Critical Role returned to the godless and magically unstable world of Aramán this week, reuniting audiences with the Soldiers table after the bloodbath of episode 10, “Blood for Blood”.
Last we left off, the Soldiers had managed to sneak into Castle Delawney in Gormolay in search of Teor Pridesire’s (Travis Willingham) long-lost brother, Cyd. However, after being discovered by House Tachonis’ soldiers, bloody combat ensued. The Soldiers prevailed, but it was a close call.
After a long Christmas break, we returned to an episode full of heartache and political machinations, but not even 20 minutes in, Game Master Brennan Lee Mulligan finally answered a couple of questions fans have been asking the next table to get the spotlight, and when.
[Ed. note: Spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 4’s episode 11.]
It was established at the onset of Campaign 4 that, after the four-episode overture, which introduced audiences to the cast, characters, plot, and lore, the campaign would follow three tables: Soldiers, Seekers, and Schemers. The overture ended up running over into five and a half episodes, but by episode six, we had fully integrated into following the Soldiers on their quest to avenge Thjazi Fang, punish Casimir’s betrayal, and find Cyd.
By the end of episode 11, the Soldiers’ table is now in our rearview mirror, and Mulligan announced who will be taking the spot next: The Seekers.
Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder what the Seekers have been up to when we join them next week. Episode 11’s cold opening revealed that the group consisting of Sir Julian Davinos (Matt Mercer), Vaelus (Ashley Johnson), Thaisha Lloy (Aabria Iyengar), and Occtis Tachonis (Alexander Ward) is three days’ travel out of Dol-Makjar. They are making their way through the Dvalmar Pass to head towards House Tachonis’ ancestral lands of the Obridimian Empire, and discover what their plans are. Considering House Tachonis’ slaughter of both House Royce and Davinos, we can’t imagine it’s anything good.
The Seekers table has been described as interested in “delving into lore, cosmology, magic, and questions about the nature of divinity and the arcane in a classical fantasy sense.”
What this means is that if the Soldiers were about getting into the nitty-gritty of combat, then the Seekers are the players fascinated by what makes up the world of Aramán. Expect a lot of note-taking and lore reveals.
Campaign 4 is available to watch live on Twitch, YouTube, and Beacon.tv on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. PDT. If you can’t catch the episode live, don’t fret — Critical Role posts the episode to YouTube the following Monday at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.
