Attack on the Duergar Warcamp

"Attack on the Duergar Warcamp" is the fourth episode of the first season of Critical Role.

Synopsis
Vox Machina form a tentative alliance with an Illithid outcast named Clarota, deep inside the caverns under Kraghammer. They learn of the creature’s people and their subjugation to a mysterious being known only as K'Varn, as well as the haggard mind flayer’s expulsion from the hive. Now cut off from the Elderbrain, Clarota burns with hatred for this K'varn, and wishes to free the Illithid race from the usurping entity. In order to do so, Vox Machina must proceed further into the deep, and reach the center of Clarota’s hive. But in order for the heroes of Emon to reach the Illithid city in the belly of Khaloor, they must get past the first flayer they encountered, as well as its small army of Duergar.

The heroes devise a plan, and fly themselves down to the center of the enemy’s war camp, to chance a risky assassination attempt on a creature that could easily break their will with a glance.

Previously on
"The party has been sent to the city of Kraghammer, though a friend of theirs named arcanist Allura Vysoren. A good friend of hers and a folk hero throughout the land known as Lady Kima of Vord, who is a halfling paladin of Bahamut, has gone missing. She went on a vision quest as part of a pilgrimage she has been on for the past year and sensed a dark evil brewing far beneath the city of Kraghammer, disappeared into the city and hasn't been seen for weeks. So arcanist Allura asked the party, hired them essentially, to go and see her whereabouts. Upon arriving in Kraghammer, they interacted with some of the local characters, eventually found themselves talking to Lord Nostoc Greyspine, who owns and runs the mines at the very bottom of Kraghammer. After a brief encounter where a mutated abomination of a Naga creature, they were then hired by Lord Nostoc to go into the mines, find out whatever is creating these abominations, destroy whatever is the source of them and he will pay well and also pay for each creature head that is brought to him individually. After getting into the mines, a few battles ensued with some of the local denizens, a couple umberhulks that were turned into snails and other interesting circumstances, the party then found what looked to be an entirely abandoned goblin city and a series of goblinoid corpses, many of which had bored holes in their skull, in various states of decay. They found a long bridge across an open chasm. Upon traversing it, Scanlan went invisible and found what looked like a Duergar warcamp, which are like ashy-skinned evil dwarves that live deep underground, watched a dwarf get executed by what appeared to be some sort of strange alienoid creature that was revealed to be an Illithid or mind flayer, a being that is psychic and consumes brains. Upon returning, the party had a plan to lead them off an illusionary cliff that went pretty well, ended up taking out a significant portion of the charging army at the time. Vax here, however, got stunned on the way across by the one mind flayer, nearly fell, however was saved by Tiberius at the last moment. Nearly lost their magic carpet, but was retrieved. After a brief discussion, Keyleth and Vex decided they didn't want to listen to anyone's bullshit, hijacked the magic carpet, flew down into the chasm below, and discovered behind one of the underground waterfalls some sort of a mind flayer who was cast out the society, covered in rags, a twisted physical form and, after a very tense discussion, seemed to befriend it under the mutually agreed retribution against those that are oppressive to this whole chasm area."

Plot
Vox Machina and Clarota head back to the abandoned Goblin village to rest. As they approach Vax sees a light up ahead. He and Scanlan go to investigate. Where the duergar were camped, they find Pike examining the symbol carved by Lady Kima on the wall. Scanlan is ecstatic to see her.

Upon returning to the rest of the group, Clarota tells them what he knows of K'Varn.

"A great battle took place, and it appeared something had sieged the stronghold. Reading the surface thoughts of the deep dwarves I encountered in the following weeks, I found a shift of power. Whatever had taken this whole had now demanded fealty of them. And they accepted when faced with annihilation. This entity, that took the duegar by force, they called K'Varn.

I caught no sight of it, but the fear I could sense from within these dwarves was so primal, so great that I knew to keep a distance to be safe.

Not but four months ago, one of my estranged people was captured by these ash-skins and brought within the obsidian walls for what I assumed was interrogation. Long after, the bulk of the duergar people marched back through the long, deep tunnels that led to my people's colony and attacked. Strangely, before much bloodshed could occur, what I only assume was the next step in this onslaught, the fighting stopped, and the colony allowed the ash-skins to waltz directly into the temple, unharmed, unchallenged, where our Elderbrain resides.

It wasn't until after, I discovered whomever this K'Varn is, they themselves infiltrated the temple and somehow took the elderbrain under their own control. I watched as my people had their will robbed of them. And they took the will of all the others that live and breathe in these tunnels.

Now a terrible army is forged of both factions and they walk under the banner of this K'Varn."

Clarota express a deep desire to free his people in the hope that they will allow him to rejoin the colony, his family. Vox Machina wants to know if they can jury-rig a helmet like Clarota's for themselves, but Clarota says they don't need it. Grog brings out a large bronze pot from the bag of holding and wears it on his head.

Percy negotiates free passage for their help which Clarota agrees to.

Clarota suggests that they attack the duergar warcamp and capture their general so that Clarota can "pry" him for information on the stronghold below. But Clarota warns that since they have seen Vax, they will be prepared.

While they are strategizing how to attack the warcamp, Pike mentions that she experienced a vision where she was pulled down towards the mines, into the tunnels where the dwarves were working, passed the goblinoid creatures and passed a great underground lake, passed a jagged onyx-colored fortress framed in molten rock, passed a field of broken glass and bone.

The group briefly considers exploring the lake to see if that yields a way around the Duergar warcamp, but Clarota warns that the ancient creature in the lake is best not tampered with.

Percy suggests blinding the members in the camp and Clarota mentions that the deep dwarves hate light. Keyleth wants to enchanted the flying carpet with a light spell that blinds the duergar as they fly over. Vax asks if he could fight blindfolded without being effected, Clarota is unsure. Scanlan has a ring of mind shielding which Clarota assures would help against psionic influence. Vax suggests that an invisible Scanlan infiltrate the warcamp again and blind the illithid but Clarota reminds them that this would not affect the duergar already under its control.

The party finally decides on a two-pronged plan. Vax and Scanlan will sneak in to kill the illithid, while the rest of the party creates a distraction and try to blind them with light.