Omens

is the first episode of the fourth chapter of Critical Role. Vox Machina returns to General Krieg's home, learning about J'mon Sa Ord, ruler of Ank'Harel on the desert continent of Marquet. The group discovers a mysterious skull, and Vax'ildan questions the priorities of the group. Meanwhile, the city of Emon experiences a substantial political shift.

Previously on Critical Role
"Our intrepid adventurers, Vox Machina, having returned the traitor Riskel Daxio to Sovereign Uriel in the center of the town of Emon—Grog beheading him as part of his punishment for being such a traitorous worshiper of the evil entity known as Vecna. Upon going out for a pub crawl [they] came across Gilmore in a secret speakeasy, and managed to enjoy a Heroes' Feast at his expense. [Most of Vox Machina] got very drunk, Gilmore had a very intense conversation with Vax to ensure where they stood, and Keyleth vomited multiple times.

''"After which, the party found their way back to the Keep, where Dr. Dranzel and his Spectacular Traveling Troupe were drinking and expecting [them] to be there so they could converse and try to convince [them] of a little caper that they've been trying to get their head around for a while, and [the party] seemed to have an entry to this possible windfall of money. Scanlan, after courting this young pixie-haired gnome, was instead confronted within his bedroom by Kaylie, who revealed herself to be Scanlan's long unknown daughter, from many years ago, who had trained very hard as a bard at the College of the White Duke in Westruun, and honed her skills with the blade with the intent of finding [Scanlan] one day and disgracing [him]. Thanks to Scanlan's sudden realization, change of heart, and attempt to connect with his lost blood, broke a bit of the cold, honed exterior, and managed to prevent a very dangerous and possibly deadly encounter. She left, frustrated and confused, and hasn't been seen since.''

"The rest of [the party], gathering the next morning, discussed this endeavor with Dr. Dranzel and how they had found a home that had been long abandoned after being purchased by a collector—a home that [Vox Machina] had ransacked a little over a year before, after finding a portal within that led a dragon's horde, as the previous person who lived there, General Krieg, was actually a dragon who had infiltrated the Council. Brimscythe, the dragon, was slaughtered in this endeavor, however it has been over a year since. [Vox Machina] returned to this house, scoured it, found [their] way through the still-existing secret passage that led [them] to the now partially collapsed cavern which once housed Brimscythe and his horde.

"[They] found the tunnel itself freezing cold, the rubble of the partially collapsed cavern had been ravaged by some sort of large clawed entity that Vex had identified as another equally dangerous dragon, who seemed to have rummaged through and found the corpse of Brimscythe. [They] also found that a number of gold coins, a bit of his horde that had been buried, were now exposed by these strange smooth tunnels that were carved into the rock. Upon [Vex], Scanlan, and Trinket inquiring there, the rest of the party scattered: Pike and Keyleth went to find what seemed to be the owner of the house, now frozen in fright in a far alcove; and the rest of the group traveling towards the mouth of the cavern itself. The ground begins to rumble suddenly. Exploding from the rock and shale at the bottom of the cavern floor, [the party] managed to see before [them], piercing forth from the ground itself, a very very large, segmented, armored, worm-like entity, dark purple with rows and rows of teeth coming out of its eyeless face."

Part I
The battle starts with Vex, Keyleth and Pike scattering to get cover.

Grog starts the combat by throwing his javelin of lightning at the worm. Keyleth looks for weaknesses and learns the oversized eyeless form isn't a natural entity. She tells Pike to avoid moving. Vax notices the beast tracks his position even why trying to moves silently; he learns the beast tracks movement. The puncture wound leaks a bit of black liquid. The beast responds by burrowing underground then bursts from below him. He manages to dodge a bite. The worm misses an attack with the hooked stinger at the end of its tail. Scanlan casts Eyebite to sicken the worm. Keyleth, out of turn order, instructs the team to get in view and within range of what she presents as a Fly spell. Percy's Bad News lands one bullet out of two. Trinket is moved onto a corner, then Vex throws a storm of arrows that cracks the worm's shell. Her second arrow causes the entity to shriek. Pike skips her turn as instructed by Keyleth.

Grog hits twice in a frenzied rage. The worm starts to look rough. A similar sized worm, without a stinger, bursts out of the ground, its armor purple and white and frozen mist exiting its maw. It sprays ice shards towards Grog and Vax, damaging the other worm in the process. Keyleth moves towards the center of the cavern, then turns herself, Percy, Vex and Grog into mist form through Wind Walk. The players are informed that their turns are limited to just dashing, or slowly reverting the change. Vex starts to turn back, suggests (before it's clarified that they can't talk in this form) that Scanlan dispels magic, who doesn't know the spell anyway. The dark worms attack Scanlan, who fails to protects himself with cutting words and get swallowed. Taliesin and Marisha start eating popcorn. Scanlan manages to maintain his eyebite spell; he tries to escape the acidic digestive track by casting Thunderwave from the inside of the worm. Percy in mist form fails to poke the giant frost worm to get him to attack the other one. Having rolled a natural 20 in the first roll of a disadvantage, Taliesin cajoles his dice into rolling high. He goes to a corner and starts reverting the change to Mist Form. Vex repositions silently, then conjures a barrage of arrows towards the stalactites in the cave ceiling, which fall on a worm. Pike, controlled by Matt, doesn't know what made her ally into mist, calls to them and casts Flame Strike.

Grog moves around, but doesn't start reverting out of mist form. Vax and the first worm are hit by a frost breath. The team realizes the worms aren't allies. On Keyleth's turn, Matt tries to justify that a positive, unwanted spell should be able to be dispelled at will by its caster; it's also found out that the spell should have taken a minute to cast. She dispels the effect, finds lose rocks to cave-in and attract the worms to. Vax uses dimension door to get next to Grog and throws a dagger while just out of range. While Scanlan gets digested by the worm, he finds out it'd probably not be weak to poison, as it has a stinger. He dimension doors back to the cave. The first worm retaliates to the attack from the frost worm, then miss a stinger attack at Keyleth, and digs underground. Grog and Percy hold their turns until its return. Pike calls down another Flame Strike on the frost worm. Vex's arrows miss it.

The frost worm bites Keyleth, who casts Blight as payback and heals herself. Vax asks Pike for healing, then hits the visible worm. The purple worm bursts out of the ground under Vax and devours him. Percy misfires with Bad News, then manages to kill it by a kill into its throat. Grog cuts open the corpse with Craven Edge. In the process, he hits Vax, who falls unconscious. Scanlan takes out a jaw mandible with a bolt of lightning. Vex and Percy manage several non-magical hits, while Trinket sits still. An alarmed Pike brings back Vax to health.

Grog slits open the back of the frost worm with Craven Edge. As the battle ends, he seeks the blade's approval. He covers up his whispering to the sword by repeating his question aloud to the party.

Vax is scared another beast might come. Grog starts rage-looting the gold pile, assisted by Scanlan's Bigby's hand. Vex shows her trust issues about her team hoarding gold and monitors them. Keyleth starts looting the worms' bodies and acquires a mandible and blood. Vax takes a rest on Trinket.

Vex tries to get some of the frost worm armor. When the big usable chunks don't give when pulled on, she gives up on trying and goes back to taking gold. Percy goes to check the frozen man, who looks like he might have been frozen by the frost worm. Keyleth starts thawing the man's feet with the expectation of being able to move his entire corpse.

A larger purple worm interrupts the looting and the party runs towards the teleportation circle. They understand that new worm is an adult while the previous ones were juvenile entities.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Warden Cyrus Hume
 * Vorugal
 * Raishan
 * Umbrasyl

Returning

 * Craven Edge
 * Tofor Brotoras
 * Assum Emring
 * Brom Goldhand
 * Sovereign Uriel Tal'Dorei III
 * Zedd
 * Jarett Howarth
 * Kent Plucker
 * Dr. Dranzel
 * Laina Yor
 * Cordell
 * Sherri
 * Shaun Gilmore
 * Thordak

Mentioned

 * Brimscythe
 * Allura Vysoren
 * Riskel Daxio
 * Cassandra de Rolo