Critical Role Recap: Episode 26

Critical Role Recap:  Episode 26

Previously on Critical Role, the Mighty Nein delved into the Gearhold Prison in the city of Hupperdook and helped a young gnomish family be reunited with their parents, and left their young charge Kiri with the family before they traveled into unfamiliar and dangerous territory. The Nein departed Hupperdook the next morning and traveled towards Shady Creek Run, where the Gentleman had another contract for them. On the road, however, Jester, Fjord, and Yasha were ambushed during the night and kidnapped by an unknown group of slavers.

What remained of the Mighty Nein awoke the next morning… but only four of them remained.

Single-Paragraph Synopsis

The Mighty Nein, now without Jester, Fjord, and Yasha, searched for their missing friends. While they couldn’t find their friends, they did encounter a dwarf named Keg—played by guest star Ashly Burch! Keg revealed that she believed the Nein’s companions were stolen by a group of slavers known as the Iron Shepherds, and that she had beef with them, too. They joined forces and traveled towards Shady Creek Run, the Shepherds’ base of operations. They encountered the Iron Shepherds along the road and engaged in a vicious melee with them, attempting to free their many slaves before the reached Shady Creek Run.  

Their fight ended in tragedy.

Art by @AnanasDragon.

Full Summary

The Nein—now made up solely of Beau, Caleb, Molly, and Nott—soon discovered that their missing companions truly were disappeared. Caleb transformed Frumpkin into a peregrine falcon and asked him to scan the area. Frumpkin found the site where the three were captured, and the rest of the Nein followed their tracks to a crossroads, where the trail was lost in the criss-crossing of wagon tracks.

Off on the horizon, the remaining Nein spotted a suspicious figure on the horizon and prepared to ambush them. It was a broad, stout figure—a dwarven woman with five-o’-clock shadow and a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. She was dressed in powerful armor that was beaten all to hell. She carried a hammer in one hand and an axe in the other.

Ashly Burch, a guest star for this week, joined the game as Keg the dwarf fighter.

 

 

Meet Keg

The Nein’s reaction was… intense, but they managed avoid coming to blows with their new guest.

After cooling off, they quickly allied themselves with Keg, and learned from her that she was looking for the slavers also. They’re a group called the Iron Shepherds, and they’re based out of Shady Creek Run. She was on a mission to kill every last one of the Iron Shepherds, and needed a bit of buy-in from the Nein so she could trust them. Molly instantly tossed her 20 gp and asked for a cigarette. She obliged—and said that there was no one left to help her.

Keg revealed that she had been tracking the Iron Shepherds for quite some time. There were five of them, a barbarian, a sorcerer, a rogue, and several others. All of them some of the fiercest warriors she’d ever met. The Mighty Nein were undeterred, and agreed to work with Keg. They packed up their things, mounted their horses, and journeyed towards Shady Creek Run. The road took them towards a thick forest. Night began to fall as they entered the forest, and they found an abandoned farmhouse at the edge of the road. They cautiously entered the house and investigated its dilapidated interior.

There was little of value in the house, but while they explored, Beau felt a strange tremor around them. A movement in the earth, like pulses in the ground growing closer and closer. Beau and Molly ran for the tree line, while Nott remained inside the house and cowered beneath a bunch of detritus within. Beau kicked her horse and sent it off in the other direction. Something burst from the ground and caused the horse to run—but the burrowing creature spit a globule of acid at the fleeing horse, searing it.

Ankhegs.

New Team, New Dangers

Initiative was rolled, and Keg and the Nein engaged the acid-spewing burrowers. The ankhegs were vicious and their acid was potent, but the Nein and their friend were fearsome warriors—the monstrosities never stood a chance. The Nein’s horses, however, fared less well, and Beau said farewell to her loyal steed, Water Closet. Nott severed its tongue as a snack, just before it died. Also in the aftermath of the combat, Beau removed some of the ankhegs’ acid sacs with surgical precision.

With the battle concluded, they pressed on through the forest and set up camp at dusk. Caleb cast alarm during his watch, and used his find familiar spell to transform Frumpkin, currently a falcon, into an owl. Frumpkin flew through the darkened forest and found a fire. He advanced towards the light and saw a wizened woman—but tall, nearly seven feet tall, with greyish-blue skin and pointed ears—standing over a cauldron and placing items within it. A young boy sat near the cauldron, holding his knees to his chest, was huddled near the fire.

The Nein rushed towards the camp, but the tall woman raised a hand as they approached. “You will not take any more of us,” she shouted. She tried to use magic to affect Beau’s mind, but she shrugged the effect off. Beau looked the woman over and discovered that she was a firbolg—not a hag, as might have been expected. She introduced herself as Jandla of the Guiatao clan, and she has been nursing the boy, Umbo, back to health for a number of days. Her clan was attacked by killers. Keg recognized the attackers’ methods. This was the work of the Iron Shepherds.

With mutual enemies, the Nein and the firbolgs decided to camp together. The next morning, Caleb and Frumpkin visited the boy Umbo and entertained him by causing Frumpkin to do a silly dance for the boy. They resolved to keep moving and leave the firbolgs alone and not drag them into their conflict. Jandla wished them well, and Beau thanked her.

“Normally Fjord is here to do this,” she grumbled to the party.

“No, it was good. The best you ever did.” Caleb reassured her.

“Oh!” Beau exclaimed. She turned back to the firbolgs with a look of confidence on her face. “Thank you,” she repeated.

Peregrine Frumpkin art by @BlackSalander.

Secret Sharing

The road to Shady Creek Run was long, and the air grew cold and thick with snowfall. That night, during their watches, Nott tried to get information about Keg’s past out of her, but the dwarf had little desire to speak about her old trauma. Their conversation transformed into a shouting match, and they awoke Beau and Molly, both of whom decided they may as well start their own watch. As they looked out over the snow-covered field, Molly and Beau played a quick game of truth-telling, where they revealed the best lies they had ever told.

Molly revealed he once pretended to be a noble—a long lost royal from across the sea—for two weeks during a scam.

Caleb, during last watch, sat by the fire with Frumpkin and delivered a long, somber, self-doubting monologue to his faithful companion. He then stared into the fire for five minutes—which turned into two long hours—before waking his friends.

The Cart

The next day, they found the cart. It was familiar to Keg. Just the sight of it brought back painful memories. And in her moment of weakness, Caleb cast suggestion, and she felt  magically compelled to offer up all information useful to their situation. She haltingly gave the following information. Their leader was Lorenzo, a human fighter. Their party was composed of Ruza, a half-elf sorcerer, Prado, a halfling rogue, Dwelma, a half-orc druid, and Wan, a human barbarian. Keg qualified that Wan was not as bad as the rest of them.

Seven figures lurked within the cart. Keg fearfully hissed for them not to engage—they were outnumbered and facing superior warriors. Nott and Molly prepared a plan; ride ahead of the cart, plan an ambush, and set all of their captives free during their surprise attack.

After discussing—at length—the best way to attack the camp, the party began to prepare their ambush, moving logs and selecting the best bushes and trees for hiding spots. They rested for the rest of the night, huddled together to share body warmth. In the morning, Caleb’s alarm spell went off—the carts were almost at the ambush site! From their hiding places, the party could see Dwelma, Ruza, and Lorenzo walking alongside the back cart, which was driven by Wan. As the carts reached them, Beau pushed a dead tree over and it snapped, smashing onto the lead cart! Prado, who was driving the cart, dodged the falling tree trunk. Caleb cast slow, catching all of the slavers and two of the horses—but most of the slavers made their saving throws. Two of their minions were slowed, as well as the sorcerer Ruza (who revealed herself to be a bard), but Lorenzo, Dwelma, and Wan all successful shrugged off the spell.

Keg trembled in her boots as she faced down her old boss, Lorenzo, but held her ground and continued to fight. Mollymauk’s own Blood Maledict attack knocked him unconscious—and Lorenzo thrust his blade into Molly’s chest and twisted. With his last moments, the tiefling spat blood straight into the slaver’s face.

The fight had turned foul. Keg screamed out for mercy, and offered herself as a sacrifice.

“The Iron Shepherds have a reputation, and I expect you to tell everyone you come across what happened this day.” Lorenzo pulled back his glaive, and whispered a dire warning into her ear. “We’re moving out boys. And if I ever see any of you again… well, I suppose you can see your friend on the other side.”

The Mighty Nein were beaten, bruised, and left holding the corpse of one of their first companions. They were alive, but at what cost?

How will the Mighty Nein go on after such a crushing defeat? Is it Thursday yet?

Unless otherwise credited, all images in this article are courtesy of Critical Role. Most illustrations can be found in this week's Critical Role Fan Art Gallery


James Haeck is the lead writer for D&D Beyond, the co-author of the Critical Role Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, and a freelance writer for Wizards of the Coast, the D&D Adventurers League, and Kobold Press. He loves watching Critical Role and wants everyone he knows to get into it, too. He lives in Seattle, Washington with his partner Hannah and his very own Frumpkins, Mei and Marzipan. You can usually find him wasting time on Twitter at @jamesjhaeck.

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