Cindergrove Revisited

is the eighth episode of the fourth chapter of Critical Role. Special guest star Chris Hardwick plays Gern Blanston, a blue dragonborn wizard. With fire elementals emerging from the Elemental Plane of Fire, Vox Machina joins forces with the druids of Pyrah and Zephrah — and a strange scavenger — to seal the rift between planes.

Announcements

 * Many of the Critical Role cast members will be at WonderCon 2016 in the LA Convention Center on 2016-03-25.
 * Sam Riegel gets emasculated.
 * The first batch of Gilmore's Glorious Goods T-shirts rapidly sold out of stock. A limited second batch will be available for purchase for only one week, beginning on 2016-03-24, at geekandsundry.com.
 * A "Strongjaw Ale" T-shirt design, modeled by Travis Willingham will be available at WonderCon on 2016-03-25, then at geekandsundry.com.
 * Taliesin Jaffe provided a voice a robot companion in Fallout 4, now available in game.
 * The Nerdist Panel will be on Sunday at WonderCon, followed by a signing by Chris Hardwick.
 * Chris Hardwick posted the full, unedited parody debate of Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump from his Comedy Central show, @Midnight.
 * Chris Hardwick's Comedy Central special, Fun Comfortable, premieres on April 30th.
 * Wyrmwood Gaming, a sponsor of Critical Role, offers free shipping through the code "critrole".
 * Laura Bailey is an extraordinary belcher.

Previously on Critical Role
''Our band of intrepid adventurers, Vox Machina, after having a horrible encounter with the Chroma Conclave — a gathering of chromatic, evil dragons that has just torn through the Tal'Dorei countryside, destroying cityscape after cityscape — the party has fled and has been seeking information on how to possibly eventually topple these creatures and restore order to the land of Tal'Dorei. They begin seeking these artifacts known as the Vestiges of the Divergence that promise ancient power from wars long passed that could aid them in this journey.''

After acquiring one &#091;Deathwalker's Ward&#093;'' with a near-death experience by Vex'ahlia over there, they begin the next step in their journey. However, as part of a recent scrying by Keyleth, the druid, they discovered that the Pyrah tribe of her druidic heritage, the Ashari, were decimated as their home of Pyrah was the portal to the fire elemental plane, that they normally guard, was where Thordak, the Cinder King, the great red dragon, tore through into this prime realm and managed to seemingly wipe out most, if not all, of the tribe.''

''Vox Machina made the relatively grim journey back to the mountainside, finding it now brimming with volcanic rock and volcanic activity that previously lay dormant. Upon climbing the side of the mountain, you found remnants of the Pyrah tribe still alive and making their way up the mountain, as damaged as they are, in hopes of sealing this now progressively swelling tear between the prime Material Plane and the Elemental Plane of Fire. Not just that; there was aid that came to the Pyrah tribe that involved a number of Air Ashari, one of which was Korrin, Keyleth's father. There is a brief, tearful exchange and reunion before the rest of you, steeling yourselves, began to walk in towards the center of the mountain's caldera, towards the remnants of the Cindergrove — the now-destroyed and -sundered petrified forest — in hopes of closing this rippling tear to the Elemental Plane, once and for all.''

Part I
Vox Machina sees four undead creatures aimlessly huddled at the base of a tree blocking the path forward. Cerkonos tells them that the Ashari need to divide their forces to handle the looming threat and asks them to handle this bit on their own. He and the other Ashari wish them luck and go forward into the caldera.

Vox Machina attempts to stealth past the undead, but Scanlan's clumsiness draws their attention. The party decides to try to kill them quietly. Vex and Vax quickly and silently kill one, but their master, a blue dragonborn wizard, arrives and accosts the group. He introduces himself as Gern Blanston, a magical candlemaker. The party agrees to take him with them so that he can get a body to replace the one that they killed. He introduces the other undead thralls: Coral, Stimpy, and Fatty Arbuckle. The one they killed was named Carol.

As the now-larger party proceeds to the rift in the portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire, they encounter a small fire elemental. Keyleth transforms into a fire elemental and when the elemental runs, she pursues. It joins another small elemental and a salamander-type creature which tells the elementals, in Ignan, "Go! He's not here yet! Alleviate this uncontrolled one!" All the creatures begin to swarm toward fire elemental-Keyleth. She intimidates them into returning to the Fire Plane rift in the center of the Cindergrove. The party follows, and Vex notices Gern stealthily reach down and pocket something he finds.

They continue forward through the flattened forest.

[ends at ]

Break
Several Geek & Sundry promotional videos aired during the break.
 * International Tabletop Day:
 * The Doubleclicks played music and sung the message in this promotion for International Tabletop Day on 2016-04-30.
 * Information about this event is available at tabletopday.com, Geek & Sundry's website, and through "#TabletopDay" on social media.
 * Geek & Sundry will feature a 24-hour livestream on Twitch from midnight until midnight (PDT) on 2016-04-30. Hosted by Ivan Van Norman and featuring Felicia Day and Wil Wheaton, there will be special guests and many different tabletop games throughout the day.
 * The livestream will raise funds for charity.
 * Super Fun Awesome Party Game Time: Bloody Operation:
 * Hosts Jesse Cox and Jessica Marzipan introduced their show, which features hosts and guests playing classic board games with a twist.
 * In this episode, guests Dave Reynolds and Chris Bramante of Robot Teammate joined the hosts to play the game Operation—with teams, blood, and punishments for the losers.
 * Critical Role Fan Art:
 * Per tradition, this video slideshow of fan art begins with an expression of gratitude from the cast and crew of Critical Role to the Critters for sharing their art.
 * The corresponding fan art article/gallery from 2016-03-24 includes the art featured in this slideshow.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Gern Blanston
 * Carol
 * Coral
 * Fatty Arbuckle
 * Stimpy

Returning

 * Cerkonos
 * Korrin



Quotations

 * Scanlan: (singing to the tune of "Turn, Turn, Turn") To everything -- Gern, Gern, Gern. There is a season -- Gern, Gern, Gern. I just like to sing your name, Gern Blanston. Did that help?

Trivia

 * Vex'ahlia's alignment was originally neutral good, just like Keyleth and Scanlan, but shifted to chaotic neutral due to many behaviors and actions culminating in the theft of Gern Blanston's flying broom and then lying about it.