Breaking Point | Critical Role | Campaign 3, Episode 31

[@flandomaltrizian4603]

HEY, there might be some SPOILERS under the thing 0:15 Sam weirdly does a truly heartfelt ad 3:05 Marisha will outlive Sam 4:25 Laura’s merch corner 4:50 Intro cinematic 6:35 EPISODE STARTS 9:50 Recap Ends 12:20 FCG is in a bad way 21:15 Ludinus Daleth 22:30 Advantage 26:15 He is gone 36:10 Resetting FCG 38:55 Ashton tests the lens 41:25 Learning by breaking 44:55 GEMS!! 45:55 Shake weight 47:35 National Treasuring 52:45 Good wood 54:25 I don’t know much 57:55 Messing with the map 1:00:05 Trying to reveal invisible ink 1:07:10 Laudna needs to address her scalp health 1:11:45 Ollie’s mind 1:22:15 Leaving graffiti in the brain 1:25:50 Stay clear of the hole 1:27:05 The music box 1:28:25 Chetney takes charge 1:31:00 The Red Moons and Fred Boons 1:32:05 Uncut jems 1:33:15 Chetney is the bank 1:38:55 Laudna loves flight 1:42:05 Knowledge on a biscuit 1:44:40 Chetney rides Laudna 1:49:20 Rage room 1:50:10 Imogen does some unlicensed therapy 1:54:05 Emergency doll 1:55:55 Let’s kill all of our parents! 1:58:15 Fearne confronts her parents 2:02:05 Fearne’s child 2:06:35 The doll was just a bonus 2:07:45 Caviar and Pate 2:09:35 Pate is the only party member who is getting any 2:10:30 Orym and Imogen 2:15:50 Sending to Keyleth 2:19:30 Orym KO’s Imogen 2:21:25 Sending to Dorian 2:22:55 Sending to Dancer 2:25:20 The birdhouse is a’rockin (Imogen and Laudna) 2:26:30 Laura blows it up (Travis and Laura nod to each other at 2:27:30) 2:40:05 Art Montage 2:43:00 BREAK ENDS 2:43:55 Chetney has finished the whole therapy doll family (More FCG body parts) 2:45:35 Orym doing crossfit 2:56:00 You know what you did (4 points) 3:00:35 PVP begins 3:03:55 Initiative 3:06:10 Bassuras Dynamics 3:07:25 FCG is Ruidusborn 3:08:10 Hunger of the Shadow 3:09:25 HDYWTDT (but actually no) 3:13:00 Chetney was honestly going easy on FCG (HDYWTDT) 3:14:35 The aftermath 3:17:25 FCG awakens 3:23:20 The one-eyed monster 3:26:25 Chetney is impressed 3:30:00 FCG core memories (Andy) 3:31:55 Everyone except Orym could snap and murder everyone else 3:35:55 Oh dear 3:37:50 Coach Orym gives the team a locker room speech 3:41:05 Everyone wants the wolf 3:44:55 Who’s buzzsaw? 3:46:25 Imogen and Laudna 3:49:50 A lot has happened 3:52:20 Episode Ends The in-game start date for the episode was Sydenstar 17 in the year 843. Sam’s gas can initially says “Hey Chat” and later “Let’s Play” after which the episode ends before we figure out exactly what that means. The movie Prey is so incredibly good. You don’t need to know anything about Predator, I certainly didn’t, but it made me immediately want to watch more. It’s so good. Any moments I missed? Feel free to post them here. Is it Thursday yet?

[@lazaro2349]

You are SPEED

[@Fusertron]

Zoom

[@ellenh1799]

HOW? HOW ARE YOU SO FAST?! 🤯

[@jordanprice6457]

Flando you’ve done it again😄

[@samuelerrington754]

How are you so fast? What a legend

[@benthompson648]

Campaign 1 ~ they battle conclave of dragons, and battle a being ascending into godhood. Campaign 2 ~ they help to end a war, and journey to the astral sea to battle a living city. Campaign 3 ~ Moons haunted.

[@themoviecritic1092]

Campaign 3 so far

[@flamingjockeys]

And campaign 3 got to what I assume is the BBEG of this campaign's thread pretty early. I haven't seen campaign 1 yet but the M9 weren't even close to hearing about Tharizdun yet at this point, let alone Cognouza. Meanwhile, we've known the moon's haunted since like episode 20 of this campaign. Makes me wonder if there's an even bigger bad guy around the corner after they deal with whatever's in the moon.

[@joemarais7683]

@@flamingjockeys they're gonna go to the moon, solve it being haunted and come back to realize it was really holding back the power of Bolo, the true BBEG.

[@benthompson648]

@@joemarais7683 they come back from the moon and instead of Matt it’s Brennan sitting at the table and he just says “Fire.” And the episode ends. But he says it in Bolos accent

[@abydosianchulac2]

Campaign 3 - Moon's haunted, by one if not two forgotten gods and a city of their followers sealed off from the world by a pantheon that can no longer intervene.

[@JavierEscuelIa]

Fun fact:FCG also stands for Fatigue Crack Growth and is a term in welding, the term measures stressors on the metal.

[@queengoblin]

Omg lol

[@christopherkecun8349]

Good point; on the episode where hit it with a hammer was the answer to everything.

[@Pingviinimursu]

I refuse to believe Sam knew and planned for this. It would be an absolutely amazing detail and bit of foreshadowing, which would fit perfectly with these master storytellers. But no, Sam can't have known this and planned it. Nonono. I refuse.

[@JavierEscuelIa]

@@Pingviinimursu It very may well be a coincidence, but I still thought people might want to know

[@Pingviinimursu]

@@JavierEscuelIa And I appreciate you telling us a great deal. Thank you. At least it's a funny coincidence. It can't be more than that right? Sam can't know anything about welding, can he?

[@xinahliaofthefeywild8985]

The Bells Hells have a way of killing rocks and it kinda started with Dorian saying that his brother somehow killed his pet rock.

[@knjjah2776]

i thought it was silly at first, but apparently you can kill a rock quite easily

[@Ginric99]

Rocks are this campaigns chair

[@morganrogers5241]

I miss Dorian/Robbie

[@liesbethverlaeckt8083]

OMG YOU'RE RIGHT

[@abbylanning3308]

everyone's saying Orym is the only one who isn't a loose canon but that's only true bc he has more self control than everyone else. when he snaps it'll be bloody

[@samuraiko]

That's what I'm waiting for. When he finally catches up to the Grey Assassins... it's gonna get TERRIFYING. And Liam's acting is going to be AMAZING.

[@MrBlakeD82]

Two thoughts came to mind reading this: 1. "There are three things all wise men fear: the sea in storm, a night with no moon, and the anger of a gentle man." and 2. "Demons run when a good man goes to war."

[@threepoint14159265]

@@samuraiko I'm not sure if the Grey Assasins are catchable. I think they come from the Unseelee handmirrors like what Yu showed them.

[@samuraiko]

@@threepoint14159265 That's entirely possible - I was also wondering if they were like the Echo Knights that the M9 tangled with right after arriving in Xhorhaus... especially with the hints we've gotten of dunamancy involvement in C3. Either way, when Orym figures it out, gods help whomever's sending those things because he's going to WRECK them.

[@jaysabol1821]

It's basically like when Spider-Man is no longer cracking wise. Things are about to go very, very bad for you

[@chansysbest]

The fact this episode was so intense that Laura Bailey whispered, "you're the one-eyed monster," without even cracking a smile is proof of how insane it was.

[@thegethconsensus393]

Lol didn’t even register that until now.

[@202215jaffe521]

Exactly, I was waiting Sam or Laura crackle on it but no, they are so into the scene

[@nigeldepledge3790]

Laurabailey.exe has encountered a problem and needs to shut down . . .

[@xsnokex]

She seems to make fewer of those jokes than she used to. There was one about pulling out that she barely touched.

[@wildestnothing927]

@@xsnokex I think that's because Imogen is not the kind of person who'd make those jokes particularly often and some of that bleeds into Laura.

[@ToaArcan]

Fourth Rule of Robotics is you gotta make their eyes turn red when they go evil.

[@nikkikindinger2718]

Star Trek Lower Decks kinda spoofed on that with Agamus and Peanut Hamper.

[@a-walpatches6460]

I was saying right before "Please don't have red eyes, please don't haShit!" 🤦‍♂ So cringe.

[@shersyed3989]

Well, you need to understand some basics of coding and you'll realize that really that's not something purposefully done for that reason. It's actually a byproduct from another plan of action. See when we code or program things, especially complex things, there's a very large chance of errors and faulty behavior. So we need to detect this faulty behavior from all sides, from the back end, and the front end. So like, in the back end/database it might show up as an error line output. But on the front end it will be a programmed screen of red or yellow or some relevant vibrant and attention seeking color. The goal of such programming is to detect errors and prevent larger losses, normally these losses can be data integrity, or time and effort in a project... So really, if a robot or program doesn't turn red or something similar, when it malfunctions, it means that someone purposefully went into its code and either rewrote logic for bad behavior to be included in good behavior, or removed the lines of code which troubleshoot the errors and let the status of the code be known. All in all, it means that the code or machine has been tempered with, and not as a mistake but with malicious intent.

[@veezopolis]

I LOVE Sam's shit eating grin he hides behind his hands whenever the rest of the cast starts to figure out his backstory. He has these moments in every campaign, and I live for it.

[@ssfbob456]

The man is a master manipulator and uses his powers to emotionally destroy us all.

[@guillaumecarriere9195]

@@ssfbob456 I'd even as far as to say that he's a master debator.

[@xCCflierx]

Liam is a rules lawyer, by how confidently he corrects his own mistakes despite them sometimes being a detriment to the battle. Sam though, doesn't have a huge grasp on the rules despite 10+ years of dnd, he slips up with mechanics and hisnown characters abilities, not even knowing how his rage works despite helping create this narrative from episode one. What Sam does amazing is the social aspect of the game.

[@BookofConke]

​@@xCCflierxThat's not really being a rules lawyer as much as it is having a great care for the integrity of the game. A rules lawyer tries to manipulate interpretation of the rules in their favor and is pretty much reserved as a term for a problem player.

[@maxinesenior596]

@@BookofConkeThis. The interpretation of "rules lawyer" as someone who sticks tightly to the rules comes from a misconception of what a "lawyer" is. Lawyers take the law and try to take precedents, ignore rules, and everything just to get an edge, convict or acquit, and get paid. Doesn't mean someone who believes in the integrity of the rules can't be annoying, if they don't know what they're talking about. But they are inherently less harmful to the game.

[@glenndallas7171]

That moment of Sam sharing notes from convos with characters was amazing. It went from impressive to heart-wrenching to hilarious in a few pages.

[@nigeldepledge3790]

And creepy. Towards the end it hit me as creepy af.

[@flimdud9576]

@@nigeldepledge3790 why?

[@nigeldepledge3790]

@@flimdud9576 - I can't actually remember now.

[@cjtrules1]

@@nigeldepledge3790 Maybe because all of those quotes aren't really happy quotes.

[@lastraven7205]

who is Adam

[@Darknova67]

Travis has been the king of guessing the plot twists this campaign

[@nighthowk117]

or just rewatching previous episodes, and putting two and two together. I mean plot wise there werent any great surprises so far if you're following carefully.

[@KingB.C.]

⁠@@nighthowk117 woooooah watch out for this guy.

[@visnoga5054]

Eventhough he didn't mention it, I'm pretty sure he even figured out that one of the PCs would get murdered while wandering off on his own and that another one would be a werewolf.

[@xerosthemonk]

It's one of the ADHD super powers...there's no such thing as a plot twist that we haven't already figured out

[@Ginric99]

A standard DM trick is keeping things loose and using the best player theories as they say them, it also makes your players feel super clever when all you did was let there crazy theories just become truth.

[@karahtar]

Ah yes, from the makers of "what's my mother's name?!" and "you understand I'm the parent" comes "the murder robot". Only on Critical Role!

[@mastermelee2543]

underrated comment

[@rowgesage936]

Both Sam and Liam (moreso Caleb in C2) have an amazing ability to weave in trauma into their characters behavior. Amazing always

[@CJMGalaxy]

I was waiting for this, honestly. Not exactly this, but for the Sam Reigel Trauma Bomb™️ to go off. After "what's my mother's name?!", I've spent these past two campaigns waiting for the penny to drop, and both with Veth "Your people did this!!" Brenatto and FCG here, it's like the tension finally releases when it does.

[@CJMGalaxy]

@@rowgesage936 I know Liam built Orym to be kinda the quiet guy in the background, but I do not believe for even a single moment that Liam O'Brien is capable of making a character without a core of pain in there. We have the dead husband, but there's more there, I'm certain.

[@jasonreed7522]

​@@CJMGalaxyi haven't seen anyone else mention this but as they all leave the cave Orym says "I'm trying Dad", which is subtle but i thunk points to even more trauma than the already established trauma from his husband being killed in the assassin's attack. (Not sure if its been established that he personally bore witness to that death or if he only found out after the fighting was over) Either way when Ashton pointed out that everyone but Orym was a timebomb all i could think is that Orym simply hasn't revealed what kind of timebomb he is.

[@allylavender3023]

Ashton’s quiet, barely restrained little “can we *please* cut them down” hurt my feelings

[@isidorex]

Right??

[@deathbykonami5487]

Ashton cares deeply for FCG, as evidenced when they just tried to hold FCG while raging instead of attacking them.

[@feitocomfruta]

Like, Ashton could have just grabbed the rope and taken FCG down himself, but it was the realization that even they knew they couldn’t protect Letters from the truth anymore.

[@NickTheCat_DieGoettlichenZehn]

I will say this, and I am quite sure about it becoming true, like I said FCG was responsible for the cave incident: There will come one moment, when FCG is in such grave danger, that all of us are mind blown with what amount of enormous power Ashton is actually able to unleash.

[@rosiecooper8030]

Ashton said that they don't do friendship. FCG is family to Ashton. Ash got betrayed by the people he called "family" before, and he doesn't want anyone to feel that way ever again. It feels very much like a Nott-Caleb situation, like almost-parental

[@clairetellkamp6253]

2:07:30 Laura mentions the therapy doll coming to life and murdering all of the people that yelled at it. Sam gives a VERY knowing look at Matt.

[@chand911]

Lol that doesnt even happen. We're all watching the same thing. What's to gain by making shit up?

[@clairetellkamp6253]

@@chand911 I think you need to get your eyes checked. I'm talking about when he literally glances at Matt out of the corner of his eye. He looks at Matt at around 2:07:41

[@MysticColorsAttack]

holy shit yeah theyre fucking side-eying each other for like a minute

[@korkunge]

You are reaching now way way..... You do know they are in the same time "zone" they dont look at each other at the same time they do it after one another and that is not "side eyeing" they just move the heads/eyes....

[@clairetellkamp6253]

@@korkunge I did not say that they look at each other at the same time, now did I? I said that Sam looks at Matt. And according to your logic, me stabbing someone in the neck isn't "murder", it's just "moving my hand while holding a knife."

[@RoosterTheScrapper]

It's funny that Imogen starts talking to everyone about a horror story where people took their emotions out on a doll and it ended up trying to kill them. Isn't that a funny story FCG?

[@necessi7y]

Woah. just.... woah.

[@Drekromancer]

I completely missed this. Fuck.

[@Maverick_Merc]

Just in-case anyone ever wants the timestamp... 2:07:26

[@julietdelap5005]

Sam glances at Matt right after Imogen says that.

[@bronandsimone]

Shhhhiiiittt…..

[@WaterGuuru]

I love that one side of the table is literally a ticking time bomb. chetney is a werewolf that could go feral at any moment, laudna is an undead sorcerer/warlock that is being manipulated by delilah briarwood, and F.C.G an aeorian warbot that can also at random turn deadly due to the accumlation of stress which, given the groups nature, stressful situations are typically the only situations. C3 is just too good.

[@Tacklepig]

And the other side is less deadly? -Fearne was raised by a hag and has weird, amoral fae tendencies -Imogen literally has a mental connection to the fucking haunted moon and regularly sees one of the main villains in her dreams -Orym's just a dude I guess -Ashton has a hole in his head with weird magic stuff in that disturbs space and time when he gets angry Pretty sure that's just the theme of this entire party. Save Orym, who's just the straight man there to do his job

[@WaterGuuru]

@@Tacklepig thats true actually, so really its just one big fucking bomb and orym

[@silversalmon9909]

@@WaterGuuru if/when orym breaks, the group will truly fracture I feel. Him and Ashton feel like glue.

[@ir6734]

@@Tacklepig Liam's ability to make the most normal character in the group is amazing. And also then to fucking destroy us all with either his choices or his hidden backstory. I'm gonna guess when Orym breaks it will be much worse than most of the team

[@danielcastillo591]

Ah yes Feral wolf Walking corpse Murder robot Wild forest creature Psychic killer _A Guy™_ Concussed superhuman criminal Truly a horror movie festival worth attending

[@averagegirl7113]

Man the bit of each character popping in to contribute to Imogen and Fern's conversation- "We talking about therapy??" "You need a doll??" "We're mad at parents??" That's the sit-com writing I come here for!!

[@Ellisepha]

"My therapist senses are tingling!" "My toymaker senses are tingling!" "My punk senses are tingling!"

[@sanchezisrrael866]

Matt‘s best quote so far for me: with the power of love, nothing happens.

[@themandomercgaming]

If you haven't seen it, Brennan Lee Mulligan's monolague about The Greatest Magic of All is a great complementary clip to go along with that Matt quote.

[@wouldiwasshookspeared4087]

​@the mandomerc it's what got me into D20, then Critical Role.

[@littleoldmanboy]

timestamp?

[@dangerousdoodle2410]

​@@littleoldmanboy1:00:41

[@zargonat2484]

Right as I read this comment he said it

[@ExceedinglyAvg]

I absolutely love how Marisha has been sitting traumatized in character since the murder robot incident.

[@Danny191]

Such good acting, reminds me of the time Travis stayed “petrified” for like 10 minutes when Grog got petrified by fey (I think)

[@nuru666]

@@Danny191 Oh god that whole 10 minutes had me gasping for air! The ridiculous expression, the thumb up and just -stayed-, I love it when Travis commits to the bit

[@cjtrules1]

@@nuru666 I also loved how Chetney tries to get everyone to notice Laudna but they just go straight back to FCG. There are so many ticking time bombs in this group!

[@AshenHawk96]

Gentle reminder, folks: Always check on the "therapist" of your friend group. They may seem cheerful and fine, but sometimes they got a lot boiling up inside. Just make sure they're okay too.

[@amandahakes2226]

As my family’s personal therapist… I approve this message

[@TimStamper89]

Or...keep dumping on them until the TPK us all

[@calihoyer1415]

THANK YOU. As the friend-group therapist myself, the second Imogen heard hundreds of voices including the party’s, I knew Exactly what was up, and it just kept getting confirmed over and over again, and the whole section where they were trying to figure out what happened and figure out what to do going forward, I was all but hollering at the screen, “Just distribute the confiding more evenly among you so FCG doesn’t get the brunt of it and let FCG vent to y’all too instead of just y’all venting to them!” It’s truly the most painful example of “who heals the healer” Please ask your therapist friend if they need to vent too. And if they’re hesitant, it may be genuine boundary setting, so be careful, but it may also just be that they’ve never been asked that before and need a little more assurance that you do actually want to listen.

[@micy9308]

Oh jeez

[@romnickrosario6048]

@@calihoyer1415 ironically FCG is the one most disinclined for an actual therapy session. Almost every time when an offer of “hey you can talk to me” moment happens, he goes “I’ll think about it”.

[@valentinebrunett8700]

Watching Marisha while everyone talks about Keyleth is so heart warming. Expecially while Matt is speaking in her voice.

[@cjtrules1]

Loved that part. A part of me wishes they voice their old characters but then Matt would need to tell them what to say so it would reveal too much.

[@sarahanonymous3770]

@@cjtrules1 I thought he might cut to break then have a 25 word (or less) script for Marisha to read

[@waterviolite]

That almost happened in episode 22 when Laura/Imogen read the letter from Vex.

[@poe_slaw]

“It’s getting late, I should go to bed. I’ve seen this episode’s big reveal, probably nothing else I need to stay up for.” -me after the Ludinus reveal, being wrong

[@themoviecritic1092]

Last final words

[@mayaenglish5424]

You should really know better by now lol. Extra Crazy shit drops 10 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 seconds before the end all the time lol. There is no safe time to tune out.

[@Sammie1053]

HAHAHAHA oh I am cackling right now

[@Fefe_the_pug]

"I don't need sleep, I need answers"

[@zeldakittin7173]

I went to sleep at break, but left it playing as background noise. I then woke up later to FCG saying those things and was like "What??"

[@acomet2509]

That history check was Caleb reaching out from wildemount and putting that dice in an arcane chokehold

[@In_TheMoonlight]

HAH dude fr

[@SeerOfTime577]

“Art’s never really done, you just abandon it for a while.” - Chetney On another note, Sam is freaking amazing. EVERY campaign.

[@mattymoowhite]

"... and remember the market of wonders..."

[@PeTTs0n88]

@@mattymoowhite That will *always* be too soon. Someone is cutting onions again.

[@delaneyklutes]

SAM WAS EXCELLENT THIS EP 👌👌👌👌✨

[@andrewmrozinski5427]

He’s the mvp of season 1 by far

[@sarahanonymous3770]

as someone with so many abandoned wips, this makes me feel better, I should get back to some of them

[@Kadel___]

3:07:25 F.C.G. has red glowing eyes and Laura suggests that he is Ruidusborn as a joke, but then Matt doubles down and jokes as well saying that they ALL are Ruidusborn. I see what you did there Matt Mercer. You can try and hide it as a joke, but we all know you've been wanting to say that since the beginning of the campaign.

[@Brion57042]

I've been expecting it myself for a few eps.

[@Kimbrell]

I mean... Imogen and Fearne have been revealed. The rest of them could be Ruidusborn or have a strong connection to Ruidus. A lot of them also have been through some form of being "reborn." Laudna could have been reborn under Ruidus. Ashton brought back with the potion under Ruidus. Chetney and his lycan stuff... could have been bitten under Ruidus. FCG's last night with Dancer when they went full murderbot could have been under Ruidus or when they were brought back by Devexian it could have been under Ruidus. Orym could be the only one that doesn't have a "reborn" connection... but Keyleth being Circle of the Moon druid and the attack on Zephrah could have been under Ruidus... also when his husband died (big moon, little moon). Not sure.

[@karahtar]

@@Kimbrell this ^ I've had the same idea. The only one that doesn't make as much sense is Orym but there could be more to Orym's partner than we know

[@MrTrilbe]

@@Kimbrell I wonder if Laudna was born under Ruidus and that's how she managed to come back at all

[@Mr.HotDogShirtGuy]

@@Kimbrell I was hoping someone would point these connections out.

[@obi-wank-enobi]

I love the way that Ashley's portrays ferne. Ferne doesn't express her feelings through her talking tone but instead does It through her actions and the things she says. Ferne is always talking in the same pitch but depending on her current emotion she'll do or say things based on her emotion, like how she was resentful towards her parents because they may have made a deal with a hag with her as the token she told Imogen to "keep pushing" when they were rooting through Ollie's memories and it was showing to hurt him. She didn't say it in an aggressive way but you could tell that she was being aggressive.

[@samuelstensgaard4828]

It makes her extremely unpredictable when she gives compliments a death threats in the same tone

[@an_fiach]

@@samuelstensgaard4828 It makes her a true fae. I mean like, what a perfect sentence for describing the fae honestly

[@proverbialking3452]

Ashley has always seemed scatterbrained no matter what character she played. But Fearne just fits her nature as she can use it to fuel the chaos.

[@noahdaglio9362]

So, we all agree that Orym’s “snap” will be him getting brutally efficient with the killing of enemies with minimal mercy? Like, silent death descending upon sheep kinds of brutality

[@edlong00]

Its gonna end up looking like the church fight scene from kingsman

[@Blue_Lunacy]

Ever since I saw Orym's reaction to Yu's shapeshifted into hot half-elf, I have been thinking that Liam is exploring the anger and acceptance stage of grief in this campaign.

[@ClandestineSnowman]

That's why they call him Baba Yaga

[@GrandLordGeek]

Doom music plays

[@pedroscoponi4905]

Oh, yeah. Orym's head in screwed on tighter than the rest of the crew but he's clearly not above getting stabby. He's still an adventurer, those guys are never sane.

[@MerlinsKat]

"it's like being lifted by a tree branch" which is funny cos Laudna also knows what it's like to be lifted by a tree branch 🙃🙃

[@nattles4397]

you did NOT 💀👁👄👁

[@RatOfTheWoods]

The way I GASPED how could you 🙃

[@talili2174]

YOU DESERVE JAIL TIME FOR THISSSSS OMGGGG😭😭😭😭😭

[@B0neyKingofN0where]

I need a timestamp of this glorious quote

[@arillusine]

OMG 😳

[@shieru2207]

Never seen a man nod so proudly at someone like Matt did when Sam said: "It was! It was Pussy's buzzsaw!"

[@albertofiorentini6594]

"This isn't who you are..." she says, "uncertain who she's talking to". MARISHA WHAT A FUCKING ICON, CHILLLLSSSS

[@Scrubs4Life]

As she escalates from spiritual weapon to one-shotting this person she supposedly cares about.

[@Tobias.Sterling]

@@Scrubs4Life not her fault she tolled a nat 20 and then high damage. But it worked with the emotional turmoil of the moment

[@StevenJQuinlan]

Asmodeus chilling in the nine hells : THEN WHO AM I?

[@cathylatte741]

I deeply appreciate the fact that Marisha held a look of horror as Laudna contemplating what she'd done for about 10 minutes afterwards, sooooo good

[@danielcastillo591]

@@Scrubs4Life Damage spell on damage spell, not her fault it went ballistic

[@ericrobbert1148]

Ashley: “Oh-dear-an wilds” Matt was so close to breaking.

[@TheConjurersTower]

Such a fae thing to say, Ahsley is perfect in this role.

[@joshjlutz4319]

Wait I missed this? What was the time stamp?

[@ericrobbert1148]

@@joshjlutz4319 I’d have to watch again to find it. No guarantees that I will, sorry.

[@Papa_Klink]

@@joshjlutz4319 3:36:08

[@joshjlutz4319]

@@Papa_Klink Thank you!!! I love a good pun

[@VikingMale]

The Morrigan did her a great service. Mat said Morrigan kept her as long as she needed to protect her. She stretched time, even made Fearne grow bigger and stronger than what would normally be. Taught her the ways of magic, allowed her to learn some basic thieving skills. And gave her hope with the letters. Then, when she was able to protect herself against the Unseelie court she was free to go explore the world. And she made some very capable friends. What looks like selfishness on the Morrigans side was actually calculated, planned protection. Plus, her raising Fearne, especially for that length of time would have made the Unseelie court want to stay away from Fearne unless she got actively involved. Ie you don’t want to threaten something that is as powerful as the dark court of the fey all on her own.

[@ArgoBargo]

Also I’m gonna say it: Fearnes parents are straight up dumb, thank god she was raised by morri

[@serketenglish5963]

Facts.

[@stephaniesegura2578]

That’s def a good point. Didn’t think about these points at all!

[@xCCflierx]

Also, the deal was meant to be fair. If Ira is going to negotiate on the Calloways behalf, and steal their daughter as almost a hostage to make them work for him. She kept Fearne out of sight, trained her, protected her. In a way only a fae could

[@emma-leighnewman128]

This!!

[@kerimullane298]

I love how quickly everyone went from sheer panic and confusion to utter relief when Fearne was telling her parents about Mister lol

[@moonlight2870]

"We were worried about the werewolf, fucking werewolf is fine!" "You sure? Because he just did this." "I sure did." I love Travis

[@tomanderson4953]

Didn’t he say “I showed you what I wrote” not I sure did

[@moonlight2870]

@@tomanderson4953 I'm gonna admit I didn't hear it that well, you could be right

[@gent_Carolina]

3:01:00 🙂

[@equusheart3344]

@@tomanderson4953 what did he write though??

[@tinkercat8268]

@@equusheart3344 he figured it out that FCG was responsible and shared it with Marisha and Laura

[@lananiru]

Ashtons speech about everybody being a gunpowder keg and him saying "lets not make one person the problem" was.... idk... touching.

[@Lobomutante]

I have yet to go through C1, but for what I can see, Taliesin has the most wholesome quotes out of everyone. It's amazing.

[@dylancrouch273]

I don't know, I kind of think FCG's problem is a little bit more extreme than everyone else's powder-keg issues. I mean, at least the werewolf is aware that it's happening and can remember it after the fact, FCG becomes a literal different person. that seems way more dangerous to me.

[@lanasartlife]

After ep 77… Ashton ie: powder keg. Lol

[@iitstre_4550]

@@dylancrouch273 bro, FG has 56 hit points, no dexterity, no strength, no charisma, I don’t think FG and murder robot mode is actually a bigger problem than the rest of the table. This can happen for more at random, yes. But it took them one roll to end the battle. 😂😂

[@kayannkil]

It was so sweet how protective Ashton was of FCG after his episode. Even when he wasn't speaking Taliesin was glaring at everyone who approached

[@themoviecritic1092]

W friend

[@artloveranimation]

I kept thinking about what he said to FCG before, about what he would do if anything happened to him, before he said "you're the best of us, sleep well"

[@PeTTs0n88]

I think there's more to it that causes that protectiveness... there's still so much more lore to be had, even with the giant lore drop we just had. ^^

[@leomeyer280495]

Not gonna give him any credit after fucking up the lens !

[@captainrox7969]

@@themoviecritic1092 I’m I j

[@WatchingMovies2012]

Time and time again we get proof that Sam "I never played D&D before" Riegel is out there making the most amazing characters... And again we are left stunned!

[@kaityrie7600]

if i remember correctly Liam suggests all of sams character races and classes, but Sam does such a good job of bringing them to life!

[@dorian4404]

@@kaityrie7600 Yeah but he showed with Nott that he could come up with an amazing backstory. This time around, though, I think Matt's mostly behind FCG's backstory and Sam is discovering most of it as we do. But it's still pretty heartbreaking (in a good way)

[@PeTTs0n88]

Say what you will about his shenanigans and crazy ideas... he's an amazing actor, and he plays 4D chess well. The lines he had written down from the various characters... *chefs kiss*

[@CerotheDemon]

@@dorian4404 Sam has said that he comes to Matt with little vague things but Matt is what turns it into actual story.

[@webhead4414]

C1 - Scanlan was my favourite PC. So layered and actually more than just "horny bard who sings". C2 - Although my favourite character was Jester, Nott had by far the best backstory and reveal. Again, Not the Goblin being such an in your face clue was amazing. And she was a great PC. C3 - FCG is amazing, and being the cleric is clearly going to be one of the most clutch characters this campaign when the opportunities arise. Also, the backstory drops we've had so far seem pretty massive. A cleric domain based on psychiatry. Brilliance 😂

[@cutterg3198]

Matt to Sam: "You take four...." Everyone else...... "Four what?" I'm like...... "Oh shit..." ......seconds later, murder robot.

[@jixaw9383]

OHHHH this made me realize it was probably the stress points he was given 4 of holy shit and he couldn’t say out loud

[@annec8127]

Everyone's frozen reaction to Fearne's "I have a child" was so hilarious.

[@Peter_Cordes]

Yeah, I rewound that to check out everyone's reactions. Seemed strongest in the real-life parents.

[@PeTTs0n88]

Ashley's delivery on so many occasions has been absolutely *perfect*, and this was top notch, I don't blame any of them!

[@MW1384]

The slow realization on Laura's face that goes from, "WTF," to, "FFS," in a few seconds is priceless. Fearne/Ashley is chaos incarnate and I love them for it.

[@lenny_bam5599]

It was Laura's wide-eyed surprised for me LOL

[@TimStamper89]

Fearne is just Ashley being herself

[@brandonk1297]

Once Fearne got caviar, I can’t help but think its only a matter of time before Caviar, Mister, Pâté and Sashimi start their own game of DnD within the greater game of DnD 😂

[@DiViNEReject]

Like the grog one shot where he had everybody playing DnD😂

[@Caitydid561]

Another Familiar Problem oneshot, maybe?

[@camillagrandi4201]

OMG YES PLEASE

[@karencollins1356]

Another familer one shot ! That would be great .

[@acolytetojippity]

...the only problem is that Laudna would *HAVE* to be running it. but also controlling two of the characters.

[@SirSadness]

Orym: *tells Imogen how she'd be a great leader* Also Orym: *shows why he should be the leader above anyone else in the group*

[@troikas3353]

Kinda makes sense though. Orym is a trained member of an organized military and consider elite enough to be among the personal guard of his nations leader. Would be natural that he'd already have those developed and practiced instincts. Imogen on the other hand is an introverted farm girl that has up to now avoided being in crowds. I think it's just Orym saying that he recognizes the potential for her to become a good leader if she chooses to develop that side of herself. A vet seeing untapped potential in a green recruit.

[@artloveranimation]

Orym sometimes reminds me of Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier. He was a follower more than a leader. But who knows. Maybe he sees potential in others but not himself yet?

[@vespernight4236]

eh, i feel like because he was trained to be a guard he knows how to step up and be 'the' leader if he has to. In case the person leading him drops in a fight. Which with the Hells he definitely had too, but i feel like he prefers to being second in command, the right hand man.

[@TempestLM]

Well his paragon example of leadership was Keyleth, I think everyone with people's skills above average would be a great leader for him lol

[@DanKaschel]

I actually thought he handled it pretty clumsily (on purpose). I don't think the level of pressure he put on FCG was appropriate under the circumstances. He just felt really strongly and said his piece. Perfectly in character, but not a demonstration of good leadership imo.

[@herz5159]

Ah yes. The classic and heartbreaking Sam Riegel plot twist strikes again

[@vivamexico254]

The house hold tradition

[@Kneith]

Called it in the first episode :P

[@High-LordHarza]

And after a wholesome heartfelt add in the beginning too

[@Foretelling]

@@Kneith Same bro, doesn’t detract from it though

[@joemarais7683]

@@Foretelling it was an obvious but very welcome outcome. Everyone loves a good murderbot.

[@transmatized]

imogen yelling “stop” and being the one to snap laudna out of the murderous trance she was in is so personal to me

[@Slouworker]

Get your head checked

[@languorfellaway]

laudna saying “i’m just starting to wonder if I was always a blank canvas, even in my youth. I don’t know.” and imogen saying “you have one of the biggest sparks I’ve ever seen. you don’t need a pulse for that.” in response is going to live in my head Forever

[@ZyroShadowPony]

I find it funny because laudna origins of being a blank canvas is fitting since she was just a npc in campaign 1. Also imogen saying sparks and pulse when her whole thing is electricity alongside telekinesis

[@xRebelSpiritx]

Time stamp?

[@languorfellaway]

@@xRebelSpiritx 3:48:44 !

[@xRebelSpiritx]

@@languorfellaway youre amazing thank you!

[@Skuggan84]

@@ZyroShadowPony what episode of campaign 1 was she in? Was it with the family Hung from the sun tree? Could you Link to the episode please? I can't remember it and would like to relive it :D

[@jameszd4470]

Fearne: "It's okay, keep going" Oooh there's some anger there... Well done Ashley!

[@captin3149]

Yeah, how dare they try to protect her. I really feel Imogen was being a bit of a problem, encouraging Fearne to be angry at her parents when if they HADN'T left her, they all three might be dead. ESPECIALLY after they had already discovered that they were being mind controlled every time they tried to leave.

[@Drekromancer]

@@captin3149 Yeah, that was painful to watch. I almost got mad about it, until I realized how in-character it was for everyone involved. We've never seen Fearne get truly upset about something like this before - and I'm not surprised that her petty nature came out in force as a result. But I hope that she will regret being so hard on her parents when they didn't deserve it - and she could take this as a lesson in controlling her emotions somewhat. Idk, I think that'd be pretty cool. 🙂

[@thatannoyingman8247]

I mean by negligence her parents gave up her first HUNDRED years of life. That is insane, youth, childhood, even adulthood was given away because they didnt stop to think that they were trading their DAUGHTER away. Yes she is angry, and yes she gets to be. Her parents are not full of malice but by god they fucked up

[@captin3149]

@@thatannoyingman8247 That's just it though, they DIDN'T give up a hundred years, they gave up six. MORRI is the one that extended that into a hundred years. They had nothing to do with that. And while it might be easy to say 'they should have checked' they had no reasonable reason to think she would do that. PLUS they tried to leave MULTIPLE times according to Imogen's own mental delve, and they were forced to forget every time.

[@thatannoyingman8247]

@@captin3149 yeah i wasnt there yet in the episode, although I do stick with the part where she gets to be upset. She was traded away by negligence. I do agree it's not their fault as much as before

[@pedroscoponi4905]

Matt's sending response as Keyleth was so perfect it genuinely shook me. You can see in Marisha's reaction too, the recognition. Like, "wow, that _was_ Keyleth". Matt's damn good at this.

[@meebabeebadeembadeemdam6787]

You ever stop and wonder about that? About Matt? He writes these characters and these worlds and themes and schemes and builds maps and mechanics and engages in deep conversation all for his dear friends. He's like a vast ocean with so much depth and understanding and love. He's remarkable.

[@CJMGalaxy]

@@meebabeebadeembadeemdam6787 the most remarkable part about the Keyleth message was that he didn't create that character, but he still portrayed her with such fidelity. He has her vocal mannerisms down perfectly, and even adds a layer of age and wisdom to it. I mean, yeah, she was originally played by his wife, but still. It's unbelievably remarkable how he does it.

[@Hazearil]

It's something I always try to pay attention to when he plays a character that was previously a PC, just like with Dorian's responses on the Sending Stone.

[@yigitsezer6696]

​@@CJMGalaxyalmost like he is a voice actor

[@CJMGalaxy]

@@yigitsezer6696 given that his talents routinely astound other voice actors, I think we can dispense with the snark and just praise the man's genuine talents, can we not?

[@MollymaukT]

meanwhile Lord Estheros is probably making some cookies and wondering what's taking them so long in a relatively simple mission

[@davidgomes4408]

Assuming he hasn't already been murdered. 🤔

[@Camaika1997]

Such an underrated comment xD

[@_flattered_]

"Ah yes, ginger cookies".

[@catarinabarbosa2247]

+

[@CJMGalaxy]

Piles of cookies slowly accumulating in his house because he wants some ready for them when they come back... 🥺

[@adamscotkearns]

If anyone can appreciate and understand FCG's outburst, it's Chetney. Not in control? Check. A voice that isn't yours? Check. Shocking and sudden rage? Check. Total regret and sadness afterwards? Check.

[@isidorex]

Aside from Ashton, I most loved Chetney's reaction to FCG's breakdown. He accepted it, normalized it, and even showed appreciation for them letting out the darkness that was hiding in there, and how it could potentially be a source of strength for them. I think that was really needed in this situation to balance out everyone else's horror.

[@toshomni9478]

I don't think Chetney actually feels regret for anything he's done.

[@ncpolley]

@@toshomni9478 Oh I think he very well may. It's just not surface level. Can't come to a conclusion so early.

[@Markcrazeer]

@@toshomni9478 well, we don’t know if he has ever gone feral enough to unintentionally murder someone he cares about. He would regret that.

[@adamscotkearns]

@@toshomni9478 He certainly seemed to regret slashing Orym's arm

[@deissthibaut9632]

3:09:35 I love how the cast react when they hear the inconic HDYWTDT, stunned and dumbfunded, until Sam correct Matt about his HP and the tension just drop suddenly.

[@Yoder023]

SPOILER SO SERIOUSLY DONT READ UNLESS YOU'RE THRU THIS EPISODE "Your parents don't like you that's why they got rid of you, and y'know what they were FUCKIN RIGHT!!!" I'm taking 99 points of emotional damage cuz holy fuck dude!!! This is literally a villain pumped up to 11

[@Danny191]

Sam knows how to hit the emotions and personal feeling

[@joshuajordan6278]

Vicious Mockery if I've ever heard it.

[@TaRatTinCan]

I remember in one of the 4sided Dives, Taliesin said the he is waiting for “Other Riegel shoe to drop”. Well, here we are folks.

[@darkvizardking69]

I mean we had the bard's lament, the rogue's misfortune, and now the cleric's bent.

[@Tavviferret]

I'm guessing he has more then two feet....

[@mac_sour]

@@Tavviferret just two wooden ones

[@princessblazena]

Interesting Fact: Sam Riegel wears the same size shoe as his husband, which means their dicks are the same size😌 (The couple noted this in a Talks Machina episode) 😂

[@Lithaos111]

@@mac_sour And a fleshy tongue

[@Masterbundy1]

I think the best quote here is Imogen saying “…you’re a real person, with some serious trauma” hit harder than I thought it would

[@tierra1208]

Imogen is a real philanthropist...really wise choice of words...

[@juliaj1069]

Travis reaction to the wood chisel :D *appears above him* Chetney: *appreciative look upwards* oh! *attacks* Chetney: *betrayed screaming* AAAH!

[@eustacetuberson4375]

*F.C.G.:* Oh, dear. *Ashton:* Oh, dear. *Fearne:* Oderan Wilds. 3:36:07

[@parodycalfilms]

Fearne: Actually I'm a Faun, not a deer.

[@erinalladin6990]

Watching her catch Matt's eye after saying that, and the two of them fighting laughter while everyone else had The Serious Talk, was my favourite part of this whole wild ride of an episode

[@donnyrocket672]

I’ve been saying “Oh dear”en Wilds in my head every single time it’s mentioned this campaign since day one, lol. Can’t stop, won’t stop. Matt has glorious names with alternate sounds/meanings you can never unhear, and I love it when they are pointed out to him and he just looks at you like, “why did you have to ruin that for me?”

[@djburk7930]

When she said that, my brain immediately thought of the Pepe Silvia meme because she said it in the tone she did

[@SSJKenpachiZaraki]

Matt displayed an incredible show of self control from that one. Watching his mouth was so entertaining xD xD

[@alunbuss7877]

I love the subtle reactions to Orym's rant: "If Letters flips out like that again" - FCG starts to worry and panic inside. "If you shred the person next to you" - Chetney instantly, very subtly nods, a clear focus in his eyes. He probably has the easiest solution. "If you turn into Night of the Living Dead" - Laudna is worried much like FCG, a bit more forgivable because she's not exactly "in control" in those times. "If you go ham and smash... anything" - Ashton NODS intensely, and agreeing. He just gave this speech, of COURSE he's gonna agree. Also telling that he's the first to agree to the commitment demand. "If you keep going on a theiving run" - Fearne gets DEFENSIVE. She doesn't see the harm in it, being a Faun, and thus a Fey. "We already talked last night" - Imogen: "Yeah." Trying, bless her heart.

[@alunbuss7877]

Looking back at it, I kinda wish Ashton had called attention to the magic that happens when he Rages, or him Raging in general, in that moment, but he did call attention to that on his own with "I snap all the fucking time". He was ready and willing to commit to Orym's demand.

[@Badusername2000]

i will always love Travis' reactions to big revelations, he really is our representation in this show

[@schaf7415]

He and ashley with her shocked face :D

[@rowgesage936]

Last episode after matt ends it he's like "YOU CANT DO THAT, WHAT" and he was all our spirit animals in that moment

[@MrSpannners]

He may be the CEO but he is also the biggest fan of the show itself.

[@dm04224]

Not all of our representation, to be sure

[@LiquidxAngel]

Travis, after getting mauled by FCG: "I'm such a happy bitch right now." We're right there with you, Travis. LOL

[@Direwolf181]

Yeah he loves every second of murderbot FCG Xd

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

I love it when Travis gets all excited like a little girl.

[@LiquidxAngel]

@@Quotenwagnerianer So do I - it's utterly wholesome. :D

[@chriscobb2102]

Those 2 have an amazing dynamic

[@Bleideris0]

He knew exactly what will happend. Last episode :D

[@blueshoals]

2:02:06 It's so rare to see Sam get completely punked by another player, but Ashley is really pitching nothing but curveballs this campaign. The chaotic energy is delightful.

[@LadyLier17]

Marisha assuring him that it was the monkey 😂

[@VoonNBuddies]

@@LadyLier17 Good eye lol She was so quick on that.

[@yarad2308]

the fact that she got me there XD i was like OMG

[@JACorvin]

I’m really impressed with Ashton this episode. They were so mature and accepting of FCG and ADAMANTLY defended them. No one single person is the entire problem and I’m glad that they see it that way.

[@amodelmannequin]

They had a very "you don't throw away a person just because one piece is broken", and while I think that genuinely comes from them caring deeply about FCG, I can't help but draw the connection that The Nobodies abandoned Ashton as soon as they broke... Ashton is making sure it doesn't happen again

[@Star_on_a_Staff]

@@amodelmannequin Oh definitely. The group was reacting to FCG after the incident like he was broken (Fearne's "open him up," discussing finding Imahara Joe's), and Ashton was left by the Nobodies (sans Milo, who actually took the time to FIX Ashton) after they thought he was broken. SUCH an interesting parallel and a definite explanation for why Ashton reacted so strongly in favor of protecting FCG and their agency.

[@Hallowoct313]

“If we go at your pace it will take forever” ooo that one hurt I felt that. The backhanded hopes coming off Fearne even tho she doesn’t recognize it it’s just how she’s feeling

[@blazypika2]

and the "maybe we'll make memories together that both of us will remember" (2:04:58). sam's reaction was gold xD

[@Hallowoct313]

@@blazypika2 well he has a little kid so he could probably imagine hearing that from his child

[@haku8135]

those fey family meetings are brutal.

[@Ζήνων-ζ1ι]

Weird considering she just found out they were being magically manipulated by the Nightmare King. It's like she just ignored that fact for the sake of a dramatic RP. Very Critical Role and very tiresome.

[@haku8135]

@@Ζήνων-ζ1ι I mean there WAS like, 3 years BEFORE they met Ira where they weren't being magically kept away. Regardless of whether Ira stopped them from leaving sooner, it WAS still entirely their decision to leave Fearne with.... we'll say someone who is very Fey, and that is the part Fearne is most upset about. From her perspective it was NINETY years because of who THEY chose to leave her with. You're not going to just sweep away such a sense of abandonment with one conversation. Fearne's an adult and she hardly knows her own parents. She's OLDER than her parents, by quite a large margin at that. Also, she's FEY, so..... They're kinda weird in general.

[@bitter-bit]

3:39:30 Sam's expression is so heartbreaking because FCG genuinely feels so helpless. Orym is demanding something from them that they doesn't even understand. My heart breaks for this little robbit.

[@stephaniesegura2578]

I know. I couldn’t help but tear up while FCG was responding here. I feel so badly for him.

[@Vooblebooble]

Thank you for the timestamp cause it also made me notice Ashton's hilarious gesturing while FCG was talking

[@JKSSubstandard]

For the record, per their comments. VM episode 31 was the end of scanbo and the rebellion VS undead army. M9 episode 31 was a shopping episode where Jester acquired the dust of deliciousness. However episode 30 was Molly's funeral

[@J75Pootle]

Jester buying the dust of deliciousness was the most impactful moment of C2 I don't know what you mean

[@donalddepew5373]

I love how these guys have gone about this idea of story telling through d&d w/randomness involving the dice.. just bullet point plot lines & a narrative beat they want to follow.. & everything else matt/they fill it in as they go along

[@kjerstielisabethpettersen]

Seeing Liam slam his fist into the table followed by a soft «That was me, Liam» made me laugh so loud

[@pixiedust1977]

for that moment liam was possessed by caleb widogast :)

[@samuraiko]

I actually did the exact same thing (and yelled "I F***ING KNEW IT!") at that moment and startled my husband, who was on his computer behind me with headphones on. :D

[@GoofyGE3K]

Timestamp?

[@riverkath]

Yeah dude I was terrified. I thought Liam was the calm one!

[@footnotelovenote]

@@pixiedust1977 And meanwhile Marisha freezing up with the static crackle of electrical recognition was full Beau

[@UberVilla]

fcg is one of if not the best character i have ever witnessed. the idea of a healer and the stress and trauma and literally taking in peoples pain and trauma and figuratively taking on their pain and trauma, on top of whatever pain and trauma they themselves experience. and not having the luxury of being allowed to be stressed and succumb to it

[@emthatyourefuse2494]

... Ah. I see Sam Riegel has at some point actually BEEN friends with someone completely out of touch with their own anger who believes they only have worth if they're trying to solve everyone else's emotional problems all the time. In real life this usually results in less buzzsaw, but most of the same shouting.

[@ectofrost]

you put it in to words perfectly. this moment made me tear up because of how real that felt.

[@donnyrocket672]

I’ve been that person many times. The last few years I became so overwhelmed with trying to hold together so many people I ended up just cutting off about 5 years of my life almost entirely and “stopped giving a fuck” about other people’s problems. I don’t become a bin for other people’s trash, thinking that will help them, anymore. Especially seeing as it doesn’t. Mostly it just enables them to keep being self destructive and heavily dependent and damaging to everyone else close to them. That scene hit very hard. Thankfully my wife is similar to Ashton and helps protect me and keep me cooled off now.

[@desharkGR]

Damn, most of us been through this right?

[@Secret_Takodachi]

Been there, still there. Its harder to manage alone. Thats all i have to report. I don't recommend it.

[@desharkGR]

@@Secret_Takodachi Don't mate,at the long run it doesn't worth it. Take care of yourself first.

[@justatinyhalfling]

Orym's Speech around 3:37:50 was the true stuff leaders are made of. I know he wants Imogen to lead and she will be amazing at being the head of the BH, but to me, Orym is the heart of the party. The genuine, sincere, quietly beating heart. I love him very much. ♥

[@TaRatTinCan]

It’s kinda ironic that Liam wanted to create a bit a backseat character and see where the story will lead him, and already in two groups the story inevitably led Orym to assume leadership. Fate is a curious thing.

[@drajion8976]

I feel like Orym is the lungs of the group. FCG is the heart. Imogen is the brain. Orym -Regulates and grounds the entirety of the team in reality -prefers not to be the focus but is easily the most consistent/stable character of the group (Both inside and outside of battle) You don’t recognize how crucial he is to the stability of the group until they start going off the rails. Orym speaking is like entirety of the party “meditating”.

[@gorgonheap9770]

@@TaRatTinCan In this case I feel Liam is consistently placing Orym in the position of wise council. He's *literally* the guy in the room who hears everything but gets lost in everything *over his head*. He's a soldier and responds to leaders, and in a group entirely lacking discipline that means whomever is strongest, most respected, or most likely to make hard choices for those who can't or won't. I think Imogen is becoming all three. It now appears that without a focal point for reason in the BH they may all murder each other, and Orym recognizes they are already looking to Imogen for this even if it's not obvious. I'm enjoying this immensely and want to see if Imogen rises to the occasion, cracks under the pressure, or lets it slide by in the cast's typical aversion to party leadership.

[@pauljinkerson6359]

Liam has described Orem as ‘The little half long boy with no powers’ as if he’s this one dimensional npc,and then we see this amazing speech that clearly shows he is the true leader of BH. Liam is low key a treasure.

[@jesterssketchbook]

yup that was some Captain America speech type stuff - also Orym likes to hit enemies with his shield.... hmmmmm 🤔

[@ghomerhust]

Fearne: "it's ok, keep going." THAT ladies and gents is a CHAOS QUEEN holy shit Chetney: "DID SOMEONE SAY THEY NEEDED A DOLL?!" panting out of breath. im DYING here

[@Tiago.S.7]

As much as Orym doesn't want it, he IS the leader of the group. Everyone looks to him for direction, and he is always there for anyone who needs it.

[@darkestlight660]

I think it's less that and more that he sees imogen's potential

[@WorldbuildyMcNPCface]

He's the straight man in a group of psychos lmao

[@zedre7633]

I think Liam is playing him as the archetypal counselor figure, the one wise man behind the insecure king that makes you think "Man THAT guy should be king instead!"

[@privpi]

@@zedre7633 Oh no, not a mentor. His survival chance just dropped to near 0

[@Ethan-nl2wg]

@@zedre7633 yeah I see him more like Caduceus than a leader, there’s never been a leader in any of the campaigns, everyone has always made decisions together

[@dtczyk8976]

I love Marisha’s reaction to keyleth message. Like she is like “yes go on, what do I say?”

[@michaelmleczko6163]

Matt's ability to keep accents straight while still making up necessary story elements is amazing. what a boss

[@jonathanskinner7647]

Ngl the way Matt says “he is far from a humanoid” at 25:39 is just so sinister yet so nice to listen to that I would happily listen to him read an audio book in that voice

[@sym9266]

I’m pretty sure the nightmare king is by definition a humanoid, having 2 arms and 2 legs right?

[@bloodydove5718]

@@sym9266 In regards to the English definition of Humanoid, yes. But as DND defines terms for the purpose of game mechanics, no. The Nightmare King's creature type is Fey, not Humanoid. FCG would have needed to use the spell Hold Monster to get the effect they wanted, since Hold Monster targets a creature, whereas Hold Person targets specifically a humanoid.

[@notsomagicalmike7429]

For a second FCG stood for Fresh Cut Gnome

[@rhokesh4391]

I... probably shouldn't have laughed at this *quite* so hard 😅

[@ReyaitheShadowWolf]

Freshly Cut Gnome

[@queengoblin]

⚰️

[@JaayyBeeee]

Hi everyone! We're Bells Hells! We do more damage to each other than the enemies we fight ... Smiley Day :)

[@LadyJessana1988]

😂

[@feitocomfruta]

Can I just say that after working in healthcare for over two years of a pandemic, FCG basically showed everyone what “empath/compassion burnout” actually looks like PERFECTLY. I’ve quite literally been through this exact scenario and THANK FUCK I was nowhere near anyone when I had my switch flip like that. But this happened to me: 1. Taking on a caregiver role 2. Taking pride in being the carer 3. Making your existence revolve around providing care to others 4. Ignoring your needs to care for others more 5. Carrying more weight and negativity because others aren’t seeing you care enough 6. Hitting the wall because you physically cannot keep moving 7. Unloading all the negativity and vitriol built up in a violent/aggressive manner 8. Resetting to zero and returning to step 1

[@Drekromancer]

I came here to say this. They did such a good job mechanically modeling what we do. This isn't just a simulation - it's a faithful homage. And getting that kind of respect from Sam Riegel is exactly the kind of thing that helps me keep going. I hope it helps you, too. ❤️

[@user-mu8ok5xf8d]

What if this is exactly what his stress points relate to. And hitting him puts him in the rage state

[@feitocomfruta]

@@Drekromancer it has helped a bit, but I’m also at a point that FCG is not: being WILLING AND ABLE to acknowledge the darkness of the trauma and recognize when I need to ask for help.

[@mickmash13]

I also came here to say this. I worked as a live in caregiver with minimal help during the pandemic, and this represents burnout very well. I had to quit working with that family because, while I never got violent, I came incredibly close to cussing out my boss and just walking out when I finally cracked. if anyone else had been there to take care of the peraon, I probably would've. the way Sam played that felt incredibly real and it made me very emotional.

[@alexblack8219]

How do you get out of the cycle? I've gotten to the point where I have practically pushed everyone away because I don't want to deal with it, but I'm now depressed because I don't feel needed/wanted anymore and still desire to be that caregiver kind of person. I'm on anti-depressants and can function through a daily life, but still feel kinda empty and alone.

[@hailhydra91]

That whole scene when Ashton smashed the lens thinking that if it's magical, it won't break made me laugh so much. I had to re-watch it a few times.

[@FaerieWithAHalo]

I mean, it was a totally reasonable assumption.

[@konstance13]

Reminds me of in Uncle Buck when he goes, "Wow, unbreakable glass" and smashes a vase on the floor.

[@rhonaw3409]

@@FaerieWithAHalo what would it have even accomplished!

[@billbill3915]

@@rhonaw3409 The party, and especially Talesin, know that magical items can't be destroyed, and use that fact to determine if things are magical without having to use a detect magic, or identify spell all the time. I can only assume he wanted to test to make sure the magic wasn't used up in the machine? But I bet Matt deliberately took that proclivity to smash would be magical items, and used it to teach another lesson. Like in campaign one (spoiler) when they used to sneak attack, and assassinate first, ask questions later, and Vax, and Vex, ended up killing the groups family members. Matt keeps track of stuff like that, and lets it come back to haunt the group in beautiful ways.

[@FieryFlamingFajitas]

Lol and then Laudna going "Why, everywhere I go there are broken rocks! Wtf Ashton" xD

[@setlerking]

the fact that they have an actual matt mini never ceases to make me laugh

[@UninspiredArtemis]

My heart is breaking for Laudna. She’s in the midst of an Alphonse Elric level existential crisis.

[@Juli-zg7sj]

Oh god not Alphonse 😭

[@Secret_Takodachi]

could be worse, I knew a girl & her dog that got it worse... 🤭

[@DredgenStorm]

@@Secret_Takodachi no. No. NO!

[@aurifulgore]

@@Secret_Takodachi u need to take an internet time out 😭

[@alftuvik3820]

@@Secret_Takodachi Too soon!

[@Lynch2507]

Im only like, half an hour in so correct me if im wrong, but has ANYONE put together the fact there's a weave around Ruidus and there's a deity known as the *Moonweaver* ?

[@shinybugg9156]

I had not, but that can't be a coincidence! Good eye!

[@Rellyks]

And fearne did wanted to look at catha. It's really possible that there's another weave like that in the white moon

[@uninterruptedrhythm4104]

But the Moonweaver is not imprisoned, unless you're saying that the Moonweaver made the weave around Ruidus? That could be interesting

[@katierose6424]

Omgggggggg good call!!! Maybe the moonweaver joined the pantheon to keep whatever is going on with the moon on the moon 👀

[@trise2033]

...whose Vestige was used to power the telescope? And whose counterpart, Lolth, just had her Vestige awakened and active recently? Yeah, I caught that.

[@jeffblimisinahurry]

i forgot how cruel sam riegel can be, oh my gosh that was intense

[@ladyhella7560]

He is the man that only rerolled a 1 when was fighting against his teammates XD

[@bennablewooders8723]

I kinda miss the days of being behind a campaign and having 100+ episodes left to catch up on.

[@Low_Dragonfly]

Ugh man the height of luxury was starting campaign 1 a year ago. I do like having a good show to look forward to though.

[@eartheclipse8]

Same! Silver lining though, you don't have to dodge spoilers like bullets

[@troikas3353]

Matt: "we'll see you in two weeks" Me: *furiously clicking next episode wondering why that doesn't work anymore*

[@JayAllenftw]

Same here although being all caught up certainly has freed up time SIGNIFICANTLY.

[@Salsmachev]

Nooooo once I fall behind I know I'll never finish it. I am desperately clinging to staying up to date.

[@rosesleeps]

Theory(?): I swear FCG feels like a metaphor for an empathetic person taking on the pain of others so much they get burn out. There's more to it, I'm sure, but that's the impression I get.

[@stevenpaul1326]

He is almost the spitting image of the Dalai Lama's: "Ethics of compassion"

[@hannahcpenner]

I was wondering if it would go there, and after this episode, that definitely seems like the case. There's a saying that empathy without boundaries is self-destruction, which is exactly what FCG is experiencing-except it's not only destructive for them, but everyone around him too.

[@rosesleeps]

@@hannahcpenner Yes! You've said it perfectly.

[@majonnaise]

Tbh I was kinda under the impression that that’s where it will go from very early on, I kinda hope there will be more to his arc though

[@QuantemFear]

I agree

[@shannononeill482]

OMG. Sam, who had never played D&D until Liam talked him into playing for Liam's birthday...over 3 campaigns...has had one of the best characters each time.

[@alexandertiberius1098]

It's amazing and kind of tragic how the rest of them don't see Orym's trauma playing out, as so often that sort of thing does go unseen, even by the people close to you. At every moment he is waiting for things to go bad, waiting for the people he cares for to be in danger, He would rather have enemies attack him than them and literally swaps places with them when they are in danger. Even the way he works out every morning seems to be more than just the fact that he is a fighter class, it's because he won't let his home be attacked again, he won't lose his husband again. He just won't. As someone who has had a taste of that myself, it's painful and yet somehow kind of therapeutic to watch. Massive respect to Liam For his portrayal of PTSD.

[@roxana5490]

❤

[@twistedbambi2370]

Ngl I started crying when he had his speech and said "we need to be better together than we are alone". Liam did a wonderful job of giving his voice that hurt, broken sound that I recognize far too well from trying to keep it all and the group together

[@roftherealm3418]

I have PTSD, and I whole-heartedly agree. Caleb from Campaign 2 was me dealing with my trauma and confronting the pain, barely holding together but working through it. Orym is me now, having done a lot of healing and moving on in my life but still sore and protective and scared that it could all happen again. Major, major props to Liam. I hope that he's healing from whatever taught him how to portray this so accurately, because it feels too true to be just good acting.

[@caramel7050]

​@@roftherealm3418 he did say that calebs character was very personal to him as a person. theres no way he hasnt struggled with trauma himself

[@MycoArsenic39]

Honestly, I thought it was a matter of time before FCG would snap. So far in the campaign, we’ve seen them be the mediator for the group, the therapist, someone who always have a positive can-do attitude. But as soon as the past started to catch up to them, that’s when all that positivity shifted into something that has built up inside, rage. Also, one of FCG’s lens is smaller than the other one, which alludes to the incident of the “one-eyed monster.” Also, it’s interesting to see how some of the members of Bell’s Hells is affected by FCG. Ashton, who’s always been their closest friend and protector, has a very tough and polarized attitude compared to FCG, now shows a sense of vulnerability when seeing their friend in distress. Laudna, who is has a bubbly and friendly demeanor, is struggling with Delilah’s spirit in her head, who is trying to contradict her into thinking that her friends would turn on her. She’s already worried and cautious about hurting her loved ones again (Imogen with the rocks). When FCG attacked and made those comments onto her, hearing those words that aligned with what Delilah said, Laudna goes into protection mode and hurt her friend in order to protect herself. And that’s one of the things that she fears the most, hurting her friends again. Fearne is already struggling on how she should feel about her parents leaving and abandoning her. Orym, who is usually quiet and is sort of the second in command of group, shifted to a very stern and serious attitude after seeing all the chaos, laying down the ground rules in order to keep the group together. Imogen is struggling to fit into her role as leader while also struggling her own psychic turmoil. And Chetney is fucked up by the beautiful craftsmanship of a giant, spiritual wood chisel. In conclusion, this group needs a therapist, especially for THEIR therapist.

[@ncpolley]

Is Imogen the leader though? When has she actually acted leader? Both Ashton and Orym have played the leader roll more frequently. Ashton most of all.

[@jlokison]

@@ncpolley Neither Ashton nor Orym have much charisma. Although they pushed Ashton to lead in some cases it is not a role Ashton is comfortable with nor wants. Imogen falls into odd pseudo leadership role often and Orym trusts her with non combat decisions

[@ncpolley]

@@jlokison Imogen has Charisma? Do you mean the stat or the character trait? I'd rate basically every party member above Imogen in terms of their charisma. Laudna is weird but endearing. FCG can be cute. Chetney is charmingly strange. Ashton is bold and a little cocky. Fearne is a loveable bumbling mess. Orym is (to be fair) probably the closest to Imogen in charismatic ability. But he benefits from being confident and direct where Imogen is not. Like, I don't mean to just hate on Imogen or anything, but she's not terribly *charismatic*. She's sweet.

[@erinalladin6990]

@@ncpolley But when it comes to communicating in an effective way with other people in their world, she's invaluable.

[@chriscobb2102]

I vote artagon

[@MycoArsenic39]

After this episode, it makes much more sense for FCG to have his own cadaver skin mask.

[@Cursed_Curator]

The Bassuras Buzzsaw Massacre 🤣🤣

[@isaacgraff8288]

@@Cursed_Curator I am all for it

[@GothiQhaQer]

I feel like the Hells are really unreasonable to Fearne’s parents. While Dusk deceived, mocked and antagonized them they still gave her the benefit of the doubt. The Calloways have told them the same story individually and together, did what they thought was best which seemed logical for what they knew. They even showed remorse for the things that went wrong and the Hells still are trying to make them out to be terrible people when they’re objectively more criminal. It’s crazy

[@elisam.2896]

It's just hard to deal with such utter stupidity. Like, they cant help being who they are but the callousness with which they treated their daughter, their ignorance and yet utter conviction and the whole thing blowing up in their faces. Whoo boy, imagine if those are supposed to be your long lost parents. Ones you havent seen for 90 years, who seem to not really care that its been 90 years for you cause it's only been 6 for them?? Yeah, I get where the anger comes from.

[@nikkikindinger2718]

I think a lot of people can relate to having stupid but well-meaning parents and how frustrating that can be.

[@CelestialKitsune975]

I don't think I've seen anyone so happy about their character getting attacked by a Buzzsaw XD

[@konstance13]

I relate to Travis so much lol. That pure hyper giddiness when horrific things happen in-game, especially involving character reveals and pvp.

[@reichadendeng9007]

Can we talk about how freaking wholesome Sam's ads bit.... my heart wasnt ready. Sending all of u all the love for u and your family💙💙

[@erbgorre]

he also casually brought sam3000 into the nordverse

[@timd4524]

The voice sync was so bad on twitch I had to switch to KZbin. It was like watching a badly dubbed movie. Kind of ruined it.

[@guillermoandresdiaz7284]

Same! I almost cried. So wholesome 😣

[@LordOwenLongstrider]

OMG, I took a drink right as Ashton was like "Are we hitting parents? I want to hit a parent!" and I nearly choked from laughing so hard. 😂🤣

[@hoshimi5707]

Sam Riegal, man, that was WILD!!!! Every campagin, he never fail to impress me as a person and also as their characters. This ep was reallly Awsome, from Sam's heartwarming ad to their parent talk, and from FCG snap to Liam/Orym's dialogue. This ep is the one, Bell Hell truly become connected and become more than just a good group of friends this is the start of their road to found family like VM and M9 and I can't wait to witness their process.

[@hlynkacg9529]

Like Laura, I was waiting the whole time for the other shoe to drop and it didn't.

[@themoviecritic1092]

THIS

[@nomnomnorm8035]

Wait this was you?

[@135mikerules23]

I don’t know about the rest of you but this episode proved to me that the BH are led not by a single leader, but by a triumvirate. (Ashton, Imogen and Orym)

[@allylavender3023]

Heart (Orym) Head (Imogen) and Initiative (Ashton)

[@Drekromancer]

@@allylavender3023 Orym ❤️ - Imogen 🗣️ - Ashton 🔨

[@queengoblin]

I love that

[@weebjeez]

Idk. Part of me likes that? But another part of me sees parallels between Campaign 2. Where, early game, Caleb and Nott acted as a smaller team amid the bigger one. I feel like Ashton is taking on a role like what Nott did for Caleb. Ashton's more of a liability than a leader, at this point. Because what he really excels at is making enemies. And depending on how he does that, it can be harmful or helpful, and IDK if Ashton is at a point where he's knowledgeable enough to make the right decisions.

[@neisovo8177]

@@allylavender3023 I actually would argue that Orym its the moral compass and Ashton is the heart, like he is the one talking about caring about each other and that they need each other, while Orym its more focused in what they need to do (love both of them though, and Imogen really is the brains)

[@RobertHartleyGM]

I just wayched that mighty belch 8 times, watching each person's reaction. Travis is the only one not to react, like it's so commonplace it doesn't even register. Hilarious.

[@TimStamper89]

I missed that

[@CJMGalaxy]

He married that and he's damn proud.

[@halfwaybrooks4202]

Yo! Robert, loving the bored mini series.

[@ProperlyGaming]

Once youre married there aint nothing you aint seen your partner do. Hell just a few months into a relationship you usually have seen everything about your partner, if they are gassy and let out loud belches every once and a while that will be one of the first things you notice.

[@perigraph6644]

It becomes funnier when you consider Laura was one of the two people that delivered Grog's belch on Vox Machina--and the other person wasn't Travis either.

[@hannahcpenner]

I know a lot is going on with FCG, but beyond them, Orym really stood out to me this episode. His speech was so surprising and powerful in the context of the narrative, but also exactly what I would expect from Liam O'Brien-nothing short (pun intended) of amazing. I'm very excited to see how his character continues to develop.

[@samuraiko]

Liam is hands-down my favorite player to watch at the table.

[@whiskeySe7en]

He made a similar speech earlier in the campaign aswell

[@MrMarcel997]

I love Liam's reaction when Ludinus was oficially named to be the other person

[@johnblack8872]

What was his significance again i completely forget

[@Bugbite0656]

@@johnblack8872 He's the head of the Cerberus Assembly. He was above Trent and conspired with him to steal the beacon and experiment on it, then covered up the theft after finding a second one naturally.

[@stephencarmickle]

How did Liam know ludinus had anything to do with this? Were there clues I missed or something?

[@lynallott3404]

@@stephencarmickle Just the description of him, kinda yells Cerberus Assembly now I look back at it.

[@mayaenglish5424]

@@stephencarmickle old elf man up to no good involved in a global conspiracy, wasn't necessarily Ludinus but he did pop up in my brain too. Watching Liam's reaction was fun.

[@liongus]

SPOILERS . Laudna's attack on FCG kinda ended that PvP moment right there, like imagine if FCG had the time to out loud go after everybody, blaming Orym for his husband's death, saying Imogen was a bringer of death, saying Ashton is unwanted and should keep being alone

[@TakeWalker]

Ashton being all there for hitting parents made my day. :D And oh my god, FCG's first Sending is the saddest thing ever ;_; Holy shit the end of this episode. Poor FCG.

[@brittanyhoward1741]

the fact that Sam is wearing the Scanlan Shorthalt shirt on the episode this third character gets an emotional breakdown just hurts more.

[@dreliamdoggolordeternal9589]

I would like to see Kyleth's reaction to Laudna. I bet Ki Ki would recognize her, its not something easy to forget

[@elliekitabjian2069]

Orym and Imogen have Vex/Vax energy and their interactions turn into a highlight every time 🥹

[@Direwolf181]

Once twinnies always twinnies

[@PeTTs0n88]

"You're dead to me" 😅

[@elliekitabjian2069]

I would vote them co-captains of the BH without hesitation

[@Direwolf181]

@@elliekitabjian2069 they are the most sane... when the universe isn't shiting on poor Imogen

[@Sceptile29]

@@elliekitabjian2069 I saw another comment put it wonderfully. Imogen is the leader who makes the plans and does the thinking, and Orym is the first mate, keeping the others in line, which is shown wonderfully in his speech Can't wait for Orym to snap. That'll be an absolute disaster for the rest of the party if he isn't able to keep them in control because he himself isn't

[@serenityfreeman5906]

This is truly the most insane episode, it feels like such a turning point for campaign 3

[@Toblerone6421]

It hasent even been a minute. But yea i agree

[@Comrade2261]

@@Toblerone6421 haha

[@themoviecritic1092]

This, the team actually seems that they are becoming one

[@serenityfreeman5906]

@@Toblerone6421 sjdhjdsi yeah I watched it live, I just wanted to give first time viewers a warning

[@serenityfreeman5906]

@@themoviecritic1092 For the first time since Robbie left I've actually felt the stakes and attachment to them like I did the VM and the m9

[@marioboulanger5999]

On a personal note, a shout out to Sam who made an incredible very touching NordVPN plug. Laterz.