Buried Truths | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 23 Part 1

Summary of Buried Truths | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 23 Part 1

by Critical Role

2h 8m•April 23, 2026
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Overview of Buried Truths | Critical Role | Campaign 4, Episode 23 — Part 1

This episode (Campaign 4, Ep. 23 Part 1) follows the party as they return toward Dolmachiar carrying a stone statue (the body of Telcidemir Pridesire), regroup after a daring sewer rescue, and sift through the political and arcane fallout from recent massacres. The session blends tense reconnaissance and emotional closure (a burial), with major item/plot discoveries (suspicious holy orders, metamagic gems, blank spell glyphs, a necromantic candle) that point to a larger, darker plan tied to House Taconus. The episode ends on a chilling augury hinting at a backup ritual—possibly a rising-dead threat—set in motion when the main plan failed.

Episode structure & extras

  • Opening: Sponsor reads and Beacon / membership callouts.
  • Cold open: Tyranny and Wick hidden in a wagon near Dolmachiar with a stone statue, inspecting suspicious Candescent Creed documents.
  • Mid-episode announcements: CRF fundraising, Weird Kids, fireside chat, merch, etc.
  • Main play: Sewer rescue aftermath; city diplomacy and subterfuge; Hal buries his brother; item identification and planning.
  • Cliffhanger: Augury of necromantic escalation; major tease for Part 2.

Key scenes / plot summary

  • Cold open at the mountain crossroads:

    • Tyranny and Wick are concealed in a wagon with the stone statue (Telcidemir Pridesire) and debating how to re-enter Dolmachiar without exposure.
    • Wick reveals stolen priestly orders from a Creed chapel. The orders carry a faint magic and a sulfur/brimstone scent.
    • Tyranny inspects the scroll (Arcana/Perception check) — letters turn red and start to "bleed"; what appears holy is actually contract-like. Cliffhanger: the scroll reads like a contract invoking Tyranny’s creator/father in old scripts.

  • Return to the city / sewers:

    • The party (the “schemers”) rescued Penteveril student Demidus Blix from Crow Keepers/House Taconus pursuit.
    • Political stakes: evidence, cover-up at the Palazzo Divinos, and the House Taconus/House Cormoray maneuvering within the Chamber of Lords.
    • They have partial physical evidence (Octus’s signet ring and a partial glyph), plus Demidus’s testimony—useful but insufficient alone.

  • Burial scene:

    • Hal (and companions) perform an emotional burial for his brother (Ozzy/Octus) at a mountain cemetery; quiet, poignant roleplay establishes Hal’s resolve and grief.

  • Item ID / loot interrogation at the Seven Stars:

    • The party identifies multiple artifacts taken earlier:
      • A fairy charm necklace that jingles when you’re being divined/scryed on and can hold an illusion to fool certain divination spells.
      • Four potions of healing and several pouches of gemstones—metamagic gems that augment spellcasting.
      • Forty blank “spell slates” (glyphs) that can be charged with self-range spells by grinding gems into ink and scribing the spell; these allow non-casters to trigger certain self-affecting spells by breaking the glyph.
    • Discussion: gems can be used either for their metamagic properties or ground down to imbue glyphs. This becomes a potential resource to arm allies who aren’t spellcasters.

  • Investigation of a candle:

    • Murray (an NPC spellcaster) identifies a black/silver candle recovered from the Divinos site: it’s made from rendered fat of Taconus family members.
    • The candle is necromantic—designed to convert fresh deaths into ritual energy (a “candle of slaughter”).
    • Murray uses an extended Augury-like ritual to probe what would happen if the candle burned fully. She glimpses:
      • There was at least one other such candle.
      • The candle was used at the Palazzo Divinos but failed to fully consume/complete its ritual; a backup plan was triggered.
      • Visions of rows of sarcophagi, statues with horror-white eyes, ships in mist, and a voice: “What has failed in life let be made right in death.” This strongly implies a long-game necromantic contingency—possibly raising or enfranchising the dead.

Major revelations & clues

  • The “holy orders” stolen from a Candescent chapel are not simple diplomas: they have hidden filaments/magic and read like a contract in different languages (Obra Dimian & Lumiani). Some letters bleed red—suggests binding/contractual magic and direct ties to Tyranny’s origins/family.
  • The fairy charm necklace can detect divination and carry a stored illusion to mislead diviners—useful for anti-scry defense or counter-divination tactics.
  • Metamagic gems are present in quantity. They are valuable both monetarily and tactically. They can:
    • Be used to augment spells directly (if used by casters).
    • Be ground into ink to create charged spell glyphs usable by non-casters (for self-target spells).
  • The blank spell slates are the big tactical opportunity—these allow non-casters to “snap” a stored self-spell, expanding party capabilities if someone can ink them with spells.
  • The necromantic candle crafted from Taconus family fat was used during the massacre at the Palazzo Divinos; it partially worked and has triggered a backup ritual—evidence that House Taconus (or associates) is attempting to convert deaths into necromantic labor or a raising of the dead.

Characters present & roles in this episode

  • Tyranny and Wick — undercover, transporting a stone statue and the suspicious orders.
  • Lord Wakander Halovar (Hal) — performs mourning and burial for his brother; emotionally central.
  • Murray — identifies magical items, performs an advanced augury/vision probing the necromantic candle.
  • Demidus Blix — rescued Penteveril student; eyewitness with testimony but limited hard proof.
  • Bolair / Bolaire — museum curator / schemer coordinating to secure artifacts and forge documents to protect items from seizure.
  • Azune — watchful, carries responsibilities for the Arcanade and the Falconfist connections (scouting, ritual help).
  • Supporting NPCs: Temelo (fortune-teller), Shadia, Hero (Hal’s daughters), Dean Cora, other civic/house actors.

(Note: transcript contains spelling variations and some names may differ slightly from other sources.)

Items & mechanical implications (what the party found)

  • Fairy charm necklace: attunes and jingles if targeted by divination; can store a small illusion that alters what a divination reads.
  • Four potions of healing.
  • Multiple metamagic gems (Voker, Viner, Muter, Juror, etc.) — each grants a small bonus tied to a school (advantage on an attack roll for evocation, advantage on initiative via divination use, temporary speeds, advantage on a saving throw, etc.).
  • 40 blank spell slates (glyphs): can be scribed with self-range spells by grinding gems into magical ink and using a caster to inscribe. Non-casters can then activate the glyphs by breaking them (single-target/self spells only).
  • Candle of slaughter: necromantic candle made from Taconus family fat; converts fresh death into ritual energy. It was used at Palazzo Divinos and partially consumed; a backup plan has been triggered.
  • Various documents/forgeries: forged museum paperwork, forged Penteveril intern submission for Hero (to get them in), and other clandestine paperwork to hide/transfer artifacts.

Stakes & what to watch for next (part 2 teasers)

  • The incomplete burn of the necromantic candle means House Taconus’s original ritual failed—but the revealed backup plan is mobilizing and looks like it could raise or animate masses of the dead (sarcophagi, statues, ships, white-eyed statues).
  • The party has physical evidence (signet ring, partial glyph, items) and an eyewitness to a cover-up; but proof is incomplete. Securing Demidus and producing corroborating evidence is urgent.
  • The blank spell slates + gems are a strategic resource: if the party (or allies) can scribe useful self-cast spells, they can multiply utility across the city’s defenders.
  • The museum/prop theft plan: Bolaire plans to steal the swords (irreplaceable/magical artifacts) and hide them in the theater prop room—this will complicate relations with houses and could be pivotal.
  • Political pressure is high: the Chamber of Lords, House Cormoray, House Taconus, and the Revolutionary Guard dynamics mean the party’s window to act is narrow.

Notable quotes & lines

  • “The Roosts of Dolmachiar have not known crows in quite some time. This has been a city of magpies for quite a while.” — Temelo (fortune teller), a flavorful line about the city’s character.
  • “What has failed in life let be made right in death.” — Voice in Murray’s augury vision; ominous phrasing that encapsulates the necromantic contingency.
  • The document/scroll scene: letters bleed red and the orders read like a contract—“you believe you’re looking at a contract.” (Major tonal beat & cliffhanger.)

Recommended priorities for the party (in-world)

  • Protect Demidus Blix and produce corroborating evidence (safe house, document preservation, witnesses).
  • Have a magic-capable ally prepare inked glyphs (identify key self-range spells to scribe—Misty Step, Invisibility, False Life, etc.) using ground gems.
  • Investigate and/or secure the candle(s): locate any other candles and determine how the backup plan will be executed; consider destroying or containing the remaining necromantic components.
  • Find a trusted arcane scribe (calligrapher / wizard) with proficiency to convert gems into glyph ink safely.
  • Continue subterfuge at the museum (Bolaire’s plan) while minimizing detection—this is time-sensitive and politically fraught.
  • Prepare defenses for potential large-scale undead / sarcophagi threat (positioning, fortifications, anti-undeath magic).

Final notes

  • Part 1 closes on a major reveal: necromantic forces are moving via contingencies connected to the Taconus family and a failed ritual. Part 2 (released Tuesday) will continue the immediate fallout, the party’s next moves, and more revelations about the contract/filament documents.
  • If you’re following for mechanics: the episode introduced useful game elements (anti-scry charm, metamagic gems, blank spell slates) that can shift tactical options if the party invests resources into converting them.

Thanks for listening to the summary — tune into Part 2 for the continuation of the cliffhanger and the party’s immediate responses.