A Storm of Memories

is the forty-sixth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. The Mighty Nein dock in Bisaft before setting sail through a dangerous storm to find the next temple of Uk'otoa...

Announcements

 * Two sponsors
 * D&D Beyond
 * The Rook and the Raven - Month of December is dedicated to their school kit drive. For the entire month of December they are donating 100% of their profits to schools, teachers, and community centers to establish and grow table top gaming clubs and classes. Each kit will contain dice, a gaming kit for six (a dm and five players). Every item they sell until December 20th will count towards leveling up the content of each kit.
 * State of the Role announcement featuring new shows like Pub Draws, Mame Drop, and more.
 * Announcement of this being the last show of 2018 (with Travis freaking out about it in the background and Liam points out the cast is closing in on four years since they started) but they will be back January 10th, 2019.
 * Talks Machina will be back Tuesday January 8th, 2019 7P PST, when the entire cast gets together to talk about what is happening so far.
 * Announcement for Liam's 'The Night Before Critmas' One-Shot airing at 7PM PST on December 21st, 2018.

Previously on Critical Role
''The Mighty Nein are making their way through the Swavain Islands in the Lucidian Ocean after vanishing from the island of Darktow with the damaged Squall-Eater, renaming it the Ball-Eater. Managed to escape from the Diver's Grave and the ship graveyard that it had turned out to be as well as the entity that had lived there. You had acquired another sphere of Uk'otoa. And upon making your way to Bisaft Isle to get repairs for your ship as it limps along the ocean you discover that you had a stowaway, who had followed you on the ship since Darktow. The delightful gnome named Twiggy befriended you and revealed the item that had sent her on her path to becoming a stow away. This strange clockwork arcane sphere she’d stolen from an auction house to keep away from a bad man. ''

''Upon toying with the sphere you discovered it had some planar elements, bits of conjuration magic to it and was dispensing coins and cold weather attire. And a little more tweaking sent you somewhere else. The present party was transported to some extra planer dungeon, if you will, an abode of hundred plus rooms that apparently belonged to a mage from long ago. Upon exploring and making your way through the various traps and tricks you manage to avoid a few pitfalls, trigger a few others, gather a few objects, fight a cabinet, find some books, and end up teleported in a scattered fashion to the realm of a young blue dragon. ''

''By, for like two of you, by the skin of your fucking teeth, you all manage how to trigger the exit and escape in time with Twiggy dealing a final blow to the dragon on the way out. Of which some of you may believe her, as no one was present to watch it happen. After which you realized you’d been missing for six days, that there was some time dilation between the time you spent in the sphere, or at least within a few chambers in the sphere, versus the time out here. The crew had been waiting a number of days, the repairs had been completed on Bisaft Isle. You guys decided to call it an evening and rest up. Lick your wounds and reflect over what has transpired over the last day, the last week, the past month, who knows. But with most of you going to a rest and Beau and Caduceus heading to the top of the ship to calm and discuss these things you all called it a night. ''

So, Mighty Nein, as you are still at dock on Bisaft Isle… what would you like to do?

Part I
The Mighty Nein sleeps until noon, at dock on Bisaft Isle. They discuss the battle of the previous day, and Caduceus realizes that everyone (except Nott and he) thinks it was their fault. He points out they're all alive and it's necessary to take some risks. They decide to go explore the island, with Caleb staying behind on the ship.

On the way, they run into some sailors, who tell them ships are being recalled to the coast because of the ongoing war between the Empire and the Kryn Dynasty, and that the Xhorhasians snuck under the mountains and assaulted the village of Felderwin.

Fjord pays for the completed repairs to the Ball-Eater, and the dockmaster offers a 30 gp rebate if they leave by the end of the day. Their first stop ashore is the Bisaft Meadery, where they breakfast and sample the mead. Yasha wanders in, upset at being left behind to wonder if they were dead, and the party discuss their plans. Fjord wants to go to the temple he saw in his vision and deposit the second orb, but insists he'll keep the third himself.

Caduceus shows the broken sword to a local blacksmith, but it means nothing to her. Nott buys Caleb some incense, while Jester goes on a bee tour back at the meadery and buys two jars of honey. Caduceus gets some spices for their food on the ship.

Meanwhile, back on the ship, a more-than-normally subdued Caleb casts both Alarm and the Tiny Hut in his cabin before casting Identify on the jar of beads and the ink from the Happy Fun Ball, which has reset itself completely. The ink is 500 gp worth of magical ink. There were also four books, which he looks through: a study of alchemical compounds on corrupted plants, a record of public debate in Zeidel regarding experimentation on prisoners from Ghor Dranas, a discussion of theories on the ice fields of Eiselcross (a land mass north of Wildemount), and a spellbook.

The party regather on the ship and head for the Gravid Archipelago. That evening, a storm hits, but they seem to be riding it out all right. Beau seeks out Jester, and tells her that she also had a lonely childhood and that her father was very protective because of certain things that he believed. She admires that Jester's response was to turn to creativity. Jester confides that sometimes, she's angry, too. Beau offers to be friends, and Jester gives her a big hug from behind as she's walking away.

Part II
Yasha goes on deck in the storm, alone in the bow of the ship. She has a vision of her homelands in the Iothia Moorland, her tribe, and Zuala. In a flash of lightning, she sees Zuala, fleshless and bone, then darkness. A storm grows, and words form in her mind: "Loss. Loss is excruciating. Loss is paralyzing. Loss is inevitable. Loss can bring sorrow, bring hate, bring cruelty and darkness." In another blinding flash, she sees burning huts and corpses at her feet, her blade bloodied. A figure with glowing yellow eyes, red skin, hooked horns, and wings turns and smiles, "Your anger is beautiful to behold, Orphan Maker." Another voice says, "Loss can instead teach you what is important... How much, how many will you lose until you find your strength?" She returns to herself as the voice says, "Show me. Show me what is important, what is worth protecting. This storm was birthed only for you." A lightning bolt slams into the front of the ship, and standing there is a man-like shape of crackling blue energy and wings, which attacks her. Yasha fights back, her wings unfurling, frightening the creature. Jester and Fjord, also on deck, only see what appears to be ball lightning, but they see Yasha being hurt by it, and Jester casts Cure Wounds on her, causing the creature to double in size. Yasha and the being continue to battle, with Yasha being seriously injured. She reaches into the chest of the being and pulls out the energy mote at its center. It flickers out and Yasha falls to the deck at one hit point.

Jester and Yasha find Caduceus in his cabin, who heals her and makes tea. She tells him she feels the creature knew her. She had to leave her tribe because she did something that wasn't right, explaining that when you become a part of the Dolorav tribe, you take a blood oath and are given a name. Hers was Orphan Maker. The Skyspear, the matriarch of the tribe, chooses a mate for you, but Yasha fell in love with someone else. They were secretly married, and in the tribe, when you marry it's for life. The tribe found out, and the punishment for that is death. They killed Zuala, and Yasha ran away into the wastes of Xhorhas. After that, there is time she cannot account for and she woke up months later, looking and feeling different, at an altar of the Stormlord. She explains that she wants to go back someday. She doesn't know where Zuala was buried, but she has so many flowers to bring to her.

In the morning they arrive at the Gravid Archipelago, a trio of steep, volcanic islands, and anchor in the center of them. Caleb changes Frumpkin into an octopus and he locates an underwater leaning tower, with humanoid, twitching, moaning bodies tangled in the seaweed around it. Nott gets drunk, and asks Caleb about the objects he identified earlier. Caleb tells her about them all, and that the jar of beads contains food. Nott says she thinks its 50-50 Fjord is going evil and suggests Caleb be ready to restrain him. Fjord casts Water Breathing on the group and they descend.

They find five sea spawn guarding the tower, which appears to be a temple, and Caleb, Nott, Caduceus, and Fjord all surprise attack the first one simultaneously, killing it. The sea spawn are fairly easy to kill, even though the party has terrible attack rolls and takes some damage, and eventually Nott crossbows two of them, Beau takes out another, and Caleb and Jester finish off the last. During the fight, Fjord uses Accursed Specter on one creature, creating a wraith under his command. Fjord stealthily gets closer to the tower and sees an open doorway, with a crustacean shape inside it that immediately pulls back. He sends the wraith into the doorway, and it disappears with the sound of thrashing, then silence.

Caleb sends his light globules into the tower while Beau and Yasha peek in windows. There are three large chuuls visible and aware of the light and the potential invaders. The party prepares for the upcoming fight.

The Mighty Nein

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

New

 * Dockmaster Podderan
 * Bentha Tamalos
 * Keisha Budan
 * Kord, the Stormlord
 * The Demonic Figure (vision)
 * Zuala (vision)

Returning

 * Orly Skiffback
 * Marius LePual

Mentioned

 * Avantika
 * Vandran
 * Unidentified Skyspear

Quotations
Beau: Damn, could you be more ominous, Orly? Were you trying? I think he was trying. Matt: (more ominous) "Cap'n, we're heading into a proper storm." Beau: That was good. I think that was pretty good. Jester: Curses and luck, they go together. If you don't believe in luck, you can't believe in being cursed, either. Beau: The one we're heading in, Fjord, which is the only way we could be heading. Fjord: Which is? Beau: Towards our destiny.
 * Nott: (to Yasha) Did you have funerals for all of us?
 * Jester: Hello, bees? Hello, bees. Please come over here and let me say hello.
 * Matt:(as Orly) "Cap'n, I think we're heading into a proper storm."
 * Yasha: I don't know if my heart could ever be healed, but I'm okay with that. I feel like if it were put back together then that means Zuala would be gone. I know one day I want to go back there. I don't know where she was buried, but I have so many flowers to bring to her.
 * Yasha: I feel like I'm either very unlucky or cursed, and I don't believe in luck.
 * Fjord: (relieving Beau at the helm) Which direction are we pointed?