"Knives and Thorns" (4x06) is the sixth episode of the fourth campaign of Critical Role, featuring the Soldiers table. Tyranny struggles with her crueler instincts as the Soldiers discover a safe haven for fairies that may hold clues about Cyd's whereabouts...
Synopsis[]
Cold open[]
In a humble inn room in the Dvalmar Pass, Vaelus is recalling the happiest moments of her youth, playing and dancing with her siblings, when her mother teaches her how to eternally remember perfect moments. Nearby, Occtis is trying and failing to sleep as their companions slumber nearby.
Announcements[]
- Sponsor is NordVPN. Sam's voice is rough, claiming it's due to mourning the loss of a (fictional) facilities manager, Charlie. He plays a tape recording left by him.
- Critmas Can't Miss sale continues through December 14, 2025.
- New merch: Daggerheart folio.
- The Mighty Nein animated series premieres November 19, 2025, on Amazon Prime Video. The cast is celebrating with a launch party on Beacon, Twitch, and YouTube at 7PM PT. The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema will also be screening it in special locations.
- Critical Role is partnering with Penguin Random House to release Critical Role: The Mighty Nein - Stories Untold on June 23, 2026. You can preorder at criticalrolebooks.com.
- All episodes of Dispatch are now available.
Part I[]
In the morning, Ulbid Morn greets the party and feeds them more porridge. Tyranny asks about his wife, and Ulbid shows them her serrated kitchen knife with an ivory and lapis lazuli handle, one of her few treasured possessions which Ulbid loves dearly. Tyranny feels herself mysteriously drawn to the knife. Ulbid takes Thimble upstairs and gives her a small toy sword that he enchanted for his daughter Cerebel long ago to chase away her nighttime haunts and nightmares, as well as being useable to knight her small toys, which animates them and allows them to obey simple commands once per day. He also gives the party three Chanter's Eggs with various enchantments and a small animated toy, Sir Stagothy, and Thimble offers to try to find him a pixie clan willing to take over the care of his garden.
The party briefly goes over their goals. Teor, Kattigan, and Thimble all fought together during the Falconer's Rebellion and want to capture Casimir and protect Cyd, Teor's brother. Thimble wants revenge. Tyranny and Wicander are on the run from Wick's family, although they are unsure how actively Wick is being chased. They plan to pretend to be on a mission to convert people to the Candescent Creed. What all of them have in common is that none of them have anywhere else to go.
Fan art of Kattigan and Tyranny arguing about the knife, by Hugo Cardenas.[art 1]
As the party walks away down the ridge, Tyranny looks into the blade of the knife she took from Ulbid's house and sees a vision of him frantically searching for it. A bit of red mist curls off her claws and infuses the blade with magic, and she hears a voice in her memory saying, "Suffering is your domain. You will wear many faces. A face can change. A soul remains the same forever." Tyranny confesses her theft to Wick, and when he asks the group if they can go back to the cabin, Kattigan grows furious at what Tyranny's done. He summons Wulferic, writes a note to Ulbid, and puts both in a pouch around the wolf's neck. Tyranny meanwhile is trying to explain the compulsion that came over her, which she herself doesn't understand.
As the party moves on, Thimble flies up and senses the vibrant life of the forest around them, but in the distance she can sense a barren, scarred place where perhaps the gods once did battle. The party approaches a plinth engraved with a warning in Sylvan which she recognizes as a fae boundary stone. A pixie bursts out and shouts, "Fear not, sister!" as it casts Sleep on Wicander. Tyranny immediately kicks him awake, and they all confront a swarm of sprites come to defend Hawthorn's Glade from their invasion. One of them shoots Tyranny with a tiny arrow and she is charmed to believe the glade doesn't exist, while Teor aims a Guiding Bolt at another creature, hitting a pixie who looks at the light from the spell in awe before falling unconscious. As she falls, a voice cries, "Honeysuckle!" and a dark fairy with cold iron boots emerges, charging toward Teor in retribution and wounding him severely.
Fan art of Wicander's light, by CoffeeCatss.[art 2]
Seeing this, Kattigan casts Spare the Dying on the unconscious Honeysuckle. Thimble tries to convince the fae that they're friendly, and Wicander, having seen Honeysuckle's reaction to the Light, uses Celestial Revelation to make his entire body glow with an angelic divine shine as a being of light. A giant fungal creature steps out, covering Teor in spores as another massive plant charges toward Wick and Tyranny and a majestic woman (Hawthorn) borne by something like a chariot approaches, telling them, "Those who come to my glade bearing weapons seldom leave to tell the tale." Wicander is suffering a crisis of faith, having been told his light ability will injure people, but decides to trust in the light, reasoning that even if his grandmother the Photarch is corrupt, following the light can guide people to goodness. Seeing this majestic glowing creature, wings outspread, the fae halt their attack and the shambling mound bows in worship.
Break[]
- Ads for Nord VPN and Dispatch.
- Promos for Critical Role Presents: Winter's Crest, Humble Critical Role comics collection, Solar Gardens, Weird Kids, Critical Role Foundation, Beacon.tv.
- Trailer for The Mighty Nein (animated), Season One, coming November 19.
- New Merch: C4 roll call t-shirt everywhere except Australia; Delilah Briarwood dice set in US, EU, and UK; live tour merch in US and AU; Daggerheart folio, CR 10 year anniversary posters, Fjord and Jester sherpa fleece jackets, champion dice for Grog, Percy, and Essek, red dice bag, game night camp shirt, sweat shorts and t-shirt in all shops.
- Submit fan art and cosplay for possible inclusion in the weekly online gallery. Critical Recap releases every Wednesday on CritRole.com.
- Beacon destroys families.
Part II[]
The fairies and other creatures stand in awe of the angelic being that Wicander has become, although he himself seems unaware of his wings. Meanwhile, Kattigan goes to the fallen pixie Honeysuckle and casts Cure Wounds on her, bringing her to consciousness. She immediately flies to Teor, clearly hero worshipping him for sending the light to her (in the form of his Guiding Bolt), but Hawthorn, the leader of this enclave, is more cautious of the big folk, particularly the demon Tyranny, and suspicious of Thimble for having led them there. She mentions that a few days ago, another big one like Teor came through, and they realize that was Talcydimir Pridesire, his brother. Teor also sees that Hawthorn is beginning to understand that she cannot continue to defend the Glade indefinitely, cut off from Faerie as they are.
Hawthorn leads them deeper into the Glade, a magical place that seems like a small piece of Faerie itself, with perhaps a hundred refugee fae living there together, sustained by the power of the "moon crystal" held in the roots of Hawthorn's tree. Wulferic returns from returning the knife and it's revealed that Kattigan returned only the valuable handle and retained the blade, but Ulbid thanks him in a note just the same.
Thimble goes to join Hawthorn, who is in consultation with several fey including Soobri, another of the leaders, and they tell Thimble that Talcydimir has already left, heading north. Just then, they are joined by Sallow, a hag and the third of the leaders, and Thimble senses something is wrong. Finally, Sallow tells her that they sent Cyd to the Wraith Tree instead of killing him outright. Kattigan overhears and demands to know how long ago, but finds himself captured by Hawthorn's roots. She sternly cautions Thimble not to become too close to the mortal world, and tells them to be out of the village by nightfall.
Kattigan apologizes for the interruption, and Soobri is sympathetic. She suggests that Sallow could tell them more, and that Cyd had asked for visions while there, seeking to make his way to Gormalay. He planned to tell the lord there that Casimir Gavendale's house deed should not be honored before looking for a way to Obridimia in search of his brother Teor, who he believed was still there. Soobri's vision of Cyd was of him standing near a field, then a fluttering of crow's wings, him clapped in irons, and wagon wheels on a road. Cyd left two days ago.
Fan art of Teor and the fey, by Dispellogic.[art 3]
Meanwhile, Tyranny and Wick are playing with the shambling heap while Teor tries to keep a low profile. He finds several injured fairies being tended to, and uses Lay on Hands to help heal an owl with a broken wing. Talking with him, he learns the owl is on his way to Dol-Makjar and was a friend of Thjazi Fang himself, whom he knew through a connection at the Archanade. The owl carried a letter for Thjazi to the Archanade, which he gives to Teor to deliver to Thimble, since Thjazi is now dead.
Meanwhile, Kattigan and Thimble have gone to the lake to speak to the hag Sallow, but Sallow wants one of Thimble's memories in exchange. Thimble shares that she called Thjazi "Thaz" because she had trouble making J's when learning to write. In exchange, Sallow shows them a vision of Casimir receiving payment for betraying Thjazi, but they hear only the voice of the payer, not see his face. Sallow then gives them exact directions to the wraith tree, and disappears.
The party rejoins, and Teor gives Thimble the letter. They head off into gathering darkness and reach the wraith tree safely, seeing it is the corpse of an awakened tree and that the wraith that killed it still lingers, floating nearby. It whispers to Thimble, "You should not have come." Corporeal undead zombies emerge from the shadows and begin shambling toward them.
Thimble casts Faerie Fire hitting three zombies. Kattigan communes with Wulferic to create a single magical bolt, before using his atlatl to throw a plain wooden one. Wick casts Color Spray and blinds a zombie, but the wraith immediately counterattacks from melee. Wick uses Shield to protect himself and Tyranny follows up with Scorching Ray against the wraith. Teor can see Wick is in danger and runs to join him and Tyranny, attacking the wraith with his flail and a Divine Smite doing very significant damage and Sapping it. Two zombies join the crowd around Wick and two more attack Wulferic, and they can see multiple more undead approaching from the shadows.
Fan art of Thimble using her new sword, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 4]
Thimble attacks the wraith with her new sword and learns it does additional damage against noncorporeal foes. She damages it significantly and does more damage with an offhand attack before flying back out of reach. Kattigan goes for a zombie which survives only due to its Undead Fortitude. Wick is still in trouble, surrounded by zombies and in melee with the wraith, and casts Halovar's Luminous Lash (a re-skinned Earthen Grasp) using every ability he's got, hitting the wraith which he then realizes is an undead former cleric. Tyranny hits with an Eldritch Blast before Teor manages to kill the wraith. The lion's head on Teor's belt lights up as a red glowing rune appears on the tree and Wicander realizes the tree is drawing undead through it from the underworld and keeping them animated. When the zombies around him attack, he is able to Shield himself against them. Teor heals Wulferic but the wolf immediately takes more damage, and Teor himself is hit hard. Kattigan tosses his oil to Thimble, who succeeds in setting the tree on fire. Hundreds of undead perish as it burns, but Talcydimir is not among them.
Featured characters[]
Returning
Mentioned
- Aetheon (unnamed)
- Agony
- Abalang Howl, a dwarf-orc[1] rogue
- Bolaire Lathalia
- Brookmeadow
- Casimir Gavendale
- Cerebel, Ulbid's daughter
- Cruelty
- Baron Doset Tachonis (unnamed)
- Enmity
- Goddess of Magic (unnamed)
- Halandil Fang
- Jasavi, Ulbid Morn's wife
- Sylandri
- Talcydimir Pridesire
- Thjazi Fang
- Vaelus's father (unnamed, in a flashback)
- Vaelus's mother (unclear, might be the same as Sylandri)
- Wicander Halovar's youngest brother (unnamed)
- Yanessa Halovar (unnamed)
- Zebani Halovar (unnamed)
Quotations[]
- Kattigan: (in a note to Ulbid about Jasavi's knife) It's not just a keepsake, it's a relic.
- Skinner: (to Teor) I'm gonna open you up and put my hat in you.
- Thimble: (recalling a memory about Thjazi) I had trouble learning how to write his name. Every time I'd try to make the J, I'd have to back up. It was too much trouble, so I started calling him Thaz.
Inventory[]
| Adjustment | Count | Item | Source | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stolen | 1 | Jasavi's knife | Ulbid | Kattigan | Tyranny stole the knife and later admitted it to the rest of the party. The blade being enchanted at her contact, Kattigan kept it but returned the handle to Ulbid. |
| Transferred | 1 | +1 Enchanted toy sword | Ulbid | Thimble | The sword belonged to Cerebel, Ulbid's daughter. |
| Transferred | 1 | Sir Stagothy | Ulbid | Thimble | A toy that belonged to Ulbid's daughters. Though destined to Thimble, Teor carries it. |
| Transferred | 1 | A blue Chanter Egg | Ulbid | Wicander | When broken this enchanted egg gives its owner the ability to go unseen. |
| Transferred | 1 | A yellow Chanter Egg | Ulbid | Teor | When broken this enchanted egg makes people sick. |
| Transferred | 1 | A multicolored Chanter Egg | Ulbid | Tyranny | The real effect of the egg is unknown. According to Ulbid, it would give its owner the ability to "change quickly". Though destined to Tyranny, Teor carries it. |
| Transferred | 1 | A letter | Jauf | Thimble | While talking to Jauf, Teor learned that he intended to give the letter to Thjazi. Teor received it and gave it to Thimble. |
Trivia[]
- Brennan's shirt during the Cold Open indicates that it was recorded on a different day than the rest of the episode.
- Sam Riegel's drinking chalice has a QR code on the bottom leading to a website.[2]
References[]
- ↑ See "Knives and Thorns" (4x06) at 0:18:52.
- ↑ Sam's website is based on Brennan's web site after an announcement he made in July 2025 in a Dropout video.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Kattigan and Tyranny arguing about the knife, by Hugo Cardenas (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Wicander's light, by CoffeeCatss (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Teor and the fey, by Dispellogic (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Thimble using her new sword, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Teor's Divine Smite, by Odd (source). Used with permission.
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