Vindicta & Vale | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 18 Part 1

Summary

Critical Role: Vindicta & Vale | Campaign 4, Episode 18 Part 1

Date: March 12, 2026
Summary by: [Podcast Summarizer]

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Episode Overview

This gripping episode of Critical Role takes the Seekers deep into the holy site of Tanasar, exploring the ruined catacombs of the fallen Obra Demian Empire. With old gods, forbidden rituals, and missing loved ones entwined in mystery, the party races through haunted chambers, unraveling secrets of necromancy and faith, all while wrestling with personal guilt, legacies of violence, and the threat of cosmic vengeance.

Their goal: uncover the fate of Alagar, decipher a sinister celestial ritual, and confront the possibility that one of their own barely escaped becoming a vessel for a vengeful angel. The episode is character-driven, tackling weighty themes like atonement, family loyalty, faith, and the consequences of power as the party inches toward an inevitable confrontation in the depths of the temple.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Opening Scene: Wick’s Confession at the Shrine

[04:37 – 19:32]

• Wick (Sam Riegel) visits a humble Candescent Creed shrine, engaging in a poignant ritual with Osley Lux Cuffland (Taliesin Jaffe), leading to a candid confession of guilt, loss, and moral crossroads.
• Wick’s struggle: wrestling with whether it’s justifiable to hurt loved ones for the greater good, and the burden of living a lie for a righteous cause.
• A parallel emerges: both Wick and the young Lux have felt outcast by family or faith, mirroring each other's loneliness.
• Magical details: Wick investigates the Lux’s unnatural state (his breath does not mist), attempts to sense corruption, and ultimately steals the Lux’s holy orders using mage hand.

Notable Quotes

• "What would our teachings say if someone you loved was wrong, very wrong, and the only way to make them right again was to...punish them? Can I hurt another person...if it means doing the right thing?"
  — Wick (Sam Riegel), [10:15]

• "Punishment shall be meted out by the light itself. It is not yours to punish, but the light's. But we are told that light casts its own shadow. And that he who holds the torch must mind the darkness itself."
  — Lux Cuffland (Taliesin Jaffe/Matthew Mercer), [11:29]

• "You celebrated Candle Feast by lying about who you are and stealing a priest's holy orders. I'm a bad person."
  — Matt Mercer Sam Riegel (as narrator and Wick), [19:16]

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2. Recap & Return to Tanasar: The Seekers Investigate

[27:43 – 36:08]

• Matthew Mercer recaps the party’s arrival at Tanasar, ancient site dedicated to Tansul, god of the sun.
• The party’s goals are clarified: find Alagar (the missing son), honor the dead, and uncover the truth behind the catastrophic ritual gone wrong.
• The party discovers remains, necromantic residue, magical crystals, and evidence of a botched or sabotaged ritual.

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3. Speak with Dead: Unraveling the Past through Pescard Valmonte

[36:08 – 62:14]

• Vaelis (Ashley Johnson) casts Speak with Dead on Pescard Valmonte, seeking the truth about the chaos that consumed Tanasar.
• Pescard recounts chaos, aligned loyalties (the Drowned Men vs. House Taconis), and a failed plan involving the mysterious Druid Mara.
• Revelations:
  • Alagar was last seen escaping deeper into the temple after a failed alliance attempt.
  • The coffin at the heart of the story is possibly a contrivance — a lure or trick to get closer to a truly needed artifact.
  • Pescard has a soul-bond (literally sold or bound his soul), confirmed by runes visible on his ghostly body.
• Vaelis and Julian (Laura Bailey) collaboratively use magic and language skills to decode the markings, discovering that “Chalcidian” refers to celestial bones and that the Toconis ritual was meant to create a vengeful celestial entity.
• Pescard is ultimately claimed by his fey patron, evading capture by the Taconis even in death, thanks to the arrangement written into his flesh.

Notable Moment

• "Your soul is ours."
  — Celestial voice, [71:05]
  "Yours? It's not even mine."
  — Pescard Valmonte (Taliesin Jaffe), [71:16]

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4. The Ritual’s Mechanics & the Daeva Vindicta

[85:01 – 123:40]

• The party explores Tanasar’s main sanctum: inscription-laden chambers, sarcophagus-shaped altars, and instructions for creating an angel of vengeance (Daeva Vindicta).
• The ritual would involve embalming a living priest, removing their heart, offering it in sacrifice at the obelisk, then implanting a “Chalcidian” heart (crafted from celestial remains) in the underchamber (Sepulchral Veil).
• Octus (Travis Willingham) realizes he was almost transformed — the party’s intervention disrupted the ritual, his body remains his own.
• The group discusses destroying or disempowering the site to prevent future misuse but recognizes their limited means and more pressing need to find Alagar.

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5. Debates, Emotions, and Family Tensions

[98:04 – 108:58]

• The party has a heated exchange about familial guilt, legacy, and trust, centering on Octus’ lineage and his connection to the site’s horrors.
• Julian (Laura Bailey) offers support: "Just because we are ready for a betrayal doesn't mean until then we don't have reason to trust you." [108:03]
• The group agrees to collaborate and proceeds to explore, seeking evidence of Alagar, Barrowguard survivors, or House Taconis agents.

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6. Guardian Demon Statues & Further Exploration

[128:48 – 142:46]

• The party inspects an antechamber filled with demonic statues—guardians of the sacred space, possibly connected to both Houses Taconis and Hailovar.
• One statue is shattered (likely by Barrowguard) and others are left intact; the group weighs their significance but decides not to destroy the remainder.
• The conversation reflects on the relationship between chaos (demons), order (celestials), and the morally gray history of the temple.

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7. Descent into the Sepulchral Veil: The Final Confrontation Approaches

[142:16 – 144:12]

• Gaia opens the way to the Sepulchral Veil, where the heart would be implanted and the Daeva Vindicta born.
• The party prepares for a likely encounter with hostile forces or another grim revelation.
• As they enter, the sight of a massive altar and a well filled with blood signals a coming battle.
• The episode ends on a cliffhanger as a scream echoes through the chamber and combat is about to begin.

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Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment | |----------------|----------------------------------------------| | 04:37–19:32 | Wick’s visit to the mountain shrine | | 27:43–36:08 | Recap and arrival at Tanasar, context drop | | 36:08–62:14 | Speak with Dead (Pescard Valmonte) | | 85:01–123:40 | Investigation of sanctum; ritual revelations | | 128:48–142:46 | Demon statues; party explores further | | 142:46–144:12 | Descent to Sepulchral Veil, cliffhanger |

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Memorable Quotes

• "All flames are one." — Lux Cuffland, [09:18]
• "Is it all right to do bad things for good reasons? ...If the reason you are doing it is because the action will be good, then is it truly a bad action?" — Lux Cuffland, [12:01]
• "Your soul is ours." — Celestial voice, [71:05]
  "Yours? It's not even mine." — Pescard Valmonte, [71:16]
• "Just because we are ready for a betrayal doesn't mean until then we don't have reason to trust you." — Julian, [108:03]

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Character & Lore Highlights

• Wick’s moral struggle: Explores themes of faith, guilt, and the cost of doing what one believes is right.
• Octus’ near-transformation: The almost completion of a dreadful ritual marks the stakes and highlights faith/vulnerability.
• Family trauma: Ongoing debate about the burden of family sins and the struggle not to be the sum of their legacies.
• Chalcidian/Stone of Nightsong: Celestial bones as key magical resource.
• The Daeva Vindicta: A would-be god-made angel of vengeance, requiring mortal, divine, and necromantic components to be born.
• Pescard Valmonte & The Drowned Men: Death, contracts, and freedom in the afterlife—escape from Taconis’ posthumous servitude.

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Flow & Tone

Echoing the reflective and improvisational energy that defines Critical Role, this episode balances horror and wonder, personal confession and high fantasy mystery. The banter remains sharp, but much of the dialogue is heavy—full of regret, fatalism, and wary hope. Players and DM deftly intermingle humor with tension, making even the darkest revelations bearable.

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Final Notes

• Episode ends mid-climax, with battle looming in the blood-soaked ritual chamber—tune in for Part 2.
• Much of the intrigue centers on moral ambiguity, interference with ancient magics, and the enduring impact of legacy and choice.

If you missed this episode, you’ll want to catch up before the next. The revelations here are foundational for the arc to come.

Transcript

[Narrator/Announcer]

This episode of Critical Role is sponsored by World of Warcraft Midnight. When the world feels like it's slipping into darkness and the odds are stacked against you, there's a choice to make. You can turn away, or you can answer the call, stand shoulder to shoulder with your allies, and face what's coming together. In World of Warcraft Midnight, players are called back to Azeroth to face the growing threat of the Void. You'll return to the legendary kingdom of Quel' Thalas, standing against Xal' Atath and forging new alliances. As familiar lands like Eversong woods and Zul' Aman are revealed in striking new ways. The journey pushes beyond into Harondar, a bioluminescent primordial jungle woven through the roots of the world trees. And even farther still, to a distant world consumed by the Void itself, where survival must be earned. And for the first time, player housing lets you create a space that's truly yours. Design and decorate a home in Azeroth with baubles and items collected throughout your adventures. World of Warcraft Midnight is available now. Adventure is calling you home for delicious meals.

[Matthew Mercer]

You could go out to eat, or

[Narrator/Announcer]

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[Marisha Ray]

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[Matthew Mercer]

Why, hello there. I'm Brennan Lee Mulligan and welcome to Campaign 4 of Critical Role. Thank you for joining us on this journey as we explore Ahriman, a world of freedom, fractured kingdoms, tumultuous rebellion and

[Taliesin Jaffe]

sorcery that rises from the graveyard of the gods.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're listening to part one of this adventure, with Part two arriving this upcoming Tuesday. Our episodes typically arrive on the Critical Role podcast network, a week after our initial Thursday night streams on Beacon, YouTube and Twitch. But if you'd rather listen to a full podcast episode of Campaign 4 Right When it airs without any ads, consider becoming a Beacon member. You'll receive access to exclusive content discounts at all our online Critical Role shops, pre sales for live events and so much more. Start your seven day free trial today at Beacon tv. Now, without further ado, let's begin this episode of Critical Role. Not far from the caller's perch, a tiny little tavern hangs over the edge of a cliffside on wooden stills. This is a shepherd's hamlet high in the Kavrosi mountains. You have stopped to gather supplies yourself and Teor have fanned out along with Thimble looking for a place to gather what rations and goods you need to make the rest of your journey back to Dolmakyard and traveling through town looking for some general goods store wick. It is about a day or two after the first candle feast of your life that you have not celebrated. You see there is a small shrine of the candescent creed here. There is a little wooden chapel built into the side of the mountain on the other side of a little pathway and you see waring humble looking. They look more like cream, sort of like wool robes. There is a young man with a humble knobbly broom sweeping snow off the threshold of this little candescent shrine.

[Sam Riegel]

Amazing.

[Laura Bailey]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm going to walk over there first. We're all wearing cloaks. I think at this point I'll bring the hood up over my hair and so my face is sort of in shadows and I will walk over

[Travis Willingham]

and

[Sam Riegel]

walk up to the gentleman. Hello. Hello. May the beam reach you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And may the beam reach you, sir. It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm the Lux of this shrine. I'm the Lux Osley Cuffland.

[Sam Riegel]

Osley Lux Coughland. It's lovely to meet you. My name is Nick and I candle feast has just passed and I. Well, for the first time I didn't get to celebrate it with my family.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm so sorry.

[Sam Riegel]

Or any of my loved ones really. And well, I was hoping I could just take a moment and maybe light a candle here.

[Matthew Mercer]

Of course, traveler, of course. Does your cloak fully disguise your clerical garments?

[Sam Riegel]

I would like it to.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, I'll go ahead and make a perception check for a friend here. You see, looking at him, this kid is actually probably two or three years younger than you. He is. It looks like he may have just received his holy orders. And this is this tiny little roadside chapel which you look in and see that the pews are eight chairs. So there's the central aisle, two chairs next to each other. Two chairs next to each other, a small altar.

[Sam Riegel]

That's it.

[Matthew Mercer]

And that's about as many things as can fit in this shrine. The shrine, truly, you could, like, put a toe on one wall and touch the other wall with a hand. It's a quite humble little shrine, you see. He comes in and says,

[Taliesin Jaffe]

please do

[Matthew Mercer]

come in and light a candle. You see? He goes over and lights a small little oil lamp on the altar and goes into a small drawer and takes a pearlescent white fresh candle out of a drawer and stands behind the altar and waits for you to approach.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, this chapel is lovely.

[Laura Bailey]

By the way.

[Sam Riegel]

In all my travels, I don't have my own candle with me. May I borrow yours?

[Matthew Mercer]

He smiles, reaches into the drawer, takes out a second candle and presents it to you.

[Sam Riegel]

Thank you. This is your chapel. I should probably let you lead the ritual. But if you'd like, I could kick it off for us.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

What would your family have done if you had been home with them to celebrate?

[Sam Riegel]

Well, we would have revealed the first flame and, oh, the weighing of the wicks. And it was all very formal, really. In my house, we would always wear our best clothes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is your whole family devout?

[Sam Riegel]

They are. They are.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

He smiles and says, that is a true blessing.

[Sam Riegel]

It is. You know, maybe we could just skip to the part where the naming of the shadows. There's something I'd like to confess.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see? He smiles and says, of course.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I present my candle. Bent wicks are straightened.

[Matthew Mercer]

Spent wicks are trimmed.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Not all vessels are ready to bear the light.

[Matthew Mercer]

He gestures to the lit oil lamp. For you to light your candle.

[Sam Riegel]

I touch my candle to the light and it comes to life. I just take a moment to see the shadows dancing across the humble walls. And may I share my flame with yours.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All flames are one.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let us then share the light and lights the candle.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Here in this holy space. Let all shadows be abjured and all come into the light. If you have been carrying darkness, my brother, you need only voice it here and the light shall dispel it and make your soul light.

[Sam Riegel]

Eloquently said. I think. I think I'm at a bit of a crossroads. What would you do if.

[Travis Willingham]

No,

[Sam Riegel]

what would our teachings say if.

[Matthew Mercer]

What?

[Sam Riegel]

If someone you loved was wrong, Very wrong, and the only way to make them right again was to. Well, was to punish them. To undo the things they've done and potentially hurt them. Can I hurt Another person. Someone I loved and who loved me. If it. If it means doing the right thing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Well.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Well, what the. What the seven shining tenets tell us is that the six tenet to live aglow or be unmade.

[Matthew Mercer]

That to air is to dim and

[Taliesin Jaffe]

to glow with rightness is to spark. The sparked soul shall be rekindled, the dim burned.

[Matthew Mercer]

What I take that to mean is

[Taliesin Jaffe]

that punishment shall be meted out by the light itself.

[Matthew Mercer]

It is not yours to punish, but the.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

But the light's.

[Matthew Mercer]

And.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

But also we are told that light casts its own shadow. And that he who holds the torch

[Matthew Mercer]

must mind the darkness itself.

[Sam Riegel]

Maybe forget all that. What do you just think as a person? Is it all right to do bad things for good reasons?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is it all right to do bad things, Good reasons? No.

[Matthew Mercer]

But it is not all right to

[Taliesin Jaffe]

do bad things for good reasons. But if the reasons that you are doing it is because the action will be good, then is it truly a bad action?

[Matthew Mercer]

To be honest, I'm a very new

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Lux and I don't know.

[Sam Riegel]

I'm so sorry. I'm overloading you with.

[Matthew Mercer]

Well, have you come then to confess or have you come then to seek guidance? Because they are not one in the

[Travis Willingham]

same,

[Sam Riegel]

I suppose I've come to confess I have turned my back on my family. I have done bad things in the name of good. I have hurt people. And I fear I will continue to out of necessity. But mostly I feel I've lied a great, great deal to a great many people.

[Matthew Mercer]

Including.

[Sam Riegel]

Including to my faith.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Well, you're telling the truth now, Nick. Let me. Let me then say, even though it is not the true date of candle feast, perhaps the light in its brilliance

[Matthew Mercer]

can accommodate one who wishes to reach out.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I know my family doesn't follow the light. And in some ways it feels like I've turned my back on them. Or they've turned their back on me.

[Sam Riegel]

Do you still talk to them?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No. No, they are dimmed

[Sam Riegel]

and you just have abandoned them entirely. Or they've abandoned you. How do you. How do you exist in a world all by yourself without them?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Let us then. Let us then recite the Hymn of Refraction. I.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see? He stutters and reaches out a hand and goes. We are the colors of the flame.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Borrowed, brief and bright. No hue may claim the fire itself. No voice may own the light.

[Matthew Mercer]

Shall it pass through trembling hands, Broken though we bend.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

A single gleam, A thousand beams with neither start nor end. As he breathes, Wick, you notice that

[Matthew Mercer]

your breath is misting in the cold Mountain air. And his is not.

[Sam Riegel]

Are you all right?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Your cough, is that an affliction that a healer could help with possibly?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, no, I. I had the bellows fever a while ago, but the light made me whole and I trained to become a lux.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, can I just. Do I know what I'm seeing here? Have I seen this condition before or have I.

[Matthew Mercer]

Give me medicine, if that makes the most sense for you. Sure, yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, I'm terrible at it, but sure,

[Matthew Mercer]

yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, that's a seven.

[Matthew Mercer]

You don't know why his breath is not misting. If you wanted to try another skill to interpret what you're seeing here, you can. But on a medical. You have no idea why.

[Sam Riegel]

I mean, he said. He mentioned the bellows fever. Bellows fever. Do I know what that. We've heard that before, right?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

People had it in Timony. It made their lungs very hot and it was sort of a choking.

[Sam Riegel]

Can I just do. Can I just sort of not look at him medically, but just sort of see if I can get a sense for. A sense for his. Not his soul, his spirit, but just sort of his holiness. Has he been corrupted by anything or possessed by anything?

[Matthew Mercer]

Are you casting magic about this? In this moment, Boy, I haven't done this in so long.

[Sam Riegel]

What do I have? I would like to, yes, but I don't know what I have. I mean, there's cure wounds, there's protection from good and evil. I don't think that's a good.

[Matthew Mercer]

Give me. I'll say this lesser restoration. Do you have detect magic or no?

[Sam Riegel]

Do I? I feel like I did. I don't remember how to play this.

[Matthew Mercer]

I don't remember how to play this game.

[Sam Riegel]

I don't know how to play this game.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go ahead and give me sorcery.

[Sam Riegel]

No, no.

[Matthew Mercer]

I will allow you to use a protection from good and evil here to roll an arcana check with advantage. Essentially, as you're reaching out to try to abjure dangerous with a protection spell.

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

You can see some glyphs maybe here. Okay, so go ahead and give me Arcana with advantage.

[Sam Riegel]

Also a 7. And arcana

[Marisha Ray]

13.

[Matthew Mercer]

13. As you go to cast that spell and look at him, you see

[Taliesin Jaffe]

something

[Matthew Mercer]

gleams behind the altar set on a small side table. And you see that there is a scroll there that as you cast protection from good and evil, it seems to react to that spell ever so briefly. Though on a 13, you can't tell exactly why.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, jeez. I'd like to know what that is.

[Matthew Mercer]

You look at it and you recognize what it is?

[Sam Riegel]

Oh,

[Matthew Mercer]

these are the Holy Orders of the Young Lux. These are those papers ordaining him as a cleric of the Candescent Creed.

[Sam Riegel]

And the glyph that they sort of shined with, or whatever that was, it

[Matthew Mercer]

reacted to your spell in some strange way. The one at 13. You're not sure why the locks looks at you. Thank you, Nick.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I wish you well on your travels. I shall return to my work.

[Sam Riegel]

Ah, yes, yes. You were sweeping outside, right?

[Matthew Mercer]

I was.

[Sam Riegel]

Let me walk you out.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And he steps out of the chapel.

[Sam Riegel]

As I walk him out, I will cast mage hand and try to grab the orders.

[Matthew Mercer]

Give me a sleight of hand.

[Sam Riegel]

Oh, boy. Oh, boy. 17 plus stuff.

[Matthew Mercer]

The orders go in your hand, Wick. You celebrated Candle Feast by lying about who you are and stealing a priest's holy orders. And we'll continue this story on another episode of Critical Role. I'm a bad person.

[Laura Bailey]

Hello and welcome to the Critical Role Announcement Playhouse.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Again.

[Laura Bailey]

Hey, Taliesin, you want to mention something?

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, yeah.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Hi.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sorry, I just got distracted. Coming next week on March 10th, the

[Travis Willingham]

legend of Vox Machina.

[Matthew Mercer]

The Whitestone Chronicles, Volume 2. Cassandra is the second volume in a series of prequel novels. Prequel graphic novels. Excuse me. There's art. There's art.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh.

[Matthew Mercer]

To the legend of Vox Machina and reveals how Cassandra de Rolo survived her time with the Briarwoods. Written by New York Times best selling author, Marika Nykamp, illustrated by Travis Hemel and colored by Heisner. Nominated colorist. I am still.

[Sam Riegel]

You're doing great.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thank you, Diana Souza. And lettered by Comicraft. I can't wait for y' all to see it. It's really great.

[Narrator/Announcer]

It's amazing.

[Ashley Johnson]

Feel good?

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Sam Riegel]

Laura, how are you doing?

[Laura Bailey]

I'm great.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm great. I want to watch. I know. I need to watch that show. We've got some brand new campaign form in the Critical Role shops.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

First we have the Campaign for United faction pins in 3D. Wait, which one am I talking about?

[Marisha Ray]

This one.

[Ashley Johnson]

Molded metal with antique gold finish, featuring the United Faction symbol representing the soldiers, Seekers and the schemers all in one. We also have the Campaign 4 faction 3 pack, which is a set of three gold plated hard enamel pins. You want to look at this one? They're each featuring the logo of the different factions. Seeker Soldier schemers. Beautiful. Both of these faction logo designs are by Hanna Friedrichs.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

And additional designs by our very own Jordan Torrance.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

And there's more. There's a hoodie welcome to Ahriman pullover hoodie. In fact, wait. Oh, but look. This is Kodaka World, though. Wait, look at this back. Look at this design.

[Liam O'Brien]

Wait.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Whoa.

[Marisha Ray]

Look.

[Matthew Mercer]

So cool.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, it's super cool. It's dark, it's vintagey looking. There's other things I'm supposed to say.

[Matthew Mercer]

There's stuff in the sleeves.

[Ashley Johnson]

It has a bunch of different elements from each of the characters, so you have to find the hidden elements for each person. There's so many different things. It's so, so cool. And this art was designed by Matthew Crompton, who we love. I love this. And the sleeves are really cool. Check them out. They're in the shops now.

[Laura Bailey]

Fantastic.

[Travis Willingham]

Thank you, Laura.

[Liam O'Brien]

You're welcome.

[Matthew Mercer]

Thank you, hot boys.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm so glad I came here today just to talk.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Laura Bailey]

On that note.

[Sam Riegel]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

That concludes our announcements.

[Laura Bailey]

Let's go ahead and jump back into Arama.

[Narrator/Announcer]

This episode of Critical role is sponsored by World of Warcraft Midnight. When the world feels like it's slipping into darkness and the odds are stacked against you, there's a choice to make. You can turn away, or you can answer the call, stand shoulder to shoulder with your allies, and face what's coming together. In World of Warcraft Midnight, players are called back to Azeroth to face the growing threat of the Void. You'll return to the legendary kingdom of Quel', Thalas, standing against Xal' Atath and forging new alliances. As familiar lands like Eversong woods and Zul' Aman are revealed in striking new ways. The journey pushes beyond into Horondar, a bioluminescent primordial jungle woven through the roots of the world trees. And even farther still, to a distant world consumed by the Void itself, where survival must be earned. And for the first time, player housing lets you create a space that's truly yours. Design and decorate a home in Azeroth with baubles and items collected throughout your adventures. World of Warcraft Midnight is available now. Adventure is calling you home.

[Sam Riegel]

This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. I've been lucky enough to be surrounded by some truly extraordinary women in my life. Women who lead with creativity, resilience, and an almost supernatural ability to keep everything moving forward, even when they're carrying way more than anyone realizes. And I think that's worth celebrating. But it's also worth acknowledging that a lot of women are holding emotional weight at work, at home, in relationships, in families, sometimes all at once. And that's a lot for any one person. Taking time to check in with yourself isn't selfish, it's necessary. Therapy with BetterHelp can give you space to sort through what's on your mind, understand what's feeling heavy, and build tools to move through it in a healthier way. BetterHelp is the world's largest online therapy platform and they handle the initial therapist matching for you. You just fill out a short questionnaire about your needs and preferences and thanks to their industry leading match fulfillment rate, they usually get the match right the first time and all BetterHelp therapists are licensed in the US and follow a strict code of conduct. Your emotional well being matters. Find support and feel lighter in therapy. Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com criticalrole that's betterhelp.com criticalrole B' Day

[Marisha Ray]

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[Matthew Mercer]

FDIC hello and welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role. Our ultimate Our ultimate episode for this arc with our Seekers. TABLE how very exciting. Last we left our Seekers you had Traveled far from castle torch down the Tiriyaviya into the desert of the endless night and the ruins of the fallen Obra Demian Empire. A sorcerous realm of powerful human dynasties that had fallen some 70 years ago. As the house of Obra die with their two priestly houses of Tuchonis and Hailovar stood to defend Tansul, God of the sun, whose ruin is now smote over the vast region of never ending

[Taliesin Jaffe]

night and shifting sand.

[Matthew Mercer]

Arriving at Tanasar, a holy site dedicated to a posthumous promise predicted by Tansor, God of the sun and shaper of humankind, that should he be slain by his brother Oskra, which did not come to pass. Actually they died on the same side of a war against mortal beings. That his priestly houses would have the ability to create a celestial to wreak terror and ruin presumably on those that would have struck him down being Oscra and the forces of Cod and his realm. We see here in this space when you arrive ancient celestial writings here having to do with the creation of what notes that you discovered predicted as the Deva Vindicta, a creature that would have been able to strike from beyond one last blow struck by the God of the sun against his enemies. And it was here in the dark that you saw the fleshless bodies. The skeletal remains of Berogard to Konis and robed figures in the bearing of spellcasters, almost those not heavily armored and not heavily armed. And the other bodies seeming to have been affected by spell attack outside of Tanasar. A moment of magical wonder essentially, as the Stone of Nightsong lifted aloft from Tysha's hand back to Velas as the the bodies filled in their skeletal remains with nightingales flooded into Tysha's body, back into you. And you attuned to the Stone of Nightsong, gaining amongst several other powers the ability to cast speak with dead. Entering into Tanasar in the original excavation site you found tents and missives and equipment. You found a glowing crystal buried into the stone with which it seemed that the Taconis had helped to facilitate some great working of magic here. A slight necromantic pallor extending over the land. While the bodies had decomposed in the span of a day or two like they had been here for years. On lighting youg lights A giant scorpion. Saharkis. The pet of the pet of your cousin Tertiary. Your family's so bad, why a little girl can't have a giant scorpion as a pet?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, if I could have a giant

[Matthew Mercer]

scorpion, I wouldn't have One by one. That one.

[Ashley Johnson]

Pretty cool.

[Travis Willingham]

Fair.

[Matthew Mercer]

And the skeletal remains animated around you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Defending Tanasar.

[Matthew Mercer]

Repelling the skeletons as quickly as possible and emerging victorious. You also watched on another nat. 20 octys shattered the crystal with a firebolt, undoing some spell of his sorceress house. Tysha and Julian collecting the remains and preparing to honor them and inter them. You also found the remains of Pascard Valmonte, A figure who we have not met in the campaign, but who immediately prior to the beginning of our story, Tysha and Aktis had gone to Venatus to retrieve the coffin of Oblad.

[Sam Riegel]

From

[Matthew Mercer]

in the tents you discovered a tremendous amount of documentation. Octus. You found internal maps of what had been excavated in Tanasar so far. Lying in three separate directions. There was sort of a interior barracks where the Taconis sort of were keeping privately to themselves. There is a chamber that they referred to as the apotheotic Obelisk. And you also found here. You also found that there was a chamber behind the hall of Guardian Demons referred to as the Apotheotic. The Apotheotic Vindicta. Yes, the Apotheotic Vindicta, which appears to also lead to something called the sepulchral veil. At the end. You also found Velas. Tons of correspondence in a more military tent dealing with that made reference to Takona's forces stationed outside the Golden Order that could not be stationed there for long. A question from Primus Taconus. If the sacrifice needed to occur within Tanasar. If the obelisk still stood.

[Travis Willingham]

Apparently not.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Maybe.

[Matthew Mercer]

Imagine what the response to that letter was.

[Liam O'Brien]

Run it. I got seven others.

[Travis Willingham]

Fuck it.

[Matthew Mercer]

We do it live.

[Marisha Ray]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

I believe you also found a question about the hail of ours having some innate resistance to the procedure. You discovered the terms ociment and Chalcidian. You also discovered in that litmus about the orchard. We can't chance the sea door closing. There's a reference to. I should just reread these texts in full. A new source of Chalcidian has revealed itself. But we need to move quickly. The cloak is moving faster than anticipated. If the obelisk holds fast in Tanasar, does the sacrifice itself need to happen in Tanasar? The risks may be necessary. We cannot long keep our forces hidden outside the orchard. And we can't chance the sea door closing. We also found notes about Tertia being a similar failed experiment. That her own connection with what was said is. I believe that her own innate connection to the tenebral reaches may have thwarted the grafting of the chalcidial prosthesis. I shall miss her dearly.

[Travis Willingham]

Left her scorpion all along.

[Ashley Johnson]

And the forces outside of the orchard?

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

Long hidden.

[Matthew Mercer]

It's fine.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm not spiraling.

[Matthew Mercer]

Additionally, we ended our last session with

[Taliesin Jaffe]

the casting of Speak with Dead on

[Matthew Mercer]

the remains of Pascard Valmonte. Who you asking, essentially looked at you unrecognizing, wondering if you were some spirit come to guide him to the other side. And when you asked him what happened here, he said in a word, chaos. And it is to chaos that we return.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Vaelis,

[Matthew Mercer]

you stand here in the antechamber of Tanasar. The other three of you basically are watching Velas. Potentially. How are you touching the remains right now as you cast this spell?

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, I think I know. Tycha was preparing the body.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Skull.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

I feel like I didn't. I'm trying my best to not disturb him in this moment. I feel a little bad about taking him away from wherever he was going. So I think I'm knelt down by the body. I don't think I'm touching him unless I have to, but I think I'm just kneeling in front of him. Not really.

[Laura Bailey]

Just hover hands.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah, just real close. Yeah, the hover hug. I think I'm just kneeling in front of him.

[Matthew Mercer]

Of him.

[Ashley Johnson]

Trying to speak with him that way.

[Liam O'Brien]

Can I cast guidance on her?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Okay. Sweet.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think if you're kneeling close enough. I'll probably just put my hand over hover hand.

[Ashley Johnson]

Great.

[Liam O'Brien]

Just cast guidance.

[Ashley Johnson]

Love it. You've got this.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Beautiful. Looking.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Looking at this body.

[Matthew Mercer]

All of you watch. Vaylis eyes don't go gleaming white, but turn cloudy. Most of your vision's not here in this realm anymore. You look and see past the

[Taliesin Jaffe]

bones

[Matthew Mercer]

lying here within the robe that have already started to fall and clasp into themselves. A long faced, receding hair.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Close, almost like it was shaved not long ago.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wisps of translucent white mist. A ghostly figure stands at the beginning of a path. Farther down the path, you. You can feel the presence of some

[Taliesin Jaffe]

deep humming thing

[Matthew Mercer]

that is meant to welcome souls to oblivion rather than their promised afterlife.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Paskar turns to you and says in a word, chaos. We arrived expecting to find Taconis forces, and instead we discovered the Berylguard, which was a surprise to us.

[Ashley Johnson]

So who were you fighting?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

May I ask, Madame, to whom do I now speak? It would grieve me greatly to betray my most important loyalties this close to not being able to betray anyone ever again.

[Matthew Mercer]

Um.

[Ashley Johnson]

My name is Phelis,

[Taliesin Jaffe]

are you of the living or the dead?

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm of the living, sort of.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You don't seem so sure.

[Ashley Johnson]

I do know someone that you knew in your life. Tysha. And I sort of move so that he's able to see her.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think you invite Tysha just partially behind that veil. And both of you guys watch as Tysha's eyes get a little clouded as well.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Turns. Tasha.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh, no.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Are you. No, you're alive. Did you make it to Thiazi?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes. Not in time, but. And you can see that she just wants to absolutely run over this conversation with a bunch of questions. The box. I opened it. I touched it. The mask. Did you know about what was inside? I'm sorry, no.

[Ashley Johnson]

Please,

[Matthew Mercer]

no.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You opened the box?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah. No, no.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

When I get contraband to move through Venatus, I don't open it. I frankly.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's normally how I. Nope, not.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I frankly wish the box was. When I found out that the box was what I was moving, I sort of wish they had sent the box

[Matthew Mercer]

in a larger box.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Did you know it was a coffin?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

But it's a coffin for a child.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, no. So much worse. Don't know how bad, but she almost died. I died a little.

[Sam Riegel]

A little?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, a coffin for Halfling.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

All right, that made more sense. But the coffin, it is a contrived artifact.

[Liam O'Brien]

Say more.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

The plates. I do not believe.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see, he.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

He looks out and says,

[Matthew Mercer]

the plates

[Taliesin Jaffe]

are the original holy artifact from the Shaper Rowen. But the plates themselves are not the finished thing. I do not think the plates are what Thiazi was actually looking for. But it is closer. Thiazi is looking for these objects of importance, but they do not exist. Do you know one of the first things I learned about prophecy? An old mentor of mine was once said, prophecy can never help the cause of the revolution, because prophecy is born of the shapers themselves. When you are trying to break the world to build the new one, there can be no clean instructions to follow.

[Liam O'Brien]

That makes sense.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Everything that of symmetry and alignment will of course work its way back to the order which established it. But it creates a challenge. Because whatever Thiasia was trying to accomplish, he was looking for a set that is not a set. And I think that the coffin was a contrivance to get closer to finding what the truly needed to find

[Matthew Mercer]

within

[Taliesin Jaffe]

the realm of the trickster. Why have you come to this? Why are you here in Tanasar?

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm looking for Alagar. He was with the Berylguard.

[Matthew Mercer]

Alagar.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Who is Alogar to you?

[Liam O'Brien]

He's my son.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Forgive me. I did not.

[Matthew Mercer]

We did not know each other.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I'm sure you do not know the names of my siblings or fair, but Alagar, we.

[Liam O'Brien]

Did you cross paths with him?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

We did. When we came through the desert, he arrested us. But we allowed it because we thought there had been a confusion.

[Matthew Mercer]

I should explain.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

After you left Minatis, we returned the drowned men to.

[Ashley Johnson]

You're part of the drowned men?

[Matthew Mercer]

This is so.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

We.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It had taken much of our effort to move the coffin through Venatus. Why The Taconis were searching for us with all their might to get it to your hands and out of the city was. And when you arrived with the young Taconis, For a moment I thought this confusing, but also perhaps for the best. Shortly after you left, perhaps a day, A close ally of Thyassifang came to Venatus and told us that an important plan had gone horribly wrong. She had been making her way to the tear. The tear in the world where the stormwrack and the eternal night touch. And indeed took on his homeland.

[Liam O'Brien]

What was her name?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Mara. Anyone that wants to give me a

[Travis Willingham]

DC10 history challenge as me not being exactly. I'm not there.

[Matthew Mercer]

I see it. Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Said Mara was who.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

The name of a druid who had spoken to them.

[Travis Willingham]

19.

[Matthew Mercer]

You've heard this name before? You heard it spoken by Hanon. He referred to a member of his order that he was searching for named Mara the wing.

[Ashley Johnson]

Mara the wing.

[Travis Willingham]

I was asking for the information that

[Matthew Mercer]

was the relevance of the history check. Got it. Yeah, I know where I am now.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, good morning, Mara the way.

[Matthew Mercer]

The wing.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay, we're playing early.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wing reverence in a temple of wings.

[Liam O'Brien]

In the place of wings.

[Matthew Mercer]

So many wings. So many wings all coming together.

[Travis Willingham]

Don't make her some bird.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, God. She's all birds, isn't she?

[Matthew Mercer]

You guys see an ostrich walks in. We have no time.

[Travis Willingham]

You must move at once if you

[Taliesin Jaffe]

are to save Ahriman.

[Liam O'Brien]

Druids are silly.

[Matthew Mercer]

Head right into the sand. I'm gonna be an elf now.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

A basilisk.

[Matthew Mercer]

Don't look into its eyes.

[Travis Willingham]

Wow. They really are the natural predators of basilisks.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

You'll never turn me to stone.

[Travis Willingham]

Stomp it to death.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You see?

[Matthew Mercer]

He looks and says

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Mara had come to Venatus to explain that a plan had gone horribly wrong. She was supposed to venture into. She was a powerful druid and had some ability to. Well, this is funny. I say she had a powerful ability to venture into the Underworld. But perhaps this is not very remarkable, as we all do eventually. Well, present company excluded. And she had the. Perhaps it is more true to say she had the ability to return from the Underworld. She had been, my understanding, was prevented somehow from crossing the Boundary, and this was a grave disaster. And so she explained very little to us, which is quite, I am afraid, normal. Our plans are best served by us not knowing the fullness of what our partners and allies know. As in this line of work, it is quite common to fall into enemy hands, and even the most stalwart can have their speech compelled. She told us that she needed to make her way at once to Dolmarkyar. It was of utmost importance that she traveled there straight away, but told us that there was a small Taconis outpost at Tanasar and that we had to come here at once, that the fate of all of Araman was at stake and we needed to come here and destroy an obelisk. And so we came. Coming here, we arrived to find a young spry lieutenant of the Barrel Guard who arrested us. But we assumed that we had gotten wrong information because we were told to expect the House of Taconis in this place. So we were momentarily arrested. I began to explain to this young Alagar the situation, and if I am not much mistaken, he was more receptive to it, to the fact that there might be something foul afoot. By the time I was able to fully explain the situation, we arrived in the courtyard outside and saw that the Taconias had effectively taken command of this place, and our suspicions were confirmed. I made an appeal to the Barrow Guard to side with us, and it fell on deaf ears. And being told the importance of the situation, we commenced to fight. I am sorry, but I did not see Alagar fall.

[Liam O'Brien]

Thank you. Thank you. I'm so sorry.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I believe he may even have taken my words quite seriously. And I saw him slip further within Tanasar before the fighting commenced.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is there anything else that you know about your mission here that you can share with me with us?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

He looks and says, we knew precious little, I am afraid. We knew that Mara needed to. Her business was. Had everything gone according to her plan, she would have made her way into homelands and from there, using powerful magic, would have ventured into the Underworld and was prevented from doing so. And this gave her grave alarm. We were told to attack this place, but I do not think that this place was. I think it was always a desperate gambit, but we were out of time and out of answers. I cannot Tell you more? Because truthfully, the information that I have imparted to you was given to me in a matter of. Of moments. She, exhausted beyond measure, needed every precious moment and flew at once for Dolmachia.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

What are you seeing right now?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I see a path which I have been invited to take and which I know I will be prevented from. Why?

[Narrator/Announcer]

Well,

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I suppose. Pick your poison. The Taconis. Do I still have my skin out there?

[Liam O'Brien]

Some of it.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Oh, you are being generous.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No, no, no. Then you cannot see it. You cannot see the scar that I won from the Taconis which marks me. And you cannot see see the contract that I had very lovingly tattooed on my body.

[Marisha Ray]

What?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

The Tacones have a way of compelling servitude after you die. But. I made that decision when I was very, very young and very foolish. But I became a drowned man when I was much older and still foolish. So I will not be walking the path. Me and the other drowned men have our way out.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Does it involve a sea door?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

A sea door?

[Matthew Mercer]

He looks unfamiliar with that term.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. Is there anything I can do for you?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I have a. A quite sizable tab at the Trumpeters in Venatus, if you would be kind enough.

[Matthew Mercer]

Sure.

[Liam O'Brien]

Sure.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I am sure. And with a number of the circle of ancients, they will simply expunge my tab.

[Liam O'Brien]

Consider it done.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Is Thiassi gone?

[Matthew Mercer]

He is

[Taliesin Jaffe]

that young Taconis boy you brought. Does he know what his family is doing?

[Liam O'Brien]

Not fully. He is as much a victim as you and many others here.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

As I was dying, after the combat concluded, the. The head ranger of the Barrowguard headed out for the wilderness. And I saw in my last moments your son with a few of his close companions. I believe, having done something successfully within the holy site that I could not see. He trailed after them, uncaptured.

[Liam O'Brien]

Thank you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I do not know if any of the drowned men were able to escape or not, but our. Our order, order such as it is, Is most likely destroyed. But if there are. If you ever return to Ibnatis, and there are effects of mine that explain how to make contact with her. My Lady. And you find any other that are promised to the Tsucannis, it is a way out. It does work.

[Matthew Mercer]

No.

[Liam O'Brien]

It is.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Thank you.

[Narrator/Announcer]

This episode of critical role is sponsored by World of Warcraft. Midnight, when the world feels like it's slipping into darkness and the odds are stacked against you, there's a choice to make. You can turn away, or you can answer the call, stand shoulder to shoulder with your allies. And face what's coming together. In World of Warcraft Midnight, players are called back to Azeroth to face the growing threat of the Void. You'll return to the legendary kingdom of Quel', Thalas, standing against Xal' Atath and forging new alliances as familiar lands like Eversong woods and Zul' Aman are revealed in striking new ways. The journey pushes beyond into Horondar, a bioluminescent primordial jungle woven through the roots of the world trees. And even farther still, to a distant world consumed by the Void itself, where survival must be earned. And for the first time, player housing lets you create a space that's truly yours. Design and decorate a home in Azeroth with baubles and items collected throughout your adventures. World of Warcraft Midnight is available now. Adventure is calling you home.

[Matthew Mercer]

Pay around the corner and around the globe Apple Pay is accepted at millions of places worldwide.

[Travis Willingham]

Wherever you see the contactless symbol in

[Marisha Ray]

stores or the Apple Pay button online and in apps.

[Travis Willingham]

Whether you're checking out on iPhone or Apple Watch, just double click Pay and

[Matthew Mercer]

be on your way.

[Laura Bailey]

Add your debit or credit card to

[Taliesin Jaffe]

wallet and you're good to go.

[Travis Willingham]

Pay the Apple Way Terms apply.

[Narrator/Announcer]

For delicious meals.

[Matthew Mercer]

You could go out to eat, or

[Narrator/Announcer]

you could just make a Marie Callender's meal. Marie Callender's classic Chicken Parmigiano bowl is so good. It has marinara sauce that's made from scratch and creamy mozzarella cheese over pasta. It's delicious with no artificial flavors, colors or preservatives. And 30 grams of protein. You can find it in the frozen aisle. Marie what having it all tastes like

[Marisha Ray]

when was the last time you felt in control of your business? Finances Expenses tracked, Invoices sent, Taxes ready? That's where Found comes in. Found brings your banking, bookkeeping, invoicing and taxes together in one simple app. Manage expenses, invoice clients, send payments and prep for tax time right where you bank Join the hundreds of thousands who have already streamlined their finances with foundation. Open a Found account for [e-mail] that's f o u n d.com found is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by lead bank member fdic

[Ashley Johnson]

I have an above table question

[Sam Riegel]

so

[Ashley Johnson]

I hate that he's just like stuck in this path is there? So I see that I have something called Ceremony. Yeah and there's something on here. I don't know if this would apply, but there's something on here that you can called Atonement that you can restore the target to its original alignment. Would that even have anything to do with what.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think that. Vaylis, you're looking and see that this guy is lost. As you begin to reach for a ceremony here. Do you want to give me a religion check? I'll go for it every time.

[Liam O'Brien]

I love it.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're perfect. No, you're perfect.

[Travis Willingham]

The most important part of D and D is the legit.

[Matthew Mercer]

I'd actually like a religion check. And separately, like an insight check from you.

[Ashley Johnson]

A religion and an insight?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. You have guidance and guidance. Okay, great.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. Oh, that's bad. Okay, so let me do D4.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm gonna do this insight check first.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

13 for insight.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Ashley Johnson]

And then I'm gonna roll this one for religion. Oh, natural 19.

[Matthew Mercer]

Let's go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Let's go. The nun's good at religion.

[Narrator/Announcer]

What?

[Liam O'Brien]

Water is what?

[Narrator/Announcer]

Creek.

[Matthew Mercer]

Water is what?

[Ashley Johnson]

Where's religion? It's alphabetized.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, right there.

[Ashley Johnson]

26.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wow.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Let's go.

[Matthew Mercer]

You look at him and realize. I think on that high religion check, you peer through his translucency and what was gone from his body, you actually see. I don't think. Do you speak Sylvan, or. No, I don't think you do. Do you speak Celestial?

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see. Don't look. She just can't resist.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm looking at my choices, and I'm like, why did I do that?

[Matthew Mercer]

You see writing. Looking through him, you see mirrored writing, which you realize you're seeing because it was written on his back. So looking through him, there are glowing, translucent runes through his translucent body, written in Sylvan, the language of Faerie. And I think you know that some of your allies here speak Sylvan. If you wanted to extend a little bit of the Stone of Nightsong's site.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think maybe came out before in the campaign that Julian speaks Sylvan.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Julian.

[Laura Bailey]

What?

[Liam O'Brien]

Smack it?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yeah. Can you come here just a moment?

[Travis Willingham]

What do you need?

[Ashley Johnson]

Can I. You read Sylvan, right?

[Sam Riegel]

I can.

[Ashley Johnson]

Can you take my hand?

[Laura Bailey]

Looks at the corpse,

[Matthew Mercer]

Julian, staring down at this body. You see true translucent script. Ghostly vapor appear behind the ribcage. You're almost not even seeing all the way to the beginning of the path here. But you read in Sylvan what at first seems like a poem you can see in Sylvan, it repeats a lot and over again. Rushing down, rushing down, rushing down to water's edge. Sweet the vine and sweet the fruit, Deeper still Pursue the root depths of

[Taliesin Jaffe]

darkness, crashing waves,

[Matthew Mercer]

a life to end a World to save. And you see that his name is signed at the bottom. Pescard Valmonte. And there are Fae runes clutching binding. Owning that name. And you believe that Peskard is a warlock. That he has effectively sold his soul.

[Ashley Johnson]

I understand. Thank you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

And I think you see in this

[Matthew Mercer]

space of death someone who sold their soul. How Phaelys would feel about someone who sold their soul, I do not know. Um.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay. I don't know what to do now, do we?

[Liam O'Brien]

Is there anything else that you want to ask?

[Ashley Johnson]

Is there anything else you'd like to ask?

[Liam O'Brien]

I have a lot of questions about. It's the back writing, but get in

[Ashley Johnson]

there if you want to get in there.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's just gonna. I'm gonna harangue a dead man to be like.

[Matthew Mercer]

What'd you do?

[Ashley Johnson]

No.

[Laura Bailey]

Look, are we wasting more time?

[Ashley Johnson]

No, we can go.

[Travis Willingham]

Arcturus just leans out of the tent. What?

[Matthew Mercer]

He looks at you and says. Or I think he looks at you staring at his chest and says.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Can I help you, my lady? Gifted with the power to speak with the dead?

[Sam Riegel]

Yes.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'm very curious about the writing on her back.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It is. It was written after I died the first time.

[Matthew Mercer]

Wow.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Only for a moment. The water fills your lungs. You see the dark. You come back. I am part of a noble order of magicians who gained the power of magic as a byproduct of what they were really trying to do. Which was to get rid of their souls.

[Matthew Mercer]

Ask him why.

[Liam O'Brien]

Why?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

If you have no more questions for me, do you want to find out why?

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes. Yes. Are we done? Do we feel done?

[Travis Willingham]

I know there.

[Ashley Johnson]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Hey, girl.

[Laura Bailey]

There's time you need but for talking to one dead man? There are other ones that might join him. The more time.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sure, sure. Yeah, we're going to. We'll let you go soon.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I hope that you find your son. But the last I saw him, he seemed to have matters well in hand.

[Liam O'Brien]

I hope the path that you swim agrees with you.

[Matthew Mercer]

He turns, steps onto the path. And as he begins walking, the last thing you see is your vision starts to fade back. Is from distant darkness. Sigil's written in celestial with the emblem of House Taconis snaking like worms through the sky. Begin to approach to seize this man. And you see that a scar on his shoulder begins to grow in his translucent form. And as they arrive, you hear a spectral voice saying.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Your soul is ours. He looks up and says, yours. It's not even mine.

[Matthew Mercer]

And a wave comes from behind you guys. Crashes on him before those forms can get it. And sucks him out into a jet black sea. And he. He vanishes before the tendrils can reach him. And you are back in Tanasar

[Liam O'Brien]

K. I was given a very hard time for not prescribing to the old path. Seems like there's a lot of ways through the fucking woods.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

You good?

[Ashley Johnson]

I think so.

[Liam O'Brien]

That was wild.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's never. I've never been able to do that before. That was.

[Liam O'Brien]

And that was the stone.

[Ashley Johnson]

It was a stone. It just felt compelled and I.

[Liam O'Brien]

Incredible. Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

You ready to move?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah. And I convey everything. Especially as it pertains to the Barrelgard and Alagar. And what was the.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't think I knew the name of the ranger captain.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Bierza.

[Laura Bailey]

Bierza. I know they're in here.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Convey that. He was taking notes.

[Laura Bailey]

So Bierza went into the wilds. And the Bereugard with Alagar went deeper within or followed into the wilds.

[Liam O'Brien]

I think they lagged behind to hopefully take care of the obelisk and then proceed.

[Laura Bailey]

Then your son is further in.

[Liam O'Brien]

We gotta go.

[Laura Bailey]

I had to start walking.

[Travis Willingham]

Octis.

[Narrator/Announcer]

Yes.

[Marisha Ray]

You ready?

[Travis Willingham]

I didn't want to interrupt your conversation.

[Laura Bailey]

Mean their seminar with the dead.

[Liam O'Brien]

You were a part of it.

[Travis Willingham]

Little thing. I have a map. So if we need to know where we're going. I can feasibly understand the excavated areas. Also. Julian. You're going to need one of these. And Phelous. I think you should have the other one. Petrification Antidotes.

[Liam O'Brien]

What?

[Travis Willingham]

Basilisks. In our future.

[Liam O'Brien]

Fonz is another country. Cousin of yours.

[Travis Willingham]

Fon?

[Marisha Ray]

Possibly.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

God.

[Laura Bailey]

I. I'll take it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Your family is bad.

[Matthew Mercer]

Look.

[Travis Willingham]

Everyone has bad parts of their family.

[Liam O'Brien]

Not mine.

[Travis Willingham]

Are you sure?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Good for you. Thank you.

[Matthew Mercer]

So do you guys all convey. Is there any information unconveyed from snooping through the tents and the letters and everything else? The conversation with Pas Guard is conveyed in totality. Yeah. Got it.

[Travis Willingham]

There is. No. I don't think I keep anything. There's a lot here that doesn't make sense. But I'm sure we'll figure it out whether we want to or not. Some things refer to that. There is a material called chalcidian that they're referring to. But they're referring to it being used in a way that leads me to believe that it's possibly what the stone is made out of. Stone of Nightsong. Chalcidian being bones. Bones. Or bones Specifically from celestials.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

And they're using it possibly. There's mentions in these books of a chalcidial prosthesis grafting possibly this substance onto people and failing.

[Liam O'Brien]

A little bit like the way they put the stone in you.

[Travis Willingham]

A little bit like the way they put the stone in me. And also apparently the Haylivars are immune.

[Liam O'Brien]

Why? Are you guys related at all? Well, no. You're related. Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Related only in the way they weren't trying to. What?

[Ashley Johnson]

They weren't trying to kill you?

[Travis Willingham]

I don't. I have no actual.

[Liam O'Brien]

Two for one.

[Travis Willingham]

There is. Take the heart out of the way as you're conveyed. There is. I don't think it's that much of a limb to go out on to say that the reference to Ken the. The ritual be performed somewhere else. Is talking about what happened.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah. Question. Can I make some sort of arcana check to see if maybe the scar that you got when your heart was torn open is equivalent to the scar that Pescard got that compelled him into Takona's service after his death?

[Matthew Mercer]

No roll needed.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

You've made the connection.

[Matthew Mercer]

Cool. Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

I explain. But screaming. Hmm? I need you to not die again.

[Travis Willingham]

That would be ideal. Yeah. It wasn't my choice the first time.

[Liam O'Brien]

No, it's usually not anyone's choice.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, there wasn't. It was always going to be that there was more to this than just they decided they didn't like me anymore.

[Liam O'Brien]

Sure.

[Travis Willingham]

So it doesn't surprise me that much that in doing what they did bound me to a use after they killed me. And it seems that I, with your help, might have stalled that a little bit bit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

So at least for the time being. But your son has left here.

[Liam O'Brien]

He's farther in. He's moved into the west.

[Travis Willingham]

All right, then we should follow Julian

[Laura Bailey]

while you're having this conversation is ahead checking the ground on the entrance way for tracks of confirmation and beginning to see slowly and quietly enter.

[Matthew Mercer]

Whether or not you're ready, go ahead and give me a survival check.

[Travis Willingham]

A specific point we should be aware of. There are the obelisks that I'm mentioning. But also there is a place that is apparently guarded by demons.

[Laura Bailey]

17.

[Liam O'Brien]

Of course there is.

[Travis Willingham]

That's not my fault.

[Matthew Mercer]

On a 17 survival check. You see a massive set of. The courtyard is filled with the comings and goings of the excavation site and the workers here. And then the fight that happened. And then. Yeah, I guess there are the most recent boot prints leading up and out of the crevasse. If you have to leave all the way from the excavation site back up to where the wind is brutal up there. I think on a 17 survival, you would just know as well. Well, either they went back to the Tyria via. If they went anywhere other than the Tyria via, tracking them is a DC30 at disadvantage. Right. Like going off into the shifting sands. It's forget right?

[Liam O'Brien]

You're saying it could be done.

[Matthew Mercer]

You're saying they got a chance.

[Travis Willingham]

I did roll a 30 last time. As we are leaving, is it possible for me to quickly try and harvest some of the venom from that giant scorpion?

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah, absolutely. Go ahead and give me a nature check. Sure you want to do survival for me worse?

[Travis Willingham]

No, nature's fine. I was surprised at how much I had in nature.

[Matthew Mercer]

Was that bad?

[Liam O'Brien]

I was like, oh, nature being an inst.

[Travis Willingham]

Which makes no sense.

[Liam O'Brien]

What an interesting choice.

[Matthew Mercer]

We'll do survival.

[Laura Bailey]

As you're looking into this, Julian cuts off the end of the tail where the bulb and poison is kept.

[Sam Riegel]

All right.

[Laura Bailey]

As you begin to sit down and be like, we have time for this later. Do it later.

[Travis Willingham]

Rolling a 13. I'm like, I was gonna do the same thing. I wasn't gonna stop and do it right here. I just wanted to take it. Fine, let's go.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm just gonna suddenly hit you with a message right after the loud revelation about the scar. You may have had a point. We're going to have to watch him.

[Laura Bailey]

Welcome to my side of the team.

[Liam O'Brien]

There's a little glance over, but other than that, continue moving.

[Travis Willingham]

He's muttering. I do need ingredients to do this is part of the whole deal.

[Matthew Mercer]

Does Vaelys keep any of the things that she learned from the tense secret? I just wanna know what she shares, if anything.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, everything. I think. Are we taking a moment to. Are we going forward? Are we taking a little moment to rest? We're not. We're moving forward.

[Liam O'Brien]

Guys, take a break.

[Travis Willingham]

Did that, what we were doing in that area qualify then? We're not.

[Laura Bailey]

If you want to take a short rest, you're going to have to convince

[Travis Willingham]

Julian he's on his way.

[Ashley Johnson]

I believe that I definitely would have shared that information to everybody.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay, I'll say actually, because we haven't gotten a chance to share it yet. As Julian is walking off, do you guys pursue Julian or do you stop to share this additional information? I think it's either because Julian's leaving. So I think that it's like, you got to make a choice here.

[Ashley Johnson]

Wait,

[Marisha Ray]

wait.

[Laura Bailey]

Julian takes a moment and turns, says, someone needs to scout ahead.

[Ashley Johnson]

I realize this, but do you want some Information before you scout ahead.

[Laura Bailey]

Do you think it's helpful pertaining to our survival or is it just more of these floating mysteries?

[Ashley Johnson]

Is it helpful for you to know if you're walking down a hall of demons?

[Liam O'Brien]

He does have a map.

[Laura Bailey]

What do you know about demons?

[Ashley Johnson]

He does have a map.

[Travis Willingham]

I have a map.

[Ashley Johnson]

Not a whole lot.

[Laura Bailey]

Then this isn't helpful for me.

[Travis Willingham]

There is a chamber up ahead that is supposedly guarded by demons.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do you think those demons are like the ones we fought before they were kind of silly.

[Travis Willingham]

You mean like the Three Stooges sisters? No. I would go out on a limb to say if this is a place that is left over from when this place used to be. These demons are going to be worse. But who knows?

[Liam O'Brien]

They could be just hoping for a lucky break.

[Travis Willingham]

It's also possible that a regular guy saw 3 imps and went demons. So I don't know.

[Ashley Johnson]

That's probably what it is.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Let's bank on that.

[Laura Bailey]

Perfect. So Demons. Special place to strike them. To take them down. They weak at the base of the skull. What do you know about going to

[Travis Willingham]

check for any possible knowledge I have.

[Marisha Ray]

Of course.

[Travis Willingham]

What a demon is weak to.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go ahead and give me an arcana. Check.

[Travis Willingham]

Seventeen.

[Matthew Mercer]

Seventeen. You remember that one of the scrolls given to Tysha by Amida is actually a scroll of protection against demons?

[Travis Willingham]

Oh. I think one of the scrolls I gave you from your friend says something. I don't know exactly. I don't speak Druidic. But it did.

[Liam O'Brien]

Don't you? I thought you were going to.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Travis Willingham]

I can do it If I have 10 minutes to sit.

[Liam O'Brien]

Don't yell at me.

[Travis Willingham]

Why is that? Why?

[Liam O'Brien]

I didn't do anything.

[Travis Willingham]

It says. I think I caught a word I recognize about demons.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay then.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm going to go ahead and pull out the scroll of protection for five minutes. Great.

[Travis Willingham]

Wait.

[Liam O'Brien]

Then use it in the moment.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

But Heard. And I've got it on deck on my hip.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Amazing.

[Liam O'Brien]

Are we going? Will you die if we keep going?

[Travis Willingham]

What?

[Liam O'Brien]

Will you die if we keep going?

[Laura Bailey]

I'm probably in a better place than most of you from the looks of it.

[Travis Willingham]

I'm fine.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm great.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's just go.

[Matthew Mercer]

Venturing further into the chamber. Looking at the map. Where do you lead these folks? First there's the barracks to the right as you enter through this main passageway. To the left a long stone corridor that eventually will open out into the obelisk chamber. The bulk of the chambers that have been excavated lead towards the center of Old Tanasar. Which is the apotheon Vindicta.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, so right goes to the barracks. Left. Long path to get to the apotheotic obelisk, apparently.

[Liam O'Brien]

Well, yeah, let's go there.

[Travis Willingham]

Right. But the barracks is where your son would have been.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't care where he would have been. I'm trying to find where he.

[Travis Willingham]

Please go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Care about the barracks.

[Travis Willingham]

Do you think he might have left something there saying where he went?

[Liam O'Brien]

Fine.

[Travis Willingham]

If you're looking for information, which is what we need.

[Liam O'Brien]

I'm not looking for information. I'm looking for him.

[Ashley Johnson]

How big are the barracks? Can we do a quick.

[Matthew Mercer]

The map you see is that these are a number of. Basically, these chambers were designed as ritual preparatory areas. It looks like you can see sort of looking at them. House Taconis of old did a lot of embalming and a lot of preparation for funeral rites. It looks like these barracks were in a set of chambers that. You've seen this layout very similarly in other holy sites throughout the old Obra Demian empire. And look and realize these are body preparation chambers for the type of. For whatever would have needed to happen for what Tansul is intended for this to look like. However, the barracks is a number of smaller chambers. The Barrowguard were sleeping in bedrolls out in that chamber you fought in. This would have been where Taconis and their people were dwelling away from the rabble of commoners. Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

To the left leads to the obelisk.

[Liam O'Brien]

Let's do that. Unless you think we should stop at the barracks.

[Travis Willingham]

Nope. Please.

[Liam O'Brien]

Thank you.

[Laura Bailey]

I think at this juncture, as they're making this point. Julian nods, still looking ahead, takes his blade out quietly takes a breath, and is going to use his second wind. However, since he's bloodied instead of healing, it gives him temporary hit points.

[Matthew Mercer]

Cool.

[Marisha Ray]

Cool.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, shoot, I would love more spell

[Matthew Mercer]

slots than I have.

[Marisha Ray]

Let's cast.

[Liam O'Brien]

Pass without trace.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Pass without trace goes up.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see? Entering this next space. Go ahead and give me a group stealth check.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh,

[Matthew Mercer]

that's a lot of trace that adds.

[Travis Willingham]

What does that add?

[Laura Bailey]

10?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, sorry, go ahead.

[Laura Bailey]

29.

[Matthew Mercer]

29.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, my God.

[Travis Willingham]

Dirty 20.

[Liam O'Brien]

I thought we were gonna be the same.

[Matthew Mercer]

29. Dirty 20.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

23.

[Matthew Mercer]

23. 16.

[Liam O'Brien]

16.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay,

[Matthew Mercer]

entering into this next space, Dame Gaia takes a position in front of you, Octus.

[Marisha Ray]

Oh, my God.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, that's right.

[Matthew Mercer]

I forgot about. Yeah, the person who's on my side. Yeah. Dr. Talter sort of walks along going. Does pin eat or no?

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, no, got it. Look, I'm gonna come Over. And you're gonna. You've probably been confused up until this point. Both Pin and I are dead. It's just. It's gonna be easier if I just get it out of the way.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do not scream. You're doing so good.

[Matthew Mercer]

I heard my voice.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I screamed too loud in the fight. Yeah, I don't think I can scream again.

[Liam O'Brien]

You're doing good.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, Pin has buttons for eyes. Come on.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

She nods and goes, yeah, that makes sense. That did strike me.

[Travis Willingham]

You guys just wagging down looking at.

[Matthew Mercer]

You guys arrive at a long stone corridor that you realize is headed far enough out that you recognize it's getting towards where the land above it. As you right now subterranean, slopes down. And you walk into this space where you see a massive chamber, an obsidian obelisk raised tall, written in massive celestial runes. The runes all look badly damaged, and you realize that they had gold set into them. And it must have been in some prior age that tomb raiders came here and scraped the gold off the obelisk. But it is some 60ft tall, written in celestial. And you see that they're immediately ongoing here. Dr. Talter gasps and octys. You see the room from your vision. This is the room where a young Orcish warrior was rappelling undead. And as you also look, you see there is a massive stone wheel that can go over the door that has been pushed out of the way, but probably pushed out of the way for Alagar to exit this space, that this is where Alagar, perhaps some other Barrow guard fought. And you see once again, it's a chaotic sight at first. The first thing is the room is so big, it's cavernous, it's. It's sacred, it's numinous. It feels like a cathedral. And the obelisk goes up and as your eyes come down to the human area where you can interact with this again, 60 foot tall. And then the base of it is almost 8ft wide on a side. Looking up the base of it, some deeply concerning or upsetting things have happened. There is a massive golden brazier at the front of the obelisk, facing the door. That brazier looks corroded and warped, but you see there is a small oven, a space for sacred coals to go under it. And then there is also a pitcher of shattered oil. A fire was supposed to build on top of it, literally like an oven underneath a roaring fire to create some superheated thing. There's runes around that area, but it looks like that's been corroded or degraded, possibly by magic. Set around the base of this place are basically mirror images of the stone that you warped or destroyed out in the previous chamber. These stones and crystals are also badly damaged. These ones are badly damaged by axes, spears, swords. It looks like some folks came in and wrecked this to shit as best they could the old fashioned way. That's my boy. Fuck those nerds. Let's go. Anyone who wants to can give me investigation, arcana or religion here. Oh, awful.

[Travis Willingham]

26 arcana.

[Matthew Mercer]

26 arcana. Hell yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

14 arcana.

[Matthew Mercer]

14 arcana.

[Laura Bailey]

Natural 17 investigation for 17.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

17.

[Ashley Johnson]

I rolled a natural two. Natural two.

[Liam O'Brien]

So,

[Matthew Mercer]

Vaelys, Vaelys, what's your relationship to the other shapers? I think you're seeing a holy sight to Tansul here. It's one other thing of beauty in the world that has been ravaged and destroyed.

[Ashley Johnson]

Sure. I feel like. Valis lived over 800 years in bliss. And in these past 70, 80 years post the Shaper wars, She knew about the other gods, but there was no importance of knowing anything about them because it wasn't a part of her life. So as she's been journeying in these past 80 years and in this time,

[Marisha Ray]

I think

[Ashley Johnson]

is definitely learning more outside of her own world and has been in these past 80 years. So. Oh, I feel like. There's curiosity there.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

Looking at it on that 17 investigation. You look around, Julian, at what happened here, which is looking at the footmarks in this place that is so deep subterranean, there is no wind in it. So you are literally looking at to you, the choreography of bootmarks in here tells a story. And a group of about eight Beaugard came in here to attack this place. And what you see is no other Taconus sorcerers joined that fight, but some undead rushed in to attack them while they were. You see, basically these people rushed in. Two of them went over to try to close the stone to close the door here. One stood in the door waiting for the onslaught of the undead to come in, while the others came and just wrecked the stuff around the obelisk. That vision you had of that warrior standing against the undead in that moment, and you always wondered, you didn't have a connection to Alagar, why did you have a vision connected to Alagar? You look up, Julian, and see also as they sort of wreck this area, you just look up tactically and realize that the top stone of the chamber is actually a very light, cloudy, rosy quartz up above that has carvings within it. And you see even that, that through the quartz on a 17 is that sand up above? I Think you realize that that thing up above is covered by sand, but might have actually been a window to the sky up above before it was buried with time. Before it was buried with time. Looking out Octys on the 27, you're like, why did you get a vision of Alagar? The crystals that are scattered all around here in the arcana, they start to

[Taliesin Jaffe]

hum

[Matthew Mercer]

at your approach. And they're humming in a way that you recognize. They're buzzing like the vibrations of a glass knife in Bolaire's hand. They're buzzing like gem teeth in the back of your university's bursar's mouth. They are connected to something here. You sense powerful divination, magic, communication, specifically. And I think you look and see that there are several small altars that look like they just got backhand scattered by some of the Berogard in here. And there are a number of small gemstones that were clearly concealed in glass. Their glass would have been formed into almost like hourglasses or closed glass instruments that would have been able to levitate these humming small gemstones. The largest of these gemstones is the size of a thumbnail, right? They're scattered on the ground on that 27 arcana as well. You see, the brazier that has been corroded by magic, warped and destroyed, was done so with Taconis magic. This place was defaced by the Taconis way before the Barrowguard got here. All of this gem stuff around it is added on. What this was supposed to be was a gold runed obelisk praising Tansul and mourning his death with a brazier that you see. The rune in it that you recognize is a rune meaning heart. And you believe that this brazier is for burning a human heart in offering to tansul on that 27 arcana, the

[Taliesin Jaffe]

last piece of information I'll give you is this.

[Matthew Mercer]

The name of the God of humankind. The name of the God of the sun and the shaper of humankind has been erased violently from. From the base of the obelisk and replaced with the emblem for House to Konis. This is.

[Travis Willingham]

This is the room where I saw Alagar.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Laura Bailey]

What is he?

[Travis Willingham]

Don't ask me. I don't know. This is the information that I have was that I saw this vision. Alagar was standing here. There by that door. That's where he was. And I've been trying to figure out why I had that. I know Alagar purely because of you. I don't have any connection to your son. Okay? Why would I have a Vision of him.

[Matthew Mercer]

With that 27 arcana. The last piece I'll give you.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

As you ask, why is that hum?

[Matthew Mercer]

The hum that you felt when you

[Taliesin Jaffe]

were being brought back to life, that

[Matthew Mercer]

you look the message from outside saying, does the sacrifice have to happen if the obelisk is connected, you realized with whatever they were doing to you and the plots of divinos. You didn't get a vision of Alagar. You got a vision of this room.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, that's. So it wasn't about Alagar. Was a byproduct. It was not about Alagar. What they were doing to me. What they did to me. These stones are a way of transference. They're a way of communication. But not communication between, but communication of magic. It is a way for what they did to me to have reverberated across these crystals. And they were doing a ritual here at the same time.

[Liam O'Brien]

Did they do it?

[Travis Willingham]

And I point to the corroded bowl. I think so.

[Liam O'Brien]

So your heart was burned.

[Travis Willingham]

That is the symbol of house Taconis. Put there over the plot place of Tansul's name.

[Laura Bailey]

So here's my question. If they came here to create the Taconus Celestial, did they succeed?

[Travis Willingham]

I have no idea.

[Liam O'Brien]

But do we realize that the Celestial was meant to enact vengeance on Oscra and likely the people Oscar shaped? Is that an orc killing angel that was made from your heart?

[Travis Willingham]

I understand the historical implications of this place, and I know what it was for. It was completely defiled before its use in the ritual. What it was used for currently may not be what it was historically meant to be used for. And I don't think that the Taconis care about orcs specifically.

[Laura Bailey]

We don't care about the orange.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, they care about us. If they're trying to erase the old path and make sure that they are the only arbiters of death, we should destroy this. Do we need to destroy it if it's already been used?

[Travis Willingham]

Not all. Correct me if I'm wrong, but not all of the circle of ancients are orcs, correct?

[Liam O'Brien]

Correct.

[Travis Willingham]

So they're trying to destroy the old path, but to make a circle specifically designed to kill orcs doesn't seem to be furthering that plan.

[Marisha Ray]

Sure.

[Liam O'Brien]

This is a little comfort. Does it look like.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, I'm doing my best. I'm trying to figure this out. You can stop attacking every hypothesis I come up with. It's not meant to be against you. I'm not trying to do anything against you. I'm trying to figure this out. And to help.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Okay,

[Travis Willingham]

I'm looking at the actual evidence that exists, not a feeling.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay. Have you considered maybe that your innate defensiveness is because you hold a fealty to your family despite what they've done to you?

[Travis Willingham]

I feel like my innate defensiveness in this situation is because you all keep looking at me like I might be in on it. And I'm trying to tell you that I'm not. Okay? I don't know what they did. I don't know what the ritual, if it was successfully completed. I do not know what they created, what they did. I just think based on the evidence I'm looking at and the remnants left here, I think it's safe, safer to assume they completed what they were trying to do instead of assuming they failed.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Liam O'Brien]

Something terrible may have been brought into the world. Do you think maybe you're not the only person that deserves to have a fucking panicked response?

[Travis Willingham]

I understand that.

[Marisha Ray]

Do you?

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, I do.

[Liam O'Brien]

Because if you need me to be a calm motherly figure and not jump on your ass about this, I'm happy to do that. But I am worried. I am worried about my family. I am worried about my world. So I'm sorry if I'm not interacting with you with perfect fucking grace, okay?

[Travis Willingham]

That's not what I'm asking for. I'm not asking you to do anything different. I'm just letting you know that not every idea I come up with means that you have to make it my fault.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't think any of this is your fault.

[Travis Willingham]

That's not how you're acting. You're equating me with my family constantly. Every time some new piece of terrible information comes up.

[Ashley Johnson]

We're trying to find the connection.

[Liam O'Brien]

Octus.

[Travis Willingham]

I understand. I'm sorry.

[Liam O'Brien]

It's okay.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's continue.

[Laura Bailey]

Julian has been looking over the chamber, kind of away, just hearing this in the background. Just going to say out loud, I hate to admit, but he has a point.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, something terrible did happen here. I don't know if it was successful. Let's assume it was. This room was meant to create a replacement artificial Celestial. In order to defend themselves from something. Using a human heart to do so.

[Liam O'Brien]

Defend or avenge?

[Travis Willingham]

Depends on who you're asking or what test text you're reading.

[Matthew Mercer]

Dr. Talter goes.

[Liam O'Brien]

Sorry.

[Matthew Mercer]

There's a lot of interpersonal. I'm not so sure,

[Taliesin Jaffe]

My Lord Tagonis.

[Matthew Mercer]

I read. Do you read Celestial or.

[Travis Willingham]

I can read it a little bit, yes. Not fully fluent.

[Matthew Mercer]

I don't think that this chamber. There are other chambers here.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

In Tanasar that may have answers to some of these questions.

[Matthew Mercer]

I do not believe that this chamber was intended to create a celestial. How do you mean? I think that Tanasar has many chambers in it. And I think that this was a very complicated problem. And I think that there's.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I think that this room has many

[Matthew Mercer]

celestial symbols and many signs of divination within it. This appears to be a place of communicating. And the brazier is typically associated with offering. I believe that something was to be offered to Tansul's domain here. And she just gestures at the obelisk, pointing straight upwards. She says, I. Based on what we went over in the tent, I do not believe that this chamber was about the creation of the Daeva Vindicta. I believe this chamber

[Taliesin Jaffe]

is about assigning ownership of it.

[Travis Willingham]

And with the replacement and defilement of the symbology on this, it would be then claiming its ownership to House Taconis.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh my God.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

I don't think.

[Matthew Mercer]

It seems that the current generational leadership of your family. You'd imparted the vision you had in the holy stones on our approach to this place with the use of the Kibenem Kadaz and speaking to the stone. I think Tansel's plan for this place relied on his priests remaining loyal for at least a century or more after his death. And I think he lost that loyalty pretty quickly. Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. This place is terrible. Something happened. But our actual goal in being here was to find your son. And he's not here. So what do we do?

[Laura Bailey]

If you saw this days ago. This battle happened days ago, which means there is very much a possibility. A possibility that your son is no longer with us. Just prepare yourself. But we still look in the off chance. That's true. If he could not defend himself against this undead wave, and this was the majority of their destruction, would they have taken prisoners? Do the Taconis take prisoners?

[Travis Willingham]

The Takonas take bodies. They are indeed considered prisoners. But they don't need to be alive, as far as I'm aware. I was never. I was far too young to be a part of any sort of thing they would have done.

[Laura Bailey]

I understand. You do not need to defend yourself any further. No one amongst this troupe has any reason to miss trust you more than me. But as far as we've gone together, you have not proven anything otherwise. Just because we are ready for a betrayal doesn't mean until then we don't have reason to trust you. So we will try to be a little more collaborative.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do not look at me like that again.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, this is a. I apologize. I understand. You are under. Everyone here is under a lot of stress and this is something we're trying. I'm processing a lot of information right now about what possibly I am used for now. And I'm sorry if I was unkind.

[Liam O'Brien]

As am I.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, we should search for Alagar. Did you. Above table. Did you tell us everything that he said?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay. Yeah. Pescard said he saw Aligar after the fight.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

We don't know if that instance in time is before or after the vision.

[Liam O'Brien]

Feels as though that was after the vision. The vision is what he was doing. He survived it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Right?

[Liam O'Brien]

And had the ability to go and try to catch up with.

[Travis Willingham]

So assuming that is the timeline of events, he survived this room. So he could be somewhere else.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see, Gaia looks over at you

[Taliesin Jaffe]

and says, if your son did what

[Matthew Mercer]

he seemed to do in this chamber, then he would have been persuaded by the drowned man.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Which means that he would know that

[Matthew Mercer]

the Berylguard were acting under the false authority of House Taconis.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Yes.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, here's the map and I lay it out. Where do we go.

[Liam O'Brien]

Reading the map? Do we have a sense, Can I figure out a sense of what would correspond on the map to the Ranger and Alagar and the fellow barrel guard that moved into the wilds? I think that was the phrasing that Peskard used.

[Matthew Mercer]

I think that the looking at this, there may be information amongst the Taconis stationed in the barracks. And there's also who knows what the Apotheon vindicta is. But it appears to be the central chamber of Tanasar.

[Travis Willingham]

So if your son was trying to stop what was happening here to the best of his ability, it's possible that. In my assumption of the thought process of somebody who is a martial combatant, and please correct me, the central chamber would be an assumption of where possibly to do the most to damage

[Sam Riegel]

at

[Travis Willingham]

the heart of a thing. So maybe we make our way there, see if he's there. Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

Leaving this chamber, you venture back. Pass now to the left. There is a colonnade, massive sandstone columns looking around. Echo of footfalls clanking of Dame Gaia's armor. As you walk further in holy places here, this is an area of actual worship and reverence. And you see there are writings here. My light can never leave you. The sun shines always, even where it cannot be seen. Entering further into this space, you approach this one. A chamber that is almost. Too intimate. Private. It is still quite enormous, but it just feels so Silent in here. Your footfalls almost stop making noise. You enter the Apotheon Vindicta and you see ancient glyphic writing. These walls are 40ft tall with letters maybe an inch or two high. And every section of wall is filled with writing over and over and over again. Prayer and prayer and prayer. Once again I'll ask for arcana investigation. I'll also take religion or nature here. Talter is also going to, by the way, add her flat plus five to the rolls here and she can give the help action to either Octisphalus or Tysha, whoever wants it. Okay.

[Sam Riegel]

Okay,

[Travis Willingham]

that's cocked. So that will be in the flat plus five. Okay, so that's going to be 28.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Let's go.

[Travis Willingham]

Arcana. And it'll be 26. Religion, depending if you want.

[Matthew Mercer]

Elliot, any other eight? Eight, yeah.

[Ashley Johnson]

15. Religion.

[Matthew Mercer]

Dr. Talter goes my God. And sees up on the wall amidst the writing an image of a celestial.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

This is the Daeva Vindicta.

[Travis Willingham]

So this is the room where it would have been made.

[Matthew Mercer]

This is the room where it would have been made. You see that there is an altar. There's a stone slab in the center of the room with its.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

It is in the shape of a

[Matthew Mercer]

sarcophagus, but it is just solid stone. And what you see is there is actually a massive stone circle behind it where this is an intermediary chamber where it would come here and prayers would be recited. And this is where a body would actually be prepared on a 28. You look and see you haven't been to the barracks yet, but you know that when the body lands here, there is a way to embalm someone in advance of their death. A way to prepare them to.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, that was a fucked up sentence.

[Marisha Ray]

We're allowed to. Yes.

[Matthew Mercer]

What are you guys psyched by? The seeker's table? Is this the table you wanted to be at where we find out all the nasties?

[Liam O'Brien]

I want to unseek all of this knowledge.

[Laura Bailey]

Is that technically a BBL

[Travis Willingham]

techn.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see that there's a place and you can see that the writing around this altar.

[Travis Willingham]

An ebl.

[Matthew Mercer]

An ebl. There's a writing on the altar here. This is the instruction for a heart to be removed from a living body. The heart to be removed from a living body. You see the writing up on the wall, massive, that you guys can all hear. Talter just starts to say it, sort of like, just like eyes wide, reciting it. She looks out and says, in its

[Taliesin Jaffe]

right hand shall it wield my scepter.

[Matthew Mercer]

And in Its left will it hold aloft the sun crowned in glory. It shall be terror to God and mortal alike. And from the earth and heavens shall no foe be suffered to live or die without its terrible command, no passage

[Taliesin Jaffe]

given, nor to stay from passage suffered without the grim pronouncement of its edict.

[Matthew Mercer]

Woe to the foes of man in the age of the final angel. You see, looking out, you see around the base of this altar, flesh of the world, Heart of light. Flesh of the world, heart of light. And following the arcana again and again, you can see the instructions given in this chamber. This is where Tonsil explains how to do this. And moving from the poetic into the actual, you see this final celestial that would enact Tansor's vengeance on the the world would be a meeting fully of the divine and the mortal. And what it would require is the body of one of his chosen priests, either from the house of Havar or the house of Taconus. And what is referred to as Chalcidian is a translation of Khalsus here in the text of this ancient place, which is a heart crafted from the body of a celestial.

[Laura Bailey]

You got one of those.

[Matthew Mercer]

So you see that the ritual that would have occurred here would have been to prepare the body on this slab. And at this point in the ritual explained in the glyphic writing on the walls, essentially the heart would be removed, the heart of flesh. And a contingent of priests would walk back down the hall in ritual procession, prayer and chanting, would take the heart of flesh and offer up that heart of flesh at the obelisk to Tansul. And it would be that even in his day, death, his realm and final edict, would control the heart of this Daeva vindicta. It would follow his last commands or pronouncements in death, right? And the body would be taken down to the sepulchral veil. And you see this massive stone that is a stone cap covering a staircase. And you can see that there is a massive hafted crank to open up that lower chamber that's currently capped off in stone. I will also say at this point, you look out and see all of this is you in this chamber, seeing the cerebral pothion vindicta here. And you guys look out and see the small area that you walked through coming into this space on that very high arcana. You look over and see this little antechamber area at the beginning of the room that is part of this, but a little bit separate. And you can see that there are in the dark there, there are some shapes but the darkness hanging around them is almost magical in nature. There's almost no. But you see that there's a small area with some non celestial writing included amongst the celestial gryphs there. And there are four stone bases.

[Travis Willingham]

Wander over.

[Liam O'Brien]

I grab you the moment you start to move. I think we need to have a

[Matthew Mercer]

conversation on that arcana. By the way, before you answer that, I just want to say the body would have been taken downstairs. And it is downstairs that the heart of light would have been inserted into the body. The becoming would have happened downstairs. But I think, octys, in this moment, you are aware of that moment. Two things happen here as well. This is the last thing I'll say about reading this before we move on, which is just the final stanzas of the prayer offer that the soul of the mortal priest, that would be assuming this transformation would have to walk to the gates of the golden sky, would have to walk past a certain point. And I think you realize this ritual was fully foiled if this had been successful, this thing. Here's the issue. If this worked, your body would not be yours anymore. It would have been a physical transformation. And that physical transformation, looking at the celestial depicted both in writing, but also fully depicted as an image of this vast angel of death on the wall of the temple here, holding a scepter of the sun and holding the sun in its left hand. You see, that's not you. This ritual did not occur. It. And it couldn't have occurred. The ritual was disrupted in the moment that Tysha told you to step off the path. Because part of the ritual was for the soul to actually make it all the way across the veil. And it was certainly fundamentally ended when you removed the stone of Nightsong from your body.

[Travis Willingham]

You mean you want to talk about

[Sam Riegel]

how

[Travis Willingham]

they were turning me into this?

[Liam O'Brien]

Yes, but I think, especially since I don't know that little bit that you just sort of sussed out, I'm worried we're walking you to the completion of this ritual right now.

[Travis Willingham]

No, we're not.

[Ashley Johnson]

I feel the same thing.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay,

[Travis Willingham]

looking at this, I'm understanding something. The ritual, this place here, was where the heart was removed and then the body was taken somewhere lower to the. What was it called?

[Ashley Johnson]

Sepulchre Veil.

[Travis Willingham]

The Sepulchral veil. And that's where the Chalcidian was implanted. A false heart crafted from the body of the celestial from the bones. That is the storm of night's all. And it was placed in the body. And they had to get to a certain point along the path for it to work. And I didn't go there. You stopped me.

[Liam O'Brien]

You stopped you.

[Travis Willingham]

It didn't work. The ritual failed. If it had worked, I wouldn't be here. I would be gone. My body would have transformed in two.

[Laura Bailey]

You're confident that you're not just waiting for the final step? It is done. It is ruined. It is over.

[Travis Willingham]

That stone needed to be inside my body for any of this to work. And I needed to get to the Golden Gates, which I did not do.

[Liam O'Brien]

I hear you and I believe you.

[Travis Willingham]

All of those pieces needed to be in place, and that stone needed to be in my body. And if it had worked, this would all be gone.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

I am.

[Liam O'Brien]

Is there any universe where. Because all of the components of the ritual are here together. I'm just trying to figure out where you're coming. I understand why your family isn't here. If they are waiting to ambush us and finish the ritual now that we've crossed the desert to complete it here.

[Travis Willingham]

That I don't know.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's my only fear.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes, and I agree. But for this ritual, if I'm understanding exactly what all of this means, for that ritual to work, I needed to not be interrupted in my passage to death, which I was.

[Matthew Mercer]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

This is without the knowledge of whether or not they could force me to walk that. But if they could, they would have, and they didn't. So knowing that the ultimate as to whether or not I walk this path, if I were to die again, I can just not.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

And it doesn't happen.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

I would heavily suggest keeping that stone away from you. No matter how strong of a sense you get. Don't put that back in my body.

[Ashley Johnson]

Oh, trust me, I will not.

[Marisha Ray]

Then

[Liam O'Brien]

just keep going. Can you hide it in somewhere other than your front pocket?

[Matthew Mercer]

But that doesn't mean they can't hide

[Ashley Johnson]

in my back pocket.

[Travis Willingham]

The important thing here is that they can do this to someone else.

[Ashley Johnson]

Yes, that's why I was saying, should we destroy the obelisk so they can't do it again?

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, possibly, yeah. But I'm not. The but is not a disagreement. The but is that's a lot of time. We don't have supplies to demolish a place.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah,

[Liam O'Brien]

hold on. I don't know what the book does. That's your weird book? I can help you translate. Do you think you can convince the obelisk to be itself?

[Travis Willingham]

The book is a book of names. The book allows me to know the history. It doesn't necessarily. As far as my general knowledge of what it does as I've only had it for a couple of days. Doesn't allow me to communicate with stone as much as it allows me to know what the stone has seen. I know the history of where it's been. It doesn't speak or communicate in a way that is like, hey, do you think you could fall apart for me?

[Liam O'Brien]

You know, Fair. Do you think maybe there's something in the creation of it that might give us a clue to a speedier destruction of it? If you don't want to open the books.

[Travis Willingham]

No, no, it's fine. I can open the book. I'm just.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Look.

[Travis Willingham]

The Kiba Nimkataz.

[Liam O'Brien]

Nice.

[Travis Willingham]

Says. You were saying it refreshes at a dawn. Correct. Which it does. As we have not gone through a dawn since I. I used it. Gross.

[Liam O'Brien]

There's no dawn here.

[Narrator/Announcer]

That's right.

[Travis Willingham]

There's no dawn here. Yes. So that is the issue is it has not refreshed since the last time. I can only use it once per dawn. And we are in nighttime dawn. So that's unfortunately locked to us at the moment.

[Liam O'Brien]

Gotcha. Okay. Okay. Look. There's a world where my sun is from. Fine or not. But because we are not currently fighting waves of undead, some of the immediacy has left.

[Travis Willingham]

Yes. He could still be here. Look, I'm normally not someone who wants to destroy history or blow up a place that is incredibly ancient. Yeah.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

But they're.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's try and find your son and think on how we could disable this place.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do we want to go look at the sepulchral veil

[Matthew Mercer]

or are we leaving from here?

[Travis Willingham]

Well, he's not here. And there's only a few areas of this place that have been uncovered.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

So I guess we look this bit. That is not the original writing.

[Matthew Mercer]

Yeah.

[Travis Willingham]

Can I look at it?

[Matthew Mercer]

You do you step into a darker antechamber right before the Apotheon vindicta. Do you create any sort. You realize there's some magical darkness on this place.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll use dancing lights. But in the way where you make a. You're allowed to make a medium creature size, sort of vague shape.

[Liam O'Brien]

You make a guy.

[Travis Willingham]

I'll make a guy.

[Matthew Mercer]

And I'll have it stand walking there. You recognize that there is some writing in Celestial containing a few short pieces of demonic script. And you see this very small chamber is what they refer to as the hall of the Guardian Demons. This suddenly revealing it. You see that there are four inscriptions. Does anyone here read demonic?

[Travis Willingham]

I do not.

[Matthew Mercer]

Go ahead and give me an arcana. Check I'm going to look, but I know I don't.

[Travis Willingham]

Not the best. That's going to be 17.

[Matthew Mercer]

The words are. There are full names here that you can't quite read. There are some terms here that you're trying your best to translate. I think on a 17 it's not quite high enough. The words sort of escape you in this moment.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, I know we don't have the time. I can read all of this if I have 10 minutes, but I don't know if we do.

[Matthew Mercer]

You also see the actual shapes of these names written at the base of statues. And you see that there are four bases and only three statues. You see that there is a standing looking almost saintly and confused. There is a beautiful. It's rendered quite beautifully. There's a young youthful. It might be like a young boy or adolescent who's looking up with wavy hair in stone, two extremely small horns and this beautiful sort of celestial face looking up and then otherwise featureless in terms of the face is there but there's a sort of muscled chest with. This is going to be funny to say, but it is a little bit disconcerting. There are no secondary sexual characteristics or primary sexual characteristics.

[Liam O'Brien]

So adorable little Ken doll.

[Matthew Mercer]

Adorable little Ken doll. There are no nipples. There are no anything that would connote a biological status. There's just a shape here sort of staring up, looking confused. You see, there is another figure, this one sort of an old smiling man. A goatee and these wild horns that curl all the way back around almost connecting into a full hoop. Pointed ears, goat like legs standing out.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Who you see

[Matthew Mercer]

has a small stone pouch hanging from a cord around his neck and a stone staff that curls. There is one final demonic statue here. This one is an extremely tall, broad shouldered masculine figure who appears to be wearing some kind of ancient armor. And you see has bat wings that come off and wrap around. But you see that doesn't appear to have horns but has a circle of stone almost like a halo that comes around but is broken or shattered in the front. Looking down, you see very handsome masculine face with two eyes and then two more on each side here. But otherwise strong jaw, who seems to be looking down sorrowfully.

[Travis Willingham]

The fourth but pillar, the fourth base. Does it look like it was forcibly removed?

[Matthew Mercer]

Looks like it was shattered, destroyed.

[Laura Bailey]

I guess somebody wanted to make sure they always travel in threes. Now here's my perspective on this. Glancing over the chamber, I see two paths here. Either this place has lost its importance to the Taconis and they've entirely abandoned It. Which means it's safe to quickly gather what its secrets might keep. Or it still holds purpose. And they would not be stupid enough to leave it abandoned. Which means there could still be Taconis representatives here, ripe for interrogation.

[Matthew Mercer]

Oh,

[Travis Willingham]

then let's. This chamber where these statues are, is this a chamber that goes through to another area that we need to get through?

[Matthew Mercer]

No, this was a little darkened. First of all, you are almost perturbed by how easily you walked past these statues on your way into this space.

[Travis Willingham]

Oh, we came through these statues.

[Matthew Mercer]

You came through this little thing. It was like a threshold. And that magical darkness you almost stepped through because you were looking at the massive angelic painting on the wall past this. These figures appear to be here as part of the original construction of this space. And they are demons. But demons don't have necessarily the same adversarial position to the faith of the Seven Shapers, as we shouldn't copy and paste our understanding of the Devil to this. These demons existed in an ecosystem alongside, in sort of a cosmology of faith, alongside everything else. As beings of chaos and destruction and entropy. But they were not all united in purpose. And therefore these ones seem to have been. Been these statues depicted here in this space.

[Liam O'Brien]

Guardians. Can we shatter the statues?

[Travis Willingham]

I'm sure we're capable of doing it.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do you have a good reason for me to not? And I think I'm just sort of like a golfer, just lining up a shillelagh swing.

[Travis Willingham]

Does the statue look like it was shattered a long time ago or recently?

[Matthew Mercer]

Quite recently. Anyone who wants to give me an investigation?

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Marisha Ray]

Ooh.

[Liam O'Brien]

16. Do it.

[Matthew Mercer]

Investigate 16.

[Ashley Johnson]

21.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

21. You believe that this was destroyed by martial weapons? That possibly the Barrow Guard came in and smashed this one here?

[Travis Willingham]

It's possible that your son destroyed one of these.

[Liam O'Brien]

Strong instincts.

[Travis Willingham]

My worry is that maybe he didn't. Maybe us passing through let something out. But I have no evidence to back that up. That's just a gut feeling. But if we want to try and smash them, either they'll break or they'll wake up.

[Matthew Mercer]

Great.

[Laura Bailey]

I'm still trying to suss out why your sister sent the Berelguard here. Were they part of the sacrifice?

[Travis Willingham]

It's possible.

[Laura Bailey]

They literally showed up and then destroyed a bunch of stuff.

[Travis Willingham]

Well, I don't think my family was counting on the Drowned Men to offer that piece of alternative information.

[Liam O'Brien]

Fair. It was only a few that took up the Drowned Men's cause. The rest of the Barrowguard acted under Takona's interests.

[Travis Willingham]

It's possible that I'm sure you understand. You've dealt with plenty of nobles in your life. They are quick to assume that people who are not nobles are stupider than they are. So it's possible they just assumed the Barrow Guard wouldn't ask any questions.

[Laura Bailey]

Fair.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay.

[Matthew Mercer]

You give me an insight with advantage.

[Travis Willingham]

I think if you want to destroy them, by all means, let's get a

[Liam O'Brien]

strong sense of they're going to wake up because we were in the room.

[Travis Willingham]

I have no idea. I don't.

[Liam O'Brien]

I just don't want to fight that one. And I point at multiple eyes and wings. I'm like, he seems like the worst. I gotta assume my son and his friend saw the other one. That was also very bad. And they're like, I can take a

[Matthew Mercer]

baby with no nipples on a 14 insight, I think. Julian, you're thinking the Taconis sent the Barrow Guard here, right, with almost. Almost no notice, right? Like the Beauregard got here, what, a day? A day or two. Because you're thinking about the drowned men coming from Venatus, which is a few days into the desert, and then Castle Torch, which is like a day and a half away. I think you're thinking about two things. Petra and Raya looking at Gaia Saramai and saying, here's an order. It's from the Revolutionary Council. We don't have proof, but send the head ranger and send a battalion into the desert. And you're also thinking about that letter from Primus to Konis saying, does the sacrifice need to happen here or could it happen elsewhere if the obelisk is up? I think a 14 insight is not high enough to get a lay of what the plan is. But one thing Primus and his two eldest daughters have in common is that they were cutting a lot of corners

[Liam O'Brien]

there.

[Travis Willingham]

I guess we should. Do you want to explore the rest of the rooms and double check and make sure.

[Laura Bailey]

I would like to make sure that if there is any remaining Draconis, we

[Travis Willingham]

can keep them in chains and. Or Eligar.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't think Eligar is here anymore.

[Travis Willingham]

No, I don't think so either.

[Liam O'Brien]

But you know, can you cast like don't. In this room? Cause you're a Daconis.

[Travis Willingham]

The famous spell Don't.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Liam O'Brien]

I don't know what wizard things you learned in school.

[Travis Willingham]

There's nothing that I can do that you can cast.

[Marisha Ray]

No.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

No.

[Matthew Mercer]

Can.

[Laura Bailey]

Nope. Is fourth level.

[Marisha Ray]

Ah.

[Liam O'Brien]

Shoot.

[Travis Willingham]

My family doesn't necessarily deal in demons, so this is not something that I, generally speaking, understand. What. Or have Done anything with in the future. This looks like. If I'm making a complete wild guess, this is a combination of. We all know that Halovars have demons with them.

[Liam O'Brien]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Do you think this is. Oh, sure.

[Travis Willingham]

I think this might be left over from the construction of this place in conjunction with both the Haylovars and the Teconis.

[Liam O'Brien]

Okay.

[Travis Willingham]

So I don't know if this is an immediate concern. This might be. These statues. These guardian statues have been here for a very long time.

[Liam O'Brien]

Ooh, do you think the fourth one was. Maybe if it wasn't shattered, it was tyranny. Just being like

[Ashley Johnson]

that's kinda cool.

[Travis Willingham]

Mean that a lot of problems are probably happening with everybody else right now.

[Liam O'Brien]

There's a part of me that would feel sympathy or empathy or not wanting. It's been a bad time here. I hope everyone's still a little stressed out.

[Marisha Ray]

Yeah.

[Matthew Mercer]

You see that? Gaia looks and says, so we wish to explore the rest of this place to see if there is any sign either of your son or of the Taconis that are here.

[Travis Willingham]

Yeah, that seems like the plan.

[Taliesin Jaffe]

She says, all right.

[Matthew Mercer]

Looking at the demons around here, you see, she says, do we wish to start? And she nods her head over to the. The closed door to the Sepulchral veil. She says, do we wish to investigate the veil? The barracks?

[Taliesin Jaffe]

Both.

[Matthew Mercer]

Neither.

[Travis Willingham]

The veil seems like a place of importance. That if there were Taconis here, they would be there.

[Liam O'Brien]

So help me, if you turn into a killing angel when we go through there. You better kill me first. If not, I'm going to haunt you with I told you so.

[Travis Willingham]

Look, I have my very, very rudimentary understanding of what this means. Ritual is. Means I won't have any choice in the matter.

[Liam O'Brien]

Yeah, fair.

[Matthew Mercer]

Helya, you guys head over to the Sepulchral Vale. Gaia looks over to you with the haft to begin turning it. Stone cap rotates. The stone doesn't rotate this way. It rotates fixed at this point and the circle moves, revealing a descending staircase going down.

[Liam O'Brien]

That's cool, but I hate down.

[Ashley Johnson]

I'll go first.

[Matthew Mercer]

You go first.

[Liam O'Brien]

Do you want to send your light, man to help you guys see?

[Travis Willingham]

I. Well, you have your vision. You can see.

[Ashley Johnson]

I have dark vision.

[Laura Bailey]

Julian's going to follow up just after you.

[Travis Willingham]

For the sake of this, I'm going to banish dancing lights. Julian, if you want to hold on, I will hold onto you. Let's try and not have light precede us into this place in case there are people down There,

[Matthew Mercer]

Proceeding down into the dark, you begin to see glowing crystal light, ancient, beautiful temple structures. And you approach and see the altar where the body changes, the place where the Daeva Vindicta is supposed to be born. Before it, a massive well filled with blood. And you hear the scream. I need you all to roll Initiative. And that's where we go to break

[Liam O'Brien]

Hateful.

[Travis Willingham]

Okay, that's cool. It's fine.

[Sam Riegel]

Fine.

[Liam O'Brien]

We could have left.

[Matthew Mercer]

No, you guys were. You guys had a huge stack. You were on a hot streak. Let's keep rolling, baby.

[Travis Willingham]

Let's keep rolling.

[Matthew Mercer]

And that's where we'll leave our story for now. Part two of this episode of Campaign 4 drops this Tuesday. Thanks for listening and we'll see you soon for more critical role. Hi, I'm Michael from the Warren Treaty. You know the jingle now Discover the facts about Ozempic. A GLP1 only Novo Nordisk makes FDA approved Ozempic. Learn about the real thing.

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[Matthew Mercer]

You could go out to eat or

[Narrator/Announcer]

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