Clash at Daxio

is the seventy-seventh episode of the first campaign of Critical Role. Vox Machina returns from the Elemental Plane of Fire, only to discover Fort Daxio under siege. With no word from Allura, they rush into battle to save as many of their allies as they can.

Announcements

 * Sam does a Loot Crate ad involving a bunny named Dennis the Hopper and the cast opens Loot Crates.
 * Special Puzzle Quest stream next week featuring several Critical Role cast members.
 * Critical Role is supporting Patrick Rothfuss' charity Worldbuilders.
 * Final episode of Force Grey: Giant Hunters is next week.
 * "Dick and Johnson Ultimate Christmas Special" is coming up on Geek & Sundry
 * Marisha shouted out 826LA

Part I
Vex flies ahead on her broom to survey the battle and sees several wyvern riders laying siege to the fort. After taking a shot with Bad News that falls just out of range, Percy gives the aasimar boys one of the Teleportation Stones and tells them to hide and wait for them to come back. He and the rest of Vox Machina begin charging toward the gate and three wyvern riders come out to meet them. Vex and Percy pick two of them off from a distance, but the third scores a few hits on the party before they are able to take it out.

The party makes their way to the gate of the outer wall and sees dead soldiers and lizardmen, indicating that the fighting has been happening for some time. Further inside, the battle is raging and several of the fort's large weapons are destroyed. Guards are defending the fort's inner wall against lizardmen and wyverns. Vex and Percy pick off another wyvern, and six lizardmen begin charging the party but are quickly dispatched by a Fireball from Keyleth's Spire of Conflux. More arcane energy can be seen coming from the walls above, and the party sees an elf riding a wyvern. Vex subdues him with a Bramble Shot and then recognizes him as Gatekeeper Xanthas from Emon.

Keyleth takes out several more lizardmen with another Fireball while Scanlan and Grog finish off Xanthas' wyvern. Off in the distance, Vex hears a horn blow and sees a fire giant riding on an ember roc swoop in. The fire giant, General Ordis, calls out that she was sent by the Cinder King and she joins the fray. After a few back and forth blows with the fire giant, Xanthas manages to free himself and Dominates Vex, telling her to walk off the edge of the wall. She does so, but then remains hovering in the air on her broom. Then he tells her to shoot her friends as he runs away.

More blows are exchanged and Xanthas emerges to shoot a Fireball at the party. During the struggle, Percy is disheartened when both Animus and Bad News jam, one right after the other. Pike uses her ogre strength to help Percy fire a trebuchet at the ember roc. After several hits on General Ordis from the rest of the party, Vax delivers the killing blow with a dagger. Scanlan finishes off two wyverns with Bigby's Hand and a Lightning Bolt.

Xanthas hits Vax, Grog, and Pike with Chain Lightning, which would have knocked Pike unconscious if not for her newly-acquired Plate of the Dawnmartyr. Grog finishes off the ember roc. From behind Xanthas, Lady Kima appears and brutally attacks him, freeing Vex of his command and allowing her to finish him off with an arrow to the face. The few remaining wyverns flee to the south, the assault successfully repelled.

Break

 * A short Loot Crate video is played and Sam's Loot Crate ad from is reaired.
 * Two Wyrmwood giveaway winners are announced: SuperGimpoMan and SouthernDragon22

Part II
In the aftermath of the battle, the members of Vox Machina loot the bodies of their fallen enemies. Percy repairs Animus but fails to repair Bad News. Lady Kima tells them that Xanthas arrived at the fort alone earlier and was allowed entrance since Allura knew him.

Kima rushes the group to Allura, who they find in a frightened and near-feral state. Pike uses Greater Restoration to help her, returning her to herself. Allura tells the others that Syngorn has returned to the Prime Material Plane and their forces are marching northward toward Fort Daxio.

Percy has Grog retrieve Xanthas' body so that Pike can cast Speak With Dead on it. They learn that they were spotted by a scouting party when entering Fort Daxio, provoking the attack. They also learn that there is a resistance to Thordak growing in the tunnels beneath Emon.

Vex uses the stone to meet up with the aasimar boys and brings them back with her into the fort. Keyleth learns from Allura that Xanthas had used a wand of Feeble Mind on her. Allura says that the army from Syngorn is a day away from Emon and has to pass by it to get to Fort Daxio.

After some deliberation, the party decides to rest for the night at the fort and then head for Whitestone in the morning via Teleportation Via Plants with Kima, Allura, and the aasimar boys. Cassandra agrees to find a place for the boys, and then leads the rest of them to the Ziggurat to meet with Seeker Assum and Raishan, in her true form. A burn-scarred Brom Goldhand is also present.

Vox Machina reports on the attack at Fort Daxio, and Assum gives an account of the grave situation in Emon. Many people have taken shelter in the tunnels with help from the Clasp, but the rising volcanic mass in the city is beginning to close those tunnels off. He also reports that Thordak's physical appearance has changed and he appears even more elemental-like.

Brom tells of Thordak's new lair burrowed beneath the Cloudtop District, from which he rarely strays. The dragon now seems completely insane and is therefore unpredictable. Brom says that a strike team of men were able to lure Thordak out and inspect the lair, where it is building something that it now finds more dear than the city itself.

Raishan advises using the amassed armies to break into the Cloudtop District and assault the dragon there, hopefully drawing it out of its lair. She also says that she has no idea what Thordak is building there.

They all discuss what forces are in Whitestone ready to aid in the fight. Allura says that either she or Gilmore would have to stay behind and maintain the barrier over Whitestone. Allura puts the decision in the hands of Vox Machina, who deliberate and choose Gilmore to go with them. The group resolves to begin the assault on Emon.

Featured characters
{{div columns|line=true |col1=

Vox Machina

 * Keyleth
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Pike Trickfoot
 * Trinket
 * Vax'ildan
 * Vex'ahlia

New

 * General Ordis
 * ember roc

|col2=

Returning

 * Cassandra de Rolo
 * Assum Emring
 * Brom Goldhand
 * Elle Gorgofon
 * Hunin
 * Lady Kima of Vord
 * Kyor
 * Raishan
 * Allura Vysoren
 * Gatekeeper Xanthas

Mentioned
}}
 * Shaun Gilmore
 * Zahra Hydris
 * Spireling Shenn
 * Thordak
 * Kashaw Vesh