A Name Is Earned

is the eleventh episode of the fourth chapter of Critical Role. Vox Machina ventures deep beneath the Stormcrest Mountains to confront the mysterious androsphinx mate of Osysa—and hopefully learn more about the Vestiges of the Divergence.

Previously on Critical Role
"Vox Machina, having traversed many places in the world in hopes of finding a way to expel or destroy the Chroma Conclave, a collective of four chromatic dragons that together managed to destroy large bastions of society on the continent of Tal'Dorei and beyond in Wildemount. Thordak the Cinder King, the seeming leader of their group, currently sits in the center of the partially destroyed city of Emon. The other dragons have scattered about and claimed their own territories. From this, the party has discovered the existence of these legendary magical items referred to as the Vestiges of the Divergence that existed from wars long past, that were carried on from generation to generation, that contain power that may be sufficient to defeat these creatures.

"The party was sent to seek out the nameless sphinx that exists somewhere near the Frostweald, the mate to Osysa—the gynosphinx they met in Vasselheim who sent them to seek out this information. Upon going to the town of Westruun to the north, it had been partially destroyed by the black dragon Umbrasyl, and in its absence had been taken over by what seems to be Grog's roving barbarian herd. They currently sit on the throne of the town of Westruun and have made some sort of accord with the dragon, where they can kind of both simultaneously rule that area as long as they continue to provide goods, gold, and whatever they can procure from those who live within the city still.

"Deciding to continue south, the party made their way into the ever-frozen forest of the Frostweald. They stumbled upon a small hive of basilisks that surrounded an obelisk of Ioun, which gave them their first clue as to the location where this sphinx could be found. They battled the basilisks, destroyed their underground hive, or at least the exit from it, via Fireballs and Stone Walls and other such endeavors. Amongst the stone ruins of previous victims of the basilisks they found most of Tyriok Gadsworth, the wandering cartographer, now missing a portion of his right arm, however he is restored and alive, which is much better than how he was before, and is currently leading the party towards a camp of orcs supposedly nearby, as some of the survivors of Westruun's destruction were camping far south, and some were being captured by this roving orc camp. The party has just stepped away from the obelisk and the remains of these basilisks they've slaughtered, as Tyriok guides them to where he saw some roving orcs before he himself was turned to stone in that previous area."

Vox Machina

 * Keyleth
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Pike Trickfoot (DM-controlled)
 * Trinket
 * Vax'ildan
 * Vex'ahlia

New

 * Kamaljiori:  androsphinx mate of Osysa; gave the Mythcarver to Vox Machina.
 * Sirus:  Westruun refugee; brother of Cornelius; captured by orcs; mentioned in ; rescued by Vox Machina.
 * Vanessa:  Westruun refugee child; captured by the orcs; rescued by Vox Machina.

Returning

 * Tyriok Gadsworth

Quotations
Percy:  "I see a door that I have conquered." Scanlan:  "'Course I have my doohickis!" Vax'ildan:  "Do you want to shove it in the hole?" Scanlan:  "You realize that I was born to shove things in holes?" Sam Riegel:  "All the vital stuff's below the belt."
 * Grog:  "What do you see, Percy?"
 * Vax'ildan:  "Do you still have that doohickis?"
 * Matthew Mercer:  "You take 38 points of slashing damage as the claw just grabs you and slams you against the stone, and you can feel the claw actually pierce part of your throat, and, as it withdraws, you can feel the blood beginning to pour.  It didn't hit anything vital, but it's a serious wound, and the rest of the–"