Lingering Wounds

is the eighty-ninth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role.

Pre-Show
Last session of 2019! Not to worry, they'll be back next year.

Previously on Critical Role
''Last we left off, the Mighty Nein, after having their showdown with the cult of the Angel of Irons, destroying Obann, the Laughing Hand, and freeing Yasha and the Inevitable End from his influence, you were taken to the throne room of King Dwendal, and upon meeting members of his council and the Assembly, you were tasked to prove yourselves a bit by helping bring some sort of an arrangement between them and the Dynasty, to essentially help forge a possible peace talk or negotiation in this conflict that’s been going on for quite some time, based on the relationship that you have seemingly built with the Bright Queen. You were brought under Ludinus Da’leth, the Martinet and oldest member of the Assembly, who then spoke with you in his private quarters about elements of the conflict, some of the source of the tension that has led and eventually brewed into the war that broke out, and you were given a little bit of guidance as to how much you were to guide the next step in this. You asked as part of this arrangement to inspect the beacon that was supposedly found by the word of Trent Ikithon. As such, you were brought by Ludinus to the Vergessen Sanatorium, a hidden structure somewhere in the northern elements of Western Wynandir, where you were brought to a subterranean research facility where you met Trent Ikithon as well as two of his Scourgers, one of which was familiar to Caleb. You inspected it, found it to seemingly be indeed an actual beacon, had a bit of a tense back-and-forth interrogation via conversation, and then upon returning to Rexxentrum, began to forge a few paths with the time that you had given. It was up to you as to when to choose to engage and begin these negotiations. There was no timeline set, but time is of the essence, for the more time that goes by, the higher chance there is of this temporary ceasefire to be broken.''

''After voicing a few possible interests here in the city of Rexxentrum, you now stand in your chambers within the Kamaruth Cottage, figuring out what to do with the time that you have. So, Mighty Nein, after venturing back from some purchasing at a nearby creepy store, and having some conversation about what the next order of business is, you are still gathered and the city is yours. What would you like to do?''

Break

 * D&D Beyond animation.
 * Yev returns, talking about Back Blaze.
 * Clips from.
 * Travis Willingham's Yee-Haw Game Ranch: Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, starring Tetanus Terry, Bast'Alar, Marisha, and Matt.
 * Critters' art montage.

The Mighty Nein

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

New

 * Astrid

Returning

 * Kiri (via Jester's Scrying spell)
 * Plank King (via Jester's Sending spell)
 * Thoreau Lionett (via Jester's Sending spell)
 * Jourrael (via Jester's Sending spell)
 * Darrow

Quotations
Caleb: You always were ambitious. Astrid: “So are you, apparently, Bren. Like I said, I’m proud of you.”
 * Caleb: (to Astrid) It’s strange, I find myself wanting to apologize. Still. So much of me feels like I failed. But a lot has changed. I know some things now that I didn’t as a boy. And I am so glad to see you.
 * Caleb: What we did that night– I did fail. But I didn’t fail the Empire. I failed myself and my mother and father.
 * Astrid: (about Trent) “I understand your anger. And as much as he’s been our teacher, he’s not infallible. He’s just an old man, with the right connections, who will one day pass like they all do.”