The Feywild


 * &rarr; For the location that this episode is named for, see Feywild.

is the third episode of the fifth chapter of Critical Role. Between this episode and the previous Vox Machina campaign episode, two special one-shot episodes of Critical Role aired:  and.

In search of one of the Vestiges of the Divergence, Vox Machina enters the Feywild—a magical but dangerous twilight reflection of the Material Plane. After finding a nymph from their past and a mischievous satyr, the party finds its way to a familiar place: the home of Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia's father, the elven city of Syngorn.

Previously on Critical Role
"Vox Machina, the group of adventurers who had found their way, now seeking the Vestiges of the Divergence, ancient artifacts of power, to help them in their struggle against the Chroma Conclave, the collection of chromatic dragons that have just razed the entire countryside of Tal'Dorei.

"They've acquired a few Vestiges, but the most recent one sends them to the Feywild in search of Fenthras, a bow which seems to acquire the eyes of Vex upon it. The party took care of some business, managed to ward off an assassination attempt by a rakshasa, and found their way through Keyleth's Plane Shift spell into the Feywild, somewhere in the vicinity of the portal where the nymph in the Frostweald, on meeting Vox Machina years before, supposedly lives."

Part I
Vox Machina find themselves in the Feywild, a surreal landscape of vibrant purples, blues and pinks of sunset, tall thick grasses, vine-covered trees, and hundreds of small, bobbing faerie lights. They are surrounded by small pools of water scattered ten to thirty feet apart. Percy notices an old stone structure in the distance and he and Keyleth head in that direction despite the twins' warnings. Approaching the structure cautiously, they find it is a mostly nature-reclaimed and vine-covered ruin. Meanwhile, Vex gets on her broom and cautiously flies high enough to see around them, spotting a larger water pool on the other side of the ruin, with something moving beneath its surface.

Keyleth has been exploring the plants, and is enchanted by pretty white flowers on the vines. She reaches out and plucks one. It immediately withers, the vines begin to writhe and pull away from the stone, and there is a sound of movement or shifting of water on the other side of the stone wall. Two hands creep up over the stone, and an extremely beautiful nude woman steps up over the edge of the wall. Percy, standing next to Keyleth, is immediately blinded. Hesitantly, he says, "Hello?" and the creature darts backward, dives into the pool, and vanishes.

Grog saw none of this, and although they suspect it may be the nymph he encountered earlier in their adventures, they aren't sure. Vex loans Percy Trinket as a guide bear. Grog is persuaded to check out where the woman disappeared, jumps over the wall, approaches the pond, and calls out. There is no response. He throws his basilisk egg into the pool and it floats before being pulled under by a hand appearing from the water, but when he calls out again there is no answer. Scanlan starts coaching him through the earring on what to say, and it goes well until it doesn't. The nymph surfaces, laughing uproariously, rises, and walks on the water's surface over to the party. She apologizes for blinding Percy, and Keyleth apologizes for picking the flower.

Just then, Pike arrives, magically transported by her divine energies, startling the nymph back underwater, but they are able to coax her back out. She asks Grog if he still has her heart, and he tells her he used it to save his life. She is glad, and will begin making a new one. But she is unable to cure Percy's blindness. Vex asks her if she knows the location of the cancerous tree holding the Vestige they seek in a bog near the Gilded Run, and she directs them to the Shademurk Bog two days duskward although she does not know that specific tree. She advises them to gauge with care that which they tamper. Many things live in the Feywild that could aid them or destroy them, and many who call the Feywild their home are in themselves riddles. Some would consider Vox Machina more of a toy or a plaything than a visitor or passerby.

They ask if they can bring her anything, and when she requests books, Vex gives her the book on the Raven Queen. In response to their request for any aid she can give, she casts Barkskin on Percy. Grog bows to her before they leave. After some bickering among the party, Pike casts Greater Restoration on Percy, restoring his sight, and they continue walking about two hours toward the setting sun, noticing that it never actually sets but remains in a perpetual dusk. Vex mounts her broom and flies above the canopy, seeing the edge of the forest about ten miles off, some mountains in the far distance, and a faint flickering light amongst the grass fields beyond the forest. She descends and they continue another three hours, finally reaching the forest edge. Just then, Vex hears a soft chuckle and sees a shaded figure dart behind a tree. Keeping their eyes open, they move onward out of the trees and into chest-high grasses.

As they walk, Keyleth teaches Vex the spell Speak with Animals. She tries it on Trinket, and to her delight, is able to ask if he minds being in the necklace. He doesn't, if it makes her happy. They have a lovely conversation while the spell lasts. The glimmering light Vex saw earlier grows closer as they walk towards it, and eventually they make out that it is some sort of fairly large civilization with towers and a stone wall at the edge of the mountains. Vex flies up again to get a better view, and spots a small humanoid about thirty feet from the party. He appears human, with a big thick curled beard, very coarse dark hair, and a muscled torso. His hindquarters are furred and end in cloven hooves, and he has a small pair of horns hooking off the back of his head. He is skulking through the grass, carrying a small book and a long quill, and occasionally leaping up over the grass line, landing, and then drawing something in the book. Vex floats to just above him and asks, "What are you drawing?"

Startled, he leaps up and tries to distract her, but she grabs his arm and takes him on the broom to the rest of the party. Grog grabs him, breaking his ocarina. He introduces himself as Garmelie, a simple wanderer who enjoys learning about things that are new and different. Scanlan uses Suggestion to gain his cooperation and they look through his book, which is full of satiric cartoonish caricatures of the party. The earlier pictures in the book are all of elves, and Garmelie tells them the city they can see in the distance is Syngorn. The party would like Garmelie to be their guide in the Feywild, and invite him to join them in Scanlan's Magnificent Mansion for further discussion.

Part II
Inside the mansion, Garmelie and the party share ale. Vex'ahlia takes Vax'ildan aside and asks if he'd like to avoid Syngorn, but even though he doesn't relish the idea of seeing their father, he thinks it's their best bet for getting information about the bow they are seeking. The group asks Garmelie about the city, and he tells them the Feywild hasn't seen it in close to a hundred years, but they have an army building now. He wants to know what the party wants from him, and they tell him they want him to take them to the Shademurk Bog. Garmelie is horrified. It's a very scary place. They tell him if he wants his book back, he has to take them at least as far as the outskirts, but he counteroffers: he'll do it if they agree to procure him a few things in the city. And he wants them to agree before knowing what those things are.

Just then, Taliesin gets a private whisper from Matt, and rolls a die for him - a 17. Matt whispers again, and play resumes.

Percy makes a suggestion: he will fix the ocarina, they will give Garmelie his book back, and they will take a couple things from the city for him and get on their way to the Shademurk with Garmelie's help. Percy wants to make the deal and get this moving. The party is suspicious and concerned but eventually agrees, Vex pointing out that they should ask Syngorn for aid in their battle against the Chroma Conclave. Percy successfully mends the ocarina and Vax gives Garmelie a raven feather to replace his quill lost when he was captured, to sweeten the deal. Vex and Vax shake hands with the satyr to seal their bargain, feeling a shiver down their backs as they do so.

Garmelie reiterates he will guide them to the outskirts of the Shademurk, and no further, either through the Moonbrush or alongside the Green Sea - their choice - to the Gilded Run and from there to the Shademurk itself. There are three things to avoid: one, the Hut of Wodena, a terrible woman, surrounded by delightful smells and the sounds of soft music; two, the Last Campsite of Tsoradun the Happy; three, the Theater. He then drunkenly falls asleep on the floor. Pike is able to stealthily extract his ocarina.

Vex suspects Garmelie cast something on her and Vax when they shook hands, and has Keyleth cast Dispel Magic on her - but beforehand, Keyleth makes her remove all her clothing except her non-magical hat, so nothing will be accidentally de-enchanted. Both Vax and Percy walk away, but the spell does nothing and she gets re-dressed. Percy leaves the book by Garmelie and they all go to their rooms but Scanlan, who stays up all night reading his Tome of Leadership and Influence and taking a point of exhaustion.

As Percy gets ready for bed, he feels a tickle at the back of his mind, the dissipation of a Charm Person spell. Angry, he finds Scanlan still up and tells him what happened, and they realize that's what influenced Percy to recommend making the deal with Garmelie. Percy leaves Scanlan to his reading, and the only other person still awake is Vex. He tells her about the charm, and she is angry but resigned. Changing the subject, she anxiously asks him if she looks put together, like she comes from money. Percy reassures her she looks too happy to come from money, and asks if this has to do with that city. It does. Everyone who judged the twins as children is there. Percy tells her she is just better than most of them - they are definitely not worth her. He promises to stay at her side while they're there.

The next morning, Pike asks Garmelie to draw a family portrait of Vox Machina to hang over the mantel of the mansion. He complies, completing an extremely well-detailed portrait making grotesque fun of the entire party... except Scanlan, who is mysteriously unchanged. Pike hangs it over the fireplace where it surprises the others as they wander in. Percy tells Garmelie they're aware he used a charm, and Pike, fearing the ocarina was involved in its casting, gives it to Scanlan to hold.

They head out into a gentle rain to the city of Syngorn, here in the Feywild for safety instead of the Verdant Expanse where it normally resides. The city is surrounded by massive walls with large sealed gates every so often, housing a massive emblem of a crescent moon flanked by two trees over a deep cerulean stone about two feet across. The twins recognize them as the threshold crests, the enchanted crests that enable the city to travel back and forth between the Feywild, should it be necessary. As they approach the gate, a series of bolts and arrows impact across the ground right in front of them from archers atop the wall. Vex lowers her hood and tells the guards they're here to see their father. They are Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan, Syldor's children. The guard admits them (Garmelie is now invisible), and tells them she is notifying their father of their arrival. They will all be watched and followed while in the city. "Now, go. And welcome to Syngorn."

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Garmelie: A satyr from the Feywild, captured by Vex'ahlia.
 * Watcher Iova:  An elf from Syngorn.
 * Tsoradun the Happy (mentioned only)
 * Wodena (mentioned only)

Returning

 * Nahla: A nymph from the Feywild, whom Grog had encountered (possibly intimately) before the stream.

Quotations
Grog: O Nymph! Hear my ball! Scanlan: Nope, call. Grog: Call! Scanlan: Once, we spent an afternoon together. Grog: Once, we spent an afternoon together. Scanlan: The sun never shone brighter. Grog: The sun never shone brighter! Scanlan: The clouds were never quite as fluffy. Grog: The clouds were never quite as fluffy! Scanlan: Oh, it would make me a man again to see you once more. Grog: Oh. That was too much. Scanlan and Grog: (together) Oh! It would make me a man again to see you once more I have a small dick. Percy: In what sense? Vex: Well, you come from money, right? Percy: Yes. Vex: Right, so do I look like I come from money? Percy: Honestly, dear, you’re too happy to look like you come from money. Vex I don’t believe that. Percy: No, it’s a sure sign of it, is an abject misery, believe me. I can speak to it. You look too much like you, and you don’t look enough like something you’re supposed to be. If you feel the urge to deeply bullshit, I’d be happy to help you. It’s not hard. Vex: No? Percy: No. It is easy to pretend you come from money. You just have to be a bit of a shit and wear what everybody else is wearing. Does this have something to do with that city? It does, doesn’t it. Who’s there? Vex: Well, you know. Everyone. We were judged, growing up, and I don’t look forward to seeing that again. Percy: (sighs) Well. Vex: It’s not important. Percy: Oh, I disagree. Dear, I think that if you’re worried about them knowing whether or not you’ve made your money and made your fortune– I don’t think that’s going to be the thing to earn their respect. I think you’re better off, A, with the company that you keep, and B, with the fact that you’re probably just better than most of them. I’ve known a lot of people with money, and they are definitely not worth you. And besides, if they have something nice that makes you feel inferior, we can just take it. Vex: (laughs) I like the way you think. Percy: Well, and then they’re just shit without anything, and then you’re you with their stuff.
 * Grog: (attempting to lure out the nymph) O Nymph! Where thee art thou?
 * Scanlan: (coaching Grog) O Nymph! Hear my call!
 * Garmelie: I don't steal—I borrow indefinitely!
 * Percy: Every time I've seen anything attractive and naked it's gone very poorly today.
 * Vex: Percy. Change of subject. Would you say I look put together? Well off? With this armor.