The Legend of Vox Machina 3x4 BLIND Reaction | Hell to Pay

[@piperbird7193]

The stained glass Calamity shots really broke me up. All I could think of was that chilling "...and I didn't do anYTHING WRONG."

[@FuzzyBunnyofInle]

Brennan can be absolutely terrifying.

[@kereminde]

I could quote some others, but potential spoilers... Look, I recommend watching the four-part play. Brennan Lee Mulligan as the GM just is on a different "feel" than Matthew Mercer, and the first few minutes of play are the original CR cast members realizing this. (While the Dimension 20 players get the "not this shit again" look.)

[@Soursprout93]

Just in case you didn't know, Liam (Vax) shouted you out on twitter amongst a bunch of other great reactors who have been reacting to LoVM on a thread Matt was doing of reactors to the show. Was excited to see you mentioned!

[@theaikidoka]

That's very cool. Do you know where we could find the video/thread?

[@Darth_Vayne]

It's embedded in one of Matt's tweets.

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

I hope she sees ur comment ❤🎉

[@Fairburne69]

Part of what makes this show extra special is the cast. How much they care about their fans and how much they appreciate them.

[@jasonhiatt3667]

I saw that too!!! It’s so cool cause this is probably the best reaction channel I’ve seen and it’s so cool to see the original creators shouting out reaction content. I think it only benefits everyone in the long run.

[@jetvulcan2020]

pike "everyone has a Blindspot" funny just like when the show Blindspot had Patterson "actually I'm a gnome Cleric"

[@JoeKeller87]

It’s a lot of hours, but I highly recommend EXU: Calamity if you want more on Zerxus. It’s a four-episode miniseries they did DM’d by Brennan Lee Mulligan that highlights Zerxus and his old group.

[@patrickwaldeck6681]

EXU: Calamity is in my opinion the greatest streamed game of D&D of all time and the best the Critical Role network has ever produced.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

Seconded. I also can’t recall any spoilers to LoVM or the upcoming Mighty Nein campaign animated cartoon. “Calamity” is well worth watching, stream content or not!

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

Yes to this comment ^ Even if u watch it on ur own. U will love it

[@offcenterideas]

All considered, especially for Critical Role content, 19 hours isn't bad. Granted, that's the equivalent of 45 25 minute episodes, but it's no 400hr campaign.

[@Eperogenay]

I'd love a reaction to Calamity. It's long but So worth it. Could serve as fun long form or long term content for the channel.

[@ArthurOfThePond]

Love hearing Luis Carazo voicing Zerxus. Can't imagine anyone else doing it, but was still excited.

[@DungeonDragon18]

As soon as Zerxus got name dropped, I hoped they were going to get Luis to voice him.

[@jxcefxce]

Zerxus and the story of ExU Calamity might be some of the best D&D I’ve ever seen so I fully got emotional getting to see even just a smidge of that animated.

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

21:54 "We are his blood..." Not the first time we have heard someone say that phrase in this series... 💀

[@TPBurrow]

19:58 Yes you are supposed to like them, Now you need to watch ExU Calamity, Others before me have mentioned it. We know what you like, we know what your heart will react well to and we look forward to your reaction to what is quite possibly THE best thing Critical Role has ever produced. Its a mammoth undertaking, but you can portion it out nicely. Enjoy the ride ❤❤

[@IdriveKITTnyc]

A wild TP Burrow has appeared!

[@chipsalom]

Not only best thing the CR Collab in general has produced, I totally agree with all the people who consider it probably the single best bit of streamed tabletop role-playing that has been created to date by anyone. I mean sure when I started watching it it was a little bit slow but when it grabs you and then carries you through and then we get the reveal and you know it probably what I'm talking about where Brandon goes from slowly explaining why something isn't working to sinister and then just absolute hellish in moments just thinking about gives me chills.

[@IdriveKITTnyc]

@@chipsalom I think the best gaming D&D moment is "The Door". For showing others how the game works. But when it comes to watching a narrative play out and for story reasons. Calamity is probably number 1. Of actual play. Because I think Deborah Ann Woll explaining it to Jon Bernthal might be the best overall

[@Quintzal]

Definitely worth watching Brennan running the game to see a bit more Xerxis

[@gomor2]

FIRE!

[@jasonmarbach]

The lore pulls, including Zerxus from Calamity, were AMAZING in this. My kingdom for a calamity miniseries. Also, Luis’ performance as his heartbreaking character is simply stunning in this.

[@traptor713]

"Super-druid" is actually pretty close! The official term is "Archdruid."

[@DelightfullyMADD]

Devils never cheat... but you better be sure that you are _VERY_ up on the rules, because that's how they get ya.

[@tycol322]

The letter of the law. They're kinda like genies in that they follow the rules but they will twist it and bend it to suit their needs. But will never break them

[@gregolsem4438]

The devil is in the details, pun intended

[@JWK1101]

Hell, Hell, Hell has its laws ...

[@Mazygolucky]

Evil lawyers

[@Olochgu]

@@JWK1101 Hell, hell, effects and the cause ...

[@piercewise1]

20:48 EXU: Calamity is an amazing mini-series that tells the story that Zerxes summarizes here about the Ring of Brass and the beginning of the Calamity. It's a beautiful, intense, heart-breaking story that doubles and redoubles every emotion in this scene. Zerxes appearance is all the more tragic for those who've watched it.

[@wyattwalker7589]

ExU Calamity for Zerxus’s backstory is soooooo worth a watch

[@jetvulcan2020]

its also shorter than the main campaign so an easier watch

[@pallenda]

​@jetvulcan2020 it's funny to think that around 20 hours is short. It's true compared to one of the campaign, but still. 😅

[@elbruces]

Luis Carazo was a guest player on CR's "EXU Calamity" 4-episode mini-campaign. He doesn't have a lot of major IMDB credits, so you wouldn't be expected to know him. Zerxus was his own character, an "oath of redemption" paladin. I guess it's been kinda spoiled what happens to him, but "Calamity" kind of spoils itself anyways, since it has to end badly in order to match Matt's timeline for Exandria. It's still some of the most powerful storytelling that CR has ever done.

[@haventakloo]

so glad everyone in the comments is also shouting out exu calamity for zerxus’ backstory!! it has some absolutely incredible moments, and the characters are something special. i will never forget laerryn especially

[@chipsalom]

I'll never forget her. She's probably my favorite abria character she's created. She's good at creating characters that I get mad at, but it's because she manages to inhabit and role play some of them well. I much prefer her characters to her DMing because she really gets to drill in on characters. I was so pissed when she made her one move it I won't spoil anything probably wound up being the actual final trigger that made the calamity unavoidable and it was just an impulsive decision about something she knew was so important that the derivative protected knowledge of it for centuries and yet she just impulsively acted without knowing the consequences. And for those who don't understand, that alone isn't the spoiler either you just have to go watch it yourself if that hasn't whet your appetite 🥹. The last bit isn't directed at you ofc, it's anyone who hasn't seen it yet. I think they just made it clear, those who will have watched Calamity by the end of how everything wraps up are going to have an entirely greater level of insight and understanding as well as context as to the bigger picture which will assist in everything going forward from mighty nine to campaign 3 downfall you know, they're definitely weaving the stuff together that catching these little extra arcs is going to continue to get woven together into something that's just keeps getting better and better and it's crazy to say that it can keep continuing to haha.

[@ConfuseTheMasses]

Xerxes was added retroactively to the VM story, since the mini-campaign he was in came out years after, but it was such a good addition. He might be one of my favorite characters in Critical Role's lore and the campaign he comes from (EXU: Calamity) is immaculate. It's also a great starting point for anyone who wants to get into the streamed games because it's only 4 episodes long, provides context for an important piece of lore, and doesn't have any VM spoilers

[@nickthedreamer4434]

Joining the bandwagon of folks recommending that you watch Critical Role’s “Exandria Unlimited: Calamity” as it’s both where Zerxus comes from and one of the best episodes one-shots/mini-series revolving around DnD ever made. The voices of Grog, Keyleth, and Scanlan play other members of Zerxus’s group (the Ring of Brass) and you have Dimension 20 regulars of Brennan Lee Mulligan (an arguably better DM than Matt Mercer himself but both are best buds; Brennan is the DM of the mini-series), Aabria Iyengar (a fellow DM on par with the two but is just a player for this one), and Lou Wilson (who’s always game to play TTRPGs).

[@AmazingChi]

Crucially, to clarify on the mini-series point, also not an undaunting length to get through.

[@christaylor9929]

"Telling Grog that is like a placebo". In other words, "Little lies are okay" (reference to another great Critical Role moment). 🙂

[@eidolon-0696]

The Ring of Brass endures!!

[@ms-literary6320]

Now it’s just the skull of brass though 🥺 it killed me that he named it that.

[@frenchynoob]

You're allowed to like a character even if they are evil. Even if they _don't_ have a sobstory.

[@neonom1024]

The Everlight is a god, she's the deity Pike worships and gets her holy power from. The amulet thing they keep showing is her holy symbol of The Everlight.

[@misterkite]

Zerxus is voiced by Luis Carazo.. and if you look up his imdb, they modeled the character after him too.

[@elbruces]

Or watch EXU Calamity. He created the character himself. They look pretty similar, but then again so does Marisha/Keyleth.

[@TheRubberDuck77]

As soon as Pike won I said outloud.... Now THAT is a Trickfoot

[@Crazyivan777]

The question is... Does she have the Trickfoot family curse?! (DIABETES!)

[@brilobox2]

I think J’mon lost the vestige intentionally. If they’d wanted Xerxus to guard it, he’d want something in exchange. Lose it in a bet however…

[@DelightfullyMADD]

A very good point... although at some point you may be wanting it back...

[@Vloddamick]

@DelightfullyMADD I fully believe that if they wanted it back, J'mon is fully capable of doing so.

[@wolverineaquajock2]

Critical Role is hundreds of hours long, but EXU Calamity is 12 hours that is such a brilliant and heartbreaking story, taking place as the start of the century-long apocalypse in the world of Exandria. It is amazing and devastating. You absolutely should watch/listen to it, even just as a personal journey and not for KZbin. Its well worth it.

[@thescifidork]

I am so far behind on my Critical Role but think I'll have to pause everything and watch EXU Calamity now just to get to know this new character :)

[@operative2136]

An excellent choice. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. You don't need to be caught up to watch Calamity. It's a standalone story, and it is AMAZING.

[@SageNemesis]

Careful. It's so good, going back to regular CR might be hard! Okay, not really but I definitely think you should watch it first. It's the best D&D content CR has released yet.

[@grendalsuncle4040]

It is well worth it

[@swiftlymurmurs]

I personally think it's the best DnD show ever made, I hope you love it as much as I do!

[@MrPingn]

I'm far behind too. I keep trying to dig my way out of that hole. But it keeps getting deeper. But I'm enjoying the ride anyways.

[@BigLousClubhouse]

Just a little bit of Lore on the Gods of Exandria ... Pike worships Sarenrae the Goddess of Compassion, Atonement, and Redemption, she's known as "The Everlight" ... the Vestige she just got is the "Plate of the Dawnmartyr" and was crafted by "The Dawnfather" the God of The Sun, Light, and Healing. to be worn by his Champion during the Calamity, which was a war waged between the Prime Deities and the Betrayer Gods more than 1000 years before the events of this show!!!

[@ticozayas6430]

love the EXU: Calamity tie in with Zerxus.... that mini series is my favorite thing cr has put out, fantastic story of the last days of one of the floating cities, def worth a watch

[@elfbreath]

Would LOVE LOVE LOVE to watch you react to EXU Calamity if you want to see more Zerxus! It takes place 1000 years before Vox Machina so no spoilers, and Brennan is an amazing DM everyone should experience at least once.

[@pallenda]

They way they showed Xerxes background stories was so artistically beautiful and awesome! Luis was amazing as the voice, evil, trickery and sad at the same time. Loved it!

[@stonecoldku4161]

"What is grief but love persevering." I think Faye, from God of War Ragnarök said it better. "To grieve deeply is to have loved fully."

[@DHS60521]

Re: Vax/Vex - There were times during the first campaign that Sam (Scanlan) would joke that if his character ever died and he had to make a new character to join the group, he was going to name it “Vix” just to add to the confusion.

[@vellynis]

I loved the idea of "these are Vex, Vax, And Vix from Vox" 😂

[@brilobox2]

Vux’d

[@nuru666]

And Matt's hilarious response "And if you do you can find yourself another DM."

[@ginster458]

That would've been very fitting as a Scanlan replacement in the sense that it sounds dead on like "jacking of" in german

[@eidolon-0696]

RIP Evandrin and Elias

[@RelaxTake30]

I really hope they turn EXU: Calamity into a hour long movie of sorts or something.

[@SilverAlce]

I have a huge crush on Luis Carazo because of Zerxus.

[@curtisd5864]

Joining the chorus of folks recommending that you check out EXU Calamity! Even if you don’t record and release a reaction to it, I cannot recommend it enough just for your own benefit. It’s a mini (ish) series and honestly some of the absolute best media I’ve ever consumed, and the fact that it’s all collaborative/improvised storytelling makes it that much more impressive. No spoilers, but have tissues handy.

[@darrenl3289]

Exu: Calamity is one of the best short campaigns i've ever seen. Brennan Lee Mulligan flexes and shows just how great a DM he is. The cast is incredible. Sam Riegel especially shows how and why he is not only a great actor but a great D&D player. Luis Carazzo plays Zerxus and is spectacular. Guaranteed Carazzo, Riegel, Travis Willingham, and Brennan will ALL make you cry.

[@wcookiv]

One more recommendation that EXU: Calamity is a great place to start if you want to check out the original show. It's only four episodes long, has an all star cast and great production value, and it's full of epic, hilarious, and touching moments. And since it's about an ancient historical event, there aren't any spoilers for any of the other campaigns.

[@DevilWearsAdidas]

When I saw this episode, it didn't even dawn on me who zerxus was. Even though I knew who it was as soon as it was revealed. I knew I recognized the name. What a great change they made from the original. We all love that man, btw. He was incredible in the actual game.

[@wildbronco038]

Zerxus would never cheat. Mechanically, he would be considered a devil so he's lawful evil. He'll follow the letter of a contract to a T. Unlike a demon, who is chaotic evil

[@Killerwale-hk4wy]

Zerxus backstory is so damn cool. Loved the Calamity campaign. Not done by Matt Mercer but Brennan Lee Mulligan is so damn good.

[@MehrGills]

20:48 the two aren't mutually exclusive. The saddest stories can also be the most beautiful ever told

[@xenosaga8436]

They've had a couple guests you might know. Deborah Anne Woll from Daredevil and True Blood guests in campaign 2. The guy that played Napoleon Dynamite was a guest in campaign 1. Someone from 13 Reasons Why was a guest in campaign 3. You might also recognize someone from a show called Blindspot. 😉

[@piperbird7193]

Wait - the duck guy?!

[@DrLipkin]

@@piperbird7193 Yup!

[@user-jt1js5mr3f]

Girl, WATCH CALAMITY! I think you’d really love it and it’s the most accessible of the Critical Role content. Only four episodes!

[@majormajormajortom]

Don't worry folks, I've got a feeling that by the end of next episode Angela will never forget Kima's name again!

[@carlotacosta9193]

Your immediate attraction to him is so funny and so real lol

[@charlie53echo]

Nathaniel FTW! Great reaction! ❤

[@christopherkowalczyk4405]

No one here would be upset if you did a reaction to calamity. If it helps entice you the group shot shows his old party, the pale elf with the halo is keylith's actress, the totally white one is scanlan's, and the others are all players you'd have seen watching dimension 20 clips.

[@hhylobates4098]

And the eagle man is Grog!

[@christopherkowalczyk4405]

@@hhylobates4098 shit, forgot to put that one in. Cerritos Groupon

[@swiftlymurmurs]

Luis Carazo has actually never been on Dimension 20 yet! We're absolutely rooting for him to appear some time soon though

[@OutOfPrintGM]

You know when you have finished watching the season you do a reaction to some of the table to screen videos, I think that would be fun to watch

[@Dunybrook]

This episode was such a total departure from the original campaign. I've no idea what is going on especially with Pike's bloodline. So interesting.

[@FrostyTheSnowPickle]

As some others have said, I highly suggest watching the Critical Role mini series "Exandria Unlimited: Calamity." It's four episodes, each a couple of hours long, but it'll give you the backstory on Zerxus and his friends.

[@TenebrousFilms]

I'm pretty sure all the suffering souls in hell are just that: souls. Devils are lawful evil, demons chaotic evil; hence the unviolable rules of the Hells. However, the armour was in the Plane of Fire in the livestream, not here. This was both a shortcut and a cameo. Zerxes was originally human. There is a video called 'Brennan Releases His True Inner Demon'. He DMed a minigame set during the Calamity. I would *love* to see you react to it.

[@josepablochew877]

It would be amazing if you reacted to EXU Calamity. Its just 4 episodes but is one of the best stories CR has ever told. You would love it.

[@ms-literary6320]

0:31 I loved how mature that conversation between Vex and Percy was. Her acknowledging that it was important and why that scared her. Him accepting that she needed no labels for the time being and not making it about his ego. Their relationship has good communication skills.

[@stevencavanagh7990]

If you go through life without Love you go through life never experiencing, you are no better than a Goldfish, No Better than a Bank Manager. Dave Lister, Red Dwarf.

[@DHS60521]

Heh… Goldfish.

[@stevencavanagh7990]

@@DHS60521 Ok, I never clicked. and it makes it funnier.

[@nuru666]

@@DHS60521 FLG said "Jams" and then giggled exactly as I read your comment, it's almost like she's in on it

[@traydevon]

So I’m probably the last person who just found out that Pike is voiced by Ashley Johnson from Growing Pains. “Show me that smile.”

[@CheckersMcGavern]

They did such a great job showing the difference between devils and demons here (they are often warring against each other). I imagine that's why a lot of the demons were afraid of Zerxus, because he's a devil (and a particularly old/powerful one at that). I know a lot of people didn't like this episode because there were some major changes made from the campaign (Zerxus wasn't there, he's a character from a 3-shot series called Calamity, and Pike wasn't there with them either) but I really liked the deep-cut lore that replaced everything. And Zerxus... he's just such a good tragic character, man.

[@AnxietyRat]

Teeny tiny correction but EXU: Calamity is a 4-shot not a 3-shot.... But yeah I've definitely seen some of the fans have a mixed view on this episode because of all of the changes. But I personally really like all of the changes. Sure there's some pieces of dialogue that I REALLY wish made the cut that unfortunately didn't in some scenes but that's what you have to do when you only have a certain amount of time per episode.

[@FreyaofCerberus]

I don't know if i'm reading too deeply but assuming Zerxus planned most if not all of that encounter a few things stood out. 1 we don't know what was in the contact Pike signed, she and we assume it was just for the game but devils are never that straightforward. 2 after he bound her to service and she challenged him again he said "alright, for the plate of the dawnmartyr" which to me says the second game was only for the vestige, not to release Pike from service. Yes the gauntlets vanished but that means little as he obviously means to corrupt her rather than simply enslave her, so making it seem like she's free could easily be part of the plan. 3 He gave her an amulet of his "to ensure safe passage out of the city" except he immediately sicked his bodyguard on them so why do it? Well giving devils and demons an anchor to the material plane is a big thing, Pike carrying it out of hell has almost certainly given him power in the material plane. And if the arc is going where i think it's going (i haven't seen podcast) then it will be used at bare minimum as a object of temptation when Pike inevitably faces a crisis of faith or at most as her new focus with Zerxus as her patron. I suspect the effects of this episode will be long felt.

[@hhylobates4098]

Yeah he mentioned watching her, I think at minimum that token will allow him to spy on her across the planes. The top looked like a basic circle but they didn't fully show the piece hanging underneath, I suspect it looks even more like an eye. This Pike and Zerxus storyline is completely new to the show so we are all interested to see where it leads 👀

[@FulcanMal]

I know it isn't going to happen because of how many hours it is and how much editing would be involved, but it would be an absolute delight to watch you react to 'EXU: Calamity', which gives you the backstory on Zerxes. It's a four parter, so its shorter than a lot of stuff Crcitical Role does, and really fantastic.

[@AnxietyRat]

She has watched tv shows that are just as long or even longer than Calamity before runtime -wise. So there is a chance that she potentially might react to it if enough people recommend it! The time sink has less of a risk of scaring her off than someone who isn't used to watching TV shows with a lot of seasons.

[@jasonhiatt3667]

Yo that keyleth shirt is dope. Love the reactions and commentary! Thank you!❤

[@patrickwaldeck6681]

This episode probably has the deepest lore of the whole show, and it's sooooo good.

[@gollumandeowyn]

And yes, as others have said, I would pay GOOD patreon money if you tackled EXU Calamity. It's a time commitment for sure. 4 episodes covering 20 hours. But it's SO. DAMN. GOOD.

[@laurence4352]

Exandrea Unlimited Calamity is so so good. but so so sad.... I make a pilgremage to watch it at least once a month jsut so I can cry my heart out. GOD they did such a good job withthe acting and roleplaying in that show. I squeeled when I saw the brass ring in Vox Machina. XD

[@Lngbrdninjamasta]

I always love ur reactions, but this series holds a magical place in my heart & ur reactions to it bring my so much joy ❤😂🎉

[@chrism7395]

15:00 "I would think a servant of the enemy would look fairer and feel fouler" -Frodo Baggins I love that the lore drop used the same artwork style as the Brennan Lee Mulligan DM'd EXU Calamity short RPG that the lore is based upon.

[@engeldraws]

"That chick" IS the Everlight who also IS the Goddess,, You seem to think they are 3 different people,, But they are one and the same

[@MTG_Scribe]

If you ever decide you want to try watching a live play of something (either on stream or off), I think you'd *really* enjoy Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. It's where Zerxus first showed up, it's only 4 episodes, and it's one of the best things Critical Role has ever produced.

[@johnhenkel1828]

@@MTG_Scribe it also is unlikely to spoil anything in the animated series as it takes place a thousand years before the animated series, but you learn a lot about the world.

[@AnGawain]

If you have the chance to watch "EXU: Calamity" you will know everything about Xerxus and the Ring of Brass. Is one of the best stories Critical Role had made. Love your reactions

[@merowinger4802]

The sad part is you see Pike wearing the armor in the new intro since EP2.

[@wesleymok7532]

21:20 "I miss Battlestar Galactica." I suspect Angela is savvy enough to know this already but just in case... As seems to be a popular side-gig for many of actors these days, Katee Sackhoff has a podcast on YT and often has costars from her previous shows as guests. She had Edward Olmos on the show a while back which was awesome because he's such a compelling person to listen to. Hit me right in the early 2000's feels.

[@jordanwright1061]

I'd been asking every episode and now I see a few more comments here, but CALAMITY AHHHHH. If you liked Zerxus you have to watch it! He's one of the player characters and the VA Luis Carazo plays him and he's incredible.

[@darthmemewalker2807]

Fun fact the voice actress for Pike is the same woman who voice acted ellie from the last of us

[@michaelmavis731]

The Everlight is the name of the goddess Sarenrae, a deity of healing, redemption, and temperance. She is also known as Raei and the Dawnflower.

[@DevilWearsAdidas]

So say we all! Watched the whole thing with you. I love that show so much.

[@tlaragihai5953]

23:13 slight correction: Everlight herself is a goddess. She is the sun lady Pike talked to at the beginning (and in the season 1) 27:09 yeah. Allura might be a lady and a (former) court mage, but she is a Master of Arcana for a *reason* . And I love how the show is depicting her and Kima. The question is why Pike`s blood is special in the most discovery in this episode and I can`t even think of one definite answer. Gonna see how this goes.

[@AVJHalonen]

Cool! another funnyHUGEgal reaction!

[@pardox28]

28:13 Zerxes is not in Campaign 1. He was in EXU: Calamity, which was created during Campaign 3. The voice actor in this animated show IS the person who played him in that mini-series, EXU: Calamity. In Campaign 1, the Plate of the Dawn Martyr is gotten but the way they do it in the streamed campaign is different. They travel to the Plane of Fire to the City of Brass. A collector has the armor and Scanlan is the one who plays a game of cards against the owner. He loses twice and Vox Machina are now technically owned by this collector. But instead the collector offers up a mission to VM: to kill a Pit Fiend she hates. If they do that, the armor is theirs and she releases any claim on them. Pike is there for that side quest but ins't really instrumental in obtaining the armor.

[@Fairburne69]

This was a fantastic episode. But the next episode is competing with episode 10 of season 2 as my favorite episode of the series so far.

[@Iteisenhauer]

This show has some really stone cold moments sometimes. It’s a absolute stunner of a show

[@jasonmarbach]

I see you, friend. I, too, am excited for ep 5. 😀

[@Syncratci]

🤣

[@happyslapsgiving5421]

You might say it KOs you.

[@brilobox2]

Really came outta nowhere.

[@DrLipkin]

@@brilobox2 Wrong move.

[@kylebrooks338]

It made me laugh with delight when they entered hell and spoke about dis and the plane they are on, since my DnD party has been working through the hells in our campaign and we were in dis not too long ago

[@AdamEspersona]

You might be a bit confused. The Everlight IS Pike's goddess, previously known as Sarenrae. They had to change the name due to copyright. And as a cleric of Sarenrae, her holy power comes from her faith.

[@bcbabbles]

Luis Carazo, who plays Zerxus, it SOOO FINE!!

[@TheJerbol]

Pike's blood being special is a new addition for the show, so we're all in the dark on that one but CR viewers certainly have some theories

[@theanyktos]

So pretty much this entire trip to the Hells is new for the show. They did go there in the campaign, but it wasn't until quite a bit later and it had nothing to do with J'mon Sa Ord, dragons or vestiges. They _did_ go on a trip to the Fire Plane in order to get the Plate of the Dawnmartyr and there was a game of chance involved. But other than that (almost) all of this is new. The character of Zerxus is not new, per se, but he didn't show up in the Vox Machina campaign, seeing as he hadn't been created yet. He was Luis Carazo's player character for the 4 episode miniseriers 'Exandria Unlimited: Calamity'. ExU: Calamity (or just Calamity for short) was guest DM'd by Brennan Lee Mulligan (who did an absolutely brilliant job, unsurprisingly) and included Marisha (Keyleth), Travis (Grog), Sam (Scanlan) as well as the aforementioned Luis Carazo, Aabria Iyengar (has previously guest DM'd another ExU miniseries and guested on the main show) and Lou Wilson (of D20 fame). They all played fairly high level characters (The Ring of Brass) in a time 1000 years before the events of the Vox Machina campaign. What Zerxus tells us in the show about his history is a very very short synopsis of the plot of this miniseries (with a heavy focus on the parts most relevant to him, obviously). It is most definitely worth a watch (or perhaps even a reaction?) if you have the 20 hours to spare.

[@theanyktos]

14:55 😂😂 you're not wrong. You should look up Luis Carazo, the actor who created and played Zerxes, both in the miniseries where that character first originated and this show.

[@Julini89]

Luis Carazo created this character in ExU worth watching btw. also the vestige is called plate of the Dawnmartyr. This is a reference to the sun god Pelor (they cant use that name though) so it seems very reasonable that the vestige og the sun god would go the cleric of the Everlight

[@happyslapsgiving5421]

Calamity confirmed! 😁

[@kikphlip1080]

I love the way the series is sort of retconning the world lore based on the the other campaigns. Having Zerxus be almost the Lucifer of the Calamity is fucking genius.

[@Trichromanic]

Zerxus isn't originally in the campaign because the character and his story is from a mini-series that happened years after the campaign concluded. It's a very cool change that incorporates the expanded lore of Exandria, a lot of folks flipped out when his name got dropped a couple episodes back. Highly recommend checking out the Calamity mini-series, but with how popular it is and how much they spotlight it in this episode, I would say an adaptation of some form is pretty likely (though who knows when) if you want to save the experience for that.

[@jordanwright1061]

Also, for Calamity clips - I think they're better with full context. I'd hate to see some epic moments softened by seeing clips before the whole build up.

[@alinds1]

I’m sure you’ve received this comment 100 times but ohmygoodness how much I’d love to see you watch the live campaign of ExU: Calamity. Even though it’s a limited series, I know those 3-4 hour episodes may not fit your format, but UGH if you loved Zerxus’ backstory, you will eat up that series. Plus, Brennan Mulligan! I still think about it often.

[@gabthegreat01]

21:55 go waaaay back to season 1. Remember a certain line? “We are His blood,” ?

[@SweetsourGamer]

The episode definitely sits among the series' best

[@levindeed]

To very shortly recap what others have probably already said - Calamity is an apocalyptic event about 1200 years in the past of this world, where like a third of the planet died, because the gods were fighting on the face of Exandria over their family issues. - The events that led to the beginning of Calamity are played out in the show Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, a 4-episode special which is about 20 hours long in total, so basically like a season of a normal show - ExU: Calamity as a show is currently the single best piece of "theatrical" aka actual play D&D content that exists and is readily available to watch on KZbin. - Zerxus and his friends mentioned in this episode are all the player characters of that show - Actor who played Zerxus at the table, Luis Carazo, plays him in the show as well - Zerxus actually lies to Pike a bit in here, as he blames his friends for the Calamity happening, but Zerxus himself was probably one of the most important domino chips in that mess. To find out WHY - watch Calamity. - I mean it. Watch ExU: Calamity. All 4 episodes are on KZbin, it's 20 hours worth of reaction content and your critter friend at the editing table will gladly explain you stuff if needed :) - No, seriously. Watch it.

[@rickymoranjr9609]

Pike has really come in handy this episode, plus she got her own Vestige but she needs to know how to use it

[@MehrGills]

As much as everyone is calling out exu: calamity for being great just in general and for zerxus' backstory, l'd also recommend Downfall (kinda like calamity, but its 3 episodes in c3 that aren't actually showing that campaign's characters). I don't immediately remember spoilers (please people correct me if I'm wrong), but it gives more explanation for why Sarenrae, the goddess of redemption (pike's goddess) forbids the hells

[@pardox28]

You probably have a lot of shows on your docket of future reaction, but I think it would be worth it for your channel to react to the Critical Role actual play "EXU: Calamity." It's a 4-episode series. Though it's about 20 hours of material to react to, others on KZbin have. I'd imagine the Critters would come with viewing numbers if you watched it. Maybe watch it with another reactor who hasn't seen the mini-series? Do note that Zerxes's "his ascension draws near" is a mystery to us Critters too as it has nothing to do with the EXU Calamity series.

[@Jaxom35x]

About Pike...we don't know. This is a new part of the story and it's exciting. Ashley wasn't around a lot during the first campaign because she was on a weekly TV show, Blindspot. Pike didn't really have a strong storyline originally. CR is adding and changing some things here and there for this show compared to the live campaign and it's fun.

[@SciManDjin]

Honestly, I'm pretty sure we'd all watch an unedited watch through of the entire Calamity series!

[@caffeinedelusions]

Basically what Vex said is ‘I care about you a lot, so this has to be all or nothing… and I can’t handle ‘ALL’ right now, I don’t know how… so it has to be nothing.’