Buried Truths | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 23 Part 1

Summary

Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 23 (Part 1): "Buried Truths"

Date: April 23, 2026
Host/DM: Brennan Lee Mulligan and the Critical Role ensemble

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Episode Overview

This installment of Campaign 4 plunges the group deeper into the political and supernatural maze of Dolmakyar, as secrets are unearthed, grief is honored, and dangerous plans — both the party's and their enemies' — accelerate. The episode pivots between intimate character moments, high-stakes political scheming, and chilling revelations about the necromantic magic at play in Exandria.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Developments

1. Approaching Dolmakyar: Tension and Hiding ([01:02]–[14:40])

• Setup: The party, hiding in a wagon with the petrified body of Telsidimir Pridesire, strategizes about how to re-enter Dolmakyar by discussing routes, disguises, and familial risks.
• Wick & Tyranny’s Conversation:
  • Wick’s anxiety about facing his family and maintaining his disguise reaches comic heights, complete with recurring gassy nervousness.
  • Tyranny: “You’re still the chosen scion. So I think that there’s a level of being able to talk your way out of pretty much anything. Unless there’s something you haven’t told me about how your family handles corporal punishment…” ([05:11])
• Improvisation and Trust:
  • Wick expresses both hope and fear about reconciling with some of his family and leveraging his status for information.
  • The party weighs the balance between subtlety (“sneaky sneakies and acting skills”) and open confrontation.

2. Discovering the Blasphemous Contract ([09:19]–[15:49])

• Wick's stolen priestly orders are inspected by Tyranny, who senses dark, blasphemous magic.
• Arcane Inspection:
  • Tyranny’s demon senses pick up a sulphuric, bloody taint (“smelling something foul...it’s something you’re attuned to”) ([12:03]).
  • The orders glow, and as Tyranny’s eyes go black, she realizes the documents are not holy orders but an infernal contract.
  • Cliffhanger: “You don’t believe you’re looking at holy orders. You believe you’re looking at a contract. And we’ll dive into this further on another episode of Critical Role.” ([15:42])

3. Rescuing Demetus Blix & Political Fallout ([22:46]–[29:43])

• Location: The sewers beneath Dolmakyar.
• Rescue Recap: Having rescued the grad student Demetus Blix, the group considers how to protect their witness in the upcoming political maelstrom.
  • Blix’s Value: Blix’s account is critical corroboration against House Taconis, although physical evidence is scant. The party holds stolen glyphs, a signet ring, and partial magical glyphs as additional proof ([28:13]).
• Exhaustion & Tension: The party is physically and emotionally spent, contemplating safety and next steps while emerging from the shadows.

4. Mourning Thiazi: Funeral and Family Bonds ([48:33]–[62:20])

• Cemetery Scene: Hal and Murray (accompanied by daughters Shadia and Hero) perform a somber, intimate burial for Hal’s brother, Thiazi.
  • They share heartfelt words about loss, hope, and legacy.
  • Murray’s Reflection: “I didn’t go to the execution. And I am ashamed… I didn’t want to see that as the final moment imprinted on my brain of Thiazi. But I think … he had hope. Not in his own faith. He had hope in us.” ([54:01])
  • Hal’s Farewell: “You ranged the world over. But you were born of Dolmachiar. Its forests sheltered you, its rocky climes strengthened you… Here may you keep your final watch, brother of mine.” ([59:57])
  • Magical Tribute: Murray conjures fireflies to rest on Thiazi’s grave, a quietly beautiful memorial.

5. The Next Day: Schemes, Forgery, and Work ([65:42]–[87:07])

• After Long Rest: The party resumes their daily routines, complicated by their underground work:
  • Murray: Forges an application to help Hero (Hal’s daughter) get a coveted Pentevral internship, despite not having permission ([68:01]).
  • Azune: Reinforces their presence among the revolutionary guard and leaves magical signals for co-conspirator Varen ([73:07]).
  • Bolair: Initiates planned chaos at the museum to conceal powerful swords by reorganizing and forging documents, and moves to hide these artifacts at the theater ([77:22]).
  • Hal: Overwhelmed, Hal throws himself into producing the revolutionary play "Kotherai," but rolls poorly, indicating the performance’s success is in jeopardy due to stress and distractions ([83:12]).
• Notable Quote:
  • Hal (about the week’s strain): “Every couple years I have like the craziest day.” ([23:47])

6. Loot Divided: Magical Findings & Plot Threads ([90:12]–[103:19])

• Murray casts Identify (ritual) on recovered loot:
  • Charm Necklace: Ancient fairy item. Alerts wearer to scrying/divination and can house an illusion to fool divination attempts ([93:25]).
    • “The charm necklace… will rattle and jangle if you are being scryed on, if you are being divined on.” ([93:25])
  • Metamagic Gems: Expensive, spell-enhancing consumables associated with different schools of magic; can be ground to ink for spell glyphs ([94:31],[98:21]).
  • Blank Spell Glyphs: Usable by non-casters if loaded by casters with self-only spells.
  • Discussion: The group weighs using these resources for spells, funding, or favors.
• Plan: They prep to move dangerous museum items, including bladed artifacts, to the theater ("the Rookery") for safer keeping, using forged paperwork and chaos as cover ([108:26]).

7. Candle of Slaughter: A Hideous Revelation ([113:44]–[130:45])

• Artifact Analysis:
  • Candle Identified: Crafted from the rendered fat of House Taconis, this “Candle of Slaughter” converts mass, reckless death into ritual power, shortcutting the requirements for large-scale necromancy ([115:18]).
    • “This is one of the most heinously evil magic items you’ve ever seen in your life… it just looks like a candle sitting there.” ([117:00])
  • Spent Magic: The candle was used during the Palazzo Divinos massacre, binding the slain into servitude for House Taconis.
  • Augury: Murray investigates with magic:
    • Visions reveal failed and desperate Taconis rituals, statues with glowing eyes, and ships in the mist. A backup plan has been triggered, and "what has failed in life, let be made right in death."
    • Brennan (DM): “Something went wrong and a backup plan was triggered. Their first thing, the thing this was supposed to do, failed. But something else has been kicked into gear to make up for it… you see stone statues posed, looking out, but with a strange visage of horror across all their faces… all of the statue's eyes glow white and you see ships sailing into the mist.” ([127:46]-[130:45])
• Chilling Cliffhanger: The enemy’s necromantic gambit has changed but not failed, and the fate of Dolmakyar grows even more perilous.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Wick’s Disguise Anxieties:
  “What if someone calls my name and I turn around because I forget I’m Nick now, not Wick, you know.” ([04:40])
• Brennan’s Meta Humor:
  “No one had a sudden and immediate multi week break. I want to be really clear to everyone at home.” ([27:45])
• Murray’s Reflection at the Grave:
  “He had hope in us … That’s a damn good legacy to leave in this world.” ([54:01])
• Hal’s Producer Mode:
  “I am behind the smile and the comforting presence to so many others, am in the back of my mind thinking of Tycha, out my son, out in the world...” ([83:12])
• On the Candle’s Evil:
  “It is rendered from the fat of Taconis family members and it seeks to command the spirits of the freshly dead to speed on a number of different spell effects … This is one of the most horrifying necromantic [items] because it just looks like a candle...” ([115:18],[117:00])
• Cliffhanger Vision:
  “An angel of death flying across endless night… all of the statue's eyes glow white and you see ships sailing into the mist. As a voice calls out from darkness, ‘raise high the white banners. What has failed in life, let be made right in death.’” ([130:01])
• Comedy:
  • Murray and Wick’s top-heavy forging antics ([69:00]), repeated quips about nervous toots, and dark humor about hiding artifacts as “grandma props” ([112:20]).

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Party Hides/Plans at City Gates: [01:02]–[14:40]
• Tyranny’s Arcane Detection (Blasphemous Contract): [09:19]–[15:49]
• Sewer Escape & Political Stakes: [22:46]–[29:43]
• Funeral for Thiazi: [48:33]–[62:20]
• “Day After” Scheming and Skill Checks: [65:42]–[87:07]
• Loot Divided / Magic Item Reveals: [90:12]–[103:19]
• Candle Analysis & Augury (Major Plot Reveal): [113:44]–[130:45]

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Summary

Part 1 of "Buried Truths" delivers high drama and deeply personal moments as the party faces both loss and looming existential threats. Their day is spent balancing the mundane (work, forging paperwork, staff management) with the heroic (rescue, sabotage, and magical investigation). The discovery of the Candle of Slaughter and its implications for mass necromancy escalate the stakes — and with only part of the enemy’s plans thwarted, the stage is set for darkness and disaster to descend on Dolmakyar.

Part 2 will resume with the party’s next moves: securing artifacts, unraveling fresh mysteries, and racing against a necromantic tide.

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Transcript

[Announcer]

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[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

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[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Why hello there, I'm Brennan Lee Mulligan and welcome to Campaign 4 of Critical Role. Thank you for joining us on this journey as we explore Ahriman, a world of fractured kingdoms, tumultuous rebellion and sorcery that rises from the graveyard of the gods. You're listening to part one of this adventure with Part two arriving at this upcoming Tuesday. Our episodes typically arrive on the Critical Role Podcast network a week after our initial Thursday night streams on Beacon, YouTube and Twitch. But if you'd rather listen to a full podcast episode of Campaign 4 Right When it airs without any ads, consider becoming a Beacon member. You'll receive access to exclusive content discounts at all our online Critical Role shops, pre sales for live events and so much more. Start your seven day free trial today at Beacon tv. Now, without further ado, let's begin this episode of Critical Role. The Kavrosi Mountains and the highway stretching down all the way from the peaks on the long road you have taken from Timony. You now look down the steep switchback of the highway towards the massive crossroads where a train of wagons and those coming from the mountains have piled up at a busy crossroads, some turning to the east, headed towards Rhys and Gotel in the lands of the Einfoss and others turning right headed to Dolmakyar and there hangs the sign Dolmakyar, a mere five miles away. The city is soon to be in view and as the sun sets over the mountains we find Lord Wakander Haylovar of the Candescent Creed. God dammit, I didn't Think you would be. In the cold open, You see yourselves gazing out. Your companions have gone off to scout if there is perhaps some back road or farmer's way. As you see, there are some soldiers down monitoring the crossroads. The two of you are currently hidden in the wagon, along with a draped stone statue, which is the body of Telsidimir Pridesire. Your companions farther afield, scouting for another way around here so you don't have to go through this highly monitored area. But Yuru are probably no more than a few hours at this point. From a return to Dolmakyar City that holds many secrets, many schemes, and one enormous captured angel. What now falls upon the minds of tyranny and Wick, in this moment, um.

[Tyranny]

We're under this blanket with the stone body of Tayor's brother. And Wick, I know that you're nervous about going home, but you have to try to stop farting because we're under this blanket together. Okay?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Please lock it up. I. It.

[Hal]

It's.

[Wick]

It's the only way I can stop thinking about my sweaty palms. Honestly.

[Tyranny]

You're going through a lot.

[Wick]

No, no, no. It's just. We're so close that it's starting to feel real again. And, you know, there's so many. So many different directions we could go when we get back there. What if we reached the city gates and were held under arrest by guards or something? Or what if we. What if we see someone we know on the streets? What if someone calls my name and I. And I turn around because I forget I'm Nick now. I'm not Wick, you know.

[Tyranny]

Well, let's go through these options one by one. If somebody searches the cart and finds us or tries to place us under arrest, I presume we've only been gone, what, like a week or so? Like you still have pull in dul macchiari. You're still the chosen scion. So I think that there's a level of being able to. To talk your way out of pretty much anything. Unless there's something that you haven't told me about how your family handles corporal punishment in your family.

[Wick]

I don't know. The fact of the matter is I don't know what they think of me right now. And frankly, I'd like to go. It's a big family. You know this. Maybe there's some folks in there that are still good or don't know about these chained up angels and strange uses of filament and lies that they've been telling. Maybe I could speak to some of my family or some of the creed who still have good hearts. But. But in order to do that, I need to keep in character. Back there, you effortlessly played Dr. Finger. You effortlessly fell into the role of octys. I believed you. Maybe not everybody else did, but I was at least impressed with your commitment to the character. And I guess my question to you is, is there some sort of acting exercise or how do you do it?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

How do you stay in character?

[Wick]

What if I get nervous and my palms start sweating and I let out little toots? What can I do to focus myself?

[Tyranny]

Well, again, you are basically royalty, so if you toot, no one's gonna. I will take the blame, though. That's part of the job, right?

[Murray]

Of course.

[Tyranny]

We've agreed to that. I think you need to talk to Hal because he's the one who. Who has the acting chops. I mean, I appreciate that you think I was doing a good job. You were being cute.

[Wick]

Fantastic.

[Tyranny]

I think he might be a good person to talk to. I mean, in your family. Your mom seems like someone who is not directly super evil.

[Murray]

I don't know.

[Tyranny]

Do you wanna go talk to your mom?

[Wick]

She's sweet.

[Tyranny]

How do you feel about confronting your grandma Yanessa? That's a no. Okay.

[Wick]

I let out a sponsor. We're on the same page. I instantly toot.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Insta.

[Wick]

Toot

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

the small sound of a miniature clarion trumpet.

[Wick]

Do you think Teo's brother somehow can hear us? I feel like I'm gonna just take a little piece of cloth and sort of drape it over his.

[Tyranny]

I'm more worried about if he can smell us,

[Wick]

I guess. Yes. I would like to talk to my mother. I would like to talk to Hal, and I'd like to see who out there is still someone we can trust and who isn't. But that's gonna take subterfuge.

[Tyranny]

Okay.

[Wick]

And sneaky sneakies and acting skills.

[Tyranny]

You wanna be really low key about it?

[Wick]

I think so. At first, yes.

[Tyranny]

Okay. Because last time we did a check in, you were like, fuck my family. Sorry. You were like, I don't like my family, and I'm gonna burn this thing to the ground.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

No, no, no.

[Wick]

I'd still like to do that. But at first I feel like we just need information.

[Tyranny]

Okay.

[Wick]

So just finding out who we can trust, who can help us in this quest. I still am very much of the. I feel like we've changed a little bit on this little journey we've had.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh, yeah.

[Tyranny]

Let me see your palms.

[Wick]

They're really sticky.

[Murray]

Why are they sticky?

[Wick]

I mean, they're sweaty. They're sweaty.

[Tyranny]

Okay, they are a little sticky, but look, I see a callus. Look at that. I mean, strong hands.

[Wick]

No, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

[Tyranny]

Yeah, you're grizzled. You've been to war, baby. It's time. I think that you can now leverage. And you know what I think? I think that on the surface, when someone asks from your family what we've been doing grassroots outreach.

[Wick]

We've been spreading the word.

[Tyranny]

Spreading the word. We've been, you know, getting temp checks, and everybody still loves the Creed. And as far as I'm concerned.

[Wick]

Speaking of, I don't want to brag or anything, or maybe I should feel shame about this, but we stopped at a Creed temple en route and I sort of.

[Tyranny]

I don't know if I should brag, but maybe I should feel ashamed. I've never been more excited in what you're about to say.

[Wick]

I pulled a tyranny. I swiped something from a gentleman.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You stole. Shut your face. Shut your face. You stole something.

[Wick]

I stole. I pulled a tyranny. I stole these priestly orders and they have something.

[Tyranny]

Your radiance.

[Murray]

What are you gonna do about that?

[Wick]

I have to figure out what they mean and what they say and what. They seem to have some sort of magical aura. Maybe someone. Maybe someone could help us with that. Someone who knows magical things. They're priestly orders, but they just seem normal on the surface. But I don't know, what do they say are they?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

These are essentially the documents that anoint and establish the humble mountaintop chapel Lux that you ran into on your return to Dolnakjar as a Lux of the Candescent Creed. They are the holy orders. Meaning they are. It's almost blasphemous to say this, but it's a bit like a diploma. It is a mark of station. It is a.

[Wick]

But there's nothing creepy or weird in the writing or in the words.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Even for something like the Candescent Creed that wields tremendous magical power, it's weird to have you walk into a normal chapel of the Candescent Creed and there's not glowing magical artifacts every. So why did these orders have a small magical essence to them? Tyranny. Go ahead, if you'd be so kind and give me either perception or if you'd like, give me Arcana. And if you want to cast any magic about it, feel free to do that too.

[Tyranny]

Cast any magic about it, huh?

[Wick]

Do you have any detecty magic type stuff or

[Tyranny]

I don't have anything that detects magic. I could suggest to my dice to

[Murray]

do a really good roll.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

That's good. I try to suggest that to my dice all the time.

[Tyranny]

I get a one in Arcana. So I'm gonna use my. I'm gonna use my demon smell and sniff out some. Oh, 19.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

19 is very good.

[Tyranny]

Something smells. Oh, you're farting.

[Wick]

It's just we've had so many dried

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

meats, you know, it's so tyranny. You've been smelling it for a minute.

[Bolair]

So sorry.

[Murray]

I planted that seed.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You smell a bit of brimstone. There is an unmistakable scent of sulfur. There's an unmistakable scent of that sharp, acidic iron taste that's either being in a forge somewhere where metal is being worked, or the taste of having blood

[Tyranny]

in your mouth coming from the document,

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

or just around as Wick produces the document, you begin to experience these senses just looking at it. And it's a beautiful vellum scroll. The ink, you can tell, is a slightly altered. It's not raw filament, it's not pure filament, but it has a little bit in it. So there's a slight gleam or glow to the golden text on the parchment. But you're smelling something foul, and you're smelling it. It's something you're attuned to rather than something that's overpowering. You look up at Wick's face and you can tell he's not sensing what you're sensing. You have not yet touched the document. If you wish to touch it, you can inspect it further and see if you can follow up.

[Tyranny]

I wish to touch the document. And I will also say to Wick that I just remembered something. My sisters are probably close by. The scent of the pit of me, also the closer we get. And just as you don't know what sort of reaction your family is going to have to your return, I don't know what is waiting for me. Grassroots outreach. That's my best.

[Murray]

What am I rolling for?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

To touch and see. As you take the document, we're gonna keep that earlier. 19. You take the document, and as you inspect it further, Wick Tyranny's eyes go jet black. And as you look at it, Tyranny.

[Bolair]

You hear.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You hear the name of your father, your creator. Looking at the document before you, there are words written here in old Obra Dimian. There are also. The main body of the text is written in Lungiani. You see that there is a large sort of segment of the scroll, but there's A lot of embossed letters. Like every beginning of a sentence is a purely filigreed letter. Big and embossed and beautiful. Lots of calligraphy. As you stare, some of the letters begin to change color and begin to bleed. They turn a deep, dark red. The letters begin to bleed. And staring forward, you don't believe you're looking at holy orders. You believe you're looking at a contract. And we'll dive into this further on another episode of Critical Role.

[Announcer]

Hey, everybody, and welcome to tonight's Critical Role announcement Playhouse. Before we get into our game tonight, we have some announcements to get through. Next up, a little chat about cr.

[Wick]

$200,000. A little better than we found it.

[Announcer]

Member of the Critical Role foundation

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

charity

[Announcer]

group with me and Ashley, Kirby Winslow, Please come out here and tell us a little bit about the live action.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hi.

[Kirby Winslow]

Speaking of live auctions.

[Murray]

Yeah.

[Kirby Winslow]

Huh. The Critical Role foundation is joining forces once more with our friends at ebay. Live for a cause that's close to

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

all of our hearts.

[Murray]

Yes.

[Kirby Winslow]

Join us April 22nd and 23rd for shirts off Sam's bag. An all night fight against cancer.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Kirby Winslow]

A 24 hour stream where Sam and friends, you'll find out who will be auctioning off shirts he's worn on Critical Role. Like these, which will appear on screen.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

We got it. We got it. We got it. We got it.

[Murray]

Amongst the rubble.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You remember these?

[Wick]

Do they smell like these?

[Kirby Winslow]

Maybe we haven't washed them yet. And these.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Murray]

Remember these?

[Wick]

Not that one.

[Hal]

Classic.

[Murray]

Yeah.

[Kirby Winslow]

This one.

[Wick]

I don't know.

[Bolair]

Why is that?

[Kirby Winslow]

Yes, all will be available. And the stream will end. And other stuff too.

[Wick]

And other stuff too.

[Kirby Winslow]

Yes, the stream will triumphantly end in a daring to brigade one shot run by a sleep deprived Sam.

[Wick]

I'm gonna stay up all night and then run a one shot.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

What could possibly go wrong?

[Wick]

Yeah.

[Kirby Winslow]

Gonna be great. Hopefully all proceeds will go to our friends at HNC Living and Pablo. So tune in, enjoy the Fun starting at 7pm on April 22nd and thinking

[Wick]

on April 23rd at like 11pm yeah.

[Azune]

Awesome.

[Announcer]

Thank. It's Kirby. Hi, Kirby Taliesin. You got an announcement.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh, Weird Kids.

[Bolair]

Weird Kids is back with brand new episodes exclusively on Beacons starting May 5th.

[Announcer]

Look forward to new puppet companions.

[Bolair]

New puppet companions, fascinating new topics and of course, fantastic conversations from Ashley and I about growing up in Hollywood and our adventures beyond. In the meantime, you can find previous episodes every week on the Weird Kids YouTube channel and. And your favorite podcast platforms. And.

[Azune]

Yeah, that's what we're doing.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Awesome.

[Announcer]

Yeah, it's gonna be awesome. Thank you so much, Taliesin. Sam, you got an announcement?

[Wick]

I do, I do, yeah, I do. Hi. Our next Fireside Chat will focus on all things Titmouse animation. We invited the owner, president of Titmouse Animation and friend of Critical Role, Chris Pranosky to the Tavern. He'll be answering your queries live alongside Josh Knapp, the GM of our new show, draw your weapons. This is all happening live on April 27th at 7pm Pacific and will be available exclusively on Beacon for those.

[Hal]

Beacon.

[Wick]

Check it out, Matt.

[Announcer]

Actually, Travis, you're up next.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh, yes.

[Wick]

New in all the Critical Role shops.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh, thank you, sir. Critical Role wide leg joggers.

[Wick]

These unisex wide leg joggers feature an embroidered stripe with the phrases critical role and is it Thursday yet? From hip to toe, these super cozy

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

joggers are available in sizes extra small to 6 XL. And they come with pockets. You guys, drawstring. They're actually really thick and cozy. Check them out now at all the Critical Role online shops. Get yours today.

[Announcer]

Perfect. Thank you so much, Travis. I believe that concludes our announcements. So let's go ahead and jump back into AR schemers.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Sam. Ram,

[Wick]

Listen, every spring I tell myself I'm going to refresh my wardrobe. And every spring I remember how fast that adds up. That's where Fabletics comes in. Fabletics is built for the way a lot of us actually live. Stuff you can work out in, run errands in, or show up to a game night in. Which honestly is all that I want. For example, yesterday I was running out the door and I didn't have time to really think about what I was wearing. So I. I just grabbed my go to full zip hoodie and my go to sweatpants set and I threw em on and I looked great and people complimented me throughout the day and I felt great too. So here's the deal. When you sign up As a new VIP with Fabletics, you get 70 to 80% off everything. To grab it, head to Fabletics.com critical take their quick style quiz and make sure you select Critical when prompted to unlock your discount. This is a limited time offer, so don't sit on it. That's fabletics.com critical for 70 to 80% off every everything. As a new VIP, America's best network just got bigger.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Switch to T Mobile today and get built in benefits the other guys leave out. Plus our five year price guarantee. And now T Mobile is available in US Cellular stores.

[T-Mobile Advertiser]

Best mobile network based on analysis by Google of speed test intelligence data 2H2025 bigger network the combination of T mobiles and US cellular network footprints will enhance the T mobile network's coverage price guarantee on talk text and data exclusions like taxes and fees applied. See t mobile.com for details.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

We return to the depths of the sewers underneath Dol Machiar as our schemers walk forward, boots drenched in the sludge of the city, blades wet with blood of Crow Keepers and foul Fae alike, having rescued Penteveral grad student Demidus Blix from a certain death or worse at the hands of Crow Keeper or if they had their way, House Tokonis that still desperately, we presume, searches for him. Schemers, you've had a fucking day. We've got to go to work.

[Bolair]

And he's got a paper towel, he's got a favorite.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You have ta or whatever to do.

[Hal]

Our entire campaign is going to be 25 hours only.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You and you alone are doing the Jack Bauer. Yeah.

[Murray]

This is just one season of the Pit.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh my God. Right? In those shows I always want someone turn to camera and be like, every couple years I have like the craziest day. You. After the events of the Azzi's funeral, you all kicked into high gear, having chosen the aviary at the Sevenstars Tavern as your de facto headquarters, where using what chutzpah, cleverness, strength of will or skill at arms you have, along with the pull you do have at various institutions of the city, decided to try and do something about the sudden grasping clutch of power coming at the hands of the Chamber of Lords Advisory, which is the institution that represents the will of the sundered Houses here in Dolmach Yar. Kicking into high gear. Many plans went into work all at once, reaching out to Varon Cadorn and various other veterans of the Falcon's Rebellion that you were friends with, making an attempt to use this program to get volunteers from the Pentevral to work at the Archenaud to give each of you more reason to be working together, trying to slow down this sudden switch of wings being initiated by House Cormoray and Hal, working as best you can after having won the deed and title for the hallowed round to get Kothairai up on its feet. All of these political machinations, by the way, running parallel to whatever bizarre arcane machinations the late Thiazi Fang had. As you looked at whatever the fuck this paint was. What was this paint and the humming magic underneath these murals? Well, there are a million things at work in the city all at once. You've got far too much on your plate. However, Demetus Blix is rescued. Having told you all about the attempted coverup of the slaughter at the Palazzo Divinos, which you are well aware of. Having indeed created the illusion of true events. The illusion of the true events of the murder of Octys Taconis, though it didn't stick. And the slaughter of those vassals and men at arms of House Royce and Divinos at the Plaza Divinos. Demidus told you all about horrifying things said by Ophelia Saramai. The ministrations of one Trimus Taconus and different soldiers of the House Taconus. That were various hints about Falcon being brought to Obramis Manor here in Dolmachia. Certain things about someone saying that they wished. They wondered if an Argosian delegation was going to wish well to King Gus, who's now visiting from Timony. So much is going on. But what you do have is a rescued student who has proof positive of betrayal amongst the sundered houses. Now, can he be protected long enough? And can that be who would you present that information? Exactly right. Many, many questions. But you now walk through shadows together, having succeeded. And Hal, you walk out of the darkness having fundamentally altered your life. You are an adventurer, just like your three companions. No longer. The version of you holding a baby, looking at your brother on a horse is long gone. As you exit the shadows getting above ground, the question stands here of will you journey together now? The streets are much emptier and you will certainly be seen traveling together. If you head off in one direction, you see that Demetus is here with you. Where do you turn as you exit? The sewers. Yes.

[Hal]

Quick point of clarification because we haven't played since yesterday. I forgot a few details.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah. No one had to take a sudden and immediate multi week break. I want to be really clear to everyone at home. Everyone at home. No one had a sudden multi week break.

[Hal]

It's been 24 hours. So some of the details have fled me. Demetous Blix, you said has been. Does Demetus have. Is it just his account or. I can't recall if there was physical something that definitively proves that there is a coverup from that gala.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I believe you actually realized that. Yeah. He only have his account. There are things he can corroborate. But he doesn't have any physical evidence.

[Azune]

We have been building a case and

[Bolair]

we have physical proof of some physical. We do have the ring at the very least which we should not have.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

And you have what you were able to find doing your actual investigation. Yes. Right.

[Azune]

We have a half of a glyph that's been erased, but I introduced it as evidence along with the drawing of the Stone of Night Song. So I think what Demidus has standing alone does not give us physical proof, but it does certainly help a lot. The physical proof that we have manufactured or acquired.

[Murray]

And that's Octys signet ring that we have.

[Azune]

It's Octys signet ring. It's a signet ring to House Daconis.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You all feel a profound level of exhaustion setting in. It is 2 o' clock in the morning.

[Murray]

Stop trying to relate to me, Brennan.

[Hal]

Yeah.

[Azune]

I'm so spent.

[Bolair]

That method.

[Azune]

In this moment, I'm like that exhaustion is catching up. And I'm remembering that image of this protector that seemed to step out of me as I cast the shield spell. Which is part of why I'm totally depleted. The metamagic that required me to do that and everything else that I've done has left me completely and entirely spent. I'm useless.

[Murray]

You're not useless.

[Azune]

Well, I am certainly a lot less useful. If we were to run into any more trouble. What do we do with and I gesture at all of the loot that we have.

[Murray]

I'm going to do a quick scan. Do I see Timolo the fortune teller?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes. Timelo is still posted up in Caravan Hill. You see that? She's actually. But she's putting her stuff away. It's become so late that it's starting to be time for her to pack up into her wagon and lock the door and go to sleep.

[Hal]

We're past midnight at this point.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah, past midnight.

[Hal]

But there's still some amount of people.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah. Some sort of loud drunks. A few places. You can see that the places that have lights on the outside are closing and people are going off in search of places a little bit more like Potter's field. Places that have doors and hidden areas where they're not going to be able to make any noise that will disturb the neighbors.

[Murray]

Estimolo seen us.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You can give me a stealth check if you want her to avoid it. But if you want to catch her attention, you're able to.

[Murray]

I feel like I recall once again. I know this was just yesterday, but I feel like I remember giving her a nice little chunk of change. Right. For the information.

[Hal]

Yes. I remember that like it was yesterday.

[Murray]

Okay. I'm kind of watching her. If she happens to. If we meet eyes. I Just want to kind of just see if she happens to see us come out.

[Azune]

Mm.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

She makes eye contact with you as you exit. Does a little sleight of hand of sort of fanning the deck of cards from one hand into another, deposits it into a small velvet pouch by her side and nods. Waiting to see if you want to close and engage with her.

[Murray]

I don't want to engage with her, but I just return the nod and just take my index finger and move it over my mouth and just kind of give a light gesture to her to say, between you and me. Quiet.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

She looks at you and you see with a cantrip that you developed in wizardry, but which has existed amongst the Fae for a time immemorial. You hit that message cantrip and she messages you telepathically and says, the Rus of Dolmachiar have not known crows in quite some time. This has been a city of magpies for quite a while. And she goes into her wagon, closes the door and locks it.

[Murray]

I don't acknowledge what she said, but I will respond with the message and just say, I trust you'll keep what you've seen here between you and me.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You don't get a response.

[Azune]

Fair.

[Bolair]

I'm going to give you our poor boy licks my cloak so that we have some cover. And it does have a hood. And I'm just going to keep a relatively bland face on a moment.

[Hal]

You have a glamour going.

[Bolair]

I do. I hate it, but I do.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You. As you give it to him, I think you make eye contact with Demetus, who has witnessed what has transpired here in this place and just looks up at you, folds the cloak and he's a gnome. So your cloak trails behind him.

[Bolair]

That's right. He's a tiny one.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Well, yeah, but as you put the cloak on him, he puts it over you. See that he casts unseen servant. And a small gust of wind begins to trail your cloak like a wedding dress behind him with the train of a long gown. And he says, thanks for letting me stay with you. I appreciate it.

[Bolair]

We're going to have a lot of work to do and we're going to have to keep you safe.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Thanks.

[Hal]

You got a good storage closet for the boy?

[Bolair]

I have a couch.

[Murray]

He's not gonna be able to stay in the city.

[Bolair]

Well, we can't get him out of the city, can we?

[Murray]

I'm just saying we're gonna need a longer term plan than this.

[Azune]

We need a proper safe house. Look out for something that we can use for that. He's gifted. And we might need all hands.

[Murray]

He's a child, Azune.

[Bolair]

He's right there.

[Murray]

He knows he's a child.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I'm an adult.

[Murray]

Your frontal lobe still isn't fully developed. You're still a kid.

[Azune]

He's not that much younger than me.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Um. Well, I don't want to be a bother to anybody. I'm really glad. I tried to get out of the city really fast and. And I did it the wrong way. And every horrible thing happened.

[Bolair]

Could have been worse.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Azune]

And you need a good night's rest before we can.

[Murray]

Okay, we all need a good night's

[Azune]

rest badly tomorrow before we leave tonight. What's our plan for tomorrow?

[Murray]

Are you still trying to bury your brother tonight?

[Hal]

Family's probably been waiting there a few hours. Yeah, I contend to that though.

[Azune]

Okay.

[Murray]

Do you want me to come with you?

[Hal]

Any of you were welcome.

[Murray]

I wasn't at the Aussie's execution

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

and

[Murray]

I was late to the wake. So I'll keep you company on the walk

[Bolair]

late to the wait.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Marie and Hal head out together.

[Azune]

Azune, I kinda linger with Folaire and Demetus for a moment. Do you need an escort?

[Bolair]

I would not say no to one. And also the poor boy has seen me at my most interesting. So he may decide to take a run for it.

[Azune]

Then I'll escort Belair before going home.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Who has the wealth of magical gear?

[Murray]

Yeah, I think I do.

[Azune]

Okay,

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

as you guys walk and converse, I'm going to go ahead and add a bunch of stuff to your inventory.

[Hal]

Okay. Do do do do.

[Bolair]

It's dangerous to go alone.

[Azune]

I changed my mind. I go with Murray.

[Bolair]

I stab

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

for his body.

[Azune]

Looting your friends.

[Bolair]

That's deep.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Loot that body. Oh God. Shout out to tomorrow as you head off. You see that there is a sort of silence as Damadus goes. So you're. Just as like. Just because we're just going to be roommates, you know, I like look. So something about me is like I snore or I've been told that I snore. You're like, do you have any needs or are you a demon? How does it. Cause I noticed. I noticed that you're a different body than previously.

[Bolair]

Yes, that's very complicated.

[Wick]

Okay.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Better for me not to ask. I'm sorry.

[Bolair]

Well, it's just a lot and happy to answer quite a few questions after a bit of rest. But no, I'll say. We don't have a lot of food back home. But there is a very nice place to get some food in the morning. That's where I can go pick something up and bring it back. Just. Yes, I think everything will be fine. And I wouldn't. If you hear any strange noises coming from the cupboard, just. We did have a. A bit of a rat problem at one point. I have nothing going on. It's fine. This is odd. I know. I'm trying to make it amusing and it's not.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I don't have any problems because you saved my life. But I guess I would just say if I. Is. If I'm ever doing something that you feel like is gonna make you want to kill me, take my body over you, just let me know. I'll stop whatever I'm doing.

[Bolair]

Well, that's good. Cause I do have a list.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Is that a joke I actually would love. Okay. Sorry. Funny. Funny.

[Bolair]

I've never had to do this before. It's very odd.

[Azune]

Have a sense of humor.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh.

[Azune]

I mean, me neither.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Who should take you over?

[Bolair]

I don't even bloody know.

[Azune]

I was just speaking for myself.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hey, if you have a rat problem, I can make a bunch of cats. Not real.

[Hal]

Oh, God.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

But rats won't know.

[Hal]

Oh, God.

[Bolair]

No, Mag. I will say no magic for just. Although, I'm going to give you a pen and paper in the morning, and you're going to write down as much as you can remember.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great.

[Bolair]

There will be coffee and tea and things to eat. And you will sit and not. Make noise, which I know is very difficult for you. Honestly, it's one of the things that I find most charming about you. But for just a moment, we one

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

have to be subtle. You see, Demeter looks out blankly. The adrenaline crash and the trauma is hitting. He goes, okay. No noise. And you see that his nose unfurls and goes like a little party blower. He goes, that's my last one. Last one. Okay. As we get closer, I get nervous. I'm sorry.

[Bolair]

It's all right. I just have a migraine. Somebody's screaming in my head right now.

[Azune]

Oh.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

At that, he gets truly quiet and just walks alongside you.

[Azune]

As we get closer. Before I leave you and I'm kind of observing this, I stop you from leaving Polaire. There's one thing I want to say to you before we leave each other tonight. And I step very close, and I'm just scanning every centimeter of your mask.

[Bolair]

I'm very hard to read.

[Azune]

I'm not trying to read you like that. I think I owe you an apology. The other day, I looked at you and I didn't mean to try to fix Mend your face. I saw it made you uncomfortable and we stopped. But now I'm seeing this in a different way. And this. The nicks, the scratches, the marks that are on you, that is the story of how life has happened to you. I would never want to erase that.

[Bolair]

You know, there's a philosophy amongst curators at museums. There's a debate when dealing with history and things that have survived history. Things that are important is when we show them to people, do we make them pristine or do we let them show where they've been?

[Hal]

Do you leave?

[Bolair]

At what point do you leave graffiti on a wall? Because the graffiti is important. Do you clean a sword or do you leave the stains on it? The nicks and scratches, they're perfectly reasonable. Perfectly reasonable arguments in both ways. And very few people are steadfast one

[Announcer]

way or the other.

[Bolair]

It tends to be, in degrees. The wisest of curators, I feel, can listen to an artifact and see what it wants to present, and can see if it wants to show its glory or show its history and where it's been and its scars. Like veterans. Sometimes you want to pretend you're one thing and not another. I don't have much, but I have a face and I have a name. And that is why I have not given those two things up. That is why I wear this, as opposed to hiding it, which I could. I could have a fake name if I so desired. But no, these are mine. The scars are mine. And I appreciate that.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

That's

[Bolair]

better than an apology. Delightful wisdom. I appreciate it.

[Azune]

Balaire. Do you think of yourself as a thing or a person?

[Bolair]

I am a thing.

[Azune]

Can you be both?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

No.

[Bolair]

But I can dream. And I can live in a dream, not a wish.

[Hal]

I.

[Bolair]

I can be a story. And a story, honestly, is better than being a person.

[Azune]

Maybe.

[Bolair]

I think so. From at least witnessing all of this. And until recently, it was just a better story every day. We'll see where we go.

[Azune]

Well, take care of that, kid. Get some rest.

[Bolair]

Thank you for everything.

[Azune]

Of course. Thank you, too. You had my back.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Always.

[Bolair]

You're a good man. That's rare.

[Azune]

Yeah. See you tomorrow.

[Bolair]

See you tomorrow.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You part ways and as you get up to your apartment, Azuna, you have your long way back to your dwelling place and Bolaire getting into your apartment. You see? Quiet. Demetus looks up and says, I know you said no magic. Can I cast one ritual, if that's okay?

[Bolair]

You asked, so sure.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

He begins to lay out a small ritual circle, doing some sort of wizardly magic. This you can see does not look like an illusion. But you can see that he's doing the spell very carefully. Pentevral magic calls it. And small creature appears in front of him. And you see a tiny dappled chameleon walk out. And he goes, there you are, bud. Hey. He resummons his familiar.

[Hal]

Oh.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

And you see, he goes, this is Figment.

[Bolair]

Excellent name.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Thanks. I call him Figment because he's not real. But he doesn't let that get him down.

[Bolair]

Some of my favorite things aren't real.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I like that. The cool thing about not being real is that you can kind of be whatever you want.

[Bolair]

I knew there was a reason why I liked you. A quick secret. I just thought you should know.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes, I'm not real either. I don't know about that. Cause you're real. Nice.

[Bolair]

So is Figment.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hey, thanks. If you have any bugs. He loves to eat bugs.

[Bolair]

Oh, I think there's a few. I don't clean as often as I should in the kitchen. There's blankets over there. The couch is extremely comfortable. So I'm told.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You see, he goes, great, great, great, great. Wanders off.

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[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hallen Murray. You ascend up above the rookery. At the top of the rookery, looking out, you can see that the river Brightbrook unfolds here. My little map in front of me. And you see up above Brightbrook there is a beautiful old Orcish cemetery on the mountainside there. You see that there are a number of headstones here that are kept in this place. And you can see that the headstones all are relatively newer Druidic headstones that commemorate and Honor the life of the people here in their small prayers in Runyani, inviting them to see the world again as many times as they would to come back in a new life in a new guise. The slant of the cemetery is almost at a 45 degree angle. The soft soil or earth on this particular mountainside, you can see that there are a lot of stone slabs over because it's hard to dig that deep into the rocky soil here in this space. Marie, you accompany him all the way up the mountainside.

[Murray]

If it's all right with you, I don't want to intrude.

[Hal]

Well, I think we're breaking records for fast tracking acquaintance to co conspirator. But my brother believed in you. I believed in my brother. And right now I really need to reinforce that there is good in the world. And I choose to see the good in you that he saw. So thanks, pal. Give her a little whoop on the shoulder. Gods, I'm tired.

[Murray]

Yeah.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Arriving at the cemetery, you see that the larger corner grounds are actually behind an iron gate that's wrought here. You can see the handiwork of the Loy family in creating this kind of structure. Around this large cemetery, however, there is an older area way up on top of promontory where your father is buried outside of that main cemetery. And as you go to that outer promontory, you see that there is a small, humble little lantern. And you can see next to it there are some figures under blankets that have fallen asleep here, leaning against a headstone. You see, there's a fresh dug grave that is still open. There is a wagon with a body wrapped on it leaning against the back of the headstone. There are two young women, Shadia and Hero, who are asleep, heads on each other's shoulders. And you see seated on the back of the wagon, keeping watch, but has fallen asleep on his fists, is all good. So he's got a little small cane or caudrel in his.

[Hal]

Very gently rest my hand on his forearm and say quietly, what's good? All good.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Keeping watch. Keeping watch. Got the drop on me.

[Hal]

I tried to do that as gently as possible.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

No, it's all right. It's all right. It's all right.

[Hal]

Thank you. Thank you for getting them here.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah, it's all right.

[Bolair]

We're.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Well, we want to wake up the girls.

[Hal]

Yeah, yeah, I'll get them. Don't need to drag this out too long. I'll kneel down by Elodie, actually.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Mm.

[Hal]

And gently wrestle her awake.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Sorry, Hero.

[Hal]

Well, Elodie. Oh, did he Just get the girls.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

He just got the girls.

[Hal]

Then it's her.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah. You see? Yeah. Olga just got through. You maybe were anticipating Elodie being here, but you don't see her here right now.

[Hal]

Hey, kiddo.

[Bolair]

Hey.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hey, dad.

[Azune]

Hey.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

She gets up. Shadi gets up. Hey, dad. Give you a hug. And you see, Shadi looks over and says. Oh, Professor Magnus. Hi.

[Murray]

Hi. I'm starting to wonder if it's appropriate for me to be here.

[Azune]

Of course it is.

[Hal]

Of course it is.

[Murray]

I just wanted to make sure your father got here safely with everything that's been going on.

[Hal]

And Ms. Magnessen was a good friend of your uncle's, so she didn't get a chance to give her goodbyes at the house.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It got kind of crazy at the house.

[Murray]

Yes, it did.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

My mom got drunk with a demon.

[Murray]

Yep. Yes. Yes, she did.

[Hal]

She is set in her ways.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You see? Shadia shrugs. And you see that she reaches down and takes out some little small beeswax candles and hands a little candle over to you.

[Murray]

Thank you.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

And you see, she looks up at her dad, waiting for you to speak. Right.

[Hal]

Well, Marie, I wanted to at least give you the opportunity. Did you have anything

[Azune]

you wanted to say?

[Hal]

No pressure.

[Murray]

That's not true. Oh, yeah. Think that would have had time to think about this. I didn't go to the execution. I didn't go to the execution. And I am ashamed to say this because I knew deep down inside how it was gonna turn out. I didn't have hope. I didn't want to see that as the final moment imprinted on my brain of the Aussie. And that's something I've been wrestling with. A sense of betrayal in not hoping, in not being an optimist, Even though I was right. But I think the Aussie had hope. Not in his own faith. I think deep down inside he knew. He knew that his past was gonna catch up to him one way or another. But he had hope in us. Hope in his nieces nephew. He had hope in the people around him. And. That's a damn good legacy to leave into this world. And I only hope that. That maybe. Maybe I can live up to that. We can live up to that. Follow in his footsteps. Just hopefully not to the grave. Sorry.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Sorry.

[Murray]

I think the exhaustion is getting to me. You go.

[Hal]

I could just draw my daughters in and stand over his resting place. And even though it is well past midnight from the sparse lights throughout the city, I look out at the rookery below us and I can see out in the dark just barely where the loy home rests, where the edge of the city goes to complete darkness blanketing the hallowed round. You ranged the world over. But you were born of Dol Machiar. Its forests sheltered you, its rocky climes strengthened you, and its streets imparted unto you its lessons. Hard earned held long. Heart of the rebellion. The Rungiani welcome you home. Here may you keep your final watch,

[Bolair]

Brother of mine.

[Hal]

And I give my two girls

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

a

[Hal]

tight squeeze and then drop my arms and pick up the shovel lying on the ground and go to the work of burying my brother.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Returning that embrace. Your daughters stand back. You take the shovel silently. All good takes. One more body is interred. White sheet, all of the little glass gems, the bright and shiny inexpensive jewelry that was given to him at his wake, small flowers adorning the wrapped body as the the soil of your homeland covers your brother

[Murray]

once the soil is packed in. Marie runs her finger across the flickering candle, captures a little mote of light in her hand, a little gust from her breath. That light scatters into gentle fireflies

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

that

[Murray]

just blanket his grave.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You spend your time here in reverent silence, looking at the the beauty of this place where he is finally laid to rest.

[Murray]

Fucker's got the best view in the city.

[Hal]

Money can't buy everything.

[Murray]

Don't tell the sundered houses that.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You remain here for as long as you need.

[Azune]

Hel.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

As the impact hits you, there is no more work to be done. This last ritual completes it. And whatever feelings were not laid to rest here. There will be no more ceremony to resolve. They will merely follow you into the waking days of the rest of your life. Shadia lays a hand in between your shoulder blades, puts a head on your shoulder. Tears stream with ease down her cheeks. Hero squeezes your hand. Bye, Uncle Thiazzi. And in the wee hours of the morning tears are shed, goodbyes are said, and you walk away as the last arcane fireflies descend and land on this grave under the boughs of an old hardy pine overlooking the great city of Dolmakyar, whose fate rests in your hands. Morning comes the following day, and in so doing we find ourselves looking at those of you who have much work before you. As this new day arrives, all of you are are beyond exhausted. Go ahead and take a long rest.

[Hal]

Goodbye temporary hit points.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Goodbye temporary hit points.

[Bolair]

I can see most of them.

[Azune]

Bring them back to me.

[Bolair]

I don't even remember where the button for this is. It's been so long.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Somewhere.

[Bolair]

Somewhere.

[Azune]

And whatever we got from Aid Is gone to.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

But I get a wrong inspiration

[Hal]

question. Yes. One of my abilities is after you finish a short or a long rest, you can play a song that gifts two allies. Heroic inspiration.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes.

[Hal]

Might you DM consider our closing words to Thiazi A short rest?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Sure.

[Hal]

I would say for me to give Marie a heroic inspiration.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Murray, you have heroic inspiration.

[Murray]

What is that? A D6 free.

[Hal]

No, no, that's a D20 reroll.

[Azune]

It's a reroll of any die.

[Hal]

Yeah.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

A D20 re you also, I think in this moment, you reroll your portent as well.

[Hal]

That's important.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

That's important. Important, important. It is. Finally, the following day, as all of you awaken.

[Hal]

This is a new campaign.

[Bolair]

Right?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

This is a new campaign. What'd you get?

[Murray]

I rolled my fuck me. Fuck you. Die. And I got a fuck me. So that's a natural one.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Natural one is incredible.

[Tyranny]

Yes.

[Murray]

So I can use it. It's not bad.

[Hal]

Yeah, you can use it.

[Murray]

That's a good.

[Hal]

Because I'm on somebody's day.

[Murray]

And a seven. So this is more of a fuck you kind of a day.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes.

[Hal]

She woke up and chose violence.

[Murray]

I woke up and I chose legit.

[Bolair]

Murray wakes up in the midpiece was never the answer.

[Hal]

Yes.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Incredible. As you all awaken that day, you have had some wild adventures. However, there is a lot of work ahead of you here because you've all sort of vanished the day before. With some exceptions, you did work at the Plaza Divinos. What I would like to put before all of you is essentially a skill check for going out and doing the things you have to do. You're a few days away from opening night of the play. I will go ahead and ask for a skill check for me. So you're basically going and doing your job. And I will allow you to add some D4 to the roll. You may add one D4 to the roll if you extend the skill check over. Over multiple days. Meaning it represents two days of effort or three days of effort rather than a single day of effort.

[Hal]

Right.

[Bolair]

Okay.

[Azune]

Got it.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

But that following morning, what do you guys get up to? Ha ha ha ha.

[Murray]

I.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You have your standing meeting at Behavior like that evening, presumably.

[Murray]

Yeah. So I owe Dean Cora my five student picks from these internship submissions. We established in previous games that Hero was not in that stack.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hero was not in that stack.

[Murray]

I'm gonna do a little bad. I'm gonna do a little baddie.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Okay. And

[Murray]

I would like to forge a submission form from Hiro.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hell, yes.

[Murray]

Because I want to put her forward. So I slip hero in this pool. Despite Murray fully knowing that I don't think Hal would like this.

[Azune]

Are you a forger?

[Bolair]

Do you have this power or are you just going for it?

[Murray]

I'm just going.

[Wick]

Okay.

[Bolair]

Just curious.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Okay. I'm going to need. I do not believe you have this proficiency. I've been wrong in the past, but I don't believe you do.

[Murray]

I don't believe I do.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You do not. So this is gonna be a flat dexterity check.

[Hal]

You do have a reroll.

[Murray]

I do have a reroll.

[Hal]

Or you could choose the Fuck me. Die.

[Murray]

Destroy everything and destroy.

[Tyranny]

No,

[Murray]

my dex is not great. Cause I am top heavy.

[Azune]

It's just the image just happens.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I love the idea of you holding a pen and being like, whoa. Murray wobbles out of the way.

[Murray]

Okay.

[Hal]

If I sneeze, it's over.

[Murray]

Okay. That's not great. I'm gonna use my reroll.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

All right, here we go. Here's our reroll. Come on.

[Murray]

It's worse.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Copy that. Copy that.

[Murray]

It's worse. I have to use the reroll, right?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Or. Yeah, I believe so. Right. Or what has heroic inspiration.

[Azune]

You reroll immediately and you must use the new roll.

[Murray]

Yep.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great.

[Murray]

So that's a four.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

That's a four.

[Murray]

Great.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You create a stunning forgery of hero diamonds. Application. Great. Do you submit that along with sort of four others that feel fine? Yeah.

[Tyranny]

Yeah.

[Murray]

I want very mid students.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great. You put them on Dean Cora's desk. Perfect. What else do you get up to that day before your check in at

[Murray]

the seven Stars for my check in? I think I am. I think Murray does a lot in terms of making herself very seen in the pentevral today.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great.

[Murray]

Popping into a lot of classrooms, checking in, walking into the teacher's lounge kind of a thing. I think she's getting caught up on all of the work that she's been missing. But I think she's like. She put on some red lipstick and she put on her power heels, and she's like, boss bitching around the pentevral today to a point of where if anyone knew what she was actually doing, like, if you knew, it would almost seem borderline performative in the fact that she is being that scene. She goes around her daily duties with just a good energy.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Give me a We don't have this in 5e. They used to have it in 3.5. It was called profession. But go ahead and just give me intelligence plus proficiency. As you do your job, try to make, like, show face.

[Murray]

Okay.

[Azune]

Profession check.

[Murray]

Okay. 16.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

16. Great. It seems like a good old day for Murray the bursar. And you're running around doing your thing here. You do not run into Dean Quora at all today, which is a little bit frustrating. Cause she was like, I need those on my desk end of day. And now it's like, I don't have time to get to this until the next week. And you're like, so what was the end of day about? If you don't look at it till next week, why didn't I have until next week? You know? But I know you out there feel my pain. The so with that, you conclude your day, or your day is at showing face. You're doing a great job at the pentevral. You know, it's tense because people know that there's this big change with the Taconis and the Cormoray. But seeing your face gives a lot of people hope and a good feeling. Right. Although news of Demetus disappearance is kind of spreading through the school, people wonder where he is. Like, it's gone from being absent to being like, where the fuck is he? Could I.

[Murray]

Like, if I hear any type of whispers about that, like students gossiping in the hall, I'm just like, he's got the flu. And then keep going. Like, kind of make like, if I hear anything, it's like, he's a little sick.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah. Do you want to say that definitively? Like, you know that to be true, or are you saying it as like a probably.

[Murray]

Probably sick.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great. Give me a deception check

[Murray]

that's cocked. Very cocked. Okay.

[Tyranny]

15.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

15. Great for Azune. What are you getting up to this next day?

[Azune]

I mean, I start my mornings. I'm very much sticking to my routines. I get up in the same way. I wash up. I put the arcane marshal getup on in the same order. And I go to the falcon's rest like I do every morning. And I just do a scan to see if Varen is there.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You do a scan to see if Varon is there? Duh, duh, duh. Varen is not there this morning.

[Azune]

Kind of expected him not to be. So I will try to leave him something. I'm going to take a torch that I have as part of my gear. I'm going to plant it near where I know he goes to do his remembrance. And I'm going to light a fire. I'm going to control flames, put a couple images in it. A falcon.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Cool.

[Azune]

And seven stars.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great.

[Azune]

And the sun setting.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great. Perfect. Hell, yes. Go ahead and give me a profession check for just doing your rounds that day.

[Azune]

Okay. Is this.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

This would be, I think probably your spell casting ability plus your proficiency.

[Azune]

Great. Is this something that I can guidance myself on if I'm intentional?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah, I think if you're intentionally doing it, you can do it.

[Bolair]

Okay.

[Azune]

My guidance gives me a three plus my spellcasting. That's a 25.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

25. Damn.

[Azune]

18 plus four plus three.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You're just hitting your rounds that day. Following the Palazzo Divinos. Lord Einfasten is not in today, so. He's not in today, so you have a lot more free reign. It seems like he's taking. One of the problems of these grasping power hungry maniacs is that the more you try to control everything, the less time you have. Oh, right. You know, just like bandwidth is real. So you can see because of. You realize because of the things you discovered yesterday at the Palazzo Divinos, he can't have Revolutionary Guard hat on today. He needs to have Einfeld.

[Murray]

I laughed way too.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah, what's that, Rich?

[Murray]

You were like, yeah, you're bandwidth of dread.

[Hal]

I was like, that's crazy.

[Murray]

Why am I.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Don't.

[Murray]

Don't. I just. Don't look at me.

[Hal]

Don't perceive me.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Don't perceive me.

[Murray]

Look at this map of Dulmakhar.

[Azune]

Lieutenant Il Kafsaren. Yeah.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Is he.

[Azune]

I just. As I'm doing my job. I just want to observe him. I just want to get a read on him, what his demeanor is.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Give me an insight check.

[Azune]

Okay. Uh. Oh, that is a nine.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You've known this guy for a long time. Your opinion about him is the same as you read him last time. You suspect that he is not a hardliner or a zealot. He's not someone who's like, yes, the Einfausen. But he is someone who fundamentally has a low opinion of the people of Dul Machior. He is someone for whom he is genuinely. You know. I don't think you get any new information from yesterday. Essentially the things you saw yesterday, which is that he doesn't like, he had no care or regard for Misha Undragor because he fundamentally sees the Revolutionary Guard as the good guys and therefore Dolmachyar, rather than being the city that he's protecting, is the enemy's arrayed against the Brethren Hall.

[Azune]

Yeah, I think it also. I can't get out of my head the pain that he caused Hal and Murray and how he treated the Arcanist.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Misha.

[Azune]

Misha. I go about my day.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great. Go about Your day doing your job, Bolayer.

[Bolair]

Well, I'm going to head to the museum and begin the process of instilling discord. It is the day to close the museum. For the foreseeable future, while the collections are, or at least the Lloyd Wing collection is cataloged, referenced, and then brought to its new home, we have new people showing up. I believe you sent us over a few. Will they be sending.

[Murray]

Korra gets to it okay? It's on her desk.

[Bolair]

Well, in that case, first order of business, if I show up, I'm going to be taking at least three people I trust, and I suppose Mr. Dunn, who normally does the archaeological work. I'm going to need you to start in the north corner section. We're going to be doing a curatorial referencing system by hand, set up by battle and historical preference for these artifacts. Dr. Anizela, you'll be taking the west end of our section, and it'll be taxonomic by object, type and reference. If it doesn't have it, just wing it. Ms. Karella. Educational subclasses for everything that's left over. If you end up mixing and matching a bit. While these things happen, I figure three different organizational systems that have nothing to do with each other should be delightfully fun. You'll each be getting some help coming in in the next couple days. They're young, impressionable, and I will have no idea just how absolutely fucked this is going to be. And use your own handwriting. You don't have to be particularly clear. And we're going to need to hide.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Have we already dealt with the swords? You see, this would be. I think this would be Rosadella.

[Bolair]

Okay, yes.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Who says we can? Would you like us to? And you see, she looks at you and says, we're happy to make happen whatever needs to happen.

[Bolair]

We're going to be a little bit more cautious. I would like a, as quickly as possible to have all of the swords in individual crates set up against the wall right over there. And I point to where very, very near my little hidden office. And then all of our display pieces next to them, properly labeled. Hmm. Actually, on second thought, make sure that those labels are very close to the same thing.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Go ahead. If you'd be so kind and give me a deception check. Or forgery, if you prefer.

[Bolair]

I don't know what my forgery is. I'm so curious. Let's take a look. Where would I find that?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It would be in one of your proficiencies.

[Bolair]

Tools. Alchemist supplies. Calligrapher's surprise.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah, calligrapher supplies. I Would do Calligraphers, if you want.

[Bolair]

Yeah, calligraphers, sure. So that would be a D20 for.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I believe. This would be intelligence plus proficiency. So this would be plus 6, which

[Bolair]

is the same as my deception. I believe so. Come on, be cool. That is.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh, 15. A 15. You begin the process of creating this extremely elaborate cataloging system as you shut the museum down. Are you doing this basically in advance of the Kormoray? Shutting it like you're shutting it down early?

[Bolair]

Essentially, we've shut it down that day. Everything is closed.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great.

[Bolair]

Because we need to start the work. I want to make sure that I have cases so that I can personally switch the swords in a way that nobody else has to know where they are, so that no one has to lie, so that I can move these around and play the three cups in a ball game.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Gorgeous.

[Bolair]

And I'm also going to start forging a document.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great. So incredible. You want to give me that forgery check?

[Wick]

Yeah.

[Bolair]

Can I get a. No, I don't get a bonus for that. That's just a plus six, isn't it? Come on, look it up. I need this. I know. That's not bad. 14.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

14. Great. For the 14. Forgery check. You begin to forge a document. What does the document say?

[Bolair]

It's a document that implies that in the event that the museum takes down the dispute, the swords go back to the Lloyd family, since they are their property. This was on loan?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes.

[Bolair]

So this clearly doesn't belong to us.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Bolair]

So once I have that forged, I'm going to place it on my desk, and then I'm going to move the real swords. I'm going to package them and get them out of there. Is my plan perfect? Before switching? Before, actually, yeah, no switching. Everything's going to be in its proper flurry of activity.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

The Loy Wing is filled with robed archivists and an armada of index cards and ink. Hal, what are you up to?

[Hal]

Well, I think I do the only thing I can do when the world is so fucked, which is throw myself entirely into my work. I go into full producer mode. So I let Allgood sleep in because he was so hard at work last night. Faithfully as ever, I track down Nevada Anza, grande dame of the theater, who is directing Kotherai. I touch base with her, hear her concerns, make suggestions, and I will tell her that the theater would be lost without her and give her a bardic inspiration in saying so. As that reverberates through the base of her skull, I will spend time with Eddar Goren, who is the first position in the theater's chorus, to see how they are coming with their choreo. I will spend time with Lash, our young leading man who's playing Murzot in the production, and see where he is in his journey from yesterday where he was struggling a bit. I will then double back to Allgood and go over the books and make sure that sales are going okay and that we're not falling behind or going into the red in all of that. And then I will probably close out the day by walking around the city for a few hours with Shadia, pasting up slips advertisements for the first time for this play and touring the entire city in doing so. And always in between conversations with a hundred people. Whenever there is a quiet moment, I am behind the smile and the comforting presence to so many others, am in the back of my mind thinking of Tycha, out my son, out in the world. I'm thinking of Azune in tears in my home in front of me. I am thinking of Murray, new ally and friend cracking a bit on the hill in the night and fireflies in the dark. I am thinking about a sword going through some stranger's chest in the sewers underneath the city. I am thinking, thinking of a mask that is my friend and the distant echoing song of something very, very powerful and old. I am thinking of Thimble kneeling at my brother's side in my home. And I am thinking of my brother as the dirt covers his face.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Those images every time you get a quiet moment, so often as Shadia tumbles through a square, erupting in juggling balls and ribbons as the rest of the barker crew comes out announcing to everybody Kothairai, opening night of the hallowed round. Come see the People's Amphitheater. Blast of fire. Revolution, betrayal, wonder, heroism. A tale for the ages. And you see just excitement, excitement, excitement and images flash over and over again. Give me a performance check if you'd be so kind, and I'll say there is a. You're trying to hit a 15. You'll get an added benefit if you hit a DC20 and an extra added benefit if you hit a DC25.

[Hal]

That is garbage. That is garbage.

[Azune]

All good.

[Hal]

That is garbage.

[Murray]

Hard to put on a happy face.

[Azune]

I know, I know.

[Hal]

That might be Persuasion, but it wasn't.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It wasn't performance.

[Hal]

Is there anything I can do for myself?

[Bolair]

There's not.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I'll remind you that you can add D4 to the roll by adding on extra days. But that's up to you.

[Hal]

Well, I think I probably would be in producer mode. I don't know what's to come in this coming week.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

That's true.

[Hal]

This is the whole week. I would say I would be doing all of this stuff for three days. If I don't die three days from now.

[Bolair]

I assume you would give me a list of some things you wanted from the museum before I locked it out. And anything you want for the show, now is the time to ask so that I can grab it now before it turns into a giant pile of something.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I'll say too, for those of you, if anything you guys do in this first day today. Now, Murray, you have left these. That's on Korra's desk. You had the rolls you had. But for Bolaire and Hal, if you don't want to submit that document yet, and if you don't want to sort of submit that roll yet, we can roll again to add to that a little bit more tomorrow and the next day. The next day. Yeah.

[Bolair]

Because I would love to bring as much stuff that you need over as soon as possible, so.

[Hal]

Well, because the total on this is a nine, which is awful.

[Bolair]

Yeah.

[Hal]

And because he absolutely would be doing this for days, I will hold off on. So would I. Mark that nine. Mark that nine down for me.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Mark that nine down for me. You'd be so kind. Or we can just take the nine right now and see what that results in. If you would like to roll a new roll tomorrow.

[Murray]

Take the nine.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Bolair]

This is somehow crueler. Brave.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

This is.

[Bolair]

This is so cruel.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It's cruel. Break, break.

[Murray]

Felt down in the tide downtown square.

[Bolair]

Can he bleed?

[Hal]

All right. Well, let's look at it this way. What a fucked day yesterday was. Give me the nine.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Give me the nine. You're exhausted. This deed coming through. This would have been a good idea if the now, almost three weeks ago that this all came through, you've been able to solely focus on this. The two weeks of the beginnings of rehearsals. You were at the great tower in the chamber of the Lord's advisory every day trying to save your brother's life. This thing has been lost. It's lost. The performances are great, everything else is great. But everything you've seen in micro is working. But for it to all come together, oh, boy. Doesn't feel good. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. And as the slips start to go up, you wonder. You wonder if it's all gonna come together in time that night. It's a mystery at the seven Stars. That evening, you guys all come together after a day's work and find yourselves upstairs. Drinks and food in front of you again.

[Hal]

Mm. I haven't put a morsel in my belly all day.

[Murray]

Yeah, me neither.

[Azune]

I've been eating.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I eat a lot.

[Bolair]

I bought food for the boy. He's busy composing what I hope to be is a delightful document for us. I actually suggested to him that he write it as a play. Might get the wheels moving along a little more clearly.

[Hal]

Tell them to put together a pitch.

[Murray]

You know what always helps me though? A little bit of larceny therapy. And I pull out this. This small charm necklace.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah. Yes.

[Murray]

That we got from the Thieves Guild.

[Announcer]

And I'm willing to from House Claire's my go.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I'm gonna look at this.

[Murray]

I'm gonna cast.

[Bolair]

Sorry.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Thank you.

[Murray]

I'm gonna cast identify as a ritual.

[Azune]

Love it.

[Murray]

And figure out what this amulet is that we yoinked.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Incredible. If you wanna take a moment to cast identify on all the loot you got, we can call that what you are doing. Yeah. We said the first hour of dinner is just you going over all this shit.

[Murray]

Shake out the bag.

[Hal]

Oh, wow.

[Murray]

So stack up the runes.

[Hal]

That's a whole line of rituals. So we're like bringing you. We're refilling your glass, we're fetching food for you because you're at work for an hour at the table here.

[Bolair]

I don't even have to eat. I'm just nervous eating through this. Oh. Like popcorn.

[Hal]

Like Cookie Monster. And you're just pressing.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It goes in there. It just falls out.

[Bolair]

It goes in there. I got mouth underneath this.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Incredible. As you begin to research this stuff, you take the charm necklace first. As you identify it, you begin to pull the strands together. This necklace, you can see, is an ancient fairy charm. But you can see a lot of why this stuff got left here in this rogue's meeting point was a lot of this stuff was only going to be effective put to spellcasters. Right. The charm necklace. You can see the jangling fairy charms along it that are all these different beast shapes. Like a little deer, a small ivory hind. And there's a little gray rabbit, a small red swallow, all these little birds around it and animals and things like that. The jangling charms have a place for a spell to be cast within it. The nature of the charm is that it has a function. When attuned to, the charm will rattle and jangle if you are being scryed on, if you are being divined on. If someone's Using a spell on you, it will let you know that that is happening. Now, it's not as powerful as non detection because it can't prevent it. However. Wow. The receptacle for a spell to go in here can accept an illusion spell that can fool a particular type of divination. So in other words, though it cannot necessarily stop all divination, you could potentially put an illusion spell in here. And if that illusion was like a change, like a disguised self spell, it might allow a divination to actually pull up the disguise. Right. And read that as being truth. So you can load a little illusion in here to fool certain kinds of divination magic.

[Bolair]

Right.

[Murray]

So like jamming the airwaves kind of a vibe.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

A little jamming the airwaves kind of vibe.

[Hal]

But you have to pick the right code.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes.

[Hal]

To keep out malware.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes. You have to kind of figure out what you think you're likely to get picked up on. So, for example, if the thing you were really worried about was like, oh, paladins are going to use their divine sense to tell that I'm a fairy or a demon, you could put a disguise self spell of a normal person, and they maybe would pick that up as that, and the charm would still jingle to let you know that you were being divined against. Trip the firewall. Trip the firewall. Okay, interesting. The four potions are. Four potions of healing.

[Murray]

Four potions of healing.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

4 potions of healing. Very useful. And you have these small little pouches of gemstones as you pull them out. Ms. Magnessen, you recognize these very, very well. You think these maybe got stolen from the Pentevral?

[Murray]

Okay.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

These are metamagic gems. All of them are. So first of all, number one, they're gems. They're quite expensive. You can do cool stuff with them. They're worth a lot. Number two, they are consumables. They can be crushed as a. The gems can be crushed as a material component of a spell and have their energy consumption consumed into the spell. The effects that they have are different, and they are associated with various schools of magic. I'll go ahead and bring up what their effects are. The effects are very minor, but the thing is, you don't need an action to trigger them. It's part of the material component of a spell casting, essentially. So it adds a little bit more kick to a spell.

[Murray]

Wow.

[Bolair]

You have to snort the gem, though.

[Azune]

One more ruby runs out fast, though.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Bolair]

That's six seconds.

[Hal]

You're supposed to pulverize it first.

[Bolair]

What

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I'M so sorry.

[Wick]

What'd you say?

[Hal]

I don't.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You can see that there are a small number here. Ta ta ta. 1. The of one of the little satchels has three Voker's gems in them. Evoker's Gem basically grants advantage on an evocation spell that has a single target. So if you're making an attack roll with an Evocation spell, this will give you advantage on that attack roll. And on the roll of a natural 20, the target is knocked back 15ft. You have a. There is a pouch with two viners gems in it. These can be used in casting a divination spell. And if done so, you gain advantage on your next initiative roll before a long rest as sort of the gem adds this heightened level of awareness around you. You see that there are several others of these gems. There are Muter's Gems, Mancer's Gems, Juror's Gems. I'll add the correct amounts into your inventory. So we don't have all this accounting.

[Azune]

So there's multiple of each.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Multiple of each.

[Bolair]

We get to do a little divvy.

[Murray]

You get to do a divvy.

[Bolair]

I love a divvy.

[Azune]

Yeah,

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

the Rural Juror. Of these various ones, there are some that have a little bit flashier powers than others. The Juror's Gem, for example, just gives you advantage on the next saving throw before a long rest. If you do it as part of an abjuration spell. Probably the flashiest one of them would be the Muters gem, which is if you use it as part of a transmutation spell that targets a single creature. If that creature either fails at saving throw or willingly allows itself to be affected by the spell, it gains one of the following until the end of your next turn, which is a climb or swim speed equal to its walking speed, a fly speed equal to half its walking speed, or its speed is reduced by half. So all of these are basically add ons to spells that you might want to cast. They're sprinkles for spells. And by putting them on there, there has to be a little bit of guesswork in what's going to be useful. However, you wonder if these were taken for their metamagic effects or just a

[Murray]

pretty bag of gems.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Just a pretty bag of gems. Because what you do see is you have these 40 blank spell slips.

[Azune]

Yes,

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

this is the big ticket item. Because a you think the reason these gems are here is because these gems, if you don't want to use them for their other abilities, can be ground up into the Animal and imbued onto them and imbued onto these spell gems. Right. The way that the spell glyphs, sort of the blank slates of the spell glyphs work is they can only be imbued with spells that have a sort of range and area of self. Misty step sea invisibility, things like that. Right. Because the way it works is you don't even need to be a caster to use them. You can just break a spell glyph. So that gives you a very limited. Like the glyph can't do anything like pick a target. Right. It needs to be like no fuss, no muss. It's a self cast. When you break it, the spell goes into effect on the person who broke it. Right.

[Bolair]

I have an out of game question that I'm going to put off camera one. So I'm just putting about how this works.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Gotcha. These gems would probably go like 1 to 1 per spell level into putting a spell into these blank slates. So a more powerful spell would take more of these gems going into. Into it. And you still need someone capable of casting the spell. You need the spell slot to go into it.

[Azune]

So we need the gems ground up and that becomes part of the component that draws out the glyph. And someone that knows that spell or

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

something like that to be able to draw it into. And then someone with the actual proficiency. You probably need someone with proficiency in calligrapher supplies grinding up these gems into a special match, magical ink. And then you need someone who can

[Azune]

cast the spell who knows the spell.

[Murray]

So do we. Is it correct to infer that these bag of gems they got and then they realized, oh, they're metamagic gems, so they're not really useful for what we need.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

A bunch of rogues would have no use for these metamagic gems because they can't do anything on their own. You need to add them to a spell of Vorcaster.

[Bolair]

But like, we could. We could make. We could put spells into these and then give them to people who can't cast. So anybody could use them if they're just willing to snap the cookie in half.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yep. All right.

[Bolair]

All right.

[Azune]

That's good.

[Bolair]

That's awesome.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

That's really awesome.

[Azune]

That's good. That's good.

[Bolair]

We'll talk on the break.

[Murray]

Yeah, we'll talk on break.

[Bolair]

We'll talk on the break. I got some thoughts I have.

[Azune]

Yeah. And so just so I'm sure these gems can only do what those gems say they can do. Or can we use that. And have that help us craft a spell that we know onto a glyph.

[Bolair]

It's any spell we know. Any spell we know that's a self though.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Any spell you know that is a range or area of silph.

[Azune]

Okay.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Can be put into one of these glyphs. Glyphs.

[Azune]

Using the dust from these treasures.

[Hal]

So no, you lose the range. Attack against an enemy doesn't work. This is just a. Yep.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Cool, cool.

[Murray]

But then the gems. If we grind up the gems, they would use their metamagic components, Right?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Correct. Got. So basically you think you happen to know that these gems are very useful to spellcasters. To these rogues. The gems are just useful because you can make the spell ink out of them and make these glyphs. Got it. Right. They're not using them for their innate properties. They're using them for the raw magic getting broken down. They want to chop shop them into making these spell glyphs.

[Azune]

They need more steps in order to be able to use it at all.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes. Okay. Okay. At the end of the hour, there's a bunch of plates of empty food and Murray, you're like. With all of the new magic items that you guys have in this moment.

[Bolair]

Oh, this is what a palette.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Right, right. I'll say. 2. You are looking at in front of you. Yes. There's all this magic. These gems can do some cool shit. They could be the difference between life and death. Some of these little additive effects on normal spell casting. You're also looking at thousands of gold pieces worth of value between the gems and the charm and the blanks and everything else like that. And especially when talking about this sort of fired Revolutionary Guard. People like that. So there is perhaps the greatest magic of all is feeding people his funds. His funds. Yeah.

[Murray]

Okay.

[Bolair]

Offensive amounts of money it is.

[Azune]

So we have some thinking to do about how we utilize these newfound resources.

[Murray]

Talk at the break.

[Azune]

Speaking of these spell glyphs, do we have another meeting with Orys Blade in the works? It's probably getting late for that. But something to think about for the next day, perhaps.

[Murray]

Yeah. I think we should definitely take a little factory tour of the hand and wheel.

[Azune]

And is there a guild? A merchants guild? I suppose that's something. If I don't know. It's something to ask him because they have a dog in this fight that's upcoming.

[Hal]

If I don't know it, than Elodie would.

[Azune]

Okay. I have a list.

[Bolair]

You have a list.

[Azune]

I always have a list.

[Bolair]

That's very good.

[Azune]

But before I get into the list of ideas that I have for what we might do next. I'd love to hear what your thoughts are.

[Bolair]

Well, the show was important. I would love a list of what you would like from the. Before everything goes to chaos. I'm happy to grab anything you need. Anything. The paperwork no longer really matters at this point. We have that box that has been gnawing at the back of my head.

[Murray]

I was almost going to hope that you would bring it here.

[Bolair]

I can do that. I can definitely do that. That sounds good. Dangerous and reckless and probably the best option.

[Azune]

The box?

[Murray]

Yeah. I mean, I don't think. How's the museum these days? Safe to do anything like that at your place?

[Bolair]

I'm currently calling it the Circumlocution Wing. It's a disaster. It is incomprehensible. Pure chaos and madness. It's just delightful. Anything dangerous is being very well hidden in a sea of poorly written paperwork.

[Murray]

Sounds like a beautiful piece of abstract art.

[Bolair]

It is the abstract art of hiding value.

[Murray]

Did the Cormorays give you any type of timeline? Did they push a deadline on you?

[Bolair]

They said very, very fast. They didn't say anything specific, although they did say money is no object. So I'm using the speed at which we're moving things forward as a general disguise for just creating chaos. The faster they do it, the more it's a mess. I'm just encouraging it.

[Murray]

Is there any use in squeezing a little bit more gold from that stone?

[Bolair]

Oh, yes. Anything you can think of. That's really not my specialty. But you clearly are conscious of the best ways of getting a little more coin out of a stone.

[Murray]

Yeah. Well, you know, as my father used to always say, money isn't everything, but it sure shit helps.

[Bolair]

I really like your father.

[Hal]

Yes. Also, at some point, I have to go over plans for the gala.

[Bolair]

Yes.

[Hal]

Looking at the lights. Mm.

[Bolair]

I'd nearly forgotten.

[Tyranny]

When's the gala?

[Hal]

I feel like it's five or six. Like we were around a week away from the show opening and a day or two has passed. Right.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah. How much did you want it close to the show?

[Hal]

I think it would be the night. It would be two days before.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Two days before.

[Hal]

To give the troop time to then focus back in.

[Bolair]

Thankfully, we've already had plans in the.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It's five days away.

[Hal]

Five days away.

[Azune]

Five days away.

[Bolair]

So at least we're not starting.

[Azune]

That is, the opening of.

[Hal]

The plan was to have a gala at the Lyceum, celebrate and ensure city's faith in what we're doing.

[Bolair]

Get all the right people in the right place. How much do you want to know about any machinations that I'm putting forward? There is something to be said about legitimate ignorance. Or would you like to be informed of things that if someone did ask you, it would become a problem?

[Hal]

I think we're past that, Bolair.

[Bolair]

We're never, ever past dealing with the truth. So that's why I ask,

[Murray]

I think, to Bolaire's point, if anyone wanted to try and push you or peek into your mind or anything, Do you want

[Bolair]

to have that burden added to an already expanding collection of them?

[Hal]

I don't think any of us want this onus on us, but this onus has come.

[Bolair]

Very well, then. In for a cobbler.

[Hal]

Eyes wide open.

[Bolair]

I am going to steal the swords tonight, quietly. And my plan is to hide them in your prop room at the theater, in a corner, in a pile underneath whatever other junk I can find on the way home.

[Hal]

Yes, we can do that.

[Azune]

That's good.

[Hal]

We can do that.

[Murray]

Prop foils are just getting so intricate these days. It's honestly impressive.

[Bolair]

Thankfully, one's already broken. And by their very nature, they do not show up under Magical Magical Search, as far as I know.

[Azune]

But if they were to show up, if someone does any kind of scan, that is a sanctioned place for magic to appear. But do we agree might need to mask the nature of the magic of the blades?

[Bolair]

What? By their very nature, they're not magic.

[Azune]

Well, then that solves that.

[Bolair]

It's complicated. They are very complicated. I've forged some paperwork to make them legitimately disappear. The trick will be making sure they can't steal them. And you happen to own a very nice needle stack for us to hide a bunch of very exciting expensive needles. Sorry.

[Hal]

Above table I'm thinking of. Which one is the cup of Christ?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh, we are there.

[Bolair]

I mean, we're literally hiding the world's most basic ass swords in a room full of basic ass shit. So, yeah, it's gonna be the 1 real Hamlet skull in a pile of fake Hamlet skull.

[Azune]

So that is to happen tonight.

[Bolair]

I was hoping to add it to whatever pile of things I'm grabbing for you. And again, if you think. If anyone thinks of anything they want me to steal from the museum, now borrow.

[Hal]

Are we adding the casket to the to do list for the evening?

[Bolair]

Apparently we are, yeah.

[Azune]

Okay.

[Murray]

You want to bring it here? You want to go get it real quick or should we go to your place?

[Bolair]

I think one big pile of things would be easier just to get a Small cart loaded with everything. Because legitimately, taking it to the theater is the appropriate place. And then we can take the. I can just take that over here once we're finished.

[Murray]

Unless you want us to do this at the theater.

[Bolair]

That is up to you.

[Murray]

Just meet me there.

[Hal]

Well above table, to make sure I'm following. There's the Hallow Round, which is massive. And there are now a few buildings built into the sides of that ring where things would be stored. But there's also the Rookery, which is the smaller theater, which still operates. Not right now because we're so focused on this large production, but there is still a humble theater where dance rooms and magical. The theatrical arcana are studied and practiced, as well as our main prop room.

[Bolair]

I like the Rookery. People are less likely to wander into it right now. And as silly as it sounds, I like the

[Murray]

theatrics of it all.

[Bolair]

Yeah, I was trying to think of a better way to put it, but, yes, I love the theatrics of it. A good story is always more likely to survive.

[Azune]

Is this something that we set to do tonight? To set it up, move it there, get it set up, and then deal with it tomorrow?

[Bolair]

The faster the better is my feeling. I don't want to be too unusual. Although we will be having people work very late at the museum later than normal.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Okay.

[Bolair]

It's closed. They know they need to get it done. And people are more prone to mistakes the longer they work.

[Murray]

All right, who wants to go help Belair move invaluable weaponry that sundered the Shapers and are completely irreplaceable across town?

[Bolair]

How do you make that sound like more fun than it is?

[Azune]

We have to make it seem as normal as possible. I don't know if an arcane marshal accompanying them is a good idea.

[Murray]

Yeah, no, it should feel like a

[Azune]

normal transfer of props.

[Murray]

It should feel like normal transfer of props. It should feel like wheeling your grandma out to the park to get some fresh air.

[Bolair]

Do you want to come make a list?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Grandma's a prop.

[Bolair]

I can start.

[Murray]

Never met my grandma.

[Bolair]

No, I can start, and then you can rummage.

[Hal]

Well, we are the theater people.

[Bolair]

Mm.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hal and Bolair, it sounds like you're going to make your way to the Arcanat.

[Hal]

We are going to make our way.

[Murray]

Izuni and I will meet you at the rookery.

[Azune]

Yes.

[Bolair]

Brilliant.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

So, as they head off, are you guys staying here, or are you headed to the rookery right away?

[Murray]

I think we'll maybe, as per usual, wait 30 minutes.

[Bolair]

Yeah.

[Murray]

Make it not seem like we're not all leaving over.

[Bolair]

Margarita.

[Hal]

Margarita.

[Murray]

Margarita. One more round. One more round.

[Azune]

Sure.

[Murray]

All right,

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

I will.

[Azune]

When it's just the two of us, I will produce the candle that was a part of the ceremony.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Oh, great.

[Azune]

And I'll just plop it right on the table. I don't think we should burn it. But you seem to have a way to peer into things that have yet come. And I'm curious to see if there's a way for you to somehow peer into what would happen if that thing were to burn all the way. Maybe not today, maybe not right now, but it's just something I want to put to you.

[Murray]

I mean, we got the time. Might as well.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Okay.

[Azune]

What happens if this were to burn? How can I help you peer into a possible future?

[Murray]

Honestly, it's kind of vibes based, so I kinda don't even know what to tell you how you could ever help me. But you know what? Just sit down with me. Sit across from me and just give him good energy or something.

[Azune]

I'm going to go to light it as I'm in your field of view. And in that moment, right before I light it, I'm going to stop, see if the dominoes that might follow happen in her mind.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Are you going to cast identify here?

[Murray]

Yeah. You know what, let's do. Let me first do an identify.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great.

[Murray]

And then I will determine off that identify if it makes sense to do an augury.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah. Awesome. Identify first.

[Murray]

Identify first.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

This is a powerful sorceress artifact. This candle is rendered from the fat of Taconis family members.

[Bolair]

Lord Durden.

[Murray]

All right. Holy Lord Durden. Okay.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It is rendered from the fat of Takona's family members and it seeks to command the spirits of the freshly dead to speed on a number of different spell effects. I am going to catalyst.

[Murray]

I am going to speed up the effect.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You said I'm going to need an arcana check from you, and if you want to parlay that into an augury, you can. Okay.

[Murray]

Oh, yeah. You know what?

[Hal]

Yeah, Light that light bulb.

[Murray]

Why not? Speed of the effects of recently dead stuff.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Basically, this is a candle on the identify, which is roughly done. This turns people. What would normally take thoughtful human sacrifice can be reckless slaughter. And this candle makes up the difference. It takes the freshly dead. In other words, what would have to be like on an altar with a knife moving through it and this. And you're prepared. We've washed you in some weird necromantic oils. Now, people could run down in a Street.

[Azune]

Oh, my gosh.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

On a castle wall at a palazzo. And this candle renders those deaths as being performed as essentially part of a ritual that their fresh spirits are transmuted. It is a. If you had to think of a name for this, a Candle of slaughter

[Bolair]

would probably be the name for this Renders. A good pun, by the way. Well done.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

It is.

[Bolair]

I heard it happen. I'm like, well, hold on. All right. I can't tell if that was. Yeah.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

This is one of the most heinously evil magic items you've ever seen in your life. This is something that would normally. You've been carrying it around in your pocket. It's beautiful to look at. It's black and silver and it's finely wrought. You would never know from holding it that it is made of human fat. This is one of the most horrifying necromantic. Because it just looks like a candle sitting there.

[Murray]

Now I'm recognizing why you had that look in your face right before I said I was going to do this. Brennan. I'm so excited you have this flash look in your face. I'm like, okay. Horrifying, horrifying necrom.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

And what it feels like is whatever the fat that it is created from. The purpose of the candle is. This fat was rendered potentially from Taconus body's natural naturally from how they would be prepared on a natural death. You don't think this stuff made from the family members was made due to reckless slaughter, but it's that the remains of the family members await to transmute reckless slaughter into the energy of powerful magic working. Right.

[Azune]

So not like souls of people that have been slaughtered have been somehow absorbed into this candle.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

This is going to be a trigger. The carefully lovingly rendered fat of Tokona's family members is made into a candle to then take the reckless slaughter of others and turn it into the holy magic.

[Hal]

They did a slow, laborious process so that later they could do something instantly.

[Bolair]

Yes.

[Murray]

So they can massacre a lot of people. Use this candle.

[Azune]

It's a big red button.

[Murray]

It's a big red. Yeah. And then I'm guessing this is all above table. I'm guessing make it appear like a strategic, meaningful sacrifice to then take those souls and enslave them in their ghost army that's being slowly built in another realm. I'm guessing holy.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Bolair]

Whoa.

[Murray]

Right? This is Marisha's conjecture.

[Bolair]

Hot, Hot.

[Azune]

That's great.

[Hal]

Or maybe pop them up to start fighting.

[Murray]

Yeah. Undead shit. Okay. Great night.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

All right, so I will say two here yes. The mending that you cast to reconstitute this, you believe, I think on the identify this thing no longer has that magical potential. Like Azune's mending was not enough to recreate the magic of the candle, but it was enough to let you cast identify on it. Does that make sense? Like this is not. Otherwise they would just make one of these and be mending it all the time. Right. So like that initial it has been used.

[Murray]

Magical property has been used.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Okay.

[Azune]

So that event that that's occurred.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yes. It burning at the Palazzo Divinas means it was used at the Palazzo Divinas. All right. My brain, that means everything. My note taker brain, that's already happened.

[Murray]

That means that fucking Lord Divinos Julian's dad is probably stuck somewhere being a soldier for the Taconis.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah.

[Azune]

Thrall soldier of undead.

[Murray]

Yeah. Fully indentured into the afterlife for all eternity. So uh huh. I just feel the need to give a little bit of a disclaimer before I pry further into this. I am getting a very strong, very heinous necromantic energy from this.

[Azune]

Okay.

[Murray]

Necromantic energy from this. From what I'm gathering, it seems that there is properties built into this candle that manipulate and affect the souls of the dead to a malicious degree. It's given me a little bit of the heebie jeebies, I'm not gonna lie. It's almost as if the Taconist family have rendered an entire sacrificial process into a lovely shade of purple in a nice little stick candle.

[Azune]

And that's been done already.

[Murray]

It's been used. It's like the essence of the magic you is only what's remaining. So the peak of its magical abilities has been spent and used. What I'm trying to say is if I had to extrapolate, which admittedly I am doing, Finding this in the center of the Divinos estate after a massacre had occurred.

[Azune]

Now we know where they. Or at least we think we know where they are.

[Murray]

Yeah. I think their souls have been enslaved, entrapped, indentured in their next life for whatever machinations the Takonis have going on. Does that make sense?

[Azune]

Yes, that makes sense. For that to be what their present is. Can you look into this and see what's the future might be?

[Murray]

I can certainly try.

[Azune]

And I put my hand on your shoulder and I conjure. I utter that word.

[Murray]

Murray kind of

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

remembers.

[Murray]

Massages the muscles surrounding her throat a little bit as she can feel her digestive system tensing up. I think this is gonna be ugly.

[Tyranny]

All right.

[Murray]

She takes the quill at the tip of her finger. She draws that line, cutting into the fabric of reality. It creates almost like a flat sound wave with no hum, only silence. She grabs the sound wave in front, brings it closer to the candle in a sense to try and find the reverberations emanating from this lifeless source. Azuni can probably ever so slightly since peaks and valleys in the string as if it is starting to pick up a hum. And Murray's eyes go white as she taps in and casts augury.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

What is the question you are posing with your augury? What knowledge do you seek? And as a reminder, augury tends to ask if some proposed future event would be ruinous or yield fruit would be beneficial.

[Murray]

I think she just hears Izune's in this liminal sense that she puts herself in in this purgatory of time. She just hears Izune's voice as he already asks the question. What happens when you burn this candle all the way down to the wick? If this was and Murray is smart enough to know where there's one, there are probably many. How many candles are burning? And what happens when the wick is extinguished and the fuel is run out of the wax?

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Give me an arcana check. I will allow the use of augury in this novel way to allow you to make this roll with advantage.

[Azune]

And what I just flavored was casting guidance.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Great. So you have a D4 to this. You're rolling with advantage. You have a D4. I'm not gonna lie, because this is beyond the use of a typical augury, but it's fucking awesome. We're going to make it quite high. 15 will be whispers of an answer. 20 will be a glimpse of the truth. 25 gets you the whole hog.

[Hal]

Go.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You're rolling Arcana. You have guidance. You're rolling with advantage.

[Murray]

Make me believe in magic using my padmin die. That's on a roll. That's on a roll. I just dropped it.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

And a D4 and a D4. D4. You want to roll D4 first?

[Murray]

Let's roll a D4 first. That's always fun.

[Hal]

Let's go four.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Yeah, four. What do you add to arcana?

[Murray]

So my arcana is plus eight. So we're already starting at 12 hot.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You just need one of these die to be a 13 or. Or higher. Yeah, 13 or higher.

[Murray]

I'm gonna roll in front, see?

[Bolair]

Oh, what is it?

[Azune]

What is it?

[Murray]

The Highest is an 11. Okay. K. But that's still what is that 20.

[Hal]

23.

[Murray]

23.

[Hal]

23 or 12.

[Azune]

Yeah, yeah. 23.

[Murray]

23.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Okay. Okay. With a 23. Oh hum. Images flicker in and out of control. You are asking about what happens if this candle burns. This candle is burnt. It cannot burn again. Even reconstituted as it is by Azune, its magic is spent. You get an image. One other such candle exists. The dead bodies of the house Taconis are not easy to come by. It's not a resource that they have an endless amount of. And it appears they have used many throughout the history of the house. There were many of these at one point. That all got spent throughout the Shapers

[Bolair]

war

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

and when the house took was fighting on behalf of Tonsil, the God of the sun.

[Bolair]

Yeah.

[Hal]

Needed armies.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

You look throughout on a 23 images. You see black wings spread wide. An angel of death flying across endless night. Landing in front of a golden orchard. Raising aloft a hand severing trees wither, dying. Approaching a shape. You see an image of all of the fairies of the golden orchard withering and dying. An angel's face turns hollow white eyes. The face of Octys. Taconus looks right at you. You look in here and see this candle did not burn all the way to the wick or did not burn all it had burned down. Right? It was melted. But there was enough left that it was not fully consumed. Something in its ritual went wrong. You hear the howls of Takona's spirits spurring on. Their first task of this spell was to travel a great distance. It was to make up for distance of a ritual that was not happening where it was supposed to. There was something that was being added to like a hum. Marie, you get an insight. Magic can work across great distances. Frequencies can work. Travel vast distances. And you see yet another insight into a fabric or weaving of magic across the face of Ahriman. And you see the howl of an ancient spirit across the tenebral reaches. Last thing you see. Which is not the full truth. You can't get the full plan here. Something went wrong and a backup plan was triggered. Their first thing, the thing this was supposed to do, failed. But something else has been kicked into gear to make up for it. They wanted to do this the quick and powerful way. Instead they will have to go the long way around. But they are going there right now. You see Rose and. And rows of sarcophagi. You see stone statues posed, looking out, but with a strange visage of horror across all their faces. Do the dead draw near and all of the statue's eyes glow white and you see ships sailing into the mist. As a voice calls out from darkness, raise high the white banners. What has failed in life, let be made right in death. And that's where we'll take our break. Wow. Oh my God.

[Bolair]

Sweet fox.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Spoopy. Spoopy.

[Bolair]

You had to poke the candle.

[Murray]

Had to poke the candle.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

Hell yeah. We'll see you all after the break.

[Bolair]

Smells like pumpkin spice.

[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

And that's where we'll leave our story for now. Part two of this episode of Campaign 4 drops this Tuesday. Thanks for listening, and we'll see you soon for more Critical Role.

[Hal]

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[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

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[Hal]

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[Brennan Lee Mulligan]

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[Hal]

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