The Diver's Grave

is the forty-fourth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. The Mighty Nein investigate Fjord's shipwreck, and their underwater adventure takes a spooky turn as they head deeper into the Diver's Grave...

Announcements

 * Backblaze
 * D&D Beyond
 * The new intro debuted. It was animated by siblings Kamille Areopagita & Kevin Areopagita (Twitter). The new intro's song was co-written by Sam Riegel and Jason Charles Miller, with vocals contributed by Laura Bailey and Ashley Johnson, backing vocals by Sam Riegel and Travis Willingham. Jason Charles Miller did the instrumentation, and Colm McGuinness (Twitter) contributed a violin portion. Peter Habib of Mr. Fantastic did the final mix of the song.

Previously on Critical Role
So last we left off, the Mighty Nein, after being pulled through a series of pirate adjacent and straight up pirate adventures across the Swavain Islands here in the Lucidian Ocean, on the ship, the Squall-Eater'', under the Captain Avantika's rule, you made your way to Darktow where you attempted to find a way to discredit her. Find a way to not be dragged into her business in the future.''

It got a little messy, but you managed to avoid it coming to too terrible a head until you are brought into her ship last week where a battle unfolded, in which most of you managed to skitter away with the contents of this journal that you had taken from her as well as the translation for the cipher that was used to write it.

''[You] managed to make your way to the Plank King in time and have him bring his resources to the docks before any more of you could be further destroyed. Summoning a demon helped as part of the distraction, as well as patiently waiting. [...] You managed to just break enough laws to be put not in favor of the Plank King but managed to have done a large favor enough to be let leave and never return. Taking the hobbled ship that you guys had busted with you, you made your way out into the open ocean, heading northeast from Darktow and the Dragshallow Reef, in search of the possible shipwreck that started Fjord's destiny in the direction of Uk'otoa.''

''After days of travel and a few location spells cast, you managed to find a blip at the base of the sea. Using your newfound ability to instill the ability to breathe water within the party around you, you sunk to the bottom, holding onto cannonballs, and began to walk the bottom floor in search of the shipwreck, eventually coming upon a valley caldera that slowly sinks down. You noticed, aside from the whale that just skimmed your presence, the bow of a derelict, wrecked ship sitting there, surrounded by seaweed in the barely-visible, creeping daylight making it this deep in the waters.''

Part I
The Mighty Nein headed towards the shipwreck. They saw signs of an explosion through the hull. Fjord told the party more about what happened when the Tide's Breath exploded. Fjord saw Sabian go belowdecks and start messing with a package. After seeing Sabian light a fuse, Fjord confronted him. Sabian threw a dagger into Fjord's chest and ran. Fjord chased him. Sabian ran to the bow of the ship and jumped off right before the ship exploded. Fjord does not know why Sabian sabotaged the ship or where Sabian is now.

Caleb sent Frumpkin in octopus form ahead to scout. Frumpkin saw warped metal, burned boxes, and other evidence of an explosion. Fjord asked Jester to explore the captain's quarters with him. The inside of Vandren's quarters were ransacked. The table and bookshelf were knocked over; all the decorations Fjord remembers being in the cabin are gone. Fjord was too distracted by memories to do a thorough investigation. He seemed angry at the idea that someone looked through Vandren's things. He went to get the rest of the party while Jester made a thorough search. Jester found a metal box underneath a table in the corner. The lock had been opened by brute force leaving claw marks on the sides of the box. The inside looked like it held something spherical, about the size of a small apple. Jester cast Locate Object focusing on an orb similar to Fjord's. She felt the presence an orb away from the ship.

Fjord wanted to immediately head towards the orb, but the rest of the party wanted to investigate Vandren's cabin further. Caduceus determined the creature that left claw marks was the same one that forced the box open. Beau reminded the party that Dashilla, the creature they were warned haunts the area, is said to have "claws that grasp". Looking through the rest of the ship, the Mighty Nein realized the wreck was salvaged after it sank.

Attracted by Caleb's Dancing Lights cantrip, two merrow and a shallow priest attacked the party as they left the shipwreck. After seeing the two merrow fall, the shallow priest attempted to flee. It was finished off by Caleb's third-level Magic Missile.

Jester compared the merrow claws with the claw marks on Vandren's box. They didn't match. Whatever opened the box had slightly larger claws. Caleb doused his Dancing Lights cantrip and had Frumpkin's octopus form wrap around his head so he could see using its darkvision. The party continued in the direction Jester sensed the orb through Locate Object. Jester's spell fades. As they moved further towards it, other wrecked ships came into view. Some of the ships appeared to be decades old. The group began to see a light flickering in and outahead. Fjord worried it could be Dashilla's "lantern lure" as described in the sea shanty.

The rest of the group began to see the light as well. Caleb sent Frumpkin ahead to look. Frumpkin followed the light to a large cluster of dead coral surrounding a rocky stone shelf with an open cavern entrance underneath the shelf. The Mighty Nein moved quietly towards the cavern, Beau and Jester using seaweed as camouflage. Reaching the entrance, they saw the shimmering. It was caused by some unknown light passing over coins scattered about the cavern entrance. Fjord suggested to still intoxicated Nott that she go first. When Nott appeared to take him seriously and Fjord encouraged her further, Beau reminded Fjord of her promise to check him when he was "being a dick". In her opinion no one should go in this cavern entrance. It looked like a trap.

After a few minutes discussion, the Mighty Nein moved around into positions on the shelf on top of the cavern entrance. They planned to send Jester's illusory duplicate to pretend to pick up the coins and ambush whatever attacks the duplicate. After nothing responded to the duplicate's presence, Fjord jumped down into the cavern entrance. Nothing happened. Looking inside, the shimmering light that reflected off the coins was not there anymore. A tunnel leading down into another chamber was just visible.

Fjord summoned his falchion inside the cavern. The eye in the sword hilt cast a bright light as Fjord felt an eagerness building in him. Jester held Nott as they walked past the coins so Nott was unable to grab any. The rest of the group moved slowly into the cavern.

Part II
Caduceus cast Detect Magic once he is inside the cavern. There was Illusion magic by the cavern entrance, but nothing in the cavern or the tunnel in the spell's range. Nott cast a Silent Image of a dwarf man in a pirate outfit with a beard made of buttons, making fun of Fjord's attempt to convince her to come underwater. While most of the party stood just inside the cavern entrance, "Buttonbeard" walked 60 feet ahead of the group. Caduceus warned the seaweed in the cave they're going to be moving through. Nothing reacted to either Caduceus or the illusion. The chamber was empty except for a large clump of seaweed in the center. Seeing two passages, Fjord decided to head towards the one on the right.

As Fjord took his first step forward, a glowing figure came out of the wall, floated across the right tunnel, and melted into the other wall. Caduceus used Eyes of the Grave to confirm his suspicion that the creature is undead. He cast Light into the seaweed clump in the center of the chamber, revealing pieces of cloth and the remains of both humans and merrows tangled in the seaweed. As the party moved around the cluster in the center of the chamber, the seaweed reached towards Caleb. It caught him and pulled him into the wall. Fjord cast Eldritch Blast at the seaweed, forcing it to free Caleb.

The party continued towards the tunnel on the right. The tunnel sloped up 15 feet then leveled out into another chamber. The walls of the tunnel and next chamber had chunks of the same type of seaweed as well. Further down the hall, Caduceus saw a shadowy figure move. Eyes of the Grave showed the figure was not undead. Caleb lit up the chamber and tunnel ahead with Dancing Lights, revealing a ghostly white male figure. The figure moved away from the light and vanished into the wall. The party continued into the chamber. Seaweed once again reached for Caleb in the back of the group. This time he cast Expeditious Retreat on himself, dashing forward to avoid getting caught again.

The party passed through the chamber and continued down the tunnel on the other side. Jester and Fjord led the party through the tunnel around a curve to the left. After the curve, the tunnel back downwards to another large chamber. The seaweed appeared to be thicker on the walls towards the entrance. Caleb's Dancing Lights illuminated coins glittering on the floor of the larger chamber.

Beau turned behind her to see a ghostly figure of an old man. It leaned towards her, causing her to feel cold and her vision to go black. Caduceus used Turn Undead, forcing the ghost out of Beau. The party turned around to see about twelve more ghostly figures in the tunnel behind them. Jester and Caduceus both cast Sacred Flame on the seaweed clusters closest to the entrance of the chamber, clearing it back enough for the party to rush through. Caleb, still sped up by Expeditious Retreat, entered the chamber first. Seaweed reached for Yasha, now in the back, but she was too strong to be caught.

The party entered a much larger chamber with walls covered in the same type of seaweed they just came through. Silverware, tools, and coins looted from ships were tangled in the seaweed near the bases of the walls all around the chamber. The Mighty Nein realized that the floor they were walking on was almost completely covered in humanoid bones.

A pedestal with a 2 foot wide stone disc sitting on it at an angle sat in the center of the chamber. Carved runes spiral around the edges inwards towards a single sigil. Caleb investigated the pedestal. He determined it is an ancient, Age of Arcanum magical object that is currently dormant. Its power is beyond anything he has ever cast. If the right physical material is brought to the table, it can be used to summon an elemental force. He touched some of the buildup on the table, determining it to be coagulated blood. On the opposite wall from the entrance, a slightly crooked throne sat against the wall. Caduceus cast Locate Object again and detected the orb near the throne.

Looking above the throne, Caduceus saw a female humanoid with one open yellow eye and one half-open eye holding onto seaweed against the wall. She scuttled along the wall into the seaweed out of sight. Sprits of dead sailors and scavengers rose out of the floor around the party. Dashilla reappeared and immediately knocked Caleb unconscious with her Death Glare. The rest of the party leapt into battle. Some strange cold feelings felt earlier by Fjord, Jester, and Caleb were revealed to be Dashilla ensorcelling them and sneaking away before they noticed her. Dashilla may cause a creature she has ensorcelled to react to a false image. She forced Fjord to chase a false image of her then attack Beau.

Dashilla was able to severely damage Beau and Jester with her claw attack, but had to come out of hiding to do so. After most of the Mighty Nein resisted her attempts to frighten them and she took critical hits from Fjord's Eldritch Blast and Jester's Guiding Bolt, the tide of battle turned against Dashilla. She tried to flee. Fjord searched the area around the throne. The yellow orb was inside the remains of the throne's red velvet cushion.

Beau, Nott, and Caduceus moved into a chamber further back to see if they could finish off the severely wounded Dashilla. The rest of the Mighty Nein stayed in the room with the pedestal. Fjord held the orb up to his chest. His vision flashed to images of the same dark ocean from previous dreams. The bright yellow eye of Uk'otoa opened along with two more eyes on either side. The endless row of teeth smiled at him and the vision ended. The rest of the party in the room saw the orb absorb into Fjord's chest. His falchion now had two eyes- one in the hilt and one in the pommel. Jester convinced Fjord they should not pursue Dashilla and began to take coins from the lair. Fjord expressed a desire to find out what the pedestal with the runic disk does.

In the other chamber, Beau saw seaweed shifting and followed it down another passage to a fork. Going towards the movement, she found a pile of merrow corpses with their throats cut. Beau could no longer see Dashilla and tried the other side of the fork. As soon as she entered the room, another ghostly figure appeared and stared at her. Beau instinctively punched the ghost. The noise attracted Nott and Caduceus, who helped her finish it off. After the ghost dissipated, Nott discovered a tiny hole in the wall that looked into the room where the rest of the party was still exploring.

Fjord again appealed to Caleb about the pedestal, wanting to know what it does. Caleb seemed hesitant and suspicious of Fjord's intentions. Caleb pointed out the table was covered in blood. Fjord pushed Caleb further, appealing to his curiosity about unknown magic. Caleb asked for a favor in return if he helps figure out this pedestal. Fjord agreed.

Caleb cut his palm and placed it on the table. The runes where the blood touched began to glow, along with more runes carved into the wall. Fjord added some of his own blood to the table, causing more runes to glow. Realizing it will take a lot of blood, Fjord and Caleb began aggressively slicing into their hands. Each time blood hit the table, another rune in the wall began to glow as well. The entire room soon was bathed in a red glow, as the table appeared to be about two-thirds full of blood.

Fjord paused, wondering if they were giving blood to Dashilla and possibly healing her. Caleb responded that he would follow Fjord's lead on this, but he had other things to do that he will need help with. Fjord said he understood, shook Caleb's hand, and decided to leave the chamber. Jester picked up handfuls of coin from the floor as the party came back together and left the cavern. The party made their way out of the cavern without issues, looking out for Dashilla. There was no sign of her. As soon as they got outside the cavern, Caduceus cast Water Walk, bringing the whole party quickly to the surface and able to walk back to the Squall Eater.

After traveling for about an hour, the sky grew much darker around the area the party had gone underwater. Heavy rain began, but the Squall Eater was far enough away to avoid the worst of the storm. The Mighty Nein realized that after they left, Dashilla completed the ritual filling up the table with blood and summoned the storm they were currently seeing. During his rest that evening, Caleb spent hours alone writing in a mysterious "other book".

Post-Show
Matt announced Deborah Ann Woll's guest appearance in.

The Mighty Nein

 * Beauregard
 * Caduceus Clay
 * Caleb Widogast
 * Fjord
 * Frumpkin
 * Jester Lavorre
 * Nott
 * Yasha Nydoorin (controlled by Travis & Matt)

New

 * Dashilla

Returning

 * Orly Skiffback
 * Uk'otoa (in Fjord's vision)

Mentioned

 * Sabian
 * Vandren

Quotations
Nott: "Can you hear yourself right now? You sound pathetic. Pathetic!" Fjord: "I'm just looking out for you, Nott. I don't want you to-" Nott: "I understand when I'm being condescended to, even when I'm drunk!" Caleb: "All right, let's treat this situation with the seriousness it demands." Liam(occ): "I douse the lights and bring Frumpkin down onto my own head like a mask, so I can see through Frumpkin vision."
 * Fjord: "Wait, Nott! We're about to cross the area of the button graveyard that lies beneath the waves."
 * Sam(occ, to Liam): "You're wearing an octopus; he's talking to seaweed; there's a Buttonbeard in front of us. This is totally normal."
 * Taliesin(occ): "Fuck off, ghost!"
 * Beau: "Go fuck a ghost!" Marisha(occ): "I punch it."

Trivia

 * Logic was in the studio at some point and left Matt a note to be read as soon as the game started. The note says "You, Sir Matt, are the sexist being in all of Neverland. Sincerely, your boo, Logic."
 * Sam's flask had a drawing of Kiri wielding a dagger. The caption said "Your post was flagged as explicit", a reference to Tumblr announcing it would no longer support adult content.
 * The ghostly figures in the tunnels leading to Dashilla's lair seem to have the statistics and abilities of the Ghost from the Monster Manual.
 * The figure of an old man that looked at Beau causing her to go unconscious was likely using the Possession action. Beau rolled a 12 on a Charisma saving throw before her vision went black. Caduceus using the cleric's Turn Undead ability brought Beau back to consciousness. When a ghost takes the Possession action, a target humanoid within 5 ft must succeed on a DC 13 Charisma saving throw or be possessed. Once a ghost is possessing a humanoid, it cannot be targeted by any attack, spell, or other effect, except ones that turn undead.
 * Later in the episode, Beau sees a similar figure and punches it. She hits with an attack roll of 11. The Monster Manual Ghost has an AC of 11.
 * The battle against Dashilla was the first time Nott's intoxicated state helped her in battle. It was revealed that while intoxicated, Nott is immune to fear.
 * In recognition of the battle with Dashilla being underwater, Jester made her Spirit Guardians appear as seahorse unicorns.