The Feast

is the twenty-fourth episode of the first campaign of Critical Role. With the Briarwoods coming to Emon, Percy reveals the full tale of how they slaughtered his family and seized control of Whitestone. Vox Machina has just one week to prepare for a diplomatic feast between the Tal'Dorei Council and the sinister and mysterious Lord and Lady Briarwood...

Announcements

 * Due to time concerns, Critmas will no longer be happening every week. Instead, it will be staying on-stream, but moving to just the first Thursday of every month.
 * The Hasbro game design contest is still going until the end of the month.
 * Matt plays the main villain in a film series called Mythica, which is currently running a Kickstarter to finish their third episode.
 * WeLoveFine is still running their D&D T-shirt design contest for Rage of Demons.
 * The "Is It Thursday Yet?" T-shirt is still available on TeeSpring for another week.
 * Blindspot with Ashley Johnson is premiering this coming Monday.
 * Joe Madureira, as part of the company Airship Syndicate, is currently running a Kickstarter for a game called Battle Chasers: Nightwar. The campaign has already hit its funding goal, but is still working toward stretch goals.
 * Taliesin will be at Senshi Con in Anchorage, Alaska on September 26 and 27.
 * The entire cast will be at New York Comic Con, October 8-11.
 * Kit Buss and Wendy Sullivan Green, the official artists for Critical Role, are hanging out on set tonight.
 * According to Matt, the new Kindred wolf character in League of Legends sounds pretty cool. (Matt voices him.)
 * The PO box for Critmas packages has been posted in the chat.

Previously on Critical Role
"The party, after completing their business in the city of Vasselheim, on the far off northwest continent—Grog of course having an epic battle in the Crucible fight pit against Kern, reclaiming his honor; Pike left back there to finish up the renovation of the temple of Sarenrae that was discovered—the rest of the party moved on back to Emon, the rest of their business complete. Within Emon, they returned to the Greyskull Keep where they encountered a fan, apparently, of Vox Machina that had been camping for two weeks outside, who was promptly bludgeoned in the temple by Vax to "teach him a lesson". However, [he was] brought back from the brink, and taught that hard lesson that this is a dangerous field. [Vax] managed to seemingly reach out and to touch the heart of this young, intrepid, wannabe adventurer, to possibly try and better himself before he throws himself into danger's way; he ran off to train harder.

"Upon returning to the Keep, notice was sent off to one of the other members of the Council of Tal'Dorei, Seeker Assum, who is the halfling Head of whispers and all sorts of subterfuge across the countryside, who came to [Vox Machina] notifying [them] that within a week's time the Briarwoods, Lord and Lady Briarwood, are supposed to be arriving here within Emon for a feast, to discuss, apparently, the building of a bridge and a more political joining between Emon and the Tal'Dorei royal family and these up-and-coming Lords and Ladies, who have a very dark history, apparently, with Percy. [The party has] been asked to join as part of this feast, as [Percy] previously requested with Sovereign Tal'Dorei that, should anything involve the Briarwoods, [he] be included. [They] have a week to figure out what [they] want to do in advance of that."

Percy's Family History
Laina brings up the subject of payment for the staff at Greyskull Keep, so Vax, Vex and Tiberius front their wages. That done, the party go to talk to Percy in his workshop.

They find Percy already hard at work. Although he is initially reluctant to talk, they persuade him to give a brief history of his time before joining Vox Machina. They learn what the Briarwoods did to his family. Confessing that he wants revenge, Percy shows them his gun. On five of the six barrels are the names Lord Briarwood, Lady Briarwood, Anna Ripley, Sir Stonefell, and Professor Anders -- all conspirators in the coup that overthrew his family.

The party agree to help Percy fight the Briarwoods when he is ready.

Errands in Emon
Tiberius goes to the Alabaster Lyceum. He inquires about a teleportation sigil for Kraghammer, but is turned down due to Vox Machina's shaky history with House Thunderbrand. Tiberius leaves to find Grog, hoping the Thunderbrand family amulet they found in the Underdark will provide bargaining power.

Keyleth, Vax, and Scanlan go to Gilmore's Glorious Goods. Although Gilmore is away in Westruun, Sherri sends him a message. Gilmore arrives immediately at the mention of Vax's name, and he and Vax go into a back room to trade news. On Vax's request, Gilmore procures a favor for him with the Lyceum. Vax also purchases three enchanted daggers, presumably as a gift for Kynan Leore.

Tiberius uses the Thunderbrand amulet to barter access to the Kraghammer sigil, choosing not to cash in on Gilmore's favor. As he is out of the needed spell slots, however, he is unable to leave that day and goes home to rest.

Vax quietly leaves the rest of the group to look for Harold, Kynan's father. He finds him just as he is closing up shop for the day. He sneaks into Harold's house, finding what looks to be Kynan's room left empty. Seeing that, he sneaks back out and knocks on the front door. Harold answers it. On inquiring, Vax learns that Kynan argued with his father before gathering his things and leaving. Vax leaves 50 gold for Kynan when he returns, but does not leave the daggers.

A Short Trip to Kraghammer
In the morning, Grog wakes up to find that the beard from his Belt of Dwarvenkind is coming in. Tiberius spends some time training Lockheed, his pet pseudo-dragon.

As the party finish breakfast, Tiberius casts his teleportation spell. He, Grog, Vex, and Scanlan go through it to Kraghammer. They emerge inside the Thunderbrand estate and are met by a grumpy Lord Thunderbrand, who had stayed up all night waiting for them. They give him the amulet, which seems to change his mood; he gets distracted and wipes away a tear. When asked about the damaged flying carpet, he does say he could re-enchant it, but that it would take 50,000 gold and the better part of a year. Vex, flustered, declines.

They go next to Nostoc Greyspine to collect payment for their Underdark venture. Although they have no illithid scalps to present, they tell him what they found in Yug'Voril. He is initially reluctant to pay them the full agreed-upon reward without evidence, but a Suggestion from Scanlan changes his mind.

Preparations


The four of them return to Emon to find that Vax and Keyleth have tied pink ribbons all through Trinket's fur. Percy is still in his workshop, tinkering. They discuss plans for the feast. Percy, unsure of what he wants with the Briarwoods, says only to watch them and not attack, but they agree on the code word "Jenga" in case violence is needed.

Over the next week, Vex works on teaching Trinket a new cannonball attack. Keyleth studies alchemy. Tiberius trains Lockheed the commands for hide and speak. Grog's belt provides him with a full beard, which he is very proud of until Vax gets him drunk and shaves off half of it. Percy does more tinkering, crafting a gauntlet that can discharge an electric burst; he tests it on Tiberius.



The day of the feast arrives, and the party don their finest clothes. (Grog dons a tapestry that he found on the wall.) To avoid showing his face to the Briarwoods, Percy disguises himself as Vax, and Scanlan casts Invisibility on the real Vax.

Meeting the Briarwoods
Seeker Assum meets the party at the entrance to the palace and takes them aside for a briefing. Assum is planning to do some digging while the Briarwoods are distracted at the feast, and as such asks Vox Machina to keep a low profile. Seeing through Percy's disguise, he suggests that the real Vax join him after the feast begins. Assum then goes into more detail on the reasons for his distrust of the Briarwoods and notes that Lady Briarwood is an accomplished wizard.

A horn announces the arrival of guests, and the party go to meet Sylas and Delilah Briarwood. As they have just come from the road, the couple quickly go up to their room to get ready for dinner. In the meantime, Vox Machina are greeted by Allura Vysoren and pass the time chatting with her. Tiberius sets up a tea date with Allura, whom he fancies. Dinner is announced and the guests seated. Vex and Scanlan strike up a conversation with the Briarwoods while Vax prowls the room. The Briarwoods share their version of their acquaintance with the de Rolos and inheritance of Whitestone: the de Rolo family took shelter at the Briarwoods home when they hit a storm while traveling, and the two families became close. Months later, the Briarwoods received news that the entire family and many surrounding the castle had all contracted a plague and died. Frederick and Johanna de Rolo had willed Whitestone to the Briarwoods, who felt as though they had no choice but to take up care of it. As the meal comes to a close, Vex, through lipreading, sees Delilah ask Sylas if he recognized "him"—presumably the disguised Percy.

Vax does not go to meet Assum, but eventually, when the meal ends, follows the Briarwoods out of the hall and to their room. Using his serpent belt as a distraction, Vax takes down the guard outside the Briarwoods' guest room and steals the key to enter. As he steps in, the two of them see him. He tries and fails to bluff his way out of the situation. Before he can run or call for help, Vax is paralyzed and dragged into the room.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Delilah Briarwood
 * Harold (father of Kynan Leore, owner of a butcher shop in the Upper Slums of Emon)
 * Sylas Briarwood
 * Headmaster Thurmond Adlam (head of the Alabaster Lyceum)

Returning

 * Allura Vysoren
 * Seeker Assum Emring
 * Brom Goldhand
 * Cordell
 * Erwen Dastell
 * Karen (blacksmith who made Trinket's bulette armor)
 * Laina Yor
 * Nostoc Greyspine (owner of the Greyspine Quarry in Kraghammer)
 * Riskel Daxio
 * Salda Tal'Dorei
 * Shaun Gilmore
 * Shayne Tranter
 * Sherri
 * Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei II
 * Lord Thunderbrand (head of House Thunderbrand in Kraghammer)
 * Tofor Brotoras
 * Gatekeeper Xanthas (evening Keeper of the Traverse Junction in the Alabaster Lyceum)

Mentioned

 * Frederick de Rolo

Quotations

 * Percy: (after Vax buys a dagger at Gilmore's) That dagger's so sharp it could cut the sexual tension.
 * Sylas Briarwood: (to Vax) Don't worry. You look delicious.
 * Sam: Jenga! Jenga! We had a safe word for a reason!