Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E26 “Council of Heroes”

Hello and welcome to Critical Recap! I’m Jared Deiro, the Critical Role Junior Lore Keeper. Let’s dive into Critical Role Campaign 4 Episode 26 Council of Heroes!

JAUF’S LETTER

Upon arriving at Dol-Makjar, Teor, Kattigan, and Thimble look for a smuggler’s path into the city. Teor gives the letter he received from Jauf in Hawthorn’s Glade to Thimble. She reads it over and recognizes a few key words, giving her some insight into what Thjazi may have been planning.

She remembers “Shadow” being a nickname for Thjazi; the word “Plowshare” being the work of turning mundane objects into significant objects; “Hotshot” as a word Thjazi called a lizardfolk named Bogrey; and the word “Anchor” when she watched Thjazi yell at his druid friend Mara after Reaper’s Day.

A MIRACLE

After witnessing the attempted assassination of King Augustus of Timmony and the resurrection of Yanessa Halovar, the Schemers assess the scene of the attack. Azune steps over to where he had just seen his sister, Mayali, struck – and wipes her blood across his face.

Yanessa addresses the growing crowd in the Archanade, telling them that she and the Candescent Creed will uncover whoever carried out the attack. Filoneus demands that everyone in the room remove their masks as he and Azune begin their investigation.

Meanwhile, Gus criticizes Azune’s security detail and steps toward Murray, recognizing her from the Seven Stars. He thanks her and tells her he owes her his life, and the Hounds owe her their allegiance.

As the party clears, the Schemers scuttle off to Bolaire’s private office to discuss what they had just experienced. Murray info-dumps everything she saw through her cosmic insight, while Hal explains his tussle with the Argosian Minister.

As they leave the Archanade, Azune collects any evidence that may indicate their entanglement in the fray – finding no sign of the black crossbow bolt that struck down the Photarch.

HOW YOU SURVIVE…

While the Seekers ride out of the Eternal Night Barrowdell and arrive at Castle Torch, they notice a carriage of House Davinos in the courtyard. Lady Maya Davinos tells Julien that House Tachonis’ forces attacked the Golden Orchard. Though the House of Shadow failed to take over completely, the Golden Orchard has fallen.

Lady Maya pulls Julien away from his party to discuss his chosen life’s path, criticizing his irresponsible galavanting and hunting for Tachonis. She tells him that Aranessa’s brother, Callowyn, is dead and that Lady Alba Davinos, Julien’s sister, has fallen to “Wraith’s Touch”, a curse that will cause her physical form to fade within the year.

Feeling lost, Julien sees no way to change the path that Royce and Davinos have fallen into. Maya addresses that he has had 10 years to change their doomed fate; he could have chosen to marry within the Sundered Houses and strengthen their Faerie home. She needs Julien to form a marital alliance with Einfasen, Cormoray, or the Daridai Consortium. But Julien refuses, throwing his father’s gauntlet at her feet.

DUTY AND CURSE

While the Davinos exchange occurs, Thaisha and Vaelus speak with Amadah Toadstool, Hannen, and Lady Ingrid Einfasen, all of whom have just arrived at the Castle a la Altradler. Lady Ingrid rushes off to find Julien to tell him of an upcoming Sundered Houses meeting in Dol-Makjar (Royce not included), and Amadah delivers a scroll calling Thaisha to Dol-Rungja. Vaelus gives Hannen the holly twig she found in Tannesar, but Hannen doesn’t recognize it. Though he does ask, “How did Primus know that there would be calcidian artifacts in the abbey? Where would that have been recorded?” Hannen doesn’t think the secrets of her order are just given up, except willingly.

Later that evening, as the sun sets over Castle Torch, Ingrid approaches Julien on the parapets. Ingrid worries about the safety of House Royce and Davinos, understanding her father would not be happy with her telling Julien this information. She recognizes their places and responsibility as heirs to their powerful Houses, she confesses her feelings toward Julien, but Julien turns her down, at least for now.

As Thaisha and Vaelus walk back with the druids, Hannen tells the two that Mara is a very skilled yet rebellious member of his circle (the Circle of the Hunt) and that she has been missing. He explains that several years ago, her body was afflicted with a wasting curse. Though she held the ability to pass between the veil of life and death and return, she recently became the victim of a curse that is fading her body; she cannot return to her body, or else she would die. She has remained in a shifted form for years.

The next morning, Julien writes a missive to his sister, telling her he will do whatever it takes to make her right. He finds his mother loading the Royce wagon and gives it to her. She embraces him before they depart. As he turns to leave the Davinos’ carriages, a sprite flies up to Julien, asking to deliver a message to Thimble: “Tell her Twig is okay, and we’re okay – we miss her, and we hope she’s okay. What should we do?”

The Seekers then climb atop Altradler and fly to Dol-Makjar with the druids. Though Hannen is not one for cities, he offers to accompany them and remain in Dol-Makjar.

Upon landing near the Tintazi Wood, the Seekers exit Altradler (now with a summoned double-headed Einfasen axe, gifted by Ingrid) and make way to the Hallowed Round where Hal rehearses “KoTher’ai” with the troupe. Hal and Thaisha embrace while Occtis and Julien disguise themselves before breaching the city walls.

DARK DEALINGS IN THE ARCHANADE

After entering the city, the Soldiers travel through the bustling streets of Dol-Makjar, passing the Villa Aurora. Here, they watch as a Lux of the Candescent Creed preaches about the resurrection of Photarch Yanessa Halovar; suddenly, a cry for revolution breaks from the back of the crowd, as Shadia and the Hallowed Round barking crew announce the opening of “KoTher’ai” tomorrow night!

At the Archanade, the Schemers look over the evidence collected from the night before, learning that the poisons used on the hounds were a special concoction used by a vanished assassins guild, called the Lana Strossa, in Ezir and Argosia during the War of Axe and Vine. Meanwhile, the Soldiers pull into the loading dock and drag Cyd into Bolaire’s vault and the two teams catch each other up on the past week and a half.

As Murray reads the ancient runes found within the Delawney dungeons, they all zero in on a few lines; Though the runes were written pre-Shapers War, they learn that there was knowledge of a region in the underworld known as the “Sea of Lachris”, a location only recently developed (Post-Shapers War). On top of that, they learn that the Tachonis need people with the ability to depart the living from dead, fae, or fiend to guard “the Sepulchral Lord” across this Sea of Lachris. If a living breath is drawn, “the spell will be broken.”

As the two groups continue to unload their discoveries onto each other, Hero appears, letting Azune know Harondus Einfasen is looking for him upstairs.

As the two guards look out over the River Vrosh, Harondus confides in Azune, telling him that tomorrow is expected to be a momentous day for the city. And if Azune is aware of any crimes committed by House Tachonis, or of what may or may not have happened at the Palazzo – the Einfasen will need hard evidence. Harondus requests that Azune bring everything he has to the Stahlkeep immediately.

That is it for Episode 26 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• MAN,OH, MAN, there was something about watching all those tables cross reference all their info to each other that scratched a satisfying itch in my little lore brain.
• On that same note, to be holding onto these letters for so long and get some crumbs into the meaning behind them was very cool.
• That Maya and Julien interaction was killer. Kudos to Matt and Brennan for creating such an intriguing scene between a noble mother and son.

Catch Episode 27 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, May 28th 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?