A Bridge Too Far | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 14 Part 1

While O'Leary, I'm Brennan Lee Mulligan and welcome to Campaign Four of Critical Roll. 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 One of this adventure, with Part Two arriving this upcoming Tuesday. Our episodes typically arrive on the Critical Roll podcast network a week after our initial Thursday night streams on Beacon, YouTube, and Twitch. But if you'd rather this do a full podcast episode of Campaign Four, write one at airs without any ads, consider becoming a Beacon member. You'll receive access to exclusive content, discounts at all our online critical roll shops, pre-sales for live events, and so much more. Start your 7-day free trial today at Beacon.tv. Now without further ado, let's begin this episode of Critical Roll. We return to Timiny, Kingdom to the north of Dolomakia and Khad, where on the King's highway headed southeast towards Argorin, our friends retrace their steps. Though not so faithfully, for you came to Tyrese Lee from the Miller's Road, the magical path the Thounds of the King had led you on, and now we find Thimble and Teor hidden in a wagon venturing back south under open daylight, trying to keep hidden your secret cargo, the stolen stone statue that in truth is the body neither living nor dead of your brother, Talsitamir pride sire. Wagon Trun does long outside, you hear the voices of Categen, Tyranny, and Wick nearby. We come to this moment as you make your way southeast back to the road that will lead you to Dolomakia and to Bollair, who you know to have at least some means by which to counteract petrification. In this moment you both gaze on the face of Sid pride sire, frozen in statuesque rictus, stone face. The face looks quite similar to Teor. You have this long, trundling road ahead of you as you reenter danger once again, but with at least a day's travel of respite in the beautiful countryside of Timiny. You know Dolomakia is foreign to me. I feel like we should feel good about going back to friends and some sort of resolution, but I am full of anxiety. Well, yeah, they want to kill you there, so... They don't know what to kill me. They want to strip my shadow from my being. Yeah. Very different. Well, if the Deconis didn't have reason to hurt us before, they do now. So now we'll have a few families after us. Now are we going to get my brother through the city, even if we get to Bollaire? Your giant lion is one thing made of stone entirely other. How do you... You've lived here. Are you able to... Is going to ask if you hide, but not the same. Not quite. But I think, you know, I mean, that's when I got a lot of stuff into the city. There's got to be one of those routes are open, right? Yes, my goal is to work. Yeah, my only concern is that we attack the Kroki first. So... You know, maybe I can scout ahead as we get closer and see if any of them are open. We can come in a different way. I can't imagine we can go through the gates. No, I don't imagine so. Are you going to get me to carry him? If we have to ditch the wagon? No. I mean, he's rock. He is stone. You're stone too, Teor. Oh, thank you. Yeah. Very kind. I tend to agree. The carcass is going to be the only way, unless you have some sort of alterated magical means. Vimble, you can give me a perception check, and I'd also like an insight check from you. Okay, this is the insight. Spit on him and make him a picture. My insight is 16. My perception is nine. Gotcha. Um... Thank you. You remember seeing the night of Seremai, who you faced in the sellers of Castle Delaney. Heave the stone statue with those bracers. That guy wasn't strong. He's the resource. Did you put him on? Who put him on? Did he do it with him on? I did. Look best on him. Get him on. What am I? I'm better than you. Make him yours. Work. Make me strong. You see? Go ahead and give me an arc can to check with disadvantage. With white and black and aroma slower than that. It's going to be me that's the four. It's the four. On a four you fail to attune to the bracers. You hold them. Vimble, you remember seeing Callowen Royce wear these. These are the bracers of Oak and Birch. They not only allowed Callowen to have an enormous strength like that of mighty Trimble. They were the most powerful and powerful of the three of the deep woods of Fairy. But also precluded him from the need to wear armor. His skin was as dense and resilient as a living tree. You won't see him take a sword to the arm at full swing that only got about a quarter of an inch in before it stopped and hardened around it. No wait, those bracers are those are the shit. You've really got to learn to make them work for you. I will sleep and then I will. I mean I know your fur helps a lot but you don't have a lot of armor on. No it isn't an incumbrance. But if these will be enough to move said and great but we will have to find somewhere to put him. I have storage space. We can't take him straight to Bollair if we're seen and we would be bringing heat right to him. I'll go in and talk to Bollair. I know he has ways to get things and without people seeing it. Maybe through the sewers. Alright sewers. We could even put him in some sort of a storage space and bring Bollair to us. What about you? I mean you were attacked before all this. You are not as free as you might think. Well, no. But I'm small. You know what? I've hidden a lot. And if we get Sid un-petrified, then what? And then I got to find Octas. And Lady Aranessa. They made it seem like Octas is dead. That's what it sounded like. I don't know. Like I sent him off, you know. I sent him to go with Sir Julian. What if Sir Julian helped take care of him? What if I let him go and I didn't have his back and I could have had his back and I did it again? No, no. Timber bed is not fair. But then... The orchard's gone too? I have to find out what's happening. Obviously Sid is massively important. We have to find that. Don't have to explain. This is your home. I will find Bollair. I'll make sure that this happens. But I have to find out. I know. And if you help me with Sid, I will be eternally grateful. But you also don't have to stay. I feel like I owe you in turn. If you can... It's already owe you. It's a list. What if after everything happens with Sid, you can help me find... You can help me find Octas. Of course. What if we have to go to the orchard? I don't know. One of them tried to put his hat in me. That guy's not the orchard. He's not? You don't know where his cousins are. My own family. My own family. My family won't attack you. They won't try to put a hat in you. I promise. If it will help you, then I will be there. And hopefully with my brother there to help. And if not... I am here for you. I wish I could have been here for the Aussie. And I will not make that mistake again. Teor, give me an insight check. And on that 16 insight check from Thimble. I think you're exactly on the money. You know that a lot of things that you and the Aussie had come into the city. But the reason that Bollaire was the reluctant and unwilling fence for a lot of what Fiazzi needed to move through the city was because the Arkhanod had such an enormous infrastructure of getting important magical things secretly into and out of the city. You know that if you can fly into the city, that there will be a way to get even a full carriage in surreptitiously somewhere safe. 22 on my don't. Finally. Congratulations. You see? That was brutal. That was truly brutal. On a 22 insight, I have to ask a question actually of what TORC is looking at Thimble. Because you, I think TORC Thimble, in this moment of victory, Kazmir lies dead. Sid has been recovered and there seems to be a straightforward path to unpatrifying him. And I think you see the flittering of pixie wings moving swiftly to the next quest almost urgently, almost desperately. On a 22 insight, what does TORC entimble's eyes? An unsettled, almost manic need to find the next distraction. A light glowing notes of gold, like those that fall from the ever-shining leaves of the orchard in which you were born, cascade from your wings. But that light, almost imperceptibly, diminishes as some light in this land continues to wane. And TORC, that golden light in dancing modes of fairy magic glimmers with a similar radiance that on a 22 only you perceive coming from the eyes of that lion-headed emblem that you carry. And we will continue this story on your episode of Critical Role. Oh shit! Oh shit! Hello everybody and welcome to the Critical Role Announcement Playhouse. Woohoo! Alright. What else we got, Matt? I believe that concludes our announcement. So let's get back in our room on! Hello and welcome to another episode of Critical Role. We return to Wresengurti. The seat of House Einfas rulers of the country of Elva. So many horrors in the suns. It is fun to say they are in this sort of voice. Wresengurti. We can never leave that. Having journeyed east through the Dwarmar Pass, our companions and adventurers found themselves here in Wresengurti. Massive belt of a city that giants belt stretching across the cliffs overlooking the far western edge of the old and fallen Obridimian Empire. Having arrived in time for some chicken and apple cobbler and staying in a very vertical hostel and discovering that some of the Kandescent creed here in the city preparing for Kandel Feast were none other than demon aspirants, the sisters of one tyranny, currently elsewhere in the region of Timon. Looking for a chance to get through the city, the decision was made actually to approach House Einfasin with octastoconis disguised as Erlik Curzingblad, a knight who turns out enjoys a rather sterling reputation and an Intel Sir Julian Davinos who happened to connect on potentially even a chivalrous and romantic level with the young lady, Ingrid Einfasin. Delightful, a beautiful young woman tall and fair, a little self-conscious about her shoulders, we're not gonna hold that against her, everyone's got their thing. I can't. I feel so bad at making that choice for the character of anyone at home being like, I'm sure you just instilled a new fear in a million critters. Your shoulders are beautiful and your beautiful, I'm not worried, Ingrid is not, yes, exactly. I have the signature. No, they're beautiful. Beautiful soldiers. Perfect. A few members of our party got to enjoy a lovely hot bath, not so Julian Davinos who had to climb to the tall tower, taking quite some pains to get a letter sent back to the golden orchard to inform his family of what might have transpired. How's Einfasin proved themselves maybe not party to the treachery of House Tukonas, but perhaps their embrace of their ally House Royce was not as warm or forthcoming as it might have been, some conversation with Lady Aranessa alone from the brutal and violent, although seemingly, at least not in this moment, actively moving against you, Lord Otto Einfasin, who was the height of propriety when it came to honoring your call for aid in this castle, but certainly dashed a young spy woman's skull across the floor the moment he discovered her treachery. As we've said of House Einfasin, it is a house that goes from green to red, with no orange in between. We sort of come in together, Julian, with his bottles of wine, Octis, having sent pin out with some companions, Tysha, seeing a carriage of the Tukonas, immediately after Octis' summoned undead vulture, who should not have returned quickly did, leaving some indication that perhaps the pigeon that had been sent was not flying as far as dolmachiar, but instead somewhere much, much closer. Some featherfall out the window, some horses liberated from a held stable hand. It's fine. Racing through the streets of Reason Griddle, having basically ascertained that you could not be certain of your safety. You didn't feel like I guess gambling on how the conversation between Octis' eldest sisters, Petra and Raya, to tall gaunt sorceresses of the House of Tukonas, naturally gifted of the magic that Octis has spent many years laboring over in the Pentevro. You raised through the streets, and the decision was made to not gamble on the polygate, not being there at the edge of the city, and instead went to Shungarton, the Druidic holy site here within Reason Griddle, entering through the sanctuary gate, your horses stay bold. You found the long hall, fragrant with wood smoke, and other sleeping pilgrims and traveling Druids, those whose business has taken them through the Dvalmar Pass, or here, to the Kavrosi Mountains, and found a place of rest, though not as luxurious as the Schneffenkeep of Castle Klippenblik. You... All the words are so good! You... Everything's so whimsical. Don't worry, it will be extremely delightful, up until the moment you have crossed me. Summoned up to the central glacial boulder, this massive, likened, covered circular stone, this boulder is so enormous that it almost stands as wide as the floor of a cathedral, enormous dolmens, topped with sideways plinths covered in ancient Druidic, a language that combines some of the core phonemes and script of both giant and silven, and some of the earliest and most primordial languages of Aramon. You stand under the moonlight with three elders of different circles of the Old Path. There is Amida, the bear-fulk Druidess, who sits on her haunches, still about a foot taller than you sitting. You see that there is Mosore, who is the caretaker of this holy place, Shungarten, who is a dwarven Druid of the Circle of Stone, and an as-yet-unintroduced elven Druid of the Hunt, who beholds you now in this place. Tisha, what is going through your mind as the words of Hannan echo in your ears, you have brought something dead to this place? It's that mingled. The first instinct is, of course, defensiveness. Octus is my friend. So it's defensiveness on his behalf, and the defensiveness on my behalf. He is my friend, and my judgment is sound, who are these people to ask nothing, but assume immediately. And all of that is just being slowly walked back to have a normal conversation. Everything's fine. You don't have to start at a 10. You are around the eye and fossums for like 20 minutes. Calm down. You have an orange. Use your orange. Use your orange. Ahmed looks at you and says, if it is all right, can you help us to understand? Gladly. Yes, I. And then that little moment where I have to decide how much truth to offer, because we've only been in treason, girl, for a little bit, and I've already been rightfully called out for giving a bit too much away immediately. But I wouldn't have come here if I didn't implicitly trust in the strength and wisdom of my people. Truth. Young, octastochonus, was slain by his family, and at some point in his death, was able to be turned from the path. He's returned, but I've spent time in Vennatus, and I have walked this world for decades. I know well the undead that we seek to remove as a threat from the world, and he is not that. He is something different, very much himself, but something new is walking on the face of Aramun, and I call him my friend. The Alvin Druid turns to regard the other two. The most or you see is gripping his fingers in his other fist, looking into the middle distance, considering your words. Hameda looks to you and says, Can I offer you a blessing if that is all right, my cousin? That is incredibly gracious. I gratefully accept. She places a massive paw on your back, lowers her head before I differ with you, her long, bare-like snout pressing up against your face and chin, and she says, To walk always free amongst the family of living things, To know no confusion, charm, or sinister words, To be free of muddy body-mind and soul. She snorts in the smell of jasmine, and he succul comes out of her nose, and she casts a spell of restoration on you that would destroy any charm condition or dominating effect or anything like that. I think when Tisha pulls back, there is a single little tear going down her eye, because there is always that little fear. I think there's something in the, like, in a world where magic does exist. A trust, perfect trust, is really hard to come by, and there is something very nice about knowing that there are people looking out for you. So that was treated truly as a blessing and not as, like, a sign of doubt or disbelief. Your friend, have you come to know him as your friend after the events of his rising? We traveled together for six months before his death. He was my friend then. The Elven Druid looks to you and says, you knew him in life. Yes. Whatever he is now, I still consider. More adjacent to life than undath for what it's worth. You see that the Elf looks over at Mosur, who looks at him and says, when these companions came to the door of this place, for living footfalls fell upon the stone. Not five. He looks up at the Elf. Ahmed El-Luxon says, Hannon, would you would you allow a conversation? How you see Hannon crosses his arms and says, I see no need for urgency in this regard. We are in a holy place and I am not so detached from the earth that I cannot smell and sense the one of which we speak, and I can sense that he is not running. You see the Hannon looks up to you and says, Will you present for the magic responsible for the raising of this undead? I was. What made you of it? I've relic, old, connected to a shaper of life. I do not know it well, but it was leveraged by his family. His father told me that his goal, via this, via other plans that I still don't understand, was to scrub the old path from this world. And whatever happened to Octis, the corruption of that ritual that allows him to stand here, whatever he is, is a flaw in their plan. Whatever he is, is something that house to conists has never accounted for and doesn't understand, and we don't understand it either. I thought he needed to be hidden. I would have hidden him from you and everyone else that would seek to do him harm without understanding first. Come in, insect check. Alex, I swear to God, if it's an actual one, I'm going to fight you. It's a four. I'm not fighting. And in shifts to look at you and says, a relic of the shaper of life, came you by this or the Takonus first. House to conists had it in their possession when they attacked the Pallazza Divinas. Handin looks over, Mosar looks up and says, shrugs, Amade says, your companions are very tied up in this. Is that fair to say? It is. Perhaps we should speak with all involved. Handin goes, you don't think it wise to settle this matter between us first. Amade shrugs herself and goes, the conviction of our cousin of the Circle of Ancients is sincere. We're all wrong from time to time, of course, but you believe it? Yes, I do. She looks and says, the Takonus had a relic of the shaper of life and they wished to destroy the old path. Mosar looks at you and says, do you mean us or no, you mean the path itself? They have made of themselves in the times since the fall of the shapers into new middlemen in the cycle of life and death. And I think they seek to be the only game in town. Handin looks and says, the Takonus of old were middlemen, as you say. But they knew their place, guardians of the spirits of man, shepherding souls of mortal humans to that endless golden paradise beneath the rays of the sun. I suppose they don't fashion themselves as taking a demotion. What I've noticed from even my brief stays in dolmokyars of latest, the sun-dored houses, don't quite know what to do with themselves without shapers to follow. And I think they are all trying to find new shapes for themselves, closer and closer to their lost deity. You see, Handin looks up at you and says, the raising of this friend disrupted the ritual. Is your friend necessary for the completion of the ritual? The thing you ask, I will answer honestly, but in that honesty, I will tell you that I am concerned that that might move us both closer to action that I would not consider very familial. I don't know. He nods. I'm at a looks soft, sorrowful. Cousin, were you present for the magic that did this thing to your friend? For some amount of it, yes. He was slun when I reached him in the middle of a pitched fight. I was knocked unconscious. And in the place between places, I spoke with him briefly as he wandered before setting a foot on the path. I don't know what effect the words of a grief-stricken and panicked friend may have had on this. And whatever brought him back, I was there. I held his body, but I don't know what that magic was. I don't know if I had any effect. I'm going to roll an insight check in front of the board. What's your passive deception? Or passive persuasion, whichever is higher. It's a natural one. The faces assembled before you. You realize Amada is regarded very highly by Mosar here in this moment. It turns to him. For reasons you don't know, she regards your story as fully told. I'd like you to roll persuasion. You may do so with advantage because you have told the truth. And in your station of the circle of ancients, the difficulty of this check will be lowered. I'll say that you get... I'll give you the DC's editing, so you'll be able to tell right away. DC10 gets you the person, the most half-able, and DC20 gets you everybody. I can give you a persuasion, but with advantage. Alex, don't fuck me. Here it is. Ah, 12. Amada turns Mosar looks at her and says, I can, of course, provide sanctuary here, but I cannot provide sanctuary of the heart to those through which who have lost and bid the souls of those they lost to walk the path, nor to prevent... You see, Hannon comes in and speaks and says, of the many circles of this world, there is one truth that unites all members of the old path, which is that life springs eternal from death, ever the great cycle moves and we return. Even for those of us, when the gift of never-aging, one day when death's calm, I will go sprinting down that path. Do you believe that? Everything that mattered to me is gone. I do not wish for a thousand years to miss it. I take the danger upon myself to hunt in the darkest places of this world, to make sure the dead remain beyond. I put myself in those places so that no mortals might not know the danger that the dead pose, and if I am being honest cousin as you have been, I do it to hasten an end to something that has gone on far longer than it should. I cannot imagine the burden of a life so long lived, but I think something that we all know is in the end. We guide them down the old path because every soul shakes in the face of the unknown. We are no different in that regard, despite our calling. I'm at a lesan and says, I will vouch for you. It turns to Moser and Hanan. You wish to speak to the companions, and in nods, and you see that Moser just looks and says, I tend to the stones of this place and listen to the deeper roots of the earth. I do not wish for hardship for you and your companions, but the coming of this greater known here does give me fear. If you would gather your companions, we would wish to speak with them. Turn immediately. In the long house, as you guys walk in, you look over and see that there is an enormous, and this main wolf, this long, legged, red fox wolf thing that looks over as you walk in. You see in a friendly way nudges some napkin off of a little basket of fresh, baked bread. There is a little stew pot. You can hear some light conversation. It is very dim and red and smoky in here. You see that people are speaking very quietly because they are being respectful of people who are already sleeping in here. As the four of us, this is Octis Vialis and Julian walk in with their inesah. She just looks and says, I think they are talking about you, Octis. Yes, they are. I gathered them much. We will see how it turns out. But I think there is a lot stacked against me. I am used to gambling. Angry? Those of us that eat? Sure. If necessary, I can always hide in doubt. Until the night is over, if they really don't want me here. I would go with you. Yes, with I. Can you, that little feather trick you pulled, can you do that again? Yes. I say this as the lady of house Royce ascended to the seat of my house. In some ways, I think too early my parents passed and taking the reins of the house has been challenging. I have pronounced it as the position of house Royce to the honorable Lord of House Ticonis. If things go squirrely, we jump out the back and jump off the cliff. I can dig that deal. No, I don't think. How long does this last? She says, if you need to crack the books, go for it. This is still a map. On Holster's book, I, at his side, that has been holstered for a while. And it opened up and you see on the cover is this sort of design. It is a human anatomy textbook that he has pulled from the holster. And he starts flipping through pages. He goes, I think it can make it down. It'll be fine. How far is Gerwin in relation to Golden Orchard from where we currently are? Gerwin is much closer than the Golden Orchard. So that would be, it's a great question. Where you are in Helvar, you are probably only, when you get to the base of the cliff, you're only about 30 miles from Gerwin. But the Golden Orchard is probably maybe 100 miles to the north. It's like this is where you begin to gather bits of food and anxiously await the return of Tysha. It glance over towards Vaelis, Octis, and acknowledging Aranessa. Either way, we're not too far from Gerwin and Castle Torch. The follow-up of this vision was that you had for the importance of which might have some bearing on what we're doing. And then we move on to the Golden Orchard to ensure that our people are safe. And you're coming with us. You're welcome to come if you wish. I don't need that much choice. I can go home. You guys take a moment to eat. You see Aranessa takes a little bite looking around. And you see that she eats rather quickly, and then as you're sitting there, Octis, you see she takes out her little thumb piano. And plays it again. And a plane. V. Got him. Got him. After a few minutes of eating, Tysha, I think you walk in and see your companions here. Question. Does Aranessa speak druidic? She speaks sylven. But that is, I'm going to rule that sylven, actually, it's a little bit like, there's like a Spanish and Italian kind of thing. Yeah, I really like it. A little bit of a root there. Perfect. Then I think, in Tysha turning away, because she had brought out Hala, Hala would have gone forward with the aim of having Hala actually intercept Aranessa first before Tysha walks normally, not panicked even a little bit. And we'll say in druidic, hoping to do the Spanish to Italian, like romance language, to warn you to hide the stone. Aranessa looks over and goes, Oh, the elus. Hi. We have to hide the stone. Can you see it? I think it's pretty hidden. Great. I'm not going to ask. Wait, is... You want to try to find it? No. No, we... I will have walked in like a minute after that. Right. So, are we in a place with friends or do we have to run again? Okay. Big energy. We'll talk to someone with a cooler temperament. And I think you see, like, Tysha is kind of doing that weird, like, messing with your hair when it's like on the back of your neck. And she's got a series of metal plates that go down where her red rays and they are all red hot and she's trying to get them to cool off. So, she's not in the mood for whatever the fuck this is. And we'll turn and address the rest of the group. We need to go have a conversation with my cousins. Yeah. I thought that might happen. Yeah. Okay. Do they know he's here? I know he's here. They know what he is. And they know some manner of how his current status came to be. They're not going to let him stay. If we have to leave, then we leave. The entire intention here was just to make a safe exit from the city. Really? Okay. Then they go talk to some druids who hate me. They don't hate you. I'm not lying to you. Okay. They're worried about you. They don't know what you are. Okay. She's this book. Okay. Then I'll come here. Are they going to go to them? No, we'll go to them. Okay. I eat. You guys step out and return to the small summit of this holy grotto. It's a beautiful little alpine garden. As you approach, everyone here give me an insight to check. I'm going to get my mic. What have you gotten away with at the whole time? What was this, Amber? Oh, that's a nice one. We're back. 19. 19 minus 1. Did you say insight? Yeah. 16. 22. 22. On a Nat 20, what is Tisha looking for most of all as she approaches this tribunal? Is Octis in danger? On a Nat 20, Octis' existence is not particularly in danger. His freedom very much might be. Julian, what did you roll here? 18. 18. What is Julian most concerned about as he approaches the tribunal? I think Julian's beginning to lose any hope or patience of finding allies at the moment. So he's more looking for places to exit and staying as close to Aranessa and between him and Aranessa and Octis is possible to grab them both to run if they need to. I'll say on an 18 insight, we'll just transit that to a good perception check if you're like insight. I'm looking for the fucking door. There is a large... What you would recognize from your time in recent Gertl. There's a large staircase at the back of the grotto that doesn't go into the main city and goes up to the Huck-Valenbolka, which is a large memorial bridge over some cascading waterfalls that come off the cliffs. And you would just recognize that because that goes to a more scenic natural part of the cliffs, it has ways to get to the actual cliff side if you wanted to try something fucking risky. I have two spell slots left, so I got to save one of those for Red Bull. Hell yeah. That is going to be... And then, actually, you got a 22. I would say it out to Octis. 16. How many looking for in particular? I'm trying to just keep an eye on the people I'm talking to and try to gauge how they're feeling about me as we speak and find a way to be as least offensive as possible in this situation. On your approach, nobody here seems to recoil at your approach. Vales on a 22. What are you looking for? I think, firstly, I'm looking for a safe exit. A place where if we need to run immediately, we can take that path. Yeah. But also... I'm just watching the three of them just seeing what they... I want to know what they think of him. I want to know... If I feel like there's any type of danger... towards Octis. Also with that, before we walk in, is there a way... I don't want them to know, but I would like to just cast Shield of Faith on Octis. Okay, beautiful. Would he feel it? How long does that last? That's 10 minutes. You cast a little Shield of Faith on Octis. As you approach on that 22, you see Tysha also on that Nat 20. You guys approach something shifts very much so in this moment. Walking up that final step, Hanon looks to you, his eyes trained on this undead and then dark to veiless. And his lip curls and he goes into a crotch. I want to interject in druidic. Do not make me regret that I told my friends this was a place that they did not need to run from. He looks to you and says, Gusson, the one who walks beside you does not recognize the sanctuary of this place. You cannot understand the language that is being spoken right now. If they're speaking in druidic, he says, the one who walks beside you is nothing more than a cruel and careless follower of the dead tyrants. I know. And you walk no one in a side. Do you know what she would have seen become of us? Do you know what rightful place she sees you holding in this world? She is nothing more than a mindless follower of those who start to plunge us into ruin and terror forever. What would you have me do, Gusson? Slither throat on the stone, let the earth be watered by her blood. I'm going to crouch. He looks at you and he spits a word out who here speaks Elven. You have to check it is crazy. Check it is crazy, but it's not written in my language. Let's assume. Let's assume you speak that because that's wild. That would be crazy. I'm really don't understand. I can't even sign language though. You see that feathers are growing off of hands back in this moment as he has crouched down. You see he spits a word out of you. Which is Elven for Flower Doll. It is a word that anyone here can give me a history check to know of. It feels bad. It feels nice. It's the worst thing. 15. Is it inside? 22. All of you know. Julian and Ty should you know that word means Flower Doll. The Octas. In this context, the term. So Elven Druids were some of the most persecuted, tortured, and killed Druids of the world. The goddess of life was a goddess of forest. She married the King of Fairy. What possible insights into the living world could a Druid hope to offer. And for Hannah and this elf that you can see is partially living wood and is turning into a beast and partially in front of you. The term Flower Doll or Menelace was a term of joy and love because they had religious significance in the petitioning of Solangery by her Elven faithful. When the shapers were started and for the first time in thousands of years Elven Druids actually were welcomed as some elves started to rebel and had answers about how they'd been. They had been foiling the magic of Elven clerics of the goddess of life for thousands of years to stay hidden and safe. In one of the early sort of speeches that was given to convince a family group of elves to come into the rebellion into the beginning of the shapers war, the term Menelace was used to describe the highest ambitions of the faithful elves. But what they wanted to be was the Flower Dolls of the goddess of life forever. And it basically became a you don't want to be free, you don't want to find truth, you don't want to live as a being of the world of Aramun. You have your mother and you wish to be her Flower Doll forever. I catch that word and hearing the tonality with it as well. I speak back in Elvish and I say, the tonit which you use that leads me to believe you're being unkind. And I believe this meeting is about me, not about her. And I would hope that you would get to know someone before being aggressive. I'm going to need an intimidation check and for your sick Alex, I hope you roll high on it. Oh, holy moly! You seem to be going well. God be! Where's my intimidation there it is, okay. You want me to set it for you? Yes, surprise! Let's see! Let's call it a PC 20. Natural 20. Yes! Let's go! Yes! Brrrr! Well done! Letting my eyes, these tears that has had, my eyes that have been suddenly glowing green since he came back kind of flare a little bit. This meeting is about me. You see him crouched staring at you. Unshore in this moment. I also think on a nap 20 intimidation, pins, buttons, go venom green. And all of you watch that octases shadow from the small lit sconces of this holy grove stretch behind him. And Tyshia, all of you feel a tremendous cold fall upon this place and see that a small ribulet of the stream running by the Holy Brook here freezes solid in this moment. The veil between life and death is extremely fragile here. She has been very kind to me and I will not allow you to be unkind to her for no reason. Armada speaks and says, Cousins, cooler heads, let us all speak in Cahadi so that all can understand all the words that we use in this holy place. You see she turns to Hanan and says, Cousin, our task here is to keep this grove and garden safe. You see he turns to, that's what I'm trying to do. She turns and says, Traveler, have you come here to dispoil or be fouled this holy place? No. Have you come here? You see Hanan turns to Armada and says, Ask her if she accepts the sanctuary offered by this holy place. Armada looks at you and says, Do you seek and accept the sanctuary offered by this holy place? Is it being offered? It is being offered to those by you. Failess. Kindness for kindness. Kind. Yes, I accept this most generous of sanctuaries. You see Hanan does not take his eyes off of you. The... I think in this moment, too, Ty should look at Hanan. You just see, Elven immortality is so strange and so unlike any thing that any of the people of Arm on deal with. And I think in this moment, you just see, You're in your early 40s. The Shaper's War is still happening. It's happening right here in this moment. It's out of living memory for you. Even this immortal undead creature. He's the farthest away from you. I think you just see in this moment that each of the people in this circle, that having this interaction, obviously had people that die and it's the other person's fault. And it's extremely, it's happening right now. Armada looks and says. Immediately octaves. Just like smiles and like lets everything go. Hi. My lord, Takonis. Bows very deeply. My cousin, Mosul, has some questions for you. He was happy to invite you into this grotto. And I appreciate it so much and I will happily answer any questions to the best of my ability. Mosul, for instance, the path you tread, what are your aims here in this place and moreover? Your time as a living thing in this world has passed. And you did not walk to find new life. Instead, you have sought to hold fast to your name and body. I say this without anger or bitterness. It is a little, I think, more complicated than a decision that I made. It wasn't. In your mind, do you have some inkling as to what this ritual was for? And by the way, Tisha, to recall, did you say that the relic was with you? I did not speak to that. He says, and the relic of the Shaper of Life, do you know what the became of it? I'll try and lay this out as well as I can, being that I don't fully understand what happened. We need a deception check from Veilus in this moment. I'm assuming you know who my family is. I am the eighth child of my house, and I was born without its source disabilities. That was so close to being an actual door. I... threw a series of events found my way when I was... Man, only about six months ago now, a little over. We can't adventuring with Miss Loi, and we became friends. What I was very much alive, there were another series of events we ended up in Domochiar together, where my family killed me, and much of house, voice, and divinos. And Octus will open his shirt and show the mended piece of metal that is holding him shut. You can see where they opened me up. They took my heart and placed a stone inside of me, which I believe is the relic you're referring to. What did we get on the deception check, Ashley? 12. Which I think is pretty good. Yeah, it's so good. Pretty solid. It's like... It's just like a big lump in your shirt. Amida looks to you. You see here, Aranessa, actually puts a hand on your back. Right before that, you get a message can trip in your mind, Julian, that just says, sort of fun to not be the center of attention. Do you have a way for us to get out of here? I could whisper. I think I have a possible exit, yes. Great. If we need to pick up whichever one of us you feel is slowest, and I will ask spirits of the Golden Orchard to hasten our exit. You see, and she says, and if no one takes you up on it, I'll do it. You see that she puts a hand on your shoulder and says, we stand in a grove of the circle of stones, whose sacred charge in the tending of these mountains is appreciated and endeavors to leave a sense of gratitude throughout all members of House Royce. My Lord Tukonis is a born ally of House Royce and stands as the last faithful member of his house to my knowledge of the compact sworn in the age of my father. Now to the part that I'm sure actually you're concerned about through a series of things that I was not awake for. The stone was removed from my body, and life returned to me. Well, consciousness returned to me as you are very much aware I am not alive. I have no heart. But while I was on the path, it is fuzzy. I can't remember everything. But something was put inside me, and in between worlds I took it out of me, and in doing so disrupted, I think the plans that my family had, although those plans are unknown to me, but something went wrong. And I think I am in a unique position to stand against my family with whatever these plans are. But I am, go ahead and give me a persuasion check if you be so kind. Natural 20. Are you fucking kidding me? Absolutely, right there. Let's go. Amada looks at you and turns to look at Mosur. Mosur looks up at this moment, and you see that she looks away. Mosur just looks and says, it would be clear to even a fool that you have suffered greatly and that you believe what you are saying, Amada looks and starts weeping. He's right. Aucasin of the circle of ancients. I think you have done something. It'll advise. But for decades, those who walk the old path have been trying to do only very reasonable things, and we have been failing. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. We are trying to put together what we are, how we are meant to move and operate through this world. Seven years. We're trying to rebuild ourselves after thousands of years of dominion under the shapers. There is so much we don't know. You see that Amada turns to Mosur and says, we have been trying to scramble up the sheer wall of a cliff, and because we know how important it is to summit that cliff, we have believed that it is our responsibility to keep bashing our heads into the side of a sheer wall as hard as we can. And I think our cousin, Tisha, maybe took a few steps back to see the mountain range, and that is not heresy. Young men, thank you for handing speaks and says, she has it. You see that Amada says, he says, she has it, the relic. Perhaps she gave it to them. How did the Taconis come by relic? He was shaking. Stolen. It was stolen from the temple by a man that we know, theosy fang. You see that Hannon says, did theosy come there? Did Mara? I don't know who Mara is. He turns over to Amada and Amada shrugs and says, Mara the Wing. Know you this name? No. And I'm sorry if I'm the one to tell you this, theosy is dead. She looks over. These druids don't appear to have a close relationship with theosy, but the name is familiar to them. You see Hannon looks to you, and goes, you carry this thing, this shapers relic of life and death. Yes. Produced it. Why? That we may see the truth of this young man's words. Amada transdumances, we know the truth of his words, Hannon. She regards you and says, your business. Will you answer me in honesty? My Lord, to Conus. Yes. Do you believe the ritual that your family endeavored to commit in their betrayal of your sadly lost life? Do you believe that the ritual is permanently foiled? No. My family... I'm sure you know their reputation. Their magic comes from death. It is what makes them powerful, and they no longer seem to care how it grows. So I think they will attempt to regain control of whatever they were trying to do. And I think that myself and that artifact are important and we are linked, I think. I'm going to reach into my jacket, and if there is a table, I will sit it in front of Amada. Amada looks... Thank you. I'm not giving it to you. Even to show it is a kindness, for which I thank you. You're welcome. I don't let go of it. They are on the table, and you see they look at it. You see Mozor... His palms go hot as embers, as he... and a bit of fire comes between his hands, lights his eyes, and you see ancient runes of giants stretching across his eyes over and over again. He looks and beholds the stone. Thus this have a name. Yes. It is the stone of night's own. Powerful, very powerful, and not a true stone. This was carved... from the bones of El Numbari. This stone, dense and heavy, is made of a rib. You see here it looks at Hanon, of a warrior of autumn leaves, broad wings, a celestial, a servant of cilantro. Who died of grief in the moment of the first elves passing? He looks at Hanon here, before even you or my cousin Hanon here were born thousands of years ago. When El Numbari died, Tizumriel, another angel of cilantro, an angel of deep forest, and of bullshaw, nightingale, carved this into this stone you see before you. Here in this place, El Numbari would not permit the soul of the young elf who died to walk into the shadow alone, and El Numbari became the first angel of death of the Elven people, biting their passing. A job that will be well known to a teconis who stands in our midst. It is powerful. What I can tell you is this. This stone is of great sacredness to one of your faith, a faith which bore in ages past no kindness to those who walk the old path. It would know more respect in this blade for a thousand years than for a second in the hands of your family and what they were attempting to do with it. I'm sure. This Tiazi Fang, he was working with the teconis to steal it. No. You see that Amidus says, do you feel some connection to the stone? I have, if we've been a little busy, I haven't really had a chance to sit with it and figure out how we react to each other. I just know that I can feel that there will be something but I haven't had the chance to sit and figure it out yet. I'm not really interested in trying to touch it. She holds her paws aloft, and I would not ask you to. I just don't know what will happen. This is all still very much a mystery to me. The fact is this. Hannon, you see here, Hannon looks up, and says, and gets out of his crouch and stands up again. You see that Amidus turns and says, the threat you pose to this world by walking animated seems very negligible. It is a sorrow and a sadness in that. It is very clear that something altogether miraculous has happened with you. We are given to comfort those who have lost their loved ones, and we ask them to accept the death is a part of life. There are many undead things in this world that seek to cling to life for reasons of slaughter, selfishness. I know that I tell you nothing new. We have made it our lives worked to make sure that this world is a world filled with life. To consider you a threat in this moment would be the height of foolishness. One day, perhaps, I will ask you to consider if your time on this earth has concluded. But for right now, you represent the first thing that has felt like hope to me in quite some time. Cousin, thank you for engaging in something this reckless. Thank you for trusting that a conversation could be had. Always, we do not move hastily. We speak, we consider, we listen to the earth. But who knows? Maybe we should have been a little more hasty. You should have worked for you, my cousin. I am sorry to have visited this tension upon you. No, I fully understand why you would be uncertain and worried. You should know that two of my sisters are in recent girl. And they are, I don't know what they're doing, but we saw them before we left. And just keep an eye out. I don't have much I can do with this current moment with them. They're far more powerful than I am. But I'm hoping I'll be able to figure something out in the future. Where to from here? What was the name? East to Garwin. Tarmidia destination. She looks up and says, There are eagles across the Hattvalenbroker. Is your urgency so great that you would wish to travel at once, or would you welcome rest? I'll leave you with you. The longer we stay, the better chance we have of being surrounded or taken. If your sisters are indeed here, then my voltage is in my case. The description I was given was accurate to them. So if that's not them, then that's a different problem. But I will go if you want. I have no, I appreciate very much your hospitality that we have been shown so far. But maybe it would be better if we just left. Mosul looks at you and says, thank you. You have important work. Your presence brings danger because of it. And Armidia says, That is not good enough for me. There must be a way to give you more aid than that. I will meet you at the eagle's earring and prepare for you safe passage there. I don't know if they can carry your horses, but they could perhaps carry you as far as Garwin. Thank you. I'm sure we can get new horses. She nods and says, I think moving swiftly, a direct flight will put you far away from those that seek you here in Reason-Bertle. And I'll see if I can brahmach up some help. Cousin. My circle should know. But once word spreads, it will spread. I am not afraid of the truth. In fact, I would ask one more favor. Will you write to my grandmother and O'Renia? Let them know. We will get there as soon as we can. Your circle does not know. This happened five days ago. I was going to talk to you. She looks at you and changes into Druidic and says, Cousin, you have done great work. I am sensing that you are in need of you. Yeah. Yeah. If I stop to think about everything that's happened and maybe my part in it, I'll die. You are a beautiful gemstone, tumbling at top speed down the mountainside. Gorgeous and off balance. She kills me. I look forward to you talking me down the old path. Thank you so much. She says, I will inform the circle of ancients of what they are doing. Great. And she turns and says, she turns and then one last thing goes, you have put me in some trouble here. Yes. You're so strong and so brave. And she goes, all right. And says, what food you need, gather your belongings. And do you know if it will be rough travel past Castle Garland? I have to assume so. You do not know the way past there. She looks at the clothes you were in and says, true travel clothes, fine rations, the best things that we can provide you. They will be waiting for you at the eerie. Thank you. Thank you. She turns and says, she, yeah, you put the stone back away in your pocket. You see, Hannah looks and says, he speaks to Amid introidic and says, I'll leave myself. And you see Amid says to follow and Hannah says, I will leave so that you will discuss further business with these travelers so that I may not hear it. I don't wish for the temptation of following the sister. And you see that she looks and says, this hatred and it will, he snaps his face over to her. She says, your circles, ways, oh, you're on. I recognize that I walk beside you on a different path, my cousin. And he... Oh, please. Before you leave. Mm-hmm. I'm in notice respect. Earlier. And I'm sorry. I just was scared for someone who's been kind to me. But I appreciate and notice the restraint and the kindness you are doing. So thank you. I see, even in all of my readiness for battle, that your heart is yours. I am a grim fall. And I seek no mercy nor quarter. But I can see that your heart is yours. My readiness for blood will never render me a fool. I grieve for you, traveler. What they have done to you has visited something upon you that no one should have, not me or you. As he leaves, my hola wasn't standing with us. I'll have hola intercept him like out of visual range. And in druid it just says to him, I am walking with him with her, but I am watching her. Hanon looks at hola and you can see through her eyes in this moment. And you see that he puts my hand on the back of hola's neck and puts his head on her head. Speaking through her ears, you can like smell, blood, and hackle raising pheromones. And he just says, open heart, great promise miracles abound. Stay ever ready. I am here if you need me. I hope that your great heart is not broken. Thank you, cousin. And the connection breaks. Is there anything you do in preparing? Is that okay? I'm not going to say what I was going to say after you said that. Very. Is there anything that you guys do to prepare here in this moment as walking away just because, oh my god, that was so scary. I think this is the first time any instinct Tisha has to go and comfort you. She is standing off and away, because this is the first time she's seeing you operate in a way that here in such a juridic spot, your eyes flashing and freezing the wake water over. It's not fear, but she is wary of you in the same way that she is wary of Alice. Sorry, that was... Whiskey, I just... he was going to do something, and I was probably dumb. That was very nice. I don't think anybody's ever called me kind in my life. Well, you've been kind to me. But I don't think they're going to kill us. Who? All of them? They drew it? I don't know. Or at least kill me. You would know our intentions. Look, I know you would know your intentions. I've never met anybody else. You're safe. Okay. Traveling Rations assembled, things brought to bear. You see that there is a moment after the Rations are being brought in, where Mosur ducks his head in. Looking at him, says, the time has come. Are you ready? Yes, thank you. Good. All right. Let's come this way. You guys head out, and you see that Mosur gets some gear together. You see, there's two other young druids that sort of accompany him, and you guys start heading towards the Hawk-Volumbole. As you begin to move across it, everybody here give me a perception check. I can't say it. As we're moving, there's this kind of quiet space here. We'll do this first. Listen to him. Five. As you're moving away, though, what does Julian do? I figure as we're quietly moving alongside, I santa of beside Tysha, not making eye contact, as we're walking within ten, let's see. I acknowledge that you have done well to keep us safe for the time being, and have brought the first semblance of actual alliance since these days have come upon us, and I just want to say I apologize for being driven by motion and distrust. There's that little moment where she was gonna say something a little shitty and swallows it. Thank you for your rigorous diligence for our safety, Julian. Come. My following meeting. Walking across the bridge, approaching a gate house, what do we got in this perception check? 12? 16. 9. 21. 21. Vailess, as you're walking across the bridge, Mozor, the two other druids, leading you carrying some gear. You see Mozor transpired you and says, I'm a little bit waiting when we get there. On a 21, you look back the direction you came at the grotto, kind of wondering if Hannan is still around, and see up on the steps towards the sanctuary gate that Mozor is sweeping. And you turn and Mozor is leading you across the bridge. Stop. Did you forget something? Is everything all right? Tyshia? What's wrong? Who's that? And I point back to Mozor, who's sweeping. You hear from the gate in front of you a creaking. And you see. I stand in front of Oftis. You hear a shout. And you sort out. And you see Mozor beside you. Looks and says, everything's all right. As the gate opens, you suddenly hear. Stand down and see a group of Tukonis guards moving from this place. And you hear, you see Mozor right in front of you goes in a completely different voice. Oh, fuck. And I'm going to need everybody here to roll in the shirt. Yeah! Okay. You guys will tell me during our break, will you? Yeah! Come back, honey. Yeah. And that's where we'll leave our story for now. Part two of this episode of Campaign 4 drops this Tuesday. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you soon for more Critical Role. Thank you for watching. And we'll see you soon for more Critical Role.