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Runtime	Break start
4h 3m	2h 2m

Episode 37: Death to Tyrants

We return. Nobody even had a joke. That's how intense it is. Welcome to tonight's episode of Critical Role. Tense in here.
Last we left our schemers in Dol-Makjar, the events of the opening of KoTher'ai had spiraled out in many different directions:*

• the hallowing of the Hallowed Round
• the restuing of Mara the Wing
• the turning of House Einfasen successfully against House Tachonis

which left our Schemers with a couple of big puzzles to solve. Of course, our brand new Schemers with the puzzle of the internal politics of the Candescent Creed and the House of Halovar (including Ksha'aravi, the Shadow of Suffering, but also the politics of Dol-Makjar itself (the Penteveral, the Revolutionary Guard, The Archanade (now with Bolaire gone; fallen into the clutches of House Cormoray), and a motion of 'No-Confidence' suggested by one Yanessa Halovar)).
You met Effie Parvinas (one of the Revolutionary Council members and) discovered that she was busy checking the laws of the 'Compact of the Revolution'. And you fomented a plan to deliver invitations that the three local Dol-Makjar council members of the Grey Tower of the Revolutionary Council would come to this Weaver's Day performance of 'KoTher'ai,' and they did come. Agztash Splitknuckle, Major Jekara Vodik, and Effie Parvinas are all in attendance.
You also realized that forces of evil in the city have been working while you have been working. For indeed, you've been very busy (350 'Magpies' stroll the shadows of the city funded by the outlaw king himself (Augustus Valian of Timmony)). You installed a former student (Demodus Blix) as his archmage. You successfully created a new type of Rungjani celestial, the Kaedra. Big, big victoriesa, but your villains have not been idle.
A ring left at the crime scene of Occtis Tachonis discovered to have been planted there. An axe (the favor of the Lady Ingrid Einfasen) now being carried by the very single Captain Azune Nayar (which seems to bother both the Halovars and the Einfasens (who both believe you're their man)). The tightrope grows ever more taut for our beloved captain.
We watched the fallout of Professor Mag'Nesson both being singled out by Harondus Einfasen as a liability (but more to the point) Effie Parvenus made contact with Dean Kora Keplenvaisreck (who put you on two weeks forced sabbatical after saying "You don't do politics, I do."). That coming to a head after Murray saw that Professor Theodoro had been dismissed from the Penteveral (students taking matters into their own hands after the expulsion of one Hero D'vyen, who seems reslolute as ever). While the grand scheme of politics plays out, mother and daughter become ever more separated as Elodie wishes for cooler heads to prevail and Hero hears the drumbeat of revolution.
We also had Wicander Halovar perform his first sermon at the Cathedral of Light. And last. Gaining the wrath of the Photarch (Yanessa Halovar) who had only vitriol and hatred for Halandil Fang (who Wicander posited as her brother in a speech which also made reference to the strength of lions and to smashed mugs, references that would have been completely lost on the folk here just hearing poetry in Wicander's language but were perfectly taken and understood by the Photarch).
Spending the day healing in the cathedral (rolling a nat 20 on a Performance check to be the perfect Prince of Light) Wicander Halovar went for an evening at the theater so that he could get up on stage and disavow Halandil Fang in public and ruin a performance of the theater. If the assassins would let you do it.
And Tyranny, of course, confronted by Ksha'aravi (her father) telling her to destroy her mortal form and return to The Pit at once or she would know endless torture. Dismay, heartbreak, but perhaps a little bit of comfort or encouragement from Tsul'rekshi asking,
"When someone asks you to destroy yourself, what have they just told you they do not have the power to do? Never obey in advance."
We return to "KoTher'ai" as the play unfolds and we have entered into pitched action as light cascades over the box seat of the Chamber of Lords-Advisory currently attended by (not the entirety of House Halovar, but Wick's nuclear family minus Zebani). Your father your mother and your brother are all here in attendance as two assassins step forward in to the light saying,
"Death to the Sundered Houses, death to tyrants."
We are going to return to this moment. Before I ask us to roll initiative, I want to set the stage for expectations for this encounter. Which is that Wicander Halovar is in an extraordinary amount of danger, and the dice are really going to tell a story here. My goal, as always, as your dungeon master, is I'm always rooting for you guys. And part of rooting for you means being honest that your odds here are not superb. The ability to make clever choices is deeply significant. The dice will tell the story they want to tell and I have trust and faith in all of you that you will tell an amazing story no matter what happens. I want to give you guys as many swings at the piñata as I reasonably can. But, ultimately, the dice will tell their story here.
So, that being said, I have a couple questions about position within the Hallowed Round. As a reminder, within the Hallowed Round, Hal (there's an important magical effect here that impacts you and you alone in this combat, which is that you have a chance to not burn spell slots in The Hallowed Round, as we discussed last time). For everybody here, The Hallowed Round allows everybody to understand Rungjani. It gives people advantage on History and Performance checks and bards and druids can roll a D4 when they cast a spell, and if the number on the die is the spell level or higher, you don't burn that spell slot. So Hal has the ability to potentially (depending on how many rounds combat goes, he'll keep some spell slots around). The theater is a magical item.
The first thing I want us to do is a minor moment at the end of last episode (because again, tremendous danger is here). I cannot say enough, for everyone at home to please settle into our expectations of what tonight may bring. But it's still up to the dice. So, Hal (I want to give the best opportunity to our players as I possibly can given the things I can't really change about the circumstances). So I'd like you to roll an insight check for me. This will be one thing that we are not necessarily re-litigating, but we're appending to the events of the last episode. I'd like you to roll a DC 15 Insight check for me.

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Map of Dol-Makjar