Critical Role - Targeted | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 25 Part 2

Episode Date: May 19, 2026

Part 2 When two political figures are attacked at the gala, the Schemers must jump into action to save as many lives as they can...   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.

Hello again, it's Brennan Lee Mulligan, and you're listening to Part 2 of this episode of Critical Role. If you haven't checked out part one yet, pause this now and head over there first. What are you doing? Otherwise, let's jump right back into this adventure and the world of Aramon. Mursesai said ball tag. Folks, we're back in the Arkanad here in Dolmachiar. Jesus is going to break us. It robbed us of our power. You deserve to know, and I'll tell you who just got their balls tagged, our friend Azzanayyar. He has just dropped.

Ha ha ha, he hoo! Has dropped here in the archway, a poisoned long sword. A critical hit has just unfolded. And we are gonna jump right back to the initiative. Our assassins have just gone. And we are going. Are assassins at the top of the initiative order? Top of the initiative order.

Okay, thank you. Like a bunch of assholes. This one who's just crit on Azune no longer has flanking this knight right here. Two swings, two misses. No, your mother. What good are you? I want your payback. That's your payback. Murray, that is going to be your turn. But we still take it. Good. You could do better. You've got damn. We're in a tight spot. All right. Okay. All that guy's still charmed.

Here's what I'm gonna try to do, Brennan, because I still would like to not reveal myself or drop my invisibility. Murray is still behind this pillar and you said that the- Fails his save. Oh, sorry. The Crown of Madness is still active. Yes, go for it.

That the sword is right here. Can Murray scurry around this pillar and give a kick of King Gus's sword to King Gus? That's an object interaction. You can do that and have your action, bonus action left. Yeah. And then can I, what I would like to do, I probably, please tell me, I probably don't have enough action economy to kick his sword and his shield to him, do I? If you use an action, yes, you can't. Okay. I would like to try and do that. So I kick his sword.

I literally like, shimmy behind this assassin. Yeah. To his shield and kick his shield to him as well. I'm going to need a difficulty 10 acrobatics check. Okay. Okay. A difficulty 10 acrobatics check. What's your acrobatics, Murray? Minus one. Minus one. Here's my question.

If I choose to use one of my portent rules, I still roll and add on. No. No, that's supposed. No, I can't do that then. I can't do that. I don't know why I just thought that. Ignore what I just said. So we're gonna roll.

We're gonna roll. The sword is on the near side of the assassin. So the sword you can kick over there as your object interaction. No. problem. Okay, but this is for the shield. This is for the shield. This is for the shield. 11. 11 minus one is 10. So an invisible, you, Murray, I hate to bring this up, but you have remarked on it quite a lot.

I got, I got tick old bitties. So shimmying against the wall, you you suck in your movie, suck it in your movies, suck it in Murray. And squeeze past and are able to, I'll say, I'll say, I'll say, I'll, I'll say that you are able to, with your bonus action, shunt the shield over it. So both of them clatter across the ground. Make some perception checks.

The assassin that fired the bolt against the Fotark. He rolled a six. Portent. She rolled six, got it, cool. You see that she does not. So a clattering sword and shield, as they're just like blood on their sword, they're not noticing shit. The adrenaline's too high.

So they just, they just see a clattering sword and shield. Both of them are in Gus's square. And then just, just as I'm there, I'm kind of crouched in the corner. And what I wanna do, Brennan. Yeah, huh? And tell me if I'm, if all of this is a stretch, I wanna get out my shield glyph cookie.

Yeah. And just kind of, That's new. Kind of hold, kind of be near Gus with it. Like, can I even, almost like nearby, almost taking like a CPR position, like holding this glyph like to his chest. If I can, correct.

In case. We're pulling a, we are pulling a Sarah de Gruppin from Calamity when he crushed the glyphs in his kids hands. Like we're like literally, okay, give me. This will be your action. You've used a bonus action to hit the shield. And now to slip that shield glyph to him is going to be,

I'm going to rule that doing this, you're just putting a glyph on his body, you're invisible, but you're trying to get him to essentially break it, right? Like when if, because I'm assuming these guys are gonna come down with swords. In that case, I will allow you to, you can either try to give him it sneakily,

so that he has it. Or I will let you ready an action to potentially do it at the last possible moment so that you're staying out of harm's way for longer. I'll do that. I'll do the ladder. Cool. So you are there with the glyph ready to use your reaction

to jump on him and give him a reaction to use this glyph, right? I feel like Frodo what I have the ring on right now and there's like fucking ring wraiths over me. You've got your shield glyph at the ready That is going to be That is going to be Hallandiel Fang. That is your turn. Hey, Hallandiel, I look like a dark figure,

but heart and throat, I'm going to pivot around the Nama and push and press him into the bookshelf. Okay. And bonus action, unsettling words, Either thou or I or both must die. Minus six. Oh, shit! As I say, so shall you grieve.

Shatter. Hell yes. Minus six on the save. That would have been a success, but with that six is turned into, we turn at 12 or we turn it 14 into an 8. 15 points again. 15.

Of thunder damage. 15 points again of thunder damage. 15 points again of thunder. of thunder damage. Okay, 15 points of thunder damage again. And that's like 10 feet, so I reverberate the air within the skull of this man, and it just blows starting in the center of his face backward into the bookshelf. Okay. So once again, he is bloodied.

Two of these spells have fucked him up. He is looking extremely low in hit points. Concentration. Now, he doesn't have a minus six to this one. No. No. So this is you, he's looking for nine or low. You're looking for a nine or lower on the die here. Come on, please. With that second shatter, he is blown back,

loses concentration. And you see this Druid come out from Dominate, person. Now, you are not going to fucking believe your luck here, but as you, uh, grieve, bha! Of course, blah! The second shatter, he loses it. This druid, your initiative was a 15. This druid happened to roll a 12 and comes right in initiative after you. Wow. Wow. Um.

Baller should have given us goat masks, because that's what we are. Oh, yeah. Oh, damn. And unbelievable how, okay, as you shattered this concentration, Belair and you in the room see that this young druid who looks like a young man, like probably like mid-20s, he has these two tattoos of like stags, tines that go, the sides of his head are shaved and he has tattoos

of antlers along the side of his head. Oh, that's cool. He turns around, comes home and goes, My liege! And you hear, The trampling of hoes through the wood, a circle of autumn leaves swirls around him as he drops to the ground and removes poison

from King Gus. Yes, yes, yes. Steps here, removes poison. Let's go! Now, I swear to God, folks at home, I rolled this all fair and square. Do you know who has an 11 initiative? King Augustus Valiens.

Let's go! Uses half his movement to stand, sword and shield. He stands up, you're fucked up! And is going to roll, immediately roll three attacks. It's pissed off Jason Statham, here he comes. Okay, he kicks this assassin in the chest. She goes flying back 10 feet and lands on the table.

He turns over here, takes his sword, and lobs one of the arms off of the assassin behind. Boom! That is, but that assassin's still up and going. Okay. Okay. But he, he, that is going to be, that is King Gus. In front of you, this Nama looks, takes a spell glyph, cracks it in half. Damn it.

And I'm going to need you, I'm going to ask you to roll a D6 for me. Let me know if you roll a one. I rolled three. Three. He cracks the glyph. This looks like some dangerous fucked up magic. A door of purple smoke appears behind him, crackling with

lightning. He falls back through it and vanishes. Give me an archa check if you'd like. Oh, is he missing away? Is there what I mentioned? You don't get an attack of opportunity on that either, do you? 14. If you have a war castor, you do. Yes. 14. On a 14, some Some teleportation is extremely dangerous in Aramon following the fall of the gods.

This is not a full teleport spell. Shorty short. It's a short. You actually say it's a shorty shorts are safe. Like a misty step is a safe spell. This is probably Dimension Door and even that on a one, on a one through six, I would have happened to him. Oh, okay, okay, okay.

So he's frightened enough that he risks. So he vanishes. That is his turn. Belair and Azune. You are appearing in an issue. Turns out under new rules, feeding a healing potion to someone five feet away from you is a bonus action as well now.

Okay. They have made that less of a pain in the ass. So I am going to take just a pirouette spin around, cracking the bottle opening it, and shoving it into your mouth so it starts to drain into you. While I turn and face this asshole. And as I spin, I am going just for a straight attack

and I am, he's standing alone, right? There's no one next to him, it's just him. And I'm giggling at something. He's being gross. Yeah, you're welcome. Like I don't know. Of course that gets me else. I heard what I said.

And I'm just going to go for a straight stab with a glass sword right into him. Right between the fucking eye. I'll hit what I do. I'll hit, I'm going for. What is my standard attack? Where are we? There we are.

All right. Come on, don't be a dick. 18 to hit. 18 hits. Yes. And 2D4 plus two hit points. Oh, oh, you want me to roll it? Yeah, go for you.

Big money. That one's good. That one's good. Well, it's bad, but yeah. The one inside is good. The one inside is good. 2d4 plus 2. Plus 2.

Great, seven. Technically I can use it as a green flame attack though. It's the same thing, right? I believe so, yeah. Oh, shit. If you don't mind, I'm just, it doesn't change anything. Just a little extra. Yeah, it's one action. A little extra kick. So let's see what happens. Cool. That is, yeah, okay. That's 10 points, 10 points of normal damage plus... To the one right in front of you. To the one right in front of me, and then one point of a flame damage.

Uh, ta-ta-ta-ta. Hell yes. Boulare, you reach around, flame flickering across your glass rapier. Through the eye and out the back of the head, this assassin falls dead to the ground. I let go of the sword, turn towards the rest of what's happening over there. Oh, actually, is that, he's one of ours.

And just remanifest a sword as that one shatters. Hell yes. Assassin falls to the ground. That is your action. Bonus action, Azunei, it is your turn. How many of the years in your gained? Do you roll or should I roll? The healing?

Yeah. I just rolled. Oh, you did. You're good. Well done. As quickly as my consciousness fades, I pop back up and I'm gonna stand. I give me full action.

Yes. Half your movement, you have used 15 feet of movement, you stand. And I'm going to, I won't make that mistake again. I am going to use my action to draw my shield. Okay. So now I still have, do I still have my weapon in hand? You still have your weapon in hand.

Okay, so use my action to draw my shield, and then I am going to... Stone. Don't count. Don't the count. Hold on, let me see what these do. Conjure Muppet. Okay. Okay. I'm going to boom me. Blamey that guy. Go for it. Hell yeah. You're flanking. Yep. Advantage. Great. Excellent. Come on, baby. Um, ooh. Ooh, oh, 15 to hit. 15 does not hit.

Damn, that was at advantage. Booming blade misses. I am going to, yeah, these dice. Oh, you know what? No, no, no. I'm gonna, desperate measures. One failure, mark, give a plus five bonus, a D20 test you just failed. You're bloodied? Yes, that's absolutely correct. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Desperate measures. Okay, Azne, yes. You are putting everything on the line right now. You're gonna take a dead save failure, overextend yourself.

Come on. And you're gonna add five to that test. I'm gonna add five to that test. 20, that is a hit. Okay. I'm gonna roll my damage. It is gonna be seven points of damage.

with my weapon attack. Okay. And I am going to push him. I think he hits a wall. He takes bonus damage. Yeah. I would like to have, if it's fine with you, pivoted just towards...

So during this attack, I pivoted 510, so I can push him away from us. closer to whatever that, like, planetary thing is. Cool. Move here, 10 feet back, bam. In the diagonal, so he's not adjacent to that other guy yet. Okay, great, gotcha. Right here. Oppos, opposite, opposite. Over here?

Yeah, there, yeah. Great, perfect. Okay, cool. And he is wrapped in booming energy. And he's bloodied too, yeah? Yes, cool. Oh, no, extraordinarily blacked. Okay, great. Whatever, that was my action. That was bonus action. and I think that's pretty much all my movement. So that's my turn. You said there were two assassins here,

but King Gus dropped one of them, correct? He chopped one of their arms off and kicked another one, but they are all... The one with the chopped off arm is still saying. Still committed to finishing this. Wow. I mean, what else are you going to do?

Now it's kind of hard. Yeah, committed. That's it for me. Okay. Yeah. At the end of your turn, Uh-huh. Thank you.

Rushing towards the doors. Wow, look at that. Rushing towards the doors are the guards. Your guys' guards. Yes. Here we go. They begin to bang on the doors as hard as they can. That guy over there.

Go ahead if you would. Here's Varon right here. Go ahead if you would, Luis and place them as they join them. as they join Philonius trying to batter down that door. Maybe, maybe. Can I do this? Probably not, but maybe I can. I'm sure Philonius at this point just like,

I mean like I don't think they're gonna go after. No, I'm just wondering if Thelonius knows that about the Fotarchs or he's in on it. I don't know. Just as unwitting as the attendance. Roll damage for booming blade if he'd be so kind. Does he make a save against that or no? No, that is automatic.

If he is moving, come on. One. Again. He had one hit. No, he did. Wow. Boom! He thunders forward and collapses to the ground.

The assassins at the choke point are no more. Okay. Okay. Whoa. It's lucky. You have any more movement, spend it now. I don't. That's okay. Have my movement to get up. That's right.

And then I pivoted around. make an attack roll for this Crown of Madness assassin as he closes with one of his allies. All right, let's see what happens. Dvorious. Oh, if he's not standing next to him, the beginning of his turn, it doesn't work. Doesn't work? Okay, gotcha.

But he does get a save. At the end of his turn, right? Does he move towards that? Yeah, at the end of his turn, he gets to. Yeah. Does he copy that? He can, he's moving around. It's just like, it's just chaos as far as I know, but it's, but yeah, if he's not standing next to somebody

for me to hit, then it don't work. Our assassins are flanking King Gus. Okay. Um, this is, this is the moment of truth, gang. Um, our druids sees this happening here. Okay. Um, they are each gonna make two attacks with advantage. Murray, this was the moment that you had ready to action for, correct?

Yes, I have. Again, and this is, the assassins make an attack on King Gus. Yeah. Yes, right? Yes. Okay. I was reading my sheet. I'm sorry. Um, you are you going to live? leap, I will say this, you either have to give me a, like, slight of hand check to force him to do it, or if you, I will allow you to, like, thinking of how to make him use it. I guess, no,

he's not poisoned anymore. What would you do in this moment? Would you just toss it to him? Would you try to break it on him? I would try and break it on him. I think it would be like a, like a full, almost like CPR kind of move where, like, she just smashes it and breaks it on him. You reach forward, thudded against his chest, and I will say in this instance, he would use it if he could, and you have the spell glyph, so I'm gonna allow it. He is shielded.

His armor class when he was prone was gonna be 13. You got him his shield back goes to 15. With the shield spell, that's 20. Whoa. I'm gonna announce the poison on their their blades dissipates on the first hit. They have two attacks. So if one of them misses two attacks in a row,

it means their poison stays, but is not used. That's a big deal. Okay, okay. They are rolling with advantage because they're flanking. This is the big moment, okay. Holy, they're rolling with advantage. He's down. But he's got 20 AC. 20 AC. 20 AC.

20 AC. 20 AC. 20 C while down is insane. Miss. Okay. Big money. Hit. Okay.

Hit. Hit. Oh. Miss. That's my fourth roll in? That's your fourth roll. That's four. Two hits, two misses?

Yes. Two hits, two misses. Missed, because of the shield. God damn, he holds well. Missed because of the shield. So two hits. Two hits.

Nice. Groo the shield. Okay, he fails this. What else happens here? That was a lot. Satisfying still. I'm gonna realize. Eyes on Gus.

Oh my God. It's going to the south, guys. Those aren't all. One two. Oh. Okay. Britain just eats dice. There's so many dice in his hand right now.

It's like limes. But why? Oh, poison. Oh, poison blades. Yep. Oh, but these are the two attacks? Yeah, the first two that attacked. The same way it hit you. 16, 26, 26.

Yeah. 35. Oh, shit. 36. 46. 51. The potion's right next to him. It's under the table.

It's under the table. The druid is up, though. The druids here. I think we should invent the poison. Gus. Gus, King Augustus Valiant takes 70 points of damage. Fuck! Is bloodied but up.

Whoa! Bloodied but up. According to my calculations, approximately level. You see, but it is, but I just want to point out that like, had he been poisoned a lot of that, it's a huge, so, who are these swords? Bebbhbhbbbbing, bink, bing, bink, bing, as he, he thing was blood.

He's got the hounds pommel sword in his hand. That is the executioner's turn, Nat 20, on the save to come out of Crown of Madness. Another assassin joins the way. Seven! Can I use Porta? Oh, one to use seven? Seven! He stays under Crown of Madness. Okay, stays under it, keeps one more assassin out of the fray, incredible.

At this one, I think, like, Murray's still invisible, and she just has, like, a little trickle of blood. and help you just quietly. Like if anyone were to notice, you would probably just see a few drips of blood from her nose appearing on the stone beneath her. I hope it did just use that poorly. Unbelievable. That's great.

Five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty, thirty, thirty, thirty, thirty, five, it's time. We still need to get the doors open. Knight rushing through to his king, Murray. That's gonna be your turn. Somebody got to pop the top off that wizard. All right. We're on it. Okay. So wait, there's still several of these fox

standing around King Gus, right? They get another chance to do that. He's done. He's down at least. Murray is still kind of back against the wall. She's... Shields gone is the more important. Yes. Two hits were negated by that shield. Louis, do you mind moving me behind this assassinate

up against the wall? Back to the wall. Yeah, that's where... And that's probably kind of where I would have been for all of this action anyway. Yeah. Here we go, y'all. Here we go. You got this.

Murray takes out her dagger. She's gonna cast true strike right on this assassin's throat right in front of her. She takes the dagger and she's gonna try and slit his throat dropping her invisibility. But we're in it now. We're in it. Let's go.

We're in it. He's a guy that took a major hit too, I think, right? Mm-hmm. Yes, he's a guy who got his arm. He's missing an arm. Missing an arm. It's a natural 19. Hell yes.

Plus seven, so it's gonna be 26 to hit. Well done. 26 to hit is a hit. You're gonna fucking look. Why you did that sound like him and him and a hit? Oh, fuck. Eight damage. Great.

To try and go for this guy. Yes. This guy's looking on death's door, looking very close to being dead. As the dagger goes across, any bonus actions from Murray? She's not really a bonus action, girly. You got it. But I will, if I move away from him, I'll probably get an attack of opportunity, won't I? Yeah. I'm staying base to base with the assassin, I guess. Hell yeah. It gives advantage to Gus. That's true, right?

It does. It does. Yes, he's flanking. Um, okay. All right, and Murray is in the room. Murray, uh, how? That is going to be your turn. Come on, baby. Um, so this guy just rocketed away. Out of my sight, the, the room is a shambles.

Am I able to hear any calamity happening anywhere in the building? Party is in chaos outside. Party's in chaos. Okay, so all, I'm so far away. I think all I really can do is I, the illusion of this, like, dark enforcer with the Osgrove mask is still up. So I'm just going to get us far away. to get as far towards the,

like I'll run out into the crowd and try to quickly assess as I go what's going on. And I will use, I think I'm gonna have to use movement action and my orc trait adrenaline. Yeah. To do a full 90 feet. Cool, hell yeah. 90 feet, you're just sprinting for this chamber here, right?

Yes, yeah. Going as fast as you can, sprinting through the party. You see chaos commotion everywhere. People are shouting. As you rush through, da-da, da, da, that's gonna be, okay. Way better. Mm-hmm. Druid moves next to the king and is gonna cast cure wounds.

Fuck yeah. Yes. Okay. You see he lays a hand on King Gus, cures him for some injury. Gus is going to see you appear behind him and attack one of the assassins. Just turns, goes, Good on you. I'm with you. With advantage, miss sadly, hit.

That's a Nat 20. With the advantage, you see that he looks at you, sees your size and solid build, and just shoulder checks the dude to table top him over you, and brings the long sword through the rib cage, kills the assassin. That assassin is no more. Yes. Okay.

Yes, yes, yes. Okay. That's King Gus. Titia. Azune and Boler. Okay. You went first last time. I'm fine either way.

But since, yeah, I'll start. So we both see this invisible fuck. I'm going to take my 30 feet just walking straight into the room. Gotcha. I'm walking with great confidence. Great, 30 feet. And then I'm going to throw a not even, not even making eye contact, which is weird for me anyway,

because it's hard to tell where I look. I'm just going to cast and throw a mine sliver right at that man with invisibility straight into him. Hell yeah, go for it. What does the save on Minesl? He'll probably save, but just in case. It's an Intelligence 14 save. He does not save.

Mm-hmm. So Targumms to C or take 1D6 Psykit plus. Where's my 1D4 for that? That's two psychic damage, but also he also has to take a negative one to his next saving throw, whatever the fuck. I don't even get a fire. How much damage was that, sir? Two.

Two damage, okay. And then a negative one to his next saving throw. Copy that. I hate that. I rolled two and a one. It's rough footing. Well, he does have to make a concentration check. Yep, with a negative one to.

Oh. With a negative one to it. Yeah. So he will need, he needs 11 or higher. Okay, I can take that. I'll take that on. Not one, baby. Oh my God.

That spike of glass goes right just, boom, boom. All three doors reverberate and smash open as the spell ends. And you see that spellcaster look horrified out at everybody. We're saving the king, Gentlemen, get on it. Yes.

Unbelievable Boler, great. Hell yeah, hell yeah. We are a monsters! I love it. I fucking love it. There we go. This fight is crazy. Azune, that is going to be your turn.

Okay. What? Fucking shit is happening. He, so seeing visibility persists, even though I dropped unconscious. Yes. It didn't. drop, according to what I just searched.

So is he still invisible though? Or did he drop his invisibility with what just happened? Oh, his invisibility is still active. You believe it might probably a potion or a spell glyph? Yes, that's what I was thinking, because with the spell glyph we've learned, you don't have to maintain concentration on the thing that you do in the spell glyph.

Cool, so I'm going to, there's a lot happening over here. People are about to come in. I'm going to double move. Cool. Towards this direction towards the king. 15, 50, 50, 50, 60. Right here? Yes.

Great. And I'm going to, with a, my bonus action. Oh, that guy is right next to me. I'm gonna, I don't like being next to him. I'd like to move around. It's got that crumbad. Instead of moving straight here,

I'm gonna move around this way and kind of be on the same plane as Boler, please. Because that guy. Oh, you want to be across on the other side of these rolling tables. Great. And I have to play it safe. Double move, bonus action, chugging a potion.

My healing potion. Hell yeah, go for it. So I'm gonna. That's 2D4 plus. I don't think. Well, it's a 2D4 plus. My damage doesn't. Heal and healing potion, healing, healing,

healing, pushing. Blood. Right, psychic. Great, that's my turn. I heal four or five plus whatever the modifiers I don't have to find right now. Click a healing potion. Hell, yes, okay.

Dut-da. Okay, after your turn, our friend here's been holding concentration is going to, to this very dynamic feel. The doors have all flung open. This is very, very bad. Including these doors as well in front of.

Yeah, yeah, those ones, all three are open. Okay. Good, that's gonna be my next spell. Okay. I regret I didn't. Okay, okay, okay. With the doors open like that, you see this spell can

caster right here. Invisibility, not based on concentration. The doors fly open, and that castor that was having some kind of telekinesis is going to reach over with a hand, staying invisible, and grabs holding a hand at King Gus. Oh. Reaches out and yanks him back with a telekinetic shove. Gus is knocked prone on this table right here in the center as far away from the other guards as possible. And Gus takes a not large amount of damage, but he's low enough that he is under a quarter of his hipons.

Okay, okay. Okay. Veterans are going to go. These guys charge into a blocked doorway. Do me a favor. Azunay and just roll a 4D20 for me. 4D20, okay. Oh my gosh.

A 10, an 8, a 4, and a 1. Gotcha. We're having a bad day over here. We are. What happened? Somebody else touched my dice. Oh, no. Now it's your curse. Yeah, they're both now.

Yeah. Send them back to me after my turn. Actually, you know what? Yes. I'm so sorry, I'm gonna take that back. Okay. There's a different thing that makes more sense for me here.

My apologies. Gus is back in the ring over here. Oh, that amount. As these guys charge in, he cast dispel magic on this executioner. Okay. I did-dozened. Okay.

Dispelled magic on the executioner. With that, these guys are going to rush in here. Da-da-da. surrounding you. They know me. These guards are gonna rush in and flank the assassins over here. These guys over here?

Yeah, go ahead and give me another 4D20 rolls. My mask has got the mark, so. Unless they're gonna get, unless something real weird. Hey! Oh my gosh. Let me know if they're 12s or higher. 12, 112. Okay, everything else is below and another one.

Damn. 12-4-3-1. Okay. What are you doing to me? Rushing forward, you see that your soldiers rush in. There's just a stone hall filled with the clanging of metal as they rush in. Varon rushes in and at the front of this sort of legion looks at you charging in and goes, Azune, what's the mission? And here's you shouting, Yeah, to spend the king. As he shouts Azune, I need Murray, Bollaire, and

you to roll in sight. And Azune, I want you to roll with advantage. I want it. Ugh, God, why? What is happening? Ooh, that's a good, right? A 21 for me. Thank God. 14 for Murray.

Eight. What we get, what was that? 14. 14. 14, what did we get here? Eight. What did you get here? 21. Azune, the assassin that was kicked onto the table by King Gus.

On the 21, you said? Yes. As Varon shouts at you, whips to look at you through a full helm, just looks directly at you, sword out. It is the top of the next round. Executioners go. Or assassins go. The executioner turns to see Azune and is going to bound across the room.

Say, you should stay down. Guardsman. Sprinting across the room, this assassin leaves King Gus and leaps in the way as he reaches out with his unused poison sword and is going to strike

going for you and hitting the other assassin as they jump in the way. The... What? What? Okay. The, that is a, that the executioner hits. The Crown of Madness is gone.

It's gone. They're all acting out of their own free one. It is possible. Let me see here. Okay. Con save. Hold on one second. Of course. Shit's getting weird.

I'm just going to, I'm gonna roll this. I'm gonna roll this in front of, I'm gonna roll this in front of the board. 30 damage will drop that assassin that has just jumped in there. That is, assassin is basically being a meat shield for me. Being a meat shield for you. What? We're gonna roll.

We're gonna roll. Looking for 30. 16.25. Oh, yes. That assassin rushes using their whole turn, leaps in front, and this poise, catches the dose of the poison as the assassin whips around right next to you,

having jumped in the way of this other assassin, and you see a pair of sunset eyes looking out of the helm. Oh. at you. She drops. Oh, no. To the ground. Yeah.

The helm clatters off of her, and you see Ma'ali Nayar, your sister, fall to the ground. Is she dead? Do I know? You can make a medicine check on your turn to determine.

Okay. Yes. What I will say here is she has just gone prone, and this executioner has a second attack. Oh, no. Two natural force as he clangs down thudding into the stone. Oh my God. That is going to be.

There's but a single assassin left with Gus right here no longer has advantage, but making two attacks. Bonus action applies another dose of poison. No, sure. Oh, shield's gone? No shield. That's one in nine. For him, yes.

15 armor class. I'll roll the first guy out here in the open. It's the first attack. Eight is a miss. Second attack. God, I'm having a heart attack. Uh-huh. 11 plus 5 is a 15.

Gus uses a reaction to use the Perry ability, adding two to his armor class for a 17. Turns a hit into a miss as he shield up. I went off this roller coaster. This roller coaster. I love it. Timinish Knight. is going to sprint the rest of the way to his king.

Leaping into the fray. That is going to be Murray. That is your turn. Okay, what do I wait? Who's in front of me? Who's bad? You have one assassin left in front of you who is fighting King Gus.

And he's looking rough? King Gus is one hit away from dropping. And there is a world based on his initiative order, where if he gets dropped on the first hit and double death save failed on the second, that he would roll and die on his turn. So he's still a turn away from death. Oh, God.

Okay. With the trickle of blood, still kind of dripping from Murray's nose, she's gonna tap into that fabric of reality yet again. is she takes her fingernail and rips it across, and she's going to kind of take it and run it right across the brim of her hat. Yeah.

As she is looking at this assassin across from her, and she's going to cast musical migraine. Mm-hmm. Um, so he has to make a Constitution-saving throw. Uh, Constitution saving throw. Um. My spell save is 15. Fail.

Okay. Okay. He takes 3D6 Thunderding. and he is incapacitated. Ooh, incapacitated is so bad. So he takes five, six, seven, eight, nine, thunder damage. As Murray runs her finger across the brim of her hat,

and you almost see it mirrored in this assassin as that sonic line almost scrapes and slices right across his forehead. Um, zoop. Um, Amazing. King Gus, with this, with this assassin incapacitated, there is no active enemy within range of King Gus.

And then I'm, I don't like it here. Well, I'm not base to base with anybody, right? No. I'm just gonna kind of, I know that there's still spell slingers on the board. I'm just going to kind of shimmy my, myself behind this pillar, if you don't mind moving me. You can take off that invisibility ring too. Because that's gone.

And I'm just gonna kind of hide myself behind this pillar to be a little bit out of line of sight. Great. Back here. Hiding behind the pillar, you're out of line of sight. Hell yes. Yes, so I want to be in line of sight with Goss, but not this spell slinger over here. Good. Yep, yep. That's fine, yeah.

Howe. You are about 80 feet from that front doorway right now. But there's like a whole pack of people, including Thelonius and two gigantic dogs there? Yes, there are. Are Thelonius and the dogs like facing inward or are facing out as they appear? They're facing inward.

They were trying to open the door. And the doors exploded open in front of them. Yes, correct. Man. And I'm 80 feet away. 80 feet away. All right, I have a clarification question. Way earlier when I first threw up the disguise that I'm wearing,

I had said, like, if I need to, I'll use my orchid. adrenaline rush. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But you didn't say if I needed it or not. So if I still have it, I'll use it. If not, I will not. I will, I'll allow you to use it this round. Okay, to close distance.

Okay, so I have two of them. One was spent to get as far as I have. I will use the second, but I'm out of gas just to get in the room. I would hit these guys around like the 70 feet mark, so I can make it into the room if I can get through that crowd. I believe you can.

As you get through the crowd, Hal, you push forward into this chamber here. Give me an insight check. Okay, but that's my action, bonus action moving, are all blown. I can't do anything. So perceive. It's a two that I rolled.

So for a total of six. Total of six. Dead sprint, huffing and puffing into the room. You just sprinted across the Arcanot at top speed and are in here watching absolute chaos. And I'm also not recognizable to anyone, unless someone is, like, confused by my appearance and tries to discern who or what I am.

Hell, yeah. You see Gus whips around to his druid and goes, Hounds! Druid moves over here, and it's going to remove poison from Martin, the Hound of the King. Yes. Come on, Martin. Incredible.

Gus is going to, that if we guys, incapacized, Facitated? Looks up at the musical migraine. Sees U-Duck around the column, winks, and just plants himself, both, like, drop shield for a second to grab the sword, boom! Plunge it through the stomach of that remaining assassin. Especially Anthony he winks just kind of gives a little, like, Ooh. Incredible.

Follonius rushes a little, inside over the body of the Fautark. Mother! Um, um, uh, um, Martin looks forward here.

Martin's, he, I know his friends in trouble. Martin goes, Fiends, ha! And leaps over and bites the throat out of that assassin, finishing him off. Yeah! Come on, Mark! Uh, uh,

da-da-da. Um, seeing Gus completely unsurrounded by active, assassins. This dude here, Tal, roll a D6 for me. Chew-wee. This spellcaster hits a glyph and vanishes. That certainly makes me decide what I'm gonna be doing. Okay, that is going to be Belair and Azune. You wanna go first or? You go first. Okay, because I'm gonna be, mm-me-mini-mony-mo.

Oh, oh, that got disappeared. I can go first if you want me to. Only assassin. and active in the room is the executioner up on the table. Over your sister. Over your sister. Yeah. Okay, I can, um, yeah, let me try and do a thing first.

Um, who. I'm going to try phantasmal force. No, yeah, I'm gonna try phantasmal force on this motherfucker. Go for it. Uh, that's an intelligence 14 save. That is a failure. Um, oh God. The king's escaping.

escaping. The king's escaping drawing a crossbow and aiming it at him. The king has crawled away and is about to take a shot at the assassin. Better do something about that. Incredible. In fact, the king, oh no, is right there. Right there? Okay. In fact, yeah. King is right there? Okay. Yeah, and definitely crawling away is about to make a ranged attack against our assassin. Hell yeah. D-da-da, uh, awesome. He is fully, he is fully charmed. Um, uh, you've, you've been playing tricks on this dude's mind the whole fight.

What you get for being an idiot and a, you know, don't, don't walk into a museum for your schmuck. Ahzunay, that's you. And I'm also, I'm going to be starting to move. Cool. A little bit, yeah, yeah. Joining Azunay here? Yeah, joining Ozunay there. Great.

Um, I see this guy bring his wheeling an axe, right? Weielding an axe, but you see that, uh, you see his mind. And he turns, thank you so much. I'm, I literally. But you, yeah, Boler comes to your side and you, the spell goes off. Azami, that is your turn. Hold.

For what? For what? If he makes a strike, then hold. I then. Does it look like he's about to turn or does it look like there's this concentration? You feel the spell take hold on the assassin. I'm going to...

Or get your sister out of it. I'm going to interpose myself. My sister's fallen unconscious. I'm going to move next to her so that I can if I need to try to to interpose myself between her and him. Yeah. And I'm going to go down on one knee

and I'm going to touch her... I'm going to hold her hand. I'm going to go for her hand. Yeah. And I'm going to say, don't leave me. And I am going to lay on hands. Fuck yes, good call. Call, good call.

My eyes start to glow. It looks like the sun almost sets and then rises again in my eyes. And it feels like heartbeat has energy timed with the beating of my heart, moves from my chest, down my arm, into my hand, and into hers. I'm giving her... I'd give her everything I have all... I have up to five hit points that I can give her, and I know I wouldn't waste.

I would give it all. The executioner, energy flows through your hand. Those beautiful sunset eyes open. Her helm is rolled off. Whatever she's done in life, they trusted her with that spellbolt in the crossbow, the one that fired at the photarch. You look up, she looks, her eyes flutter open,

long, dark red hair, braided, flowing back from her, she opens up. The muscles of her face have atrophied from a life you have not been parted to and cannot imagine. She looks withered, not of body,

but of something more profound. As she looks up at you, She is experiencing no small amount of pain from the sword blow that just was knit shut to prevent her from succumbing to that wound. You've staunched the bleeding. But she's also feeling pain in her face as muscles that have not moved in many years

crease into a smile. She looks up and goes, you hear ghostly, Veron's voice, saying, keep one alive, keep one alive! Keep this one alive! It is the top of the next round, and I need you to roll in D6. Six.

She looks at you and says, Do any more. Crack breaks a dimension door ruin and vanishes. Oh, is my bonus action? Mm-hmm. If I still have the opportunity to take my action, Mm-hmm. I believe you see that I'm about to lose my shit,

and I'm about to strike at that man. You, I may step right in front of you. I lunge forward. If I can, yeah, I know that's, yeah, I know that's a difficult thing. Actually, yeah, because I, I didn't take my whole movement. I'm shit. I don't know how, yeah, that might be my,

I'll allow you to step in front. I'm not a thing, I'm not a thing, I'm not a thing, I'm a person, I'm a person. Oh. Oh, wait a minute. Yes? I'm going to use my reaction for command. Mm-hmm.

Okay. Calm. Make a, um... A wisdom save. Make a wisdom save. Can I choose to fail? Yeah. Choose to fail.

It's just one good breath. That's all it is. It may go away after. You see your sister's blood dripping off that weapon. but Blair's voice resonates within you. This is the only living assassin in the room. And you see Varen point at him.

As you succumb, do you use your action to strike or no? Don't. I feel I'd left my shield on the ground. I raise my warhammer towards this man. And I say, arrest him. As you call that out, Varon points and your magpies begin to flood into the room. He, on his turn, is going to rush over here.

Yep. And you see he takes, you see that Philonius holding his mother's body, imposes himself, and this guy lashes out with his axe and thugs it into Philonius's side. We are going to, this is going to be our last round of combat. Everything has unfolded in this wild way. That is the last assassin to go. That Timinish Knight is going to rush over here.

Oh, this is on me. Timitish Knight knocks this guy prone, knocks the assassin prone. You see, you see, that, Murray, that is your turn. You see Philonius, having just been injured, says, and is raising his weapon to attempt to finish off the assassin. Oh.

Philonius? Philonius. Follonius. Oh. Can I try very quickly to get a sense of if Philonius is in on this ruse and what the fuck is going on with the The Fotark?

Give me insight. Because he could be trying to get rid of the last bit of evidence on scene. A hundred percent. I think that's exactly what it is certainly. I think he's in on it. I'm gonna guess he's in on it. Okay. Come on, come on, baby.

That's good, that's a natural 18 for 19 insight. Philonius' rage is manufactured. This bitch, this bitch. Bad actors everywhere. Yeah. Action from Marie or bonus action. Old person on Philonius. E.

Woo! Yes! Okay! This is probably our last crucial role of the combat. I have no portents left. No portents. Okay, here we go. Wait, wait, wait, hold on.

Can let me think of something? Can me, hold on. I have a thing. I have a thing. I think I have a thing. I just have to make sure that I understand the rules. He's gonna roll that motherfucker at disadvantage. I'm gonna use a luck point against him.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yep, yep. Yep, yep. Falo, well, your difficulty is 14, correct? 15. 15. 15, okay. So he is going to succeed on a seven or higher. Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I can't. It doesn't work that way.

I can. You can? I have luck points, right? It's disadvantage when a creature rules a D20 for an attack rule against you. I can spend a luck point to impose disadvantage. Okay. Yep.

You are looking for it. So we're going to roll a single die. You're right. You're looking for a six or lower here. Here we go. Here we go, hold on. Six or lower. Come on me.

Come on. 17. Okay. That's okay. That's okay. Spell goes off. Phelonius resists it. Murray, that's da-da-da, that's you.

Howl, it is going to be your turn. So Murray's visible and I saw you cast at Thelonius. Yes. I'm like, I'm trying to make sense of what's going on. Oh my God. I mean, what would I do? Fotark is at my feet. He's raging.

Yeah, Phelonius is raging. He's about to kill that assassin. He's right. Give me perception 15, actually. I don't think anyone saw Murray casting that whole person. You're hiding behind a column. It's chaos in here. Perception 15, you said?

Yeah. It's 17. Cool. You notice Murray cast a spell eyeing Philonius, but most other people don't notice it. So you were trying to hold him. I'm trying to get him to stop what he's about to do. Right. Right.

Have I noticed that this is all going tits up or no? Yes. We can see that. You can see that Varon and Azunei are both calling for his arrest, and Philonius is saying, I'm going to kill him. Do I have a way of dropping? I can't drop the spell except on my turn. You can drop it. I'm dropping tantasmal.

Now I see this is a cluster fuck. I do not know what the fuck. I mean, I thought I knew what was going on. So the guy that he's trying to kill, what's his state? He's prone. But that's it. He's awake. Potark? Oh, the assassin?

The assassin is awake and injured. But, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I have as much time to figure this out as I would of hell running in the room. And he probably has a look on their face at the moment. It could be good. It could be good. If they are trying to hide the evidence here. Yeah.

I mean, her getting away as well. I mean, her getting away as good. So she can survive. So, and this is Thelon. We'll find out, but he's like here or something. Yep, that's Phelonius. He's there. I'll tell you. I think looking at the battlefield here,

I'll also give you the social reality. You just saw him read do that. Gus is looking like he is mostly like coming down from the adrenaline and is being tended to because he's very close to death and they don't know if there's other enemies outside. So he's not in the arrest him mindset right now. He's like, go save him. my other hound, where's Carr Brady?

Like, thinking about, like, his people in the room. So he's not focused on the madness happening on the other side of the banquet tables. All of your guys' guards for the party are focused on, we've got to arrest this. We're coming in here to arrest this guy. And then Philonius looks like he's gonna drop this axe on this dude. So that's your reality right now.

I think what I'm going to do then is bonus action. I'll just, you'll hear, possibly a familiar voice. I'm still masking it, but I'll say, Azune, and a familiar tickling at the back of your brain stem hits, and you get Bartik Inspiration. And then as an action, I can give the help action, right? Yes.

I'm going to do that for the assassin. Okay, and just interpose. Okay, great. That's how I'll help. I'll draw Liar's Blade, which is also disguised at this point. Yeah. And stand over the assassin, I guess. Yeah.

You leap on the table, stand over the assassin to prevent Philonius from striking. Yes. You're still disguised. You've given Bardic inspiration. Yes. Hell yes. Following you, you see our druid is again ministering

to the king and healing him. Philonius is going to take an attack at disadvantage because you're giving the help action. to that assassin. Probably just looking like one of the many guards streaming into the room. Yeah.

Streaming into the room. Da-da. Okay, Philonius is going to take attacks with disadvantage. He hits on a nine or higher, and it's going to make two attacks. Wow. Nice to go.

Wow. Disadvantage. Come on, please. Nine, that's a hit. 10 is a hit. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. That's going to be ugly.

I had no control for Fallonius and I wasn't going to take him down. Yeah. I wouldn't be very upset when I find out what's actually happening. To be fair, Murray knows. You're the only one who know. So like even if he gives away,

but it's going to be my word against literally everybody else's. We can work on that. Oh, Hal. You interpose. Philonius. Raises the axe and there is a blast of wind and light, and you are buffeted back by the pure divine presence.

His tattoos of filament, the light radiates. In the name of the holy light, I lay low all enemies of the creed and beheads the assassin in front of you. The light fills the chamber. The guards rush in, Varon, looking at at the last of the assassins to die, Gus heaving and panting.

And you see Philonius says, Is the king all right, mother! Light fills the chamber. Yonessa's body rises from the ground. Light cascades into her chest. Bullshit! Party goers flood into the doors, all of the guests who have rushed to see the commotion.

What in the Messiah shit is this? And they watch the resurrection of Yonessa Halavar. Fuck off. That's the end of this episode. Oh my God. Critical. So angry.

Gus lives. Everyone's witness a miracle and Murray's gonna be like, classic academic. Everybody saw something and you know that's not what they saw. Fuck. Well, folks, we got full knives down here.

What a combat. And let me tell you, folks, is it Thursday yet? I hate everything. Thanks for listening to this. episode of Critical Role. If you're enjoying this story, consider leaving a review on your podcast platform of choice. We're always looking for new critters to share our adventures with, and your review may help a new batch of wayward souls find their way to Aramon, Exandria, and beyond. Or if you want to hear what the cast discussed after the episode, head to beacon.tv and check out our exclusive show,

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