K'Varn Revealed

is the tenth episode of the first campaign of Critical Role. After encountering a menagerie of trouble, Vox Machina looks into a cavern alcove and discovers the veil between planes that K'Varn stepped through to gain entrance to Yug'Voril. Making their way forward, Keyleth performs a Scrying ritual on the being himself, and discovers his true identity...

Pre-Show

 * This is the 10th episode!
 * This will be the last time the character backgrounds run at the start of the show; going forward, they will only be played during the break.
 * The character backstory videos for Grog Strongjaw, Keyleth, Percival de Rolo, Scanlan Shorthalt, Tiberius Stormwind, Vax'ildan, and Vex'ahlia are shown.

Announcements

 * Matt thanks the chat for his new Dungeon Master cloak.
 * T-shirts are still available for another week; the goal is to sell 1000 shirts by the end of tonight's game. If that happens, the cast will stay late for a Q&A session.
 * There will be a giveaway at the 2850 subscribers mark.
 * Viewers are encouraged to donate to the charity 826LA, a non-profit after-school tutoring program for kids K-12th grade.
 * Matt recently played Dungeon Master for PewDiePie and cinnamontoastken on their podcast; that episode is available now.
 * Orion has a Tiberius moment and double checks that the shirts have been announced; they have.
 * Part 2 of the Dread episode on TableTop came out today, in which Laura appears.

Part I
The team jumps right into a fight with some undead. Vax'ildan ends up surrounded and takes a few hits, getting paralyzed before the team can jump to his aid, but the fight is over almost before it begins once Tiberius gets involved. What Tiberius doesn't kill, Vex'ahlia does.

While the team tries to recover from the battle they are engaged by a cloaker. As the creature envelopes Tiberius and gets telekinetically thrown from him, the group chooses to retreat to the boat. The cloaker gives chase and the party must battle over water. Scanlan uses a new spell, Bigby's Hand, to grab and hold the cloaker. Vex shoots out one of its eyes, Tiberius telekinetically removes the other, and Vax gets the killing shot. With the cloaker defeated, Percival skins the corpse for its camouflaging hide.

They make their way back to the beach in a different part of the cavern. There, they find a cave filled with magical darkness. Keyleth shifts into an earth elemental to scout the cave, finding that it contains a strange planar rift and a group of grick. Tiberius makes short work of the grick by tossing a bomb crafted by Percy into the room and throwing a fireball on top of it.

Clarota examines the rift, noting that it is mostly likely the portal to the Far Realm through which K'Varn would have come into Yug'Voril. Tiberius sends a message to his brother, Jerahd, asking for any information about K'Varn. While they wait for a response, Keyleth uses Stone Shape to collapse the cave around the rift. Scanlan tries to cast Suggestion on Kima to make her interested in Grog; she resists the spell and warns him firmly not to try it again.

Break

 * Zac presents a Happy 10th Episode chocolate cake.
 * The character backgrounds for Pike, Grog, Keyleth, Percy, and Scanlan are shown.
 * Matt notes that they need to sell 100 shirts in the next 45 minutes for the Q&A to happen.

Part II
About 20 minutes after Tiberius contacted his brother, a response arrives. Jerahd's note confirms that they are dealing with an aberration from the Far Realm but asks for a better description to be able to provide more help.

Keyleth sets up a scrying ritual on the beach to check on K'Varn. The spell shows her a glimpse of the temple at the center of Yug'Voril, where the mindflayers' Elder Brain is housed and imprisoned beneath a suspended brass structure. Around the room, she sees mutilated creatures in cages, a laboratory of sorts. She sees K'Varn himself emerging from the shadows: a fleshy ball with many eyes, metal plates grafted into his skin, wearing a twisted black horn on his brow. The creature seems to see her, and with that, Keyleth is forced out of the vision. She reports what she saw to the others, noting that K'Varn is a beholder.

They cross the lake back to the shore of the island to start getting closer to Yug'Voril. The twins, scouting ahead, find a ruined city made of greenish stone and full of non-Euclidean angles. In a pit in the center of the ruins, they find a recent campsite. The occupant of the campsite returns just then, a towering humanoid. They attempt to retreat just as it catches their scent.

Post-Show

 * Matt reads off some donation messages, including two from donations of $1000 each to 826LA.
 * By the end of donation messages, 1032 shirts have been sold, meaning there will be a Q&A session to follow.

Q&A
Q: Keyleth's child murder? Matt recounts how, during the first campaign arc, the party found that children were disappearing from every town they visited. The common thread was that every child, before vanishing, was seen playing with a new kid who had long black hair and golden eyes. Later, after Vox Machina saved Emon and were being celebrated, they noticed Sovereign Uriel's own child talking to this same stranger. The party gave chase and followed what turned out to be the Dread Emperor into his own pocket dimension, where he brought children to play until they grew too old. In the Dread Emperor's castle, the party found him with four children chained to his armor. Whenever they would attack the Emperor, the damage was shared between these children. They managed to protect three of the children, but to rescue the fourth, Keyleth attempted to yank him free with a Grasping Vine, accidentally breaking his neck.

Q: Sam, what's it like being the sexiest member of the group? "It's a lot like life. I've come to accept it. It's the hand I was dealt."

'''Q: Matt, how do you deal with writer's block? When can we expect Trinket plushies?''' Matt, Taliesin, and Liam would all love to see Trinket plushies at some point. Regarding writer's block, Matt listens to music, particularly the Elder Scrolls soundtrack.

Q: How did the group come up with Vox Machina? They used to be the Super High Intensity Team, a.k.a. the SHITs. Some members of the group felt this was not suitable for their growing reputation.

Q: Would the group ever do Hot Pepper Gaming? There are plans in place. Some, but perhaps not all, of the cast will partake.

Q: What did Matt whisper to Liam when he insight-checked Marisha? Liam says it's not what you think it is, but he won't say more.

Q: What color is Trinket, and what color is his armor? Trinket is brown, and his armor is silver.

Q: What level is everyone, and what alignment? Everyone is level ten now, except Ashley who missed some games. Alignments are as follows: Ashley is a little dubious of her alignment. Matt assures her that it's not as strict as older editions, but he is keeping an eye on her actions in game; for example, the crack in her holy symbol.
 * Vax'ildan: chaotic good
 * Tiberius: chaotic good
 * Keyleth: neutral good
 * Pike: chaotic good
 * Percy: neutral good
 * Grog: chaotic neutral
 * Scanlan: neutral good
 * Vex'ahlia: neutral good

Q: Can Ashley say, "Fuck you, Dylan"? Ashley says, "Fuck you, Dylan!" Travis notes that it had conviction.

Q: How did everyone get into voice acting? Matt notes that this is a long question, but it involved training and pursuing opportunities. Liam adds meeting the right person while training.

Q: Does Keyleth have a holy symbol? No, that's not a druid thing; they worship the earth, not deities.

Q: Is anyone going to GenCon? Only if Geek & Sundry arranges it.

Q: Did any of you grow up shy? Laura says yes. Matt says no, he was a ham. Taliesin says no, he was a child actor (see Mr. Mom).

Q: Any interest in turning Critical Role into a comic book? Yes, that would be amazing.

Q: Will Tiberius say, "I encourage violence"? When he wants to.

Q: Laura, would you like a giant Trinket plushie to sit at the table with you? Yes, she would. That would be amazing.

Q: How did you all get into D&D? Matt, Taliesin, and Liam all say high school. For most everyone else, it was this campaign, which started as a birthday gift for Liam two and a half years ago. Marisha notes that she has played other games, but got started with Matt.

Q: Who's the youngest? Probably Marisha. Taliesin is the oldest.

Q: (question for Orion) Wizards pick their magic every day; sorcerers invoke it from their being. Tiberius, as a sorcerer, is a sort of false buffoon who nonetheless knows what to do in a battle.

Q: How do we send you shit? Talk to Overlord but please don't send actual fecal matter.

Q: (something about Liam and Laura's birthday) The whole reason their characters are twins is because Liam and Laura share a birthday, May 28.

Matt notes that, because Travis and Laura are going on vacation in two weeks, there may be a Q&A hangout and teaching session in lieu of a normal episode that week.

Q: Can Matt say something as Trey (from Final Fantasy Type-0)? Yes, and he does.

Q: How did Travis and Laura meet? Right out of high school in Dallas, they were in the same talent agency. They played extras and sat at the same table for 8 hours, but couldn't talk because they weren't allowed to make noise. They started hanging out in the same circles, and the rest is history.

Q: When did Pike and Scanlan start flirting, or when did Scanlan start flirting with Pike? From the first moment Pike was in the game.

Q: Favorite Ninja Turtle? Donatello is Sam and Laura's favorite. Sam is Liam and Orion's favorite.

Q: Advice for bards? Sam says sing loud, and sing proud.

Q: How did Matt and Marisha meet? A mutual friend was putting together a nerdy sketch-writing group years ago. It never happened, but it put the two of them in contact. They both harbored secret crushes for a while, then reconnected a year later after both had gotten out of relationships. Matt got Marisha an audition for Resident Evil, and then Marisha owed him a drink.

Q: Matt, do you ever want to be a player and not a DM? Yes, but it doesn't happen often.

Q: Will Critical Role continue after the boss? Yes.

Q: Zac, what was the most recent picture you shared with the community? He'll show it later. It's inappropriate.

Q: Pike, does Scanlan have a shot? We'll see.

Q: Do you guys have backup characters rolled for when you get TPK'ed? Liam has an idea.

Q: How did Vex'ahlia and Trinket become friends? Laura sent a short story on this topic to Matt about a year ago. The story takes place shortly after Vex and her brother left the elves, when Vax was in the city and Vex was camping outside of town. A pair of hunters came to Vex's camp, but turned out to be poachers who betrayed her trust and kidnapped her back to their own camp. Vex was put in a cage. She escaped, killed the two poachers, and found a wounded bear from which they had been harvesting parts. She put the bear out of its misery but found its cub nearby and took it in, naming him Trinket.

Q: Jennifer Hale as a guest? That would be great. There is a short list for guests in the future, as well as a long list. Matt notes that they are working on getting Chris Hardwick on the show, as well as a few others, including Vin Diesel.

Q: If Grog comes across his uncle, will he want to kill him? Yes, that's a bad relationship. There was a previous run-in with Grog's cousin, which Grog actually for once prevented from becoming a fight due to childhood affection.

Q: Is there a spell or portal or something that can switch everyone's bodies with each other? Yes, there are artifacts that can cause soul transfers.

'''Q: What if a party member dies? Do we have to scratch out the name on the shirt?''' It's a possibility, but there are magics that can reverse death.

Q: What are Lady Kima's and Clarota's alignments? That isn't something we can know right now.

Q: Has anybody permanently died at any point? Not in this game, although Ashley almost did. Some have been in comas on a regular basis.

Q: What's the weirdest thing Grog's ever done as a character? Troll dick stuff, or possibly humping a fairy in another plane, or summoning a pony and chopping its head off, or collecting dried poo and putting it in the Bag of Holding. There was also rage-looting, and accidentally killing an ox by stuffing it in the Bag of Holding. Once, Grog slapped Trinket on the butt to send him running through a room full of traps, nearly killing Trinket. Travis slept on the couch for two nights after that.

Q: (unknown) Erika Ishii and Yuri Lowenthal. Yuri guested once pre-stream as Ghost Fist, the dwarven monk.

Q: What's a tiefling? Tieflings are a rare, demon-blooded playable race. If Laura dies, she wants to roll a tiefling next.

Q: What's good to roll as, for someone brand new to the game? Fighers are pretty easy. Matt recommends paladin or ranger for a taste of magic in a combat-based character.

Q: (unknown) Percy does not know if his sister died, and has no plans for his family. He is scared shitless of what's happening in the north.

Q: How often do players interact with their personal stories? Occasionally. Not lately due to being underground, but personal stories have come up in the past and will again.

Q: For fan art, do the cast want their characters to look like them? Either would be fun. Lots of art is being based off the initial work of Kit Buss, which is cool. Marisha would like to see a variety of interpretations. Everything is welcome.

Q: Do you write a synopsis for previous ventures? There is a synopsis under each episode on the Geek & Sundry website.

Q: How did the campaign start? Liam asked to play D&D for a night for his birthday. The next day he asked if they wanted to do it again. It took a while for everyone to respond, but eventually they all agreed.

Q: Is Trinket's intelligence higher than Grog's? No, Trinket's intelligence is a four, two points lower than Grog's.

Q: Best and worst D&D memories? The games that lasted 6-8 hours were bad.

Q: How much do you write and how much do you improv? Everything is improv. Matt writes plot points, but mostly improvises as well.

Q: Does Percy's full name fit into a tweet? Taliesin has so far specifically avoided tweeting out the full name, because he enjoys watching people try to figure it out. Once Percy is no longer in a hole in the ground and is trying to impress people, he will say his name more.

Q: Did you ever consider doing a longer episode? Do people want to watch for five hours? The group used to play for eight.

Q: Why does Matt treat ones as regular failures instead of flops? Matt runs his campaigns pretty hard, so there would have been a TPK by now. Instead, Matt treats ones as an automatic fail regardless of bonuses. In some situations, especially if it's funny and makes sense, there may be extra drawbacks, but he doesn't feel the need to do it consistently and up the challenge level. One example: During the fight against the Dread Emperor, Scanlan tried to land the final blow, but rolled a one. He charged the enemy, who sidestepped him, and Scanlan went flying through a stained-glass window into a bramble bush below.

Q: When will Sam make a Weird Al Yankovic-esque compilation of songs? He's working on an album. No Holds Bard.

Q: Ashley: Scanlan or Steve Rogers? Mr. Rogers, for sure.

Q: When are you guys going to do a drunk episode? Have they not already?

Q: Matt, do you fudge your rolls? No, the essence of fate is what makes it fun.

Q: Worst possible enemy to fight? Probably a beholder, but we'll find out! Orion / Tiberius is genuinely terrified by the beholder.

Q: How did the party meet in-game? In the very first game, everyone met in the city of Stilben as individual mercenaries and joined together over a posting in a tavern. They met Percy later, in a prison in the Umbra Hills. Laura would still like to know how he got there.

Q: Why did Scanlan take a dump on that guest room bed? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Q: Pike's death? It was during the final boss battle for the first arc. A glabrezu, or treachery demon, had infiltrated the family of Sovereign Uriel, replacing their souls with shades. The party managed to recover the family, but got into a fight with the glabrezu. Pike got too close and took a critical hit that instantly killed her under the Pathfinder rules. It was very sad; there is a clip on Liam's Vine of the incident.

Q: (question for Matt) Matt has ideas to keep the campaign going past level 20. At that point, the party starts killing gods.

'''Q: You cannot pick yourself. Which is your favorite character?''' The players answer in turn:
 * Ashley would pick Grog or Scanlan, but has a healthy respect for rogues.
 * Travis would pick Mercer. Matt says that's cheating.
 * Taliesin would pick Vex.
 * Liam thinks Scanlan is the best for a laugh, but loves how Tiberius is quirky and Keyleth is klutzy yet powerful. He's also partial to his twin, Vex. Or Trinket. It's hard to choose.
 * Marisha has a soft spot for Grog. She also enjoys Percy as a character.
 * Orion too likes Grog, enjoying the complete opposite of Tiberius.
 * Laura has more fun when Sam is playing, because of Scanlan's ideas (like Burt Reynolds).
 * Everyone loves Pike, their healer.
 * Matt loves Gilmore and is excited to introduce him on-stream.

As a sidebar, ''Ashley notes that there is always a Winter's Fest episode at Christmas, where they give each other presents from their characters. Grog once gave Marisha a pair of pine cone earrings that were just normal pine cones. Taliesin still has a bag of leftover IKEA crap.''

Q: What kind of dice do you all use, and what do you do with bad dice? Laura explains her system: if a die rolls a one, it's gone for the game. If it rolls badly more than three times, it goes to the dice graveyard. This has happened to her very expensive amethyst dice, which are now garbage. On the other hand, Ashley, whose dice have been treating her poorly, has resisted buying new ones because she believes it's not the dice that are the problem.

Q: Who has the most magic items? Tiberius is a hoarder.

Q: What is Marisha's favorite animal form? Minxie, the saber-toothed tiger.

Q: Hogwarts houses? One by one:
 * Laura: Hufflepuff
 * Liam: Ravenclaw
 * Matt: Hufflepuff
 * Marisha: Ravenclaw
 * Taliesin: Slytherin
 * Sam: hasn't read or seen Harry Potter
 * Orion: Slytherin.

'''Q: Liam, in the last Q&A, you referenced going through a rough patch. Are you still going through it, and how has D&D helped?''' Liam confirms that he has been having undiagnosed issues with one of his ears, which was wildly disorienting at first. Symptoms have gotten less extreme since they started two years ago, but are still present. Running helps. The most important thing in his life are his wife and two children; the second most important are the people on the couch with him. He still looks forward to these nights every week.

Q: Advice for first-time DMs? Matt is holding his long answer for the week off. Short answer: take improvisational classes, be able to think on your feet, be open to players' creativity, don't shut people down. Don't think of the game as you against the players; let them try crazy schemes, though they may be more difficult. Let the players fail spectacularly, because it makes a great story. Have a sheet of fantasy names for unexpected NPCs, and take notes afterward. Have fun. Learn the rules well so you can act as a reference.

Q: What Game of Thrones house do you belong to? One by one:
 * Travis: Baratheon
 * Laura: Stark
 * Ashley: Stark
 * Sam: Slytherin (no, Sam)
 * Taliesin: Greyjoy

Q: Is Tiberius inspired by a particular wizard? Yes, Elminster Aumar, whom Orion voices in the Neverwinter MMO.

Q: Are Scanlan's feelings for Pike mutual? Pike's heart might belong to somebody else. This is in her backstory, but she hasn't talked to anybody else about it, even Matt. It doesn't mean she couldn't possibly love Scanlan, though.

Q: Were you guys ever playing during the D&D scare of the '80s? Most of them didn't start playing until the '90s. Liam might have been playing as early as '89.

Q: How sexy is Grog? As sexy as you want him to be.

Q: Can we have a Kima wedding? Grog is working on her.

Q: Where does Travis find his awesome shirts? The internet.

Q: (unknown) The campaign was originally played in Pathfinder and switched to 5th edition D&D right before starting the stream. Matt finds the new system easier for such a large group.

Q: Favorite moment since starting Critical Role? Liam enjoyed sneaking into the illithid captain's room with Scanlan, holding a bucket of poop. Taliesin's was his first crit (and kill) with his new gun. Matt's was taking out the abyssal abomination. Sam's was springing Keyleth out of jail by convincing the guards she had pubic lice (something that happened pre-stream).

Q: If you all die, or some of you die, do you start back at level one or at a higher level? They would start a level behind everyone else.

'''Q: Matt, do you design specific things for an hourglass? Are there particular scenarios that require it?''' Yes, though not so many in the Underdark. Matt likes circumstances with a definite time limit. He loosely figures out number of successes versus number of failures based on 4th edition rules.

Q: Do you play any other tabletop games? Risk, Magic: the Gathering, Settlers of Catan, Mansions of Madness, Warmachine Hordes, Dungeon (a D&D-inspired board game), Titansgrave.

Q: What's a good way to get wife, kids, or friends involved? Liam got his eight-year-old son involved by way of the game Dungeon, which is like a light version of D&D.

Q: Matt, how do you handle experience leveling? Experience is divvied out at certain milestones, when the characters have a chance to rest. No one levels in the middle of a battle.

Q: When did Percy build Bad News, and how long did it take? During the changeover to 5th edition, and it took 4-5 months in game.

Q: How did Travis become a goliath, since they're not an official race in the book? Goliaths are official in 5th edition. Travis asked Matt what the bigger creatures were. Matt said orcs, or goliaths who were half-and-half. Travis wanted to be that.

Q: How is Critical Role going, compared to how you envisioned it? Matt notes that one of their biggest fears was that having the show would change the game for them. They were careful not to change how they played. Laura was worried that having the tables far apart would screw things up, but found that it's just like playing at home across the table from each other. Matt says there has been very little change, except that now they don't have to explain what they do to people anymore -- everyone already knows. There aren't as many lulls where people get tired; it feels more like theater.

Q: Matt and Taliesin, how do you handle Percy crafting things? Taliesin makes a standard roll, plus dexterity and his proficiency bonus for using a tinkering kit. He describes to Matt his schematics and materials, or asks how to get the materials / how expensive they will be. A failed roll results in a total waste of materials; a decent roll produces something functional, but perhaps not predictable. There is a bonus if Percy is tinkering in his workshop at the keep.

Q: What was it like shooting the opening credits? It was fun! It was not intended to be all in costume, but then Matt and Taliesin emptied their ren faire closets. Then add alcohol.

Q: If you accept fan art, would you also accept someone making fight music for the game? Totally.

Q: Is it overwhelming to have 8000 people watching? No, it's cool! Matt likes that that he can be more open about playing D&D. Liam likes that it has inspired more people to play.

Q: What is each of your favorite things about playing D&D? Liam says, of all the games they all play, this is the most social. Marisha loves that a group of grown adults can use their time and imaginations together, and have experiences that feel so real after the fact. Laura admits that she has dreams about their characters. Ashley originally liked playing make-believe with no one to judge, but now loves how accepting the community has been. Orion enjoys it in the same way he enjoys improv, as an escape into a different world. Taliesin enjoys watching people take risks.

Q: Why is Tiberius so loyal to Keyleth? Tiberius comes from a political family and considers Keyleth to be royalty.

'''Q: Will the video be on demand? If people miss it, how will they see it?''' The video will be up on the website.

Q: Is it weird not being a fantasy character in a fantasy setting, for Percy as a gunslinger? Taliesin has always been fascinated by the moment in history where society went from bows and arrows to guns. He enjoys RPing the guy who made the mistake of inventing guns.

Q: If each of you could have a familiar like Trinket, what would it be? Tiberius would have a dragonite / pseudodragon named Monty. Percy would have a flying squirrel; so would Liam. Keyleth would have a mountain lion.

Q: Have any of you reached god-mode status in past D&D campaigns? Taliesin has, but his DM was not very good and they quit.

Q: What was it like for Matt to DM for pewdiepie and Ken? Fun! Fitting both the learning curve and a session into half an hour was a challenge, but it worked out well. Would do again.

Q: How did Matt get into dungeon mastering? He had a terrible dungeon master in high school, got frustrated, and bought the books to do it himself.

Q: If you guys could be a different race, what would you be? Laura would be a tiefling. Taliesin enjoys being the token human. Orion is dragonborn for life. Liam doesn't want to say, for fear of spoiling the future. Marisha might be a dwarf. Matt would be a dwarf bard.

The chat suggests Critters as the name for Critical Role fans.

'''Q: What would each of you recommend to tell friends to get them into D&D? How would you recommend other people push D&D onto people?''' Liam recommends while drinking with friends, like a video game. Ashley suggests finding a good DM, or becoming one. Matt notes that it's a form of communal storytelling. Liam notes that even playing with someone not as good as Matt to DM is still better than not playing, so get started. Orion says it's not about math or paper and pencil; it's more like going outside and playing all day when he was a kid. Taliesin says it's a game that lends to the kind of bonded experiences that created the friends he had in high school. Laura adds that you don't need to play with people you know well.

Zac announces that there will be a new special edition tee every month on Teespring, and an official merch store will be coming in June.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * K'Varn (seen via Scrying)
 * Jerahd Stormwind
 * The formorian giant

Returning

 * Clarota
 * Lady Kima of Vord

Quotations
Laura: And really loud.
 * Percival de Rolo: This is a terrible plan. I think it's a great idea.
 * Liam: Once we finish this math, this explosion is going to be really cool.