"The Fall of Thjazi Fang" (4x01) is the first episode of the fourth campaign of Critical Role. A politically suspicious execution brings the friends, family, and enemies of noted war hero Thjazi Fang to the city of Dol-Makjar to celebrate a life well-adventured...
Synopsis[]
Cold Open[]
Fan art of the execution of Thjazi Fang, by Lap Pun Cheung.[art 1]
Halandil Fang stands among a crowd of the townsfolk of Dol-Makjar, gathered for the execution of his brother Thjazi Fang. Also awaiting the heavily-guarded wagon bearing the prisoner is Azune Nayar, an Arcane Marshal of the Revolutionary Guard. A manacled Thjazi is brought forth and while pretending to scan him for magic, Azune secretly Messages him. Thjazi seems unworried by his apparent imminent death, and Azune himself expects to find a magical ward placed on Thjazi's body that when pressed, will teleport him away to safety. Azune also passes on Hal's message that he's here with him till the end, and Thjazi has always been a hero in his eyes. Azune's magical scan indeed does find a gleam of magic hidden on Thjazi, and with both of them believing his escape is assured, Thjazi steps to the gallows amid the cheers of the crowd and the efforts of the nobility of the Sundered Houses to quiet them. Halandil, unaware of this exchange, is thinking of all the efforts he has made to forestall this execution, but Thjazi is confident- until he looks up and panics at something he sees above him. He frantically telepathically communicates to Hal that Hal has to help Murray and the Penteveral, and that "paint" is waiting for him with Bolaire. Now realizing that his death is imminent, he addresses defiant words to the crowd, before messaging Hal to tell Thimble not to be scared. His words are cut off by the lever being pulled, opening the trapdoor beneath him and the noose snapping his neck.
Announcements[]
The founding cast present the Critical Role Announcement Playhouse:
- Sam Riegel is supposed to do the ad for sponsor Thorum Rings but he's locked in his dressing room, upset by all the changes happening on the show. Marisha Ray tries but fails to talk him down.
- Second sponsor is eBay, who will have their eBay Live presence at the upcoming 2025 NYCC.
- Promo for Beacon.tv. Get one month free with code OVERTURE.
- Critical Role has partnered with Shopify for a New York pop up shop October 3-5.
- Sam is still weeping in his dressing room but perks up to do a promo for Critical Role: Smiley Day, now available.
- Merch alert! New Critical Role Champion dice sets now in CR shops, featuring Grog Strongjaw, Percival de Rolo, and Essek Thelyss.
- Roll the new intro!
Part I[]
Halandil returns to his home, where he encounters his tearful daughter Shadia preparing for the farramh, an orcish wake, for Thjazi Fang. Olgud Akarat, Hal's business partner and close friend, arrives, and Hal expresses his frustration that two weeks of him negotiating with House Royce to save his brother had failed. Thaisha Lloy, Shadia's mother, also arrives, discussing with her companion Occtis Tachonis what went wrong with their plans to save Thjazi. Both of them are horrified and confused and Hal comforts Thaisha while tightly embracing her. She introduces Occtis and Hal invites them to stay for a while. Just then, Azune arrives with a wagon bearing Thjazi's body and carries him inside, placing him on a sofa.
Fan art of Thjazi's funeral, by GalacticJonah.[art 2]
The guests begin to arrive for the funeral. The first are Teor Pridesire, who arrived in the city just in time to learn of the immediately impending execution, and Loza Blade, an aged orc warrior who greets Hal fondly and introduces Teor to him. Teor explains he served with Thjazi in the Falconer's Rebellion, then notices Azune, whom he also served with. The two approach each other cautiously, eventually shaking hands. A carriage bearing the crest of House Halovar, now known as the Candescent Creed, pulls up outside, and within it are Wicander Halovar, grandson of Yanessa Halovar, the current matriarch of the house,[1] and Tyranny, a demon and aspirant in the Creed. Wicander is very nervous, having seen the dead body of Thjazi earlier and being unsure of the reception that awaits him, but they have Thjazi's treasured scimitar and he feels he must give it to Hal. Wicander thinks back to his shock when his grandmother failed to commute Thjazi's sentence of death at the final moment, as Wicander had expected her to do.
Azune and Teor discuss what each has been doing, and wonder where Teor's brother Talcydimir Pridesire is, since he was supposed to be part of the plot to save Thjazi. Shadia approaches Wicander and when she notices Thjazi's scimitar which he is carrying, takes him to her father. When she leaves, Hal confronts Wicander about the failure of their plan to save Thjazi, but when Wicander hesitantly apologizes, noting that the pardon could have brought his family great political capital, Hal seems to accept this. He saw Wicander's efforts as a failsafe in case their other plans failed, and many things had gone wrong that day.
Downstairs, Tyranny and Thaisha have been drinking together and Thaisha has been drunkenly sharing her life story. Azune has a private conversation with Occtis, and they agree they need to find Thimble in order to figure out how their plan to save Thjazi failed. Azune grabs Teor and the three head to the flophouse in a nearby neighborhood where Thimble was working on the glyph that was to have been hidden on Thjazi's back. On the way there, Occtis casts Disguise Self to hide his appearance, while Azune casts False Life.
When they reach Thjazi's hidden flophouse, Teor notices fresh blood that has been inadequately cleaned away on the doorstep, and more blood going up the stairway, apparently from bodies being dragged away. The hidden room is that of an illegal arcanist, and it bears the signs of a fierce battle having recently taken place there. Teor can smell a fey scent of honeysuckle coming from a grate in the corner. He rushes there, finding the battered and dying tiny pixie form of Thimble, and next to her lies a small ceramic rune.
Break[]
- Ads for Thorum Rings and eBay Live.
- Promos for The Mighty Nein (animated), Solar Gardens, Critical Role Foundation, and Beacon.tv.
- Featured Critical Role merch: 10 year anniversary tarot deck, champion dice sets, red dice bag, Vox Machina clothing, Solar Gardens, game night camp shirt, t-shirt, and sweat shorts in all CR shops; residuum dice set not in Australia or Canada; 10th Anniversary Live Tour merch in the US and Australia.
- Submit fan art and cosplay for possible inclusion in the weekly online gallery. Critical Recap releases every Wednesday on CritRole.com.
- Beacon is a rare find.
Part II[]
Fan art of Thimble in the hand of Teor, by BlackSalander.[art 3]
Thimble is dying, remembering her close friend and partner Thjazi Fang holding her in his hand as the doors to Faerie closed and she began, for the first time, aging. Teor rips the grate from the floor, touches her gently, and casts Cure Wounds on her, bringing her back to consciousness. She recognizes him with confusion, and when she sees the glyph beside her, anxiously says she needs to get it to Thjazi. The others sadly tell her that it's too late; Thjazi is gone, and Thimble breaks down. In tears, she tells them that she was attacked by masked figures before she could deliver the glyph. Azune realizes that the magic he sensed on Thjazi on the gallows was a forgery, and someone has disrupted their plan to have Thaisha and Occtis drive Thjazi out of the city in a wagon provided by Casimir, another former member of the Torn Banner, and Teor's brother Talcydimir Pridesire. Just then, a slightly drunken Kattigan Vale arrives (along with his wolf companion Wulferic), having followed Azune and Teor (whom he recognized) from the funeral. They greet each other, and when Kattigan investigates he realizes that Thimble was attacked by seven, killed three, and when their bodies were dragged out they left a few crow's feathers behind, pointing to the involvement of the Crow Keepers, one of the oldest thieves' guilds in Dol-Makjar. One of the attackers wore fine clothing, and traces of sorcery linger where glass was broken in order to remove every magical item from the room, including the Stone of Nightsong Thimble and Thjazi had brought back from their latest adventure. Thimble wants to attend the funeral, but before they leave she searches for and finds a letter bearing the name "Bolaire".
Back at Halandil's home, Bolaire Lathalia arrives. Bolaire is shocked that Thjazi was actually executed, having fully expected him to escape. Thaisha asks Halandil where her son is, and when he confusedly asks if she means "Al", she corrects it to Occtis. Elodie, a wealthy merchant, arrives along with her daughter Hero, who is also the daughter of Halandil. Wicander finds a moment to give Thjazi's sword to Halandil, but as he does so, an ornate green and gold carriage of House Royce pulls up bearing Lady Aranessa, the distraught estranged widow of Thjazi Fang, accompanied by her childhood friend Sir Julien Davinos. Julien tries to comfort her by telling her Thjazi is no longer the man she fell in love with, whom she describes as a dashing, handsome adventurer and the hero of the War of Axe and Vine. Two years later he rebelled against the Sundered Houses, and Julien was the fighter who unhorsed him and brought him to justice. Thjazi was given clemency, and asked Lady Aranessa to run away with him, but she refused. She continued to love him during all the years they were apart. Julien tells her he will protect her from her pain, but she declines his offer.
Meanwhile, the other guests continue to interact within Hal's home. Loza Blade tells Wicander that she is retiring, and she recommends that Wick's family hire her companion Teor for security work. Wick decides he has the authority to hire him on his own. When Aranessa enters, she greets Hal and Wick politely while Julien stands in the doorway, arms crossed, but Hal recognizes that she is furious at House Halovar, having been forced to wait several hours the previous day when she attempted to speak to the matriarch of the house about the impending execution. Tyranny and Wick eventually pick up on Aranessa's barely concealed hostility and leave the gathering. Aranessa lovingly stands near Thjazi's body and mourns, telling Hal that she no longer knows how much longer her name will mean anything, with House Tachonis and House Halovar growing stronger and the door to Faerie shut. She thinks perhaps she should have run away with Thjazi all those years ago. Hal comforts her.
Just then, Murray Mag'Nesson arrives, noticing that there are a lot of arcanists she knows present at this funeral of a man hanged for arcanism. Hal greets her and learns she, too, has brought Yahrgraz. While everyone is distracted by Murray's arrival, Julien approaches the corpse and tells it, "The only shame is that I couldn't watch you die twice," and spits on it. Hal takes Thjazi's sword to his study, laying it on the deed to the land on which the theater is built. Downstairs, Thaisha confronts Julien and they step outside, but Murray notices the cold iron nail that detects the presence of fairies and demons glow a little orange. Bolaire realizes that the protections around Thjazi's body have been crossed, and that a small shadow now follows Julien.
Julien tells Thaisha that he is here to support his friend Lady Aranessa, and because he too has a storied history with Thjazi. She asks after her son, and Julien assures her that he is an exemplary student and soldier. Thaisha, however, bears great ill will against Julien for his role in capturing Thjazi years earlier during his rebellion against the Sundered Houses, and Thjazi's subsequent humiliation. She tells him if anything happens to her son in his care, she will kill him.
Night has fallen, the temperature has dropped, and the magpies are silent. A figure approaches: an extremely tall elven woman dressed in black. She ignores Thaisha and Julien and strides into the house, then greets those present and introduces herself as Vaelus of the Sisters of Sylandri, the fallen goddess of life. She seeks an audience with the holder of Thjazi's possessions, and tells Hal that Thjazi is a thief who stole something from her: the Stone of Nightsong. Seventy years earlier, Vaelus watched the last god of Aramán die, and has little love for mortals. Murray convinces her to sit and have patience, and Bolaire approaches to reproach Vaelus for this disruption after he let her into the city. He knows of this stone which, should an immortal elf be killed, ferries their spirit safely to the Garden of the Spirit without having to first pass through the Tenebral Reaches of the underworld. He urges her to leave, telling her these people do not have the stone. Vaelus asks about "the little one", and they realize Thimble is missing from the gathering.
Upstairs, as Thimble's name is mentioned below, the silver box that Thaisha brought with her flies open revealing shattered black ceramic that begins moving together into the shape of a mask similar to Bolaire's.
Featured characters[]
Fan art of Thjazi Fang and the people he knew, by Elaine Tipping.[art 4]
Player characters
- Azune Nayar
- Bolaire Lathalia
- Halandil Fang
- Sir Julien Davinos
- Kattigan Vale
- Murray Mag'nesson
- Occtis Tachonis
- Teor Pridesire
- Thaisha Lloy
- Thimble
- Tyranny
- Vaelus
- Wicander Halovar
Mentioned
- Alogar, Thaisha's son
- Casimir Gavendale, an old member of the Torn Banner
- General Raimond Davinos (unnamed), Julien's father
- Sylandri, the Green Mother, shaper of elves, goddess of life and the woodlands
- Talcydimir "Cyd" Pridesire, Teor's brother
New
- Aranessa Royce, Julien's childhood friend and Thjazi's widow
- Davrasi Gaunt, an arcanist at the funeral
- Elodie
- Uncle Emerald, an arcanist at the funeral
- Enmity, sibling of Tyranny
- Godard Halovar, father of Wicander
- Groto, an Enquirer of the Revolutionary Guard
- Hala, Thaisha's Wild Companion
- Hero, Hal and Elodie's daughter
- Horace, an Enquirer of the Revolutionary Guard
- Jacques Malterres, in attendance at the execution
- Loza Blade, former Commander of the Torn Banner
- Olgud Akarat
- Otto, carriage driver
- Pincushion, Occtis's fox
- Shadia, Hal and Thaisha's daughter
- Tashmara Cobblegrave, an arcanist at the funeral
- Photarch Yanessa Halovar (unnamed), Wicander's grandmother
- Thjazi Fang
- Tunk, a boarman at the funeral
- Wulferic, Kattigan's companion
Quotations[]
- Aranessa: (to Julien Davinos about Thjazi Fang) Love doesn't go away so easily. It stays. Even if people turn their back and walk away. They leave some part of themself. It's what loving someone is.
- Aranessa: (about the Halovars) They worship the light, don't you understand? It's a divinity without the inconvenience of having a voice or perspective.
Inventory[]
| Adjustment | Count | Item | Source | Destination | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transferred | 1 | Thjazi's scimitar | Wicander | Halandil | |
| Found | 1 | A letter | Thjazi[presumed] | Thimble | The letter has "Bolaire" written on it. |
Trivia[]
- For this premiere episode of Campaign Four, Sam Riegel wore the same shirt that he wore in "Arrival at Kraghammer" (1x01), "Curious Beginnings" (2x01), and "The Draw of Destiny" (3x01).[2]
- Instead of opening with ads and announcements, as Critical Role has done in the past, this episode started immediately with a cold open depicting the execution of Thjazi Fang, then had the announcement block following it.
- The first dice roll of the new campaign was Liam O'Brien's natural 20 on an insight check.[3]
References[]
- ↑
Critical Recap: Critical Role C4E01 “The Fall of Thjazi Fang” on CritRole.com
- ↑ For side-by-side screenshots, see this tweet.
- ↑ See "The Fall of Thjazi Fang" (4x01) at 15:57.
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of the execution of Thjazi Fang, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Thjazi's funeral, by GalacticJonah (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Thimble in the hand of Teor, by BlackSalander (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Thjazi Fang and the people he knew, by Elaine Tipping (source). Used with permission.
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