Welcome to the Jungle

 is the thirty-eighth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role.

Part I
The episode starts out with the Nein walking through the jungle with Jamedi Costko and Captain Avantika. They're heading to the temple to Uk'otoa. Caduceus and Nott scout ahead with Jamedi and find a temple. Nott finds two large rubies and a golden snake and triggers a trap, luckily the snakes are dead.

Nott heads out and asks Caduceus not to mention it to the Nein, but upon seeing Jester, Nott caves and tells her about the rubies. Caduceus volunteers that they found the snake. Caleb casts identify on the snake and doesn't find anything.

They continue in the jungle and Caduceus talks to the plants. Fjord asks him what he hears and Caduceus tells him to listen. Fjord doesn't hear anything and Caduceus says exactly.

The group eventually finds a place where they camp for the night. While they're there, Fjord convinces Jester to invite Avantika and Costko to Caleb's bubble hut. She does so in a way that indicates she doesn't want them to come, but Avantika takes her up on it.

Caduceus wants to explore and asks Caleb to go with him, but he can't leave the hut so Jester goes with him instead. They're immediately attacked by snake headed cougars. Caduceus is dragged off and Jester immediately follows. Jester tries to help but is knocked out with some sort of sleeping gas.

The rest of the Nein come to help with Costko and Avantika. Avantika is knocked out by the same gas, but the rest of the group is able to withstand it. Fjord and Nott land the killing blows on the two creatures.

Caleb casts identify on Avantika's sword and it turns out to be a +1. He wakes her up and they resettle into the camp.

Caleb settles into first watch with Nott and he sends Frumpkin to try to identify her dagger, but Avantika kills Frumpkin. Caleb resummons Frumpkin and the two end their shift uneventfully.

The next shift goes by without anything of note happening.

On the last shift, Jester and Costko share watch. Jester pesters Costko and learns about him, mainly that he was the sole survivor in a mining accident and that this was his second voyage with Avantika.

Jester tells Jamedi about the Traveller and that the most fascinating thing she's ever seen was a bug carrying a piece of bread five times its size up a staircase.

When Jamedi tells her to be quiet, they eventually see two snake people come and try to get through the bubble but are unable to. Jester wakes up Beau and Fjord and once the lizard people leave, the group moves out, hopefully before they can be tracked.

Part II
Beau doesn't feel well as the group continues through the jungle.

As they go through the jungle, they find a small village that bears many snakehead obelisks. The lizard men from before are being flayed for their flesh. Caduceus looks into the dodecahedron and receives a mote of possibility.

Beau asks about Caduceus about how he was able to withstand the poison and they notice that Beau isn't looking so good. Caduceus tricks her and casts lesser restoration, but it doesn't change anything. Caduceus realizes Beau has caught something from the bugs.

They notice, sitting upon the five-sided temple they're heading to, is a giant snake person holding a scimitar. Jamedi says that they're going to have to find another way into the temple, as that's where they're headed but there are sentinels are watching the city.

Avantika and Jamedi can move through the city being hard to see, and most of the Nein can change their appearance, but Yasha, Beau and Caleb can't change their appearance. They decide to stealth in and make a distraction, and then eventually move in together.

Jester disguises Yasha, Beau and Caleb. She does really well on Beau, not so good on Caleb, and horribly on Yasha. Noticing that the snake people are simply dressed, Caleb takes off his books and put them in Fjord's bag.

The Nein talk about Jamedi and Avantika, thinking that Jamedi is leading them into a trap as bait for the snake people. Caleb says that they have no choice, they can either die doing this temple thing or that they can die when Avantika ties rocks to their feet and toss them overboard. He says that they can kill them later and Fjord agrees. That's when Avontika makes herself known.

Nott interrogates her on if she knew Costko was dead. She didn't and she doesn't worry about it as he's done good work for her before. She leaves the group to go do her thing.

The Nein proceed to try to blend in through the town, sneaking closer to the temple. They notice the snake people whipping lizard people to pull a giant piece of stone, and they pass the snake person pulling the flesh off the one lizard person. They continue through the intersection towards the temple and hear that they need to gather more food because the stores are running low.

They are noticed by two lizard people and Jester casts hold person. The Nein takes the two and drag them to the alley and into a house. Fjord kills the one and the other loosens its hold, so Beau casts stunning strike Caleb uses firebolt on it and Nott attacks. The owner of the hut wakes up, Beau stuns him and they kill him but he's able to shout out first.

Caleb stabs himself with two of the arrows and walks out. Fjord casts major image of a manticore behind where the snake figure is. The Nein run out towards the temple. The snake figure grabs Jester and Caduceus casts blindness on it but maintains its hold on Jester.

Fjord shoots a blast at the snake creature and Nott casts Tasha's hideous laughter. They're noticed by another sentinel but Fjord casts misty step and kicks him off the temple and Caleb finishes him off.

They continue running up the temple and make it to the top. They reach the worship section and find a stone tablet for sacrifices. Nott finds a trapdoor and picks the lock, the Nein heads in with Jumadi meeting them.

They all head in and find a small chamber and a spiral staircase. Avantika lets them know she's there and Nott leads the way down, searching for traps.

Nott triggers a trap and they all start sliding down. They're immediately noticed by four snakelike creatures.

The Mighty Nein

 * Beauregard
 * Caduceus
 * Caleb
 * Fjord
 * Frumpkin
 * Jester
 * Nott
 * Yasha (DM controlled)

Returning

 * Captain Avantika
 * Jamedi Cosko