Talks Machina Special 3: Critical Role Campaign 1 Wrap-up

is the thirty-first special episode of Critical Role.

Arc I: Kraghammer and Vasselheim
This section covers through. CritRoleStats: 10819 rolls during the campaign, 548 nat20s, 497 nat1s. Most nat20s: Vax 107, Percy 104. Most nat1s: Vex with 76, followed by Vax at 61.
 * @nerdyscotsman: Everyone except Matt. Why did you all trust a mindflayer more than a holy paladin?
 * Jesse: Was there anything in the Underdark areas you made that the players missed or passed up? Encounters, puzzles, or areas of interest?
 * @animLae: Liam: What info did you get from insight checking Keyleth?
 * Synchoraven: Marisha: Can you delve into your own and Keyleth's insights on that vision she spoke of having when she met the Earth Ashari?
 * TiamatZX: Matt: What ultimately made Clarota turn on the party? Was it already planned, or was there was a chance he wouldn't, only for his free will to be overridden by the elder brain?
 * @JoustingJose: To Taliesin: Did Percy worry about 'flashing' his name, knowing that the Briarwoods were still around? How come the Tal'dorei counsel [sic] didn't connect him with Whitestone, having heard that he was a de Rolo?
 * VexMeUpBeforeYouGoGo: Ashley: I don't think you ever went into detail about what Pike had been doing on her time off, just that she was on the seas. Could you elaborate on that?
 * @frankelstein_: For Laura: Constantly Percy had to craft more bullets, but never did we see Vex fletch arrows or go out and buy them. Why was that? Was it just an assumed between episodes thing? And if so why not the same for Percy?
 * @shardee: Liam: You've said before that the first time Vax realized he had feelings for Keyleth was during a moment in the Underdark. What was that moment?
 * Myrnorunshot: Travis: We never heard about Grog's mother. Did he know her at all? Is she alive?
 * Shandraa: Matt: Who was the anonymous person who took out the contract on the rakshasa?
 * MishapMaster13: Matt: When Kima was introduced, was the relationship with Allura already planned out or did that evolve in response to the party and community?
 * @Smokeontheraze: Marisha: Keyleth has had the antlers since day one and never took them off, sometimes even getting defensive about them. Is there a story behind the antlers?
 * Ickulus: Matt: I believe you once mentioned that the Thunderbrands were supposed to end up as allies or a bigger part of the story if the initial encounter had gone differently. What did we end up missing there?
 * Payattention007: Matt: How did a Sphinx come to be hidden beneath Vasselheim?
 * Telepickups: Matt: Where was the other horn of Orcus? Could the players have found it?

Arc II: The Briarwoods
This section covers through. CritRoleStats: Vox Machina dealt 50,074 damage. Grog took the most damage (5,646) and also dealt the most (10,038).
 * @saraheliz135: For Matt: What was Seeker Asum's plan to investigate the Briarwoods before Vax threw a wrench into it?
 * Mike Garcia: Travis, how close were you to murdering Liam when you destroyed the pencil? How close was Grog to doing something more regrettable to Vax? Cask of ale destroyed close?
 * @settiai: Matt: Just who was the woman in her late 40s/early 50s that Percy saw with his Nat20 roll in "The Sun Tree," the one with the wolves outside Whitestone?
 * Zombie_Caddies: Liam: I actually cried when the Briarwoods killed Vax, with the last thoughts going through his head being his friends and Kiki. What was your inspiration for that moment?
 * Arthur Ornelas: For Matt: Can we get a little insight into Sylas and Delilah, and the Life Choices they made that lead to Vecna? How much of that was Tal's notes and how much was your brain?
 * GloriaRokicki: For Laura: Did Vex have feelings for Percy at this time and how did watching this darkness bloom in him affect her?
 * Blangadanger: Marisha: Had VM continued to kill with extreme violence without concern of moral consequence, would Keyleth have left the party?
 * @TheOodSigma: Matt: What w ould have happened if they had left Ripley in the cell?
 * Maxvsthegames: Matt: What happened with the bodies of the De Rolo family? Were they buried or did Vox Machina ended up fighting their skeletons in the streets of Whitestone?
 * SerPounce_a_Lot: Ashley: Is Pike's ability to astral project across great distances to help her friends a sign that she is special to Serenrae?
 * @FrostDragon85: Matt: What would have happened if Lady Briarwood's ritual succeeded?
 * Lizlevelup: Travis: Percy gave Grog Craven Edge in this arc (ep. 36). When you first got given the card, what did you expect from the sword? Did you have a 'what have I done" moment when you read the card fully?
 * Jessie Lewis: Matt: How did you intend for VM to get out of the acid chamber?
 * Bangadanger: Sam: Had Scanlan learned of his daughter before Kaylie confronted him, what would he have done differently?
 * Gornuk23: Taliesin: Who was the final, unnamed barrel on the List meant for?
 * Buzzrock1: Laura, how did Vex get Vax's snake belt back?
 * Tilia-cordata: Mat: If he had failed the saving throw, would Percy have been forced to kill Cassandra? Had you always planned for her name to appear on the gun?
 * RaibDarkin: Marisha: It was during this time that Keyleth made two of her most impressive moral stands. The first - refusing to have VM send the young Roc to Whitestone and the other by refusing to let the skeletal army overrun it. Is this where she began to realize she could be a leader?

Arc III: The Chroma Conclave
This section covers through.
 * Hadley DiForti: Matt, During the Conclave attack did you plan who you would kill off for story purposes or did you just roll the dice on their fate?
 * CommanderClay: Liam, would Vax have left Vox Machina if the Chroma Conclave had not attacked?
 * coelki_king: Matt, Did Vox Machina bring the dragons down on Emon because they messed with the orbs or did this event happen to coincide with that?
 * Heather Johnson: Taliesin, What was Percy's plan to take out Grog in the workshop over the skull? He seemed very sure of himself in a tight space with a raging Goliath.
 * coelki_king: Matt, How close was Gilmore to dying before Vox Machina found him under his shop?
 * Kuributt: Laura, What did Vex find under Gilmore's bed when he sent them to Marquet? (1:26:01).
 * Crepuscularious: Matt, What were the horrible possibilities the team sidestepped with Kashaw's resurrection of Vex?  Was invoking Vesh as much of a razor's edge as it appeared?(1:27:18).
 * TheHollyPhoenix: Ashley, How did Pike feel knowing that going and getting her armor probably made the difference between Daxio being destroyed and not? (1:29:10).
 * Stephen David Dougan: Matt, How did Kevdak come to have the Titanstone Knuckles? What were his aspirations beyond being a dragon's lackey? (1:32:10).
 * CainhurstCrow: Liam, Were you intending to multiclass into Paladin before the events of the Raven Queens tomb?(1:36:09).
 * CainhurstCrow: Travis, During the Kevdak fight, did you initially go in thinking you could win head on against Kevdak? Or did you always intend for Vox Machina to come into the fray? (1:39:10).
 * Aegis_of_Ages: Laura, When you found out you had been assigned a new alignment did you change the way you were playing Vex?(1:41:03).
 * Karraxx: Sam, What was in the letter that Scalan gave to Pike?(1:43:18).
 * EvilGeniusReborn: Matt, In your head, what vestiges did you intend to go to which player? (1:47:14).
 * Charlie John Boychuk: Matt, What would have happened had Vox Machina permitted Raishan her time with Thordak's Corpse?(1:50:06)

CritRoleStats: 86 rages for Grog, 3,658 hp healed for Pike, Vex arrows 474, Percy Misfires 36, DM facepalms 264 times, Keyleth beastshapes 110 time most used is 15 earth elementals, Scanlan inspirations 136, and Vax one-shot kills 21.

Guest stars
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn, Will Friedle, Darin De Paul, Jason Charles Miller, and ND Stevenson take over to answer some questions.
 * Darin De Paul plugs a few episodes of his and Amy's early morning show on Alpha.
 * Will Friedle plugs Painter's Guild
 * Jason Charles Miller plugs Starter Kit


 * What is the biggest difference between playing here vs playing at home?
 * Mary: It was my first show, trial by fire.
 * Will: same
 * Would you prefer to be thrown in the deep end?
 * Will: yes
 * Darin: It's improv and yes and, creating an adventure is good.
 * ND: People care, unlike a home game!

Arc IV: The Adventures of Taryon Darrington
This section covers through.
 * _quietbatpeople: Sam, If Revivify had been successful in the second fight against Raishan, and Scanlan hadn't had to go through the Res ritual, would he still have left VM?  Was it the act of dying or the circumstances surrounding the ritual (Kaylie, etc.) that were more influential?

Arc V: Vecna
This section covers through.