Podcast Summary:

Critical Role & Sagas of Sundry
Episode Title: Part 3: Enter the Villain | Starter Kit – 7th Sea Edition
Release Date: October 6, 2025
Host & Storyteller: John Wick, with Captain Red and crew
Episode Focus: A high-seas, cinematic RPG adventure using 7th Sea, with the party encountering new perils and the arrival of a mysterious villain.

Episode Overview

In this action-packed session, the crew of the Black Razor, having rescued the enigmatic Elena Mondavi from a dinghy, face tense choices as a threatening Vidace war galleon intercepts them. The episode revolves around the reveal of villain Antonio Mondavi, a standoff at sea, and a thrilling ship-to-ship battle. With game master John Wick guiding the players through cinematic mechanics, the group must decide who to trust and what lines they're willing to cross to protect their new ally.

Key Discussion Points & Story Beats

1. Setting Sail with Elena (00:57–04:00)

• Debrief: After the last session’s rescue, the crew debates what to do with Elena, who reveals her lineage and sheltered life.
• Crew Dynamics: Humor and suspicion mix as players ponder whether Elena is a witch or simply naive.
• Notable Quote:
  • Captain Red (02:17): “No, I agree…we know that we’re not in immediate danger. We also know she’s a witch. So I think we just need to be mindful.”
• Elena's Identity Unveiled:
  • Elena (via John Wick, 03:54): “Mondavi is my father.”
  • Crew Member 2 (03:58): “Hey, got some precious cargo here, gents and ladies.”

2. The Sealed Note and Elena’s Past (04:07–05:13)

• The crew carefully opens a mysterious note, learning someone died protecting Elena.
• The note, signed “William Quick,” deepens the intrigue—Elena is more important than they thought.

Notable Quote

• John Wick (04:41): “I have acquired the girl. However, I have been wounded unto death... I protected her as best I could, but now I must leave her. –William Quick.”

3. Fate Witches & Lore (05:28–06:32)

• Players discuss the Vedace “Fate Witches,” their oppressive upbringing, and myths—are they truly so dangerous?
• John Wick (06:10): “Rumors are… they look at you and you die; they can see your future, see your past; if they kiss you, they can curse you…”

4. Sighting the Vidace War Galleon (06:46–08:11)

• The crew spots a massive Vidace warship flying the Mondavi flag.
• Paranoia surfaces: are the newcomers friend or foe?
• They take precautions—hiding Elena, hesitating to reveal their prize.

Notable Quote

• Captain Red (07:57): “I will be willing to speak to the person in charge of the ship.”

5. Enter the Villain: Antonio Mondavi (08:27–10:11)

• The encounter escalates as Antonio Mondavi—a classic villain in black velvet and thin mustache—boards to parley.
• His companion: a mysterious, shrouded woman feared to be a Fate witch.
• Antonio cryptically demands "the thing that belongs to us," offering gold for its return.

Notable Quotes

• John Wick as Antonio Mondavi (09:21): “We understand that you have something that belongs to us.”
• Antonio Mondavi (10:02): “This is a reward for finding the thing that belongs to us.”

6. Suspicion, Planning, and Refusal (10:20–12:12)

• The players debate: Does Antonio want Elena or the mysterious artifact? They conspire to keep both.
• Captain Red (11:03): “I think we need to do this our way.”
• When pressed, the crew fakes ignorance.
• Antonio, menacingly (12:07): “If you do not want my gold, then perhaps you’ll consider taking my iron.”

7. Cinematic Ship Battle – Mechanics and Mayhem (12:48–24:17)

• John Wick explains the 7th Sea system’s swashbuckling, action-movie approach: each “raise” lets players achieve major feats.
• The players plan to disable enemy cannons, take control of the opposing ship, and capture Antonio.

Memorable Moments

• John Wick (13:44): “You are that good.” (Referencing Princess Bride fight scenes.)
• Captain Red (23:09): “I tell deaf Henry to fire a hole in the side of their ship so we can jump through.”
• Battle Highlights:
  • Massive cannon blasts, creative use of “raises” to swing the tide.
  • Brute squads act as nameless, cut-downable foes for epic flourishes.

8. Dueling Antonio: The Death Spiral Rules (26:01–29:44)

• Captain Red confronts Antonio without a weapon, but snatches a sword mid-battle.
• Deep Dive: Wick explains the “death spiral”: wounds make heroes (and villains) more powerful and desperate, only dying if a villain deliberately spends a “danger point”.

Notable Quotes

• John Wick (28:25): “If you get wounded, you get plus one die to all of your rolls. Because the more hurt you get, the more badass you become.”
• John Wick (29:18): “The only way to die in this game is if you are helpless and a villain spends a danger point and says, ‘I kill you.’”

9. Victory and Aftermath (34:11–39:22)

• The crew successfully overpowers Antonio and his men—using creative teamwork and cinematic moves like shoving enemies into cannons and dramatic brawling.
• Prisoners are taken, some enemy sailors ask to join, and plans develop to sell the captured war galleon for profit.

Notable Quotes

• Crew Member 3 (37:10): “I’d like to make the rest of the crew surrender.”
• John Wick (39:22): “The next scene is that you are there in the captain’s cabin with Antonio…”

10. Antonio’s Last Stand and Foreshadowing More Trouble (39:44–40:30)

• Antonio, captured and wounded, tries to manipulate the crew with psychological tactics and goading insults.
• Antonio (40:07): “As a matter of fact, you’re going to cut me free and give me a sword.”
• Crew Member 3 (40:13): “He thinks he’s a Jedi.”
• Antonio, venomously (40:17): “Your Queen Elayne is a whore.”
• The crew responds with a punch and shuts him down.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Elena’s Background:
  • John Wick (05:28): “She has no idea there’s anything outside Vedace...She doesn’t know how to count. She doesn’t know how to read. She doesn’t know how to write. She doesn’t know anything.”
• On Villainy and Motivation:
  • Antonio Mondavi (10:11): “When you are ready to make your decision, I will be on my ship. The one with the cannons.”
• Swashbuckling Explanation:
  • John Wick (12:48): “We’re about to engage in an action scene… the ship is a character. Here’s how this is going to work. You guys are gonna get raises, and every raise is an action that you get to take in the fight.”
• Cinematic Combat Reference:
  • John Wick (13:44): “You are that good.”
• Battle Bravado:
  • Captain Red (23:09): “I tell deaf Henry to fire a hole in the side of their ship so we can jump through.”
• On Heroics and Danger:
  • John Wick (28:25): “If you get wounded, you get plus one die to all of your rolls. Because the more hurt you get, the more badass you become.”
• True Stakes Clarified:
  • John Wick (29:18): “The only way to die in this game is if you are helpless and a villain spends a danger point and says, ‘I kill you.’”

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamp | |----------------------------------------|:----------:| | Elena’s Introduction and Lore | 01:55–05:10| | The Note and Elena’s Protector | 04:07–05:12| | Fate Witch Legends | 06:10–06:32| | Vidace War Galleon Appears | 06:46–08:11| | First Exchange With Antonio | 08:27–10:11| | The Standoff and Decision | 10:20–12:12| | Ship-to-Ship Combat: Rules & Action | 12:48–29:44| | Dueling Antonio – Death Spiral | 26:01–29:44| | Prisoners and Captured Ship | 34:11–39:22| | Antonio’s Threats & Aftermath | 39:44–40:30|

Episode Tone & Style

The episode is lively, irreverent, and cinematic—blending tongue-in-cheek banter with real tension and swashbuckling heroics. Both John Wick and the players dive deep into narrative play, embracing melodrama, improvisation, and over-the-top action in the spirit of classic pirate films and RPG adventure.

Listen Next

The party has an artifact, a captured villain (Antonio Mondavi), and the loyalty of some new sailors—but the intrigue and supernatural dangers are far from over.

Teaser:

• “Next time, we’re going to go ashore, go to a pub where a sailor’s still a sailor, and we’re going to find out how you guys are going to deal with this artifact and the ship you’ve captured and everything else.” (John Wick, 40:30)

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