SPOILERS for Critical Role Episode 86 (obviously). Go check out the full episode at GeekandSundry.com!
My recap of Episode 85 can be found here.
Vox Machina initiates a new member into the group and runs errands before setting off on an adventure.
Previously on Critical Role
After resurrecting their friend Scanlan, who perished in the fight with Raishan, Vox Machina thought everything would go back to normal. However, when Scanlan awoke, he was angry that they brought his daughter Kaylie to help in the resurrection ritual. Due to this, and feeling as though his friends didn’t know him nor value his contributions, Scanlan decided to leave Vox Machina, and spend time with his daughter. Though their friend had left, the party still had to move on and clean up loose ends from their various adventures. On their way to return Anna Ripley’s hand to The Scarbearers, they met Taryon “Tary” Darrington, a wannabe adventurer with plenty of gold to fund his travels. He offers Vox Machina 50,000 gold an hour to go on adventures with him. Despite his condescending attitude and inexperience, they feel it is too much gold to turn down, and accept his offer.
Now
Before entering into the tavern, Grog attempts to address Taryon.
Grog: “T-… Tar… Taryeon…”
Taryon: “Friends call me ‘Tary,’ Jumbo.”
Grog: “Tary Jumbo.”
Grog, sufficiently confused, asks Tary to write his name out on a piece of parchment. Tary begins to spell out his name, but Grog stops him, saying he wants it written on parchment. He tells Tary that he studies handwriting. Tary orders Doty to spell out his name in the finest calligraphy. While it is quite impressive, to Grog, it merely looks like scribbles.
The party (with Tary) enters the tavern.
A group of Scarbearer mercenaries sit at a table with their hands on the swords, ready to fight the intruders. No one mans the bar. Treev Bonebreaker, the caretaker of The Debt’s Respite tavern, comes out from the back room.
Treev: “Well, look at that. They’ve returned. It’s not often you see folks who are trying to stick to their word.”
Tary introduces himself to Treev. Treev asks the rest of Vox Machina who he is. Everyone responds with non-committal answers except for Grog, who confirms that he is “Tary Jumbo.”
Treev asks if the party is there to drink or talk. Vex pulls out Ripley’s mechanical hand. They ask if he would prefer her mechanical hand or her original hand. Tary, in disbelief, asks if they have multiple body parts in their bags. They confirm that they do.
Percy also pulls out Ripley’s pistol, further confirming the original owner of the hand. Treev goes to take both the pistol and the mechanical hand, but Percy stops him, saying that the gun is only meant to prove the hand came from Ripley. Treev agrees, and the debt is fulfilled.
They decide to stay for a drink. Vex keeps an eye on the other bar patrons, still not entirely trusting them.
As they drink, Percy strikes up a conversation with Tary. He asks where Tary found Doty. Tary responds that he made him. Percy responds with skepticism and begins to question the finer workings of the automaton.
Tary responds that he doesn’t believe Percy will understand Doty’s complicated inner mechanisms. Percy says that he thinks he will understand. Tary then begins to explain the concept of simple machines (levers, pulleys, etc.) to Percy.
Percy accuses Tary of lying about building Doty. Tary protests this, and Percy asks where the access panel is. Tary begins to stammer a response, asking Percy why he wants to know. Percy says the other party members must know how to fix Doty in case Tary falls in battle. Tary insists that this will not happen and calls Doty over to demonstrate.
Doty walks up behind Tary, and hunches over him, completely covering Tary from behind. Tary tells Percy that he considers himself a tinkerer and offers to show him a few things when they are in private and have a free moment. Percy agrees, though he is irritated with Tary’s condescending attitude.
Vax joins in the conversation, asking Tary where he hails from. Tary responds that he is from Diastock, part of the Truskin Empire in Wildmount. Keyleth, recognizing the place Tary named, becomes paranoid and asks if he is a Briarwood or knows the Briarwoods. Tary responds that he is not and has never heard the name.
The others ask about Tary’s childhood. He tells them that he grew up reading many tales of adventure, as well as books on magic and alchemy. Keyleth points out the similarities between Percy’s and Tary’s upbringings.
Tary goes onto explain that his family runs a successful business, from which he receives benefits. However, Tary says that he believes he is a self-starter, and he is going to amass his own private fortune on his adventures.
Vex asks who bought Tary’s armor for him. Tary tells her that he purchased it himself with money that is allotted to him monthly.
Grog asks Tary about his most dangerous adventure.
Tary: “I have a list of adventures I am currently going through. Some of the adventures include ‘rescue a maiden,’ ‘transport a treasure,’ ‘escort a muckety muck,’ ‘a revenge plot,’ ‘a classic dungeon crawl’–oh, this one I’m looking forward to–‘solving a mysterious riddle,’ ‘the old fashioned double-cross,’ ‘teleport’–haven’t done that one yet–‘shopping mission’–but, really, I can wait on that one–‘slay a dragon,’ and there’s more. The list is extensive. I’d like to conquer various beasts, rescue different people, find various treasures… It’s going to be quite an adventure.”
Vex points out that the party has already completed every item on the list. Grog adds that they’ve done it all several times. Tary is in disbelief that the party has slayed several dragons. He excitedly asks what it was like.
Keyleth: “Tary, do you think we look healthy and sane to you?”
Tary responds that they seem healthy, and notes their impressive adventuring gear. He says he cannot comment on their sanity until he gets to know them better.
Vax continues the interrogation, asking Tary how old he is. Tary says he is a “young 28.”
Keyleth asks what Tary’s end goal is, and he tells her that his book will be his masterpiece. He asks if he can share some of his working titles. Vox Machina (and Treev, who has been enjoying the conversation) invites him to share his ideas.
He lists titles that include Tary On with Taryon Darrington, The Terrific and Terrifying Tales of Taryon Darrington, 50 Shades of Tary, Bravado! The T. Darrington Story, Zen and the Art of Robot Manservant Repair, Adventuring for Dummies, The Things they Tarried, The Blonde Hair of Courage, The Adventures of Huckletary Finn, The Odyssey, Tary’s Daring Do’s and Daring Do Not’s, Dungeons and Darringtons, and Critical Patrol.
Vax pulls his sister aside and questions what they are doing with Tary. He points out that they have yet to gain proof that he can even pay the amount they requested. Vex goes back over to Tary.
Vex: “How much money do you have in your account right now?”
Tary: “I would not care to say. We’re in a public place.”
Vex: “You can whisper it in my ear.”
Tary [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][whispering]: “I would not care to say.”
Vex asks Tary outright if he is as rich as he says he is. He points to his armor as evidence of his immense wealth, but Vex is still skeptical, retorting that he could have spent all of his money on his adventuring gear.
Tary pulls her away from the crowd. He reaches into his bag of holding, and pulls out a handful of coins. He flicks one to Vex. Doty walks over to them and begins to take notes on their conversation. Vex examines the coin. It appears to be real.
Vex: “Lovely. I believe you. Congratulations on being born into privilege.”
Tary: “I didn’t chose to be, and I am trying to lead my life honest and true, humble and brave, every day of my life. And I thank you for allowing me to travel with you, and perhaps go on a mission. I mean, is this mission going to start at some point?”
Vex tells him that they just finished the mission and walks away.
Meanwhile, Grog starts a conversation with Percy. He suggests that they audition Tary before fully bringing him on as a member of Vox Machina. Percy considers this and says that it isn’t such a bad idea. Before they do, he continues, they will need to finish up their business in the city. They still need to visit J’mon and return the flute. Keyleth refuses to take Tary to J’mon, and Grog offers to wait outside with him. Percy suggests that they leave sooner rather than later for the Cerulean Tower.
Tary returns to the group and complains that they have yet to start on an adventure. Vax tells Tary that he paid for an adventure, not access to their contacts. The others add to simply be patient. Keyleth elaborates, saying that things tend to just happen around them, so if he sticks around long enough, an adventure will pop up.
As they leave the tavern to visit J’mon, the group quietly has a conversation over their magical earrings. Percy warns the group that he’s very suspicious of Tary, since he still doesn’t believe the artificer could have created it on his own. He’s also mentioned that he has looked into creating one in the past and is both impressed and jealous that someone else has acquired and/or made one.
Vax: “I don’t know anything about any of that shit, but, in my experience, talent and knowledge have nothing to do with whether you’re a douchenozzle or not.”
After they finish their conversation, Vex asks Tary if Doty can fight, or if he is simply there to take notes. Tary says that Doty is competent in battle. She asks if the robot has ever been in a battle, and Tary answers that it has. Vex glances at Doty, and sees that parts of the automaton have clearly been repaired.
Vex: “Doty looks old. Like far older than your armor.
Tary: “That may be because in battle I am deft, fearless.”
Grog: “You’re deaf?”
Taryon adds that he is able to anticipate his enemies future actions, so he rarely gets hit in battle. Vex asks if Doty was Taryon’s nanny. He repeats that Doty is a robotic construct that he built. To answer Vex’s question, he says that Doty is just one year old.
They begin to ask about Tary’s parents. He says that they are alive and at home, eagerly awaiting his return. His father, he says, deals in real estate.
Percy subtly takes a closer look at Doty as they walk. He sees that Doty is well-engineered, but also has magical runes engraved into its metal. Percy, relieved, realizes that Doty runs on a mixture of mechanics and magic, and he feels secure that he is still the best non-magical tinkerer in the party.
They approach the palace. A guard stops them and asks what their business there is. They suddenly realize that Scanlan still has the token with a symbol on it that allows them to gain entrance to speak to J’mon. Keyleth, however, has the flute.
Vax says that Vox Machina is there to speak with J’mon. Keyleth takes the flute and quickly brushes the remains of the suude from it before giving it to the guard. He takes the flute.
The Grand Maven comes out of the tower to greet them. Tary introduces himself to her. She thanks them for their part in defeating the Chroma Conclave, and Percy confirms that J’mon is away that Raishan was slain as well.
Vex pulls the Grand Maven aside. She asks if they could receive a favor from J’mon. Jarrett, she explained, was expelled and exiled from Marquet in his youth, but was a part of slaying Thordak. She asks if the party could speak on his behalf to reverse this ruling. She says she will look into the matter and then send word to Whitestone. She says she will also pass their thanks onto J’mon.
Now that they have completed another errand, Grog decides begin “auditioning” Tary.
Grog: “One of the things on your list was to get into a kerfuffle, right?”
Tary responds that it isn’t on his list, and again questions when the adventuring is going to begin.
Vax: “Buddy boy, you’re buying in for shit you’re not really ready for… We’re going to take a little time for a day, and then we’re going to take you to hell.”
Tary: “All right. Are you speaking metaphorically?”
Grog: “No. Like literally hell. There’s like seven or eleven of them.”
Grog looks around for someone that Tary can find. There’s just normal townspeople.
Grog: “See that fruit vendor over there? He’s killed many, many people.”
Tary: “Oh. Well maybe I should pay him to take me on an adventure.”
Vex breaks up the conversation and tells Tary that he will soon be able to cross teleportation off his list. Keyleth casts transport via plants to take them back to Whitestone.
Tary: “Doty, take this down, ‘As the tree split in front of me, I–‘”
Tary’s dictation is cut off by a scream as Percy unceremoniously pushes him through the tree to Whitestone.
Tary quickly picks himself off the ground and begins to rapidly ask questions. Vax slaps him. It brings him down a little, but he still talks about how exhilarating the teleportation was.
Tary: “It’s like my body fell apart and came back together again!”
The party sarcastically responds that it is like that for them as well.
It’s still early afternoon in Whitestone. Vex leaves to tell Jarrett that they spoke to the Grand Maven about his exoneration. He says that he appreciates her help. With a heavy heart, Vex also informs him that Scanlan has decided to leave the party. Jarrett responds that he is sorry to hear that. He also asks that she hold onto a package he got for Scanlan, as he doesn’t feel he should be the one to hold onto it. He hands her a wrapped package of Suude.
Vex doesn’t understand what it is. She asks if it’s components of a potion. He says that it is, but probably not one she should drink. Vex continues to push on the matter, and he exasperatedly tells her that he had procured drugs for Scanlan.
He reveals that this was going to be Scanlan’s second shipment of drugs, and the first had occurred a week or so prior. She thanks him for turning it over and says she appreciates his service.
Grog invites Tary to the outskirts of the city. They bring him to the castle courtyards. The courtyards, though they had been greatly damaged from acid run-off, have begun to grow back into lush greenery. Guards keep a perimeter around the courtyards, assuring no townpeople go in.
Grog tells Tary that this is the start of an adventure, but he has to whisper instructions to him. Grog beckons Tary closer. Tary is distrustful of this and asks Percy if he should listen to Grog. Percy responds that Grog is very trustworthy and that he should definitely listen to him. Tary senses that Percy isn’t telling the whole truth.
Grog tells Tary to put out his hand and play boulder, parchment, shears. Tary is still suspicious, but he participates any way. As Tary gets ready to play his hand, Grog casts enlarge on his titanstone knuckles and attacks Doty. Vax sneak attacks Tary.
Grog slaps Doty, knocking the journal out of his hands. Doty turns to face Grog and pulls back to attack, but, upon seeing Vax about to attack Tary, turns to attack him instead. Before the robot can act, Vax hits Tary hard in the back of the head, nearly knocking him out immediately. Tary cries out in pain and falls to his knees. Doty punches the half-elf in retaliation.
Grog reaches a hand out to Tary.
Grog: “Show me what you have learned.”
Keyleth looks on. She accepts what is happening, as it is their go-to for initiating a new member into their group. She casts windwall, creating an arena. She also gives Tary a healing word to help him in the fight.
Vax also heals Tary before disengaging.
Vax: “We are a bunch of fucking assholes and this is all you’re going to get with us.”
Tary runs around to the other side of Doty. He feels around his helmet and shortly finds the gem he was looking for. He pulls out a diamond and, still screaming, casts prismatic spray. He hits Grog, Keyleth, and Percy. He then casts sanctuary on himself. He order Doty to attack Grog.
Doty grabs Grog and headbutts him.
Grog goes into a rage. He goes on the other side of Tary, putting the artificer between him and Doty.
Keyleth decides she wants to see how well Tary can dodge. She casts fireball, managing to surpass his sanctuary. He is unable to dodge the fireball, and takes the full blast.
As Vex is walking back from speaking to Jarrett, she sees off in the distance Tary’s prismatic spray. Worried about what is happening, she hops on her broom and flies over the castle to the courtyard. As she flies through the air, she also sees the fiery blast from Keyleth’s fireball.
Vax calls a pause in the battle. He tells Tary that this is the type of thing they will regularly be facing, and asks if he really wants to continue. Percy adds that several of the party members have already died multiple times on their adventures. Keyleth drops the windwall.
Vax: “Buddy, let me tell you something. If we get into the middle of shit, I will protect you, but it will be rough. And they’re not going to call off their attack like we are. Are you sure you want to write this book and come with us?”
Suddenly, Vex flies over the courtyard and Trinket canonballs out of her necklace. He lands in the middle of the party. He loudly roars. Tary begins screaming again as Vex lands. She angrily asks what is going on.
Keyleth tells her that they’re just playing and that the battle was simply a trial run for Tary.
Tary begins to cry.
Tary: “I can’t do any of this. I’m sorry. I’m not a real adventurer. That was a story I told you. I know it was very convincing, but I haven’t been on any real adventures ever… I know that you all look at me and see the armor, and the handsomeness, and the bravado, and you think ‘he has it all. He has everything that we want,’ but it’s a lie. It’s a ruse!”
The party begins to gently tell Tary that they never believed his lies. Vex chastises the party for making yet another person cry.
Tary asks through his hysterical crying if he can be honest with them. He reveals that his parents are leaving everything to his sister and he decided to go on great adventures to prove himself to them.
The party begins to comfort him. They explain that if he would have been upfront about adventuring because of his daddy issues, he would have fit in better. The party decides that they like Tary now.
Trinket tries to lick the tears off of Tary’s face, but he only ends up scaring him more.
Tary offers to be an apprentice to the party, but they refuse, saying he has talent, but merely lacks experience. They confer with each other, wondering if going to the Nine Hells right away is actually a good idea. Keyleth suggests simply visiting the Water Ashari instead.
Grog: “Have you ever been unconscious.”
Tary: “Only when I go to sleep at night.”
Percy offers Tary a glass of wine to cheer him up. Through snot and tears, he asks if it will be better wine than what they had earlier, and Percy promises it will be.
Grog asks if Doty has really been in a battle. They all look over to the robot, to see that he has been recording Tary’s mental and emotional breakdown. Tary tells him to pause. Doty stops writing. He takes a deep breath and tells them the truth about Doty.
Tary: “Doty is my best friend because he listens to me and understands me. And at night, when I play my characters, he plays with me. We play combat, and I pretend to be some of the characters I’ve read about, and he pretends to be the others.
Vex: “So you want to be an actor.”
Tary: “No. I want to be a hero. I just haven’t had the chance yet because my father says I should just be focused on taking over the family business, learning financial things, and learning how to shake down a customer. I’m so much more than that.”
Keyleth explains that there are many ways to be a hero besides being an adventurer. Vex suggests that he could become a philanthropist. They assure Tary that people do write books about philanthropists.
Tary says he still thinks the best stories are about adventurers. Grog agrees and says that adventurers’ fathers don’t leave the family business to their daughters, earning a stern look from Vex.
Vax tells Tary to ignore what his dad thinks and asks if he still wants to be an adventurer. Tary confirms that he does. Vax reveals to Tary that, when adventuring, you never stop being afraid; you just get better at dealing with it. They then all give Tary tips on how to survive in battle.
They take Tary off to get some drinks.
Tary: “Doty, just delete most of that last chapter and take this down: ‘The battle a draw, Taryon decided it was better to lie than tell the truth, and embarked on a new adventure, pretending to be their humble intern. When, in actuality, they were working for him.’ End of chapter.”
They settle down in the castle. Pike enters. She explains that they still need desperately need healers in Emon, and that her services are needed there. She asks that they let her know before they go to The Nine Hells so she can accompany them, however. They agree to this.
Keyleth says that she hopes Pike would have come with them to visit the Water Ashari. Pike says they can go without her and simply suggests they hire a good crew.
Vex asks Pike to speak with her in private. She asks the paladin if her traveling to Emon was caused by Scanlan’s departure. Pike admits that it will be a good distraction. But, overall, she says that her motivation in going to Emon is that her talents are needed more there than with the rest of Vox Machina.
Vex: “You don’t always have to put on a brave face, dear.”
Pike gently pats Vex’s face.
Pike: “Yeah, I do.”
Before leaving with Allura, Pike runs up to Grog to say goodbye. She punches him before hugging him. They say their goodbyes, and she leaves.
Tary: “Was that your girlfriend, Jumbo?”
Grog: “What did you say?”
Vax advises Tary against continuing that particular line of questioning.
Grog asks for Tary’s hand. Tary holds out his hand, asking for Grog to not kill him. Grog and Vax lock eyes, and Grog abandons his plan. Keyleth tells him he did a good job showing restraint. Grog unhappily grumbles.
They begin to question Tary again. He reveals that his father routinely does shady business practices that are secret from everyone except his children. He also tells the party that his last group of hired swords didn’t die, but simply left. Finally, he discloses that his full name is Taryon Gary Darrington. The group groans in sympathy.
He then discusses his sister, Marion Darrington. He tells the group that she is a jock, and they don’t get along. He says that her focus is just on taking over the business.
Percy worries about his strong similarities with Taryon.
Keyleth questions why his father would put such emphasis on physical prowess when he is a real estate agent. Tary replies that it is more of the mental aspects of a warrior that his father admires. Keyleth further questions him, wondering if his father is really a real estate agent after all. Tary admits that his father doesn’t take him along on business deals.
Percy draws The Clasp’s logo and asks Tary if he recognizes it, but he doesn’t.
Vax points out the big similarities between Tary and Percy. Percy agrees with this, describing it as “horrifying.” He admits that he’s also a bit of a tinkerer and pulls out Bad News. He begins to explain the mechanics of Bad News to Tary. They fall into a deep discussion.
Tary brings up their payment. Vex excitedly agrees. Tary begins to calculate costs, deducting gold for damage to his armor, spell component cost, the fact that he wasn’t the star of the adventure, and other miscellaneous items. He also asks for their tax information. Vex argues with him, saying that there were no contract stipulations when they made the deal. He calculates the final payment as 11,000 gold, and asks Doty to write a check.
Percy informs Tary that, as a baroness, Vex is technically tax exempt. Tary raises the final amount to 16,000 gold.
Tary: “My father will pay that in full.”
Grog reaches into the bag of holding where Tary pulled out a handful of coins earlier. He hopes that he will find gold, but mostly he hopes that he will find candy. Instead, he finds nothing.
Grog: “This is bullshit! You can’t come with us!”
Tary, in an attempt to impress Grog, lights his hammer with a magical flame, boosting its damage output. He explains this to Grog. Grog touches it. It burns.
Tary: “Why would you touch a flame?!”
Grog: “Because you said it was magical!”
Grog jabs him in the chest.
The party begins again to reassure and criticize Tary. Tary thanks them and promises to make them guest stars in one of the top three most epic chapters of his book.
Percy, starting to bond with Tary, sends him off to he library.
With Tary gone, the party debates scrying on Scanlan. Grog immediately objects, saying it’s going against Scanlan’s wishes. Percy agrees, and they decide give Scanlan privacy.
Percy grabs the wine from the table and escorts Vex away. As he leaves, he asks if she would like to see the treasury room.
The next morning, everyone gathers in the common room of the castle. They decide to go visit the Ashari. Keyleth knows they are somewhere south in the Osment Sea. They discuss the logistics of getting to the Water Ashari.
Tary asks why they don’t simply teleport there, but they explain that teleportation is more complicated than that.
They decide to go to the Earth Ashari to gather more information on the location of the Water Ashari.
Vex pulls Grog aside. She asks how he is, and he begins to tell her about his night.
She changes the subject, and asks if he knew Scanlan was using drugs. Grog is confused by this, and says he did not know.
She goes on to explain that finding out secrets about your friends can be hurtful. Grog agrees but is confused about why Vex is bringing this up to him. Vex pulls out The Deck of Many things. Grog is amazed that Vex found another Deck of Many Things.
Vex guiltily admits that she never gave him The Deck of Many Things. She explains that she simply handed him a pouch and lied that the deck was in there. She then cautiously turns over the deck to Grog. Grog is very confused by this, as he believes that the deck has been in his possession the whole time. He wonders how she is giving him something he already has, but he accepts it anyway.
Grog: “Is this a lesson?”
Vex: “Sure.”
Grog: “Can we skip to the part where you’re so frustrated I haven’t gotten it that you give me the answer?”
Vex: “You’re a good person. Still don’t look at the deck. I’m glad you have our back. Don’t do drugs.”
Grog asks what Scanlan did with the rest of his drugs. They decide to search his room. They spend about an hour going through the things left in his room. They find no drugs, but they do find “art” books with the pictures torn out.
Meanwhile, Percy and Tary are bonding in Percy’s workshop. They discuss mechanics and building, growing closer. Finally, Tary decides to take the next step in their relationship.
Tary: “You know, I don’t normally do this, but what’s your name?”
Percy then realizes that Tary’s nicknames for them are because he has never asked for any of their names.
Percy introduces himself using his full name and then explains to Tary his family’s position in Whitestone. Percy suggests that he eventually learn everyone else’s names as well.
They gather all of their supplies and leave.
Using transport via plants on the Sun Tree, they arrive in Central Cliffkeep. They traverse down the mountain path. One of the nearby trenches shifts up and figures walk towards them. A female half orc with braided hair approaches. She recognizes Keyleth and greets her.
They discuss how the tribe has been under Thordak, and Keyleth informs her that The Chroma Conclave has been destroyed. Keyleth explains that she needs to speak to the headmaster, saying she needs information on the Water Ashari.
They approach the outskirts of the city. They feel rocks constantly shift beneath their feet. Plates shift and come to an apex regularly. Druids try to control it as it occurs.
The headmaster steps out of a building as they approach. He greets Keyleth. She greets him in return, and inquires about the tribe.
After finishing the formalities, Keyleth asks about the location of the Water Ashari. He reveals that it won’t be an easy journey, and he hasn’t made it himself in quite some time. He says it won’t be possible to travel through trees, but they will be able to take a ship. He also adds that the name of the headmaster there is Owenda. As his final words of advice, he tells her to keep her friends close.
The party leaves. On their way out, Grog tells Tary that it’s custom to eat the dirt when visiting the Earth Ashari. Not wanting to offend, Tary takes a large handful of dirt and tries to eat it.
He immediately goes into a coughing fit as finely powdered rock drys his mouth and throat. He drinks some healing draught to soothe his throat.
They travel through the trees to Greyskull Keep. They walk towards Emon. The town is in the process of repair. It is more lively than the party has ever seen it. Most of the town is actually in tact, though a fair amount is still destroyed.
They see the sky ship, but it is heavily damaged. They wonder about the fate of the captain.
They head to the docks. Seagulls caw and the waves splash against the docks. The party begins their search for a crew. Eventually, someone points Vax and Vex to Dockmaster Abban. The dockmaster greets them and asks if they are searching for something. Vex leads with the fact that they saved the city, and then asks for a seasoned crew. Percy interjects with the proper technical sailing terms.
The dockmaster points them to Captain Adella. He points them to a sailing ship in the dock. The crew is currently lounging on the deck. The captain, Adella, walks along the deck. As the party approaches, the crew calls out to the captain and gestures towards them.
The captain has long, wild sun-bleached hair. She wears a long coat and high boots.
Adella: “Hi! Are you looking for a crew?”
Keyleth: “You look like a pirate!”
Adella immediately rejects this. Percy explains that it was a compliment, and Keyleth asks where she buys her clothes.
They tell Adella where they are heading, and she agrees to help them travel there. They begin to negotiate price. She quotes 150 gold per day. They explain how many mouths they have to feed, and she stays at that price. Vex, astonishingly, agrees to the price.
She says it will be about a weeks travel, and that there may be stormy weather. She warns them of bandits as they approach the Hesbit. She welcomes them to her ship.
They board the ship. The crew jumps into action, letting loose the sails and getting other things prepared. The salty sea air blows in a cool breeze past them.
The ship leaves the dock and begins the first part of its journey to the Air Ashari. The lights of Emon fade behind them as sail west towards the setting sun.
To be continued…
Episode 87 – “Onward to Vesrah”
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Is it Thursday yet?
About the Artist: Nick Uroseva (@Nick_Uroseva)
Nick is a professional graphic artist from Youngstown, Ohio. He has a BA in Multimedia Technology. When he isn’t doodling for one thing or another, he spends is his time writing and Dungeon Mastering several D&D games, enjoying craft beer, shooting zombies with Nerf blasters, and tweeting about #CriticalRole.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
