Critical Role Review: C2 Episode 109
By: I.Am.No.Man.
Episode 109:
Recap
Just before teleporting to Nicodranus, Yasha asks Orly to give her one of those fancy magical tattoos he's so good at. He inscribes a gorgeous floral scroll spelling out Orphanmaker down her arm. The tattoo gives her a permanent plus one to Dex. Not a bad trade for a few thousand gold worth of emerald dust.
Caleb teleports the Nein to Nicdranus. They spend a few moments visiting Yussa in his magic tower and ask him to research eyes of nine and vokodo. Jester goes to surprise her mother at the Lavish Chateau and Veth stops in to see her husband and son.Then its time for shopping shopping shopping! They buy enough magic paper, ball bearings, and bottle rockets to start another war. Fjord picks up a ring of fire resistance and discovers familiar name of its previous owner. Lord Dietric Sutan-whose house they broke into in an attempt to set him up for blackmail.
The Nein contact Vess DeRogna, their most trustworthy contact from the Cerberus Assembly who offered work. They will meet in Rexxentrum later. They spend the rest of the day preparing to go to Rexxentrum, Veth will stay behind to be with her family for one day more.
Caleb teleports the Nein to the Cobalt soul in Rexxentrum. Beau's superiors are impressed with Beau's progress and are eager to see what more she can do. She asks them to also look into eyes of Nine. We'll get to the bottom of this mystery eventually!
Guess what, it's time for more Shopping! They visit Thaydeen's Endless Emporium of Enchanted Eccentricities. The Nein buy all the oops stones, chuckle dust, and celebones the shop has in stock. They are now ready for a real rager.
Walking through Rexxentrum with all their new spoils, Yasha realizes that they are near the Shimmer Ward. Yasha had flashbacks and foggy memories of this place, mostly dark and stormy but now she is at peace and is glad to see they are rebuilding the Chantry of the Dawn temple. It will be beautiful again soon.
They walk to the Soltryce Academy. Now it is Caleb's turn to get lost in memory. He brings the Nein to an old favoring haunt of his and his friends. They talk and drink and dance and try out their new joke gifts. They notice something interesting about Yasha, the roots of her hair are growing back a briliant white. She is shocks and reveals that is what her hair used to look like before. Everyone is proud of how far she's come and urge her to keep moving forward.
The Nein visit Vess DeRogna in her tower on the campus grounds. She updates them on the state fo the peace treaty between the Empire and Dynasty. The war is still ended, peace continues, although she warns things are tentative and a single event could trigger the fighting again. She asks if the Nein would be interested in being her personal bodyguards for an upcoming trip to Eiselcross.
She is seeking an ancient, long sought after weapon lost in the calamity. Eiselcross was a city of incredibly powerful arcanists in the pre-calamity era. They advanced far beyond any magic users ever before and had begun delving into magics that could destroy the Gods themselves. Vess believes this weapon is the reason the Gods struck this city down.
The hunt for this weapon and any other discovered relics on Eiselcross must be absolutely secret. If either side knew of what could be found in the ruins, the war would ensue at catastrophic tempo. DeRogna worries that her colleague Ludinus Da'leth may have sinister intentions for relics recovered in these expeditions. They would help keep an eye on excavations and also guard against any chances that the Dynasty find out what is going on in Eiselcross. A steep reward of 75.000 gold is their reward for a job well. done.
The Nein are apprehensive about the offer, but the curiosity outweighs the risk of being used as Empire pawns. They will return to Nicodranus to confer with Veth and reconnect with Vess DeRogna later. As they leave Vess' tower, a young boy approaches Caleb. He gives Caleb a letter from Trent Ickithon. It asks him to come to dinner at his tower with Astrid and Eodwulf. He wants to reconnect with Caleb and hopes that he considers this invitation seriously. They do have so much to catch up on.
Find out what happens next this Thursday!
Review
Half shopping episode, half new story arc set up, this episode was a bit slow story and action wise for me. But for those that enjoy the slower, more character driven episodes , this was a solid interlude. The large bulk of the episode is spent goofing off, talking, sharing gifts, and visiting family.
The last hour spent talking with Vess DeRogna and the arrival of Ickithon's letter was a bit more my speed. I think we got a nice peek at where the next story arc will be focusing. The Empire and Dynasty may be at peace for the moment, but the deep running scars will not stay quiet for long. I have a feeling this 'relic gathering expedition' will uncover something truly sinister boiling beneath the surface. If the Nein really are responsible for helping to arm the Empire with dangerous new weapons capable of mass destruction against the Dynasty, they will have a lot of angry friends across the border to reckon with.
I can't imagine Essek will be too pleased if he uncovers the Nein's hand in these expeditions. But at the same time, it may be good to get an eye on what Ludinus may be hunting after in these ruins.
I was wondering how Caleb would do returning home again. It was surprising to hear he actively wanted to come hom after spending so long running and hiding from his past. Suddenly his past is walking right up to him and handing him eerie letters about having dinner with his brainwashing instructor and his brainwashed friends. I think it shows how far Caleb has come, as he did not fall into a stupor, immediately teleport away, or try to run. Character progress! Knowing the Nein have his back has given him the confidence he needed to get back on his feet.
I hope we get to see Eiselcross next episode! It will be exciting to see some new terrain and see what new horrors Mercer has cooked up next. There is more than meets the eye with this next adventure. It's almost Thursday!
Don't Miss It!
Be sure to tune into the first episode of the newly returned Talks Machina this Tuesday at 7 pm! It's good to have our cabbage-man talk show host back in business.
