The Feast

is the first episode of the third chapter of Critical Role. With the Briarwoods coming to Emon, Percy reveals the full tale of how they slaughtered his family and seized control of Whitestone. Vox Machina has just one week to prepare for a diplomatic feast between the Tal'Dorei Council and the sinister and mysterious Lord and Lady Briarwood...

Announcements

 * Due to time concerns, Critmas will no longer be happening every week. Instead, it will be staying on-stream, but moving to just the first Thursday of every month.
 * The Hasbro game design contest is still going until the end of the month.
 * Matt plays the main villain in a film series called Mythica, which is currently running a Kickstarter to finish their third episode.
 * WeLoveFine is still running their D&D T-shirt design contest for Rage of Demons.
 * The "Is It Thursday Yet?" T-shirt is still available on TeeSpring for another week.
 * Blindspot with Ashley Johnson is premiering this coming Monday.
 * Joe Madureira, as part of the company Airship Syndicate, is currently running a Kickstarter for a game called Battle Chasers: Nightwar. The campaign has already hit its funding goal, but is still working toward stretch goals.
 * Taliesin will be at Senshi Con in Anchorage, Alaska on September 26 and 27.
 * The entire cast will be at New York Comic Con, October 8-11.
 * Kit Buss and Wendy Sullivan Green, the official artists for Critical Role, are hanging out on set tonight.
 * According to Matt, the new Kindred wolf character in League of Legends sounds pretty cool. (Matt voices him.)
 * The PO box for Critmas packages has been posted in the chat.

Previously on Critical Role
"The party, after completing their business in the city of Vasselheim, on the far off northwest continent—Grog of course having an epic battle in the Crucible fight pit against Kern, reclaiming his honor; Pike left back there to finish up the renovation of the temple of Sarenrae that was discovered—the rest of the party moved on back to Emon, the rest of their business complete. Within Emon, they returned to the Greyskull Keep where they encountered a fan, apparently, of Vox Machina that had been camping for two weeks outside, who was promptly bludgeoned in the temple by Vax to "teach him a lesson". However, [he was] brought back from the brink, and taught that hard lesson that this is a dangerous field. [Vax] managed to seemingly reach out and to touch the heart of this young, intrepid, wannabe adventurer, to possibly try and better himself before he throws himself into danger's way; he ran off to train harder.

"Upon returning to the Keep, notice was sent off to one of the other members of the Council of Tal'Dorei, Seeker Assum, who is the halfling Head of whispers and all sorts of subterfuge across the countryside, who came to [Vox Machina] notifying [them] that within a week's time the Briarwoods, Lord and Lady Briarwood, are supposed to be arriving here within Emon for a feast, to discuss, apparently, the building of a bridge and a more political joining between Emon and the Tal'Dorei royal family and these up-and-coming Lords and Ladies, who have a very dark history, apparently, with Percy. [The party has] been asked to join as part of this feast, as [Percy] previously requested with Sovereign Tal'Dorei that, should anything involve the Briarwoods, [he] be included. [They] have a week to figure out what [they] want to do in advance of that."

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Delilah Briarwood
 * Harold (father of Kynan Leore, owner of a butcher shop in the Upper Slums of Emon)
 * Sylas Briarwood
 * Headmaster Thurmond Adlam (head of the Alabaster Lyceum)

Returning

 * Allura Vysoren
 * Seeker Assum Emring
 * Brom Goldhand
 * Cordell
 * Erwen Dastell
 * Karen (blacksmith who made Trinket's bulette armor)
 * Laina Yor
 * Nostoc Greyspine (owner of the Greyspine Quarry in Kraghammer)
 * Riskel Daxio
 * Salda Tal'Dorei
 * Shaun Gilmore
 * Shayne Tranter
 * Sherri
 * Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III
 * Lord Thunderbrand (head of House Thunderbrand in Kraghammer)
 * Tofor Brotoras
 * Gatekeeper Xanthus (evening Keeper of the Traverse Junction in the Alabaster Lyceum)