Steam and Conversation

is the ninth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. The Mighty Nein explore Zadash, looking for new jobs, finding old allies, and stumbling upon intriguing mysteries.

Announcements

 * The official sponsor for tonight's episode and all episodes to come (unless they vanish in a puff of smoke) is D&D Beyond.
 * Sam claims that most of the Critical Role audience is British, so he has tailored tonight's ad for the United Kingdom. Liam apologizes to Kit.
 * Matt also reminds about the new posts that D&D Beyond has been making, and James Haeck has been recapping past episodes.


 * Matt reminds Amazon Prime users about Twitch Prime: with a little button press, they can subscribe to any Twitch channel for free.
 * Talks Machina, hosted by Brian W. Foster, will be discussing tonight's episode on Tuesday, March 13, 2018 at 7:00 PM PST. Matt is tempted to mess up Brian's name every week.
 * Daylight Savings Time hits the United States this Sunday, March 11, 2018. For those unsure of whether this will mean Critical Role starts an hour earlier or an hour later (including the cast themselves), Matt asks that you go to wheniscriticalrole.com. Liam says that if you're watching this episode in July 2019: "You're welcome."
 * Last week's episode ("The Gates of Zadash") is now available on the Critical Role Podcast for your fine downloadable podcast purposes.
 * There will be no Wyrmwood giveaway tonight, but Matt wanted to congratulate them on the success of the Adventurer's Arsenal on Kickstarter.
 * "Vox Machina: Origins #5" of the Critical Role comic is now available. Travis thinks the beat-to-s**t Vax on the cover is f**king awesome. Issue #5 can be downloaded from Comixology, the Dark Horse Comics app, and (according to Liam) LaserDisc.
 * Matt will be flying out tonight for Lexington, Kentucky, so he can appear at Lexington Comic & Toy Con this weekend. Laura asks if he's leaving right after the show. Matt is actually leaving on a flight after midnight, because he has to run home and pack first.
 * merch update from Laura: The Vox Machina tarot cards are back in stock. Two new shirts are available: one inspired by the new Campaign 2 intro, and another that is (as Taliesin put it) "from the darkest timeline". They will be in-stock and ready to buy next Thursday, March 15, 2018.
 * Laura is angry because everyone kept talking over her announcements. Travis tries to calm her down, to no avail. Sam jokes, "You did this to me!"
 * The whole cast (minus Ashley, who is still filming Blindspot) will be at C2E2 in Chicago, Illinois for panels and autographs. Their full schedule will be released next week.
 * Laura announces that she chose only dice that she was given in Seattle, Washington (while she and Travis were at Emerald City Comic Con) to roll tonight. Laura gave a super-cool d20 to Liam, but only because she was "ordered".
 * The first episode of Key Question is available now on Project Alpha. Matt Key and Marisha Ray are talking about Deadpool. You can get a free 60-day trial of Alpha with the promo code "QUESTION".

Previously on Critical Role
"Upon finishing [their] business in Alfield, [the Mighty Nein] acquired [their] new cart, new horses, and found [their] way on the Amber Road northward for a number of days, making [their] way toward Zadash. Along the way, [they] had some curious naps. [They] found some cool little landmarks from a war long past. [They] were nearly robbed and instead shooed them off with cries of extreme syphilis, and then entered the gates of Zadash [themselves]. Upon which, [they] briefly met a character named Ulysses, who offered, at a bit of cost, to show [them] around town for the remainder of the day. Unfortunately, the sun set within the next couple of hours, but [they] were led toward the Pentamarket, where [they] did a little bit of shopping, offloaded some things [they] had acquired in [their] previous venture in the mines where [they] battled the gnolls, encountered a purveyor of various magical artifacts named Enchanter Pumat Sol, acquired some baked goods from the market, and then finished up by making [their] way to The Leaky Tap, where [they] had just begun to cross the threshold when we left off last week."

Part I
The party enters The Leaky Tap and talk to one of the owners, a dragonborn named Wessek the Trim (he is not trim at all). Nott comments that they share the same middle name. They get three rooms, order some food under the name Nein, and have a seat together after. Jester goes to play cards with some other bargoers, two of which look much better off than the rest of the patrons there. Jester asks what they are playing and they ask her to leave once they divulge they are playing poker. Jester deceives them into thinking she is no good at the game and that they could take "so much money from [her]." They let her play, and Caleb and Nott help her cheat; Caleb uses Frumpkin's eyes to see their cards, and Nott relays them to Jester with Message. They notice her cheating and finish the game, but call her out on her unfair sportsmanship and take the pot, leaving Jester 7 gold poorer.

After this, the group, sans Caleb and Nott meet with Claudia Sheed, who also looks very dressed up. They talk to her about getting a job and learn about Zadash. While there, they learn that the people of Zadash must worship one of six approved gods, and that they can find a job by visiting the King's Board. Meanwhile, Caleb and Nott separate themselves from the rest of the party, and we see a moment of fondness between Caleb and Nott; he asks Nott to help him copy spells from the books he bought in Trostenwald into his own spellbook, and Nott agrees to help. Caleb allows her the honor of copying the glyphs, only showing where they go and guiding her hand on the tougher symbols.

After they finish talking to Claudia, they see a group of finer dressed people in the tavern, and Claudia tells the group she's "helping them work through some issues". The strangers and Claudia all go to the basement. The party meets back up with Caleb and Nott (still transcribing) and Molly asks for Frumpkin, which Caleb gives him. Molly [In Tae's words] "tosses Frumpkin in the direction of the basement" to spy on Claudia and then explains the situation to an exasperated and confused Caleb ("What do you do with my cat????"). Caleb stutters a bit in disbelief at Molly, then goes right back to helping Nott

Fjord and Beau follow Claudia and have a heart-to-heart about Beau's inability to sound genuine when giving compliments, and Fjord allows Beau to practice complimenting people on him, which she fails in spectacular fashion. She begins by telling Fjord, in a deadpan voice with no body language "you're very attractive". Fjord gives her some pointers and suggests she try smiling, and she tries again. It does not go much better; and after saying he's attractive once more, Fjord immediately replies "Oh, man, you look constipated." Fjord recommends winking, and Beau's attempts yield no positive results. Fjord says they'll keep working on it, to which Beau responds "That wasn't it? Fuck." Beau thanks him for telling him about it instead of staying silent, Fjord responds that they've known each other long enough that he can tell that she was trying, and Beau thanks him again. Ironically, it's the most sincere she's sounded all night. Fjord also realizes this and points a thumb at her with a knowing and elated grin and Beau immediately tries to defend herself: "Genuine! I was being genuine!". And Fjord tells her he got that, that was a good job. They laugh it off.

Jester asks Caleb for twenty pieces of parchment, to which Caleb responds "I'll give you two."

We cut to Frumpkin, Beau and Fjord again who have made it to the basement and see a group of people surrounding a well-dressed man standing on a box-like podium named Dolan. He asks Beau and Fjord to state their purpose, and Fjord says they were looking for some "higher thinking" and when asked about if the Empire has served them well, and Beau bluffs that they were mistreated by the Empire and leaves it vague. They make room for Beau and Fjord in the circle. The party learn that the House of Sutan, one of the approved gods, ruined the reputation of a good friend of Dolan's and they were forced to live in squalor after. Another speaks that his wife was walking home with groceries when she was run into by some bandits who had just committed a stabbing. The Crownsguard came and arrested her. She has been in jail ever since, without any trial or visitors. It continues, many people discussing the unfair living conditions, lack of free or cheap education for most citizens, increased classism within the city walls, the increased military presence in Zadash, and many other social issues that the Empire has had a hand in causing or making worse. Dolan reminds everybody to keep their heads up and that this will have to change soon. The crowd is dismissed soon after, and Frumpkin circles around Beau's legs, which prompts Beau to pick him up and go back up to the group with Fjord.

[TBC]

Break

 * "This is your brain on spoilers" "Additional Knowledge Acquired" PSA
 * Key Question March 6 promo
 * Tide Pod "Additional Knowledge Acquired" PSA
 * Journal Promo for "We're Alive: Frontier"
 * "This is Critical Role. This is Twitch Prime." "Additional Knowledge Acquired" PSA
 * How to Play: Sagrada
 * "This is your brain on spoilers" outtake

The Mighty Nein

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

New

 * Yannick Dumel
 * Jan
 * Kara
 * Reeve
 * Miss Rima
 * Claudia Sheed
 * Dolan Thrym
 * Ulog
 * Herald Voloshin
 * Wessek

Returning

 * The Traveler

Mentioned

 * Bryce Feelid
 * The Gentleman
 * Iliana
 * Shakäste
 * Pumat Sol

Quotations
Travis: Wow. Taliesin: I'm so sorry. Sam: (horrendous Cockney accent) Oi mates! Have a butcher’s and be gobbed by this brand-new D&D Beyond mobile app for your dog and bone! Liam: Sorry Kit. Sam: (continuing) I know my onions on this and I ain’t all mouth and no trousers—it’s a real corker of an app! And you can knick yours on the Apple App Store and—blimey! the bloody Google Play Store too! Are you skint? Tosh! It’s free, and that’s the dog’s bollocks! You don’t gotta be minted to get sorted! There’s nothing bent as a nine bob note about it! You get an e-reader with the beta and character sheets will be added in the future tickety boo! Taliesin: Nope. No. Laura: Wow. Sam: (normal voice) That’s a real phrase that I looked up. Matt: Yes it is. Sam: (horrendous Cockney accent): So don’t faff a dozy fortnight! You’ll be right gutted if you do! Oh sweet Fanny Adams, don’t wag off! Search D&D Beyond at your App Store and you’ll be jolly good chuffed about it! I know I’m knackered and cream crackered so I’m off to bed f’cho pip pip! Travis: Yes! Matt: Thank you Sam. And we're sorry. Fjord: "Oh, man, you look constipated." Taliesin: "You're making Tijuana Bibles for your religion!" Yasha: "Took you long enough."
 * Sam: Because most--not most, but a lot of our audience is located in the United Kingdom, I tailored tonight's D&D Beyond pitch to the British audience.
 * Claudia: "For well over a century now, the worship of various deities has been...controlled."
 * Nott: "I'll need to be plied with many drinks."
 * Beau: "You look attractive."
 * Molly: "Groups of people are always idiots. Never trust a group of people."
 * Jester: "Have you heard of Our Lord and Savior, The Traveler? He sure is the coolest! Everyone should worship him! He's the best guy around."
 * Beau: "Are we about anything?...Do you *wanna* be about something?"
 * Matt: "In the hot tub, you see a pale-looking muscular woman...
 * Fjord: "We're here to inquire about one of the postings...There's a roving beast that needs to be taken care of."
 * Sam: "Seven of Nein?"
 * The Traveler: "The more deeds you do, the more lives you change."

Trivia

 * The episode was originally going to be titled "Nein" as both a reference to the group's name (the "Mighty Nein") and the fact that it is the ninth episode of Campaign 2.
 * Sam's giant flask bears a message saying "9" in this episode.