Cornered

is the fifty-third episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. The Mighty Nein explore the markets of Asarius and tangle with the locals in a no-holds-barred prize fight...

Pre-Show

 * D&D Beyond: Sam uses his ventriloquist skills from his life before he was an actor. He tried to rehearse the bit, but Liam walked in so he stopped. Sam brings out a puppet named Yandi the alpaca to talk about how using D&D Beyond makes you a smarter player and helps you do math.

Announcements

 * Starting this week Critical Role will be using the official D&D Beyond Twitch extension. It is available to use while watching live in a browser. Scroll to the right of the screen to see live updates from the cast's D&D Beyond character sheets. Please don't yell at them if they mess it up.
 * Travis announces the title of the animated special: "The Legend of Vox Machina". It will be an in canon original storyline that takes place before the game started streaming. The characters will be about level 7. | The Kickstarter campaign to crowd-fund the animated special launches Monday, March 4.

Previously on Critical Role
''So last we left off, the Mighty Nein had been heading east, absconding from the Empire to pursue the threads that seemed to lead towards the kidnapped husband of Nott in her former life. Gathering your materials, following the signs that this burrowing incursion into Felderwin by the Kryn Dynasty had headed beneath the ground and due east, you went through these tunnels, encountered a few challenges and then emerged in the eastern wastes of Xhorhas.''

''A few conflicts later, almost being hunted down by a roc, you made a friend, who was a bugbear and led you to the "City of Beasts": Asarius. There you took on a few more monstrous forms visually and began to note the brewing battlements and army that seems to be preparing itself for a future incoming conflict with the Empire against the Ashkeeper Peaks and beyond. You saw what looked to be a possible way of traversing quicker to the east in the way of the moorbounders. You decided to work out a transaction with Zorth (the goblin purveyor of these) and got a discount by aiding him with what seemed to be some sort of unhappy scenario happening in the breeding caves beneath his establishment.''

''There you did battle with a number of fiendish entities and completed your quest. And upon inquiring about what more information there could be or at least making a small name for yourself as taskmasters, you were given towards Lady Zethra Oleos, one of the apparently more official Kryn within Asarius. The investigators extraordinaire over here, Nott and Jester, were given two possible tasks which they could pursue with monetary compensation or possibly favor with some of the powerful entities (including the Bright Queen) that exist in the capital of Ghor Dranas.''

''And we left off with you leaving the city of Asarius to go ahead and take a break in the wilds and outskirts of the city. And that's where we go ahead and begin tonight.''

The Mighty Nein

 * Beauregard
 * Caduceus Clay
 * Fjord
 * Frumpkin
 * Jester Lavorre
 * Nott
 * Yasha Nydoorin (played by Matt)
 * Caleb Widogast

New

 * Baron Visco
 * Madam Musk

Returning

 * Yeza Brenatto (via Jester's Sending spell)
 * Dairon
 * Nugget
 * Sprinkle
 * Uk'otoa (in Fjord's dream)
 * Zorth

Mentioned

 * Zethra Oleos
 * The Traveler