Critical Recap: Critical Role C3E54 “Treacherous Toys”

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 54 Treacherous Toys!

HEROES

Imogen, Fearne, FCG, Deanna, and FRIDA return to Uthodurn as heroes in the city’s eyes. A page informs them that the King and Queen have requested a meeting tomorrow to recognize them for their deed. The group reunites with Chetney and goes to Deanna’s cozy home to rest. When it is teased that Chetney and Deanna should share a bed, Deanna excuses herself. Imogen recognizes her anxious response and goes out to check on her.

Deanna doesn’t really recognize Chetney anymore. He was always talented and a force of personality, but they met while on vacation. She realizes that she didn’t truly know him that well. He always loved what he did and was so passionate and driven. Deanna wanted to be the focus of his drive. Imogen can tell that Deanna is special to Chetney, which comforts her. Deanna has never felt special before.

DREAM PHANTOMS

FCG and FRIDA discuss FRIDA’s recurring dream, which FCG would like to share with them. FRIDA brings FCG to their room, which holds numerous charcoal sketches that FRIDA has drawn. One is of Deanna and is a gift. Most of them are what FRIDA has seen in their dream, including the specifically globe-shaped Exandria. Despite FCG still not understanding that the planet is round, FRIDA follows Chetney’s advice to just let him work it out in his own time.

FCG casts shared dream, allowing them both to enter FRIDA’s dream. FRIDA appears as a glowing, warm light as the two of them move through clouds, which reveal a golden sky that displays both Catha and Exandria. FCG realizes that they can see the apparition of a humanoid child overlapping FRIDA’s form. The apparition seems embedded, like FRIDA’s body is protecting it. FCG describes the child to FRIDA, who has only seen the legs in the dream.

The two hold each other and wake up still embracing. FRIDA sketches the child and recalls that they protected this boy. They don’t know who he is or what happened but think it involves their aeormaton duties. FRIDA doesn’t want to live in the past, but is deeply curious. FCG offers to help and FRIDA comments on how FCG always helps – he even turned their celestial bull foe Umudara into a friend. They go to sleep, with FRIDA still pondering the memory.

PAST MISTAKES

In the morning, Deanna makes brunch while FCG encourages Chetney to visit Oltgar’s. He doesn’t want to go, explaining that he was once Oltgar’s second in command at the shop, but Drixlitch came in and ruined everything. Oltgar sold part of the toy store to Drixlitch, ruining Chetney’s future – so he stabbed Oltgar in the hand and Drixlitch in the knee. Still, the others convince Chetney to go see the store, now called D&O’s Toy Emporium.

The store is closed, with three employees out front. The older dwarf is Oltgar Dradegon and he seems to have lost his spark. Chetney goes invisible as an orc mercenary comes out and quits, refusing to finish the job. Fearne asks Oltgar what happened. They’ve been selling magical toys, with their bestseller being the imported Whizzle-cages, which contain pymon firebugs. The cages allowed the firebugs to be safely used as a nightlight, but have now lost their magic.

The pymon firebugs have multiplied and taken over the store. Drixlitch Ovana arrives and mentions that the toys are made by Oltgar and outsourced to other creators to carry out the designs. Drixlitch explains that they need to get rid of the firebugs before they disturb his pet, a craskkalid. These creatures are docile as larval worms but, when exposed to higher temperatures, they become much more dangerous in their adult form.

D&O’S TOY EMPORIUM

Since it is still early, the group agrees to take the job for payment. Drixlitch gives Imogen a key to get into his room. FRIDA steals Drixlitch’s key ring while Chetney casts brand of castigation on him. Fearne asks Oltgar about Drixlitch and though Oltgar responds diplomatically, Imogen reads his thoughts and learns how despondent Oltgar is because of Drixlitch.

They enter the shop, finding it soot-covered and filled with well-crafted but modern and metal toys. They break a few of the toys, to Chetney’s joy. FCG is confused by Oltgar’s kindness as compared to Chetney’s stories, but Chetney explains that Oltgar lost his way, having forgotten his roots. Even if the toys hadn’t been popular, Oltgar should have gone down with the ship instead of changing. Maybe the two can reconcile with wooden toys coming into fashion again.

They’re interrupted from this discussion by a swarm of pymon firebugs. Deanna makes friends with them via speak with small beasts, causing the firebugs to land on her. Fearne attempts to capture them via air bubble, which works for only a moment before agitating them and causing a fight. The swarm splits apart, but they’re able to capture a couple swarms with Fearne’s casting of snare.

CHRYSALIS

Chetney breaks down the door to the bedroom and discovers that everything is covered in congealed matter from a cocoon – the craskkalid has metamorphosed. Deanna casts dawn and spots a massive spider-like creature on the ceiling, which drops down and attacks. After Fearne is grappled and saved by FRIDA, she polymorphs the craskkalid back into its worm stage.

As the battle pauses, Imogen finds numerous ledgers and receipts tying the shop to child labor in Shadycreek Run, as well as suspicious borrowing from noble houses and forged documents in Oltgar’s name that bequeath the shop to Drixlitch in the case of Oltgar’s untimely demise. She also finds a few clockwork toy prototypes and Chetney finds some enchanted gloves. They discuss whether to just leave the baby worm here and let it kill Drixlitch, but Chetney doesn’t want it to hurt Oltgar or get out and hurt civilians.

Fearne takes the craskkalid baby and runs to the gates of the city, trying to get rid of it before the polymorph fades. She slides it down a cliffside, but the spell ends and the adult craskkalid chases her back to the gates. The Glassblades attack the craskkalid, taking it down with their ballista. Meanwhile, the others recapture the ensnared firebugs and put them back in the Whizzle-cages.

JOLLY OLD OLTGAR

Finally, Oltgar and Chetney reunite. Chetney tells Oltgar that his mentor makes incredible art but that Oltgar forgot that their skill is rare. It doesn’t matter if people don’t love it now – one needs to be patient and allow art to come back into fashion. They show Oltgar the documents that prove Drixlitch is tricking him. Chetney knows that Oltgar just wants to make toys that make children happy.

He suggests that Oltgar sell the shop to Drixlitch and start over somewhere new, like a smaller shop, where he can tell kids if they’re shitheads or they’re okay. Imogen asks if Oltgar knew about the children in Shadycreek Run who were making the toys, but he resists her detect thoughts and says that this is the first he’s heard of this heartbreaking news. They have to trust that Oltgar didn’t know.

Oltgar has spent these many years pondering the mistake he made in leaving the path of the true craftsman. He and the employees haven’t been happy in a long time and he agrees that it’s time to leave. He apologizes to Chetney and pays the group 400 platinum for their help. Maybe he’ll get 8 goats and a sleigh and go north to Eiselcross. As Oltgar plans for the future, the group leaves to see the King and Queen of Uthodurn.

That is it for Episode 54 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Well, now Exandria has its own version of Santa Claus. The lore, y’all, it grows.
• The craskkalid was cool! I love a monster that has a Gremlins-like cocoon stage.
• Who is the child that FRIDA once protected? What does the dream mean?
• Will FCG ever have their own dream? DO aeormatons dream of electric sheep?

Catch Episode 55 on Thursday, April 13th at 7pm Pacific on twitch.tv/criticalrole and on youtube.com/criticalrole or a week later on our podcast. Is it Thursday yet?