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A Taste of Tal'Dorei (episode)

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This page is about the episode. For the tavern and restaurant, see A Taste of Tal'Dorei.

"A Taste of Tal'Dorei" (3x25) is the twenty-fifth episode of the third campaign of Critical Role. Bells Hells explore Bassuras and the Paragon's Call stronghold while getting to know their new friend Dusk, whose past strangely intersects with one of their own...

Synopsis[]

Announcements[]

  • A big "thank you!" to Brennan Lee Mulligan and all the players from Exandria Unlimited: Calamity for an amazing story!
  • Sam is back as lounge lizard Ludo McGillicutty at the Quip Public Domain Lounge, singing all the hits that are copyright-free. Right now, Quip's donating $5 to the Ali Forney Center for every limited edition Pride brush purchased. Save 25% with code CriticalRole25 at checkout. Sam also tests the limits of Twitch's TOS and Marisha's endurance by teasing (but not revealing!) his nipples.
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  • 4-Sided Dive Episode 4 airs Tuesday, 5 July 2022 at 7:00 pm Pacific on Twitch and YouTube, featuring the ladies: Ashley, Laura, Marisha, and Aabria.
  • Welcome to Tal'Dorei, an album with almost an hour of soundtrack music inspired by the continent of Tal'Dorei potentially useful for your home games, is available now on all digital music platforms.
  • Merch alert! Chibi pins for the original Exandria Unlimited party, revamped "How do you want to do this?" sweatshirt, Legend of Vox Machina dice, and a First Knight of Avalir t-shirt (thanks, Max Schapiro!) now available in some of the CritRole shops. Check them out now!
  • New animated intro coming up! Thanks to Minnow Mountain who partnered for the animation.

Previously on Critical Role[]

So, last we left off: Bells Hells have been hot on the trail of Armand Treshi after uncovering many of the misdeeds he had been attempting within the city of Jrusar. With their alliance with Lord Eshteross, they had helped place a platinum band that had been enchanted at a ball with the help of their friend Dorian. Upon putting this ring upon Armand to keep tracking his whereabouts in the city, you left northward and returned a bit later to discover that he had left. He had fled the city southeast. You agreed to help Eshteross in hunting him down, taking the orb that was affixed to the enchantment on this ring, to when you were within proximity, you would know the direction he was from you.

You went ahead and took upon the skyship known as the Silver Sun, and went southeast across the skies of the Hellcatch Valley towards the city of Bassuras, where it seemed Armand was laying low. On this trek, you did battle with a number of dangerous sky creatures. You helped defend a caravan that was being hunted by a wayward dusttra, a massive squid-like creature digging through the dust. Upon coming to the outskirts of Bassuras, the skyship left you behind, within a day's journey should you require it to return and pick you up.

Here, you made contact with one of the many Crawler gangs that run the region surrounding the city. You began to mark continuous shapes and colors of tattoo-based designs that mark the Gajakhandas, the ones that protect the main guardian laws of the city. Upon walking into the center, you found your way to the caravanserai the Raha Den, purchased a night's rest, and then emerged to seek out the directional blip of Armand's tracking signal in the orb that you carry.

On the way, you heard a scuffle in a nearby alleyway and saw this individual, Dusk, being harried by a number of ne'er-do-wells, cutthroats that were attempting to take what was theirs. You then stepped into this alleyway and came to their aid, beating down these individuals and leaving them behind as you made your first encounter and introduction with this character, Dusk. Now, after having a brief bit of conversation, you decided to continue to pursue the directional draw of this arcane blip. Along the way, it seems, in the southern direction of the city of Bassuras, there lay a particular tavern, referred to as "A Taste of Tal'Dorei" that seemed to reside at least in a similar space of the region.

Part I[]

A Taste of Tal'Dorei - Lap Pun Cheung

Fan art of Bell's Hells at A Taste of Tal'Dorei, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 1]

The party justifies the trip to A Taste of Tal'Dorei on the basis that they can rest while there, and also possibly learn more about Armand Treshi and his current location. Along the way, they encounter an eight-foot-tall, apparently cobbled together and slightly glitchy automaton. FCG attempts to engage it in conversation without success.

A Taste of Tal'Dorei is a theme restaurant with servers taking the roles of famous figures from Tal'Doreian history, including Errevon, Zan Tal'Dorei, and Warren Drassig. They order food and drink. Dusk explains she is looking for the people in a locket she wears, which holds the images of Fearne's parents. They helped Dusk get back to the Material Plane from the Feywild but Dusk got separated from them. She has no idea how much time has passed since she went there and her memories are vague and non-chronological. Dusk's warlock powers come from a tattoo of waves, terminating in geometric shapes-- but she doesn't remember getting it.

Fearne confirms it's been about ninety years since she last saw her parents, who left to do "something very, very important" when she was very young, leaving her with her grandmother to keep her safe. Her family is very important and very well known in the Courts. She might or might not be a princess.

With Fearne's consent, Imogen telepathically reaches out to Fearne's mother Birdie, telling her Fearne and Dusk are looking for her. The response is cautious at first, but when Fearne and Dusk provide details only they would know, Birdie becomes very excited. She and Ollie are a few days out from Bassuras, but they'll meet at "Joe's". They discover the waitress knows of an "Imahara Joe's" in The Ends, who is a tinkerer that works on crawlers.

Laudna pulls FCG into the gift shop, telling him she and Imogen have had a falling out since Laudna accidentally destroyed Imogen's gnarlrock shard. Laudna tells FCG that she just wants Imogen to have a life and a youth, and she just wanted to protect her from something that might hurt her. She is very upset by the situation. FCG volunteers to help facilitate a conversation between the two when they are both ready.

The souvenirs - Melissa Hahn

Fan art of the souvenirs for Imogen, by Melissa Hahn.[art 2]

Meanwhile, Orym checks in with Imogen, who has seemed discouraged lately. She shares that Laudna and she had a falling out, and although in hindsight it now seems like it was a good thing Laudna did, Imogen can't tell her that yet. She is also upset that while she's hurting, Laudna seems to be living it up with the new person, Dusk, like she doesn't even care they had a fight. Orym tells her that she and Laudna are so very close, this estrangement won't last forever, and that she's done amazing things for all the others. She shouldn't get down on herself. And she should talk to Laudna.

They leave the tavern into midday Bassuras, following the blip in the tracking sphere to the Bank of Renewal marketplace. Imogen reminds the group she still has the marble-like bead which can encapsulate an enemy that they got from the Green Seekers.[1] The sphere leads them to a tent called the River of Renewal, a pawn shop, and they realize that the ring they are tracking has not moved in some time, is somewhere inside the tent, and may have been pawned. Dusk goes inside and eventually is shown the correct ring. Under Dusk's Suggestion, the shopkeeper tells her it was pawned by Armand Treshi, and he's probably with his gang, the Paragon's Call, at their fortress called the Seat of Disdain. The party decides to leave the ring there in case Treshi returns to redeem it, and head toward the Seat of Disdain.

Break[]

Part II[]

On the way, FCG encounters another non-responsive automaton, and they again have a discussion about the nature of FCG's consciousness. They also see a huge crawler traveling platform. When they reach the Seat of Disdain, it proves to be a well-guarded and defended three-story fortress in the middle of a residential neighborhood. They discuss possible approaches. Eventually, Imogen, Orym, Dusk, and Fearne take a walk around the perimeter while Laudna, Ashton, and FCG stay with Chetney at a distance.

Quokka Fearne - arcticwaters

Fan art of Quokka-Fearne, by arcticwaters.[art 3]

Fearne wild shapes into a devastatingly cute quokka, runs up to the front gates and tries to dig under them, but gets stuck while trying to squeeze through. Imogen helps her dig telekinetically and eventually, she emerges in a training courtyard on the other side. While trying to reach the front door, however, she is spotted and grabbed by one of the guards, who immediately adopts her, names her Fuzz Bottom, and carries her inside the fortress.

Meanwhile, Dusk runs nearer the other group, signaling frantically until Laudna Messages her. She tells them what's happening and they decide to wait a bit before deciding what action to take, if any.

The soldier takes Fearne to her barracks and locks her in after feeding her. Trapped, Fearne paws at the door until another soldier investigates and, captivated, kidnaps her. As they move through the fortress, Fearne spots General Ratanish, the leader of Paragon's Call. When they reach the soldier's quarters, he tries to lock Fearne in his footlocker but her struggles (and bites) wake his sleeping roommate. Now annoyed, the soldier marches Fearne back out through the courtyard and tosses her out through the gate, unhurt.

As the groups move to rejoin, Dusk asks Imogen if she and Laudna are "a thing". After a pause, Imogen replies simply, "No." At the same time, Ashton asks Laudna about the tension between her and Imogen, and Laudna tearfully tells him she did something terrible: she killed Imogen's rock. Ashton suggests maybe they should find her a nice rock to give to Imogen as a replacement and an apology.

Back together again, Fearne tells everyone she could sketch a map of the interior of the fortress, but otherwise she didn't learn much beyond seeing Ratanish there. They discuss possible plans to try to lure out Treshi so they can confirm he's actually present in the fortress. Imogen goes back to the River of Renewal and buys a ring, getting a receipt from the pawnbroker so they can copy his handwriting. Orym manages to do a credible forgery of a note purporting to be from the pawnbroker, addressed to Treshi, giving him a last opportunity to redeem the ring. They go back to the inn to sleep for the night.

Featured characters[]

Bells Hells

Returning

New

Mentioned

Quotations[]

  • FCG: (about gaining a sense of smell) Someday.
    Imogen: Someday, FCG, we'll get you a sense of smell, and you'll regret it.
  • Imogen: How long were you in the Feywild? Do you know?
    Dusk: I feel like I have lived a thousand different lifetimes in there, or maybe just one long one.
  • Imogen: (about Fearne's parents) Did they talk about their daughter?
    Dusk: No. They didn't say anything about having a daughter. They told me that they felt like I-- It's not important, but it's... Do you know where they are?
    Fearne: I don't know where they are, and I've been looking for them. But maybe they just forgot, because it's been a very long time since I've seen them.
  • FCG: I would really like to know what I am and where I came from.
    Dusk: What do you want to be?
    FCG: I'd like to be like you all. I'd like to be able to smell and taste and dream.
  • Dusk: (to Imogen) Are you and Laudna a thing?
    Imogen: A thing? Like, what do you mean?
    Dusk: Like, romantically entangled.
    Imogen: Um. (pause) No.
    Dusk: Okay! Okay. Cool. Okay.
  • Ashton: (to Laudna) Imogen, you and she-- A pot holder? Really?
    Laudna: I should have gotten her the t-shirt, okay? Fresh Cut Grass talked me out of it.
    Ashton: It's not pot holders or t-shirts. You must have done something pretty fucked up if you're in pot holder territory, right?
    Laudna: (tearfully) I did something so fucked up-- ... She's mad at me because I'm a terrible friend.
  • Matt: Taking watches, taking care, and preparing yourselves for the following day and days ahead, you plot. And at dawn, you plan.

Inventory[]

Adjustment Count Item Source Destination Notes
Acquired 1 Music box A Taste of Tal'Dorei Fearne Traded for a teacup. She asked Chetney to add the words "To Mama Birdie and Papa Ollie" to it.
Acquired 1 Teacup with a portrait of the Lady of Whitestone Fearne A Taste of Tal'Dorei Traded for a music box.[3]
Acquired 8 Commemorative tankards A Taste of Tal'Dorei Orym, Laudna, Ashton, and Fearne 6 silver each.
Acquired 1
2		 Oven mitt
Pencils		 A Taste of Tal'Dorei Laudna Cost 4 silver total. She gave the oven mitt and a purple pencil to Imogen.
Acquired 2 Toy swords A Taste of Tal'Dorei Orym Cost 2 silver total.
Acquired 1 T-shirt A Taste of Tal'Dorei Imogen Reads "Whitestone is for lovers." Cost 4 silver.
Acquired 1 Sign A Taste of Tal'Dorei Dusk Reads "How do you want to do this?"
Acquired 1 Ruby ring The River of Renewal Imogen Purchased in order to get a receipt with the owner's handwriting.

Trivia[]

  • The in-universe date this episode took place in was given as 14 Sydenstar 843. This was the first mention of a more exact date than just the year for Campaign Three.
  • The "Imahara Joe" referred to in this episode is an homage to the late Grant Imahara.[4]
  • The four characters shown around Matt in the new animated intro are Bertrand Bell, Dorian Storm, Ariks Eshteross, and Dusk.
  • Sam's jerrycan has a picture of Matt saying "Did you know there was a dick hidden on the Little Mermaid VHS box?"[5]

References[]

  1. ↑ See "The Shade Mother" (3x16) from 0:32:09 through 0:33:41.
  2. ↑ See "A Taste of Tal'Dorei" (3x25) at 3:19:21.
  3. ↑ Although she told Matt she stole it from a gift shop in Byroden, it was probably the one given to Fearne by Gilmore in Emon.  See "A Glorious Return" (E1x03) at 2:01:07.
  4. ↑ Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "It is indeed my little homage to one of the most lovely people I have ever known. <3" (2022-07-01) — in reply to @LaTiaJacquise: "#CriticalRoleSpoilers ...is Imahara Joe's named after Grant 🥺"
  5. ↑ See "A Taste of Tal'Dorei" (3x25) from 2:14:25 through 2:14:40.

Art:

  1. ↑ Fan art of Bell's Hells at A Taste of Tal'Dorei, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
  2. ↑ Fan art of the souvenirs for Imogen, by Melissa Hahn (source). Used with permission.
  3. ↑ Fan art of Quokka-Fearne, by arcticwaters (source). Used with permission.
v • d • e
Campaign Three Arc 2 episodes
<< Arc 1: Jrusar Arc 2: Ruidus Rising (Episodes 24–51) Arc 3: Separations and Explorations >>
"The Hellcatch Valley" (3x24) • "A Taste of Tal'Dorei" (3x25) • "Hidden Truths" (3x26) • "A Race for the Prize" (3x27) • "The Deathwish Run" (3x28) • "Dark Portents" (3x29)
"Reunion & Revelation" (3x30) • "Breaking Point" (3x31) • "A Stage Set" (3x32) • "Blood and Dust" (3x33)
"What Dreams May Come" (3x34) • "Pyrrhic Return" (3x35) • "A Desperate Call" (3x36) • "From the Boughs" (3x37) • "A Dark Balance" (3x38)
"The Momentum of Murder" (3x39) • "Compulsions" (3x40) • "Call of the Wild" (3x41) • "The City of Flowing Light" (3x42) • "Axiom Shaken" (3x43) • "Bawdy Basement Belligerence" (3x44) • "Ominous Lectures" (3x45)
"Night at the Ligament Manor" (3x46) • "The Fey Key" (3x47) • "An Exit Most Fraught" (3x48) • "The Aurora Grows" (3x49) • "Red Moon Rising" (3x50) • "The Apogee Solstice" (3x51)
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