The Feywild


 * &rarr; For the location that this episode is named for, see Feywild.

is the third episode of the fifth chapter of Critical Role. Between this episode and the previous Vox Machina campaign episode, two special one-shot episodes of Critical Role aired:  and.

In search of one of the Vestiges of the Divergence, Vox Machina enters the Feywild—a magical but dangerous twilight reflection of the Material Plane. After finding a nymph from their past and a mischievous satyr, the party finds its way to a familiar place: the home of Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia's father, the elven city of Syngorn.

Previously on Critical Role
"Vox Machina, the group of adventurers who had found their way, now seeking the Vestiges of the Divergence, ancient artifacts of power, to help them in their struggle against the Chroma Conclave, the collection of chromatic dragons that have just razed the entire countryside of Tal'Dorei.

"They've acquired a few Vestiges, but the most recent one sends them to the Feywild in search of Fenthras, a bow which seems to acquire the eyes of Vex upon it. The party took care of some business, managed to ward off an assassination attempt by a rakshasa, and found their way through Keyleth's Plane Shift spell into the Feywild, somewhere in the vicinity of the portal where the nymph in the Frostweald, on meeting Vox Machina years before, supposedly lives."

Part I
Vox Machina find themselves in the Feywild, a surreal landscape of vibrant purples, blues and pinks of sunset, tall thick grasses, vine-covered trees, and hundreds of small, bobbing faerie lights. They are surrounded by small pools of water scattered ten to thirty feet apart. Percy notices an old stone structure in the distance and he and Keyleth head in that direction despite the twins' warnings. Approaching the structure cautiously, they find it is a mostly nature-reclaimed and vine-covered ruin. Meanwhile, Vex gets on her broom and cautiously flies high enough to see around them, spotting a larger water pool on the other side of the ruin, with something moving beneath its surface.

Keyleth has been exploring the plants, and is enchanted by pretty white flowers on the vines. She reaches out and plucks one. It immediately withers, the vines begin to writhe and pull away from the stone, and there is a sound of movement or shifting of water on the other side of the stone wall. Two hands creep up over the stone, and an extremely beautiful nude woman steps up over the edge of the wall. Percy, standing next to Keyleth, is immediately blinded. Hesitantly, he says, "Hello?" and the creature darts backward, dives into the pool, and vanishes.

Grog saw none of this, and although they suspect it may be the nymph he encountered earlier in their adventures, they aren't sure. Vex loans Percy Trinket as a guide bear. Grog is persuaded to check out where the woman disappeared, jumps over the wall, approaches the pond, and calls out. There is no response. He throws his basilisk egg into the pool and it floats before being pulled under by a hand appearing from the water, but when he calls out again there is no answer. Scanlan starts coaching him through the earring on what to say, and it goes well until it doesn't. The nymph surfaces, laughing uproariously, rises, and walks on the water's surface over to the party. She apologizes for blinding Percy, and Keyleth apologizes for picking the flower.

Just then, Pike arrives, magically transported by her divine energies, startling the nymph back underwater, but they are able to coax her back out. She asks Grog if he still has her heart, and he tells her he used it to save his life. She is glad, and will begin making a new one. But she is unable to cure Percy's blindness. Vex asks her if she knows the location of the cancerous tree holding the Vestige they seek in a bog near the Gilded Run, and she directs them to the Shademurk Bog two days duskward although she does not know that specific tree. She advises them to gauge with care that which they tamper. Many things live in the Feywild that could aid them or destroy them, and many who call the Feywild their home are in themselves riddles. Some would consider Vox Machina more of a toy or a plaything than a visitor or passerby.

They ask if they can bring her anything, and when she requests books, Vex gives her the book on the Raven Queen. In response to their request for any aid she can give, she casts Barkskin on Percy. Grog bows to her before they leave. After some bickering among the party, Pike casts Greater Restoration on Percy, restoring his sight, and they continue walking about two hours toward the setting sun, noticing that it never actually sets but remains in a perpetual dusk. Vex mounts her broom and flies above the canopy, seeing the edge of the forest about ten miles off, some mountains in the far distance, and a faint flickering light amongst the grass fields beyond the forest. She descends and they continue another three hours, finally reaching the forest edge. Just then, Vex hears a soft chuckle and sees a shaded figure dart behind a tree. Keeping their eyes open, they move onward out of the trees and into chest-high grasses.

As they walk, Keyleth teaches Vex the spell Speak with Animals. She tries it on Trinket, and to her delight, is able to ask if he minds being in the necklace. He doesn't, if it makes her happy. They have a lovely conversation while the spell lasts. The glimmering light Vex saw earlier grows closer as they walk towards it, and eventually they make out that it is some sort of fairly large civilization with towers and a stone wall at the edge of the mountains. Vex flies up again to get a better view, and spots a small humanoid about thirty feet from the party. He appears human, with a big thick curled beard, very coarse dark hair, and a muscled torso. His hindquarters are furred and end in cloven hooves, and he has a small pair of horns hooking off the back of his head. He is skulking through the grass, carrying a small book and a long quill, and occasionally leaping up over the grass line, landing, and then drawing something in the book. Vex floats to just above him and asks, "What are you drawing?"

Startled, he leaps up and tries to distract her, but she grabs his arm and takes him on the broom to the rest of the party. Grog grabs him. He introduces himself as Garmelie, a simple wanderer who enjoys learning about things that are new and different. Scanlan uses Suggestion to gain his cooperation and they look through his book, which is full of satiric cartoonish parodies of the party. The earlier pictures in the book are all of elves. The party "invites" Garmelie to join them in Scanlan's Magnificent Mansion for further discussion.

Vox Machina

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

New

 * Unnamed feyspecks
 * Unnamed shaded figure (possibly the satyr below?)
 * Garmelie: A satyr from the Feywild, captured by Vex'ahlia.
 * Watcher Iova:  An elf from Syngorn.
 * Tsoradun the Happy (mentioned only)
 * Wodena (mentioned only)

Returning

 * Nahla: A nymph from the Feywild, whom Grog had encountered (possibly intimately) before the stream.

Quotations
Grog: O Nymph! Hear my ball! Scanlan: Nope, call. Grog: Call! Scanlan: Once, we spent an afternoon together. Grog: Once, we spent an afternoon together. Scanlan: The sun never shone brighter. Grog: The sun never shone brighter! Scanlan: The clouds were never quite as fluffy. Grog: The clouds were never quite as fluffy! Scanlan: Oh, it would make me a man again to see you once more. Grog: Oh. That was too much. Scanlan and Grog: (together) Oh! It would make me a man again to see you once more I have a small dick. Vex'ahlia I don’t believe that. Percy: No, it’s a sure sign of it, is an abject misery, believe me. I can speak to it. You look too much like you, and you don’t look enough like something you’re supposed to be. If you feel the urge to deeply bullshit, I’d be happy to help you. It’s not hard. Vex'ahlia: No? Percy: No. It is easy to pretend you come from money. You just have to be a bit of a shit and wear what everybody else is wearing. Does this have something to do with that city? It does, doesn’t it. Who’s there? Vex'ahlia: Well, you know. Everyone. We were judged, growing up, and I don’t look forward to seeing that again. Percy: (sighs) Well. Vex'ahlia: It’s not important. Percy: Oh, I disagree. Dear, I think that if you’re worried about them knowing whether or not you’ve made your money and made your fortune– I don’t think that’s going to be the thing to earn their respect. I think you’re better off, A, with the company that you keep, and B, with the fact that you’re probably just better than most of them. I’ve known a lot of people with money, and they are definitely not worth you. And besides, if they have something nice that makes you feel inferior, we can just take it. Vex'ahlia: (laughs) I like the way you think. Percy: Well, and then they’re just shit without anything, and then you’re you with their stuff.
 * Grog: (attempting to lure out the nymph) O Nymph! Where thee art thou?
 * Scanlan: (coaching Grog) O Nymph! Hear my call!
 * Garmelie: I don't steal—I borrow indefinitely!
 * Percy: (to Vex'ahlia) Honestly, dear, you’re too happy to look like you come from money.