The Legend of Vox Machina 2x1 | Rise of the Chroma Conclave

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

Reginald, a libertine and a cad, you shall be missed.

[@miafiolekova5817]

Our cast of dragons for today: Raishan (green) The Diseased Deceiver - posion breath Umbrasyl (black) The Hope Devourer - acid breath Vorugal (white) The Frigid Doom - ice breath Thordak (red) The Cinder King - fire breath Chromatic dragons are all evil, selfish and mistrusting. They never work together. Thats why them forming an alliance is to unusual. All of them are scary but Umbrasyl is the most terrifying for me. Getting disolved by acid is a painfull way to go.

[@testfire3000]

I would have listed them in order (red, green, black and white) but this is great info for her. I hope she sees this and pins it at the top. ^_^

[@brunokingz]

We have both acid and poison.. that ain't fair

[@calibadgerdude6082]

Yeah. I remember reading the Dragonlance novels back when I was like 10/11 or so, and that description of a black dragon terrified me (I’ve always had a fair bit of fear around acid) and seeing it depicted this well here in the show just gave me the creeping dreads. XD

[@davidliming8422]

Here is a great video about dragons in D&D. The first half is about D&D dragons in general, and the second half is about each of the members of the Chroma Conclave. It is all backstory, so I do not think it spoils anything for the series. On the other hand it does reveal secrets about the dragons' pasts that are discovered by the party during the series (Like why Thordak so powerful.). So watch at your own risk. What Are The Chroma Conclave? Critical Role Explained by FraudOnTheTele: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJzPmpykl6tsqNE

[@popo579]

Another lore tidbit they rarely even work with their mates. And some will kill their own children after they've decided they've raised them enough if they do at all.

[@aaronbourque5494]

in D&D, the older a dragon gets, the more powerful it gets. Brymscythe in the first season was sort of a young Adult dragon, about a century or two years old. All four of these dragons are ANCIENT dragons, at least 800 years old, and there's something going on with Thordak that has given him even more of a boost. Also, dragons are solitary. Even the good dragons prefer to keep to themselves most of the time, and the evil dragons are vile and violent and territorial. That there are four ancient dragons working together is very unusual.

[@candel0692]

And absolutely TERRIFYING!! I mean the visual effects shown displaying each dragons sheer power with their elemental abilities was everything I hoped for and so much more. Incredible portrayal of Ancient Dragons and the amount of power they wield. Hold on to your butts, it's gonna be a wild ride!!

[@-o-dq7nd]

Some of the oldest dragons are the most powerful beings in the world, akin to living gods.

[@-o-dq7nd]

@@stingerjohnny9951 There are books that gives the DM's tools, and options to create draconic immortals, or draconic ascension.

[@phoenixdzk]

Grog's broken axe is an homage to his reaction on the show. He had made the first swipe at the dragon and had rolled a 19, and Matt said '19 misses', stating that these dragons had an Armor class that would be very difficult to get a proper hit in. From then on whenever there's a boss battle in a campaign where they can't land a good hit on a foe, Travis (Grog's player) says: this was the campaign's '19 misses' moment

[@TenebrousFilms]

The tower destroyed by the white dragon was originally Allura's, and since it was a wizard's tower, it stood alone. She was also friendlier to VM in stream than the animated version, and more involved in the current situation. There's a moment that is... such a shame to miss. Dragons of different colours usually never work together. Grog's failed attack, Travis' reaction to a roll of 19 failing to hit, followed by 22 *barely* hitting, was a highlight of the stream (not including the attack itself of course). Thordak is the strongest one - unnaturally so - but I've always said: the only dragon more dangerous than the strongest, is the smartest...

[@testfire3000]

Very well said!

[@StealthMarmot_]

I think that swing of Grog and his axe breaking on the dragons was a visual way of representing that classic moment of "19 misses." and the utter gobsmacked look on Travis' face.

[@theanyktos]

I think we'll get Allura's backstory eventually, it just didn't fit in here, time wise.

[@Mythlorrr]

Hopefully Kima's as well, but I can't imagine they would do one without the other. We haven't seen enough of them yet imo, I hope we see more.

[@testfire3000]

@@theanyktos It would be great to get backstory for Allura and Kima, but they have SO much ground to cover and very short episodes. I am just glad we are getting the main character backstories. I don't think they will have time for NPCs. (they might briefly touch on their relationship, hard to say).

[@jebus7679]

Speaking of voices, it's wild to think that on the stream Matt voices every single character in this episode that isn't Vox Machina including trinket.

[@cobaltbeau]

Look at the IMDB credits for the show. Matt's got 33, from recurring villains like Sylas and Umbrasyl to "guard 2" and "dwarven attacker"

[@TPBurrow]

Glad to see you get the Critter bug, we need to get you into a DND game sometime.

[@lordorion5776]

yes i'd love too see that Tooth Domain Cleric

[@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude]

Reactors with the Critter bug get Critter hugs. Bidet and Beep beep.

[@lordorion5776]

@@PuffyCloud_aka_puffeclaude and have a smilly day

[@Juice1984]

It could be TTRPGs in general. WotC hurt me too much.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

Bidet!

[@TomElliottJackson]

I remember after the episode Matt was in like a bit of shellshock, he'd just spent 30 mins tearing down the city he had worked so hard to create and flesh out for their game.

[@jb-wc1hx]

Luckily it was rebuilt and regained All of its population immediately after the Crisis ended.

[@FrostyTheSnowPickle]

@@jb-wc1hxIt very much did not. They were still dealing with rebuilding and repairs for a long while after, and the many deaths and reduced population was addressed numerous times.

[@jb-wc1hx]

@@FrostyTheSnowPickle my bad. I didn’t see the whole of campaign one. I did know that as of the Tal-dorei campaign setting, the city is still the number one in population despite being leveled just a decade or so before. In that respect I thought it was silly.

[@georgerobins4110]

@@jb-wc1hxa decade is a lot of time to rebuild and for new people to move back into the city. It’s probably mostly new immigrants to the city.

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

But hey, he got to play with his new dragon figurines!

[@binder38us]

Thordak literally nuked Emon. Stunning and fucking terrifying

[@GottaLookInwardToSeeOutward]

meh

[@Valp85]

That power up-flame was a really cool visual homage to Shin-Godzilla's Atomic breath

[@sierra1513]

I swear the roar heard during that sounds exactly like Godzilla

[@testfire3000]

That was unexpectedly awesome! I mean I knew the destruction of Emon would be epic but WOW. This is why the kickstarter raised so much money. Watching Matt describe it was one thing but seeing it animated is a whole new level of cool

[@mr.stuffdoer8483]

@@GottaLookInwardToSeeOutward gee I wonder why you’re here

[@thehikingviking2049]

I watch a lot of reaction channels, and oddly enough you are the very first to mention how absolutely off the wall badass the Chroma Conclave's theme music is. It's been in my head since Brimscythe.

[@operative2136]

The music was composed by Neal Acree, who besides being a Critter has also done musical scores most notably for Blizzard Entertainment's animated trailers. I fully agree that he absolutely knocks it out of the park with the musical score.

[@thehikingviking2049]

@@operative2136 Now the real question is, do we tell her about the Vox Machina Hamilton musical? It might be too early

[@SCUBAguypnw]

@@operative2136 Loved how he applied for the job. Just casually hired an orchestra to compose some music and then sent it off with a "For your consideration."

[@codewordbw3340]

I find it funny how every reactor is surprised about Raishan speaking when she says "Emon shall fall", when Brimscythe spoke in the 2nd episode to Vox Machina as he was attacking them

[@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself]

I thought dragons talking was common knowledge from generic fantasy lore.

[@codewordbw3340]

@@NoActuallyGo-KCUF-Yourself I know, me too. I think a lot of famous shows that are less clearly based on the fantasy genre and have dragons in them portray them as non-speaking, and essentially just big animals. But in most true fantasy movies and shows, dragons are actually sentient and can speak

[@AlexanderTheTiny]

Raishan, the green dragon, is voiced by Cree Summer who plays Kida in Atlantis, which if you haven't seen it, you should

[@michaelenslein5758]

Also can recognize her voice. She does so much but best as number 5 in Kids Next Door.

[@jordanpeterson5140]

PRINCESS Kida. Put some respect on her name. ;-) Just joshing, nothing but love.

[@lyannastark628]

Sooooo excited for Raishan!

[@AstraRoseYT]

I KNEW I KNEW THAT VOICE FROM SOMEWHERE

[@FulcanMal]

Heim means "Home" in Old Norse, and Icelandic. So many of the realms from Norse mythology included it in their name, such as Alfheim (Home of the Elves), Jotunheim (Home of the Giants), and Vanaheim (Home of the Vanir, a family of gods). Matt Mercer said on twitter that Vassleheim, and the other cities of Issylra (the continent Vassleheim is on) had Norse influences, specifically 12th century Norway.

[@lordorion5776]

something else to note is Vassal literally means "those who serve" so Vasselheim means "home of those who serve" meaning both that they serve gods and that the gods have ensured a home for the people that serve them a nice reference to the fact that the city has stood since before the Divergence and the Calamity and stands still.

[@xencmo4346]

I just shared this heim-home fact with my sister (cause we recently discussed hendhraheim from skyrim) and she was like "didn't you know it?" And I didn't😨 So thank you for educating me

[@robhall9346]

Another fun campaign fact, Gilmore genuinely almost died. In the aftermath of the attack they were split between getting to Gilmore's and doing something else, they chose Gilmore's and found him on the verge of death. Matt admitted to them that if they'd delayed in going to Gilmore's then he would have been dead by the time they got to him.

[@ShyyGaladriel]

I’ve already seen the first three episodes twice today. BETTER THAN LAST SEASON ITS SO GOOD.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

The animation is insane!!!

[@blackpaw29]

@@funnylilgalreacts Those Dragons, their flight and combat, just insane. The Ice Dragon reminded me of a Kaiju from Pacific Rim

[@GottaLookInwardToSeeOutward]

wrong

[@GottaLookInwardToSeeOutward]

and NOBODY CARES

[@balijosu]

These episodes could be an hour each. It feels too rushed.

[@llamallama1509]

It's so weird how many reactors seem surprised about the talking dragon, when we had a talking dragon in season one.

[@laserpanda94]

I think it's because Brimscythe was talking as it changed from human to dragon. I don't think you see it talk in full dragon form which is why people may not remember.

[@undeathghost5627]

@@laserpanda94 Nah he definitely full on spoke while in dragon form. There was the whole laughing "im better than you" shenanigans just before the illusion trick

[@zeb1296]

Dragons have been speaking since the beginning of D&D in the 70’s.

[@elbruces]

@@zeb1296 Since Tolkien in the 30's.

[@Musabre]

blame game of thrones for conditioning everyone to expect growling dragons with the intelligence of a dog i guess? :P

[@1timemelody1]

There is some therapy that is needed after that" oh man. Your reactions to the next few episodes are gonna be something. I'm amazed how quickly you got this episode uploaded.

[@piggybubbles775]

Woo hoo, straight into season two! Thank you (and the editor) for dropping the videos so quickly! Gilmore stan. Love it. 24:20 Agreed. Nothing is done without intent in this show.

[@austinjeral1201]

A few... interesting facts. It is a bit ironic that Scanlan is the one commenting on the collapsing tower. His voice actor Sam was present during 9-11 and he and his wife caught some of the film that make it into documentaries about the event. As you noted Mat and Liam both voice two of the dragons, Mat was also Sylas from the previous season. Last interesting fact is that when Mat destroyed the city in the campaign Gilmore was actually really close to death, unconscious and bleeding out. Pike used a sixth level Heal spell on him in order to save him. At the time of the game, she only got one spell of that level and she used it not on the people at the table, but on Gilmore in order to bring him back. Kind of cool for an NPC if you ask me.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

What’s even funnier is I don’t remember any of the players complaining about it - EVERYONE loves Gilmore, the cast of CR the most 😀

[@mando8469]

Fair warning here, I know how quickly you can feel emotions.....PREPARE YOURSELF for this season......It will hurt bad. :)

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Shit episode 3 nearly took me out

[@chrisd4228]

@@funnylilgalreacts How morbid is it that I can't wait to see that?

[@mando8469]

@@funnylilgalreacts it get's more intense....

[@georgerobins4110]

@@chrisd4228I feel that lol There’s a moment in the campaign that I CANNOT WAIT for because it’s gonna hurt so good 🥲🥲🥲 I hope it’s in season 3

[@catindigo9907]

So, just FYI, in D&D, when I played it the color dragons, blue, red, green, etc.... are evil alignments, and the precious metals ones, golf, copper, silver, platinum, etc.... are good alignments.

[@catindigo9907]

An other amazing reaction. Did I type golf, donkeyballs, gold... Grog is Still my favorite. BTW, Xander I awesome, but I don't think it would be that hard to make you look great. Don't get me wrong he is the best editor of all the reactors I watch.

[@thehikingviking2049]

@catindigo9907 golf is my second favorite metallic dragon. Huge fan of donkeyballs dragons :)

[@ChevaliersEmeraude]

And also, later on they added the Gem Dragons (like Sapphire, Topaz and Amethyst), which are considered Neutral! :p They are also really interesting in their Breath Weapons! While Chromatic and Metallic dragons have easily discernible elemental attacks (like Fire, Cold, Lightning or Acid), the Gem Dragons have things like Force damage, Radiant, Necrotic, etc., that kind of stuff. They are a bit more on the weird side, which makes them interesting! :) )

[@catindigo9907]

I stopped playing in 1990, when I went into the army, but I still have my basic D&D book I bought it 1979

[@catindigo9907]

I think they started talking about the gem dragons in dragon magazine back then

[@Ozgarthefighter]

The scope of the story really broadens this season, every member of Vox Machina will be getting some focus. Strap in, because season 2 and 3 are going to be a wild ride.

[@corporealghoul]

There is an black acid dragon named Umbrasyl and a green poison dragon named Raishan. The white ice dragon is Vorugal and as the bigboi red dragon said, he is Thordak. Together, along with the slain Brimsythe, they make up thw Chroma Conclave. As the name goes, it comes from these dragons being all "chromatic dragons". You have chromatic dragons and metallic dragons. Metallic dragons, like bronze or gold dragons, tend to be lesa chaotic and evil. Chromatics however tend to always be evil and hate species lesser than themselves. All dragons, both chromatic and metallic can speak and prefer living in solitude. Most wont even live with others of their own kind. Thats why it was so odd the dragons were working together. Normal there is a heriarchy and they would avoid each other based on color and age.

[@shadowelrick7991]

Literally been waiting all day for this reaction!!!!!🤯

[@hhylobates4098]

25:59 We will definitely be learning more about the Ashari in the next batch of 3 episodes. Also the green dragon recognising Keyleth, means she's knows that group is the one that killed Brimscythe...

[@pandemoniumeris]

@@Squeekysquid You are correct. That was the green dragon's eye in the orb. The orbs were a form of communication for the Conclave.

[@Luzarioth]

I am bad with names... and it has been years since I saw Campaign 1... and yet... I still know all their names by heart. I love Dragons and the Chroma Conclave is one of the reasons why :) The White Dragon: Vorugal, The Frigid Doom, Ice breath. The Black Dragon: Umbrasyl, The Hope Devourer, Acid breath. The Green Dragon: Raishan, The Diseased Deceiver, Poison breath... Those 3 are Giant Ancient Dragons... but than there is THE biggest Dragon ever seen: The Red Dragon: Thordak, The Cinder King, Fire breath... he is so powerfull, just by being, he pulls the Elemental Plane of Fire into the World, Transforming the place around him slowly into... basically what we think of as hell.

[@BaldursPicketFence]

Hey fellow critter…let’s face it, you’re a Critter now! I love your reactions! It’s gonna be intense this season!

[@VegetaLF7]

Yup, that's the brilliant part of this show (along with the comics). Being a Critter has grown beyond just watching the games. Now you can be one in a bunch of different ways, we're all one big community that just keeps growing.

[@justjester5682]

Feels like just yesterday when you finished season 1

[@funnylilgalreacts]

😂

[@Gumgumgamer009]

This episode had my wife and I just going “oh my god! Oh no! Oh oh noooooo! Oh my god!” very intense and aggressive start and I’m so here for it, like the “invincible” level of gore is just amazing

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I had to cut SO MUCH out. It was an intense start!!!!

[@Gumgumgamer009]

@@funnylilgalreacts oh man editing has got to be rough seeing all those insane moments practically frame by frame 0.0 appreciate the efforts 👍🏻

[@LordBaktor]

There's a reason dragons are one of the D's in D&D. They really showed why in this episode, mf'ers don't mess around.

[@PristineTX]

Thordak's body going into blast furnace mode to make his fire breath white hot is amazing. But the acid dragon is what I found the most terrifying. At this point in the story, Vax’ildan has already had a relationship with Shawn Gilmore for some time. They care for each other a lot, but they aren’t on the level of everlasting soulmates or anything like that.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Those two men LOVE each other and I want more.

[@burgervonstadt6503]

​@@funnylilgalreactsA lot happened in their game before they started streaming, including Vax and Gilmore, but they still flirt pretty hard.

[@SCUBAguypnw]

@@burgervonstadt6503 Loved how during the stream Gilmore was mentioned and then Laura very excitedly says to the cameras "Oh, you guy's haven't met Gilmore yet!"

[@johnobrien7562]

great reaction. I would just like to note that, unlike Uriel or Reginald, we didn't see bodies when the walls fell on Allura, Kima, Jarrett, Salda and the kids so there's still hope.

[@Stefan-xt5sk]

Yeah, this show likes to make it look like people got crushed, only to later show that they blocked it somehow (like Keyleth with the roots in ep. 1) or were missed/dodged.

[@axisjack7]

We follow the same rules here as everywhere else...no body, no death until confirmed.😂

[@blackpaw29]

I thought I saw Alura's sky ship flying out only to get taken down by a dragon

[@tycol322]

Rule one of television, movie, and fantasy, until you see the body, no one is confirmed dead. Sometimes not even then.

[@tycol322]

@@blackpaw29 you think she really had the only access to a skyship? Big city like that had to have a few dozen for personal, private, and commercial use. (And by the live stream, it did) Basically you saw a ship blow up but as for who was on it.... who knows

[@abaddonarts1129]

Top notch animation, great decisions on how to fit so much into these short episodes, but godDAMN I gotta say the voices of the dragons are the best thing for me. They just fit their personalities so much, and Thordak is *horrifyingly delightful* to listen to. (The way he says capitulation is so cool)

[@doug3691]

I love your excitement, and everything. A quick note: The kids Scanlon sees before agreeing to join their heroic mission at the end are the Actual Kids of the actor that voices Scanlon, Sam Reigel. So of course he's inspired!

[@kristofferremmell]

In the world of D&D, dragons are an apex predator and working together is unheard of. They’re normally very arrogant and prideful. Watching that first battle on Critical Role was shocking. Especially when Grog first tried attacking. Think Travis Willingham rolled an 18 and that missed. You can see the look on their faces just how serious this fight was.

[@wrytar7717]

I mean, dragons can blow up the world and still be cool while doing it, that's not mutually exclusive. :P I don't know if they announced it beforehand, but I didn't know that they got Lance Reddick to play Thordak. I was so happy when I heard his voice, it just fits perfectly. And showing Thordak just blowing up the whole mountain with the citadel really hammered home that, yeah, this is not the moment to fight. You just run.

[@Starsaber222]

They announced Lance Reddick a while back, but not who he would be voicing.

[@tehvvisard]

I really like how they switch up the perspective to first person for some scenes this season. Makes it more immersed

[@daisybeam3357]

I've been really enjoying your reactions to season 1, and am SO excited for you to see what comes next! A big critter hug for you!

[@crimsoneclipse0618]

So, regarding the dragons, not gonna spoil much, but to put it in context, Brimscythe the Iron Storm (the dragon the fought in season 1) was an adult dragon. These 4 are ancient dragons, about as powerful as dragons can get. Vorugal the Frigid Doom is ice, Umbrasyl the Hope Devourer is acid, Raishan the Diseased Deceiver is poison, and Thordak the Cinder King is fire. Red Dragons, like Thordak, are much bigger than other types, and Thordak is said to be even bigger than regular Red Dragons. So Thordak is at the very least 4 times stronger than the first dragon they fought.

[@ryanratchford2530]

Hope you enjoyed hockey!!! You're one of my favourite LVM reactors! I've been binging half a dozen all day & so excited for your Season 2!

[@firecat4529]

9:12 The dragon from last season also talked. As a little reminder.

[@funnylilgalreacts]

I thought it was because he was as shape shifter. He was human at one point so it made sense there

[@Myrrath991]

@@funnylilgalreacts All D&D dragons can talk, shape shift, use magic and are extremely intelligent. Especially the older they get. These 4 are ancient dragons

[@blackheartthedarklord6428]

10:29 Gilmore: Dragons. Attacking together. Lilgal: Is that not normal? Me: In DnD, dragons are mostly egotistic and selfish creatures. The fact that these are ANCIENT dragons working is beyond terrifying. Imagine your worst enemies who hate each other suddenly working together to team up on you and are literal walking nukes.

[@cloudstone123]

And if you think you were traumatized watching the dragon attack you should see the cast's reactions when Matt was describing it. So if haven't seen the livestream and you are interested what this episode looks like in it here is a link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b3a3oHScadObetk The link is timestamped for when it starts for Season 2 of Legend of Vox Machina. It is quite the comparison to see how they translated things. Also nothing will be spoiled if you watch it since you have seen Season 2 episode 1.

[@douglas2938]

15:45 Dragons being polite enough to knock first would be the funniest thing, and I wouldn't put it past this crew to do it in a session, so it's a valid concern. 😂

[@CliffSedge-nu5fv]

A silver dragon might do that.

[@mollymawkery]

That therapy comment was very accurate, this season is going to give me trauma flashbacks while simultaneously creating shiny new trauma to enjoy. It's gonna be so much fun! (Also yes, protect Gilmore at all costs!)

[@axisjack7]

Me: Ouch...that hurted. Also me now: Oooh! Shiny, new trauma.

[@gmbryant746]

It's heart warming to see you enjoying this show so much

[@roboticd]

Vorugal is almost Buddy The Ogre...

[@peterk7931]

yep

[@silentben]

There was an interesting mic stutter around 12:16 that makes it sound like she says "that is terrifucking!", which I love as a potential portmanteau of fucking terrifying.

[@Meister_Dwight]

I only watched the Briarwood arc of campaign one, so I don't know anything either going into this Chroma Conclave arc! SO excited and loving every second. You have my favorite reactions too cuz you get emotional and cry at all the same spots 🥺❤

[@quillzink6863]

I'm so hype and I haven't even watched this video yet. Clicked on and just had to share my excitement!

[@perrycarters3113]

Thordak's "plasma breath" moment is fkn terrifying.

[@jimhayen8088]

Just finished all 3 episodes and loved them. Can't wait to see your thoughts.....

[@funnylilgalreacts]

That cliff hanger for episode 3..... UGH

[@jimhayen8088]

@@funnylilgalreacts Such a tease to ONLY get three episoses....now one at a time. Like crack dealer....."first does is free"......

[@grifftastic2745]

I think they're doing 4 sets of 3 episodes each, like last season.

[@jimhayen8088]

@Grifftastic oh I didn't realize they did it that way, that's exciting

[@t3hsilarn]

There's going to be so much character growth this season. As you already know some of this starts in the next episode, but we're just scratching the surface.

[@pallenda]

Woah that was quick you got into season 2! Thank you, and also to the editor. :)

[@briandalke5946]

The Grog attack on the dragon is a reference to the campaign when they figured that while it would be a rough fight, they could still take the dragons. Travis: I attack. 19! Matt: Misses. Travis: ...19 MISSES!?! Rest of the group: *slowly realizing there's no way they can win*

[@blackpaw29]

Love the Rocinate schematic behind you!

[@syl20m20]

vex'halia is a ranger and dragons are her favored enemy, so she gains certein advantage against them 'which is refelcted by her sensing them when they're near)

[@Logan_Baron]

While It's understandable the Uriel wouldn't have known about the evil of the Briarwoods before he invited them in and was under control after that, I see it as more of an understanding that something like that is more preventable with a ruling Council (including Vox, who did know) over one supreme leader.

[@E-Lykos]

*Spoilers for the Campaign* Plus in the game Urial had also been manipulated by a demon and had several other events he missed or let happen, so he'd seemed more incompetent, and that a change in rulership was needed.

[@manahakume9870]

gonna post this at the start of the video, DO NOT watch episode 3 until AT LEAST the day before 4,5, and 6 drop; you will explode from the cliff hanger, after watching all of your S1 i can be sure you might even want to go RIGHT into Ep 4, i'm not gonna say anything other then WAIT on Episode 3! XD

[@PringleTheGoldie]

That look of shock and awe before the opening credits is exactly the look most of us had during this plot twist in the campaign. I'm a big fan of the Conclave arc. In the DnD campaign my GF runs, the character I play was born to people who survived the Conclave assaults because it takes place 30 years after the events of the show. He's easily my favorite character I've played, a simple farmer who found himself blessed with Druidic magic who is now on his Aramente like Keyleth and has a pixie companion who's more than she seems.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

Shout out for Fringe - I loved that show! One note - think back to the rug in S1E2 - they foreshadowed the Chroma Conclave even back then.

[@VegetaLF7]

Some fun notes for this moment in the game. About 30 minutes before the dragons showed up, Vax was doing his usual brooding thing and wondering why he and Vex should even stick around with the group anymore. In his mind they had just saved an entire city and become heroes of the realm, where do you go after that? All the while you can see the light in Matt's eyes lighting up since as the DM he knew what was coming and you could practically see him silently wishing for them to just hang on a little bit longer. Speaking of Matt, he mentioned how weird it felt having spent so long building up this world (a year worth of streaming plus two more years of gaming in the privacy of his home) and then in one fell swoop he had it all destroyed in one of the most horrific attacks a fantasy world could endure. It was just as brutal in the game as it was here. Grog going to strike Raishan the green dragon is a moment where the party realized just how absolutely, unbelievably, completely in over their heads they were. As we've broken down for you over the course of last season, the way combat works in D&D is you roll the dice to see if your attack hits with the goal of your attack roll needing to beat the target's defensive stat (for example having armor that gives you a defense of 15 means someone needs to roll a 15 or higher to land the hit on you, otherwise you don't take the hit). Grog is one of the main damage dealers in the party and when he attacked Raishan, he assumed it was going to be just like the other dragons they've faced in the past. But these dragons are vastly more powerful than anything they've gone up against before, so when he rolled a 19 to hit and gleefully began preparing to roll for the damage his attack should do, Matt tells him "19 misses", that his attack failed. The dragons are so powerful that you'd need a critical hit (rolling a 20 on a 20-sided die) to actually do anything to them as they are now, something the party has never had to deal with before. The way Travis' (Grog's player) face just *drops* in horror as he realizes he did nothing set the tone for the entire encounter. With that one strike, defeating the dragons was suddenly never an option, it was all they could do to just survive.

[@VegetaLF7]

@@davidbergfors6820 I was keeping it simple for an example rather than bogging it down fleshing out the explanation

[@zachwillett5853]

I'm always amused when folks talk about taming and riding a dragon. Given their intelligence, I almost want to say it's like talking about taming and riding Gilmore...but he might be into that kind of thing.

[@michaelenslein5758]

This is going to be a crazy season. The ride is already insane. Not sure how you can not just watch all a once. Enjoy!

[@godholio]

Just gonna say that seeing the broom made me SO HAPPY. And I refuse to say why.

[@87rabbitsproductions71]

DnD Dragon Lore: 2 basic groups of Dragons, metallic and chromatic. Metallic dragon scales are gold, silver, bronze, brass, copper. Metallic dragons are good. Chromatic dragons are Red, blue, green, black, and white. Chromatic dragons evil. They are greedy and all seek to be the most dominant creature. Because of this, they never work together as they are gonna stab each other in the back the second it’s beneficial. So a group of dragons working together is extremely unexpected and them all being different chromatic colors makes it even more surprising because each type has its own preferences and methods and tend to look down on the others. Each chroma has its own element it is connected with: red-fire, blue-lightning, green-poison, black-acid, and white-ice. The older a dragon gets the more powerful it becomes.

[@kylebarefoot2193]

I've watched a few of these reactions. Personally I'm loving your energy. Looking forward to more content.

[@mattdrahos2662]

While reacting to pop culture is your online profession, I enjoy that you are wandering down the best nerd path's. Vox, Expanse, etc. I am old school and picky, you are hitting some real hits. This is a good journey, enjoy. This is gonna be fun. You are super attentive, you are one of best "guesser" reactor's I have watched. Have fun.

[@JSkinnerish]

For fear of spoilers I won't say too much other than that I've enjoyed your reactions as much as I've enjoyed this series. Animation, music and acting have all been perfection for me so far in Season 1 and in the first couple of episodes of Season 2.

[@JaySpotTx]

Got a pop out of me by mentioning Randall Hampton, awesome!

[@jordanpeterson5140]

Vox Machina > hockey hosers Also the dragon designs are soooooooooooo good. Umbrasyl (the black, acid barfing one) is my new favorite. Also also I've been staring at that model of the Roci behind you for several episodes now and if it's ever missing it's totally not at my place.

[@MehrGills]

With the Trinket animation vs dragons, it's not quite simple. The dragons are cgi (or 3d animated), where the rest (including trinket) are 2d animated. This is where it becomes hard to animate trinket. Doesn't mean they didn't spend a butt-load of money on this dragon destruction though!

[@crowflight719]

This season of Vox Machina will become a cult classic as its the last animated series to have Lance Reddick's voice. RIP Mr. Reddick.

[@lyannastark628]

C1 was my first introduction to DND and Critical Role. Seeing these dragons on screen makes the dragons so much more terrifying.

[@SeanBlader]

In the campaign, minutes before the dragon's assault, I remember Vax saying, "I'm lost, I don't know what we can do next." Which changed very quickly for Vax and Liam.

[@vanessaaves3271]

I’m so pumped for this! And I’ve only seen campaign 2 and 3, so this is all new storyline for me!

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

9:55 that's Allura, the dwarf with the mace is Kima.... it is partially due to them that the party has at least one weapon to fight the dragons. hopefully we'll see it during the season, but basically Keyleth learned a spell cast over Allura, and turned it around. probably the most critical roll of the campaign after Keyleth's Third Death Save, and Scanlan's Final Counterspell. ....yes, quoted with capitals, as major events.... because that's what they were!

[@CountryMusicMann]

A single ancient dragon is really a city-leveling threat and walking natural disaster. Emon suffered four of them at once.

[@tlaragihai5953]

Dragons attacking together is VERY not normal, because chromatic dragons (such as red, white, black, green and blue ones) are very egoistical, territorial and aggressive towards all intruders, including other dragons. Metallic dragons (gold, silver and some more) are usually good and more pleasant to deal with, but I don`t think they will touch this subject in the show. I was so happy seeing Gilmore, Allura and Kima in action, I need more of this. The moment when VM shelters people in their keep (and then Vorugal attacking and killing a lot of refuges) is stream canon and i am extremely happy they`ve kept it. Cried seeing Yennen helping Vax, especially cried seeing Whitestone being rebuild. Dragons are amazing. I like that Vorugal looks like a rhino, it strangely appropriate :D

[@leonielson7138]

Hype for episode 2x2 - there are some actors reprising their roles from the campaign! Will Friedle (Boy Meets World, Batman Beyond) Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (Voice Director extraordinaire)

[@Wulfgar23111]

Man, it feels like yesterday when we were watching season 1. ;)

[@bruceatwood1498]

I’m so happy that you are all caught up with us. You are awesome! Just wait shit is about to get real.

[@Citizen88020120820]

Massacre. Time to LEVEL UP!

[@caffeinedelusions]

Yeah, all the stuff with the Conclave in this episode felt genuinely apocalyptic. Even moreso in stream, actually.

[@joshscott6914]

lol Angela's little legs on the treadmill.

[@testfire3000]

Seeing different dragons working together is unheard of. They are normally solitary. Imagine a pack of large cats. A cheetah, a Siberian tiger, a black panther, being led by a huge lion. That is how unexpected this would be in our world. It makes no fucking sense. So how/why did this happen? WTF is going on? Glad to see how invested you are in our beloved team. You have some crazy shit ahead! Each member of the team has their own interesting backstory and personality. You have seen Percy. Now comes more adventure with more character story, development and growth!

[@testfire3000]

p.s. who was playing at your hockey game? Did your team win? ^_^

[@funnylilgalreacts]

Knight v Redwings: Redwings won 3-2

[@Airwolf515]

RIP Lance Reddick who voiced Thordak (Red, fireball dragon). In case you don't remember, he played Charon in all John Wick movies. Welcome to back to The Continental Mister Wick.

[@Sowde38]

LMAO "tame them and ride them" 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@bandi138138]

Chromatic dragons are incredibly greedy and paranoid, so it is unheard of in Tal Dorei for dragons to be working together.

[@LeeCarlson]

There are four, Ancient Dragons, representing Fire, Ice, Poison, and Acid. Brimscythe from the first two episodes of Season one was a Young Adult. What makes this scary is that dragons are (usually) greedy and ego-driven so they tend to be loners who would rather fight than cooperate.

[@mattdrahos2662]

Lance Reddick VO incredible.

[@PaulGuy]

Something to remember when watching this show is that when big character events happen on regular shows, it's done intentionally for dramatic reasons. With this one, because of how the story was built between the DM, the players, and the dice, sometimes things happen that they don't have any control over, and sometimes things happen that are better than expected. It's not predictable the way that regular shows are, because the dice gods can sometimes be cruel.

[@axisjack7]

Sometimes? More often than not...lol. And those dice go to jail!

[@burgervonstadt6503]

Hence the running joke about doors 😉

[@bryanmacklem2654]

With how much you enjoyed the first season, this one ramps up the stakes in a very big way. Just prepare yourself it's going to be a hell of a bumpy ride, but it's so worth it.

[@Ozai75]

Cree Summers plays Raishan. (The Green Dragon that's a poison dragon) Also you're not the only one that shipped/ships Gilmore and Vax. During the live play there were a TON of them.

[@intothedungeon7132]

Soooo ready!!

[@nomadskout9862]

The dragon who killed uriel used poison. The others are acid, fire and ice.

[@Airwolf515]

That acidic dragon reminds me of ALIENS. GAME OVER MAN!!!!

[@xilliaz]

I'm with you on not watching trailers anymore, I'd rather not have anything spoiled and just enjoy it in all it's glory for the first time.

[@DanRobotMan]

Yah in D&D Dragons working together, or even tolerating each other is pretty rare. ESPECIALLY if they are different species (Black, Blue, Green Red, White). They are mostly solitary creatures except for mating scenarios, but even that’s rare. Hell white dragons will bone and never see each other again. So to have four, formerly five, different species of ancient dragons working together is on a mythical scale of rarity.

[@StealthMarmot_]

Fun fact: In the original campaign, Gilmore didn't TELL them to meet at his place, everyone just basically ran and tried to figure out what to do before they got out of the city.. Matt had listed what happens to NPCs depending on what Vox Machina did. They decided, UNPROMPTED to find Gilmore at his shop and make sure he got out. Had they not, GIlmore would have died. Vox Machina considered Gilmore so much of a friend, they made sure he got out without being told.