Flight to Castle Torch | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 15 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. Part of Chip Red painted breastplate patchwork armor, multiplicity of weapons. He's got a long spear on his back, a battle axe, and a hand axe at his side, a long sword on the other side of his belt. Walking to and fro, he's got an injury in the front of his face that cuts through the lip into the gum several teeth missing on his upper jaw. Human man, ring of white hair is older, but shouldn't have survived this long. Those of you who have been gathered here have heard of us, the Gallows Choir. We are pre-eminent mercenary company. We have been told to come here looking for young soldiers. I see waves, hungry mouths, nothing worth speaking of. Next those gathered here, Luis, can you describe Azune and the people that are with him? Yeah, Azune is in this moment 12 years old and small for his age, short for his age. His hair is tied back in a break, and he is standing stiff, trying to puff up his chest to make himself look thicker and stronger. With him is his family and his people, his parents are there, and his sister, Mayali, stands next to him, almost in the same stiff posture that you're older than he is. Your mother and father behind you is you stand in attention. Each squeezed your shoulder and their hands are so weak. Your father, a proud man, has become a little bit jaundiced, your mother. You can tell that her gums are almost like receding a little bit. They look on death's door. They haven't eaten in probably two weeks. Your father looks and says it's going to be all right. He says it in different words, though, in a language that means something. You step up first, and you see that this mercenary captain calls up your sister. I would like you to roll an athletics check for her with advantage. That is a 16 on the die. 16 on the die. She steps forward. All right. You are going to wear this. He puts a loose tunic of chainmail on her. You see that he hands of shorts or dirt. You are going to run across this field. You are going to leap over the fallen logs there. You retrieve one of the penance that we have placed inside that building. You run back here. You go back again for a second, then a third. You understand? She nods, takes off. You look over and see the other kids in the village here whose parents look healthier than yours, and who they, the children, look much less strong than you and my Ali. Racing through, getting the third penance, the captain says, good. You next. Your mother says, you can do it. Go ahead and give me athletics with advantage. Eight on the die. If I add my ability modifier, it would be a plus four to it, but I am 12 years old. She's girls mature a little faster than boys. On a 12, you get the penance just not nearly as fast. Running across the length of the town square in chainmail, by the time you've gotten the first penance, your legs are burning, your lungs are burning. It's your pain. The man is barking orders at you. Your mother looks in your eyes as you come back. She says, it's okay. Keep going. I lock eyes with her and I see her standing amongst these mercenaries. That is when it hits me. How underfed they look compared to these people that have come to meet us here and how thick and strong they look in comparison. I was never able to make that contrast until this moment, but I know what they've done to give us this chance. I feel my body keep moving with a surge, even though I stay looking at my mother for a little while as I try to complete this task that these mercenaries are putting us through. You complete the task. On a 12, you manage to get that third penance and collapse in a heap by the time you do. Your mother rushes over to help pick you up. The test continues with the other kids. Most of them cannot complete it, collapse before they're able to. What's worse, I think you can tell, burn some deeply needed energy and trying to do so. We'll end this day with precious little food starved and exhausted by the effort they have shown here. Captain speaks to your mother and father and some other parents saying, waste of our time. We'll take the girl and go. Grab the girl and you see my Ollie turns around and says, no, my brother, reaching out for you and you see he says, he was a wreck by the time you got the third penance. You see that she looks up and says, but he got it. He got it. That's right, I got it. I could do better. That wasn't my best, I could do better than that. Then you want to try it right now? I'll do whatever it takes. I'll try it again, I'll do it again and I start to set up and start to get myself ready to do it again. You see that your father says, sir, please, he, the guard pushes him aside and says, go, do it. I'm going to ask you for a roll again, but you're exhausted, so you're going to roll straight. That's a nine on the nine on the nine. Running back, you are destroyed. In the years that followed in this war, you never felt as physically exhausted as you did this day. Your mercenaries would look at your willingness to perform dangerous missions, manial tasks, stay up late, securing something lifting cargo. It never hurt as much as this day. As you complete it, the captain looks over. Take the boy. If your muscles ever get as thick as your head and he jabs a fat finger into the side of your head, maybe we have a soldier to work with. Your mother collapses weeping on the ground. Your father holds her. Say goodbye. You see that soldier turns. As you turn, my only grabs you and kisses your cheek. You walk over to your parents and you look and realize your mother is weeping with relief. I walk. I know what this day is about. I stand in front of my mother who's weeping and I grab my sister's hand. I just squeeze it as tight because I don't know what to say. She looks up and you smiles and kisses you on each cheek and holds you for a long, long time. Behind you, you can hear the captain of that guard speaking the girl. She has potential. The boy, I don't know. We take him, we train him. Maybe we pawn him off on the banner. They'll take anyone. You see your mother looks at you and says, you're going to be fed and you're going to be taken away from here. It will be very dangerous. But your father and I gave you the clothes that you needed. It gave you a chance because this world is dangerous whether you have a sword in your hand or not. And we wanted you to have a sword in your hand. And you gave us your food. We know, we saw. We knew what you were doing. My mother, what if I don't want to go? What if I want to stay with you? What if me and my aunt stay? Any time you want, you can come back here to this day and remember how proud your father and I were. We'll be there with you no matter where you go, no matter how far away we are. I know where the lucky ones, I know that it's on us to make this chance worth it for everyone. That's not going to get the chance that we. My father, Dr. Schilder, proud of you, my only, Azune, I'm proud of you, my son. Wars end. And when they do, they provide some chance of a better life for people like us. There is no ladder out of this for us other than through fire and storm. I wish it were some other way, but it is not. This is a chance for you and your sister to write your own fate. I'll come back for you. We both will, you'll see. My holy casturized down, Azune. You tell your mother and father you will come back for them. Is this memory the last time you saw your mother and father? It is the one that I play over and over again so that I don't forget them. But I'm already forgetting parts of it. Remember, remember. Eyes like sunset, a distant voice. You have to remember. Keeps coming back. Memories can fade and change if not cared for, but the story continues. As it will continue tonight on this episode of Critical Role. Hello everyone and welcome back to the Critical Announcement Playhouse. We are now. We are now. We also are showing off the legends of Xandria Metal posters. We are going to bring you a new legend of Xandria Metal posters. We have a new legend of Xandria Metal posters. We have a new legend of Xandria Metal posters. We have a new legend of Xandria Metal posters. We have a new legend of Xandria Metal posters. We have a new legend of Xandria Metal posters. You're not a camera baby. That concludes our announcements. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. Let's go ahead and jump back into the world. We return here to recent Gertel after epic combat on the Harkfallen Brookha. So epic. See that bridge one more time. Harkfallen Brookha. Harkfallen Brookha. Harkfallen Brookha. He fought my boyfriend. Having journeyed east from Dolemaukjar in search of a vision of an orcish warrior. Standing in the ancient tomb. In search of answers for the fate of house Royce and house Dvenos. In search of questions surrounding the slaughter of the Plots of Dvenos and the undead nature of Octus Taconis, the stone of night song. Answers to all these questions lying to the east are adventurers found themselves in recent Gertel, momentary guests of house Einfazen, and more recently guests of the druids of seasons stone and hunt on the high grotto of the shongatan. A tense exchange between Tyche Aloy of the circle of ancients and her fellow druids of the old path. Her success in representing her situation allowed for entreated with the entire party where Hannan, the circle of the hunt, to be held veiless, faithful to the sisters of Salangery. Before things came to blows, a nat 20 intimidation telling the Elven druid to not resort to violence less than we visited upon him, was followed immediately by a nat 20 persuasion. At which point Amara, the elder druid of the circle of seasons said, this must be recognized as the opportunity it is. I would see your journey continue as clearly. You have access to knowledge that I do not, and the mission that lies before you is one of deep significance, how may I help, and offer to meet you at the eerie above the shongatan, where you would be given passage flight by eagle to wherever you need travel. Traveling from the shongatan, you were wailed on the bridge by soldiers of House Tukonis, and octuses older brother Frans. Fries. Frans did not be devolue for long, for indeed Sir Julian Tavinos hurled him from the high bridge to meet his watery death. Sorry, I'm not sorry. Beneath the falls. Beneath the falls, as the rest of you tangled with incoming bleister bolts, foiled by a quickly summoned fog from Tyshaloy, as vealous left combat. Also vealous was there. Also vealous was there. Just checking out the vibes. Five, what's going on? I think it's between. When you're not old, combat goes by real fast. You're like, I didn't know you. To my elven senses that combat basically didn't happen. In events so small, it could not be said to have a good. I will say this for sure. There were three people that had a worse combat than vealous, and it was enmity, cruelty, and agony, who realized they should not be in this combat in this city or in this arc. And producer Kyle Shire said bringing huge team rocket energy to the bunch. Truly enjoyable. Oh my god, I forgot my dice again. Jesus. This is why I went wrong. We need to start over. Start over. Back to what? We back to what everybody. I like the. I like the instinct to be quiet until I say. You're not doing it the way everyone's just way. Just way. Hold. I'm ready. Rushing forward from the Hock-Bahlin Buche, you hear distantly as your foot falls race up. Now outfitted in some druidic garb, you had traveled the Dvalmar Pass in some of you, the bloody clothes you were murdered in. I changed. Change, or am I there? And the change. Change to change to change. I changed clothes from wherever the fuck we were. I'm in Fossil. I'm in Fossil. I mean Castle, Clippin, Clippin, Clippin. I'm in Fossil. The chef can keep in particular Castle, Clippin. We said all the good words. We did it. We said all the good words. Oh, sorry. Capricotten. Oh, there you go. Okay. I like the couple of dogs. Yes. Okay, now I feel ready to read all the words. You can leave. I live here now. In the distance behind you, you hear some shouts elsewhere in the neighborhood surrounding. Some screams distantly. You even hear a spell being fired off behind you. You can only imagine where Petra and Raya have gone, but you certainly do not hear them following you, although that doesn't tell you very much. Ascending the staircase, you arrive at an eerie, a top, a craggie mountainside. The eerie's nests are some 20 feet wide in diameter, many of them. And you see enormous birds of prey, giant eagles throughout. These eagles down below, many of them are some like 14 feet tall at the shoulder, towering above you, turning to look. And you see several of them here have small sheds with sort of moss covered roofs on the shed with small, like symbols. And you see there are some carcasses of pig and cattle strewn throughout. There are some that even have chicks that are about your size. There's scant terrified. It should be. And scary. I will live in chicks. What are we doing? Um, chicks. You look and see these eagles have white breasts with these sort of small, like black dots of plumage and model sort of beautiful gray plumage across their wings that looks almost like rain moving down a slate slope as it sort of spreads their wings. Going up higher and higher, you see that in these small sheds, there are enormous saddles. Um, you see that some of the saddles appear to be little more than like a leather harness. And you see that in the writing on some of these nests, there is some druidic writing that appears this is a stable kept by the druids of the circle of stone here. Uh, the staircase that sends higher and higher as a voice calls from up above you. Come here, there. Up here. Uh, and as you arrive at the top, a druidic stone circle on the top of this summit that is partially removed from sort of recent girdle below and very much of sort of not in the shongart and but connected to it. There are massive druidic stone plints and there is a 40 foot wide nest here as you look and see a let's call it a 30 foot tall eagle with a white plumage, who sort of turns to look, sort of screeches out. Tisha, immediately you can tell angry to be awake, angry, angry bird. Um, uh, the summit has this massive 40 foot wide nest, but a lot of other stone around it. You see there is a small armory section, like leaning up against something. You can see that there are sort of like ammunition's arrows. You can see that there is this huge flag of better word. It looks like a massive wooden like carriage body, but you see that there is a wooden box that appears to have a set of benches within it. It looks like a massive collapsed canvas folded thing on one side, like a long, almost like condensed blinds or a curtain or something. And you see that this box, this sort of like a carriage box rests on massive springs to four corners that almost are like table legs that you can see. The carriage is suspended on springs from these four massive corner legs of this sky carriage. Up above it, you see this huge sort of wrought iron goes up to a massive crossbar. The crossbar also appears to have two large lengths of leather wrapped chain that go up to these enormous hooks on either side. You see standing by that carriage with some belongings in a knapsack under for arm is Amida, who turns to you and says, what the hell are you all right? I heard some shout down below. My blade up to her face and say, Demon dropped this facade. Okay. I've already been to this once. She looks and says, I don't know, I understand, I believe it. She looks and says, what is the man which I might regain your trust that I am not a demon? Julian? You tell me, you're doing it in? She speaks to you and Druid and says, he doesn't understand, Druid. He knows that I'm speaking Druid unless you tell him. What kind of an alliance he will do? He's holding a sword to me. Yeah, but you're a bear. Well. No, no, let me be clear. I'm not frightened. I know, that's the best part. And I look over at you like, we've clearly been joking in this language. Verbeid, appreciate your candor. Thanks. She looks and says, very well, this is Altrador. This is to the eagle. Alltrador is snowy white, this massive white eagle that looks around. She has a little bit of plumage that darkens to a soft gray around the edge of the beak and around the socks of the leg plumage where they get down to the talent. He has socks. Stay warm. I look like they're a little plume. You look up in, Almodus says, I take it that none of you have the eagles below require skill and ridership to be able to use. So Altrador is probably the better option. She looks up and you see that Altrador has a big injury over one eye and it's a little bit weepy. He's not the best at night flying. Oh no. And he's very old. So good. Okay, I'm going to cast Speak with Animals. Thank you. You cast Speak with Animals. What do you do? Good. I'm so sorry for waking you up. I should be asleep. There is no sun. No, I'm so sorry, but thank you so much for doing this. Towing what? We're going to go for a quick trip. Thank you. How far? Oh, ask the you flies a couple hours. Oh, I think I could be I could be wrong. I don't know how fast you go. Is there a treat you like? We can find you like a really really big gal when we land. Cause good. I eat gal. If this one gets too malty, you have my permission to eat him. No, wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up. Oh, I think it's working. I was alone. Um, uh. I love him. Does it look like he's been hurt like that that that's just a fresh wound or it's something that's just the way it doesn't look like a fresh wound. It looks like something that sadly healed naturally and not magically. And so it's a permanent it's a permanent injury. Not not that greater magic couldn't do it, but it is not a matter of hit point damage. It doesn't matter if he would need something more like regeneration or a deeper or more profound healing. Um, okay. Where are we going? Where are we going? Where's our, I know where we're going to end up eventually, but where are we going now? I think we're just headed east. Are we going to Garwin for this vision you have? Yes, sorry. I'm a little. It's been a big day. I understand this. Garwin, for our own reasons as well, Julian. You see that I'm at a turn. You're feeling okay. Me, I'm fine. I'm just a little still getting the wine out of my system. Anyone who wants to give me a perception check? Let's see what the fuck. What's that baby? It's okay. Okay, bird. Natural one. 24. 16. 16. I didn't roll. Yeah. Taylor, as all travelers shrieks at Tysha again, you look out. There were some noises of shouting down below that have stopped after that last bird shriek. We should go. Yeah, we need. Okay. I'm at it looks to you for a second and says, um, um, oh travelers. Um, she hands you this small knapsack that you see has a book in it and a couple of scrolls and what looks like some sort of druidic charms in the, in the sort of bottom of this knapsack. Um, she looks over and says, I brought as much as I could. This is, she hands a small charm to you. This is on a piece of twine. It looks extremely humble and very old. It has like, it's four sort of twigs with an intricately woven series of colored dyed like strings of yarn or fabric around it that make this very complex. Uh, geometric pattern that sort of almost like written in the dots or instances of knitting through this woven charm. I hold a druidic room. You look touching the wood. It's almost as light as air this charm. But as you touch it, it's like it's incredibly. I also go ahead and give me nature. No. 15. 15 is high enough. 14. It's a 14. It's high enough. No, this is the opposite. This is the opposite of an air tag. This is a Walker's ward. It's a very common type of magic item that has existed through the druidic tradition for a long time in Aramon when it was not safe for druids to exist in the open. And it is a disguise against many types of magical detection. She hands it to you specifically, Octis. Thank you. Take these. I've got as many charms and gifts and scrolls as I could. And you see that she says and this and she there's a small treasure chest made of this blood red wood that you see is. It has two handles made of thick bound rope rooted to the chest in bronze that looks almost melted or welded there. And you can see that she says don't touch the chest itself. And you can see that smoke is pouring up out of the cracks in the chest. Okay. I'm assuming you've written down somewhere. What that does. Well, I thought I'd just explain. She says, so it's an interesting story. The, the, this is the looking by. And you're sure it's not a demon. I don't know. So what version? Short fair. The, the well, you, oh, oh, and you see that she's just flustered. It says I, I, I, I, well, think it over now. And she, you see, you just are grabbed as chest out of the ground. It feels pleasantly heavy, but not as heavy as if it were full. You think it's not super dense, whatever is in here, but there is something smoking in this chest. And you see that she looks around and says, all right, if you need to leave it once, that is probably wise. Does one of, how do we drive? Does someone have to drive it? Just tell Altharotler where to take you. He has flown these lands for some 40 years. He will know where to go. You see, he's here. So we need to leave. My family is here. Understood. She, I am, I'm a huge bear. Huge hug. Whispering in your ear and druidic, she, with her massive paw, pushes something into your hand. She says, the gifts are for your companions. This is for you and you alone. Please be careful. Thank you. And she pushes a wooden ring into your hand. Paul, let me do my best to hide it and then run over to Altharotler. Quick explanation. When we, if we open the chest, is it good for us or bad for us? Good, good. It's an ammunition. Okay. Great. Or it's also a fire. I use it that she said, I don't particularly know. I think you recognize that a lot of the stuff in here, you've been given a wealth of enchanted objects here, all of which would be not currently claimed by a druid on an adventure. So a lot of the things in here are very common, but very useful. There's just a glance you can take a look at. Go, run up to the front. Garwin. Altharotler looks at you and says, Garwin, Garwin. Oh. Oh. River city near the dark. Yes, yes, yes. I don't want to fly to the dark. No. We would never ask like that. You see, he says, He says, He says, You're scared. Are we in danger? Only until we get going. Please with less cramming. And I give him a kiss on the beak. And then run. He puts his beak down and says, I will fly, I will fly slow, so I don't have to land in the dark. Okay, bud. I'm just crying. As we leave, I turn to Alma. Is that her name? Amada. Amada third is. Amada, just be my two of my sisters are here. Be very careful. Thank you. You must go. Thank you. Sorry about the demon thing. It's a whole. Also, there's three demons possibly around. I'm sorry about my grandma. She says, That's the one I'm most right now. You guys, you guys get into the sky carriage. You're sitting there. You look around. You see that, that sort of in the foot well. This thing is also like beautifully constructed. It is sturdy and massive. The seats are actually quite comfortable. They are cushioned and comfy. You see that there is an old sort of small shallow crate. Under one of the benches that you can see has some humble sort of simple wool brown blankets in it. And you see that there are also a number of very simple benches. You see that there are a couple of benches that are comfortable. Belt and harness, sort of leather belt and harness that have hooks that go into them. And that you see the seats behind them have a couple of thick steel sort of like semi-circles to be clipped into on this thing. Aaron Essick gets in and says, Oh, all right. And you see that she's blown one of these before. So she gets in one, puts it on. Yeah, we all know exactly how to do. I'm not trying to copy her while I'm not looking like I've never been in here before. Okay. You see this clearly, you did not get invited to the Lord Einfosson's wedding when you were a child. I'm adding much. I'm adding tea. And she, I'm adding a little bit of tea on that it stands. Altrodler gets up. Is this, are you already? Good. Thank you. puts one massive talent up on the huge. It's almost like a ship's mast. This like bar over the over the horizontal bar. That was a wings fly. Other thing up, all of you guys feel like someone is pushing the back of your head down just from the wind coming off the wings. And, starts to flap and you guys feel this, the creaking of these massive springs. The coils of the springs are about like a four arms width of this steel coil going up. Up you go, the sort of shocks of the carriage come with you. Boom, boom, boom. As soon Eagle takes off. And very quickly, the like the walls of the carriage box come up to like your shoulders, but some of you are seated at the edge. So you just look and watch the world start to fall away from you. Oh. You see, octases arm just dash out the side of the carriage and catch pin. As soon as you're blown out, having appeared again to stop dealing that. Oh, and on his lab. You guys begin to take off. Go ahead if you would be so kind. We're going to ask you guys are using a giant snowy white eagle to fly away. I have to flap without trace. Flap without trace. I don't have a spell spot for pass without. Oh shit. We had a fight, Brennan. Did I take a nap? I know. No, you did not. I feel like it's so obvious that we're leaving in a giant eagle. And your scissors are right out in the other side. I know. Go ahead. I need to. I'm going to need a group stealth check. I'm going to need this disadvantage. I disagree. It's probably fine. I'm going to hold. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. What do we get? 15. 15, 16. 16. 20 teens for a 19. Time. Yeah. Unbelievable. So wait, we got a 15 and a 16. Yeah. Unbelievable. Hold on one second. Yeah, everybody. Okay. It's bad. It's bad at night. Big bird at night. Big bird at night. How would one even see a bird in the evening? Could you imagine? I could have imagined. I could have imagined. No, I'm having a stroke. I've never seen bird at night. Big bird at night. Yeah. Impossible flight. My house. Please don't kill us. On the median role being is 16. You are off into the sky. Anyone wants to give me a perception check? Oh, yeah, I'm looking everywhere. I'm not. Oh, it's close. You get afraid of heights? I don't think he's ever been to this, honey. Oh, what? Oh, God. 17. Oh, yeah, I'm not. Oh, yeah, I'm not. Oh, yeah, I'm not. Oh, yeah, I'm not. Oh, yeah, I'm not. Oh, yeah, I'm not. Oh, yeah, I'm not. 17. Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. 10. 10. Yeah, seven. 17. 17. I didn't roll. I didn't roll. Tyshah. Looking back out, you see, all the farther is like shaky getting up off the ground, but as he gets up over the cliffs, all of a sudden, he just, and just starts to soar. And it's actually very even more than even you've also traveled by ship before. You'd say this is more comfortable than traveling by ship, given how steady the evil's flight is. This is great. Uh, uh, on a 17 perception, you look behind you. Recent girdle is already vanishing away, but you do see some light coming from the eerie, and you see two identical shapes speaking to Amada. Oh, no. You're not doing anything, do you? I don't know how scary your sisters are. I barely do. Fair. But my cousin's no slouch. Yes, fair. No, it's all right. Okay. I mean, it would be, yeah. It would be absurd for them to start a fight with the druid that circles. But they did kill us. Yeah. So, yeah. Turning back to look, I think, Tisha, fading into the distance already, you see the two shapes speaking to Amada. And even as they are almost just like dots, see what looks like a very pronounced movement and see that there is a bow of like mutual respect from the sisters to Amada, and they are once again in that sort of smokey forms traveling away. However, something unsettling fills your senses here in this moment. As all-traddler flies slowly, not attempting to flap, you look back and see light once again from that peak where Amada is staying. It begins to get colder in the air. And looking around you, I think you can feel or sense that something is wrong here. In the air around you, you begin to hear, and can see that there are shapes manifesting in the sky as you are traveling through of things pushing through from the other side. Do I first instinct? Does Oxtasne to do anything to get the anti-air tag to activate? Is it just possession of it or where it? Eat it. I think you don't know in this moment. You're just not sure. I have it. I have. It doesn't have like a... Yes, it is more like an amulet. Okay, so I throw it on. You throw it on. You feel a kind of magic within it that you can feel begging for study. This thing is offering magic to you, but not freely. I understand. I'm letting everyone know that I've got the willies and trying to point out, like, I can't tell if you can see or feel it. Your family's looking for you here. No, I can feel it. As this occurs in this moment, you feeling this... I think Oxtasne you actually see physically as something appears a face in the clouds nearby. Altraddler is still traveling under cloud level, but not by much. All of a sudden, Tyche, once again, now with recent hurdle, yet again, like another half-mile behind you already from Shungarten. You see a little crackle of something, and you begin to see the clouds moving around you. Darkening. You hear the screech of a hawk nearby. You see a bird moving through as a bird moves into side-by-side with your sky carriage. Ray of frost. Ray of frost at the bird? Yeah. Hell yeah, go ahead and give me a tackle. 17. 18. 18. 18. Go ahead and roll damage. That's way. As a druid, fuck. Grandfather, I've come to help you. 13. 13 points of damage. Hanon's voice speaks and says, stop it! Okay, explain yourself. They're coming after you. He wheels away. I had to. Um, uh, uh, yeah. Stop it. That was joking. I'm trying so hard. Like Tyche is trying so hard on his left. Oh, no. Um, uh, we're in name tags or something. You see above you that Amada has very clearly cast control weather. And you see that Hanon in hawk form, uh, his eyes glow. As all around all Trotter and your carriage, uh, he begins to call down lightning. From a call lightning spell. As, uh, these spirits are essentially blasted out of the sky around your vessel. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Uh, switch targets. I'm just trying to, I will no longer hit the hawk that is in fact my friend. Um, uh, you see, he had and pulls farther away from you. You get well out of range. I'm sorry. Uh, call a lady at a way higher range than that. Um, uh, and perceive for this moment that essentially, uh, all around you, great and powerful forces begin to tear at each other at a distance. All Trotter moves on that, uh, the stealth check fails again. You see that the battle's raging around you, but, uh, all Trotter looks to you with your speak with, uh, animals still active and says, there's everything all right. There's a storm. Oh, you're doing great. Can you be not, you're just doing great. Keep it up. Maybe faster. Faster? If you've got it, I don't want to land in the dark. Oh, buddy. He want a land period and we're being sort of pursued. So maybe hustle faster. Hold on. Oh, Jesus. And see, uh, suddenly, uh, you, uh, okay, okay. Uh, uh, and suddenly you see that that all's rather was basically just taking move actions and no dash actions, um, and begins to outpace both the spirits. I think in this moment, you see the strange game at play here. Petra and Raya bowed to Ahmed's face and both of them went back to their corners and did this. All Trotter faster than the wind. Literally in this case, boom. Uh, it is extremely turbulent, sickening, nauseating flight for about 10 straight minutes after which, uh, after which you, uh, I just, you feel nothing. You're completely fine. There's no nausea to you at all. Um, holding this. It's not, it disappears again. Stay. Uh, uh, and you see, uh, that after those minutes, the storm fades away. That hits the farthest range of what Ahmed, Ahmed can produce. And also moving out of visibility of the city, you see that, uh, all Trotter, even with magical flight, all rather is faster than whatever sorcerer would want to pursue him and doesn't have a concentration or spell duration that would drop him out of the sky in pursuit. Whatever summoned beings pursue you, after those 10 minutes, even that powerful summoning fades away as you watch the storm fight the dead behind you, fading into the distance. I think to sort of leaning up, trying not to barf again. Thank you. You could go back to normal. Thank you. Good job. You could all of you look sort of pelted with rain here in the cold. Look as the clouds part and you behold beautiful, starry skies. There's a little unsettling that I didn't feel that. Yeah, that was the unsettling thing. Hey, Arctis, I fucking hate your family. Fair. You see the Aranessa press, it digitates the rain off of herself and begins to do so for everybody else. You said there was a canvas thing. Is that like a cover to pull over this? Is it over it or is it rolled up? It's rolled up right now. Okay, I'll start trying to like unroll that to put the cover over. Using the cover over, the freezing wind is cut down and now just creates a gentle sort of flapping noise. It's very hot canvas, but little sort of puff. And with the canvas closed, all of you are in like a gentle rocking in the steady flight of this giant bird. As the canvas goes up to, you see Tisha distant some ways away from you. Hanon is still flying in the same direction as you guys. Are you with us because we're in danger or you just miss us? You upgraded by silence. All right. Last someone one time. I had to throw an attitude. The canvas goes up and while it diminishes the, you know, the starry sky from view, it is certainly much more comfortable. And actually with the canvas up, pretty quickly your own body heat makes it a little bit more livable up here. I'll also pull out the wool blankets. I just have the long deck. Vanessa looks and says, good night. It is like two o'clock in the morning after everything that has happened, you were in castle clip and blick earlier tonight. It's been a big day. It's been a big day. Knowing that you have hours of flight ahead of you, Erinessa is not going to lose this opportunity and she just passes out. She actually leans her head against you, Julie, in this moment and just see it there. You should all try and get some sleep. I can wake you up if necessary. Are you sure you don't need to rest? I can rest by sitting here. I don't know anything else I can do. It's been days since I slept. Fair. Well, hold on. I'll sling the napsack of gifts from Amida off and hand them to you. You're getting it identifying things, yeah? Yeah, I can sit here and figure out what these do. Yeah. I can help. Okay. Are you good? Do you need anything? Oh, well, alright. It's like a leisure wood. He can sleep anywhere. I think Dresha fights. Julian pass out. I think Julian has taken the brief moment here to exhaustively pass out. Incredible. Tisha fights sleep for probably another hour and then passes out. I think Tisha, you're on the like, erinessa got middle seat in between you and Julian. Yeah, it's just a full like domino slump. And then on the other side, Vailess and Octus. Are you okay? You got hit pretty hard. I'll be okay. How do you feel? I didn't get hit. My brother died. Yeah. I mean, I didn't, we weren't close. Julian has every right to be angry. But he was still my brother, so that's a little weird. No, I feel about that. This has been a wild few days. Yeah. I don't really know. I'm sorry, your family tried to kill you. Did kill you? Yeah, they did real succeed in that. They seemed to be good at that. I think I just need a minute to not be immediately chased by them and do a good job of letting them know I wasn't alive anymore. Or am alive. But I, I didn't do a good job at not telling them I'm conscious. I think it's the best way to put that. Yeah. Your sisters seem like fun. I mean, I really don't know them. They're the oldest. By the time I was born, they were already adults doing their own thing. Why do you think they wanted to kill you? I won't be a surprise that I've been thinking about this. I don't know. I think it might... There's a number of reasons. I'm an embarrassment to the power that they have. Because I didn't have it from birth, you know. Do they know about your abilities now? I don't think they care what wizardry is. Like, to someone who's born with magic, normal people pretending to be sorcerers. It's, I get, maybe a little disgusting. But you're not pretending. But it works differently. I wasn't born with it. I'm not special. I beg to differ. Yeah, from their perspective. But I think also they needed... There's power in ritual and the meaning of an ingredient used in a spell. So using my heart, a member of their family to do something is possibly necessary. You understand? What? I don't know. I mean, as I have been in contact with my family for years, and I thought they were just going to let me drift into obscurity. And they didn't. Well, I'll have to figure it out. But that's not an immediate concern. At this very moment, it's going to take time. And I still have to figure out. Yes. Figure out a more permanent solution to the hole in my chest and stomach. Um, let me have... Why are you here? You don't need to be. I know. But I want to be. It seems to be putting yourself in a whole lot of danger for really no reason. I'm welcoming. Like he does, I'm handing. He wants to dice in his end so that he can stop living. I welcome it. But I need to finish something first. I... I haven't felt... I guess this is hope. And I don't know how long. So I need to chase this until I figure out what it is. Uh-oh. Okay. I'll help you. And... Uh, yeah, okay. Um, I mean, if I can help, I'll try. I don't know what exactly you need or what you're looking for. You don't need to do anything. Okay. Well, would you... like to try and rest? Or I... I meditate. I guess I can try. I need to... It sort of helps. I don't do it all the time, but... I can try. I should figure out what some of these things do. They didn't know of her when they wake up, but I need some time. I will need to take some time to... I don't know. Do you compress? Maybe. But I can try. How do you do it? Like, what do you do? I understand that I'm asking for a simple answer to it. You're really... It's a difficult concept, but... It's something I've never really thought about, but I... I just try to shut out the noise around me. And just close my eyes and... I like to remember certain things if I can. Things that make me... feel better than how I feel. Okay. Yeah. That makes sense. Does it? I don't... Very... I used to just sleep. It just happened. Yeah. I didn't have to try. So... It's something to just try and sit with pleasant memories. You know what? I'm... I'm good at learning. Can you... And if this doesn't... This is gonna sound weird. Can you do it? So I can... Watch. Are you gonna watch me? Yeah, I'll show you. I just kinda... I take a minute. I close my eyes. And I try to go into a trance. Which is hard because I know somebody's watching me. I just... I kind of get that feeling and I start just like... kind of looking at you and like... But also trying to identify, like, spend time being like, okay, but I just came like out of the fridge. So when you're trying to pee and you know someone's listening... Yeah. Just cough, just cough, just cough. So I go into a trance. That was a really... It's... I don't know why that's... What can it be first? No, it is like being pee shy. Yeah, it's being shy. That's the matter of the children. Thank you. I want to be so much cooler than I am. It's remarkably easy. It might have been harder, honestly, if the canvas had not been closed up. Not only because of the wind, but because for a moment, you were looking at... I don't know, it spread out... underneath you. Phyllis is 800 years old. Has she ever flown before? Maybe. But this feels different. It's part of the world. It feels new. It's something new. Different stars in this part of the world. You... with the canvas, there is just the wind rushing past. All-troddler beats his wings, maybe like once every other minute. And it creates this almost... ...sacrific... ...it's rhythmic. It feels like white noise, cool air, warm blankets. And then you're gone. Where do you go in your memory? I... I think if I'm thinking of my happiest moments, at least trying to connect with that, I think those thoughts always go to my brother. My best friend. And I just try to sit with that just the happy parts and try to separate the good parts and try to put the bad parts and compartmentalize them into another area. Arthas is looking right at you. See, he takes a bite on Apple in his hand, he's seated in this like, a saddle of this massive tree. Essentially, these are Sequoias. They're like, enormous. You're like, up 200 feet up, you're like, a hundred feet up in the air. You see these in the saddle of this tree. Feet are dangling. Barefoot always. I don't think they're coming. I think they missed them. I believe they're coming either. I think they build. Looks over. Lame. You hear that? Underneath you. You see a herd of elk come roaring 100 feet dead. You see behind you, your sister, Maywin, is riding on the back of a unicorn. Looks out and says, says, are you guys are going to believe it? I'm sharing my Arthas. Arthas goes, oh, wait, where are they? Where's ours? Wait, where did you find these? And she says, the hunting grounds in Arthas goes, that's for the hunters, as these elk tear through. I'm going to start running on the tree branches, and I'm going to try to jump on one. Incredible. Go ahead and give me an athletics rule. Okay. Let's go. Free. Oh no. 10. 10. You rush forward. And as you, you leap, you catch a bad branch, and start to fall. And suddenly you, there is a swinging vine, and you see that Arthas has got his arm around you. I just squeeze him. You squeeze him tight. I'm going to die. Yeah, yeah, yeah, you could have died. And you see that he, as he holds his hands up, he just raises his wrist and says, mother, and you see that a vine springs from his hand, wraps around the tree, and it's almost like the tree connects with the vine, and it grows branches that lets you gently spiraling down, sort of swinging centrifugal, almost like a carnival ride, swinging through, you land on the forest floor below. That was way cooler than what I did. You see that Arthas looks and says, says, you know, all you have to do is, the prayers aren't that hard to learn. It's like you can spend a couple hours with the book you did. I can't remember them. I try. They're, they're, they're, they're, I'm so good though. I'm so faithful and I do all the right stuff, and I can't remember it. I know, I know. It's, it's, if there was a prize for faith in absence of... Careful. If there was a prize for faith-along, you'd win it. I would win. You would win. You see, it rides around the corner and says, would you win it? Only one of us is riding a unicorn right now. You're a bitch. And you see she says, you're a bitch. And the unicorn bucks her off hard. You see, Arthur says, you can't say bitch on a unicorn. Yeah, everyone knows that. And you see the unicorn sort of stalks off gently into the forest, turns around, and looks absolutely scoldingly at all of you. Sorry. And you see that Arthur's turns and says, are you all right and goes over to heal her? And you see he sort of says this prayer, he heals her as a twisted ankle. But as you see, he goes for the healing. He's like, oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just get beside him and I start praying to him. I didn't mean to curse. It's just they, I was telling them not to say it. So I just used the word. I'm sorry. Is it bitch? I'm sorry. I just said it. Please forgive me. This is a holy forest. We should go. Sorry. Say that. Why did I say that? I just got really excited. As you walk, you can just see that Arthur's sort of possessed of, he's like, I don't know. Something has changed in his demeanor in this moment. As Maywin walks, he has her like, ample as hobbled, and he can't heal it right now. I'm just sort of walking behind a little embarrassed. And I, I pick up just a handful of flowers, and I just start making a little daisy chain ground. Turns around to look at you. And a few more years, you're going to be 50. Yeah. It might be time to think about where your passion lies, or how you want to devote yourself to our people, to our mother. You can't, you can't just keep running off the branches. But it's what I love best. He looks at the flowers in your hand. Or maybe you'll find a different way to pray. That's sort of like a prayer. It's repetitive. Yeah. Sorry. It's okay. You're sorry. That's what we say sorry to. You don't ever have to say sorry to me. And you spend the rest of your time walking home. Octas. Octas is going to spend the time while veiluses and their trance, watching and kind of trying to like almost just learn by watching as what he is good at doing, but also during that time sitting. How much room is there on the floor of this carriage? There's more under the benches. You're pretty close to being, I'd say, similar to sort of a carriage car. You're almost neat and neat, essentially. So he is sat on his knees on the floor of the carriage with his back to Tysha's legs and using the under part of the seat as a little space where he's drawn a ritual circle on the ground and is taking 11 minutes at a time to identify the things that were given to him as he's keeping an eye on veilus at the moment, going back and forth, doing 11 minutes watching doing that to identify the items we were given and then spending the required amount of time investigating the item he was given to then attune to it, which is I assume what it means. Yes, you can take an hour to attune to the Walker's Ward. In setting the magic of it, this Walker's Ward is about 250 years old, and he's been a long time for twine and wood to survive. But the magic within it is very strong. If you look at your character sheet, you will see it before you. And... Refresh. Refresh. You can say it happens. Never say it happens. Oh, that's right. And you can go ahead and read that and tell me what octas sees within that ward. So while wearing the Samuelite, you are immune to magic that allows others to read your thoughts to determine whether you are lying, know your alignment, know whether you have the ability to cast spells and at what level, and know your creature type creatures can telepathically communicate with you only if you allow it. So I... He's looking at this... knot of... sticks, these twigs that are all bound together within this... this symbol, and he's looking at it. And I think this is how he... in him studying the interconnectedness of the yarn and the way it crosses and forms. He sees this sort of like... web that is a lock. And as he is studying it, and ending this hour of spending time with this and really visualizing this thing, it's like, oh, I see how the magic flows through the yarn and it is a way for me to trap unwanted attention within unnet and to keep it there and distract it from seeing me. The yarn is charged with magic which causes the spell to become confused and it keeps looking for me inside of a maze that it can't get out of. Interesting. And I think in seeing the web and he starts to understand how magic works in an inanimate object and spends time figuring out in the future I think I can... That's good to know. That's useful. The history of the artifact is not lost on you either of why druids would need to be able to move secretly through the world. This is very good. That's... And seeing that maze, I think you also realize this thing will work best at protecting you from broad nets because if someone looks at the horizon and sees nothing concerning about you that will be less concerning than if they are looking at you directly and seeing nothing. Perfect. It's a deterrent but I still need to be cautious. It doesn't make me invisible. Yeah. Yeah. And then sits and waits for valus to wake up. After a couple hours valus you awaken or you leave your trans having fully rested, I should say. Just seeing her eyes underneath her eyelids sort of start to calm down. Did you learn anything? I think so. That was... It looked peaceful. That's good. But I could see you were... dreaming? Your eyes are moving. Yeah. That happens sometimes. Yeah. I wonder if you still have dreams? I don't know. I took the time for a work done figuring out what these things do and so I'll have those for when they wake up. What's in the box? What is in the box? We'll find out when we die from brain. What's in the box? 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.