The Stalking Nightmare

is the twenty-ninth episode of the second campaign of Critical Role. Live from Indianapolis! The Mighty Nein descend deeper into the Sour Nest to rescue their friends, and find help in an unexpected corner… (guest Khary Payton!)

Pre-Show

 * Brian arrives onstage in the outfit picked out for him by Taliesin, which Brian describes as either "a good mix between Colonel Sanders and Liberace" or "the gay televangelist". Producer Max described Brian as "a pimp from Atlantis".
 * If you are at Gen Con this weekend, please stop by the Critical Role booth (Booth #2931): a real-life Invulnerable Vagrant.
 * Brian gives a couple housekeeping rules before introducing the cast:
 * There will be a break, just like every episode of Critical Role. He asks the audience to try and stay in their seats until then, and then go to the bathroom, get merch, etc. during that break.  Brian points out (and those who were here last year will remember) that when someone stands up, the chair sounds like someone waterboarding a pterodactyl.
 * The audience is free to laugh, scream, cheer, cry, gasp, and any of that stuff during the show. The only thing that Critical Role asks is that the audience doesn't shout any rules or corrections at Matt or the players.  And the only reason why they ask is because (to quote Brian): "IT'S F***ING ANNOYING!"  So keep those to a minimum of zero.
 * Today (August 3rd) is our beloved Travis Willingham's birthday. He and Laura couldn't make it to Gen Con this year for the best reason possible: because they just had a beautiful little baby boy, Ronin.  According to Brian, "He's such a bud-dee!"  Since he couldn't be there in-person, Brian thought he could FaceTime Travis and have the whole audience sing Happy Birthday for him (the Critters already did that before the show, but why not do it again?).  Brian had hoped he wouldn't catch Travis in the middle of breastfeeding.  Travis and Laura misses the cast and Critters so much.  Brian gives Travis his present, and the audience sings.  Travis thanks the audience and says they are amazing.  He has only one birthday wish...one request for his fellow players: "Mighty Nein, I want you to kick some F***ING ASS!"  Laura states that they'll be watching along tonight.  Travis asks if they "earmuffed" Ronin for that?  Laura says, "Totally.", as she hurriedly covers Ronin's ears.  She insists, "No cussing!  Don't talk about dem t*****s!"  After the audience says goodbye to Travis and Laura,  Brian wishes they could be here...but instead they brought him for some stupid reason.
 * Without further ado, Brian introduces the cast of Critical Role:
 * Liam O'Brien (dressed as Caleb, complete with scarf and book...though under his coat, he has a shirt of a cat shooting lasers out of its eyes)
 * Marisha Ray (dressed as Sam from the Campaign 2 intro, she blows kisses to the audience)
 * Taliesin Jaffe
 * Ashly Burch (complete with cigarette)
 * Hide your kids, hide your wives, hide your faces...it's Sam Riegel (dressed in a pink dragon costume, with butterfly facial makeup, roller blades, streamers on his back, and a giant LED light stuffed into his crotch)
 * and your, mine, our beloved Dungeon Master: Matthew Mercer! (who gets a standing ovation as he walks out)
 * Matt clarifies he is the "poor, unfortunate soul who had to follow Sam Riegel out onstage". Sam takes the LED light out of his crotch, and Ashly starts to look at it.  Matt shouts at her not to touch it: we all know where it's been!  Liam shouts, "Don't look, Marion!"
 * Matt welcomes everyone to Gen Con 2018 and our live show at the Murat Theatre. So many incredible faces in the audience here, and many of you wonderful people back at home watching us, so welcome to all.  Matt has butterflies in his tummy.
 * Someone in the audience shouts, "It's High Noon!" Ashly believes time to high noon is in three minutes?  Matt (as McCree) states, "Somewhere in the world..."

Announcements

 * We have our fantastic returning sponsor: our wonderful friends at D&D Beyond!
 * D&D Beyond did not want Sam to sing a song for their ad at the live show...so Sam has one prepared. D&D Beyond is giving away a Legendary Bundle on their Facebook page, has a new discount 25% off code ("gencon2018") for their online marketplace, and a booth in the lobby for the live show.  Sam sings about Gen Con and his ridiculous outfit.
 * Matt's second "Fireside Chat", that was unlocked during the 826LA charity drive, will be this coming Tuesday (August 7, 2018) at 5:00 pm PDT. Matt will answer a bunch of your questions and just generally be hanging out with the community for about an hour.  Marisha's "Honey Heist 2: Electric Beargaloo" will be this coming Friday (August 10, 2018) at 7:00 pm PDT.  Both of these streams can be watched at twitch.tv/criticalrole.  If you miss either live-stream, they'll be available on Critical Role's YouTube channel a few days after.  A link to the NPC survey for the Fireside Chat (for Critters to create an NPC that will be added to the world of Exandria) can be found on critrole.com.
 * Critical Role is excited to finally announce the sequel to their art book: "The Chronicles of Exandria: The Legend of Vox Machina II". This will bookend the second and final half of Vox Machina's adventures.  Liam says if you were wondering why Taliesin was losing his mind so much during Molly's death and Liam was privately losing his mind while on vacation in various national parks, it's because they've been working on this art book for the past several weeks.  That's what Taliesin couldn't say on Talks Machina: literally his first thought when Molly died was, "I just lost three days off of my art book schedule...OH GOD!  OH NO!  PLEASE, NO!"  Liam says the art book is shaping up beautifully.  It's full of beautiful pieces from the Critical Role fan art community that you are probably familiar with.  There are some pieces that are new and exclusive to the art book.  The cover art was done by comic artist Matteo Scalera (who you might know from the comic series "Black Science"), with coloring by Moreno Dinisio (who does Matteo's coloring for "Black Science" too).  Liam has loved Matteo's art for a while now, and the book looks amazing.  Liam thanks every artist for the thousandth time for giving back to this show.  For more details on the art book going forward, go to critrole.com to keep up to speed on updates.
 * A reminder that Critical Role does its Wyrmwood giveaways during the break. There will be one during the intermission for the live show too.  When we go to break, jump over to the Critical Role Twitch chat and they'll have a code at the time for you to enter.
 * That brings us to the end of our announcements, so Matt says it's time for us to get comfortable, as he starts unbuttoning his shirt. Sam asks if we're taking off our shirts...and then realizes to his horror that Matt has pulled a "Shirtception" by putting one of Sam's awkward faces on his shirt.  Sam feels so violated...is this how Matt feels every time?!?  Matt coyly replies, "Maybe."
 * As we reign in our respective nerves and ridiculousness, Matt thinks it's time to come into tonight's episode of...Critical Role! (the audience cheers and claps along with the intro, cheering especially loudly for Travis, Ashley, and Laura)

Previously on Critical Role
"The Mighty Nein - an intrepid band of adventurers here in the continent of Wildemount - had found three of their members taken in the middle of a night, by a band of kidnappers and slavers they found to be called the 'Iron Shepherds'.

"In trying to hunt down and find where their allies were taken, they ran into a previous member of this team, known as Keg: a dwarven warrior, who herself was on a path to vengeance against these people she previously worked with. Aligning forces, they made their way northward towards the city of Shady Creek Run - which exists outside of the laws and boundaries of the Dwendalian Empire.  Along the way, they ambushed the Iron Shepherds, and in doing so, lost one of their allies.

"With Mollymauk fallen on the battlefield, and the rest left to simmer over the decisions they'd made, they continued northward, where they encountered a new friend, north of the city of Shady Creek Run...as Caduceus Clay was pulled from his hermit lifestyle north of the city, within the confines of the Savalier Wood, to join them in assaulting the Sour Nest: the keep where the Iron Shepherds call it 'home'.

"They staked out the outskirts of this location, managed to slay some of the guardians who were keeping watch along the outer perimeter wall...not-necessarily-very-stealthily made their way into the entryway, but managed to take out a number of members of the Iron Shepherds: some of their paid compatriots, as well as at least one of their more elite fighters. Along with them, they had met Nila - who was a firbolg who was searching for her also kidnapped partner and son - and using her Druidic powers, aided them in this assault.  And in doing so, found and helped her family escape.  As she absconded from the location with her family to keep them safe, the rest of you remained behind, trying to find out where the remainder of the Iron Shepherds reside within the Sour Nest and how best to deal with their presence.

"Last we left off, Caleb had sent Frumpkin (his familiar) in the form of a spider to inspect the upper floor of the chamber, and upon feeling a squeeze from Keg, had just instilled her with the speed and alacrity of a Haste spell..."

The Mighty Nein

 * Beauregard
 * Caduceus Clay
 * Fjord (Unconscious & controlled by DM)
 * Frumpkin
 * Jester (Unconscious & controlled by DM)
 * Nott
 * Caleb Widogast
 * Yasha (Unconscious & controlled by DM)

Returning

 * Keg
 * Lorenzo
 * Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna
 * Protto
 * Ruzza
 * Shakäste