Critical Role - The King's Request | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 39 Part 2

Episode Date: October 27, 2026

Part 2The Seekers reveal the plans of House Tachonis to King Gus, who offers Occtis an alternative way to oppose his father directly.New Episodes Release Weekly on Thursdays.Learn more about Campaign 4 at https://critrole.com/campaign4/  GET MORE CAMPAIGN 4 WITH BEACONWith a membership to Beacon by Critical Role you get:🎭 The earliest, ad-free access to videos and podcasts from all our shows, including Campaign 4📺 TV apps on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV, and Roku📱 The Pocket Beacon mobile app with offline video access on iOS and Android🎬 Exclusive shows: Critical Role Cooldown, Weird Kids, Fireside Chat, and Tale Gate's Night Cap, with more to come!💬 Members-only Discord server🛍️ 10% discount in all our online shops🎫 Live event pre-salesOFFICIAL CAMPAIGN 4 CASTGAME MASTER Brennan Lee Mulligan Laura 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 PridesireCREDITSProduced by Maxwell James, Steve Failows, & Kyle ShireSet Designed by Shaun EllisProduction Designer: Noxweiler Berf Character Art by Loren HontanillaEdited by Taylor Burke, Emily "Stevie" Stevenson, and Garrett AlvordCritical Role Announcement Playhouse Editor: Vinny CelestiOpening Title Editor: Paul FoyderOpening Title Colorist: Peter Koocheradis Window Effects by Christian BrownGraphic Design by Aaron Monroy & Jordyn TorrenceDol-Makjar art by Daniel Jiménez VillalbaMiniatures Painted by Payton Keo LacebalOpening Title Theme by Neal AcreeCampaign 4 Key art by Hannah FriederichsAdditional Art & Design by Hannah FriederichsEpisode QC by Catherine Zimmerman & Paula FloresAssistant Editor: Gianna GencarellaPost Production Coordinators: M Swing & Bryn HubbardClosed Caption Editing by Margaret Dill, Nikki Kindelberger, Courtney Knewtson, Danielle Lackie, Eleanor Smith-Dufresne & Alice TsoiPost Production Supervisor: Tal LevitasHEALTH & WELL-BEINGDue to the improv nature of Critical Role and other RPG content on our channels, some themes and situations that occur in-game may be difficult for some to handle. If certain episodes or scenes become uncomfortable, we strongly suggest taking a break or skipping that particular episode.Your health and well-being is important to us and Psycom has a great list of international mental health resources, in case it’s useful: http://bit.ly/PsycomResources Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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. We return to the exact moment that we left with Octus Taconas standing before his companions. King Augustus Valian, the druid Cyrus Hano Servo, and Sir Martin and Sir Groves, all depart, leaving Demidas Blix here with all of you, to aid Octus. Alex, I prevented you from reading your note. I will read you what Brennan wrote to me right before we started this game.

Based on your conversations with Elizabeth. Elizabetha. Elizabetha. Offering to openly challenge your father for the throne of House Taconas will reduce Gus's DC by 10. This will fundamentally alter the direction of the campaign. Likely creating a new table, proceed with caution. So, okay. Yeah. That's what I've been sitting on.

So you're telling me there's a chance. So if you say, you know. If I agree to the thing that I presented on the table. Gus said it very much within the world. too. It's not like a you say, yeah, fuck my dad, and then you go off on your business. No, I have to then become a figure that does this. Lord Tacoma.

Yes. So, the option is an option. It's not necessarily something I want to do. I don't think I'm capable of that. If I do publicly and openly declare that I'm fighting my father for, of control of House Taconas. I'm one person they're gonna show up

and do what they did before. Not if you're at the backing of the King of Timony. I mean, yeah, but like. I mean no offense, but King Gus's influence comparable to Royce is not quite as much of a standing in Royce crumbled. That being said, we were cut off guard when that happened. We have a lot more information,

a lot more. Alliances at our disposal. And if they're coming, we know we can be ready. Let, let, okay, I think you are entirely capable, Octus. But what are your hesitations? Let's talk out why you wouldn't want. The destruction of your freedom.

That's a very good point. I then become a public figure who I put myself in Gus's shoes to be blunt about it. Which is also why I'm you're very qualified for it. I wish it wasn't true. I don't want to be the Lord Taconas. Then don't do it. What do you want? What do you want?

The freedom to do whatever I want. Here's my question. If House Tacornis' charge is to oversee the passage into the underworld, And all the cornices are dead? What happens if nobody is keeping an eye? They... I don't know. Do you think somebody should be keeping an eye? I think someone should be doing the job that they're supposed to be doing,

not the job they are, doing. Right. So who else would you trust to take this charge? Huh? What'd you be for? Better at it? You can be one? A more just Lord?

I don't know if I would. I don't have any experience. I don't, I'm fundamentally lacking both a heart and soul. Um, whether I would be or wouldn't be better at it on paper, I don't think I, I, I, me, can do it. I don't think I'm capable. Heart or a soul, but you got a conscious. And that's a step above your dad.

I don't tell you something else, kid. Take your freedom. Do what you want to do. It's your life. We're just here to be your friends and go after the same thing. But I will say one thing. I've had more freedom over the last few years than I ever imagined I would. And it is overrated without a purpose.

Freedom is for farmers. People have stationed. People who step into fate, born into it, dried into it. We are not destined to be free. So we do the best we can with what we're given. Certainly not in hard times. What your fuckhead father love more than anything else in this world? We're sorry. He probably can't. What do you value more than anything else? His power. Right. And that piece of shit took everything. everything I love in this world, and all of your future and other people at this very place,

and stole that from them. Now we might not be able to kill him. We might not be able to take his place. We won't know until we get there. But one thing we could do is take the thing he wants the most. And what happens after? We just wing it. Well, that actually, I know it, I feel like it was briefly said,

But what if you just burn it all down? I appreciate and understand the point of view that you're all coming from. But I do take umbrage with the fact that we are here to be your friends as difficult prospect. For me specifically, considering some of the current relationships I have with some of you.

So my idea to take what you're saying at, from a perspective of actually caring what happens to me is less than favorable on your parts. To be honest, I don't truly care what happens to you in the long run. Yeah. Because it depends on what you want to do with your future. If we destroy all of House Taconis

and you have the last one standing and you want to abdicate at that point, fine by me. Take freedom then. They're all dead by then. Their plans are ruined. If only people that could hold you to it, hide from them. You'll be hiding the rest of your life anyway. or whatever you call this.

But you have friends here? If our goal, Julian, is to destroy the Lord of Hous Ticones. I want him dead. We're gonna chase after him, right? Well, you said, you said some spirits of Toconus to cross over maintain some consciousness, yes? When I was in the process of dying and coming back, I did see my grandfather's face watching me

and being very cognizant of the situation. So technically, he came out as at the grave. He did. Technically, this means you can kill Primus toys. Not necessarily. Look, I understand that you all want my dad dead, and trust me, I don't disagree with you. But this puts me specifically,

in an intense amount of danger for only reasons that benefit others because eventually I will attempt or we will attempt or what have you to destroy my family and my father. But doing it this way means that everyone knows I exist and the anonymity I had from being presumed dead

goes away. And then I have a lot of eyes on me all the time. So you want to be free and hide? Well, I don't, I'm... Kedigan, I died when I was 20 years old. What do you want me to know what I want to do with the rest of my life? I don't know. I was in school.

I think we're approaching it the wrong way. And while you were correct about the questionability of my motivations, I serve the notion of freedom. big and small, and your freedom is very important to me because it is rare for me to find somebody I see myself in. I feel like there is a good plan that does not consume your freedom. I think more of what when I say freedom, look,

I'm sitting with a group of people where one of you, without moments of hesitation, did something for their own goals that could have utterly destroyed. Without a moment's thought of whether or not I was going to live through it. Each one of you have your own goals for this, and I don't mean anything to any of you except for you. And I don't, I don't, am I making, am I making this decision now, or am I making it later? What, what, what, I think you have to make it now, Octus. It isn't fair.

But look, on the other side of it, I feel like you'll be of more use. With us. If he takes this opportunity and goes and proclaims his lordship, you're going to be... I stay at least in timidly for a period of time and then deal with the conflict that comes after. And if you come with us, we could try to pass into the underworld with you.

You have a lot more knowledge of it than any of us do. Do you think you'd have to stay Have you agreed to these terms now? That is what Gus was saying. Yes. I would have to stay in Timity, proclaim my right proclaim to the throne of Houstokonis in front of all of the people of Timony

and then do all of the work that comes after that, and which gives me I become a public figure in station where people have to rally behind and I have to lead this fight against my father. So I think Julian thumbs the gem in his pocket with his gauntleted left hand. Canaer? Bites on his lower lip.

Oh, then. I don't think that works for me either. No, I can't support it. I don't. I don't disagree with the idea on paper if I remove myself from the one who has to do it, which is why I'm struggling. I have found at times of war,

and in the chaos of such things, it's what's on paper that goes wrong. There's a lot of gut instinct. That instinct, we don't know what forces are mobilizing. We don't truly know what we're going to face, and I would rather have everybody looking forward to the life that they get after this. I am not, purely speaking, practically.

I am not powerful enough to stand against my father, not even close. And no one in timony, including yourself, questioning to Demidas, is gonna add anything in terms of magical power to be able to help me. And they can be in timidy within a day of me saying anything. And they're going to.

Yes. I mean, they're headed here. Yes. They will show up, they will kill me, and then they will kill everyone in the room, and then they will keep doing that. No, this is, I think you're right. I think this endeavor, this opportunity,

is a very much. valuable card to keep in our pocket. Yes. When we have a moment where we think we want to call them to us immediately, because they will. Nothing will rally them more than this. But until we do that, we are left in the wind.

The minute you put up that flag, we are a bright beacon drawing them straight to us. And for now, whatever cover we can travel under behooves us on our current journey and destination. Well, I'm fine with it, but. You know what he's saying, right, kid? It'll be just us. No safety of protection.

That's fine. I can live with that. I just don't want to, I don't want to do it. I can't at least, if I have the choice. Yes, we don't have to. You'll land on your shoulder and just pat your neck. I'm going to look to you first. I'm going to step forward and kind of place my non-gottler hand on your shoulder.

And with the best I can convey the first time that Julian hasn't really looked down on you, he says, The challenge of becoming an adult is sometimes you have to do things you don't want to. However, you still get to choose when that time comes. Demetis looks up and says, Do you still want to take a moment to search the barrow?

I think that's a good idea. We don't. There's a specific thing that we can, maybe there was something here specifically, not just corpses, but something else they took. That would be important. Here, I'll help set up a circle if you want to start casting. Start casting, detect magic as a ritual.

Demetis goes right in. He's worked with you, he's been in class with you. Sets up a ritual for you start casting, detect magic with that high, Arcana check. Pimli is still here. Clani of the Black Rabbits is still here, along with Albed. A little bit looks up, and I think you guys, he's been very quiet out of it. He hasn't been

reveling tonight. It's been all, he just looks up tears streaming down his eyes. Like, his beard is like soaked with tears, but he hasn't, with no sobs or drawing attention to himself. He looks up and says, big things look small when they're far away. I know that as a man who spent the past decade or two looking through a telescope at storms and roads. Nothing is more important to me than my daughters. You have all helped me far more than I deserve. I have done nothing to aid you. I've done nothing to, other than a meal at my house one time as you traveled by all this golden orchard, house of Royce. This is, this is a mess. I would not fault you. If I was left here with my reprobate nephew for whom some

justice must still be served, and the black rabbits which you were cleaned enough, my dear fairy champion, to send to my door, if that is all the help you left me as you continued on your way to the Golden Orchard, I would have more help finding my daughters than I ever thought I would have, and I cannot ask you simply on their account or mine, given the task you have before you, to help with this matter. If you need to go and leave me to find my daughters. I did not know or have any desire to ask

your struggles or your journeys. I simply heard what was possible and thought only of that. But just know that you're, with the matters of import you carry, the charity you show in spending any time thinking of my daughters is frankly a miracle. I will not hold it. against you if your path speeds you on past me and my concerns, which are my own.

I fly up in front of him. Your daughters were part of the Falconer's rebellion. I do not leave a fallen soldier behind. Plus, we know you're going to go try to get him anyway. Of course. Whatever problems we have in our future, we did say that we would help. Demetis speaks up too and says, As I'm casting me as well. Yeah, Demme, yeah, Demme's like, Are you focused, man? Sorry, sorry, sorry, it's not. It is rude to break a promise.

I will also, like, look to Cadding bike. Or they do their thing. We should keep watch outside. Yeah. You go keep watch outside, Julianne with Cadigan. Where is your lantern? I'm holding it in front of me as we walk through. Octus, we're gonna resolve your archaic.

So Vailas and Thimble and Boler are left with Pimli and Albed and Clonnie inside. You see Pimno's just sort of looking ahead. He looks over at Albed. That's real nice uncle, but it's all connected. These stone statues, my cousins, are part of this Taconas plan to undo the old path. Saving them is not just saving them. It's fucking over something very bad. Pimli makes direct eye contact with you, Bolair.

One little avalanche on one little road, and now a kingdom is upset. It's the little things that win wars. You can read mine, right? If I choose to, I tend to try not to. It's impolite. Yeah. And I very specifically not read yours.

Stairsay, give me an inside check. Why? Nine. Nine. He stares, he looks at you as he sort of mutters and is still falling into his head, but something about you has caught his attention in this moment. Octus. Julian and Cattigan at the front of the cave, you complete your ritual. As you finished detect magic, you had a 27 on your archive.

I did. There are other bodies within the barrel. There are several sealed catacombs where servants of the old baron have been sealed within the burial mound. So there are bodies nearby. You sense a couple different things here. Ritual magic was cast. Of the ritual magic that was cast here, there was a on the sarcophagus you see that there are sort of burn marks in the ceiling from ritual candles that were burning in the ceiling.

here. You recognize them as part of a spell that is far beyond your casting. It's an act of sorcery, which is contact other plane. The spells of contact other plane that were cast were specifically cast towards the pit. Cool. And of the spell, there was a, I think you sort see ruins floating almost like incense smoke as the detect magic catches this very old scent of, you know, some long-forgotten magic. It was contacting a demon minister in the pit to ask if, one second, the disturbed barrow belonged to the grandfather of the old late baroness of Slope prior to Cosgrove, the one who was an old woman who married

Dosa Taconas, the Lord HALA-W-A-V-A-L-A-L-A-O-V-A-L-A-L-A-L-O-V-A-L-E-H-A-L-A-L-E. H-E-W-E-H-A-W-A-L-E. What's the last name, sorry? A-R-V-R-V-A-L-E. And the Lord, the Baron HAL-W-Hil-W-E of Slocke was buried here in a sarcophagus. You see all over on that high arcana, this sparrow is inscribed in so many places with the sun of Tansel, the holy symbol, this is an extraordinarily devout

shapers mound, right? And what you see in some of these other places, there are some urns and things like that. There are, for example, there is a small belt of prayer beads that would have been worn around the waist. You see that the prayer beads, many of them have been replaced. The colors of the beads go from light to dark over time. as you replace them.

This one is almost pitch black, meaning that whoever this baron was, prayed constantly. So many of the beads have been replaced over time. He must have gone over these tens or even hundreds of thousands of time in his lifetime to create something this worn. You see that the contact of their plane

that was cast here was asking a archdemon for the presence of a soul in the pit. it was asking for the presence of the soul of Lord Hala with Aravale. Something, asking if a deal with a demon had been made or that soul was in the pit somewhere. And you can also see that there are almost like faces in the old memory of the incense smoke

of like demons pushing against the smoke in a strange way. There is, on a 27, it's not high enough to tell that some other plane or round was contacted as well. A team of knights was dragged, a team of knights and soldiers dragged the sarcophagus out of here. Out of the barrow. That's when they crashed the wall.

So whatever they found, whatever investigations they made were, led them to believe, if they were discarding some sarcophagi, this one was not discarded. Some degree, I think on that 27, you're like, some degree of divinations and conjurations and things were done here. And I think your mind always goes to, did they create some undead abomination or servant, but you're not seeing any necromancy here.

It's more like they were checking something very carefully in this place. And I think also, because if that soul had gone to the pit, it would be unusable on the side where they need it. I think that Octus puts that together, that there was a tremendous amount of effort done to make sure that this, you don't know where they think the soul is necessarily, but a lot of effort was done

to make sure that there would be no surprises, that wherever the soul of this departed person was, based on the body, but you also immediately are able, I think, because you, Alex was Robert for that together, you immediately put something else together. Your family knows how to find souls in the tenement reaches. That's trivial.

That's something that your grandfather in the arcs, not turn, is in the castle within the underwere... So you're suddenly realizing it's not that they want to find this soul, because if the soul was in the tenembral reaches, they could do that. They know the soul, if the soul was in the tenurable reaches,

they'd be able to fucking summon it. So it's not there, so they're trying to find where it is. And they contact... It's not in the moon. and they contacted the pit. Or maybe it is. And unclear about what the, that is. Now, there are other corpses here.

If you could speak with dead, you might get more information to ask them. I was going to ask, yeah. I don't currently have access to that spell. But you might. Eventually. Well, yeah. So what I mean witnesses?

Someday. Someday. I don't know it yet. I just hit third-level spells. I think also, as you investigate that, You also see something strange here. There is a residue from both DOSIT and Univir of their spell casting in this place

of Detect Magic. They cast it a lot in here. They were really scanning and scouring because of detect magic. And I'm going to give you a piece of information that you have no explanation for. This detect magic, this is a very vulgar way to state this.

I don't know that Octus would state it this way. But you know that there are different intervals of power that can be used to power spells, that different percentages of the energy you keep with and you can be cast out. To say this in the vulgar way, Octus, I was sorry, Univir and DOSIT cast detect magic at a second level, spell slot.

Okay. And there is no benefit to doing that. It is not a spell that increases with a higher level of casting. Maybe they were out of first level, spell slots. But that's a little unusual to have a second level spell slot and have no first level.

Finally, in that moment, as you're doing all this investigation, sorry, you said, sorry, you said, I noticed the spell casting signature of Univir and DOSET. And DOSIT. Okay, so this was them casting the Detect Magic.

On the Texted Magic, you get their exact signature. They were in here. There was a mention of them harvesting, harvesting bodies in the letter you found from Petra and I. Yes, I just wanted to make sure I heard that exact piece of information. Yes, you're the exact piece of information. As you get towards the back of the room, looking at some of the final elements around here,

I think there's a moment of realizing this like, your cousins, your father, he's coming. Your father is coming here. You think about seeing him kill, Han and side by side with Julian, while Thimble was in the bowels of Albumist Manor, these gnomish girls. Julian, you have the lantern in front of you,

casting your shadow onto the back wall. And I think, Octus, you just stepping and investigating step into that shadow. And having just spoken for a long time about your freedom and everything else, you see Julian's shadow move as you step into it. You have Detect Magic out there. Yeah.

Do I see who we believe is in there? With Detect Magic on, it just looks like Julian's shadow to you, but you do see it move. You wonder, you must be Julian moving at the entrance of Barrow. But you see that Julian, his shadow, extends, or his arm moves like he's leaning forward.

And with Detect Magic on, you feel a slight pressure on your chest and feel something like the pressure of someone touching the metal seam in your chest. And you feel, you see that the shadow sort of pauses, and it slowly moves its arms, and you can feel the arms go around you, and there is a slight pressure pulling you towards the wall. The hand rests on the back of your neck, and your forehead touches the cool, damp stone of the

as the shadow pulls you to be touching foreheads. And you just feel so light. Again, you wouldn't be able to take it if you weren't casting divination magic right now. And you just feel the pressure on the back of your neck as you are held in this hug touching heads against the wall and feel this deep embrace from the shadow in the wall, having just touched that scar.

that you bear. After a long moment, Demetus says, "'Octus, you okay?' "'Yeah, sorry. "'I got lost in my thoughts. "'The last thing the shadow does is you pull back "'is you see that the shadow sort of goes back up on the wall, "'touches your hand, specifically the hand

"'that you cast firebolt out of. and touches the shadow's own chest and goes, and points at you. You remember casting firebolt into Julian's shadow in Obermiss Manor. Shit, I'm sorry. See, the shadow just goes and fades back into the wall. Yes, sorry, they were a lot of things.

They were contact in the pit here, but they're looking, They took a body out of here. Obviously they took a something with them, a person with them, which I think was the Lord that was buried here. Halloweth. Halawith.

Halawith, Halloweth. Halawith. Yeah. Halawith. I think they took his body, but they were being extra careful to know where his soul was located. But that means it's not in the Tenebore reaches because they would know that.

So it's somewhere else. So they contacted the pit to find if it was there. I don't know whether it is a yes or no. Okay. But they needed it. You said they threw out a sarcophagus, right? Why? Maybe it wasn't what they needed?

And this was from before when you, if you guys remember, that what Sid had said he overheard was that they threw out a sarcophagus because it was only 50 years old, meaning that the person had died after the shapers. I think they need people who were alive, or at least died while the sheepers were soon around.

Or before, maybe? Okay, why? Maybe they needed to pass on a different way than they're able to now. Perhaps the souls need to be in a different place. Need to be in a specific place, and they need people, they need an amount of lords. 47.

47 lords. That's a lot of stone balance. How many is that? That's like a couple of things of 300, something. Not, right? Also, I don't know what this means, but so you understand that like each incandation and spell requires a specific amount of magical energy

to be put behind it to activate and to perform the incantation. But you can overcharge a spell, and sometimes that increases the effect and increases whatever. But there are some spells where overcharging it doesn't do anything. Why are you seeing this? My cousins, I can see their spell casting signature, but they were using the same spell I'm using,

but they were overcharging it, using more energy. So do that? No, it doesn't do anything. Try it. I have. It doesn't do anything. Try it here. I already cast a spell. But what I mean is that's not how,

unless they were choosing to do that for a reason I don't understand. There's no obvious effect for doing such a thing unless you had nothing else and no other way to do it, which is not how a sorcerer uses their magic. Maybe they only had access to that. Maybe they're, maybe it's different.

I have to think about it. I have to figure it out. That's not directly important. Well, this conversation is happening. Julian and Cattigan are at the entryway a bit further back, kind of quietly keeping an eye beyond the barrow. Shouldered your shoulder.

And I'll be a little honest. You're offering to the king's rash. I think someone is insightful, as you can see, that Octus is feeling surrounded, feeling cornered, and without a soul and a beating heart, none of us know he's capable of, should he lash out if he feels surrounded.

So we have to be cautious. You want vengeance as much as I do, and he is the key. We have to keep him safe, and we have to stay where he goes. And if you're stuck here, kneeling to a king, I can't guarantee you'll be able to be there when we carve this very heart from Primus's chest. So what I'm saying is

we have to be delicate, we have to be present. And when the opportunity arises, we have to be ready to do whatever it takes. So making sure we see eye to eye. Sure. Walking up to the entrance after the detect magic has been cast, you see that Sir Groveland and Dame Morgaine approach. Morgaine speaks up and says,

Companions, I do loathe to cease the rest of, revelries here in this desecrated tomb, but His Majesty will soon to bed and has asked for your audience. Before we leave, can I pull you aside? Yeah. What's up? You, you went up to a shadow.

What happened? Um, I think because of the convergence of the place we are in and my newfound mustache and Your beard is coming up to you. It's all falling apart. Because of the place we are in currently and the thinness of the veil here

and the fact of the specific spell I was using, Message. What was it? He saw my incision expressed his sympathies and then got mad at me because I threw a firebolt at him. He's there. Yum.

You did? That's great. He, they sometimes hear and see us. Okay. So we're gonna find him. Okay. I know, I'm sorry, I know that should have been you. No, it's fine. I'm gonna fly over to the wall and kick his shadow.

You... Kickstone. I know. So what's the brand? Um, so he flipped me off. You know, he gave me a, you know. That's great. I thought you have a lot of presents.

I don't know what's happening. Hey, um, I'm gonna go tell Gus that it's a no for now. Fair. No. So be it. We'll be waiting for you. Do you need company? I mean, you're always welcome where I'm going.

I'll just land on your shoulder. I can't appreciate it. all operate as one. A unified front of confidence behind you. Yeah, all right. Sure. Okay. Yeah, Morgaine and Groveland being to lead you.

They assume that the group that spoke to Gus before will come to speak with him again, but are only you going or are the group of it all? Great. You guys all pile into Gus's main carriage. I actually think that this one, yeah, there's a

Kwani can fit in here in the two gnomes. It's a tight squeeze. You see that Gus welcomes you as you come in. Cyrus is here, Martin is here, Groveland is just outside, and Gus looks over and says, Do I now address my Lord Toconis or the Wizard Octus? As much as I don't want to disappoint you, you are addressing the Wizard Octus.

For now, it is my decision. that if at this current moment it is ill-advised for me to state such a public claim, but if there is a time when it is specifically right and primed for us to meet with Primus, then doing so as an option, but now is not that time. In my current state and power and with what we can muster at this current moment, moment, it is far too likely that we will lose that fight. How could I be cross? You make a calculation that many bold and true make.

I don't disagree with the idea or the want, and I do understand what my father is and what he represents, but it does not mean we are not going to still fight him, just not publicly at this moment. Gus nods. He looks to you, Caddigan. Master Vale. Will you step outside with me? You step outside with him. He says, he says, to you here in assemble, thank you for your words.

I would ask that you remain to speak with Martin, leader of my own. He looks to Clani and Albert specifically. He says, Certain considerations are due for the service you will now do for the crown of timidine in the use of the miller's road beyond our borders and for those things which are necessary to fulfill the promises of the crown. There is also the matter of justice for one Pimli mourn here

in his crime against the archmaid demet, Blix. Demetis, you should remain here and speak as well. I trust my druid, my archmage, and my hound to conclude matters. conclude matters here. It is best that the crown acquit himself. Uh, your highness, before you leave, I just want to be clear. I so desperately appreciate how you treat your subjects and who you are to them. And you somehow miraculously are the kind, at least from my perspective, ruler.

that I have never encountered before and hope to encounter much more in the future. I appreciate what you do greatly and hope the next time we meet, I do not disappoint you. The lad does not disappoint me this time. He squeezes your arm doesn't need good rulers.

I'm a bad concession, and he looks right at Cadigan. The land needs good men. And I know that I look at one. Wherever it is, I know you've got a good heart, and he slams your chest with his fist. One of his rings goes, ding. On my chest.

And he steps out of the carriage, asking you to come with him. I think he pulls you aside, Cat again, and he says, I'm to ask my bone in this moment. So, I'm ready? The wizard Octus will not tarry long in these lands. I see in him a brightness born of curiosity, a spirit unbecoming virtuous with the shadow he was raised in. But there is much he does not know.

There is much many of your companions do not know. The Lord Devinos, Master Lethalia, strange creation that he is. Vailas, some centuries old thimble, a hero born from a flower. Are you ready for me to ask my boon? grabs, your arm pulls you close. Stump. Do you ask this of me? I so often feel as though I'm drowning

and a sea I do not understand. These people are so much better than me. Their lives are so much life. Fuck off. Off. I was raised by men who cut their hair short to keep the fleas off. Who knew more of justice

and of kindness and of bravery. Then the man whose name I dragged behind me like an anger. Please, stop. You, there is a ghost chasing you, something in your shadow. I've known enough men, enough fighting men to know it. Maybe I speak beyond what I know. I have never, never kneeled before another man. And I do so now.

I will speak my mind. I am many things. I am often a scoundrel and a fool and a drunk, but I've always been a good. Good soldier and a good man and a good father. As you say, good father and your voice chokes, Gus looks at you, the rain falling on him, and he kneels down in the mud with you.

They're still with us. Somehow, as lonely as hell, and I feel the rage all the time that I can't hear. His voice, I feel it all the time that. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. But in the times, where I'm not angry or cross or drunk or foolish myself.

I know the times I feel closest to him or when I, he would be smiling on me to see. We don't honor them by living in the shadow of our loss. And if you ran before, that's in the past. Tomorrow's a new day. A great name, no fancy title, no toll tower. What you have is worthy. You made a promise,

See that you keep it. Yes, Your Majesty. He claps you to him, smiles, and walks off into the rain. It's really a special thing to feel a fatherly bond with a man your own age. It's strange to think that as you get older, that you can glean wisdom from someone younger than you

or older than you or that you just met. And as Cattigan watches, this man walk into the rain who's made so much of his life with so much loss, before this conversation, he would have felt pity and loathing for himself. And I think for the first time in almost a decade, when he stands up, he feels like he could be something more by just making a new choice.

And he walks to his friends. Within the carriage, Sir Martin, Cyrus to his side, turns and says, His Majesty the King, is, of course, deeply empathetic as to the nature of your mission. But of course, the crown is,

limited in what it can engage in. And you see that Groveland kind of stares down and Cyrus stares down as well. And he, Martin speaks and says, as a result, his majesty will be continuing on to Timmons, the matter of the Argosian assassins, loose in the land, what other lords might be conspiring towards the nature of the creed, all of it. And of course, no open He'll write at practice. No open stand can be taken against House Taconas. What they might choose to do with these stone knights, should we discover any proof of the allegations put against them?

Perhaps there will be a... Perhaps the plan will fail for other reasons. Of course. It occurs to one who would dwell on such a thing That is possible that without any intercession from anyone in this carriage, that they might fail due to fate or fortune itself. After all, the Baroness of Slocke might write a letter to the Earl of Vallow at the border in Ardarin, saying that she has reason to suspect that the Taconas were behind the landslide. It's also come to the attention of myself that the bridge of Gainesley across the river,

the bridge of Gainesley across the River Vianen has been in need of engineering repair for some time, and given that the collapse on the King's Highway has occurred, that she makes sense to repair the bridge during this time where travel is already slowed. slowed. Of course, a detour will be created across the river of a ferry, which of course will slow caravans and move the pace of wagons across the river one at a time. The ferry is only large enough to carry one carriage at a time. And of course there is Tybury's Lee, where you have

been previously, where the current Earl has conformed to the candestine creed and Sir Groveland, right outside. You see the Grovelin's just staring at Martin right now, that Martin says, The city is well known, and I believe it has something of a pickpocket problem currently, doesn't it? I mean, in any of those three locations, I can imagine, misfortune could befall the caravan. Of course, we understand that these members of House Taconas, by the admission of one of our own knights, openly captured a hound of the king intended violence. My understanding is that some hounds, as a matter of personal honor, must see that redressed, and perhaps will turn in their resignation from the hounds of the king, perhaps later this evening,

perhaps two of them, perhaps two that you would desire. But, you know, I have no way of knowing that, of course, this is conjecture. Furthermore, whichever of those three locations strikes you as best, it does occur to one to think of the fact that should these stone knights be liberated, not only would a family be restored and some honor reclaimed, but also that it may foil the ritual. of the House of Taconas. Of course, it would afford them only so long as they took to capture other paladins.

However, it occurs to one that should some of those statues be replaced or otherwise switched out, but of course that would require you to be in a town with active, fast-working stone masons. And of course, this town, Slok, leave. Sorry, I don't know why you're laughing. Regardless, the point being, your business is your own, and we ask you to obey the law within the kingdom of Timony.

What a fortuitous set of circumstances those would be? Well, I am very... Glad that fortune may smile upon us. My good druid Anaservo, the river Vianen, it's a calm river, and you see that the druid says, I've actually heard it's gotten much choppier recently. There have been some rains extreme. And you see that, he says,

that'll make the ferry going quite tough and potentially. Well, you don't think it's gonna be raining for the next few days out there. I mean, it's raining here and slow, but across the river. You see the Cyrus says, a lot of rain, low visibility, could happen. I try to stay in touch with the land

in the sky as much as I can. And you see that Martin looks out and says, well, if you wish for any insight as to the gifts and capabilities of the Hounds of the King, for pure matters of curiosity, you may, of course, avail yourself to the Archmage Blix, who I believe is interested in matters archapeutic, arcane and we'll be studying with you, and he can affirm to you which of the hounds may have

gifts and talents that would be of interest for pure matters of hypothesis. I must not tarry any longer with matters of state, et cetera. Thank you. Quite an impression in a very short time here. Good evening time, and you see he hops out of the case. And you guys are left, and I think it's just Demetis who is left here. And I think Cyrus is also. Demetis is the only Timiti person, and he's like an old bud. So it is just back to you guys here for a second with Pimli. Demetis is looking at Pimli, shaking his head, but just sort of like shrugging.

What's the plan, guys? Pimli speaks up in this moment. I know I was interested to know about bumping wagons. If you need my help, it seems hard for you to get my help if I'm supposed to go to jail for being such a piece of shit. But, in here he sighs, he looks right at UpoLayer. I happen to know of a pretty useful mobile jail. We can continue that conversation.

I am interested. Are you sure? I didn't know that there were people like you guys out there. You know how easy, how much easier it is to make choices like the ones you make when you look at other people making them? Do you think I know people that stand up to the growkeepers? You think I know people that don't lay down and do business with House Taconas? If I had known this was an option, I don't know what my life would have been like. I want to help.

I got to save my cousin. I got to do something right in my life. Yeah. I sold you out to the, growkeepers and he looks right at Dembitus but I didn't put you in debt to them so we all make some bad choices kid right so I need to I need to serve my time let me serve my time somewhere helpful and if you go fight somebody that stabs you through the gut and I die well you seem scarier than me so I probably would have been gone or either way and they're gonna chop my head off anyway for the

crime that I did so what the fuck right I got better odds with you than I do it the fucking executioner's block. I, at the moment, serve at the mercy of the crownless king, so whatever the compatriots decide, I will obey. I think it's a good idea. I do too. What do we do with this guy? That is not up to me.

Demonis, how do you feel about this? Demetis looks at Pimli and goes, it's fine with me if it's fine with Master Lothalia. That's your idea. Do you see why I said no? Oh, everything in your mind, Master Lafalia. But you had a lot of opportunities to hurt me, and you never did. And you had a lot of opportunities to help me, and you always did. You have been worth every single one.

And I am so glad that you are not leaving this place with me. Maintain your skepticism, and I do ask one thing of you. I am one of six. There are five more. I am looking for four of them, and if you see one, let them know that you've seen me before. And if you find a broken one,

run as fast as you can. So then the decision that needs to be made now is what we do with the Kandeson Creed member. We hand him to the house. The house wants him. The house can happen. That's fine. Hey, Demetis, what's in those scragles

behind the barrels? Is there any kind of like beyond the... Yeah, there's like woodland and moor and like Highland up beyond the barrows. Let them loose. I say let... I say let the hounds decide. They have a good sense of justice. And that wolfing just goes...

Oh, no. Oh. You see that, I think you see that Groveland, or no, Groveland has left with Martin. Demetis says, I think the hounds can take care of it. And we're supposed to ask about hounds you think would help? They're all, I mean, they're all wonderful. You know, I don't think Martin can come.

Martin's the right hand of the king. But the way I've understood it is, you know, Cavalier, Sir Cavalier is the swiftest. And of the ones that I've met here in Slope just, you know, earlier today, Dame Morgan is the greatest tracker of the hounds of the king, and I think sort of the wisest is how they treat her. I think Sir Hawkins is the best warrior.

Sir Fell Tower, I believe, has the most knowledge of the lands and its people. And Sir Groveland, I've heard, called the stalwart. I guess it would be primarily whom. They do have to give some up while following us. So whoever volunteers. I would love to have

Dame Marguyen with us. But. You see, Demida says, I can ask for volunteers and limit it to those who say yes. Yeah. Don't want to make, to, I mean, not that we have the power to make them, but I would rather they be willingly.

Based on the conversation we've had, I will say, Sir Groveland, who was himself turned to stone, is the most likely to volunteer. Yeah. Yeah, I think Cleveland would be an excellent. All right. He has probably a lot of knowledge to of that situation. And Groveland is one of the regions

that he's been assigned to often is Hounsport. He was up there the most recently. Great. You're, I assume, continuing traveling in the morning? Yeah. By nature of my affliction, I do not sleep. I'll be tired. Let's hit the books. Okay.

But you guys should decide. Which path we want to take? If the plan is to rescue these stone, look, you know, you see, Pimli actually cuts in and says, you gotta get them. I'm not saying that because I'm my cousins. Look, these, how many fucking statues do they need? Hundreds.

It's not a question, right? I mean, we're gonna, yes. We're gonna go after. My point is this, right? You said these girls were at their manner in Dolmakia, right? Obermiss, over the tanners. Look, if they're pulling the fucking good China off the wall, which is what these frozen people are if they're in Obermiss, think about how close to that number they are. They need everything they got. They need everything they fucking got. I still love the notion of replacing them with four-dice.

A hundred percent. They've got dwarfs here. That's all they do. We replace them. We bring them. I think the bridge is an excellent place to do it. So how Olbert could describe what they look like. You get a good fact, some of them. You see, Albert says, but there's no way for a statue in this little time as we have to look. You see that Demetis says, if I have a good thing to work off of, I can use a little illusion magic

to make it look like it's supposed to. It's just it won't, it'll read as magic and it won't last. And it goes back to Ulbid, who says, a young man, I'm actually an enchanter. I could make the magic stick and make it and dis and remove the aura, remove the magical aura from it. So they wouldn't know until they tried to use it. Possibly.

If they were actually to use forgeries in the ritual, it's possible that it would fail. Or it would ruin. I don't know what the redundancies for their setup is. Maybe they're gathering one the need, but theoretically, if they had false ones and they did not know Worry, worry, worry. This sounds like a good plan. It's a fringe benefit. If it blows them in their face, fantastic.

But at the very least, it slows them down, and it takes some pieces off their work. You see, Albert says, says, your family, they're typically very careful with their rituals. No. Well, sorry. Come on, kid. We're fucking with you.

They're cocky, right? Be real. They're cocky. They, until recently, have lived under the assumption that they could not. Yes. That is a concern, though. It is a concern. Recent failures means they're likely to be a little more careful going forward.

Correct. If they don't know anything's been nothing's been tampered with. Yeah, we get the girls. It's a side bit of them. Do I remember? It's bonus if we can get it. Or at least if I can make a history check or something,

that when we saw the girls at Obermus Manor, did I get any just quick passing by that there was a magical aura of? No, because of the petrified stones, actually as you see in the past, if these knights don't register as magic. In the same way that a paladin not using magic. Right, I was just worried over to the specific situation

that, in fact, they did have a magical aura. Yes, and removing it would. No, no, no, no, no. Part of the Taconas sort of relying on a passing, detect magic, just watch it, the fact that a petrified person and scans as a stone statue is like a good thing. Great, good, good, okay. When we were talking about the place where

we're potentially to a river crossing, if anybody's been there, would we know that this? Are we talking like an or, trail wagons on a simple raft crossing? Are we talking like set up ferries? I'll ask, yeah. You guys travel by the Miller's Road, but just give me a survival or nature check

and do so with advantage because you just had it this sort of land explained. I would have passed that way too with you. Yes, it's the Ozzie back of the day. You can give me the same world. You said survival with advantage? Survival with advantage. 18 plus 6, 24.

24. Is mine advantage you or? Yes, you can do yours with advantage. Mm-hmm. Can I put all that bare meeting the wagon off the trailer? You're way better. Okay. So you're doing the math of these three locations that Martin kind of mentioned in his non-speech speech, right?

There is the original plan you guys have, which is still a good one of Ardarin back, of going to the border. That's the most likely place for there to be a stop. However, because you didn't get all the way to Gus interceding himself, you don't have an official banner to affect like a border stop. You would have to trick Val. He said, like, get the Baroness to, like, send Valo out or do whatever else. To, like, talk to the Earl of a different place. So that one to you, and also, you're traveling back south, which is away from Hounsport, away from the orchard, and losing time as you're getting closer to the Taconas, right?

So you lose prep time going the wrong way. The river, the river is, they're talking about, a ferry crossing because they're going to shut the bridge down to repair it while the river's swollen. And that ferry is basically, you know, it'll go across this swollen river. And the whole thing there is about having the wagons be separated one at a time. That the caravan is stopped and separated. So we're single loading a wagon onto a boat. A boat. A ferry intended for it. A very intended for it, right? And then, but it sounds like the ferry is, is using, I think you realize Timeney is a small kingdom.

And so there's a certain degree of backwaterness. And I think what you know about woodsy, folksy kind of people is they know how to play it up when it benefits them. So the idea of, you know, the Bainzley Bridge is an enormous bridge. It's all the trade from Timon's Rock going to Cahad and, you know, Helvar and beyond.

But the ferry that they whip up on a day's notice, at the bridge, collapses or falls, will be small. It will not be as big and royal as it could or should be. It's an emergency measure, not a common place. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You could already be waiting in it. We could already have ourselves situated.

And then Tybreese Lee is the city. That one is the one that all you were told about that one is that Groveland and Fell Tower know it very well, and there's pickpockets. That sounds more like a, I think that you would realize on that one that, Arderin is going through official channels. Ty Bree's Lee is playing more of a social game.

Like, who in the city can you get to help you? And the physically most advantageous place that you'll have on that check is that that river fucks it up the most. You said you nicked a bunch of wagons, but you ever boosted a boat? Fuck yeah. Yes, I have actually come to think of it. I mean, how much access can we get to the craft?

Can we get, can we get a half of time? You're the guy to figure it out, but we'll say this. Sounds like a good plan, but we can't fuck this up. Stones and water. Yeah. That's what I'm scared about. We mess up any part of this, and we sink all this family into the river. Yeah, but we'd be able to get them out.

Give them out. So that's the plan. Yes. But stones and water don't mix. And plans and people also don't mix. The fortunate thing is that they will not die from being sunken under water. The risk you're talking about

would be losing them in the river. Yeah. You know, you can, what you could do, and this is just me, this is what I love to. This is my job, is, you know, the river could play into your hand here. It could be the way to move them quickly, to move them slowly later.

Get a mouth. out of the boat. Replace them with the others if we can get them, and then then the wiser, and then come back later to collect them. I can probably help our friend here go not need to breathe for a very long time underwater, too. What?

I don't actually have to breathe, so. I have to. I do. I may be able to help with that a bit. Good, okay. Well, two of us don't need to breathe. Aren't you glad we busted you out? You fucking, yeah, honestly, yeah, yeah. You say that now, wait do you find out about the wine cellar?

It's going to be lovely. You see that Pimley looks at you cat again and says, if we're going to do something at the ferry crossing, the more time I get with the boat, the better. Wagons I know very well as well. If any of you can describe anything about the character, to me, that's gonna help us out. Because, you know, what you were saying before,

you had some kind of method, right, of moving things. Great. So what I can do is I can create a, sorry, I just had an idea. I can create a disk of force that can carry up to 500 pounds that could be sitting under the water, waiting for them to land on it, and then move them under water. Yeah.

And I can over it. overhead press like 280. Mm. Mm. I got these really awesome bracers. Mm-hmm. Specifically made to move statues. And you can change size.

Yeah. Okay. So it is the disk I can create is three feet in diameter. And can carry 500 pounds. The only con is I have to be within 20 feet of it to move it. So you be underwater. I can be underwater and drag them. And I can pick them up and lower them in and take them out. Rude question, you need to breathe?

No, I'm dead, remember? Yep, okay. We can workshop it, we can workshop it, but for now. It's great. Time's ticking. All right, you see that Demitus goes, okay, let's get on magic because you're gonna lose me. Yeah.

But also, no, fuck that. I'll talk to His Majesty. Maybe I can stay a little bit, because if you need help disguising statutes or something like that, that is worthy. The, is there a, first of all, I should go talk to the hounds. Morgaine and Groveland, yes?

Yeah. Are you guys good with that? That's fine with me. Sure. Yeah, if Morgaine doesn't volunteer, I can't imagine. Yeah, she's so important, I know, but she's so important. I know, I'll go speak to her, okay? Okay.

And then you see, Alvitt says, I can enchant them. I was speaking to the dwarves earlier tonight. If we don't necessarily trust them, do one of you wish to speak to them to clue them into our plan? I don't have the funds to pay them for their time. I don't know how to convince them to not. They're on their Hucklewend right now. Hucklewind?

Yes. So we know what that is? What is that? Hucklewind is a dwarven. Their leader, their leader. Jasper Magnesson. He's a... Sorry, are these dwarves...

Magnessons? The leader is, Jasper. We do know a member of their family. Murray. What? Murray has family? Magnesson's her last name. I just assume she was some sort of terrible urchin

who sprouted from some terrible trash sheep. Oh, right. That's how it happened with you and her. We bonded over here. Did you in the worst way? Well, then we do have that then to speak to them and say that we know akin to theirs. You see that, uh, uh, you see that that Albert says,

I will then let you, if you have some connection, speak to them. Sure. You did this to yourself. I probably shouldn't. Just a grin creeps across. grin creeps across Cadigan's face. I don't know what that means. You will.

Hell yeah. Okay. So you see that Demida says, all right, we should return His Majesty's carriage to him. Let's you and I go get to work. And you see that Pimli goes, I'm going to start figuring out if there's any tools I need. But whatever the plan is gonna be, you let me know, all right? Are we gonna be leaving tomorrow, you think? Or?

Sooner the better. All right. You're gonna need a shower, and I'm gonna need a room to change it. So you're gonna talk to the hounds first? Yeah. And then we'll get to magic. Yes. So while you talk to the hounds, I will talk to the dwarves, and then we'll meet about magic. Hell yeah.

Octus. Yes. Please. What, talking to the dwarves? Talk to me. Come on. Can I clap him on the shoulder and just pull them aside for just a second. Yeah, yeah. That's not problem.

Yes. Pimley looks over and says, you let me know where you need me. Gather what you need. Put it together. I suppose where should I get rid of this? I would go with the hounds. We're going to go with the hounds. I'm going to need to, if we're going to keep this one alive,

I'm going to need to possibly be in some sort of cell or have these hands bound and then you'll have go with them at his thing because he's going to talk to the hounds, right? Yes, that's perfect. I'll give you proper clothes and you'll definitely need to shower. That's disgusting. Baby, you don't sleep. I don't have to sleep tonight now.

Can you come with me? Absolutely. Okay. You guys head off. You go with Kattegan. You two go together. Boler, as you step out, Demetis is like a little ways away from you. Pamelae steps out with you and says,

I don't know how your whole thing works. You really want to go bother these hounds with this? Or should we just put this motherfucker to bed? Normally, I would agree with you wholeheartedly. I have just, as you will discover, get a little physically ill when I lie. It doesn't, I was not built to do it well, and it makes me weak.

I said I would do it, I'm going to do it. It's the same promise that's going to keep you alive at the end of this. If I have a word, I keep to it. I just try and make my word very malleable. All right. Great. Katagan, you pull out this aside. Yes.

Don't be so nervous. Hey. You said back there you were 20-something, right? Yes, pretty much exactly. How old are you? 20. It's been less than a year. I was 20 when I died.

It's been two weeks, three weeks since I died. The timeline doesn't matter that much. Listen, no. He said earlier, You didn't think we were your friends? Yeah, well. It's okay. They don't know each other well.

I just want to say this. How? Your father is a great eight piece of shit. Yeah. So is mine. Just got so much pressure back there, boy. From everyone. Yeah.

Me included. We all tried to push you a certain way, and you push back. I think it led us down this path, and I think it's the right path. and I think I was wrong. And if I had half the brains and a quarter of the strength, I wouldn't be where I am right now. So, piece of shit, Dad.

Piece of shit, Dad. Maybe we'd be friends someday, but for now, for what it's worth. I'm gonna slap him on his cheek and take off. You take off? The skin takes a little bit of time to like come back. It's not as elastic as like, I was like holding it in my head. It's on.

Yeah. You take off. Veilis and Thimble, where do you guys head off? I'm just flying next to you. Will you follow me to the fields? Absolutely. I want to go to where the crops would grow. They're just dog shit here.

Yeah, they're bad. Everything was fucked. Yeah. And I want to spend the night casting plant growth. Oh. You can count. Can you cast plant growth? I can cast plant.

Incredible. Yeah, and I will watch over you. Um, Valis, you watch as Thimble begins to cast plant growth. Give me a nature check with advantage. Not going to be a high DC, it's just a DC, we'll call it like a DC 10. 16.

What kind of growing thing do you want to be here? Oh, gosh. Is there anyone who can help you? What do you think would be most useful for a village of people that haven't had crops in a long time? It's taking everything in me not to say potatoes. I was like, literally, I almost just came out of my mouth, like, potatoes.

You hear that fiddle music playing in the bagels. Potanthole. It's a wonderful source of carp byadry. Um, potatoes maybe like beans. Oh, beans are wonderful. Um, herbs, grain. As you guys start to speak to each other, you hear both of you.

Like an apple tree. Both of you begin to hear someone's nearby repeating you. And as you do that, you realize you've been talking all night. And you look out and the things repeating you are the hills and mountains. mountain sides. And you thought you were just talking for a moment,

but what is a moment to a fairy who, for the first long chapter of her life never aged and an immortal elf talking as they should of green and growing things? Some jasmine, some of my plummet and jasmine. Beautiful are you. Feeze of smell good and flowers too. Flowers, of course.

I know there could be useless, but they're beautiful. As the sun rises, you know. hours are never. I know if this is true, sorry, I'm sorry. As the, as you guys look out and see, you feel deep in the earth. Small growing tendrils of bright red potatoes. You see that they're off in the distance,

a little bloom of jasmine. Off in the pastures, there's rich grass growing that will keep the sheep. full and fed and healthy and happy. And in that morning, no more tall than Thimble is in her pixie height, there is the littlest apple tree sapling right where you sat through the long night together. And there are victories that are won by heroes.

Most tales of heroes in these realms of myth and fantasy end with glorious conquest of good over evil and great battles and tales and tales that are done in the telling in but a few days or weeks or months. So it is fitting that in this moment, you do not know how many battles you have won through tending to the land for a single night. Many years from now, long past the concerns or events that troubled Thimbel and Vailas. Winifred Cosgrove's grandchild will look at a repaired castle sloak that could afford to be repaired. We'll look at a burgeoning and thriving village where once only a handful of Havels stood, because victories of green and growing things take a lifetime in the telling. A great act of heroism has been done here.

And with that, we return back as you have your long conversation that evening. You're on that evening. I'll ask Julian Devinos, where are you going that evening? I think as everyone scatters off to their immediate driven goals and points of attention, he stands there alone, really truly emphasizing that even amongst all this right now, He is still alone.

And so he draws his blade, his father's blade, splits to her, looks down at it, and quietly under his breathes. And when the plan inevitably fails, so I'll be there to do what needs to be done. And he walks into the darkness of the city. Do you return to the tavern? You, I think, realize in this moment

after all of this has been said and done, that you don't have a bed here. Where do you go? I think like the emotionally, well-adjusted person that he is, still steeping in his self-loathing, exemplified by personal choices and recent events and emotions, he finds the driest edge of a stable

and just leans his back against a pile of slightly mildewed hay, after practicing some forms and some strikes, hopes to eventually find a night of sleep. Give me a luck check. Just roll a D20. That is a six. You lie down in the hay, damp, feel the shifting of horses nearby. And I think through the rain, see the doors of the towers of the town,

and I think you see a cloaked figure waiting at the door, the warm light of just embers as the fire dies inside. And there's just a moment where the Baroness Cosgrove who's just been waiting at the door for a while looks out and around and you see her face, look back inside and sigh. And she...

Julian just watches. You see that someone, you know, one of her Big Tom Holly walks up and points up the hill towards some structure up on the hill. And she nods and takes one last look into the tavern to see if she missed whatever she's looking for. And one last look into the shadows. And then... Sighs. Gives in to his latest tick of thumbing the stone in his pocket. Thinking on Alma.

We moved from the stable to Boller and Octus, who are both entering the tavern where the public business is still happening. Cadigan, I assume you're going with them into the tavern as well. You see that all the local knights and people have gone back to their places and all the people with King Gus's retinue

are going back to their tents. You see Brawla looks as you guys walk in and says, I'm sorry, we have no body. beds to speak of, but I can lay some blankets out on the stone or on the tabletops for you. It's better than we've had recently. Yeah. And you see over in the corner, Octus, that still there, the black rabbits are drinking and talking with the dwarves over on the corner. And you can see that the black rabbits are feeding little seeds to this tiny little chickadee hamster griff.

It's like a little, the butt of a little gray hamster in the front half of a chickadee with wings and little talent, little bird talents. And you walk over and I think you can see in this moment that the, hold on one second, and you see that one of the black rabbits goes, No boat can sail my rivers, no cats can cross my road. my roads, no stones fall from my mountains, nor lords live in my castles. What am I?

And you see the dwarfs start stroking their beards and looking around, you see, and this one red-bearded dwarf, you realize it looks a lot like Murray. I was like, god damn, what the hell is that? No stones fall from the mountains? Is that like a, no boat can sail my rivers, nor carts can cross my roads, no stones fall from my mountains, nor lords live in my castles. What am I? Um, hmm, could I make, I guess just a straight intelligence check? Can I straight intelligence? To see if I can quickly discern the meaning of this riddle that I, me, am too stupid to figure out.

Brother, we're all there together. Yeah. Oh, that's, um, that's, uh, a 21. A 21. Well, I'll say, too, as you're approaching another, on a 22, you see that a different one of them says, wait, I didn't get my chance to guess the last one. Give me the last one again. And you see that one of the, one of the Black Harvest Coast again, I run all day, but I never walk. I have a mouth, but I never speak. I have a bed, but I never sleep. What am I? It's a river.

He says, shut off, Don't ruin. Nobody asked you. You suck. Go back to the harder one. On a 22, you realize that there's been, as he says river again, no boat can sail my rivers. You and your head are thinking about the river that you have to ford.

And you sort of have created this mental picture for yourself of the river, Arderin, up above, of like here's sort of timid here, and looking at the river that comes down, the river Viannon, and you realize that there is a thing that has rivers that boats cannot cross, and it has carts that cannot cross roads. Stones don't fall from its mountains, and it's a map.

And I'll walk up to table and be like, I'm sorry, if I may be so bold. I'd love to answer your middle. You see, it says, oh, there's no fear you're a wizard, aren't you? Wizzards no answer to all riddles. That's not necessarily true. All right, if you can answer this riddle, then I'll kiss you. Would it be a map? It is. Hop's up. Maw!

See, the lead dwarf says, that's not bad at all. It's pretty good. You wouldn't happen to know a particular fine woman named Murray Magnesson, would you? I don't know a fine woman named Murray Magnesson. How the hell? How do you know my cousin? So, to my own detriment, she was my teacher. No, you're from that dang that? The pentever, yes. The yeah, that's the one.

So you study witchcraft? I study magic, yes. Oh, congrats. Thank you. We'll do something. So in his hands. Well, that doesn't do something already. He just uses press digitation to make little

kind of fireworks come out of his hand. Hey, not bad. How much that run you? How much they charge there? Oh, there was no charge, just... Demidus goes, goes, well, okay. Boy, sometimes you say some stuff, Octus, that's okay. You're, hey, you know what?

We've been talking about your family a lot tonight. That's okay. I can tell you exactly what the rate per semester is. You see, I was put there so that I would go away, so I wasn't privy to how much it costs. Yay, exactly. And you see, David just goes, it's not a contest. You had a harder life.

Everyone has different hard lives. No. I just wanted to come over here and say that, one, your cousin is a lovely, if somewhat disagreeable person. Well, you know, you gotta be, you gotta have, it's a hard world, you need a hard head. You do, that she has imparted that often. Of course.

But I did have a question. Now you all work with Stone, do you not? Absolutely. We're doing it. We're part of the HuckleWand program. Right. We're here. We're journeymen dwarves that have come here, and I got my young friends, Dogsy here and a couple others. This is Doggsy and Cozy. This is Billy. And we do public works as part of the generosity of the dwarves of the Sunset Mountains. We come in, so we're building a bridge outside of Sloke, helping them get their sheep herds up and down the mountainside.

because they, you know, Slocke is a fine upstanding village with a beleaguered economy and getting them sheep across the river without having to go all the way up into the highlands and going to save them a lot of time and help, help, maybe you attract some more shepherds in the town. That is lovely and fine work for you to be doing. My question is, how long do you think it would take for you to make three statues of gnomish proportions?

life size to the scale of a known. Yes. But statues, do they need to be good? Did Olbed come with us? Yes, Olbit's here. And I'll motion to Ollbed. They would need to look somewhat good to a passing glance.

You see, Alvitt says, I can describe the faces perfectly. I can help. This says, okay, well, you need to match a likeness. And sorry, we, you'd be okay with this project beginning after we complete the bridge. Well, we would be happy to do something to convince you to do it before. Okay.

What would that, what would that be that you would do to convince us to do it before? Payment. Okay. Well, yeah, we, I'm sorry. The HuckleWam program, go ahead and me a persuasion. Yeah, natural 20. Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

We're so fucked in the next combat. You see, he goes, unbelievable. You see he goes, yeah, total of 25. Total 25. So you see he goes, he goes, well, we, payment to us. We work for the HuckleWen program. If you were had the ability to give an endowment to the Hucklewinn program,

but I don't know if you're affiliated with any institutions of any financial institutions or anything like that, but- Well, I do have some, what's the what I'm looking for, I do have some access to some ability, but if you would like us to make a donation. Increasing the endowment of the HuckleWend program would be absolutely wonderful.

Do you, would I know any of the institution that you're affiliated with? I am a member of House Halivar. You see that, by the law, I will say, these guys were also here in the room when this publicly announced you, but they maybe weren't paying super close attention. I'm gonna try it.

Yeah, give me a shot. You see, they look and say, oh, do you think you could speak to your family about potentially funding the program? I absolutely think I could speak to them about that. You see that Jasper looks and goes, guys, you see, he's, does anyone here speak dwarven? I do not. He speaks really fast in Dwarven and he goes,

if you need, we, honestly, we're waiting on a shipment of new quarry stone. Our times are, you know, we're waiting on supply right now anyway, we can get you, we can get you three stones and say, Nome statues? Yeah. My God, it could be easier,

no ones are any bitty, no offense, and then, um, he goes, great, and they don't need to, you just need them in the ballpark, right? You need them. Well, oh, oh, oh, oh, We'll be talking with, oh, my good friend, Olbit here. And they, and they,

and then he will be directing you as to what has actually needed, and then the look they will need. And then we can also have some, separately, some enchantments done to make them look really. Will I'll be? Okay, so we, okay, well then,

tell you what, just raw materials, time for labor, you know, just on our own, just as a sort of down payment, would you say, you say, he says, be involved in really fast. And you see he goes, What did you say for down payment of 50 gold? That could absolutely be done.

Put it right there. All right, boys. Everyone fall asleep right now. We gotta wake up before the crack of dawn. Actually, they all finish their tankards and go, hi-ho, motherfuckers. And-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hom motherfuckers. That's all good?

Captain Kirk. Captain Kirk saying, hi-ho, motherfuckers. And you see that, yeah, Dogsy and Cozy, who are like these twin dwarves, look at you and say, this is very good, and both walk out. And you see that all of it says, I owe you everything, thank you, thank you. I'll go, go as they all walk away and I'm staying there by myself,

I go, that's all my money. And I think you do see that one of them, One of them comes back in. You see that cozy comes back in. You see, recognized as a, as a covrosy dwarf. He comes back and says, You are very kind. We appreciate very much.

Give it now. Oh, yes. It takes the pouch out of their hands. Exactly 50 gold. He grabs her hand and goes, you give you a big kiss on your hand. The work will be exceptional quality. When do you need done?

Oh, no, wait, hold on. I go, wait. I take 10 gold pieces out. There's 50 gold. 60 gold. When you need done? As soon as possible. Okay, that, the quality change if, like.

As soon as possible to the specifications of Allgood. Great, we have like three weeks. Oh, no. Faster. One week. Mm-mm. Mm-hmm. Well, so.

A day. Two maybe. Some days. See, all. You see, Albit looks and says, you said, four days. Am I correct with the Taconas are coming? Yeah. And we need to go and get set up ahead of time where the river is.

Which we don't necessarily need the statues for that, but. I see, you see that, Albit says, day and a half. Got it. And you see that the dwarfs go, yes, day and a half, I hear you say, the statues will be bad. That's fine. And you see. I have all the faith in you.

They take off and Obed goes with them. Oh, incredible. For some shoot of statues. Beume. Dame Morgaine walks over to you, Boler with you there. Morgaine and Groveland walk up. And I think Morgaine speaks directly to you, Kattegan, it might be near Boller.

And you see that she just goes, I regret to inform you that myself and Sir Groveland have recently submitted our resignation from our order. Oh. That's tragic. What are you gonna do? I find myself adrift and purposeless. Oh. Well, you're talking adrift and purposeless. I'm your man. Can I offer a suggestion?

By all means. What do you say, Groveland? Us, masterless knights without creed or cause. And you see that Groveland says, It's the vagabond's life for us, Master Vale. And I elbow Belair and I go, See, I'm getting better at the whole theater thing. I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention, what?

Morgaine looks at you. Morgaine looks at you and says, I believe you had a question for the hounds, Master Lothalia. Yes, I was actually, I needed a place to change, if possible, somewhere private. Also, I would love to take a moment with any of the Fay who are around. See, the Clonnie, the Rose from over at the table says, I, you can speak to us over here, we're doing riddles.

I love riddles. I have one. What's the riddle you have here? It's very private. Who's the smartest of you? That is a hard riddle. I'd say me. Am I right? I believe you are. Yes, I've guessed it correctly.

So I walk over. This one is very quiet. I must be brought into the light if I am to lighten your load. What am I, if you would like one? Wait outside, just outside the door, and wait for a man to come up. for a man to come up and ask you that riddle. And he will then, if you remain quiet and still,

tell you such a confession. Shall I get the lads for this? I think they should be ready to hear it. You see that he says, he goes and gets the lads, and you see the black rabbits go wait outside the tavern. Morgaine says, should we remain with them

or keep at a distance, Master Lavellia? Up to you, I really, I feel that this is really their business. I'm going to go change if that's all right. You see this, she says, very well, we'll remain here. Does Pimley come with you or no? Oh, yes. Pimley comes with you. We go upstairs.

Oh, there is no upstairs. That's right. Always the tavern in my head. Yes. We go out. You head in the back in the kitchens, which are now closed down in darkness. What did the, what did the, what did the, the, the ferry I just spoke to, what did they look like?

Kloni has his cattle hob head. They're tiny little cricket-like guys that ride, they're big enough to ride rabbits as steeds. They have bows on them and he has a little flower rough around his neck. All right, I'm going to go upstairs. I cannot help it. I'm gonna go into the back.

It's burned into decades of game into your head. So I always stairs at the tavern. I know. I'm gonna go and So this is the process. In this bag is a set of clothes. Put them on, and I'm going to take these clothes off, and I'm going to put them in the bag. This will be odd for a moment.

I'm going to lie down, and you are going to take the mask off of this body and put it on yourself once you are, everything you need in your pockets and otherwise. You will be disoriented for a moment, and doing this. and darkness might be the best way to let this happen. So once you're ready, let us do the transfer. Pimli nods, however long you need me. That's my sentence. Don't feel rushed on my account.

I think you're going to find that this sentence is more of a rehabilitation. I don't think you're going to find this feeling like a prison at all. Yeah. Let's get it done. I'm scared. I don't want to feel like this. You go back into the dark. Pimley follows your instructions. I lie down once I'm, and I lie down and calm myself and just try and bring this body into a nice state of sleep. Or as close to, like, I'm trying to just calm everything.

You fade out of consciousness as the body that you wear fades out of consciousness. until suddenly you are looking at the naked, prostrate body of this. I grab my coat, I cover his face, and I cast suggestion while he's struggling. He fails his saving throw. These terrible dreams that you've had over the last few weeks, you've been drugged. It's been terrible. It's hard to remember. There is an agent outside waiting for you. You will tell them that it must be brought into the light.

He will acknowledge you, and you will tell him in detail everything you've done for the creed, and you will enjoy hearing details. I know what he looks like, but trust me, he can be trusted. We're around the side. You'll find him out there. And I pull the coat, and I immediately turn out of the room.

Belair Lothalia, much shorter than before. walks out. I'm telling Balear. Although I will say the mask fits actually quite beautifully at this size. And walking out, Pimli, the body of Pimli Morn rejoins. I think, Boler, do you take any time to look into the black box, or are you staying active

as you ride this new body? I've got a second since time moves a little differently in there. and how is he taking it? I think you look at the theater and just see him in the front row. And I think for the first time you see that the play is not active, it's like getting set up. The stage manager is out and there are people coming around

that are setting things up. You see he's just, you take a moment to see him just lost, and thought as the thought of rehabilitation comes across him. Moving out into the tavern, I think you come back to your awareness of this other place. He looks very much occupied in his own mind in this space that might actually be, for someone who has made horrible decisions from a place of panic for years unending, solitude and quiet is actually a thing that is quite beneficial in this moment. moving back onto the tavern,

the Lux moves around the outside and approaches, I believe you just told the Black Rabbits to gather outside, right? I told the one that I spoke to and then everybody on standby so that they can hear, but so it feels... As you walk out, you hear this Lux, who is nude

speaking to the Black Rabbits and he is confessing. You see, he says, burned, burned the glade, the fair folk therein, hunted them into the depth of the forest to bring the light to that place. And I think you see, you know, you've heard these talkative riddle-giving kettle-hobs outside. And you see that the hounds are there with you. And after the Lux ends this confession about the whole, horrendous, vile, evil violence visited upon fairies

desperately searching for safety in a land where the door to their homeland has been shut. You see, he says, that is my confession. That is what I have done. I know you are an agent of a higher power. Atone me. Bring me into the light.

all you hear, waiting for these highly verbose and loquacious fairies to speak, you begin to hear of them switching to their bad heads. Well, dear friend, Deloitte is not something you'll ever see again. It's the shadows for you, mate. Let the wild hunt begin. And the Lux turns and flees into the hillside as the black rabbits ride on their hunt. I heard that they were cannibalistic and hoping to see. It's always been an interesting myth.

Now look at that, promise kept. The Lux flees into the darkness as fairies once again ride the hills of this landscape. And I believe as that concludes our evening here in Sloke. Just being me sitting with the rest of the evening with Demetis to exchange spells. Demetis approaches you, I think, with a bunch of spells here. You see he looks at you, you know, you spend that whole night. And I think you probably are either in the tavern or the barrow, wherever you would choose to. Where do you think Oxa would choose to be?

I think that for Demetis's comfort, if we could. You can be in the tavern, that's probably better. Great. In the tavern, he goes over his whole thing. He actually, he makes a recommendation of a spell to you, but he has a bunch for you to choose from. He goes, like, obviously, like a lot of what I have is illusion. You're really gifted an illusion. I remember seeing your use of a self-discise spell.

I can do that, yeah. Do you want to go, are you looking for something a little bit more potent or do you need more something that is a little bit easier to handle? No, I could do something more potent. What are you thinking? Well, at the top of my roster, I mean, everything, every, all the principles you've learned with a self-disguise, you can apply to three-dimensional space. You know, a lot of what you learn is sort of, to use the term, crutches, right?

It's like attaching light to your own temples and your own chin and your own jaw. Do you want to, if you want to do what I can do, which is creating those, those spectacles, it's much more creative to just make it out of it. in space. But it's all the same principles of light and color and following motion and everything like that. And he begins to lay out major image to you. Major. Do you have anything that I could potentially swap for? Yes. So you're looking for things of offensive capabilities, correct? Yeah. Not the, just like, yes, offensive capabilities. If there's anything that's not super duper nasty. So I have an interesting thing. Now, you deal with illusions.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I don't know if you know this one. And just to check above board, does he know Shadowblade? He does not know Shadowblade. So this might be something that is more in line with the way you work. It is an illusion spell,

but it is for combat purposes. You're going to weave shadows together in order to make yourself a sword, but you will through the magic of the spell, know how to use it. Holy shit, that's awesome. That's awesome. So I will teach him shadow bled.

Incredible. You guys spend the evening going. I'll trade you a shadow blade in your image. Yeah. So fucking. That's exactly what it is. That's worth two major images. It's worth new versions of paper. There is a gold piece cost to inscribing new things

into your spellbook. just given all your money. I have 10 gold left. 10 gold left. We can cover the cost of that. It's possible that you may need to appeal to some of your companions here, but it's technically to do a third level spell

as 150 gold pieces. Yeah. I don't know who's got cashed like that around. Zero. But we can cover that in downtime. Maybe King Gus got the coverage for that. Maybe King Gus has got us I've got some change.

I have 17, go pieces. I got 20 you can find me. You broke, motherfaces. What if we had time? Now five. We can figure that out. As you begin to figure that out, copying the spell, you are able to inscribe as you do see it.

Major image is like it is the same principles as disguise self. It's just much more expansive in its applications. And he takes shadow blade and says, yeah, it's like an illusion. It's just you have to add that little bit of intention in too. that little bit of intention into it. You do. And just a word of warning, I found this out myself,

it will not work on, it's not going to hurt inanimate objects. It is an illusion, so it will hurt their brain. They will believe they are cut, and therefore it will be. So it's kind of like, I'm not even cutting them. It's kind of like, they're cutting themselves. Fuck.

It is a sort of, yeah. You understand. And, you guys, it's like, wow, everything you do is, kind of fucked up. But yeah. No, no. Look, I tried to teach you the one

that wasn't the least fuck-out. I can't believe that you have a spell that's stop hitting yourself. Yeah. I do. All I could see the whole bunch of. Yeah, yeah. But I also, and then I lay my spellbook out

and Demetis sees that it is, in fact, an anatomy textbook. Yeah. And in where the points of the body and the reference markers would be for scientific names of bones, and tissue and all these things, is actually then in cipher-written spells

to hide them from people. Incredible. And you see there's a moment. Just look at your facial hair. Oxus. As outside wonderful sylvan magic occurs, the sun rises in the tavern, and you realize sitting here, Demetus is,

you look across in suddenly realize that Demetis, deep bags under his eyes. is bloodshot eyes. And you realize, of course, that your eyes aren't going to get bloodshot at all. But you realize that as the sun comes up for the first time since, who knows how long,

you truly have lost track of time doing something you love. The Wizard Octus is the life you have chosen. Demilis. Yeah. You're going to have to get you. Get some sleep at some point.

Fuck you. I'm the Arkmaid. I'm the Arkmaid. You are. I know. But go be the Arkmage of Timeney. Be the thing that makes people love wizards. That's not gonna be me.

So you go do that. I'm so glad you didn't say yes to His Majesty. I know I'm not supposed to be your guy instead of his guy. You gotta have. to have something, everything, remember, you remember what Professor Grimberon said about? It's, he said, a lot of being a wizard is about having what you need for the fight after this one.

And I know that today there was all this pressure to be the Lord Toconis, but I think in the long run, the wizard Octus is what the world needs more. We'll see. I know it. And all of a sudden done, if I get a wizard's tower, I don't know if I do yet. I can make, I know you can't grow it anymore,

but I can make one out of illusion. I'll give you a big, long beard, and we can twirl our beards in the Wizards Tower and do magic together, okay? I appreciate that. I'll take you up on that. Take me up on that. Yeah.

You look out at the sun, and in the village of Slocke, the hammers of dwarves ring on stone. Gnomish mines work on magic craft. New plants grow, new adventures begin, and somewhere in distant mountains. The power of sorcerers clears the rock and rubble to make way for a journey northward.

You and the house Taconas have a meeting soon arriving at the shores of a great river. shores of a great river. Let's see if you've spent your time well. And that's all for this episode of Critical Role. Let's see. Hell yeah. Hell yeah. That's crazy. More. More. More. More. More. More. I know. We've got to talk. I want to keep going, but I'm like, no, actually, you guys need to like plot and plan now. So we have many questions, Chief amongst them. Is it Thursday yet? 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 Critical Roll Cooldown. You'll be right there at the table immediately after we say, is it Thursday yet, and experience our cast's post-show reactions. We'll see you next time.