Cornered

is the fifty-third episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. The Mighty Nein explore the markets of Asarius and tangle with the locals in a no-holds-barred prize fight...

Pre-Show

 * D&D Beyond: Sam uses his ventriloquist skills from his life before he was an actor. He tried to rehearse the bit, but Liam walked in so he stopped. Sam brings out a puppet named Yandi the alpaca to talk about how using D&D Beyond makes you a smarter player and helps you do math.

Announcements

 * Starting this week Critical Role will be using the official D&D Beyond Twitch extension. It is available to use while watching live in a browser. Scroll to the right of the screen to see live updates from the cast's D&D Beyond character sheets. Please don't yell at them if they mess it up.
 * Travis announces the title of the animated special: "The Legend of Vox Machina". It will be an in canon original storyline that takes place before the game started streaming. The characters will be about level 7. | The Kickstarter campaign to crowd-fund the animated special launches Monday, March 4.

Previously on Critical Role
''So last we left off, the Mighty Nein had been heading east, absconding from the Empire to pursue the threads that seemed to lead towards the kidnapped husband of Nott in her former life. Gathering your materials, following the signs that this burrowing incursion into Felderwin by the Kryn Dynasty had headed beneath the ground and due east, you went through these tunnels, encountered a few challenges and then emerged in the eastern wastes of Xhorhas.''

''A few conflicts later, almost being hunted down by a roc, you made a friend, who was a bugbear and led you to the "City of Beasts": Asarius. There you took on a few more monstrous forms visually and began to note the brewing battlements and army that seems to be preparing itself for a future incoming conflict with the Empire against the Ashkeeper Peaks and beyond. You saw what looked to be a possible way of traversing quicker to the east in the way of the moorbounders. You decided to work out a transaction with Zorth (the goblin purveyor of these) and got a discount by aiding him with what seemed to be some sort of unhappy scenario happening in the breeding caves beneath his establishment.''

''There you did battle with a number of fiendish entities and completed your quest. And upon inquiring about what more information there could be or at least making a small name for yourself as taskmasters, you were given towards Lady Zethra Oleos, one of the apparently more official Kryn within Asarius. The investigators extraordinaire over here, Nott and Jester, were given two possible tasks which they could pursue with monetary compensation or possibly favor with some of the powerful entities (including the Bright Queen) that exist in the capital of Ghor Dranas.''

''And we left off with you leaving the city of Asarius to go ahead and take a break in the wilds and outskirts of the city. And that's where we go ahead and begin tonight.''

Punish
Outside of Asarius, Caleb cast Alarm and Leomund's Tiny Hut, and put Frumpkin on watch to protect the Mighty Nein while they rested for the night. Fjord's watch went by without incident. After going to sleep when his watch was over, Fjord had a dream. He was on a dry, open plain. A small spring came up from the ground and grew. Water flooded the plain, rising higher and higher up above his head. He heard the voice of Uk'otoa say "Watching". He saw the shape of a giant serpent uncoiling all around him. "Return". The giant yellow eye appeared, followed by dozens of different sized yellow eyes all around him. "Reward". Scaly serpent tendrils closed around Fjord. "Wander". The serpent began to squeeze and crush him. "Punish". Fjord felt the last of the air leave his lungs and woke up vomiting salty water and brine.

Caduceus was on watch and saw Fjord wake up suddenly. Fjord told him about the dream and how it was different than the previous dreams. He believes that Uk'otoa is angry with him because he decided not to release it. Caduceus stated again that he was proud of Fjord for maintaining his sense of self while in contact with a powerful force. Fjord asked about Caduceus's communication with The Wildmother. Caduceus believes it is a two way communication. Everything we do is an interaction with nature. Fjord thinks he should start looking for a way to counteract Uk'otoa.

The next morning Fjord told the rest of the Mighty Nein about his dream.

The Mighty Nein

 * Beauregard
 * Caduceus Clay
 * Fjord
 * Frumpkin
 * Jester Lavorre
 * Nott
 * Yasha Nydoorin (played by Matt)
 * Caleb Widogast

New

 * Jannik
 * Yarnball
 * Clarabelle
 * Baron Visco
 * Madame Musk

Returning

 * Uk'otoa (in Fjord's dream)
 * Yeza Brenatto (via Jester's Sending spell)
 * Zorth
 * Sprinkle
 * Nugget
 * Dairon

Mentioned

 * Zethris Olios
 * The Traveler
 * The Wildmother
 * Portis

Quotations
Jester: "So much." Caleb: "Name three parts of the boat." Jester: "Oh, uh...the port side...the poop deck...and the mast." (waggles her eyebrows suggestively) Jester: "...They were really cute, though!" Fjord: "Who?" Jester: "...THE KOBOLDS!" Nott: "There were kobolds?!?" Jester: "YEAH!" Nott: "Wait, there was kobolds under there?!?" Jester (shushing Nott and the rest of the party): "Shh! 'She' wants to be creepy, okay?  Let her be creepy..."
 * Caduceus: "There's no way nature isn't separate. We're part of it. We communicate with the world ever day, with every breath. Everything we do is our declaration of our love, adoration, or our denial of it."
 * Caduceus (giving Fjord advice on Uk'otoa): "Uh, I think there will come a day where you really...will have to make that choice. Uh, we'll help you with that choice, whatever it ends up being.  I do think you're on a path, and I don't necessarily think it's...uh...the path of just being a servant to some creature."
 * Caleb: (asking about the smut book about sailors he gave Jester) "Did you learn a lot?"
 * Caleb (to Frumpkin): "Now...Jannik is #2 cat. You are #1.  You're in charge, you're just...dressed-to-impress, okay?"
 * Fjord: (asking about Jester's comment towards Madame Musk) "You guys?"
 * Matt (describing the drow Monk as she drops her illusion): "And what you see...is a, a female...elf. Dark skin, no hair, pointed ears, and the familiar blue-and-grey outfit of the Monks of the Cobalt Soul."