Agreements

is the sixty-first episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. The Mighty Nein conclude their business with the giants and head back to Rosohna, as Fjord deals with an unexpected development in his relationship with his patron...

Previously on Critical Role
''Last we left off: The Mighty Nein, having allied themselves with the Bright Queen and the Kryn Dynasty, took on a contract under Professor Waccoh -- a kooky half-orc professor who works in the Marble Tomes Conservatory within Rosohna, the capital city of the Dynasty – to inspect the steelworks at the Deepriver Mine. It had been overtaken by giants, and had halted production on a number of very important war machines that she had designed to help with the war effort against the Empire. Upon traveling there, you spoke with some of the figures, you embarrassed the foreman, at her request, and then went on to meet these giants, combat them briefly, and make friends. Then, traveling with the Landspeaker, the spiritual head of their troop, headed back to the Braan, their home in the mountains, that had been overtaken by some sort of strange demonic incursion. Wandering through the halls, you began to watch as some of the dead flesh of her brethren that were left behind began to be borrowed by some of these demonic entities and rise to fight you, along with other creatures that were tearing through familiar portals, seemingly connected to distant abyssal areas. Upon defeating these creatures, a few of you nearly having your life siphoned a few times, you managed to carve your way to the top, sealed the portal, and discovered the source of these portals in a second device –  the second you’ve discovered – that seems to be some sort of an abyssal anchor that begins to loosen the veil between the realms the longer it resides in those spaces. You also burned a goblin. After a hard-fought battle, and freeing the Braan of this terrible demonic presence, Landspeaker Soorna and the rest of you took an evening’s rest before journeying back to complete this particular quest. ''

''In that evening’s rest, the storm had come in that had long been looming as the days of travel had guided you here, and in the rainy evening, Nott and Jester waited out by the door as they watched Yasha make her way into the storm, in a series of attempts to connect with the mysterious Stormlord that seems to be occasionally wandering into her dreams and speaking in riddles, the entity that pulled her from a dark place long ago. In your dreams that night, you seemed to make some connection, and some imagery, some questions, some moments of reflection that you get to now unravel as the morning comes to find you.''

Part I
Beau asks Jester to Scry on the owner of the piece of cloth that Beau found caught in the Abyssal anchor. When she does, she sees a luxurious room, and a blond man with a Zemnian accent speaking into a stone, so Jester only hears his side of the conversation. “We have not to worry about that. She is paranoid enough in the wider sense, but I know her blind spots... Yes, I have the emblem, waiting for a window." He then says they should plot for 13 days later, at the Overcrow, ending the conversation with "Angel's eye, friend." He reads and makes notes in a book titled, "The King That Crawls." Jester shares all this with the group. A high religion check gets them the knowledge that the Betrayer God Torog is also known as the Crawling King. Jester uses Disguise Self to appear as the mysterious blond, but none of the party recognize him. Caleb identifies the stone as looking similar to the one they recovered in the Sutan Residence in Zadash the night of the attack on the Zauberspire.

Yasha shares with the whole group her story of marrying against the will of her tribe, and running away when the tribe captured her wife, Zuala. She says she has a gap in her memory of weeks or months immediately afterward. She believes that Zuala was executed by the tribe.

They return to the mining camp and let the giants know that their home is safe to return to, and watch as they depart, leaving the mine and steelworks deserted. The party rides to the miners' tent city, and tell them the giants have been defeated and it's safe to return to the mine. They then make themselves all look like either Foreman Bodo or his mistress. Beau reads the love letter they found at the mining camp aloud as the rest of the party mimes it behind her, embarrassing Bodo into unconsciousness. They ride through the night back to Rosohna and the Dim's Inn.

The party briefly discusses the list of things they need to do, but decide to get some sleep first. Caduceus uses Speak with Dead on the goblin body from the giants' fortress, learning that the anchor was planted 17 days ago by a human, but the goblin couldn't describe him further. Jester uses Sending to speak with The Gentleman, who again denies he is her father, but invites her to come back to Zadash. She also Sends to her mother, who says she's been very busy because the Gold Chain Mercenary Company had come through Nicodranas recently to help with the war. Caduceus learns from the Wildmother that the Overcrow is nearby.

Fjord dreams of being immersed in freezing cold water, then seeing the yellow eye of Uk'otoa and hearing the words, "Where. Reward. Punish. Punish!" In his dream, he feels a searing pain in his chest and is bleeding and drowning, when he wakes up, coughing up sea water, in his bed. His falchion clatters to the floor, waking his roommate Caleb. Fjord finds he cannot bamf the falchion away. Frightened, he hurriedly dresses and goes outside, and then fails both conjuring eldritch energy and using Mask of Many Faces. His powers are gone. In his panic, he reverts again to the British accent. He goes back inside and goes back to bed.

Part II
Fjord wakes up late and hides the falchion under the mattress. Beau, Caleb, Nott, and Yeza go to report back to Waccoh. She is very pleased with their humiliation of Bodo, and allows them to have the Staff of Withering, the Ring of Evasion, and the broken sword. They attempt to get library time, but she says they need to continue to prove themselves before that will be possible.

Fjord, Yasha, Caduceus, and Jester head out looking for the Overcrow, and find it is an apothecary shop in the Coronas, with a strangely low inventory, and a young female goblin shopkeeper named Maruo who takes a shine to Fjord. She sells Jester some hair oil. With Detect Magic, Caduceus gets a faint magical essense in the corner, but doesn't see anything there. Fjord escapes, embarrassed by her blatant flirting, saying he's going to the nearby armory run by Wursh. Yasha follows him. Fjord asks about temples nearby, but there are none. Fjord tries his powers one more time on the way in by casting Minor Illusion to create a bird in his hand, and this time, to his relief, it works. Soon afterward, they are followed to Wursh's by Cadueus and Jester.

Fjord asks if he can ask Wursh a question, and Yasha drags the other two outside, leaving them alone. He asks Wursh about how he handles the assumptions of others about orcs' violent nature. Wursh says other races have also done terrible things, and Fjord should pick his fights. He's happy in Rosohna, but the intense religious atmosphere bothers him. Occasionally, the drow let the eternal darkness slip, and go out into the sunlight as a form of worship.

Yasha returns, and buys some bracers, hoping to be able to have them enchanted later. She also, at Caleb's request, orders him a set of Kryn-style clothing.

The party reunites at the Dim's Inn when Essek arrives, telling them that Den Thelyss is very happy with their deeds and has secured them a house in the Firmaments, that is theirs to decorate as they wish. They excitedly accept, and during the trip there, Caleb gives the Staff to Caduceus, keeping the Ring for himself.

The Mighty Nein

 * Beauregard
 * Caduceus Clay
 * Fjord
 * Frumpkin
 * Jester Lavorre
 * Nott
 * Yasha Nydoorin
 * Caleb Widogast

New

 * "Greg" (Scrying spell by Jester)
 * Maruo

Returning

 * Soorna
 * Yeza Brenatto
 * Wursh
 * Professor Tuss Waccoh
 * Essek Thelyss
 * The Gentleman
 * Marion Lavorre
 * Bodo Icozrin

Mentioned

 * The Crawling King
 * Luc Brenatto
 * Dairon
 * Zuala

Quotations
​​​​​​ Yasha: I just ran, because I was scared and I am a coward. Beau: No, you're a survivor.