Critical Recap: Critical Role C2E93 (Misery Loves Company)

Hello! Welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, Production Coordinator and Knowing Minion. Let’s dive into our recap of Critical Role Episode 93 Misery Loves Company!

REST AND COMMUNICATION

Seeking recovery and rest after their tense interaction with Beau’s family, the Mighty Nein head to the Gemhearth Inn, a dive bar that just barely satisfies their need for drinks and rooms. The group is fascinated by an old man deep in his cups, and Beau steers clear of the familiar barkeep while Fjord and Jester investigate a disgusting privy to see if it bears any interesting graffiti. Finally, they head to their three rooms to get a night’s rest.

The next morning, the Nein start their trek to Mt. Menteri. They discuss tactics in dealing with Isharnai the hag, hoping to use diplomacy before an all-out fight. Jester casts commune with the Traveler, and for the first time ever, the party sees him standing over Jester as she talks to him. Fjord casts Divine Sense, which picks up the presence of the hallow spell. Jester gets confirmation that killing Isharnai will break Nott’s curse and finds the most direct path to her hut. When the commune ends, the Nein excitedly tell Jester that yes, they did see the Traveler, which greatly pleases the forever doubted cleric.

FOREST CHALLENGE

As the group enters the forest, Matt begins a skill challenge: four successes are required to find the hut and avoid random encounters. Beau helms the first challenge, using a successful Survival check to follow the difficult path. Caduceus is next, but his Animal Handling check fails as the horses pull them to a clearing that’s chock full of harpies. Caleb attempts to trade a horse and some supplies in order to move past, but this fails, and the harpies attack. After a battle, the Nein emerge victorious and return to their challenge.

Jester’s successful Perception check helps them get to the next mountain crest and avoid danger, but Caleb’s failed Perception check with Frumpkin causes an encounter with an acid-spewing hot spring geyser, killing three of their horses. They send the other four back, continuing on foot. Yasha attempts an Athletics check through terrain she understands but fails, resulting in points of exhaustion for Fjord, Beau, Nott, and Caduceus. Nott investigates, successfully looking for animal tracks in order to circumvent danger.

Now at the base of Mt. Menteri, Fjord uses Mask of Many Faces to…deceive the swamp into thinking he knows where he’s going. This (shockingly) fails, and a cruel fog rises, reducing max hit points for Fjord, Beau, Nott, and Clay. Luckily, Yasha’s successful Strength check allows her to cut through the brambles and put them on a safe path. They find the tar-covered ground that Thoreau cautioned them about, and ahead, a thatched roof hut on the hillside.

THE HAG’S TRADE

After Frumpkin’s perimeter search shows that the hut has only one door and no windows, the party approaches. They knock, but the extremely creepy house is empty. Beau and Nott quickly search inside, but find little of note. Fjord casts See Invisibility, observing nothing within the cabin, but when he steps outside, he sees Isharnai perched on the roof, watching them all with a grin. He acknowledges her, telling her they came for a conversation. She asks who spied on her, and when Jester raises her hand, she leaps down from the roof and shows herself.

She tells them she’ll speak with them one at a time, and Fjord volunteers first. He enters the hut, the door closing on its own behind him. He starts out with flattery, pleasing the witch. He offers the services of the party as a favor to her in exchange for Nott’s release, but she declines. She tempts him to seek a change of his fortune, but he too declines and goes outside. He tells the group that she is a dealmaker who wants to feed from new misery. They will have to give her something in order to have Nott’s curse lifted.

Beau goes in directly, and Isharnai can tell that they are already tethered to each other. Beau wants to know more about what they will need to trade, and the hag tells her that the ‘scales have to weigh evenly.’ Beau offers her happiness with the Mighty Nein as a trade, willing to walk away from the family she has built. However, she leaves the hut before completing the deal, telling Nott to speak with the hag. Nott enters, surprised that her transformation was remembered. She offers to upset the potential peace between the nations, intriguing Isharnai. This would require Nott to feed something to King Dwendal to tether him to the witch.

Nott leaves, very much ready to kill Isharnai, but knowing it will be difficult. They discuss what they’ve offered so far: services, war, and solitude. The party is aghast at Beau’s attempted deal, trying to dissuade her from it. Yasha walks in, telling the hag that she has misery in spades. Isharnai doesn’t think that Yasha could offer her a fair trade, as the barbarian already wallows at the bottom. She offers the flowers she has slowly collected for her wife’s grave, but the hag doesn’t consider the trade equal. Isharnai tells her she can attempt to bring back the dead, but Yasha, though tempted, threatens her and goes outside.

A DELICIOUS SOLUTION

Jester enters the moment Yasha leaves. Isharnai is pleased to see the one that scried on her, and Jester tells her she can totally scry on them back, as fair is fair. All Jester wants is to break the curse on Nott, but being such a happy person doesn’t leave her much to offer. Isharnai can see that Jester is artistic, and tells her that the trade of her hands would weigh evenly enough to release Nott. Jester is upset, but willing to part with her hands for Nott. She asks if she can eat one last cupcake before her hands are taken, and the witch agrees. Jester pulls out her last blueberry cupcake, offering half of it to Isharnai. The witch is persuaded and amused — she eats her half, and it is revealed that this cupcake is coated with the Dust of Deliciousness, making the cupcake taste incredible but also giving disadvantage to Isharnai’s Wisdom checks and saving throws. Jester casts Modify Memory.

The spell succeeds, and Jester modifies Isharnai’s memory to make her believe that her conversation with Jester was so enjoyable and so pleasant that Isharnai chose to end Nott’s curse of her own will. The spell is cast, and Isharnai is delighted by Jester and the time she has taken to ‘just relax’ with pleasant company. She happily removes the curse on Nott, and Jester heads outside, leaving the distracted but pleased witch. Jester quickly returns to the party, telling them that it’s all fixed and she will explain later but they need to leave NOW. The group listens, and they hasten away from the hut and the witch, back into the mountain mists.

That is it for Episode 93!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• HOLY SHIT Y’ALL. MODIFY FUCKING MEMORY. LAURA FUCKING BAILEY.
• Beau?! What the hell?! Don’t offer something so horrible! That whole scene was heartbreaking and I’m glad no one let her go through with it.
• I am so proud of everyone for refusing their deals, especially Yasha because that had to be HARD.
• I wonder what Caduceus would have offered. Taliesin really wanted to talk to her.
• I hope this sticks. I so want them to walk away and revel in the fact that their trickery cleric tricked an entity that makes its living on tricks and trades.
• Oh Mighty Nein.

Anyway, catch Episode 94 on Thursday, February 6th at 7pm Pacific on twitch.tv/criticalrole or a week later on our podcast. Is it Thursday, yet?