Shopping and Shipping

is the fourteenth episode of the first season of Critical Role. After allowing themselves a single night's rest back in the city of Emon, the members of Vox Machina set out for their meeting with Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III and the Tal'Dorei Council. Once the Council learns of the Horn of Orcus, a course of action is eventually decided upon, and the party then heads out into the city to gear up for the mission at hand.

Pre-Show

 * There will be a giveaway at 3500 subscribers for a Player's Handbook signed by the the cast, a dicebox, and a prop version of the Horn of Orcus crafted by KommissarProps. A second giveaway for a second set of the same items will be held at 3550.
 * Kai Norman of KommissarProps comes out to talk about the construction of the Horns. His work can be found on Instagram and Facebook.
 * If the 3600 subscriber mark is hit tonight, the giveaway will be a signed t-shirt, a dice box, and a starter kit, plus the cast will stay afterward for another Just Dance party.
 * Matt gives a shoutout to new viewers arriving by way of imgur.
 * The character bios for Grog, Keyleth, Percy, Pike, Scanlan, Tiberius, Vax'ildan, and Vex'ahlia are played.

Announcements

 * Orion Acaba is currently stuck in traffic. Sam Riegel will not be able to make it. Laura Bailey and Travis Willlingham are Skyping in from Florida.
 * The winner of the 3500-subscriber giveaway is RhymesWithOrange.
 * Matt notes that episode videos are available to Twitch subscribers immediately after they air. Non-subscribers can access the videos via the Geek & Sundry site the Monday after they air.

Previously on Critical Role
"The party has just returned after a long, arduous trek through the Underdark, beneath the dwarven city of Kraghammer. They were sent to retrieve a paladin named Lady Kima of Vord who was on a vision quest to stop some dark evil that her deity, Bahamut, told her was existing beneath this mountain range, and needed to be squelched. The party managed to salvage her from insidious torture and, through her aid, as well as a mind flayer who had been outcast from the society and the colony nearby, whom they managed to convince to help them as well, fought their way through the tunnels, past the duergar army, eventually to the underground mind flayer colony of Yug'Voril, where they found that this entity called K'Varn, that was eventually revealed to be a mad beholder who had been pseudo-possessed and given additional power by the Horn of Orcus, a great and evil artifact, long forgotten, which had been found by this entity.

"They managed to make their way into the temple, kill K'Varn, tear the horn from its forehead, however found themselves swarmed immediately by an entire colony of mind flayers heading towards the top of this temple. They managed to battle and battle, nearly losing a few party members, and, through some ingenuity, escaped through the top, gliding over the city of Yug'Voril through this underground chasm to a distant embankment along the beachside of this underground lake, and teleport their way back to their base city of Emon. So they've come back to Emon, they've come to their keep, Greyskull Keep, they've had an evening of rest. Upon waking the next morning, they've managed to get some breakfast, they've freed Lady Kima from her stone entrapment, as she was turned to stone during the battle with the beholder, and had a conversation based around what should or could be done about this Horn of Orcus, this evil artifact."

Reunion with Allura
A couple of hours pass before Tiberius shows up in the dining hall, back from Draconia with a new Bag of Holding of his own, into which he moves his Mending Wheel.

The party make their way to the Cloudtop District for their next round of errands. They go first to visit Arcanist Allura Vysoren, who had hired them to retrieve Kima in the first place. There is a happy reunion between Kima and Allura, and Allura welcomes everyone inside to talk. Vox Machina tell her what they found in the Underdark and receive payment for completing their mission.

Allura advises them to bring the problem of the Horn of Orcus before the Council of Tal'Dorei. She also tells them about what she has been dealing with since they last saw her: mostly "political bullshit", though she did meet with one Syldor of Syngorn, as well as Lady and Lord Briarwood.

The Council Meeting
They make their way next to the palace of Emon, Allura now accompanying them, and are escorted into the council chamber. Sovereign Uriel is finishing a missive to the Briarwoods as they enter. He asks to know what Vox Machina have been doing over the last week, so Vax'ildan gives the account of what they accomplished underneath Kraghammer. Kima vouches for the account.

When told of the Horn, the council agrees that it cannot be kept in Emon. A plan is outlined for Vox Machina, along with the two paladins of Bahamut, Kima and Tofor Brotoras, to accompany the horn by airship to Othanzia.

The council members disperse, and Percy approaches Uriel to inquire about the Briarwoods' visit. He learns that the Briarwoods are exploring plans to open trade between Whitestone and Emon. On hearing that, he notes that he would like the opportunity to surprise them if they come in to town again, on account of "old business."

Kima and Allura depart to make arrangements for transporting the Horn. Vox Machina, with nothing to do for the moment, head to Gilmore's Glorious Goods.

Gilmore the Glorious
The party enter Shaun Gilmore's shop in Abedar's Promenade, where Vax makes a beeline to find the man himself. They are greeted warmly, and Gilmore confides that trade has been good; he is in the process of expanding to a second storefront in Westruun.

Vax asks to take Gilmore out on the town while the rest shop, and Gilmore agrees. He leaves Sherri, his assistant, to handle the sales. Gilmore and Vax head to a romantic botanical garden in the Erudite Quarter, where they share a glass of wine together. They flirt for a while before returning to the shop, a little drunk.

Back at the shop, sales are concluded, and Vox Machina walk away with a pile of new magical items in return for a large amount of gold, platinum, and dragon scales.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Allura Vysoren (first time on stream)
 * Arbiter Brom Goldhand
 * Guardian Tofor Brotoras
 * Lord Riskel Daxio
 * Seeker Asum Emring
 * Shaun Gilmore (first time on stream)
 * Sherri
 * Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III (first time on stream)

Returning

 * Kima

Mentioned

 * Bahamut
 * General Kreig
 * High Paladin Archibald
 * Kravanas, Tiberius' father
 * K'Varn
 * Lord & Lady Briarwood
 * Nostoc Greyspine
 * Orcus
 * Penelope, Tiberius' mother
 * Sarenrae


 * Syldor
 * Tiamat

Quotations
Vax: Sorry. (coughing) I'm fine. Pike: Was there a rug? Percy: I don't remember that. Keyleth: Stay cool. Come on. Grog: This rug? Vex, Percy, and Pike: Nope. Vex: Oh, Syldor! Allura: And Lord and Lady Briarwood were rather nice to us when they came into the town. So, business has been fair. Percy: ...Shall we take this to the council, then? Uriel: They were but a week ago. Percy: They were but a week ago? And they've left, have they? Uriel: Yes. Do you know of Lord and Lady Briarwood? Percy: Just in passing. Did they have business in town? Was there something in particular? I'm just curious. It doesn't really matter. I mean, it does matter, but not particularly. Uriel: Well, relatively routine. We're establishing an official trade route through the northeast. Spanning the Boreal Plane to Whitestone. Percy: Oh. Uriel: They inherited the region after the unfortunate demise of the de Rolo family. Percy: Yes. Uriel: However our ambassador has noted that they've rebuilt rather well and honored the memory of the family. They're really committed to reestablishing the foothold of Whitestone in the north, so they came here on a diplomatic mission to open trade. Percy: That's nice. I would love to-- Please, keep it quiet, but if I could be notified if they're coming through again. I would like very much to surprise them, if that would be possible. It's just old business. It would be very interesting to see them again.
 * Kima (to Allura): It's been awhile since I've been here. Everything's as grandiose and unnecessarily dressed as it always is. I'm glad you got rid of that old rug though.
 * Allura: Most of our guests have been a bit rough around the edges. Although I would say we did manage to meet with Syldor of Syngorn. We have some business there getting Syngorn situated.
 * Percy: Good Sovereign, if I can have a moment? Did I hear correctly that Lord and Lady Briarwood were in town?