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Critical Role Recap: Episode 72 – “The Elephant in the Room”

SPOILERS for Critical Role Episode 72 (obviously).  Go check out the full episode at GeekandSundry.com!
My recap of Episode 71 can be found here.

Vox Machina loots a lair.

Previously on Critical Role

Vox Machina fought and defeated Vorugal, the white dragon, as well as Yenk, the goristro who possessed one of the Vestiges of Divergence. Raishan, with whom they had made a temporary alliance to defeat the Cinder King, leaves them after the battle, and the party must decide for how long they want to continue with their plan.

Now

Vox Machina is left with the bodies of a white dragon and a goristro. They immediately begin to harvest what they can.

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While the party members are harvesting what they can, Grog leaves to investigate the dragon’s lair. Percy tries to suggest that they rest before going, but Grog runs off anyway. Scanlan polymorphs into an eagle and follows. Vex demands that they find her some trophy from the dragon and she flys off on her broom after him.

As they are running to the lair, they see the Ravinites, sans Tooma. They tell them that they have come to aid them.

Grog: “DRAGON THAT WAY.”

The Ravinites meet up with the rest of the party. They begin to hack away at the dragon before Percy stops them and tells them to go back to Tooma, and that they have everything handled. The Ravinites argue that, even though Vox Machina has been able to defeat the dragon on their own, the Ravinites did try to come to their aid. Percy and Keyleth decide that there’s enough dragon to go around and let them continue to harvest parts.

The Ravinites say that they are interested only in hide and meat. Percy tells them that they are interested in scale, tooth, claw, and blood. They begin to tear away parts from Vorugal’s form. Keyleth tells them not to harm the tree.

Meanwhile, Vex runs into Tooma while following Grog. She warns her not to go up to the top of the ravine because Thordak may be able to see them. Tooma relays this message to the rest of the Ravinites.

Toomah: “Am I to understand that the dragon has fallen?”

Vex and Scanlan confirm that Vorugal is dead. Tooma thanks them for freeing them from Vorugal and says they show honor and honesty. Scanlan thanks her for her words, but tells her that they will need further assistance in defeating Thordak.

Tooma is hesistant to agree to this. Scanlan, however, argues that they defeated the dragon without the help of the Ravinites. Toomah argues that the Ravinites helped them greatly in setting up the ambush. Vex agrees with Tooma. Scanlan is not convinced. At the same time, Grog runs around in the lair looking for loot, but only finding snow.

Vex tries to convince Tooma to join them. She tells them that they must rejoin the rest of Tal’dorei. Tooma tells her that she is right. Scanlan also asks Tooma if she will make a proper tomb for Tiberius and asks if she will erect a statue of him with an inscription that reads “I encourage peace.” Tooma agrees and says that her finest stonesmith will make it.

She says that the lair is base of what was once Draconia, and upon it, they will rebuild their civilization. Grog, still finding only snow, yells out in frustration.

Grog: “WHERE THE FUCK IS IT?!

Vex and Scanlan tell him that anything in the lair will be under the snow. Scanlan finds gold, silver, and platinum beneath the ice. They also see gems and other valuable treasures. They begin to chip away at the ice, and Vex looks for traps. Two of the dragonites use firebreath to help melt the ice.

Vex points out that they are looting Draconia, and that they should ask Tooma if they can take some of the treasurers. Tooma agrees. They divide the loot with Tooma and the Ravinites.

Vex, Scanlan, and Grog all take loot for themselves and for the party. They also come across a ship buried under the ice. They also take gold and platinum pieces. Scanlan finds the handle of platinum greatsword. It is too large for him so Grog takes it. The bag of holding is close to filled.

Scanlan asks Grog and Vex to take the money and run away with him and stay somewhere warm for the rest of their lives. Grog is in, but Vex says no.

Vax combs blood out of Pike’s hair. They discuss their deities. Pike tells him that there are rewards for putting your unwavering trust into your diety.

Pike: “Look at mine! She punched a dragon for me.”

Vex, Grog, and Scanlan go back to meet with Keyleth, Percy, Pike, and Vax. He is unable to fit all of the dragon pieces into the bag of holding, so he dumps some of their stuff out to make room.

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Grog pulls out full suits of armor, discarded body parts, and other “treasures” from the bag.

Beef jerky falls out of the bag. Tooma takes it.

Grog: “Those are like, super fresh.”

They take the teeth, claws, and vials of blood that they harvested and put it into the bag of holding.

The party meets back up at the mansion. Percy repairs his guns Animus and Bad News.

Percy, who knows Celestial, translates what is written on the platinum great sword. The symbols are related to creation, devotion to a diety, and power. They decide to give the sword to Kima.

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Kima takes the new sword, but also decides to hang onto her old weapon as well. The rest of the party appraises the remaining loot. They give Keyleth the staff, which is one of the Vestiges of Divergence. Vex and Vax drink wine while the rest of the party goes with Keyleth while she plays with her new staff.

Keyleth uses its powers to summon fireballs and chain lightning. She also uses it to summon an earth elemental and also turns herself into one. Over confident with her newfound power, she tries to punch Grog in the face, but the punch is very weak. The earth elemental also tries to punch him. There is no effect. Again, the elemental tries to punch him, with no effect. Keyleth attempts to hit Grog with the staff. He pretends that it hurts him.

Meanwhile, Vex and Vax have a serious conversation about life and death. They discuss the fact that Vax almost died earlier that day. He then suddenly asks his sister for how much longer is she planning on torturing herself.

Vax: “I almost died.”

Vex: “Yes.”

Vax: “You died.”

Vex: “Yes.”

Vax: “He died.”

Vex: “Yes.”

Vax: “What are you doing?”

He tells her that she needs more happiness in her life. She tells him he has plenty of happiness, but he tells her that she needs more. He tells her that any awkwardness that can come of pursuing happiness is nothing compared to not living. She tells him that she has enough. That Trinket and Vax (when he isn’t with Keyleth) is enough.

Vax recommends to Vex that she talk to Percy since he doesn’t open up to anyone else. He tells her that Percy thinks too much with his head and not enough with his heart and that he has a unique kind of impulse control. Vax, having enough wine to be solidly drunk, leaves her to go watch Keyleth shoot off fireballs. Vex is left alone.

The party discusses what their next move should be. They talk about resting and then getting to the ship to leave.

Keyleth and Percy meld a war mask they found in Vorugal’s treasures onto Grog’s pointed helmet. Vax writes “kick me” in elven on the inside of the mask.

To present the helmet to Grog, Keyleth turns into an elephant. However, the door to leave the workshop is too small for her. She attempts to crash through the door, but fails. She continues to crash against it.

In the other parts of the mansion, Grog and Scanlan hear the loud bangs of Keyleth trying to break through the door but do not know what it is. When they go down to the workshop, they see a strange grey creature crashing against the door. Not realizing it is Keyleth in elephant form, they attack.

Grog manages to hit elephant Keyleth twice before she breaks through the door. She tries to attack back, but is unable to do so.

Grog and Scanlan then see Percy riding the elephant. They assume that the strange grey creature has taken him hostage. Scanlan unleashes a fireball. The fireball hits Grog, Percy, and elephant Keyleth.

Grog attacks elephant Keyleth for the final time. The elephant has no health left, and she transforms back into her normal half-elf form. She thanks Grog for slaying the elephant that ate her. She and Percy give him the helmet with the mask onto it.

They decide to rest. Everyone regains their remaining health and spells. All of the half-elves in the party (Vax, Vex, and Keyleth) find bills for wine and broken doors outside their rooms when they wake up. They immediately see it for the scam it is and throw their bills away.

Everyone packs their things and gets ready to go home. They leave the mansion and go to investigate the pirate ship.

The tree marks where Vorugal was slain. The temperature is slightly warmer and the clouds are beginning to clear as Vorugal’s influence begins to fade.

Vex asks one of the draconians if they have recovered the ship yet. The Ravinites have only looted around it. The ship appears to have been taken to this lair from another location.

Pike sees that across the mast, the name is the ship is written. The ship is called The Floe Breaker, and appears to have been used to sail through icy waters and glacier flows. Keyleth tries to melt the ice around the ship with flaming sphere. Grog begins to punch through the ice.

However, this has the unintended effect of splitting the ice in the ground. The crack continues up a wall and even reaches the ceiling. Everyone begins to run out of the lair. Snow and ice begins to fall over Grog, Vax, Keyleth, and Percy. Vax and Percy manage to duck out of the way. However, Grog and Keyleth are hurt by the falling ice and snow and mostly buried. Grog digs himself out and pulls Keyleth out as well.

They decide to burrow into the side of the ship. However, the collapse of the southern half of the throne cut off access to the ship. Percy, however, is still very curious.

Vax, who has turned himself invisible, notices that the seeing stones by the throne have reduced in number. He isn’t sure if this means Thordak has been informed of what has happened.

Vex and Keyleth go to find Tooma. They tell her that they are leaving soon. Keyleth offers to save some plants that have been destroyed by the weather change. She casts plant growth. The Ravinites are brought hope by this.

Vex warns Tooma that Thordak may know what has happened. She assures them that Vox Machina will try to get to them first. Vax takes the serious moment to play with Vex’s braid.

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Scanlan and Vex decide to have a pissing contest. Literally. They relieve themselves into the snow. They judge on distance and accuracy. They write their names in cursive. Vax wins.

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Scanlan: “My wang is built for power. Not accuracy.”

While Scanlan and Vax pee into the snow, Vex pulls Percy aside.

Vex: “How are you… After dying?”

He tells her that he hasn’t had a lot of time to process what has happened, though it was unpleasant.

Suddenly, she tells him that she has to tell him something. She tells him that the word Fenthras means “growth” and “protection.” She tells him that she has spent too long dwelling on the past: what she has done and what others have done. She asks him how his last words could be “I forgive you” to Ripley.

She pulls out Fenthras. She has carved “forgiveness” into it. She asks him if it’s the way to grow. He says he thinks it is.

Percy: “It felt… Perfect. And it wasn’t about her, honestly. It was about me. I didn’t say it to make her feel better or to give her any peace. And I came to that feeling before I saw her. I didn’t know if it would be true when I saw her, but I feel like so much of my energy had been such a waste. Worse than a waste, it had been twisted in the wrong direction.”

He tells her that he is not without regret, but that regret isn’t the point. Vex adds that he also has to forgive himself for the things he has done. She says that he is not the dark person he once was. She says that everything that has happened has made him into the good person he is today.

Vex: “The fact that you found it within yourself to forgive her means that it will never overtake you.”

Percy thanks her. He says that all of them are better than they think they are. Except for Vax.

Percy: “I think that we are the right people in the right place in the right time.”

She tells him that the carving he inspired reminds her that every time she looses an arrow, it is not out of vengeance.

Percy begins to walk away, but then walks over to Vex and kisses her.

Percy: “So, we’ll talk later.”

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To be continued…


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About the Artist: Nick Uroseva (@Nick_Uroseva)

Nick is a professional graphic artist from Youngstown, Ohio. He has a BA in Multimedia Technology. When he isn’t doodling for one thing or another, he spends is his time writing and Dungeon Mastering several D&D games, enjoying craft beer, shooting zombies with Nerf blasters, and tweeting about #CriticalRole.

 

Fiona L.F. Kelly (@FionaLFKelly)
Fiona L.F. Kelly is a writer, editor, and podcaster. She has published numerous articles about all things gaming and pop culture on websites all across the internet, was also a writer for Trinity Continuum: Aberrant 2e, and has been published in books and magazines. She is an editor for the pop culture and media website GeekGals.co. In addition to her writing and editing, she has also been a guest and host on several podcasts. She hosts the Project Derailed podcast Big Streaming Pile, produces and performs on Fables Around the Table, and plays the githyanki pirate Rav’nys on Tales of the Voidfarer. Buy her a coffee: ko-fi.com/fionalfkelly

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