Critical Recap – Critical Role C3E5 “The Threat Between the Walls”

Written by on November 24, 2021

Hello! Welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, the Critical Role Lore Keeper. Let’s dive into our recap of Critical Role Campaign 3 Episode 5 The Threat Between the Walls!

THE HUBBAT CORSAIRS

Questioned by a half-elven representative of the Hubbat Corsairs, Imogen and Laudna reveal that they are looking for Duggar because he murdered their friend. As the group now knows one of the Corsairs’ hideouts, the representative (whose name is Yash Mangal) demands collateral before the conversation can continue. He asks for names and locations of people they care about – no harm will come to them as long as the group doesn’t betray the Corsairs. Imogen names her father, Relvin, and Ashton names Fresh Cut Grass. No one else claims to have anyone they care about, so Yash accepts the two collateral.

Duggar, a jerk with his heart in the right place, no longer runs with the Corsairs. He vanished six months ago for a few weeks, then came back and rejoined. He looked stricken with some malady and most thought he was addicted to something. After becoming more aloof, he eventually resigned, but the Corsairs still keep tabs on him. He travels between his home in the Core Spire and the Weary Way Tavern. Yash did not know of Duggar’s brumestone smuggling, a trade both dangerous and protected.

Yash doesn’t really care what they do with Duggar, as he’s no longer a member and killing him would silence someone who knows a lot about their organization. He directs them to Duggar’s house in the Windowed Wall, irritated by their questions. The group talks amongst themselves before deciding to not name Eshteross as their patron. Yash lets them know they can come back to the Root Trader if they have information – the good passphrase is ‘loosen the snare’.

WANDERING CURIOSITIES

The group heads into the heart of Elder’s Post in search of potions. Ashton suggests the Trove of Marwa as an option, but Imogen speaks to a woman running a different stall, Juraya, who wants to take them to someone else. Imogen reads Juraya’s thoughts, learning that Marwa is taking all of the business with her aboveboard practices, and this person, Advik, will give Juraya a commission if they purchase something. Ashton knows Advik and agrees that he is worth seeing as their paths crossing is inevitable.

Juraya leads them to a massive cart – Advik’s Wandering Curiosities and Collections – where Advik, a gregarious human, welcomes them. The healing potions he presents look adjacent to normal healing potions, just a little more homemade. He claims they were made with ingredients from the Heartmoor by a powerful herbalist. He gives them a high price, with an ‘Ashton Discount.’ Ashton speaks up, asking for anything interesting in the back – the others are new in town and liable to be loyal. Advik shows off some Sending Stones, which Orym and Dorian test.

They purchase all four potions and the stones, ingratiating themselves to Advik. Ashton is pleased that some of his recent activities haven’t reached Advik’s ears yet. The group heads to the Windowed Wall in search of Duggar’s home, finding it on the twelfth level and built into the cliffside itself. Duggar isn’t there and a strong smell of mildew and decay emanates from the house. Fearne turns into a rat to try to get under the door, but she gets stuck – however, she can see that the inside of the house is trashed. Ashton unlocks the door as a simurgh patrol (the hawk/dog hybrids often used for surveillance by the law enforcement known as the Wilders) flies over. The group rushes inside before the suspicious Wilder sees them.

THEY’RE COMING OUT OF THE WALLS

The inside smells gross – organic and unnatural. There’s an oily residue on everything and the floor is sticky in places. It looks chaotic, but there’s no signs of a true fight. It looks ransacked. FCG finds a hole in the bedroom wall, the same size as the one at the Weary Way. Rat!Fearne crawls inside to investigate, turning around once it starts to drop off. As she returns, she begins to hear a strange sound behind her, like squeezing liquid. Rat!Fearne escapes just as a liquid, squishy version of Duggar squeezes his way through the hole and into the room.

A fight immediately breaks out when Duggar solidifies. The oily residue on the ground makes it a little difficult to move, and Duggar continually summons shade creepers from the holes in the walls. A shade creeper even bursts out of Duggar’s back when Orym lands a slash on him. Despite the creepers and Duggar himself, the party manages to stay alive with some clutch healing from Dorian, FCG and Orym. Dorian gets the final blow on Duggar with a thunderwave and Duggar explodes in fire as he dies, just like the shade creepers.

Fearne uses her Stonkey’s Ring to move a crate and block a hole in the wall as the party finishes the last of the shade creepers. Ashton partially closes another tunnel and Laudna braces a crate with her immovable rod to keep more creepers from coming through. Orym and Imogen close the last hole with another crate. The crates are filled with decaying food, the source of the terrible smell. Orym takes Duggar’s weapons and Imogen bottles some of the gross slime.

VENGEANCE ACHIEVED

Duggar’s neighbor, a male halfling named Lora, is outside snooping due to the sounds, so Dorian goes outside to chat. He casts charm person and convinces Lora that they’re renting the place from Duggar and threw a party. The group returns to Eshteross, who informs them that Bertrand’s body is now on its way to Whitestone. They explain what happened at Duggar’s home – Eshteross will look into the weird holes in the spire and reach out to an alchemist about the vial of goo.

Eshteross had also placed a bounty for Bertrand’s murderer. He feels it is only right to give that money to the group and gives them a bag of over a thousand gold. He also lets Orym know that he is attempting to coordinate a meeting for him with Oshad Breshio. Eshteross tells them all to rest and celebrate, so the group leaves to do just that.

That is it for Episode 5 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

  • Holy shit y’all! Bertrand avenged AND the first death saving throws of Campaign Three! My heart is still racing.
  • The Hubbat Corsairs are fascinating! Just how much power do they have in Jrusar? Are their motivations truly altruistic?
  • Advik seems interesting. I wonder what his full history with Ashton is. I wonder what Ashton’s full history with EVERYONE in Jrusar is.
  • Congratulations, unnamed party, you hit level 4! Now please come up with a name.

Anyway, catch Episode 6 NEXT Thursday, December 2nd at 7pm Pacific on twitch.tv/criticalrole and youtube.com/criticalrole or a week later on our podcast. Is it Thursday yet?


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