Test of Pride

is the fifty-first episode of the first campaign of Critical Role. Scanlan tries to plan a safe escape for his daughter Kaylie, while Grog makes his way to the center of Westruun for the final confrontation with his uncle Kevdak.

Announcements

 * The episode began an hour and eight minutes late due to technical difficulties.
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Previously on Critical Role
"The party, having found their way back to the city of Westruun, which had been overrun by the herd of roving nomadic tribal barbarians and other such brigands that wander the landscape of Tal'Dorei—that Grog once belonged to—had swooped in and taken Westruun after the Chroma Conclave dragon attack across this countryside. The party have devised a plan to find their way into the town—or at least one of them would—distract a cluster of these individuals, these goliaths, pulling them out of the city into a large pit that had been hidden after being carved by the druid Keyleth.

"Scanlan went in to be the distraction, becoming invisible, leaping into the center of the main town square, right in front of the Margrave's house, where apparently the leader of this clan, Kevdak—who has a long history with Grog—resides. As part of this distraction, Scanlan released a Thunderwave, and in doing so unknowingly also revealed himself as the Invisibility spell went away. He had an entire cluster of very angry looking individuals bear down on him, managed to escape thanks to Dimension Door, twice, and made his way into the partially ruined Temple of Erathis, where he came face to face with a number of refugee Westruun villagers, and Dr. Dranzel, and Kaylie."

A Town in Terror
After a brief reunion with Kaylie and Dr. Dranzel, Scanlan realizes that the guards are coming for the temple. They start pushing through the door and Scanlan has the refugees hide in the partially collapsed building. Asking for his daughter's assistance, Scanlan fills the room with fog and casts a Minor Illusion of Stonejaw Strongjaw's floating head. A goliath and human enter to see the disembodied head, and, being fed information by Scanlan, Kaylie creates an illusory voice from the head that declares that he cannot go onto the other side until he avenges his death. The goliath backs off but the human throws his axe through the illusion. The voice tells him that the head is only a projection and that they must send Zanror to the main gate to fight. The human flees with a bit of fumbling.

With the guards gone, Kaylie says they have to get the townspeople out. Dranzel says the rest of his team are still on their way back from Kymal. Scanlan is unsure of how to get them out and asks about using the sewers. They decide to wait until they see if their plan has worked.

Meanwhile, the rest of Vox Machina are outside of the city, waiting and hearing the bells going off. Vex'ahlia uses Hide in Plain Sight on the group. Keyleth drops her bird form to say that she can see doubling down of defenses and is unsure how Scanlan's distraction worked. Six figures are coming this way. Grog mentions that Zanror was in a group of the goliaths that party previously encountered, taking the edge off their undead Grog plan. Grog reminds them to keep their distance when fighting against any of the Herd of Storms.

Percy, in bird form, tries to see if Zanror is coming. Instead, he spots two eagles heading their way. A group of nine rush towards the gate. Grog steps out of cover doing his best impression of an undead Stonejaw which spooks some, but some of the other guards move forward. Their trap springs and only two of them manage not to fall into the 180-foot-deep pit, and a few are still holding on the edge. Percy lands and Keyleth drops his Polymorph and he takes some trick push shots at the remaining guards. The bullets push both over the side, one to the bottom and the other joining three others on the side hanging on. Vex'ahlia casts Hail of Thorns on the cluster of them, hitting two of them. Vax'ildan hits another with a dagger.

They hear a screech and one of the eagles attacks Keyleth, throwing her off the wall but she manages to change into a raven to keep herself from being injured. Two remaining guards get out of the hole. Keyleth flies back to make a loop around town. Grog, keeping up his impression, walks towards them asking for Kevdak. Grog recognizes one of them as Suda, who in return sees through his Stonejaw impression. They fight, with Vex and Vax assisting. The other guard is killed by Vex and Grog kills Suda by shoving him into the pit.

Scanlan, meanwhile, casts Seeming on the survivors and has Kaylie lead the group towards the sewers. Keyleth, in her raven form, notices that Herd members are pulling Westruun citizens out of their homes and returns to the group. She sees Scanlan's group of disguised survivors but is not able to place who they are, just that they are different. Scanlan gets stopped by a Herd member, but is able to deceive him by telling him that an undead gnome was seen nearby. The guard believes him, and they escape into the sewers. The guard notices them, however, and Kaylie puts him to sleep after Scanlan's Hold Person fails. Scanlan stays behind after telling Dr. Dranzel to get everyone to safety outside of the city and then runs towards the western gate.

Keyleth, still in raven form, returns to the remainder of Vox Machina and reports on what she sees. As the group begins to move into Westruun, the eagles they saw earlier take notice, and one flies back while the other attacks Vex who is floating on her broom. She shoots it twice and reveals it to be a female elf in a Wild Shape or Polymorph, who then falls to the ground. Percy shoots the other eagle heading with Bad News and it also falls to the ground, dead. Vox Machina heads inside the city, with Percy and Vex parkouring on the rooftops. Scanlan contacts the party over his Earring of Whisper. He reunites with everyone else in an alley nearby and they all duck into a deserted building.

The Best Laid Plans
No one is sure how many of the Herd remain but the concern is that they are using townspeople as meat shield against any attack. They discuss possible plans while taking a short rest. The party, including Pike, is torn about whether to try to locate her great-great-grandfather Wilhand Trickfoot before the fight or to see if he is among the hostages in the main square, and eventually decide the latter. Grog wants to challenge Kevdak one-on-one, and believes the Herd's honor will keep the hostages safe during their fight. He maximizes his equipment. Keyleth casts Bear's Endurance on him, Scanlan inspires him, and Pike casts Aid on him, Vex, and Scanlan. Vex flashes him. Grog gives Pike his salt lick rock to hold, and walks out, followed by the party using Pass Without a Trace.

Grog strides through the town, eventually encountering a patrolling group of four who immediately draw well-used swords. Grog tells them he's part of Kevdak's family and that it's important he see him, but they don't recognize him and are suspicious. Readying their weapons, they escort him toward the square, followed stealthily at a slight distance by Vox Machina. Unfortunately, Pike's armor catches on a wall and two of Grog's escort peel off to investigate while the other two continue forward with him. Percy, hidden on the rooftops, stays with Grog, while the rest of the party duck into an alley and ambush the investigators, killing them quickly and quietly.

They continue following, but not as quietly as they'd hoped, and the two remaining guards escorting Grog grow suspicious. They call for help from a group of goliaths pulling more people out of their homes, and a group of seven including four goliaths and several hostages heads back toward Vox Machina. Percy warns the party via the Earring to run and hide. All of them do except Pike, who trips and falls, but Scanlan takes her by the hand and Dimension Doors them both to safety on the rooftop. Vex is able to surreptitiously reach the roof as well, and Vax silently reaches the main street and continues following Grog at a distance. Keyleth goes Air Elemental and follows as well.

Grog and his one remaining escort enter the town square. It has been ransacked, and the invaders have built rough but effective barricades adorned with severed heads as a warning. The goliaths there doubt Grog's story of being Kevdak's family, but an old seer with one completely clouded-over eye, Greenbeard, recognizes him and greets him, surprised that he lives. He tells the others to take his head, but Grog tells them he holds in his bag the one thing that could topple Kevdak. He taunts them, saying that he remembers a herd that nations used to part for, towns used to quake and run from, a herd that was proud and dangerous. But Kevdak has bent the knee to a dragon. If they have any honor in them, they’ll take him to Kevdak. And then maybe they'll be able to call themselves warriors again instead of piss pot squatters.

Greenbeard laughs at him, but calls for Kevdak. On the balcony of the Margrave's house, Kevdak steps out wearing the Titanstone Knuckles, and asks Grog what words he has to say to him. Grog taunts Kevdak with his cowardice in lowering the Herd to submit to a dragon, but Kevdak responds this is temporary. The dragon's days are numbered. Grog tells him he's shown the herd exactly who he and what they can expect: to live a nice domesticated life, where the booty runs dry and the women are scarce. But they won't get the chance to depose him, because Grog has come to do them a favor. He challenges Kevdak to single combat for the pride of the Herd.

Kevdak responds that since Grog is no longer a member of the Herd, he does not have that right. But for purposes of the bout, Grog is a member. The minute he dies, his body will be stripped of honor and fed to the wolves. Kevdak leaps from the balcony and lands in front of him as the rest of the Herd builds a ring of spikes for them to fight within. The rest of Vox Machina is hidden around the perimeter of the square, mostly on rooftops.

Duel of Honor
Kevdak walks into the center of the ring, slams the Titanstone Knuckles together, and grows to about twelve feet tall. He takes his Bloodaxe in hand, gets into combat position says, “Show me what you’ve learned, Strongjaw.” As the battle begins, Grog uses his Intimidating Presence to cause Kevdak to fear him, but his attacks, even the fire of the Flaming Warhammer, don't seem to be doing as much damage as hoped, while Kevdak is able to hit Grog hard, pick him up, and shove him onto the spikes surrounding them. Meanwhile, Vex'ahlia has stealthed down from the rooftop and into one of the vacant houses, where she releases Trinket from Raven's Slumber. The others are watching, moving closer where possible and ready to move if Grog signals them.

Kevdak is having it very much his way in the fight, seriously wounding Grog who has been unable to return much damage. Finally, Kevdak knocks the warhammer from Grog's hands. Grog drops his arms straight to his sides and says, “'Clearly I’ve been a fool. You are truly a foe to be reckoned with.' And I will slowly drop to my knees. And I will shout out: 'Vox Machina! Fuck shit up!'”

Break
There was no break in this episode.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Suda: A goliath, a little younger than Grog, with a heavy scar stretching from his chin down his neck and sternum.  He recognized Grog despite Grog's deceptive impersonation of a dead Stonejaw Strongjaw.  Killed by Grog.
 * Seer Greenbeard: One of the older seers, who has one eye that is completely clouded over, white, with a pus-filled socket that has been perpetually infected over time.  He has a thick, moss-like crust that has gathered under his neck due to his infection, leading to his name of "Greenbeard".
 * Kevdak

Returning

 * Dr. Dranzel
 * Kaylie

Quotations
Scanlan: (gasps) No, no, Grog. Grog: And I will shout out: “Vox Machina! Fuck shit up!”
 * Grog: I'm no fuckin' Gungan!
 * Taliesin: He died as he lived, deeply unimpressed.
 * Grog: It would be such a shame...  It seems all of you would be missin' out on the greatest show of your life.  You see, in this bag, I carry the very thing that would topple the mighty Kevdak.  You know what I remember?  I remember a herd that nations used to part for.  I remember a herd that towns used to quake and run from.  I remember a herd that was so proud and dangerous they would never hole up in a shit-stink city like this!  But what do I see when I come here?  Kevdak—prancing up in a place like this, and what?  Bending a knee to a dragon?  How far you have fallen.  Now, if you have any honor in you at all, you'll take me to Kevdak, and you will see what I have for him, and then maybe, just maybe, you can call yourselves warriors again instead of piss-pot squatters!
 * Grog: (to Kevdak) You’ve shown this herd exactly who you are and what they can expect: to live a nice domesticated life, where the booty runs dry, where the women are scarce, where I’m sure there are plans this very minute to unseat you from your high horse. But I’ve come to do them a favor, they’re not going to get that chance. You and me. I challenge you to single combat for the pride of this herd.
 * Grog: "Clearly, I’ve been a fool. You are truly a foe to be reckoned with.” And I will slowly drop to my knees.