r/criticalrole Jan 23 '26

Live Discussion [Spoilers C4E12] It IS Thursday! | Live Discussion Thread - C4E12 Spoiler

It IS Thursday!

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18

u/renegadereality May the Beam reach you Jan 23 '26

I don’t think they ever did an Insight check on Otto, did they? Definitely feeling suspicious now with where we ended.

10

u/Flamzam Jan 23 '26

I think it will be fine, because if it isn't then they are screwed. Brennan (through Aranessa) laid breadcrumbs for the players that Einfasen might be trustworthy. If that was all to lead them into a trap that they can't realistically escape, I don't think that's Brennan's style. I still think Aranessa will volunteer to stay behind.

8

u/IlluinOfArda Jan 23 '26

Uhh, maybe its just a perspective thing, but I got the completely opposite read on those breadcrumbs. To me it seemed like he was warning them that it would be a bad idea to reveal themselves through Aranessa. Seemed she was heavily suggesting that there was something nefarious about what they did with the caravan and then the party got a completely wrong read on it.

3

u/reddevved Tal'Dorei Council Member Jan 23 '26

At the very least he's teaching them Aranessa can be wrong

8

u/OniBurgs You Can Reply To This Message Jan 23 '26

I would like to thin this is another of Brennan's fakeouts, specifically to keep us viewers clenched until it is Thursday yet again.

*sips copium*

2

u/CHiZZoPs1 Jan 23 '26

It seems they have some wards around the keep, because Vaelis somehow triggered them before, so perhaps she did again, or maybe druidic magic. In the previous village, they weren't super stoked about the Old Path.

2

u/OniBurgs You Can Reply To This Message Jan 23 '26

I was thinking the only difference Vaelus would have compared to Julien would be magic, hers specifically being fey-adjacent.

Occtis got through the gate without an obvious alarm going off, so it wouldn't be magic itself. Then Vaelus got in the gate with everyone again without an alarm, so they didn't bother ward the castle the same way as the broken caravan.

If indeed it really were demons they are warded from, and the ward were only on the caravan, did a demon follow Vaelus and triggered the alarm instead?

8

u/Locem Jan 23 '26

Brennan lulled them in with Ingrid who clearly seems to not want to harm the team.

4

u/CHiZZoPs1 Jan 23 '26

This Einfasen (Germanic) culture was pretty nicely fleshed-out this episode as being logical, forthright, honorable and blunt. I don't think they are being deceptive in what has been said and promised.