"Stone-Faced" (4x04) is the fourth episode of the fourth campaign of Critical Role and the final episode of the Overture arc. The Houses of Royce and Davinos are attacked by the focused might and undead horror of House Tachonis, while the secrets Bolaire has kept for years tumble into the light...
Synopsis[]
Cold open[]
Bolaire arrives at a tavern in the seedy part of town, being admitted by the bartender to a much nicer hidden establishment in the back. There, he meets a smuggler named Aubrus Drime and gives him a package in return for payment. Aubrus, however, is disappointed in the contents of the package, saying he came for a treasure, and casts a sleep spell on him, then pulls the mask from his body revealing a shrunken, shriveled head... and a rune. Some time later Bolaire awakens, feeling much better, and sees a dead body. He strips it of clothing before using a razor to remove most of the hair from the body, then chops it into pieces and burns most of it, keeping the head and hands. He heads back out into the night, feeling as good as if he were a brand new person.
Announcements[]
- First sponsor tonight is Czepeku, maker of battle maps and more for fantasy TTRPGs, with the cast dressed as various food items. Sam chokes midway and coughs up a map, but CR viewers can get a discount anyway.
- Second sponsor is Dispatch, a superhero workplace comedy video game featuring Matt, Laura, and Travis. Next Thursday, October 30th, will be a "Dispatch One-Shot" (Sx102).
- Upcoming October 28th Beacon-exclusive Fireside Chat will feature Alexander Ward.
- Critical Recaps release on Wednesdays.
- New Merch: $100 Delilah Briarwood dice set and G Fuel drinks.
Part I[]
In the Palazzo Davinos, the black-clad agents of House Tachonis are attacking, along with a horde of undead held just behind the barrier to this world. Julien Davinos looks at his father's crumpled body in horror and charges at Primus Tachonis who is still standing over it, slightly wounding him with his rapier. Upstairs, Ethrand Tachonis has led six ghouls to the doorway of the room where Occtis and Lady Aranessa are, and sends them to attack. They knock Aranessa back before grappling them both, throwing Occtis prone onto the table and garrotting him. The Silence spell is still in place so Occtis casts Mind Spike on his brother with no verbal component, doing a bit of damage, but Ethrand moves to him, wielding a curved knife, and slices into him doing enough damage to kill him instantly, taking his heart while leaving the Stone of Nightsong in its place. Downstairs, Pincushion discorporates just as Thaisha (in wolf form) charges in through the gate and smells the blood from upstairs. She dashes toward the odor, but Primus, saying, "TonightDavinos, Royce, and all their vassal houses end," casts Circle of Death killing all the Davinos retainers present, although both Thaisha and Julien survive. Primus shatters the barrier holding the undead at bay and they surge outward.
Upstairs, Aranessa breaks free of the ghoul holding her, but suffers an attack of opportunity, shrugging off its potential paralytic effect and calling for the guards. Outside the gate, Vaelus sees Pincushion disapparate and knows something is wrong. She runs in and, seeing Primus, Guiding Bolts him. Meanwhile, the ghouls seize Aranessa, moving her back into the room toward the balcony as Thaisha sees Ethrand leaving it with Occtis's dripping heart in his hand. Julien gets a heavy blow on Primus, but he shrugs it off nonchalantly, although he calls to his son Ethrand to join him before disappearing into a shadow and calling the surrounding undead to attack. Julien, furious at his escape, remembers Aranessa and begins running toward the stairs.
Fan art of Vaelus fighting, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 2]
Upstairs, Aranessa has used Entangling Vines to hold herself in place against the ghouls. Thaisha, trying to reach her, takes enough damage to knock her unconscious, but her orcish constitution keeps her going, although now in orc form rather than wolf. In the courtyard, Vaelus is battling the undead shades, while Aranessa fights against the ghouls upstairs. Thaisha uses Land's Aid to damage the ghouls and give herself some health before casting Shillelagh.
Julien arrives in response to Aranessa's calls for help, seeing Ethrand at the end of the hall, Aranessa and Thaisha surrounded by ghouls, and Occtis dead on the table. As he watches, Primus's hand reaches from the shadows to Ethrand, Plane Shifting them both away. Lady Aranessa calls out to forces beyond, causing nightingales to fly from the trees outside and the hordes of undead that have not yet entered this world to recede in the face of what appear to be fairies of the dead moving in the realm beyond. As Julien finally reaches Aranessa, she casts Haste on him, and he kills one of the ghouls while savagely wounding another. Thaisha, however, is knocked unconscious by the ghouls, and close to death herself, sees a vision of Occtis's spirit moving away toward the Path. She calls him back, telling him, "Not yet." As Occtis turns back towards her, he sees a hand emerge from the shadow, drenched in blood, clutching a heart, and a voice commands him to, "Come home at once!" In obedience, he begins to step toward the spectral hand of his father, and something rips in his spirit as it is torn in two directions at once. Occtis begins trying to close the wound but feels something stirring within him, and sees his fox familiar emerge, frightened and blood-soaked.
Aranessa casts Healing Word on Thaisha, bringing her conscious again while Vaelus and Julien battle the remaining undead. Julien kills several leaving three, and Thaisha casts Thunderwave catching Julien but also two ghouls and allowing her to reach Occtis's body at last. She urges him again to follow her voice and get back to her. While Vaelus continues to battle undead below them, Aranessa Druidcrafts a sapling and calls to Julien. Julien quickly dispatches two of the ghouls and moves to her side, followed by the remaining ghoul.
Meanwhile, Occtis reaches into his body, trying to remove whatever is inside him. He can see Pin's head and there may be more of the fox inside him. There is something fluttering, that could be moved. And there is also something very still. Occtis reaches toward the still thing, grasps the Stone of Nightsong, and pulls it out, realizing as he does that the last part of his soul that remains is a hand clutching a stone.
Aranessa sees Thaisha mourning Occtis, and tells her to bring him as well, if she must. Thaisha casts Speak with Plants, learning that a place safe from undead is a bridge across the river with a nearby tree. Aranessa Tree Strides herself, Julien, and Thaisha down to just outside the courtyard main gate. Calling to Vaelus to run to the bridge, she sprints off. Julien stays, guarding their escape, and Thaisha casts Cure Wounds on him before she follows Aranessa, still carrying Occtis. Vaelus asks Julien to come with them, but when he refuses, she joins him and they manage to kill two more of the undead. She tells him she will stay with him until this is finished, but it will not make him feel better. Julien pulls the gauntlet from his father's hand before he and Vaelus sprint away to join Aranessa and the others on the safety of the bridge.
Break[]
- Ads for Czepeku maps and Dispatch.
- Promos for Daggerheart class packs, Critical Role Presents: Winter's Crest, Solar Gardens, Weird Kids, Critical Role Foundation, Beacon.tv.
- Trailer for The Mighty Nein (animated), Season One, coming November 19.
- New Merch: Delilah Briarwood and residuum dice sets in US, EU, and UK; 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, Vox Machina clothing collection in all CR shops; live tour merch in US and AU.
- Submit fan art and cosplay for possible inclusion in the weekly online gallery. Critical Recap releases every Wednesday on CritRole.com.
- Sam's kids are destroyed by Beacon.
Part II[]
Back at Halandil Fang's home, he gives Murray the letter marked "Bolaire", as Thimble had instructed him, and shares that in his last moments, Thjazi asked him to help Murray. Shadia comes in, full of plans for the renovation of the Hallowed Round, and when she leaves, Murray tells Hal the contents of the letter, which says that Thjazi's rooting for her, that both of them know the forces that are working against the city and the Penteveral, and that friends are in short supply, so allies will have to do. He explains that he's had some success working for Bolaire, although he also says he's not necessarily a friend. "He should be in that museum, not curating it. If you took that mask off of him, I suspect you'd have him well in hand." They realize the letter was not addressed to Bolaire, but meant to provide information to Murray about him. Murray and Bolaire are both in the business of procuring rare artifacts and magical supplies, and Thjazi was one of their suppliers in a city where this is becoming increasingly difficult. Although Hal and Murray both regard Bolaire as a friend, they agree they need to talk to him. Meanwhile at the Falcon's Rest monument, Azune bids farewell to the departing Soldiers, reciting their names over and over to himself before going to Hal's home. There, he meets Murray and Hal on their way out to talk to Bolaire.
Fan art of Bolaire with a glass weapon, by Veronica Anrathi (Disarmonia).[art 5]
At the Archanade, Bolaire is working late, thinking he needs to talk to Thimble, when Murray, Hal, and Azune arrive. Seeking a spot where they can talk undisturbed, Bolaire takes them down into the archives, but Hal notices he seems much healthier than he looked earlier. The room below is filled with strange artifacts, and Bolaire brings out the good wine as Hal explains that Thjazi warned Murray about Bolaire, and seemed to think they were both important. Bolaire tells them that a week after he met Thjazi, Thimble brought Bolaire a letter from Thjazi threatening to expose certain facts about him unless Bolaire stole from the library for him. Bolaire was relieved at his death, thinking he would finally be free. He was created by the halflings during the Shapers' War, two days before he caused the death of the Shaper Rauwyn. Earlier that evening, Bolaire had met Aubris Dryme in a tavern. When Aubris looked at the rune on the mask, he was enchanted and charmed and put the mask on. He became Bolaire, looking at his old body, before he burned it. Bolaire is the mask, a sentient artifact of war who wears different bodies and enjoys the theater Hal creates. He considers Hal his only friend. There are more masks like him out there, and Hal remembers the mask seen briefly in the Halfling coffin he and Murray opened.
At that moment, they hear a noise upstairs and Bolaire goes to check. He finds Temoday Wurnst, a wealthy contributor, escorting Lady Amariya Cormoray, an agent of the Chamber of Lords-Advisory sent to review the Pariah Blades. Bolaire attempts to get rid of them politely but Lady Cormoray is being politely insistent when they notice the lights go out downriver at the Palazzo Davinos. Bolaire baldly tells them he needs to get back to work, and runs back downstairs to tell the others what he saw. They remember Occtis was heading there and is in danger, and they all decide to trust Bolaire at least for the moment as they hurry off toward the Palazzo.
There, the house is dark and deserted, with no bodies or blood remaining, but Bolaire finds a small pool of melted black wax on the floor in the middle of the great hall, which they realize is a material component of a powerful necromancy spell that would shred the curtain between Aramán and Death. Azune casts Mending on the wax, causing it to remember what it was. As he does, Hal hears a fox's footsteps skitter past them, and urges the others to start running to follow it.
Fan art of Aranessa and Julien after the battle, by Olessan.[art 6]
They arrive at the Lloy family estate, where Thaisha has hopelessly continued to pump Cure Wounds into Occtis, with Vaelus and Julien standing guard. Aranessa describes what happened to Occtis, and Vaelus realizes that the stone she describes could be the Stone of Nightsong Vaelus is seeking. Thaisha remembers that when she saw Ethrand Tachonis, the object he held was not a stone, but a heart, and her Detect Magic senses strong divine necromancy radiating from Occtis's chest. Thaisha understands there is something that revolts her within Occtis. Murray casts Mage Hand and Bolaire manifests a glass scalpel being held by it, but the task is incredibly difficult. Murray uses her portent to ensure success as the Mage Hand pulls forth the Stone of Nightsong from Occtis's chest. Suddenly, Occtis gasps in air, alive.
Fan art of Vaelus touching Occtis chest. There is no heartbeat, by Nokiazuzhilang.[art 7]
His body is still grievously wounded, with viscera exposed, and Pincushion leaps from within him and snuggles him. A drop of his blood falls from the Stone, forming a ribbon as it hits his body that stitches him closed. Occtis's memories of his time beyond the veil are fragmented, but he saw armies of the dead fighting in the underworld, a war being waged by his family. While not fully alive, he is no longer fully dead, either. Vaelus, knowing the life she would return to if she took the stone and returned to her Sisters in the north, finds Occtis truly remarkable, but Julien is horrified and raises his blade, telling them not to trust this creature without a heart who has returned to them. The Tachonis family has taken everything from Julien, and he pushes his blade closer to Occtis's chest. As the others gather to defend the boy, Occtis tries to explain he has no idea what his family is doing, or why. Thaisha interposes herself, walking into Julien's blade attempting to stop him, but Aranessa interrupts and separates the two, saying that although the Houses of Davinos and Royce have fallen this night and the city is no longer safe, a fight awaits them all, and they must find the answers.
Featured characters[]
Player characters
- Azune Nayar
- Bolaire Lathalia
- Halandil Fang
- Sir Julien Davinos
- Murray Mag'nesson
- Occtis Tachonis
- Thaisha Lloy
- Vaelus
New
- Lady Amariya Cormoray, agent of the Chamber of Lords-Advisory
- Aubrus Drime, a customer at Potter's Field
- Devlin, the proprietor of Potter's Field
- Rohor, an old orcish man at the Lloy home
- Temoday Wurnst, a benefactor of the Archanade
Returning
- Aranessa Royce
- Calastro Mercanaud, tailor (in a memory)
- Ethrand Tachonis
- Primus Tachonis
- Raimond Davinos (as a corpse)
- Rulius Mercanaud, tailor (in a memory)
- Shadia
Mentioned
- Alogar
- Bolan D'Varstrey, legendary hero
- Ilondria, of House Royce
- Jahar, of House Royce
- Lachmir, proprietor of the Seven Stars, a tavern
- Lugzub Kettlehelm, legendary hero
- Mardonus, of House Royce
- Rauwyn, the Trickster
- Thimble
- Thjazi Fang
Quotations[]
- Primus Tachonis: (about Occtis) There is no use in having something if it is not loyal. In point of fact, I don't know if he can even be called a son.
- Brennan: (after a roll of 13 on an investigation check) Like the strands of a spider's web, it is so hard to read the information of absence. Is something being perfectly still, or have you caught nothing?
- Bolaire: I would give her gifts and in return she would, as a Thimble should, keep me from coming into contact with a prick.
- Bolaire: I'm an object created to kill a god. I am a thing. I am a mask that can be worn. I'm a mask that wears other people. I am as old as the war itself.
- Brennan: Forgetting is death. While something is remembered, it is still here.
- Brennan: (summing up) In this moment, all of you-- Occtis, you standing with the visions you have seen, your soul is unraveled, but your body is alive, or dead. It's maybe not alive, but it's kicking. Thaisha and Hal, you stand in your ancestral place. Bolaire and Murray, you've just worked some form of magic here. Azune and Julien, from either side of the Falconers' Rebellion, looking at something impossible that has just unfolded, and Vaelus, the stone taken from your order by Thjazi Fang, has just brought someone from past the veil of death back to the waking world.
Inventory[]
| Adjustment | Count | Item | Source | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transferred | 1 | Gauntlet | Raimond Davinos | Julien Davinos | |
| Transferred | 1 | A letter | Halandil | Murray | The letter has "Bolaire" written on it. |
| Planted | 1 | Stone of Nightsong | Ethrand Tachonis | Occtis Tachonis | Placed within Occtis's chest in place of his heart. |
| Extracted | 1 | Stone of Nightsong | Occtis Tachonis | Removed from within his chest. |
Trivia[]
- This is the Halloween episode for 2025, with the cast in costume as Alexander Ward (except Alex, in costume as a normie). As of this Halloween, Liam O'Brien and Taliesin Jaffe are now the only cast members who have played in every Halloween episode so far.
- The characters of Taliesin Jaffe and Luis Carazo were among the casualties in a battle against ghouls in the campaign Matthew Mercer was GMing before starting the one that became the story of Vox Machina, around 2010-2011. Marisha Ray was also present, having recently started dating Matt.[1] Because of that, they found it very funny that their former DM's character had to face the same monster in this episode.[2]
- Alexander Ward initially wanted to begin the campaign as a Hollow One Necromancer member of one of the Sundered Houses who was murdered by his family, but Brennan Lee Mulligan suggested they depict his death and revival during the campaign. Alex, however, had no idea about the method and time of his death and was happy to continue playing as a human if he succeeded in avoiding being killed.[3]
- The Soldiers table will be playing next, but when their arc finishes the Seekers arc will begin with the Schemers at the table as well.[4]
References[]
- ↑ See "Ghouls are just bad news" on YouTube.
- ↑
CR Cooldown C4 E004 at 5:13 (subscription required) (Transcript).
- ↑ CR Cooldown C4 E004 at 1:05 (subscription required) (Transcript).
- ↑ CR Cooldown C4 E004 at 18:14 (subscription required) (Transcript).
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Julien's battle, by ElesirArt (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vaelus fighting, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Aranessa's magic, by elisipkl (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Occtis in the forest of death, by Shrugs (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Bolaire with a glass weapon, by Veronica Anrathi (Disarmonia) (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Aranessa and Julien after the battle, by Olessan (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Vaelus touching Occtis chest. There is no heartbeat, by Nokiazuzhilang (source). Permission needed.
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