Vox Machina Origins: Animals

Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins: Animals is an issue of Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins, written by Jody Houser with art by Hunter Severn Bonyun, colors by Stephan McGowan with Maricela Ugarte's assistance, and lettering by Ariana Maher. It was released on August 12, 2020 as part of Free Comic Book Day in a comic book also featuring a comic from Neil Gaiman's Norse Mythology.

Plot summary
In Whitestone, four townsfolk gamble at a tavern. A human man and a human woman talk about the city's lord and lady getting married. The man laments that the wedding won't be held in Whitestone, while the woman counters that wherever adventurers go, trouble follows. A young elven man approaches the table, pointing out that Vox Machina had saved the world from Vecna, but a dwarven woman brushes it off as just a bedtime story.

The human woman talks about what Vox Machina did to those that sided with the Briarwoods during the Whitestone Rebellion, claiming that the whole party Polymorphed into triceratopses and trampled through a noble's manor. An older human main claims differently, saying that they did so as fire-breathing cows. The others balk this, the elf saying that Vox Machina wouldn't transform into mere farm animals.

The elf then recounts another supposed feat of Vox Machina's, in which Keyleth faced an armada of ships from atop a cliff. Keyleth lept from the cliff and Wild Shaped herself into a whale, smashing into the fleet and destroying them. The human woman is incredulous that a whale could survive the fall, and the elf retorts that they're basically gods.

A hooded figure speaks out, decrying Vox Machina and calling them animals. He vividly recounts how Vox Machina killed Anna Ripley in revenge for her killing Percy. The others brush it off, saying that such acts are justified when avenging a friend. As the gamblers switch topics to making commemorative merchandise for the noble wedding, the hooded figure leaves the tavern.

The figure makes his way to a shady spot among the trees of the Parchwood Timberlands outside of the city, he removes his hood, revealing himself to be a vampire spawn. There he tells his master Sylas Briarwood about the upcomming wedding, which is of great interest to Sylas.

Returning

 * Sylas Briarwood

New

 * Unidentified human man
 * Unidentified human woman
 * Unidentified elven man
 * Unidentified dwarven woman
 * Unidentified old human man
 * Unidentified vampire spawn

Mentioned

 * Delilah Briarwood
 * Vecna
 * Vox Machina
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Keyleth
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Pike Trickfoot
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Vax'ildan
 * Vex'ahlia
 * Anna Ripley