Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E08 “Fanged Revenge”

Hello! and welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Jared Deiro, Critical Role Junior Lore Keeper! Let’s take a quick look into Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 8 Fanged Revenge!

RUNNING SCARED

Somewhere east of Dol-Makjar through the Dvalmar Pass, the Seekers sleep in a small roadside inn. Aranessa and Thaisha rest in bed, while Julien sits across from them. Half asleep. Guarding.

Thaisha stirs awake and steps downstairs to get Aranessa and Julien some sustenance. Aranessa is too scared to eat; she panics and wonders if the ferry that takes them to Faerie after death is still running. She wonders what happened to Thjazi’s soul after his death.

Thaisha offers Julien her spot on the bed. Aranessa looks to Julien and tells him she would not be frightened to see the ferry, so long as he was by her side.

DR. FINGER

Inside Castle Sloak, Casimir leads Wicander Halovar and “Dr. Finger” through the ruined keep. He interrogates Wick about the Halovar’s interest in his new title and humble hamlet. Doctor Finger interrupts their conversation by asking Casimir to lie prone so she can work on his backside wound. As Wick steps out to leave the Doctor and Casimir alone, Casimir’s suspicions peak. Why does Wick want him left alone with the Doctor? Better yet, why is Wick alone with a doctor and no soldiers? Casimir threatens Wick and demands an answer. Wick panics and screams for help – the jig is up.

Outside the rain-soaked Castle Sloak, Teor, Thimble, and Kattigan hear Wick’s cries for help. This kicks everyone into action. Kattigan and Wulferic drive some guarding knights away from their post, as Thimble manages to slip inside and get eyes on Casimir with his ass out. Teor watches as a few guards bring Wick into the rain and lie him face down in the mud, sword to his throat.

As Teor and Kattigan line their sights on the enemies pinning Wick, a Crow Keeper steps onto the ledge with Kattigan, making direct eye contact with him –

THE BATTLE FOR CASTLE SLOAK

– Kattigan throws the Crow Keeper over the castle walls, just as Wick blinds one of his capturers with Teor rushing to his aid.

Back inside, Tyranny casts hold person and shoves a rag in Casimir’s mouth. Thimble flies directly into Casimir’s face, revealing herself to her old war comrade just before jamming her rapier into his eye and slicing his neck open.

As Tyranny is attacked, she breaks the concentration that holds Casimir, who stands (pulls his pants up) and chases Thimble up the castle’s tower. Tyranny panics and throws one of the Enchanter’s Eggs at her feet, summoning a massive illusory squid.

Outside, two seasoned knights overwhelm Teor and Kattigan, while Wick rushes inside to find Tyranny. As Wick stumbles across the gigantic squid, he is met with two devastating blows by the knight that awaits within. Wick falls unconscious, into the squid, and into Tyranny’s arms. She begs him to stay with her.

Atop the castle’s tower, Thimble cries out at Casimir, cursing him for selling out Thjazi. She slices his throat again. Casimir repeatedly fires crossbow bolts at her in the heavy rain, blaming Thjazi and Thimble for pulling him into the Falconer’s Rebellion, ”Where is the Falcon’s Cry?” he yells. And from the rain, a sting in the night, Thimble connects the open wounds across his throat. Killing Casimir Gavendale.

“Do you hear it now?” she whispers, as his limp body falls to the ground.

THE FANGED FALCON LIVES

The hostility between the knights and our soldiers cools once Casimir’s death is revealed. Wick pays the knights to help ease their unfortunate circumstance, and decides his next goal will be to clean out the rot that has spread within the name of his family. The knights graciously take the payment and offer their blades to him.

A flabbergasted and outraged Sir Gully Breeches approaches the castle with the deed declaring Gavendale the new baron. Wick has Gully hand over his deed, while Teor demands that he remove his undeserved armor.

While the knights (Dame Cosgrove, Sir Copsewood, Sir Finch, Big Tom Holly, etc.) take this moment to eat and relax, Dame Cosgrove reveals her upbringing in Sloak; It’s her home, and she’s stayed with the ramshackle town her entire life because she believes in it. Wick then bestows Castle Sloak and its fiefdom to her and decides that henceforth, Dame Cosgrove will now be known as Baroness Cosgrove. Cosgrove is stunned as her fellow knights offer their fealty to her.

The whole group heads to Brauwla’s Public House, where they find Dame Morghaine. She knows the other half of the Tachonis caravan is heading to Tybry’s Lea, which just so happens to be where she and Hawkins are headed.

They look outside the public house and see Gully Breeches running across a field with an armful of stolen clothes while a large mastiff chases, then drowns him in the mud. The large mastiff enters the public house and introduces himself as Hawkins, another Hound of the King.

As Wick, Tyranny, the Soldiers of the Torn Banner, the new Baroness, and the Hounds of the King sit in the hamlet of Sloak – a makeshift flag of the Falconer’s Crest with “The FANGed Falcon Lives on” scrawled across it flies atop its small ruined castle.

That is it for Episode 8 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• SUCH a bad ass moment with Thimble killing Casimir – “Do you hear it now” was so sick.
• I love a good multi-parter combat sequence. Different scenes playing out in different rooms while simultaneously there’s a climactic moment playing atop the tower of a castle. So dynamic and exciting.
• A very sweet passing of the torch to a compassionate and caring NPC, I cannot WAIT to see what Sloak looks like down the line with Baroness Cosgrove running the show.

Catch Episode 9 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, December 11th 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?