The Tenebrous Stone - New Free D&D Beyond Adventure

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXPtTnjy5wU Transcription “Hey everyone, welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. Today we’re unpacking Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 2: ‘Broken Wing’ — an episode that moves with quick flashbacks, a slow-burning mystery, and unveils one genuinely unsettling artifact. If you missed the premiere, don’t worry — I’ll give you the lay of the land so you can follow every twist.  My goal here with these recaps is to keep them at about 10minutes, so you can follow the main beats of Critical Role without the huge time investment. On that note, be sure to check out the summary for Episode 1 just earlier this week if you want to get caught up! The episode opens not in the present, but in the middle of a past war — the Falconer’s Rebellion — where we meet younger versions of characters who’ll matter later. There’s Teor, a hulking soldier who feels every weight he carries; Kattigan, the quick-witted fighter; and a 15-year-old Azune, whose future as an Arcane Marshal is only hinted at here. They’re pinned down, wyverns tear at the sky, and the scene is chaotic and desperate — a sobering hook that tells you: this world has history, and it’s messy. In the middle of that chaos we get a small but important moment: Thjazi Fang, a figure whose past actions ripple through the episode, is injured — and Casimir, a thornier face in the city’s underworld, scoops him to safety. That moment matters later. Now, cut to present-day Dol-Makjar: Hal and Thaisha — two careworn, sympathetic figures who run a refuge of sorts — find a shattered black ceramic mask in their home. The shards exhale a cold, silver mist, and Thaisha collapses, hearing a nightingale’s song in her head. The mask isn’t just creepy set dressing: Bolaire and Murray, two more scholarly voices in this corner of the city, quickly identify the object’s box as a coffin — etched with the name ‘Obsidia’ in Kessian, an ancient halfling script, and plated with celestial symbols. That combination — halfling religious iconography wrapped around something new and grotesque — immediately reads as blasphemy and trouble. The cast reconverges at Hal’s: Teor, Kattigan, Occtis, Azune, and Thimble are there around Thjazi’s body. Thimble — who’s small in stature but enormous in feeling — collapses onto Thjazi and blames Vaelus, demanding the Stone of Nightsong, a keepsake with emotional resonance for her. This is where the episode tightens: the friends learn Thjazi’s safehouse was ransacked, and Azune, ever the investigator, finds a magical forgery hidden in Thjazi’s coat. It looks like someone set a frame — betrayal stinks in the air. To complicate matters, Casimir and Cyd (Teor’s brother) are unaccounted for, and black feathers were found at the scene — a small clue that points to the Crow Keepers, a thieves’ guild Casimir is tied to. Thimble vows to go find answers. It’s a nice sequence of grief turning into action: the personal drives the plot. Meanwhile, the episode spends time in the halls of power. At Villa Aurora — home of House Halovar and the Candescent Creed — we meet new faces and old tensions. Wick, an eager acolyte, witnesses Teor rescue and heal a worker, and Teor’s act of mercy wins him attention. But not everyone is thrilled. Photarch Yanessa Halovar, a high-ranking cleric, quietly urges her house to distance itself from the Torn Banner and cozy up to House Tachonis — a rival power with suspicious influence. Yanessa even suggests Thjazi’s death was orchestrated by Tachonis. Translation for what we’re learning about this world? Every helpful act in Aramán has strings attached, and alliances are fragile. Quick context: The Halovars are powerful religious aristocrats; the Tachonis are another noble house with their own, shadowy agenda. Political intrigue is the bedrock here. Back in the quieter rooms, Bolaire and Murray dissect the coffin. The wood comes from the Wastes, the silver plates are ancient Kessian — the name Olbalad appears, which translates to a kind of halfling angel of death. A coffin referencing a celestial figure, newly crafted and oozing mist. It’s old magic — but it’s also a deliberate mockery or corruption of something sacred. When they drop a tool into the coffin, it falls forever — no sound, no impact. That silence is bone-chilling and tells us whatever this thing is, it doesn’t obey normal physics. The episode doesn’t stop on small horrors — it ends on something huge and awful. At the Villa Aurora’s Prismatic Retort — a massive machine that channels the ‘light’ powers of the Candescent Creed — Photarch Yanessa and Wick’s grandfather reveal what looks like an enormous iron maiden: inside, a chained, thirty-foot angel with siphoning taps in its body. It reads like religious science fiction and lands with a visceral, ‘did I just see that?’ finality. For an audience member, that visual hits differently from a dagger in the dark — it’s the campaign saying plainly: celestial things are broken here, and larger forces are being manipulated. At the end of each of these episodes I want to do a quick unpacking of what makes these Critical Role sessions so awesome, and what you can take away to your own next gaming session. Alright — so what can Broken Wing teach your table? 1. Try using flashbacks like living memories. Flashbacks like the Falconer’s Rebellion are emotional scaffolding. Instead of dumping lore about who fought who, we see Teor, Kattigan, and young Azune under fire. We feel their fear and loyalty, which gives context to their choices later. If you want to bring that to your table, drop players into short scenes from their characters’ pasts — five minutes tops. Let them play out the betrayal, the lost battle, the friendship they’ll mourn later. That way, when those memories resurface in the present, the emotion feels earned, and hit hard. 2. Make artifacts carry more than stats. The shattered mask and the Obsidia coffin are perfect examples of magic items that do something narratively. They carry history, faith, and fear. As a DM, whenever you hand your players a relic, ask yourself: Who made this, and why? What happens if it’s misused or broken? Maybe the item reacts to emotions, or maybe its power has cultural consequences — like this coffin blaspheming against celestial law. And finally, three: Keep your politics gray. One of the strengths of this episode is how every side believes it’s right. The Halovars see loyalty as survival; Tachonis treat manipulation as necessity. In your campaign, that’s gold. Let your factions and rulers have good reasons for bad choices. Make the players ask, “Are we helping the right people, or just the ones who smile at us?” When you blur those moral lines, every decision becomes roleplay fuel — and every revelation feels earned. So, remember — flashbacks plant emotion, artifacts anchor lore, and gray politics keep tension alive. Use those tools, and you’ll craft sessions that your players will talk about for months. So that’s Broken Wing — we got war-scarred flashbacks, an unnerving coffin that might be blasphemous, betrayal in the shadows, and an iron-maiden angel that raises more questions than it answers. Drop your wildest theory in the comments: who forged that coffin? What is the Stone of Nightsong actually holding? Subscribe for more recaps, DM tips, and quick takes. Next time we’ll dig into Episode 3 and follow the threads this one has left hanging.

Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-EVzgJ_nSs Transcription It’s been a while, but welcome back to Eternity TTRPG. I’ve had a bit of a hiatus, but back to bringing you awesome news in the D&D space – this time, with quick summaries of the Critical Role 4 campaign thus far.  Whether you’re a fan of Critical Role, or you’ve heard about it and you’re curious on what it’s all about, these summaries will be in the range of 5-10min, so you can hear what’s happening without the full time commitment of watching an episode. Additionally, stick around to the end, because I’m also pulling out a few tips from the Critical Role campaign — storytelling tricks, DM inspiration, and roleplaying ideas you can borrow for your upcoming game night to get the most magic from your adventures. So with that, today we jump into Episode 1 — The Fall of Thjazi Fang. The campaign opens in Dol-Makjar ( doll mak-JAR), in the land of Kahad [ KAH-had] (in the world of Aramán [AH-rah-man]). Thjazi Fang , a war hero of the Falconer’s Rebellion and former mercenary with the Torn Banner, is scheduled for execution by the Chamber of the Lords-Advisory. Arcane Marshal Azune Nayar (Ah-ZOO-nay NAY-ar) — once a comrade — inspects him for magical glyphs. He uncovers one on Thjazi’s back and secretly passes a message of hope. As Thjazi is led to the gallows, he speaks telepathically with his brother Halandil ( ha-LAN-dil) Fang “Hal” Fang , who is in the crowd. Thjazi sees something ominous in the sky, urgently tells Hal to “help Murray at the Penteveral, paint is waiting for Bolaire, tell Thimble not to be afraid,” and defiantly proclaims the coming fall of false authority — then is hanged. The crowd reacts with grief, shock, and political tension. After the execution, Hal readies a farramh (FAH-rahm) — an orcish custom for viewing the body — at his home, with his daughter Shadia ( SHAH-dee-uh), members of his theater troupe, and guests. Thaisha Lloy ( THAY-sha Loy), an orc druid, and Occtis Tachonis ( OK-tis ta-KO-nis), a human necromancer student, arrive early. Both had ties to the rescue attempt of Thjazi. Thaisha is ex-partner to Hal; they share a daughter Shadia and a son Alogar. Occtis is investigating his role in the failed plan to save Thjazi. Azune brings Thjazi’s body to the wake. Teor Pridesire (TEE-or pry-de-SEER) and Commander Loza Blade (former Torn Banner) honor Thjazi’s memory. Loza reminisces about Thjazi’s rise from common birth to rebellion. Wicander ( wi-KAN-dur HAL-o-var ) “Wick” Halovar and Aspirant Tyranny (uh-SPY-rant TYR-uh-nee) arrive as emissaries of House Halovar. Wick, a cleric devoted to the Candescent Creed ( kan-DES-sent kreed), brings Thjazi’s scimitar and laments that he couldn’t prevent the execution. Wick reveals he pleaded with his grandmother, Photarch Yanessa Halovar , to spare Thjazi — but was rebuffed. Tyranny, a demon in service to House Halovar, drinks at the funeral, teasing Wick, testing boundaries. Thaisha drunkenly explains that she and Hal fell in love in their youth, but she felt a pull toward the wider world beyond their small circle. Azune and Occtis piece together how the rescue chain broke. They head out to find Thimble , a fairy rogue and Thjazi’s close friend. In Thjazi’s apartment, ransacked, they find Thimble near death. Her memories flash back to Faerie, and she recalls the glyph she was supposed to deliver was interrupted. Kattigan Vale , a drunken ranger who recognizes Teor and Azune, joins them. He uses Clues to determine that 7 masked assailants entered, 3 were killed, crow feathers left behind, and the Stone of Nightsong was stolen from Thjazi’s safehouse. Thimble confirms: thieves attacked her as she tried to deliver the glyph. The wrong glyph was detected by Azune. The Stone of Nightsong is missing — someone betrayed Thjazi. Back at the wake / gathering place (the Rookery): Bolaire Lathalia , a warlock / curator, arrives to support Hal. Aranessa Royce ( uh-RAH-nes-sa ROYS), Thjazi’s grieving widow, enters with Sir Julien Davinos ( sir joo-LYEN duh-VEE-nos), the man who brought Thjazi to justice and perhaps bore much resentment. Julien taunts Thjazi’s memory, spits on his corpse, and clashes with Thaisha. Murray Mag’Nesson (dwarven wizard of the Penteveral) arrives, triggering a moment of distraction. Thaisha senses a shadow following Julien — the superstition of protection is broken; something dark has latched onto him. Wick chastises Tyranny for her drunken antics, but also gives Hal Thjazi’s scimitar. As night falls, Vaelus , an elven paladin (800 years old) and devotee of the dead goddess Sylandri, arrives. She demands the return of her property — the Stone of Nightsong, stating that Thjazi stole it. It’s revealed that the Stone was made by Sylandri to guide elven spirits through the underworld. Without it, the journey may be blocked. In an eerie moment, the silver box containing broken ceramic tiles flies open, forming a mask bearing uncanny resemblance to Bolaire’s face. Vaelus demands Thimble’s whereabouts. The implication: Julien or someone close to him is connected. The first episode ends with tension in the air: multiple factions now want the Stone, the betrayal is active, and the cast is drawn together by grief, mystery, and political intrigue. We’re left with a firm reminder of the world’s lore: the Shapers (gods) were killed 70 years ago, magic is unstable, and the Sundered Houses (Royce, Halovar, Tachonis [ta-KO-nis], Einfasen [INE-fa-sen], Cormoray) wield enormous power. The stakes are clear: retrieve the Stone. Unravel the betrayal. Discover who killed Thjazi — and why. “So what can we learn from The Fall of Thjazi Fang? First — start big. That opening execution isn’t just drama; it’s a crisis that instantly ties every character together. You don’t need a warm-up quest — drop your players into the fallout and let them claw their way through. Second — make it personal. Every hero at the table had a history with Thjazi. That’s why it hits so hard. When your next campaign begins, link each PC to the same event — a death, a secret, a shared failure. And finally — let failure stand. The rescue didn’t work, and that makes the story matter. When you let plans fall apart, the next victory your players earn will feel legendary. D&D heroes don’t always have to succeed. In fact, in many cases, the best stories come from failure or setbacks that shape the events to come. If you adopt just one thing for your next session, I’d say: start with a crisis tied to your players, and let every character have skin in the game from the first moment. If you’re feeling up to it though, combine that with selective reveals, emotional stakes, and the room to fail, and you’re halfway to a compelling campaign. And there you have it — a full dive into Episode 1 of Campaign 4: the execution, the betrayal, the stolen artifact, and the gathering storm. If you like this kind of breakdown, drop a comment with your favorite moment from Episode 1, or your take on how the Crow Keepers or Julien might be involved. Next time, we’ll recap Episode 2 — Broken Wing — and pull more DM and roleplaying lessons from it. Until then — let your dice fly, and may your stories be legendary.