Choose Their Adventure...Again!

"**Choose Their Adventure...Again!**" (Sx81) thumbnail featuring Taliesin Jaffe, Laura Bailey, Tony Hale, Matthew Mercer, Sam Richardson and Sam Riegel

### Episode

Specials,​ Episode 81
(C3E78b)

### Game system

Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition

"**Choose Their Adventure...Again!**" (Sx81) is a special fundraiser in partnership with **Red Nose Day** and **Comic Relief US** in a one-shot for good. Game Master Matthew Mercer guides an adventure shaped by Critter donations to the Critical Role Foundation, starring special guests Tony Hale and Sam Richardson, along with Laura Bailey, Taliesin Jaffe, and surprise guest Sam Riegel in the return of Scanlan Shorthalt! Set among the enigmatic islands of the Shattered Teeth, a troupe of unlikely allies find themselves thrust into a fateful journey of high adventure and absolute absurdity.

## **Synopsis**

### **Pre-show**

* This is a special Giving Tuesday one-shot that was shaped by Critter donations to the Critical Role Foundation and Red Nose Day.
* Matt introduces the cast and explains that Sam Riegel is filling in for Liam O'Brien, who was unable to appear.

### **Introduction**

*Welcome to Exandria. In particular, the cozy northwest shore of the island of Athova-Rae within the northern reaches of the Shattered Teeth, a collection of forty-three islands that make up this ever-shifting region of the world. Here, within the bustling port village of Drobanagos, which means "home of the Dreamer" in the Galapa tongue, this modest fishing village thrives, not just due to the mineral-rich coastal caves that wind through the surrounding seaside rock, but as one of the outlying islands that seasonally shrugs off the heavy mists that normally enshroud the Shattered Teeth, and thus lending itself as a safer supply stop for many sea vessels that brave the region.*

*It is here that people excitedly prepare for the upcoming local Musetide Festival, where arts, talents, and crafts are on full vibrant display throughout the village. People are getting ready to gather in the town center in the week to come. They're already decorating and preparing the region at a leisurely pace, constructing costumes, building statues of multi-colored crustaceans, while others run streamers and colorful banners along the port towers and street lanterns that permeate the streets and roads that run throughout. This jovial energy is infectious, especially in the midday merriment that fills the space around you. These type of events often also draw opportunists, swindlers, and sometimes a criminal element that exploit the event and its participants, and it's for this reason the Elder Aldafud reached out to all of you to keep an eye out, keep the peace, and help be general security through the set-up and event before it arrives next week.*

### **Gameplay**

Earlier, several people had been drinking in a bar when a fight broke out involving Elder Aldafud, and he hired them to help keep the peace during the preparations for the upcoming festival. They included Ranthiel Volthor, a human warlock who is now engaged in telling Bramble, a fairy barbarian, that she is not his girlfriend although Bramble doesn't accept this. Near one stage, a troupe of musicians is practicing while a very young Scanlan Shorthalt (a gnome bard) tunes his lute and tries to learn technique from the more experienced Kent Plucker. Dr. Dranzel pats his shoulder consolingly, as Bobby Socks, a fifteen-year-old halfling druid who is Kent's son knocks over some construction materials. Dranzel invites the drummer, Sarge, a ranger from Nicodranas, to get a drink, along with Sarge's massive companion white tiger Ethel.

Elder Aldafud (a galapa) arrives to briefly talk to Bramble, Ranthiel, Scanlan, and Sarge about their duties keeping watch over the village for petty crimes. Scanlan is impressed by Ranthiel's apparently casual attitude toward women and love. Suddenly, a young woman runs in begging for help before stumbling and falling. She recognizes the group as security officers, introduces herself as Ligeia, and tells them that she lives a small way outside Drobaganos with her sister and mother. When she and her sister investigated a mysterious dark ship in a sea cave, her sister was captured by the crew and must be rescued. The group agrees to help, and Bobby tags along with them. When she asks what they call themselves, Sarge tells her "The Glorious Ones". She stumbles again on the way out, and Scanlan catches her romantically, seeking and receiving Ran's approval of his budding technique.

As they travel with Ligeia, Sarge feels a cold chill and a sense of his past lingering. He asks Ligeia if any of the crew looked like royalty, which she denies. Bramble casts *Speak with Animals* on Ethel after Ethel approves Sarge telling the group that he witnessed a murder by a royal family member back in Nicodranas while he was the court jester, which he was blamed for. He's been on the run ever since. Meanwhile, Ligeia is flirting with Ran and they arrange a date for later, while Bobby notices an egg he collected on the beach and carries in his backpack is now cracking. Ethel, now able to communicate with Bramble, tells her she wants to eat it, and Ran casts an *Eldritch Blast* at it, shooting it off into the jungle where Bramble locates it, unharmed.

Just then, they begin hearing angelic singing around them and above them hangs a beautiful, perfect apple emanating magic. In their minds, they hear it welcome them, offering knowledge, purpose, and potential for the brave here in the Grove of Enlightenment. Sarge investigates further, his insight recognizing this as an ancient gift. The apple tells him to bring it with him, and he plucks it, whereupon the apple tells him, "I will come with you, and my gifts will be yours."

Continuing on, they reach a pile of beautiful vegetables with a sign saying they're free. Bramble, flying, takes a gourd, but Ethel is wary, and Ran spots four snares around the pile and four kobolds in the woods surrounding them. Bramble flies over to where they're hiding and frightened, they scatter as she attacks.

The kobolds are easily hit and not very strong. Bramble almost immediately kills one with her battleaxe. One gets in a lucky shot on Ran, and he retaliates by killing it with an *Eldritch Blast*. Scanlan feels bad for the two remaining, badly wounded kobolds and succeeds in *Suggesting* to one to stop fighting. Bramble kills the other with her battleaxe. The remaining kobold tells them the kobolds were just bored, and loots the bodies before running into the woods. During the brief battle, Sarge continues to spot the ghostly figure in the forest and eventually recognizes it as the person he saw murdered five years ago, telling him to avenge his death. Before they leave, Bobby heals Ran.

Ligeia reminds them they still need to rescue her sister, and eventually they reach the coast and a massive seaside cavern. Another young woman emerges from the mists and greets her as her sister, as a third woman appears from another cavern. Sarge notices something sinister beneath their youth and beauty, and when the women urge them to enter the cavern and combat the "bad men", he warns the group. The women grow frustrated, and one says, "Curse this. We likely only need the blood of one of them." Their images shift and reveal that they are actually all merfolk sirens, who cast a spell dominating and charming Bobby. He runs after them into the large cavern.

Using his drums to cast his spell, Sarge casts *Pass Without Trace* and the party moves into the cavern as well, hearing chanting female voices in the distance. Stealthily, they reach a larger cavern where the three sirens are chanting around three altars, with Bobby standing upon one of them. The altars glow as the sirens chant, revealing a gargantuan crab entity in the back of the cave, covered in the wrecks of ships and seemingly unconscious. Bobby is filling a chalice with his blood, and they notice chalices on the other altars as well. They decide they should try to reach Bobby without waking the crab, but as they plan, the chalice is filled and the third altar alights. The sirens say, "May the dreamer awaken in our binds. Rend the land above and punish those who do not deserve your protection!" As the ritual concludes, the crab begins to stir, but Ran *Counterspells* and the chalice sparks and goes dark. Bramble casts *Faerie Fire* and the sirens all turn toward the party.

The spell on Bobby has also been broken and he has control of himself again. He transforms into a battle alpaca. Sarge attacks the sleeping giant crab, waking it, and it retaliates against him for massive damage, some of which Scanlan is able to prevent with Cutting Words, leaving Sarge dangerously close to unconscious. One of the sirens *Fireballs* Bramble, Scanlan, and and Ranthiel, hitting Scanlan and Ranthiel for similarly massive damage. Bramble wounds Ligeia and Ranthiel finishes her off with his sword, cutting her in half, saying, "I've got a girlfriend." Bobby uses *Conjure Animals* to summon a walrus, while Sarge hacks at one eyestalk of the crab, temporarily blinding it before retreating. Scanlan *Thunderwaves* the remaining two sirens, hitting them and extinguishing the ritual light from the altars they were guarding.

The giant crab attacks Scanlan, knocking him unconscious and seizing him in its massive claw. The sirens attempt to flee, but Ran and Sarge hit them as they run and Bramble finishes them both off. Ranthiel *Eldritch Blasts* the ceiling of the cave down onto the crab, but their attacks have barely wounded it. Bobby casts *Cure Wounds* on Scanlan, bringing him back to consciousness, then summons his bear spirit totem granting them all ten temporary hit points. In desperation, Sarge takes a bite from the magical apple he has hung around his neck, and to the party's horror it shrieks in horrible pain. However, its
power flows into him and he continues eating as it screams. His chest glows with strength, he gains 50 temporary hit points, and feels tremendous power in his hands. Sarge leaps into the air, coming down with both arms, doing massive damage on the first blow and getting a critical hit on the second for 124 points of damage and the How do you want to do this? He hears the apple's voice in his head going, "Why?"

The group heads back to the village laden with crabmeat for a feast. Elder Aldafud offers them continuing employment there, and as the evening progresses the festival culminates in a dance number called "The Calling of the Dreamer", celebrating the massive crab guardian that has kept the village safe for hundreds of years. However, the spirit of the guardian mysteriously fails to appear. Uneasy, the group thinks about going on the lam from the island before the villagers figure out what's happened, and when Dr. Dranzel tells Scanlan the Troupe is moving on to Tal'Dorei, the Glorious Ones decide to go with them.

## **Featured characters**

### **The Glorious Ones**

* Bobby Socks
* Bramble
* Ranthiel Volthor
* Sarge
	+ Ethel, white tiger companion
* Scanlan Shorthalt

### **Non-player characters**

* Aldafud, a galapa village elder
* Dr. Dranzel
* The Dreamer, the crab guardian of Drobanagos
* Kent Plucker
* Ligeia, a siren
* Prothanthanope, a siren and Ligeia's mother
* Teles, a siren and Ligeia's sister

## **Quotations**

* **Scanlan**: So Ran, you just are with a woman and then you can just walk away like nothing matters?
Ranthiel: Everyone matters, but you know, only for a short amount of time.
Scanlan: Huh, I like that idea.
Ranthiel: In a way, I fall in love with everybody, but I just fall out of love too easily.
* **Scanlan**: Bobby Socks, that is the most useful bear I've ever seen in my entire life. (laughter) Thank you. Thank you, Bobby Socks.
Bobby: Thank you! His name is Bauble.
Scanlan: Oh, I love baubles.

## **Trivia**

* Liam O'Brien was originally scheduled for this episode and was voted by donations to play a bard character. When he was unable to appear, Sam Riegel stepped in.
* While the Exandrian year of the special wasn't specified, it likely happened at some point before 795 PD.

## **References**

1. ↑  Critical Role (@CriticalRole) on Twitter: "Sadly, @VoiceOfOBrien was unable to join us for our #RedNoseDay one-shot, BUT Scanlan Shorthalt (@samriegel) will join @MrTonyHale, @SamRichardson, @executivegoth, and @LauraBaileyVO TOMORROW while we find the perfect time to bring Liam to the table as the bard you voted for!🎻🎶" (2023-11-27).
2. ↑ "**Choose Their Adventure...Again!**" (Sx81) takes place in a time in Scanlan's life when he's still inexpert and lacks confidence, and by the end of it he's trying to behave more like the charismatic Ranthiel Volthor. Since between 795 and 796 PD Scanlan had a messy affair with a member of the Darrington Estate staff that forced the bard and his troupe to leave, presumably the gnome's time with the Glorious Ones preceded this incident in Deastok. For more information see "Curious Tides" (1x89) at 1:13:37 and "*Talks Machina* #17: 'Voice of the Tempest'" (TMx17) at 56:37

**Art:**

1. ↑ Fan art of young Scanlan, by @MiddiMidori (source). Used with permission.
2. ↑ Official art of The Glorious Ones, by Annalise Jensen (source). Used with permission.
3. ↑ Fan art of young Scanlan, by Pantxika P (source). Used with permission.