Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E15 “Flight to Castle Torch”

Hello and welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, the Critical Role Lore Keeper. Let’s dive into Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 15 Flight to Castle Torch!

TENDED MEMORIES

When Azune Nayar was a young boy of 12, mercenaries known as the Gallow’s Choir came to his small town seeking young soldiers. Azune and his family were extremely famished, with their parents going without food in order to care for their two children. His 13 year old sister, Mayali, is tasked to run a short obstacle course, which she succeeds. When Azune is given the same task, he just barely completes it. The captain only wants to take Mayali, but both she and Azune convince him to give Azune another chance.

Azune resets the obstacle course over and over, trying to run it faster and better. He recalls being in the thick of war and still never reaching the levels of exhaustion he did this day. Eventually, the captain relents and accepts Azune, to the relief of his parents. Azune asks his parents what happens if he wants to stay, and his mother tells him to always remember this day and their pride in him. This is the last time Azune saw his parents, and he replays the memory constantly to try not to forget them.

ESCAPE

The Seekers arrive at the Eyrie, a safe distance away from the Tachonis twins. There are multiple birds of prey in the Eyrie, with huge saddles and a massive sky carriage. Amadah introduces them to the lead eagle: Altradler, a massive, old, and scarred snowy white eagle. Thaisha encourages him to help by offering him a cow when they land in Gerwyn. Amadah gives Thaisha a knapsack of rations that includes a book and druidic charms, as well as a chest of fire ammunition. She gives Thaisha a wooden ring and Occtis a charm called a Walker’s Ward – a cloaking device that shields the wearer from magical detection.

Occtis warns Amadah about his twin sisters and the group boards the sky carriage, with Aranessa taking the lead. Altradler takes flight, holding the carriage in his claws, and the group sets off into the sky. They can see the twins talking to Amadah as they fly away, but Thaisha assures Occtis that Amadah can handle herself. They see the twins vanish in smoke and the air gets colder. Shapes appears in the sky and a hawk appears – this is Hannan. Thaisha realizes that Amadah is controlling the weather and Hannan is calling lightning, battling the Tachonis spirits in the sky to keep the Seekers safe.

BROTHERS AND STONES

Altradler flies faster and the Seekers escape the battle to safer skies. Hannan flies alongside them for safety. Vaelus and Occtis, per usual, do not sleep. Occtis isn’t sure how to feel about the death of his brother, Frons. They weren’t close, and Julien’s anger is just, but Frons was still his brother. Occtis theorizes that he was sacrificed because he wasn’t considered important by his family and they needed a Tachonis heart for some ritual.

Occtis asks why Vaelus is here. She likes danger and she needs to finish something. She is chasing this new feeling of hope. Vaelus teaches Occtis how to meditate and she goes into her trance, remembering her own brother, Arthas. She remembers the two of them sitting in a tree and watching their sister Maywyn riding a unicorn and Arthas saving Vaelus when she fell from the tree. The three siblings play and bicker, and Vaelus considers that soon she will have to find her passion and devotion. All she wants to do is play.

Occtis takes time to attune to the Walker’s Ward and casts identify on the other charms. There is the Hare’s Charm (jump spell), the Otter’s Charm (swim speed increase), and the Spring Charm (once a day healing). There is also an abjuration spell scroll and a druidic record of a promise to the Circle of Stone. The chest contains the Embers of Arask, ancient burning coals from the titan of fire. The book is known as the Kibbenimkedaz, a book that records the names of stones. He casts comprehend languages and learns the names of stones. He finally tries to rest and thinks back on playing with Thimble when they were children.

CHARMS AND FAVOR

Julien awakes to find Altradler flying above Gelwyn, nervous to land. He wakes Aranessa and looks to the band of Eternal Night in the distance, a place that nauseates Julien. The Eternal Night is the place of the fallen God the Sun, Tansul. Occtis gives Julien the Hare Charm and Vaelus the coals, then the scrolls to Thaisha and the Otter Charm to Aranessa Thaisha talks to Altradler, convincing him to land in a wooded copse, where he snacks on some goats (which Thaisha pays a goatherd for and blesses the other goats to make new goats quickly).

Their destination is Castle Torch, the home of the Barrowguard. That’s where Alogar should be, though Occtis saw him in his vision of Venatus. Julien trained Alogar – he is a fine soldier, but a bit impetuous. The Barrowguard answers to the Sundered Houses, but is under the authority of the Revolutionary Council. Altradler and Thaisha say farewell and he takes the carriage back to the Eyrie. Hannan lands, now believing that this is one of the most important events unfolding in their world and so accompanies them for their safety. Thaisha offers her favor, piercing his ear with one of her studs so she can find him again.

THE BARROWGUARD

The Seekers move through Gerwyn, a little riverside city of farmhouses that defends against the Eternal Night, and arrive at Castle Torch to the east. Julien suggests they speak with either Lady Alice Wolkschif or Captain Luca Phaedron. Thaisha and Occtis were here just a week ago, but did not see Alogar then. Sir Tonweld Kerzingblad greets Julien warmly and Thaisha too familiarly, referring to Alogar as a talented drinker, upsetting Thaisha. They learn that Alogar is in the Barrowdell, with Head Ranger Bierza Kagrikovolek.

They enter the training grounds and see many soldiers of different backgrounds, as the Barrowguard is mostly commoners. The Barrowguard’s mission is to keep the terrors of the Barrowdells from leaking out into the rest of the world. Julien talks to the soldiers and is approached by Staff Sergeant Domnhall Fletcher, who gives him some official documents that were forged in his name. They meet with Captain Phaedron, the head of the castle, and Dame Gaya Seremai, a Lord Knight of the castle.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Aranessa requests privacy, so Phaedron takes the group to the war room. Julien informs Phaedron that Houses Royce and Davinos have fallen due to House Tachonis. Dame Seremai cannot look away from Occtis, and is shocked by this news as a Vassal Knight of House Tachonis. Julien is worried that the Sundered Houses will weaponize the Barrowguard for their own interests, but Phaedron knows his greatest authority is the Revolutionary Council. He requests that Dame Seremai produce her latest instructions from House Tachonis.

Dame Gaya Seremai realizes she has failed. The twins of House Tachonis were here a week ago and demanded that Dame Seremai give a missive from the Grey Tower. The twins claimed that the physical letter had been lost and that it would be alright to simply communicate its contents to Captain Phaedron. She had no reason to doubt the ladies of her house. They claimed the missive was requesting an immediate excursion to Tannesar. This is where Head Ranger Bierza and the 3rd Battalion – and Alogar – were sent a week ago.

Phaedron is horrified and relieves Dame Seremai of her station. She never should have ignored a missing letter, especially one that came with the commands of a House. Head Ranger Bierza was told of undead overrunning ruins outside the Tiria Via (an ancient Obridimian highway), that warlocks from Venatus had loosed these undead. The 3rd Battalion was to hold the location and prevent any warlocks from interfering and not allow anyone inside. The 1st and 2nd Battalions are still at Castle Torch.

LADY ARANESSA ROYCE

These are soldiers that Julien trained personally. He wants to go after them. Dame Seremai wants to help, so Occtis orders her to accompany them in order to reclaim her honor. Julien requests that they try to get word to the Golden Orchard. Thaisha asks Aranessa who she is now and what she wants to do. Aranessa has lost so much in just one week. Julien encourages her to go to the Golden Orchard while he goes to the Eternal Night to bring back his soldiers. He loves the Barrowguard. He found purpose here.

Aranessa regrets the pain of their lives. She loves Julien – her cousin, her protector, her knight. She loves Thaisha, her sister. They should have had a life together, and the world conspired against them. She asks Julien to guard her and Alogar as he would guard Aranessa herself. Aranessa asks Vaelus if she disappoints her. That is not the word Vaelus would use. Vaelus is deeply suspicious of Aranessa. She doesn’t feel truthful, but Vaelus is unable to find the lie within her.

House Royce once lived in the Golden Orchard. She and Vaelus share the blessings of the fairies. They are family, as the Old Path says. This is both of their homes. Vaelus realizes why Aranessa feels like a liar to her, despite not telling a single lie – this is a woman of inheritance, who has inherited a misery that she did not erect. There is a secret in her heart that keeps her in great pain. Vaelus writes a letter to her sisters, asking them to look into Aranessa and informing them that she is still traveling with the artifact, following a thread.

Aranessa gives Occtis her thumb piano and says her home is open to him, if he can never return to his own. Sir Tonweld and two bodyguards will accompany Aranessa north. Julien tells Aranessa to find his mother and his sister, but to return to Castle Torch immediately at the first sign of danger in the Orchard. Their family grows thinner by the day. They will not lose each other. The Seekers leave Aranessa behind and ride to the Eternal Night with Dame Seremai.

That is it for Episode 15 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• I love Altradler. That poor eagle just doesn’t wanna fly at night, let him rest!
• I am very, very worried about the 3rd Battalion.
• Bye Aranessa! Please don’t die in the Golden Orchard!

Catch Episode 16 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, February 19th at 7pm Pacific on beacon.tv, where Beacon members get access to the entire episode, podcast included! The episode will also release on twitch.tv/criticalrole and on youtube.com/criticalrole and in two parts on our podcast. Is it Thursday yet?