Trial of the Take: Part 2

is the third episode of the second chapter of Critical Role. Scanlan, Percy, Vex'ahlia, and Grog continue their quest with Lyra and Zahra to hunt Rimefang, an adult white dragon who was pursued by previous bands of veteran adventurers from the Slayer's Take who never returned! Is this a suicide mission or a true test of will?

Announcements

 * Travis is running late due to weather delays on his flight in from Alaska. Laura will be controlling Grog until he arrives.
 * Guest stars Felicia Day and Mary Elizabeth McGlynn are back this week!
 * There will be a giveaway for every 100 subs during the show tonight. The giveaway will be a signed cast photo and Player's Handbook, plus a copy of Felicia's new book.
 * Felicia will be on tour in 12 cities to celebrate her new book.
 * Boonzy Arts, a company that makes geeky candles, are currently running a Kickstarter called Wheel of Flame for D&D-themed candles.
 * Laura and Travis will be in Vancouver for a con next weekend.
 * Matt and Marisha will be in Tennessee for AkaiCon this weekend.
 * Matt gives a shout-out to Obsidian, who have given him permission to use the Pillars of Eternity soundtrack for background music on the show.

Previously on Critical Role
''"Our party of adventurers, Vox Machina, had broken a few rules in the city of Vasselheim and had actually infracted upon a contract for a guild of creature hunters known as the Slayer's Take, and this group essentially told Vox Machina that either they could go and be arrested for this and put on trial for breaking the law, or they could go and join the guild, and as such could be included and written onto the contract, then everything would be fine—so they decided to go that route. They inquired with the Huntmaster, and she basically told the party that they could join after they went through a trial where they had to complete a contract. However, she hand-chose and divided the party into two separate smaller groups: the first group being the one that began playing with us last [episode], in which we had the illustrious Scanlan, Percy, Vex, and Grog, who were paired up with two new adventurers, one of which was Zahra the tiefling warlock, who also is a prospective person to join the Slayer's Take, and Felicia's character Lyra the human wizard, who somehow became a member of the guild and is assigned on her first ever excursion to lead this group towards the end of their contract. [Critical Role's] audience chose the creature they were going to hunt, and [they] voted on an adult white dragon—so they've been hunting that.''

"After stalking [their] way up the Glasswalk Road to the north of the city of Vasselheim, through the Vasper Timberlands, through the cold weather as [they] continued to travel northward on the word of a crazed gentleman in a tavern somewhere who supposedly saw a dragon, [they] managed to see such a dragon skulking through the skies and actually attack near where [they] were staying. While [they] were sleeping, a group of orcs and some ogrish creature and a [worg] attacked [their] group. [The party] managed to slaughter the encroaching evils rather rapidly, in a daring display of buttflap-long john-Percy and some majestic combat prowess. [They] managed to completely eliminate [their attackers]. [They] interrogated one of the orcs, before Grog decided to take his head off.

''"[They] pushed in a northwest direction within the forest itself and managed to come upon what looked to be a perpetual blizzard that was blowing around this mountain range, and the dragon was sighted once again taking its rest to the northern part of this mountain. [They] pushed through the forest, managed to avoid a few possible dangerous situations thanks to [their] ranger guiding [them] through her favored terrain, eventually coming upon the base of this mountain range. [They] looked above and [they] saw what looked like the entrance to a cavern where at least the dragon seems to fly in and out of. It's a ways up the mountain, and there's a smaller cavern towards the base of the mountain. [They] went to inquire what was in there, at which point out of nowhere a giant rock made of solid ice and stone was flung out of the forest, slamming into Vex, knocking her onto her ass and doing a decent amount of physical damage. Thirty points of physical damage to the ranger, at which point two frost giants—one coming out of that cavern, another seemed to be stalking through the woods—approached the party."''

Part I
The party finds itself under attack by a pair of frost giants. After trading a few blows, Zahra is able to contact the giants telepathically, asking for their help against the white dragon. The giants hold their assault and agree to bring the party to meet the dragon, but make no promises of aid beyond that.

As they climb up to meet the dragon, Zahra learns from the two giants that this mountain was once occupied by a whole community of frost giants, nearly all of whom were killed when the dragon came. The two who remain serve the dragon out of fear. Lyra, through a spell, learns that the dragon's name is Rimefang. She realizes that another party from the Slayer's Take were killed in a previous contract on the same dragon some months ago, and that this new contract could be a suicide mission.

Breaking down the icy barriers as they go, the party and the giants continue further down the tunnel while assembling the outline of a plan. They reach a cavern at the top of the mountain and see inside the frozen remains of the dragon's previous victims, broken armor and weapons, and a central platform in the middle rising about 15 feet from the ground. From the top of this platform, Rimefang greets the party and encourages them to enter.

Break

 * The Critical Role intro.
 * Announcement of Group Hug.
 * Felicia Day's book tour.
 * The Critical Role intro video and character background videos are played again.

Part II
The party enters the dragon's lair. Scanlan, following their plan, offers an expensive diamond hidden in his pouch. Rimefang is unimpressed and deeply insulted by their appearance in his cavern. He recognized the name of the Slayer's Take. However, Rimefang states that he is the hunter, not the hunted, and summons his giant allies. Zahra immediately casts Awakened Mind and reminds them of the suffering they endured in their time with the white dragon. Now is the time to fight him.

Though the dragon's mere presence is terrifying, the party hack steadily away at it. A breath of frost kills one of the giants before it is able to do much. Percy's engineering talent makes a showing, between a hand grenade and one of the exploding arrows he made for Vex. When the dragon attempts to fly away, Scanlan uses Bigby's Hand to hold it in place but draws the dragon's ire in so doing; he is badly mauled and rescued only by a healing potion from Grog. After taking a few hits, the second giant decides to side with the dragon again, but Grog makes quick work of him. Meanwhile, a tail bash from Rimefang knocks Percy out of the fight, and Lyra goes down under a blast of ice breath. Zahra, also hit by the blast of ice, responds with a Hellish Rebuke that finishes off the already badly-injured dragon.

With the dragon slain, the party revive their fallen allies. They harvest the dragon parts they need for their contract and take some loot from the lair. That done, they begin the trek back to Vasselheim to present their completed contract to the Huntmistress.

Vanessa is impressed, as is her husband Mertin, who passes a bag of gold to her—apparently the outcome of a bet. The party hand over their take from the dragon and are thereby welcomed as official members of the Slayer's Take, their past transgressions forgiven.

Vox Machina

 * Keyleth (absent)
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Tiberius Stormwind (absent)
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Pike Trickfoot (absent)
 * Trinket
 * Vax'ildan (absent)
 * Vex'ahlia

New

 * Rimefang

Returning

 * Lyra
 * Zahra Hydris
 * Vanessa Cyndrial
 * Mertin Cyndrial

Quotations

 * Percy: We're not here based on other people's expectations. We're here because we thought we could handle this and nothing has changed. This changes nothing!
 * Rimefang: You say you're from the Slayer's Take. I have not lived these hundred years or so to become the hunted. I am the hunter! I am the scourge of the Thorain Tundra! I am the stalker of this timberland. Well. Parts of you shall adorn my walls, glittering in pieces for times to come.