Welcome back to another week of Critical Role Campaign 4… And also another week of Nerdist‘s Critical Role Campaign 4 recaps, also known as our distillations of all the important parts of the episode, in case you don’t have three and a half hours to spare yet this week. This week, we’ve finally left the overture of Critical Role Campaign 4 behind, and in episode five of the series, we’ll be heading into the meat of the campaign. Technically, our recap for Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, is a recap of the first Soldiers’ Table episode. As you might know, Critical Role Campaign 4 will be played in a West Marches style of Dungeons & Dragons game, which means there will be three rotating tables in play, each featuring in episodes of their own. But, of course, each table will impact the story of the other tables. In Critical Role Campaign 4, episode five, it’s our first Soldiers’ Table episode… kind of. You see, we still had to split the rest of the players into their tables. But, that was kind of just like the last bits of old business. Let’s dive into our recap of Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, “Branching Paths,” the first Soldiers’ Table episode.
Table of Contents
Jump To:
- Critical Role Campaign 4 , Episode 5 Cold Open: The Soldiers’ Table Is Looking for a Path Forward
- Critical Role Campaign 4 , episode 5 Introduces the New Intro Sequence for the Campaign
- The Seekers’ Table Forms in Critical Role Campaign 4 , episode 5
- The Schemers Forms in Critical Role Campaign 4 , episode 5
- The Soldiers Take to the Dahapshanee Woods and End Up in a Comfortable… But Suspicious Place
- More Critical Role Campaign 4 Recaps Await Us
Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 5 Cold Open: The Soldiers’ Table Is Looking for a Path Forward
Since Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5 is a Soldiers’ Table episode, the cold open finds us heading out of Dol-Makjar alongside the Soldiers, who consist of Teor Pridesire played by Travis Willingham, Thimble played by Laura Bailey, Kattigan Vale played by Robbie Daymond, Tyranny played by Whitney Moore, and Wicander (Wick) Halovar played by Sam Riegel. It’s raining intensely, and we’re told of something called the Stormwrack, which isn’t fully explained to us yet, but it seems to indicate a cluster of bad weather.
As they prepare to fully leave Dol-Makjar, each of the Soldiers thinks of something different. Thimble has a singular purpose, to make the death of Thjazi Fang right and find revenge. Teor is thinking both of Casimir, a former member of the Torn Banner, a revolutionary group they were in together, who betrayed Thjazi, their leader, and the rest of them, and of his brother, Cyd, whom he hasn’t seen in a long time—he realizes he barely knows either one, but he’s jealous of his brother’s purpose. Meanwhile, Wick, looks back at his home, the Villa Aurora, which is quickly vanishing, but also forward with hope, while the demon Tyranny, kind of wants to go be a domesticated demon again. Finally, Kattigan Vale is struck by a sudden excitement, feeling he is where he is supposed to be.
As they near the gates of Dol-Makjar in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, the Soldiers try to determine where they should go—but they are at the gates of a massive city, and there are many tracks and paths around them. They attempt to roll to get some clues on what tracks are the right ones to follow… But all of them miss the difficulty cutoff. Oops! More on that later.
Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5 Introduces the New Intro Sequence for the Campaign
In Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, we finally get the official intro sequence for the campaign. It looks like this intro showcases Halandil Fang’s performance troupe as they dance, fight, and perform acrobatis. We love that. What story the new Campaign 4 intro tells, we don’t yet know. But we break it down to the best of our abilities here.
The Seekers’ Table Forms in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5
From there, we leave the Soldiers again for approximately half the episode and check back in on the rest of our 13 player characters at House Lloy’s estate.
The State of Occtis Tachonis in Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 5
If you recall, Occtis Tachonis has just come back from the dead. And we spend some time learning about his current status. Occtis hasn’t been properly ressurected in Critical Role Campaign 4, but he is no longer dead either—and he is present. To learn more about Occtis’ exact state of existence, you can check out our piece here, but ultimately, we learn that Occtis no longer has blood in his body, that he doesn’t need food or water, that he has no more bodily functions, and feels neither tired nor energetic. Yet, Occtis is talking to people, and they are talking to him. Occtis wasn’t resurrected, but creating an undead creature possessing its own heart and mind has never been done before. We also come to know that The Stone of Nightsong is tied to Occtis and his un-life in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, though it is not necessarily holding his life inside of it.
House Tachonis Thought the Stone Would Be Destroyed
We also learn that House Tachonis intended for the Stone of Nightsong to be destroyed as part of the plot they plotted. But the interference of Thaisha and the rest prevented this ancient elven artifact from being demolished. This speaks greatly to Ashley Johnson’s Vaelus, as the relic belonged to her now-dead goddess and had great meaning to her people, the elves. Occtis and Thaisha’s prevention of the stone’s destruction and the fact it is now tied to Occtis draws her to him and makes her swear to protect him as she seeks to understand the bond.
Azune and Julien Form an Unlikely Bond in Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 5
Matt Mercer’s character Julien Davinos is still realing from the death of his father and the decimation of his entire house. It is, interestingly, Azune Nayar who approaches him with an offer of friendship and trust. Julien is wary of it, but in the end agrees to attempt to trust those around him. He, too, pledges himself to Occtis in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, saying that wherever Occtis goes his family will come eventually, and Julien will be waiting for them seeking revenge.
The Seekers Go East, Where the Stone of Nightsong Leads Them
As Occtis experienced his quasi-resurrection, the Stone of Nightsong showed him flashes of visions. Among other things, he saw Tachonis’ banners under a black sky and a lone orchis warrior with the sign of the Barrow Guard. From other memories and hazy visions brought by average rolls, Alex Wards’ Occtis determines that the Stone of Nightsong is showing him a place east of Dol-Makjar, somewhere in the ancestral lands of House Tachonis. Julien also knows of the Barrow Guard because he has been training recruits of the Barrow Guard to become soldiers, including Thaisha’s son. This leads Thaisha to want to join the seekers in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, alongside, of course, her love and protectiveness for Occtis, her apprentice.
And so, the party of the Seekers, all brought together by one Occtis Tachonis, decide they will head east. They are also accompanied by Lady Aranessa, who seeks to know if any of her family, who were stopped east of the Dvlmar pass, remain alive. In full, the player characters of the Seekers’ Table include Sir Julien Davinos played by Matt Mercer, Thaisha Lloy played by Aabria Iyengar, Occtis Tachonis played by Alex Ward, and Vaelus played by Ashley Johnson. The Seekers say their goodbyes and head east.
The Schemers Forms in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5
That leaves the Schemers Table to consist of Halandil Fang played by Liam O’Brien, Bolaire Lathalia played by Taliesin Jaffe, Azune Nayar played by Luis Carazo, and Murray Mag’nesson played by Marisha Ray. All three of them are tied to Dol-Makjar and wish to remain there. Halandil to the Hallowed Round, Azune to the Arcane Marshal and Revolutionary Guard, Bolaire to the Archanade, and Murray to the Penteveral magic school. All of these institutions are being threatened by the Sundered Houses, but not necessarily by the houses working together. Azune believes they all have their own agendas for now. And the task of the Schemers will be not to let them unite, but instead to put a wedge between them. We learn there were Sundered Houses that sided with and against the gods, and when House Tachonis attacked House Royce, it was a priestly house eliminating a rebel house.
In Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, Azune wants the other rebel houses to think they’re next. It’s a good plan and one that will undoubtedly take scheming. For now, it’s off to their actual jobs for our Schemers’ table. But not before a little note of hope in the shape of a baby magpie being born on Halandil’s window, believing, like we do there is something still worth fighting for in Dol-Makjar.
The Soldiers Take to the Dahapshanee Woods and End Up in a Comfortable… But Suspicious Place
And now, it’s finally back to the Soldiers’ Table for the Soldiers’ Table episode, woo! The Soldiers manage to squeak their previous roll high enough to get a little guidance on which tracks to follow; at least they’re able to rule out some wrong paths. Eventually, they have to decide between taking the King’s Highway, where they’ll be faster and more able to talk to folks, but more out in the open OR heading into the
Dahapshanee woods, which is essentially a cold-weather rainforest.
The Soldiers Meet Abalang and Learn Casimir Is Working with House Tachonis
They dither, but the Soldiers eventually choose to go into the Dahapshanee woods in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5. This path is where they won’t be spotted and it’s most likely that Teor’s brother Cyd ran into the Dahapshanee woods in the hopes of avoiding pursuit by Casimir, who we learn is travelling in a carriage.
Before they head into the Dahapshanee woods, though, the Soldiers go on a side-quest and meet Abalang, an acquaintance of Thimble’s and a criminal sort nabbed by the Halovars for stealing from them and put into a cage at an inn. The Soldiers help set Abalang free, and in return, he promises not to speak of their presence and offers them some information. Chiefly, we learn that Casimir and his Crow Keepers were working WITH House Tachonis, who arranged for his getaway and the deed to the property which Cyd stole from him. Abalang also tells the Soldiers of his friend, Ulbid, in the Dahapshanee woods, who is eccentric but could offer them a place to rest should they need it.
Thimble Meets a Niad and Learns of Hawthorne’s Glade in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5
As they head into the Dahapshanee woods, Thimble meets a fellow fairy. The fairy, who is scared of big folk, tells her that Teor’s brother Cyd passed through the Dahapshanee woods heading north. She also tells Thimble of a fairy safehouse called Hawthorne’s Glade. After the doors to Fairie closed, fairies needed safe places to be and this glade is one of them. Tall folk aren’t necessarily welcome there, though. And Thimble doesn’t know where it is exactly, so we leave it for now. We also learn that there is a bit of an Undead issue going on in Critical Role Campaign 4, but that’s not fully explained yet.
The Soldiers Go to Ulbid’s Observatory
Ultimately, the Soldiers decide they need to rest in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5, so they head to where Abalang directed them, Ulbid’s Observatory. There, they meet Ulbid More, a gnomish man who is a bit of a hoarder, but seems nice enough. He has a bunch of traps, including a demon trap, a goat, and grouses. In his cottage, he also has a giant telescope where he says he studies the mysterious Stormwrack to see if it is “diminishing, remaining the same, or getting worse.” He concludes its getting worse, but we don’t know exactly what that means. He does reveal, though, that the carriages of House Tachonis were heading north on the King’s Highway, but seem to have past behind a ridge and out of sight. Still, going through the Dahapshanee woods on a direct path, the Soldiers should be able to catch them since the highway winds.
Ulbid also has fireworks around and what he claims to be a “Welcome Home” sign in Gnomish for his daughters. His three daughters, evidently, joined the rebellion and have been missing for 15 years.
Can We Trust Ulbid Morn in Critical Role Campaign 4, episode 5?
Ultimately, though Ulbid seems nice enough, we are left with the feeling we can’t trust him. He lights a candle in the night, which is a weird move. And he keeps fiddling with his banner in a way that makes us suspicious. But should we be? We’ll have to wait and see.
More Critical Role Campaign 4 Recaps Await Us
There’s plenty more Critical Role Campaign 4 on the way, and we’ll be waiting to give you the recaps you need when the episodes release.
Critical Role Campaign 4 premieres Thursdays at 7 pm PT on Beacon.tv and is streamed to Critical Role’s YouTube and Twitch channels at that time, with the VOD available for everyone the following Monday at 12 pm PT and podcast episodes available in two parts: the first one week after the premiere, and the second on the following Tuesday.