Critical Role Presents: A Daggerheart Critmas Story | Live Show

Summary

Critical Role Presents: A Daggerheart Critmas Story | Live Show - Detailed Summary

Release Date: December 26, 2024
Duration: Approximately 12 hours
Host/Author: Critical Role

"Critical Role Presents: A Daggerheart Critmas Story" is a special live episode where the beloved ensemble of voice actors from Critical Role embark on a festive, yet perilous adventure. This summary delves into the key events, character developments, and pivotal moments that define this unique holiday-themed episode.

1. Setting the Stage

The adventure unfolds in the quaint midwestern town of Springvale Springs on Christmas Eve. The town, typically serene and adorned with holiday decorations, becomes the backdrop for an unexpectedly chaotic evening.

The Blake Family Gathering

At the heart of the town stands the impressive residence of Mayor Cameron Blake and his bride, Iris Ginsburg Blake. Known for their affluence and status, the Blakes host a intimate holiday gathering, inviting friends and family, including the Beasley siblings, Tristan and Gwenny, along with their younger brothers, Dylan and Bethany.

2. The Mysterious Artifact

During the gathering, Travis Willingham (playing Mayor Blake) introduces a peculiar, intricately carved wooden box. This artifact, later referred to as the "Daggerheart Box," becomes the focal point of the ensuing mystery.

Travis Willingham (Mayor Blake):
"But yeah. So if you have the inkling to try it out yourself, you can pre-order [e-mail]."
[12:16]

3. Transformation and Unleashing Chaos

As the evening progresses, subtle interactions and magical influences from the Daggerheart Box begin to take effect. The characters start experiencing transformative changes:

• Marisha Ray introduces her character, Marmlin, humorously hinting at her newfound grandmotherly status amidst knitting and holiday preparations.

• Laura Bailey's character, Riley, becomes aware of peculiar changes in her attire and body, hinting at an impending transformation.

Suddenly, the room is enveloped in an ominous ambiance as the spirit of holiday cheer, inadvertently released by the Daggerheart Box, begins to manipulate the environment and the guests.

Marisha Ray (Marmlin):
"I've been your goblin for so long and now I'm here to sing my song... share in the Christmas cheer because Critical Role is here now."
[10:58]

4. The Battle Ensues

With the spirit's influence escalating, the characters find themselves transformed into holiday-themed monstrosities:

• Tristan becomes a fierce Krampus, embodying the traditional Christmas demon.
• Liam O'Brien transforms into a grizzled snowman, complete with icy features.
• Taliesin Jaffe morphs into a mischievous Grinch, channeling the infamous Dr. Seuss character.
• Ashley Johnson turns into a reindeer-like creature, blending festive charm with monstrous traits.

These transformations are both humorous and harrowing, showcasing the cast's dynamic role-playing prowess.

Key Quotes During Transformation:

Taliesin Jaffe (Grinch):
"I just want to enjoy Christmas."
[63:03]

Ashley Johnson (Reindeer):
"I love you too. So let's get this party started."
[10:46]

The transformed characters engage in intense battles, employing their new abilities to combat the relentless spirit and its minions. The environment shifts dramatically, with the town melting into a dark forest fraught with icy perils and enchanted flora.

5. Strategic Maneuvers and Teamwork

The characters strategize to contain the spirit:

• Liam O'Brien utilizes his stealth and agility to navigate through the transformed town, evading attacks while seeking vulnerabilities in the spirit's defense.

• Marisha Ray uses her elemental abilities to manipulate the environment, creating barriers and distractions.

• Laura Bailey leverages her character's tracking skills to follow the spirit's elusive movements, ensuring the team stays coordinated.

Ashley Johnson (Reindeer):
"We do have a whole refrigerator of beer down in the basement. Come on. I lead the group down."
[38:07]

6. The Climactic Confrontation

After a series of skirmishes and strategic retreats, the team converges for a final showdown. Utilizing the Daggerheart Box, they manage to trap the spirit of holiday cheer, restoring Springvale Springs to its peaceful state.

Travis Willingham (Mayor Blake):
"Well, that's gone. Now, let's end this and save our town."
[60:52]

The resolution showcases the characters' growth and unity, emphasizing themes of sacrifice, courage, and the true spirit of Christmas.

7. Resolution and Restoration

With the spirit contained, the town reverts to normalcy:

• The dark forest and icy transformations melt away, symbolizing the triumph of good over malevolent forces.

• Characters regain their original forms, albeit with minor injuries sustained during the battle, adding a touch of realism and consequence to their adventure.

Critical Role Narrator:
"You all quietly gather what materials you need from the kitchen and begin to quietly tiptoe down the basement stairs into the underneath the household, where the laughter and conversation of the parental units amongst their separate holiday shenanigans gets more and more distant."
[56:57]

8. Humorous Aftermath and Reflections

Post-battle, the team shares humorous banter, reflecting on their monstrous transformations and the night's chaotic events. This light-hearted interaction reinforces the camaraderie and playful dynamics that Critical Role is known for.

Marisha Ray (Marmlin):
"We've got to get outta here, you guys."
[55:53]

Ashley Johnson (Reindeer):
"I can't stand your stupid mom. She doesn't deserve to be with my dad."
[55:22]

9. Conclusion

"Critical Role Presents: A Daggerheart Critmas Story" masterfully blends holiday festivity with thrilling adventure, showcasing the cast's exceptional storytelling and improvisational skills. The episode stands as a testament to Critical Role's ability to create engaging narratives that resonate with both long-time fans and newcomers alike.

Notable Quotes Summary:

• Marisha Ray: "I just want to enjoy Christmas."
  [63:03]

• Ashley Johnson: "We do have a whole refrigerator of beer down in the basement."
  [38:07]

• Travis Willingham: "We gotta get outta here, you guys."
  [73:05]

These excerpts highlight the humorous and intense moments that define the episode's unique blend of holiday cheer and epic fantasy.

---

This summary encapsulates the essence of the live episode, capturing the core narrative, character transformations, battles, and the eventual restoration of peace to Springvale Springs. Through a combination of strategic actions and heartfelt interactions, the Critical Role cast delivers an unforgettable holiday adventure.

Transcript

[Laura Bailey]

Hey there Critical Role podcast listeners. We have a special new membership service at Beacon TV where you can get early access to all new podcast episodes, including Critical Role for the first time ever. Beacon members also get things like event presales, merch discounts, access to a private community discord, and new exclusive series like Critical Role Cooldown where we riff after the show. Think of it as our digital Critical Role land. Head on over to Beacon TV to check it out for yourself and start a seven day free trial. Thank you so so much for your support for being a podcast listener and for being a part of our community.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey there critters. We are so excited to share with you our brand new podcast from the world of Exandria. The Re Slayer's Take. In this audio adventure, you'll be guided through the wild continent of Issylra, home to some of the most dangero creatures. Here the Slayers take as the most notorious monster hunting group in the realm. But when previously slain creatures start returning from the grave, it's up to six misfit mercenaries to band together and re slay these supernatural threats as the reslayers take. So come follow along these audio escapades as the second coolest monster hunters this side of Exandria battle a growing undead army of dangerous creatures. The party is led by a duo of game masters, George Primavera and Nick Williams, with the main cast including Jasmine Bueller, Caroline Lux and Jasmine Sheong. Listen to new episodes every Monday anywhere you stream podcasts or become a Beacon member and listen to the podcast two weeks early and uninterrupted by ads.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hi there, this is Taliesin Jaffe and welcome to the podcast version of the Critical Role show. If you would like to watch the stream as it airs, you can tune in on Thursdays at 6 7pm Pacific at Twitch TV CriticalRole or at YouTube.com criticalrole. The video on demand versions are immediately available for our Twitch subscribers or on YouTube the following Mondays at 12pm Pacific. Podcast episodes are right here on the Critical Role Podcast Network on Thursdays, one week after the initial broadcast. Now that you know all that, let's head into today's adventure.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh. Oh, hello. Hi. Hello. I'm Marmlin. What's your name? I'll try to remember. I'll try to remember all of those. I think you know my kids. A tiny green one and a yellow metal one. And then there's that wandering bard. He's a little. He's always been so horny, that boy. I'll tell you a secret. He Got that from me. But. But at least it made me finally a grandma. Oh, there's a chair. Oh, that's better. Lately, I've had so much time on my hands. Those Thursday nights are so, so long. So I decided to take up knitting. I'm making something special for my boy, Breus. You know, Breus, winter is coming. It's going to be a cold winter. And so I made him something to keep his nether parts warm. You think this will help? He didn't inherit that from me. Oh, wait. I'm not a knitter. I'm a critter. And it's Christmas. And look, all my gifts are right here in front of me. I love you too. So let's get this party started. Hit it, boys. I've been your goblin for so long and now I'm here to sing my song and with you here. Cause you're so smart. Let's dive into Dagger Heart. Roll for some hope and fear and share in the Christmas cheer because critical role is here now. Let's welcome them to the cast. Are you ready? I think the first one coming is Travis Willingham. Next we have Liam O'Brien. I think I see Towies in Jaffe. What? She's in the house. Ashley Johnson. Ooh, it's Laura Bailey. Marisha Ray's here. Oh, Ashley Johnson. I blew it. I blew it. No, I didn't. Okay, good.

[Travis Willingham]

I was really.

[Marisha Ray]

And the center of our universe, it's Matthew Mercer. Everyone's here. Everyone's here. We're ready to get started.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm gonna pretty. I'm fairly certain we're missing.

[Marisha Ray]

What?

[Travis Willingham]

We're missing one.

[Marisha Ray]

What? We're missing one.

[Travis Willingham]

Missing one. Yeah. Sorry.

[Marisha Ray]

What do you think I'd forget my own son? I was just saving the best for last. Please welcome the best boy in the whole world, Sheridan. Forgive your mama. I love you too. And now we're ready to start the show. Are you ready? Let's do it. Bye.

[Travis Willingham]

Bye.

[Marisha Ray]

Bye.

[Laura Bailey]

Bye, Mom.

[Travis Willingham]

She. She's got it. Hello, everyone and welcome to tonight's.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, man.

[Travis Willingham]

Welcome to Tonight's special crit. Ms. Critical role one shot where a bunch of us nerdy ass voice actors sit around and play Dagger Heart.

[Ashley Johnson]

We play dagger.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you all so much for joining us. This is so much fun. It's as you probably heard when my mic was on backstage, it's going to be pretty weird. We have some wonderful suggestions from our VIP crew that have radically made it weirder. I'm excited to try and incorporate some of that. And of course Tonight we are showcasing the rules for Daggerheart. The very final rules that are coming out in the near future. Yesterday we got to reveal the final covers for both the standard and the limited editions of the game. Super excited about that. I cannot express how excited we are for this game to finally become a reality after years of hard work. So there it is. There it is. Look at that beautiful thing. Gorgeous game.

[Sam Riegel]

So pretty.

[Travis Willingham]

I love it. But yeah. So if you have the inkling to try it out yourself, you can pre order [e-mail] Sam. No, actually Marcia, you got announcement.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah, I'm taking it over for Sam, you guys. This week we also released Critical Role presents Colon Winter's Crest, which is a full. I know. Give it up for Winter's Crest. It is a full 11 track holiday album that you can stream or purchase digitally right now on any major platform. You can hear it. That's Taliesin's lovely voice.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm as shocked as anyone.

[Laura Bailey]

It's so good. Plus you can pre order vinyl editions of the album, including deluxe edition signed by all of us with exclusive extras like vinyl sticker packs, a postcard and a pack of festive Polaroid style photos. And you can pre order now. It's so fun. We wore uglies sweaters is great. Pre order now at the new home for Critical Role Music Scanlan Short Halt Music.

[Marisha Ray]

Wow.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Every time you go to that Website I get 10 cents.

[Travis Willingham]

It is absurd. This album exists and it's so good.

[Marisha Ray]

It's quitmas.

[Matthew Mercer]

It was a lot of fun.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, that concludes our announcements. Thankfully we can actually get to the game enough.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sorry.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Simmy, Simmy, Simmy.

[Travis Willingham]

I will destroy you before the game starts. But no. As it is Daggerheart, everyone begins the game with two hopes. Make sure you mark that on your sheet if you haven't already. I as the GM and me starting the campaign with one hope, one fear per player. So I get to start with a nice 7 fear disposal.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is that how that works?

[Sam Riegel]

That's how it works.

[Travis Willingham]

So that'll be fine. What could possibly go wrong? I don't like it, but I think with that prep.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh my God.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go ahead and jump into tonight's episode of Critical Role. All right. The holidays have come. A time of reflection on the year past and hope for the year to come forward. A time that gathers friends and family, a reminder of the communities we cherish. And during the latter half of the 1980s, within the sleepy Midwest town of Springvale Springs, the holidays have also meant chaotic shopping. Slushy Road conditions and small town drama. But this night, the Eve before Christmas itself. A gentle snowfall blankets the river wound little town as the afternoon sun glows gently behind the darkened clouds. This afternoon before the eve of Christmas carries a unique tension alongside the joyful excitement and anticipation as neighbors play pleasantries while silently judging each other's decorations. Businesses prepare to close for the evening while parents dash around for last minute presents. And then the hush begins to fall across the water tower, the playground, the arcade, the mall. Christmas Eve is nearly here, but it is here in this suburban cul de sac within a modestly decorated home. This very, very nice abode that belongs to mayor Cameron Blake and his newly wedded bride, Iris Ginsburg Blake. A central abode which is a beacon of hope for Springvale Springs. And it is here that they've invited a small gathering of friends to this. As soft incandescent light colored strings reflect across the snow, the first group begins to arrive to the door. But here within the house itself, gentle music plays. The rooms of antique furniture that is rarely ever used or sat upon all arrange perfectly to present an air of affluence and importance. After all, it is the mayor. We have Bethany walking in to check in on her father. Laura, if you would mind describing Bethany for me.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, thank you. I think everybody knows about Bethany. She's homecoming queen, prom queen, straight A student, president of the student council. She really most popular, obviously most popular girl. Perfectly placed hair, perfectly manicured nails. Everything is presented perfectly, just as her father wants.

[Travis Willingham]

And describe her father for me in.

[Ashley Johnson]

His current Cam Blake. He is 6:2, salt and pepper hair, a million dollar smile that he doesn't tell anyone he paid for. And this holiday he is wearing a Christmas sweater. He always has a new one for every holiday party. A tie underneath it and his slacks with his perfectly polished shoes.

[Travis Willingham]

As you walk in, you see him brushing what looks like some sort of a brief mess across front of it. Oh my goodness. Bethany. Bethany, would you be a doll and get the hydrogen peroxide? It seems I've messed myself.

[Ashley Johnson]

Of course, father.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you, dear. Could you please get your mother for me as well? I'd like to see her in the den.

[Ashley Johnson]

My mother's not here, dad.

[Travis Willingham]

Bethany, please, please, could you just for one night be civil, be respectful, be the wonderful daughter you are and do not embarrass me.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'll get Iris.

[Travis Willingham]

As he brushes himself off, the doorbell rings and he rushes off and darts. As we come around the corner into the kitchen, we see preparing what looks like a massive turkey that was probably Delivered not too long ago. The foil being pulled off on one side. The smell of it beginning to permeate throughout the kitchen. You see Iris Ginsburg Blake. If you wouldn't mind describing your mother for me.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It will be hard for this audience to picture her, but. But she is so cute. She's five, six. She's got dark brown hair. She is cooking up a storm, and she's always the center of attention. She's a busy body and she's always got a big smile and telling a joke. And right next to her is me.

[Travis Willingham]

You are now walking into the kitchen as she kind of looks over her shoulder. Ralph, if you'd be so kind as to help me place the rest of the table. I don't know how this works.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, happy to, Mom. I think. I mean, I'm so used to having matzo ball soup and lighting the hanukiah, but I guess this is how the goys do it. I mean, do you baste first and then you cook it or do you cook it first and then you baste it? Let's just baste it twice.

[Travis Willingham]

That sounds fine to me. Look, for the both of us tonight. We'll just watch and learn as best we can.

[Ashley Johnson]

And if I come barging in the room.

[Travis Willingham]

Hello, dear.

[Ashley Johnson]

My dad wants you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, hi, Bethany. Wow, that's. It's a really great outfit you've got on. And. And did you. Did you change your hair? It looks so.

[Ashley Johnson]

Shut up, Chode.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you, fair daughter. I'll go see to your father. And she exits the room with a kind of a glance over her shoulder and huffs out of the kitchen, leaving the two of you alone amongst the undelivered spread.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

So do we. I didn't see a stocking for you. Aren't you gonna hang a stocking?

[Ashley Johnson]

My mom always hung the stockings.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Well, we could start a new tradition tonight. I just really want to get this whole Christmas thing and really, I'm sort of spitzing over it a little bit.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe we could go into our parents room and get some of your mom's skanky underwear and hang it from the fireplace instead.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I just think that they're really in love and I think we should support that. And you know, they're a family and. And I guess we are too. Although not blood related, so, you know, technically anything could happen legally. I better go.

[Ashley Johnson]

You really should.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'll hang a stocking for you. Do you hang them on the tree or. I'm so new with it.

[Travis Willingham]

Get out.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

As you dart out, you see in the central foyer of the household. Your mother, Iris, and your new father, Mayor Cameron Blake. She's been washing off the front of his shirt. But they're both locked into full deep kiss as the doorbell rings again and they both jostle awake. She kind of brushes his shoulder and then darts off as he turns. Ralph, would you be so kind as to greet our first guests for the evening?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Sure, Mr. Blake. I mean dad.

[Travis Willingham]

There it is. It won't take long, son.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Happy to. Welcome to the Blake home. The Ginsburg. The Bader Ginsburg Blake home. I'm Ralph Bader Ginsburg Blake. No relation.

[Travis Willingham]

You're doing good. You're doing good here. Now ready on three. One, two, three. As they open the door there. There are two kids there awaiting first as their parents are still getting their materials out of the car. Let's go ahead and start over here. Tristan, if you wouldn't mind describing yourself.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, I'm Tristan Beasley. I'm one of the older kids at school. I'm same age as Bethany. Got a big head of curly hair. He's cute. He doesn't really realize it or understand it. And he's very confident and you're never really sure why. He's tall, he's gangly, he has a way too long scarf on and a big smile. And he's got his arm around his kid sister's massive puffy jacket. Hey, happy holidays.

[Travis Willingham]

Sorry.

[Sam Riegel]

The doorbell's not broken, isn't it? We knocked for a bit too.

[Marisha Ray]

We knocked for like three minutes.

[Travis Willingham]

We were just trying to get to the household. Not a worry.

[Marisha Ray]

I mean, we are a little early.

[Travis Willingham]

That, that's fine. Gwenny, was it?

[Marisha Ray]

Yes. Gwenny.

[Travis Willingham]

Gwenny.

[Marisha Ray]

Thank you, Gwenvere Guinevere Beasley. Call me Gwenny. Sorry. I'll let you talk.

[Travis Willingham]

Of course, no worries.

[Sam Riegel]

You're doing great.

[Travis Willingham]

Come on inside and I'll go ahead and greet your parents as they come around. Gwenny, if you mind describing yourself.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes. Gwenny is 13 and 3/4 and she's got pigtails. She's a kid sister of Tristan. She's. She's just. And she's got a headgear and you know, she's just.

[Laura Bailey]

She's figuring it out.

[Travis Willingham]

Love it like spill all over myself here.

[Marisha Ray]

I have that effect on people.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, welcome.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Welcome to our. Welcome to our home.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey, Ralph.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hey, what's up?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Hey, Bethany.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hey, Ralph.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I've got a cool icebreaker. How about a joke?

[Marisha Ray]

Love jokes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What's Madonna's favorite sauce? Hollandaise.

[Travis Willingham]

Laughter comes barreling into the door Door. As you watch both of the. The Blake parents stepping through with the Beasleys there, you see Walton Beasley, the father of these two teenagers, step through himself as kind of like, like queef puff blonde hair with like a wave to it. He himself has a scarf that almost matches that of his sons. He's got that little bit of the artistic goatee and these like, nice kind of European leather gloves about him. And he has that like, my God, this place looks amazing, doesn't it? I'm just so glad you invited us over, Mayor. We've for a long time just dallied around in social circles, so it really is an honor, isn't it? And he turns over to his wife Phaedra, who has this like, long, dark brunette hair that is so many curls, almost flows like a fairy as she walks in and she's like, indeed. It's so nice to be amongst culture.

[Marisha Ray]

What are those panties on the fireplace.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Bethany? Those are my mom.

[Travis Willingham]

He watches Iris. That's probably a mistake. And she darts off and he watches. Walton leans over onto the mayor and goes, you dog. I guess it's going to be a good Christmas Eve swingers there. Yes, of course.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, dad, save it for the house.

[Travis Willingham]

They step on into the rest of the chambers. The door closes behind. Out on the driveway, we do catch one what looks like a bicycle that is riding up along the side. Who do we see riding that bicycle over here?

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, that makes sense. So this. I'm Dylan.

[Travis Willingham]

You.

[Liam O'Brien]

You kind of get a sense. I've kind of got long shaggy hair, like a definitely like an army surplus jacket that may have never been washed.

[Travis Willingham]

It's hard to tell.

[Liam O'Brien]

Jeans that are ripped up and are hanging on. It's cool and kind of has an air of like just no matter where he goes, somehow. It's loitering all the time and he's backing up and he's got like a. A small gift bag with him as he's. As he's biking up and kind of just lets the bike drop and keeps walking.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey, Mr. Blake.

[Liam O'Brien]

Mayor.

[Travis Willingham]

Can I call you Cam? As you're shouting as the door slams and you're just kind of not even paid attention, you're still kind of out in the driveway.

[Ashley Johnson]

Was that Dylan?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I think it was, yeah. Was he even invited?

[Ashley Johnson]

I mean, I think he knows about. I'm going to peek that.

[Marisha Ray]

I probably invited him. I think.

[Ashley Johnson]

You. You invited him?

[Marisha Ray]

Well, I invited a couple people I know this is not my house. I just. It's the holidays.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You know what? That's that is in keeping. In the. In the spirit of, you know, of Mazel tov. And. And of.

[Marisha Ray]

It's the spirit of Mazel tov.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. She's spreading the joy of. Of the season. We should let him in.

[Travis Willingham]

Thanks, Ralph.

[Ashley Johnson]

I open the door.

[Liam O'Brien]

Bethany.

[Travis Willingham]

Hi.

[Liam O'Brien]

A merry Christmas for you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Merry Christmas for me?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

You know, I look inside. What is it?

[Liam O'Brien]

It's a series of books that are.

[Travis Willingham]

Tied up with a.

[Liam O'Brien]

With a ribbon with a little. Looks like little comic books, maybe. Yeah, I thought so.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What'd you get?

[Ashley Johnson]

Dylan, you shouldn't have.

[Liam O'Brien]

I had to literally punch text.

[Travis Willingham]

Nothing.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's beer. Go away.

[Travis Willingham]

Lots of beer.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna run to my room.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

She's so mysterious.

[Travis Willingham]

It's great to see you all.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hi, Gwen. Thank you.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, hey.

[Travis Willingham]

How are you?

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, are you kidding?

[Travis Willingham]

Look at this place. It's great.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm gonna, like, walk over, sit down, put my feet up, whatever.

[Marisha Ray]

Take a seat, relax. Do you want anything to drink?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, wait, I'm supposed to do that.

[Marisha Ray]

We'll do it, Ralph.

[Sam Riegel]

Dylan, man, did you bring presents for everybody or.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, I didn't know who was gonna be here.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

So I just decided. No.

[Travis Willingham]

Ralph.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Hey, hey, hey, hey. We're cool, right?

[Liam O'Brien]

What do you think? I mean, come on.

[Travis Willingham]

Of course we're cool. Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, we're cool, right? Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

What's the matter? I feel like there's tension, and I love some tension.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, no, everything's fine. I'm just. I'm plotting a little bit here, and you know what? I'm gonna go get us. There's pastor d'oeuvre. So I. I'll be right back. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

What drew me, like, a little bit.

[Marisha Ray]

Of alcohol.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

When we just got here?

[Marisha Ray]

It's a.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I mean.

[Travis Willingham]

Sorry.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm just getting really excited.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

My mom usually has me. Lets me take a couple sips of Manischewitz. I could get that for you.

[Sam Riegel]

What's that?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's really good.

[Sam Riegel]

Why don't you show me?

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, there's a heavy knock at the door. Suddenly.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, I should get that. It's my house. Hello. Welcome to the Blake residence. I'm. I'm Ralph. Hi. Hi.

[Travis Willingham]

Riley, if you wouldn't mind describing yourself.

[Laura Bailey]

You see a disheveled teen girl, maybe 16, just turned 16. She's a little sweaty because she just grinded a sick curb on her skateboard and did not dress up for this at all and kind of just has this air about her at any given time that she doesn't want to be here or talking to You. Hey. Oh, what was your name again?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Ralph Bader Ginsburg. Ralph Blake.

[Travis Willingham]

Right?

[Laura Bailey]

I've seen you around.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. You're the new. You're the new kid, right?

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Wow.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And. And you're like, from. From, like, Korea or something?

[Laura Bailey]

No.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Laura Bailey]

Well, I'm. I'm from the United States, but. Oh, my board.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, it's rolling down the street.

[Travis Willingham]

Hang on. No, don't come back.

[Sam Riegel]

It's a long driveway.

[Travis Willingham]

Steep.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are we about to learn amazing lesson?

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, no, sorry.

[Ashley Johnson]

I come back from upstairs where I was hiding my comic books.

[Marisha Ray]

Hey, this is Ryan.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey. How are you?

[Sam Riegel]

You used to live in Berlin, right? Isn't that your deal?

[Laura Bailey]

That's what it was, yeah. But my dad was stationed over there.

[Marisha Ray]

She's fluent in German.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm not. I'm not. Yeah, I've kind of traveled around. You know, he's. He's. He's actually a major in his new nuclear engineer, so we're. He. He's kind of babysitting the nuclear silo, but.

[Sam Riegel]

So you're not fluent, but you're. Are you, like, semi. Semi fluent? You know, a little bit?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

I can say fake dish.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What's that mean?

[Laura Bailey]

You.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, he just asked what it means.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

How did she get an invite?

[Travis Willingham]

This is such lame. Children. Children.

[Laura Bailey]

Holy. This house.

[Travis Willingham]

The.

[Ashley Johnson]

Where is everyone coming from?

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, hey, Rebecca.

[Ashley Johnson]

Bethany.

[Laura Bailey]

Bethany. What's up?

[Ashley Johnson]

Who and who? You're more than welcome to join.

[Laura Bailey]

Are you rich?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Laura Bailey]

Cool.

[Ashley Johnson]

How did you hear about the party?

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, Lynn invited me.

[Marisha Ray]

Gwen.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, gwinny.

[Marisha Ray]

You can call me whatever you want. I'll respond to it.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

I told her because she's new to town, and I just figured, you know, in the spirit of the holidays, we should all just be nice to each other.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, we're all mishpuka here.

[Marisha Ray]

That's what I said.

[Laura Bailey]

Is that German?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Sort of. That's a touchy subject.

[Travis Willingham]

At which point, Iris Blake is in the doorway, entering to the foyer, and it's like, oh, my, so many more arrivals. Are. Are your parents coming as well?

[Laura Bailey]

No, my dad. Mayor Hole. Major hole. Sorry. He. He's working the night shift at the Silo.

[Travis Willingham]

Walton, Beasley Watson. He was like, really? More the merrier. What?

[Ashley Johnson]

He's gross.

[Marisha Ray]

Just, like, give it a little pain.

[Travis Willingham]

The children are being obnoxious. Dear one wanders back into the chamber.

[Ashley Johnson]

Tristan, your dad's weird.

[Sam Riegel]

Have you met me?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Met you? I mean, your. Your. Your reputation precedes you. I. I saw you in a non skating, non musical version of Starlight Express, and you were you were fantastic.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, you've been to Grundle Brush's Playhouse?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I have, yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, I'm starting out there. You know, I'm like first assistant dramaturgist and slash janitor at the theater and I'm kind of working my way up and I, you know, I, I just over the background now, but they're doing Richard III in the coming season in January.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, and you're in it?

[Sam Riegel]

I'm going to be.

[Laura Bailey]

Did you say you're turgid?

[Liam O'Brien]

Not that time.

[Travis Willingham]

Children, children, please. I'm glad you're all here. And you watch as Mayor Cameron Blake walks in once more, kind of adjusts his lapel. It is indeed the Christmas season and we're happy to host all of you who need a home this eve and a bit of a bit of community. So this our home. Is your home. Open to all who want a place to stay to cherish and celebrate the holiday season. Bing bong. Who else is here? He goes to go for the door and opens it up and what you see waiting across the way is the sun's like setting in the distance. You see a man in his early 30s, kind of greasy dark hair, kind of in an Elvis like coif. He's wearing a, a white button up gas station tendant shirt, but he has it open with a wide lapel a bit and he's like, hey, brother, how you doing? The mayor goes tell this I wasn't. That wasn't where you were invited into our abode. Pelvis, of which the the Blake children probably know, is the estranged younger brother of the mayor, who hasn't really shown up much around the household, but seems to be kind of cool, if a little weird. He's carrying a large cardboard box that kind of sit on the side. He lives up and kind of things rattle right inside. He goes, well, you know, just. I got nowhere else to go around here in town and since it's the holiday season, figure I'd go ahead and bring a few gifts. I got some, got some KE shakes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Got some presents for some of the.

[Travis Willingham]

Kids and actually got some old family heirlooms here pass on to him. So I don't know, I think it'd be a good idea to get the family around. He looks past him towards the kids, like nodding for approval.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I take your box for you?

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, yeah, by all means, Uncle Pelvis.

[Ashley Johnson]

Thank you.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey, Belvis.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wow.

[Travis Willingham]

What's up, Billy?

[Liam O'Brien]

Good to see you too.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, I didn't realize it was a thing.

[Marisha Ray]

Hey, Belvis.

[Travis Willingham]

Hi, Gwenny. Gwenny, all right, looks like we gotta. We got a good gathering here. I'm gonna go ahead and get a beer. And Cameron there. There are no beers here, unfortunately. This is a. This is a sober family affair. That. What you could have mentioned that I didn't know.

[Laura Bailey]

Riley kind of leans into Gwinnie. Is his name Pelvis or Elvis? Or was it Elvis and he's. And people just call him Pelvis or is he Pelvis and he's trying to make Elvis happen.

[Marisha Ray]

See, we don't know.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Just curious.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah. It's a good question, though.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Yeah. Okay. As you all gather into the family den around the massive, immaculately decorated by other people that were hired to do so. Tree, a number of presents are scattered about. Conversation that bores you to tears continues to drag you through the early part of the evening. Eventually, dinner begins to be served. And the night mostly seems to be the adults talking about business and politics and money and all the obnoxious little secrets they like to tell about the other neighbors around, but kind of relegate you all to the kids side of the table as you do so.

[Ashley Johnson]

I lean. Sorry, I lean forward to Dylan. There actually is alcohol in the basement.

[Liam O'Brien]

In the basement?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Can we get there without being seen?

[Marisha Ray]

I know how to get down there without being seen. Sorry. I can read lips.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

How do you know that?

[Marisha Ray]

I have been here so many times. Like two. Everywhere.

[Laura Bailey]

Invited. Were you invited?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Cool. As some of the smaller gifts are kind of presented after dinner. And eventually Pelvis kind of pulls up the. The remains of the box. He goes, now, I don't mean to, like, take over here for a second, but while y'all been doing your family thing, I've been. I've been looking into our family history a little bit, and I found out that. I don't know if y'all remember we had a sweet little grandmother on the Blake side of the family. Old, uh, Oma, Sigrid, uh, a few generations back. Left a bunch of things that were just kind of floating in. What. What's that called? Repro or something. But.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, reprobate.

[Travis Willingham]

Reprobate. That's the one.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, I figured it'd be a good thing for you all to have. I kept a few things myself that seem to have a little history to the family. And she kind of pulls out like an old tattered mug and like, what looks like a. A fake pearl necklace that looks nice, but it also looks a bit tarnished. Sets it down. The one thing he pulls out that looks really cool, he goes, ah, now this here looks like a jewelry box, but I can't get it open for the life of me. He pulls out this rather large, strange looking wooden box, about one foot by one foot, that is intricately carved. You can see where the four feet of it sit. They seem to curl up its hands that clutch the edge of each corner of the box amongst them along the side. It's like these swirls that form like holly leaves and berries and beautiful bits of vine that seem to creep up just carved into the wood itself. There's other details in there, but even at a glance, you can't quite make out the specifics of it. And it all seems to reach up to the handle at the top of the box. And there's a massive. It looks like a tarnished iron lock that sits over the front with an open keyhole on it.

[Ashley Johnson]

That is so cool.

[Marisha Ray]

It's an ancient artifact.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I touch it?

[Travis Willingham]

By all means. I've been trying for a while. Pandora's box.

[Ashley Johnson]

Does it shake? Does it rattle?

[Sam Riegel]

Is there a keyhole or a contraption?

[Travis Willingham]

There is. There is a keyhole in it. However, it. It doesn't rattle when you shake it, but it is far heavier in your grasp than you expected it to be. You know what? Go ahead and roll a distinct roll for me.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

First roll.

[Travis Willingham]

First roll.

[Marisha Ray]

No, no.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait, I got to.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

There's only two dice.

[Marisha Ray]

I know.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, I'm choosing. I'm choosing the right ones. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, okay. Well, I rolled a 20, but with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

20 with fear. Okay, good to know. So as you clutching the box here for a second, you get this odd, ominous sense as your hands touch it. You can almost feel like the vines begin to move and shift. You can glance into the interior of the woodwork itself, the fine, darkened texture of it seeming to almost move and writhe. This warm, fuzzy feeling seems to fill you inside that's almost joyful, like the onset of a sneeze that never goes away. Looking upon it, the hands themselves seem to almost clutch harder on the edges. And you swear you can almost hear faint music in the back of your mind sourcelessly. And then as you release it, you're back at the table for a second. And set the box down. That was odd.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Are you okay?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. This box is just weird.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Well, you were shaking for a second.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Is there fumes on it, Marcus?

[Travis Willingham]

Stressful.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, come on.

[Laura Bailey]

A lot of the varnish from back then was, like, really toxic.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Don't lick that.

[Travis Willingham]

Is that.

[Ashley Johnson]

Let it be oh, how old is this box?

[Travis Willingham]

I don't know. I try to get it to praise. Say it's probably a few hundred years. Say it's of a German make. It's where Omar. Omar Sigrid was from. It's our family background. You see Cameron be like indeed and we've made a better life for ourselves.

[Laura Bailey]

Here in the US Hearing this, can Riley kind of look over and kind of poke at it? And can I use my ability I spent time overseas to check it out, my experience.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure, go ahead and roll. Go ahead and roll a knowledge roll and then add that bonus to it. You spend a hope to do so.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, I will do so. Spending a hope. Okay, so that's gonna add plus three because my knowledge is zero or. Sorry. Plus two.

[Marisha Ray]

Ooh, icky.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, that's gonna be a 12 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

12 with fear.

[Marisha Ray]

Yikes.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll go ahead and take a fear for that. So you. As you stare into this, this box, you can. There are definitely like deeply set. It looks like letters, but they're not language that you understand necessarily. They're like older runic carvings. Things that reminiscent of like northern European make or even like old Germanic maybe. But definitely seems to have a holiday theme to it in elements you can see where like the holly and the vines just old. It's definitely old. But you yourself even staring into it too deeply, feel like the sweat beginning to pour on your brow. And you take the stress as well as this is happening. The rest of you kind of find yourselves kind of leaning in towards the box before Iris, who's halfway into opening a present and no one's paying attention, goes, honey, they're not looking. Cameron goes up. Everyone, I think that's enough distraction now from my brother. We'll take care of these things later. He picks up the box and takes some other things, puts it in the bag. We'll finish up dinner here and go on with the rest of the evening. You kids can have fun in your room upstairs. The pair the. The adults will have our own time in the parlor. And he goes and begins to take the box down into the basement. And hearing a downstairs as Iris opens her present, goes, oh my God, it's a bl. What? Looks expensive. We shift on to later in the evening now as the parents are laughing off into the den. And the rest of you have kind of been relegated off into the. The children's side of the party. It's long past the sunset. The night stars are out.

[Laura Bailey]

Dylan.

[Travis Willingham]

What?

[Laura Bailey]

I brought my slingshot. Do you want to go Shoot some squirrels outside.

[Travis Willingham]

I.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, no.

[Travis Willingham]

This.

[Liam O'Brien]

I feel like this sucks, and I want to fix this. It is not time to be distracted.

[Travis Willingham]

Squirrels are great.

[Liam O'Brien]

I came for beer. I am so disappointed. I thought your family was rich enough to have beer.

[Ashley Johnson]

We do. We have a whole refrigerator of beer down in the basement. Come on. I lead the group down.

[Travis Willingham]

Whoa.

[Ashley Johnson]

The door to the basement's locked.

[Marisha Ray]

We're trying to. You don't have a key?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes, of course I have a key.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, no.

[Ashley Johnson]

Where does the key. Can I look around the kitchen for the key?

[Travis Willingham]

Sure, if you want to go ahead and make an instinct. Roll another one. Try and glance around for where it may be hidden.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, you can look, but this is what we have. Dylan, for.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait for. I was gonna. Is there a phone in the kitchen?

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, there is indeed. It's a phone. It's affixed to the wall.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm gonna walk right by you while you do this.

[Ashley Johnson]

I rolled a nine with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, well, you gained a hope. However, you are kind of staring around and, like, moving the drawers and pushing through. There is just all matter of strange objects, devices.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, I forgot to tell you. My mom rearranged the drawers in here. She thought that this system was more organized than your mom had it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Do you see where your mom put the key to the basement? Basement?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, I didn't. I didn't see. But I do think that this system is a little bit better. Why are you looking at me like that?

[Liam O'Brien]

That's a look of murder, Dylan. This party needs more delinquency. Hold on. And I'm calling for some beer.

[Ashley Johnson]

You're calling for beer. Wait, we have a whole fridge. Can I try to.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm waiting. I'm letting the phone ring. I'm calling the guy I have, so.

[Travis Willingham]

Eventually the line picks up. Hey, Tanner. Where. Where are you? And what do you. What do you look like as you answer your phone?

[Matthew Mercer]

This is Tanner standing inside of a phone booth in my family owned dump. This is Tanner Spe.

[Sam Riegel]

Hey, trash boy.

[Liam O'Brien]

Party at the Blake's house. It's minimum two six packs. Are you in?

[Matthew Mercer]

Hey, big D. First of all, it's not trash boy.

[Travis Willingham]

It's just trash.

[Matthew Mercer]

Second of all, two six packs. That's gonna run you a fat 20 note. I need a Jefferson.

[Liam O'Brien]

Can you wait till New Year?

[Matthew Mercer]

New year?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, I'm a little short right now.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, but the vig is steep.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm just gonna tell you right now. Two six packs. I'll be there in two shakes of a lamb's tail.

[Liam O'Brien]

What's wrong with that kid?

[Ashley Johnson]

So did you invite Tanner trash to the house?

[Liam O'Brien]

No, I invited beer, and it comes with a side of Tanner.

[Travis Willingham]

Doesn't take too long for Eventually, a soft knock at the window of the kitchen. And what. What do they see standing outside the window? Tanix?

[Matthew Mercer]

They. They see a big fog spot on the window and then a dick being drawn in with a bunch of spiky.

[Travis Willingham]

Pubes and some spark, spark, spark.

[Matthew Mercer]

And then I see Ginsburg inside. I'm like, hey, Ginsburg, open the door.

[Sam Riegel]

Look, he drew a picture of your uncle groin.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I. I quickly go over and open the door. Tanner, what are you doing here?

[Travis Willingham]

What do you mean?

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm on a delivery. Do you have my money or not? Ginsburg?

[Travis Willingham]

Me?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I don't. My. You're.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hey, Tanner.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, hey, Tiffany.

[Ashley Johnson]

What's up?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's Bethany.

[Matthew Mercer]

Beth? Yeah. Bethany. Yeah. How's it going? I. Where's Dylan?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

He's here. Dylan. Dylan.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh. What? Oh.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, my God.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, I owe you so big. It has been so lame.

[Sam Riegel]

Thank you.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, hey, Tanner.

[Matthew Mercer]

What's up, turd?

[Marisha Ray]

Art, did you come over for the holiday celebration?

[Matthew Mercer]

For the what?

[Travis Willingham]

We're all hanging out. Hey.

[Sam Riegel]

Hey, Tanner. Are you coming in or.

[Matthew Mercer]

What's up, Pamela?

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, did you bring. Say anything?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, I brought two six packs.

[Travis Willingham]

How many of you guys are there?

[Sam Riegel]

You should crawl through the window.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We split off in the adults.

[Matthew Mercer]

We're getting out of the back door, but there's a bunch of parents usually.

[Marisha Ray]

Do you come here a lot? What, are you guys dating?

[Ashley Johnson]

Listen.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Wait, are you.

[Ashley Johnson]

No way. Like I would ever date Tanner.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, so you're single?

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, like, do you want to come in or what?

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, yeah, I think you should come in.

[Matthew Mercer]

Is the mayor inside?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, okay, I'll come in.

[Laura Bailey]

It's Christmas Eve. You should probably go down the chimney.

[Travis Willingham]

So, Tanner. Tanner. Describe what they see as you come into the homestead.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see Tanner cods wallop. Also known as Tanner Trash, or just trash for short. Tanner looks like he got held back about seven times. He's a varsity football, wrestling, lacrosse, basketball, baseball, and swimming. Has a little peach fuzz on his lip and probably shouldn't be in school anymore. But also, there's a skunky odor emanating from his hood.

[Marisha Ray]

What's that smell?

[Matthew Mercer]

That. That smell. What smell?

[Travis Willingham]

Are you a narc?

[Marisha Ray]

No, I just smell something. It kind of smells like a skunk.

[Matthew Mercer]

Don't worry.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's the dump. You smell the dump?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. Listen, one of those beers, by the way, is Mine. It's got my name on it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Turd.

[Matthew Mercer]

Why don't you grab me a brus?

[Marisha Ray]

I'll see your name anywhere.

[Matthew Mercer]

Do you see the one with the bottle cap on it? There you go.

[Travis Willingham]

It's about this time. You notice at the edge of the doorway is Phaedra Beasley, the mother of both of you, kind of in her lace little dress, arms crossed, looking upon this display.

[Sam Riegel]

I immediately dive in front of both Gwenny and fill the frame of the door so that mom can't see. Hey, Ma.

[Travis Willingham]

Hi, children. Looks like you're having a little party here.

[Marisha Ray]

We're just hanging out.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hi, Mrs. Beasley.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, we're figuring out electives for next year at school.

[Travis Willingham]

You're not doing anything unsavory, are you?

[Ashley Johnson]

No, Ms. Beasley. Miss, you can trust us.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, Ms. Beachley, you look fantastic tonight. And I have a joke that you might like. I'm going to use my. I'm going to use my experience called Class clown to try to distract her.

[Travis Willingham]

With a joke, okay?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm going to say to her, what's Mr. T's favorite month?

[Travis Willingham]

April Fools. Definitely roll presents. Roll.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, that is with my bonus. That is a 21.

[Travis Willingham]

With hope, with fear. Okay? So mark off your hope for using your experience. He's gonna go ahead and take that fear. She leans in close to you and goes, I'm sorry, I don't get it here.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, yeah, he's doing Mr. T is this guy. He's on TV. He's really cool.

[Travis Willingham]

I smell something. She sniffs in the air. You start getting a little nervous.

[Ashley Johnson]

Is it that skunk smell?

[Travis Willingham]

I believe that is it. She looks over towards Tanner and walks forward to. Towards you.

[Marisha Ray]

He ran over the skunk outside.

[Travis Willingham]

Her, like, kind of fade dress kind of flows as she kind of beelines towards you like a latrial. Intense towards Frodo is like. Is that an illicit substance I smell on your person, Tanner?

[Matthew Mercer]

How's it going, Ms. B? No, no, I just came from. From wrestling practice and I haven't bathed and Magoo smells.

[Travis Willingham]

You would be in very serious trouble if the man of this house learned that you had brought illicit substances into his home with his daughter. Perhaps you need to get rid of it quickly.

[Matthew Mercer]

Whoa, Hamlet, your mom is cool. Sure, sure, Mrs. B. I just. You know the skunk I ran over outside, there was this little baggie next to it.

[Travis Willingham]

I. I don't know.

[Marisha Ray]

How did that get in there?

[Travis Willingham]

I don't know.

[Matthew Mercer]

But make sure it's disposed of properly. And, you know, don't put it in any brownies.

[Marisha Ray]

What even is that?

[Travis Willingham]

Merry Christmas, children.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oregano.

[Travis Willingham]

And she exits the chamber.

[Critical Role Narrator]

J.

[Laura Bailey]

Did she take your whole stash?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No.

[Marisha Ray]

Ooh, that was close.

[Sam Riegel]

Winnie, you and I are probably gonna have to sleep downstairs in the den and sleeping bags tonight, okay? Mom and dad are gonna.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, yeah. Yeah. I feel like whenever I smell that smell, they're usually up all night.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wait, wait. Your parents party.

[Marisha Ray]

Hello, Mrs. Beasley. Our mother is the sex education teacher.

[Travis Willingham]

That makes so much sense.

[Matthew Mercer]

I just thought she was crazy.

[Travis Willingham]

Why? Nice.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, wait, wait. Were your parents hitting on our parents?

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, they're definitely into some swinger.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, they don't do that anymore, dude.

[Laura Bailey]

It's written all over them.

[Marisha Ray]

What?

[Sam Riegel]

I don't think.

[Travis Willingham]

I think you hear laughter from upstairs and the skunk smell gets stronger. Damn.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Her curriculum.

[Matthew Mercer]

So comprehensive.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

So gross.

[Marisha Ray]

We got to get out of here.

[Sam Riegel]

We got to get out of here.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, no, that's gross. But, like, is this. Is this that kind of a house where, like, people can't.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hey, wait, Dylan, Dylan, I. I brought a Polaroid. Maybe we should just, you know, like.

[Travis Willingham]

What? What?

[Matthew Mercer]

I mean, that would be offensive and gross.

[Critical Role Narrator]

We should get out of here.

[Laura Bailey]

Wait, do you have the pots for their mom?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Bethany. Bethany. This conversation begins to dull into a. In the background as you look past the hallway that leaves the kind of kitchen window area. And you see the light from the basement door that was previously locked just open and spread against the hall.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hey, guys, maybe. Maybe we can get away from the noise downstairs.

[Marisha Ray]

Basement time.

[Ashley Johnson]

It looks like it's unlocked.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

How'd you. How'd you do that?

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't know. Maybe it was just stuck or something.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, let's go. Bring the beer.

[Marisha Ray]

Sweet.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And the oregano.

[Travis Willingham]

You all quietly gather what materials you need from the kitchen and begin to quietly tiptoe down the basement stairs into the underneath the household, where the laughter and conversation of the parental units amongst their separate holiday shenanigans gets more and more distant.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, boy.

[Travis Willingham]

Here in the basement, you pass by. The massive hot water heater itself is kind of like boom dinging every five or ten minutes or so. The pipes themselves running about. You can see the massive piles of old rags and bundled up blankets and looks like old toys from your childhood. Both of your childhoods kind of placed on different shelves. You can see there's a old card table. Maybe an ancient past in which your father used to host poker nights with his friends. It's kind of gone to the wayside a bit. It's covered with a sheet. And there on top of it, you see the cardboard box that your Uncle Pelvis had brought here earlier.

[Ashley Johnson]

I go over to the box and I open it up. No, seriously, guys, this thing is weird.

[Matthew Mercer]

What's in the box?

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't know.

[Liam O'Brien]

I could open it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We can't open it.

[Travis Willingham]

I could.

[Ashley Johnson]

It gave a weird feeling though, when.

[Laura Bailey]

I was looking at it earlier. That lettering on it, it. I mean, it kind of looks like German, but it's like old. It's not. I don't know, it's weird.

[Liam O'Brien]

Doesn't German just look like English except in like the wrong order?

[Laura Bailey]

No, they got some weird squiggly letters and like weird dots over some of them. It's a little weird.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

If you can open it, go for it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, Dylan can open anything. We have them down to the dump and every time we get a car. Car dropped off, he gets the trunk open like that.

[Travis Willingham]

True story.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah. And worst case scenario, Bethany, we'll just do what we did when we were so pissed about finals and we went down to the dump and threw televisions in the air and let him break.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Now every, every Christmas, my dad lets me go through the lost and found box at the mall and pick whatever I want or anything he, you know, confiscates.

[Travis Willingham]

That's so cool.

[Liam O'Brien]

Security and I, I. He had a lock pick set about two years ago. I didn't bring it cuz, you know, I was trying to respect the house.

[Travis Willingham]

Why?

[Ashley Johnson]

How far is your house?

[Liam O'Brien]

It's on the other, other side of town, but I'll tell you. Do you have like, I don't know, hairpin or something or. All right, I've got a thing called pick and pull, which gives me advantage.

[Sam Riegel]

On, on opening locks.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I'm going to spend a hope for one of my experiences. Experience you adding. I'm just gonna MacGyver this.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so go ahead and roll a finesse roll for me and adding your. Is it plus two for your experience?

[Liam O'Brien]

It's a plus two plus a D6. D6.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, let's go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Come on.

[Liam O'Brien]

Don't suck.

[Travis Willingham]

That's pretty good.

[Liam O'Brien]

11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 23. I think with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Take your hope on that one. Yeah. As you kind of look at it for a second fiddle with it, as your fingers are touching the outside of the box, you can feel that strange tingling sensation kind of travel through your fingers into your hand. Hearing this like a distant music. It's odd. It's like somebody had Turned on the stereo system two houses down. Far too loud, but it's inviting. And as you inspect the lock, and it is a large lock, whatever key this was built for was an old thick iron key. But to that point, you find the tumbler is not too difficult, given your experience and opening all things you shouldn't. You all gather around quietly as you watch Dillon get close, passing one a second tumbler. And with each push, you almost swear you can see the hands on the side of the box beginning to relax.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh my God. The hands are relaxing.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

How are you standing close to us?

[Marisha Ray]

I'm just. I'm just very close to Dylan.

[Travis Willingham]

Just I can.

[Marisha Ray]

Loud breathing.

[Liam O'Brien]

Your breath smells like baloney. Can you please back off?

[Marisha Ray]

I just had a bologna sandwich.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, hold on.

[Travis Willingham]

Let me get it.

[Sam Riegel]

There's a little bit of it on your mouth guard.

[Marisha Ray]

Sorry.

[Travis Willingham]

And then as you hit the final lock tumbler, the box lid pops off onto the ground as light begins to filter out from the inside of the box. The entirety of the basement ceiling is now a lit. Like a massive light is just shining onto it from below. You all kind of stand back as the air leaves the room. You feel like this warmth is now emanating, like a bonfire has just suddenly flashed in the middle of the chamber. Like your eyebrows might be burned off, but it's welcoming. You hear music. You hear laughter. You hear the voices of song.

[Marisha Ray]

Get back.

[Laura Bailey]

It's radioactive. It's the commies.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Here we go.

[Travis Willingham]

As this happens, you watch as vines begin to curl out and wrap on the sides. Holly bushes seem to expand. Bright red berries almost peering off the sides of the table. The table has become part of this side.

[Ashley Johnson]

I push Ralph behind me.

[Travis Willingham]

The lid that sits on the side is the light as a glowing blue orb seems to appear from the inside. And with it, you watch as ribbons of light and color seem to just spill out and wrap around the.

[Liam O'Brien]

The.

[Travis Willingham]

The actual like load bearing pillars of the area and begin to wrap around all of you. This light seems to take almost a human and shake. Like the tiniest of beautiful humans. This kind of androgynous looking humanoid fairy like entity, this semi translucent blue spirit seems to unravel. Yawning commies are small. As it unleashes its hands, the light gets brighter. The vines shoot out against all of you, wrapping around you. You find yourselves tethered. And you feel that warmth beginning to grow from within. Like a fire's about to burn you from the inside. As it does, you suddenly start to shift and change.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is this a Christmas Thing.

[Travis Willingham]

Some alien ancient magic seems to take root within your actual physical selves and begin to turn you inside out. Let's begin here. Look at the young one.

[Laura Bailey]

She's still a virgin.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Who?

[Travis Willingham]

You know, Riley. So each. I have sex all the time. No, you don't.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Everyone knows there's nothing.

[Travis Willingham]

Each of you being a virgin. Each of you. Correct. Each of you have. Have envelopes in front of you. Pull the one from Marisha to you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, my God.

[Travis Willingham]

As Marisha, if you would describe how you. Oh, my God, I'm so transformed.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, wait, that's not me. This is.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait, you already know yours.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, I know, but I do. Okay, wait. I have a paper for this. I just want to be refreshed.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm waiting.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, so you see. You see Riley's cargo pants start to get shorter and shorter. First they're like high waters, and then they go up to the knees, and then they keep going. As you see, h start to elongate out from the bottom of her jeans. Riley, you know, her puffer jacket does the same thing as it gets shorter and shorter. And her red, bushy hair that's coming out from under her. Her hat starts to spread, and it gets bushier and bushier and turns almost into a mane as her arms start to elongate. And then she kind of like cracks her head a little bit as her nose starts to elongate and turns into a reindeer skull. And from out from the back of her ball cap, antlers start to grow and start to reach the ceiling, as you see. And they almost start to catch some of the Christmas lights that manifest and start weaving in and out between her antlers. And then you see along her arms, almost Nordic style art is starting to be sketched around her fur.

[Travis Willingham]

At which point Tanner begins to feel this tether within him and begin to pull him into a strange, new physical presence. Tanner, would you mind describing your transformation as the rest?

[Matthew Mercer]

I scramble backwards in the basement. I find a trash can nearby, and I grab the metal lid.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm like, oh, what the is?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And Tanner starts hitting the ground.

[Matthew Mercer]

And as he's hitting the ground, his forearms start growing, the muscles starts adding to his arms, and fur starts to grow. His hoodie starts to split. It turns into, like, these suspenders, and all of a sudden, his red bandana turns into, like, a Santa hat, and Tanner turns into this silverback banging symbol toy monkey.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What the is happening.

[Travis Willingham]

Gweny, as you're screaming, your voice seems to shift.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm gonna leave the basement.

[Travis Willingham]

As you turn to run Your legs seem to not be quite as sturdy as they were before.

[Marisha Ray]

What's happening?

[Travis Willingham]

What's happening indeed, Gwenny, what is happening? If you wouldn't mind describing what you become. Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

As a transformation happens, Gweny's eyes turn into just round black voids of terror. And she starts to shrink, but fills out into three round balls of snow. Her headgear turns into this horrifying metal mouth, arms poking out.

[Ashley Johnson]

Terrifying.

[Travis Willingham]

What the. As you watch Gwenny partially actually melt in front of you and scream that Dylan, if you wouldn't mind. As you look down at your hands himself.

[Liam O'Brien]

I. I start to feel something weird in my mouth.

[Travis Willingham]

And I re.

[Liam O'Brien]

And it's.

[Travis Willingham]

There's these teeth, these like tusks that are.

[Liam O'Brien]

Start growing out of my mouth. And I look down and there's white hair that's starting to cover. Cover my hands. And then my cheeks just start to kind of pulse and my eyebrows pulses. My face changes, becomes this weird simian type.

[Travis Willingham]

And my hair gets really long and white everywhere.

[Liam O'Brien]

My chain of wallet starts to wrap around me.

[Travis Willingham]

Perhaps sharing in the screaming, Tristan joins the fray as you. He's freaking out over his little sister.

[Sam Riegel]

Is turning into a lump. But his body starts to elongate. His arms get longer, his legs get longer. He stretches up till his shoulders are pressing into the ceiling. His clothes starts to burst everywhere as tufts of fur spread out in his chest. The pants split open hulk style, and horns grow up out of his head, straight up and out to the side, and his tongue elongates out till he.

[Travis Willingham]

Turns into a ripped Krampus. Oh, my God. What? Oh my God. Look at my abs.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

He's a teen wolf.

[Sam Riegel]

They're going to cast me as Richard iii.

[Travis Willingham]

As his tongue lashes around in the space, the energy of the magic spreading into the chamber. Out of the corner of your eyes, you're so focused on yourself, you don't realize the massive icicles that are growing on the edges of the chamber and cutting up through the floor. The growth of the strange ivy and vines and holly itself, turning the basement around you into a veritable dark forest. As Bethany. What do we see?

[Ashley Johnson]

I start running away and clutching at things, but as I do, I fall over and I realize my legs are slowly disappearing. Disappearing. As my skirt gets longer and longer and I start shrinking more and more, my body turns into kind of this bulbous sphere and my face starts cracking and turning into wood as I realize.

[Marisha Ray]

I turn into a tree topper.

[Travis Willingham]

I didn't even have a hand.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I. I try to flutter my Stupid mesh wings. And I take off from the ground just a little bit.

[Matthew Mercer]

Your eyes are so scary.

[Marisha Ray]

They are.

[Laura Bailey]

What happened to your eyes?

[Critical Role Narrator]

Oh my God, Bethany, you're a toy.

[Travis Willingham]

In the middle of all this chaos. Poor Ralph Bader. Ginsburg. Blake. Screaming.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm screaming. I just want to enjoy Christmas. I just want to enjoy Christmas.

[Travis Willingham]

I just want to enjoy Christmas.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I just want Christmas. And as I'm chanting my acne, which by the way, this is just makeup, my acne starts to explode and green pus starts spewing out of all of my acne, all over my face until my entire face face erupts and becomes green. And I shift and grow and turn into a large Grinch.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I just want Christmas for myself.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And I also kind of look like gritty.

[Travis Willingham]

Go flyers. As the immediate panic subsides into near hyperventilation of you all looking across at each other. In the middle, the strange kind of blue fairy looking spirit stands there smiling amongst all of you. Ah, I'm free from the upland box.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Speak German, right?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

She said. She said something for talking.

[Ashley Johnson]

What?

[Travis Willingham]

Fire talking.

[Laura Bailey]

She said Merry Christmas. I'm pretty sure that means Merry Christmas.

[Travis Willingham]

All must be cheerful. All must be in the spirit. You are all beautiful. And I will make everything just as beautiful. I must call my friends.

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

The children must be judged.

[Marisha Ray]

No, no, no.

[Travis Willingham]

Takes off, shattering outside of the the barely visible basement window. You. And scatters off into the night air. As you watch like the still growing ivy kind of curling out the window. The spirit vanished into the night.

[Marisha Ray]

Tristan.

[Critical Role Narrator]

You guys, they're gonna shake the military on us.

[Travis Willingham]

We gotta get outta here, you guys.

[Laura Bailey]

My dad's gonna kill me.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm a fucking snowman.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

How am I supposed to move? Wait a second. Wait a second. Why are you the only one who got hotter?

[Marisha Ray]

Tristan? That's not fair. That's all fair.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'm kind of okay with it. We gotta come up with a plan. All right. I think you still look pretty good.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Bethany.

[Marisha Ray]

Shut up.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Okay, okay. Ginsburg. That's real weird now. Dude. We gotta get out of here. We gotta move.

[Matthew Mercer]

Where Herod see us.

[Travis Willingham]

What can we do?

[Liam O'Brien]

Is there a window in this basement.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Or storm cellar doors?

[Travis Willingham]

There's the window the spirit shattered out of the box. Still sits open in the central table.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, is there anything else in the box?

[Travis Willingham]

You look inside and it's just a still like plain wooden interior with the tiniest chain affixed to it.

[Ashley Johnson]

A chain? Like a broken chain?

[Travis Willingham]

Like a chain that may have held what was once the Chain.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, she was chained inside.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Is there any chance that a gorilla, a Krampus and a true detective monster are going to fit through the window?

[Travis Willingham]

Probably not.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna flutter up the steps to the basement and peek out of the door.

[Travis Willingham]

As you head up the steps, which by the wall themselves now are overgrown and the door is partially pushed in from what looks like a tree is now rapidly growing out of the side of the wooden frame. You peer into the hallway and you can see now first off, the temperature has dropped significantly and as you glance inside, there are sheer walls of, of ice. Like the interior of your house has like snap, frozen.

[Ashley Johnson]

Good news, guys. I don't think our parents are going to kill us. Bad news, I think our parents are probably monsters just like us.

[Laura Bailey]

Mom, Dad, A. I don't want to go check. They're probably in the middle of boning.

[Ashley Johnson]

It's.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, what if they fused?

[Travis Willingham]

No, no, I got my Polaroid.

[Laura Bailey]

Actually, maybe we should go check.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, that sounds crazy and interesting.

[Travis Willingham]

You guys head up the stairs. And indeed the interior of this, the gorgeous mayor's household has become this like nightmare wonderland with like cracking ice that seems to pierce out of the nearby windows. You can see bits of green are growing out of wherever wood is exposed. The center of the kitchen island is like pushed off to the side from what looks like an actual massive pine tree that's now pushing in real time like growing out of the floor and beginning to pierce the ceiling. You push past and head to the parents den upstairs where you heard the laughter as well. The smell of weed is still strong from it as you kind of peek through the doorway. And the ice itself has pierced and coated the interior of this chamber. Most everything itself is locked in these massive kind of glacier type ice like monoliths. And there you can see indeed the mayor, Cameron Blake, straddled by Phaedra Beasley.

[Ashley Johnson]

Both.

[Travis Willingham]

Clothes on. It looks like the night was just beginning. But they are frozen in ice and their eyes within the ice turn towards you, panicked.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Where's my mom?

[Marisha Ray]

Where's my mom?

[Travis Willingham]

You look on the other side and Walton Beasley is in the process of giving a nice shoulder massage to your mother.

[Marisha Ray]

Mom.

[Travis Willingham]

They are both also frozen in ice. Her blouse is kind of off the shoulders a little bit, but they're both looking panicked and their eyes also roll over towards you within their ice coffins.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I see a blanket frozen in frost on the side. Can I break it off and try to cover my mom?

[Travis Willingham]

Sure, I'll allow it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, we got, we gotta rescue them.

[Travis Willingham]

If they. If they stay like this for long, they could.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

They could die or something. We gotta get them out of here. We gotta solve this.

[Matthew Mercer]

I immediately grab Ginsburg and everybody else and I start shoving him through the door. But my hands keep clapping, so it's.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Like clang, clang, clang.

[Marisha Ray]

Don't.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't use your voices.

[Critical Role Narrator]

They can see us.

[Matthew Mercer]

What if they know it's us?

[Ashley Johnson]

How would they know it's.

[Travis Willingham]

For what part?

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, do you think we're having a contact high? I'm not. Interesting.

[Laura Bailey]

It's honest. It's a good question.

[Ashley Johnson]

There is a lot of smoke in the air.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I did.

[Travis Willingham]

I did say hi. Oh.

[Liam O'Brien]

Pelvis drugged us is what happened.

[Critical Role Narrator]

We don't know what kind of swag was in that 200 year old box.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, okay, hang on.

[Liam O'Brien]

We want drugs.

[Laura Bailey]

She said she. That the blue fairy, she must have been like the spirit of Christmas or something. She said. She said.

[Marisha Ray]

I think.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What does that mean?

[Marisha Ray]

Merry Christmas.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Are you listening to yourself?

[Travis Willingham]

Merry Christmas to you. And then she said something about o. What did she.

[Laura Bailey]

Can I. Can I. What did she say, Matt? You said it so fast.

[Travis Willingham]

I know.

[Laura Bailey]

I was so distracted.

[Travis Willingham]

She mentioned the you, you bell in box.

[Laura Bailey]

You bell in.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Do we know what that is?

[Travis Willingham]

Which. I'll say you, you because you know a little bit of German and the context of it. It means the cheer box.

[Laura Bailey]

The cheer box.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's what she was in.

[Travis Willingham]

Is the merry holidays. Oh.

[Ashley Johnson]

What is it? What is it?

[Laura Bailey]

What was it?

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Alicia Vaynakhta.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

But that doesn't tell us how to fix it.

[Laura Bailey]

No.

[Marisha Ray]

What am I supposed to do?

[Matthew Mercer]

In the summer winning show.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We're gonna solve this for a few months.

[Laura Bailey]

Freak it out.

[Ashley Johnson]

Look, all we have to do is get the blue fairy back and put her back in the box. That should contain all of the Christmas scariness.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Is there any fairy juice on the walls or tracer? I don't know how fairies move. What the heck is going on?

[Ashley Johnson]

She went out the window.

[Critical Role Narrator]

We gotta hit the town.

[Ashley Johnson]

Then let's get outside and see where the trail goes. Because probably wherever she flies, that's where the worst of this is gonna be.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, she said.

[Laura Bailey]

She said she was going to go find her children or. Or something like that.

[Ashley Johnson]

What the children is she talking about?

[Travis Willingham]

I don't know.

[Matthew Mercer]

I head down the stairs, but not like a human would. I just like use my hand and my feet run up on the wall.

[Critical Role Narrator]

And I'm like, bous.

[Matthew Mercer]

I just start barreling downstairs. I'm going to head for the Front door and try and find the basement window to see if I can find any trace of the Blue Fairy.

[Travis Willingham]

Certainly. All right. So you head to the basement window and look around. I mean, she's definitely absconded. You very easily do see though, as through the window, what was just a well manicured grass lawn you can't see through because now it's completely overgrown into a dark forest just beyond the glass.

[Marisha Ray]

Grab the box.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, hang on.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait, let me grab the box.

[Laura Bailey]

Let me take a look at this. May I use my gifted tracker ability to spin the hope?

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Laura Bailey]

And then you have to tell me the answer to any number of questions.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Is that like a reindeer?

[Travis Willingham]

Any number of questions.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah, it's one for hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, yeah, that's right. Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

So I'm going to spend one hope to ask which direction did she go?

[Travis Willingham]

So you step outside of the front door of the household to get a better look at the neighborhood and the path she was going. And indeed the entire household has like a slow growing dark German forest beginning to consume it from the outside. And you see a path, a trail of where it would have moved through the neighborhood. These little streets and homesteads themselves are now being consumed as well by these massive trees. You watch as streams of lights begin to apparate. All these little lights begin to dully glow from beyond the needles.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

See shards of ice growing up around. And what was once a dull gray sky was a gentle snow begins to thicken and the wind begins to pick up with more of a chill. You spend a hope. And you're asking where it went? Yeah, from where you sit, which would be to the right, the northeast of creepy Miss Springs house. You gather that it is likely traveling in the direction of. You know, actually roll a D6 for me to see where it was going.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right, man, I do not trust anything German.

[Laura Bailey]

Five.

[Travis Willingham]

Five. Okay. All right. It is heading pretty far north. Actually. It's heading in the direction of the water tower.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, you see like in my antler or like under my. My reindeer skull, my eyes kind of flicker a little bit and it's almost. Almost like a night vision that almost kind of cues in Riley's head. And she knows the way. Guys, follow me. And as she starts to clump forward, she hits a patch of black ice and just goes.

[Ashley Johnson]

I love that song.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, wait.

[Laura Bailey]

And then I turn around and I look for my. I look for my skateboard that I.

[Travis Willingham]

Left on the front, but it looks a little different.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, it's a sled.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, wait, did we grab the Box.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Who grabbed the box?

[Marisha Ray]

Tanner grabbed the box when he went down there because I screamed it at him.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so go ahead and mark down that you have. You have the u bell box.

[Matthew Mercer]

I got the box.

[Sam Riegel]

And you're just pinching it between two giant symbols.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. This is where lacrosse comes in handy.

[Travis Willingham]

Perfect.

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe. Oh, maybe we can shove it inside. Gwen Snow.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, go for it.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Take a big breath and just kind of like. It's. It's. It's like pushing into, like, I'm a Joey slush pile. It doesn't hurt. It feels comfortable. If anything, it gives you a little more.

[Laura Bailey]

I. I put one hoof on my. My toboggan, and then I use the other hoof to start to start pushing, and I start leading the way north. North.

[Travis Willingham]

Great. You all follow behind Riley.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna flutter up. This is like, my mesh wings are really at flying, so I'm gonna flutter as hard as I can and land on top of one of Tristan's horns.

[Sam Riegel]

And as I pass a frozen car window, I'm like, God, my pecs are so choice.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Like a 12 pack. All right, let's go.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Following down easterly lane up towards where the bridge crosses the river. The white winds through Spingdale Springs. You can see the edges of the bridge itself are encased in shards of ice. And the river below has become just glacial frozen, immovable ice in both directions. You can see what looks to be one sort of a smaller vessel that was probably coming through, carrying materials down the river that's just frozen and locked, like, partially out of the water itself. Kind of its hanging lantern light just kind of glowing in the distance. You can see one car that was coming across the road itself was, like, pushed up by the ice, and it's partially encased. You continue past the bridge towards the direction of the water tower, and there you can just barely make out over the tree line that surrounds the city. This pale, bluish glow that kind of like figure eights over the horizon before vanishing into the trees around the base of the water tower.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Dylan, you know the water tower, right, because you tagged it.

[Liam O'Brien]

I. I mean, I've tagged a lot of things. I don't.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I mean, it says Dylan right on the top of the.

[Critical Role Narrator]

In seven foot letters.

[Liam O'Brien]

That could have been anybody. I. I mean, we can head that way. There's. Well, there's the, like, old car cemetery right nearby. We can try and get some cover.

[Laura Bailey]

No, no, I saw it. She went that way. She went towards the. The tower. We got to go to the tower.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm not going first.

[Marisha Ray]

I can't go in the water tower.

[Laura Bailey]

We don't want to go in the water tower.

[Ashley Johnson]

Tristan, go. You have like so many pecs.

[Critical Role Narrator]

All right, I'll do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Ah, wait, let me get off your horn first.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so are you all trekking towards the water tower or the charge where.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'll lead the way as the enforcer.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Tongue just swinging side to side. It's like a foot long fruit roll up.

[Travis Willingham]

Are you all beelining or are you going stealthily?

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, should we stealth it? What is it? What does it. What does the blue light look like it's doing? Is it flying around or is it staying there?

[Travis Willingham]

Blue light. You saw like figure eight around, like in the base of the water tower and then vanish into the tree line near the base of it. You're not.

[Matthew Mercer]

We got to go. We don't want to lose it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, we gotta go.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, quickly leave still.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, all right, all right, all right.

[Liam O'Brien]

Going as.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

As we're going. By the way, as we left the house, I grabbed. I grabbed a handful of candy canes from the dish and I've just been eating them like just non stop.

[Travis Willingham]

Just.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I just need more Christmas anything.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Like a Muppet.

[Travis Willingham]

Perfect. I love it. None of it's actually being swallowed. It's just breaking in the mouth and falling out. Charging across the bridge and coming to the outside of the water tower. You can see like there's the heavy tree line around it and the numerous abandoned cars that kind of are scattered around the base. The chain link fence is pushed over in places. Elements other cut around it. But you can see the tree line is just now growing. You could see these odd almost like brier like growths out of it that instead of thorns, there's holly bushens kind of popping out of it and the faint glow of little candles and elements of odd almost like natural Christmas light stream sort of apparating out of nothing, curling around the trees, giving it a hauntingly beautiful themed. Like an amalgamation, an alien interpretation of a nightmare Christmas. And as you get closer to, you can see the lights themselves slowly wrapping up the outer poles of the massive, massive water tower itself. No current sign of the spirit, but its presence is definitely changing the landscape. Okay, how do you want to approach this?

[Critical Role Narrator]

Yeah, how do you want to do this? I need direction, motivation. Am I going to use the box capture the thing? Or do I just grab her by the neck?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, yeah. This is.

[Travis Willingham]

You're.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

This is Death of a Salesman.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'm Willy Loom and I can work with that.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'm tired of the road.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You're tired of the road and you just wanna. I never saw Death of a Salesman.

[Travis Willingham]

You don't know what you're talking about, okay? No, no.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

This is that brand new show that just came out. Les Miserables and. And. And you're Jean Valjean and. And you stole.

[Travis Willingham]

You stole a loaf of bread and.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Javier is after you and I don't know where this is going, but I really like that show.

[Marisha Ray]

Revolution is so good.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's good.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to spend a fear here.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

And you watch as some as these. This blizzarding kind of. Or not blizzarding yet, but the. The growing storm of snow and wind is picking up around you. Out of nowhere. A bolt of lightning strikes from the clouds somewhere between the thicket of trees before you, and you see a flash of flame and a bit of cinder.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, shit.

[Travis Willingham]

No, it's okay.

[Critical Role Narrator]

It's okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

I know what we're doing over here. I'll go check it out and I'll start to symbols on the snow.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, who's following Tanner? I'm right behind.

[Liam O'Brien]

Trying to like. I'm.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm.

[Liam O'Brien]

I. I just watched the new American ninja film. It came out like three months ago.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. I'm gonna spend it.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna land on.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm trying. I'm gonna spend another fear. And as you land on Dylan's head and the rest of you are trying to keep up, the thicket grows between your troop and you lose entire sight of Tanner, Dylan and Bethany as they kind of vanish deep. Oh, my God. There's a wall in front of you now of just tangled vine and Holly.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Bethany.

[Critical Role Narrator]

No, I think they're dead. We should cut loose and run.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

How do.

[Travis Willingham]

Should we go back?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, no, no. We have to be brave in the face of adversity. We just have to get. You're not. We have to cut through this forest.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, how do we do that?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Well, we could brute force it.

[Travis Willingham]

We could.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We could sort of find our way. Oh, I know how. Oh, boy. I'm going to use my ability. I saw that episode. I saw an episode of Unsolved Mysteries where a group of kids was lost in the woods and they found their way out by following the sound of water.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's see if that works.

[Laura Bailey]

I think that's normally the opposite of what you're supposed to do.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm pretty sure I saw that episode. So I'm going to listen for any sounds that might lead us out.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so you're going to make a group roll with your side of the troop here. So I'm going to say for this, go ahead and make an instinct roll. You're the leader of this before you make the roll. You're all contributing to this. So I'd like each of you also to make an instinct roll to contribute to the bonus of this final check.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

This is just reaction roll, so you don't gain any hope.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Seven with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so I don't give any fears to reaction roll, but that is one failure.

[Marisha Ray]

Nine with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

With hope. I mean, you don't get a hope on this. This is.

[Marisha Ray]

That's right. You literally just said that.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Oh, we'll keep saying it.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't worry. I know.

[Laura Bailey]

16 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

No, it's good to say it.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm saying it is nice to say.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm saying that I'm hopeful that this.

[Travis Willingham]

Is gonna work, and I love that for you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Thank you.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so that'd be minus two plus one. So overall, it's a minus one to your final group check if you're navigating them through this space. So go ahead and make your instinct roll.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Minus one. I made my instinct roll. And it is. It's two tens. It's a critical.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, there you go. Great.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm travelling over here.

[Travis Willingham]

As a crit. You also gain a hope in hand clear stress. If you have a.

[Critical Role Narrator]

It's a Christmas miracle, Ralph. Oh, wow.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It is. I can feel the spirit of Christmas sort of flowing through, through me, and it's pointing that way.

[Travis Willingham]

You can hear the faintest sound of trickling water.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I don't know from what, but we're going to follow it.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so as you guys are following that sound, we come back over to Tanner, Dylan, and Bethany. As you guys haven't noticed yet that the rest of the troop hasn't kept up, but you begin to snake around the thickened trees. You can see now the branches almost seem to reach out slowly, like hands. You kind of push past them, and you can see there's a number of abandoned cars, their tops kind of caved in, their trunks open or torn away, their engines either already pulled for parts or themselves just rusted over. And now within them, you can see, like, the intricate little bushes growing out. These kind of relics of abandoned industry have been taken by the holiday spirit. And you can see these tiny little red berries, like, appearing all around it. You can also smell this scent of, like, smoldering wood almost. It's like something that it burns the Impact of the recent lightning strike. Oh, God.

[Ashley Johnson]

I think I'm really flammable.

[Liam O'Brien]

I mean, just, you know, I. I think if. As long as you're not touching the ground, you're probably okay. I don't know how lightning works.

[Ashley Johnson]

My hands light up.

[Travis Willingham]

Guide us.

[Liam O'Brien]

Guide us.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, now I would like you to guide a navigation.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Your side of this troop now.

[Matthew Mercer]

So does that hurt?

[Ashley Johnson]

I can't. I can't feel anything. It's kind of warm. Weird.

[Travis Willingham]

If I could have Dylan and Tanner, both of you make instinct rules for me.

[Sam Riegel]

Man, that is going to make a love life really difficult.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm okay with it.

[Matthew Mercer]

23.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's a festival of lights.

[Liam O'Brien]

17 and it's none of your business.

[Travis Willingham]

If I was hope. All right, great. So you get a plus two to your role as you are leading this. But they helped you out.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I'm rolling an instinct.

[Travis Willingham]

This is instinct. Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

God, why didn't I give myself better instinct plus two. That would be 15 with me.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, that's not bad. That's not bad. So I do gain it from here.

[Matthew Mercer]

Good job, Becky, on that one.

[Travis Willingham]

So you.

[Ashley Johnson]

You. You know my name. Trash. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Independently, both troops take wider routes, separated, but do eventually kind of guide themselves to the central point at the base of the water tower. You begin to see where part of that thick brush begins to separate and where the heaviest cluster of abandoned cars sits on the right hand or we the eastern side of the water tower. The heavy, tall chain link fences wrapped in razor wire at the top are partially bent in as part of the growth is kind of punctured through and overtaken. And there in the middle, you can see where the lightning had struck, There is this kind of glowing almost like a runic circle in the middle. And the spirit sits there with its hands up, and it's just muttering to itself. A vast smile that gives off a bright, wonderful, warming glow. And you. You see from within this crater a bit of a torch of flame. And you watch as a figure emerges from this hole. You see a humanoid a little bit bigger than Tanner's human size, a little smaller than what you are now. Its body covered in what looks like clothing, old clothing, but it's tattered and dirty, Its arms, bundles of sticks. It looks like some sort of massive scarecrow that seems to almost grow as it steps out of the center of this. But where its scarecrow head would be, it is currently split in two. And where it was split, you can see the embers burning of where the lightning struck and divided it. And on the inside, both sides seem to move like two parts of a mouth kind of shifting on its own. And it kind of emerges from within and spins over towards the spirit. The spirit says welcome in. It begins to fly off into the sky.

[Marisha Ray]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Laura Bailey]

That means welcome.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Thank you.

[Travis Willingham]

I do want to do anything. Before it tries to take off, I.

[Laura Bailey]

Shoot her with my the slingshot.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it. Go ahead and take a shot.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, bad.

[Marisha Ray]

What the heck.

[Laura Bailey]

Eleven with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, eleven with hope unfortunately does not hit, but you do gain a hope for the role as you fire. It just goes wide and kind of vanishes into the night. But the spear turns around, takes notice of you all and goes. Ah, you've come as well. Please walk with Hans. Hans. Embrace the children. The scarecrow turns around. Flames.

[Marisha Ray]

Keep him away from me.

[Travis Willingham]

No, no, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go on.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, no, no, no, no.

[Travis Willingham]

And it begins to kind of head towards you. Lumbering. It's going to take one heavy swing over towards you, Riley, if you now like, it looks smaller distance now. It's probably about 10ft tall in the shoulder and it's splintered head. The closer you get, it looks like what you expect to be burning cinders. You almost see te teeth writhing on the inside of its split head as it goes rushing towards you. It's going to go ahead and attempt to take a burning maw attack against you. I'm going to spend a fear to do that. Oh my God. That's going to be a 12. What's your evasion miss?

[Laura Bailey]

My evasion? So question. My evasion is 15, but I get plus one against the creature that I've been tracking. Would this count?

[Travis Willingham]

No, because you're tracking in the spirit.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, okay.

[Travis Willingham]

But still that still is a miss. It goes wide from there, pulls back. I'm going to burn. No, does not have. Relentless. So that's the end of my go there.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, it's hot. It's hot, hot, hot, hot, hot.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Can I rush forward to try to get it off her?

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, you can.

[Critical Role Narrator]

The Tristan had this satchel on his side with all his plays and notes in it. But it's big, huge sack now. And he pulls out a massive swatch of birch branches that form a switch. And I try to beat its ass.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it.

[Sam Riegel]

As I launch at it.

[Critical Role Narrator]

You've been naughty. I critted.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Critical Role Narrator]

For a 25.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so you gain a hope and clear stress. That's a nice opening. Go ahead and roll. Damage on now.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Also as a Krampus, when you succeed on attack against a target within melee range, you can mark a stress to kick yourself off them. Dealing an extra 2d6 damage.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go roll an extra 2d6.

[Critical Role Narrator]

So the switch is 2d8. Okay, here comes. Yeah, that's seven. That's one.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, you add that also too, because you crit with it. It's. Yeah, it's your max damage. Plus that. So.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Plus that.

[Sam Riegel]

So 16 plus that. 16. Okay. 17.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

24.

[Critical Role Narrator]

24 plus the kicking.

[Sam Riegel]

24 plus the plus threes.

[Critical Role Narrator]

27 plus kicks, for a total of 33 points of damage.

[Sam Riegel]

So I run in and slap it.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Scarecrow ass with the switch and spin it around and then just start kicking up its body and I leap up into the air and crash down in front of my little sister. What the do I do now?

[Travis Willingham]

So that's. That's. That's a severe wound. So mark's three hit points on that. It does get a reaction. Vengeful spirit as Hans trapped this strange entity. You come down and slam it in its face before you kick off its body. It reaches up and its extended claws, it's. It's wooden claws seem to rake out and grab your body for a second before you can kick entirely off of it. It pulls you in and the fire burns in your face. The cinders seem to intensify and you swear. You can see where the twigs begin to withdraw and writhing flesh and teeth begin to take over from the inside of its split head and throat as it tries to pull you in. You kick off in time, but the flames still burn you for.

[Critical Role Narrator]

It's okay. You'll use it for sense memory work.

[Travis Willingham]

14 points of physical damage.

[Sam Riegel]

14 points.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Guys, does this enemy remind you of the mascot of our rivals? The Waterfall Falls. Fighting von Traps.

[Travis Willingham]

What?

[Laura Bailey]

Because I was. What did you say?

[Marisha Ray]

DM above the table.

[Travis Willingham]

Hans Trap.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hans Trapp.

[Travis Willingham]

No.

[Sam Riegel]

Hans Trap rules. Point of order. That was major damage for me. So I'm going to use some of my curly chest and shoulders, shoulder hair as armor and mark that off so I take one hit. Point of damage.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Can I. Can I. Since Tristan is standing in front of me, can I sort of like peek around and I. I just put my hand out and shoot out a cinder grasp?

[Travis Willingham]

Sure, yeah, if you want to.

[Marisha Ray]

All right.

[Travis Willingham]

So the partially burning scarecrow, you're gonna rush up and try and finish the job?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. Now, is that a melee attack?

[Marisha Ray]

That is a spellcaster target within melee range.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. Yeah. So you have to get right up close to it to do it. So you. You dart around your Brother Tristan. And charge up Brother the flaming angry scarecrow.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Your tree branch hand is on fire.

[Laura Bailey]

Is that all right?

[Travis Willingham]

All right, all right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Why can't you ever read dice? We've traveled across the entire country. You're using new dice.

[Marisha Ray]

All right, that's, that's 15 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

15 with hope is actually just perfectly enough.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

So yeah. So you take a hope and roll your game eternal.

[Marisha Ray]

All right. Okay. So that is 20. 20 plus three.

[Ashley Johnson]

20.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh. Oh. That's 22 points of damage.

[Travis Willingham]

That's gonna be a major wound. So it takes two hit points from that.

[Marisha Ray]

Why do I have a fire ability?

[Travis Willingham]

This doesn't make any sense. That's what was once like the burning inside of its split head. Now the flames begin to curl across its shoulders number parts of its body. It's now like half of a burning wicker man. Like in the middle of this space, as the spirits kind of drifting way up in the air, looking down, kind of smiling and looking upon the chaos.

[Ashley Johnson]

Do you think this thing was a person like we, we were?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It doesn't matter. We got to end this thing. It's, it's, it's evil.

[Marisha Ray]

Kill it.

[Travis Willingham]

Kill it. Spend a fear immediately to have it jump in here and make a twig claw strike against you. Since you're right in his face and just set it to flame. You hear this like evil angry gurgling inside its fury and it lunges.

[Marisha Ray]

Why is it making that noise?

[Travis Willingham]

That's going to be a nine to hit you. What's your evasion?

[Laura Bailey]

It's 11.

[Travis Willingham]

No. You can't hit anything.

[Marisha Ray]

And when a creature acts while on fire, they must take an extra 2d6 roll 2d6 damage. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

It swings wide towards you, furious. But it's 5. 5 damage. All right. That is just a minor wound to it. So it takes another hit point. It swings a heavy angry flaming arm towards you. But your live snowman body. I roll backwards out of the way. Goes wide.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I know mom is frozen in coitus right now, but for some reason, I think she'd be so proud of you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All of this action is making me sompt and, and so nervous. And my, my stomach is bubbling and I, I, I ate a lot of candy canes. And so I, I come up close to it and I, I, I just, I just barf candy at it using my elemental gentle breath ability. My, my Grinch draconic ability. And I'm gonna try to hit it with. With a candy barf.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go for it.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Oh.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

1212 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

12 with hope will not succeed. You gain a hope, but unfortunately as you try and gurgitate up, it gets caught in your throat. You're not familiar with this much candy in the middle of your unfamiliar body and gets caught. A couple pieces fly out and. But then the noise is loud enough that the entity turns towards you. Hans when it's going to go ahead and charge up. Actually no, for where it's standing. It's going to go ahead and make a lob ember attack since the flames are in there. So I'm going to go ahead and mark a stress on him there. It reaches into its split head and pulls out some sort of strange burning coal like section of dark material and chucks it at you for. That's gonna be a 10 to hit you. What's your evasion?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

My evasion is 12.

[Travis Willingham]

This guy can't wait for crap. That's okay. I'll make up later. So you just dodge out of the way.

[Liam O'Brien]

So while. While all that is happening. I. I assume now they're in. In melee.

[Travis Willingham]

They're like. They're like at it. They're not. The one who's in melee currently would be Gwen. Okay, well that. That works.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm gonna get close to this thing and I normally have like a weight in my wallet that I use to just like, you know, just in case you gotta run and smack someone in the head real hard.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I go for it and my wallet is gone. It's just this like weird ice ball weight. And I just start giving it a swing and I give it a lob. I don't know why. And the blade of ice just fires off of it.

[Travis Willingham]

Hell yeah. All right. So go and roll intact.

[Liam O'Brien]

All right, that is.

[Travis Willingham]

Here we go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Nats. That is 8, 9, 10, 11, 17 with 17 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Whoa. That gain a hope. And that indeed hits. Go ahead. Roll damage.

[Liam O'Brien]

All right, so that's. There we are 2d8 plus 2d6 because I've got that rogue class. So that's. I get that little sneaky.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, you do.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's.

[Travis Willingham]

Whoa. Okay. That's a lot of damage. That's a good ball eight.

[Liam O'Brien]

16.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We're all Gwenny now.

[Liam O'Brien]

26 points of damage.

[Travis Willingham]

That is a major wound which takes it down its val to hit points. How do you want to do that?

[Liam O'Brien]

Like foot and a half long ice that is just broken off. My. My weird chained ice sphere hits it. It just starts to branch out like a snowflake and slowly snuff out the fire just piece by piece until it's brittle and cold.

[Travis Willingham]

It kind of like freezes up. At that moment, the fire seems to subside and go out. And now it's just another frozen sculpture amongst the frozen forest. The spirit kind of floating above. I'm gonna spend the fear. The spirit of holiday cheer is gonna take it turn and go, oh, Hans. But your time is not over. There's going to spend another fear on its inspire, myth, ability and Hans trap. What? Suddenly, the flame begins to burn anew from within. Ice begins to melt, and it's recovered some of its hit points.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, the spirit of Christmas is so strong.

[Travis Willingham]

The spirit's just encouraging its. Its brethren.

[Marisha Ray]

Why are you doing this? Because it's the holidays.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That's a good point.

[Travis Willingham]

Riley, do you want to go? Now it's back to you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I. Oh, sorry.

[Travis Willingham]

No, you go.

[Marisha Ray]

No, you go kill it. I was on top of Dylan's head.

[Ashley Johnson]

When he did that final attack. So when I see it come back to life, I'm going to just fly forward off of Dylan's head and take my two light hands and stab it into its face.

[Travis Willingham]

Got it. Let's go. Let's go.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, there's a seven with hope. Okay, wait, no, I add anything. No, I don't add anything to it, do I?

[Travis Willingham]

I mean, whatever your weapons.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, well, that's a ten with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Ten with hope unfortunately does not succeed. You gain a hope, but it. As you try and jam towards it, you're. You actually feel like your hands get too hot. You try and strike towards the center of its chest and it turns and leans in, its mouth open, and the flame starting from inside of its inferno like torso makes you pull away at the last minute before you ignite.

[Ashley Johnson]

I knew it. I am flammable.

[Travis Willingham]

It's now going to go ahead and spin around and try and hit you back before you manage to escape its range there. It's going to go ahead and make a burning maw strike against you. I'm going to spend a fear for that. It's cocked. There we go. That's a 20 to hit. Oh.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, I think that that definitely hits.

[Travis Willingham]

It's always fun to ask just in case DMs out here. So it's going to strike you for 12 points of physical. Sorry, 15 points of physical damage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. That takes it up to major.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. Spend your armor to reduce it or.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, I'm going to. Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. So it reduces it to a minor wound. It does have an ability called momentum, which when it hits a target with a successful attack within Melee. I gain a fear, so I get a fear back for that. But that finishes my go.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna get so mad and I'm gonna use my. My vengeance ability. I'm gonna take a stress and I'm gonna force that jerk to take a hit point because I took a hit.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You should not make Bethany mad when she's mad.

[Ashley Johnson]

Things start to hand start to flare up, like really, really, really bright.

[Travis Willingham]

She's having a tantrum. As you flare up, the flames in its body seem to intensely burn and not from its own self. And you kind of withdraw, kind of catches itself. It looks very hurt now, like you've. You've singed it back and it's barely holding onto itself. Once more.

[Ashley Johnson]

Eat it, Chode.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I haven't seen you that mad since dad said you couldn't have colors by Benetton perfume.

[Ashley Johnson]

I deserve colors by Benetton. You know what I mean.

[Travis Willingham]

Tanner, would you like to go?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. I'll run up on the sides with my two symbols and I'll run up one of the sides of the trees and leap and just try and.

[Travis Willingham]

Hell yeah. Let's go.

[Matthew Mercer]

That is. Is 16 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

16 with hope. Great. Go ahead and take that. Hope that a successful attack. Go ahead and roll damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

12 for my symbols. That's double sixes. Trash. Trash for 22 points of damage.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Taking the.

[Travis Willingham]

Tanner, how do you want to do?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, I run off and just smash on either side and all the twigs and kindling go.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. As it shatters and scatters across the ground, the spear goes. Oh, goodness. Hun probably deserves that. Rest for a moment. She kind of rubs her fingers and you see twigs start to slowly move.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait, wait, wait, wait. What's your name?

[Travis Willingham]

I must go see to my office.

[Marisha Ray]

You should get back in the box.

[Travis Willingham]

It begins to fly away. And you want to do anything as it's flying away.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I. Can I try to fly after her?

[Travis Willingham]

Sure, sure. Try your. It's. It's really hard to keep up. See, I will have. Go ahead and make a strength check for me to see if you can maintain speed alongside this.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

With your paltry tree topper weeds.

[Ashley Johnson]

Listen, I'm used to pushing through. Can I use my experience? Just deal with it, Bethany.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, I'll allow that. Suspend a hope and add that to it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. Okay. That would be. And it's a strength.

[Travis Willingham]

Strength. Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

Amazing. So that's plus six. So that is an 18.

[Travis Willingham]

18 noice. And was. That was with hope of fear. Huh?

[Ashley Johnson]

With hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Right? Yeah. Take that hope. All Right. So you as the rest of your come on the ground and the spirit takes off. You watch Bethany just the her sides of her candle arms flare for a second before you now see like the streak of blue and the streak of red kind of following after. And you are both now high above the city. And as you're kind of like looking up towards her angrily, you glance down and you can see like the actual path, the trail that has been carved where the spirit has passed through the town with only this brief moment and how the landscape around is just transforming by its very presence.

[Critical Role Narrator]

This is just like Missile Command at the arcade.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. It arcs up and then kind of looks over shoulder and sees you and stops and spins and smiles.

[Marisha Ray]

Ha.

[Laura Bailey]

Sweet.

[Travis Willingham]

Sing.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hi. You should get back in your box.

[Travis Willingham]

I've been there too long. It's time to be free. Listen, share with the world the greatness of the holidays.

[Ashley Johnson]

You kind of turned us all into monsters. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

You're beautiful.

[Ashley Johnson]

I have no legs and I have no hands. Please. Maybe if you come down, you can. You can just talk to us and we can help you.

[Travis Willingham]

Go ahead and make a presence check for me.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I. No. She wouldn't give a shit about who my dad is.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Sure, why not? Do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I add. Do you know who my dad is to this? He's the.

[Marisha Ray]

Ow.

[Ashley Johnson]

He's the mayor. I just ran into the microphone.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll ask you.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

How do you think this entity has any idea what a mayor is?

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't. I don't think I should get this one.

[Travis Willingham]

I don't think you should.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Call him the Burgermeister.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay? Oh, okay. That would be 18 fear.

[Travis Willingham]

18 with fear. All right, so the cocks her head towards you. I have too much to do in so little time. But please, I want you to meet the rest as a family. It means to arc away. Heading back in. You can see towards the eastern side of town.

[Ashley Johnson]

Eastern side, Eastern side. Wait. The eastern town of West.

[Travis Willingham]

Girls, do you stay and watch where she goes?

[Ashley Johnson]

I wanna. I wanna stay up in the air so I can see exactly where she's going before I bring the. Go back to the group.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so as you watch ahead, the rest of you on the ground are watching the streak. And you can see now the sticks. Are I getting to read?

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm getting everybody. Everybody just grab a handful of kinderling. We're gonna take. Keep this thing apart. And I'm grabbing as much as I.

[Travis Willingham]

Can and you're grabbing the kindling.

[Liam O'Brien]

I am.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Anybody want to join in?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Sure, sure, sure.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, I'm watching Bethany's light arc to the sky. And just talking under my breath.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this son of.

[Matthew Mercer]

What did that mean?

[Critical Role Narrator]

Bethany's the coolest.

[Travis Willingham]

Who's gathering tinder Bits of Hans Trap.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, tinter bits.

[Travis Willingham]

Mark that down for yourself.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, I will also grab.

[Travis Willingham]

You've taken the separated bits, some of which is still kind of burning like a cinder. There's an act of flame on it, but it is kind of. There's smoke and. And bits of ember kind of on the edges of it. You gather it, kind of hold it off to the side and you all be.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, wait, I don't want to touch this. This is too hot. Sorry, I didn't mean to scream.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'll hold yours. No, man.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so mark that down. You all glancing up towards the kind of flaming arc that is. Bethany keeping watch. You no longer have sight of the spirit of Holiday Cheer as it has vanished beyond the tree line of your sight. But you, Bethany, watch as it arcs down. It seems to vanish right around the base of Dork Dug's Arcade.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Dork Doug's Arcade.

[Travis Willingham]

That place is awesome.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, as I see it land, I'm going to fly back down to the group. It just went to Dork Dogs.

[Laura Bailey]

Do you think it likes Metroid or Rampage?

[Ashley Johnson]

Rampage for sure.

[Matthew Mercer]

Golden Axe.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't even want to think about what kind of monsters it can create over there.

[Travis Willingham]

You hear a crack in the distance in that direction. Uncertain of what it may be, but something has definitely shifted loudly.

[Marisha Ray]

What was that crack in the distance?

[Ashley Johnson]

We gotta go. We gotta go.

[Travis Willingham]

With the gathered bundles of flaming sticks that still seem to pull towards each other like a perpetual magnetism as you hold them under your arms themselves forcing, trying to reform itself in your presence within your grasp. You all trudge out through the heavy, thick covered wood on the outside of the now shadowed water tower against the moonlit sky, the blizzard clouds barely starting to close over to prevent any sight of the stars above. As the cold winter wind takes over. You push to the east of Springvale Springs.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I call first game.

[Travis Willingham]

And we're going to go ahead and take a break. So we'll take our intermission. We'll see you all here in a little bit. Grab your snacks, grab whatever you need. Use your bathroom and we'll see you shortly.

[Sam Riegel]

Happy Christmas, y'all.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, hey there, Laura Bailey, here to tell you all about the glorious goods we create inspired by our stories. Our stores are filled with the basics, like character, inspired T shirts, dice sets, and pins, as well as more specialty items like fancy jackets, puzzles featuring gorgeous artwork, the comfiest joggers and pajamas ever, and much, much more. There's also a few special items that support charity efforts, like our dedicated Critical Role foundation merch. You can check out all of our regional online stores by visiting the shop tab on critrole.com or head straight to the US store at shop.critroll.com Every purchase helps support our shows and the stories we tell. Speaking of which, let's get back to the story.

[Marisha Ray]

What is he giving out? Are those burritos?

[Travis Willingham]

Philly cheesesteaks.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, Philly cheesesteaks. That makes more sense.

[Travis Willingham]

What are you doing?

[Marisha Ray]

Did you just throw a loose sandwich?

[Ashley Johnson]

Are those real sandwiches?

[Travis Willingham]

Let me smell your hat. Please tell me those weren't actual sandwiches.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, it's merch wrapped in Philly cheesesteak.

[Travis Willingham]

That scared the hell out of me.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And that was for our wonderful VIP guests up front. But the fun doesn't end there. I have another giveaway for someone further in the back. Section 204 seat E15. Look under your seat.

[Travis Willingham]

Seat.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, there's a secret gift.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Or at least we're gonna bring it to you or something. I don't know. I don't really know. I didn't plan this. I mean, I did plan it, but they said there's no. There is nowhere to hide it under the seat. So they said just announce it and we'll bring it to them or something.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's a Philly cheese steak wrapped in merch.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

204E15 Congratulations. You are the winner of Critical Role. It's now your company.

[Travis Willingham]

So much less stress.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We have a lot of HR problems.

[Travis Willingham]

Your problem is not well. Welcome back, everybody. So we missed you. As we left off, this troupe of strange, festively transformed teenagers are trekking across Springvale Springs in search of the rogue spirit of holiday cheers as it terraforms and terrorizes their hometown, vanishing somewhere in the direction of the arcane. As you all continue to trek in that direction, is there anything you wish to prep before you head that further into the city? Oh, prep.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh.

[Travis Willingham]

How are you prep.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

How are you doing on.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, I should help too. By the way, I now have a clock up for the. For Hans trapped, which you have all brought his pieces with you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh.

[Travis Willingham]

So I'll just put that there and keep tabs on that.

[Liam O'Brien]

So go on, Trap.

[Travis Willingham]

What you're doing. What? What? Don't worry about it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hate when he says that.

[Ashley Johnson]

We've got to figure out what we're going to do. Like, we can't just keep going after this creature. What if. What if they just keep creating new monsters everywhere we go?

[Marisha Ray]

What she say?

[Ashley Johnson]

They said they needed to spread Christmas.

[Travis Willingham]

Cheer and to all their children.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right?

[Travis Willingham]

Stop it.

[Matthew Mercer]

What if we set, like, an ambush? What if we make them come to us? What if this spirit of Christmas really loves, you know, some sticky, icky.

[Travis Willingham]

Icky?

[Marisha Ray]

I don't know what that means.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, we, like, you know, we could. We could fan the flames a little bit and see if we could draw them out of the arcade.

[Travis Willingham]

What?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You said they're at the arcade. What if we challenge them to, like, Ms. Pac man or something?

[Liam O'Brien]

Somehow that's a better idea than yours.

[Ashley Johnson]

I don't know. I mean, thought we were cool, Dylan.

[Matthew Mercer]

I thought we were cool.

[Ashley Johnson]

This is an ancient spirit. It's not like they know Mrs. Pac Man. But weed's been around a long time.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thank you, Bethany.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

By the way, just to. Just to say it out loud, did you guys notice that we totally changed into monsters and have magical abilities now?

[Ashley Johnson]

It is pretty weird.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's wild.

[Marisha Ray]

I kind of hate it, but I kind of love it at the same time.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's pretty warm.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Also, your dad threw a key party.

[Ashley Johnson]

A Christmas and invited children. I mean, how creepy.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I mean.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Oh, this night is cursed in so many ways.

[Marisha Ray]

We could also. What if we do, like, Christmas caroling?

[Liam O'Brien]

Ooh, go on.

[Laura Bailey]

What is that gonna do to keep spreading cheer?

[Marisha Ray]

Well, maybe to get the spirit's attention.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Do you guys know? Oh, Dreidel, Dreidel, dreidel.

[Laura Bailey]

I do.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, that's one.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't know. I feel like maybe we should do some, like, research. I know that sounds super lame, but maybe. Maybe we should go to, like, the library or something. This just feels so out of our depth and I don't want to keep fighting. Wickerman.

[Matthew Mercer]

No. Super lame.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do you even know where the library is?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, I don't. On the map.

[Travis Willingham]

No, it's not on the map.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's literally not on the map.

[Laura Bailey]

We can go to the comics. The comic.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

The comics store is like a library.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

Honestly, though, that's a really good idea. The comic book store might be a really good place. They have, like.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hey, they have a full run of.

[Laura Bailey]

Heavy metal and it's already on our way to. To Dork Dog's Arcade. So we can maybe just stop on the way.

[Matthew Mercer]

Comic nook.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. Also, I. I worked there one summer.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I worked at the comic book store.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, it was.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Like I would ever go there.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, what?

[Marisha Ray]

Bethany, that's not true.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Comics are really great. You should really. Maybe I could show you some of mine sometimes.

[Travis Willingham]

She's fine.

[Liam O'Brien]

Just let it go, man.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I got. I got this really cool one. It's a black and white. It's called the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It just came out. I think it's gonna be really big. I don't know.

[Ashley Johnson]

Listen, I mean, like, what do I care about turtles? It's not. Like, Donatello would totally be my favorite.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Wait, you know, wait, you.

[Sam Riegel]

You know about.

[Travis Willingham]

About it?

[Ashley Johnson]

Listen, I don't want to talk about this right now. There's bigger things happening to the town.

[Marisha Ray]

Well, she always hyper comics and her.

[Travis Willingham]

Her.

[Marisha Ray]

Her textbooks. What? Queen.

[Laura Bailey]

Look, Bethany, like, I think I know nerds aren't cool now, but I have a feeling that in the future, nerds.

[Marisha Ray]

Are going to be super cool old.

[Laura Bailey]

I just feel like, you know, you shouldn't. The more you try to deny your inner passions, the more it's just going to, like, eat you up inside.

[Liam O'Brien]

You're an idiot.

[Laura Bailey]

New words of wisdom.

[Travis Willingham]

So.

[Laura Bailey]

So here to try and relate to you, because I don't relate to you in literally any aspect whatsoever. My dad, he gave me a bunch of old mercury from a bunch of thermometers, and I broke them all and I put them all in my hand, and then I told everybody that it was my alien symbiote. Whoa.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

[Laura Bailey]

He took it away later because they said mercury is toxic, but I kept a lot of the mercury.

[Travis Willingham]

Wow.

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe that's why you're a reindeer skull right now.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, so. So I really think we shouldn't rule out that this might be a radiation leak from the silo. I'm just saying. I spit on myself a little. I'm just saying, though, you have no lips.

[Liam O'Brien]

I mean, it's gonna happen.

[Travis Willingham]

That's true.

[Laura Bailey]

My tongue has nothing to keep itself from falling out. It's weird.

[Matthew Mercer]

I mean, maybe if we trap the spirit of Christmas in the box, then we can throw it in the nuclear silo, but we gotta.

[Travis Willingham]

Wow.

[Ashley Johnson]

You still have the box, right, Gwen?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

It's in there, all right.

[Sam Riegel]

Tristan steps out under a spotlight, a streetlight.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Listen, you guys, look at that Happy.

[Matthew Mercer]

Trail.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Trash to trust you notice. We'll talk later. We were always nerds and freaks in our different way. And now we really are. This is the moment where we save our town and save the holidays by embracing that inner nerd and freak. This is our time here, right now. This is Our time. So I say we go get that fucking fairy monster and stick it in the box.

[Travis Willingham]

And stick that box.

[Critical Role Narrator]

And stick it in a nuclear factory.

[Travis Willingham]

Whoa.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That was an awesome monologue. You should audition with that next year, dude.

[Laura Bailey]

That was just mine and Tanner's ideas that you just like, rephrased into a speech. You suck, bro.

[Marisha Ray]

You kind of did.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

He took good writing and he performed it well.

[Critical Role Narrator]

And now you get a D6 rally die to spend on anything you want because I found my light and delivered.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thank you, D6.

[Ashley Johnson]

Nice.

[Critical Role Narrator]

And you ungrateful can use that for reaction roles, action rolls, or to clear a number of stress equal to the result.

[Marisha Ray]

What?

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, now we're cool.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's pretty major.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Even you, Riley.

[Marisha Ray]

Reaction rules. What else?

[Sam Riegel]

Action reaction. Or use it to clear stress.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, listen, do you think the comic book store would have, like, old German Christmas tales or something? Like ancient horror stories or stuff like that?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

He does. He does have some eclectic stuff.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe we should check it out then.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, there's books that tell you.

[Critical Role Narrator]

How to fight vampires, space aliens. There. There's gotta be something.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. Let's swing by.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Let's swing by. Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

All righty. So as you're now trekking back across the town, you hit the street from beyond the water tower, curving kind of on the direction towards Dork Doug's arcade, but kind of turning left towards Dominic Nook's comic Nook. There you can see already in the distance the kind of glowing neon sign of the arcades on the side are starting to be overtaken with shadow as the exterior of the comic shop itself is mostly dark. There's like a faint bit of blue light inside the front window, but it is closed. Being Christmas, the doors themselves shut, but it is there and at your disposal should you were to find a way in.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can you still break into things with your giant paws?

[Liam O'Brien]

I have very delicate fingernails right now.

[Matthew Mercer]

They're sharp.

[Travis Willingham]

They'll do the job.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I still have that bloody hairpin. Excuse me, I. I'll need some light, though. Come over here. Thank you. Yeah, I'm. I'm rolling for it. Say, where'd it go?

[Laura Bailey]

So stupid.

[Travis Willingham]

I love it.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's a picking point. Okay, so I'm just going to roll straight for that. That's finesse.

[Travis Willingham]

That'd be finesse, yes.

[Liam O'Brien]

All right, that's 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

So I'll go ahead and take a fear off. However, you do manage to succeed at this as you kind of like kind of turn the Thing in the inside of the lock. Find an interior little spring and it opens up on the inside. You can already see like the. The dull security lights that just barely light the interior. Most of it's just kind of shadow shelves of various books and comics on all sides. That familiar smell of a fresh comic store, which is a fine mix of fresh print, old print and comic readers.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Put it in my face.

[Travis Willingham]

But as you all kind of shuffle in, which is a sight to behold, you are a modicum of strange shapes all kind of like darting into the shadow and closing the door behind you. Which rings ting ling ling ling as the door shuts behind you. As soon as the ring of the bell hits, you hear some shuffling and in silence in the far back corner.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Earth.

[Travis Willingham]

What?

[Marisha Ray]

Hello. Wait, why would you turn? I don't know why I did that.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Well, go check it out.

[Marisha Ray]

Now I'll roll over.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Like a snowman does. You can of roll over to that space.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's like B.

[Travis Willingham]

You go past like the main desk and the front kind of store front shelves to kind of the kind of middle section of the shop where the majority of like the backlog is kept. There is the like dark cloth covered adult section. And you an immediate glance. You don't see anything in here?

[Marisha Ray]

I don't see anything. We just heard.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm. I'm going to nothing. I'm gonna try and like sneak back there and check it out. Ralph, go in the back, grab the vaults of horror and all any of the Christmas issues of Heavy Metal you can find.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, sir. Right. All right. If you want to go ahead, Dylan, make a. We'll make this a. This would be an instinct roll to try and see if you sense anything else within the region.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, I'm going cloaked too, as best I can. I'm trying to stick to the shadows as much as I.

[Travis Willingham]

Which you can use as your class ability without issue.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh yeah. So, all right. So this is a instinct roll.

[Travis Willingham]

Instinct roll to see if you can perceive what may have made this noise.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's a seven with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Seven with hope. You take the hope. You fail to notice anything out of the ordinary. As you head towards the back kind of right corner. You can see there are sections of bare shelf thing like where stocked books have been either sold or haven't been restocked. And then a shape suddenly darts past your shoulder and starts rushing out towards the front of the chamber.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Damn.

[Travis Willingham]

Grab it. You guys hear this and you just see like a shape, a shadow, like running.

[Laura Bailey]

Grab it.

[Travis Willingham]

Who wants to try and Reach for it. I will. All right, I need you to go ahead and make either. I'd say make an agility or strength.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll make a strength roll that is 14 plus fear. I got a monkey head. What about.

[Laura Bailey]

It's so cute.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm tall. As the shadow darts pass your. Your monkey arm reaches out the symbol catching the front front of what looks to be at an immediate glance, a teenager.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh.

[Travis Willingham]

You see a around 15 year old girl with a tightly curled red hair, freckled face, braces, kind of chubbier cheeks, and a really angry looking kind of visual expression. She's wearing like overalls with a heavy coat over it and looks like a heavy bag under one shoulder and like gets caught. Goes like.

[Liam O'Brien]

Hey, what are you doing?

[Marisha Ray]

Let me go.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Tex.

[Liam O'Brien]

Tex Sanderson. I should have known.

[Travis Willingham]

What are you. What the is going on?

[Marisha Ray]

What are you doing in here?

[Laura Bailey]

Why aren't you a monster?

[Travis Willingham]

Just hyperventilating, looking at these terrible nightmare creatures.

[Matthew Mercer]

Tanner and Dylan.

[Marisha Ray]

And I'm gonna. It's being Winnie.

[Ashley Johnson]

Her face. No, Tex, listen, it's me.

[Marisha Ray]

You know what it is?

[Ashley Johnson]

It's Bethany.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't want to die.

[Critical Role Narrator]

You're going to die.

[Ashley Johnson]

Just calm down, okay?

[Travis Willingham]

Bethany.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, everything's going to be fine.

[Travis Willingham]

This is a stupid prank.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

This.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

These are just costumes. And it was a prank that went. Went wrong. But everything's gonna be fine. And Bethany can put in a good word for you at school if you help us.

[Ashley Johnson]

She doesn't even go to our school, Ralph.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah, she's from Waterfall Falls.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, fuck her.

[Travis Willingham]

Fuck you. And text tries to pull from your grasp. Do you let her free or do.

[Matthew Mercer]

You hold on, I'll let go.

[Ashley Johnson]

No, no, no, wait.

[Travis Willingham]

Shut up. Tex pulls free and kind of like adjusts the jacket. Christmas losers. And goes darting from the front door.

[Liam O'Brien]

I cast veil. I'm gonna not veil of shadows. Where is it?

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I try to hook her bag before she darts out and grab it.

[Travis Willingham]

Off her shoulder for this I'd say go ahead and make an agility check for me, if you don't mind.

[Ashley Johnson]

Agility check?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, go ahead and roll for agility.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, no. I hate this girl.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's a 18 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Great. Take that, Hope. So she darts. You grab the satchel and pull the bag away as she gets the door and goes to reach for the handle. Since you unlocked it, it opens up easily and she begins to dart out into the night. Unless somebody's doing cleaning.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm gonna trip her.

[Travis Willingham]

Gonna trip her I said put out.

[Laura Bailey]

A long spindly reindeer leg and trip her.

[Travis Willingham]

Make a finesse test for me on that one to see if you can just maneuver your foot in the right place to catch her right as she tries to exit.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, can I assist?

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, you want to help? All right, go ahead. Go and spend a hope.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to spend a hope. I'm going to assist by like trying to like squirt out some snow.

[Matthew Mercer]

Say that again.

[Marisha Ray]

Like. Like just like little, little, little, little snow.

[Travis Willingham]

Go. Little slushy.

[Ashley Johnson]

A little slushy.

[Laura Bailey]

Just slippery when wet.

[Marisha Ray]

Crit.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, look at that. Yes, fantastic. Gain that hope. Clear that stress if you got it. As Tex Anderson rushes right through the the the the exit to freedom before just landing face first strawberries across the sidewalk for a second. You hear gets up just a bloody face goes like you dick weeds.

[Laura Bailey]

Gnarly springbok.

[Travis Willingham]

Sucks.

[Laura Bailey]

Give me your books.

[Travis Willingham]

It's already late. The books are mine. And she reaches for the bag and it's gone and looks over.

[Ashley Johnson]

Suck it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Nice.

[Ashley Johnson]

Bethany cakes.

[Travis Willingham]

Bug traps rule, flicks you off and then runs off into the night.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, I got her books. What was she even doing here on Christmas anyway?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Maybe there's a clue in her. In her napsack.

[Ashley Johnson]

Is it actually Christmas? Where our parents having a cute party on Christmas Eve.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Christmas Eve. Don't worry. Tomorrow is a whole.

[Liam O'Brien]

Does that make it worse or better for you or not at all? Okay, what's in the bag?

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe she was looking for the same books we were looking for.

[Liam O'Brien]

She's always looking for the same books we're looking for.

[Travis Willingham]

What is she? Glance inside and it is a whole series of like new edition collections. Collector piece. It looks like she had snuck in on Christmas Eve to steal some of Springvale Springs finest comic book respects.

[Marisha Ray]

She's going to get turned into something if she stays out there.

[Liam O'Brien]

She doesn't even read them. She just resells them to other kids at the school. Don't think I don't know what she's up to.

[Travis Willingham]

She's.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You know what though, Bethany, you might like this one. It's called Watchmen.

[Ashley Johnson]

Ooh, that guy's naked.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Maybe we could read them together or something sometime. Wait, I'm not felt judged.

[Critical Role Narrator]

You are talking to a treetopper floating in front front of your face.

[Travis Willingham]

We.

[Ashley Johnson]

We've got to figure out what's going on here.

[Marisha Ray]

Stop it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Find some weird German comic books that tell us about spirits.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, maybe Dominic has like a holiday display with like all of the holiday comics that would have Holiday spirit.

[Laura Bailey]

We should check the children's section because Germans have some really weird ass children.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't even know where that is. In this. In this. I've never been in there.

[Travis Willingham]

I do.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, sure.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Event. All right, this will be a group knowledge check here from all of us. Who would like. Who would like to be the leader for this?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I. I will, since I worked here.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, fair enough. So you'll be leading it. Everyone else who's part of this, I need. We're going to go down making knowledge reaction roles to help your friend out as you're all basically scanning throughout the store crit. All right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Double dice bit.

[Travis Willingham]

That's two successes. That's great. That's. That's plus two already.

[Matthew Mercer]

22 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Three. It's a plus three.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay. Okay. We're still rolling. Even though they rolled double crits, they.

[Travis Willingham]

Were the ones making the final double.

[Liam O'Brien]

D. Are we going to find something translated or not?

[Laura Bailey]

Can I go ahead and add.

[Travis Willingham]

Spend time overseas to this if you want to. To help your ability to contribute to it. Sure. Just spend a hope to do so.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, sorry. Mathing. 18. Sorry.

[Travis Willingham]

30.

[Laura Bailey]

15 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so that's plus four on that one.

[Marisha Ray]

13 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

13 with fear. Okay, so that's minus one. So that brings it down to three.

[Sam Riegel]

Eight with fear. Tristan's just in the bathroom making his pecs dance.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, still with all that, it's still a plus two to your final roll.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, here we go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

26 with hope. Literally rolled it up plus two. 28 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Yes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Guys, I found something called Der Str. It's a collection of German short stories meant to scare children. Oh, yeah, and it's real.

[Laura Bailey]

That's what we need.

[Marisha Ray]

That's exactly what we need.

[Travis Willingham]

Indeed you do. Well, this in particular is not just a book. It's a series of graphic novel collections from, like, the early 1940s and 1950s, when, like, the original Tales from the Crypt and Vault of Terror, all these great series are first coming out, and a lot of them are like these exuberant tales of various awful German folklore. And it seems like this might be a good source of information. There's many stories throughout, so you're not sure what to look for, but should the moment arise where you need to learn what things might be crawling about as might be useful. Okay, okay. Well, we're.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We're pocketing this and moving on.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is that right?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Or we're gonna read it now?

[Marisha Ray]

We got a speed read, maybe.

[Ashley Johnson]

How many Copies are there. How many different.

[Travis Willingham]

It means multiple issues, multiple books.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Maybe this one's about me.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah. Should we. Should we divide it up?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, divide it up and everything.

[Marisha Ray]

Divide and conquer.

[Ashley Johnson]

Just look for a blue. Wait very.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What are we gonna do a comic reading montage right now?

[Travis Willingham]

We can if you'd like to.

[Matthew Mercer]

Are you going to.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Do you have song?

[Ashley Johnson]

Would this be considered a short rest while we. Comic book montage?

[Travis Willingham]

If you want. If you want to go ahead and take a short rest, we can.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, that's done that in skim yet?

[Travis Willingham]

All right, great.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, it's right here.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go. So for this, we'll go ahead and. So at this point, you all begin to sit here in the dark with a little bit of lights you can find here in the comic shop. You're looking down and pouring through these graphic novels individually. From story to story, you begin to consume and really, truly understand how deeply up German folklore is. Like, we are a soft nation. This, like, children were forged for survival for hundreds and hundreds of years through terrifying tales of. Of entities that basically children would be have from their. Their parents at holiday time would share joy and the knowledge that if you didn't work your way the entire year, you would have horrible things happen to you by terrible things. And if you're lucky, you'll get a potato.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

It'S a lot to take in. You do get to take the benefits of your short rest, which means you can take a couple of downtime actions. Actions here. However, because you are taking time on this, I also get to add some fear to me. I am maxed out on fear now. And because the time has been out, I'd like someone to roll 2d6 for me, please.

[Sam Riegel]

I got it. Here goes.

[Laura Bailey]

Roll good, O'Brien.

[Liam O'Brien]

Roll bad O'Brien.

[Sam Riegel]

A five and a one.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's six.

[Travis Willingham]

He rolled both six. Well, this clock has six spaces.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, that's a true pursuit part. So you finish up the books and start kind of sharing information of what you've seen.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna use my short rest to remove. To fix my armor and heal my wounds.

[Sam Riegel]

Me too. I'm gonna zhuz my chest hair and cover over the. My ouchie.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it.

[Liam O'Brien]

All right.

[Travis Willingham]

So is everyone taking their downtime actions?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, I'm reading up and I'm. I'm feeling better.

[Travis Willingham]

You all finish up reading and start, like, sharing some horrible stories. You've heard some interesting myths.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm on the speed reading team.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Just as the smell of burning twig begins. To fill the chamber. You all turn around and realize that in your focus you didn't notice the various bundles of Hans Trap had slowly shifted and pulled out of your grass back and reform as the terrifying mass of Scarecrow man now burning of angry cinder begins to rise up inside the comic shop and goes after you immediately. The closest to them, I'll say. For the purposes of this, I'm gonna say it's you, Tanner over there. Gonna go ahead and rush forward, spend a fear to go into a burning moss strike against you. That's gonna be a 20. I believe that beats your evasion.

[Matthew Mercer]

It sure does. But I'm gonna use my ability to scramble. And once per rest when a creature within melee range would deal damage so you can avoid the attack and safely move out of melee range of the enemy.

[Travis Willingham]

It's ma. It's massive, terrifying like weird cinder. Clawed arms reach out towards you. These massive billowing clouds of black and glowing smoke behind it. It reaches and tries to grasp for you. And as the smoke fills and begins to dissipate, you are not where it thought you were. And it spins around its split flaming head kind of now reaching for any sort of sight of where you are and still keeping track. All right, it's your go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm going to reach out with my hand and my hand starts to glow and I'm going to cast bolt beacon straight at the creature which will also make it glow if it hits.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I will roll. That's terrible. Seven with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Seven with fear. Oh wait.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Plus three. So that's ten with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Ten with fear. Unfortunately misses and I interferes. So what happens now? Back up. As you fire the bolt towards it. It. It actually strikes it in the arm, but it rears back. It doesn't do enough to damage it, but it causes it to kind of pull away from the flash of energy that even you're kind of curious how this apparated out of your hand. As it hits, it pulls its arm back and slams it into one of the nearby shelves, knocking a bunch of books off of it. And flame begins to catch along and the bookshelf to its side. It looks like the comic store is on fire. Hurry, throw Gwenny at it. Yeah. It's now immediately going to rush towards you as the one that scared it and send it off the way as Hans Trap rushes towards you, both of its arms forward. Immediately spend a fear to go for a burning maw strike on you. No, that's going to be a 15 to hit you. That hits that.

[Ashley Johnson]

No I'm going to jump in front of Ralphie using my ability. I am your shield. What?

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I'm going to mark a stress to stand in the way and take the damage instead.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Bethany, no.

[Travis Willingham]

So you take 12 points of physical damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is so stupid.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait, no, I'm sorry. Sorry. I'm sorry. This is the burning maw attack. I rolled the buffs for this. So that is instead. Oh, that's going to be 20 points of magic damage on you. And you are currently restrained until you can break free with successful finesse or strength roll.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to take an armor to knock that down and go.

[Marisha Ray]

He makes me so mad.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, no.

[Sam Riegel]

Another chance.

[Travis Willingham]

Watch as it grabs and sweeps up the tiny flying little T tropper. A tea chopper, tree topper phrase talking. And just stuffs her into his flaming split head. And it closes around her. And you are now burning within its giant.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna slam my arms up into it and I'm gonna use vengeance.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it.

[Ashley Johnson]

If he's gonna take a hit point as well, just for me being angry at him, I'm gonna slam my stupid little light thing into his face, and it's gonna break and shatter and turn really sharp, and I'm gonna turn unstoppable.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What does that mean?

[Ashley Johnson]

That means I'm extra badass is what it means.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so mark your D4. Your Unstoppable has begun. Yes. All right. Broken beer bottle now still in your guys go. Who wants to go?

[Liam O'Brien]

I. Well, I. I'm. I'm going to commit such a sin. I'm. I'm sitting praying to. To whatever dark lords of rock that I believe in.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

There.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is there a sprinkler system in this?

[Travis Willingham]

There is. It hasn't quite pick. Picked up on the smoke and flame yet.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, forgive me, Stan Lee. And I'm going to send a knife and break the.

[Travis Willingham]

The.

[Liam O'Brien]

And set off the. The. The sprinkler system.

[Travis Willingham]

Great. Go ahead and wolf a finesse for me. Oh, God, I'm so bad. I hate it.

[Laura Bailey]

All the comics.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, no, Dylan.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's finesse. That's 24.

[Travis Willingham]

24. With hope or fear?

[Liam O'Brien]

With hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Great. Wait, no, with fear.

[Liam O'Brien]

Never mind.

[Travis Willingham]

With fear.

[Liam O'Brien]

God damn it, man.

[Travis Willingham]

Take that fear back. All right, so you slam upward. You hit the sprinkle system. Suddenly, the entirety of the building, not just the comic shop on the base floor, begins to just spray with water at all points. As it hits the. The Hans trap entity. The combination of flames on it that still contains you within Its mouth and the water causes smoke and steam to fill out the room, making the entire room now partially obscured. Also, all the comics are likely. It's okay, point.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Most of the comics are back.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to kill you when this.

[Travis Willingham]

I will say. I will say in this moment that for the next roll against it, Hans Trapp's considered vulnerable.

[Laura Bailey]

Ken, I just want to get this. We got to get him out of the shop.

[Marisha Ray]

I am melting.

[Laura Bailey]

Quinn, he's melting. I'm going to. You see, like, in the steam that is rising, just big puffs of air coming out of my nostril nostrils, and I start to, like, scrape my hooves and want to do a big charge attack to see if I can, like, push it back towards the door.

[Travis Willingham]

Nice. Are you trying to do damage, or are you trying to push it so.

[Laura Bailey]

Well, as a. As a deer, it's part of my ancestry. As a fur bulk, I get a charge attack, which is that I can deal damage, but I would like to push it.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, go for it. Go and make the attack.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay. Oh, my God.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You have that D6. If you want to use it, the rally die.

[Travis Willingham]

Rally die.

[Marisha Ray]

It's not gonna work.

[Laura Bailey]

It's a one and a two.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Well, then fine.

[Sam Riegel]

If I. If I leap on her back to do a team attack, does it boost his chances of success?

[Travis Willingham]

You would have had to claim that before.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

However I can. I can call out to you. You need to do this for Bethany, my sister, and I'm gonna reassure you so you get to reroll your dice. Bethany, we're going to come out. We're going to get you.

[Laura Bailey]

You're right for the secret nerd. That's better.

[Sam Riegel]

You got a rally die, too, if you need.

[Laura Bailey]

This is plus. Do I add anything?

[Marisha Ray]

What am I add?

[Laura Bailey]

What do I add?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Strength.

[Travis Willingham]

Strength.

[Laura Bailey]

I don't have any strength.

[Marisha Ray]

16.

[Travis Willingham]

16 is a success. Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

16. With hope or fear?

[Travis Willingham]

With fear. Good to know. Stop it.

[Sam Riegel]

Not a lot of hope at this table.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so you said you're doing damage. Go ahead and roll the damage on that.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah. So I can mark a stress to deal a D12. So I will do yucky three damage.

[Travis Willingham]

Three damage. Okay. I mean, it's still one hit point on it because it's still just a minor threshold. So you go ahead and rush forward, slam into it. It doesn't do a lot of damage, but it does push it. It goes slamming through the front glass doors or the door in the window shattering out the front of the entire comic shop. This big trail of smoke rolls across the ground eventually catches itself there. It lands you, Bethany. Feel the impact being rattled inside.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm being rattled around inside. And I feel he got pushed. I'm gonna fling myself forward and use a body bash attack from the inside.

[Travis Willingham]

You can do that. Go for it.

[Sam Riegel]

It's outside the shop now.

[Travis Willingham]

It's pushed outside.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, I'm going to roll out there.

[Travis Willingham]

The shop is still beginning to burn. Well, no, you. What the. Those. Yeah, the fire's out now at this point. Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All the comics are perfectly wet.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, they're in bags and boards. They're fine. Well, all the good ones are.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's 16 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

16 with fear. Sure enough. That works.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, so I get to do my damage and add my strength to my damage. So that's nine. Plus. Wait, plus six is 15. Plus three. 19 damage.

[Travis Willingham]

19. That's gonna be a major wound. So that's two more hit points on it there. I'm gonna spend a fear to have it immediately retort on you, and it's gonna go ahead and try and, like, crush you further within its jaw. Secondary attack. Spend a second fear to do that. So now it's going to try and, like, just continue to chew on you from the inside.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm just gonna hold my broken.

[Travis Willingham]

That's a natural one. So it tries to chew on you, but you managed to pull up and kind of like pull your way outside of some of the twigs and sticks, and you're, like, part way out of the mouth. And I used to have to try and make a roll to break free if you want to, but you manage to avoid being further, like, chewed on the inside of its bisected twig head. It's back to you guys. Who wants to do it?

[Marisha Ray]

I'm gonna roll. I'm rolling out there. And I forgot to say this earlier, but I also play the oboe. I am in band, and I have my oboe with me, which is also my improved short staff. So I'm gonna. I'm gonna. I'm gonna take out my oboe out of my body.

[Ashley Johnson]

One time at band camp.

[Travis Willingham]

It's a reverse band camp. I'm gonna.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna baton twirl it and I'm gonna take a swing.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it. Go ahead and roll for that.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. Okay, wait.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, wait, wait, wait, wait.

[Laura Bailey]

That's good.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

No, no, no.

[Laura Bailey]

Can't read her dice, man.

[Travis Willingham]

I know, I know.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't know why. I don't know why.

[Travis Willingham]

Every week.

[Marisha Ray]

15 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

15 with hope just hits.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay, so take that Hope Let me take that hope. All right, it's 2D. Eight. That's three. Let me just take two of them. Getting a little excited. Okay. Okay, that's 12 points of damage.

[Travis Willingham]

12 points of damage. So that's the minor wound. Takes one hit point on that. Drop it. Starting to look kind of busted apart. Bits. The twigs are breaking about. It's. It's fairly hurt, but still holding on.

[Sam Riegel]

Tristan crashes through a remaining wind, leaping out with a Caprian leap and lands on its back. And I'm going to hoist it up by its waist so its scarecrow ass is in the air.

[Critical Role Narrator]

You've been naughty.

[Sam Riegel]

And I will start wailing on its ass with my lash.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, that is six. Six and nine is 15 plus. Oh, you can't read your D. That's a 19 with.

[Travis Willingham]

I never criticize you.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes, I do. That's a 19 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Take that.

[Sam Riegel]

But it hits, so I will also. I will donkey kick him in the back of the head after I beat his ass.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so roll the damage on the first strike.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, so that is. That's a nine damage for the ass beating and then another six for me kicking him in the back of the head.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so that's one hit point each for both hits. Those are two separate. Just above his threshold.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, what's the donkey kick sound like?

[Liam O'Brien]

So it's looking.

[Matthew Mercer]

What's the donkey kick sound like?

[Travis Willingham]

You. You. You. You kick it hard with your donkey kick, and it doesn't impact damage, but what happens is your feet end up kicking into its body, like breaking the outer Twix. It's going to go ahead and use its vengeful spirit on you to try and strike you back. That's going to be a 10 to hit you. What's your evasion?

[Sam Riegel]

It's not that. It's a. It's a. It's a 10.

[Travis Willingham]

It just hits you. So with that, as your feet kick through it, that is going to be, ooh, 19 points of physical damage as your legs actually get stuck inside of it's burning interior. And you now, like, partially into it, you pull your legs free. But as you do your. Your hooks in the bottom part of your legs are now, like, burned pretty heavily.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

So that breaks through minor damage, which is one hit point. But I've got all of that thick fur on my legs, so I will mark off an armor and I.

[Travis Willingham]

If it goes past your minor, the would be two hit points.

[Sam Riegel]

Two?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay, so then that burns my. My beautiful calves. But I'm Okay. And I dance out.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

One hit point.

[Travis Willingham]

One hit point. You got it. All right. From with that. Because it was fear. It's going to go ahead and take its turn. It's going to immediately after you finally kick out and pull back, it's going to go ahead and lob an ember at you. So it's going to mark stress and it comes right back at you with a.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Somebody's getting cold.

[Travis Willingham]

Does hit you for or. Here he goes. That's gonna be. Oh, that's not too bad. It's gonna be eight points of magic damage on you as it just reaches into the area you just kicked out, pulls out this burning coal like ember and chucks it at you. Splashes against you like burns and sings the edge of your shoulder there.

[Sam Riegel]

So that is a minor damage. Cuz it's under my. Okay. So I will. The last of the fur on my legs burns away and you can see my bare calves and I'll mark another armor.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it. All right. Inspect your goat.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh my God. We gotta get this thing. I'm gonna run up to it screaming and grab it by its sticks. Get it Ginsburg and cast rune circle. Just. I'm gonna remember what my sister did earlier and I'm gonna throw a tantrum.

[Marisha Ray]

Let her go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And I'm gonna have a mini tantrum and cast rune circle trying to knock it away from us.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, go ahead and roll your spell cast.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

16 with hope. No, 19 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

19 with hope. That succeeds. Go ahead and take that hope.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

So the rune circle blasts it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's 2d12 plus 4, which is 7.21magic damage. And it is knocked back to very close range.

[Travis Willingham]

How do you want to do with that?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I want to grab Bethany's hands and sort of force. A force wave emanates out of me. But. But it only affects the enemy. So the enemy that's sort of surrounding Bethany gets blown back. But I still keep holding on to her weird light hands, looking in her eyes with all of the just normal, familiar familial love that I have for her.

[Sam Riegel]

Perfect.

[Travis Willingham]

As you focus this wave of arcane energy blasts out from you and you watch as this like hulking wicker man of a. Of a flaming scarecrow gets scattered into 400 different piles of kindling and sticks that all kind of just dissipate off into the shadow of the street, just spreading off into the snow. And then you're by bits of sidewalk.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Nobody messes with the Blake family.

[Travis Willingham]

Nobody.

[Ashley Johnson]

Well, okay. I'm still not Comfortable with that part of it. But that was a really good tantrum.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Good.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I learned from the best.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to grab a piece of Hans. No, hold on a minute. I'm going to take a piece and I want to put it in the box.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't know why.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure. Yeah, let's do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

I just figure.

[Marisha Ray]

Miss.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

So you're going to put the monster in a box in yourself?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Cool.

[Matthew Mercer]

Put it in your box.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, put the monster in your box.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And then just shove it right in.

[Matthew Mercer]

Put it in your frigid box.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, that feels weird.

[Sam Riegel]

Could get hot in there.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. So now that Hans has been scattered.

[Sam Riegel]

This is a Weird Al version of Frozen.

[Ashley Johnson]

We got to move.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Let's move.

[Marisha Ray]

Did any of those books say anything about a.

[Ashley Johnson]

A scarecrow burning creature?

[Travis Willingham]

Actually one of you, right before it reformed, it was almost an odd moment where as you're looking over the story about this Hun trap entity, once a historical figure like a. A very wealthy knight of actual history out of the folklore says that he spent all of his money just whining and dining and. And. And on. On women and luxury life. And then eventually kind of made a deal with the devil for all these ill gained riches and. Which then led to cannibalism. Began to eat the flesh of other folk in the neighborhood.

[Marisha Ray]

Yikes.

[Travis Willingham]

Began to dress up like a massive scarecrow and begin to go out and hunt people to eat their flesh. And then one day God went, nuh, that's not good. And struck him with a bolt of lightning that split his head with flames. But he persisted and thus continued to hunt in the Christmas time. Looking for naughty children to destroy and devour. Germany.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Germany.

[Liam O'Brien]

I feel like we skipped some steps there, but.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, wait, wait. Does the. Does the tales say how to destroy him?

[Travis Willingham]

It's says that his presence is only around the spirit of the holidays.

[Liam O'Brien]

Get rid of her.

[Ashley Johnson]

We got to get rid of her to get rid of him. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Gotta kill it at the source.

[Sam Riegel]

That's just science.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Did we learn anything about the spirit of Christmas?

[Travis Willingham]

Christmas cheer.

[Laura Bailey]

Holiday cheer, Whatever.

[Travis Willingham]

Holiday cheer. What you know is it doesn't speak of an entity, but it speaks of a true presence. A. It is the. The coming of the holiday that brings these creatures out. And it's the closing of the holiday that sends them away. So you gather through the lines as the somewhat truncated narrative of these graphic novels that kind of glosses over a lot of the unnecessary details that likely this entity is what brings these creatures to bear. And should it Be sealed. You would probably put these creatures into a similar sealed state.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, we got to put it in her frigid slushy box. That's what we got to do.

[Ashley Johnson]

We just got to get her in the way for it.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm waiting. I'm open for it.

[Laura Bailey]

Any other useful information about how to capture her?

[Travis Willingham]

Not in a graphic novel.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right, let's go to the arcade.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I found a really cool X men run.

[Travis Willingham]

As you go. Head over to the arcade, which is now completely surrounded with, like, this heavy briar twisting holly branch. You begin to approach the front before the front door shatters and a glowing blue light kind of giggling vanishes out the front. Catch it. Catch it. And you can see now it seems like it's finished its business at the arcade. And you can hear the lumbering and creaking of something within as it begins to dart now in a somewhat southward direction.

[Matthew Mercer]

Forget the arcade.

[Critical Role Narrator]

We gotta go after it.

[Travis Willingham]

I agree.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm going to try to grab her. I'm going to cast mystic tether. It's far range.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Spell cast, roll plus three.

[Travis Willingham]

Can you.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, never mind.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, okay. It's a 19 with hope.

[Liam O'Brien]

Never mind.

[Travis Willingham]

A 19 with hope. Yes, that succeeds.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay. On the success, they are restrained. And if they are a flying creature, they are grounded.

[Travis Willingham]

So.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And they mark a stretch.

[Travis Willingham]

Ooh, good to know. So as the spirit of holiday cheer goes darting out of the arcade.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Hold it right there.

[Travis Willingham]

Describe what your tether looks like.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Because I'm a grinch, my arm just sort of elongates and reaches out sort of like a slithery snake and grabs her and just smashes her to the ground.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, five. Would you two sat my children? I'm gonna take out the box.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

We immediately run and, like, try and pounce. Like, try and seize the moment.

[Travis Willingham]

Very well. I'm gonna go ahead and use a fear. Immediately as you all begin to charge towards her, she's gonna go ahead and cast. Twist to range to go ahead and mark a stress. I want to twist the brain. And the ground around her suddenly begins to crack. All the cement seems to break apart as you watch as vines and trees begin to emerge around there. There is now a barrier between the spirit and you. Damn. Can I use.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, you can do whatever I was going to say. Tanner, why don't you smoke her out with weed?

[Laura Bailey]

That's not a terrible idea. We should multitask. Well, we'll put a pin in that one. Can I use death maneuvers? And I pull out my sled and I can Marcus trust to just immediately get anywhere within far range without making an agility roll.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure. I'll say. I would say make an agility roll. Roll to at least get around the wall, but you don't have to roll it for the distance where you have to roll twice to get there.

[Laura Bailey]

Can I use gnarly kickflip bra to.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is that an experience?

[Laura Bailey]

Yes, it is. To. To take my sled and grind her along the.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, you can absolutely spend that hope and get that bonus.

[Laura Bailey]

All right. Yep, Yep. I'm gonna spend that hope. Get that bonus. 14.

[Travis Willingham]

14. No, that succeeds for that. Because you're not against the creature. This is you going against the wall. So, yeah, indeed. You go ahead and rush alongside, leap, and then grind on the outside of this. This rising forest wall.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Gnarly.

[Travis Willingham]

Like, full on. We're talking Tarzan style. Like riding along the branch as you do on your sled before, like, breaking through and landing. And you are now right next to the spirit, which I'm going to spend a fear immediately. And it's going to go ahead and attempt to darkly smile at you. That's a nine. What's your evasion? Oh, very high.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, very high. Fifteen.

[Travis Willingham]

So it smiles at you darkly and you are unaffected by it. Your. Your dear skull is unpleased. She's been to Germany.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, great. What am I yet? Correct. I'm here. Now what do I do? I want to get her down.

[Travis Willingham]

Tanner, do you have anything to do?

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, yeah, while she was doing that, I took out my main stash of weed. I took out a big handful of it. I pulled one of the jingle balls off of my harness, and I pried open one of the little corners, shoved a bunch of weed in there, closed it. Took out my Bic lighter that I also held my waistband. Blow it into, like, a red glowing ember.

[Travis Willingham]

Go.

[Critical Role Narrator]

That's good.

[Matthew Mercer]

And throw it. I just have it to get her feet with just a little bit of.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so you're lobbing it over the tree barrier. Yeah, let's go for it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Like a little. Like a little weed grenade.

[Travis Willingham]

I love it. I love it because. Because this is trying to get it over and to land nearer. I'll make this a finesse roll.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, I got that. No, I don't. Well, that's not bad, actually. It's 16. It's a 16 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, that's good. So you gain hope, however, that it's not enough to strike Spirit. The spirit. Rally. D6. Rally. Die 5. 21. 21 is a success. Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thanks. Rally.

[Travis Willingham]

Die.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're the best.

[Travis Willingham]

As. As your makeshift rapid jingle bell weed grenade, the careens over the growing wall of dark German forest wood. It strikes the ground. And as you land on the other side, looking at the spirit that smiles, all of a sudden it's like. And just the smoke billows around it before the spirit kind of pulls back a bit.

[Marisha Ray]

Who.

[Travis Willingham]

Wow. Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

What is.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Am I right?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Christmas is such a great holiday.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm gonna say. The spirit of holiday cheer is vulnerable for the spirit. And it's still your guys go at the moment. I will not jump in there yet with fear. Actually, no, I know I'm gonna do that. Never mind. I take that back because I can. Because you've started this. All right. I'm gonna spend that fear and going ahead and smile darkly at you again. But it's more of like a. It's kind of worse. That's going to be an 18.

[Marisha Ray]

Ooh.

[Laura Bailey]

That hits.

[Travis Willingham]

That hits you. So you take one stress and it's going to begin flying. Continue to fly south away from you. No.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I fly up and over the wall?

[Sam Riegel]

Through a wall?

[Travis Willingham]

There's like a forest that's been growing over the way. It's. It's certainly pretty tall. You can either try and go around it.

[Sam Riegel]

Can I leap it as Krampus?

[Travis Willingham]

If you'd like to. Yeah. All right. It is. It is kind of over close distance to get there. So it will be an agility roll to get around it.

[Sam Riegel]

You can leap anywhere within close range as though you're using normal movement. That's terrible, guys. That's terrible. That is agility.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, my God. That's five widow hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, you take a hope.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Need more stage combat.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

But it. But it play does return to me from there. The spirit of holiday cheer continues to dart away.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Which way?

[Travis Willingham]

Which way? It's kind of zigzagging a little bit. It's kind of wandering a bit strange, and it remains in a vulnerable state.

[Marisha Ray]

Slingshot.

[Laura Bailey]

I did a whole cool maneuver to get up close.

[Travis Willingham]

Take a slingshot. Go.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right. All right.

[Laura Bailey]

Dang it.

[Sam Riegel]

Use that wrist rocket.

[Laura Bailey]

I just gonna. I'm also a little high now, but I work out under pressure and I'm just gonna, like, focus and fire.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it.

[Laura Bailey]

That's really good. That's really good. Okay, that's gonna be 21 plus my agility. So 24 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

That's a success.

[Laura Bailey]

And then I want to use ruthless predator to mark a stress and add a bonus to. To my proficiency here.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so you're rolling an additional damage out of this.

[Laura Bailey]

Uhhuh.

[Travis Willingham]

Nice. All right, let's go.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm also going to spend a hope to use my ranger's focus and put focus on her.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Whoa, wait.

[Laura Bailey]

That's my.

[Travis Willingham]

That's my hit points.

[Laura Bailey]

That's not my hope. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

For now.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay, okay, okay, okay. 2D. Okay. This is going to be. I'm so stressed. Okay. This is going to be.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You shouldn't be.

[Matthew Mercer]

That thing's just smoking over there in the corner. Should be pretty chill.

[Laura Bailey]

Get a little paranoid.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

The cops are right behind us.

[Travis Willingham]

Your mom's here to pick you up. Quick.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm going to use my Rally die to add to this.

[Sam Riegel]

Dylan, your dad's here.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay. It's all right. 4, 8.

[Marisha Ray]

12.

[Laura Bailey]

14.

[Travis Willingham]

Rally Die adds to the your attack and reaction rolls. Not damage.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, okay. Okay. Not damage. Okay. Sorry. Then that's going to be 12 plus 6.

[Travis Willingham]

18.

[Laura Bailey]

18. Thank you.

[Travis Willingham]

18. That is beyond its major threshold. That's two hit points on the spear elevation. You strike it from afar. Release. And you. And you watch. And the rest of you who are like rushing around the wall to try and get a good visual on it. You kind of leaping up, getting like caught on the the wall and the tree's growing and you're like holding on to it. You glance over and watch it like zigging away. You watch as the ground is kind of freezing beneath it and the ice is kind of reaching outward as it does. And it just this like flash of blue as it kind of keeps going and then continues darting off in a southward direction.

[Laura Bailey]

With my Rangers focus. When I damage them, they have to mark a stress. And I now know precisely where they are at all times.

[Travis Willingham]

Whoa.

[Laura Bailey]

What direction they're in.

[Travis Willingham]

That's great. So because you're with. Fear does come to my go. Yes. After that. Which means the spirit of Holiday Cheer is now beelining and that's now like three movements beyond that. And it can move pretty quick. So it is now pretty much beyond the range of any of your attacks and has is about to clear your visual range.

[Sam Riegel]

We can see her for a split second.

[Travis Willingham]

For a split second.

[Sam Riegel]

Not knowing how or why, I open a line of telepathic connection with the spirit of Christmas just as she blinks out. I have to spend a hope to do it. Which I do. And I just think we are going to punish you.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Sure. German style.

[Sam Riegel]

But I think that holds. Right. Does the telepathy hold?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. And you keep in mind on it as it vanishes from Sight you do see and notice very directly the direction that it's traveling and where it's settling, which is in the direction of Springvale Springs High School.

[Ashley Johnson]

High school.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

High school principal.

[Marisha Ray]

He's gonna be so pissed. I'm just gonna say I feel really relaxed right now. But also like, this isn't so bad. What if we just stayed this way?

[Critical Role Narrator]

I mean, she's got a point.

[Ashley Johnson]

I have no hands.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And you will melt at some point.

[Marisha Ray]

That's right.

[Sam Riegel]

Not if it's always Christmas.

[Travis Willingham]

I.

[Liam O'Brien]

What's happening to my job? I'm gonna very slowly turn around and see what's happening to my. The video arcade behind me that I need to be.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Because that's where I get my money.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Well, you glance back and look at it. Beyond the fact that the exterior was completely encased in like a massive tangle of dark German forest wood and. And rising branches and root, the normal like flashing interior glow of the arcade is quite dull as many of the machines have also been consumed and destroyed by the extent of the. You guys took a short rest kind of reading some books. And in the interim the arcade has been demolished. But you see movement from the inside as something that was summoned by the spirit is currently trying to claw its way from.

[Matthew Mercer]

We should not stay here.

[Ashley Johnson]

Should we just barricade the outside of the arcade, trap it in there?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, we don't want to take the car.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Yeah, trash. Let's push some cars into the front of the store.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Whoa, cars.

[Critical Role Narrator]

We're huge.

[Liam O'Brien]

If we're running, then that's fine. And I'm gonna. I not even knowing what I'm doing. I'm going to cast a veil of shadows.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I am just gonna sweep my arm angrily at the store. And this living shadow is just gonna come up from the front of the store and blanket it in darkness. Whatever's inside can no longer see out, but if it comes out, I. I can see through it.

[Travis Willingham]

But only me and the two of you are going to try and push a car up in front of it.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, I get down on all fours and start kicking backward against a Volkswagen.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, it's. It's an old beater that's probably like belong to one of the night shifts more the nearby buildings there. But you start kicking to the back of it.

[Matthew Mercer]

I don't help. I just bang my symbols above his head.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, well, okay. So you make a strength. Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to try to help too. Can I. Can I help him?

[Travis Willingham]

If you want to spend to hope to go ahead and I want to.

[Ashley Johnson]

I want to.

[Travis Willingham]

I just rolled.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't think the other shadow.

[Ashley Johnson]

I think I'm stronger than I look.

[Travis Willingham]

Never mind.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I believe it.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, first off, did you roll with hope or fear? Oh, me Hope. Oh, okay, so you can open that.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I got a 13 with Hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Am I rolling two or no?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, no, you. You. You spent a hope to give him an eight, so you added D6 to that.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm actually gonna.

[Critical Role Narrator]

That's a 19 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

So one heavy donkey kick, crack the car, then sit on its side and speeds up and slams into the front. The. That exterior boundary of the forest kind of curl over it. And it seems to be a pretty heavy barrier to the front as you hear the impact of something banging from the inside of the arcade. Not trying to push out, but unable to break free this moment.

[Ashley Johnson]

Got to get to the high school.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Okay, this is crazy. I'm sorry. I've been ghosting you in the cafeteria for a week. I just got caught up with my friends in the drama department and that was wrong. I've been naughty. I'm ready to be nice.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Are you guys, like, together?

[Marisha Ray]

No, no. I'm pretty sure that they. That they've been hanging out and doing some heavy petting.

[Laura Bailey]

What?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is that true?

[Ashley Johnson]

Listen, maybe if his abs look like.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That all the time, which is what I'm saying.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Do we really need to change our anything?

[Ashley Johnson]

I have no vagina.

[Travis Willingham]

How can you even check?

[Liam O'Brien]

You have no hands.

[Travis Willingham]

I can.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I can check.

[Travis Willingham]

No hole. You look.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can we just go?

[Critical Role Narrator]

You look like an upside down cop.

[Travis Willingham]

This was a mistake.

[Liam O'Brien]

We know. We knew from the beginning.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh. So with the arcade temporarily secured, are you heading towards the heist?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Very well.

[Ashley Johnson]

Riley, didn't you ever hear any stories while you were in Berlin about some creepy holiday spirit?

[Laura Bailey]

I mean, everything in Germany is a little creepy, you know, like. I don't know. I.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, but that's why we looked at.

[Laura Bailey]

All the comic books. Do I remember anything?

[Ashley Johnson]

Don't you have like an experience?

[Marisha Ray]

Yes, I spent time overseas and I've.

[Laura Bailey]

Used it like three times and nothing has helped.

[Marisha Ray]

Wait a minute.

[Travis Willingham]

Make a knowledge rule, please, and you can spend a hope to add your experience of an overseas towards us.

[Laura Bailey]

Fine. Okay. Well, I rolled with hope, so spin the hope. Get the hope back. 17 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

It's not bad. Nothing about the spirit specifically, but thinking back to the box, you kind of want to. You have an inkling to inspect it and see if you can borrow it quickly from Gwenny. Just grab it.

[Marisha Ray]

Just put your hand in there and grab it. Go for it. Go for it.

[Travis Willingham]

That's not it.

[Marisha Ray]

That's my elbow.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Oh, man. You're leaking all over the place.

[Travis Willingham]

There it is.

[Marisha Ray]

She got my box. She found it.

[Laura Bailey]

Hand is numb.

[Marisha Ray]

I am that effect.

[Travis Willingham]

Like.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm done.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. So looking towards it, you can pick up amongst, like, the weird runes that were there. There is very faint Germanic writing, like, along the very baseline of it that almost looks like it matches the wood grain. Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

I saw this.

[Travis Willingham]

The best you can make out with rudimentary German that you know is it through. It's like words that speak of like, emotion, rain, rain, redemption. It's. It's like having a hard time finding out what it actually means. And you kind of had something sort of some sort of emotion and water and. And redemption, punishment. Water, like rain, emotion, punishment. And it. And. And these words seem to. Seem to have something to do with the box's intent and construction.

[Ashley Johnson]

Rain.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah, like rain. Like rain from the sky, maybe. Rain.

[Ashley Johnson]

Is it in German or is it in runes?

[Travis Willingham]

It's in German, but it's amongst the various runes that are dark along the box.

[Ashley Johnson]

And you. You can't. Can you speak? Read German?

[Laura Bailey]

I can just pick up, like, the basics.

[Ashley Johnson]

Are there more words in German?

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Maybe we should check the German class in the high school. Maybe they would have, like a textbook or something.

[Sam Riegel]

Mr. D'Angelo's class.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Let's go.

[Marisha Ray]

Great idea.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I mean, let's go.

[Travis Willingham]

All righty.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Just set. Be angel.

[Marisha Ray]

Or maybe we should just go after.

[Ashley Johnson]

The spirit so it doesn't keep turning other things into monsters.

[Marisha Ray]

I don't know.

[Laura Bailey]

Well, it's at the high school anyway.

[Travis Willingham]

Heading towards the high school.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, okay, okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Laura Bailey]

Let's go. Should I put this back in your balls?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Put the box back in the balls.

[Marisha Ray]

Not there.

[Travis Willingham]

Not there. There we go.

[Laura Bailey]

That's a little better.

[Critical Role Narrator]

One ball's bigger than the other one.

[Travis Willingham]

Come on. Continue trekking towards the. Towards the high school. The. The snowfall gets more intense and the wind begins to pick up. The. The sense of a coming blizzard begins to grow with your passage and the path carved of strange holiday mutation. Throughout spring, Springvale Springs. You watch as the entire path there is just this mass of fast growing trees now. Icicles seeming to almost protrude from them sourcelessly. The very moisture in the air beginning to freeze throughout. You come to the exterior fence line, the actual high school perimeter. And there, where once there was a playground, you see these columns, these jagged monoliths of ice that now push through through the swings themselves torn free from the ground and hanging at an odd angle, the chains broken. You can see all manner of heavy trees climbing up the outside of the main high school building. You can see the faintest bit of light in the inside of the halls. It is Christmas Eve, and likely there's no school happening, but you get the sense that at least the spirit has taken up residence in there in some way.

[Marisha Ray]

High school.

[Matthew Mercer]

All right, Tristan, German class.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Let's go. All right, through the front door or one of the windows.

[Ashley Johnson]

A window we shouldn't, right?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I mean, it knows we're coming.

[Travis Willingham]

Huh?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Be brave, Bethany.

[Travis Willingham]

Be a Blake.

[Ashley Johnson]

Just deal with it, Bethany.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Just deal with it, Bethany.

[Ashley Johnson]

All right, let's go through the front.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. You all continue onward, hearing the of windows, glass breaking from the inside out. As you see the expanding holly bushes beginning to fill out from the inside, you come to the front doors, the two massive glass doors that greet school in the mornings. But now you can see it locked from the other side and a chain affixed to it by whatever security's been set within.

[Sam Riegel]

Mentally, I send out, all right, you.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Little weirdo, we're coming in the back entrance, and we're gonna you up.

[Travis Willingham]

Nice.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Nice.

[Travis Willingham]

Redirect.

[Ashley Johnson]

And then we break the window. And the doors, are they glass doors or are they wooden doors?

[Travis Willingham]

They're glass doors.

[Ashley Johnson]

Just break the glass.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, you want to, or you want to be the one to break it? I got it. Tanner, go ahead and roll for strike for me, please.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Balls.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's a 14 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

14 with fear is not too bad. You. You smash into it, and it cracks, but your shoulder kind of pops a little bit. You take a stress from the impact. You feel like you may have done a little bit of damage to your shoulder that you're probably going to feel in the morning. But it does crack. And you figure with one he. One additional swipe, you do manage to push through. Not like a heavy breaking the doors open, but kind of like force your way through through the glass. It's a little awkward, and you kind of scratch yourself as you push through, but you do manage to force enough room for people to get through this way.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right, are we going to German class, or are we going to go find this thing?

[Ashley Johnson]

All we know is it needs rain. Maybe if we shut off the sprinklers and.

[Laura Bailey]

Interesting school.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Trying to find a German English dictionary class to try to translate the rest of the box.

[Ashley Johnson]

You guys go after it. You and me. Let's go to the German class. We'll meet you There.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

All right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Go where?

[Travis Willingham]

Who's going to the German class?

[Sam Riegel]

I grab Bethany and sticker on my horn and start stalking down the hallway.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so the two of you are heading towards D'Angelo's class. The rest of you are.

[Laura Bailey]

Maybe we can go find the spirit and distract it. Yeah, all right. We'll try and get it pinned down.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, fair enough.

[Marisha Ray]

Godspeed.

[Ashley Johnson]

So thanks, Quinn.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Thanks, Benny.

[Travis Willingham]

As you both begin to divide off down two different hallways, the. The fluorescent lights in the ceiling are flickering. One of them kind of breaks as roots begin to push through from the ceiling and begin to kind of gnarl down and close off way you kind of dark path before they even close to touching you. But now the hallways are growing dark. You are now stepping through pitch black. Can any of you see in the dark?

[Ashley Johnson]

I have light up hands.

[Travis Willingham]

You have light up hands, but you're.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Going to German class.

[Marisha Ray]

We're.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We're going the other way.

[Travis Willingham]

The other troop.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think I might.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, you're talking to the other troop.

[Travis Willingham]

Either troop. We have answer to one.

[Liam O'Brien]

I. I have.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

When I'm.

[Travis Willingham]

I've.

[Liam O'Brien]

I got low light living, so I think I can actually.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. So you. You can see pretty well. Yeah. All right, so this is my.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I also, I have prestige, so I can illuminate a room.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. All right, so yes, you guys actually have light sources on both points as you're kind of spreading off through the different chambers. It's cold and it's quiet. Those heading to D'Angelo's chamber. You turn one corner and you see a long beam of light sitting amongst the darkness that just kind of hits one of the far walls, leaving almost like spotlight.

[Critical Role Narrator]

You know, I think if we live through this, you should really, really consider the drama department. You've shown a lot of presence tonight, and I think you could bring that to the stage.

[Ashley Johnson]

Thank you. Maybe we should find the German book.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Do you speak German?

[Ashley Johnson]

Nein.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'm not talking about math. I'm talking about German.

[Marisha Ray]

Run.

[Ashley Johnson]

What is that?

[Travis Willingham]

What?

[Marisha Ray]

What is that?

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait, what?

[Laura Bailey]

What?

[Ashley Johnson]

What is that light? What is that light?

[Travis Willingham]

You approach, get closer to it. You see the light is shining on what looks like a. A locker. And you find the source of the light across the hall where there's like kind of a T intersection. And it looks like the edge of a flashlight that's set on the ground lighting up a.

[Ashley Johnson]

A certain locker. Or does it seem like a trap or. Oh. Oh, God.

[Matthew Mercer]

Or somebody was mugged and their flashlight fell.

[Travis Willingham]

Go check it out. Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, I'M gonna fly. I'm gonna fly over to the down flashlight.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Avoiding the light beam.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. You hover above and flutter towards the T intersection to the right. The flashlight is indeed laying on the ground. And about five or so feet from it, you see a person who is sitting slumped against the wall. At the first glance, you can see with your arm lights as you kind of. You see a security guard uniform. You know, Lenny Kors. He's the security guard of one of the handful of security guards for Springvale Springs High School. Looks like he was doing the evening shift of security here in high school. And you kind of see his face, but what you see more intensely is the trail of blood. That's from his jaw.

[Laura Bailey]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

And kind of looking down his body, you can see across his midsection is a massive laceration. It looks like he was healing completely. Gutted from end to end. Someone had disemboweled him. And what you see emerging from that massive wound that has cut him from side to side are tufts of hay and trash.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

And his entrails have been kind of scattered on the ground around him. Oh.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I miss Hanukkah.

[Critical Role Narrator]

But he's just a corpse. He's not moving or very dead.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, my God.

[Ashley Johnson]

We'll avenge you.

[Travis Willingham]

I don't know.

[Ashley Johnson]

Are we in the German room?

[Travis Willingham]

This is on the way. Oh, God. But you also hear, like, a strange creaking and scratching sound. Echo, echoing down one of the far halls.

[Ashley Johnson]

We gotta. We gotta figure it out. Right? You gotta figure it out. We'll go to a selfie quickly.

[Travis Willingham]

Classroom's a little bit further past the security guard.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I grab the flashlight. I click it off because we've got your hands. And I stick it in my satchel.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Critical Role Narrator]

And I stalk forward with Bethany on one of my four horns.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, towards the side or toward the classroom?

[Critical Role Narrator]

Towards the classroom. We're on a mission.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. You both approach the classroom and head to the opening door. And you hear what sounds like something rummaging, some sort of movement of materials. You hear a desk kind of scrape and a grunting sound.

[Ashley Johnson]

What does it look like?

[Travis Willingham]

Immediately, the overhead flickers, and you see two hunched, furry humanoid creatures with. With massive curled horns and pointed ears, like smaller versions of your compatriot here, of Tristan's transformed form. And they both kind of like. One of them kind of begins to look over past and kind of turns out that the other kind of slowly guttering under its breath like the frau.

[Critical Role Narrator]

The frau demands satisfaction.

[Sam Riegel]

They both go charging towards you both just on instinct. I light up my horse horns and eyes with flame and use enrapture. And shadows grow on the book walls behind me. And a giant devilish Krampus form just flickers on the back wall as like embers burn in my eyes. On a spell cast roll against a target within close range. No, I've got one for multiple people. All adversaries in front of you within close range. Let me make the spellcast roll. Okay, so that's presence.

[Travis Willingham]

Alrighty.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Balls.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm gonna use my own rally. Die. That is 10 plus 3 is 13. Gets me up to 19.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. 19 succeeds on both cohet roll. Damage.

[Sam Riegel]

That's not damage. I have just hypnotized them.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, they're.

[Sam Riegel]

They're. And. And multiple miniature hairy demons like them surround me. So I look like I've got a. A gang. And they all have little tiny tree toppers on one horn on the side.

[Travis Willingham]

They both go from like a rumaging charge towards you to like a stop and a stare. And you can see like they're. They're a little bit squatter and whiter. They're like large eyes, kind of burning black with like a little red pupil, big sharp teeth and like a. A heavy thick saliva. They're. They're, they're still burly, but they're not quite as like tall and thin like you, but they're very similar in appearance. You have read some sort of a story in the graphic novels that you've gone through about something called a straggler, which are these kind of squat horned demon like creatures. They travel in a pack. They travel in a pack around their leader, their frau. While they're held in this place. We're going to come to the other group here. The rest of you are currently continuing to peruse the interior.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We're just going down the hall trying to listen for sounds.

[Travis Willingham]

Who's leading the charge on searching for the spirit?

[Sam Riegel]

Just peas and carrots to clean up. They all mark a stress and they are stunned in this pin prick moment.

[Travis Willingham]

Good to know. Over to you.

[Laura Bailey]

I. I'm still tracking the spirit.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah, of course.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. That's true. You know. Exactly. You don't have to roll for that. Perfect. Rangers, baby. All right. Getting behind Riley, you begin to maneuver through some of the various opening classroom arrays, eventually coming past the G building, which is where a lot of the students would gather, and then heading what looks like the direction of the gymnasium that's affixed to the southern side of the main building. But at that point where you arrive, you can see the hallway itself is completely choked with trees and branches.

[Laura Bailey]

I think the spirit's through here.

[Travis Willingham]

Wow.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You're so cool. Rangers are so cool in Dagger Heart.

[Ashley Johnson]

You're so mean.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll take my. My two symbols and I'll say, let's clear a path, and I'll start hacking away at the brambles that are in the the hallway in front of us, trying to clear an opening.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it. Are you trying to do damage to the brambles? Yes. All right, go for it.

[Matthew Mercer]

That is 4. 11. And that's 15 with a hope to hit the brambles.

[Travis Willingham]

15 with hope. That succeeds. Go ahead and roll. Damage. Amazing.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Plus six.

[Matthew Mercer]

That was worse. Nine. That is 14 points of damage.

[Travis Willingham]

14 points. All right, so you tear through a big section of it. You watch as it breaks away. I'm gonna go ahead and spend a fear as the remaining grasping Holly around you begins to reach out and tear towards you to try to pull you into it from the shadows. So I need you to make an agility reaction roll for me, please.

[Matthew Mercer]

Agility plus two. Oh, that sucks. Oh, that's nine with with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

That's a fail. You immediately suffer six points of physical damage, and you are restrained and vulnerable as the Hollies pull, pulling Tanner into the actual trust she's broken through.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to talk to the Holly and the brambles with nature's tongue, which is an ability that I have.

[Travis Willingham]

And I can talk.

[Matthew Mercer]

Get to talking. I'm restrained.

[Travis Willingham]

Indeed. All right.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to make it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

I know. It was so close to a crit. That is a 18 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, 18 with fear. I'll take the fear on that. All right, so you begin to speak towards you. You kind of magically all of a sudden feel like you can connect and understand the Nirugai Flora. What is it you want to speak to? Hey.

[Marisha Ray]

Brambles and the holly berry. I don't know why I'm talking to them. Can you understand me?

[Travis Willingham]

You hear a series of strange, like, almost childlike voices almost singing in unison around you. Just kind of.

[Matthew Mercer]

Nope.

[Travis Willingham]

Nope.

[Marisha Ray]

That's nice.

[Matthew Mercer]

Kill it with fire.

[Sam Riegel]

And you.

[Travis Willingham]

It's almost like you can hear all of. All of the growth in here. I hear them all happy and jolly with the spirit, and it wants to just grow and consume.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, my God.

[Marisha Ray]

All right, Kitkin. Can you let my friend go, please? We're just trying to walk through you.

[Travis Willingham]

Make a present roll for me, please.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll assist. I'll burn a Hope in his sister.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

We're trying to move through.

[Matthew Mercer]

We're trying to make things better for you and me, okay?

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Having a holly jolly Christmas.

[Marisha Ray]

That's 16 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Take a hope. Hey, hey. Hey. The song continues for a moment.

[Ashley Johnson]

How beautiful. You creeps. What?

[Matthew Mercer]

That wasn't fucked up at all.

[Travis Willingham]

As it begins to kind of appeal into your mind, you. The words leave your mouth and it seems like it pulls away for you, and it kind of leaves your opening for you and your friends, but you do not let go of Tanner.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'll get you out. Fireball.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes. Let's go. Not great.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Not great. It's a nine with fear. Oh, wait. Twelve with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Twelve with fear. Twelve with fear. Okay, that actually is enough for the difficulty. Difficulty. Just barely. All right, so.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

So I'm gonna roll two D20 for damage. Yeah. Plus five. So 21 points of fire.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh. So as. As this.

[Marisha Ray]

It's okay. It's all right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Get out of there, Tanner.

[Travis Willingham]

Everything is now screaming in your mind. All the trees and holly, all the nature around you is just screaming as it burns and withers and crumbles and it cinders. Tanner is released and you are set down on the ground as the flames begin to curl and burn into the gymnasium itself, which is now a choked, dense, deep dark German nightmare. Forest flames now beginning to slowly burn and trail with.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Did Tanner take any damage?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm going to use my bone ability brace to burn an armor slot using an additional hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Cuz that was hot damn.

[Sam Riegel]

Way to light the menorah, Ralph.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It's a miracle.

[Travis Willingham]

So as you all begin to slowly trek into the gymnasium towards what awaits you in the space that you know to be the spirit, its presence not far from where you stand. The two of you now are up there in the room. You go ahead and like, watch these straggler kind of stand there staring off into space. These weird kind of illusionary versions of themselves.

[Marisha Ray]

I just want to fly in over.

[Ashley Johnson]

Them and avoid them and just grab a textbook and any other books that seem Germany on the desk.

[Travis Willingham]

Easy enough to do. You grab their all manner of dictionaries and various instructional booklets of, you know, there's German 1, German 2 German 3 advanced AP German. Like, you know, grab a whole ch.

[Ashley Johnson]

German Christmas stories.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure, sure.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sweet.

[Travis Willingham]

So you find one there? Yeah, you grab them up real fast. How long does that last?

[Sam Riegel]

It. Well, I don't know, but as soon as I cast it, the next thing I do, while Bethany is checking the shelves, I will Say you have new orders.

[Critical Role Narrator]

You're meant to protect the perimeter of the school. Go.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, and I will try to deceive them or persuade.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. All right. So go ahead and roll a presence check for me.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah, I can spend a hope to add a D4 to the roll. And I do it at advantage to deceive or trick for depth deceiver. So it's at advantage. And I had a D4. So a D4 and a D6, if. If I'm understanding that correctly. All right. Terrible. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.

[Critical Role Narrator]

With hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, you gain a hope. That's the good one. Yeah, but both the entities kind of look over at you and go. The Frau needs to judge. And they both break free from their current element there and rush towards you both. They're going to take a strike at you. They're going to go ahead and spend a fear to do a group attack because they are both minions.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, no.

[Travis Willingham]

That. That is going to be a natural one. Okay. So they miss you very intensely as they get across the ground, like, face first across the wood. What are you both doing?

[Ashley Johnson]

I just. I'm gonna. Yeah, we just want to get away as we can, if we can.

[Sam Riegel]

You want to run?

[Ashley Johnson]

I think we should just run.

[Travis Willingham]

All right.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I grab her out of the air.

[Travis Willingham]

Go. Just go fleeing out of the. Out of the back to where you came from.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

You both go charging back, kind of follow back, hopefully to find out where your friends were going, and kind of corner off. Suddenly you hear a massive, massive explosion and detonation scream.

[Ashley Johnson]

That sounds like Tanner.

[Travis Willingham]

My wee. You go rushing to try and catch up with them while the rest of you have stepped inside this massive forest. You can see the faint blue glow kind of drifting in the air. And you hear what sounds like chattering conversation.

[Laura Bailey]

Can I understand it?

[Travis Willingham]

It is in German. Go ahead and make a knowledge roll for me.

[Matthew Mercer]

You burned up all my Anakin Skywalker.

[Laura Bailey]

I will. Once again, you spend time overseas.

[Ashley Johnson]

You really should have, like, studied the language while you were there.

[Marisha Ray]

More.

[Laura Bailey]

I was on an American army base. What do you want from me?

[Travis Willingham]

Effort.

[Matthew Mercer]

Better.

[Laura Bailey]

I didn't even want to be here tonight.

[Marisha Ray]

You guys suck.

[Laura Bailey]

Sorry. 16 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so as you are trying to kind of listen in. There are two voices here. You hear the spirit speaking in German, and the best you can make out are broken bits of. Do not worry. Some are to come and many more throughout the city and beyond. The other voice goes, I long for more. Bring them to us.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, no.

[Laura Bailey]

This might Be a trap.

[Marisha Ray]

Shoot.

[Laura Bailey]

Not a von trap.

[Travis Willingham]

What if it's the Von Trapp?

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, my gosh.

[Travis Willingham]

What if this whole thing is waterfall fall?

[Marisha Ray]

Is waterfall false?

[Laura Bailey]

This is because of homecoming, isn't it? When we fucking stop their asses.

[Liam O'Brien]

12 days of Christmas.

[Travis Willingham]

12. At this point, both Tristan and Bethany catch up to your troops.

[Marisha Ray]

We found German books.

[Travis Willingham]

Found the Von Trapp.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Can you read this?

[Laura Bailey]

Let me.

[Travis Willingham]

Let me try.

[Ashley Johnson]

Could compare it.

[Marisha Ray]

Find the words on the box.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Okay. Okay. You hear a sound. There's two of them.

[Laura Bailey]

There's two of them.

[Travis Willingham]

You hear in German I smell children.

[Ashley Johnson]

They smell you, Gwenny Kinder.

[Laura Bailey]

All right.

[Marisha Ray]

All right.

[Laura Bailey]

They're coming for us. I think we should hide while we try and read.

[Travis Willingham]

Real quick.

[Ashley Johnson]

Hide in the trees. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, let's make a group stealth attempt here. Who's leading this charge?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm going to cast a mysterious mist around us, concealing us.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Indeed. This mist apparates from around you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Still I beat. Oh, you very much hope or fear with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Hope. As you all kind of like, feel this mist surrounding and encompass the space. You also hear. What is this? You hear this creepy scratching sound. And the voice in German once more goes f. Find them.

[Laura Bailey]

They're looking for us.

[Travis Willingham]

You hear now? Multiple feet, moving and other, like, small girl.

[Laura Bailey]

They want children.

[Marisha Ray]

Technically, we're not children anymore.

[Travis Willingham]

On the outskirts of.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, yeah, that's true. I had a bar mitzvah. I'm a. I'm a man now.

[Marisha Ray]

All right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. So I'm fine.

[Travis Willingham]

Who's searching the book?

[Laura Bailey]

I guess I will.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Plus Tanner 22.

[Travis Willingham]

With the book as you're like, okay. And it takes a minute to do so to kind of read through and kind of match the words on the box that you recall with what you find. It wasn't rain.

[Critical Role Narrator]

It was tears.

[Travis Willingham]

The box needs tears to be activated. It needs to absorb the emotion of the punished children, to close the loop on the spirit's intent.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Wait a second. How are we going to feel them? Emotions? It's like someone would need to.

[Ashley Johnson]

You're a loser. You're a loser. I can't stand you. I can't stand your stupid mom. She doesn't deserve to be with my dad.

[Laura Bailey]

Riley sees what's happening and just starts slowly.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

We start moving the box under the tears.

[Ashley Johnson]

Your friend's bad. Your feet are small. And I've always thought you were a dork.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I mean, I was hoping that Tristan was going to read us a dramatic.

[Travis Willingham]

Monologue, but that's way worse. Dark shadows of strange Straggler creatures falling through the branches and starting to get close.

[Marisha Ray]

Cry harder. I. I can't.

[Ashley Johnson]

I try.

[Marisha Ray]

I stop.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm across the face. Go away with my candlestick.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Do we ever. Do we have a chance?

[Matthew Mercer]

No.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

The tears begin to flow at about the time a voice goes. The branches curl back and you watch as this hulking tag type shape steps out of the shadow. You see a crone like woman. Tall, maybe like 10ft to the shoulder with this massive shawl around her face where her nose is a crooked. A crooked iron nose replaces it in the middle of her face in front. Her footsteps forward. One of her feet is a swollen swan foot. And you watch as she pulls forward holding on one hand the stick with a large satchel over her shoulder. Her other arm hidden within her robe. Ropes. And she goes. Have you children been good?

[Liam O'Brien]

Tanner.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Do it.

[Travis Willingham]

Hold him off. Let's show this wish how rampage works. What are you doing?

[Liam O'Brien]

We are both climbing rampage style all.

[Travis Willingham]

The way up there.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We're just gonna tear into this witch.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Let's go.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go.

[Liam O'Brien]

So that's a tag team attack.

[Travis Willingham]

Are you doing a tag team attack? Yeah. All right. So whoever someone that spends spend the.

[Matthew Mercer]

Hope and I'll also use my blade ability. A soldier's bond once for long rest. When you When I compliment someone to ask them something they're good at. You both gave three hope. Yo brother. Your stories send me.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Let's go. Let's be.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh 19 with hope. Y. All right. Also 19.

[Matthew Mercer]

There you go.

[Laura Bailey]

And it's the same age as Tanner.

[Travis Willingham]

So that is indeed a success. You both get to shout out success in that one. So go ahead and roll damage for both of you and then add them together.

[Matthew Mercer]

No problem. That was really high.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Just like you you.

[Liam O'Brien]

And I. I don't. I don't get a bonus cuz technically we're both a male.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

So that's.

[Sam Riegel]

We got two baddies, right?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. It's 16. Oh we there are straggler like crawling through the trees that haven't gotten to you yet. The frau is currently visible and they're attacking there. And the spirit is somewhere in the wood. 181828 for me. O that is a for total that together. That's going to. All right. Yeah. That is gonna be that. That is a severe wound to her.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's what happens when you mess with D and T baby.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. That's awesome. I'm immediately gonna spend the fear to go ahead and act. No, no. So she's going to go ahead and pull out the other arm that was hidden. Pulls this long bloody curved knife that was within. And she is first going to go ahead and interrogate you. Dylan. Say, are you naughty child? I need you to make make a presence reaction roll for me.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh boy.

[Ashley Johnson]

Those aren't 12s.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Oh.

[Liam O'Brien]

Those are d. Oh, thank God. Thank you. That would have been bad.

[Travis Willingham]

That. That's 11 over the fear. Oh, that's mine. All right. That's a failure. So you are now marked as naughty by Percheda Fair spending another fear for relentless to. She's not going to say that.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Be punished.

[Travis Willingham]

And she pulls out her blade. And it's going to do a massive strike in your direction. That's going to be 14 to hit.

[Liam O'Brien]

It does it would accept. Earlier I pulled. I put up a. A a spell that brings my evasion up to 15 which the rogues dodge.

[Marisha Ray]

Woo.

[Travis Willingham]

So that'll do it goes wide. However, I'm merely going to follow that up by spending another fear to activate the straggler minions around here. As FR goes.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Come forth straggler. Take down the children.

[Travis Willingham]

And they all of them go of course. Fl and they all begin to just rummage out this. All of a sudden this army of us like 4, 6, 8 of the straggler third beasts begin to pour out of the nearby brushes and begin to swarm you Dylan as you swing this dodge out of her attack. So spending another fear to go ahead and activate their group attack.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Take me instead.

[Travis Willingham]

It's going to be a. That's going to be a five to hit you man. We'll and bad on that opening round. That's okay. That happens.

[Liam O'Brien]

Can I. Can I. Can I retaliate yet or no.

[Travis Willingham]

Or is there or if you want to. I mean I just. I just finished my ghost. So you. I. I.

[Liam O'Brien]

Since I've just got all of them swarming me right now and I assume they're all in very close range.

[Travis Willingham]

They are. They all moved into you.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to cast reign of blades.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

So I'm going to make a spell cast roll. And I'm actually going to use this D6 because I will.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

I want it. I actually see it. I don't know how any of this went.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm gonna add this too.

[Travis Willingham]

Just for fun.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's not bad. That's 9. 21 with fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Whoa. 21 fear. That'll definitely hit us.

[Liam O'Brien]

And that basically means I'm spinning my little ice ball in a chain around and ice daggers are just flying in every bloody direction. Whirlwind of Them all. Righty.

[Travis Willingham]

Damage that succeeds against them. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's targets you succeed against.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'll get.

[Liam O'Brien]

Get a 2D8 plus 2. So none of them are vulnerable. That's all right.

[Travis Willingham]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

So that's six.

[Travis Willingham]

The only vulnerable one is the spirit. That is slightly.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh. That's 12 points of damage each.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. So all the straggler minions all get spent off and like thrown the blades, like spin them to the wall like. And they all kind of like go unconscious. All immediately just blasted against it.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm going to spend a fear to immediately activate the spirit of holiday cheer. Shit. And it's going to inspire myth and is going to bring three of them back. No. No. As they come back to consciousness, the speeder goes out.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Please.

[Travis Willingham]

It is too soon to give up. They must all know what it's like to be punished. Jesus. But however it's back to play for you.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna grab Israel.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

Israel's tears. Doing anything to the box.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm just like, grab the side of.

[Marisha Ray]

His head and force it forward.

[Laura Bailey]

Collecting the tears.

[Marisha Ray]

Just getting the back of the head.

[Travis Willingham]

Collect the tears. Here's what I'll do. I'm gonna go ahead and make this a. Another positive clock here. So you have to collect enough tears to activate the box. You've successfully spent one round to do. So if any of you want to try and further this process, it is going to be a series of checks based on what you want to try and do to get more tears out of your good friend.

[Laura Bailey]

We can't other. Can we get tears from other sources?

[Travis Willingham]

If anyone wants to try and do so.

[Laura Bailey]

I have a confession.

[Marisha Ray]

Why are you looking at me?

[Laura Bailey]

You seem like the safe person to tell this to. When I had to leave the army base in Berlin, I had to leave behind my pet rat. His name was Gorbachev.

[Travis Willingham]

Hello.

[Laura Bailey]

So my dad used to always call him a rat bastard. So I thought it was really clever.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Aw.

[Marisha Ray]

And I loved him so much. And he was my best friend.

[Matthew Mercer]

Best friend.

[Marisha Ray]

And when we love the army mates. I love about into the wilds.

[Laura Bailey]

And he's probably that. And I'm a bad rat.

[Travis Willingham]

Bob.

[Laura Bailey]

I miss you.

[Travis Willingham]

Garbage ham. Go ahead and make a presents roll.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Come on.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, my God.

[Marisha Ray]

She's so.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay. This is important. I'm gonna use my rally. Die Rocky.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay. 20.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. That's great.

[Travis Willingham]

You squeeze out some true missing your rat tears. Watch as the tears begin. Absorb. It just darkens the outside. And you're hoping something happens. But you can watch some of the Runes like Yes. And it is starting to react.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm sorry.

[Travis Willingham]

That's a second.

[Laura Bailey]

I just hug Ralph.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm gonna spend a fear now to activate Foul Percheda once more. No. Angrily is gonna go ahead and slash out towards you, Dylan. Oh my God. That's going to. That's gonna be a 19 to hit you. Oh yeah. All right. Since you are considered. You are marked as naughty by her. She does an additional D12 damage.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's judgmental.

[Travis Willingham]

That's going to be. Yep. 32 points of physical damage as her blade suddenly slashes across your chest twice and then jams it into your torso through your shoulder.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to drop that down to major cuz al fair a major as a reaction.

[Travis Willingham]

There's been another fear and she's going to attempt to disembowel you. That is going to be 16 to hit. That hits.

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

With that you take an additional 18 points of physical damage.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to use another armor and drop that down to minor.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. The blade is stuck in you and she's like. You will be filled with the garbage you are.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Tragh.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh God.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh God. But that finishes her. Goats backplanes. Back to you. Who wants to do what?

[Ashley Johnson]

I want to fly down and help Dylan.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I fly over and help him?

[Travis Willingham]

Sure. You fly over. And she's not up against it. Some of the straggler are starting to pull themselves free of the nearby trees. Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna run.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't worry about him.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We gotta finish her.

[Ashley Johnson]

What?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We gotta finish her.

[Ashley Johnson]

Dylan's about to be disemboweled. I'm gonna run forward and I'm sorry.

[Marisha Ray]

Forceful push.

[Ashley Johnson]

Forceful push her to try to get her away from him. Body check her.

[Travis Willingham]

Do it. Do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You care about him, but you don't care about.

[Ashley Johnson]

That. Is 16 a 16. 16 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

With hope. So you take a hope that is a success against the foul.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

I do want to note this real fast. Sorry. Because Frau Picture is terrifying. Whenever she successfully attacks a a player, all PCs within close range lose a hope and I gain a fear. Oh, you lose a hope?

[Liam O'Brien]

Hope. I didn't have one.

[Travis Willingham]

So the two of you do. Oh God.

[Ashley Johnson]

And then I can. I am going to spend a hope to make her temporarily vulnerable. And I'm going to get to add a D6 to my attack.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. That was 14 plus 6 is 20. 24 points of damage.

[Travis Willingham]

24.7 to 20. A minor wound or a major wound to her. So she takes two hit points as you push her back, she splashes into it. The rope kind of pulls open. You can see like the gnarled grandma leg on one side and the weird twisted bird leg on the other. And you can see now the bag swings open, and inside of the bag are tufts of hay, rocks, and garbage. What you saw stuffed in the abdomen of the security guard earlier.

[Liam O'Brien]

If there's a way to punch in really quick, I'm just going to attempt to cast shadow bind on. On the witch really quickly.

[Travis Willingham]

Sure.

[Liam O'Brien]

So I'm bleeding out and I summon.

[Travis Willingham]

All of the shadows to start to.

[Liam O'Brien]

Pulse, and tentacles of shadow go in and go to grab her.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

And that's a. That's gonna be a spell cast roll.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, come on.

[Marisha Ray]

Don't.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't fuck around with me.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, my God.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, no.

[Travis Willingham]

What was it?

[Liam O'Brien]

It was three. Enjoy your fear. Actually, it was six. Enjoy your fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, I'll take that fear. As the shadows try and curl around and she goes, fool, I am the shadows. And it's gonna rush forward towards you immediately after to try and finish you off. No, Dylan, that's gonna be another 16 to hit. No.

[Marisha Ray]

I am your shield.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna step in front.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Mark that stress and step in front. You take, oh, 38 points of physical damage. I rolled really hard.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's severe. But I'm unstoppable right now. So I'm going to take that severe and mark it down to major.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

And then I'm going to use my armor and mark it down to minor.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, wow. I'm telling you.

[Marisha Ray]

Cool, strong.

[Laura Bailey]

Wow.

[Travis Willingham]

That's how you do one hit one.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wow.

[Travis Willingham]

And then I'm going to spend a fear here. She did set le, so I actually.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I'm going to use vengeance. I'm going to spend a hope and I'm going to make her take. I'm going to gain a stress slot and I'm going to make her take a hit point.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it. Also, all three of you lose a hope because she successfully struck you and you're all next to her at close range.

[Liam O'Brien]

Damn it.

[Travis Willingham]

So you feel just her presence each like a successful strike on her. It like saps your. Your ability to think you can get out of this, but you keep trying to push through. All right? So you go ahead and and do vengeance strike 102 to his point. You got it. All right. From that, the spirit of holiday cheer is going to go ahead and spend a fear to get in there and another fear to inspire myth. Which two more, three more of the struggle to get up.

[Critical Role Narrator]

In the middle of this chaos. I see Dylan almost get eviscerated. I think we're all going to die. I focus on the fact that my father has never thought I've been enough. And that is why I fled to the stage. Cuz I could never sculpt like him. My body goes slack and I begin to wander towards Ralph in the box. To be or not to be. I mean, that's kind of the question. Whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune or to take arms against a sea of weird Christmas and by opposing end them. To die, to weep. And with that, I also, for good measure, pluck out a bunch of giant Krampus nose hairs and try to cry in the box.

[Travis Willingham]

Go ahead and roll a performance.

[Marisha Ray]

Get him in there. Okay, Come on.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'll assist him. I'll assist him.

[Travis Willingham]

Come on. By pulling out additional nose hair from the other nostril.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm pulling out areola hairs.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. So you can add a D6 to the roll.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I kind of like it.

[Travis Willingham]

No.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Come on. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

One of Those was a D10.

[Critical Role Narrator]

One of those is a D10. Let's not use that one.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's use this one. No, it's with hope.

[Sam Riegel]

7 plus my. Plus 3 for me is 10.

[Critical Role Narrator]

It's a 15. 15 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

Exactly what you need. My nipples squeeze out the fight. These drops, that part of it's real, but part of it is just your thespian acumen.

[Critical Role Narrator]

I'll never make it to Juilliard.

[Travis Willingham]

As they drip and soak into the wood, the rest of the runes around the side glow. And the inside of the box, that was just kind of. The dark wood interior suddenly has a golden shimmer, like it's some sort of bottomless space. And the chain now just kind of floats slightly in the air, like it's weightless. The f. Get her. Come here.

[Laura Bailey]

Get her in.

[Marisha Ray]

Get her in.

[Travis Willingham]

It's ready. That was with Hope, right?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

All right. So still you guys go.

[Ashley Johnson]

Where's the Christmas spirit?

[Travis Willingham]

Christmas spirit is now floating up at the top of the trees, like looking down and just kind of. Kind of helping orchestrate this.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm going to. I'm going to throw a mystic tether at her again.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes. Yes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Drag her down.

[Travis Willingham]

All righty. Let's go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Come on, dude.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, Can I joint attack and help out with this?

[Travis Willingham]

You have the hope to spend it.

[Ashley Johnson]

You can.

[Travis Willingham]

How much does it cost?

[Ashley Johnson]

It cost two or three.

[Travis Willingham]

It cost three. Hope Su.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I have three.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, I only have two.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I have three.

[Travis Willingham]

Can I ask Spent three. Hope to go ahead and do it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I will do it.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I'm going to fly up and try to forceful push her down while he's using the tether.

[Travis Willingham]

Great. So up above and you come from below. Both of you guys go ahead and roll for your spell cast. And you go ahead and roll for your attack. What'd you roll?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I only rolled a 12.

[Ashley Johnson]

I rolled a 21.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

With fear.

[Ashley Johnson]

With fear.

[Travis Willingham]

With fear. So I'll take the fear. But that is the success that you both get to share because. So describe to me how this looks as you both tag team up on them.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I. I reach out my. My long Grinch arm to grab her and I. I say to or the entire I say to it, baruch hatoy adonoi eloheinu melechalom.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I'm gonna look past it straight at Ralphie and I'm gonna say, I didn't mean any of it. You're like a brother to me. And I'm gonna push her as hard as I can.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Shaking Blake.

[Travis Willingham]

Frau Pushta has set herself after the side and taking the long blade. What you also didn't see beneath the robe is some sort of katana like sheath for it. As she slides into the sheath and does like the 1 inch, like, thumb flick of it out, almost like she's preparing to do some sort of massive swirling strike. But you both catch her off guard as you cast your spell. Strike her. Strike past her up towards the spirit. The spirit who's, like thinking that you're focusing on the fr. Looks up and sees you just in time and kind of smiles as you slam her from on top. Gets knocked down about 12 or so feet right as your magical tether slaps up and grabs and pulls her down. The spirit gets shunted and slammed into the ground. Go ahead and roll your damage for that.

[Ashley Johnson]

I rolled 26.

[Travis Willingham]

And you roll.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I don't.

[Travis Willingham]

This is not a 26 is her severe threshold. So that's three hips spirit. And she cannot fly.

[Ashley Johnson]

And I am going to spend a hope to make her vulnerable as well.

[Travis Willingham]

You got it. Spirit is vulnerable.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to roll over with the box.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Okay. She's resisting. I'm going to use a. A fear to go ahead and immediately take f Perchto, who is prepared. The blade at the ready. Spend another fear to activate a swirling whirlwind strike. It's going to attack everybody within close range, which at this point is everybody. It's all of you. So for that. Oh, that's gonna be 14.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Damn.

[Travis Willingham]

That Mrs. You. And it misses Dylan, I believe.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, it hits me.

[Travis Willingham]

It hits you.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm 13.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, got you. So that's everybody, but Alrighty. Everybody around here takes 14 points of physical damage, except for Dylan, who takes 24 points of damage. And actually Bethany also takes 24. Because you have been naughty this whole time.

[Marisha Ray]

I have.

[Travis Willingham]

As decided by our vip.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh no.

[Ashley Johnson]

You stinkers.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm burning another armor to bring it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Good thing I am unstoppable.

[Matthew Mercer]

Unstoppable.

[Liam O'Brien]

Unstoppable.

[Ashley Johnson]

Because that's gonna bring it down. Do a minor damage for me and I'm going to use my armor slot so I don't take any damage.

[Travis Willingham]

There you go. But that's my go now, so.

[Laura Bailey]

So where's the spirit?

[Travis Willingham]

The spirit is kind of held to the ground currently. It's taking some damage and it's like resisting and like, it's like kind of smiling and still giggling. But it's looking a little nervous. You have it helped by magic on the ground.

[Laura Bailey]

I look at Quinn.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's do this. Let's do it.

[Laura Bailey]

You're a big kid now.

[Marisha Ray]

Get in the box, bitch.

[Laura Bailey]

Can I assist her?

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, you may. You can. Spend. Spend a hope to go ahead and add a D6 to the roll. I'm going to need you to make a strength or finesse, depending on how you're trying to scoop up the spirit.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm going to try to finesse her in there.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Finesse. Get a wiggler in there.

[Travis Willingham]

Go for it. All right. Because she's resisting the tether and like kind of like flying around.

[Laura Bailey]

Do I roll the D6?

[Travis Willingham]

You roll the D6 and add it to where? Oh, six. Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Marie.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sixteen plus six or just sixteen?

[Travis Willingham]

That's plus six.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Unfortunately that's no. Oh, technically you could take that hope back cuz she was vulnerable. So the roll already had a D6. You can keep. You can keep that hope. Oh, because the spear was vulnerable from earlier.

[Laura Bailey]

The spirit was. Oh, so I can't also add another D6 on top of that? Question. Yeah, question. Since I did say I was going to assist Rangers focus that has been on the spirit. When I. When you fail an attack against them, you can inj your ranger's focus to re roll your to duality dice. Could I do this to allow your role?

[Marisha Ray]

Unfortunately.

[Laura Bailey]

But Matt, it's critmas.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, but it's German. Wow. You get a potato and with that it's going to go ahead and Cry and come after. How are you looking? Okay, I look real bad. You look real bad's going to come after D. Oh no, that's going to be. That's going to be a 14. No, 13 to hit you.

[Liam O'Brien]

I am. My evasion is 13.

[Travis Willingham]

Damn it.

[Liam O'Brien]

But yeah, my evasion is. Well, hold on. Yeah, my evasion is 13.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so with that, that is going to be.

[Liam O'Brien]

What kind of attack is this?

[Travis Willingham]

This is the. The. The. The blade. Okay. That is going to be 23 points of physical damage. However.

[Sam Riegel]

However.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, it's physical damage, not magic.

[Travis Willingham]

Correct.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay, so I'm going to use my parrying. I'm going to. I'm going to summon an icicle to parry this attack.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are either of those two a six or a five?

[Travis Willingham]

I know.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, none of your dice are a six or a five.

[Travis Willingham]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

God damn it.

[Travis Willingham]

Sorry. That's a good try though.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, also you have disadvantage. You should have had. I'm so. Cuz I'm at one point, which means that because I. Oh, so I'll take.

[Travis Willingham]

Away D6 from that.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, I have. Well, I.

[Travis Willingham]

Which. What about disadvantage?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, your attack would have disadvantage on me.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. So yeah, that would. That would reduce by 2 to 11. So that would have actually missed you. That's great. So we'll say. We'll say narratively, as the strike comes towards you, you send out this icicle and it like parries it off at the last second. That doesn't bring it back to you.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to try really quickly to drop down. If there's a shadow I can fall into in the trees, I'm going to try and throw myself at a shadow and actually can I do that or can I not?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We need to get this thing in the box.

[Liam O'Brien]

So I'm going to get away from this thing.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so you're going to drop a new shadow and I'm going to.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to literally drop myself into a shadow and shadow step into the shadow of. Of a tree that is closest to this whole disaster.

[Travis Willingham]

Easy to do. A whole lot of shadows to go around in this space. Yep.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to get as close as possible. And now I am.

[Travis Willingham]

Disappears out of sight and appears somewhere else in the like thick brush. This time it's your guys. Go.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I need help.

[Travis Willingham]

We got to get.

[Marisha Ray]

Can I try and get the box, Riley?

[Laura Bailey]

All right. Seeing Gwen kind of stumble a little.

[Marisha Ray]

Bit cuz my hands are slippery.

[Laura Bailey]

I know. I'm going to try and take. And what I. I want to like Use my sled and kick it up so I can almost make the box, like, have more purchase and slam it down on top of her.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. I'm legal as I have respect, and.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm gonna spend three hope to assist to do it.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let's go. So. So, so it's so you're still holding the box. You just hold onto it as well. Kick your. Your sled into the air behind you and use that as additional leverage over on top.

[Laura Bailey]

Slam it down.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, both of you roll either finesse or strength. Let's go.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm gonna use my last hope that I didn't spin before for gnarly Kickflip Brawl.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go. Okay.

[Marisha Ray]

Get it. Get it.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go.

[Marisha Ray]

Damn.

[Ashley Johnson]

I still can't believe you guys said I was naughty.

[Sam Riegel]

You can't.

[Travis Willingham]

There are.

[Liam O'Brien]

There are a bunch of people in here who know things about you that the rest don't. And I think it's fair.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm going to use my finesse. No, wait. Did I use my finesse? I use my finesse to cry or my. My Rally die? I use my finesse to cry.

[Travis Willingham]

What did you roll?

[Laura Bailey]

What did you roll?

[Marisha Ray]

I rolled a 12.

[Laura Bailey]

I rolled a 15.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, so you both take a 15, which is not enough now, mind you. The spirit can't escape right now because. Because of the tether, but it is still wiggling around. It's very, very challenging for it to do. That brings it back to my.

[Laura Bailey]

Wait. Wait, though. Wait, though.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait, wait. What you got what I wanted to.

[Laura Bailey]

Do last time, but I failed or I couldn't do.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

Which my in my Rangers focus to reroll my die.

[Travis Willingham]

You can do that?

[Laura Bailey]

Yes, yes.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Come on, come on. Let's go.

[Marisha Ray]

Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Work big money. No whammies.

[Marisha Ray]

Get it?

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, it's better.

[Travis Willingham]

Math is hard with all you out there.

[Laura Bailey]

Sixteen. Oh, wait.

[Travis Willingham]

Sixteen is not enough. Sorry.

[Marisha Ray]

Damn it.

[Travis Willingham]

The spirit is moving around. You can't quite capture with the box. You're both just trying to. It's like trying to get that one.

[Laura Bailey]

Wait, was that a finesse or an agility roll?

[Travis Willingham]

It was finesse or strength. Your choice.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is there room to take a shot from the shadows, or can we just rough this?

[Matthew Mercer]

Can I just run and do it? Both symbols.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, unfortunately, on a failure, it comes to me. Frau no longer can see Dylan and has shifted focus. Not from you, because you seem to be kind of hard to go for and is now going to shift focus over to this large monkey meat sack with a natural one. It's not going to do anything.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Come on.

[Sam Riegel]

Let me try to set you up. Let me try to set you up. I crawl over weeping.

[Critical Role Narrator]

If you shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended. I'm crying that you have but slumbered.

[Sam Riegel]

Here and I will try to put her to sleep. The spirit.

[Travis Willingham]

It's jackass crap, bro.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, it doesn't do it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is this a tag team?

[Sam Riegel]

No, it's a spell.

[Travis Willingham]

It's an eight with hope. Good. Okay, so you take a hope, but it is back to. Rao is going to continue to unleash one after another towards the large symbol monkey. That's gonna be a 19 to hit hit.

[Marisha Ray]

No way.

[Travis Willingham]

You take 22 points of physical damage from that strike as the blade comes across your chest.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's severe. But I'm going to use my blade ability, get back up and I'm going to use mark of stress to reduce the severity by one.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go.

[Matthew Mercer]

Still two hit points though.

[Travis Willingham]

God damn it. However, that strike does gain it a fear. And all of you lose a hope. Everyone in close range right now.

[Ashley Johnson]

We really need to start rolling with success.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah. Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

So can I try and return the.

[Travis Willingham]

Attack if you'd like to? Sure. Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'm going to jump in the air with both symbols and I'm just going to try and DDT elbow drop this into the box.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's go.

[Matthew Mercer]

That is plus three. Seven. 15, 16, 17, 18. 18 with hope.

[Travis Willingham]

18 with hope will succeed.

[Laura Bailey]

Come on.

[Matthew Mercer]

2D12 double nines on this. Plus six. That's 24.

[Travis Willingham]

24 damage. 24 damage. That's great. That's a major wound. That's two hit points off. Is looking a little ragged. Pulls back from the impact. Spits this kind of black weird blood that hits the ground like it burns and hisses and hits. Oh, you've been very naughty.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Were you attacking her? Trying to get the thing in the box. Shove her in the box.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, this is. Oh, sorry. This was against the spirit of Christmas and you rolled a.

[Ashley Johnson]

It was 18.

[Travis Willingham]

18. 18 would have missed.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Wait, can I. Can I assist him?

[Travis Willingham]

It's not after the roll. I thought you were going after her. Sorry. Okay. Okay, so time you want to be there. You would try and strike out past the frau. Go towards trying to help. Help the. The spirit into the box. And you're all now like swarmed around and trying to push it in and it's just wiggling around too much. Actually, you know what it has? It's vulnerable, so you get to add V6 to that. Don't.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh. Oh, that's right.

[Travis Willingham]

D6.

[Laura Bailey]

Oh, get it in.

[Travis Willingham]

How do you want to. Yes. Finally.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, Jesus.

[Matthew Mercer]

As my. My large Simeon runs up the side of the wall, he pulls the symbols off of his hands, blood rushing forth. He spins them up in the air, slams it on top of the spirit of Christmas's head, and starts elbow dropping it into the bo.

[Travis Willingham]

As the box slams in on top of it, you hear the song still beginning to permeate. It gets louder and louder around as light begins to apparate, the trees begin to bend and turn inward. All the seragula begin to rush out. Frau Perched as. No. The box hits the ground and light energy begins to streak out of all sides. This heavy crash sound shakes the foundation around you, and all the building's walls nearby shift as dust kind of falls from the settled ceiling. Slowly, silence begins to take the room as the lid is now clasped onto the box, and the wooden hands now hold the spirit of holiday cheer once again within its long, ancient, sealed space.

[Matthew Mercer]

Who's crying now?

[Travis Willingham]

A moment later, all the trees begin to crumble to ash, just leaving piles of dust on the ground. And you feel a soft, warm wind begin to surround and engulf you, picking up the dust and ash until it's just a cloud of swirling light. And then as it dissipates, you look down upon your now restored forms, your teenage selves, a little scuffed, a little bloodied, but back to normal.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

My skin cleared up.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm still bleeding from, like, a wound in my. In my torso.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I don't think we have magic anymore.

[Liam O'Brien]

No.

[Critical Role Narrator]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

It does not feel good. I was at one hit point, so.

[Travis Willingham]

You got real close to being disemboweled and stuffed with stones and trash.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm going to, like, rip the bottom of my skirt off and tie it around Dylan's waist.

[Travis Willingham]

Cool.

[Ashley Johnson]

To, like, staunch the.

[Sam Riegel]

You have fingers again.

[Ashley Johnson]

I have hands.

[Marisha Ray]

Cool.

[Travis Willingham]

Cool. Wow.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'll check, too. Still circumcised.

[Travis Willingham]

Wow.

[Marisha Ray]

What a party.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, guys. The security guard.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Maybe he'll come back to life.

[Travis Willingham]

Now.

[Sam Riegel]

He's still eviscerated in the hall.

[Travis Willingham]

He knew the risks.

[Matthew Mercer]

That's gonna be one holiday to remember.

[Laura Bailey]

Hey, Dylan.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah?

[Laura Bailey]

I reach into my. My wanderer's pack because I can summon anything that I want.

[Marisha Ray]

I want some game.

[Laura Bailey]

And I pull out Dylan's dad's wallet.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, God.

[Laura Bailey]

Told me to keep an eye out for this.

[Travis Willingham]

You found it.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait you still have magic?

[Laura Bailey]

No, I've just had it this whole time.

[Liam O'Brien]

I am.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you.

[Liam O'Brien]

I was going to be in so much trouble for stealing that and then losing it. Instead, I'm going to be in trouble for bleeding. Yeah, mysteriously.

[Matthew Mercer]

Still owe me 20 bucks.

[Laura Bailey]

And you owe me a favor.

[Marisha Ray]

Ralph. I forgot. I brought a present for you. What?

[Travis Willingham]

Me?

[Marisha Ray]

It's one of my favorite books. Flowers in the Attic.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, my God. Sorry.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Wow. Thanks, Gwenny. You know, I. Maybe I've been looking at the wrong girl this whole time.

[Marisha Ray]

Whoa. I didn't mean.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I mean, I don't know. You're gonna need some help when you start your freshman year, right? Yeah, I could help you out and just show you around where your locker is and stuff.

[Marisha Ray]

I'm really scared to use a locker and to change classes. That sounds so intense.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah. The bell is really scary the first time you hear it. But then you get used to it.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay. Shake on it.

[Marisha Ray]

All right.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, so clammy.

[Ashley Johnson]

Cool. Well, I'm just gonna go cover up the eviscerated security guard.

[Matthew Mercer]

You mean loot the body?

[Travis Willingham]

You come back to find Lenny Kors, he's like coughing on the ground and it's like. And coughs up like a bunch of bloody straw and stones and is like.

[Critical Role Narrator]

What the hell just happened?

[Laura Bailey]

Run.

[Travis Willingham]

What are you. Who's that?

[Ashley Johnson]

Run away.

[Marisha Ray]

Run away.

[Travis Willingham]

You all go charging out of. Out of the high school security guard. Wait, wait, no, it's.

[Critical Role Narrator]

Oh, what? I didn't drink.

[Travis Willingham]

And you all charging off into the night. As you see all this, the snow and ice that have been operating from this is slowly melting and the trees are slowly vanishing. The town of Spring Bale. Spring slowly returning to the best of normal you can imagine. And probably a very confused array of innocence that stepped outside of their homestead this late at night. You eventually begin to return to gather to the. Well, where were you heading next?

[Laura Bailey]

I would say I think we still have a whole other six pack of beers in the basement at the Blakes.

[Liam O'Brien]

How about, you know, how about we drink the beers and then let's go interrupt and fuck up whatever weird shit your parents are up to. Let's like ruin it forever so that they will never be comfortable doing it again.

[Laura Bailey]

Or.

[Marisha Ray]

Or we go to the secret tree house, which you all have never let me go in. And we can all have beers together in there and let our parents continue fucking.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

That is the spirit of Christmas.

[Travis Willingham]

It is Christmas.

[Liam O'Brien]

That is very clear.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay, let's do it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Treehouse.

[Travis Willingham]

Treehouse. So as. As you carry under your arm, a recently sealed artifact of ancient Germanic Christmas nightmare.

[Matthew Mercer]

What could go wrong?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You.

[Sam Riegel]

As we walk away, you hear Tristan in voiceover. Dear Freak German folklore, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole holiday for whatever it was we did wrong. We think you're crazy for making us go through fucking hell. You see us as you want to see us in the simplest terms and the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a Krampus, a snowman, a monkey, a Grinch, a dead reindeer, an abominable snowman, and a tree topper. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, the Critmas Club.

[Travis Willingham]

As the very last image you see before it fades to black is Gwenny looking down at her hand and a little flicker of fire in her fingertips and a confused expression. And that's where we'll finish. Don't sing the song. We don't have the rights to it. Also, as a note, Critical Role does not condone underage drinking.

[Critical Role Narrator]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

But. No. Thank you all so much for joining us tonight.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sorry it's so late, you guys.

[Travis Willingham]

I know. Thank you for hanging with us for this wild adventure. Appreciate you all so much. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night, I guess. Hold on. Matt.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Thank you for listening to Critical Role. We hope you enjoyed that exciting adventure and want to come back for more. If you did well, then please leave a rating and review wherever you stream the Critical Role podcast network. Word of mouth is the best form of advertising and maybe your experience will encourage another listener our way. Well, see you next time.