The Echo Tree

is the seventh episode of the fifth chapter of Critical Role. The members of Vox Machina prepare for their final approach to the cancerous tree, including a discussion between Keyleth and, seemingly, the bog itself. The tree opens to them, and Vex'ahlia is offered a disturbing choice...

Pre-Show
The following pre-show content was removed from the final Geek & Sundry YouTube video:
 * The updated Critical Role fan art appreciation video aired.

Announcements
The following announcement content was removed from the final Geek & Sundry YouTube video:
 * The previous week's episode,, was performed live at Gen Con, and the cast enjoyed meeting all the Critters there.  The studio now seems quiet to Travis after the crowd at the theatre!
 * LootCrate is once again sponsoring Critical Role.  Use lootcrate.com/criticalrole for a $3 discount off the subscription cost.
 * LootCrate now also offers LootWear bags with apparel.
 * The Critical Role campaign setting book series was announced at Gen Con.  Matthew Mercer is writing it with the aid of James and Ryan at Geek & Sundry.  The first book on Tal'Dorei will be out in Spring 2017 (northern hemisphere).
 * Marisha Ray's new run of Signal Boost! with Matt Key started this week in episode 17, "Doctor Strange Love".
 * Episode 1 of the new Batman: The Telltale Series was released, with Travis Willingham playing Harvey Dent and Laura Bailey playing Catwoman.
 * World of WarCraft: Legion is in early release, with Liam O'Brien voicing Illidan Stormrage and Taliesin Jaffe voicing the male night elf demon hunter playable character.  Matthew Mercer voices several characters, including Aluneth, Greatstaff of the Magna (the arcane mage's artifact staff).
 * The 50th anniversary live-action opening credits aired after the announcements.

Previously on Critical Role
''Vox Machina, having to find and collect the artifacts known as the Vestiges of Divergence to prepare themselves for battle against the Chroma Conclave, a group of extremely dangerous, ancient, chromatic dragons, who are wreaking havoc through the Tal'Dorei countryside, and get vengeance for the loss of Vex and Vax's [mother] in the past. [...] ''

''However, you guys have been making your way into the Feywild in search of a specific item, known as Fenthras, a bow of which Vex has been sort of keeping an eye on this whole time. [...]  They've made their way through a number of strange, dangerous, and awkward encounters in the Feywild, including an encounter with their father [...] in Syngorn, which is currently hiding out in the Feywild until they have prepared for battle against Thordak, the Cinder King.''

''You went through the Moonbrush and parlayed between pixies and werewolves, you pushed past the Gilded Run, a series of enchanted, dangerous rivers that keep the Shademurk Bog in check from spreading across the land with its corruption, and you stepped into the Shademurk Bog, its strange, sludgy, black, corrupt interior, stumbling upon what appears to be a small hovel, built out of a tree trunk. The gnomes, making their way towards [it] via Vex's broom, caught a partial glimpse of the creature that lived within. A door was suddenly opened, and upon floating back, the broom was robbed of its magical enchantment temporarily. The party regathered and are now deciding what to do here in the depths of the Shademurk Bog. So, as the gnomes have returned, your broom has seemingly been proven to still function.''

Part I
After a brief discussion about what to do about the nearby hag abode, Vox Machina collectively agrees to bypass it. They stealth their way along the outskirts of the vicinity and follow the flow of the bog's black sludge. Along the way, Vex sees the door to the bog house close, and Pike's projected form disappears, once again leaving the party without their cleric. The group presses on, the bog's black goo growing thicker and tougher to move in the closer they get to the cursed tree.

Vex spies figures in the distance and Percy looks through Bad News's scope to see two trolls eating something. The group discusses going around when the trolls look around briefly and dive into the muck. Fearing an attack from below, Vex ascends through the canopy on her broom, spying the central mountain in the bog as well as the extremely tall cursed tree protruding from the swamp. Vex takes Vax on the broom, Keyleth Polymorphs Grog into a gorilla, she herself Beast Shapes into a giant eagle carrying Scanlan, and Percy drinks his Potion of Climbing. They all move through the bog canopy and enter a shaded nightfall in proximity to the giant tree. They observe the tree seems to move in a lifelike manner, almost like a giant organism. After scanning the tree and surrounding area, they try to rest in the canopy, but the branches seem to sag down throwing Percy and Keyleth to the ground.

They decide to reconvene in the Magnificent Mansion to brainstorm a plan of attack. Once inside, Percy and Keyleth craft swamp shoes for the group. Keyleth turns into an earth elemental and plunges into the bog in order to Earth Glide through the soil layer beneath the muck. She tests the roots of the cursed tree for any illusory magic, but it is solid and real. Grog attempts to level up the Titanstone Knuckles by destroying the kitchen, much to Scanlan's consternation. He herds Grog into the Mansion's training area and transforms into a triceratops that Grog beats on for a half hour, but the knuckles remain the same. Scanlan asks if he can try to level up Mythcarver by attacking Grog, to which Grog agrees. When the first try doesn't work, Grog urges him to try again. Mythcarver, however, remains unchanged.

Vex'ahlia stays in the doorway of the mansion, just looking out at the surrounding forest. Eventually, she sees a giant hole or clearing develop as if multiple trees suddenly shifted or disappeared. Keyleth goes outside and semi-submerges in the muck to cast Commune with Nature. She learns that a being named Saundor is at the heart of the bog corruption, that the tree is more than just a tree, and that it is harming the life around it. Vax remembers that an archfey here was the holder of Fenthras. He was betrayed and his heart became corrupted, and thus became the center of this corruption.

That night, Vax talks privately to Vex, saying she seemed more than usually on edge while they were in Syngorn. He noticed how much it affected her when Percy gave her the title of Baroness. He tells her she's already perfect, at least in her brother's eyes, and he hopes she believes in herself as much as he does.

The party then takes a long rest.

Part II
Vox Machina approaches the cursed tree on ground level. Scanlan speaks aloud an appeal to Saundor to no effect. Keyleth gives a similar appeal a try, and much to their surprise, the vines around the tree open up to reveal a passage inside. Making their way through the narrow passage, Keyleth senses the presence of Saundor nearby. As the entrance closes behind them, they make their way into a large central chamber where Saundor addresses Vex directly after descending from the ceiling. The Archfey seeks to relate to Vex, recalling her personality and past to her. Saundor offers unspecified powers in return for Vex' heart, but the half-elven ranger shuts him down and nocks an arrow. The Archfey makes one final request, but Vex refuses to listen and fires an arrow. Saundor, shot by an arrow, withdraws into his mess of vines that reform around him and angrily summons two Treants to his side. The battle is joined.







Vox Machina

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

New

 * Two unnamed trolls
 * Saundor, archfey of the Feywild

Returning

 * Artagan
 * Ukurat

Quotations
Vex'ahlia: What would you ask in return? Saundor: Your heart. Vex'ahlia: My heart is someone else’s. And I pull my bow.
 * Percival de Rolo: Life needs things to live.
 * Percival de Rolo: The lovely thing about a title is that when used appropriately and properly, it’s mostly there to remind you you don’t really need it.
 * Saundor: Sweet, broken Vex'ahlia. Unwanted daughter, unproven ally. Selfish and cruel. You drive those whom you would call family into danger and death for your own gain. I understand you.
 * Saundor: I wish a bond. A companion once more. Would you embrace me? Embrace your rebirth? I could give you so much. I could give you the means to protect them. Your home.
 * Scanlan: (When Keyleth turns into a fire elemental, enters a treant, attacks it from within while burning it, and prepares to stride into the other treant) We brought a gun to a tree fight.
 * When Keyleth successfully hits with her first two intra-treant strikes, Liam parodies Malone from The Untouchables:  "They send one of yours to the Feywild, you send one of theirs to the morgue."