Chapter Eight: The Horsemen | Sagas of Sundry: Madness

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Chapter Eight: The Horsemen" | Sagas of Sundry: Madness

Podcast: Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry
Episode: Chapter Eight: The Horsemen | Sagas of Sundry: Madness
Date: May 18, 2026
Game Master: Ivan Van Norman (implied)
Main Cast: Selina, Emmett, Abigail/Kathy, Jude, Mr. Ren (narrator)

---

Episode Overview

This climactic episode plunges the cast deeper into the tragic horror of Ten Candles: Eclipse. The story pivots around four exhausted survivors of a paranormal apartment complex, now trapped in a void dimension by the eldritch Watcher and its cult. With reality crumbling, the party must race to the Tower of Babel, destroy the Watcher’s amulet, and attempt a desperate escape—knowing most, if not all, will not survive. Themes of sacrifice, insanity, and found family run throughout, culminating in heartbreak and cosmic horror.

---

Key Discussion Points & Narrative Developments

1. The Void and the Watcher’s Trap ([01:38]-[05:07])

• Setup: Mr. Ren’s chilling monologue sets the existential stakes—facing a faceless, hunger-driven void.
  • Quote: “But what if that fear has no face? ...It is as if a great void is staring at you, wanting you.” (Mr. Ren, 01:38)
• Transition: The group realizes they have only trapped themselves in another dimension, not won.
  • Quote: “You think you’ve won. All you have done is trapped yourself here with him. Welcome to the fold.” (Game Master, 04:26)
• Discovery: Behind the walls, a hidden space and a relic (the amulet) vital for destroying the Watcher are uncovered.
• Decision: The team knows the only way forward is towards the immense tower.

2. Identity, Fate, and the Four Horsemen ([09:59]-[12:10])

• The survivors debate their roles and collective destiny.
  • Quote: “Are we the Four Horsemen?” (Jude, 10:04)
  • Quote: “We are now.” (Emmett, 10:08)
  • Quote: “We’ve all accepted the fact that we’re all going a little fucking mad.” (Jude, 10:26)
• Themes: Shared trauma, resignation, but also resolve. Selina’s acceptance of likely death, and Abigail/Kathy’s challenge to fatalism, display the group’s bond.
  • Quote: “You know, your DNA doesn’t have to define you. Even though it’s a part of you.” (Abigail/Kathy, 11:48)

3. Confronting the Cult ([12:39]-[20:16])

• Standoff: The cult blocks their way, led by the polyglot cult leader who speaks in mind-shattering tongues.
  • Quote: “Look at me. I will waken the void of your mind into endless infinity. Fight it. Fight it.” (Cult Leader via Game Master, 17:00)
• Battle: Violent and desperate; each member gets a visceral moment.
  • Selina bludgeons a cultist (“I smash it into his face. The mask goes flying.” – Selina, 20:16)
  • Emmett executes a brutal kill.
  • Jude dispatches an assailant in a gory fashion (“I grab him by the tongue, burn between his eyes.” — Jude, 27:56)
  • Abigail/Kathy fights at the edge of sanity, resisting the Watcher’s allure.
  • Quote: “He wants you to take that gun and put it onto yourself. ...But instead you take the back of that gun and...” (Game Master, 29:59)

4. Manifestation of the Watcher ([31:48]-[34:05])

• Cosmic Horror Unveiled: The cult leader is devoured by a massive, multi-tongued, multi-eyed void entity—the Watcher embodied.
  • Quote: “You see a mouth open. And a tongue leaps out... writhing mass of flesh. Mouths, eyes, all screaming... all look at you.” (Game Master, 31:57–32:40)
• The Tower of Babel is revealed as their destination—the place of infinite languages and knowledge.

5. The Wasteland Gauntlet ([34:05]-[41:31])

• Challenge: The players enact a physically-engaging tabletop mechanic, symbolizing a deadly dash across the wasteland under the Watcher’s gaze.
• Order:
  • Emmett volunteers to draw attention and runs first.
  • Selina, then Jude, then Abigail/Kathy sprint through, each pushing past their breaking point.
  • Quotes: “Run. Run.” (Emmett, 35:50); “I won't let it end like this.” (Selina, 38:13)
• All four make it to the base of the Tower.

6. The Tower Ritual and Sacrifice ([41:31]-[49:40])

• Final Convergence: At the dais atop the Tower of Babel, the amulet must be destroyed to seal the Watcher.
  • Quote: “Take the amulet and send it back to the endless void.” (Game Master, 41:41)
  • Jude makes it personal: “This one's for Jordan.” (42:36)
• The Price: With reality splitting apart, only one can truly “escape” the void. The group argues who should survive, ultimately pushing Selina forward.
  • Quote: “Change the world, Selina. You can do this.” (Jude, 45:11)
  • “We’re in your DNA, remember?” (Abigail/Kathy, 45:03)
• Sacrifice: Selina makes the final pull, escaping as the others are seemingly left behind in the ruined world.

7. Epilogue: The Cost of Survival ([49:40]-[50:33])

• Mr. Ren’s Lament: The ambiguous, poetic closing reflects on friendship, memory, and loss.
  • Quote: “Five went in, one came out. But did dear Selina truly escape?” (Mr. Ren, 49:40)
  • “Selina keeps up her lonely vigil working the machine. She has to keep the machine on, you see. It is her only friend now.” (Mr. Ren, 50:18)

---

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Facing Fear:

  • “In your short time on this earth, have you looked into the face of fear? ... Something that seems to know you intimately and yet has no face?” (Mr. Ren, 01:38)

• Trapped in the Void:

  • “You think you’ve won. All you have done is trapped yourself here with him. Welcome to the fold, brothers and sisters.” (Game Master, 04:26)

• The Becoming of the Horsemen:

  • “Are we the Four Horsemen?” (Jude, 10:04)
  • “We are now.” (Emmett, 10:08)

• Resignation & Defiance:

  • “We’ve all accepted the fact that we’re all going a little fucking mad.” (Jude, 10:26)
  • “Having a purpose. I could get used to that.” (Abigail/Kathy, 10:56)

• The Cult's Power:

  • “I will waken the void of your mind into endless infinity. Fight it. Fight it.” (Cult Leader via Game Master, 17:00)

• Acts of Violence and Survival:

  • “I smash it into his face. The mask goes flying. It’s full of gore.” (Selina, 20:16)
  • “Emmett punches the crowbar straight through the guy’s eye.” (Emmett, 21:12)

• Facing the Watcher:

  • “You watch as a great tentacle... pulls itself down onto the building... mouths, eyes, all screaming. Their lidless pupils staring everywhere and nowhere.” (Game Master, 31:57–32:40)

• Final Run & Purpose:

  • “You cannot beat a God. You can only run from it. So run. Who is going first?” (Game Master, 34:05)
  • “Run. Run.” (Emmett, 35:50)

• On Survival and Loss:

  • “But what if all that remains back there for me is insanity and forgetting? What if I forget all of you?” (Selina, 44:54)
  • “We’re in your DNA, remember?” (Abigail/Kathy, 45:03)

• Epilogue:

  • “Five went in, one came out. But did dear Selina truly escape?” (Mr. Ren, 49:40)

---

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:38] – Introduction of the faceless void and existential horror (Mr. Ren’s opening)
• [03:57] – Discussion of the relic/amulet and its purpose
• [09:59] – The party claims the identity of the “Four Horsemen”
• [12:39] – Confrontation with the cult; reveal of the cult leader's powers
• [20:16] – Selina’s violent defense, Emmett’s brutal moment
• [31:48-34:05] – Manifestation of the Watcher; Tower of Babel revealed
• [34:05-41:31] – The wasteland run to the tower; each member’s test
• [41:31-49:40] – Final ritual and ultimate sacrifice; collapse of reality
• [49:40-50:33] – Mr. Ren’s epilogue, reflecting on survival and memory

---

Tone & Style

• The narrative is rich with cosmic dread and psychological tension, interwoven with bittersweet, sometimes darkly humorous banter between players.
• In-character moments blend seamlessly into meta reflections on trauma, fate, and camaraderie—even as horror mounts.

---

Conclusion

"Chapter Eight: The Horsemen" delivers a gripping, tragic climax to a story of doomed souls confronting cosmic horror. Each character faces their fears, bonds are forged and tested, and the party contends with both monstrous threats and their own limits. The finale leaves listeners with haunting questions about memory, sacrifice, and what it means to truly survive.

---

This summary provides a comprehensive recap of the emotional and narrative highlights, making it accessible to those who missed the episode but crave the drama and horror at the heart of Sagas of Sundry: Madness.

Transcript

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Greetings, adventurers. Gather round the fire and lend me your ears, because I've got just the quest for you. Streaming great supernatural movies and TV shows for free on Pluto tv. Jump into the hundred, the X Files, Fringe, Battlestar Galactica, and more. And when you're ready for a full party quest, embark on a cinematic journey with Dungeons and Dragons, Honor Among Thieves. No gold required, just pure supernatural adventure that you can stream free anywhere from Neverwinter to the Material Plane. So fire up the supernatural on Pluto tv. Stream now. Pay never.

[Progressive Insurance Announcer]

Insurance isn't one size fits all, and shopping for it shouldn't feel like squeezing into something that just doesn't fit. That's why drivers have enjoyed Progressive's name your price tool for years. With the name your price tool, you tell them what you want to pay and they show you options that fit your budget enough. Hunting for discounts, trying to calculate rates, and tinkering with coverages. Maybe you're picking out your very first policy. Or maybe you're just looking for something that works better for you and your family. Either way, they make it simple to see your options. No guesswork, no surprises. Ready to see how easy and fun shopping for car insurance can be? Visit progressive.com and give the name your price tool a try. Take the stress out of shopping and find coverage that fits your life on your terms. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates Price and coverage match limited by state law.

[Mr. Ren]

In your short time on this earth, have you looked into the face of fear? Oh, my darlings, it is so much easier to face your fear when it has a face. Something that we can rationalize, Something that we can make human. Something that we can fight and win. But what if that fear has no face? How do you confront something that has no name, no identity? Something that seems to know you intimately and yet has no face? It is as if a great void is staring at you, wanting you. That void. That faceless horror from the shadows. Oh, it has turned its attention to our tenants. The darkness. The void. It has no greater ambition. And to feed, it can taste them. It desires them. It has no face. But it is hungry. These are the sagas of Sundry. I am Mr. Ren. And there will be madness.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You've managed to fight off the Watcher's influence, Selina, and have put the fuse back where it once was at the same time. The machine's not on.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Maybe we should start checking out some of our rooms.

[Selina]

The bathroom.

[Abigail/Kathy]

The bathroom.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You want to investigate where? Which of your apartments first?

[Emmett]

Mine.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Yours, Emmett. One of the most difficult things that has happened to you is going to be revisited by coming back into this space. What if you saw her again?

[Selina]

When I see things that aren't real, I just repeat to myself the things that are real and we're real. And we'll go there with you.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Abigail, as you peel some of the old wallpaper. There doesn't seem to be stone back there. It feels more like plaster.

[Abigail/Kathy]

There's something glowing.

[Emmett]

Ease down. Ease down.

[Game Master/Narrator]

A soft green light pierces into the bathroom. There's a whole nother area that was never marked on the map.

[Selina]

The relic is the last remaining token of his essence on this plane. Several of the Magi's writings point to a complete cleansing of all the Watchers essence on the material plane to be rid of his machinations. I believe that the amulet can be destroyed on its own plane of existence. That's the relic, Jude.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You open up the briefcase and you see large sets of old tubes. These are the representations to turn the machine back on.

[Emmett]

So black and black and black.

[Game Master/Narrator]

We can have any black clear. You have turned the machine on. You fiddled with switches. You put things together. You watch as one of the walls rip and peel open as stone begins to fall away. And you can see the barren wasteland all around you as the building begins to crumble. You think you've won. All you have done is trapped yourself here with him. Welcome to the fold, brothers and sisters.

[Abigail/Kathy]

What dimension are we in?

[Selina]

We're in the dimension where we can get rid of that thing.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Okay. Let's fuck his shit up.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Welcome back to madness. I have a confession. You blew me away inside of that architect's tomb. Your capacity to put together something like an archaic machine from the 1930s. Something that Malik Abdallah Mussin has spent six decades perfecting in order to close the rift between two worlds. I didn't think four people could plow through it the way that you did. So much so well. I am a man of my word. And I do have these three blocks for you. I will admit I didn't think you were gonna make it that far, so I never made them. But here we are. And these three are for you. You can place them in the tower where and how and wherever you wish. I trust you to begin our st story anew.

[Abigail/Kathy]

He's been staring down this tower, so.

[Jude]

Yeah, yeah, he's on it.

[Emmett]

I kind of wonder if we fill in.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You don't want to place him, that's fine. Here, hand him back to me.

[Emmett]

Yeah, I got it.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I got.

[Jude]

I got it.

[Abigail/Kathy]

I Mean, I feel like it makes up for the three shots that I fired off into a unshootable cultist woman.

[Game Master/Narrator]

It wasn't just the cultist woman.

[Selina]

Reinforce in the middle.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Perhaps it's the avatar of the Watcher. It is the woman who has spent centuries learning every known language known to man.

[Abigail/Kathy]

So that's her notebook.

[Game Master/Narrator]

And has been guiding the great cult of the Watcher to this one pivotal moment.

[Jude]

Nice work.

[Mr. Ren]

All right.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Are you happy with that, Emmett?

[Emmett]

I mean, it's all relative.

[Game Master/Narrator]

It is. It is. When we last left our four adventures, they had torn down the wall in Emmet Markham's bathroom and had found an ancient tomb in which was an ancient device that required a little bit of handiwork to bring back into life. And just as you turn the machine on, you felt a great rift tear across all of reality as the machine booted up and at the same time trapped you in this otherworldly dimension. You see, what you may have suspected but didn't realize, is that the Watcher has already arrived. For you see, the Watcher has been trying for centuries to consume this world because his had already been stripped barren, leaving only what you saw when you explored that vast wasteland. But Malik Abd Al Musein's machine stopped him. You all stopped him. But the Watcher is not gone. And you are all trapped with him. What do you want to do?

[Selina]

We have to make it to the immense tower.

[Abigail/Kathy]

And we have to destroy this.

[Jude]

Are we the Four Horsemen?

[Emmett]

We are now.

[Jude]

We killed the minions. We've made it this far. You've bashed down walls.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Yeah. You killed. You killed a guy today. Congratulations. You did.

[Jude]

We all have accepted the fact that we're all going a little fucking mad.

[Selina]

Well, you're joining me in going mad.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Whatever.

[Jude]

Most important thing is, we've all come together. I think we can kill this bastard.

[Selina]

I think we have to.

[Jude]

I think that's what we are here for. I think that's why we were brought together.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Yeah.

[Selina]

Feels good.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Having a purpose. I could like. I could get used to that.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Emmett, you don't seem so convinced. In fact, it seems like something is bearing down upon you. What are you thinking?

[Emmett]

I don't. We're all probably gonna die. But the alternative is a hell of a lot fucking worse.

[Selina]

I've known for a long time that I wasn't really gonna make it past this age. It's in my DNA. So if I can make it worth it, maybe for you, for the rest of you, or for my soulmate, then it'll be worth It.

[Abigail/Kathy]

You know, your DNA doesn't have to define you. Even though it's a part of you.

[Jude]

There's always time to change.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Good mutations are healthy.

[Emmett]

Anyway, it's time to bet it all.

[Abigail/Kathy]

To the tower.

[Selina]

To the tower.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Before you can even get to the tower, you need to get out of this building. And there's still a lot of challenges awaiting you. There is still the cult, the Watchers, minions, who will probably be none too pleased to have you walk out of here with the last remaining vestige, his Amulata reculum.

[Emmett]

Well, some or all of them are about to have a really bad day. Come on.

[Game Master/Narrator]

All right.

[Jude]

I like it. Emmett.

[Abigail/Kathy]

That is seeable.

[Game Master/Narrator]

As you walk down these halls, it's hard not to take a moment to reflect on this walk that some of you have done for years. These familiar hallways, this, that you've called home for so long. So walking the steps down from the common room of the second floor to the first floor feels briefly as if you're just going to the corner to the deli, maybe to pick up milk, eggs and sandwiches. There's nothing waiting for you down there. This has all been an elaborate, miserable dream. The walls are still here. The walls are real. So what is it that is keeping you from not just walking out that door and living your rest of your life as you always have? Jude, make a Pole. You've been the one who's been living here the longest. You're the man who has put as much effort into this building as anyone else. This has been your home for what, five years? It's a long time to just walk out the door to a barren wasteland of nothing. You were sleeping above the cold void of space contained only through the machinations of a mad arch architect who was using it to counterbalance all of the energy that was compensating for a dimension that wanted to push itself into ours. That is a lot to swallow. Jude. Are you really sure there's a bunch of cultists downstairs waiting to kill you all before you have to cross a barren wasteland to a tower you barely even think exists to crush. What, some silver jewelry dangling on the neck of a woman you had sex with once or twice? No, there's more to it than that. This is your reality. You walk down the stairs and you can see a group of cultists waiting. The woman who spoke to you in the architect's workshop lifts her head up and greets you with the most pleasant of smiles and all of the patience that any one person might give to someone who's had centuries of work thwarted from her in one single span. Ah, good. You're down here. Now we can talk about your options. One, I could kill you now and leave you here. And we will hope that your bodies will be something of a sacrifice for our Lord, who has brought us this far and we have failed Him. Or you can give me the amulet and we can all beg for the Watcher's mercy. Or we could just kill you. Right? Yes. That's not really an option. You stupid, arrogant oaf. You do know we know everything about you, right? Yeah, I know everything. Through his grace. And you will give me what belongs to us. And you will give me back what I have documented over these centuries so that I. I might pray for his forgiveness and start anew. There's still a door on the other side. And there's still a chance. We know where the machine is now. We can break it. We can bring it together. This is temporarily a setback. All we have to do is take all of you out and then go and bless the Watcher to give us one last chance to enter your world and smash what that damn Arab has built so many years ago. You watch as she starts to lift her hand up and gaze deeply into your eyes, Abigail. And you watch as her tongue starts to lol out into a rolling proboscis, as she begins to speak in a litany of tongues that boggles your mind beyond all measurements. It blends into Sanskrit, Hebrew, Coptic, all of the Latin languages together, every Romance language. And each one of them is saying the same thing, but in a different way. You can hear it. It is coming to you. It is saying, look at me. I will waken the void of your mind into endless infinity. Fight it. Fight it. Because otherwise you will be handing this amulet straight into the hands of those who can use it to open the door and try this again, under his grace. There's not much time. You've done this. You've managed to stop it. You've trapped all of you here together. But there is one last key, Abigail, and it is around your neck that has the power to bring everyone, the cult and his great followers back into the other world in order to crush the machine which you all help them find. But you resist. You don't even reveal its location as it dangles around your delicate, white porcelain neck.

[Selina]

I guess. I guess you don't know everything. If you think you can get to our girl.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Kill them. Kill all of them. And you watch as all of them rush towards you with picks and daggers drawn high as six Run towards you with their arms up.

[Abigail/Kathy]

I've got three shots.

[Selina]

I take a swing at the nearest one.

[Emmett]

Same.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Pull, pull, Pull. Are you doing it?

[Abigail/Kathy]

I'm gonna hold back and wait.

[Game Master/Narrator]

All right. First one comes at you with a single sigil dagger. You can see the slitted eye of a being right above you as he lifts his dagger up to plunge it into Selina. Take a bash at him, throw him out, mark him and show him just exactly how vicious a tiny girl who has been sitting inside of her room can be, but yet has every capacity to smash a man's face in just like she did a wall. Have you managed to discover more about yourself, Selina? These muscles that you didn't even know existed? This mental hold that you had over yourself as you were able to push the washer outside of your brain? I will fill your mind with endless infinity is all you hear as this glorious robed figure continues to chant her hymn to all of the followers around her. Watch as his fate. Selina, tell me, what did you do to him?

[Selina]

With a cry, I swing the mallet around. I smash it into his face. The mask goes flying. It's full of gore.

[Game Master/Narrator]

He falls down, slumping down to the ground. But one is right next to him, just barely beside him. Jude, another dagger lifts up and it's reaching for you. But Emmet, coming in, taking his crowbar swings, hoping to save his friend, one who has carried him through. He only met him simply a few hours ago, and yet he is taking time to preserve him, who he thinks and calls friends. Emmett, who listens and tells stories of others, and yet is writing his own story now as he takes his weapon of choice.

[Selina]

Careful.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Careful, Careful.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Careful.

[Additional Player/Support]

Fuck.

[Abigail/Kathy]

No.

[Game Master/Narrator]

And does what?

[Emmett]

Emmett punches the crowbar straight through the guy's eye.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You watch as the mat crumples around him, as you see the indent of his skull pursed into his face and the skin over his eyes bleed. And he plunges forward right into the broken concrete in front of you. And Jude, sweet Jude, who was raising his dagger up in order to plunge it into the one next to him before Emmet found the target and did it his own. That is one before the next three. Come on. You fight them off. Take him out. Jude, who has only cared for a few things in life. The simple pleasures, his cigarettes, the women that he finds on the occasional hour. And most of all, just the dessert. Desire to be alone. Why did you go up to this party, Jude? Was it really to go and find someone to call friend? Or were you just hoping to get away from something that was strangling you and holding your independence away.

[Jude]

I was coming to find my truth.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Greetings, adventurers. Gather round the fire and lend me your ears, because I've got just the quest for you. Streaming great supernatural movies and TV shows for free on Pluto tv. From the hundred to the X Files to Battlestar Galactica, there's no shortage of paranormal adventure. Craving more of the arcane binge fringe or the spellbinding Charmed? And when you're ready for a full party quest, embark on a cinematic journey with Dungeons and Dragons. Honor among Thieves. Thoughtfully made by fans of the game, this movie includes iconic monsters, classic spells, and insider details you won't want to miss. No gold required. Just pure supernatural adventure that you can stream free anywhere from Neverwinter to the Material Plane. And if you need a time stop, just hit pause and return to play when you're ready. So free your mind from the real world and fire up the supernatural on Pluto TV Stream now. Pay never. Greetings, adventurers. Spring has sprung here in Los Angeles. And that means it's a brief period where it's only 75 degrees instead of 95 degrees. I'll take it. And that means I've been outside a lot more, walking around, occasionally galloping after a toddler hopped up on juice boxes, traveling a bit. You know the vibe. And after doing some spring cleaning, my wardrobe, I gotta say, looking a little bit sticky.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Sad.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

I want clothes that can keep up with me and my son. But updating my wardrobe every spring sounds pretty expensive. So that's why I wound up signing up for Fabletics as a vip. It let me overhaul my springtime outfits without obliterating my bank account. New VIPs unlock major savings on that first purchase, so trying new fits feels way more doable. When I signed up as a new VIP with Fabletics, I got 70 to 80% off everything. It made it easy to grab a few new pieces without overthinking it, and the quality really surprised me. Everything feels premium and soft and breathable, but you're not paying those premium prices. What I like most, though, is how versatile everything is. You've got stuff you can work out in, but also wear out. There's matching sets, lightweight hoodies, joggers, tees, you name it. The kind of stuff you can throw on in the morning and not worry about later. When I'm at home, my favorite thing to pull on is the oversized hoodie. It's so comfy, I could just live in it 24 7. It's perfect. For walking my dog on like a chilly night. But when I'm out and about, I've really been loving the ribbed Johnny Collar polo. It makes me look like I should be taking a high powered meeting by the pool at the White Lotus, but hopefully with less murder involved. I don't know. It's insanely comfortable. I highly recommend it. So shop [e-mail] criticalrole to get 70 to 80% off everything when you sign up as a new VIP. Take a quick style quiz and be sure to select Critical Role when prompted to unlock your 70 to 80% off. This is a limited time offer, so don't wait. Again, that's fabletics.com criticalrole for 70 to 80% off everything as a new VIP. And now onto the show. Greetings adventurers. Lately I've been getting a bit more intentional about what I wear from day to day because instead of just falling out of whatever laundry basket's nearby, I I've been leaning into pieces that feel easy and comfortable but still put together because it just makes getting dressed simpler when I have a plan. Quince has been my go to to help with that because the fabrics feel elevated, the fits are clean, and everything just works without me needing to overthink it. And Quince has all the wardrobe staples you need for spring. Think 100% European linen shorts and shirts from just $34. They're lightweight, they're breathable, they're comfortable. Your legs and torso will thank you and you will still look put together and clean. 100% Pima cotton tees with a softness well, you got to feel that to believe it. Believe you me. Their pants also hit that same balance. They're relaxed, they're comfortable, but still polished enough to wear basically anywhere. And everything's priced between 50 and 80% less than what you'd find at similar brands. Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen, so you're getting premium materials without the markup. And since spring is here in Los Angeles, a brief period where it's 75 degrees instead of 95 degrees, I spruced up my wardrobe with a pair of the Comfort Stretch Traveler five pocket pants and the Heritage Wash Denim shirt. Not only do they feel great, but I unequivocally look good as hell while wearing them. That's just science. So refresh your everyday with luxury you'll actually use. Head to Quince.com Christmas Critical Role for free shipping on your order and 365 day returns now available in Canada too. That's Q U I-N C E.com CriticalRole for free shipping and 365 day returns. Quince.com CriticalRole.

[Game Master/Narrator]

And you turn to your right to see this cultist coming upon you into your blind sight. Tell me his fate.

[Jude]

I take him and I grab him by the tongue burn between his eyes.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You plunge slice him in half as you carve the tooth down, pulling the mask and fragmenting it everywhere. You watch as the deeply serrated and sharp dayhole tooth splits him and. And he screams as he clutches his face and falls down, writhing in agony. Abigail. There's still three more. One of them is the leader. You've already put three inside of her, but there's still two coming after your friends. Are you going to pull to save them or are you going to fire the rest of your rounds?

[Jude]

The bullets don't hurt the.

[Abigail/Kathy]

They don't hurt her.

[Jude]

That'll hurt her.

[Abigail/Kathy]

I'm gonna wait. I'm gonna go up. I'm gonna shoot the first one.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You crack it. As you watch as the body as it flies down and spastically starts to convulse onto the floor. The other one, still coming close, is taking its jeweled dagger as it's attempting to slide right towards Emmet.

[Abigail/Kathy]

As he runs up. I'm gonna take the gun, flip it around and just bash him with the blunt hint.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Make a pull. Oh God. As you reverse the pistol, you come around and crack it over the side of the head. Little Abigail. Or really as her friends now know her Kathy. She. What about this heifer who has already done many terrible things in her time, is now trying to find.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Nope.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Hope. Hope in that there are people who can accept her. But the chanting continues. Garos, paros. Veros.

[Mr. Ren]

Oh my God.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Nyctus.

[Abigail/Kathy]

This whole thing is so fucked.

[Game Master/Narrator]

We'll be watching you when you gasp your last dying.

[Jude]

Oh, Abigail Breath.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Delos Valosh got. Look at me. I will awaken the void of your mind. I see all. An eye pierces inside of your mind and you can feel the amulets pulsating inside of your chest as it desires for the Watcher, who in this world he is the most powerful. He wants you to take that gun and put it onto yourself. He wants you to lift it and save those two final bullets for you. But instead you take the back of that gun and you do what as

[Abigail/Kathy]

he's running to and I'm just trying to keep the insanity out of my mind. I just wait till he thinks that he has me and just bludgeon him right in the temple.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You watch as his body flings in pirouettes in the air as he falls down to the floor, still as a silent rippleless pond falling down. And you can see the woman standing still, chanting, Gerus barus perus nyctus. No. No. Ah. You watch as her eyes begin to bulge as seemingly formingless clouds envelop her. The great sky that you can see through the front windows of the main building.

[Additional Player/Support]

I'm sorry, master. I did what I could.

[Game Master/Narrator]

And you watch as a great tentacle reaching its hand down. You can see it coming from the sky. But as perspective gives you a greater view, you see 10 in 20, 30, a hundred feet of great purple writhing flesh jests, pull itself down onto the building. And at the end of this languid forming tentacle, you see a mouth open. And a tongue leaps out inside of this great mouth and wraps itself around the cultist, pulling her into the mouth, which pulls back into the great blob void that is so much in the sky, in space. You watch as the endless cloud begins to invite envelop and come together, coalescing into a form that can only be described as a writhing mass of flesh. Mouths, eyes, all screaming. Their lidless pupils staring everywhere and nowhere, all at one point. And they all look at you. There is a tower. There is a tower. You can see it. You can look upon the great horizon and see. And you know it, Selina. You know it. Cause you've read the journal. It is the Tower of Babel. It is the one that speaks a thousand tongues. It is the place of infinite knowledge. It is the gatekeeping house of the Watcher. And it is there and it is staring back at you. It's time to make your journey.

[Abigail/Kathy]

How are we supposed to do this? How are we supposed to fight that? You can't fight that.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You can't fight that, Abigail. You can only hope that one of you makes it to the tower in time to do what needs to be done. And to represent that, I have a challenge for you. Here's what's going to happen. I am bringing out something that you will have to push, physically push, from one end of the room to the other. This item is not light. In fact, it is quite heavy. And it will represent the pure endurance and will and dexterity that you will have to show to cross the wasteland and avoid the Watcher and his multi tongued flagellations. Are you ready? The stage is set. For the final challenge. You must all run across the desert wasteland and then climb the great tower. Of Babel while avoiding the watchers many eyes, many mouths with tongues licking and lapping as you can hear the men languages that it speaks from its thousands of mouths all at the same time. You are simply four people. One with an amulet that will crush and end its plane on this existence. And yet, you cannot beat a God. You can only run from it. So run. Who is going first?

[Emmett]

I'm going. I'm gonna try to draw as much of its attention as I can. Fucking run.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Okay.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You have 19 seconds to clear.

[Emmett]

Run. Run.

[Jude]

Come on, Emmett.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Three, two, one. Go. Come on, Emmett.

[Additional Player/Support]

Let's go, Emmett.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Go, go, go, go, go.

[Mr. Ren]

Yes.

[Selina]

Yeah.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Yeah. Ready?

[Abigail/Kathy]

Ready?

[Additional Player/Support]

Ready? Go, go, go, go. Emmett. Stop.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Emmett. You've run across the great desert. And you have felt as tongue lashing after tongue lashing after tongue lashing attempt to grab you in every single place. But you've managed to dip around every single little piece coming up and trying to grab ahold of you. And you make your way up to the tower. Who is next?

[Abigail/Kathy]

I'll go.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Selena.

[Jude]

Let's go.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Selina, you have Emmet following a path alongside you. You have one chance across this desert. To join the man who has given so much to make you feel like a human being. 3, 2, 1. Go.

[Jude]

Let's go, Selena.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Go, Selena.

[Additional Player/Support]

Go.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Come on, Selena.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Selena. Run, run, run.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Go, go, go, go, go.

[Additional Player/Support]

Don't give up.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Four, three.

[Jude]

Selena.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Two, one.

[Jude]

No.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Selena. Make a pull. The tongues are out there. The mouths are ever watching. They are singing the song that will end the world. And you need to tell them that they cannot listen.

[Additional Player/Support]

They can't touch me.

[Game Master/Narrator]

That they can't touch you. There is more to this than what is always there. The walls are real, Selena. But there's no walls here. There is only a black and endless wall void with something that you can't even begin to describe. This mass of great mouths and eyes as it sings its song across the desert wastes. And the tongues blapping tongues as it caresses each corner of your body.

[Selina]

I won't let it end like this.

[Game Master/Narrator]

It.

[Selina]

You're right.

[Jude]

Right in the middle.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Will it, Selina?

[Abigail/Kathy]

Oh, my God.

[Game Master/Narrator]

It won't. You manage to make it across the great desert waste. And you join Emmet at the Tower of Babel. Who's next? I'm going. Jude Marley. The stage is set for you to run the great run that will end your struggle. Your great, great journey. Three, two, one. Go. Go.

[Additional Player/Support]

Jo.

[Emmett]

Come on.

[Additional Player/Support]

Run, run, run.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Jude. Can you make it?

[Additional Player/Support]

Can you get there? Can you be a Part of this, you can. Madness.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You can join them at the tower. Go.

[Abigail/Kathy]

All right.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Make the run.

[Abigail/Kathy]

I'll meet you on the other side. I'm gonna meet you on the other side. Oh, fuck me.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Abigail.

[Abigail/Kathy]

I'm an indoor girl.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Kathy. You are not a runner. And you've watched your friends cross this wasteland. And as you run with them, you can see the lapping tongues of madness bearing down on you. You can hear the song. It sings deeply in your brain. And you wear the amulets. You can carry him with you. 3, 2, 1.

[Mr. Ren]

Come on.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Come on.

[Additional Player/Support]

You got it. Run, guys, run. You got it. Come on. Come on. You gotta turn. Fucking run.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You can feel.

[Additional Player/Support]

5, 4, 3, 2. You did it,

[Game Master/Narrator]

Abigail.

[Emmett]

Abby.

[Additional Player/Support]

Abby.

[Game Master/Narrator]

I fucking hate running. All of you come to the Tower of Battle together. And you raise up the many levels and see a stone daisy laid out before you. Three tiered one with a runic size of great power on each end. And there is the Amulet. Take it, Abigail. Take it and put it on the dais. This is the last key. The last thing that will end the Watcher's time on your plane of existence.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Do I do it? Give it back.

[Jude]

Give it back.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Do we destroy it, Abigail?

[Game Master/Narrator]

Take the amulet and send it back to the endless void.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Does anyone else want to do the honors, please? Get it, cutie.

[Jude]

You know what, Watcher?

[Game Master/Narrator]

No. You feel it purse into your brain. You lift the hammer to strike it with a great. I am always watching. I am Dark. Darkness. You will regret this.

[Jude]

This one's for Jordan.

[Narrator/Advertiser]

Motherfucker.

[Game Master/Narrator]

As you feel the amulet shatter, it comes and a wave of sonic energy. You can see below you is a great skyline. And above you, the purple clouds are starting to disperse, but not before the tower begins to rumble and break and fall apart. You gaze over the side and you can see the worlds are falling apart. You could run and dive into each one of the splinters of reality, or you could fall, hoping to catch one of the small tears that will lead you back to the world that you know. And you can watch as each one of the spurs brightens and widens and then fades again. They are opening and closing at a speed in which it is almost incomprehensible to notice. You must make one last pull. But. But. But. If the tower falls, anyone who hasn't made a pull after this will be lost in this world with you. The first one to pull will be the one who has the first chance to get out. Who is it going to be?

[Jude]

It should be you. It should be you. It should be you.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Hey, you're the person out of us that can actually be worth a damn. You have a future.

[Game Master/Narrator]

What if.

[Selina]

But what if all that remains back there for me is insanity and forgetting? What if I forget all of you?

[Abigail/Kathy]

You won't. We're in your DNA, remember?

[Emmett]

Go on.

[Jude]

Change the world, Selena. You can do this.

[Abigail/Kathy]

We're right behind you.

[Game Master/Narrator]

I'll see you on the other side.

[Abigail/Kathy]

I'll see you on the other side.

[Game Master/Narrator]

The real world is waiting, Selina. All it takes is one pull. As you hear the chanting coming around you, it seems to purse into your brain. And yet at this time, it sounds almost acceptable. Gala melo deolos vintos, thulos cayenne, metos ventalos. Everyone is waiting, Selena. Will you be trapped in this world together, all of you? Or will you be the one to make it out? No.

[Mr. Ren]

No,

[Selina]

it won't stay. It won't hold. It won't hold.

[Additional Player/Support]

It won't hold.

[Game Master/Narrator]

You have to place the block, Selina, or else your pull is forfeit.

[Abigail/Kathy]

It's been an honor, you guys.

[Game Master/Narrator]

And you will die.

[Selina]

What happens if I knock it.

[Game Master/Narrator]

If you knock it over, it will be a heroic sacrifice. And everyone can leave. Except for you.

[Abigail/Kathy]

No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[Jude]

Selena, don't do this.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Come on.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Come on.

[Abigail/Kathy]

You got this. You got this.

[Jude]

You got it Just is yours.

[Abigail/Kathy]

Come on. Shut your fucking mouth,

[Game Master/Narrator]

Selina. You crash to the bottom of the stairs and you slide. Looking back at Emmet in that one last look before you dive underneath. And you may join us over here on this side of reality. You're up. There are still three more left who need to come.

[Emmett]

You're up.

[Game Master/Narrator]

No.

[Jude]

You need to go be with her.

[Abigail/Kathy]

She needs you.

[Additional Player/Support]

Oh, please.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Emmett. It didn't feel like you had much to gain when you first started on this adventure. You barely understood what even human interaction was. Now you feel like there's something to fight for. There's something that is worthy of going to. And yet you're finding it hard to believe that you even deserve happiness. Are you able?

[Additional Player/Support]

Why? Why did I let this?

[Game Master/Narrator]

As the flickering void of reality begins to fade, you watch as Selina sliding under the last bit of the flower. Flickering last pieces of this world and the next. You watch as the rift closes between all three of you and you gaze up into an endless sky with stars that are not yours and a world you don't belong in. This is the end of our story.

[Mr. Ren]

Five went in, one came out. But did dear Selina truly escape There is talk that she is still in that old building, alone, searching for another door. A door that will lead her back to her friends. And so I ask you, is friendship eternal? Or is it a machine that you must work at constantly in order to feel whole, to feel loved, to feel safe? Selina keeps up her lonely vigil working machine. She has to keep the machine on, you see. It is her only friend. Now these are the sagas of Sundry. I am Mr. Ren, and you have lived through

[Game Master/Narrator]

madness.

[Glass Cannon Podcast Narrator]

The war is over and both sides lost. Kingdoms were reduced to cinders. An army scattered like bones in the dust. Now the survivors claw to what's left of a broken world, praying the Darkness chooses someone else tonight. But in the shadow Dark, the Darkness always wins. This is old school adventuring at its most cruel. Your torch ticks down in real time, and when that flame dies, something else rises to finish the job. This is a brutal rules like nightmare, with a story that emerges organically based on the decisions that the characters make. This is what it felt like to play RPGs in the 80s. And man, it is so good to be back. Join the Glass Cannon podcast as we plunge into the Shadow Dark every Thursday night at 8pm Eastern on YouTube.com theglasscannon with the podcast version dropping the next day. See what everybody's talking about and join

[Game Master/Narrator]

us in the dark.

[Sonic the Hedgehog Podcast Narrator]

The world of Sonic the Hedgehog has been thrust into a not so dark, not so stormy, hard boiled detective story that probably nobody saw coming. Follow Sonic and the intrepid Chaotix Detective Agency as they take on their biggest case yet. This high flying, action packed adventure will take them across the world fighting for every clue they can find. It's one heck of a tale. Which is good because this story might be the only thing that can save their lives.

[Mr. Ren]

Well, if that's all, I can just dispose of you.

[Game Master/Narrator]

Wait, what?

[Sonic the Hedgehog Podcast Narrator]

All will be revealed in Sonic like the Hedgehog Presents the Chaotix Case Files. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts

[Additional Player/Support]

when the Chaotics are on the case.

[Ellen Marsh]

Oh please, not that music. That music gives me nightmares from my childhood.

[Joey Taranto]

Could we get something a little bit lighter? Some lighter music here?

[Ellen Marsh]

Are you a fan of true crime TV shows?

[Joey Taranto]

And what about Unsolved Mysteries? The show that jump started all of our love of true crime.

[Ellen Marsh]

I'm Ellen Marsh.

[Joey Taranto]

And I'm Joey Taranto.

[Ellen Marsh]

And we host I Think Not a True true crime comedy podcast covering some of the wildest stories from your favorite true crime campy TV shows all the way to unsolved mysteries, baby.

[Joey Taranto]

You will laugh, you will cry. You'll think about true crime in a whole new way. And you'll also ask yourself, who gave these people mics?

[Ellen Marsh]

New episodes of I Think not are released every Wednesday, with bonus episodes out every Thursday on Patreon.

[Joey Taranto]

And every Monday, you can listen to our True Crime rundown, where we go over the top true crime headlines of the week.

[Ellen Marsh]

So come and join us wherever you listen to your podcasts.