‘Critical Role’ recap: Campaign 3, Episode 47 “The Fey Key” Aired February 2, 2023
Scouting
The Bells Hells are on the edge of the Unseelie Court, trying to get eyes on the Fey Key, but the castle walls are too high. Laudna asks Pate to scout the sky for them, which the imp does gleefully, spotting the Key in the center of the castle’s inner courtyard. Unfortunately, Pate is spotted in turn, lighting up like a Christmas tree thanks to a Fairy Fire spell. He’s able to do a few loose loops around the keep before a terrible screech rends the air. The transmission goes dark. Pate is gone.
Pass without a trace
Afraid that they’ll be targeted next, Ashton casts Cast Without a Trace on the group. Just in time too. The bramble wall outside the keep folds open in a magical portal and a formidable war band emerges. The band begins searching the wilderness for the Bells Hells. Too bad for them that the party made crazy good stealth roles. While the war band is occupied, the Bells Hells make a break for the portal.
Which (naturally) is when Ashton falls– or rather the ground opens up beneath them and starts eating him. Imogen casts Invisibility on Ashton, guarding them from the war band long enough to pull free and sprint onto the grounds of the Shatter Keep.
Shatter Keep
Guards and creepy-faceless dogs called eremads patrol the the grounds. Between them and the high walls, it was a challenge for the Bells Hells get close to the Fey Key. With Chetney running some interference with the guards, Orym and Laudna manage to scale the wall and get the first glimpse at the courtyard. Fittingly for the Fey Wild, the courtyard is like a miniature forest, but there’s a clearing at the center where the massive Malleus Key is waiting, surrounded by still more guards.
With a very creative use of the portable hole, the Bells Hells are able to simply walk beneath the locked door of the Shatter Keep and right into the courtyard. And not a moment too soon. They’re just hunkering down into their hiding spots when the fortress doors open, revealing a tall Arch Fey and none other than Otohan Thull herself. The meeting between them is anything but friendly– more like two grudging allies pushed to the end of their patience. Still it’s clear they have similar enough goals to keep them on the same side.
Luckily for the Bells Hells, Otohan doesn’t stay long. She uses a magic scroll to teleport away while the Arch Fey summons a giant winged snake-creature he calls Gloamgut. Mounting the beast, he flies away. It’s now or never.
The Fey Key
Orym and Laudna–with Fearne on their tails in the form of a slow loris–dart out of the brush and sneak up the side of the Fey Key. Slipping inside, Laudna and Orym tried to puzzle out a way to disable the machine but can’t quite figure it out. They settle on the age-old problem solver beloved by millions of gamers: dynamite. They think that if they time the blast inside the machine at the same time as overloading the power cores sitting outside the machine they could well-and truly break it.
Unfortunately they don’t know how to cut the dynamite’s fuse to know precisely when it will go off, but… details.
While Imogen waits for the sign to start shooting down the pore cores, Ashton and Chetney were trying to gum the lock to prevent any reinforcements from arriveing. Which is naturally when the hound-like eremads spot them. The fight is on.
Boom goes the… you get the idea
Combat unfolds quickly and the Bells Hells easily pick off the the guards. Laudna targets the power cores with two massive Eldritch Blasts and Fearne casts Wall of Fire, encircling all four power cores in a giant wall of flame. Is it enough to destroy the Fey Key? Ummm. yeah. The Malleus Key erupts in a violent explosion, destroying it utterly not to mention dealing a ton of damage to both Fearne and Laudna who were caught in the blast.
But it was worth it. Without the key to tether Ruidus to the Fey Wild, the red moon simply blinks out of the night sky.
Time for a happy dance. Until Gloamgut arrives.
Fey Dragon
The Bells Hells make a mad dash for the exit– and the portal the Granny Morri promised would take them home– but Gloamgut swoops down on them first. The dragon like monster is terrible to behold, and its dark energy breath tears into Orym, Fearne and Ashton, nearly knocking Fearne out completely. She manages to hold on as the Bells Hells hobble through the gates of the Shatter Keep and into the bramble forest.
But the Fey Dragon isn’t done yet. It lashes a claw toward Fearne. She’s out.
The Bells Hells pull her unconscious body into the brambles, throwing the Harrowcall Veils over their heads, praying that the magic cloaks will cover them.
We’ll have to wait and see if it worked.
Watch Critical Role Thursdays at 7pm PST on Twitch and YouTube! Check out last week’s Critical Role recap here, or watch me talk about all the highlights and theories here!
Critical Role Episode 46 Highlights
- FCG is treating the coin of the Changebringer like pre-teens treat magic-8 balls and it is hysterical.
- Any time that Fearne takes wild shape is wonderful and the slow loris is the same.
- Yesss! They destroyed the Key. One down, two to go!
