THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA 3x4 REACTION | Hell to Pay | Critical Role

[@GamiCross]

Pike: "We all have Blindspots" ha.

[@teacupkoala175]

It hurts to see what Zerxus has become, but it's such a wonderful progression of his character

[@cartoonishidealism582]

Don’t let the lore about the Betrayer Gods distract us from the fact that J’mon Sa Ord LOST ONE OF THE VESTIGES OF DIVERGENCE IN FANTASY POKER TO A DEVIL

[@hhylobates4098]

And failed to mention this is what Vox would have to deal with to get it back. I was almost expecting him to be like, the host of Hells antiques roadshow.

[@daniberrieful]

I swear i thought he really was just keeping it down there for safety. Like maybe some humanity remained after 1000 years and he was protecting. Nah. Poker with friends.

[@shaskusmas]

J'mon Sa Ord lost a vestige playing poker? Says who?? Oh, right. A devil.

[@bouboulroz]

Pretty sure J'mon lost on purpose. Ask a devil to safekeep a relic and they'll ask for a payment. Lose the relic to a bet and they'll guard it for free.

[@Trichromanic]

@@bouboulroz A very astute observation, wouldn't be surprised if this is the case if they confront J'mon about it

[@n3mo_17]

The hubris of Zerxus Ilerez continues...

[@ghurcbghurcb]

He could have won. Pike had 2 cards and Zexus had 1 question. But he had to toy with her...

[@Nyx_404]

@@ghurcbghurcbit’s almost like he’s a devil or smth

[@hosungyoo7601]

This can't be Zerxus, it feels like asmodeus playing in zerxu' skin and mind minus the absolute disdain for mortals

[@Nyx_404]

@@hosungyoo7601 I don’t think Asmodeus has thought twice about Zerxus’ family, or would call out his own faults

[@hosungyoo7601]

​@@Nyx_404yeah I watched further he is just more gruffer and even more sly

[@seansilence2697]

That's lawful evil for you. They follow their rules. But never forget that it's *their* rules

[@Ollie_668]

15:56 it was a 4 shot! And yes, yes it is. Though the differences between his story and what happened in the campaign are quite interesting - I do highly recommend it, one of the best live play campaigns I’ve ever seen it’s genuinely incredible

[@carlotacosta9193]

Not Pike saying we all have BLINDSPOTS lmao (that's the show Ashley Johnson was on during C1)

[@BiggySn1p3r]

Yes it was from the miniseries Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. And it's definitely worth watching. Fyi: No spoilers to worry about when watching.

[@shaskusmas]

The departure from the campaign story is very significant this season, to the point where I'm getting surprised a lot, which I like. And the fact that they're still working in fan favorite moments is incredible. Great reaction! On to the next one!

[@brilobox2]

Kinda have to, between Umbrasyl and the Thordak showdown they went to like 9 different places jumping all over.

[@shaskusmas]

@@brilobox2 I'm here for it! Lots of cool stuff going on

[@SoloStudiosOfficial]

ExU Calamity is a must-watch for anyone interested in the world of Exandria. An absolute masterpiece of emergent storytelling. Could not recommend it enough!

[@radicaladz]

11:56 - Zerxus was a paladin, but his divine power comes not from the gods, but the people of Avalir itself. The belief that he could redeem a betrayer god was the hubris that led him to Hell, and that confrontation between Luis and Brennan Lee Mulligan as DM is one of the all-time great scenes in Critical Role history.

[@ghurcbghurcb]

"Now I'll tell you why I spit on your forgiveness, I'll tell you why I loathe your redemption. To reach a hand down to somebody, they have to be BENEATH YOU! And I am beneath nobody! You wanted to understand me? Then you should have accepted that I WAS RIGHT!"

[@lexim.7582]

@@ghurcbghurcb”YOU’RE WRONGGGGG”

[@joelsimao4901]

Zerxus was not in the original campaign of vox machina he was created for the miniseries Exu Calamity, and I think with the last line that he delivers that he is connected to the whispered one, he said the same thing that Deliah and Cassandra (while mind-controled) "we are his blood", a nice addition to the story and set up for whats to come

[@radicaladz]

19:15 - in the lore of Critical Role, Sarenrae (the Everlight) and Asmodeus (Zerxus' patron) are nemeses. He betrayed her and murdered her acolytes. Corrupting Pike's soul would be a feather in Zerxus's cap and a boon to the enemy of her goddess.

[@marvelnarniaarda6241]

He betrayed Lord AO and all of the Prime Deities, corrupted the Betrayal Gods and make an alliance with Primordials/Titans, causing the Calamity; he used even Tiamat (mother of Chroma Dragons) and Vecna (the Lich God) for his purposes….. he is the one we on earth called Lucifer and Satan !

[@daniberrieful]

Zerxus and Pike have an extra special relationship because they serve the most opposing Gods ever. Her being in hell (a place where people need to be redeemed) is the worst because its her God is one of redemption. Her God tried to redeem his and as repayment he slaughtered all her worshipers. Pike is special for even worshiping the everlight because she has such few followers. Also Zerxus when he was human was a Oath of Redemption Paladin. He served no God at all amd got his power from the belief in his oath. He viewed them all as the same. Then he met a Bretrayer. I would recommend that you watch Calamity because I dont want to spoil his story for you. Its 4 episodes, 20 hours. An absolute banger.

[@miafiolekova5817]

I think there may be a bit more then that. Remember downfall? One of the gods left progeny in Exandria. Could Pike be one of their descendants? Who knows?

[@hhylobates4098]

​@@miafiolekova5817Pikes ancestry is deep gnome though, that's a fair way removed from human and firbolg

[@daniberrieful]

@@miafiolekova5817 this was all written and recorded back in early 2023. Like before summer. Matt did not even think of the concept of downfall until Jan 2024. The cast players and Gods they would play was not something they could slot into a show that was done so long ago. I dont think this has anything to do with Downfall. Always keep in mind animation timelines and just how long things take to make and then still have to wait for Amazons release schedule.

[@miafiolekova5817]

@@daniberrieful That is true. But dont forget, Matt has things planned years in advance for his campaigns. Like in the latest episode we got information he had prepared for over a decade. He could have had something snuck in that the rest of the crew didnt know its exact meaning.And who is to say that other gods didnt get freaky with mortals during the age of arcanum. I for one would not put it past the archheart for example to try some mortal loving.

[@elbruces]

@@miafiolekova5817 Which is another way to say "we have no idea what Matt has planned." So it's not support for *any* theory.

[@kaniamia]

25:23 YES YOU DO NEED TO FINISH IT! It’s literally the best ending I’ve ever seen in D&D! I can’t believe you stopped just before it!

[@DarcOne13]

31.

[@jasonmarbach]

Zerxus’ utility in this episode was INCREDIBLE. Luis was INCREDIBLE. It’s all INCREDIBLE 😍

[@lexim.7582]

Zerxus is one of my favorite fictional characters of all time. I would totally recommend finishing the calamity four shot

[@realDTBazeYT]

we not gonna talk about the " we are his blood, his ascension draws near"?

[@seansilence2697]

It took me a while to get this. I was like "wait, where have we heard that before." It finally hit me this morning.

[@AjaofShanghai]

I short-circuited when he said that. I had to rewind, because I couldn't believe what I heard. But I can see how the Whispered One got him; same way he got Delilah. Side note, I find it absolutely tragic that 1000 years in Dis has warped his memories of his group -- how much they loved him -- and how his own hubris contributed to the Calamity.

[@FaunoAtelie]

​@@AjaofShanghai And that's the lord of hells's doing for sure, twisting the very thing that made his sacrifice heroic

[@hhylobates4098]

There were flashes of the purple eyed skull in Pikes opening vision....the same as from season 1. I think Pike might have some tether to him

[@FaunoAtelie]

@@hhylobates4098 Delilah stabbed pike in season 1, and triggered that whole arc with the Everlight. I think there's something in Pike's blood that they're going to tie in with the whispered one (Who apparently Zerxus is following)

[@wyattwalker7589]

I think after this episode you could totally watch EXU Calamity no problem (it would also make a killer reaction if you’re up for it)

[@Luzarioth]

Well, it ain't the first time we hear someone saying "We are his Blood" in this show :)

[@kyleironheart]

THE BRASS RING ENDURES

[@CarpeDiem018]

EXU calamity is one of the best pieces of media I have ever consumed. I can’t recommend it enough!! Luis is amazing as Zerxus obviously but everyone on that cast is just hitting home runs for 4 episodes straight

[@engeldraws]

Zerxus' backstory (the ExU Calamity campaign) might get adapted as a movie, so definitely look forward to that!

[@easterslice]

Keyleth always commits to the bit. :) I'm not sure how Pike is going to fit in with this blood stuff. Animated Pike's storyline has been the most different from the campaign, because her player wasn't present a lot of the time. Because of that, she never got the same amount of character development. It makes her stuff exciting because there's no way to know what's going to happen with her.

[@WoeUponThee]

Spoilers: I'm guessing Pike's blood thing will tie into the arc where her family comes to Whitestone.

[@kat_impossible]

ExU Calamtiy is one of my most favorite things that CR has ever done. That ending haunts me in all the best ways and I almost teared up seeing the one-shot included here.

[@radicaladz]

The moment I saw Luis' name in the X-Ray credits, I knew we were in for a good time.

[@gazriddell9493]

Smashed it out of the park! He exceeded my expectations and they were HIGH to start with ❤

[@135mikerules23]

18:08 Remember Delilah said something similar in regards to The Whispered One in season 1!

[@toamszkozak8822]

Yeah but Zerxus serves Asmodeus ,not the whispered one

[@135mikerules23]

@@toamszkozak8822 maybe he’s an ally and not a true follower?

[@bonkiatsu470]

We are his blood. His ascension draws near. Lady Briarwood said the same thing…👀

[@Blazingstoke]

Yeah, Zerxus might want a Mulligan on that last hand...

[@theunfamousone2818]

I haven't watched calamity yet, but this is one hell of a first impression, in the streams they played cards against a fire giant in the fire plane for the plate, the hells came later. "We are his blood" is one of the scariest parts of this episode, and a sign for things to come.

[@sandonmynips676]

That Blindspot reference was 🤣🤣👌

[@Zakiel97]

EXU Calamity is absolutely worth it, it's pretty short compared to the actual campaigns and it is such a well-crafted tragedy. Honestly cannot overstate this, it's one of my favorite stories that ever came out of critical role and shows what TTRPGs as a storytelling medium are uniquely capable of

[@DawdlingTwiddle]

Definitely worth you watching (and reacting to) EXU:Calamity. I rewatched it this last week, in build up to these episodes, and boy did it pay off!

[@elbruces]

So from time to time, Critical Role has guest players sit at their table, with their own custom-designed characters. We saw two of them last season with Zahra and Kashaw. Zerxus is another one - that voice actor made up a character who became this guy. It must be mind-blowingly cool to have the Critical Role team call you up and ask you to voice your D&D character in their animated show.

[@sybariticcupboardrat3763]

23:26 Yes, GMs can very much choose to have your actions affect your standing with your god. The game reason Pike's pendant cracked was because Ashley went murder hobo during a rescue mission. I suspect she forgot she was playing a cleric of DnD Jesus and can't act like Grog without consequences.

[@Rcmkney23]

You’ve no idea how this ep made us campaign fans froth at the mouth

[@aisarikka]

Zerxus didn't tell the whole story. It's an amazing tale of forgiveness and redemption as well as it is of Pride, Hubris and tragedy. ExU Calamity is probably the best D&D live play currently up right now

[@chipsalom]

"There's something special about you... Do you ever Wonder if the Everlight needs you more than you need her". He's sewing seeds of doubt and making her wonder whether she might be getting used by her God. He is also kind of low-key belittling her faith,framing it as either purely transactional (very indicative of the way devils operate, but not necessarily higher good deities) instead of founded in love, and in return the Everlight loving her in return, inspiring faith, thereby empowering her with her cleric healing and spell casting abilities. That's how divine magic functions in DnD lore. So pikes power's aren't transactional, the way more sociopathic ppl operate in every way, theyre an incidental mechanic that is how divine magic functions. Pike isn't trading favors out of neediness and v getting used. She's powerful due to her special sense of faith and her compassion and sense of justice and forgiveness to those who deserve it. The Lord of torment would love to manage to corrupt pike and destroy her faith as a way of neutralizing her because she is in direct operation to his manner of corrupting and capturing souls. For many of the people who are damned, it is an outcome of self-actualization and self-loathing. People who can't forgive themselves and their for hate themselves and through that damn themselves. Enable that process of thinking and reinforce it and there you go you can torment a person eternally.

[@hazelmurdoch6529]

Seriously, Zerxes is an arsehole - and yes, he's the First Knight of Avalir from EXU Calamity And isn't "we are his blood" the Delilah Briarwood line?

[@Nyx_404]

Yep, I assume he’s talking about Asmodeus instead of Vecna though

[@hhylobates4098]

​@@Nyx_404Theres hints of Vecna in Pikes opening vision, along with Zerxus and perhaps a third figure?

[@bouboulroz]

​@@Nyx_404he's not talking about Asmodeus, otherwise he wouldn't have talked about ascencion.

[@Nyx_404]

@@bouboulroz maybe, I assumed Asmodeus because there have been hints through out all 3 campaigns that he’s trying to run it back, and also since Zerxus wasn’t in C1 at all it would be a MASSIVE plot change, but he could be talking about Vecna, idk

[@joluoto]

that backstory was from the EXU Calamity campaign, yes.

[@heatth1474]

You should finish Calamity, yes. As you said, not because you "need to", but because it is just a really good story. And it is not nearly as comically huge, so finishing it is actually a possibility!

[@rantalmore]

Zerxus showing up GOT ME HYPE

[@terryandjoe]

Such a well done episode! It's great how invested you are in it, man, and it just gets better.

[@likecat7886]

,,What are the chances that isn't for us?" - Vax you said it yourself there is no such thing as a chance.

[@andrewclark3740]

The “we are his blood” comment Zerxus made was the same thing Delilah said in season one…. 😅

[@brnobr]

If you end up watching Calamity (and I really hope you do) it would be fun to watch your reaction!

[@z4rk979]

If i may suggest watch EXU Calamity again... because these 4 episodes are probably the best D&D put on screen so far... or wait for the movie :D

[@chipsalom]

Zirxus is literally the opening character, the paladin and first Knight of Aeor. Masterfully played by Luis Carazo there and here. Once you get a little further into the calamitymini campaign and have a better grasp of what's going on you won't be able to stop until you finished it. It's universally praised is possibly one of the greatest pieces of a live play a tabletop content ever made. And it has just gotten its counterpart, Downfall, that is also its own four part mini campaign dungeon mastered by guest host Brennan Lee Mulligan. It's definitely worth finishing up the mini series. I think he'll suddenly find a certain piece of starting to click together that just exponentially increase your appreciation of this entire storyline you're seeing unfold

[@gaara_of_the_desert1118]

Glad I'm not the only one that thought of Ben 10.

[@jscire__872]

EXU Calamity is possibly the best game of D&D ever streamed. Keyleth’s, Grog’s, and Scanlan’s VAs are in it and everyone is bringing their A game. As great as Critical Role’s main campaign’s are the Calamity miniseries packs a very tight show with the guest DM Brennan Lee Mulligan. Damn it is good.

[@sybariticcupboardrat3763]

Some of the demon designs remind me of the art style of Hollows from Bleach.

[@callmemak]

exu calamity was insane i highly recomend

[@lordfoul6259]

I've heard of The Calamity from Baldur's Gate 3 it's a lot like Atlantis

[@WhoMusic]

I think Luis Carazo's voice here reminds me a little of Donald Sutherland.

[@LJLvids]

Zerxus showing up was so dope. He's from a short side campaign, run by a different dm (Brennan Lee Mulligan, my personal GOAT). Where we see the backstory displayed here play out. It's some of the best fantasy storytelling out there imo.

[@pseudo2522]

6:46 thank you, so it wasn't just me. Also, it wildmutt

[@billtaylor2801]

16:09 yes, all from the Calamity series

[@horse_lover_2025]

Time To Start Our Journey Through Hell, Lovely. 👀

[@radicalpasta7040]

6:47 Do you mean Wildmutt? The species name for Wildmutt is Vulpimancer.

[@marvelnarniaarda6241]

ASMODEUS….

[@NightSterling]

Exu calamity would make for a great movie

[@Luzarioth]

You need to go back and watch EXU:Calamity... it is short (only 4 Episodes) but REALY GOOD.

[@ambitious6963]

When do you get time to sleep? 😅

[@Luzarioth]

I get that they needed to change things to avoid Copyright... but calling Devils "demons" is simply wrong.

[@kaniamia]

Who of Team Hell do you figure would know the difference between a devil and a demon?

[@ghurcbghurcb]

Is it? This distinction exists in D&D, but generally, in culture there is The Devil and there are demons under him. All that lawful evil vs. chaotic evil stuff was made up for the game.

[@daniberrieful]

The average TV watcher is not going to know or care about the difference. Like seriously.

[@jackakimbo5718]

I think it's less for copyright and more to make things understandable to a casual viewer. They don't have 4 hour weekly episodes with the time to go into the nitty gritty details of D&D cosmology lore and there's little reason in this context to differentiate between demons & devils, the Hells and the Abyss. I like having all that detail for actual D&D, but it's not essential for an adaptation like this.

[@magicalataj6168]

Why dose pike make a deal with the devil?

[@ghurcbghurcb]

Uh... To get the armor that will let them save the world from being bathed in fire? Have you watched the series?

[@magicalataj6168]

@@ghurcbghurcb yup!

[@Luzarioth]

I was never good with names, so it didn't click for me who he was until we saw the "picture" of him riding his Griffon. Since this Season has a lot of changes I hate, let me say: I love this one :)

[@shaskusmas]

I'm loving the changes! I'm actually getting surprised every now and then and they still managed to hit a lot of the story I internally demanded they hit. Little disappointing they didn't SPICE things up a bit more, but eh. I've seen the campaign, don't need a straight recap.

[@Luzarioth]

@@shaskusmas I agree that I don't need a recap. But there are good changes, like adding Zerxus into Hell, and there are bad changes... like Percy not being in Hell, not making a deal with a Devil, therefore having to racechange one of his children.

[@shaskusmas]

@@Luzarioth shhh, that spoils. And I was totally thinking that the whole time, but ya never know. They could go back.

[@daniberrieful]

​@@Luzariothi think Glintshore is next week. I actually think there is going to be some demon dealing going on soon. There are more than 1 ways to make a deal. That child is Taliesin's favourite out of all Percys 5. He would not allow her history to be changed. Her being what she is, hes said many times is a reminder to Percy of his inner demons.