Onward to Vesrah

is the eighty-seventh episode of the first campaign of Critical Role. Vox Machina sets sail across the Ozmit Sea to the home of the Water Ashari, dealing with scurvy trouble along the way, where upon arrival Keyleth will endeavor to complete her Aramenté... and discover a horrible truth.

Announcements

 * Tonight's sponsor is Tor Books. Sam suggested a few ways to show love for the show's sponsors.
 * New episode of GM Tips is up, discussing homebrewing.
 * Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire is in the final 24 hours of its crowdsource campaign.
 * Matt will be voicing Deadshot in the upcoming Justice 2, and Laura plays Supergirl.
 * The first episode of Taliesin's new show, The Wednesday, Club, is out. Next week, they will be discussing comic book characters with mental health issues.

Previously on Critical Role
"Vox Machina, having defeated the Chroma Conclave and restoring order and — for the time being — peace to the landscape of Tal'Dorei, resurrected [their] friend Scanlan Shorthalt. However he realized he needed some time to himself, to both connect with his interesting direction in life and with his estranged illegitimate daughter, Kaylie.

"Upon leaving, the party proceeded to find their way to close all the loose ends that they hadn't quite had time to get to with the Conclave's assault. That involved returning the ashes of Senokir's wife to Vasselheim, and then making [their] way to Ank'Harel to deliver the hands of Ripley to the Scarbearers guild.

"On [their] way there, [they] encountered a new adventurer: Taryon Darrington, who was looking to join an adventuring group for experience. He paid his way into [their] service, and upon being returned to Whitestone [they] gave him a hazing which broke him enough to be a little more honest with his reasoning for going on this venture. [...] Knowing more about [their] new companion, [they] accepted him for the time being, [with Taryon now] understanding the dangers that are involved in following [their] path, and he accepted.

"[They] made [their] way to Emon, looking [for] a way to find passage towards Vesrah, the home of the Water Ashari and the hopeful completion of Keyleth's Aramenté. Upon finding and hiring a crew under the Captain Adella, [they] made [their] way onto [their] new ship and began to traverse westward onto the Ozmit Sea."

Part I
Vox Machina have been traversing the Ozmit Sea aboard the Drensala Vis for a few days, relaxing, doing some reading, and generally hanging out. Vex, flying above the ship, notices something dark and stationary in the distance that doesn't seem to be a landmass. She goes to tell Captain Adella, but finds that the dark spot has disappeared when she looks again. Adella nonetheless prepares for battle as a precaution.

A couple of hours later, the ship comes upon an unnatural-looking fog bank in the ocean. Adella tries to veer around it. The fog follows them as they move, so that eventually Adella must give up and venture into the fog, losing all visibility. Keyleth and Tary give themselves gills and dive into the water to investigate. They notice something invisible sitting in the water, just as a pair of grappling hooks are thrown onto the Drensala Vis.

Tary and Keyleth find their way onto the enemy ship just as hostile forces are boarding their own. A skirmish ensues with several pirates, a fish-like humanoid, and a water elemental. Tary gets the killing blow on the fish-man while Keyleth uses Control Water to help sink the enemy ship. Percy, Vax, and Grog quickly loot the ship as it is sinking. Percy finds a prisoner in a cage belowdecks, and Vax helps get the person out and onto Vex's broom. They all return to the Drensala Vis.

Part II
Keyleth uses the last of her Control Water spell to pull water out of the drowned prisoner's lungs, reviving him. They learn that the man's name is Thenton Groose, formerly of the Tempest Fang. By the way he evades their questions, they guess that he is also a pirate of some sort, but relatively harmless on his own. They give him food and water and agree to drop him off at the next port they visit.

That evening, Percy and Tary succeed in tinkering an adjustable housing for a Gem of Brilliance, which Percy can use as a flashlight. Keyleth confides to Vax that she is afraid of no longer being Percy's best friend; Vax points out how nice it is to no longer have imminent death be the worst of their problems. Vex talks to Percy about his last resurrection experience, and whether he thinks Orthax will try to take him again in the future.

The next evening, they hear a cry of "Land ho!" and rush on deck to find the ship being navigated through treacherous, reef-filled waters. They put down anchor not far from the home of the Water Ashari, where they can see lights coming on in the night. The city is built in the water itself, between three islands. Vox Machina make their way toward the buildings. They are met by a young boy named Yulan, who brings them to meet Uvenda, Heart of the Tides.

Uvenda says that she knew Keyleth's mother, who made it to their tribe but was unable to complete her aramenté. Over dinner, Uvenda explains that the final task of the aramenté will be to venture through the rift into the Elemental Plane of Water. There, they must gather three lodestones that have been dropped by a kraken living not far from the rift. They must not, however, kill the kraken, as the Water Ashari people would then lose their source of lodestones.

Keyleth's mother, it seems, attempted this task with her own group of companions, but they were all killed in the effort. Of her remains, only a leg was found, so she could not even be properly interred. Keyleth accepts this news and agrees to attempt the task the following morning.

Vox Machina

 * Keyleth
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Pike Trickfoot (absent; mentioned only)
 * Trinket
 * Vax'ildan
 * Vex'ahlia

New

 * Thenton Groose
 * Uvenda
 * Yulan

Returning

 * Captain Adella
 * Taryon Darrington
 * Doty

Mentioned

 * Korrin
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Vilya

Quotations

 * Vax: (referring to Percy and Tary) Those two have never met a nerd as pure as the other.
 * Percy: I’m starting to wonder if this is what all those heroes I read about when I was young, if this is what they felt, is just a lot of getting very comfortable with not knowing and being nervous and wondering if you’re really just the villain of someone else’s story.