Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Legend of Vox Machina Season 2, Episode 1, "Rise of the Chroma Conclave."
Season 2 of The Legend of Vox Machina established new stakes for the Critical Role adventuring party, with the four dragons of the Chroma Conclave touching down on Emon and laying waste to the capital city.
For fans who have followed Vox Machina since their days as a motely Dungeons & Dragons livestream, Season 1 of the Critical Role animated adaptation left off on a significant cliffhanger that saw the Chroma Conclave obscuring the skies of Emon. The promised destruction was delivered in Season 2's opening sequence, which utilized each dragon's unique powers to tear Emon asunder. Death of the former sovereign Uriel, brutal beheadings and blood-soaked icebergs peppered the landscape as fire, acid and debris rained down on Emon.
The Significance of the Chroma Conclave
The Chroma Conclave took Emon and Vox Machina by surprise as dragons, usually perceived as selfish creatures, have never been known to work together on such an elaborate scale. This new reality left the adventuring party scrambling for safety and answers. While Season 1 featured an early combat against the dragon Brimscythe, Vox Machina could not fathom facing the Chroma Conclave, especially after seeing how easily they dismantled Emon. Marisha Ray's Keyleth of the Air Ashari even wondered whether such devastation was their fault, a price incurred for slaying Brimscythe.
The Wire and Fringe star Lance Reddick lent his voice to the Chroma Conclave's ferocious leader Thordak, the Cinder King. Critical Role Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer has made appearances as various characters throughout The Legend of Vox Machina, including season one villain Sylas Briarwood, and he continues his villainous streak by voicing Umbrasyl, the Hope Devourer. Liam O'Brien plays against himself as Vox Machina member Vax and Chroma Conclave dragon Vorgul, the Frigid Doom. Cree Summers rounds out the deadly foursome as Raishan, the Diseased Deceiver.
Despite shaking up the members of Vox Machina, particularly Laura Bailey's Vex'ahlia, who has a cursed attunement to the draconic, the Conclave's attack forced the party to evaluate their shared responsibility as heroes of the realm. Critical Role fans have been clamoring to see the Chroma Conclave arc brought to life since the conception of the animated series.
New episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Thursdays in batches of three. The entire first season is available now.
Source: Prime Video