You raised the question of why Vax was on the Matron's radar from the beginning, and it was sort of answered by her. Vax is Fate-Touched. Extremely rare, and hugely significant, both in the campaign and within the secondary world itself. The Fate-Touched are able to alter fate/destiny, and they tend to be pulled towards and shape large scale historical events. If a God were able to get a Fate-Touched Champion, it would be quite the feather in their cap. I've heard it joked that Forest Gump is Fate-Touched, and honestly it is pretty fitting.

@elbruces

Жыл бұрын

That and as the Goddess of Fate, she can trace the golden threads backwards in time to find out who will be in just the right place at just the right time way down the road.

@jmhaces

Жыл бұрын

And on top of that he basically handed himself to her on a silver platter when he bargained for Vex's life. The Matron of Ravens was not about to refuse that deal.

I love how we go from that beautiful, ethereal moment between the Matron and Vax... to him and Scanlan going up a dragon's ass. The true dnd experience

You two are great. 😃 I'm delighted you're Critters, now! Our holy day is Thursday but we're not strict about it. There's only one tenet of the faith; leave the world better than you found it. You'll fit right in. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

@cryofpaine

Жыл бұрын

Don't forget "don't forget to love each other". So two tenets.

@billberndtson

Жыл бұрын

@@cryofpaine That is by far my favorite (and are words to live by), but it was pointed out to me recently that Matt doesn't say that anymore and hasn't for a while. I heard that "Don't forget to love each other" is now a slogan for another entity, now and that's why. Either way, I have the shirt and socks - I won't be forgetting. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

@cryofpaine

Жыл бұрын

@@billberndtson it was actually Brian W Foster's slogan. He used it to close every episode of Talks Machina, the after-show interview show that 4-Sided Dive replaced. But they still sell that t-shirt on their store, so I don't think he's claimed it, or prevented them from using it. Since he's engaged to Ashley, and they're all still friends.

@billberndtson

Жыл бұрын

@@cryofpaine Oh, the melon vendor told me they're all still friends if I didn't think so prior. 🙂

The cast are big fans of Sandman and Neil Gaiman - Matt and Marisha received a signed copy of Stardust from him as a wedding gift.

14:15 Vex is part of the Ranger class in DnD fifth edition. Rangers generally specialize in fighting 1 specific type of beast, granting them certain advantages and utility when facing them. One of them is Primeval awareness which is their honed ability to detect their specialized creature if they are nearby. Vex/Laura chose dragons and tied it to her backstory which may come up in S3. This series decide to represent it as an involuntary migraine which is kinda mean when the source material presents it more like a radar you can turn on and off at will.

@cryofpaine

Жыл бұрын

It already came up in episode 1 of season 1. She mentions that their mom was killed by a dragon. We see the aftermath in the credits, with the twins and Trinket as kids standing in front of a burning building.

@hhylobates4098

Жыл бұрын

Yeah Vex hasn't really got to show off her dragon expertise at all, and her migranes are unreliable; she could detect the conclave all the way on the horizon but not Umbrasyl until he was already crashing down on their heads. They have to do more about that next season, as they've specifically ignored the twins ahistory with their town and mother being destroyed by That dragon, it must all getting saved for later

As far as the invisibility goes, the older dragons get, the larger, more powerful, and more intelligent they become, including the ability to learn magic spells. Umbrasyl and the surviving members of the Chroma Conclave are all Ancient (the oldest age category in D&D), giving them incredible magical powers on top of their physical might. As an aside, Brimscythe was only a young adult dragon, about half the size and power level of the others of the Conclave.

that whole Kayliee reveal in the stream was so fun, too, Sam's face was hilarious with everyone losing their minds on the side :D

In regards to Vax being "fate touched", it was a gift from Matt because at that time in the game Liam's (Vax's VA) mom was struggling with cancer.

Being an Ancient Dragon allows them to learn magic if they wish. As for Vex's ability to sense dragons in the show it is a bit different than in the game. their is a spoiler that is related to this issue, that no reactor ( except those that might know of it ) has commented on. ( Hint: it is seen in Ep 12 s1, and Ep1 S2 in connection to the twins' backstory ) Fun Fact: in regards to your background ( Rat Queens) Marisha and Laura dressed as Rat Queens for their 2015 Halloween episode.

@Fairburne69

Жыл бұрын

Episode 1 Season 1 mentions why Vex has a connection to Dragons. After they lose the dragon fight.

@testfire3000

Жыл бұрын

The show was pretty clear in the first two episodes of S1 that Vex has spent her life studying dragons and can sense them when they are near. They display this with her having a headache which isn't quite how it worked in game, but it works well for an animated show.

On the Vex question (why she gets that headache when dragons are nearby) they sort of explained it in an easy-to-miss line in the first episode: she studied dragons after the twins' mother was killed by one, and she dove into those studies so deeply, she developed this sense for them. It's the shows interpretation of one of her Ranger abilities where she can sense the presence of her favored enemy type, in this caes--dragons.

"SCANLAN'S HAAAAAAWBLWBLWBLWBLWBLWBL" 🤣🤣🤣 I'm WHEEZING!

Vex told in s01e01 why she can sense dragons : Because their mother was killed by a red dragon, and she studied dragons her whole life

Vex being able to "sense" dragons is just the show writers interpretation of a ranger class ability which allows the user to burn spell slots to sense certain creature types in the area. Haven't played one myself so I'm just going by memory, but you get a sense of how many are in an area but not direction, and the radius of the sense is determined by the level of the spellslot used.

The reason why the Matron is interested in Vax is because he's Fate Touched, meaning he influences destiny more than most. At some point, when Vax leveled up, Liam chose to take the Lucky feat (feats are extra abilities). This means that if the dice don't roll in his favor, he can call for a reroll and hope for a better outcome - limited times per day. The Matron of Ravens is the god of fate and has being watching Vax because he's treading on her domain. She jumped at the chance of having him as her champion.

Vex gets "headaches" when dragons are near to represent her ranger class ability "Primeval Awareness". Dragons are her favored enemy so she can sense when they are near.

18:10 Ngl, at this point that was just a legendary trait called plot convenience 😂

Vex gave her approval and encouragement to give Kiki peace of mind, Kiki overcame her fear of her Aramenté and wants to be closer to Vax, and Vax found peace knowing the truth of his calling. We love it when we have simultaneous resolutions for Team Half-Elf. Also, yes, Vax and Scanlan entering the dragon did happen in the campaign... just through a different magical means.

'You can leave when Scanlan says you can leave' is Sam's classic line from the stream. But he used the alias 'Burt Reynolds esq' a lot so it used to be 'You can leave when Burt Reynolds says you can leave' Grog's first words to Craven Edge were 'hello? Do you have a female setting? Can I call you Bacon? ' He switched to a flaming Warhammer when he lost the black greatsword. When it said nothing he said 'strong silent type eh? I like it'

I’m glad they went for the cartoon-y ‘able to stand in stomach’ route here. In game, Matt was more...realistic. Specifically Scanlan tried teleporting in... and subsequently found himself curled up in it’s MUCH more cramped stomach, and Vax was pinned between its skin and muscle fibre ...oh and there was little to no air

@donkeyteethbites

10 ай бұрын

I like that in the show they say that actually worked and it shouldn’t have because they shouldn’t have been able to teleport into the dragon but Matt’s a great gm and knows when to let cool shit happen.

[ Grog: GONE FISHING ]

Vex has beast sense (Dragon) ingame, this is explained in season 1 when the twins talked about there mother dying from a dragon attack and that's why Vex studied her life to hunt them. also explains why there mother is dead.

@FulcanMal

Жыл бұрын

Primeval Awareness. In the game she could actually sense a lot of things with it (abberations, fiends, celestials, undead, elementals, and fey). She didn't really make full use of it in the game, though. To be fair it takes a spell slot to use, so she was using those for other things.

I see you are a fan of Sejic's art lol! Me too, huge fan of his books, from Witchblade to Sunstone, love it all.

4:32 The Champion of the Raven Queen(That is her actual name. Copyright reasons, they had to change it) Is to ensure that destiny & fate comes to fruition. Those golden strings that always surrounds her. Those are strings of fate. They determine how you live & how you will die one day. However dark rituals & magic. Especially necromancy can change & alter the strings of fate & destiny. Therefore the champion of the Raven queens primary purpose is to find & kill any person or being that seeks to escape death via necromancy. So Vax is now kind of like a Paladin. He is bound to seek out & destroy all those whom seek to escape death...

vex is a ranger she has favored enemy dragons she can sense them as well as other ranger spells and features that let you look for or sense specific enemies

The whole plot of Ripley trying to manipulate an ancient black dragon AND gaining something from this alliance is hilarious and i`m happy it exists in this series. What a woman, honestly. Scanlan`s reaction to Kaylie and your reaction to him is priceless. This man clearly has a wisdom of 7 when the average is 10 :DDD

3:36 Two funny things here.... first, if you watch the Critical Role campaign one around this time, Travis always had a mini-keg prop on his play area, as Grog always had a keg in his bag of holding. Second, that isn't Travis belching... that's Laura Bailey. She is the best belcher of the entire Critical Role cast.

Regarding why the Matron was interested in Vax early on, she actually gave the answer already. Vax is fate-touched and has the ability to bend the threads of fate. Individuals able to change the outcome of major events more dramatically than the average people would make for great champions for obvious reasons. So all the gods have an interest in getting them to serve their cause. In Vax's case, the Matron is the one who managed to get her hands on him first.

On a slightly unrelated side note, I got to say you guys have an awesome comic collection. I particularly noticed those issues of Rat Queens behind you. It may interest you to know Laura (Vex) and Marisha (Keyleth) actually cosplayed as the Rat Queens for one of Critical Role's Halloween streams back in the day.

Rat Queens! You probably already know this but Vox Machina has a cameo in there. I think that question is a Matthew Mercer question. I have no answer to it. 😅

The Matron of Ravens is the goddess of the "transition" between life and death- thus, the ultimate fate that every person goes through. She does not rule over the souls of the dead once they passed on- that's a different god. Her domain is the split second between life and death. Also, not sure if this is a spoiler for you but she is canonically different from other gods- there is a reason she can connect with mortals better and is more understanding.

The other thing about Grog with Craven Edge vs. Grog with the Knuckles, is that before, Grog was shaken by his interaction with Earthbreaker Groon, questioning where his strength came from, and relying too heavily on this sword giving him strength. Now, he knows where his true strength comes from, so he can use the knuckles to augment his strength, without relying on them to give him strength.

Love both of your T-shirts.

They did such a fantastic job really driving home just how much more powerful the rest of the Conclave is than Brimscythe/Kreig in early season 1.

Bro as a 9yr critter and C.R. fanboy that is the most insightful take on Scanlin that I've ever heard. "You don't choose the role you're givin in the play but you commit anyway" Damn good catch, we're not seeing the real Scanlin just a version a role that he's playing.

14:57 Wouldnt be suprised, but I dont think Matt (as a DM) ever specifically mentioned it. Stories do get influenced by other stories tho so if he read it ,maybe. Liam was going through some shit (to say it lightly) during that time in the campaign and he put many of those feeling into it, while Matt said he specifically made Vax fate-touched to help/give his friend a gift/cheer him up (I thinkboth was mentioned in the Wrap Up Q&A of Campaign 1, which you DEFINITELY(!!!) shouldnt watch till LoVM is over). Not to mention the goth exposure Matt and most of the group have through Taliesin, musings on death and beauty in the dark parts of life is THE quintessential goth thing. (Which is why I never considered myself goth despite loving and wearing the style - too scared of death...)

I’m just curious that sword that was supposed to be the immovable rod right

@Ironoclasty

Жыл бұрын

Yeah, but it was repurposed very creatively.

I don’t know how much Neil Gaiman influenced Matt for the Matron of Ravens, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I do know based on my studies in mythology that she’s heavily inspired by the Morrigan, who is the Celtic Goddess of Death. Her symbol is also a Raven and I don’t think it’s a mistake that there were three ravens shown in the courtyard as she is what’s called a trinity goddess. I think in the current campaign there’s another reference to the Morrigan with Fearnes grandmother, though I haven’t been able to work out if Morri and the Matron has some kind of relationship to each other.

The Raven Queen knows better than most gods why death brings meaning to life... but it might not be how you think... In the game, Primeval Awareness allows rangers to sense creatures within a minimum of a mile. It doesn't hurt, but like all changes in translation to the show, it's more dramatic... well, usually. They originally teleported into the dragon and used an immovable rod, but this is more entertaining.

In case you ever wanted to know what a dragon's intestines look like from the inside, this is the only place you'll see it 😂

I feel like the scene with the Matron wasn't so much telling Vax that he has to personally usher souls, but more so was informing Vax, and the audience, what her domain was. Just saying she is the "Goddess of Death" has a bit of a negative connotation, but that scene let's us contextualize much better, what exactly falls under her purview. The natural order and sanctity of that moment of transition, along with her being the Goddess of Fate as well. With that info Vax has a much better idea of what being her champion means. He has to trust in his own destiny, to protect the Matron's ideals, and anything that would pervert those things would be antithetical to her responsibilities.

🔥❤️🔥