The Final Ascent

is the fourteenth episode of the eighth chapter of Critical Role. Vox Machina, having made their final preparations, make their way to the top of the tower of Entropis. With special guest Joe Manganiello!

Announcements

 * Ashley is here in the flesh!
 * There is a new Matthew Mercer shirt in the store.
 * The Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins comic book is available on Comixology, from Dark Horse. Currently the second highest-rated book on Comixology! There will be information next month about the second comic.
 * Talks Machina, Tuesdays at 7 PM Pacific.
 * Twitch subscriptions are half off for the month of September.
 * Laura and Travis are going to be at Anime Weekend Atlanta. They will also be in Australia in November.
 * Ashley hasn't been busy; she's just been looking at Cute Emergency and didn't want to come.

Previously on Critical Role
"Vox Machina [have] made their way through the innards of the undead, risen, primordial earth titan. On its shoulders was held the long-abandoned, until recently, city of Thar Amphala, from the Shadowfell, a city that once held the armies of Vecna, the Undying King, who has since risen once more and achieved godhood in recent days.

"[They] traversed to this titan, through its innards, up into the city of Thar Amphala. The outer wall currently manages to maintain an arcane dome that holds at bay any of the outward assailing forces of the wyvern riders or Devo'ssa, the brass dragon. The inside of it contains, in wait, a cloud of various gloomstalkers and apparently a skeletal dragon that peruse the city in safety as [they] make [their] way through the streets in search of the now recently reassembled and standing tower of Entropis.

"Now, upon seeking a sword that [had] historical binds of hatred of Vecna, and hopefully his downfall, the Sword of Kas, [they] went seeking this weapon, apparently long ago discarded and bound within a buried catacomb of some kind, within a pit of acid, along with many various corpses left over from an ancient war. In doing so, [they] unfortunately notified Vecna of [their] arrival. As Vex passed through into the ethereal plane, the ring that kept any sort of scrying at bay was lost, and both Vax and Keyleth came to his attention.

"All of [them] managed to flee back to Scanlan's mansion, where the rest were in wait. However, with a notification fresh at hand, the skeletal dragon swooped into the chamber where the mansion was set. On its back [were] riding Lady Delilah Briarwood and apparently the recent, re-risen, Sylas Briarwood.

"The mansion was dispelled, [Vox Machina] were exited from the pocket plane and, barely maneuvering due to do a very lucky roll, having [their] Plane Shift dispelled, [they] made [their] way into the Feywild as a hail-mary. Through a dick-drawing, [they] made contact with the one archfey that [they] have encountered in [their] previous journeys.

"Upon being summoned, and [their] knowledge of the strange time-altering nature of exiting the Feywild, [Vox Machina] asked if it was within his power to ensure the condensing of the time passage when [they] were to return. He agreed, under two conditions. One, when this was all said and done, [they] would help him assemble a doorway in the Prime Material plane, in which he could visit [their] space. Two, upon realizing that Vax was of some undying or re-rising nature, wished to strangle him until dead. [They] agreed, and shortly thereafter Vax expired into ashes and [they] all spent time awaiting his return."

Downtime in the Feywild
Once Vax'ildan has reappeared and reclaimed his equipment, Vox Machina take time to plan for the upcoming fight. They decide that Grog, Vax, and Pike will each carry a Trammel. Percival loans Grog his Boots of Spider Climbing to help him get closer to an airborne Vecna. Vex'ahlia promises Scanlan that she will wear the witch hat he gave her if he promises not to run from the fight.

They prepare a couple of longer-term spells before bed: Pike uses Vex's last ornate goblet to cast Heroes' Feast. Scanlan, for the very first time, casts Wish and asks for a Scanlan simulacrum, which begins to form out of falling snow. The spell takes 12 hours, but at the end of it, a snow-golem duplicate of Scanlan stands naked and ready to fight. He is given some spare equipment before they all go to sleep.

The next morning, Artagan greets them. He tells them they have been been in the Feywild for longer than the agreed-upon 24 hours, but that he will see what he can whip up. He casts a spell to control the time dilation, and Keyleth casts Plane Shift.

An Unlikely Ally
They find themselves back in Thar Amphala, inside the blue-green barrier that has kept the forces of Vasselheim at bay. The party dash to the nearest abandoned building to hide. Outside, they hear something collide with the wall. It turns out to be a gloomstalker which is being wrestled to the ground by a red, armored dragonborn. Vax hurries to attack the gloomstalker, but the dragonborn yells, "Don't hurt him!" Vex and Grog help hold the creature down while the dragonborn uses a thorned golden wreath to tame it.

A second gloomstalker finds them but is quickly dispatched. Percy and Keyleth, who have both recognized the dragonborn newcomer, introduce him as Arkhan, someone they adventured with a couple years ago. Arkhan explains how, a few weeks ago, he and his companions were attacked by a death knight and Delilah Briarwood. He and his party were left for dead, but his patron goddess, Tiamat, kept him alive. He offers a temporary alliance with Vox Machina against Vecna.

Together, they head toward the outer wall of the city to try to break one of the crystals powering the barrier. They find a point on the wall where the energy seems most concentrated. Grog and Arkhan together smash the wall to pieces, dislodging the crystal and opening up one-sixth of the barrier dome above them.

Briarwoods Reprised
Unfortunately, their actions attract the attention of the undead dragon they saw previously, which comes to investigate. They hide in a nearby building, but Delilah and Sylas, on the dragon's back, find Arkhan hiding under his gloomstalker. The undead dragon -- none other than the slain white dragon, Obatalá, that once served as Arkhan's mount -- unleashes a breath of bone shards at him.

Vox Machina leap to Arkhan's defense, deciding it is best to face the Briarwoods now rather than later. The dragon hits them with a second breath shot after Delilah Disintegrates the wall they are hiding behind. Percy knocks her wand out of her hand and pushes her and Silas off the dragon, putting them in easy reach of the melee fighters.

As Delilah takes several devastating hits from Grog, she reaches out for Sylas' hand to try to escape with him. Before she gets the chance, Vex shoots her dead with a final arrow, saying, "How's it feel, bitch?" With Delilah dead, the skeletal dragon also falls to pieces, no longer held together by her magic.

Sylas, seeing his wife fall, screams out in horror. He takes a few hits from Percy and Arkhan before turning into a bat to flee. Vex manages to hit the bat-form with a Brambleshot before it gets out of range. The bat falls to the ground, hitting hard and reverting from bat into mist-shape. However, by that point, Sylas is so far away that they are not able to dissipate his mist-shape with Daylight, and he barely escapes. Arkhan then reanimates Delilah's dead corpse to travel with them as a zombie.

Hundreds of gloomstalkers begin to converge, at this point, on their location, attracted by the commotion. Just as the party realize this will be a hopeless fight, Devo'ssa arrives with all the wyvern-riders of Vasselheim, no longer held at bay by the barrier. An aerial battle commences overhead and Vox Machina seize their chance to run for Entropis.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Arkhan
 * Scanlan 2
 * Vander

Returning

 * Aldor (zombified)
 * Artagan
 * Delilah Briarwood
 * Sylas Briarwood
 * Scalebearer Desona (corpse)
 * Shaun Gilmore
 * Kaylie
 * J'mon Sa Ord
 * Cassandra de Rolo
 * Sarenrae (voice only)
 * The Sword of Kas

Mentioned

 * Elaina
 * Ioun
 * Kevdak
 * Nahla
 * Pelor
 * Tiamat
 * Wilhand Trickfoot
 * Vecna
 * Syldor Vessar