Shadows of Thomara

"Shadows of Thomara" (1x111) is the twelfth episode of the eighth chapter of Critical Role. Vox Machina make their way through the cursed caverns of the undead dwarven city of Thomara, hoping their presence won't be discovered.

Synopsis Edit

Previously on Critical Role Edit

"Vox Machina, preparing themselves for a final fray with the recently ascended god Vecna, the Undying King, discovered that he had brought the city of Thar Amphala about 300 miles northwest of Vasselheim on the continent of Issylra. Upon gathering allies to assail this region, you discovered that it was shifting, moving, and apparently the corpse of a long dead primordial earth titan had been risen and began marching its way towards Vasselheim with Thar Amphala embedded at the top of its torso, protected by some sort of a magical barrier.

"With an advance army of wyvern riders at your back, and J'mon Sa Ord giving you a ride between their wings, you made your way southward, quickly depositing yourselves within what appeared to be a waterfall-expelling opening towards the hip of this large titan-like undead beast. You began to fight your way through the interior, dealing with corrupted earth elemental shards.

"You began to make your way through the catacombs, the long ruined and abandoned dwarven city of Thomara, where you encountered the tomb of the dwarven king. Where you also managed to raid the tomb, found a magical item, and dealt with some fun traps in the process.

"Then continuing to follow where this route led you, upward, hopefully towards the underbelly of the city of Thar Amphala. You uncovered a mostly cleaned out vault and did battle with some undead trolls that immediately rushed in and attacked you. You managed to destroy them and make your way out through a small cavern that had just momentarily collapsed. Clearing it out of the way, you all begin to squeeze through the opening to find the next length of your journey."

Part I Edit

As the small tunnel leads upward, Vex and Vax head up a short distance ahead of the party to investigate. They find that the path has been blocked by a rockslide. Grog goes into a rage and destroys the rocks with the Titanstone Knuckles, allowing them to proceed.

Afterwards, Vox Machina finds a stone hallway of dwarven make that connects to an iron room with a brazier, mirror, and buttons on the walls. Vax uses his Serpent Belt to press one of the buttons from outside of the room, revealing it to be an automatically sealing incinerator. When the room opens back up, Scanlan notices arcane marks visible in the corners opposite the buttons. Grog and Vex uncover vertical lines in each of these corners underneath layers of ash, while Pike finds and translates dwarven numbers on the entrance archway. Scanlan uses this information to tell his Unseen Servant (dubbed Simon 2 in honor of the belt) to press the buttons with a lance in a specific order. The causes the mirror to become a portal, which Vox Machina traverses.

The portal leads to a hallway and staircase, eventually coming out into a central portion of the dwarven city of Thomara. After attracting and dispatching some undead dwarves, Vox Machina investigates a temple full of more undead dwarves in the area. With Grog distracting the dwarves and Vax and Vex dispatching the two undead dwarves who were not distracted, Scanlan uses Simon 2 to retrieve a crystal from the temple. Vox Machina bid Simon 2 farewell and ascend towards a gap in the roof of the city-sized cavern.

Part II Edit

Vox Machina comes out into a domed chamber, which appears to have drained water into Thomara at some point. They debate destroying the crystal, agreeing to wait before a final decision. Grog open doors on the sides of the chamber, ultimately revealing a single path upwards. After looting some boxes, Vex and Vax scout ahead into a hallway.

Three cloaked figures appear in the hallway, wearing Vecna symbols. Upon noticing the symbols, Vex and Vax attack, killing one and wounding the others. One of the cultists, Viskorad, orders another, Odell, to alert others to Vox Machina's presence, beginning a fight.

Vex manages to attack Odell before Viskorad summons wraiths and a Wall of Force. Scanlan, Keyleth, and Percy waste time attempting to attack through the Wall of Force. Odell moves a Sphere of Annihilation into the side of the room containing Vox Machina. One of the wraiths reduces Vex's maximum health.

Scanlan shifts the course of the fight by using Dimension Door to move past the Wall of Force. He then uses Bigby's Hand to punch Viskorad, breaking his concentration on the Wall of Force. In the ensuing flurry of attacks, Vex kills Odell and Percy kills Viskorad, while Pike and Vax eliminate the wraiths.

Vox Machina loot the bodies of the three Remnant members. Scanlan attempts to grab the Sphere of Annihilation with Bigby's Hand, and then tries twice to control it with his mind. The first attempt leads the sphere to move into and injure Scanlan, but the second attempt allows him to move the Sphere, which he dubs Simon 3. Pike and Vax decides to combine Zone of Truth and Speak with Dead to compel one of the cultists to share information about the titan and Thar Amphala. After Vax casts Zone of Truth, Pike attempts Speak with Dead on Odell. The spell does not function as intended and Pike is psychically damaged in the process. Vox Machina throws the three bodies into Simon 3.

Featured Characters Edit

Vox Machina Edit

• Taryon Darrington (absent; mentioned only)
• Doty 2.0 (absent; not mentioned)
• Keyleth
• Percival de Rolo
• Scanlan Shorthalt
• Grog Strongjaw
• Pike Trickfoot (controlled by Liam and Laura)
• Trinket
• Vax'ildan
• Vex'ahlia

New Edit

• Odell
• Viskorad
• An unnamed Remnant member

Returning Edit

Mentioned Edit

• J'mon Sa Ord
• Kaylie
• Vecna

Inventory Edit

Adjustment	Count	Item	Source	Destination	Notes
Destroyed	1	hooded lantern	Grog	the ground near a temple in Thomara	thrown as distraction
Acquired	1	blue crystal	Dwarven temple	Scanlan	appears to distract undead (Pulse Stone)
Acquired	5	ancient tools	decaying box #1	Grog
Acquired	3	Potion of water breathing	decaying box #2	Percy, Scanlan, and Vex
Acquired	3	Remnant robes	dead Remnant members	Bag of holding?	ornate
Acquired	3	Vecna symbols	dead Remnant members	Unclear
Acquired	3	wands (arcane foci)	dead Remnant members	Bag of holding?
Acquired	1	sphere of annihilation (Simon 3)	Odell	Unclear	controlled by Scanlan after he succeeded on a DC 25 Arcana check; can move 15 feet per action

Quotations Edit

External Links Edit

• Episode transcript

References Edit

Art:

v • d • e Critical Role Chapter 8 Episodes << Chapter 7 "The End of Vox Machina" Chapter 9 >> #100 "Unfinished Business" (1x100) #101 "Thar Amphala" (1x101) #102 "Race to the Tower" (1x102) #103 "The Fate-Touched" (1x103) #104 "Elysium" (1x104) #105 "The Fear of Isolation" (1x105) #106 "The Endless Atheneeum" (1x106) #107 "Scaldseat" (1x107) #108 "The Core Anvil" (1x108) #109 "The Ominous March" (1x109) #110 "The Climb Within" (1x110) #111 "Shadows of Thomara" (1x111) #112 "Dark Dealings" (1x112) #113 "The Final Ascent" (1x113) #114 "Vecna, the Ascended" (1x114) #115 "The Chapter Closes" (1x115)