Critical Role - The Fall of Thjazi Fang | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 1 Part 1

Episode Date: October 9, 2025

Part 1 "A politically suspicious execution brings the friends, family, and enemies of noted war hero Thjazi Fang to the city of Dol-Makjar to celebrate a life well-adventured... New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays. Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/ OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee MulliganLaura Bailey as ThimbleLuis Carazo as Azune NayarRobbie Daymond as Kattigan ValeAabria Iyengar as Thaisha LloyTaliesin Jaffe as Bolaire LathaliaAshley Johnson as VaelusMatthew Mercer as Sir Julien DavinosWhitney Moore as TyrannyLiam O’Brien as Halandil "Hal" FangMarisha Ray as Murray Mag’NessonSam Riegel as Wicander "Wick" HalovarAlexander Ward as Occtis TachonisTravis Willingham as Teor Pridesire CREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireEdited by Taylor Burke and Emily "Stevie" StevensonVisual Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceMiniature Painting by Payton Keo LacebalTheme Music by Neal AcreeCharacter Art by Loren HontanillaAdditional Art & Design by Hannah Friederichs Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Why, hello there. I'm Brennan Lee Mulligan, and welcome to Campaign 4 of Critical Role. Thank you for joining us on this journey as we explore Aramon, a world of fractured kingdoms, tumultuous rebellion, and sorcery that rises from the graveyard of the gods. You're listening to Part 1 of this adventure, with part 2 arriving this upcoming Tuesday. Our episodes typically arrive on the Critical Role podcast network 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.

Critical Role. Liam. Someone you love very much is about to die. Could you please introduce us to your character? My name is Hallandiel Fang. How? How? I am a older, dark-haired with streaks of white orc gentleman,

dressed in fairly fine but not ostentatious clothing, and has smile lines at the eyes from a life well-lived. Trying in this moment to hold on to the spirit that has buoyed him through his life, maybe not doing as well as he'd like to in this moment. This moment, you stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of the city of Dolmachiar. It's gray stone standing proud here

at the eastern edge of the land known as Cahad. You stand under the guardian wall. Heroes of the Shaper's War carved in statue some 80 feet tall, their torsos emerging from masonry, from the rock and stone of the mountainside, lean and hold the mountains of Cavros at bay. These statues arrayed side by side, orcs and dwarves, elves and humans,

halflings, gnomes, beast folk, rendered here as heroes of a revolution. now fading from memory. Their looks of determination, heroism, and strength carved forevermore into their faces. What hope they bear in their noble visages. Under their arms stands the base of this massive wall

at the eastern edge of the city. Dolmakiar, towering spires that follow the river Vroche step by step down from the mountains as the city comes to life. Over your own neighborhood, you see a flight of magpies. Black wings, white breasts,

take to the sky, flying over the stream as the mist rises on this gray day. The days have been mostly gray recently. The guardian wall, like much of Dolmachiar, is a place dedicated to heroism, camaraderie, the struggle of the mortal world to make a brighter day. And it is here under the guardian wall that they have strung up the hangman's noose to kill your brother, Fiazzi Fang.

Behind the wall, a wagon approaches. Soldiers, their heraldry and tabards, alive with the crests of the sundered houses, Tacomis, Helovar, Royce, Einfassen. Hormoray. March. You would think some beast of legend was left within this wagon, barred with iron as it is, for the amount of soldiers marching this man to the gallows. But it is just one man. The wagon pulls up to a small dais, wooden staircase, and a door leading through the wall

out to the awaiting crowd in the hangman's noose, waiting at the steps, his eyes on the approaching wagon. Louise is your character. Could you please introduce us to your character? Yes. Azune Nayar stands tall, proud. Proud. Human in appearance, he is just over 5.10, but gives the presence of someone that's taller than that. His pride carries him above his height. He is strong, lean, muscular. He has medium brown skin and coppery Auburn brown hair that's tied back in a braid, a birthmark that goes up the right side of his neck, up his face, and up to his forehead around his eye. His eyes look like a sunset on an ocean.

The bottom half of his irises are a deep blue. His pupils are yellow like the sun that burst out into an orange, and then into a teal, and then into a light gray. He is wearing full armor, as is given to him by his station in Domachiar. He is a member. of the Revolutionary Guard and Arcane Marshal specifically.

And his arms are exposed. Along his right bicep are tattooed the words, have mercy on those I send you. The door to the wagon opens. Soldiers of House Taconas retrieve a figure from inside the shadows. And a handsome orc smile across his fanged face. Nice Shiner indicating some degree of glibness

or flippancy in the face of these guards. Wearing his soiled coat in his old boots, his effects having been taken from him, is marched out in manacles. The man you followed into battle all those years ago, dragged forward here. He looks up at you as he approaches. Not you, anybody but you.

I put my hand up to stop the rest of the soldiers. I am the Arcane Marshal assigned to scan the prisoner. And I begin a ritual. My palm is facing up, and I start to trace a circle around my palm as I begin a ritual of detect magic. But as I do that, I point my fingers towards him, and I actually cast message. Hidden from those guards here, not first in the arcane.

You feel yourself connect through this act of sorcery to theazi fang. Study his face for a moment. The Ozzie. I can bias a few moments if you have something that you want to say to someone and want me to pass it to them now is the time. As you feel this spell connect to you, he smiles and goes, anything I have to tell anybody,

I can tell them myself. You can notice that look in his eyes, that glint. And I say more. In a moment, I'm going to scan you to see if I can pick up any arcane residue, and my hope is that I do. Earlier today, somebody placed an object on you, a ward. And watch me, closely when I'm done.

If I sense it, I'll give you a knot. And then I'll gesture to let you know where it is. It's delicate. It breaks easy. And upon adding just a little bit of pressure, it will be the very thing that sends you away from here. Understood. One last thing.

A message from your brother. Hal says he's here with you until the end. And you've always been a hero in his eyes. Well, that makes one of us. I don't know that I'll be able to see him again after today, probably, right? I mean, you guys getting me out of here, I'm not gonna be able to.

Tiazzi, you've lit many fires throughout your years. your years. And they all still burn. And with that, instead of casting the ritual, I'm actually going to use a spell slot and cast detect magic in that moment. An updraft of wind moves up towards me. A pulse radiates out and detect magic. Scan him. A gleam of magic hidden in the back of his coat, quite near his manacled hands. registers to you. A little bit of conjuration, a little bit of illusion, just enough trickery for Theazi Fang

to make one last daring get away. Good. I step back, I give him a nod, and I turn around and I put my hand on the small of my back so he can see me indicate where it is. He nods to you, and in that, and in that last moment of the message can't trip, he makes eye contact with you and says,

I know you'll have to stay here. I'm sorry for all the distance I kept. I hope all those fires I set were worth it. Make sure you set some of your own when the time comes. and he walks up to the gallows, a spring in his step, moves through the door. As he walks out under the gallows,

the crowd seeing him for the first time, from many parts of the crowd, a cheer goes up. The lords and ladies of the sundered houses anticipating this moment strike up the trumpets. attempting to quiet this noise. You see your brother, and you see him looking throughout a crowd of several hundred people looking for you.

Raise an arm to the air. He nods to you. He nods to you. to you. A herald of House Taconas steps forward. Herein, sentenced to death, by the authority of the Chamber of Lords' advisory to the Revolutionary Council, is the traitor, arcanist, and murderer Thiasi Fang to be put to death.

his crimes enumerated, befouling archinism, theft, skullduggery, murder, and sedition against the beneficence of the city and its peoples. At this last accusation of murmur moves through the crowd. Another voice stands this one from an elderly woman dressed in white, the matriarch of House Halivar, Sion of the Candescent Creed. Let the light shine and let peace

be restored to this blessed city and its heroic legacy. As she continues to speak in this moment, Vyazi turns to you. Hell. I think anxiety rising in my gut, I'm severely tempted to dark my eyes around this open space looking for any hand to intervene, to see any result of all of the beseeching and deal-making I have been making behind the scenes for weeks.

I won't let my brother look at that if these are to be his final moments, so I hold his look and for someone whose life has been all about words, I have none to give. He looks at you smiling, shakes his head, no. And at this distance, you can't hear him over the speech of the photarch, of the candescent creed, this elderly matriarch speaking.

But you see him mouthing the words to you in this moment of desperation. So many strings were pulled. Something's gotta happen. This can't be. He looks at you and goes, mouthing, just so you can read his lips. What are you doing for lunch after this?

What, you didn't plan a funeral? Don't you like me at all? If I don't see you for a long time, you're my hero. And I, his eyes dart up to the sky. I'd like you to make an insight to check for me. Natural 20. P.

Poh! In this moment, In this moment, on a Nat 20, you look and see his eyes and I think your bardic magic swells and you connect through him and can hear his voice. He looks up and you see reflected in his eyes distant. You can't see it from where you are in the crowd looking up. All of the people of Dolmachiar gathered here in this place. Skyboxes filled with nobles looking out over balconies from the higher level near the shoulders of the mighty statues. You look and see, he sees something, something in the sky, and his face changes. There's panic. On a Nat 20, the residue of a Zune's message cantrip comes to you, and I will allow you to speak mentally

to your brother in this moment on that Nat 20 as he looks out and sees something in panics. He goes, no. No. He looks at you. You have to... Look at what to do. Murray, you got to help Murray. The pentadryl. You have to help her.

There's paint waiting for you with Belair. I can't... You have to... You hear the voice from the deusay. Have you any last words? The Azifeng. He looks up, realizing that he can't speak telepathily to you while he's in this moment before they pull the lever,

he looks out and goes, speaking to the crowd, the false authority that now condemns me to death will fall. I regret only that I will miss the glorious celebration when your calumny and destruction comes to an end. He looks to you and in his mind says, tell Thimble not to you, to be scared.

He looks out and says, I can still hear the falcons cry. The lever is pulled in your mind. He says, tell her that I, the rope goes taut, snap. And what is to come after? We will discover in this first episode of Campaign 4 of Critical Role.

Thank you, Brennan, and welcome to Critical Role Campaign 4. Hey! You've shaken up a lot around here, and the top of the show announcements are no exception, but don't worry, you'll still be getting your weekly dose of deeply cerebral and well-rehearsed ad bits here at the Critical Role Announcement Playhouse! Okay, cut a ribbon. Marisha, you're up. Hello to all watching this on Beacon right now, and remember that a Beacon membership is the best way

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and it will auto-re auto apply. And Laura? Hey, we're partnering with Shopify, New York for the critical role Taisenot pop-up shop. Oh, I know. Join us in New York City from October 3rd through the 5th where you'll step through the doors of Nicodranus' famous lavish ato, the decked-in finery to honor the joyful, fabulous union of Jester Lavoor and Fordstone. Amazing experiences, limited edition merch, ooh from us and our amazing licensing partners.

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Yeah. Sam is supposed to go next. Can we like, is he ready? Is he still in his dressing room? Can we just film them there? Yeah, that's fine. All right. That'd be fine.

Oh, hi. Smiley Day to you. And it's a smiley day to me too because I wrote a book. And it's officially available wherever books are sold in both hardcover and e-book. In Smiley Day,

your favorite robot therapist fresh-cut grass dispenses well-meaning advice to the members of Bell's Hells and to himself. With FCG as your guide, you'll learn important gems of wisdom, such as truth is like engine oil.

It might taste bitter, but you gotta drink it, or do unto others as if you know what the word unto means. Smiley Day is illustrated by the incredibly talented Thornell Knight, and the cover is designed by Bones Leopard, head to Critical Rolebooks.com to learn more. And Smiley Day to you. Thanks, Sam. Critical Role Champion Dysets!

We have them. for Grog, Percy, and Essek. Okay, here, like I'll pass them around. They're so pretty. These are based on our level 20 designs, okay? And the dice are designed by Learondo. The illustrations on the packaging is by Lisa Prick. It's Liz Art.

And the packaging design overall is by Elena Harris. Thank you. Thank you to all three fabulous artists. And these are so beautiful. These are cool. Oh, and they come, look. I'm with a bag, too. I just roll the natural 20.

Holy shit. Wait, wasted. Maybe I can get one too. I know, I legitimately did. I got a 12. All righty, and that concludes our first campaign for announcements from the Critical Role Announcement Playhouse. Yeah!

And with that, welcome to Aramon. Ooh. Oh. And you're ready. The final touches. All right, here we go. A neighborhood on the eastern edge of the city of Dolmachiar, the rookery so named for its many perches and aviaries, this is a neighborhood of towers and sky bridges and quirky connected little sort of conical shingled places. There's a lot of places where the patchwork shingling of towers

reveals that even though this place is quite, you know, vertical, that it is not a castle of lords and ladies, but it is a place instead for poets and performers, for actors and gestures and those that create song and music. The aviaries send magpies flying hither and yon throughout this place, and perhaps the only thing that would seem odd, to a traveler would be the amount of rooftops that appear to have small collections of seats

all facing in the same direction, down towards the River of Roche, where we see a stage gathered down in this neighborhood academy, this place where storytellers, singers, and bar of all kind have come to train for as long as anyone can remember. Up on top of the hill, there are a number of houses clustered, and I would like you to describe one such house, which is house.

Nestled in, not at the very top, but near it, is a medium time-sized, modest house. Hal is not a man of deep pockets or wealth, but he lives happily and comfortably in this home with its view of the river and my theater down below at the foot of the hill. This neighborhood makes me happy just to walk through it on any given day.

It is my home, it is my heart, it is my life's work, all started in these streets. And from my house on the hill, I can look out at most of the city and on a place where I spend most of my days. The house is, again, modest. It has lots of bedrooms. This house is meant for hosting

and guests staying with us, both family and friends alike passing through. There is a large greeting room on the first floor meant for having gatherings at. And upstairs, there is a back room that is littered with paper and scrolls and walls and walls of books, musical instruments perched on stands scattered about.

There are songs in mid-composition. There are verse half composed on a number of different desks in here. Everything is a work in progress. My life is a work in progress. Stunned. moving through the home, you see with the outline of dried tears on her face is your young daughter, Shadia.

You see Shadia wipes her nose and goes about the task of getting your home ready for the Farav, which is essentially awake. It is, in Orkish custom, in Khad, basically the day of a death or as soon as possible, you begin the grieving process. And part of that is putting the body in a state of viewing where loved ones can come and pay their respect. Shadia has not had to say goodbye to anybody,

and you can see absent-mindedly is setting the tape like for the many dinner parties and sort of large family dinners you have here, she's setting the table and you know that that table is where where Theazi is going to have to go. I place my hand on her wrist and gently let the plate down on the table. Come, come.

Come. And I feel the way she does, but I just hug her. and take a moment of quiet with her. I know. I know. I'm right there with you. But now is a time to lean on your family, lean on your mother, your sister.

They'll be here soon. Oh. Crying's fine. Always. Hey, I love you. And he did too. And that's what we'll remember. I love you.

I love you, Dad. I wish Al-A-Gar was here. I can't, I sent those birds to him, but he didn't. I just wish, and you hear a knock at the door, the door opens up, and an older orcish gentleman, Old Good shows up. you look and see that this is All Good, Accorat. Your business partner who enters the home and goes,

Come on in. All good. Oh, yeah. I just pull him and clap him hard on the back. Claps you hard on the back. I thought at the... At the... You and me both. Two weeks.

Two weeks I have talked my way through the Royce home. And Aranesa... Is she coming today? She has to. I hope she'd come a little sooner. Oh, shit. I brought cranberry cream rolls and flowers. Right.

Right. Shottie, take that. Take that. You see, Shai says, hi, Uncle, old good. Not her uncle, uncle, but effectively as good as an uncle to her. She takes it, and he looks and goes, People are going to be here soon. Maybe you could help us. Yeah, I'll funnel people if anyone's.

Do we know how many Thiazzi's friends and? I think a considerable amount, yeah. Yeah. I, Thiasi, obviously. obviously a hero, a hero to us, a falconer's rebellion, hero, hero, but he knew some, well, I'll just keep an eye out. My brother had irons and a lot of fires.

Yes, he did. He sure did. Two more figures approached the house, and I would love if we could get Abria and Alex out here. Welcome to Briette Alex. Hello. For the audience at home, there's so many people, so close to where I am right now.

We're being so quiet, actually. We're doing so good. Outside of the Fang home, two figures walk up the cobblestone street. heading up the hill. Abrea, would you please describe your character for us? Taisha is a tall, she's tall for an orc, six, four sort of desaturated green skin,

curly, long, dark hair. She's beginning to show the signs of graying, but her druidic connection means that the age, of her is being lost in her face. She's already started slowing down, so she appears in her mid to late 30s. Her eyes, the scleras and pupils are black, but her irises are silver with like a ring of red,

and on her hands her fingers go red and black at the tip. She is alloy, a family that means something in this city, and she wears those colors, blood, and the soot and scale of smiths. And she swishes up the street in fine clothes, but doesn't even seem to be aware of her presence and her presence as she speaks with her companion in hushed in panic tones about what went wrong.

We were supposed to, we just need to figure out What happened? He was supposed to be there. He was, it was supposed to. I don't, I don't know. Alex, who do we see speaking in this moment? You see a, um, small young man. About small in the presence.

He's about 5.11. He is thin. With dark hair and the presence. and light olive skin and bright green eyes. And wearing dark, noble clothing that is clean but worn. And with an array of implements around his belt and a bookstrap to his leg.

And he is glassy-eyed. He is just staring and not blinking. and with him is a small white and other colors. Fox. I don't know, I don't. That wasn't what was supposed to happen. Obviously, we need to speak with Azune and Thimble and something. Are you okay?

I'm fine. I've never done anything like this before. It's okay. Normally they go better than this. I'm not hazard to say that he heard conversation coming up the Kabul streets and spotted them out the window, so by the time you arrive at the door, Hal is leaning against the frame, just smiling at you as you approach. I think that's the moment where all of the planning

and that like frustration that can see still feel purposeful ends at your face because it looks so much like your brothers and like her sons and our daughters. Well, you're a cyphosaurus, and I just bury myself in her and just drink in the familiar scent. And I think it's subtle, but you can

feel Hal's frame kind of shut her just a little bit. Finally. She doesn't let you go right away. That first, like the moment she feels you kind of pull back when propriety says, like, this is enough for an embrace. She pulls you a little tighter. And I'm actually going to cast enrichment on this spot. Awesome.

For the next year. Plants in a half mile radius from exactly right here will be a little more fruitful and a little more green. I place my hand on your cheek. I'm sorry. We were supposed to, I don't know what happened. We were supposed to get out of the city and act. Come on. Your daughter needs you.

Walking into a home would, which there is no corner of that is unfamiliar to you. Though you haven't seen it in quite some time. You see your daughter Shadia, this beautiful, young Orkish woman who, you know, wears sort of like a harlequin pattern to her breeches and is studying to be a performer like her father, looks out, and she goes,

Jasmine. And as Jasmine grows along the outside of the windows, and she gives you an enormous hug. Hi, Mom. Hi, baby. Are you okay? Um, bad things are better when we're together. Yeah. Oh. Oh, God. Um, uh, sorry. Sorry. This, no, this is on me. Hi. This is Oct. Welcome to my home. Ahtas, is it?

Oh, Octus. Hi. This is my daughter Shadia. Hi, Shadha. Hi. Octas, nice to meet you. I'm Shadia. Are you helping with,

are you a member of the old path? And she's her cocks and eyebrow. Very much not. Just a friend. Oh. I also knew him. I mean, everybody knew him. I mean, everybody knew Uncle Tiazzi.

But you knew him, like he was. He, um, that he helped me when I was a child. He did that for me, too. If you want to, if you're, are you hungry? Do you want some food or drink? I can get something for you. We have more cold meats than we know what to do with. Please, I hope you'll help us.

Jip away at it. Sure. Who's this? Oh, that's PIN. And the fox up onto my shoulder. The fox is mostly white with one leg that is from a different fox. And eyes that are purple buttons.

Oh, you see that Shottie looks over at you and goes like, I don't know why I thought he was a member of the old path. He's not a member of the old path. No. Definitely just, like, very low. Like, don't even, I'll tell you later, don't. Pin, I think, I think. And pin disappears.

Oh, you didn't have to. It's just, it's probably, that's probably, Goddy goes, ah! Sorry. Sorry, she, I'll go get you a cranberry cream roll and she walked out. Oh, I'm so sorry. Hey, that was pretty good.

That was good, that was a good start. You're doing great. Take you by the elbow. Will you, are you staying? Oh, God. Oh, and this is that moment where she just realized she wasn't supposed to be here. We should have been on the road out of town by now. Yeah, for a little bit, at least, if it's okay. Is it okay? Yes. Your room's ready. Thank you.

You hear the turning of wheels outside approaching. Horse hooves and the noise of armor descending from the driver seat of a wagon. Luis, can we have you come in? I'm back. I'm back. I'm back. I'm back.

Oh, God. Two. I'll slide. So it's better. Yes. It's all here. Okay, Luis, Azunay appears outside of the house with a wagon from a carriage from the Brethren hall. You see that two of your inquirers, this would be

This would be Horace and Grotto open the doors at the back, revealing not a coffin, but a basically cushioned carrying surface with a body and a white sheet draped around and over it. I will make my way over to them. And I can take it from here. Of course, Lieutenant. And I look at this, the body of Theazi that is now covered and on this. I, it's so formal and so wrong.

And I'm gonna take him off of whatever this is, this thing that he's been laid on, and I'm gonna scoop him up and I'm gonna carry him inside myself. You pick him up this white funereal sheet provided by the candescent creed in the house of Halavar is left on the cobblestones by the carriage, and you walk in,

I think a moment from many years ago in the Falconer's Rebellion, where it was your head on his collarbone and him shouting, Maddick! Moving throughout as spells fired overhead and arrows flew through the sky. and you look down and see him. What do you see when you look down

at Fiazzi's face in this moment? I'm transported to this memory, and I remember as he was carrying me, I looked up at his face and how young and strong he was. The fighter that led us with such a cause that I knew was worth dying for, and now I looked down at this

man who has met an end that I never thought I would live to see. And I try to almost superimpose the fighter, the strong leader, that face that I remember. I try to superimpose that right onto the face that I see. That's lifeless. His eyes are a little open and they're glassy. And I, I, I. The lines on his face, they stand out to me.

Almost a bit of the last expression that he had frozen on his face still, and I don't want how to see him like this, so I try to smooth it over. Whatever fear or panic was left from the violence of that moment, the tips of your fingers brush away until some visage of repose is left on Theasi's face. And you walk through the door and behold the Azis family here.

Azune. Tisha. Tasha. Let's see. Hal, I'm so sorry. Where should I put him? Bring him inside. I'll guide Azune to,

off of, there's an alcove to this large area that I have family and friend gatherings down the first floor of the house. And there is, I know what the right word is, it's not a chaise. And there's no like, back rest on it, but it is the length of a body. And I want to say comforting, but there's no comfort for him.

No, you can rest him. Rest him here. I carefully carry the Ozzi's body, as instructed. Gently set him down. Tisha is pacing back and forth, and it's that mixture of She knows everything in her training and her beliefs is about the repose and return of death, but she just wants to question you.

She knows that you are one of the links in the chain and the desire to figure out what went wrong is warring with trying to maintain the peace and serenity of this. Tasha, you would know that there is some privacy privacy in Hal's office upstairs as well. Like if there's a moment as people begin to arrive that you would want to move in that direction? Simultaneously, I'm just looking at my brother

and thinking of all the days that make up a life and I can see him as a 10-year-old giving me shit and chasing each other around and wrestling in the back of a our father's house, I can see him leaving as a young man. I can imagine the entirely other life that he largely shielded me from with you in very dangerous fields of battle.

And with you, a whole threat of his life outside of my own. and then I look at the kids, our daughter, and I look at Octus, and I think. It's just staring at the potty. He's got his whole life. She's got her whole life ahead of them, full of days, like the one that filled this man's life.

And now he's going. Octus walks up next to you and is still laser-focused on the body and kind of crouches down and sits next to it next to it and looks and goes, hi, um, it's been a long time. Sorry, sorry, I didn't see you before I, before you, you look good. Doesn't look too bad on you, actually, it seemed to be retaining your color. I don't know, I just thought I'd. Thanks. You've studied many cadavers, but not one like this.

Yeah. Shadia moves, puts a hand on her own. uncle's hand and goes to prepare the table for the few, and she starts to place candles on the table. There's some bottles of a sort of favorite liqueur that you kept here. Pretty much, it's a disgusting thing, but the Aussie liked it, so that's going up at the head.

And there's a little dish of coins and some other things. I mean, so much of the Aussie stuff is here. The Ozzy's life got so dangerous the end that things that mattered to him that couldn't be picked up in a fast escape ended up living here. The tools of his trade had to stay with him, but a little chattering tin box

with old orkish runestones in it from childhood, you know, they're not really magic, but neighborhood kids will say that stuff. That's still here. and a lifetime of adventure and mischief begins to gather on the table with space left when the time comes to move his body into this place of the beginning of this ritual. I think walking up as the hour draws near when people are expected to arrive, our first sort of guests of the funeral arrive.

Travis, could we get you in here? Travis is in this girl? Where's your favorite? Wherever you like, wherever you like. Hell yeah, hell yeah. That's cool. I'll feel like about that. Yeah, yeah.

It's just because he was in front of me. It's just person. Walking up a cobblestone street in a neighborhood of Dolmachiar called The Rookery is a friend that I think has never actually seen where old Fiazzi Fang grew up. Two figures walk side by side. One of them, an older orkish woman who is broad-shouldered,

tall, powerful, square jaw, beautiful tusks with filigreed, runic rings of gold set into the middle of her tusks. She's got her hair up in kind of a gray and white, messy bun. up on top of her head, and an enormous battle axe across her back. She is of such an advanced age that the muscles remaining on her body are clinging to pure spite at this point. The musculature of this ancient warrior

is evidence of a willpower greater than the biological processes of those creatures of the world. of Aramon. She steps forward. By her side, her companion. Travis, would you describe your character for us? Yeah. You see a very tall, very powerfully built lion man. Dark silver fur coming down from his head onto his shoulders. He has a golden breastplate. and adornments that would match his station as a vanguard marshal, purple vestments,

and a shield on his back as well, with a cape flowing behind him, and his feet, of course, uncovered, as is custom for our kind. Powerful arms, a tattoo running up the upper left side of his arm, and you see braids coming down from his mane, down onto his chest, and he is moving alongside this Orkish woman,

but also scanning while he does so. It's habit. It's part of what he does. Give me a perception check. Okay. You said you're scanning, right? Yeah. Or who do you and I see?

Let's find out. That is 19. 19. Oh, shit. First voice. Scanning the horizon, you look out, you see some magpies, sort of the eponymous bird, you're of the rookery, but you see some,

like off in the distance, you see a couple of owls headed off in the direction of the western edge of the city. A few smaller doves here and there. There's kind of like an off, of white, increasingly gray, rock dove that's sort of native to the cities. But no one tends to really keep. Those tend to just be living here of their own volition.

And off in the distance, you see peeling high overhead on that 19, a falcon just kiting on a thermal. No flapping, just rising slowly and steadily up above. of we move back. You made it here just in time. Coming in through the pass from far to the east, the old fallen Obridemian Empire, work with Loza concluding in a series of skirmishes

that are merely pale echoes of earlier, greater causes. You arrived here basically with enough time to find out where the execution was happening and got to at least be there for those last moments. What was Teor feeling at the back of the crowd as that moment unfolded and the rope snapped top. I think in that moment it was about

trying to understand what had come to pass that led up to this moment. Arriving in time was one thing, but this man deserved more, more fanfare. fanfare, more people next to him, just more. And as we arrived and we noticed a mixed bag of reactions, there was certainly the celebration, the trumpets, all the sound and the show of celebration, justice being done.

But the faces that we saw, if you looked closer, there was remorse. of his sadness, there was confusion. And that's where Teor feels. That's what he's feeling now. How did this man that has done so much for so many, far beyond himself, how did he meet an end like this? Téor is a soldier and a mercenary, not a person.

politician, no great judge or magistrate or lord, but you know plenty about conflict. You know a lot about war. There was a war happening. The gallows placed under the heroes of the revolution, under the guardian statues of the Shaper's War. There was a war between those Those trumpets, those decrees and pronouncements and something that the Ozzie could see in the hearts of those people in that crowd, and it was not lost on you either.

What is lost on you is why there are questions, and with each fall of the pads of your mighty pause, the questions rebound and rebound, what has how happened in Dolmachyar. What has happened here in the city of the Revolutionary Council, of the Pariah Blades, of this history? What has happened here that it has come to this? And you arrive at a home and Loza looks up at you and says, I can't believe that that crazy bastard in like a poet's house. We did believe that this is where he grew up. No, maybe not.

Pay our respects either way. Do you know anyone of his immediate family? Yeah. I've met Howe before. He's a good man. Hal fought as well. He didn't stay, he didn't become a mercenary, but he might have caught the tail end of the war of Axe and Vine. His brother.

Yeah. If I can hear speaking on the far side of the door in tones that are not immediate family, but still fundamentally, like, low and kind, the Jasmine growing up, I will force it to bloom a little more and like give it scent off a little more. Welcome.

Walking into the home, Loza Blade, this ancient orkish woman commander of the torn banner that once was steps into the home. Losa, welcome. Hell and deal. Big embrace. Right a day. What a day indeed.

Yeah. I don't know if you'll remember it's been many years, but this is Teor Pride, Sire. I am Theor. My condolences. Oh. Take your hand. I appreciate that.

You are a friend of my brother? Yes. Yes, we serve together in the Falconer's Rebellion. He was a good man. I think so too. You'll have to come in here. I grab a bottle and say, this tastes like piss, but my brother loved it and it gets the job done. Please have a drink with me.

That's very kind of you. Loza, do you? Hey, if you're selling it like that, give me the piss liquor. You see that she takes it and goes, I think he suffered a tongue injury. The Falconer's Rebellion. No, I've never understood it. As we take a sip, I'll take the sip,

but I also use it to look over the edge of the cup just around the room, take in faces new or known. As our eyes meet, I just go, oh. Just never having seen anyone like you before. Just what's all, God. Nope, you're doing great. You're in it now. Can you pour him like a half of one?

Sure. I can do a whole one. Mm-hmm. I'll go over. I'm sorry if my presence is, I'm Teor Pritzair. It is nice to meet you. Octus, nice to meet you. Octus.

Thaisa. Loya. It's fine. Pleasure. That's me. I'm just. We'll call this one three quarters. Congrevis.

Give me a history check, Teor, and you can get the help action from Loza as she leans over. Yes, please. Oh, here's, I know what that man's one. Call it a difficulty of 15. Be so smart. Oh, nope.

Nine. Yeah, you see a young, this young kid looks like some sort of academic. Takes a sip of this. I'm just gonna very quickly just grab that. You could tell him to nurse that first. It's definitely Malort in my mind. You go along with it.

Dullmackayor is Chicago. This is Maloney. The pain's the point. It's horrible. Thiasi, now that the guests are arriving, moved within the circle of relics and belongings there. You see Loza nods to you and says, I'll go pay my respects. And you see goes up with a traditional sort of whispered,

orcish, you know, custom under the old path. She leans up, looks at you and goes, Tysha, it's been a long time. How are you? It's good to see. Using the excuse to put that down, because that is fucking terrible. Go and give her a big hug.

You go give her a big hug. You look so old. How are you alive? How am I alive? Who would kill me? Not death itself. Fair. Too mean. She looks over and goes,

goes, thank you for the Jasmine. And you see that she plucks just a little tiny strand of a white Jasmine flower and goes and puts it behind Theasi's ear and gets down on one knee. And you see she starts whispering something. She doesn't speak druidic, but she knows enough. And you can understand in druidic that what she's saying in this sort of an ancient, orchish druidic hybrid

is basically like the path to the next, life, I hope, is set with flowers and begins to sort of repeat these little whispered prayers. I think that once you arrive, really only made the smallest amount of greeting and small talk and have not said more, and as guests arrive and fill in and how is moving about like you do it awake

and making sure that people are eating and seeing if anyone needs anything and I keep catching your eye across the room. I am ultra-present with Hal and have him in my periphery if I'm not directly looking at him. I think it is probably very obvious every time we sort of like lock eyes across the room that I'd like to talk to you,

but then he just continues moving through the guests and refilling the Lord. I watch you leave, and that's when I know it as Taylor. And I stop in my tracks as I see someone from so many years ago that I spent some time fighting in the Falconer's Rebellion with. And I wait to see if you recognize me because I was so young and I've grown up. You have.

My question is, in that execution, could I see Azune anywhere on or near the stage when it was happening? I'm going to say, after it happened, as you and Loza, because you had gotten there towards the back of the crowd, I think as people started to leave, you stayed for a moment. Azune would have come out afterwards.

In other words, the show of force was from, like, the questions that Taylor has right now is like, you saw House Taconas, House Halovar was there, house Halovar that's now going by the, you know, the candescent creed, this new sort of, like, faith that's, there's a lot of things going on in the city that you're like, that was not here last time,

that was not here last time, that was not here last time. You had heard that Azunae had been, had joined the Revolutionary Guard, but the show of force was foreign almost. Yeah, it was like the sundered houses did this execution and then tossed it over to the Revolutionary Guard to clean up. You saw a Zunei come out at the end.

In other words, they were like, We were just here to kill this guy. We were not here to clean up the corpse. You guys do your thing. We have spent too many years together, spilling blood in the same mud, for us not to recognize each other immediately. Yeah.

I will gauge Azunei's expression and see if it is one of interest and welcome. I look at you, and I feel like I'm trying, sort of scanning you as well. Can I inside check these boys inside checking each other? You both kind of see the shoulders both kind of come back and just, right? I'll give a nod.

Give me insight. Yeah. Jesus. It's under the spider. Why you have a spider? Don't worry about it. 17. 17.

I think that passes Teor. What's your deception score? B. I think it passes your passive deception and you're not trying to be deceptive right now. Nope. I'm not. Teor has a similar vibe that you have right now. You clock a vibe from Tehr is similar to your vibe, which is why did bad things happen?

I think that's the turning point. She wanted to like pull you away to speak to you. If you are already like moving in the same way, I think the sort of which side of the fence she will fall on resolves itself and she'll leave you two to it. And I'm gonna go stand behind Loza and like, sort of hands on her shoulders, begin matching her cadence and harmonizing

with her druidic and take over these rights and step away from the, like, family and people of this and do what I was made and called to do. You speak words of comfort and purpose that flow from the very heart of this world. Loza, hearing a druid of the old path speak this is able to break into just speaking orcish again. And she just looks out surrounded by your spiritual embrace of this moment and go, you married a noble woman.

A commoner kid from Dolmachiar grew up on the other side of the river from my family. And you married a noble just from, I don't know, whatever moxie you had. Cut of your jib must have been pretty impressive. Two years after you married her, you joined a rebellion against her house. You were the craziest bastard I ever meant. I ever met. Fully crack up, big trail. She just, you see she takes, in this like,

you see her hand is like all knuckle and just goes, and she takes the Ozzy's hand and goes like, when we said goodbye, I knew it wasn't forever. and it still won't be. Whatever I am in my next life, I hope I'm lucky enough to find you again. And she kisses the hand.

Teor and Azune, you guys, I think, have a moment to sort of find each other privately here as well. Yeah, cross to Azune. As soon as you start to cross, I meet you. Cross, I meet you. I'll extend my hand and we clasp forearms a la Beast Master. Yes. The shake of the soldiers.

That's right. I keep the grip for a moment, and I give you a tug. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. It's been a long time. It is good to see you. You're welcome here, Tara. Thank you. You have gotten taller and a little wider as well.

I have grown up, yes. I'm sorry to be meeting under these circumstances. I'm sure it will come to no surprise to you that I have many questions. I do as well. At this moment, a character Arrige arrives outside. Sam and Whitney, can I get you guys in at the same? Oh, oh, no! Oh, no!

It's up to them. It's up to them? No, they probably want to be together. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Scoochie. Okay. You can figure it out yourself. Yeah, yeah, excuse. What fuck?

You do a little scoochy. Do a little scooch? Move your diamond spider wood. She's cute. Don't worry about that. Okay. Yes, I said. I got some of my shit.

God, that seems so warm for you. It's so warm for you. I got too much fucking shit on me. Yes, I sent the greeting. Sure. Sam and Whitney. Oh, hi. Welcome, welcome.

Has you, as your characters arrive here, question for you, Question for you, Sam. Would your character be arriving in a carriage with the emblem of his house on it or not? Of course, yes. Of course. Arriving here to the funeral, all of you see a carriage moving along the street and turned to see the symbol of the candescent creed. A beautiful point of light hovering above a pillar stylized to look almost like the pillar of the sun or perhaps simply a humble candle depending on the size of the emblem.

For the light surrounds us all. Within that carriage, being driven by a carriage driver and a guard placed sort of beside them to the right of the driver. But in the carriage, there are only two figures. And I would like for Sam, for you to describe your character for us. Well, sitting in the back of the carriage is a tall man, five foot 11. It's impossible. Wild. Tallness is in the mind. He's a very beautiful young man, maybe 28 or 30 years old. He has light teal and white hair.

with teal and white robes. I think the most distinguishing characteristic about him would be the prolessent shimmering face markings that he has tattoos all over about half of his face. They seem to shimmer with a light that they make on their own. He is clutching very hard and sort of fingering nervously, a cane that he carries with the symbol of the candescent creed on the top of it.

and he's got a lot of sweat on his upper brow right now, sort of rocking back and forth. I mean, I just, oh, I've just never seen a real dead body like that before, and it was just sort of hanging there, all sort of, the color drained out of him, and it was very, I just, I'm going to need a drink as soon as we get there. All right.

Whitney, could you please describe to whom this gentleman is speaking? Yeah, okay. People tend to smell her before they see her. Oh, shit. Think of like a warm chocolate chip cookie laced with a little bit of sulfur. It's animalic, it's musky, I bet acrid,

but with like a creamy sweetness that doesn't make it so unpleasant. It's interesting and it sticks around. She's beautiful, of course. She's got bubble gum colored skin, white hair, blunt bangs that are sort of haphazardly tucked behind a veil, a bunch sticking out. She's got yellow goat's eyes, soft goat's ears,

and she's got a silver arrow piercing through one of them, and of course, a forked tongue. Hoves put her out around like five, three, not including the horns, chatting out. Her tail peeks out of just an abomination of ruffles that mark her as an aspirant to the candescent creed of the house of Halo Bar. Hi, I'm a demon, and my name is Tyranny.

And I really am sorry that when they killed that guy, I said, can I eat that? It's just a little demon humor. I don't know. I think several people heard you say that, and it was inappropriate and in the presence of royalty and nobles and nobility. We just go here, I'm new.

You want me to get you a drink? Do you have my... The plants over here, that, and the Jasmine. Like, if you're looking, towards the door, the Jasmine grows in and blocks your path. Oh. Driver? Yes, my lord.

Is something wrong? We've stopped just shy of the house. The house will, I believe there might be the plants seem to have a mind of their own. All right, we'll just hoof it. You see, as you emerge, Tyranny, you are currently holding a A beautiful, well-made, well-used scimitar in a leather scabbard with some hooks and chains to be affixed to a sword belt. This is the weapon of Thiasi Fang. And I think Wiccander, Halevar, you look down and see the last sort of effect of Theazi here. You see the driver says,

My lord, do you require escort to security? You're entering the funeral of the man that was just put to death. Are people going to be so mad at you? Shh, I mean, maybe. I haven't thought that through. I need to deliver this to Hal. And you know what? No, I do not require security.

I'll be just fine. Fine, I am, my family's beloved in this. The vines grow thorns. My family's name shall protect me, and the holy light of the universe shall protect me. Of course, you are ordained by the light, my, a magpie starts attacking the driver. No, no, yeah, yeah!

Ah, ah, devil, bird! Help him! Help him! All right, um, hey Guy, what's your name? My name? I'll show you. So what's that? I don't know. I thought I'd talk him through it. Are you going to give you notes on how I'm fighting this magpie?

I throw the cimitar at the magpie. You hurl the cimitar and give me an attack roll. First attack roll in the campaign! It's not in the dice frame. 17. 17. You hurl this cimitar. And just pin this magpie to the side of a neighboring building.

God. Got your ass. No, no, no. You've got blood all over this holy relicant. I'm gonna go over and gingerly sort of pry the scimitar out of the dead bird's body. You go, it's just sticking in someone else's house as you go to pull it out, a little shutter opens

and you see an older orcish woman leans her head out and goes, can I help you? May the beam reach you. This is a hail of our business. Are you here about the beam? No, no. There's the water damage. No, all is in the light.

No, the beam's not in the light, it's inside. Have a good day. I need this scimitar that's in your house right now. I have whatever day I please, you stranger. And she closes the shutter. May the light reach you. You see, as you pull the sword out, look at it covered in magpie blood.

This dead bird collapses to the ground. You, today didn't start this way. And we moved back quickly through time to the nobles box at the execution. Tierney by your side, looking out, how were you feeling in the moments prior to Theazi walking out on that Gallo's stage? I was a bit nervous in general, obviously,

at any execution, everyone's gonna be a bit nervous, not knowing what's gonna happen. But I was feeling pretty confident, especially when I saw my grandmother take the stage and start her speech and mention how the light sees all and forgives all. I remember in Embers verse 17, it says that the light sees all, and in us exists filament and forgiveness.

And that is what, my grandmother has just sort of said, that means that even though this gentleman has committed a significant crime, it will be forgiven and she's going to commute his sentence to life instead. Watch. It's just crazy because it's like he's already up there

and so why would they like- I think it's for the spectacle, the drama. You think she's gonna be like, just kidding? Well, I spoke, not directly with her, but I spoke with my parents and I made a plea for forgiveness The photarch approaches you in the noblesparks. Oh, Grandmother. You see she looks and says,

Wiccanda, how's it going, love? You're doing all right? Oh, yes, grandmother. I'm doing quite well. We're all on the edge of our seats to see how this will go. I spoke to Goddard. He mentioned that you, that you'd been sort of.

I had made a request to save this man's soul for obviously any soul can find the light. Take tyranny here, for instance, once from the shadows now, finding the light. Little tyranny. Oh, I see she pinches your cheek. Lovely. You look over and see your father and mother, your father, this enormous powerful man who also has like white hair, sort of white beard. long ponytail with a white ribbon tied around it.

You see that his back, he's sort of like there's something, as large and powerful as he is, he has some kind of like almost like a spinal curvature, so his back gets really big behind him. And the only piece of black on him is a black blindfold that he wears in perpetuity. He steps out. You see, next to him, Tyranny, you see one of your siblings,

the aspirant enmity, who turns over. This is sort of a deep, speckled red, red and black. You see there's almost like lava congealing into stone, but wearing a sort of white candescent, almost like priestly garb. Unlike your horns that sort of go straight up, these are like sort of cruel ram-like around. you see enmity turns over to you and says,

Hmm. Sister, do you attend to your word? Yeah. Yeah, I am. I mean, he's right here. Ask him. You are so immediately hostile. It's really good to see you. Tyranny has been making leaps and bounds in her progress. progress, I'm pleased to say. She has only dimmed a few times this week. She cursed a few

times. Yeah, I'm so fucking bright. That's a few, a few too many. You see, Emily looks over and says, To use profane language, when we cursed of demon kind, have been saved by the light. Diminishes the status of the creed. Well, I just got here, so, you know. I also just got here and I'm doing great.

Where's your guy, all right? He's right behind me. You see, gestures. It's also not a contest, everyone at their own pace. Why not? Sorry, yelling dims the light. Bacy turns around and, You see your grandmother sort of touches the bridge of her nose and says,

God, were the demons a big mistake. No, no. They are a testament to the power of the light. No more cursing, lovey. Sorry. Sorry, mommy. Grandmummy. And you see, she turns to you and says,

I heard you mentioned that this man's brother is a sort of beloved, figure. Is this the lad that we just gave the theatre to, the big one? Yes, it is. Hal, he's opening a theatre. He is beloved by all end. It is a fine, fine way to carry our message to the masses. If he

were to perform a play at his theatre that talked about the Kandescent Creed in a good light, it could tell our message to a new audience. You are doing so well here little wiki. You're doing amazing. Thank you.

And the city, this is the exact kind of survey. You know, we, obviously, we've had a basis for, there are many plans of us that are unfolding here in Dolmaciar, but we haven't cracked the nut of the creed really spreading. This is the seat of the revolution after all. Well, if you put your faith in me, I'm sure I can get the job done. You have my utmost faith, my grandson. You are the future of the House of Halovar.

He's got to die. I'm sorry? He's dying. We'll talk more later. Wait, what? She turns out as the... No, but that's not what we discussed. Your father, her son, puts a massive hand on your shoulder,

and his voice kind of reverberates in your chest. I'm sorry, my son. It must be so. There are important lessons you will learn in the nights and days to come. to come. And you see that he turns out, as your grandmother gets up,

hearing the sort of herald speak, and you see she goes, ah, fucking robes, dress, gets up and goes, and begins to speak as a cantrip sort of projects her voice and goes, people of Dolmachia. And her voice completely changes.

You are outside the home of Hal Feng. I remember when she called you Wiki? Can I call you that? You may not call me, wiki, the proper term is your radiance, or bearer of the filament. Wicander, wick, wick, I prefer wick, I think. No, we'll do your radiance. That is the proper terminology, yes.

I gently wipe the blade on my hand, but now I've got blood on my hand and... Do you mind? Oh, my God. It's going holy on that. Thank you. I'm in here praying and I can see through the plants and I want to kill them.

I'm still outside the house. Yeah, we're about to go in. You're really sweaty, guy. Do you mind? Oh my God. What? Okay. I take my robe and I... I shouldn't. I saw that coming.

You want a drink? What kind of drink do you want? I'm just not feeling well. Seeing a dead body was just more than I thought I would do today. Can you knock for us? Yeah, I knock. As you knock, how inside the house you look up here, knock at the door, there is a cold iron nail over the door, one of the original nails crafted by the Loy family, a little gift from the mother of your son and daughter. Say baby mama. Baby mama. It's a bohemian lifestyle here in Dolmachia. Not a lot of people tie in the knot. You see that the, you look up and the cold iron nail

is beginning to burn hot with a knock at the door. Oh. And smoke. Could someone get, I'm sorry, I'm holding a tray with more of this liqueur and could someone get the Oh, this. God, okay, I'll get it. You see that your friend Oldgood takes a shot of it

and goes, Yarr Graz, why did he drive? I'm going to bring this. Oh, okay, I got this. Opens the door. Oh, there's a demon in front of you. Hi. Hi. A special delivery.

Of what? Me and him. Okay. Hello. The light is all. Oh, you're quite short, aren't you? With a second. Lekander sees Hal across the room holding this tray

with bottles on it and just sort of like, eyes up, gaze met, his face just kind of goes blank. And I just make my way back towards the kitchen with the tray. You do immediately recognize me as one of the house Taconas. Ah, but one I haven't seen in quite some time. No. Um, hello? Come in, I guess.

Um, where's the refreshments? Over here next to the Druid chanting. Okay, cool. I'm gonna go, I'm gonna get you your drink, all right. Thank you. Yeah, I'll be right back. I'm just clomp, clomp, clomp, clomp. You clomp over there. You see there's an older Orchish gentleman. He's got kind of like silver at the temples and a little bit darker on top.

He looks over, he has a bottle of a thing that says, Yargras and Orkish on it. He goes, man, it's bad, but I gotta wash down those cranberry rolls. Yeah, can I have some of that, please? Oh. Hi. Hi.

Hi. Yeah, please. I'll have some of that. He hands it over to you and says, Hello, I'm Allgood. Oh, good. What's your- I'm Tyranny.

Nice to meet you. You're the bartender? No, no. I'm a theater producer. You're a demon? I am a demon. Same thing. You shut.

I didn't know. Um, yeah, I have the bottle, by all means. Thank you. I'll bring it back. I think that I know you're a theater company, but we'll talk later, I'm sure. Thank you. You're so sweet.

Oh, that's very kind. You're very, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you. If you ever looking to get into theater, you'd be a great ingenue if you ever want to audition or anything like that. God, people love me. It's so cool.

All right, I take this bottle, and I'm gonna. You just knock it back yourself? Give me a Constitution savings. Oh, 18 plus more. You put the whole thing away. You see, Olga goes, amazing. You shouldn't be able to survive that. Fuck, I forgot I'm supposed to get some for my friend.

Do you have any more? This stuff? Yeah, or just any, like, do you need really gross stuff? Because that was good. That was the really gross stuff. Okay, do you have any potions? Potions?

What does that happen? No. Not at all. Can I make like a suicide? Oh, what? With like a bunch. Oh, yes. You know.

I know. You want to go in the kitchen and make your own drink? Yeah. Well, I have no way to stop this. We're pals, right? I don't feel safe. Yes, we're pals.

Okay, cool. I'm going to do that. I don't do I have, just saying that gives you some power over me? I feel it. I mean, I feel something. I'm feeling something, are you? Is that the drink? I don't know.

You drank three quarters of a bottle of Yargraz in less than 10 seconds. The most frightening thing I've ever seen. That's so cool. All right, I'm gonna go to kitchen. Elena Rizzinego, I'm going to need you to explain who these people are. I unfortunately don't know who, at least those two

that have recently come in, don't know them well. Understood. I think at this moment, Wick, you enter Tyranny you go to the kitchen with All Good to make a suicide with a, you go back in. You see that there's a young, orcish girl in there who's like, this is my home? Hi, we're out of refreshments.

I'm so sorry to bother you. Can we make a little cocktail here? Yes, there should be bottles, there should be bottles out on the table, but do you, sorry, do you want like our spices from our kitchen where we live? I don't, I'm not really sure. I've never been to a funeral before.

I'm not really sure it's appropriate, but I just. Oh, good, Olegud is gonna make an insight check. Are you trying to be honest in this moment? Oh, yeah, always. See, Olegh goes, and suddenly realizes that you're like brand new in the realm, you know, and it looks over and goes like, oh, you've never been to a funeral before?

Mm-mm. Oh. This one's lit. Lit. It looks around and goes, I, I, Essentially, well, let me see if I can give you it. Do you want a little guide list of some pointers of what to do? Absolutely.

Great. So this is a, because this funeral is in someone's home, we're not going to raid their kitchen. But what we can do is see what they've put out and mix that. I don't want to do that, but. Well, and here's something funny that I'm learning about you, something we do here in the realm of mortal, is sometimes do things that we don't want. Why?

And sometimes, and actually maybe even more critical, not do things we do want. That's weird. I'm going to start grabbing things from the shelves. The moment I hear that, I'm double-tapping, trading off with the org, and I'm peeking around the corner.

Hi, can I help you? Hi, yeah. You were looking for alcohol. Yeah. Come with me. Okay. Thanks. You see, Shottie looks at me and he says,

thank you, Mom. I got you, baby, girl. Hi. Hi, I'm Tyraini. Hi, I'm Tysha. Don't go back in that kitchen. What do you need? Oh, I don't know.

I just need, my friend wanted a drink, and I told him I'd get him something, but he didn't specify what. So whatever weird, honestly, like the gross or the better, I don't really like this guy. Wickandria, you are right behind Tyranny, holding Fiazzi's sword as she says that. We're going to cut over to Azunei and Teor.

as you guys have your sort of private interaction. I don't know if Octus would be around for that. I think I'm, with Tysha leaving the room, I'm just standing there, not really knowing what to do with myself, just kind of fidgeting. And Wic, you absolutely see this kid, he's not in your circles.

You haven't seen him in years probably. Less than you saw him, he was a kid kid, but he is like, I don't know, like umpt teeth in line for the seat. of House Tacones, absolutely. Azunay and Teor, you guys get a little ways away. As we started kind of coming together and this came, and this, you know,

entered into the space, the first thing that pulls my attention away from Teor is How storming away. Yeah. And I'm looking, I'm taking in everything that's happening here that's within earshot, but you see Teor that my attention keeps going back towards where Howl left, and then it comes back to you. It's good to see you,

old friend. It's been a long time since our days fighting side by side. You guys. If there is, if there's anything that you're up to tonight, let me know I want a part of it. Understood. What kinds of questions did you say that you had? I would start with all of them. To be fair, this place has changed much since last time I was here. I don't recognize the banners or the people or that man that just came in and acts as if he is the head of some sort of religion? He is, from what I understand, he is of one of the noble houses, and that noble house has been shifting their beliefs over the last few years?

Their beliefs. I would like to know why a man such as the Ozzy found himself on the hangman's noose. And if these shifting beliefs or the people behind them need to answer them, I would very much like to know what you've known these past. Many years. What have you been up to since I saw you last time?

Have you stayed out there? No. We have stayed out of Dolmachiar. Loza Blade and I have been helping others from the Tornebara. We take up contracts here and there, help where we can. But it's been hard finding one place to be. I often wondered about you, about my brother, Sid. and what this city had to offer,

and we thought it would be a good time to return, and we found it disappointment when we heard of Thiasi's news. There are a great number of us here that don't believe what happened to him was just all right and that there should be someone to answer for it. But that's a constant. conversation for another time, perhaps, not here.

I'll say this too, Azenei. As Teor mentions his younger brother, Talcidimir, Sid. Mm-hmm. You wonder where Sid is. Sid was supposed to be part of what was supposed to happen. Have you seen your brother? I have not. We traveled as fast as we could to make it in time,

and I was hoping to see him in the crowd, but I haven't of you. No. I will find you later tonight. And I am, I start going across the room. I look again towards where Hal went, and I stopped myself because I'm going straight to Tisha.

Tysha at this point is taking like the bottle at the Ozzie's head and it's going to pour off a shot and then Druidcraft like rotten egg and skunk on the lip of the glass. I also don't like Wick. He's got a bad energy week. He's weird vibes, right? Okay. Honest. What's your whole thing? We've turned a corner in the last 30 seconds. Yeah.

I take the first shot. Repore it, hand it off to you. I take this one. Oh, I keep forgetting, is I'm supposed to get him? Okay. One more. Thank you. Pass it down.

Okay, um, hey, I got you your drink. Sorry, it took me a little while. I'm making so many friends. Thank you. Pff. Oh. Oh. What did you give me?

Is that alcohol? It's called the, um, oops, we did it. Oh, no. Weekend. From Photonic Verses. No. No. Verse 63.

No. You spit alcohol at the honor dead. I'm not allowed to drink alcohol. Any impurity dims the spark and I am not allowed to touch it to my lips. You ask for a drink. Not that. Something to settle my stomach. Something calmer.

Water. Lemonade. Pink lemonade. You see Shadia walks up and has a small sort of like rose velvety drink with a little sort of like, you know, one or two like ice cubes. in it that have been chipped off of an ice block off in the corner of the kitchen. You see that she passes it to you and says,

here, this is a sort of flour brew. It's a, but there's no alcohol in it. Thank you. How did you know my uncle? Oh, my dear, I can't say that I knew him very well, but his esteem was known to all of us, and he was well respected. She looks and sees her uncle's sword in your hand

and says, having seen her father storm off, she says, let me bring you to my dad. And you see that she walks across the room off in the back where Hal has gone to. I think she follows and trails up to that room at the back of the house on the second floor that is full of writing and music. She leads you into a room with a table

desk. On that desk, you see a deed of title. Granted by the Revolutionary Council, signed off by various and sundry lords and potentates of the city, deeding the Dithiram of Azgra, ancient and forbade, to one Hallandiel Fang on the condition of his safeguarding against any arcane shenanigans that might unfold. If you're gonna be given this public space to do with, as you will, as a theater troupe, then, you know, you're responsible. You gotta keep any, you know, arcane magical hijinks under wraps.

Liable and on the hook for it. Liable and on the hook. Do you see the Dithygram Osgra? The Dithyram of Osgra. Dithyram's a real word. Dithyram is a real word. Osgar is made up. Asgars made up.

We all knew which one. We all knew which one. We all knew which one. On your desk, Shadi walks in and says, Dad, this, this... Wick. Not Lord something? Light priest, Wicander, Halevar.

Hello, Wicander. Why don't you take a seat? Shottie, thank you. I was getting ready to come find him. You've saved me the trouble. She closes the door, and she looks over at you. And for some reason, you see that her expression softens and she goes,

thanks for whatever you tried. And she closes the door. When you turn back towards Hal, he is got a bottle of the Mallort and he's just like knocking it back and plants it down. Don't drink that. It's very, oh, that's bad. On the deed that's on the desk. and walks up to the chair that you're now sitting in

and rests his hands on the armrests that you're sitting between. Well. You know, the candescence is asymmetric and mysterious, and illumination finds us in uneven way. We talked about this. I told me it was done. You told me it was taken care of. I don't know what happened.

I failed. I failed you. I spoke with my family. I had it on their full assurance that he would be spared. It is not our way to ruthlessly punish people for nothing, crimes against a... against a house that we don't even care about. The Tacona's house is, whatever, they can.

Help me understand why, Wicander, why. Hal, if they didn't care, if your family didn't meet him, want him, care about him, if it meant nothing. I don't know. I don't know, and I, and I don't know who to ask. I'm, I could have sworn that he would be spared because that would be a great boom

for our family's name across the city. Theazi had so many fans. He was well respected by so many people and we could have used this as outreach. You know, commuting his sentence or something shows, I don't know what went wrong. And I feel like everyone down there hates me now.

I'll give him a quick insight check just to make sure he's not bullshitting me. Yeah, go for it. Wake up, a screen. Back up. Back up. Back up. It is low.

It is just a eight. An eight. I think on that eight insight, you're left not having clarity. I can tell you this. It is against my faith to lie and deceive. And I respect you as a person, as a teacher, and as a performer. And I would never do anything to deceive you in any way.

It's fine. It's not fine. He was killed. You were a fail-safe, Wic. A lot of things fell through today. I'm so sorry about your brother. Loss is unknowable, but in my faith, when a soul passes on, we believe that That light rejoins the candestence of the universe, and with every death, in a way, the universe grows brighter.

So may that give you some comfort. That is a nice notion. I pour, I grab two glasses, and I fill them with the liqueur, and I plant one in his head. Drink with me to my brother. Is this alcoholic? His favorite. D. Foo.

We moved back downstairs. Azune, Tisha, and Octus. I've been trying to go bar for bar with tyranny on the other bottle. I just want to check if I'm dead. Give me constitution. Yeah, thank you. Yeah. My God.

It's under the spider and that's an eight. That is an eight. Yeah. You are not doing great. So tell me what is your deal? What's your whole entire story? What's your story? Oh, God.

I love you. I love you too. You're so sweet and your ear looks very soft. There, you can go get. Thank you. I'm just locked in on an ear, giving her my entire, like, it's, you get the full mess between me and how we fell in love when we were like, wait, hold on, I need that ear. When we were 19, and then we had kids, but I felt my calling.

Because his art was so beautiful, I, like, fell in love with the world, so I became a druid and I abandoned our kids. And I'm just going to, I have to get back to doing the rights really quick. Okay, thank you for telling me all of that. Yeah, do you want to stay here for this point? Absolutely. Okay, I'm gonna continue to do the rights and just black out holding a demon's ear.

Incredible. You can do you doing the rights, touching the softest demon's ear you've ever touched. Can I go home? Truly. Oh, what's that? Can I go home? I wanna leave. Okay, you guys are just, you're just doing the rights. You guys can walk away from the table as you guys are doing the rights.

Tyssen's consciousness leaves, but she remains and continues to pray. Goodbye. Are you taking me with you? No, okay. You stay here. You're still apart. I got a guy, yeah.

Yeah, go ahead, goodbye. This is bad. This is bad. I feel like I arrived right in time to witness this, and I fully miss this like shift that happened to Taisha, and I go with this intention to have a conversation, a certain kind of conversation with her, as the name Sid Pride Sire was mentioned earlier.

And I see her in this moment. And I go to you, Octus, award with you, please. Absolutely, please help me. I don't think anything can help what's about to happen there. It seems to be going further and further and further down the path that it is inevitably gonna get to. Yeah, okay. Let's just leave that for now.

What to what? Pull you to the side, into a corner, and completely in your mind, I am sending you a message. We need to come together and figure out what went wrong with our plan. Right. But clearly Taisha is. And certainly it's just Taisha.

Taisha. Taisha. Taisha is not in the standard. to be a part of reconciling this? No. I'm at a loss. As I'm aye, and now it's even more complicated with Hila'R here.

We need to find Thimble. It's my understanding that Thimble is very likely going to be arriving here. Did you see Thimble during the execution? I didn't. I don't know what happened. We need to find out where the chain broke. I did the scan.

As far as I know, Thimbles did her part. Okay. I mean, obviously, never showed up for us, so never got our part of the plan, never had happened. I don't, that part is out of my hands. I know, I'm not blaming you. Of course, I just don't know. I don't know where it went off.

I don't know how any of this works. Do you see that man? And I'll point out Teor. Yeah. Yes. Of course, I think everybody was aware of your reaction to him when you can. I'm sorry, it's just surprising.

His brother is who was supposed to be helping us. And he hasn't seen him. Okay, you haven't seen him. Octus, I'll say for Azune and Octus, you both know which of Theazi's secret kind of like flop houses that Thimble was working on the glyph, working on the thing hidden in his, hidden behind him.

It's not too far from here. You guys are in the rookery, and this would be like two neighborhoods south. It would be in the Tanners, which is like a grimy working class neighborhood of the far south of Dolmacquhar. It's not far from here. We can go see if she's there.

then let's do that. Okay, I need one moment. Okay, I'll meet you outside. I'll be outside. And I'm gonna, oh no, he's not down, never mind, I'm gonna head out. And actually, I'll say if you two are getting ready to head out, would you grab anybody else from here before heading out

or just knowing that thimbles and maybe potentially in danger? I would, yes. Yes, I'm going to, the two things that I would wanna do very quickly is I would want to find how and just let him know that I'm going out for some air. And then I would be lying to Taylor. Do you want some answers?

Yes. Meet me outside in five minutes, and I can take you to where we might find some answers. Very well. I do walk up to Tysha. And as they're... I go to say something. Then I walk away.

Walking past tyranny and say, You'll very much not welcome here. And actually, Curveball, we are not going to stay at the Fang home. I'm going to ask Liam, Sam, and Whitney to step away. And we're going to keep our friends here. We're going to keep. Oh, you didn't? You're ready to grab my up.

The tenor is really different if she walks away and you don't. You are like parting word. I stay. I'm very sorry. I'm sorry. I'm actually out of here. This is a couch. Go, Brennan. Did I hand this over yet? Should I hand this over to you?

No, you'll do that when we, so you hold on to that. We'll have a moment for that. Right. I got your fucking number, brother. I'm going to fucking ditch. I'm going to fucking get your ass. So, a moment after you Bandy barbs with a demon, after you bandy barbs with a demon, you go outside and I think two veterans of the Falconer's rebellion, of the Falconer's Rebellion, watch the most anxious,

like, finally dressed necromancer in the world step up outside in the dark to both of you. Hi, um, I just said some- You met Teo before, yes? Yes, we met. Yes, Optus. I just said something really stupid to a demon. Um, today's been a hard day.

Okay, so we need to find Thimpole. Do you, Thimble's... I know who Thimble is... Okay, great. You know where to find her? Yes, I do. I know which house she was working out of. Hopefully she's there. That's the best lead I have right now.

Then we should go. Okay. The three of you take off, walking through Dolmachiar. I mean, no one's going to stop you. You have an arcane marshal here, and I think, you know, Thayer, the last time you saw Azine, he was like the young, one of the younger people in you and Theazzi's sort of Battalion. But heading off here, you look through the streets. The rain begins to fall. You arrive. The tanners is named for its many tanneries. The smell of leather being cured of flesh macerating. This is a grimy neighborhood. What is, what is, okay, this is so confusing.

What is one of the sons of the hell of our family doing? Why were they involved? I'm also just checking our six as we move, seeing if anyone's tracking our movement's eyes watching. You walk up, Azzanay. There is a wall that you know is not a wall. Up ahead. There's some, there's bricks outlined here,

big sort of whitewashing letters, the Ogrompson leather tannery, and you know the S in that Ogrompson is where you need to walk up to. As I am heading towards that, my friend, Thimble might be in trouble. There might have been a piece in something that went awry. I would prepare yourself just in case. Oh, hold on. Disguised self, himself, I shouldn't be me. Good call. What do you look like? Transforms himself into someone, the first thing he thinks of, which is someone who looks very similar, but not the same,

as Tisha's oldest son. Cool. You look like a young, ork-ish warrior, ranger, soldier. very specifically not him going to do something as well. I look at a Zuni's demeanor, is he going in empty-handed, or is he arming himself? I am. I am armed. I technically just kind of came off of the job,

so I'm still in my full gear. And you see me do something that you probably didn't see me do while in our time in the Falconer's Rebellion. I have a necklace around me with a small child's bracelet, it hanging from it, and I close my eyes, and I reach towards it, I touch it, and I whisper, I'm not alone. And in my mind's eye, I see a spectral form

step out from me and then take a defensive stance and then dissipate as I cast false life. Awesome. You cast this spell on yourself, you move up. You're not gonna report me for doing magic, right? What I don't see goes nowhere. Great. I was looking the other way, thankfully.

You approach the wall, as you do so, go ahead and give me Arcana with Advantage. You can do the same. You've both been here before. 18. Give me perception. 19, 22. 27.

Boom! 20. 20. 30, 20. You walk up. Octus. You see the resolution. the residue of magic on the doorway here.

There are three bricks that have been touched by magical hands more than any other. There's only so many ways you can arrange three bricks in order and you can try a couple different combinations and get this door to open. Perception? 17. As Octus is opening the door, you're gearing up.

They think something really bad happened. Teor, you look down. It's been good. cleaned hastily. Underneath the hinge of a secret door, there's blood. Fresh. I'll just grab Azune's arm and point to the ground

to direct his vision. The door slides open. You look a slender staircase going up in a hidden wall in between two halves of this larger tannery, a secret apartment up in this larger work area, almost like a loft that's been hidden away and bricked in. And there's blood. on the staircase coming down, a lot of it.

You look and see, I think, without even having to, please I can guess, you think that bodies got dragged out of here. Thundering up the staircase. Laura Bailey, I'd like you to come out. Yeah. Oh, what is happening? Oh, goodness.

Oh, great. Oh, great. Oh, hi-huh, Bob. Thundering up the stairs, because whatever has happened has happened and time is now of the essence, you get up the staircase, a door is completely shattered off its hinges

and you look in and see a apartment of an illegal archonist, an occultist, that has been completely turned upside down. Papers soaked with blood all over the green a mattress flipped up against the wall, cut open with daggers or long swords to search inside the mattress, a shattered mirror, clearly signs of a scuffle.

What you look and see the signs of the scuffle is Teor and Azna, you would both recognize this. Whoever they were fighting in here is not someone that they would have been capable of throwing around. I need all three of you to make an investigation check for me, if you'd be so kind. For you. What was that before?

19. 19. That would be a total of 10. 10. Seven. Teor, immediately smelling around as much as you can. You guys are looking at and seeing the, this is obviously Theasi's handiwork everywhere, but it is just partially destroyed.

Teor, your nostrils come online and you smell. a smell honeysuckle, a smell of something effervescent and otherworldly. A dim light is dying. In the corner, there is a great, this place is a tannery, which means that it has off-put of everything. Whatever this place was before the Ozzie turned it into a hiding spot, there was a great sluice in the stone floor,

and you see a dim light fading quickly. Is this a scent that's familiar to me? Yeah. I will rush over there and throw furniture out of the way as I do so. You look down in the grate. In that grate, Laura, could you describe your character for us and the state we find her in?

You see a very small, four inch tall pixie with short brown hair. She's older than the last time you saw her. You can't tell, she thinks she looks almost 18 at this point. She's in her clothes are a bit tattered now. The dark green, her wings, which are normally of bright spring green, are almost muted at this point. And the wing is a little bent,

and she's unconscious and askew on the ground. Her two swords, the needles have scattered away from her grasp. Looking down beside her, you see this great is like only she could fit through it, and you see that there's also a small ceramic ruin next to her in the, like, sort of like hidden that would have slid in through here. But you see Fimble, your old friend, Fiazzi's partner in all things. Kora. Is she there? We're going to make your death-saving throws after the break. What are you going to be?

Welcome to Campaign 4. I don't know. Tough. I said backup characters, right? Huh? Welcome to Campaign 4, baby. And that's where we'll leave our story for now. Part 2 of this episode of Campaign 4 drops.

Tuesday. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you soon for more Critical Role.