CrafD&D: The Champion's Challenge Recap Index
Story Arc:
Forrnest | Volkhanom | Lordpact | Elemix | Conjuria | Hemoarloch | Undercove
Episode:
E12: Under a Rock and a Hard Place | E13: The Golden Genius; Henshin! | E14: Trickster Trios and Treacherous Turtles
E15: Overthinking Origins | E16: Dinner and Dishonor | E17: The Mistress of the Maelstrom
Story Arc:
Forrnest | Volkhanom | Lordpact | Elemix | Conjuria | Hemoarloch | Undercove
Episode:
E12: Under a Rock and a Hard Place | E13: The Golden Genius; Henshin! | E14: Trickster Trios and Treacherous Turtles
E15: Overthinking Origins | E16: Dinner and Dishonor | E17: The Mistress of the Maelstrom
Air Date: 7/8/2022
After becoming acquainted with the party, Congiorno tests Osra's mettle to see if she's worthy of being his apprentice. Afterward, Passione disperses to explore Elemix, with Ophelia accompanying Congiorno and Osra to his study, whereupon Ophelia finally admits to her link to Lord Damniel. Meanwhile, Cera sightsees on her own, Ash meets up with Dexter, and Calum helps Unda meet back up with her sloshed, perverse mother.
Tropes Found in This Episode:
- Actually, I Am Him: During his meeting with Ophelia and Osra, Congiorno reaffirms that, for all his wealth and skill, he is not the Artificer Champion. That would be Professor Partrick Partts, to who Congiorno serves as an apprentice. However, Congiorno also reveals that the Professor picked him as his successor after he retires from the role.
- Brick Joke: Fergus appears again after Calum beat the shit out of him in the last session, and he's visibly, comically wounded. In addition to a prominent black eye, he has tissues shoved up both of his nostrils to stop them from bleeding out. Knowing that he's been beaten, Calum doesn't offer a clever retort when he facetiously asks how he's holding up.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Back during the Grandure Civil War and well before taking up the Champion's Challenge, Congiorno discovered Anvilwrought and the ability to merge it with living beings, serving to enhance them or replace lost body parts. The Black Fang discovered Congiorno's work and captured him, forcing him to go against his ethics and roboticize his forces with this newfound metal. Thankfully, Congiorno managed to escape and join forces with Maximileo to take down the Black Fang and start a more peaceful era for Grandure.
- Establishing Character Moment: Unda's mother, Boilynn, leaves a pretty horrible first impression on Calum that reaffirms Unda's past decision to run away from home. It soon becomes apparent that life in the strip club business has made Boilynn incredibly selfish and overindulgent. She's completely shitfaced, and she thus hits on Calum without shame despite Unda's clear attachment to him. When she finally addresses her daughter, Boilynn's first priority is to ask her for cigarettes; she assumed Unda was out seeking them during her absence, completely incognizant of its three-year timespan and Unda's stay at Grandure Academy. Thoroughly fed up, Unda storms off in a huff, a clearly uncomfortable Calum following close behind.
- Homage: True to the episode's title, various aspects of Congiorno make him one giant love letter to Kamen Rider. The battle music associated with him is from Decade. He has a Henshin form that uses soundbites from Build. He also recites the famous "My grandmother used to say..." line from Kabuto, and his transformation jingle is directly based upon Emu's upon becoming Ex-Aid Level 1 in Ex-Aid.Congiorno: Built to last! Set to blast! What's your class? I'm an artificer!
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Unda is far less lively than anyone has ever seen her; she sits motionless in a fountain and refuses to acknowledge anyone until Calum approaches. He then finds out why she's so distressed: her estranged mother lives in Elemix, and the prospect of checking in on her is more out of obligation than any genuine desire. Unda sheepishly asks Calum if he will accompany her for the visit, during which she mostly hides behind him until her mother's antics cause her to snap and fall apart once they leave. It says a lot that she then allows Calum to cradle her in his arms.
- The Reveal: Congiorno has firsthand experience with the Black Fang, so he's able to give a far more detailed account of who he is compared to the fairytale book Ophelia has. It turns out that the Black Fang is none other than Rodred, the first king of Grandure before his younger brother—Grandure Academy's Headmaster Maximileo—abolished the monarchy.
- Truth Serums: When meeting with Osra and Congiorno in the latter's study, Ophelia explains her involuntary link to Lord Damniel and how much she distrusts him. The man himself even shows up in-person, revealing his one corporeal hand to show off the progress Ophelia's blood consumption has made to help reform his body. After determining that magic can affect him, Osra decides to cast Zone of Truth to force Damniel to be completely honest with Ophelia. The tables have turned; Damniel is now the one caught in a corner, so he complies with the spell's effects and reaffirms his past claims. He knows he can't be trusted, but Ophelia's his one chance to return to normal—and redeem himself after his failed quest for godhood.
