FJORD'S REAL NAME (2x91) | CRITICAL ROLE HIGHLIGHTS (SPOILER)

[@fatcoyote2]

"I'm sure you've told us, again, it's just I never listen to anything." Is Travis playing Fjord, or is Fjord Travis?

[@MrShivshank]

yes

[@uHasioorr]

In this campaign I would say that whole crew smuggled a little bit more of themselves, into their characters.

[@devildham]

He wasn't listening the first time.....seriously....that's basically what Travis said.

[@StayFrostyX279]

Funny thing I went back to that episode when Caduecas first mentions this story and I compare Travis' expression to this time. He totally looks like he's spacing out in episode 70.

[@SaintBigfoot]

The night Tal told Caduceus mission Travis and Laura were on vidcall and because of his ADHD and the lag on the headphones he couldn’t hear or focus on anything the others were saying. It’s why he was quiet for most of the episode.

[@darkroselight3835]

I love how he just turns and looks at Matt, like "Did you know about this? Did you have something to do with this?!"

[@georgiawilksch5708]

darkrose light and Matt doesn’t look at him so Travis just stares at him

[@kinamiya1]

darkrose light funny thing is i think matt said that it was pure coincidence

[@czr3k18]

First the shock @3:46, then the LOOK @4:01.... twas fjortold lol

[@thegaspatthegateway]

My fave is when Matt looks back and shrugs like "Yea man I'm seeing this too wth haha DND amirite??"

[@hobbitbobbitt]

"Yes that's my full name. Fjord F. Stone." What's the F stand for? "Flint."

[@117darksonic]

Coal

[@texteel]

is there a fictional universe where a "Tripple F burger" exsist?

[@rimurutempest4945]

Kevokevo it’s stupid but I want the F to still stand for Fjord

[@BOLANAREDE321]

I thought his middle name was Shelby? ;)

[@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794]

So wait...If that was the case then his initials would literally mean "For Fucks Sake"

[@Quadraxis]

That realization on Travis's (and possibly also Fjord's) face when Caduceus says the name of the Stone family. Love it. Best thing is that the whole thing is a huge coincidence waiting to happen since day 1.

[@hfar_in_the_sky]

Possibly a coincidence, but I would not be at all surprised if Fjord's "orphan name" was something that was set up by Matt when they were creating their characters. If you look at 4:00 you can notice that Travis gives Matt a curious look, which I personally interpreted as Travis going "Did you set this up?"

[@FuNeRoCk]

you think so huh? i bet mercer is laughing out loud for this comment

[@texteel]

@@hfar_in_the_sky how much details of the 3 bothers came from Taliesin? Could Matt have gone "Clay huh? Lets make the other 2... Dust and Stone" ?

[@bluebird8221]

@@hfar_in_the_sky nope, Travis and Matt said on Twitter that Travis made the name stone (given by the bad woman at the orphanage cause he was an orphan toss off like a stone or something) and that Taliesin invented the name stone for the third family. Matt don't have any role in the coincidence apparently

[@hankfahly5358]

@@hfar_in_the_sky yeah but cad wasnt even a thought when Fjord was made

[@TheCandyManTeam]

I didn’t notice the first time, but when Talisein mentioned the Stone family for the prophecy, Travis was staring at Matt, probably to figure out if he had told Talisein or it was an actual coincidence.

[@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794]

I feel like Matt would have been involved in some way. He probably just didn't imply it to either of them...Or it could be some miracle coincidence. We'll just have to wait till the next Talks Machina or maybe the end of the campaign to actually find out cause I'm sure someone is going to ask about it

[@jacobsmith8377]

It probably was coincidence, but a good dm would work it in. And mat is the dm if dms

[@grimmofsparta5022]

@@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794 I believe they've already said on talks and apparently, it was straight coincidence lol

[@jakeholmes9296]

I don’t think this was a coincidence, Matt works heavily with his players and their backstories so I would guess Matt worked with tal on this, though didn’t tell Tal about it. I would guess that bit that tal read was given to him by Matt. I could be wrong but this would be my guess

[@Rixstarian]

Matt admitted on Twitter that this was a case of sheer coincidence, & that it was like things just aligned.

[@bradleyedson8596]

So Fjord is really turning into "The Protagonist"

[@djarchangel6695]

Well, Vax kind of had that role by the end of campaign 1, so I guess it's someone else's turn?

[@OverkillDM]

Caleb and Fjord seem to be trading that role back and forth a lot. They seem to have the most influence over the major plot beats. Fjord has had the most visible arc, while Caleb has been the most involved with the 'world story' of the Dynasty vs the Empire. Caleb also seems to have the most defining moments (the wall of fire on Avantika's ship & the decision to present the beacon to the Bright Queen come to mind). Everyone else has roles that wouldn't classically be considered that of the protagonist (except for maybe Beau, who's narrative is a pretty classic Bildungsroman story). Nott's story is more often than not (heh) in the background, and she generally acts more as a foil character to Caleb in *most* circumstances. Jester is the heart of the party, but is too unconcerned to be a classic protagonist - acts as a foil to Fjord in a lot of cases. Caduceus is the classic mentor character. His role is to provide wisdom to steer the other characters in the right direction - something he's freely admitted on multiple occasions. Yasha is a little more awkward to place since we only got Ashley back a few sessions ago, but thus far her character has been somewhat of a foil to everyone (particularly when she was taken by Oban) to put aside their pride and differences and remain united as a team. ...And I did not mean for that to turn into an essay... Huh... Guess it just kinda happens sometimes :P

[@Thagesthoughts]

@@OverkillDM This is a good estimation. I'd say Beau and Duc trade off on the role of Lancer/Number Two to both Fjord and Caleb, as well as their other role in the narrative.

[@thegaspatthegateway]

@@OverkillDM I could read books about this lol

[@diablofrag2177]

I definitely think Caleb is more of a classic protagonist but the thing with a group is trying to make sure everyone gets an equal share of attention. Sure they're all friends willing to have fun and don't really care about the spotlight, but eventually even Liam is gonna try and give everyone else their moments, Beau feels like classic sidekick material and Caduceus is "just there", but then there's Nott and her role varies along with Jester, it's difficult to see things from both Liam AND Calebs point of view at once unless you're Liam.

[@MegaActionSeries]

3:45 you see Fjords whole body language change as he starts putting it together. Such a good moment

[@Archos777]

The look he gives to Matt is amazing

[@thegaspatthegateway]

In that moment, Fjord and Travis were collectively shook XD

[@DonnyVick]

5:34 is the face of a DM who has been waiting for that info drop for AGES.

[@ThatGreyGentleman]

I love how as soon as Tal says “the family of stone” Travis just kinda looks dumbfounded at Matt/off into the middle distance

[@Aikrehn]

When the Wildmother starts influencing the D&D game itself.

[@MrSHADOWANGEL999]

Momma knows best, and no snea snake gonna stand in her way of taking care of her kids

[@thegaspatthegateway]

Tal is LOVING this weird spooky miracle

[@talitaminnie]

Seeing this comment after the end of campaign 2, oh boy, let me tell you about _interventions_ ...

[@keitaro82uk]

i love how travis looks towards matt with that "REALLY?" sort of look but matt doesn't notice the gaze

[@General_Pinkledink]

He noticed, he always notices.... A good DM just dosnt acknowledge things like that because it gives too much away.

[@JdR2V]

5:27 this moment says everything! Travis is like: "This has to be a coincidence right?" and Matt is like: "Oh it's on MF!!" XD

[@djarchangel6695]

I'm pretty sure it's canon at this point that Matt loves the screw with Travis specifically

[@thegaspatthegateway]

My absolute fav part

[@VDVit_2013]

I love how Sam snuck a "Fjord Tough" joke in there "that's a tough last name" ^_^

[@bencanevari4056]

What makes Caduceus my favorite is how humble he always strives to be. I know he's a fictional character and a firbolg, he has more humanity than I've seen either in a fantasy setting or even in the real world.

[@fatcoyote2]

I'm waiting for him to go off. Just completely lose his cool. He kinda did when he threw platinum at the Nightmare in Ivory, but that barely counts. I want him to lose his shit, and I want it to be messy and satisfying.

[@master1221]

much better than his last character by far.

[@bencanevari4056]

@@master1221 Mollymauk was the worst character by far

[@master1221]

@@bencanevari4056 agreed I dont get how so many people loved him lol

[@josephvickrey5396]

@@bencanevari4056 I dont know mollymuk had his charm. Then again the "worst" Talisen (I know I misspelled it.) Character is still pretty good.

[@nafereuskortex9055]

3:45 He immediately stops moving and listen closely when he says "The family of Stone..."

[@Vogelkinder]

The sudden look Travis gives Matt is priceless, upon hearing "The Family of Stone".

[@Viz369-m8q]

If you think about what Caduceus is saying it all links: The family of Stone: You shall take the limbs of this hero and walk the planes until you find an oasis at the mouth of a red and gold veined cave. Thereupon that altar you shall feed these limbs to the beasts that walk there so that they may hold my mark. To this site you shall build a managerie that shall be my gift to the changebringer to her that nature is infinite The purple crystal references to is being a seed by Ashley make me thing that this seed needs to be planted inside Fjord to rid him of the orbs he consumed. Reasoning:swords were referred to in medieval ages as limbs. Fjord has the sword of the wildmother. Leviathan traditional colouring is supposed to be a deep red according to mythological lore, and the eyes are golden Feeding limbs to the beast may be a reference for using the sword to combat the leviathan, and building a managerie could be a reference to building Fjord as a champion given he is from the managerie coast Just speculation, but Matt has out done himself with this connection

[@teacooper6485]

Thanks dude, it's so well written!!! :P

[@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794]

Yo...I swear if Matt wasn't a Voice actor, I bet he'd be a damn good writer

[@katherinejanusch2328]

That sounds perfect

[@takinggaming6640]

Could the cave be the one Ukatoa was leading them too? That was near the coast too, and that’d be an even bigger couincadink right?

[@thegaspatthegateway]

Taleisin wrote all of that himself, I thought? So these connections are even stranger! In any case... I never made that connection, limbs = sword, and Managerie/Coast. That's so cool! If meeting the Dusts was Fjord rejecting the darkness and being 'refjorged' a hero, and meeting the Stones will be his test to uphold that mantle... then I can't wait to see what happens in the end when Cad and Fjord finally discover the fate of the Clays o.o

[@eventingirl001]

Its not just the "Stone" part, there was something else that clicked for him in Cad's description...I don't know what but its in there.

[@Vidiri]

"You will take the limbs of this hero and walk the planes until..." I think Fjord may be the "hero" the prophesy mentions that the family of clay needs to travel with? Maybe I'm reading it wrong though

[@thegaspatthegateway]

@@Vidiri that totally makes sense omg im gettin chills

[@Griffingterra]

4:02 I just love that Natural Expression of Confusion and Accusation, all at the same time, on Travis' face xD

[@ilikepie219]

*shakes fists at the sky* MERCER!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@danielwilson8604]

Had nothing to do with it. So swears the playets

[@seanmcgcostumes]

5:45 Caleb saying, "It wouldn't b the first one in this group," while looking at Nott? I love this callback to when Nott gave part of her real last name, "Bren," as a fake name not knowing that Caleb's true first name is Bren. By coincidence, 4 of the 7 players inadvertently made names that link them to another player and it's all be there from the beginning. It's all truly just one weird, huge coincidence.

[@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794]

Although I feel like in Fjord and Cad's case, it's something that was neatly and discreetly woven by Matt. Just look at Matt's face when he looked back at Travis, that is a face of man that is ready to blow your mind

[@MarcRodriguez1]

@@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794 Nah, thats not Matt's style. If anything he probably saw the coincidence as it happened and then definitely did something with it, but I don't think he influenced Tal's decision in including the name.

[@kuroganekaze]

@@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794 I believe Matr has said on twitter that it was a coincidence.

[@thegaspatthegateway]

I wish the others had heard Caleb's comment, bc that is such a cosmic coincidence! The M9 were joined together by fate ❤

[@dragonjames4500]

Like a stone oh like a stone Fjord tuff

[@levishackelton4437]

Dragon James, I thought Chevys were supposed to be “like a rock” lol

[@jrdds]

LIKE A VROCK!!!! OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH, LIKE A VROCK!!!

[@nira6064]

Imagine, they go to the Stones and Fjord finds his real family. It would be cool af.

[@fortojomo]

omg, you can see the spark of realization in Travis's eyes when the name Stone is brought up, as well as Matt trying to hold back a smile throughout....

[@pikagammerpluspizza7478]

I think Liam gave a metaphor of Matt surprising his players with odd aspects of their backstory when they least suspect it...

[@xxrabbitsnipezxx5794]

Tbh as funny as that was I thought Liam was just exaggerating but now...I have no more doubts

[@jcoonie2]

Its got to be pure coincidence travis even went on talks and said as such since when cad was being made tal didnt have knowledge of fjords last name let alone how close the two would become. If anything it just shows how good matt and crew are able to tell a story where even coincidences look like fate

[@Vidiri]

@@jcoonie2 Then again, who made the prophesy? Taliesin or Matt?

[@thegaspatthegateway]

@@Vidiri p sure I remember it being Tal, but I wish I could remember where he said that!

[@forgotn42]

You can actually see the moment when Fjord processes what Cad said and focuses in on it. He gets *real* intense at that point.

[@kinghoenn3478]

I don't know why but I am excited to see Cad act like the youngest sibling when he is around his family. I just feel like he was a cheeky one.

[@danielwilson8604]

Possibly because it will give us.... Context. Answers to who he is, where he comes from and how much is.... Him... How much is his environment. What kind of person was he to his family before, and how will they see the family he has now?

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

*Prepares to doot the bone flute with malicious intent*

[@internetfriend6701]

I love the look Travis gives Matt when Cad mentions "Stone"

[@actually_a_catt]

Talisian and ashley intently studying an imaginary rock is my aesthetic

[@cassmaelou]

Well, the M9 have 3 gods paying attention to them...4, if you count Ioun, but Beau doesn't take that part of the Cobalt Soul seriously, so let's stick with 3. I think we can all agree that The Traveller wasn't going to intervene with Uk'otoa (Uk'otoa). So that left The Wildmother and The Stormlord. If there is really something to Fjord's last name being Stone, that is a major reason The Wildmother would intervene and save him from the clutches of Uk'otoa (Uk'atoa). Makes sense to me...aka, I see what you did there Mr. Mercer to tie your players' stories together 👏👏👏

[@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657]

Give it time and Caleb will become a follower or acolyte or something of Ioun considering his thirst for knowledge.

[@MarcRodriguez1]

What makes it better is that both travis and taliesin came up with "Stone" separately. I expect nothing less for mercer to take advantage of that. I know I would XD

[@raptorjesues1445]

this episode was a rollercoster of wtf moments, loved it

[@MrSHADOWANGEL999]

and so further intertwines the destinies of the nein

[@crowfee2910]

Curse you Mercer! We've been tricked, bamboozled, we've been... *MERCED*

[@Daldalusda1st]

I don’t believe in coincidences even when it happens. Good line Is good.

[@foximoron499]

4:01 Travis looking at Matt...

[@travioli9643]

How many times has the family of stone been mentioned now? How is he now just hearing this for the first time lol

[@MarcRodriguez1]

The first time he was away and using a laptop to join, but his connection was shitty and he didnt catch everything.

[@DaRkasSet13]

I hope they haven't forgotten about this (I mean, it's Travis, at this point it's been 3 months since the hiatus, he's probably forgotten)because it's a cool arc that they should explore.

[@jaredsousa9356]

Listen, if the Stone family consists of either all or even 1 Orc or Half-Orc then there is a chance that Fjord is related to them. If it’s humans then there is a chance, but a much lower chance.

[@totalcoward]

Imagine they get to the Menagerie and there’s a Human guy who is a spitting image of a tuskless Fjord

[@DARKM4TTER3]

4:00 Fjord sudden realization

[@Alassandros]

Fjord was key in defeating the endgame bbeg. Caduceus was key in post-endgame goal. Wild brothers ftw.

[@stugod5000]

It's destiny... I wonder if fjord is the only paladin , a champion of the wild other, the verdent blade

[@jessicagarner8463]

I don't know why, but "A Champion of the Wildmother, The Verdant Blade" sounds so epically cool and awesome.

[@Scrumbumbler]

Having gone back to your Season 1 Highlights, its cool to see your quality content Steadily increasing in quality Feels good. Keep on truck'n compadre

[@CriticalRoleHighlights]

[@Alassandros]

The family of stone... But Caduceus's family was all encased in stone so...

[@safouenelamouchi1390]

STONE and he is from the MENAGERIE coast hhh

[@scottbruckner4653]

Stone... Family... F'jord is the first in the stone family...

[@thegaspatthegateway]

Give it up to Travis for staying in character as Fjord, and even using it to deepen his portrayal!

[@czr3k18]

anyone else looking forward to the "workout in the morning" at horrible times for Fjord gag keeping on through the rest of the campaign?

[@giraffedragon6110]

Part of me wonders just HOW far Matt thinks ahead. If I had to bet... probably either started around or at the reforged episode.

[@kherubim1]

Didn't Caduceus tell the story of the three families before? Fjord seems to just now realize the coincidence that Stone is his last name.

[@Xzilerating]

He did, maybe more than once, like a full telling then minor references after. It was a story on the origin of the families first if I'm not misremembering

[@cinder8151]

You’ve never been a bastard...

[@tishabyte]

I am sure Matt planned this. It was just a matter of when it would come up. After all Fjord was there from the beginning and Cadueces was after Molly's death so Matt just worked with Talesin on the backstory but probably didn't tell him Fjord's surname to let it be a surprise to both.

[@Xzilerating]

It has to be this. The "coincidence" reasoning is a bit too far fetched. Even if it is, it would show that Travis really misses out on a lot of information during sessions.

[@MultiJellybones]

1:24 for the life of I could not figure out who laughed..

[@KSxSilver_Joker]

I think it was Sam, based on pitch and his shoulders moving when you hear the laugh

[@victorvaldez3409]

4:00 "Matthew fucking mercer you son of a bitch"

[@feyefall4855]

A coincidence like that of which a dm can only dream!

[@EthalaRide]

This is an insane fucking coincidence. Especially because Tal only came up with this like a week after Molly died and everyone else had been established for a minute. nuts. I remember Tal talking about it on Talks that he just wanted to come up with lore about rituals for taking care of dead bodies when the Death God is so recent. He came up with this, *but he did say Matt made one or two small changes* during the note-passing process. I'm assuming it was mostly just outrageous coincidence as opposed to Matt masterminding the entire thing, but this whole thing is dope as hell regardless.

[@Reven619]

5:30 THE DM GRIN! HE PLANNED THIS. MERCER!

[@MarcRodriguez1]

He didnt plan this, it was a coincidence. BUT There's no way in hell he didnt come up with something to work it in >:D

[@greeninferno1339]

Between 3:49 and 3:50 Travis puts it together

[@brownbruce27]

I, like the Wildmother, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence.

[@iasonastzene9151]

i wander if this is rly a coincidence or if Mat planted this from the point cad came into the picture ? hmmmmm

[@andrewcollins3420]

Catch that? "What my parents are"......the truth slips out

[@tiredandangry2480]

Travis was so broken in this part. I love it.

[@blakesmith7818]

The look Travis gives to Matt...

[@21BearPapa]

Fjord just Fjorgot again

[@ellispedersen4192]

As someone with crippling ADHD it makes me so sad seeing how much Travis gets made fun of over forgetting stuff.

[@MarcRodriguez1]

Its not even fair. In the episode where cad is explaining his backstory, Travis was away, and had to use a shitty laptop with crappy ass connection. he could barely hear anything, and he said there was so much lag that it was difficult to follow.

[@tyetnic]

I honestly think it was just a coincidence. Stone isn't an uncommon word.

[@loudmusic4us179]

But it's not his real name if it's what he got from the orphanage isn't it?

[@CriticalRoleHighlights]

That depends on the reason for why he got it. Was it a random name or not? We don't know.

[@TheKroganMaster]

@@CriticalRoleHighlights Travis said the orphans get names depending on how they were given up. Fjord was cast aside like a stone.

[@GodBear97]

As far as he knows, it's a random name assigned to him. However, it could easily have been a name that the parent who gave him to the orphanage told the orphanage to give him. The stone family could easily be a family of orcs, and Fjord is the illegitimate child of one of them. Or a human family, either way - there are plenty of ways for "Stone" to be Fjord's real name

[@Alv0iD]

@@CriticalRoleHighlights He said on talk that it was given to Fjord because he was cast aside like a rock. It was a mean name to remind him that he was abandonned.

[@jeffjohnson1890]

Depends on who "ran" the orphanage

[@colbymihulka5384]

The best part is that this connection was probably an afterthought after Molly died. Stone being Fjord's last name would have been done when making Fjord's backstory, but everything about Caduceus hadn't been made yet. It was when Matt and Talesin were making Clay that Matt probably decided to string it together as a secondary backstory point

[@MarcRodriguez1]

From my understanding, Taliesin came up with "Stone" himself. Matt probably took advantage for sure, but I don't think he steered Taliesin in that direction. Thats not really Matt's style.

[@MrManicQ]

Marisha is totally in on it, you can see she tries to make sure Travis is aware of the Family of Stone part and then hides her mouth as Fjord reveals his last name, but there is no surprise in her reactions unlike Laura who is perfect.

[@KSxSilver_Joker]

We know Clay and Stone now but who is Dust???

[@djarchangel6695]

We've met Dust already. We know like three or four Dusts

[@Haybalesnail]

So wait are cad and fjord brothers???

[@markymacoy]

More like spiritual brothers 😊

[@ryanratchford2530]

Amazing amazing episode

[@tauIrrydah]

WITCHCRAFT!

[@jacobmosovich]

Is it fyord or ford lol

[@MrKillrpig]

Snea snake