Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E34 “Rock and Flame”

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 34 Rock and Flame!

AFTER HOURS

In the dark early morning of Priest’s Day, mere hours after KoTher’ai, Kattigan and Murray sit beneath the cherry tree. Murray casts identify on the shadow cloak and jacket that were taken from the Couturier.

Murray asks Kattigan why he wasn’t at the theater last night. He tells her the Halovars took him, then asks Murray if there’s any curse that can make a person disappear to another plane – or if they were killed, make their body go away? She tells him there is, but it was more Pre-Shaper’s War magic. After a few minutes of heavy flirting, the two cover themselves with a shadow garment and “go to sleep”.

ROCKY ROAD

Hours later, the Seekers, along with Ulbid Morn and the Black Rabbits, step onto the Miller’s Road and out through the scraggly alpine fir near the Caller’s Perch in the shepherd’s hamlet. Thimble looks for the best way to gum up the road and divide the Tachonis caravan. She sees a boulder high above the King’s Highway. Thimble and Clauny fly off.

At the boulder, Thimble goes human-sized so she can wedge a piece of wood underneath and teeter it over. Clauny is in awe of her magic, calling her “Cura Sligh”. As the Thimble forces the rock slide, everyone below watches in horror as the whole mountainside shifts, creating an avalanche that fills a major portion of the highway.

While the Seekers slip into the tavern for a drink, Vaelus clocks two large wagons: a Fairy Poacher wagon and a Candescent Creed Wagon stripped of any labels or markings indicating the Sundered House.

Vaelus sneaks into both the wagons while Bolaire is told the horses belong to Lux Bridges, who went down to the Dahapshanee Woods and should be back sometime tomorrow.

Inside the tavern, Vaelus describes the fairy poacher’s wagon she saw, and Thimble realizes that Hawthorn’s Glade is just around the bend, where the undead no longer protect the fairies.

Immediately, the group bound down the Miller’s Road and wend their way until Thimble sees THE Hawthorn Tree flickering in and out of the realm… on fire.

THE FALL OF HAWTHORN’S GLADE

Backwater fairy poachers and heavily armored Halovar soldiers tear through the defenseless fairies. The Seekers watch in horror as the Halovars slam cold spikes into the hawthorn tree and pour cold iron filings into the lake. Thimble notices a number of the fair folk dying, dead, or fighting for their lives. Many of the poachers fill sacks with the bodies of pixies.

The Seekers leap into a frenzy, saving any fairies they can and cutting down any standing enemy in sight. Vaelus quickly realizes her magic does NOT work, and she rushes to scoop up the Black Rabbits and dump them out onto the Millers Road.

HEAVY BOOMS reverberate beneath the lake along with a crystalline shatter beneath the tree. Bolaire opens a portal beneath the lake, draining the water and its cold filings. Suddenly, the hag, Sallow, leaps out of the water and kills many Halovar soldiers. Quickly, Bolaire manages to deceive the last surviving Creed member into putting his mask on.

Thimble kills the Poacher Captain and throws a potion of healing to Julien, which he gives to Hawthorn. While the fighting settles, Sallow tells Thimble that even though the tree may die, Hawthorn must survive. And in that moment, Hawthorn diminishes as her tree dies, the last of its blossoms falling from her hair.

What a bummer ending, but that’s it for Episode 34 of Critical Role!

FINAL THOUGHTS

• WELP, the road is blocked, seems like we got like 5 days of figuring out how the heck these guys are gonna get past 30 KNIGHTS?!?!?
• THE MINUTE Vaelus saw the Fairy Poacher wagon, my heart sank for the Hawthorn’s Glade.
• What a STRESSFUL and gruesome fight, man, but even with one magic user down, the Seekers really pulled together on this one – that was an incredible encounter.

Catch Episode 35 of Critical Role Campaign 4 on Thursday, September 17th 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?