THE LEGEND OF VOX MACHINA Episode 12 REACTION FINALE | 1X12 "The Darkness Within" | Critical Role

[@matthewsteinmetz729]

Taliesin was pretty upset at Sam for tossing his weapon into the acid and still ribs Sam for doing it all these years later, albeit now as a joke, but he's said he was legitimately angry when it happened lol

[@corndog4848]

“You destroy everything good”

[@BeinIan]

I think that Percy was mad about the gun, but Tal was mad about losing the possibility for the darkness to reemerge later. I get the sense that there was more to the story he wanted to tell about revenge, and getting rid of the gun basically prevented the sequel.

[@SupergeekMikeDowntime]

That gun was also enchanted to do magical damage, which was both expensive and made him much more effective - and he never quite got that back, which made him less capable against certain enemies. Thankfully a TV show can handwave some of that, since we’re not dealing with the exact same D&D mechanics.

[@JoshSweetvale]

@@BeinIan Nope, Taliesin poured a lot of his character's budget into that gun. His build wouldn't work without it. "How much money" is genuinely his worry.

[@BeinIan]

@@JoshSweetvale The money I understand, but I've always had a feeling that he was also sad to see Orthax go. Either as Percy, as Taliesin, or a bit of both.

[@chamomilecraft]

My favorite bit of trivia here is Taliesin has confirmed on multiple occasions when Percy puts on the mask, he lets all his grief show and it’s just this horrible, emotionally vulnerable contortion of despair and anger and tears and just…everything he’s afraid to let anyone actually see. That’s why they animated his expression like they did in that unmasking moment.

[@epicwalrus7183]

14:10 Percy finally looks his age, he finally lost the years all that hatred and pain added to his face and he actually looks like the 21-23 yr old he actually is.

[@FandomZone]

He looks his age and he can start to enjoy and live his life properly now. Looking forward to his character direction next season

[@BeinIan]

I've been rewatching the campaign recently, and Percy's conversations with the demon are so fucking good. "Did I even want revenge before I met you? I can't remember anymore... I've killed two of those who wronged me, and nothing feels better. Nothing is avenged... That was a soft deal! A dream, a vision! And now it's changed. I want my money back." If you're curious, this episode of LoVM lines up almost exactly with the campaign Ep. 35, Denouement: Part 1. And then the scene with Scanlan and the gun is at the beginning of Part 2.

[@FandomZone]

Perfect! Thank you for the ep reference.

[@NinjaGidget]

I am a little sad they didn't get the line about whether he really wanted vengeance and how it didn't make anything better, but showing how the demon kept Percy wallowing in pain and rage by bringing up the memories and dreams is a nice visual to sort of imply something similar.

[@hhylobates4098]

Yeah there's a lot of good stuff in the original that I think they changed a bit too much in the adaptation (edit, in the final episode specifically, the rest is good). The show makes it looks like theyre actually letting Delilah go, that Percy was able to break free because he spared Delilahs life 🤢 which isn't at all how it went

[@NinjaGidget]

@@hhylobates4098 there's always trade-offs when you change mediums. This show has wonderful music and some truly spectacular visuals, but can't dwell as much on dialogue and world building as the livestream campaign.

[@daimonclarke]

@@hhylobates4098 it’s not how it went but I too am familiar with the campaign. You have to imagine they wanted to stay as true as they could to the story but they had to move around some things and change stuff over draft after draft of the episodes. I think narratively his forgiveness at the end narratively makes sense for 20 min episodes. They wanted to make it accessible to new fans.

[@bandi138138]

Speaking of Taliesin's performance, in episode 3 when he was "interrogating" Desmond, his voice is high and cracking. And when he pulls out the mask, it shifts drastically to a deeper and sinister register.

[@FandomZone]

Ridiculously talented. That sort of vocal control is so hard to do

[@NinjaGidget]

Tal is so good, both at voice acting and just at improv'ing the most metal lines off the top of his head!

[@caskaronn]

Trent reacting to the sword is uncannily similar to Travis when he found it in game 🤣🤣🤣

[@FandomZone]

I’ll have to find that scene. Can picture his face 😂

[@kaitlynwickham6237]

Julia's "We just had a whole season where someone was possessed by a weapon!" is pretty similar to the rest of the table. 🤣

[@gabthegreat01]

Clarification time! The demon is not of percy’s creation. In d&d they’re drawn to pain and misery, and his desire for revenge was like a beacon for it. Remember the dream sequence in episode 7 when was inspired to make the gun? That was Orthax (the demon) basically saying “You want payback? Here’s how to make this, have fun!” Percy just wasn’t aware it was an ongoing partnership...

[@Knightlight-kw9sh]

I honestly thought it was going to be revealed that Percy was a Warlock and that Orthax was his Patron but the demon was a nice way of going as well

[@shaskusmas]

We actually catch a glimpse of Orthax first finding Percy at the end of his nightmare in episode 3, after Cassandra falls, and Percy thinks he's lost everything, the last remaining de Rolo.

[@shaskusmas]

@@Knightlight-kw9sh In Critical Role Percy dipped his toe in Warlock magic just a bit. I think he may have multiclassed if Scanlan hadn't destroyed The List.

[@nuru666]

@@shaskusmas He never multi'd, he took the Magic Initiate feat :D

[@shaskusmas]

@@nuru666 I know, I'm saying he might have been going to multiclass. =)

[@niravathu7353]

Just a quick point, Brimscythe, the dragon that slew garrisons of soldiers and nearly spelled the end of our heroes, was at most an Adult Blue Dragon. The four that are currently closing in on the Cloudtop are *ANCIENT* Dragons, and dragons get *SIGNIFICANTLY* more powerful with age.

[@BaldursPicketFence]

Thus begins Keyleth’s secondary role as the director of transportation, casting tree stride and plane shift.

[@N7AslansHobbit_Ry]

Teleport Via Plants lol. Tree Stride just let's her enter trees.

[@BaldursPicketFence]

@@N7AslansHobbit_Ry oh I did not know that. I’d always assumed it was Tree Stride.

[@N7AslansHobbit_Ry]

@@BaldursPicketFence nope lol Marisha kept getting the 2 mixed up.

[@Nargon46]

@@N7AslansHobbit_Ry Yeah it is technically, but everybody pretty much calls it Tree Stride so it's kinda gone the way of 'decimate'. You know, where everybody knows what you mean even if its not actually the right word XD

[@N7AslansHobbit_Ry]

@@Nargon46 true true lol

[@LocalMaple]

Did you see their Q&A line-off? Matt Mercer and Grey, as Sylas and Delilah both made fun of Percy’s hair. Percy’s response: “Sylas, you may think my hair color is bad, but that’s only because Delilah hasn’t told you what yours looks like. Maybe you should check a mirr-oh wait you can’t. As for you Delilah: after losing your husband, you started seeing a 400 year old corpse with a blindfold and he still ghosted you.” Group: “Oooh.” Grey: “Well Percy, I heard you were the life of the party; but only at, family gatherings.” Group: “Woaaaah!”

[@Ironoclasty]

You guys are pretty quick - you caught on to a lot of the story threads they exposed in this finale. Watching the episodes of the live streams that this series was based on will give you a great deal of insight on how accurately the characters were portrayed, even if they did take some creative liberties on how the story played out.

[@purplelikefire]

Is that the Vox Machina Origins comics I see behind your shoulder? Hope you enjoy it! Its been such a joy seeing your reactions. Thank you for sharing

[@FandomZone]

It’s been a very fun read. We got it halfway through this season after loving the show so much.

[@landail5681]

You two are becoming a favorite weekend treat for myself, love sharing the excitement you bring to these reactions! That being said, I've been waiting since Episode 2 for this moment, to formally introduce you to The Chroma Conclave! They make the Briarwoods seem like Mary Poppins and Dick Van Dyke. 😂😐😑😭 For a perspective, dragons in D&D get more powerful as they age and accumulate their horde. Brimscythe was a younger Adult, probably 300-400 years old, and had brought a kingdom to the brink of disaster. The others you just saw are all Ancients, meaning they're at least 800+ years old and, like someone commented, each have the destructive potential of a living nuke... A flying Apocalypse. Chromatic dragons also historically do not work together, given how vain, greedy, and untrusting they are. And yet, if you look carefully in the fly-by, you'll see a Red (fire breath), a Green (poison gas breath), a White (frost breath), and a Black (acid breath). (The Blue was Brimscythe, hence the lightning breath).

[@FandomZone]

1. That name for the dragons is awesome 2. If they make the briarwood’s look like that Oh damn!

[@NinjaGidget]

The Briarwoods are way more personal villains, but the Conclave has continent-wide implications.

[@cryofpaine]

If you look closely in episode 2, when they're in Kreig's home, there's a rug with 5 dragons, foreshadowing this moment.

[@RissaDotExe]

I COULDN'T CLICK QUICKER THAN I DID!! We gotta wait until the 2nd season to see the Chroma Enclave attack!! We'll be waiting awhile, but It's still exciting!! Matt Mercer voiced Orthax, the demon taking over Percy and both Talisen and Matt together make these series amazing. Matt having great range and Talisen showing all his years of experience. Amazing!! Such a great video and you both as I've said before are just so intelligent getting a lot of things so spot on!! I can't wait for you next video and seeing your return to season 2!! Much love to you both, thank you so much for being amazing!! Xo

[@FandomZone]

Thank you for watching and enjoying! Matt & Taliesen played off each other really well. That being said, After starting watching the campaigns, Matt’s vocal effects are ridiculously good! Voice actors need much more credit

[@Wraithnine]

Conclave me old chum. 😉

[@RissaDotExe]

@@Wraithnine I am such a dumb deaf idiot... You're totally right! Thank you! Moi gawd 🤦‍♀️❤️

[@steelangel9039]

If, by any chance, you are into checking out the original campaigns, here is a more or less "completionist" set of videos to binge in your spare time (when you are not busy with your other responsibilities) - you might need to bookmark those or copy somewhere into your notes: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eoqlfmajrrdsZ5Y "Exandria: An Intimate History" is a short 10-minute video that serves as the definitive chronological reference for the in-game universe of Critical Role campaigns and the works of fiction associated with it. It also provides a glimpse of the Exandrian cosmology, theology, history, geography and political structure of the world in which the characters go on their adventures. kzbin.info/aero/PLQRE5geahRYYCgnbidlk-XVIPaob7P2-x Campaign 1 (Vox Machina), with the obligatory inclusion of chronologically relevant one-shot game sessions featuring familiar characters, discussion panels from various conventions etc. (the Briarwoods arc starts at ep. 24, if you want to revisit that specific section). Be advised on the following issues: - the first episodes of the show have blurred character intros (fair use technicalities). In the first episodes they didn't have their own official illustrator, so used reference pictures off the internet. Unfortunately, the Geek & Sundry overlay covered the names of the artists, and it appeared as if CR didn't give them credit where credit was due, so those artists threatened to sue CR for copyright infringement. While the issue resolved itself later, with both the onboarding of Kit Buss and tons of fan art pouring in, in these earlier episodes the intro artwork is blurred out. A version of character intros with visuals is available at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lZOUoI2jhdejesk - audio issues in the first 4 episodes. Viewers are strongly advised against using headphones to prevent eardrum damage. Closed captions provided with the video can help alleviate the problem. - one member of the original cast left the show after ep. 26 of the campaign and is no longer involved in anything related to Critical Role. For this reason, his character never appears in the animated series (as it's his, not CR's, intellectual property). While most of the drama regarding said player happened behind the scenes, it still hurt the community. The details about the incident are googleable, however, proceed with caution. kzbin.info/aero/PLX5UqtXlg76n7cwlGrJsQNAI9oU_6g7ej Campaign 2 (The Mighty Nein) - same world, about 20 years later, new adventuring party. kzbin.info/aero/PL1tiwbzkOjQzSnYHVT8X4pyMIbSX3i4gz Exandria Unlimited - a "filler" mini-campaign between C2 and C3, featuring Aabria Iyengar as the DM and Matt Mercer as one of the players. kzbin.info/aero/PL1tiwbzkOjQydg3QOkBLG9OYqWJ0dwlxF Campaign 3 - current; ongoing; updated weekly; includes lots of spoilers for and cross-references with C1.

[@cryofpaine]

Only 291 episodes (after tonight), each an average of 3-4 hours. 😁

[@MsMorri]

Percy didn’t create Orthax, as he’s a demon who just too advantage of Percy’s pain, but he did get stronger with each kill. It’s been such a blast watching you guys discover Critical Role and I can’t wait to see you react to next season. Keep it Nerdy!

[@FandomZone]

Ah ok so he is just a demon who latched on to Percy. Can’t wait for S2. But lots of great stuff to watch to pass the time

[@transientanus]

So I just found your channel today and binged all of your Vox Machina reactions. Seeing your journey from interested outsiders to full blown Critters has been absolutely awesome to see. Fun fact, Keyleth almost fell into the spinning orb of death in the campaign, but marisha rolled REALLY well. Seeing what happened to the guy who got close to it makes that moment so much more intense in retrospect.

[@FandomZone]

Oh wow thank you! It’s been a freaking awesome series to dive into. Aaaand that could’ve made for a very interesting turn of events that thankfully didn’t happen

[@Aetheria60]

Seeing this final reaction uploaded was so bittersweet, much like the end of S1 itself. ❤️ I love your reactions to the spinning ball of death - which I wouldn’t focus on too long for your own sanity, as we didn’t get an answer in the campaign until like episode 90-something (the event at end of this episode happened in episode 39). Grog with the-sword-which-shall-not-be-named-due-to-spoilers definitely made for some fun scenes in the campaign, so I think you’ll enjoy that once they get season 2 up.

[@themocaw]

Hey, so remember that rug in Brimscythe's lair? The one that had five dragon heads on it? One blue, one red, one black, one green, and one white? And remember that thing that Keyleth looked into where a green reptilian eye looked back? Yup. Here's Brimscythe's buddies. Oh yeah. And Brimscythe was the weakest and youngest and smallest of the five. :D

[@corybishop3084]

It was interesting to hear you discuss the change in your perception of Percy after vanquishing the demon. I hadn’t really thought about it. I’d be curious to hear the creators discuss any changes they made to design, lighting or animation to Percy.

[@SupergeekMikeDowntime]

I suspect the solstice occurred in between the party going through the tree and them hanging at the keep, since it was only a few days away, and Percy has had time to patch his hand and build a new gun.

[@hhylobates4098]

In the game they were 2 weeks from the solstice, and they spent those two weeks helping Whitestone rebuild and then celebrate the solstice (Winterscrest) before heading back to Emon, then it was just 5 days until the dragons arrived. So in the shows timeline when its only 5 days away and they went straight back to Emon, I'd say about 10 days of recovery time before this next big mess. Percy said it would take him forever to make a new gun, but he wasn't thinking of Ripleys partially complete one he had to work with.

[@quillzink6863]

As an OG critter this has been one of my favorite reactions to watch through. seeing the joy and misery and just building anxiety that leads to relief by the end, I miss that feeling so far in the past. It's a beautiful thing when people find something that can bring everyone in for a good time and I am glad I found you guys. will continue to happily support this channel. For sure!!

[@secpendragon9760]

Here's the thing. Brimscythe was an adult dragon, stage 3 of 4 in a dragon's lifespan. These four are ancient dragons, stage 4. Dragon power levels are pretty much exponential based on which stage they're in

[@nuru666]

20:11 Suth brother. Tal is an absolute master, his range and inflection and tone are just incredible, literally one of the best people in the industry

[@Nargon46]

Oh, and remember, fellow critters, PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS FROM THE CAMPAIGN UNLESS ASKED FOR SO THEY CAN CONTINUE TO ENJOY THE NEXT SEASON FRESH AND NEW! They obviously enjoyed watching this without spoilers so lets be respectful and let them have the same opportunity for season 2.

[@ianfowler9505]

They started streaming their game in March 2015, with all the stuff with Krieg happening before that. The events at the end of this finale happened in January 2016. Matt Mercer had been planning that attack for at least three story arcs and more than a year. His commitment to storytelling and skill with managing tension is insane. And he seems to be a really genuine, humble, decent person too. Just fabulous.

[@unicyclist97]

Taliesin still hasn't forgiven Sam.

[@Nargon46]

It has been so much fun to watch you guys enjoying the show! Good to know people can still love it and appreciate how amazing it is without having seen Critical Role. I love how you guys are always attentive while still allowing yourselves time to commentate and react, and your analysis at the end always sum up my own feelings perfectly. It's just so well done, the characters, the acting, the writing, the animation, the MUSIC, just everything about this series kicks arse. I love that they were able to condense the character arcs into the limited time while still making them believable, like Keyleth and Vex developing their younger-older sister type friendship. And making it easy to tell that some of the characters like Vax and Vex or Grog and Pike had long histories with eachother prior to meeting the rest of the group. I hope they find time to explore everyone else's backstories more in the next season. They all have such rich backgrounds and it would be great to see them animated.

[@FandomZone]

So well done, so glad we watched it and that everyone has been so supportive and helpful to provide insight into backstories and the world. It’s amazing all this started from a Kickstarter. Maybe some little 10 minutes web eps could do the character back stories.

[@Nargon46]

@@FandomZone well, if you want to know more about the character backstories now, I highly suggest you check out the 13 minute video Critical Role Campaign 1 Character Backgrounds. When they first started streaming in 2015, each of the cast voiced a two minute blurb explaining their character's basic backstories, which gives some clearer insight for everyone, especially the Twins, Grog and Pike, and Keyleth. They are just voiceovers accompanied by some very early fan art, but they are super interesting! Oh btw, there is a character, Tiberius, who does not appear in the series and is only in the early episodes of Campaign 1. Trust me though that situation is a whole can of worms, so don't worry about him. If you start watching Critical Role, I started a year ago on Campaign 1, Episode 1, and I highly recommend you do too! A lot of great stuff before the Briarwood Arc, which starts on Episode 24. I listen to them podcast style mostly, while I work, but its worth watching the videos too! If you do watch the character backgrounds, it would be cool to see your reaction of that too!!!

[@jaymckay88]

Can’t wait for season 2, y’all should react to the behind the scenes like the cast, music, animation it’s all pretty neat and shows all the tlc that came into making this show

[@hhylobates4098]

🔥 Announced today by prime video; There will be a Vox Machina panel at New York Comic Con on October 6th, with a sneak peak at season 2!!!! 🐲

[@xelyd7989]

Its so accurate and funny how you say how its a convergence, when if you know Exandria's lore, The Divergence was the event to settle peace across Exandria.

[@MrKChusker]

You all’s reactions have been awesome (can’t wait for season 2). I love how we as viewers are rooting for Percy the whole way until we get to this last episode. I think there is probably something profound about that but I’m just a simple guy :)… love your channel.

[@FandomZone]

Thank you! We root for him because all we’ve been told for 11 eps how much he has suffered and we’ve seen his trauma reflected in his actions. But it tips over that threshold in the finale and we finally see just how much damage it is doing to Percy (and his friends and family) to see his quest for vengeance it makes us want him saved before he goes that step too far. So well done

[@MrKChusker]

@@FandomZone I’m with you. I’m a critter so I knew the story and I was still rooting and marveling at his cool the character only to be reminded of evil behind his vengeance in episode 12. Great reactions, you all rock!

[@wariomerner5972]

Thank you so much for your Reactions to this, I thoroughly enjoyed them. Really looking forward to watching S2 with you, let the painful wait begin 😅

[@FandomZone]

Going to be such a long wait. Hopefully prime fast tracks it for next year

[@TimpanistMoth_AyKayEll]

It's been a real joy to follow along with you for this show. Thank you.

[@FandomZone]

Thank you ☺️ glad you’ve enjoyed it. Bring on season 2!

[@RPG_Angie]

You guys have done a great job with this series. Congrats on becoming a Critter!

[@cryofpaine]

I don't know if you caught it, but after Percy drops the gun, you can see a tiny tendril of smoke crawl back into the gun. A nice bit of foreshadowing. And in the campaign, it was actually Keyleth who reached out to the orb. She fortunately succeeded on a strength check to pull her hand away. It could have been very very bad (even worse than what they depict here).

[@daimonclarke]

I’m curious if the dragons are gonna be confined to 1 season or 2. For context the Briarwood Arc is 15 episodes of the stream long and the Dragons are over a course of 46 episodes with a bit of adventure in between.

[@E-Lykos]

One of the reasons Percy (Taliesin) was so unhappy the gun was destroyed was because it bwas a magic weapon... It's almost impossible to create something of that versatility angain.

[@christhewritingjester3164]

I was a bit surprised by how they ended it, but given all of the episodes so far it's obvious that they are fans of the cliffhanger. I'm hoping we'll have more moments from the roleplaying aspects, especially exploring Scanlan's background as his backstory led to some of the best moments of the campaign. But it looks like season 2 will dive right into the action, not that I'm complaining too much about that.

[@marc-alexandreplouffe505]

Orthax, what possesses' Percy is basically the manifestation of advancement & technology. The part that creates for war, murder, etc under the guise of protection. Like the Atom bomb or guns... I And it was great to see HIS creation(s) appear later on in the campaign and the repercussions it has on the world and him.

[@AmethystEnd]

Trent's forehead/brow is furrowed with concern for like almost the entire first half of this episode and I love it. I've enjoyed your reactions to this series and hope to see more when season 2 comes out.

[@FandomZone]

100% going to be doing this for season 2. Hopefully it’s not too far in the future

[@Schramm456]

It's been a while since I've seen the show all the way through, I wonder if it's clear in the show that Percy is the inventor of the gun in this world. So it's not just that he was given a gun by a demon, the demon literally gave him a vision and assisted him in inventing it

[@johannmdgarcia6796]

Those dragons that are flying over are basically walking nukes. Each with their own deadly powers, any nation has right to fear them

[@danzansandeev6033]

Dnd dragons are in upper echelon of enemies right? But which monster or enemy would be the strongest in dnd? Cause I somehow doubt it will be dragons? Without counting actual gods ofc)))

[@dapurpleturtle1697]

@@danzansandeev6033 that would be the tarrasque. Basically a giant t Rex that is resistant to magic and can decimate cities.

[@danzansandeev6033]

@@dapurpleturtle1697 oh saw him on mtg card. I basically only know bout dnd from critical role (not cause of the game I love these idiots) and from mtg collab with dnd. Always wanted to try but it’s intimidating, not to mention that I need other people to play and someone in the know to teach us

[@dapurpleturtle1697]

@@danzansandeev6033 all you need is at least 1 other person to play with. Everything else falls into place.

[@viktorstagnetti7491]

And for comparison...Brimscythe was just an average dragon (Matt had him between young and adult in their home game). These FOUR are ancient, the oldest and most deadly.

[@Ghost-Mom]

you two have been watching one of the campaigns now as well right? would love to hear updates on that as you progress, perhaps some fo your fav characters?

[@FandomZone]

I think twitter would be the best place for that. Not sure how we would incorporate into video form (also time restrictions) but we’re slowly watching the campaigns.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

all of this, is Taliesin's writing: he created the Briarwoods, Percy's past, Whitestone, etc. Matt then spiced it with _the Whispered One_ to improve the character of Delilah. later on in C2 there's an arc that exists purely because Ashley had a failed dice roll. like, of all the possible outcomes, one came up, and Matt just rolled with it.

[@FandomZone]

After starting a few episodes campaigns, I love how Matt DMs. Not in the sense of the world building (which is ridiculously detailed) but just how he encourages the players when they do well and adjusts to situations, but also challenges the players. We just watched C3Ep5 the other day and the line to Taliesen about “There being other ways than damage” to challenge a player with high HP was great.

[@bcn1gh7h4wk]

@@FandomZone that's what sets the main campaign apart from one-shots. the one-shots have a story to tell, while the campaign has a world to explore.... the story happens along the way.

[@Wraithnine]

Thordak the Cinder King, Raishan the Diseased Deceiver, Vorugal the Frigid Doom and Umbrasyl the Hope Devourer.

[@operative2136]

Just a note about them walking away from the Orb. In the show I don't think they went into it much because doing so probably would have taken up an inefficient amount of screen time. In the live stream they did attempt to find out more about the Orb but when you think about it there's two problems they couldn't surmount. First, they obviously couldn't touch it and figured out early on that it would be harmful to do so. Second, they couldn't use any form of magic to analyze it since it nullified magic in its presence. This meant any information they could gleam about the orb was strictly visual - and as you can see there wasn't much to be gleamed from just looking at it.

[@themocaw]

Didn't Keyleth nearly die poking at the orb?

[@hhylobates4098]

@@themocaw Possibly. She attempted to poke it with a shard of the residuum glass, it shattered, and she had to roll a strenght save. Rolled a 20 and managed to pull away, but took a fair hit of damage. I've seen conflicting reports on what the orb does and haven't actually finished the camapign yet 😅 but I knownit wouldn't have been good!

[@terrydaigle3184]

For a sneaky bit of foreshadowing, go back and listen to what Allura says about dragons. "...But that was a long time ago." Yes it was, and she was there.

[@WaywardVet]

Wait a minute...(Scanlan voice) You saying she's old? Or are you implying she's a dragon too, Fisherman! If that is your real name...

[@brianhalligan9268]

So that rug in the second episode that you liked finally paid off allow me to formally introduce you to the Chroma Conclave a group of 4 (technically 5 counting Brimscythe but you know he's dead) Chromatic Dragons. Some info each dragon is a different color (Red, White, Black and Green) each color means different powers and abilities. Also unlike Brimscythe which was an adult dragon all 4 of these are considered ancient (meaning much more powerful) 1 of these things is the D&D equal of a nuclear bomb 4 of them together is the stuff of apocalypse fiction.

[@CrownofMischief]

I always thought Thordak was more an adult dragon given extra size and power, considering how when Allura fought him, he was a lot smaller, and the time between then and now wouldn't really be enough to grow from adult to ancient in terms of draconic lifespans. Also given how he deflated later on.

[@TheKrstff]

I like how close their guesses are to what actually went down in the original stream.

[@belindaluna2067]

.....So remember those four eye gems in Krieg's lair?

[@geak78]

Now go back and look at the rug in episode 2 when they are looking for the portal to the dragon lair

[@qkffn5118]

Hey I also have the Vox Machina Origins collection book that is in the background! It is so good!

[@arkhamarchitecture5186]

One of the most important things about Cassandra's 'betrayal' is that you've got to realize that in the original show, Percy was 16/17 years old when the Briarwoods attacked and Cassandra was TWELVE. The cartoon seems to have aged her up slightly but not by a lot - I wouldn't put her at any older than 14 and even that might be too high. In the original, Cassandra wasn't even a teenager yet when her family was butchered and her last surviving sibling left her to die in the snow. Then she spent her formative teenage years under the direct control of the Briarwoods, who mixed mind control with a parody of familial affection for her. Cassandra's anger at Percy is totally understandable but they were both children and really, Cassandra is still a child in a lot of ways. Which I think is a big part of why Percy never even momentarily entertains the thought of actually hurting Cassandra. No matter how much Orthax (the demon) wants her dead,

[@TriXJester]

Demons in D&D come from a plane called the Abyss, and Orthax himself most likely comes from the Layer of Ash in that plane. Cant be positive cause that is one place VM never went to. From the wiki the Abyss is described as; The Infinite Layers of the Abyss was the birth place of the demons, a chaotic evil universe unto itself with uncountable layers of infinite variety connected haphazardly. The Abyss's place in the cosmology of the Forgotten Realms shifted over time, but the nature of the plane remained fairly constant: a violent, malevolent place where the strong survived on the backs of the weak, the weak conspired to overthrow the strong, alliances only lasted while convenient, and the landscape itself tortured the mind and body of all who dared to pass.

[@shaskusmas]

My guess is that Orthax was a Vrock who became a Shadow Demon. They're much more like devils than typical demons; they corrupt mortals and revel in capturing souls. They make deals on the Lower Planes with the stolen minds of great intellects. This is Orthax to a tee.

[@TriXJester]

@@shaskusmas Thats a good theory actually, I'm not as familiar with Vrocks but yeah that does sound a lot like Orthax

[@shaskusmas]

@TriXJester Honestly, the only reason I pegged Orthax as originally being a Vrock is because of the beak. The Shadow Demon part is more thought out. I almost forgot, some Shadow Demons could cast Magic Jar, which would explain how Orthax traveled with Percy and could possess him, the "jar" being either the mask or The List (presumedly The List, maybe both).

[@TriXJester]

@@shaskusmas I definitely need to read up on demon lore for 5e lol but yeah everything youve said makes sense to me. Orthax is a tricky thing, since the campaign didnt fully go into what he is and if he'll possess another person to try and murder Percy again.

[@laurahart1337]

I think for me the most impressive part was that each episode got better (in my opinion) and that is HARD to do. Most shows you get a really epic beginning and a really epic end and some OK to good episodes in between.

[@FandomZone]

It’s incredibly rare a show have the consistency of quality that tLoVM has. Each got better but didn’t make what came before it bad. It build and built upon everything so well

[@laurahart1337]

@@FandomZone I thought I'd share this with you. This playlist has bits and pieces of them before the Critical Role show and the interview at the end has Sam explaining (very briefly) how they came from a home game to the animated series. It also has the animated "what happened before the show" story. They're interviewed by Dominic Monahan and Billy Boyd (Marry and Pippin) kzbin.info/aero/PL2OcP5pJIO4voW-MUPlcTjkItToVPAgw7 Also, love that you set up the comic behind you!

[@N7AslansHobbit_Ry]

I'm so glad you enjoyed this! Which campaign are you watching?!

[@FandomZone]

We started C3 but stopped until after this episode so continuing with that and C2

[@N7AslansHobbit_Ry]

@@FandomZone oh both at the same time? Nice!

[@inkpenavengerYT]

Percy put his hand over the barrel, trying to stop or throw off the shot. It's the ultimate expression of letting go of his vengeance and hate: making a move to SAVE Delilah. THAT is what drove Orthax out.

[@hhylobates4098]

No, it wasn't.

[@inkpenavengerYT]

@@hhylobates4098 I mean, that's LITERALLY what was on the screen, but ok pal, go off, I guess. 🙄

[@hhylobates4098]

@@inkpenavengerYT Nah, Orthax wasn't driven out of anywhere, he just retreated because Percy managed to physically hurt it by hurting himself. Nothing to do with Delilah.

[@inkpenavengerYT]

@@hhylobates4098 Yeah make sure you don't engage with themes, metaphor, and symbolism at all. Wouldn't want to treat this lovingly crafted work of artistic expression like art or anything. Jeez. 🤦

[@hhylobates4098]

@@inkpenavengerYT Yes the theme here was obviously "If you go down this path you will not find peace, you will only end up hurting those around you and eventually yourself", not "Forgive the irredeemable people who have wronged you and it will cure your problems :)"

[@Renigade68]

This was a great reaction series, it's my favourite so far of the ones I've watched for LOVM, I will say the one part that really didn't sit right with me about this adaptation, as great as it was, is how they handled Cassandra's manipulation, in LOVM she was clearly magically manipulated by the briarwoods on some level, but in the original campaign the manipulation was all natural (or if there was any magic involved it was far less overt), which made her inner conflict in the big briarwood battle a lot more interesting imo, in addition in the original campaign after the big battle with the briarwoods was over Percy had to negotiate with some of the other members of VM to not just kill her outright, and it took awhile for them to start trusting her at all, she also clearly had a lot of self loathing going on and none of that seems to have translated to LOVM, and I kinda get it, they wanted to focus most of their time on Percy's struggle with Orthax here, and I do think that was well done, but as a big fan of morally grey characters like Cassandra from the campaign it does bum me out a bit to see her being somewhat white washed here, but anyways it'd be great to see you guys react to season 2 as well, of all the arcs of the 3 campaigns of Critical Role so far this next one for Season 2 is still my personal favourite, fingers crossed it comes sooner rather than later :p

[@drizztrl7644]

Im not going to spoil things. But what I WILL say is...the rug in Krieg's office may or may not have some significance...

[@Eimi.Signo.]

It's been really fun to see your reactions to this! I hope you do delve into Critical Role and I hope you enjoy it.

[@leonielson7138]

"He has to reload eventually, right?" That's debatable, because 2 of the 6 barrels were magical, casting Firebolt or Ray of Frost respectively (which is what made The List irreplaceable). I'm not sure if those barrels required reloading, but they were subject to the same misfire rules as the barrels.

[@94alibey]

İ am pretty sure i remember in that fight persy shoots 6 rounds and someone asks the same question. taliesin looks at matt and matts like nope you can keep shotting.

[@a_Taveren]

He doesn't have to reload when Orthax is in control. If you recall in episode 6, when he kills Stonefell, he fires 7 times without reloading. The crew even mentioned in the last Q&A about how much of a pain it was being very specific about making sure only Percy has to reload after 6 bullets throughout the entire season. When Orthax is in control he isn't using the same type of ammo that Percy normally uses, and therefore doesn't have to reload.

[@hhylobates4098]

The List wasn't enchanted in the show version, and it was just a bit of extra fire/ice damage not a full on spell

[@hhylobates4098]

The List wasn't enchanted in the show version, and it was just a bit of extra fire/ice damage not a full on spell

[@leonielson7138]

@@hhylobates4098 Taliesin said that it was enchanted with two elemental cores in the campaign wrapup, and represented a lot of one-on-one gameplay with Matt. The Ice and fire barrels might not have been spells in Pathfinder, but they counted for the same thing in 5e.

[@voidmystic00]

Since y'all are diving in head first have fun when you realize where you're right and wrong. 😁

[@FandomZone]

It’s all part of the fun! Love being surprised when thinking something is going one way but does a swerve

[@voidmystic00]

@@FandomZone campaign 1 is very trope heavy but but goes about them in interesting ways. Campaign 2 though is a cluster fuck of awesome and you'll see why.

[@leonielson7138]

The sword's name isn't Bacon, neither does it have a female setting.

[@nuru666]

"I am beginning to rust..."

[@damian01061973]

If you two wanted to react to any of the behind the scenes videos twould be awesome.

[@binder38us]

Sun Tree Bro rules

[@voidmystic00]

Some things I thought y'all might find interesting. Delilah's lil rant before death is foreshadowing. In game Sam through the gun in the acid almost the exact same way in the show. Percy's demon friend Orthax is both literally and figuratively conjured by Percy's obsession with revenge. In game demons are manifestations of the chaotic evil forces and emotions of the multiverse.

[@i.LoveNox]

Plugging Cantata Pansophical Exandria here on KZbin as a way to experience Chroma Conclave arc in a short manner.

[@camiart_casual]

HUGE SPOILERS for the rest of the Campaign and therefore the future of the series so if you haven't watched SCROLL AWAY ... I love how genre savvy Julia is. Not only did she actually predict what Kraven Edge would do to Grog but also Vecna's endgame in claiming different magically-important places around the world for his ascention. Likda dang that's some foresight! I hope she remembers she was right when they get to it in the animated series!

[@MasterZeus94]

WELCOME TO THE CHROMA CONCLAVE! >D Also, if I can recommend, I would love for you guys to react to "All of Scanlan's Songs" by Dani Gee. It's a bit long but perhaps making it a multi-parter? :D Please?

[@snake698]

Having a council ruling a country isn't necessary democracy, that depends of how the council was chosen (by Uriel, not democratic) and how the members came to the council (some came in a democratic way, but Vox Machina are honorary members chosen exclusively by Uriel again: not democratic) I've already heard it three times when watching people react to that scene and it scares me because terms like "democratic" are the basis of political knowledge so having that wrong means people basically have no idea, really

[@themocaw]

It's better to think of Tal'Dorei as going from a hereditary absolute monarchy with advisors (i.e. Uriel and the Council of Tal'Dorei) to either an oligarchy, or a constitutional monarchy (kind of like England after the Magna Carta).

[@FandomZone]

That’s our own ignorance for assuming the council was elected and represented each area of Tal Dorei. Thought if it like the British monarchy

[@leonielson7138]

Matt Mercer revealed that there were only two ways to break Percy's connection to Orthax. 1. Defeat him in the material plane, and then chase him to the Hells and kill him there. 2. Destroy The List, his link to the material plane.

[@xkimichi8064]

Not sure if Matt's forgetting but a Greater Restoration should've done it though. Unless there's an actual reason like Orthax is already deeply ingrained in Percy's soul so it wouldn't work. Because it worked on... *SPOILERS* 1. Craven Edge 2. Ripley's Animus

[@leonielson7138]

@@xkimichi8064 Greater Restoration shouldn't have worked on Animus but worked on Craven Edge because it had cursed Grog. Dispel Magic would have been the better spell to use on Animus, ending the spell that Ripley was using to spy on them. In Percy's case, they could have tried Protection From Evil and Good to give him advantage to fight Orthax and expel him (allowing the party to fight it), but as Matt said in the wrap-up they would have then had to go into the Pit and kill him there to sever the connection Orthax had to The List. The other option, the one Sam/Scanlan unwittingly took, was to destroy The List, Orthax's connection to the Material Plane.

[@xkimichi8064]

@@leonielson7138 No. If you watch Ep 69, Keyleth severed Orthax connection to the Animus to save Percy using Greater Restoration. And if that worked on the Animus, then logic it should've worked with the List.

[@leonielson7138]

@@xkimichi8064 I can only assume that Ripley created Animus with a curse that linked the user to Orthax, and Keyleth ended the curse with Greater Restoration before it could develop into a possession. There's also almost a year between the destruction of The List and the acquisition of Animus - an understanding of the rules might have changed, or Matt might have forgotten something in the moment.