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[Spoilers C4E18] Episode Discussion

3mon 15d ago by lemmy.blahaj.zone/u/Ultragramps in criticalrole from i.ytimg.com

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RuntimeBreak start
4h 0m2h 17m

Episode 18: Vindicta & Vale

Last we left our Seekers, you had traveled far from Castle Torch down the Tiria Via into the desert of the Endless Night (in the ruins of the fallen Obridimian Empire, a sorcerous realm of powerful human dynasties that had fallen some 70 years ago as the House of Obridai (with their two priestly houses of Tachonis and Halovar stood to defend Tansul, god of the sun whose ruin is now smote over the vast region of never ending night and shifting sand)).
Arriving at Tannesar (a holy site dedicated to a posthumous promise predicted by Tansul, god of the sun and Shaper of humankind), that should he be slain by his brother, Azgra (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've struck him down, being Azgra and the forces of Kahad 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've 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 Barrowguard, Tachonis, and robed figures in the bearing of spellcasters almost (those not heavily armored and not heavily armed) and the other bodies seem to have been affected by spell attack.
Outside of Tannesar, a moment of magical wonder, essentially as the Stone of Nightsong lifted aloft from Thaisha's hand back to Vaelus as the bodies (filled in their skeletal remains with nightingales) flooded into Thaisha'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 Tannesar and 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 Tachonis had helped to facilitate some great working of magic here (a slight necromantic power extending over the land) why the bodies had decomposed in the span of a day or two like they had been here for years.
On lighting your lights, a giant scorpion, Saharkis, the pet of your cousin Tertia. And the skeletal remains animated around you, defending Tannesar. Repelling the skeletons as quickly as possible, and emerging victorious, you also watched (on a nat 20) Occtis shattered the crystal with a Fire Bolt, undoing some spell of his sorcerous House.
Thaisha and Julien collecting the remains and preparing to honor them and inter them, you also found the remains of Pascard Velmonte (a figure who we have not met in the campaign, but) who, immediately prior to the beginning of our story, Thaisha and Occtis had gone to Venatus to retrieve the coffin of Olbalad from.
In the tents, you discovered a tremendous amount of documentation. Occtis, you found internal maps of what had been excavated in Tannesar so far, lying in three separate directions. There was a interior barracks where the Tachonis were keeping privately to themselves. There is a chamber that they referred to as the Apotheotic Obelisk. You also found that there was a chamber behind the Hall of Guardian Demons referred to as the Apotheotic Vindicta (which appears to also lead to something called the Sepulchral Veil). Vaelus also found tons of correspondence in a more military tent that made reference to Tachonis forces stationed outside the Golden Orchard that could not be stationed there for long. A question from Primus Tachonis, if the sacrifice needed to occur within Tannesar, if the Obelisk still stood. I believe you also found a question about the Halovars having some innate resistance to 'the procedure'. You discovered the terms Ossement and Calcidion. You also discovered in that litmus about the Orchard, "We can't chance the Sea Door closing." We also found notes about Tertia being a similar failed experiment that "...her own innate connection to the Tenebral Reaches may have thwarted the grafting of the calcidial prosthesis. I shall miss her dearly."
Additionally we ended our last session with the casting of Speak with Dead on the remains of Pascard Velmonte. He looked at you, unrecognizing, wondering if you were some spirit come to guide him to the other side. And then you asked him what happened here, he said,
"In a word, chaos."
And it is to chaos that we return. Vaelus, you stand here in the antechamber of Tannesar. The other three of you basically are watching Vaelus interact with the remains of Pascard Velmonte.

♪Episode Song References♪

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Highlights

  • 00:01:38 Cold open with Wicander at the Caller's Perch meeting Lux Osli Cafland.
  • 00:05:14 Creed Lore The Naming of the Shadows is comparable to confession in Catholicism.
    Osli:"Bent wicks (heh) are straightened. Spent wicks are trimmed. Not all vessels are ready to bear the Light."
    Wick:"May I share my flame with yours?"
    Osli:"All flames are one. Let us then share the Light. 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. "
  • 00:07:54 Creed Lore Tenet 6 of The Seven Shining Tenets is:
    to live aglow or be unmade, to err is to dim, and to glow with rightness is to spark. The sparkéd soul shall be rekindled, the dim burned."
    "But also, we are told that the light cast its own shadow and that he who holds the torch must mind the darkness it throws."
  • 00:10:15 Osli:"Well, you're telling the truth now, Nick."
  • 00:11:24 Creed Lore The Hymn of Refraction:
    We are the colors of the flame borrowed brief and bright.
    No hue may claim the fire itself. No voice may own the Light.
    Shadow, pass through thrembling hands, broken through we bend,
    a single gleam, a thousand beams with neither start nor end.
  • 00:13:58 Sam forgot how to DnD
  • 00:16:05 Now THAT is how you celebrate Candlefeast
  • 00:29:25 "Fuck it we do it live." reference to Bill O'Reilly
  • 00:32:49 So many hoverhands
  • 00:34:31 Pascard was expecting Tachonis forces and was met with Barrowguard instead.
  • 00:37:33 Coffin talk. Pascard thinks Thjazi's search for sacred objects of prophecy was folly.
  • 00:40:40 Pascard is a member of The Drowned Men and was arrested by Alogar.
  • 00:41:07 The Tachonis wanted the coffin badly
  • 00:42:08 Mara the Wing was heading to 'the tear in the world where the Stormwrack and the Endless Night touch'. It was known that she was gifted with being able to travel and return from such a place.
  • 00:43:38 Ostriches vs Basilisks
  • 00:47:00 Tachonis treachery. Alogar went further inside the temple.
  • 00:51:15 The Drowned Men have their own chosen path, but seem unaware of "The Sea Door".
  • 00:53:50 Pascard delivers his last memories of Alogar and makes postmortem arrangements
  • 00:54:47 A person or entity referred to as 'My Lady'
  • 00:55:20 Vaelus' new abilities include Ceremony: Atonement to restore a character's alignment.
  • 00:56:03 Alex makes a test roll and a face revealing its poor results
  • 00:57:43 Runic tattoos of protection
  • 00:58:32 Ashley 'hunkers down' in excitement
  • 00:59:00
    Rushing down, rushing down, rushing down to the water's edge.
    Sweet the vine and sweet the fruit.
    Deeper still pursue the root.
    Depths of darkness, crashing waves.
    A life to end a world to save.
  • 01:01:52 Pascard's pact involved The Drowned Men, a noble order of magicians.
  • 01:03:54 Pascard:"Yours? It's not even mine."
  • 00:04:23 Thaisha:"Seems like there's a lot of ways through the fuckin' woods."
  • 01:06:06 Thaisha:"Your family is bad."
  • 01:07:30 Updated information on the procedures and experiments described in the paperwork found by Occtis.
  • 01:08:55 Thaisha makes the connection seeing Pascard's scar being identical to Occtis'; the Tachonis mechanism to control the will of others.
  • 01:11:20 "So you're saying there's a chance." Dumb & Dumber reference
  • 01:12:29 Julien:"Welcome to my side of the team."
  • 01:14:17 The Three Stooges Sisters were kinda silly.
  • 01:15:05 Alex makes a funny face doing math in his head.
    Matt:"Roll for stroke."
  • 01:15:21 A very useful scroll
  • 01:15:38 Aabria's trolling is relentless
  • 01:16:57 The Apotheon Vindicta is a name for the central location of Tanessar.
  • 01:19:18 Some buffs before the hallway: Pass Without A Trace and some temp HP
  • 01:20:44 Dr Taler lost her voice screaming already
  • 01:21:05 Fan Art Moment Pin happily being observed by Dr Talter as Occtis explains their undead state.
  • 01:22:12 This is the place
  • 01:24:21 Thaisha:"That's my boy."
  • 01:27:15 Alogar fought off the undead in the doorway while his allies destroyed the crystals generating waves of undead.
  • 01:28:50 Divination: Communication magic
  • 01:29:40 The defacements, undead-generating crystals, etc are all Tachonis fuckery
  • 01:30:34 The god Tansul's name has been replaced with the Tachonis emblem for the sacrificial brazier designed to incinerate a heart...
  • 01:34:00 Occtis has had it with Thaisha's criticisms and the silent judgements
  • 01:38:28 Dr Talter comes through with some corrections
  • 01:41:08 Tensions continue between Thaisha and Julien
  • 01:42:52 Alogar figured out the false directives of the Tachonis given to the Barrowguard
  • 01:45:04 "My light can never leave you. The sun shines always, even where it cannot be seen."
  • 01:47:20 Fan Art Moment The Deva Vindicta
  • 01:48:05 Live embalming and Brazilian Butt Lifts
  • 01:50:34 Lore Drop A Calcis is a "Heart of Light" crafted from the body of a celestial
  • 01:51:50 The entrance to the Sepulchral Veil is still closed
  • 01:54:00 A fully-foiled ritual
  • 01:57:22 Are we in danger of completing the ritual?
  • 02:00:04 Alex nails the pronunciation of the Kibbenimkedaz
  • 02:01:56 Make a glowy guy
  • 02:02:26 Congratulations! You've found the Hall of the Guardian Demons
  • 02:03:33 One of the statues is missing...
  • 02:06:27 The Rule of Threes is a comedy thing, though. Like Enmity, Cruelty, and Agony...
  • 02:08:00 Lore Drop Some of the Demonic Cosmology of Aramán
  • 02:10:35 A little benefit of the doubt for the Barrowguard
  • 02:11:08 Aabria:"I can take a baby with no nipples."
  • 02:12:55 The Nope spell is too high level for now
  • 02:15:20 Removing the massive stone cap to the Sepulchral Veil
    Fan Art Moment Sepulchral Veil with blood pool

Roll Inish Bish

Intermission

Hello, and welcome to the Sepulchral Veil at the heart of Tannesar. And you guys did not take a rest.

  • 02:17:30 "A perfectly cromulent word." (Simpsons Reference)
  • 02:18:18 "Must go faster." (Jurassic Park reference)
  • 02:18:46 Alex's Jason Statham impersonation,"fockin' bayz. Duncum naymay oma bayz."
  • 02:19:47 *This massive cavern (that appears more naturally formed, right? this is less masonry, more maybe this was why this site was selected and then everything else was built out from here).
    From behind you, you hear screech and see beautiful white wings on a skeletal, freakish monstrosity. A figure moves in from the dark, grabs Gaya's armor, lifts her off the ground, flies her through the air *
  • 02:20:40 Dame Gaya Seremai impaled by a skeletal scorpion's tail belonging to the winged creature.
  • 02:23:11 Bonus action murder?
  • 02:26:08 Tell us about the blood with a Nature and a Nurture check. Nat 20 lets us know it's a sacred pool of the dead shaper Azgra filled specifically with orc blood. So, there's that.
  • 02:28:03 Matt:"Responsibly."
  • 02:29:00 Nat 20 clues: A falcon's feather from a Wildshape-d druid and also a type of candied nut from Dol-Makjar (that was also at Thjazi's funeral).
  • 02:30:13 Dame Gaya casts bleed
  • 02:31:20 Ashley:"Guff."
  • 02:32:29 Matt:"Fireball." (though the subtitles incorrectly give Alex credit)
  • 02:33:18 Dr Talter looks out for number one and Dame Gaya is killed by the celestial.
  • 02:37:14 Maybe the creature obeys Tachonis and therefore Occtis.
  • 02:39:00 The celestial creature is cousin Tertia!
  • 02:40:24 Thankfully, Occtis is so charming.
  • 02:42:05 Maps with real dirt!
  • 02:43:53 Julien's big jump attack would've been cool if it had hit.
  • 02:45:00 Death and Ballistas.
    Aabria:"Cool. Heard, chef!"
  • 02:46:00 Pincushion on reloading duty
  • 02:47:37 Julien:"If I had a nickel..."
  • 02:49:06 Matt:"Smite into crit is the best."
  • 02:50:40 (2d8 damage for Divine Smite plus another d8 against undead = 3d8) x 2 for a crit
  • 02:53:24 Level Up! Vaelus
  • 02:55:00 Dr Amry Talter:"All philosophies are some reflection or facet of their deeper truth!" Healing Word
  • 02:56:51 Alex exclaims "Oh!" in a unique fashion after seeing Vaelus' fate.
  • 02:59:24 Vaelus gets knocked out.
    Matt:(heavy sarcasm)"The good news is you are one of the healers."
  • 03:02:47 You're 5'11". You can do anything.
  • 03:03:43 Julien:"There you are, you bastard."
  • 03:06:10 Thaisha:"I know y'all couldn't see it, but that was cool as hell. Get Darkvision."
  • 03:09:20 Dr Talter:"...demon guardians?"
    Thaisha:"Get nipple baby!"
    Occtis:"I don't know how to wake them up!"
  • 03:11:55 Go, snek!
  • 03:14:30 Julien falls unconscious
  • 03:17:20 Occtis successfully intimidates the creature with a Witch Bolt cast
  • 03:20:06 Corrections on Vaelus' HP pool are figured out
  • 03:21:44 Julien gives a metal glove of inspiration.
  • 03:23:23 Lil' Snek face!
  • 03:25:00 We paid for a snek, we're gonna get a snek.
  • 03:26:26 Celestial tantrum
  • 03:27:54 HDYWTDT
  • 03:28:28 Gwen Stacy's tragic death in Amazing Spider-Man 2
  • 03:30:50 Acquired one (1) cousin skull
  • 03:32:58 Second notch for the second Tachonis killed (first one shoved off a bridge)

(continued)

  • 03:34:47 "It's the hammy!"
  • 03:35:55 Itty bitty party splitty
  • 03:37:07 Celestial remains extracted from Tertia's torso
  • 03:40:44 Julian can talk to Murray, Occtis can talk to Thimble
  • 03:42:10 The cursed essence of the pool of orc blood seems to have been removed
  • 03:43:17 All the Grinch analogies!
  • 03:46:02 Occtis votes to avoid Castle Klippenblicke
  • 03:50:29 Julien connects the failed rituals as a unified plot to attack the Sundered House with the assistance of a celestial.
  • 03:51:33 Dame Seremai's remains get honorable treatment