I like how this slowly dawned on everyone else that it was them

I agree, I also like how Percy was the first one to see them in the series, considering that in the campaign he was the first to go get a closer look. (Ik that Keyleth and Scanlan technically saw the bodies first in the campaign by flying overhead, but they didn't get close enough to realise what had happened)

High wisdom character ;-)

I agree and crazy, these little Easter eggs, or big call outs it's a great little factor that gets you hooked.

But Percy was the first to realize it, the cupping of the mouth at the 2nd description and the walking away by the third.

When matt narrates dark, horror scenes, he does so well

I remember watching this live... really loved the whole briarwood arc.

You can also see that whenever he says "hangs" he also tilts his head to mimic being in a noose.

The moment he described the first child dressed in purple... I knew what he was doing, but couldn't believe it for a moment. I had done similar before in past campaigns, and so it stood out to me. The second Marisha realized it and said it aloud, and then the hung bear was described as well, that cemented it. That was, above all else, when I knew this wasn't the 'quirky group fights monsters' arc, even more than anything else described before in the arc.

@@auluadenbartolli6755 Yup, me too. Dammit I'm still crying...

I can't figure out how to get amazon to let me watch the whole credit roll!

@@hawkthetraveler6344 Just click the hide button on top left of the next episode preview button

Oh my god, you’re right. That is *disturbing.*

Thank you for pointing that out. That's creepy af

When there's no music in the credits of a tv series, that's a sign shit's gonna get real!

I am actually wondering whether Talisien was the first to realize in the orginial version (look at his face before he says Percy walks away). If so, they did also a great job on visualizing this in the series now.

@@hyogako makes sense then for him to be the first to notice but Keyleth still being the first one to audibly realize the situation, but yeah I totally feel like Percy knew immediately but internalized it

@@hyogako I agree, I think he suspects after the first one and If you look at his face when Matt describes the "red painted hair" I think that's when he confirms his suspicion, but he, as Percy would, doesn`t say it out-loud. I think maybe because, even if its surprising, Percy was aware of the cruelty of the Briarwoods, he is hurt that it came to this, but is not the shock that the rest of the party has, they probably would never imagine someone ever doing something like this, specially Keyleth, the most innocent of them.

What gets me is how everyone involved is so into the story they immediately chalk it up to the Briarwoods. That's some suspension of disbelief, commitement and superb story telling to make sure your party doesn't go "Our DM is an actual psycho".

I had chills when Lady Briarwood put the faux holy symbol necklace on the girl's throat.

@@0Winkleson0 I was so confused initially when the girl got the pendant, then when I saw her on the tree… I audibly gasped and had to pause it for a minute.

That was an amazing moment, those who knew what was about to happen, just horrifying. Also a perfect cliff hanger.

@@0Winkleson0 I was confused when that happened then remembered this scene. Only down side to knowing the whole story already. But amazing adaptation!

Agreed, I thought that was before this arc, but it's been so long, don't like that they made lady Kema be rude to this group, considering they saved her.

When I saw Delilah put the necklace on that little innocent girl I realize what was going to happen. First I thought they were meant to feed Sylas, but then, after the necklace... I just start saying "Fuck" for a whole minute straight.

I did not realize at first since it's been a while since i've seen this episode on CR.

@@trueRocc Technically speaking if the show went 100% by CR canon, the battle against Krieg happened before the Underdark arc, and seeing as Kima met them in the Underdark for the first time she shouldn't have been at that council meeting at all. They played around with the early timeline a little bit to make it less confusing for new viewers it seems.

@@TheAsmodha The little girl was voiced by one of Sam's kids.

I think you can see the moment for everyone save Liam who sends to have kept a pretty good poker face

Lover's intuition.

Why you gotta make it like that.

@@bessieburnet9816 Nah, this is genuinely just a Marisha thing, she's apparently known for delving deep and unravelling clues in things and it's part of why Matt proposed to her using a whole fancy mystery thing (there's a video on his channel I think)

Yeah, she is also an amazing note-taker, like conversations and all, in campaign 2, her character's "job" its partly to investigate, and she nails it! writing down clues and scenes, connecting them together... she even has one of those TV detective moments of connecting the dots and almost crazily explaining her theories, and she gets quite close to the truth!

@@dayart5498 This is why I love her characters and her as a DM in the Honey Heists, she has such a great mind but because she played KiKi everyone didn't take her seriously especially early on. Marisha was able to pull off that looks like her head is in the clouds but reality is that she is thinking differently and piecing things together. Marisha shows that with all her characters (though only just starting C3 so will see what she brings there) in that they look very one note at first glance but have a really complex background, personality or mind

It's like that moment in Event Horizon. They see what happened to previous crew -> "WE'RE LEAVING!"

@@DemoBytom kzfaq.info/get/bejne/a6yaishklrnDYJs.html

And it came from the same guy who said "Life needs things to live".

@@DemoBytom "I have no intention of leaving her, Doctor. I will take the Lewis and Clark to a safe distance and then I'll launch TAC missiles at the Event Horizon until I'm satisfied she's vaporized. Fuck this ship!"

He realized what it was and just noped out.

That’s exactly what I thought. Glad others noticed it

That was so brutal.

That was the scariest shit to end an episode on. It's no longer than the romp it was in the first two episodes. We're in some dark crap.

Onore, Briarwoods!

We've seen them alive in Campaign Three now, though.

@@RichardGadsden alive is a bit stretching it

In a sense it hit harder, but there's nothing like that moment of initial realization after that build-up.

Ah Thanks. I was wondering myself why they didn't include the bear body.

What you said is probably the in-universe explanation. But what also probably contributed was just how much political trouble you can get into showing animal cruelty, even in animated form, even in a show that is dark as can be otherwise. I am pretty sure that played a part.

@@negativeview What about the lamb in Ep. 1? They we're not holding back there

@@Companion92 Yeah, they have hurt animals, but it's been pretty quick scenes. I think having a bear hanging by its neck would have been a touch too far. Maybe I'm wrong and that didn't play into the calculations at all, it's just a theory.

@@negativeview Haha I'm pretty sure it's just because hanging a bear looks goofy. It makes it kind of obvious and I don't think it lands as well They impaled a horse earlier in that episode. They didn't need to IMPALE A HORSE, but they did. I don't think they care about hanging a bear

you missing out. It's far more elaborate in climax in comparison to C2.

C1 was in my opinion better than C2. You should take some time to listen to all of scanlans songs. They were a huge part of C1 and made shit extremely funny. I miss scanlans singing the most.

The sessions are too long. Not everyone can dedicate the time to a series that has a longer run time than the whole of the Simpson's franchise.

If you can listen to it they have all the episodes on podcast. That's how I have been keeping up.

@@KahosSaint for the longer episodes I did speed up the video a bit. But I’m happy my friends recommended to watch C1 first

I'm really glad the animated series came out BEFORE the big lore bomb from laudna because i've never seen a single second of campaign 1 but now im clued in and that shit blew my mind watching it last night!

I xame here after campaign 3 ep 6 when I just heard the words: whitestone, 2 days dead, briarwood, and necromancy. I just had to see it again

Me, this explains so much. I haven't seen the animated series yet or watched C1 so I was clueless, I kind of pieced together what I thought happened but I think this was a spoiler that was very much needed to fully understand what's happening in C3.

I love how much focus is put on the little girl dressed as Pike. Makes me wonder how long Marisha had Laudna cooked up and ready to go...

🥲🥲🥲

I honestly forgot about this moment, wondering why a necromancer would give a child a symbol of the Everlight...a wooden one but still...

Op: don't beat yourself up. Most of us live our lives, and we don't unlock the doors of the houses where monsters live. So the shock is painful. Just remember the old phrase " we need stories with monsters in them, because they inspire us to fight our monsters, and teach us how to do it." I don't know you. But I wish you joy , strength , and skill. And eventually, a monster-free house.

@@techfoolcasey4348 these words are spoken by someone with a 22 Wis

@@techfoolcasey4348 “Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogey. The baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. What the fairy tale provides for him is a St. George to kill the dragon.” - G.K. Chesterton

@@patginty Chesterton is a hundred times or more the wordsmith that I will ever be. Thank you for the quote!

i loved that it was basically like, even the music was shocked into silence.

I had to pause and curse I was so dang angry. My husband asked if I was ok.

It's been a long time since i've seen C1, but the second Delilah broght out the holy symbol, I remembered. I look forward to both of her deaths, as well as Silas'.

As someone who didn't watch C1, I had no idea this was coming. Shook me to my core.

@@maqattack4077 what a fun thing to experience. I’m a new Critter and I started to listen from the beginning. I had just finished the Briarwood arc when the show premiered.

@@crasyperson123 As soon as I saw the symbol I was horrified as to what was coming and excited because this is where everything gets turned to 11 and doesnt stop.

WAIT, I didn’t even realise that…. THATS SO DARK

@@redtg2gaming119 and the little girl was voiced by Sam's daughter!

Critical Role fans when they see a family of 7: *fear*

It didn't click for me until Delilah gave the girl the necklace. At first I thought they were being brought in as food for Silas or something, and then that scene happened and I suddenly remembered everything. They're doing a really fun job showing the Briarwoods' perspective

@@CrownofMischief no same I was like “oh she’s feeding Sylas” then put the necklace on the child and I paused and said “oh fuck the sun tree”

And the horror that Vox Machina was expected, and that they should count on dying if they continued. For in Percy's town there was Death on the Sun Tree.

That's something they've talked about a lot. Matt is VERY sensitive to his player's emotions and often will check in them during break/after episodes just to make sure everyone is okay

Especially sweet given Marisha is his wife.

@@bessieburnet9816 well she was just his girlfriend at the time but yeah

Yeah, this is good DMing. A professional DM I know has a "safe word" of sorts, umbrella. If at any point you get too uncomfortable, you can say "umbrella" and while that won't stop the scene from happening, he will stop describing the scene and quickly move along. He even makes sure every single session that all his players knows about it, even if every player has been in one of his games before.

I dont mean that in a disrespectful way and I truly enjoy DnD and especially Critical Role and the Vox Machina crew. Such lovely people. That being said they are just playing an imaginary game. Its role-play. They are acting at the end of the day. Nothing about Matt’s descriptions or stories is remotely as dark and brutal as so many other immersive media as r-rated movies and tv shows. I played DnD myself but I dont think anyone would ever not be okay after a session of DnD.

Matt really does seem to like his dark twisted horror genre. I recall his descriptions of many-a-fiend and how vividly he portrayed them.

@Nogitune Well he does certainly seem to enjoy dark fantasy setting like the Witcher, no wonder he’s proficient in such macabre themes! Something to look up to for dark fantasy campaigns imo ^^

Actually Percy (in both) understands it first. In the stream, he walks away because he’s figured it out and it makes him sick. In the show, he stops stunned the moment he sees it, looking horrified. Keyleth is just the first to verbalize it each time.

Defiling a sacred tree no less

? it was Sam that first said "Is that us?" then few seconds later Marisha says "It's us"

@@truebastard1268 yeah but look at her reaction, she knew first

@@truebastard1268 barely heard it but he did

vids only an hour old and you're already fat shaming sun tree?

They trimmed the bushes

I said the same thing!

Yeah when it showed up in the concept art looking like that i wondered how they were actually going to hang anything from it. Like are those the fancy enchanted infinite ropes? What are they actually tied to, the branches are so far up and wide around? But notice the ropes just disappear out of frame 😅 design team dosent have an answer, they're even hanging at the wrong angle to be from a branch.

@Kristopher Chavez I think they were just joking

Unfortunately, the reality of it was much worse.

One of the few times where the inefficient nature of describing things (compared to a visual medium) really works to the story's benefit

My mother came into the room to see who I was calling a bitch over and over. lol I'd never reacted that way to the game, but that scene of the lambs being led to slaughter just made it so much more personal.

@@Aetheria60 that’s what I called her as well. My husband kept asking “who’s a bitch??”

Same..

My concern is: did they do that before, or after they killed these people? Or was the murder of that particular one during the 'nailing' of the antlers? From the looks of them though, they were tortured/killed before being strung up, since the corpses were fresh...

@@eternasapphiremoon81 I’m convinced they were tortured and then executed by hanging. The wounds on their heads and faces look like cuts/incisions. All of them have their mouths open and some with their tongues protruding - a hallmark of hanging. I blame reading too much Detective Conan as a child.

At best they were charmed and prepared before being hung and hopefully didnt realize what was happening to them But knowing Delilahs sadistic mind...

Stupid question but: Is Tiberius part of the Briarwoods Arch? (I’m currently working through the Underdark arch and Orion’s already…Orion. I’d rather not watch more of his bad etiquette than I’d have to; but I don’t want to miss out on Key VM Character Exploration, either)

@@anonymousfellow8879 he was removed before this arc

correct me if I'm wrong the girl who's made to "represent" vex, on the tree, is laudna, right ( well, I mean, will become laudna by campaign three) ?

You are correct.

More so even now

Me too

I think, it's such an iconic moment of the show that there's no way they could have NOT shown it

laudna was the stand in for Keyleth, ironically. "they cut my ears, to make them pointy"

@@chiefbigsad7995 Nope. Marisha confirmed she was Vex's.

@@BruddaJakka well that makes literally no sense. She said they cut her ears into points. And keyless was half elf, and the only party member with pointy ears.

@ChiefBigSad Please go see a doctor. Your brain seems to have caught a few bugs.

@@chiefbigsad7995you would be mistaken in thst regard. Vex and Vax were half-elves too.

Oh yeah. I mean it was always bad, but seeing the people being brought in that way just made it so much more personal and cruel than if they'd just sent their lackeys out to kill some random villagers. I was actually calling Delilah a bitch out loud, which never happened in any of the times I've watched C1. lol

That little girl... So happy that she won a "prize" and Delilah's faux "kindness"...

I really don't know how she managed to get a hattrick with me. All 3 of her campaign characters have been my number 1 favs for different reasons..... How the fuck did she do that?

From a legal standpoint he decided to copyright Tiberius as well. Makes sense, since he'd have to get paid royalties for the show. Which means it also makes sense they cut him completely. Worth a shot for a minor income stream, and I don't blame him. But it's still kinda sad we can't even see him get a cameo unless some stars align.

the show just doesn't feel the same with no wizard in the party, i wish things turned out differently

@@l3ftie578 Tiberius was a sorcerer, not a wizard... but yeah, most spellcasters were nerfed in the animated show. Keyleth can barely heal, Scanlan uses barely anything beyond Bigby's (Scanlan's) hand... whereas Pike can suddenly Turn Undead several hundred creatures at 500 feet radius.

@@VinceValentine well I mean, Clerics, you know.

@@angeryfluuf6514 The power level is still wildly different from scene to scene. [Spoiler for Ep 8] In the C1 stream, Prof. Anders dominated Grog... in the LOVM episode, Anders managed to dominate four characters at once. The animated series clearly does not run on D&D rules, and they avoid all D&D-specific names like Vecna.

ARE WE TALKIN BOUT LAUDNA? SPOILERS? SHES SUPPOSEDLY ONE OF THEM RIGHT?

It was pretty horrifying. When the family showed up, I just assumed it was fantasy Door Dash for Sylas.

When I tell you about the shock I had while watching the show... Because I did not know what would happen. I was not prepared. I did not know how unbelievably cruel the Briarwoods were and what they were capable of. I'm at episode 26 of C1 now and I know damn well that this scene won't propably hit the same (especially now that I've seen it). But I have never experienced something similar when I was watching any other show. This is completely insane and I can't put into words how much I respect Matt's storytelling and way of describing.

Yeah, C1 was definitely a different vibe from 2 and 3. The characters were made for a private game, so they were much more like avatars of the players than characters on a show. They each took their individual canon more seriously, because their character was originally made in a more intimate setting. And the show got way more attention than they expected, so they suddenly felt a lot of pressure to keep people interested. So Matt stuck with classic DnD stuff like dragons, vampires, and liches. He kept the story serious and let the players provide the comedy. It led to some deep romances and intense emotional scenes that had a lot of weight, but it also had occasional moments that felt like a soap opera. Improv drama is way harder than improv comedy. Once they started fresh with the knowledge that they'd be streaming, they made characters tailored to an entertainment setting. No "Stonejaw Strongjaw." No "What's the worst character? A gnome bard sounds shitty, I'll be that." Just thoughtful backstories and compelling personalities. They loosened up with what they were willing to joke about (mainly because of Jester), but they were still very serious about not referencing C1 too much. Then C3 rolled around and it's a full-on clusterfuck. They know the critters are here to stay no matter what they do. They know that playing how they want is what we want. They don't try to force combat into every episode. They just play pretend and joke about each other's old characters and talk about Pussy. It's glorious.

For me I too really like the characters in C2, but Vax in C1, after jumping out the window, and the improv thoughts he had about the team...I teared up. Chills. I think that's why I kept watching if im being honest. I was a touch sad it did not make it to the show, but translating an internal monologue would be very hard. The whole briarwood arc was SO GOOD

Adding the scene where the victims are brought to the Briarwoods and the little girl was given the wooden holy symbol added a lot to that slow burn.

@@BeinIan Definitely agree with all of this, and WOW c3 really is off the rails in the best way! I’ve been enjoying it so far.

@@stormcloudsabound i didn't mean to write a whole-ass essay, it just kinda kept coming out 🤣 and yeah C3 just keeps getting better

Considering Keyleths lookalike actually has red paint smeared through her hair and Laudna having a white strand of hair it could also be her? Maybe she bleached out the red paint or something. Though I admit both are very possible at this point.

@@TekilaCocktailSuRi I thought Laudna mentioned having her ears cut to a point, like those of a half-elf

@@flamingbull3438 I’m currently working through the S1 Underdark campaign (and Orion’s starting to REALLY be…Orion…) and I gotta know: Is Tiberius part of this arc? I know Orion is kicked out around episode 30 or so (I’m on episode 11 currently.) I watched Legend of Vox Machima, but I *really* want to listen to This Arch’s original dnd episodes…but only if Orion’s not part of the show during it. (I’m flatout going to skip whatever’s after the Underdark Arch unless there’s significant Character Exploration like there is for Percy…in which case I’ll try my best to tolerate…)

@@anonymousfellow8879 Tiberius is, Orion isn't for half of it. Orion got kicked out pretty much in the middle of it, and Matt had Tiberius as an NPC for a while, and at the end of the arc gave the character a send off

It is not confirmed yet that she was "Vex". She could bei "Keyleth".

@@jolene8310 I thought the ears confirmed that she had to be "Vex" or "Vax", and presumably a girl would be "Vex".

@@RichardGadsden But Keyleth is an half elf too... so she should have pointy ears as well...

*Raises hand*

Oh, this particular comment ages SO well.

I agree with you. I was familiar with the moment but that was definately not so well exectuted with the blocking and cutting of the scene. You could miss it if you weren't paying attention.

I replied to this comment but for some reason it was deleted. All I was saying was that I watched campaign 1 and I was also caught off-guard, so youre not alone there! It was an amazing scene. Let's see if this comment gets through.

@@codex_jinora I saw your comment when it was still up! Not sure why it was deleted :l but yes, would've been more impactful if they lingered on the shot a little longer maybe. I did love the shot with the line up, followed by the VM line up! Clever cinematography there :D

I was sort of in the same boast but I mostly watch Critical Role from season 2 onwards and never found time to watch the early vids so when I was watching the episode and I was OMG. I was wondering if this scene was in there.

Vex isn’t the one who’s bleeding. How many dead bodies do you know who bleed. Unless more than one of them is undead/alive.

@@andrewjohnson3511 It's definitely the Vex counterpart. The hair and height match and the clothing is very similair to Laudna's. Also, bodies can seep blood for hours after death, sometimes even days.

If you're going to do a spoiler warning in all caps, at least be mindful enough to hide the spoilers.