The Fate-Touched

is the one hundred third episode of the first campaign of Critical Role. Vox Machina regroup after their devastating defeat at the hands of Vecna, all while Vax’s soul is tested by the Matron of Ravens.

Synopsis
In the Feywild, after escaping Vecna, Vox Machina plan how they might revive the fallen Vax'ildan. Meanwhile, Vax accepts an offer from the Raven Queen that allows him to return to life. He reappears the following morning, and the group heads to Vasselheim. There, they warn their allies of Vecna's return and seek the aid of Sarenrae in defeating him. Sarenrae provides Pike with the means for them to find her on the plane of Elysium.

Announcements

 * Merch update: Signed David Mack posters will only be available one more day. Non-signed version will be available one more week.
 * Wednesday Club will be having a card party and opening packs. They are moving to a new time, 7-9 PM.
 * Signal Boost: new episode is up with Ashley Johnson.
 * Talks Machina is every Tuesday, 7 PM Pacific Time on Twitch and Alpha, except next week because of the holiday.
 * Sagas of Sundry: Dread is up, based on the International Tabletop day game with Ivan van Norman, Matt, Taliesin, Satine Phoenix, Amy Dallen, and Amy Vorpahl. Available on Alpha only.

Previously on Critical Role
"Vox Machina, after discovering that the various siphon orbs—the one beneath Whitestone was one of many—were apparently funneling magical energies from various arcane ley lines that exist across Exandria into some plane other than the Prime Material.

"Through research and discovery, they found that this plane was the Shadowfell, and upon traversing this barrier and dealing with some cultists of the Whispered One, they discovered that Delilah Briarwood was still alive and that there was a city in the Shadowfell beyond the boundary of these siphons known as Thar Amphala. It was an ancient city that had seen an ancient battle, but much had seemingly been rebuilt and constructed. And there in the center of the town was the dark tower called Entropis, where apparently the Whispered One, Vecna, or some ritual involving him was being completed.

"Vox Machina began to make their way through this city, averting any sort of attention from most of the denizens in the sky and below. They squashed the heads of a few cultists on the way, masqueraded as cultists, masqueraded as undead, and felt the city itself shift strangely. Using technology similar to the threshold crests that Syngorn uses, it transported itself out of the Shadowfell to somewhere else, where it apparently began to snow.

"Vox Machina then made their way towards the central tower and—deciding not to ascend it—just took it to the ground with some Earthquake spells. However, due to the magical defenses of the tower top where the rituals were being completed, the top of the tower was untouched by the spells and lowered itself to the rubble of where it once stood.

"The party mustered their forces, rode up to the top of the lip of the remains of the tower of Entropis, and joined in battle against Delilah Briarwood, a death knight, and the physical form of Vecna, the Whispered One himself.

"However, the battle did not turn in Vox Machina's favor. Whether through just bad luck or not fully understanding the scope of what they were up against, a number of the party fell in battle, with one of them not being able to be restored—Vax'ildan, who was reduced to dust by a Disintegration spell.

"Realizing that their fortunes were failing, with Grog Banished to another dimension and only barely returning in time, the remaining members of Vox Machina joined hands and Keyleth attempted to travel them out of the plane to safety, of which Vecna intended to stop with a Counterspell, and Scanlan attempted to stop that Counterspell with his own Counterspell, like a bard is wont to do.

"They successfully transported, grabbing the corpse of Delilah Briarwood whom Percival managed to finish off with a shot to the head, and they found themselves emerging deep into a wooded forest in some unknown location withing the Feywild. Upon arriving, glancing about to see they're still mostly intact, clutching the no-longer-living corpse of Delilah behind them, Vax... not with them, and Vex, realizing, asked the question... 'Where's Vax?'"

Part I
In the Feywild, Scanlan lays forth Vax’s empty armor for Vex to see. Keyleth says she may be able to bring him back, but the spell would consume 25,000 gold pieces’ worth of diamonds -- which they do not have.

Meanwhile, Grog notices that one of Delilah’s eyes has an unnatural look to it and is still moving. Scanlan pries the eye out of its socket and is blasted with an urge to claw out his own eyeball. Pike manages to stop him, knocking Delilah’s eye from his grasp. The eyeball disappears from view until Pike uses Locate Object to find it burrowed several inches into the ground. She locks the eyeball away in a box provided by Percy, and Grog stuffs Delilah’s corpse into the Bag of Holding.

Eventually, after discussing how to acquire the diamonds for Keyleth's spell and what they should do with the eye, everyone prepares to sleep for the night in the forest where they have landed.

The narrative shifts to Vax’s point of view, his soul in limbo after he was killed by Vecna. Vax's patron, the Raven Queen, appears to him and asks what he has seen, revealing that Vecna has “blocked her sight”. He tells her about the fight, and the Raven Queen offers him the eternal rest that she says he has earned. Vax protests, saying he still wants to help his friends. She makes him an offer: he can return to life as her champion, for the sole purpose of hunting down Vecna, so long as he returns to her forever when he has finished that task. Vax accepts, and the point of view returns to the remainder of Vox Machina. Pike is on watch during the final shift of the night and sees Vax emerging, nude, from the trees. There is a tense, confused reunion as the group tries to figure out how he has returned and whether this is a trick from Vecna. Pike uses Turn Undead to determine that the returned Vax is not in fact undead, despite his cold flesh and slow heartbeat.

Part II
Vax reclaims his armor and equipment, except for his Boots of Haste which have been appropriated by Vex. Vax proposes that, as their next step, they try to contact Sarenrae and the deities of the pantheon directly for help. The group planeshifts to Vasselheim.

Vax discovers that he now has a “small, pounding headache” that points to Vecna’s direction and distance at all times. The “Vecna-dar,” seemingly a part of the Raven Queen’s deal, indicates that Vecna is about 350 miles to the northwest of their current location in Vasselheim.

Grog and Scanlan break off to try to find the Lord of the Quadroads, whom Grog hopes may owe him a favor, while everyone else proceeds to the Temple of Sarenrae.

At the temple, Pike asks a fellow devotee about physically contacting Sarenrae, then kneels at an altar to pray. She is rewarded with a vision of the goddess, who tells her to come visit and gives her a tuning fork attuned to the plane of Elysium. Unsure of how much time passed while they were in the Feywild, the party asks the date: it is the 12th day of Misuthar in 812 PD.

Grog and Scanlan, on their way through the Quadroads, are approached by four armed guards who have recognized Grog from a previous incident with Tary and Doty. Grog fails to bluff his way out of the situation, so Scanlan resorts to illusion, which also fails. Scanlan polymorphs Grog into a giant eagle to make their escape, but not before Grog has started a fight. The two of them then rejoin the others at the temple and advise a hasty departure as guards start rushing through the city.

The group makes their way to Pyrah, where Keyleth and Percy have installed a “crisis orb” that will allow them to warn all their major allies of Vecna’s return. That done, Keyleth uses the tuning fork from Sarenrae to planeshift them to the Fields of Elysium. The episode ends with them arriving on the shores of the Island of Renewal, Sarenrae’s home.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Vincent Clor
 * Sheila

Returning

 * Delilah Briarwood (corpse)
 * Cerkonos
 * Raven Queen
 * Sarenrae

Mentioned

 * Artagan
 * Erathis
 * Ioun
 * Kord
 * Korrin
 * Melora
 * Nahla
 * Pelor
 * Saundor
 * Sehanine, the Moonweaver
 * Senokir
 * Vecna

Quotations

 * Scanlan: I don't trust that thing. Percy: The burrowing eyeball? Are you sure?!