Critical Role - Seeking Sanctuary | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 13 Part 1

Episode Date: February 5, 2026

Part 1 As the walls close in on the Seekers, they are forced to decide if Einfasen's castle is truly as safe as its lord claims or if they should pursue another haven... New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays.Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/   GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACONWe're excited to bring you even MORE Campaign 4 with a Beacon membership! Get access to exclusive shows like our behind-the-scenes Critical Role Cooldown and ask the Campaign 4 cast your burning questions directly through our LIVE monthly Fireside Chats.You'll also receive NEW Beacon exclusive series, instant ad-free access to VODs & podcasts, live event pre-sales, merch discounts, & a private Discord.Start your 7-day free trial today at https://beacon.tv/join and get unparalleled access to everything Critical Role! OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee MulliganLaura Bailey as ThimbleLuis Carazo as Azune NayarRobbie Daymond as Kattigan ValeAabria Iyengar as Thaisha LloyTaliesin Jaffe as Bolaire LathaliaAshley Johnson as VaelusMatthew Mercer as Sir Julien DavinosWhitney Moore as TyrannyLiam O’Brien as Halandil "Hal" FangMarisha Ray as Murray Mag’NessonSam Riegel as Wicander "Wick" HalovarAlexander Ward as Occtis TachonisTravis Willingham as Teor Pridesire CREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireSet Designed by Shaun EllisProduction Designer: Noxweiler BerfCharacter Art by Loren HontanillaEdited by Taylor Burke and Emily "Stevie" StevensonCritical Role Announcement Playhouse Editor: Vinny CelestiOpening Title Editor: Paul FoyderOpening Title Colorist: Peter KoocheradisWindow Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceDol-Makjar art by Daniel Jiménez VillalbaMiniatures Painted by Payton Keo LacebalOpening Title Theme by Neal AcreeCampaign 4 Key art by Hannah FriederichsAdditional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs Episode QC by Catherine Zimmerman & Paula FloresAssistant Editor: Gianna GencarellaPost Production Coordinators: M Swing & Bryn HubbardClosed Caption Editing by Margaret Dill, Nikki Kindelberger, Courtney Knewtson, Danielle Lackie, Eleanor Smith-Dufresne & Alice TsoiPost Production Supervisor: Tal Levitas HEALTH & WELL-BEINGDue 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. Beautiful clearing outside of a village, set by firelight as townsfolk gather in a small harvest festival, somewhat smaller than usual because war has yet again come to the countryside.

It is the year 57, some 14 years before the events of our story began. Forgive the pun, but what shape is Bouléryor as we find him amongst the Harvest Festival. It's been difficult. I have been serving my current master. The man who owns me is a soldier. And we are fighting for freedom, which is what I do.

I'm tired, but I don't know I'm tired. It's been so many battles. Over the last 59 years, it's just another war. Amongst you, your companions, or maybe not your companions, but somehow the companions of the one who wears you. Stand aside you in a small circle talking. They talk like this often, sort of avoiding speaking directly

to you. Margrave, look, listen to me. If those Roy's fucks come over the hill tomorrow, we'll ruin that Devinos lad, cut down five of us yet. I understand. We're going to act decisively when we get a chance to. They don't know we've got it, do they? And you see, he points over to you. Another one of the rebels looks over and says, So I think Kastip's been wearing the mask a little bit too long

It's been all day, hasn't it? When I had to take it off I almost shit myself The thing, it wreaks havoc on the body We should take it off sooner rather than later You see that One of the soldiers, Clude, looks over at you and goes,

Mask Is Does Kastip need to Is he hungry, is he thirsty, Is he thirsty? He is thirsty. He would like to speak. Not through me for a moment.

He would like a moment of freedom. I serve his will. Let's take it off. No, not now. There could be fairies or anything else running around here trying to... You have no idea what they could be doing. The Royce have ears and the bushes all around.

And I... And you see that there is suddenly a change. The lighting changes, and you see that a caravan has dropped a small wooden platform. There are lights, little torches in front of mirrors that cast the light back onto a small stage. And you see entering the stage, a face done in white makeup, a little beauty mark, and the most glorious, beautiful red wig you've ever seen, cascading, curls comes down. Hark and behold, villagers and townsfolk, for the tale we tell is of a tale of lost glory. Harken and hear the story of the shapers' war. Tales you have heard, blades of iron,

staves of night, a single arrow striking down the last of the false and wicked shapers. But there is one tale yet untold. The mystery of the tricksters fall, no weapon ever seen that could find the heart true of she who walked in shadow. And yet the tale has come to us, blowing some powder into a torch.

Boom! Blue fire crackles up, and the townspell clap and cheer. What does Belair do in this moment? I panic. It's a theater. It's a stage. It's the first one I've seen

since, it's the first one I've seen since my siblings and I wrote a trickster goddess out of reality and proved to her that she cannot exist. Stages are for murder. Stages are for truth.

It's the only truth. All men, all mortals lie. What is this lie? No one knows what we did. What is this? The last time you saw a stage was opening night and closing night of the greatest performance

that Aramon has ever known. And yet it was not a play written for people. You see the announcer speaks gesturing and says, behold here in her domain, Rowan the trickster, shaper of men's fates and fortune, who gives ill luck to the pure of heart. Boo, boo, shouts the crowd. But there is one weakness.

There is one weakness. For indeed, the story of how she was bested. However could a God be slain unless that God be made mortal? And why would a God abandon god? for anything less than true love. You see, behold the heroic Kleinheld, romantic knight of chivalry and daring do with a heart as large as his courage.

A ho, Kleinhild! And you see, galloping on a little wooden hobby horse this quickly removed, a man takes the stage. What ho, a knight am I? Search for Lady Love, and yet, Cursed by cruel witchcraft, to never know the tender caress of a maiden born under star and moon,

nor gleaming sun. Yes, cursed am I. And you see the woman playing the trickster turns and says, What's this, I behold? A man, I shall curse his fate as is my want. But what is this? How fair his visage, how glorious his temperament, Hmm, perhaps three tricks I shall play this evening on him,

and shall he best them? My heart, he shall win. The announcer says, And yea verily, did the trickster plot her three wicked tricks? And they, what's this? A fool with a dog? And you see that a fool comes on stage and starts to chase a dog around the stage

that appears to have no bearing on what is happening with the trickster goddess? And you see someone puts his arm around, You laughing. Oh, I love the dog! You are grabbed and pulled back by one of the soldiers. What are you doing? It's a very good play. What do you mean? You're a fucking weapon.

No, he's enjoying it so much. I was just letting him through. He seems to want to watch. What does it mean if the mask is watching the play? That it's a good play. He's supposed to just be... I don't like it. Magic Master just give you the fucking spells, not have a whole fucking personality. You see that another one of them says, I don't like these making castet.

Watch the play, we should take the mask off and put it away. And you see that they say, all right, we'll take the mask off if we need to. Let's go get the box. And you see that the play turns as you look up. You see the fool with the dog walks off and the trickster comes and says,

Trick the first have I concocted. A devilish maze of thorns guarded by fearsome ogre, and yet at the center of the maze, a great treasure, a sword that can slay any man. We shall see what Kleinheld does here in this place

to take the blade for his own that he be the most fell knight in all of Aramon. You see that Kleinheld approaches the ogre and says, Poor beast, you seem injured. Why do you stay in guard? and you begin to say, and you see that the soldiers are coming up with the box for you.

I, out of the corner of my eye, I see them coming. And I reach up and I turn away from them. And I cast mask of many faces for the first time. And I create the face of the man wearing me. And I mime putting the mask into my jacket, and look up. Oh. Cast it, you all right?

Yeah, it was so odd. You got the mask off on your own? It was, it was like it was afraid too. It was worried about what it was going to become, and it let me put it to sleep. Go ahead and give me a deception check. Yeah. Twelve.

Wait, 12. I'll roll in front of the board. These guys only added plus one. Four plus one is five. Looks and says, all right, good. Just worried about it. Look, we need to speak, okay? Let's go ahead and here.

Go set up the tent. We'll also go back up in a second. Come join us in five minutes, all right? Get some rest. You need to use the loo or anything else like that? I actually, I'll join up in a little long. a little longer. I think I need food. Oh, yeah, all right.

You've been wearing that thing all day. Good on you, cast him. He sees slaps you on the shoulder. I quietly sink to the corner, and I hide and watch the rest of the play. The play continues. Rather than slaying the ogre, Klein-held befriends it.

And they search for the sword together, such that the ogre can be defended against the cruelties of a vast world that sees it. only is a monster. The trickster comprises a game of chance of rolling dice. And with a cursed set of dice, Kleinheld should absolutely fail and be set to rack and ruin. And yet he offers his turn at the gambling table

to three wicked men in a row out of kindness and generosity, each of whom lose their fortunes. And at the end, the only one left playing at the table, Kleinheld wins and gives the fortunes to the town. And in his third challenge, he plays a game of cards against the trickster herself disguised, wagering first his armor, his shield, and finally his honor itself, having every ability to bend fortune and seeing that she can make this man lose his honor here in this moment. Instead, her heart breaks. She wins the hand and says, I would not take your honor from you. May I change the nature of your wager.

He acquiesces, saying, my lady, my fate is yours. She says, would that I were to have instead of your honor true, a single kiss of true love? They embrace and kiss. And in this moment she becomes mortal, and in becoming mortal ages a thousand, thousand years, and Kleinheld follows her to realms beyond, across the stars, and the master of ceremonies points to a blade, three stars in constellation, Kleinheld's sword pointing the way to his true love, who in becoming mortal and knowing loss and love and heartbreak left the world, and her terrible domain is shaper. The crowd ruffs into applause. But it's a lie. I serve truth and it's a lot. Why is a lie so much better than the truth? Near you, you see that there is an older woman

clapping and applauding who seems to be moved to tears by this moment she looks over at you. He says, it's a lovely story. If only the truth could be as lovely as the story. But it is the truth. Don't you think? Don't you think that they said that they found that it was true? It feels like the legend makes sense. That true love conquers all. And honorable men farewell. And that cold-hearted tyrants just need to be shown kindness.

And they will understand the error of their ways. Don't you think that true? It's never occurred to me. In my whole life, it has never occurred to me. I have been at war for too long. I think I'd like to find out. I think I would like to find out if you're right. Thank you.

You strange duck. Too much fighting without purpose. I am tired. I'm more tired than I knew I could be. I think it's time to find out if there's more out there. I think it might be time to see who I am. Not at war and not serving a commander. Thank you.

Oh, it wasn't me. It was them. She gestures to the stage and you see them all taking a big group ensemble bow. Maybe the audience is important too. I have much I have to do. Thank you. I'm going to change my life. Wow, all right. I'm Eunice.

Nice to meet you. It's a pleasure. It's an absolute pleasure to meet you. Yes, all right. Best of luck. It sounds like you're dealing with a lot. Yes, I have much to think about. I have much to think about. Thank you.

Good night. Bull hair. elsewhere in the camp, your hosts, companions are gathering. What do you do in this moment? I tell the man who I'm wearing that I apologize, but he can't come out ever again. I've had a change of heart. And then in return I will fight for his cause.

They have me for the duration, but the situation has changed. and I'm going to start over, and I'm going to be a better story. And I'm going to be kind, and I'm going to be clever, and I'm going to be myself, whoever that is. But first, I think I'm going to have to kill all these people in their sleep. I think that I'm going to have to go one at a time very quietly and put them to sleep and tell them to sleep,

and tell them just to remain so that I can slit their throats and burn the evidence. Then, after that's done, the story can begin. Well, their story did indeed begin. And we return to the story occurring elsewhere in Aramon at a time some years later on tonight's episode of Critical Role. Well, hello there, and welcome to tonight's Critical Role announcement.

Playhouse, I found it. Hey. Hi. Hi. Next up, Marisha, you have an announcement. You have a announcement. You guys. No.

What was that? A transition. I know, but it was so sad. It was sincere. Okay, okay, okay. You just don't understand emotions. You're pretty true. Right now is the perfect time to jump into

campaign four as we transition from the soldiers to the seekers. What? So if you're, I just dropped my phone. If you're feeling lost or you wanna catch up, we do have several resources like written recaps and video summaries from each story arc called previously on. You can find all that you need and more at critroll.com

slash campaign four. With a number four. With a number four. Put it like here. Put it like here. Put it here. That's where you can get caught up on like, and summaries.

Or you can just go watch it. But you should jump in. Now's a good time to jump in. See what the seekers are doing. Get it. Help. Help. I believe that concludes.

What? I know they're so short right now. Our announcements. So let's go ahead and jump back into Aramon, shall we? And welcome back to tonight's episode of Critical Role. We return to the Seekers' team. Matt said blah blah's la bloc.

Blah blah blah blah? Snitch. You guys have to not laugh as continuously into the episode because then I feel like I need to address it. We return to the city of Riesenghurtle, the far west of the country of Helva.

This is the sister city to Dormakia across the Dvalmar Pass into the lands of the old fallen Obrideon, empire. We found our adventurers here on their way east pursuing a vision, a vision of death, and what transpires, perhaps even in realms beyond this one, a vision of deep and hidden, dark and sunken places, and of the beloved ones we may know who may be there if these visions are of things that have occurred or of things that maybe have yet to.

More practically or perhaps tangibly, you have been moved here by the Stone of Night's Song, an artifact of ancient elven significance held by Vailas in this moment, pursuing the first undead she has seen that seems to have something, if not exactly, something like a soul still in its control. and we head east as well looking for answers,

safety of what has befallen the houses of Royce and Davinos, after the massacre by the treacherous house Taconas. Your adventure brought you east through the Duvalmar, arriving in the cliff top city of Riesengirtle, the giant's belt, where house Einfassen holds sway, a house sundered, but still holding to its ancestral seat. Night has begun to fall here after your endeavors,

running across the demonic sisters of tyranny at this point somewhere in Southern Timony, and also coming across the actual Noble House of Einfassen, the gentle and kind-hearted seeming young lady Ingrid and her father, the less demure, shall we say, Lord Otto Einfossen. Collected by knights, very eager to have you come stay under their protection,

we return to Castle Clippenblik, where you find yourself Clippinblik. Castle Clip Club. Castle Clip Club. Castle Clip Club. Where you find your yourself in the courtyard, the sunsetsing as the Lord Einfassen approaches. Approaching you here in the lovely sunset hour, you see this sort of smiling face as he says,

My Lady Royce, a pleasure once again to hold your great and noble house here in Castle, Klippenblik. He was a small bow. She puts out of hand. He comes out of hand. He comes He says, her hand. He says, Your vassal servant, Sir Julian Davinos, let me know that trial and tribulation has seen you brought here under the arches of my family's ancestral home. While you are within my walls, you have my solemn word that no harm shall befall you. I also understand that many of your men at arms have been falsely imprisoned by my house. This matter shall be resolved at once. he turns to regard the rest of you,

seeing the hireling here in your service, and says, and my lady, I do not have the honor of your station, but I believe that you walk the old path. I do. Tisha Loi. Tisha Loi? You are very welcome here.

Castle Crippenblake has known the proud footfalls of the Loys in the past to have it another instance of that heroic family is a welcome honor. It's an honor to be here. He turns to regard you, Valas, and says, he's this warrior also of your retinue, my lady Aranesa. See, Aranesa cocks a brow and says, she is.

We walk in company together. Otto, there is much for us to discuss. This traveler with us is the. named Vaelas. She was instrumental in saving my life and the life of my companion and knight, Sir Julian. For reasons of her own, there are arcane events that bring her east.

I would ask that she be given leave to stay with us if she can, though she holds no oath of loyalty or duty duty to my house or indeed any other. And you see that Lord Einfasten turns to you and says, Traveler, you are welcome here in my castle. Thank you very much. And I give a nod to Nessa. I think that some privacy and ability to recover

is a necessity in this time. I will commit some portion of my knights to your escort and safety. and I believe the Schneffen keep will be suitable for your needs. And he gestures to this, you know, in this enormous walled castle, there is a large keep that he gestures to, apparently for the Lady Ernest to be able to stay in residence.

The run of this keep is yours and a staff of servants will be provided. We will begin to draw the baths and prepare your food. if I would ask that you please contain yourselves to simply those hallways and rest chambers

within the Schneffenkeep as obviously some manner of trust has been broken between the great sundered houses and indeed even between some members of our own staff such as it is

you would be doing me a great service by remaining within the keep, until such time as I can guarantee your safety everywhere throughout these grounds. Very well. He nods currently and says, very good. Collect their things.

I'm just staring at Octus. I remove the satchel from my shoulder and say, here it takes this from you boy. Deliver it to my chambers. Yes, sir. And you see that he turns around. There is a small gathering. You see that the lady Ingrid is still up at that window

and moves away as her father steps away. And you see that she kind of retreats to her other tower. You see that the lady of the castle is here as well, the lady Cordelia, who smiles and introduces herself. And there are two younger lords that look like younger brothers of Ingrid out here. You see Otto walks over to another gentleman wearing a really rich, dark gray robe

with a series of metals and small chains on it. It sort of looks like a courtly robe, but also with a small set of epaulettes. And beside him, you see a woman in coal-black robes accented with orange and red in the shape of sort of flames that create these sort of spiked shoulder sort of paldrons, that appear to be members of his ministers, essentially,

that he walks over to speak to. What would you all do in this moment? First, I would turn to Lady Arnaa and say, "'Melady, while we are within these grounds, I think it would be who of us to send a message via bird to the golden orchard as soon as possible to ensure that if they have not already fallen, they know at least to protect themselves,

and if possible, confirmation, if my mother and sister still live. She nods and says, peasants as well. She looks out. Go do that now. Very well. She says, Lord Einfazen,

and you see he turns and says, my lady who is, is there anything that you'll, and she says, I think it wise that we speak sooner rather than later. A bath is not at the height of my attention right now. I would love to take private audience with you if I can. And you see that he says, very well, let's do this once.

She walks off. Anyone who wants to can give me a insight check. 18. On 18, Erin Ness's movement to the Lord Einfazen is a little bit, there's not anything urgent that she needs to talk to him about.

So you wonder, you know, I mean like everything's urgent, but the difference between a couple of minutes, I think you see on that 18 insight, she was reacting to him going and speaking to his ministers, and I think you realize that she wants to speak to him with as little preparation on his part as possible. And the rest of your left here in the courtyard. What do you want to do?

Well, I don't need to sleep. You don't have to keep saying that, but okay. I would like to go, maybe we could get some of your supplies for the rest of our trip. I don't. I mean, as far as I'm aware, we're confined to that keep, correct? And looking around, there are soldiers around us, correct? And just point out.

Yeah. Yeah. You are not being forcefully guarded here in the courtyard. The parapets have loyal soldiers of House Ayanfausen accompanying them. You can see that there are a number of towers that have sort of torchlight waving on them. Some have these enormous 10-foot diameter coal braziers,

just with fire sort of roaring up into the sunlit or the sunset skyline. There are also, on the central keep, some towers that have Beliste, that are, some of the sort of crossbow held at these Belis-day are like wider than 20 feet wide that are enormous, just, you know, tree trunk throwing, you know, weapons of war out and about.

Here's the thing, I can only keep form up for a little while longer, so we need to at least get somewhere where I can be in some semblance of privacy relatively soon. Mm. And after that, I'll figure out a different plan. Okay. Well, if you want to make a case to go,

I just don't know how effective asking to go investigate those carriages will be right now, especially without Aranesa and Julia. Should we go with her? No. She's okay. She's fine. I think she's not. I don't think we could stop it. Yeah. I can't. Should we hide you in a room?

I guess. Why don't we go take a tour of our apartments? We can give the higherling a break and then figure out what we want to do next. Great. Great. Did Julian already take off? You know, I'll say that. I'll say Julian has been a little bit off the side currently, like, pulled from, actually, probably would have gone up to the Since he's gave you his belongings, he pulls a quill and a piece of parchment from it and kind of over your shoulder. While you're guys having this conversation

is like writing out a small letter that he's then rolling up. And by the time this conversation comes up, he's finishing rolling it up to B to Bealivered, he goes, we should figure out which chambers are ours individually and make ourselves comfortable when we need to leave, which should be as early as we are interested in the morning. Ernessa and I should be able to emphasize the importance of us not staying here. I agree.

You should hide in your chambers as soon as possible. And you should perhaps consider that sending off a message, while your benefactor doesn't trust you very much, might be a bit of a bad look. I think if I was not to be trusted, I wouldn't have given him this information to begin with. And if he was not to be trusted, We're entrusted, we would already be dead.

I do not have the time to allow myself to be so... Accommodating? Frozen out of not wishing to make a choice. Sure. Go ahead, send you to the message. Julian kind of cracks his neck and steps off into the keep where he can probably quickly ascertain where the, not aviary, what's the chamber for?

Erie? I think it is eerie, yeah. Yeah. I never have it ever. The what? Your vulture. I said. We should talk inside. Yes.

Come along. Yes, my lady. As you step in, you guys head over to the Shneffin Keep, where you see that the doors are brought open, And, you know, Octus, this is totally familiar to you, although it is a strange thing to have no one offering to help you at all. Taisha, this is not your first time staying, you know,

as a druid of the Circle of Ancients. You have experienced the hospitality of castles and hovels alike. So this is not unfamiliar to you, it's just specific. Veilis, I don't know how many noble human castles you've been invited into. I would say this may be one of the first. Walking into it, you see, you know,

you've been wearing the same riding clothes for like days and days, and you see that there is a young Alvarian woman who says, My lady, I would be more than happy to clean your boots. or to otherwise mend anything that has been damaged on the road. No, thank you. You see that there is a steaming room off in a corner, and you see that there are some bath chambers here.

As you enter in the Schneck. It is actively stripping. Yeah. Walking into this place, you see that there are a, the sort of entering chamber of this place, once again, has large glass that is sort of, in that sort of patchwork way or mosaic way that's staying classes, there are like connections

and running sort of throughout it, but it creates the image of these tall mountain peaks, kept sort of straight and narrow at the base, but then tall and get cragier towards the top. And all throughout, you see there are tapestries with images of snow and winter everywhere, which appears to be sort of the artistic, This is like the Winter's Keep.

And as you see as at Winter's Keep is less central and massive and mighty like the other ones are, but it is much warmer here for being a keep, largely made of stone. And you begin to see why, which is set into the base of one of the mountain sides, there are a series of open sort of pipes

coming out of the wall that hot water is pouring out of into these large grotto pools set into the side with some glacial boulders that have been set and placed in the room around it. This is it cool. Does the water have a scent? Like is this from like a natural spring that maybe sitting up?

It smells a little funky. It has that kind of sulfurous, natural hot water smell to it. And you can see this. There is. And you see that there are servants who have come along. There's a young woman who places a large wood

tray of towels and sets on a little sort of floating stone outcropping over the hot springs. These tall glass decanters in several bottles. She gestured to them and says, the green decanter and the pink are for hair and this clear one is for your body. Thank you so much. Thank you very much. She does... Do you have any wine? Wine? Yes, we have some lovely Helvarian wine.

It would be amazing. Thank you so much. She steps, turns around and says, also I believe there is wine aboard the Divinos caravan as well. Oh. I would love a nice bottle. You will not offend me by preferring wine from Del Mora. I prefer it. If you can run us a couple of those bottles,

will make sure a glass or two goes missing. Why? Oh, so you can have a glass of wine. It is not for me to have. You, she turns around. Oh my God. I forgot these people, that's crazy. Very, very, there's not much of a,

straightforward. Very straightforward, not much of a sense of humor. Yeah. I'm going to start taking off. I'm going to pull up my skirts. I have to start. You don't have to. Okay.

You don't have to leave. I'm gonna start unlacing the top of my boots from my thighs. And I'm gonna start taking off my boots. I can't take off these clothes. I have to go. You, oh, fair. This is an illusion.

Alex, I'd like you to roll a D4 from me. Oh, God. I did a little bit like that. We got excited by the spa. Yeah. Spott-A. Teleport out of clothing. Hell yeah.

Four. Great. Magic still feels strong for the time being. Do you all, do you guys start putting your boots back on? I'll just go to my room, whatever that is if I can find. Great. Incredible. Octus, you walk up a staircase.

There are, this keep has probably more than a dozen bedchambers in it. So you really can take your pick. Okay, I'll just, holding Julian's bag. I guess I'll keep it with me, and I just get into a room, and I let the magic fade once the door is closed, and just kind of, well, I don't even know what would have happened if I got in the bath. When I fill up with water.

Are you not watertight yet? I don't know, we haven't tried it. And just summon pin back into the room with me. Guess it's just you and me in here. I wonder if, I'm gonna try and reach out. I know I don't actually have a true connection to the vulture that I made, but you're trying to get a sense if the magic is still active

to see if it still exists. Give me an Arcana check. 14. You sense, is this a concentration base? It is not. Not a concentration. No, it just exists until it ceases to exist. What happens if you summon another one?

It will, I think, you know, that's a good point. Take a look at that and that will be, that will, the answer depends on the answer to that question. Creature, blah, blah, blah. Disappears when it drops zero hit points or when the spell ends. Which doesn't say how long the duration is. So you could summon another one.

I could summon another one, but. In that case, I think on a 14, you don't know. Because you wouldn't feel anything break by summoning another one and you wouldn't lose your concentration. It was basically following this instruction to go hunt down this bird and it is gonna be off doing that for ever. Ever.

Unless, does it say anything about how you can deliver other commands? Do you change it in? It understands my verbal commands. In that case? You just summoned the stalker. I just summoned a huge undead bird, and it now exists in the world. This homing pigeon is in its own version of It Follows.

Yeah. I don't know what I fucking did, man. I don't know what I fucking did. I'm way faster than this thing, but it doesn't need to eat. He doesn't need to sleep. This is like the scale thing. It's like outside my nest.

Incredible. Julian, as you head off, you see Erinessa walking up with Lord Einfossin. Give me a history check with advantage. Just a difficulty of 10. Oh, first rule is that action 19? Let's go. And a natural 20.

Let's go! Julian, you've sent messages from this castle before. Like, ReasonGirdle is a necessary stop on the main highway to Dolmachiar. You've been coming here, you've been coming to this castle since you were a kid, right? And I think that you actually, it depends on the mood Julian's in it,

but I'll say on a Nat 20, you actually don't need anyone's help. to go send a message. I don't ask for anyone's help, but I send it immediately knowing that Nate Aranesa's already mid-conversation with Lord Einfassen, so I will send that off, hoping to hear or see any response from the Golden Orchard.

As you start walking out of the courtyard, as you begin to walk out of the courtyard, you go ahead and give me perception and you can do it with advantage because of that in that 20. Okay, that'd be 14. One of the nights falls in behind you at a respectful distance, about 20 feet behind you. And as you begin to walk into the keep, keeps in lockstep

at that distance behind you as you begin going up into the keep, you observe on the first moment that you are not having, either to pursue Lady Aranesa or to follow your friends to Schneffenkeep. You see that the night behind you says, My Lord Davinos. Yes? I regret to ask,

but it is the order of my Lord Einfassen that, for your own safety, you remit your wanderings to the Schneffenkeep. If it is the case, I would greatly request that this message be sent to the Golden Orchard on the behalf of my Lady Aranesa and myself so as to inquire as to the safety of our families. If you do not believe me, you are welcome to read this

before sending it. He takes the note from you and says, it will be delivered at once. You see that he walks off with it. Go ahead and give me an insight to check if you'd be so kind. That's going to be a... That's gonna be a 12. 12, that you see that he turns and begins to walk off.

He is not taking the most direct route to the aviary. I'm going to follow behind him to see where he's going, preferably without him noticing my presence. Go ahead and give me a stealth check. That is going to be... This pass without taste still up. I don't, probably not at this point. 24.

Okay, you didn't need it. Is it? 22, sorry. 22. Now you know that, that got way. You fall in pretty effortlessly behind him. And again, this is the exact kind of place

that you've been sneaking around your whole life in castles like this. And again, one of the benefits of being unarmored in a castle filled with armor, the slightest movement, that it is a extravagant show of wealth, how many soldiers here are wearing plate armor.

It's an unnecessary amount of soldiers are decked out in this extravagant, full dress armor that even in, you know, the battalions of Royce soldiers, like for most Royce soldiers, like, you know, for a lot of reasons, some cultural, some military, that level of armor is a liability. and over here you kind of think it must be as well, but it's just done for show, right?

There's an incredible artistry put him to all of it. So this guy is clanking down the hallway. You could be walking, you could be eating an apple, and this guy wouldn't hear you, right? He's his own, he's like a guy traveling with a bunch of pots clanging around on him. Just Everett's walking around like a one-man band. Yeah, exactly.

Taking up down the hallway, you see him walk into the Central Keep, And hiding behind a colonnade, you see that there's a spiral staircase. This is one of many spiral staircases within the central keep that are enormous to the point of incredulity. This spiral staircase connects up one of the central corners of the keep and is about like 20 feet wide, which means that the tower is 40 foot diameter. And it shoots up the side of the tower, these like vaulting ceilings in this spiral staircase, Hugging to the colonnade, and you see this one has a, the central column has this beautiful bas-relief of, you know, Einfossin warriors, like climbing up a mountainside, spiraling up the

staircase with it. You look and see this guard approach a central sort of set of doors, sort of narrow double doors, like the doorway is only about four feet wide, but it's about 12 feet tall, and you see that they open up beautiful renderings of some kind of like pine forest on the outside. As he knocks on it, some momentary pause, the door opens up, and you get a little brief view of a set of rich, golden purple drapes behind it. This door must be, like, hidden behind some curtains in another room, but as the curtains move to the side, you see that one of the head minutes, leans out to speak to this night. And you can see past him a little glance of a fireplace and you can hear Aranesa's voice

in that room speaking to Lord Einfausen. As the soldier is standing there, you see that he's explaining something briefly. They're also speaking in, like, you know, Helvannig, like a local regional language. And you see that the The minister holds out his hand. The note is passed off to the minister.

The minister opens it, reads it, and folds it, retying it, and holds up a hand like this in a sort of gesture of wait and does not return the note, walks back inside and the night waits at the door, the door closes. I wait to see if kind of just keeping to the shadows best I can, kind of arms crossed, cloak obscuring as much of myself as possible, and just wait as well?

You wait for a good, so the question I would ask is, what sort of patience does Julian have in this moment? Huh. Yeah, how patience Julian? I think it gives it a good 30 minutes. Great. You wait for 30 minutes watching

watching this night stand at the door, and nothing, nothing changes. How far from where I stand is the area? It's like a few, it's not far. You could keep going up this. You know there's two different ways to get there. There's a staircase here. There's a more private way on a back parapet

that actually just faces a chunk of mountainside that would also get you up to a place where, if you wanted to be crazy and really avoid being seen, there's a place that you go on an outside keep that doesn't face any other buildings. It just faces the cliff wall of the ascendant mountains. And there's a parapet that is like a short, three foot vertical jump to the next story

that has the area on it. We learn nothing from Greta. Greta stay. Let's go. Okay. So I will then skulk back down among the grounds to go towards the most indirect means to it to at least send a letter if no one else is going to do it on my time.

Yeah. You get up there. The sun is barely a whisper over the western mountain tops. And there's a weird thing, it's not an ideal time to send a bird right now because they're gonna wanna, You're going to want to, you know, like bed down or rest somewhere rather than flying at night. Do you attempt to go send one anyway

in these last few minutes of sunlight? Absolutely. Hell yes, you walk in. I'm gonna roll a luck roll in front of the board. Let's go. Let's go! You just want, I think, I think you just want a 12 or higher.

That's a seven. Yeah. Yeah. That's go. Bye for you. You walk into the aviary and you see that there is an old Helvarian man. He's got this like, he's, you know, almost completely bald, but has these two sort of puffs of gray hair that come out over the ears go down into the mutton chops, into the mustache. So he's got the weird, you know, Mobius loop of hair just muster round the head.

And you see that he is walking along. He has a harness that has, it looks like an old desiccated tree attached to it that comes off his shoulders with a number of polished and varnished. It's like they dry it out and then varnished and lacquered a tree off his back that has a number of birds on it as he's walking around from place to place. Going and you can see he's like singing a little song. It's like, shown the world is a little orphan. And just going along, petting birds. And he's like, hello, it is not to be scared. It is nighttime soon.

And just singing these little songs. He's moving along and saying, first we put the doves away, and then we put the hunting birds. And you see, he looks at someone and says, oh, my lord, hello. Good evening. I require your assistance. I must send a message very quickly of much importance to the Golden Orchard on behalf of Lady Arnaisornaz Royce.

Oh, well, it is of a late hour. Your bird, should it take wing now, wouldn't be able to fly no more than the lowlands before it would have to rest for the night, I would recommend sending it at first light, my lord. If I send it now, will it at least take rest and then continue its journey at first light? Well, yeah, of course, many messages. Take more than a single day for the birds to reach it,

but better and safer for it to sleep in its aviary, my lord. If I leave you a message, and I look at him, like, closely in his eyes, Can I trust you to send it first thing in the morning? Yeah, of course. It is my profession as keeper of the aviary, my lord. Looking around, as I realized, I gave most of my materials back to Octus.

Are there any means to, if this is used often for sending messages and such, would there be any direct? Do you wish to dictate a message, my lord? Certainly. So one minute, let me light a candle. Oh, my hat. He goes over to a small standing desk. Absolutely not.

Why I love it. He looks and says, do you have a preference on parchment type or ink? Whatever is lightest and hopes the birds to travel quickest. They are all of an equivalent lightness. Take whatever's in front of you, please. He takes a page out and says, very well, I am ready. Maya, divinous, mother of house, divinus,

Your son Julian requests confirmation of your safety. Yours and Alba. We will be on our way to the orchard soon enough. These are dark times for our family. And I ask that if you are safe, go somewhere far safer. Somewhere where you cannot be found by someone who is not myself. Let me know that you are safe, regardless. Me, a wisdom saving throw.

It's my best one. You're so wise. Natural 20. Let's go! Yes. Minus one. Don't say that. You, the candlelight casts a long shadow behind you.

But instead of beholding the shadow behind you, your mind wanders into memory. Long days on the road were so exhausting that your head would hit the pillow of these roadside ins traveling across the Duvalmar and you would be so dehydrated, exhausted, and tired that sleep would come for you quickly. Having had this day in the city without hard travel, I think you have the energy for your mind to wander back to the palazzo, to a hand appearing. inside your father's face, the smell of death.

You were strong enough to survive that blast and everyone in that palace fell to the ground, dead. As you write this letter, you realize your mother will not have been able to know what has happened to her husband. I had wished to tell her in person, So I do not include that within the letter. You see the aviary keeper

looks up and says, Very well, my lord. Do you have a seal? Small divinos. Seal on a bit of a wax, a rectangular bar. Keep it at the nearest candle that's there and is able to press it.

He holds the candle up for you. to create your seal, dripping the wax on the letter. As you do it, you see, he turns around his eyes, water a little bit, looking behind you. As he just goes, Fria? And he holds the candle up, and he goes, oh, sorry, sorry, nothing. And puts the candle down, takes the missive from you

and says, to the golden archer, yes? In Telmoa? Yes. I will send it first thing in the morning, my lord. I appreciate that. My hand relaxes from the hilt of my rapier beneath my cloak as I relax faintly. Let's go.

And then head towards the recovered caravan to grab as many bottles of Divinos one as I can and return to my chambers. Are we still in the baths? Yes, you are in the baths. I have a question. Do you leave your veil on? I do.

So I, as I'm taking off my boots, I get completely naked minus my veil. And so I put my hair up and then get into the tubs and just sit right in front of you. Do you? mind if I ask about the manner of your veil. You can say no. I think I'm starting to work some shampoo through.

I like bath so much, I live here now. When Octus laughed, if he could have blushed, he would have. You saw left cheek on the way out. She did not care. All of the sisters were one. It is a morning veil. It's so funny. When I first, when I first met you,

I didn't realize who you were until everybody started treating you with reverence when we were on the road. And I realized that you are the Loy family who created the weapons to kill the gods. Just ours. The Priya Blades were for Oscar. And it was only after his falling.

and the realization that the rest of the shapers so beloved their system that someone else, some other portion of those shaped by their deities would have to become the orcs. And we were no longer going to that they took up arms against their shapers as well. I believe your deity fell to the last arrow, yes?

No, if my face. family had any part in the shaping of that, beyond the inspiration, to free themselves from. I don't fault you in any way. I just thought it was funny. Those were the workings of my grandparents. My path has been made easier for the work that my family did, but my work comes now.

What an honor. I don't know if it's honor. I think what they did was honorable and just, and I am proud of my family and my people beyond what I can say. That honor specifically is mine. I hope to find my own, though. I think you will. What are you searching for?

You have the stone. Searching for an answer? I feel like I found a third. I feel like I found a thread, something I've been trying to find and figure out for a while. And I think it all sits with Octus. I see the way you look at him. He's a kid.

Aren't we all compared to you? And I don't mean that with any amount of disrespect. You don't see it, but there's a slight smile under the veil. I still feel very young. Time has gotten much slower. I don't want to presume what your continued presence near Octus with the stone may be. I have suspicions and fears.

I hope they are unfounded. But until any point at which I think your questions become dangerous and we have to have a different conversation, I hope you know I will help you, however I can. I saw you stand in front of a blade for someone that you care about. I know what you say is true. I stand up and walk out.

Deal a little like her tap. She's very cute. This is very good. Like, oh my ass, like, can you? Shake the water off. How is she walking in slow milk and all Taitja, you stay here. I mean, you know the road that lies to the east from here.

These are some of the last creature comforts you will have if your journey takes you farther east. I think Tice is at the point where she's set up her little camp here in the bath, and she's just writing out little notes that she's going to try to have sent off within the city and things she'll have sent to the aviary later. Yeah.

But she's just doing all the work of organizing and living her little life, but from inside the tub, just a big green raisin. I think at a certain point of being in the room while this however long has happened, eventually, Octa starts to get anxious, surprising no one. And sends PIN with his vision, with himself in the vision of PIN downstairs to kind of wait outside the bath house area just to kind of like make sure nothing went wrong. but not going inside very specifically. Go ahead and give me a stealth check for Penn. Great. Where are your stats, little guy? Do you bathe pin?

Can I bring the... You just need some grabies. It's like a little bit. Oh. Sounds like a husky. 21. Pin can go to the bath and find Tysha bathing without vales here.

Right. Are you coming back to the room? Yes. So would they have run into each other? Yes, I think Penn runs into Valas, yeah. Okay, okay. Does Pin stay with Valas or just Pin continue? Do, I assume, did you get redressed? No. Yeah! You run? I have a towel. Yeah.

And I am coming up the stairs. You running. You running. Pin looks at you and just goes, and just puts his head down in a very complete completely unfox-like mannerism. Just like stops looking at you and just sits in front of you. I just keep walking to the room.

Did you knock on my door? Wait, do we have multiple rooms? Yeah. Oh! There is one door that is closed. I assume the other doors are open. No, no, no. I'm gonna go in my own room and change.

Okay, great. I don't know why I assumed we were all staying in the same room. I wouldn't have been able to hear you anyway. There are some very fine, clothes that are set out here in this place. There are several gowns, none of which are fitted to you, but you do say that there are also some fine, just like a light white shirt, some gowns,

like night gowns and things like that that have been laid out in your face. I just look for something that is the most comfortable and easiest to move around in. You find it. And I will go across to where I think Octus's room is. Mm-hmm, you find it. While doing that, Pinn looks in, sees you.

Mid-wash day. Yes, he's in the path of just, like, less concerning when it's you. And just lets PIN stay there, kind of like inside the door, but takes his vision out of PIN and just telepathically is like, if anything happens, come and get, like, let me know. Cool, cool. And then, and that here's the knock of the door and freezes. Hello?

It's Vailas. Oh, thank God. And goes and opens the door and just goes, You gotta come inside. I can't go out. There. Yeah, no shit. I'm sorry. I just come in. Um. Hi.

Hi. How are you feeling? Fine. I would have loved to have taken a bath, but I don't. I'm a little concerned about what a bunch of hot water will do to me. Oh, it'll be fine. We did seal me up. But I don't want to, like, you know,

a corpse is left in water. It gets all like, I don't know if my body works like that. A corpse left in water does what? It bloats. I don't know what, okay. It gets all disgusting. You never seen a corpse left in a river?

I have, but you're different. I don't know. I don't know. Look, I don't know. I can't. It's fine. Did you need something? No, I just was making sure that you were all right. I don't know why I knocked on your door.

Okay. I'm as fine as I can be, I guess. I just have to stay in here. I'm a little worried about what happens when they ask where the guy you hired went, or everyone hired went. Can you do it again? I can. Only a couple more times, though, before I sleep.

Sleep. Do you need to sleep to be able to do these things anymore? It's more of just like I only have, I'm not that good yet. I only have so much energy, you know, to put into spells. It takes a lot out of you to cast too many in a day. Do I have the stone?

Yes. I would imagine I have the stone on my, my person. I'm gonna take it out. Mm-hmm. I'm not gonna put this in your chest. Okay, I just, I don't. I appreciate you saying that. I just don't, it's a little dramatic.

I'm sorry. No, it's fine, it's fine. I just. You can have it out. It's fine. No, no, I don't want to traumatize you. But I, I, I, you said you pulled it out. Yeah, when I was, from what I remember, when I was in transition to going to the other side,

I sought Tysha, and then I felt something cold and heavy in my chest. And then I don't really remember what I have. It's all flashes and jumbled around. I don't, um... I just wondered what this could do. You didn't, you don't know what it's for? I mean, I know a little bit, but I've never seen it in action. I mean, I don't even know if that's what that thing does.

I just have a weird... I don't know, I... there's something... I think I'm... Connected to it now. How did you bring your friends? Fox back to life? Well, I don't... You know, this is this whole thing of being,

you know, at the Pentebral and everything, is kind of new. I don't really know fully what we're experimenting. So I was experimenting and guessing if I'm being perfectly honest. So I don't really know how I did it. Like earlier, I sent the vulture to try and I said, catch the carrier pigeon.

That thing doesn't act like PIN. It's dangerous. It's a monstrosity. It listens to what I say. Doesn't act like him. But you can see through PIN's eyes. Well, that is the result of an adaptation to the spell. In once I created PIN,

I kind of shoved him into becoming what is known as a familiar. You're so young and your brain is quite impressive. Well, when you grow up being told that you can't do anything, you find ways to try and emulate what everybody told you you couldn't do. You know? You've seen my family. They all just know that.

They can do it. You seem so different from your family. Well, that's what happens when no one talks to your whole life. You know, I grew up in the house, I had a tutor. But I barely saw my family during like events and things I had to be present for. I barely talked to my brothers and sisters. Everybody was very important and had roles and power.

And they birthed an eighth kid who didn't know how to do anything. But you know how to do everything. Well, that's because the idea. He's the one who got me out of the house. He came by, you know, he would drift in circles and be in noble houses and he saw me and he was around and then Thimble and I became friends because she was a kid and I was a kid.

And then I met him and he saw something that I could do and he brought me a spell book. Some notes that someone also doing wizardry had written down asked me to see if I could figure it out. And I did. What was it? It was just some basic spells. It was like little cantribes and things.

He makes a little like sparks in his hands, things like that. But he figured out that I could figure it out. So he convinced my family to send me the Pendiffel. I was 15. Do you know what he wanted with the stone? No. He never talked to me about it, and I had not talked to Penn in a long time.

Not Penn, sorry, Thimble. It's okay. I hadn't talked to her in years by the time I saw her again. I said something to you when we first met that I, didn't mean. Or you took it the wrong way. It's not your fault. You said you were a member

of the Sisters of Salandry. And I said, I don't know who that is. I don't remember that. I know who Salandry is. I just know who your sisterhood was. I know every single God. I know all about them. I just don't know your specific sisterhood.

So I just was freaking out about it because I was like, oh, she took it wrong, and I don't know how to tell her that I, anyway, it doesn't matter. It's... It's really fine. I am a sister to a dead god. I don't take offense to the things people say anymore. I mean, I'm dead, so I can't really...

It's the same thing. Sorry you saw my stomach. It's okay. I'll let you have some... Yeah, okay. Time. Bye. I believe.

I don't leave. Still in 800 years, I haven't figured out how to say hells or goodbyes to people. You just hang up the phone after a phone call. Anyway. The hell was that? As you leave, either of you can give me perception or insight, depending on if you're

a little bit more physical or more emotional in this moment. It's gonna be 14 perception. 20 insight. On a 14 perception, looking at the Stone of Night Song in Vailas' hands, that stone, that stone, it's very interesting. You felt that in a moment where there was so much catastrophic, devastating violence, that there can't really be said. You've literally never put your hands on it.

On a 14 perception, you look at the heft of it and the carving of it, and I think that you wonder if that is made of stone. Oh. I want to 20 insight, Vailas, just leaving that room in that moment, holding the stone of Night-Sung, it's heft, its warmth. You've held it many times before.

You know that it was a sacred artifact of your goddess. But you are not, Sisters of Celandre are not researchers or archivists, they're warriors. And so you've never necessarily had deep curiosity about the story of the Stone of Night Song. It's enough to know that it's sacred. It's not your place to ask why it might be sacred or what it might mean.

Everything of the goddesses means something. Someone could have told you that that a single dead leaf of a fallen tree had been held once by her hand, and it would have been sacred to you. But you certainly don't know its story. And I think on a 20 insight, you walk out of there saying, you know, the joking thought

that Vailas has to herself, which is she's never really learned how to say hello or goodbye. And you hold this thing that belonged to your goddess, and you wonder, how truthful it is that you've never learned to say goodbye. Oh. I think seeing Veilis wearing just clothes that she grabbed from here gives him an idea being like,

oh, I don't have to wear these. These look like I'm poster boy for my family. And he changes into just like generic clothing and then puts the rest of his clothes in his pack. Hell yeah. I know I'm not a ranger. But I have to believe that bath is my favorite terrain. What do I have to do to wrestle PIN to clean him?

He smells like cabbage farts and cured meat. I do not think it is challenging for you to bathe PIN. And I'm also not in PIN right now, so he knows you is just like, you clean this little, you clean this little dead fox. And I think as you do, you hear the clinking of someone carrying multiple wine bottles into the keep. Julian, you make your way into the Schneffen keep. Entering this place, the Divino's wine is well kept at this high altitude. It's very cool.

It's not been kept in the hot sun. And you are able to enter the keep and go where you will? I think Julian beelines to his chamber. It closes the door haphazardly. I'm not even thinking much at this point. His mind is elsewhere. sets the cluster on the ground next to where the entranceway is, and pulls one cork out, takes a heavy, heavy drink,

sits on the edge of his bed, throws his father's gauntlet onto the nearby desk, and just looks at it as he slowly drinks this bottle before he finally lets the emotion wash over him and then tumbles into a sob. As you become wracked with sobs in this moment, I would ask the thing that's been fixed in your mind for the days of travel, it's very easy to stay away from emotion

while there's a task. You've had a heady mix of both duty and obligation and also panic. Fear is a really powerful antidote to grief. You're very powerful antidote to grief. live song in the balance, and now there appears to be a moment of safety. That image of your father's gruesome death,

how close it was to be your death, those shades reaching out, the leering look on their face, they seem so frightened of valis and so hungry for you. But those are things that trigger revulsion, fear, panic. What is the thing that finally Let's Julian be touched by sorrow.

I think being robbed of the opportunity to make his father proud a second time, to let him leave this world. With that being their final day together, and the fact that probably years of difficult, conflicting perspective have prevented him from sharing the parts of their relationship ship that he appreciated before he was robbed of the opportunity.

And I think all of that hits him at once. There's a holding this bottle of wine. You look at it, it's poured. You're not drinking it straight from the bottle, but as sun falls, you see it stains, and this is a respodin red. And I think in that that moment you look out,

and remember the last time you saw this exact vintage, and your father is looking at you, and you are, I think, maybe like 13 or 14 years old, and he's looking at you and being like, Julian, this is, you don't have, you don't have to prove this to me, son, there is a, this, the melee, you can sign up for the dueling lists. The melee, there are, I'm trying to think how to say this. There are going to be hedge knights here who are going to look at your face and they are

going to see that you are, the eldest son of house de Vinos, and they're going to see a bright fortune for themselves taking your, it's a wooden sword, they'll take your head off your shoulders. You don't have to prove this. I'm very proud of your ambition, but this is not an advisable thing to do. You should sign up for the dueling list where you will be fighting other noble sons.

I've come here for advisement from you, Father. I have come here to prove this to myself. Right? I know who you are. But I have not had the opportunity to show people to fear my capability and respect my capability,

not because of my name, but because of what I can do. I just heard your voice break a little bit on capability. I... I... He looks over. Your mother, Maya, is looking at him,

and you see that she says, Raymond, do this. Do not let our son. You see he looks at you and says, I am not always going to be around to give you advice. And I am not, I think, the best teacher of lessons. I think sometimes life has a way of teaching us its most important lessons. So have at it, my son.

You see, Maya goes, Raymond, I am not going to. And you see... Mother, you heard them? What you say? It's too late? she says, where does one sign up for this melee? Yeah. And Matt, how old are you to tell me how that melee went?

What happened on that day? I think once he had managed to convince his father to allow it, he requested him to prepare him as best as possible. looking up to him immensely and wanting to not say that he wanted to make him proud, because he does want to do it for himself, but he does want to make his father proud as well. It's a hardshadow to live in. So that day, he makes a name for himself, certainly. I wouldn't say the final victor.

I'd say probably crumpled out of under the experience of some elder classmen, maybe a bit of insecurity that he still held under the expectations of his family's name. And so I think at the end of it all, both bruised of body and bruised of ego, though what he did was a great feat. It wasn't as much as he wanted, and he's a bit ashamed. Standing on the dais, finishing third in the melee. That day, your father took you to a sandy arena in the face. You were way, way out elsewhere. You'd traveled to the farthest reaches of the sundered houses. This was a place that House Royce had some holdings in order to perform sorceress Faye magic. This is like, this is the year before the gates to ferry closed. And you see him

standing with you. This is in Azir, far to the west, northwest of Khad. And you can see it's a grand tournament held by the guilds of Azir. And you can see that he was looking out and says, we're going to throw out everything you've learned from your dueling instructors. Get rid of all of it. He holds the rapier. He says, this, this, this is not your weapon. And he does, sort of pats you hard on the chest. You step back, that's your weapon. Your body is always your weapon. If this can help that win, great.

If this can, and he points to your boot and kicks your leg out to your stance wide, if that can. And you see, he holds up your chin. If these can, yes. He says, if you get knocked to the ground, we're fighting in his ear, and he holds up some sand and says this in the eyes every time.

And he goes through and he says, He says, listen, if you throw sand in a tournament, the crowd will boo. And if you win, they will boo harder. And you will walk away a booed and living man. And he just walks through it all with you. Standing there at the dais, in that third place, your purse, it's 50 gold for first place,

50 silver for second, and 50 copper for third. And you look up, your face is swollen. One of your back teeth is chipped. And as they say, third place winner, a purse of 50 copper, Sir Julian de Venus. You look up into the stands as this purse is held off, and you see that there are booze coming out

because of all the dirty tricks you played and grabbing people's hair, elbow into the face. You look out spraying red wine of a respotan red. There is one voice in the crowd cheering. That's my son. He looks out, he says, I'm a lot with one leather sandal. You look down, his eye completely sealed

with blood coursing into it from a cut brow, from where the basket hilt of her rapier cut His eyebrow open is in a 19-year-old. You are about to turn 13. Your father spraying this wine out over the stands, looks out and says, numbers, no. He points to your heart.

You see he says, always a greater battle to fight. Always we strive for more. You see that your father in the stands goes out, and you see that he sort of walking out as the crowd gathers around helps you off the daisies that you're badly hurt. You see he leans into the sort of sand, picks something up, looking around and says,

can we please a healer for my son? Pats you on the back and looks down and says, has a chunk of your own tooth there. You see, he says, I would like a sword forged for my son. Please set that into the pommel. And puts an arm around you as you're hobbling off. You see he pulls his cheek back with a sort of mustache bristling over it and shows you a split tooth in the back.

He says, it's a good thing you've done this day, my son. Return the rapier at your side. You see there is amber set into the hilt. jewels, but in a place that it's not showy, but right under the hilt, there is a little tooth capped under one of the gems. And you see the wine standing underneath you. You were very young then,

and there weren't that many days after that one where your father had kind words to say. Tisha, as you emerge from the bath, where do you head, if anywhere? I think if I can flag a servant to hand off the missives that I'd like sent, one back to Dolmachyar to Hal, one to Dolranya, to my grandmother, and then a couple throughout the city. Some of it important and some of it just busy work. I'm trying to prove a point that like keeping me pinned here will be more work.

than it's worth. So you wanna go to the aviary to write some letters? No, I'm happy to stay in these quarters and run servants ragged. Because I'm supposed to stay in here, which means everyone gets to do this for me and it's going to be quite tedious. Great.

As you call up the first, if you get up to your quarters, you're writing submissives, the doors open and there's a knock at your door. Octus? Tisha, it's Aranesa. Oh, and I shouldn't have said Octus.

Yeah, come in. She steps inside. I'm gonna die again. And she says, I, the Lord Einfossin would like to see you. Why? Sure, of course. Why? Why? He wished to speak with you as a representative

of the Circle of Ancients. I'm gonna make sure the door is shut and just try to keep low tones. Now so how did it go? What do you need from me? We spoke a great deal. Julian's decision was, I think, a prudent one in this instance to, Otto's a hard man to read.

to read. Sure, but we don't have to be nice about Julian's decision-making in close quarters. The Taconas worked fast and they're not the most agile liars, so it's good that we interrupted a spread of their version of events. Did you know that there was a grand gala planned at the Palazzo de Vino's a night or two ago? That's right. And that there was a message left announcing that House Royce had found a way to return to Ferry. What?

I'm assuming you didn't send that. No. What I think is interesting is I call it an instinct, believe that Lord Einfossin doesn't believe that. And the level of confusion and disgust he had at the insinuation. that that had happened leads me to believe that it was not a lie he had crafted. Does that make sense? From what little, of course, from what little I know of them, I would trust anyone else in our group to lie before I would trust any Einfassen. They don't need to. It is not a skill they've developed. And yet, they are not without subtlety. It is simply that they don't. My mother had a,

an opinion of the Einfossen that she talked about wearing a velvet glove over an iron fist versus a gauntlet. And she said to the Einfossen that when your fist is made of stone, you don't wear a gauntlet at all. I don't think they play a different game than us. I just don't think that they varnish it, which means that there can be elements of what they're trying to do that are moving beyond sight. but rather than lie, they just tend to omit. Fair. Do you think they generated that message? No.

But who then, in your circle, would generate a message that outlandish that they might try to believe? When would you have cause to make an outlandish lie? When would you lie so, for lack of a better word, ostentatiously? When there's no way it can be countermanded. Certainly. If all of you were wiped out, as they intended to do,

then you can say anything and be the only voice in the room. But it would have had to come from some, from a de Venus or a Royce. No? What, the message in the Palazzo? Yes. If it existed at all, if in other words, either the message, sent to the Einfossi was alive, but if that actually occurred in Dolmachiar, interesting, then if that actually occurred in Dolmachia, there'd be many, many different

ways to do it. We're not the only house gifted of illusion, and the power of illusion is not put past even non-sundered houses. There are wizards of the pentaderal. It would not be all together that difficult to give the illusion that something miraculous had happened instead of a nightmare. My question to you is this. Me and Julian are not supposed to be alive. Octus was not supposed to be at the Palazzo de Vino's.

An elven warrior of a sisterhood of traveling priestesses, nor indeed a druid of the old. Gold Path were not supposed to be present. When did their plan go wrong? What were they trying to do and what happened instead? I guess I didn't consider that whatever happened to Octus was an act of opportunity, but the assault was always meant for you. But they didn't seem that concerned. They didn't come for me. I was in the room with Octus, and they came for him.

I was supposed to die there, but I was a T. They were happy to leave uncrossed. Primus killed Raymond first. Yeah. Why were they so certain I was going to die in that castle, such that Primus didn't even stay put to see the job done? A little insulted.

I would be more than a little insulted. I don't want to keep Lord Einfossin waiting. Oh, sure. Have you seen Julian? I haven't, actually. Do you want me to go? I wouldn't keep the Lord waiting. All I know is that the story's being told in our absence

and something's going on with the Einfosson. I can't put my fingers on. We have his protection, and it's certainly, he made a point several times that it's not safe for us to travel. He's stalling. I would love if you could find out why. But again, I don't want to put you in any danger.

No, it's okay. You're my sister. You get in danger for family. She burst into town. Oh, God, no. Oh, come here, come here. I don't have anyone. You've always had me. I chose my family over my...

I regret it. I would have made more difference as a commoner. as a commoner. I would have done more. I regret it. I am very proud to be your sister. I love you. Those boys were a lot better with us,

and if I had, you think he'd still be alive if I had stayed with him. You can play this game all day long, but your husband was trouble. He probably would have found a way to die faster because he would have been so happy he would have made terrible choices.

I don't even know. Maybe my cousins are all dead. I worry for my people. I worry for Tel-Mora, but things have been, I don't even know how much Tel-Mora relies on me anymore. After my mother passed, NASA, Nessa, I don't want to grab her by the face.

Bite size, little chucks. This is a lot, it's not gonna go away. And you trying to think through every permutation of the puzzle of what's happening right now, You can't do it and it's not because you're, you're one of the most brilliant people I have ever known. But you just gotta take a break. I'll get more information.

We will figure it out. You have me and all of us and it will be okay. And give her a kiss on the forehead. Take a bath, there's wine down there. Oh, wine. She leaves and there's a servant waiting to take you to Lord Ein Fawson if you so wish. Yeah. Venturing out, the servant takes you to the central keep

into a vast drawing room. You look out through the tall windows that you know would see the summits of the Kavasi Mountains. You instead look through the stars and see Illumi's blanket, the vast, sparkling planetary rings that surround the world of Aramon to the night's sky. If I can, by the way, I want to keep keep pin on me, but doing my best to shield,

like kind of brushing the fur over his eyes, so it's not very obvious that the eyes are buttons. I love it. You're brushing him. The Lord Iron Fasen stands up looking, actually a little tired. My Lord, thank you for the ample accommodations. Mistress of the old path, you are a lady of wisdom

and walks through the world as a cousin of all living things. I am here to speak honestly with you. A lady of House Royce is telling me that House Tacones has slaughtered her kin. And I have just received word from House Tacones that the Lord Primus Tacornis' son was killed by servants of the Royce family.

I am left at a quandary and given that all involved are my allies I must protect and honour and yet not permit to leave any who are involved in this affair until such questions can be resolved. You are travelling in the company of the lady Royce.

I am. I cannot permit her to leave. However, I must make very clear that no such restriction are placed on you and that the utmost respect is paid to your circle and its sacred and important work here

in recent go to land beyond. I needed this to be clear to you in case word were to reach you secondhand. I appreciate the pains you've taken to make that clear. I would never assume such. Malfeasance on your end,

but I appreciate you. What can I answer? The goings on, between House Royce and House Tacornis. Does the Circle of Ancients have any official stance on this matter that I should be made aware of? We do not. The Circle of Ancients, especially the greater presence

that was in Dolmachyar before pulled back and now finds themselves in Dolranya. Our purview is a much wider scope than the politicking of Your families, which we happily leave you to. That was my only question. Thank you for your time. And as he turns to other business...

Can I insight check him? Can I insight? Yeah. He's for a motherfucker. All right, all right. 19. On a 19, you gave him an answer he was looking for. And that's where we'll throw a break.

God damn. 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.