Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E30 “Here in the Dark”

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 30 Here in the Dark!

CONTROL

In the distance, the roar of the Hallowed Round crowd erupts, and KoTher’ai’s intermission begins. Vaelus and Hannen walk through the extraordinarily vibrant Tintazi Wood, where jasmine, orchids, honeysuckle, and roses bloom in the dark, wild alpine wood. Hannen holds out the Stone of Nightsong to Vaelus; they take it together, and the Stone glows bright, pulsing, like a heart with a blue and white gleam.

They arrive at the lakeside of Nahami. Vaelus picks jasmine to remember this moment. Hannen druidcrafts it into a bracelet for her. “The forest is waking up,” Hannen says. They’ve witnessed a miracle via the play, and Vaelus feels lucky to have been there.

The two elves touch foreheads, confessing they would trade their lives if it meant Aramán could hear the laughter of young elves once again. The Stone gleams in a flash of light, and two strands of moonlight race off to the Hallowed Round. Suddenly, Hannen is blasted away from Vaelus and lifted 10 feet into the air; the Stone opens, revealing the Tenebral Reaches. Unable to release the Stone, Vaelus is dragged across the forest floor toward the Hallowed Round.

The ritual is calling the Stone back. She can hear the distant cry of her sister and family within the Tenebral Reaches. Vaelus unexpectedly feels herself grounded with a brief moment of control. For but a moment, a Sister of Syldandri can control the direction of the Stone of Nightsong…and that control is fleeting.

A SIBLING’S LAMENT

On the floor of the Villa Aurora, manacled Kattigan Vale is stunned to see Primus Tachonis, the man who stole his life. He screams like a feral animal, trying to break his bonds. Still, the three demonic Aspirants haul him away to the Mercanaud Couturier. At the same time, Wick stands in private conversation with Yanessa, Primus, Petrah, and Ryah.

Somewhere in the vast and candescent villa, Bolaire finds his sister, Termina, on the face of Lady Amariya Cormoray. Termina asks him how long he had been awake and if he had found any of their other siblings. Bolaire thought she was dead. Termina gets suspicious. He’s been awake for nearly 100 years and has never found any of them? Did he look as hard as he could? Was she supposed to die at the end of the play? Yes.

Termina speaks aloud to Amariya, agreeing with her conspiratorial accusations. Bolaire sends a phantasmal force, and his sister counterspells it, then casts an ill-timed disintegrate spell. Bolaire knows things have gotten way out of his control, so he flees to a balcony where he sees the carriage carrying Tyranny and Kattigan. Bolaire leaps, crashing in front of the carriage, killing Lux Adora instantly. Tyranny hops off the carriage, takes the mask of the Lux, and tells Enmity to continue to the tailors.

REMEMBER…

Murray watches the invisible fairies rush around the amphitheater. Team Theatre can feel the palpable energy of Aramán’s spiritual and divine elements surrounding them as the Hallowed Round becomes literally “Hallowed.” They watch the magic surround them as light and fairies flitter about.

Thaisha calls to the honored ancestors passing in peace; she urges them to look out at Dol-Makjar as Hal’s magic becomes a technicolor of story. Murray and Thaisha then watch the bridge become unstable as the burbling River of Gavzidra pours out from the Tenebral Reaches, hits the doorstep of the Hallowed Round, and turns to paint. Thaisha knows the paint needs meaning and intention, or it will pull the theatre into the Tenebral Reaches.

Azune rushes to the edge of Lake Nahami as the water calls to him. He finds Vaelus still holding the Stone of Nightsong. Her control begins to slip away as she’s forced to find intent for the Stone. She feels the ritual’s pull to have the Stone become an anchor to Faerie, but in her core, she knows she could bring her family home. Vaelus cries out to Hannen, telling him that Sylandri was wrong, and she smashes the Stone with her censer, in a failed attempt to choose both options.

Azune hears the voice of a beast older than time saying ‘REMEMBER’ and sees Vaelus’ family in the underworld. He rushes to her and asks, “What do you want?” Vaelus wants to be with her family – but she can’t live the rest of her days knowing she let everyone else suffer.

Vaelus lets go of the shattered Stone, as Azune reaches into the magic and says the word “Inxolotle”, the word for ‘Remember’ in Navika’an, the lost language of dragons. Suddenly, a dragon rushes down the River Vrosh and raises its head from Lake Nahami. It looks at Azune and says, “Yes. Remember. Let us keep it safe,” and it puts its claw into the Stone’s magic, pushing it into the earth. The shore of Lake Nahami permanently anchors to Faerie, and an underwater crystal cavern forms.

Azune tells Hannen that Mara is at Obrimus Manor. Frustrated with her lack of communication, Hannen leaves for the manor, but he hopes to see Vaelus again soon.

NEVER SPLIT THE PARTY

At Obrimus Manor, Team Bird Watch leaves the catacombs and enters the Tachonis family crypt, where a viewing basin sits. Occtis speaks the words in Old Obridai to activate it.
Among the murky visions the group sees: a wrought iron cage holding Mara; Koral Tachonis screaming in a bedchamber wearing a straight jacket, with a dark crystal beside him; Slabs of marble with what’s left of Raimond Davinos; a desk of letters; and wagons with a trio of small armored gnomish statues being packed up.

Julien goes upstairs and finds his way to Koral’s room, where he hears a strange Davinos fiddle playing from within. He finds Koral with legs attached to a floating mahogany table as it whips around the room like a kite. Koral twists back and forth, maniacally humming the tune. As Julien picks up the gemstone, he sees his sister, Alba Davinos. He realizes that Koral was present at the fall of the Golden Orchard. He is chained up because he cannot stop dancing. This is Faerie magic. Julien dances to the tune and dispatches Koral Tachonis in time to the music.

Before turning to leave, Julien sees his shadow thumbing through the papers on the desk. The shadow grabs a piece of paper, reads it, then drops it – stunned. Julien grabs the paper and runs toward the aviary. Before Julien rounds a corner, his shadow grabs him and pulls him out of the way of some marching skeletons. His shadow aided him; this surprises Julien.

Meanwhile, in the aviary, Occtis and Thimble are bombarded by ghouls and spectral knights of House Vachari.

Downstairs, Teor and Cyd walk through a room of dead bodies on marble slabs and find the mutilated body of Raimond Davinos. When it suddenly rises, howls, and attacks the Pridesires. Teor immediately slices the monster’s arm off.

THE LAST ROAR

Julien passes a staircase, where his shadow stops and shows Julien an image of Teor and Cyd locked in combat with the monstrosity. The shadow points downstairs. Julien hears his mother’s words telling him “not to die in a hole.” He needs to get his sister’s gem out – He wishes Teor good luck and rushes toward the aviary.

Zombies rush Teor and Cyd, pummeling them in the corner of the chamber. The last leader of the Torn Banner watches his brother die as he takes desperate measures, pulls out HIS Torn Banner, shoves it into Raimond, and is struck down.

Julien makes it to the aviary, attacking a spectral Vachari knight upon entry. Thimble picks and unlocks Mara’s cage; the falcon collapses from exhaustion. As Julien tells Thimble that Teor is in trouble somewhere in the manor, they hear the BOOM of Hannen slamming on the roof above. Occtis and Julien featherfall out of the tower, but Thimble turns around and flies back into the dark.

OUT OF BUSINESS!

The demons deliver Kattigan and Wulferic to the Mercanaud Couturier. Rulius and Calastro welcome the Aspirants, while Tyranny gives them Bolaire’s mask. The brothers are elated to have gotten the Archanade curator’s mask. Tyranny convinces her sisters to return and tell Yanessa of their completed job.

Rulius gets a little too close to Bolaire’s mask, and Bolaire takes over – successfully deceiving Calastro. While Calastro and Bolaire step into the back to grab wine, Tyranny frees Kattigan and witnesses the entire story of Kattigan and Marienna. Kattigan feels a sudden rage as he brutally attacks Calastro.

Below, they find a 9-pointed star and more than twenty bolts of midnight-black fabric, shadows made of souls for the Photarch.

STRANGE DUCKS

Yanessa asks why Primus is in such a rush. These alliances are important, but he is obsessed with the Orchard. Primus tells the Halovars that he understands he was greedy for power, so much so that he stumbled. Wick can tell that’s a lie. Yanessa lets it slide. Primus continues to say he would have been happy to share Tachonis’ power with the Halovars. After all, they were allied in the Shapers War.

Primus asks if Yanessa is aware of the Cloak. Yanessa says she is not. The Tachonis believe Thjazi was aware of their machinations, but also thought he had his own goals. He believes The Cloak is searching for keystones, attempting to address the imbalances of the afterlife. Yanessa asks if the Tachonis have Thjazi; Primus tells her, “Unfortunately, we do not.”

Primus presents Occtis’ signet ring. He knows the ring was placed there by someone who wanted Einfasen to think Tachonis was involved in Lady Amariya’s disappearance. Primus steps to the window – “Someone has started playing our game.” Yanessa tells Primus to leave the city to her; the Revolutionary Council will crumble. Primus asks Wick to keep an eye out for anything known as “The Cloak.”

Lord Otto Einfasen and Lord Atakan Cormoray walk in – still upset with Primus. Primus tells them he will transfer ten million gold pieces to each of their houses along with a grant of land and title. When Telmora is fully overthrown, their families will have a claim to their lands. Otto demands that Primus shake his hand and vow to do no more arcane machinations. Primus hesitates, but does so.

Wick steps out and walks the flirtatious Tachonis twins to their carriage. If only Wick weren’t betrothed to the D’Antonio’s, they groan. Petra and Ryah always hoped to wed a single noble, together; they hated knowing that their children would be cousins, not siblings. Wick gulps as the twins leave.

As Wick steps away, he can hear the distant cheers from the Hallowed Round. He feels warmth in his satchel. As the wooden lions’ head emblem glows in his hands, right then Wicander Halovar knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that his good friend Teor Pridesire has died.

AAAAAaaaaaaand That is it for Episode 30 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• WHAT THE HELLS GOING ON AT THE ROUND?!?!? Artifact Sacrifices??? Faerie Anchors?? DRAGONS?!
• “Don’t go die in a hole” might be one of my favorite emotional pulls in this campaign. I hope we see more of it.
• R.I.P. Teor Pridesire, my nama king with the luscious mane. You will be missed.

Catch Episode 31 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, June 25th 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?