#marble vax

[undead-knick-knack]

You better love Vax no matter what form he's in 😤

[ravenquingvax]

Vax has the most fucked up story ever what the fucking fuckity fuck Matthew.

WHAT THE FUCK

LEAVE VAX ALONE

HE'S ALREADY DEAD 😭

oh, poor kiki, she must be in absolute hell rn

[blackmosscupcakes]

Liam: best case scenario, Vax is not a ball...

Aabria, absolutely dying of laughter: OH MY GOD I FORGOT YOUR ASS IS A MARBLE

[loading-excuses]

talisen and ashley playing the mortal incarnations of gods they’ve played clerics for is makes so much sense but there’s something poetic about laura’s character being the mortal incarnation of the raven queen

i just miss vax, i hope he’s okay in his marble

[utilitycaster]

Something I haven't really gotten the point of is the weird resurgence of focus on whether Vex is aware that Vax is in the marble and arguing that it's against her characterization to not be there. I think it's actually entirely possible that, as a kindness, Keyleth hasn't told her. What could Vex meaningfully do here? I don't think she can just break him out, and even if she could, that, as Keyleth says, destroys their ability to travel to Ruidus and potentially stop the Vanguard. She'd be telling Vex her brother is suffering endlessly and they need to keep him there, which is only going to hurt her. And even If Keyleth has told her, isn't it more effective for Vex to focus on amassing Tal'Dorei's political power and ensuring the country is prepared for disaster? I mean, I'd love to see Vex, but the idea she's in Emon, as a key figure in Tal'Dorei's government, makes perfect sense. It feels like the desire for Vex to be there comes from the idea that the only valid way to show affection or loyalty or grief is through physical presence.

More generally, I think it's worth pointing out that Vax choosing to protect Keyleth in the way he did is why the Ruby Vanguard's plan succeeded and why she was attacked in the first place. It's not portrayed as a good thing that he visits her like this—in fact it's pretty explicitly portrayed as unhealthy for both of them. It's inhibited her ability to move on, whereas Vex, while she will always grieve, seems to have adjusted much better to her loss in the 30 years since Vax's death. I think the "better version" of post-Campaign 1 is not one in which Vax is constantly sending ravens to Vex; it's one in which he lets Keyleth have the distance she needs to process and heal.

[i-am-mldy]

I know our blorbo is a marble rn but can I just say Vax's "don't you even dare" as he stared down the one who nearly killed his beloved, with all the divine might and scorn in the world, is permanently etched into my psyche

[revvethasmythh]

I'm sorry but I literally can't stop laughing. they marbleized keyleth's boyfriend. matt double-tapped him. fuck vax in particular, you already never knew peace now you're a fucking marble

[empressofedge]

In all seriousness, though. One of my favorite things about this last episode of Critical Role is that I was a week behind when it aired and the ONLY spoiler I truly saw was the Imodna kiss. Like, there were vague mentions about Chet’s kidnapping and Vax marble screaming, but other than that... nothing. And even then it was SUPER vague to the point I didn’t even understand the spoilers. Meaning...

I literally had no idea that they legit showed Imogen’s mother, Ludinus, and Ira on Ruidus until I watched the full ep. That’s how absolutely batshit we all went for the sapphics and honestly? Completely valid.

[hazelcephalopod]

Idle thought. How long has Vax been in that marble? He’s still screaming right? Hasn’t it been weeks at this point? So just weeks of torture for Vax. I hate to say it but I don’t think he’s gonna be doing well when he gets out.

[momspren]

Hey guys I've been gone for awhile, is Vax still a marble?

[crabs-with-sticks]

Hey so I am not at all up to date on campaign 3 of critical role but I saw it trending and have suddenly been reminded of stuff I saw ages ago. So I must ask. Is Vax still marbled??? He still trapped in the orb thingy??? Is he doing okay??? He still 'alive' n stabbing??? I need to know if my most favourite of all boys is okay T-T because I will probably cry if he's not

[undead-knick-knack]

Just gotta meme thru the pain guys 🥲

[xenika-dreamweaver]

Sooooooo.... once Vax was put in the marble. I had big Delilah vibes from Keyleth. She would 1000000% break the world for Vax. My heart broke when she said I've never done enough. Our poor kiki.

[waltwhitmansbeard]

go on, claim my heart: chapter twenty-nine

see my masterpost for what came before this.

Vax stands there, frozen, as Percy falls apart in his sister's arms. His blood still pumps deafeningly in his ears, yet he feels cold, ice and marble instead of flesh and bone. This, his mind tells him dimly, is a preservation strategy; by becoming inanimate, he cannot feel, and if he cannot feel, he cannot explode, cannot shatter into shrapnel and tear this man, his friend, and an innocent teenage girl to shreds.

Because mere moments ago, his daughter was here. He heard her cries, saw her balled fists wave through the air. He was so godsdamned close to having his hands on her, to pulling her into his chest like a dragon jealously guarding its hoard, and once again he failed to save her. So he stands here, not breathing, not blinking, not feeling, because though his mind knows well that this moment is earth-shattering for Percy, his heart wants little more than to rip the two on the floor from their embrace and force them forward, to scream into Percy's face about why they are here, about what they still have left to do.

His sister, his wonderful other half, who knows him better than he knows himself, steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder, and it is only then that he realizes he's trembling. "Percival," she says quietly, "we have to go."

Percy looks up from Cassandra's shoulder, face red and eyes narrowed into slits. Vax sees the outrage and is more than ready to counter it with his own, but Cassandra speaks first, wiping at her wet face. "She's right, brother. You're needed with them. The baby—Vilya. she needs you."

"I cannot let you from my sight," Percy whispers, his voice cracking, and all at once, the fight is sapped from Vax's muscles. Of course he knows Percy's terror; it has been the only thing animating his body from the moment he awoke nearly a week ago. Percy has dealt with this horror for so many years, and Vax cannot begrudge him his reluctance to leave.

"Grog, Scanlan." Vax turns to face the men in question, who blink in surprise. "Take Cassandra into the woods. Guard her with your lives. Find a tree on the western edge of the grounds large enough for us to use to get home. We will find you when we..." He can't finish the thought.

He doesn't have to. Scanlan nods. "We'll take care of her," he says to Percy, and Vax cannot believe how sure he is that they will. Percy stands, pulling his sister up with him, and after one more bone-crushing hug, he nudges her toward the guard and the jester.

Just then, the massive white tiger with them in the hall snarls viciously and breaks into a run, tearing off toward the front entrance to the castle. Vax sighs—she has waited long enough—and sprints after her, not even bothering to see if the others are following suit. Keyleth's feline limbs are long and powerful, and it takes all of his strength to push on after her, to not let her get too far ahead. She bursts through the massive front doors as if they weren't imposing slabs of thick oak and presses forward down the steps and onto the front lawns.

"KEYLETH!" he calls after her, and her head twists to growl at him, her gait not slowing at all. "I KNOW THE WAY!"

That, at least, slows her a bit, giving him the space to catch up. He looks over his shoulder to see Percy and Vex giving chase, poor Pike struggling to catch up. He stops and shouts for Keyleth to do the same. Miraculously, she listens, and when the others arrive, Vax scoops Pike up to sit on Keyleth's back. "Hang on," he warns her, and then he sets off at a run again, charging toward the entrance to the Briarwoods' underground operation.

Keyleth keeps abreast of him as they dart across the lawn, shrouded in the darkness of night as they close in on their target. Vax's stomach sinks when he spies a line of guards around the storm cellar entrance. He starts to slow his pace, preparing to confer with the others about a plan of attack, but then he notices Keyleth gaining speed, charging the guards without an ounce of hesitation. It is hard not to notice the rapid approach of a thundering tiger, gleaming white in the moonlight, but they offer little resistance as she cuts through them like butter, all teeth and claws against their paltry swords and armor.

Vax skids to a startled halt to watch; the night air soon smells of blood, which coats her muzzle and paws, dripping and vulgar. Still, he cannot be horrified by the sight; he thinks of all the times he's failed her, of all the ways her nation's enemies have sought to strike her down, and there is nothing but relief at the notion that this ferocity, this savagery exists within her, that when he is unable to do so, she will be able to put her teeth to her foes' throats and tear their heads from their shoulders.

His wife, a princess, a beast, clears the way, and Vax leads them down into the tunnels. As they run, Vax can hear them, the distant cries of his daughter. He pumps his legs harder, and the group tumbles into the first cavern, which is now empty, any workers gone for the night. Vax thanks the Raven Queen for the good fortune and motions for the others to follow him forward into the tunnel that leads to the chamber with the altar. There is no time for caution, for stealth; the group spills out into the cavern, heaving chests and darting eyes, and Vax's attention is first drawn to the shrouded cage in the corner, where the victims he'd failed to free shout and scream.

Vax's eyes follow their flailing arms up to the altar, where they land on a sight that makes his heart stop. Up on the dais, behind the altar of green glass, an older man, slightly hunched over, holds his daughter in both hands, barely cradling her head as he lays her down on the hard surface. His breath catches in his throat as this man picks up an object from the altar, just above Vilya's head, and as he twists his wrist to examine it, the light from the torches reflects off of the blade of a long, black-handled athame.

One ear is rocked by deafening booms while the other can just barely make out the whisper of two arrows as both Percy and Vex fire at the man from behind Vax's shoulders. The party gasps in horror as their projectiles suddenly curve away just a second or two later, as if ricocheted off of an invisible wall. Vax looks to the others, confused, but it is Pike, still astride Keyleth's back, who points behind them and shouts, "Look!"

Vax whips around, daggers in hand. There, stepping from the shadows toward them, a manic grin on her face, is a woman in a dress the color of a bruise and long gloves the color of moonlight. Her spidery fingers are curled open in the air, and as she steps closer, the villain Vax instinctively knows to be Lady Delilah Briarwood coos, "There you are, Percival. We've been waiting for you to come home."

[utilitycaster]

Listen. I'm way behind on CR with no hope of ever actually catching up because of just Who I Am As A Person and how bad I am at managing my entertainment. Please explain the Vax'ilOrb situation. I'm so confused. Why is my Blorboiest Blorbo a marble(orbo)??

Not sure how much context you have so let me know if you need more, but anyway, Ludinus used Keyleth as bait - when she showed up to help Bells Hells, he Power Word Stunned her and had Otohan attack her, at which point Vax showed up to protect Keyleth. At which point Ludinus compressed Vax into a little ball to use as a divine lens in the Device That Breaks Moon Alcatraz to Unleash God-Eating Abominations. Anyway, Vax is an orb now.

[raptorix]

Also it's likely Vax isn't dead. He's just been contained in that marble and converted (unethically) into an arcane power source. He's powering Ludinus' Apocalypse machine with pure rage, spite, and hatred. And if someone were to say, get in and literally break the marble to break him out, there will be divine retribution served on that death-dodging elf motherfucker.