Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E11 “Make Merry”

Hello and welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, the Critical Role Lore Keeper. Let’s dive into Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 11 Make Merry!

PRAYERS OF THE PAST

The Seekers have been traveling east for three days, riding through Kavros, the dwarven ancestral lands. They have disguised themselves, with only Thaisha in high spirits. They are in the ancient part of the Dvalmar Pass, surrounded by dwarven statues that point west and read ‘COURAGE’ at their base over and over. Dwarven writing covers the statues and the cliff wall of the small village of Adzar.

Thaisha approaches an older woman praying at the wall. This woman explains that the dwarven writing says ‘come back’ with lines of poetry. Thaisha realizes these statues are devoted to Trozhna, the Goddess of the Forge, and that the writing is filled with sorrow. This was a holy site for Tehana, the primordial of earth and the wife of Trozhna. These are prayers begging the Shapers to return.

Thaisha is disgusted and returns to the others, explaining that these people do not want to let go of what they remember – even if it was worse. Vaelus and Julien look at the statues while Aranessa tells Thaisha that they must give people the courtesy and respect to live in this moment, if that is what they choose. They keep traveling, heading to Helvar, old Obridimia, the birthplace of the Sundered Houses.

CATCHING UP

Two days after Thjazi’s execution, the Schemers meet in the Aviary of the Seven Stars tavern. They update each other on the swift moves the Sundered Houses have made against their institutions. Einfasen dismissed most of the Revolutionary Guard and sent them into the arms of the Candescent Creed’s mercenary group called The Sons of the Dawn. Azune wants to keep the guards safe and employed.

Cormoray is folding the Lloy Wing into another branch of the Archanade, likely in order to steal artifacts or rewrite history. Bolaire thinks this may work in his favor, as he can hide things within the movements of the artifacts. Murray questions the speed of the Houses – why are they moving so quickly and recklessly? To what end?

They discuss who they can talk to and who they can use. Azune wants to involve the Revolutionary Guard as eyes on the inside. Hal is someone people want to rub shoulders with, and he has someone in his company whose sister works in the Einfasen estate. They can possibly talk with her, as well as a House Tachonis gossip. Word is getting out about the missing people at Palazzo Davinos. Maybe there is a leak in the family.

BLADE AND FANG

Murray notices two finely dressed people at the bar. The bartender, Lachmir, tells her that is Orus Blade, a wealthy merchant, and his paramour, Lady Camill Lushthryce. They were turned away from a party at the Palazzo Davinos. The home is empty of people and has been enchanted with faerie lights and a goodbye feast. A giant banner read “Our final feast hosted in the city of Dol-Makjar, may all have safe passage to the realms beyond. We await our brothers and sisters in Faerie.” Surely, the doors to Faerie have been re-opened!

Hal and Bolaire make the acquaintance of Camilla and Orus – Camilla is a fan of Hal’s work. They discuss the Royces, how odd it is that they didn’t wait to tell everyone in person. Bolaire recognizes Orus as a pottery merchant. He is carrying a breakable spell glyph of see invisibility and seems rattled. Azune and Murray discuss Captain Einfasen and a soldier that Azune trusts, Varen Kadorn. Both Murray and Azune realize they will have to bend the knee to their superiors in order to lay low.

Hal and Orus talk about how difficult things are getting: how they must make merry while they can. Orus respected Thjazi, and the leaders of the city have now killed one of theirs. Thjazi meant something to the people of Dol-Makjar. Orus reveals that a dwarven man was screaming at the gates, begging to know where his daughter was. That she worked at the Palazzo and was missing. There were others searching for their loved ones, and the guards silenced them.

Hal urges Orus to contact him here if he learns anything. Orus breaks the glyph he is carrying and agrees once he determines he is not being watched. Azune sees the glyph triggered, and it strikes him odd. Orus had to physically break the glyph to activate it – but the glyph given to Thjazi was unbroken. So how did Thjazi know it was fake? Did something stop him from breaking it? Or did Thjazi never attempt to break the glyph in the first place?

DUNGEON DELVING

In the dungeons of Castle Delawney, Teor stares at the statue of his brother, Talcydimir. There is also a Kahadi wolfhound statue, along with two other statues. There is a strange expression frozen on Cyd’s face, a look that he inherited from their father. Like he was searching for something in the middle distance. At Teor’s urging, Kattigan harvests organs from the basilisk – anything that can be used to potentially remove the petrification.

Teor shows Thimble the parchment he found in the cell – it is dwarven, with runes of Obridai and Celestial. It seems to be explaining the sculptures to the lay person, reading “Say this precisely: Warrior reach your senses, tell me true, do the dead draw near?” They find missives from Lord Doset to the Knight of Seremai that speaks of Houndsport in Gannalir, Trimus Tachonis, and Captain Lantry Ferris of the Spurring. There is also a letter of praise from Doset, of pride in serving with him and traveling to the Bay of Gaerhithai.

Thimble was there recently, when she and Thjazi stole the Stone of Nightsong. It’s north, in the Sea of Imlay, where the sea reaches into the Barrowdell of the goddess of life. The Soldiers disguise themselves as Tachonis guards, with Tyranny as the Tachonis Guard Captain. Tyranny makes it clear she is very irritated with Wick. Thimble burns the body of the Seremai Knight, so that the Tachonis cannot resurrect him. They move the ramshackle cart, but they must replace it before leaving the city.

SENTRIES

Teor levels up as he uses detect magic on the doorway. He realizes that he is making the same face as his brother – the one they make when using divine sense. It is on the face of every statue. These are all paladins, frozen in the middle of using divine sense. Wick theorizes that these statues are meant to be a warning or security system. The letter from Doset to Sir Aniko Seremai mentions them being lucky in the Gavendale affair about lucking into ‘another one’ – Another paladin like Cyd, like Teor. Teor had no idea his brother was a paladin.

Thimble reads the activation words and light emerges from the statues, confirming they are sentries. The gate opens and the cart is tended to by the Tachonis guards. Tyranny, still disguised, flatly refuses help from a guard and hears the voice of her demonic father approving of her actions. They are able to leave Castle Delawney and move back into the city of Tybry’s Lea without arousing suspicion.

SPLIT

Dame Morgaine meets with the Soldiers and leads them to safer shadows. Felltower recognizes the wolfhound statue – this is Groveland. The petrification can be reversed in time. The Soldiers inform the Hounds what they found in the castle, but they don’t have enough physical proof to accuse anyone. But Groveland has been rescued, so the Hounds will take Miller’s Road to Timmon’s Rock and seek the druids. Hawkins recognizes the other statues as Knights of Vallow.

Before the Soldiers can decide their next move, they need to get a better carriage. They go to the granary and Wick pays for a 2-horse carriage and 2 horses. The Hounds will take the statues to Timmon’s Rock while the Soldiers take Cyd. Morgaine encourages them to not lose hope and is grateful to have met them. The Soldiers question where to go, weighing their options, and decide to camp in the woods for time to figure out their next steps.

NEXT STEPS

Teor wants to take Cyd to Dol-Makjar, so that Murray or Bolaire can help him. But Dol-Makjar will be dangerous for everyone but Kattigan and Thimble. Thimble is extremely worried about Occtis, so she considers infiltrating the city with Kattigan. Wick wants to take down his family. He wants to enact real change and undo some of the bad. Seeing the town celebrate Candlefeast disgusted him – these people were living a lie. Wick wants them all to return with him to Dol-Makjar.

Thimble goes to Kattigan, who is building a fire, and tells him that they’re going to Dol-Makjar. She asks why he left them after the battle during the Falconer’s Rebellion and he tells her to ask Teor. It was nothing personal, but it was time for Kattigan to go.

Teor sits with his brother, examining the statue. He recalls their father telling them to look at the stars to remember their ancestors. Their strength still runs in their veins. One night, Teor carried his brother home, wounded from playing. They learned from their father about the stars and their strength. Teor does not feel strong, and there is an empty void within him that he wants to fill. Hopefully soon.

ROSES AND ELDERBERRIES

Kattigan sits with Tyranny. She still doesn’t know why she took the knife. She thinks she did it because she knew it would hurt. She felt really good after she did it, knowing she had hurt someone. But not good when Kattigan yelled at her. Someone she cared about was upset with her. Maybe it has to do with her demonic self, but who she is and what she does can be two different things. Kattigan isn’t trying to save her. She has to do that herself.

Tyranny has been in this form for six months. Kattigan is sorry that he yelled at her, and that he took her knife away. That’s not how you teach a kid, which is what she is. He has made her a new handle for the knife from bone, carved and rubbed with rose petals and elderberries. It is pink and matches Tyranny. He made it for her, because she took it and her choices have weight. He doesn’t understand magic, but this belongs to her.

Tyranny is touched. His faith in her means a lot, and she is terrified of him. She doesn’t want to let him down, but she confesses that she would have likely taken the knife over again. He tells her that kids always miss the lesson the first time. Tyranny bonds with the weapon – there is something in this knife and it has to do with pain. Something in the knife is eluding her, but it can grow with her as she understands the world.

SUNRISE

Kattigan, alone, wrestles with his feelings of inadequacy and difficulty connecting to people. He levels up as he moves his body, feeling unhealthy and pathetic but sharpening the skills honed in his body. He takes Sharpshooter as his Feat as he bullseyes a tree with a dart. Kattigan tells Wulferic they can do better and the quiver on Wulferic’s hip glows. It is a found relic from an old battle they fought together. That quiver now has two bolts. Kattigan feels pride and even some hope again.

The group rests together, each slowly falling asleep. Kattigan urges Teor to take care of himself. Wick grieves the first Candlefeast he has never celebrated and gives Tyranny his cane, as it will give her light. He thanks her for being there for him. He hopes to find Armas. Thimble keeps watch, thinking about the early days with Thjazi. She flies to Wick’s ear as he sleeps and thanks him for healing her. She is mostly sorry for throwing rocks at him. She thinks about those she has lost, her worry about the Royce family, and takes comfort in Morgaine’s words of hope.

When morning comes, the Soldiers set out for Dol-Makjar.

That is it for Episode 11 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• Level ups! A whole level 4 for all the Soldiers!
• Wait, so Thjazi never even tried to escape? THE IMPLICATIONS!
• We’ve finished up the Soldier arc! Up next is the Seekers, with Thaisha, Julien, Occtis, and Vaelus!

Catch Episode 12 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, January 22nd 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?