Disparate Pieces

is the fourth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role.

Pre-Show
On the Twitch stream, a Critical Role fan art slideshow played before the episode began.

Announcements

 * D&D Beyond is the official toolset (sponsor) for Critical Role.  Sam Riegel presents D&D Beyond Awards, dubbed the "Sponsies". "Best Picture" is mistakenly awarded to La La Land...again.
 * Talks Machina next Tuesday on Twitch and Alpha
 * Asinine Wisdom will guest star Sam Riegel at 9:00 pm PST on Tuesday (after Talks Machina) on Geek & Sundry's Twitch.
 * Weave Society will premiere next Wednesday at 7:30 pm PST on Geek & Sundry's Twitch. It stars Amy Dallen, Gina DeVivo, Whitney Moore, Becca Scott, and Stef Woodburn, and they will be playing the Weave RPG by Monocle Society.
 * "The Midnight Chase" has been released in podcast form for the Critical Role Podcast.
 * The new issue of the Critical Role comic ("Vox Machina: Origins #4") is out now.
 * If you have the opportunity, give and help out, or donate your time to, the fantastic charity 826LA. They have fantastic classes to help teach creative writing in environments where it's hard to find that type of tutelage.  It's a great program, or check out your local 826 chapter and see if you can help out.
 * Liam O'Brien is going to be at Bak-Anime this weekend (February 3rd and 4th, 2018) in Bakersfield, CA. He will talk, and he will go out in public.
 * Laura Bailey and Travis Willingham (or is it "Travis Willingham and Laura Bailey"?) will be at Emerald City Comic-Con (yay!) the first weekend of March (March 2-4, 2018) in Seattle, WA.
 * Matt Mercer will be at Lexington Comic and Toy Con on March 9-11, 2018 in Lexington, KY; OtaFest on May 18-20, 2018 in Calgary, Alberta, and A-Kon on June 7-10, 2018 in Fort Worth, TX.
 * Marisha says you should go check out Good Fortnight, Kevin on Project Alpha, because it is a super-meta, funny, dumb morning show.

Previously on Critical Role
"So...last we left off: Our group of adventurers had found their various individual fates come together here in the city of Trostenwald, where they had attended a Carnival that had blown into town. Had watched a horrible occurrence happen where one of the older attendees had seemingly transformed into this terrifying zombie creature. Upon defeating it, you are all put under investigation as possible culprits for the reason that it had occurred.

"In trying to then wander the city to investigate and try and clear your name, you eventually found that there was a fiend hiding amongst these Carnival workers. This large devil-like toad creature (which through some research you had found to actually be called a 'Nergaliid') killed two more of the guards - leaving you to fend with their transformed forms - and then fled deep into the center of the Ustaloch lake.

"Upon gathering your supplies, after a night's rest, you managed to - through the trade of a bottle of wine - get passage across the lake onto the central island, which (at one time) housed the abode of a witch that had long collapsed. Waiting for nightfall, you approached the center of the grove that existed there on the island, and found near this ruin this same fiendish Nergaliid, as well as Toya: the twelve year-old Dwarf girl, who had been affixed to him for their performances in the Carnival.  You did battle with this large fiendish entity, who summoned a cluster of imps and managed to knock a few of you pretty heavily to the ground before you finished it off.  We left off as you all were finishing licking your wounds, catching your breath, and now - as the moonlit night gets its darkest in the sky - you figure out what the next step is in gathering means of absolving yourselves of the suspicion...

The Aftermath
Fjord and Caleb need healing, but Jester doesn't have any spells left. Caleb wants to go talk to the "cops" (the Crown's Guard). The group tries to figure out how to transport the Nergaliid's body back to Trostenwald.

Break

 * "Behind the Shield", hosted by Sam de Leve
 * on this episode of "Adulting in the Apocalypse", Whitney Moore teaches us how to "Get in Shape" (for more, watch "Thashtopia" on Project Alpha)
 * "Good Fortnight, Kevin!", hosted by Kevin of "Darin & Amy Have To Do A Morning Show" fame/infamy (next episode is Monday, February 12th)
 * another episode of "Adulting in the Apocalypse", where our old pal Whitney teaches us about shaving

The Way of the Cobalt Soul
As the game continues, Matt asks everyone except Marisha to leave the room.

The two monks quietly walk Beauregard to a familiar place: the outskirts of the Baumbach Brewery, where Beau had previously worked when she first arrived in Trostenwald.

Player Characters

 * Beauregard
 * Fjord
 * Frumpkin
 * Jester
 * Nott
 * Mollymauk Tealeaf
 * Caleb Widogast
 * Yasha

New

 * Expositor Dairon
 * "Davies"
 * Archivist Xenoth

Returning

 * Bo
 * Gustav Fletching
 * Kylre (corpse)
 * Desmond Moondrop
 * Noah
 * Norda
 * Ornna
 * Toya
 * Yorda

Mentioned

 * Enon Brinjay
 * Jonas
 * The Knowing Mistress
 * Lucas
 * Mona
 * Yuli