of Critical Role, where a bunch of us

crazy voice actor, nerdy types sit here

and play Dungeons and Dragons.

We'll be continuing from last week's adventure,

so in the meantime, let's go ahead and show you some

of the character backstory.

TRAVIS: Right, listen up.

If you have ale, then you have a friend in Grog Strongjaw.

A goliath of towering height and size,

this barbarian has an appetite for the two great loves

in his life: combat, women, and ale.

(record scratching)

Wait.

Easily the brains of the group, Grog is often

consulted for his vast knowledge of shapes, colors,

and shiny things.

Also ale.

In his early years, armed with his two-handed greataxe,

Grog oft enjoyed proving his might amongst the ranks

of his family's wandering herd,

but after coming upon an unsuspecting elderly gnome

in the woods, he objected to the killing

of such an innocent life.

A creature of impulse, Grog felt only pity for this,

(chuckles) this terrified little thing.

His disobedience cost him dearly.

Beaten bloody and banished by the herd leader,

his uncle Kevdak, Grog was abandoned and left to die.

Exiled from his herd, it was then that the relative

of the very gnome he fought to save, saved him.

It was the kindness of a gnome cleric named Pike

that healed Grog, bringing him back from death's edge.

And they have remained close friends ever since.

Most nights, Grog can be found challenging entire taverns

to wrestling matches, ha!

Or accompanying Scanlan to the nearest house

where you pay for lady favors, huh.

Also ale.

MARISHA: A first impression of Keyleth

would leave you with little information

on the half-elven druid.

You might even think that her social awkwardness

due to her sheltered upbringing is kind of sweet.

Of course, it would be unwise to underestimate her

based on first impressions.

(lightning roaring)

Under that unintimidating, petite frame

is a vicious beast waiting to be unleashed

whose natural powers have made even the fiercest

of champions pee their pants, literally. (giggles)

Born to the air tribe of the Ashari people,

Keyleth was raised with a deep love of nature

and the elemental magics.

It is her people's inherent duty

to protect the delicate areas in Tal'Dorei,

where the four elemental planes begins to bleed

with this realm.

Since she was a little girl, she had quite a knack

for air manipulation and beastshaping abilities.

Well, if you consider kittens and flying squirrels

to be little beasts,

which I do.

(clears throat)

Anyways, it wasn't long before the headmaster of the tribe,

her father, Kohren, realized her true prodigious abilities

and she was inveterated to succeed him

as the next headmaster.

Just like that, her jovial childhood was stripped

and replaced with endless spell memorization,

teachings from ancient traditions,

and exceedingly high expectations.

Every druid leader-to-be must embark on a journey

to seek out the sister tribes in order to introduce

and establish respect amongst the fellow headmasters.

They call this the Aramente, or Noble Odyssey.

When her father felt she was ready, he set her on the path

to truly discovering herself.

Not knowing when, or if, she will ever return.

As she hikes down the mountain towards Stillben,

she meditated on the task ahead.

Part of the Aramente is proving yourself a strong warrior,

a valiant protector, and a wise and compassionate leader.

With this knowledge, one thought plays in repeat

in her mind:

Is she even worthy?

TALIESIN: Percy was the third child

of seven children, born to a noble family

who lived far to the north

in the ancient castle of Whitestone.

With so many siblings to share the burdens of lordship,

Percy turned his attention

to the sciences, engineering, and naturalism.

One day, a mysterious couple named Lord and Lady Briarwood

came to court.

During a feast held in their honour, the Briarwoods

violently took control of the castle, killing

or imprisoning everyone who would stand in their way.

Percy awoke chained in the dungeon, only to be freed

by his younger sister.

Together they fled, chased by the Briarwoods' men.

As they ran, Percy's sister took several arrows

to the chest and fell.

Percy kept running, eventually jumping into a freezing river

and floating unconscious to freedom.

He did not remember waking up on a fishing boat.

He barely remembered the next two years,

as he slowly made his way as far south as possible.

Then one night, Percy had a dream.

A roaring cloud of smoke offered him vengeance

against those who destroyed his family.

When he awoke, Percy began to design his first gun.

(gun clicking)

(explosion roaring)

SAM: Oh, you haven't heard

of Scanlan Shorthalt?

Well, gird your loins, ladies,

because he has his eye on you.

A talented musician, master of disguise,

and dashingly handsome in his own mind,

Scanlan sings songs almost as much

as he sings his own praises.

Born a poor gnome, Scanlan used his endless charm

and soaring tenor voice to croon for coin

and support his single mother.

One day he was discovered by a half-orc promoter,

and joined Dr. Dranzel's Spectacular Traveling Troupe,

where he learned the ways of the world,

and honed his skills as a bard extraordinaire.

A loner much of his life, Scanlan has never quite

come to terms with the violent death of his mother

at the hands of a goblin invasion.

While his years on the road provided many, shall we say,

educational experiences with the opposite sex,

deep down Scanlan yearns for the one thing

he's never known, the true love of a fellow gnome.

Still, Scanlan considers himself a lover first,

performer second, and fighter distant third.

On the battlefield, he'll support his allies,

but rarely draws blood unless it's

to protect fellow gnome, Pike.

Count on Scanlan for a hearty laugh, a rollicking song,

and a twinkle in his eye that melts hearts

and makes the females swoon.

ORION: Greetings and salutations.

I am Tiberius Stormwind.

I hail from a town called Ty'rex,

located in the heart of Draconia,

from a politically respected family.

At the age of 15, I succeeded

in passing the Sorcerer's Rite,

showing prodigy-like control of my magic.

The judges and the Draconian high council were amazed

at how powerful my spells were

for how long I had been training.

At 20 years old, I was the youngest appointed member

of the magic guild in Draconian history.

For the next few years, I almost went mad

from the malaise of being a guild member,

as it's rather boring.

However, one day I happened upon a chamber,

unused for quite some time.

In the room were stacks of books and maps

of the surrounding cities and areas around the known world.

For months I would frequent the chamber,

and learned of artifacts from legend.

After a long period of research, I made a list of artifacts

that caught my eye.

I brought these findings to the high council

and was told that all of the information in the chamber

I stumbled upon was either believed to be fiction,

or unsolvable mysteries, and hence were lost forever.

I found those answers to be unacceptable.

A year later I devised a ruse and managed

to convince the city council to lend support

in me leaving Draconia on a mission of peace and diplomacy

for the surrounding kingdoms.

Going from town to town and making friends and allies,

in and for the name of Draconia.

Being a red dragonborn, I had quite the task on my hands

in that respect, but it was exactly what I needed,

so I could explore the world and find these artifacts,

as I felt the truth was out there.

Some may describe me as buffoonish,

but I say poppycock to all that. (mutters)

I am much sharper than most give me credit for.

I just don't pay attention to things sometimes.

I've also been known to be rather cunning, loyal,

happy-go-lucky, and well, dangerous.

I can't help but show my true scales every now and then.

But overall, I think I'm quite friendly for a dragonborn.

LIAM: Never entirely welcome in the company

of elves or men, Vax'ildan learned at a young age

to skip past formality, preferring instead

to invite himself in your door.

Along with twin sister Vex'ahlia, Vax was born

by a chance encounter between elven royalty

and human peasantry.

Raised by their mother in their early years,

the twins were eventually sent off to their father

in the elven capital of Syngorn.

But their cool reception among the elves there never warmed,

and their time in the capital didn't last.

The siblings stole away one autumn night

and set out on the open road.

After a few years of wandering, they eventually decided

to return to their mother, and journeyed back

to the lands of their youth.

But instead of finding their childhood home,

they returned to a pile of rubble.

Their mother was gone, their home burned to ash.

Pressing the townspeople for answers,

they learned of the day the dragon came.

(loud roaring)

With their ties all severed, Vax'ildan and his sister

set out to find their fortune together in Tal'Dorei.

An outsider since birth, Vax quickly learned

to solve life's challenges in his own particular way,

often by sidestepping them entirely.

And when his knack for circumventing adversity isn't enough,

(sword slicing)

the way of blades the elves schooled him in

more than makes up the difference.

LAURA: Like so many half-elves, Vex'ahlia

has spent most of her life suffering the cool reception

of a people who don't fully accept her.

Born of a human mother and an elven father,

who only later in life took an interest in their existence,

Vex'ahlia and her twin brother Vax'ildan

quickly realized the only people they could truly rely on

in this world were each other.

It was at the age of ten when the two were taken

from their mother, and brought to live in Syngorn,

the isolated elven city for which their father

was an ambassador.

He quietly took them in, but always kept an icy distance,

and after too many years of disdainful looks,

the pair decided to leave his indifference behind,

and set out on their own.

Vax took to the cities, stealing small trinkets

and learning the ways of the thief,

while Vex kept to the woods.

She preferred the isolation.

Always the keen observer, she learned to hunt and to track,

to spy and to shoot.

And through a series of fateful events,

earned herself a companion in the form of a bear,

her own stolen trinket,

(bear growling)

to fight alongside her

and protect her fiercely.

Also, he is adorable and gives expert massages.