Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E23 “Buried Truths”

Hello and welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Dani Carr, the Critical Role Lore Keeper. Let’s dive into Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 23 Buried Truths!

CREED CONTRACTS

At a crossroads on the King’s Highway, Wick and Tyranny discuss their return to Dol-Makjar. Tyranny reassures Wick, because he is the chosen scion and he can talk his way out of anything. Wick feels that they both have changed during this journey. Tyranny points out a callous on his hand, calling him grisled. They’ll say they were participating in grassroots outreach and doing unsanctioned work.

Wick reveals the priestly orders that he stole from the Lux at the tiny Candescent Creed chapel. Tyranny inspects them, smelling out the arcana – it’s brimstone and sulfur. She touches the documents and her eyes turn black. She hears the name of her father, Ksha’aravi, and the individual letters of the orders change color and bleed. These are not holy orders. It is a contract.

IMAGINARY THINGS

The Schemers and Demodus Blix emerge from the sewers, exhausted but successful. Bolaire invites Demodus to stay with him for now. He’ll need to get out of the city eventually. Hal needs to bury Thjazi, so Murray accompanies him while Bolaire and Azune take Demodus to Bolaire’s apartment, so that Demodus can rest and write down everything he remembers. Azune and Demodus ask Bolaire questions about his personhood, and Bolaire says that he believes himself to be more of a thing than a person. He can be a story, and he can dream. When they arrive at Bolaire’s, Demodus summons his chameleon familiar, Figment.

Hal and Murray ascend the mountainside to an old orcish cemetery that overlooks the Rookery. Shadia, Hero, and Olgud fell asleep waiting, but awaken at their arrival. Murray gives the final words, declaring that Thjazi left a legacy of hope in other people. Hal buries his brother and Murray casts a spell of fireflies over the mound before commenting on how great of a view he has. Hal holds his daughters beneath the pine tree, where Thjazi will now watch over Dol-Makjar eternally.

The next day, Murray forges a submission from Hero to join the Archanade interns and spreads a rumor that Demodus has the flu. Azune leaves a coded message for Varen to meet him at the Seven Stars at sunset. Bolaire instills discord at the Archanade, closing the Lloy Wing for cataloguing. He sets three people – Dr. Anzella, Ms. Krella, and Mr. Dunn – to work on this elaborate task and has Rosadella store the Pariah Blades in individual crates near his hidden office. Hal works with his troupe preparing for the play and inspiring his people, even as he hides his own worries about the recent events.

GEMS AND CANDLES

That night, the Schemers regroup at the Seven Stars. Murray casts identify on everything they found at the Crow Keepers’ hideout, finding healing potions, gemstones stolen from the Penteveral that empower different schools of magic, 40 blank spell slates (in which the gems can be ground up and used as ink for enchantment), and a fairy necklace that can block scrying with spells. Azune and Murray want to meet with Orus Blade at the Hand and Wheel. Bolaire is going to steal the Pariah Blades tonight, to hide them with Hal at the Rookery.

Hal and Bolaire head to the Archanade while Azune and Murray stay at the tavern. Azune shows Murray the candle he found in the Palazzo Davinos. Murray casts identify. This is a candle of slaughter, made from the fat of powerful Tachonis family members, commanding the souls of the freshly deceased. They both question what happens when the candle is burned completely. Murray casts augury, asking how many candles are burning and what happens when the wick extinguishes?

Murray sees that there is one candle remaining. These candles were used in the Shapers War, when House Tachonis fought for Tansul. She sees Occtis as an angel of death flying over the Golden Orchard, destroying the fey. She sees that the spell had to travel a great distance and that something went wrong. A back-up plan was triggered. The Tachonis have to go the long way, and are going there now. She sees rows of sarcophagi, posed stone statues whose eyes glow when a voice asks “do the dead draw near?” and finally, ships sailing into the mist. “Raise high the white banners, what has failed in life let be made right in death.

CAUGHT BLADE-HANDED

Meanwhile, Bolaire and Hal arrive at the Archanade. Rosadella informs Bolaire that Lady Amariya Dacen Cormoray was upset and stopped the staff’s work, wanting everything to go back where it was. In the future, they must wait until they are instructed, but she did not respond when Rosadella asked who would be giving those orders. Bolaire sends the staff home and inspects the mess of the Lloy Wing. The replica blades will be left here, while they take the real Pariah Blades to the Rookery.

They put the blades in a cart, but are caught at the carriage by Lady Amariya. They lie to her, but Lady Amariya sees through their lies. She takes the last Pariah Blade, but lets Bolaire take her inside to show her the paperwork. She burns the forged letter from the Lloy’s and tries to pierce Bolaire’s mind, but he leads her into the vault. He guides her to Olbalad’s coffin and she opens it, curious. The cracked black mask shoots onto her face and looks at Bolaire, calling him brother. Lady Amariya is pulled into the coffin and the lid shuts. Bolaire reels – that voice was his sister, Termina. She’s been dead for 80 years.

PAST AND PAINT

The Schemers meet at the Rookery’s theater. There’s a lot of missing nobles right now, so maybe the Houses will blame each other. Bolaire isn’t sure how Termina, one of his 5 siblings, broke. That should mean she was destroyed, so he doesn’t understand how she was talking to him.

Termina was the first part of the trap, capturing Rauwyn the Trickster and locking her into the story – but Bolaire’s truth is subjective, due to the nature of his memory. The coffin was meant to carry Rauwyn, with the mask that bound her. Both the candle and the coffin, even Occtis, are frankenstein artifacts. Built of older pieces, their intention now changed.

They go to the Hallowed Round and paint the Pariah Blades in order to conceal their magic. There were seven Pariah Blades, but three were broken and lost. There are four blades now, and they have been painted by the Schemers. Hal puts the coffin into another box and makes a sign that says “Extra Wigs (Maybe Lice)”.

9 TO 5

At the Penteveral, Dean Kora asks Murray about Hero’s submission. Murray admits to submitting Hero to the program, wanting her to be pushed out of the nest. Kora thinks it’s because Hero’s mother, Elodie, is highly connected within the Merchant’s Guild. Kora praises her choice. Lord Einfasen asks Azune to investigate Lady Amariya’s whereabouts. Azune, in turn, mentions that Lt. Shemad Il-Kafsareh released Misha because of a bribe. The lieutenant is fired, as corruption will not be tolerated. Azune goes to the Archanade and “investigates” – nothing weird here! At the Hallowed Round, Shadia delights in her new swords.

Another day of work. Hero was nervous to be part of the interns, but is enjoying her work. Lord Dacen comes to Bolaire and asks for his help in finding Lady Amariya, putting everything in the museum on hold until she is located. Hal prepares for the show. Azune checks on Groto, who is recovering from what he saw in the Palazzo Davinos, then meets with Varen at the Seven Stars. Varen has found 350 former soldiers who are interested in striking back at the Houses. They don’t know who wants this of them. They just want someone to say when.

That is it for Episode 23 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• 350 soldiers!!! Dang, Varen works fast!
• Termina seems pretty intense. I’m sure that’s gonna be fine.
• RIP Thjazi Fang. You got a cool gravesite, though. That’s pretty rad.

Catch Episode 24 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, April 30th 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?