The Truth About Nott [Episode 49 SPOILERS]

[@dirgesingerbionic6868]

''I am Nott, a little Goblin girl!'' ''I am not a little Goblin girl!'' Her name is a cry for help, that's really tragic.

[@aaronmott208]

Oh…….. This is what hit me the hardest… I never realized that…. aaaaaaaa

[@GavinTullier]

Ahhhhhhhh nooooooo

[@BryonYoungblood]

Yeah. I also like how it's a gesture to Veth's last name of Bernatto at the same time when she chose to go by Nott. It's not just a cry for help, it's her also making sure she remembers SOME aspect of herself from how she was before the curse.

[@Sinway025]

@@BryonYoungblood even further then that, Nott, the Brave is just Veth Bernatto mixed up

[@d.w.7203]

@@Sinway025 The fuck you are right!

[@SmarkusAurelius]

The Nott voice makes it sound like Sam is always on the verge of tears

[@deathbykonami5487]

That's the difference between professional voice actors and amateur cosplayers: Amateur Cosplayers playing DnD focus on the action sequences and the spell casting, professional voice actors put their all into the story, the flavor text, as well as the fights and spell casting.

[@BryonYoungblood]

Considering Nott is a nervous wreck as she is when cursed, before she goes back to being Veth, I give Sam props for making her sound like she's usually gonna be on the verge of tears due to the fear she has.

[@josukegappyhigashikata6537]

Yeah, honestly Nott probably is with that story.

[@remnantryku7112]

Pulls at my heart string.

[@TriangularPrism]

Holy shit we thought Nott's introduction to the campaign was "I'm Nott, a goblin" but it was actually "I'm not a goblin" AAAAAAAH

[@destinyraeloyd]

"I'm Nott, a little goblin girl"

[@nott_pocket]

"There-theres no comma there" (omfg it was all one big hint! Damn, props to Sam)

[@ColieBear18]

Hes a fucking genius. I adore sam more and more and more. Hes so damn smart and such an incredible storyteller. He blows me away.

[@Meg_Lovegood]

God this was heartbreaking, still makes me cry going back to it.

[@ryanratchford2530]

The moment when Marisha & Travis realised why Nott doesn’t like water 😭

[@SweetDeath777]

*Nott in a very emotional moment:* ... I collected many things including wax seals... *Beau A Known Mail Fraud Felon:* ... W-wax seals?? Do you...still have those?

[@alicepersson9568]

**soft gasp** _spin the bottle!_

[@KolmManison]

Wax seals.. Dan?

[@FinalTimeHero]

spin the bottle was when Nott originally told them about the halfling man they kissed. @@alicepersson9568

[@wickedpissa25]

When the goblins were chasing Veth, she through a vial of acid in the face of one of the goblins. I forget which episode it was, but do you remember when Nott handed Fjord a vial of acid, and he asked what it was for, and she said, "If you're being chased, you can throw it in their face." Sam Riegel playing the long con, again!

[@petersenior5432]

There's also that Nott gave Molly a vial of acid to get what she thought was the letter to the solstice academy...

[@Gam3rGir1]

Sam has been playing the long con since episode one.

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

And in Urukazl, as they were fleeing the temple and being chased by the Yuan-ti, Nott's way to help the party was to run off to an angle to the main group, and try and lead them off. The same maneuver she used to help Yeza and Luc escape the goblins.

[@shinsenrock]

Episode 40 right before Fjord goes to talk to the captain

[@wolfinthewheatfields3224]

@@Zombiewithabowtie oh god MY HEART

[@flotilha935]

In episode 6 of C2 Nott says to a curious npc that she was a disfigured halfling and Matt asks for persuasion and not deception. CleverBoy-Matt gave a hint in the beginning of the campaign 😂

[@orlando780]

Just when you think you’ve heard all the sad backstories, Sam just yeets you off a cliff

[@ladylightning1741]

Liam did a great job of portraying Caleb finding out that Nott, who has spent their entire relationship convincing him not to hate himself...hates herself.

[@littlerainy3453]

Love Cad's line in this, "You ran and got help, here we are." OMG T^T

[@awkwardgoldfish4160]

The “Just Not” line always gets me

[@Gam3rGir1]

Can we just talk about Liam's face during all of this?? Not only is it amazing acting, but the absolute look of 'I didnt know that Nott felt the same way I do about myself' and it's heartbreaking

[@Geth-Who]

I don't think it's all acting, he's legit crying.

[@BCre8iv321]

I was rewatching the campaign and in Episode 4, there’s a little bit of dialogue between Nott and Caleb that I had to stop and think about. Caleb takes her to a bathhouse and right before they get in their separate baths, she says “You’ll still be the same Caleb when you’re done, right? I’ve just gotten used to you and now you’re going to change a bit.” And I had to stop. Because the last time Nott was submerged in water, she died and turned into a goblin.

[@matthewmccarn4181]

Oh my god. Good catch

[@last2nkow]

Oh holy crap... I wish my group would keep secrets and just let stuff like this happen...

[@Matty13808]

I held on to that statement the moment I heard it, knowing it would be super important. I cried during this, and finding out what it meant.

[@ruthrios8249]

OH.

[@manicmania7046]

Subtle point... Yes Sam is a masterful actor... But listen to the change in the background music as the reveal occured... Matt controls that, and that's why he is the perfect DM.

[@Thagesthoughts]

He did it for Caleb, too. Probably uses it for all the tragic backstory reveals.

[@katherinesattler9770]

what is the music called? Is it from a soundtrack?

[@arhalts]

@@katherinesattler9770 almost certain the flute ey song that plays when veth is talking about her husband and child is from skyrim. Mat has playlists for themes though so likely he picked a playlist than a specific song, but who knows for sure.

[@troyragnor919]

This is arguably one of the best explanations for a name that I've ever heard. She wasn't a lot of things. But she was brave

[@ChillyCucumber]

Not only that, but: “I am Nott, a little goblin girl.” “I am not a little goblin girl.”

[@LocalMaple]

Isn’t her name also an Anagram? Nott the Brave? Veth -> V The. Brenatto -> Nott Bra_e -> Nott The Brave.

[@locke5046]

@@LocalMaple Holy shit

[@kittenkat2301]

@@LocalMaple I know it's been a few months but also the different names nott used as aliases. Sam confirmed it: she used "veth", "bren", and "otto" "Veth Brenotto"

[@thomasnolastname8734]

Nott and Caleb's relationship seems 100x deeper when you realise their backstories boil down to the same thing An innocent person loses everything, and is forced to be a monster by the world that didn't help them

[@dallasmeade9515]

Liam: I have a pretty tragic backstory Sam: Hold my flask

[@saffronstiegmann2542]

Grew up being told she was Not Pretty...Not Brave...Not Smart...Not Coordinate...and Just Nott. They made me everything that I thought I was Not Pretty...Not Good.... Just Nott.

[@itsflowerside]

you can see the realisation in Marisha’s eyes at 7:00 that the whole pirate storyline they had didn’t just affect Fjord

[@petersenior5432]

Yeah Sam had one of Nott's sticky fingers in everyone's adventure hook pies.

[@elbruces]

"Okay... I am Nott the Brave, and I am a little goblin girl." I'm not absolutely positive, but I think that was Sam's very first line in this campaign. It got a big laugh back then.

[@last2nkow]

damn, underrated Cad moment near the end there. "you went and ran and got help, awell here we are. you did the right thing." everyone who is in a position where they had something terrible happen and survived needs that kind of support. Talisan is really good at playing a good person. i guess when you devour 1d6 heroes per turn you really are what you eat.

[@CasparLeones]

I appreciate Matt's tactful Soundtrack management.

[@isupposethisismynmw640]

He’s a master for real.

[@thomasnolastname8734]

He's a D(20)J

[@bearabaoya]

I live for Travis's expression to any reveal.

[@ColieBear18]

Same. Hes one of the main reasons I refuse to only listen to the show. Their faces are way too good to miss

[@VenhedisKaffas]

I just live for Travis and Laura having the same expression at the reveal here. It's adorable, especially considering they're married.

[@TheArrowsPath]

This is SOME storytelling.

[@kimberlytaylor3527]

When Veth brings up the button collection you just see Travis's reaction because of how he would always tease her about it😂

[@MechanicGopher]

“Not pretty, not good, just Nott.” Such a heartbreaking line

[@deathbykonami5487]

Two best friends with two different levels of tragic backstories: one was brainwashed into killing his own family and the other pissed off an old hag in a swamp who then turned her into a goblin

[@jessed9824]

Shoutouts to Sam, his acting is great

[@lauravturner]

Sam is my favourite. Hands-down. What a gifted story-teller and actor.

[@bionizard5480]

the most amazing thing is the fact Sam uses In game mechanics from the stats, he was able to outrun his family because goblins have a higher speed then halflings Halflings have the Brave ability.

[@kaigillam]

He wasn't a goblin at the time, though.

[@TheBloodypimp]

I think that bit was for flavour. Since she was chased her whole life.

[@petersenior5432]

@@kaigillam He means that Sam disguised the fact that Nott was a halfling by having her backstory include that she was just as fast as a goblin before the change

[@yuki97kira]

...nott... The... Brave?

[@ThatoneGuy-zd4rl]

She was able to outrun because she was a rogue…are you idiots? It’s called cunning action plus movement plus action move. She was always faster bc she had a bonus action move

[@christopherradek7468]

This... *Pointing at the video and looking at the world* ...this is why I play D&D.

[@wildwesley9328]

Spoilers for everything past this episode below: Everything about how Nott’s behavioral quirks fitting her backstory so well amazes me. Going from a halfling who has advantage against being frightened to a goblin that drinks liquid courage to compensate; the anagram of Nott the Brave from Veth Brenatto while also alluding to the fact that she’s not(t) a goblin and not(t) brave anymore AND also taken from her insecurities about not being pretty, brave, or “normal”, the fake names Veth, Bren and Otto that Sam gave, Nott using disguise self to turn into her halfling self constantly even just to hang out; the seemingly random fear of water and love of collecting things, especially buttons, that were actually huge aspects of her backstory of being drowned and being ostracized for her collections; the motherly way she treats Caleb while also selfishly wanting him to grow stronger to change her back. Sam is a secret genius hiding behind a wall of jokes and foolishness.

[@NarcissistMargarine]

Holy fuck I never knew the anagram thing. Damn Sam is the GOAT.

[@AshBloodfire]

"I'm saying I was a goblin, who dreamt she was a halfling, and loved it...but now the dream is over, and the goblin is awake."

[@omegagilgamesh]

Nott: Luke, Yeza never told you what happened to your mother. Luke: He told me enough. He told me your clan killed her. Nott: No. *I* am your mother! Luke: No... that's not true. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! Nott: Search the Critical Role VOD, you'll know it to be true. Luke (pulling out a smart phone and binge watches 200 hours of CR, season 2): NOOOOO, no...

[@WarlordM]

That's potentially an amazing step tbh

[@Matty13808]

1:40 Travis regretting every button joke he ever made

[@kittenkat2301]

7:02 marisha looks at Travis. You can tell that she's thinking about all the times they gave Nott a hard time being on and under water while they were at sea. Regret. Immediate regret. Because now they know why she was so terrified.

[@honeydroptheunicorn6557]

I want to give Nott a hug

[@simone4341]

We all do

[@thomasnolastname8734]

Watch your valuables though

[@Mad3bunny]

Dude.. the fact Nott, her husband and Luke being captured and imprisoned by the goblin camps must had been nothing short of nightmarish for the family.

[@indigoward4396]

Laura and Travis had the same reaction to Nott's revelation at the same time! Hahaha!! They both just pulled the surprised Pikachu while everyone else is pokerfaced! Now THAT'S a married couple.

[@charlie9644]

This is the most brilliant shit and also I cried a little

[@ProfWulfenstein]

YOU'RE PLAYING D&D YOU CAN'T BE MAKING ME FEEL THIS LEVEL OF EMOTION! IT'S NOTT FAIR!!! GOD I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!

[@KappaKiller108]

Nott's not Nott!?

[@destinyraeloyd]

Veth is her first name

[@lexus3934]

Welcome to the critical role community, where this sentence makes sense

[@stingerjohnny9951]

@@lexus3934 There are a LOT of sentences in this community that would sound like jibberish without context XD

[@ShadowAtronach666]

So she got reincarnated as a goblin anyone thinking the lady who brought Molly back was the one who did this

[@stephencarmickle]

Cool theory, hope it's right.

[@JKSSubstandard]

I dont know about reincarnated. To me it sounds like they drowned her to the point of unconsciousness (almost like waterboarding) and then cast some sort of permanent polymorph somehow or cursed her. Still, itd have to be one hell of a goblin spellcaster to do that

[@luthienmpl]

@@JKSSubstandard Speaking from a mechanics standpoint, Reincarnate is a 5th level spell on the druid list, druids get their first 5th level spell slot at level 9. Meanwhile True Polymorph is a 9th(!!) level spell on the Bard, Warlock and Wizard lists which each class unlocks at level 17. Unless it's really the same woman as in Molly's backstory and Matt has set her up as a late campaign major villain, I think Reincarnate is far more feasible for a sort of goblin druid/shaman type character.

[@icednik]

Pst, it’s astrid

[@capncaviar]

@@icednik my mind is now thoroughly fucked why didn't I think of that

[@moistnugget141]

Honestly what at first felt like just another one of Sam's funny quips of not going into the water being such a major plot point in Veth's story had me floored. That hit like a truck

[@Dragon_Lair]

Sam later said that the whole water thing started out as a joke but he later thought he could use it and worked with Matt to flesh out how Veth originally died using water.

[@KazumiKiguma]

Me, immediately as the story starts: :( Also me: INSIGHT CHECK!

[@soup8900]

Yay you're back!! This was such a good episode, poor Nott/Veth :(

[@lauravturner]

God Damn-it Sam! MAAAAAAAN. I thought I had made the best character name ever. I have a character named "Del." She is called that because she was banished, with all her memories of her home replaced with the word "Delinquent." Every time she tries to remember what she did, she just thinks "Delinquent." Whenever she tries to remember her home or her family, she just thinks the word "Delinquent." Any time she tries to remember her own name, it is just replaced with the word "Delinquent." She is Del-Inque(ent) because it's the only thing she can think of when people ask her what her name is. I thought I had come up with a pretty great name because it ties into the backstory, but nooooooo. Sam has to go and out-do me. Damn it Sam. Just kidding. Sam is the best player and damn does he know how to tell a good story. What a genius.

[@janetgoode5296]

Man I need to watch this from the beginning... I’m actually crying that this is good

[@feedmechipotle1120]

Trav and Lauras opened mouth shock and astonishment.

[@ladybuglore]

aaa you're back! i've been missing your highlight videos recently, and this is a GREAT one to come back on. i am going to be watching this video a lot, i think

[@saturnsextra3683]

THIS MAKES ME CRY EVERY TIME ; - ;

[@vickilljoy6099]

I love how Travis and Laura has the exact same reaction when the name drops :')

[@monbebesmonsta2927]

Man poor Travis was hanging in for dear LIFE🤣🤣🤣

[@Justanotherpsychopat]

One woman goes into the waters of baptism. A different woman comes out, born again. But who is that woman who lies submerged? Perhaps that swimmer is both halfling and goblin, until he is revealed unto the eyes of man.

[@alexk7973]

Like ... Schrödinger's cat? 🤔

[@emilyjfreer2895]

Husband and wife have the same reaction when Sam says halfling girl

[@brandanpalmer]

“No, Nott… You ran to get help. And here we are.”

[@emmote77]

Beautiful.

[@virginiamooney4105]

Thanks, Sam, for making me cry again

[@hobbitbobbitt]

one question i have is if Nott's goblin form carries a negative to charisma and if she got turned back into a halfling it might be raised to like 8 or something.

[@Mitochondribruh]

Kevokevo depends on what type of halfling she is. I think it would make more sense if she was a stout halfling, because they have the same ability score increases as goblins do (+2 dex, +1 con)

[@TimeturnerJ]

Maybe you're confusing it with the Pathfinder ruleset? There, goblins have ability modifiers of -2 Str, +4 Dex and -2 Cha compared to average human stats. Probably better that we're using DnD 5e rules, I wouldn't want Nott to lose 4 points of Dexterity if/when she gets turned back into Veth.

[@BlinkingTwin]

Woop! Glad to see an upload from you again.

[@EoinW974]

My favourite Critical Role character reveal

[@Vedrfoelnir]

bawling my eyes out

[@peterg.j.macpherson2451]

so Veth got Isekai'd in the worst fucking way possible then.

[@KittyMax97]

The betrayal in Liam’s eyes as Caleb is so sad. After telling her about his life (ep18), he thought she did the same (ep19). Only to find out she lied about it all.

[@remnantryku7112]

Not even a minute in and my eyes are itching... Sam's characters...his acting... he's amazing!

[@aidanroyer9449]

Rare sighting of Mercer Beard

[@DataHog]

all i want is to give sam a hug

[@andreahicks7870]

How Nott described Luke is almost exactly how Caleb said he was as a boy. Nott/Veth saw her own bright son in Caleb and that’s why she is so attached to him. The motherly protection and love to fill the void of the son she was missing. 😭😭

[@hiraunia]

YOUR BACK, I HOPE YOUR OKAY AND DOING WELL IN LIFE!

[@renaissancenerd3801]

Sam is the master of creating joke characters who slam you in the face with a baseball bat made of feels

[@flamingkitten1]

I wonder how Molly would have reacted to Notts tale

[@TimeturnerJ]

He would have probably felt pretty guilty for being such a condescending dick to her all the time.

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

Well Mollymauk knows some of what Nott went through. He also knew what it was like to return from death, in a body not your own. The main difference is, he didn't have any clear memories of his past to anchor him to who he was before, and so didn't care to recover it. For Nott, that's her entire motivation, is to return to the life she had before. Just as Nott has made it her mission to safeguard Caleb til he's strong enough to help her, I think Molly would've made it his mission to safeguard Nott until she could return home.

[@FlamingSnowflakeProductions]

Between Nott and Fjord, drowning sure seems to be a recurring theme this campaign.

[@cscpmc]

Mercer uses this song for every scene like this, does anyone know the name of it? I've been trying to find it for hours

[@cscpmc]

It almost sounds like Ruins of Bone Hill, but it's not quite the same

[@TearXstar]

I believe it is "Farewell, Old Friend" from Witcher 3 and then transitions into Elven Dirge soundcloud.com/user-556488396/elven-dirge-i-lament-credit

[@bassamarea5060]

Elven Dirge - I Lament

[@icednik]

You’re back !!!!!!! And what a great video as well, though the contents are major sad

[@dannietea]

Nobody’s talking about how this explains Nott’s extreme fear of water and that’s a shame.

[@danielacheson4044]

im not crying! you're crying!

[@trainflavor9133]

marishas eyebrows are on point this episode

[@TimStamper89]

Sam and his story reveals. Makes me wonder what FCG would have had further on.

[@georgerobins4110]

Veth talking about being made fun of for her collections is too sad and relatable. My poor autistic girl 😭 AND THATS SOMEHOW NOT THE SADDEST PART

[@iitstre_4550]

One thing I’m picking up from this is that there is truly no distinction between Laura and Jester 😂😂😂. I’m thinking Laura might just be a front

[@jaybutler779]

Travis’s excitement in everyone and everything is becoming my favorite thing about this show

[@King-Maelstrom-the-Esoteric]

Don't worry Nott, you're pretty to many. There's a whole bunch of R34 dedicated to you.

[@braedenlowther9426]

Scanlan had a relatively uninteresting backstory other than his daughter. Nott has by far the most beautiful backstory in the M9 in my opinion. Sam is so good at what he does

[@theomcinturff1213]

Have you seen Liam and Sam creating Scanlan on their podcast? I find it really cool how they both went from "this is my cool character, look at him go!" in campaign 1 to "I'm going to roleplay the shit out of this tragic backstory" in campaign 2.

[@The_Heroic_Bruiser]

Why does homeboy in the top right corner look like he's bout to bust with tears even before the sad scenes?

[@Zombiewithabowtie]

That's Liam O'Brien, who is playing the character of Caleb Widogast. Life had similarly put him through the wringer in a fairly horrific way, but just prior to this scene, when they found out Nott's husband had been kidnapped, it transpired that the reason he was snatched as because he'd been enlisted by the mages Caleb had used to work with, and so he now feels guilt by association.

[@Reepicheep-1]

Sam rolls a low-CHA character & RPs it as one of the most sympathetic characters around.

[@grandarkfang_1482]

Comparing a fucking magical curse to gender dysphoria is so stunning and brave.

[@stingerjohnny9951]

I think it’s less gender dismorphia and more a general “body dismorphia” that Sam was going for, especially since Veth always identified as a woman. And it’s indeed a remarkably clever allegory, especially since many victims of dismorphia (facial, body, gender) feel like the are curse to have a body or face that simply is not them.

[@simsgirlgem]

I WANNA HUG NOTT TTOTT

[@Backstab_cj]

Whats the music called at 10:48

[@elmatilda]

I have no idea but looking through other comments it might be Elven Dirge - I Lament, or Ruins of Bone Hill

[@juliagoodwin9510]

...damnit, now I want to give her a hug.

[@avery2041]

*I'm just...not...*

[@gabrielbjornursidae]

I still wish Nott had stayed a goblin and learned to love herself, even if her body isn't what it used to be. SHE is still Veth, just doesn't look like it.

[@harpykrates]

o u c h

[@dragonvang1]

Remove Curse 3rd level Abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: Touch Components: V S Duration: Instantaneous Classes: Cleric, Paladin, Warlock, Wizard At your touch, all curses affecting one creature or object end.

[@xRedivivus]

Nott might have been permanently polymorphed or reincarnated, hence there's no curses to be lifted (just a theory, but very plausible)

[@noahyager433]

That would work if it was a curse but it sounds like it was reincarnation

[@loki210]

This likely isn't a curse though. All signs point to this being a full on Reincarnation spell, they did legitimately kill Veth and bring her back in a different body. Thus, the only thing that would "fix" her would be either a True Polymorph, which seems to be what she's investing in Caleb's power to try to do, or to be resurrected again and just hope to come back as a Halfling.

[@phony1551]

It's not a curse, it was clearly a Resurrection spell

[@Thagesthoughts]

Reincarnate needs either True Polymorph, Miracle, or Wish to be countered, if memory serves. And Sam's obviously schooled in Reincarnate's history, since it's a recurring theme in older editions that if you're reincarnated into an Always X race, that race's impulses and alignment can start overtaking yours if you're not careful--it's already started by exacerbating her personality traits in negative ways (collecting knickknacks turned into severe kleptomania, shyness and poor self-esteem became full-on social anxiety, a fondness for wine became alcoholism, and wariness from being bullied became manipulative tendencies).

[@videonmode8649]

I'm g'nott a g'nelf I'm g'nott a g'noblin

[@thumbwrestler12]

Aww Nott is like deku

[@imjustapoorwayfaringgeek]

deku? which deku??? in ehvenişers??

[@НикитаСаляев]

:"((

[@sammayes948]

my nme is not me* mmkay but i used to be a gnome named Veth me* NO NOT READY FOR THESE FEELS FROM THE MEME GOBLIN MOM

[@pop-sigil4483]

*halfling

[@nemtomnem2241]

He played a woman charakter?

[@tatsunithelennyking2540]

Nott is a girl. Sam's character is a woman.

[@hunterpowers2568]

Still does play her