Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E04 “Stone-Faced”

Helloo! and welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Jared Deiro, your friendly Critterical Role Junior Lore Keeper takin’ a quick splash into Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 4 Stone-Faced!

A CHANGE OF PACE

Deep in the boisterous neighborhood of the Fray lies a dilapidated speakeasy dubbed “Speak No Evil”, and within the back rooms of this speakeasy sits a man named Aubrus. He peers into a wax-papered-wrapped package; his face grows red with anger. Aubrus feels like he’s been double-crossed. The angry, duped Aubrus breathes into the face of our friend, Bolaire Lathalia – forcing him to fall asleep. Hot with excitement, Aubrus peels the mask off Bolaire’s face and notices something inside, a glyph? He takes a closer look.

Later, Bolaire wakes up to a dead body lying in the center of the backroom. “That won’t do at all” says Bolaire, as he strips the clothing off, puts them on himself, cuts the hair, chops the body up, and leaves the bar feeling MUCH better.

A GIFT

The spirits of the dead are flooding into the courtyard of Palazzo Davinos. Julien – who just watched his father die by the hands of Lord Primus Tachonis – and Vaelus charge into the fight.

Upstairs, Ethrand commands his souped-up ghouls to hold Occtis down on the table as he cuts open his youngest brother and plunges the Stone of Nightsong into the man’s body. Occtis’ last thought before he dies is how disappointed he is that he won’t be able to meet with Thimble as he promised.

Thaisha rushes into the Palazzo, finding Occtis lying on the table with Ethrand holding a dripping heart. Ethrand is then beckoned to his father’s side; the two Tachonis nobles disappear. Julien is gifted a fae boon by Aranessa while Vaelus carves through ghouls, and Thaisha is brought to death’s door.

The fight in the mortal realm continues as Occtis and Thaisha float in the threshold of the realm of death. Occtis feels himself getting pulled to the dark. Before Thaisha is healed, she calls out to Occtis, “Go back!” The angry hiss of Primus from beyond the ether demands he “Come home at ONCE.” Occtis is lost and confused, but he knows he does not belong to his father. Suddenly, a wing bursts out of his midsection, followed by Pin’s head. He reaches inside himself and feels the stone where his heart should be. He feels himself coming apart, his body fading – the last piece of his soul is his hand holding the stone.

In Palazzo Davinos, Occtis’ body lies lifeless on the table.

Thaisha picks him up as the number of enemies grows. Aranessa casts tree stride and pulls the group to safety outside the Palazzo gates. They can see the light extinguishing throughout the Palace, Aranessa begs Julien to run and leave the fight behind – but the lights have gone out within Sir Julien Davinos as well. He continues to fight, a ruinous revenge welling inside him. Vaelus draws his focus; this will not make him feel better. Julien takes his father’s gauntlet as they leave the horrors of Palazzo Davinos behind.

THE TRUTH OF THE MASK

With his brother still lying on Halindil Fang’s dining room table, Hal gives Murray the letter he received from Thimble. The letter has Bolaire’s name on it, with a letter warning Murray to be wary of Bolaire. Thjazi never quite saw him as a friend – he isn’t quite sure ‘what’ he is. Murray realizes letters like this were Thjazi’s way of tracking dirt on those he had dealings with.

Murray and Hal rush out of the small home, bumping into Azune on the way out. She takes the two of them to the Archanade without breaking stride. With all of the strange twists and turns of the events these past 24 hours, the divination wizard that is Murray Mag’nesson taps into the divine threads of the cosmos and knows one thing is certain: Murray is guaranteed success tonight in one arena of her choosing.

Arriving at the Archanade, Bolaire takes the group below the Lloy Wing to his hidden Archive. He opens up to Hal about Thjazi; Bolaire knew a very different man than Hal’s beloved brother. Thjazi was very cruel and hateful toward Bolaire, holding a ton of blackmail over his head, forcing him to lie to Hal throughout their entire relationship.

The truth is: Bolaire is a weapon of the Shapers War, created to kill the trickster goddess of the halflings, Rauwyn. Hal never heard of what weapon killed Rauwyn, only rumors. Murray is skeptical, asking if Bolaire is ‘alive’ – Bolaire is not a person, nor is he a machine; Bolaire is a part, a character of the Panto (One of a series of masks made to perform a specific play to kill a god. This mask can ‘wear’ anyone.)

After the Shapers War, Bolaire lay dormant for many years until a war needed him; then he would be put to rest again. Until one day, during the Falconers Rebellion, after he was ‘awakened’ – Bolaire ran away to Dol-Makjar. He took a job at the Archanade because he knew it was a job he could do: he knew a lot of history because he had seen a lot of history. Then one day he saw one of Hal’s plays – and for the first time, theater made him want to BE more. Hal and the Fangs are all that Bolaire has. He wants to do whatever it takes to make things better.

DING! Someone calls for Bolaire.

Upstairs, Temoday Wurnst and Lady Amariya Cormoray peruse the Lloy Wing. Bolaire asks if they can return tomorrow, it’s late and —

Bolaire notices the lights have ALL gone out at Palazzo Davinos… that is… not good.

After Bolaire politely dismisses his guests, the four investigate the eerie Palazzo Davinos. The palace is completely deserted. No bodies. No blood. But there is melted black wax, a key component of powerful necromancy. Azune mends the wax just as the soft pitter-patter of a little fox’s footsteps echoes past them. They race after it and arrive at the Lloy Family Estate in Mirzash.

THE IMPOSSIBLE

Inside the Lloy Family Estate, the Schemers and the Seekers huddle around the body of Occtis Tachonis. Bolaire manifests a glass scalpel while Murray casts Mage Hand, and together they discover the Stone of Nightsong in the spot Occtis’ heart should be. As they remove it, they all hear the flapping of wings. A Nightingale.

The room waits with bated breath as Murray, buoyed by the knowledge of one true success tonight, performs something that has not been done, possibly ever. Murray Mag’Nesson, aided by Bolaire Lathalia, brings Occtis Tachonis back from the dead.

Occtis remembers everything from his visions of the beyond. He remembers nightsong, celestials, black wings and white wings, carriages of white liquid – blood moving out of the city, endless night storm, Dvalmar Pass, carriages of the Royce family, the Tachonis moving, the face of his grandfather, spirits of the dead, armies of Tachonis and an orcish warrior bearing the symbol of the Barrowguard as he stands against the dead.

Though awake, the youngest Tachonis notices his body is not the same as it was. It is not quite alive, not warm, no heartbeat, and it does not breathe. But it moves. Vaelus stares at Occtis in disbelief; he is something that she has never seen before. He is remarkable.

That is it for Episode 4 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• R.I.P. Palazzo Davinos. What a fight, I loved the back and forth pull with Occtis and the actual combat.
• SO COOL we got some GOLDEN Bolaire backstory, and the cold open was so fun. AND he is a weapon of war?? Taliesin Jaffe you never cease to amaze me
• Let’s absolutely GOOO with that image of the lone orcish warrior against the dead – who do YOU think it is??

Catch Episode 5 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, November 6th 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?