Critical Role's big Campaign 4 plot twist explained

The Seekers may have walked into a trap in the big cliffhanger of Campaign 4's latest episode

Critical Role Campaign 4 has rolled onto its new table, the Seekers. Starring Matthew Mercer as Julien Davinos, Aabria Iyengar as Thaisha Lloy, Alexander Ward as Occtis Tachonis, Ashley Johnson as Vaelus, and Brennan Lee Mulligan as the Dungeon Master, this party is exploring a new area of the world of Aramán.

Arriving in the city of Riesingürtle and accompanied by Aranessa Royce, Julien’s lady and one of the few survivors of the Royce and Davinos massacre, it was only a matter of time before the group found themselves seeking answers from the city’s lord, Otto Einfasen.

However, unlike the Soldiers table, who found solace and shelter in locations like Ulbid Morn’s home and Hawthorne’s Glade, the Seekers table may have just walked into a huge trap.

[Ed. note. Spoilers for Critical Role Campaign 4, Episode 11-12 ahead.]

During the four-episode overture, it had been established that Davinos and Royce’s caravans and men-at-arms had been held up by House Einfasen on the Dvelmar pass. Passing through the area to check on the Golden Orchard alongside the rest of the party, Julien and Occtis, disguised as a knight from a vassal house of Einfasen, Sir Erlich Kerzingblad, went to find out why.

There, they met and parlayed with Lord Einfasen, as well as Einfasen’s daughter, Lady Ingrid. According to the latter, the Davinos and Royce caravans had been impounded at the castle after receiving word in a letter from House Royce that a traitor was among them. Julien thus revealed that his father is dead, pointing out the false seal in the letter and explaining the treachery of House Tachonis that led to Royce and Davinos being destroyed in Dol-Makjar. Disturbed, Lord Einfasen requested Julien and his party to stay at the castle until they could find out more. The party agreed.

However, there are some huge clues that the Seekers table may have just walked into the belly of the beast. And, as seen in discussions on the Critical Role subreddit, we’re not the only ones who have noticed.

The first red flag raised was the immediate dispatch of Lady Ingrid’s handmaiden, Greta. In the latest episode, Greta leaves her lady’s side and is found later by Einfasen guards to have sent off a bird with a message from the aviary. Before the party can ask Greta any questions, Lord Einfasen immediately slaughters her. On the surface, it may look as if he was dealing with a traitor. However, we know from the previous episode that a handmaiden is acting against the Sundered Houses.

“I’m hesitant to suggest it, but I might have someone inside the Einfasen machine as well,” Liam O’Brien as Halandil Fang says to his fellows at the Schemers table in episode 11, “Make Merry”. “Someone in the company whose sister is an attending maid in one of the houses here. She is easy to miss and hears a lot.”

Hal’s remark seems to refer to someone who is located in the city of Dol-Makjar, but the time difference between the three tables makes things tricky. Alternatively, Hal could easily be misinformed, and the handmaiden, if it is indeed Greta, has been in the city of Riesingürtle all this time, or recently arrived. If Greta is indeed the handmaiden Hal mentions, then she wasn’t executed as a traitor, but to keep her mouth shut.

Another big clue comes from the Einfasen guards refusing to dismiss Occtis, who, at the time, was disguised as a peasant hireling of Lady Aranessa. Despite there being no reason for him to witness the meeting of Aranessa and Lord Einfasen, the soldiers insisted that he must join the rest of the group at the Einfasen compound. Sure, this could have been the DM trying to keep the party together for the next encounter, but it still feels a bit suspicious.

The biggest clue may be that House Einfasen has already proven itself untrustworthy. Sir Harondus Einfasen, Lord Einfasen’s nephew, has dismissed a big chunk of the Revolutionary Guard in Dol-Makjar. What was once a public service has now been privatized, with most who were dismissed seeking employment in the private military of House Halovar. Halovar benefiting from Einfasen’s decision can’t be a coincidence.

The final red flag is the arrival of Aranessa at Castle Einfasen, and the insight check that reveals Lady Ingrid is staring down at the courtyard, particularly at Lady Aranessa, with tear-tracks on her face. A ton of Einfasen soldiers stand to attention in the barricades, staring down at the party. It’s clear that something is amiss. Despite House Einfasen being staunch allies of House Royce and Davinos before, it isn’t guaranteed they’ll do so again in the current political climate, with the different Sundered Houses turning on one another.

Could the Seekers have walked into a trap? And what will the ramifications of this encounter — particularly the sending of a letter — have on the rest of the tables, particularly the Schemers who are still situated in Dol-Makjar?

We’ll find out when Campaign 4 returns this Thursday. You can watch the latest campaign live on Twitch, YouTube, and Beacon.tv on Thursday nights at 10 p.m. PDT. If you can’t catch the episode live, you’re in luck — Critical Role posts the episode to YouTube the following Monday at 3 p.m. EDT/12 p.m. PDT.