get over. And I snap, and PIN disappears.

That's my familiar. It's a horrific. It brings it into the gatehouse with Ceramized corpse on it. Following in behind you, you look around and as you enter this place, you feel yourself

prickling with magic. That, again, that very high role, there are a couple arcane effects permeating the grounds of this manner. Without magic, you won't be able to tell exactly what they do, but you look around. Julian, you feel a similar feeling to what you felt that night that the plots of Tumino's here, a closeness or permeability to the realms of the tenberal reaches. Teor. I'm gonna put my hand actually on Sid. I think now is the time. If we are here more

than ten minutes, we are fucked anyway. And I'll use a divine sense to be able to put out like a Yeah. He goes, okay, you go first. I follow after. If we hear for longer than that, we don't want to overlap. So you go first, I'll go after you. And Taylor's got his divine sense up. You look around, Taylor, oh, man, it is just, it's radiating on death here. But right now, if there's gators in this pond, they're not near the surface. Okay. And in this moment, you're looking out and around. Thimble, being in this place is bad. All of your fears about what the energy of a place like this wants to do

to the energy of life and wonder and nature and the green places of the world. It all smells something close by. And I think that you can feel a power here in this place. Octus. you enter in. Do you guys close the door behind you? Close the door behind. Okay. The veil is going to be very thin here. You might hear things. You might see things, try and ignore it, unless it actively...

It fucks with you. It's... the less we alert any sort of spirits or anything here, the better. We should probably maybe throw some of those coats on over us just to kind of disguise our fore... Like, our shapes. Great thing. Make us look inappropriate. Whatever, fuck it. Okay.

I'm gonna go over to the door the locked door at the end of the hallway and kind of look at it and see if I can just sort of like will it to open as a member of the house. Find a way to open the door. You cannot will it to open the door. Okay, I use the keys. Got it.

All right. Is this the big one? Yeah. Okay. Start looking which key fits. Is there open space between here and there? Could there be any guards like walking around? Should we keep an eye out for people walking? To the courtyard, right?

Okay. Got it. Got it. You find the right key in not too long. Okay. Found it. Do you open the door? Are there any windows leading to the courtyard or just that's it?

You don't see any windows facing into the courtyard from here, which means that there's no way of telling. How big is a gap? Is there any gap under the door or anything? I'd say that gap is about, call it two inches off the ground. I can wiggle. Just take a look at him. I'm gonna shimmy under it and just like, Any kind of traps on this door?

I mean. I'll take a look. I'm gonna look for any sort of like any enchantments or anything that have been placed on this door. Give me Arcana. Would booby trap a door if I could? 19.

19. Not here. Okay. You don't put it past your family to have traps in this place, but this is a high traffic area. People need to come in here and drop things off. Let's drop back. Oh, big cap.

You see it. Fimble. I've seen it. Go ahead and give me stealth. Okay. And you can do so with a plus four because you have mostly cover from the door you're peeking out from underneath.

16. 16. You peer out and give me perception. Shut up. No, I just think. 23. 23, okay. As you look out,

look out over the courtyard. White stone, pathways. of cracked black volcanic rock that move through a white stone garden. This enormous courtyard is completely unadorned. There's no statues, there's no banners, just black pathways through white stone. So broad.

My family needs a new decorator. Do you see anybody? How long do you wait to see anybody? Not a long time, because we're in kind of a rush. I glance around if I see people coming or hear people. Yeah, we're moving.

I don't see anybody. Great. I want you to give me a luck check. Look check? How do I do that? You roll a D20 and you tell me if you get a one, two, three, or four. And that's a bad. That's in low luck. You don't know. Shit.

That was, shit. 18. 18. You look out and see that the courtyard is empty. Tell me. Open. Push open the door. Don't step out, just open the door. You open the door. Looking out from here on that high perception,

you're at the small servant's entrance. To the left of you, you see the big carriage gate and therefore kind of to your left and more straightforward. That carriage gate goes right up to this big circle of white stone and the big sort of skull-mouth door at the front of the manor.

However, the manor house you see has like two or three different smaller doors around it. It sort of abuts the back of the mountainside here. It's like built into the mountainside. And you see that there are two kind of halls, but like there are two story almost keeps or wings, I guess is the more accurate term. Two wings come off of the manor into two taller towers on either side that sort of spire up. Those towers each look that they have about five floors to them. And the keep looks like it has about three stories to it above ground. And you're sure they wouldn't keep it up in the tower.

I'm just thinking the idea of keeping a bird up high with places where there are windows. It's very true. Unless they like torture. I was not, they did, as a child, they didn't bring me to anywhere. So we look for low doors. Keep you prisoners.

You also see towards the back, past the wing. There is some area, the wing goes off and there's a tower. There is an area at that one sort of wing wall that actually were the natural mountain, rather than being sort of demolished to build the castle into it. a sort of arm of the old mountain like Boulder comes out of the wall, almost through it, almost like a ghost putting a hand through a wall.

And you see comes out, and that one has a white marble crypt entrance built to it. And you see that another one in the far corner of that edge of the estate also has another crypt, a smaller sort of gray marble one, which is for Thassel houses. You also look and see on the far other side, past where the carriage entrance is. There is a large garden,

and I think on that high perception, you sense there's someone in the garden. The garden has these tall lattices, vines of black roses growing out from it, and you can't see anyone visibly there, but there is a sputtering candle light off in the garden. And how many yards would you put, how many football fields to the other side

where the garden is? I would put it at probably 70 yards. Can I make a history check to sort of try and remember the layout of this place as best as possible and get any hint as to where might be the best place for us to go. Yeah.

Go for it. 17. 17. On a 17, you, I think on a 17 history check, you know that the upper house has servants, guests of the family, the big manor house, all that stuff.

That's like ballroom and kitchen, stuff like that. Now, those, places will have undead servants if guests from outside the family are not present. But those undead servants, you never saw anything truly vile. Honestly, the skeletal servants of House Taconas often are wearing fresh tunics and are, they're snappy dressers, and, you know, they're carrying things around. You never went down there as a kid, but you know, there's a place called the Undercroft,

which is the dungeons of the family house. All right, this way. I'm going to try and get to the Undercroft as fast as possible. Let's go. Yeah. Charge off through. Boom. Narro turn it across the field, yeah.

Kornis is, get out, stop us all. Hell yes. Are you planning to head down towards the, so the two ways to get to the Undercroft, that you would know of is maybe something somewhere in the house. Like, for example, the one place you went that you got, like, probably, like, horrendously in trouble for, frighteningly in trouble would have been the kitchens deep in the main manor house have a wine cellar and a root cell. However, there's also these crypt areas over here.

At the time we have, do we divide and conquer? Or do we stay focused? I think we stay focused. Let's go through the crypt. there's probably a pathway to the undercroft through there. I'm a lot of undead. It's going to be everywhere. So going through the crypt to try and get to the undercroft,

assuming there will be a passageway through there. You go to the crypt, to the undercroft, and as you head there, you arrive. I'm going to need a group stealth check. Anybody cross in the courtyard? 28. 28? Yeah.

28. 18. 18. 18. 18. We'll burn the second win to use tactical mind. That's better. That brings it to 17.

17. You guys hug the wall. That's an 18 on the dive for Sid. Brothers. Brothers. You guys. 19, sorry. 19.

You guys. Watch through. Are you headed to the main Taconas crypt here? The Taconas crypt that you see here, look, I think off the top of your head, the Tacona's crypt, you see arcane right on the outside of it. The Vassal crypt, the crypt for servants and things like that. That is made of gray marble. It's farther away.

It's in the very corner of the estate. And looks like it is not enchanted. The Vassal House one. Okay. Watching to the gray mausoleum door. door, you guys arrive and see an enormous stone slab covering the entrance to this crypt. Upon it, you see a symbol of a scorpion, a serpent, a spider, various symbols of the vassal houses of Taconas. As you approach, you look down and see that there is no keyhole here.

This is not a place that's going to have, this ring of keys is not going to go to. I will need someone to give me an athletics check to attempt to open this. I do walk up and realizing what I did to get thimble through the barrier. He does walk up before someone does the athletic check and just says, open.

Go ahead and give me Rikana. 19. Taira, you're flexing and Octus walks up and says open and cool. Yes. What's these, yes. I didn't know that was going to work. It slides to the side.

He's good. I never lived here when I had magic, so I... It slides to the side and you venture down. This is a large crypt. You see that there are some vassals interred here. Some of the walls have multiple, basically slide into the wall, resting places for people. There are a ton of armored, ancient cobweb covered corpses of those that served the Tacitus family a long time ago here.

Most of these are like decades old at this point, right? Looking throughout the crypt is occupied in terms of the amount of bodies that are in here. You see that there is like a central sort of altar area where people can, like funereal rights can be conducted in here. 60 feet, are any of those bodies pinging? Give me a perception check. Your divine sense, your divine sense radiates out. Yes. The bodies are pinging, but they're not present.

In other words, it's like you could trigger them. There feels like a card face down. It feels like there's something waiting on the other side of the veil. Are there any, as we walk down, are there any sort of like, uh, altars or anything there, they're empty as a body is waiting to be placed? There are many empty, uh, areas. I'm going to find one and I'm going to lift Saramai up and place them on that and just kind of fold their arms, put their weapon with them and leave them placed. You put them there, leave them placed.

as you do so, you in the Saramai Blade at her side, for everyone else, as Oxus is doing that, you look around this crypt, there is no obvious exit from here. Yeah. Is there any, I'm imagining it's pretty still down here. Is there any, if I fly around, can I feel a breeze or a whiff of anything? Great. I am going to ask, and you, and everyone who will,

wants to can roll. I'm going to ask for a perception or investigation for searching for an exit out of here, but without any magic that specifically like finds that kind of thing, it's going to be a 10-minute search looking throughout this space. Ten minutes. Um, okay, I can. I'm going to cast a tech magic. Great. You cast detect magic, right? So you do that right away. Um, give me Arcana with advantage as Detect Magic comes up. Natural 20. Ah, who, who. You cast Detect Magic in this moment.

Did anyone else roll investigation? I did. I rolled a 15. I did. Perception. Perception. 19. 19. So in this case, your divine sense is still up. We haven't used our 10 minutes yet. You cast Detect Magic and get a Nat 20 Arcana.

You look around here, Octus. on that Nat 20 Arcana, I'm going to tell you several things. There is a secret door hidden. You can command it to open by virtue of your house and it will open. Past that, the veil between realms is not permeable. It is destroyed. As you walk in there, you will be in both realms at the same time. There will be a tennebral gloom in that place. There is magical darkness on the other side of that wall.

And what you see, the thing that connotes that door to you is there's a small chamber that has a number of what you recognize these squat fat, sort of viscerally unpleasant yellow candles. You look at them and recognize these as corpse fat canvases. Yes. These are a thing that will potentially light your way through the tennebrile gloom. Looking out in this place, right,

that you also see that there is a, on that Nat 20, you also see here in this moment that the altar you have placed here is not merely for rituals of honoring the dead. This is the vassal crypt. The Taconas means something specific when they talk about honoring those beneath them. This is a powerful magical item. This altar, this sort of, and it's a, it is a table, it is a viewing table, it is not a sarcophagus, but essentially a stone platform where a corpse is laid in repose before it is finally shelved.

Slab. You have, as you are going to place Saramai up onto a final resting place, you look down and see here in this moment, this slab before you that you recognize has the ability not only to, empower necromanic spell casting, but potentially could be augmented if proper sacrifices were made. And those sacrifices don't need to be people or blood. It can even be sacrificing objects of great magical significance or importance. All of that comes to you on a Nat 20, seeing that in that moment. Now, that's behind you. Dame Serrami is up on the sort of the shelf

in front of you. You see that slab in the middle of the room. The other part of this that you see unfolding is on that Nat 20, there is the possibility of reaching out and you could claim something from this place. It would be announcing your presence here magically. So you look at Detect Magic. Basically, you could see. steal something from your family here and it would announce that you are here. However, why would you risk that? You believe that the greater effect on the grounds, the thing that

repelled Thimble until she was invited in, also is creating vulnerability. And you've become aware that all creatures on this property who do not have resistance or immunity to necrotic damage, while on these grounds have vulnerability to necrotic damage, it will be twice as effective. Cool. And if I take this, I could change that. You could change that for one person. If you seize that, you will be protecting someone

from an incredibly dangerous area. And not only that, but to be extra generous to your Nat 20, the risk is interacting with the magic of this place at all. The benefit is you could extend the protection you enjoy to somebody else, and potentially also, by touching the magic of this house, gain an awareness as to what magic is occurring elsewhere in the house, which may speed your search.

Okay. I don't know we're here. What is, you see, strange boy? On the other side. You don't know that that magic is, that's not necessarily you interacting with the other members the other members of house Taconas. That's just you interacting with the veil.

The timbrel reaches. Sorry, sorry, a lot of information. I just figured some things out. So secret door, over there. Don't go through it yet. Candles off to the side. Once we go through there, we will be between places that it will be beyond the veil, kind of, sort of.

It will be very dark, magical darkness. Those candles theoretically light our way through. So everybody take a camera. How far is it go? How far is it go? I don't know. Second thing. Group.

Either we go as we are, or I could theoretically claim some of this power that is existing right here and possibly shield one of you from things that will happen in the future, but someone will hear me. Yeah, do that. Huck just reaches out and just grabs and just lets that power fill it. You guys watch as all of the shadows of this space ripple out. You guys are. You guys watch as all of the shadows of this space ripple out. You guys. are in total darkness. Oh, we grab the candles first before he fucks of the tar and shit. Okay, you grab the candles.

As soon as the shadow start moving. You guys grab candles, you pull that power into yourself. As you do so, your awareness begins to spread through the tenurable gloom of this place. You feel yourself brimming with power. It is not something you can consider in the moment of this power. Who do you extend your protection to?

Thimble. The power extends to Fimble. The power extends to Fimble. Fimble, you gain resistance to necrotic damage. As that happens, you pull the power to yourself. Feel magic all throughout Obermus Manor. Feel yourself swelling up on that Nat 20. Octus, you are fifth level.

Sorry, go for it. No, no, no, no. So everything's still dark, right? It is all becoming dark as you become fifth level. Okay, Octus breathes in. You see the sort of like all the kind of mist and everything from the room go into his mouth, and he opens his eyes, his eyes flash green sort of just trail up in the air and goes, how I understand.

Protected. The two of you don't get hit. Okay. Apikis, look here under Dice. or going through that door, and I take Dame Ceremer as body, and I lay her on the place of honor in there. Lay her there, put the weapons there. Place her there.

At this moment also, as you summon that power into yourself in this place, I'll just see you gain dark vision. And I need all of you to roll initiative. Has everything in this room, up to celebrate. Oh, fuck. To celebrate with us. It's a tourist occasion.

You guys roll initiative. Oh, back, back, back, back. It's a dead man's party. And we will pick up with this. And you guys come back to the table. Should we say what we rolled so we don't forget it? Yeah, say what you rolled, yeah. 12.

25. 12 and 25. Okay, hold on one second. I got it. Okay, Thimble got 12. No, I got 25. Oh. 25, fuck yeah, 25.

Tayar, you got 12. Yep. What did you get? 17. 17. 17. What did we get here? 23. Julian got a 23. Hell yeah. Sid got a 19. Sid got a 19.

Oh, so he's just above. No, he's above Octus. Julian got 20 something. Yeah, so Julian got 23. You guys hear the crypt shudder. And we will return to you, ASAP. Hell yeah, I won't repeat what's saying. I was wondering.

We return to the Via Aurora. Oh, this beautiful place of light. Wick, after your meeting with your grandmother, Yonessa, she exits the room and says, Luffy, I'll go let the rest of the family know you're back. I am so grateful and glad to know that our wonderful family is together. Again, there is much for us to do. I don't know if you know this, sweetheart.

I came back from the dead. I had heard. It's being broadcast all over the city. That's incredible and surprising. First, surprising that anyone could... How were you killed in the first place? Crossbow bolt, assassins. Who? Who would dare?

Well, I needn't, you know, get into it. I don't want to upset you. You've had such a long journey, my little sweet pee. So, let's get you washed up. Let's get you fed. Would you like some fingers? I would love, I would love some fingers. And I would also, if it's not too much trouble for Tark, would love to see my sisters. Or one. Sisters are out on an errand right now,

but they will be back presently. Not a problem. Perhaps I'll call for some folks to bring up some food for us. Maybe some new clothes for me. Yes, well, and would you like some privacy, or do you want to come downstairs and see everyone? No, no, I think we need a moment to rest. Yes, wash up. Do what you need to do, sweet bee.

My little sunbeam. All right, I'll leave you to it. Must I prepare for... Oh, your timing is an interesting one, Wiccanda. There is to be a meeting tonight with us and the other sundered houses. It is the sort of thing that I would normally have done with your sisters, Abani, but...

Is she not available? No, no. Was she injured by this crossbow? No, no, no, no. She was not present. But given what we discussed before you had your time, in the wilderness. You're something poetic about it, isn't it? Yes, you walked through the shadow,

but it was a trial and you came back. This is all. We can work with this. The important thing is this, Wig, you know now what our family's true calling is, the real work. It is the lucky ones who get to believe the story, and it is an honor and a burden to be the ones who tell it. If it's all right with you, I think you might come to this. You might hear some upsetting things, but I think it's a good continuation of this removing of the veil of secrecy and of, well, of these beliefs. The truth shines brightest, and I would like to be there, yes. Splendid. All right, lovey. Get ready. She closed the door.

I feel like I'm gonna puke. Yes, yes. You were so good. I was sweating so much. Are you, hey, are you for real? Yes, what? Are you for real? What does that mean?

Like, are, okay, are we on the level? Are we, are you going to go back? Are we, I don't wanna say too much. Is our plan the same as it was? Of course, of course. Okay, okay, okay, okay, I'm out. We wouldn't sell out our friends that easily. It would take,

just a little bit more to get me to sell them. They're very mean to you. I know. Hey, you need to understand that I am the only one who gets you, okay? Yes, also. Oh, we have the mask man, right? Yeah. Can he hear us?

Hello? Boehler? Take it out of my apron. Are you there? Can you hear us? Hello, hello. Hello? Hello?

Maybe tap. He told me to put it on. I'm going to put it on, I'm going to put it on really quick. What, no? No? What does it do to you? We have this book that he gave us. We can read it and find out.

He said it wouldn't bind in my face. And so I can take it off, I can take it off and just understand maybe what it does for a minute. We have a minute. Okay. I put it on. If you freak out, I'll pull it off you. Tal, do you think this mask works on demons?

I think it's an intelligent humanoid creature of the correct size who's not so many levels above me that I'm going to get terrified. Yeah. So I peek my head out. of my weird little void. Hello. You see.

Does he talk for her now? No. You don't hear me yet. Okay. The mask has just started moving on your face when you said hello. Hello. Hello.

This is so weird. You look crazy. Do I look crazy? You look like me. Oh. I don't look like it. Okay. I'm gonna try and you're gonna hear.

Yeah, go ahead. It's just the face. The horns and the grass and everything is all. I'm gonna attempt to just get a download of what it is that Boler can do, just to understand. Much like as it would be, normally this would be the attuning of a magical object,

except the magical object is down right now and in the mood to be like, yes, I like you, I don't need, there's no courting period, we're straight to dating. Oh good, tyranny, it's you. You are the only one who hears my voice at the moment. I can hear you. Is this still Boler?

Oh yes, hello, darling. Hello, hi. You kind of get an image, almost like a waking dream. You can kind of see me sitting in a chair just in the back of your mind like you're just an idle thought talking to you. Excellent. And we're in.

Oh, and then I say through your mouth, Oh, hello, Wic, you did very well. Thank you. How do we use your mask on other people? I'm just giving you the down. Much like you learn when you get a piece of paper with all the spells, you now have a list of what I can do. Okay.

And we can guide you through it. But one of the things is you now know how to, putting it on somebody who doesn't want to wear it is a little tricky. But if you can either trick someone or put them to sleep and if they're not too powerful to try and fight me on it, I can totally take over. So what I'm hearing from Belair is that we have,

we can pick anybody and have, Boler with us. We should get a servant or someone. Let me help, and I turn myself to your face, so now you just looks like you again. I'm hiding my face on you. Here I am. Wow.

Okay. You got a little bit of a glow up. Alicotter? A little bit. I put it in gleam. Oh, thank you. I didn't think I needed anything, but some highlighters nice.

Okay, Boleer, I'm gonna take you off and keep you in my apron until we find exactly the right opportunity to put you on somewhere. Is that right? Is that cool with you? Just remember. Willing. Hopefully willing, unconscious, and not too strong, because I do have to sort of wrestle them down

before I can take over someone's body. All right, good to know, good to know. Right, here we go, I'm back in the box. Okay. Whoa. It's crazy. It felt like my face was getting like suckled on a little bit, like almost like a, like a squid or like an octopus,

like little kisses. It wasn't unpleasant. It's like a peeling mass, so that's really good for the pores. Yeah, the glow stage. All right, all right. We need to get someone up here to, to subsue.

Yeah, I was thinking maybe one of my sisters, but maybe I can find you a lux or something. Yes, yes, maybe let's just go find a young, a priest or something that. You stay here. I will. I'm gonna go get a luxe. Great.

I'm gonna also roll for my hit points, just so I know. Yes, go ahead. You have to level up. Roll for your hit points. What'd you get? Five. Five. In addition to, yes. Yes, lovely. Roll to five. Amazing. Tierney, go ahead and give me investigation. Okay.

14. 14. You run around, and yeah, there are some luxes downstairs. You see some people going to and fro. There are a lot of servants. Would you want to go for a junior, like, a acolyte lux? Like one of the people that's just changing out the candles and doing things like that. Would you want to go for a servant?

Would you want to go for a, you see that there's a, you recognize, you also, by the way, do have your knife in terms of like, if you wanted to like scan for people. But on a 14, you just, yeah, there's lots of people run into and fro. You don't have like a great bead on any one particular kind of person. I'd like to find someone who won't be missed. Okay.

I'd like to find the hottest lux in the room, but not prettier than me. Okay. Impossible. Okay. And I approach her. You approach. Hello. Hello.

We trust you guys print. Yes, I trust that you, hear that the master Wickhander is back. I have heard the news that our Lord Wickhander has returned. What is your name? Adora. Adora. I adore you.

I have a question for you, Adora. By all means? Does the Lord require me? He does for a very important job. He needs the companionship of a beautiful, beautiful young Lux. We have been out on the road for a very long time. He requires a friend.

That's not a, you know. Will you come with me and be his friend for a while? Give you a persuasion check. Wow. Gross. Wow. Wow, we're going full call. I'm going to spend a luck point.

To roll with advantage, great. Mm-hmm. Great. First lady, yeah. Oh, 16. 16. She looks to you and says, is this a test?

I am pure aspirant. I understand. No weird stuff. We're just, he's sick of being around a demon. He needs someone to stand by his side. You see, his job is about to become very stressful. Give me an insight check.

15. You see her eyes. Furrow. If you don't want to, I can find for a lux. No, no, that's all right. I'm just trying to get on the level with what you are doing. I'm getting a lux for the master Wickhander. It was requested of me.

Lead me to him. I would love to speak with him about what I've just observed. Okay. I bring in Adora. Are we excited to me? Have you met him before, by the way? I have not been fortunate enough to. He's been missing for about 10 days. Right. Are you excited? Very.

Yes. Well, come on in. She enters into the room looking around and says, my Lord Halifar. Oh, hello. Hello. Dear aspirin, might I have the room with Lord. Lord Halevar? Yes, that's fine, yes.

Go run off and do whatever you lowly demons do. I'll stand at the ready. Just outside the door. And I'm gonna stand right outside the door. The door closes and she says, My Lord Halevar, I am Adora, Lux of the Candidicentacian Creed. I am, as ever, your faithful servant.

Do you know what your aspirant has just done? I assume she called you in because I needed help writing some correspondence. She mentioned to me that you need companionship and mentioned some physical qualities. Did I mention you? I could be wrong. Laura can correct me there, but I think you did, right? I said Beautiful. I think Beautiful got said at some point, right?

Yeah, that's, I didn't, above table I said, I want to find. and the place. Oh, gotcha. I could be wrong here. Maybe Laura can correct me here, but I think I'm just always looking for hot people. Gotcha. If she said companionship, I'm so sorry,

this was a misunderstanding. I said penmanship, penmanship. I have poor writing and I need to write a few letters telling some very important people that I've returned and about my journeys. Oh, penmanship. Well, I'd be more than happy to. Thank you.

Yes. So sorry. Oh dear. Where is the paper, the stationary? Aspirant Tierney, can you come back in here? I'm so sorry. Yes, everything, everything okay. Yes, I'm so sorry.

You need to speak clearly when you speak to the other luxes. Did I do it again? I am so sorry. Fangs. Sometimes her fangs and stuff. I really apologize if I have offended. It sounds like you guys have, you've worked worked it out.

Yes, yes, yes. And the stationery, you have that stationary with you, right? Yes, I have a charm person. Great. Let's see if it works. Wisdom 16. She looks at you seemingly, Fudaha.

Fudaha indeed. My lord, your radiance is exceptional. Oh, oh, no, you flatter me so. I have the penmanship and also the special writing mass. Go ahead and stick it on. You see, she says, I'll take that thank you, aspirant tyranny, that will be all. What?

She takes it and says, thank you, goodbye. I have to stay at his side, I'm sorry. You don't have the authority to dismiss me. My lord, I wish to speak with you in private, if it's all right. Again? Yes. Oh, but I hula hard.

Give me a persuasion to get her to accept, to give me a, to get her to accept, you still, it's, it's, charm is advantage, but she's not gonna automatically do what you say. Gotcha, gotcha, gotcha. What am I rolling? Mm-hmm, persuasion. Okay.

That's a natural one. You do roll with advantage because she's charmed. Okay. Yep, that's a four. Okay. But wait, persuasion, oh, 11. 11. She looks and says, with all due respect,

I think it would be better just for those of us ordained to speak of matters clerical in nature. Yes, that would be, that would be wise. Tyranny, as you step out at the door and she closes it, you see the Lux turns to you and says, You are beautiful indeed, that aspirant, I think, speaks, and bandies your name about in her tongue. She is, of course, redeemed and saved in the light,

but a demon nonetheless, I know that you have been missing for some time, and now that I behold you, your radiance abounds. Oh. I wish only to say this, a moment. I am but a junior luxe and one of the custodians of the space downstairs, but having a moment to speak to you heart to heart, I am as faithful and devout a member of the creed as you will ever find.

Oh, oh dear. I wish to tell you this, now that I have a moment to speak with you, penmanship or companionship, whichever you wish can be yours. I have been working on a secret text, a new series of epistles. I think that the city is on a knife's edge, and that we could. work together to fully destroy the fair folk here once and for all. Oh, yes.

They are a blight, my lord. They certainly are. A terrible blight. Yes, especially the little ones. Yes, I, we should, we should, I would like to see your theories. I know you have been missing for some time. I believe in my heart that you went astray or I've heard a room with you went astray and you need to be redeemed. What if there was one who could redeem you herself?

And how would that work exactly? One who could bring you back into the fold and show you the light? The other Luxes, the other junior Luxes here. They are fools, they do not see the true light as I have. Yes, I know. They are strivers. Everyone here at the V- Aurora are strivers.

They wish for power in the organization. I don't wish for power. I wish to help you. Please calm yourself. I must pray on this. Will you pray with me? Yes. In whatever way you like.

Let us get both on our knees. She gets on her knees. It's not about power for me, but I think for other people it might be. Let's close our eyes in prayer. In prayer. I'm going to whisper some words of prayer and cast message. Tyranny get in here and slap that thing on her face.

I gave it to you. Oh, you gave to me. She's put it down to the side. She's put it down to the side along with the paper. I'm twirling my hair outside. I'm so mad that I picked this fucking Lux. She's a nightmare. She looks and says,

that demon, I think, whispers evils in your ears, my lord. I know this is maybe fast to see this. Keep your eyes close. Keep your eyes close. But I feel like I might be the only person who really understands you. I think you're right.

I think you're right. In fact, you know, what number am I thinking of right now? Uh, B. No. Uh, 12. You knew it. There is some sort of connection.

There's a light that binds us. In fact, keep your eyes closed. I'm just going to move the hair away from your face a little bit so I can see what you truly look like under that hood. Keep your eyes closed. Just keep them close. I'm going to stick the mask on. The mask goes on her face.

Is she happy? No, I don't know. I'm smothering her. The question is, are you going to, are we, yeah, let me know if this is gonna be contested or not contested. I'm rolling for her right now. Okay.

And Boler, you wake up with a screaming Wakandr touching your face. Is this you? Who are you? Say something. I don't suppose this is going to work, but, do you have good tidings? Oh, yes. Okay, that's enough. Okay, that's enough. I mean, yes, always for a friend, always for a friend.

Good, good, go. Why am I heeding? Can I come in. Yes, come in for the love of the light. Come in. Bitch really gave me such a hard time. I thought she was just, the last thing that we learned about your family

was that they get down and they do drugs and they fuck and it was all the corn. I really not. Did we learn that about my friends? We did. Your grandma said so. Who is this and why are they heaving? Am I hearing her voice or his?

His voice? A line at the moment. You're hearing Boler's at the moment. Okay. So there is a beautiful young lux in, like, clerical garments, but with Boler's face who is speaking in Boler's voice. What did you? Ooh.

What were you doing? Improvising badly. So sorry. We got you. She was very turned on. Oh. Oh, God. Great.

Give me a moment. This whole thing feels icky to me. Imagine how it's to me. I'm sure. Hold on. Feels great to me. I'm working overtime over here. I hide my face.

Yeah. And it's back to her face. And I'm using that, I'm also going to start using. I'm shit. She's freaking out inside me. Isn't she at the moment? What did you tell her? What did I tell her?

I told her nothing that I need to help with some correspondence. That's it. Oh, boy. Yes, come in. The door flies open. Bullaire, you have a moment to act before the door Are you in your mask? Oh, I already flipped to her face.

Flip to her face. Flip to her face. Zibani walks in. Oh, sister. Hello. All is with the light. It's so good to see you. She slams the door behind her and gets right in your face.

You see she cast a tech magic on you. Of course it's me, yes. It's, I know I've been injured on my face, but it is still your loving... Oh! She grabs your shirt. Tell us, someone will be back in the pit.

You listen to me. You, oh, so brilliantly, from the hole I put in little Armis's chest. Oh, that's right. We don't know where she is. And she shoves you away. You can lose a lot, Wick. You should have stayed gone.

And she turns, walks out the door, and closes it. Charming. Well, we know who's not grandma's favorite. Did she say, Amos? Yeah. Did I, can I, did I sense that she was just saying that to make me mad? Or was she being honest? Did me an inside check.

I'll take that inside check too. I love figuring out if people are lying. Girl, I'm 13. 13. I don't know. You don't know. You don't know. I bet she's bluffing. She's just so mad that.

No, she's, She's cruel, she's always been cruel. How did she know? You have a framed picture of her. And you do talk about her a lot. What now? The door does not fly open, but a small, the door opens and holding hands,

a weeping Lady Iris, your mother, and a young boy we have not met. yet, but your little brother, Leoran, who it just looks like a little sort of, he's got a little bit of a, it looks like a carbon copy of you basically, a little smaller, cute, looks like a teal hair. He doesn't, he's not old enough yet to have

his filament tattoos, I don't think, but they look up, and he goes, Wick? Yes, yes, it's me, hi. He wraps his arms around your legs and your mother weeping, goes, Blessing is the light, blessing is the light. Yes, yes, yes, yes. Oh my goodness, it's so good to see you.

Ever bright, ever light. And she looks at you and she says, and you, and she kisses your cheeks and grabs your head. She says, you brought him home, you brought him home. No, it's okay, you do, it's all fine. I'm fine. It was scary, but I'm fine. I'm okay now.

It's all, it's okay. I knew the light would not. I knew that the light would take you away from us. I'm so happy you're home. I really missed you. What did that lion man do to you? I don't, not in front of Lee. It's, it's... The Noren says, I'll get him. If he's a, if he's bad, if he's against the light, if he's a dimmed soul, I'll, I'm working on my sorcery real hard. No, no, there'll be time for that much, much later in life. For now, just pray and be a child. Don't think about that sort of grown-up

stuff, all right? I'm getting older. I'll be there soon. I know you will. I know you will. And there's so much of the world out there that was scary, but so much that was fascinating, too, and I'd like to show you some of it. Yeah. Oh, wow. Would you go and spread the word of the light, the luminous text? Did you go and share the words of the creed? In a way, yes, yes. Awesome! Yes. Yes. We had an adventure, both of us. And your mom says, and enough adventure it was for a lifetime. And she touches your cheek and says, I'm so glad you're home. She turns over and says,

Laxadora. What brings you to my son's quarters? I, sorry, go on. I've been told to keep an eye on our young lord. Oh, good. Don't want the D'Antonios to find out you have, you know, maybe not in our private chambers. We can't. Propriety, etiquette. You put the young lux here in terrible position.

Oh, I would never. We can wait outside, of course. No, no, no. Oh, you must be famished. You must be starving. Come, come, come, come with me. Oh, now? Yes, yes, right now, right now.

All right. Yes. Would you join us as well in case there was some letters I wanted her to write down for me? Can Adora join us as well? Oh, yes, Adora, come right with us. You're home, you're home, you're home. Let's go. And she whisks you away.

And I'll hold Leoran's hand as we walk down the hall. He holds your hand, and as you touch his hand, though he doesn't notice it, you see a little outline, just a trace, almost like someone writing in a little couple motes of light of translucent wings spread behind his back as you touch him. and he skips down the hallway with you.

We are going to move from here to the hallowed round. Oh boy. Oh, boy. Really like getting the mask on that lady was gonna be way less annoying. Behold behind you, the hallowed round. For indeed, a new projection. Yeah.

The people of Dolmachiar, stream. into the seats of the hallowed round. Jugglers, musicians, the place has come to life. Way up at the first concession stand, you can see it is so slammed that Old Goods on the griddle in the back, just, all right, guy, oh, the oil's hot, hot, hot, hot. And you look out and around, you see backstage how,

oh, sorry, where do we find howl here? It is 10 minutes to curtains. I think Hal is just at the edge of the play space down near the edge, the corner of the building, where extra wigs had been stored in the past. And he is keeping a low profile and looking out at the hill, fill with people and is awash with conflicting feelings,

apprehension, nervousness for what's happening, pride of his family here in the theater, or a concern for everyone who's scattered throughout the city. He is trying to keep his breathing calm and just be ready. Looking around, you see Nevada stuffing stuff from the fake religious run through earlier today, heaves it out the bag. It says, I don't want it to in the property at all.

And who jumps it. You look over and see Nevada says, All right, everyone, 10 minutes to gardens. You hear a round of Rungani go, Thank you, 10! As they rush. You see Drengur, your dance instructor, Inez, your fight choreographer,

rushing through a couple last things. You see that you're looking all around. Neveda is going and speaking with Kirt and Amanda, who have your musicians ready to play the live music for this. Who would be backstage with how? Where are people in the theater? I had talked to Olgood earlier. I think yesterday about having like a balcony reserve.

Yeah, there's a skybox. All the way on one side. It was a giant line, not good. You're like this is right. You're gonna get the back of half the cast's head, the entire show. But that's okay. I think I will be there.

I think I will be there and just kind of scanning the crown. I think I'm backstage kind of doing the like sinking back and just I've got eyes on Hal and Shadia. And I'm just beaming and still and just thrilled. Don't ask me for anything. I'm the wall. You see, Shadia goes with the,

goes and inspects the ferry doors up at the front. These like small, they're like wicker made of wrapped vines that have their living leaves still on them and circled around. And you see that as people, as like these Rinyani from Dolomakkar walk through, knowing that this is a, it's like, all this news of the creed, they walk through

and you see Tisha looking up, Give me insight. No. Ten. Ten. You see a lot of older Rungiani noticing these fairy doors there being like, and you see that some of them go and reach

and take out a copper piece and leave it. And I think on a 10, you see a lot of the younger ones looking out going like and questioning their like grandfathers and grandmothers about what they're doing. Like, what is that? It's a VCR. It's a VCR. Why is it always saying?

Rwine. We're winged. You look out, you see Nevada, Nevada comes to you and says, how are you feeling? Are you nervous? I'm confident. It's time to let it all go, okay?

You've worked your ass off, Nevada. Now just drink it in the moment. Be ready for anything. I will. I think that I've yelled at him so much that it probably shouldn't be me. You want to speak to Lash? I think he's losing it.

I remember what I have to do. You see, she goes over and she hits a crate and opens it up, and you see that there's a crate marked costumes with lice, and she opens it, and Nisha Undragore pulls his head out and goes, it's a crime for me to be here. And you see, she says, the crime would be for an artist of your caliber not to see his work. Now he's going to be riddled with lice.

You see Shadia cartwheels down and around. She's been doing, they're doing what's called an opening lati, which is like their small, performed pieces of theater happening at the archways as people come in. Got to warm up the crowd. We've got to warm up the crowd. So she comes down from doing that in her harlequin pants,

and you see that she has the, she's one of, her role in the chorus is as a revolutionary, because she's, she is nervous about like doing acting, but she's incredibly athletic and acrobatic, and so she does a lot of the big fight scenes and stuff. She comes in with the last pariah blade, Shea's blade on her belt. She comes and says, all right, Dad,

I think the sheep's here, Mom! And she gives a huge hug, and she says, You made it! Of course. You are magnificent. Oh my God, she's just bawling. Oh, okay, I'm sorry. I just, I just like,

I didn't get in your head. I didn't even get in your head. I know that you have a lot of important stuff to do. Just, just. There's nowhere I would rather be than here. I'm so proud of you. And I want to cast aid on both of you. Both of you have aid cast on you.

Azune and Vales. Azune and Vailas, I actually am going to need both of you guys to roll your new hit points. That's up for us. So give me a D. I think it's D6 for another sorcerer. And we're doing D-10 for another psalcer.

for another pallet. 10? Okay, okay. Okay. I wanna do it at the same time as you. Right, ready. One, re-rolling ones. Two, two, three.

Ten. Four, four. Four. Hell yeah, great. A four and a four. Right. Where do we see Azunei and Valus in this moment? Well, I'll go.

I'm on the outside. I'm in security mode. I've brought people to, to kind of, to security. I mean, we know what we might be in store for, so I have my, my guys are out moving around. We have, well, we have 350. Do we have all 350 here?

I think we do. I mean, yeah. You have 346 because four of them went north with Demetis. Four went, okay, great, that's right. We got 346. So I'm sort of in two places. I'm walking around and I'm stuck back at that meeting that I had with the Einfossens. Yeah.

And replaying it a little bit and I'm unsettled. And as the people are starting to gather, I let myself get pulled to one of the things in this city that gives me the most joy. Just being able to be a fly on the wall on my patrols. watching the people live and how they are with each other, the smiles that get exchanged and the excitement that's starting to build as they flood the entrances to this theater. And that's the kind of magic that moves me the most.

Am I able to see Azune on his patrol? Do I catch glimpses of him as he was walking? I would make a point to be checking back knowing where Murray is. And your official capacity, it might be a problem if you're not visible here. Like you are tasked by the Revolutionary Guard to, this is your purview.

I also do- I don't wanna always be in like message range of you just in case. Absolutely. Just like regular rotations where I come back and make eye contact with Murray, I also have arcane marshals that have been placed and they're scanning.

What is the weapons policy in your theater? Are we allowing people? What? I think people just have weapons. Okay? In this world, it's dead and age. Right? Very few people are armed,

because most people here are commoners, right? Most people here are just, you know, people aren't blocking. A sword costs 15 gold pieces. That's like, you know, it's... That's a lot of people. Yeah. Cool. Yeah, that's what I'm doing.

Rotation. Arcane Marshall's in position and checking it with Murray and taking, drinking in the excitement and joy of the people that are coming. There is joy here. It's hard not to feel bullion and elevated. Bayless.

All right. So you both are in the box up top. Are you committing to being up there? No. So right now I'm backstage. I will say that Hala, deer form Hala, is in the box with you. Oh, right, right, right, right. Just in case you be there.

Just kind of looking at the deer. Every time just turns. I. Popcorn. Head in. Okay. That's fine. That's fine.

I can get more. I would like to, so if, Valis is very excited to see the show. Okay? Yeah. So I would like if there is a seat for me in the audience. Yeah. I would like to be all the way on the opposite end,

so I have eyes on the box and I'm close to the stage. Great. Like a front row, but all the way on an end. Great. exit. Yes. You and Hannon are posted up right over there in one of those seats that even though it's front row, it's a cheap seat because it's got such a weird angle mistake. And I'm just sort of pulling my hood forward and tucking into myself. No one's going to see her play good.

I think when Shadia came over and was hugging you and you were talking to her, locked eyes with you over her shoulder and just wish that my daughter could be growing up in a world that wasn't as tumultuous as this one is. But looking at you, I'm grateful that I have such a friend to guide her through it. And I just, after Shadiah, dances off into the crowd, I just link pinkies with you again. And I'm looking out of the crowd.

And I'm looking for all of us. And I see our, any of our 350 people in the crowd? There's probably, there are, I think this amphitheater holds like 10,000. I mean, it's huge, right? It's like 10,000 people can sit in this amphitheater. And there are 100 mad pies in the crowd right now. And up all around, you see real mag pies, lots of them

that have landed to watch the show. Oh, cool. Brennan, Major Armour. Major, boom. There we go. I scan the crowd though a little bit bit longer until I finally find Vela sitting in the audience, till I see Murray with the deer in the box.

I see Azune patrolling through there, smiling at people as he passes them. I'm looking for Kattegan. Can't find him, but he's probably just at the back of the crowd somewhere. Yeah, did we have some sort of like, were we gonna check in? Were we gonna walk over together?

And Kattegan. I'm not gonna lie. I think wrangling Kattegan. is so difficult that his absence in this moment is not a foregone conclusion of nerves. He's a ranger. He was out checking out the woods. He may well be here.

He had Wolfrick with him. Could be patrolling the woods right now. Could be patrolling the woods right now. I think it is, in other words, I think that you are absolutely within your rights to have your hair raised that he's not here, but in terms of likely explanations for why the guy who was putting his ankles behind

his head during the World Save conspiracy meeting. Like, that guy's not on the ball. You know, like that guy's, like, you know, it's a, sorry to say, it's just the reality that you, but you're like, what happened to Cadigan? That guy who's barely checked in at all. Is he, is he, you're like, no, he's, he's a man of action and he may be off doing action something.

And we put a little bowl of yarkas and back. And not, dear, not everyone has, not everyone has the Constitution for a life on the stage. Yeah. Hmm. And also, I think you see Annes, Annes goes, you know, Inez is like, we've been working on fight choreography for the show, the show for months.

I wasn't going to be able to plug him in, you know, today. But he was really useful in the fake one, for sure. Looking around, I would love, as you guys begin to prepare for the show, the lights begin to dim, and we move fully into night and darkness as the show can begin. You, how? I spot lash.

Yeah. I'm nervous to the side. I walk over to him. Hey, right here. Point my fingers into his sternum. If not now, when? If not you. Cherish this.

You have, Don't knock your heart in your hands. Remind them what courage is. Tears form in his eyes and he goes, thanks. You gave us all. We're not going to let you down. The dragon will come when it hears that. You see, he steps out.

And I think, yellow, the red leather, yellow, yellow, and I think our play begins. And Liam, I'm going to turn it over to you, and we have some rolls to make. All right. All right. I'll say this too.

Any re-rolls that you, if you, if you like the role you get and don't want to use one of your re-rolls, I will allow you to convert those re-rolls into a D-12 of inspiration, okay? Okay. Okay. So if I have re-rolls left, I can convert them to. Yes, if you're like, I like what I've got on the die,

but I have extra re-rolls that I haven't used. You can convert those into a D-12 if you so choose. And this is a producer role. This is a producer role. Okay. There we have. So what we had accrued over time. You could make more money with a flop.

Remember the hit. Let's do the 2D4s first. Two D4s first. Here we go. What the grace is on top. Highest DC of the game list is a 30, reminding people. So that nets us. That nets us four.

Okay. Okay. Now we start rolling 20s. That is, that one's a 19. I'm going to rerow it. Okay. Because I have two re-rolls, right? You also, by the way, I believe you,

Do you roll persuasion? No, you don't roll persuasion with advantage. No, no, no. Okay. That's a 19. You can re-roll that. You have two rerow. Anything lower than a 10, though, is a 10.

Gotcha. So that's the first row. That one is even worse. So it's where it was. Last re-roll. 19. That is, they were all the same. Oh, everyone's the same.

So the total on that is, don't say the wrong thing, it is 23. 23. It's great. What? Great. Good job.

As the show begins in this moment. Looking out and about, you see Cotheri, the heretics. The play begins. It's gorgeous. Lash is acting in this moment. You see that

the opening of the play starts, the lights dim, and as it begins, you hear gears. Puppeteers, puppeteers, staves. The play starts and it unfolds as Lash takes the stage. In this moment, play begins about the revolution of Vokion Mersat. I'm going to take out my compact. See invisibility?

Mm-hmm. With see invisibility on how. You watch the play unfolding. The crowd is wrapped. They are feeling joyful. There is attention and vibrancy here. And you see that the crowd is the beginning of the play. Vokian speaking.

What do people see in this first act of the play? Well, first of all, you said that Osgra appears at the top. The theater in this world is augmented by illusion and arcane abilities. So it's not merely a puppet. There are several arcane wielders in the... the wings who are straining and training on that massive puppet and actually adding areas of allusion to it so he feels like a living, breathing giant towering over the stage. The chorus is split into two groups on both sides of the stage and they are like a musical symphony

with their voices and highlight the moment bringing in tension, darkness, hope, and at opportune moments. And no one really has to shout in this amphitheater because A, the acoustics are perfect and all of our performers are able to send the barest whisper to the last person in the last row at the absolute rear and zenith of this hill. Echoing throughout, this play commences.

Lash takes the stage. They say we were crew. created. Nay, for indeed what of Aramans is not hers and hers alone. A tyrant creates nothing, but in their ruin may they shape the fate of us all. In the back how you see some light around one of the concession stands as some junior representatives of the candescent creed cast some cantrip. You see they're looking at a play that is not the play that was put up today. And you can see that they're talking. And I think on the 23 check,

you see that some of your actors are beholding this presence of the creed. Up above, on the back of the theater, there's like a flag waving some of the symbols of the sundered houses who are patrons of this theater. And I think your actors are looking up and they're doing something really fucking brave right now, but they know that this is huge fucking trouble. And that 23, I think it's a hell of a performance. It's an incredible role.

But you can sense that there's just a little bit of trepidation somewhere here. As you look out, I have to turn for a moment. And Murray, you're watching it. Hell, best show you've ever fucking seen, Azunay, best show you've ever seen, Valas. You see in the first act, Shadia leaps to the stage as one of Vokion's warriors. in the first climactic battle of this rebellion and draws the pariah blade. And as the blade goes on high and shines,

Tisha, you see, that arcane light shines out and it rings drawing from the scabbard and the entire crowd, all of the Rumiani in this space gasp. They don't know why. There's one little, woo, but that's just because I'm a mom, proud of the daughter. Looking out, you see that shining,

and you are in the middle of a massive ritual. You came here to the hollowed rancid for the first time with Shadia and you felt your trepidation about what this place used to mean, how fucking wicked it was, and Howl's potentially hairbrain scheme to turn it into something better, something new.

And you realize in this moment, Howl and you have the exact same calling in life. What have you spent the last, 15 years doing other than going to the most toxic, ruined, magically corrupted places of the world and attempting to heal them. I'm going to protect his ritual. I find a way to pull my eyes from Shadia and the blade. I'm going to cast pass without trace on myself.

Mm-hmm. And I just think back to that blessing at the end of Osgra. those that seek to destroy us are our greatest teachers. And I spot the candest creed in the back and I'm gonna go find out what lessons I can learn from them and protect what's happening here. Tysha, you head out to the back of that crowd. Do I see you're moving?

Oh, you do. You see the deer, like, kind of does like, a little shoulder nod and his eye tracking across. Me and the deer. Yeah. Murray and Tisha. Murray and Tysha, you guys converge, and you see no uniform, no sign,

just a guy who's got a sword kind of hidden under a big cloak. You see Varen is in the shadows 10 feet behind this creed. And you, I think Tysha, have seen soldiers looking. As these creed are talking, Varen has an extremely disruptive way to solve this problem and is waiting for maybe that to happen, which you know would disrupt this ritual.

You see members of the creed. Someone is speaking to Oldgood at the concession stand and saying, the sentiment, the light, the presence of light that we were told to expect is absolutely absent from this production. And Old Good saying, well, you saw it during the day, but at night you can't do you mean. Tisha and Murray, what do you guys do?

There's about four representatives of the Candacian Creed here. I mean, I think they've got it. I'm gonna stay true to my post. I've got C-invisibility. up, I'm gonna continue to scan the crowd. Oh, you have seen invisibility up. I have seen invisibility up.

This area near the concession stand is filled with invisible creatures. Okay. Flooding through the fairy door. Sprites and pixies and nixies. And you see all the Rumiyani, all these orchish people in Dormakia are weeping, looking out at the play.

They don't know or see that Sprites and fairies are landing on their shoulders. Tisha, give me insight with advantage. Jesus. Murray, there are little invisible creatures. There's one fluttering in front of your face looking at you invisibly. And just like looking at you,

there's also a bunch that are like stealing some sort of popcorn out of the back and stuff like that, but just sort of looking at you invisibly. Evening. Can you see me? I can. This show is so good. So good, right?

What's going up? You see, looks over at the Creed representatives. P.U. Correct. P.U indeed. I'm glad you all are here. Are they allowed to talk during the show like that? No, it's so rude, right?

Yeah, it is really rude. Can you do anything about it? Teach him a little lesson. Give me a persuasion check. It's not gonna be a high DC. Misch. Perfect. I cast guidance through the deer.

I cast guidance through the deer. I'm going to give guidance. Okay, okay, okay. Okay, dirty 20. You see it says, Maybe a little. Sort of flutters invisibly and kisses you on the cheek. And you see it goes,

Blake, except for us, we can talk during the plague. And you see that it goes over, and you see that the creed looking at Oldgood turns over and goes, you must understand, we will go to the revolutionary gods We will tell Captain Naira what has happened here. And I'm sorry, Mom.

I'll go clean up my room right now. And you see pixie dust as the fairies go to work on the fucking, good looking out, Thimble. And you see that your, it's sort of your carrot and your stick are working in tandem. the stick of these magpie soldiers everywhere, ready to cut people in half, do not have to happen as they stand watch as these fairies move into position

and just insorsel these candestine creed out of the theater. So they just pied pipered away? There were only four members of the creed here watching because everything, your ruse was so phenomenal that they just, you know, they didn't send anyone other than just say like see how, probably you think they might have been here to manage,

the religious fervor of the people converted to the creed after the show they saw that morning. As they leave Phalas. They went pamphlets. Yeah. You see there's a tiny little invisible, there's an invisible sater just eating pamphlets. Vylus,

Valis, you feel the weight of pride and hope. hope in this moment. You feel the feeling of pride, of hope, of wonder in this moment, of the people in this city watching this plan fault. When that blade gets drawn, what does Phelis feel? I think at first, this is, I mean, this is the first time she's seen them. Yeah. And I think, I think at first there is anger and fear. But as the show goes on, I think it's amazement.

Because this feels like the first time I'm hearing a true story of it. Hal's play was intended for the people of this city. But as often happens when a story is told truthfully enough, even if it is for one's closest heart, speaking here, truth will grow like the green things of the earth. And even though this story is not of Phelis, Even though this story was not made for Phelis, how can the truth do anything but free your heart? Watching it unfold, you see Hannan weeps next to you, looking at it.

Just take his hand. He takes yours in this city. I hate cities and I love being in this city. I mind this one very much either. Thank you. He says looking out at the crowd, the theater, the city, and everything it represents. Looking out in this place, you see that the sort of end of this act is coming up, this first act of the play. And this is, you know, Vok Yan is opposing, just gathering together his forces to make the march

that they're going to oppose the wicked priests of Osgras and attack the chosen ones of his order. And Lash is delivering this incredible soliloquies going back and forth with his second command. and how you're feeling those nerves from the cast still. And I think in this moment, the musicians have their instruments, the cast, the fighters, the acrobats, but this whole cast was your instrument. In this moment that Hal is looking out,

I think you feel like there's got to be some way you can. I mean, you told Neveda to let everything go, but in this moment, is there anything? How does he watches the performance, wanting it to achieve that, to aid that moment? I think he joins, there's a handful of arcane practitioners

in the back whose job is just to accent what's happening. And I bring my decades of work and life. And every time Lash takes a step the heavens thunder. His eyes burn with the needed courage to change our people's plight. His entire body trails with gossamer threads of subtle radiance. I don't want to overpower what he's doing. I just want to give it the wings it needs to fly. You know that if he feels it, he'll lock in. Putting that energy into him, you stand. And as you stand, you are moving through the Osgra, sort of machination wheels around. And you take a moment and feel yourself step into something behind you. And you feel a sort of sticky feeling come up from your feet behind you. But your eyes are focused. Do you,

turn to look behind you or do you keep focused on what's happening in the play? In the encounter, the battle that's happening, there is a brief moment I can see Lash rushing. He's pushed back by the priests and their forces and he's off stage, I know, for eight seconds. And he stumbles into my hands. I don't know what that is.

I don't have time to think about it. Now, the time is now sing. And as he goes out on stage, I cast enhanceability on him or charisma. Hell yes. He goes out to make a charisma check. As you cast Enhanceability, I want to ask you one final thing here.

As you cast that, this is the greatest theater, the Dolmachiar, Khad, perhaps Aramon, has ever known. Places of this were not theaters. They were places of worship before. And it has only been 70 years since the age of the gods ended. Looking out from this place, reaching for that magic to enhance his ability,

Do you reach to the deepest pit of power you can? Do you go as deep as you can into your bardic magic to aid this performance? I'll give this young man everything I have so that he can carry our heart out of danger. You reach forward. Roll a D12 for me. That is a two.

A two. Moving forward, Lash takes the stage. moves out. You cast enhanceability on him. Chrisma-related. As he steps out, he begins to sing. Everything goes quiet. The crowd looks up. You are gazing at him from the wings.

You take a look behind you. One of the amphora has cracked and paint is seeping out over the stage. You gaze out, last, Lash begins to sing. The most perfect song you have ever heard, better than any time in rehearsal that has ever happened. The crowd is fully within his grasp.

This is it. The perfect version of this play. And as you look out, you have reached into something deep in your own magic, and your hands are trembling. Something in your stomach is shaking. You feel light like you're being lifted up, like you're losing gravity.

As you look out, you're confused because you weren't supposed to have groundlings here. The front row is boxes, but there is someone seated on the ground. That first box right in the front row is the box for Murzok, Bochian Mirzai, and you see a figure sitting in front of it looking up at the stage, white, translucent. There is an orcish man, broad-shouldered, strong. The mural behind him is beautiful and handsome, but you see he's got a big scar over one of his cheeks, a pug nose.

He looks like a worker. He looks like someone who built castle walls. And he sits there on the ground looking up. The only people I think they can see this, Murray, you went up to the back where the creed was, right? Or did you stay, no, you stayed. No, I stayed and I stick to the film. Murray, you have the invisibility.

Murray and Vail us and maybe Oz Valis, you see this as well. A ghostly figure seated on the ground, looking up, weeping, looking at the play, looks through his own translucent hands. What do you do in this moment now? I am enraptured, and after a few moments, as he's taking in the entire stage,

and looks my way, I catch his eye. and wordlessly. He looks at you. In your mind, you hear, and he stands invisibly. Only you can see him. Veilis, in this moment, you see what you believe to be a specter, but you can't be sure because there's so much illusion happening.

But you have your divine sense available to you if you wish to use it. Yes, I absolutely. You see that he turns and looks and he goes, you put on your divine sense and see that this is an undead creature, looking around, he says, I, where this is, he looks around, and you see he looks over at Lash and goes,

as Lash says, I, Fokian Mirza, and you see he goes, Hal, in this moment, I will ask what you do, Vailas, what you do, what would Hal do in this moment? I barely at a whisper, talk to him. This is the lake for all, Ron. He looks forward and looks at you and goes, as the play continues, as, you know,

Lash is getting into the final sort of like verse of his speech, Taisha, you begin to feel the ground rumbling. And he looks and says, Juniani, their clothes are so nice. Are all these bouquettes of flowers? What has happened? What has happened? His type changes from undead into celestial.

And he flies forward in a flash that is obscured by the illusion on stage and flies into Lash's chest. Lash looks out, reaches out, takes the pariah blade from a dead Shadia who has red handkerchiefs all over her, raises the sword aloft, What would you give then? Hal, you level up to level five.

Yes. You level up, right? You will level up. Okay. We'll roll hit points in a little bit. But for right now, all I want you to do is in this moment, we are going to make your producers role. Okay.

So please go ahead. So proficiency is up by one now? Yes, level five. So you'll be adding a plus, what's your character? Plus 11 to this role. Is that right? That's right. All right.

You have 2D4. You have two re-rolls. Those re-rolls, also if you would prefer, if you like what you roll on the first roll, you can also transmute those re-rolls into a D12 if you prefer to do that. Okay, okay, let's, okay, first we'll see what the 2D4 is.

That is an additional three and one for four. So four on top of whatever we get. Okay, okay. That's so good. Okay. plus 11. Okay, so that gets me to 21. Okay.

Right there. Is that right? That's right. I'm going to convert, I'm going to convert both of them. Hooy! Because I think the odds will be ever in my favor. Here we go. So I'm at 21.

And now we're at, oh, that's a 12. Yes. 21, 21 plus 5 is 26, 36, 36, 38. 38. That's a good girl. Yeah, yeah, yeah. In the back of the theater, Allgood looks out and sees the performance.

He says, We're gonna make a fortune. As the fabric of reality is transmuted and an afterlife that was lost for 70 years is brought to bear. And those of Mersat's revolution pour forth across the celestial proscenium of your theater. And, Tisha, you watch as a thread of magic connects to the stage,

to the mural of Vokyan Mirzaa that none of the audience can see because it's right in front as it gleams red. You see the souls of Vokyan's revolution connect across space and time. A bridge is built to the dying fields. for the first time since the end of the Shaper's War, the lost afterlives,

at least one of those is found. And a bridge is made, and those members of Vokhion's revolution surge forward. Looking around, you can see them in the woods, not knowing where to go. What do you do? I don't know if that happens.

I want to stay and stare. the ability that you have made for me is calling the corners. I'm going to start doing a lap outside of this place and consecrating it. And I think you hear, Hala, like, beside you, begins to whisper in Druidic as we start the rites. We are going to begin as we always have, but not... Hala speaking in druidic, I am speaking in high orchish. When you look out, you will see woods around you. and at your feet begins a path.

And it's time, my friends, my family, to walk it. As bravely as you walked through life and death, begin and know that we all walk with you. And I'm going to start calling the corners for the next hour to just circumnavigating this place. You see images. Someone moves forward. A specter, massive wound in the stomach,

crosses the threshold of how, stage and turns celestial, looks around this orcish soldier going, Runa, Runa, another shape, arrow through her throat, shows up, healed, hole, grasps him. They laugh and sprint through the dark woods towards a new life and a new story. I think how it notes Tisha moving out through the crowd and I am looking through a gossamer field of souls and through them seeing thousands of people in the audience. Eyes locked on lash and know that nothing has decided that this city still belongs to free people. You look a bridge from the sword to the mural and valis. Both of those, you suddenly feel in your heart,

as the stone of night's song close. For this moment, a connection. I just, I noticed that and I instantly, knowing Hannan doesn't want to be around it. I'm just trying to keep it covered. You try to keep it covered, and suddenly you look around your divine sense. This place is filled with fairies.

The elves were never supposed to die. Their afterlife was always something that was anathema to them. They were to live forever in Aramon, so they didn't make their own afterlife. They got to live in Ferry, and those doors closed. And you look and see all of the fairies invisibly in this place, look and begin to fly

as the stone gleams and glows brightly. This is about to do something. You don't know what it's about to do, but Vales, in this moment, holding onto the stone here, what do you do? Do you hide it? Do you run with it? It's calling out to you for some kind of intent,

or purpose. Oh my goodness. I feel like so many things. I just try to hold onto it. I'm just still trying to protect it because it's the only thing I know how to do. Hannon looks to see you gripping something. You all right?

Yes. You're holding very tightly. It's the stone. I show him. that it's glowing. He takes it from you. I let him. He looks out as this thing begins to glow, creates a trinity of bridges between fairy,

Aramon, and an afterlife. And you see that he says, this is a space in which we are guests. Let's not ruin a good show. and he takes your hand and begins to walk into Tintazi Woods. I follow. You walk, he takes the stone, and as the stone gets farther away, Tintazi woods that have felt dead for so long

begin to come back to life as flowers bloom, and he moves the stone further out into the dark forest. Intermission begins, and that's where we'll take our break. And that's where we'll leave our story. for now. Part two of this episode of Campaign 4 drops this Tuesday. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you soon for more Critical Role.