The Core Anvil

is the ninth episode of the eighth chapter of Critical Role. Upon finding the Core Anvil and the forge guardian that protects it, Vox Machina attempt to create the divine trammels that will aid in their fight against Vecna.

Announcements

 * Gen Con: Tickets are almost gone for the live show. The Tal'Dorei campaign guide will be debuted at the con. There will also be a live panel.
 * Merch update: a clip is shown to announce the Major Arcana Tarot Deck, featuring art of characters from Critical Role. The art was drawn by Ioana Muresan.
 * Critical Role podcast: now available up to episode 30, with the next batch of ten pending.
 * Back episodes are now available on Alpha with retroactive HP trackers and overlays.
 * Talks Machina, next Tuesday at 7 PM Pacific with Brian Foster.

Previously on Critical Role
"Vox Machina, in trying to find a way to seal off the growing threat of Vecna, now restored to physical form and seeking ascension and achieving it, [have] gone to a number of the deities across the Exandria pantheon of the Prime Gods. [You have gained] some blessings and bits of essence from these deities to create something called a Prime Trammel, an item that was used previously during the Calamity to seal one of the Betrayer Gods. It could possibly put an end to Vecna's newly ascended form and reign as the only god on the Prime Material Plane, across the Divine Gate.

"Information given to you by the Knowing Mistress sent you beneath an underwater volcano, known as Scaldseat, where you proceeded to learn how to breathe water and then step into toxic fume-filled tunnels where you proceeded to breath through the water via Grog's jug. Finding your way through a short battle with some of the indigenous life forms there, a mother and two children magma bulettes, you head down deeper into the volcanic caverns of Scaldseat.

"[You found] a long-sealed series of chambers by the Allhammer, the deity for craft, family, and legacy, where somewhere, supposedly beneath this volcano, and hopefully within these long-sealed chambers, lies the Core Anvil where these Prime Trammels can be constructed. As you made your way through here, hearing the undulating, reverberating pounding of some distant piece of machinery, heading down the stairs, you were put into a hexagonal chamber which had a square of coals. Above that, x bars against the wall where, in the center, you saw a gold inlaid seal with an empty triangular shape, like a pyramid inverted, and a series of these iron warriors that were embedded in the walls. Behind the stairway, you saw means of smelting metal and other forms of material. 

"When Percival was inspecting one of these warriors, it immediately came to life and you watched as the glowing outline of each one of these ten foot tall metallic warriors glowed bright orange. They each emerged from the walls with these large two-handed greatswords at their side and immediately began to incite conflict."

Vox Machina

 * Taryon Darrington (absent; not mentioned)
 * Doty 2.0 (absent; not mentioned)
 * Keyleth
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Pike Trickfoot (absent; not mentioned)
 * Trinket (within Raven's Slumber)
 * Vax'ildan
 * Vex'ahlia

Mentioned

 * Ioun
 * Moradin, the Allhammer
 * Pelor
 * Raven Queen
 * Vecna