A Hungry Jungle

is the eighteenth episode of the third campaign of Critical Role.

Announcements

 * First sponsor is Hit Point Press's Fablemaker's Animated Tarot Deck, which also has a hardcover guidebook with suggestions for including tarot in RPGs. Sam illustrates by forecasting Liam's fate, revealing details of his special medically-supplied aiming pants.
 * Second sponsor is 2K Games' new release Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, now available for single or multi-player gaming.
 * D&D Beyond returns as the official toolset for Critical Role. Their new tabletop roleplaying game Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince is available now.
 * Programming Announcements: A Tiny Tina's Wonderlands-based special will air Monday, 28 March 2022 at 7pm Pacific, followed by the two-part Exandria Unlimited:Kymal on Thursday and Friday that week. The new monthly talk show 4-Sided Dive premieres 5 April 2022 at 7pm Pacific.
 * Merch Alert! New live show version of the Marquet Market tote bag repurposed for the virtual US and UK shops since the pandemic killed live shows. Per Ashley, it can double as a bib when dining at "Crabby Crab."

Previously on Critical Role
''So, last we left off, Bells Hells, following a handful of threads that led them away from the city of Jrusar and northward through the jungles to the Heartmoor, the swampy bog region of the northern part of the Oderan Wilds where the Heartmoor Hamlet exists. There, you had hoped to, one, find information that seemed to pertain to the death of the Lumas twins in the path of your particular interest, as well as deal with a possible job set by Jiana Hexum that could cancel some of your outstanding debt and issues that you carry as baggage, Ashton.''

Gathering your materials, purchasing some horses, and trudging on for a handful of days, keeping predominantly to the roads through the jungle, you had a handful of odd encounters with some creatures in the vicinity, some errant weather effects, gathered a couple of small magical items through some careful planning, some careful reflexes, and pursuits, and some relatively uneventful evenings of camping off the road where some conversations were had, some bonding was mounted.

''Then, about a day out from the Heartmoor in the middle of the night, something seemed to be glowing in the nearby jungle, near the ridge of where you had set up camp: a strange little faintly glimmering fairy, a small tiny creature that led some of you curiously to look in its direction, Fearne specifically pursuing it out of frustration. But this seemed to not really be a fairy, as instead the presence of it drew you mindlessly forward into the darkness. Ashton, you were quick to follow and find Fearne staring stunned, mindless, into the darkness. There, this fairy creature was tethered to this long, winding vine that seemed to be protruding from, up until this point, a well-hidden gargantuan fanged plant creature, that began to rise out of the brush and shadow before opening its large mouth.''

Part I
Roll initiative!

Part of the party is still asleep as the encounter with the tree-like creature begins but are quickly wakened by the others. Fearne shrugs off the charm of the creature, but Ashton falls under its effect. They move toward it and are swallowed, taking serious acid damage on each turn thereafter. Chetney takes his werewolf form, and Orym's Goading Attack gives the creature disadvantage on attacks against anyone but him.

Once swallowed by the creature, a party member can escape with a contested strength check if the tree isn't damaged enough on a single attack turn to make it throw up already. Ashton punches out a hole through the esophagus with the bottom of their hammer and crawls through. Laudna then gives the creature disadvantage on strength checks with Hex. Imogen attacks with a twinned Catapult spell and tries out tapping into a wild magic surge, which happens to turn her skin dark blue. The creature charms FCG and Laudna into moving toward it, and they discover it is vulnerable to fire damage and has legendary actions. The plant swallows Laudna, causing her Hex to vanish. The acid damage knocks her unconscious, but her ability to Cling to Life brings her back. She then crawls out through the same hole Ashton hacked through the creature. The creature swallows FCG but Chetney damages it enough to make it throw them up. FCG finishes off the foe by decapitating it with their saw blade arm.

Imogen is still a vibrant dark blue, and the party decides to see if finishing their interrupted long rest will cure her. They wake late in the morning to find her color unchanged. While they prepare to get back on the road again, Chetney pokes a fungal growth and releases a small cloud of poisonous spores. Imogen discovers a pre-Calamity long-ruined structure which Orym recognizes as old elvish architecture. He remembers that during the Calamity, there were "climactic elements" that took place in Marquet, scarring the landscape heavily and creating the Rumedam Desert from what had formerly been lush jungle holding a flourishing elf and orcish city.

They gather their supplies and ride on northward toward Heartmoor Hamlet.

Break

 * The Fablemaker's Animated Tarot includes animated cards and hardcover guidebook with suggestions for including tarot in RPGs.
 * Tales of Xadia: The Dragon Prince tabletop roleplaying game is available now.
 * Excerpt of the first episode of 4-Sided Dive, premiering Tuesday 5 April 2022 at 7pm Pacific.
 * Exandria Unlimited returns for a two part special set in Kymal on 31 March - 1 April 2022 at 7pm Pacific.
 * Merch Alert! Marquet Market tote bag in the US and UK shops; Shaun Gilmore 12" figure, Kiri plush and hanger in the US, Canada, UK, and Australia; Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep in the US shop.
 * Critical Recap every Wednesday on CritRole.com.
 * Submit fan art and cosplay for possible inclusion in the weekly online gallery at https://www.critrole.com/submit.
 * Sam's ASMR urges everyone to subscribe to Critical Role on Twitch.

Part II
As the party continues their journey, they reach an established camping area where a group of five figures with horses are packing up: a hairless male katari, a human female with a drum, a small male goblin, a tall female firbolg named Tejana, and Hutchin, a slender female silver-scaled dragonborn. FCG casts Detect Thoughts on the dragonborn, but she notices him performing magic and becomes suspicious. The travelers are going the same direction as Bells Hells, toward the Heartmoor Hamlet, and Orym asks if they'd like to travel together. They cautiously agree to go in tandem. Fearne asks if they have anything fun for sale, and they offer a bracelet which Ashton buys.

They travel on for several hours into a swampy bogland and eventually see the small walled town of Heartmoor Hamlet in the distance, past a bridge arching over a channel of water. They enter through the Southern Gate Ridge which is guarded by two wilders. One of them directs the group to a stable for their horses and an inn for themselves, where they rent rooms. The innkeeper, Dobby Kingsman, tells them a little about the town and the locations of the Twilight Mirror Museum and Mosslight Manor (the home of Estani, the astronomer who was working with the Lumas twins before their deaths).

Orym and Imogen are eager to talk to Estani, but agree to go to the museum first. The museum is an unusual curved three-story building on the main square, surrounded by a tall iron fence. When they ring the bell at the gate, a face peers through the curtains at them, and shortly thereafter Evon Hytroga appears and welcomes them, offering them a half-day pass to the museum. He is amused when Ashton tells him they were sent by Jiana Hexum, immediately withdrawing the offer of a tour. The rival party who will be competing against them to complete the heist have not arrived yet, but are expected any minute. Once they arrive, Evon will notify Bells Hells and the competition will begin at midnight the next day. Evon also mentions to Ashton that he'd heard that during Jiana's recent break in, one of the burglars suffered a serious head injury.

They then head to the Estani's home, Mosslight Manor, which is a little ramshackle but cozy. Imogen is very nervous, hoping that Estani has the ripped-out book pages that talk about her mother. The door to the manor bears recently installed locks, and when the owner peers out cautiously, they can see Estani is very old and of mixed elf-orc descent. Orym explains they are here at the behest of Oshad Breshio, and Estani sadly welcomes them into the organized and book-filled chaos of their home.

Bells Hells

 * Ashton Greymoore
 * Chetney Pock O'Pea
 * Fearne Calloway
 * Fresh Cut Grass
 * Imogen Temult
 * Laudna
 * Orym

New

 * Dobby Kingsman, halfling proprietor of the Sodden Grange
 * Estani, uniya astronomer
 * Evon Hytroga
 * Hutchin, a dragonborn adventurer
 * Tejana, a firbolg adventurer

Mentioned

 * Andy, a former crush of Laudna's
 * Ariks Eshteross
 * Balan and Zeyar Lumas
 * Dorian Storm
 * Etan, namesake of Etan's Square
 * Isha Sabanis
 * Jiana Hexum
 * Oshad Breshio
 * Parmi Kingsman, granddaughter of Dobby

Quotations
Evon: Yes. Walk carefully. Be careful. Be safe. And if something scares you, run. (sinister giggle, then claps his hands) Oh, well, this is going to be fun! Oh, I'm so excited! FCG: We've established my worth, right? Wasn't it like 20,000? [...] Orym: He's not for sale. He's priceless. [...] FCG: How much do you cost? Evon: Oh, you could not afford me, honey.
 * Ashley: Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy. This changes things. I am going to... shit.
 * Ashton: We're splitting the party and both splits are going to the inn.
 * Fearne: Do you have any tips?
 * Evon: How much for your automaton?

Trivia

 * This is the first episode where Fresh Cut Grass got the "How do you want to do this?"
 * Laudna's emergence from the plant, with black ichor and cracking bones, is reminiscent of Dugger's entrance from a shade creeper hole in The Threat Between the Walls.