Critical Role: Winter's Crest Festival

Two panels from the first issue of the Critical Role: Winter's Fest Festival comic, by Wendy Sullivan Green.

## Chronology

### Followed by

*Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins*

The ***Critical Role: Winter's Crest Festival* comic** was the first official comic series based on one of Vox Machina's pre-stream adventures. The comic was written by Marisha Ray and Taliesin Jaffe with art by Wendy Sullivan Green. It debuted on 2015-11-18 and ended on 2015-12-24 after its planned run of six strips.

## **Issue #1: Welcome to the Winter's Crest Festival**

Released on 2015-11-18, the first set of four panels of the comic depicted Vox Machina's first Christmas adventure at Winter's Crest Festival in Westruun. Receiving a handbill for the festival, Vox Machina eagerly decides to celebrate. The final panel foreshadows future events with a blue, egg-like crystal in the town square.

## **Issue #2: Target Practice**

Released on 2015-11-25, the second set of four panels shows Vex'ahlia and Percy playing a target practice festival game while Trinket watches with surprise.

## **Issue #3: Holiday Hats**

Released on 2015-12-02, the third set of four panels features Keyleth, Percy, Pike, Scanlan, Grog, and Trinket shopping for hats. In the background, Vax'ildan appears to be shoplifting a hat and Vex'ahlia argues with the shopowner over prices.

## **Issue #4: Drunken Revelry**

Released on 2015-12-09, the fourth set of four panels shows a variety of Vox Machina's holiday contests and antics, once again including the frozen egg.

## **Issue #5: Yuletime Grog**

Released on 2015-12-16, the fifth set of four panels shows Grog, passed out from food and alcohol, being decorated as a winter's festival tree by the other members of Vox Machina.

## **Issue #6: The Winter Witch of Westruun**

Released on 2015-12-24, the sixth and final issue of ten panels pays off the foreshadowing of the frozen egg from previous issues. The egg cracks, then bursts in a powerful wintry explosion, freezing Vax'ildan into an ice statue. A nude woman emerges from the crystal and retreats through a portal, followed by Vox Machina (except for the frozen Vax).

## **Featured Characters**

### **Vox Machina**

* Vax'ildan
* Vex'ahlia
* Tiberius Stormwind
* Scanlan Shorthalt
* Grog Strongjaw
* Keyleth
* Trinket
* Percival de Rolo
* Pike Trickfoot

## **Trivia**

* Parts of this comic were based on the cast's real-life Renaissance fair.
* This was the first official comic series for *Critical Role*, followed by *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins*.
* The Winter's Crest festival at Westruun was adapted into a comic a second time in *Vox Machina Origins III* #3.
* The idea to produce a comic series based on the pre-stream adventures of Vox Machina goes back to those original strips. This would eventually lead Critical Role to produce *Critical Role: Vox Machina Origins*.

## **References**

1. ↑ See "The Story of Vox Machina" (Sx06) from 4:34 through 5:39.
2. ↑ See Issue #1: Welcome to the Winter's Crest Festival on Geek & Sundry's website. Archived from the original.
3. ↑ See Issue #2: Target Practice on Geek & Sundry's website. Archived from the original.
4. ↑ See Issue #3: Holiday Hats on Geek & Sundry's website. Archived from the original.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 See Issue #4: Drunken Revelry on Geek & Sundry's website. Archived from the original.
6. ↑ See Issue #5: Yuletime Grog on Geek & Sundry's website. Archived from the original.
7. ↑ See Issue #6: The Winter Witch of Westruun on Geek & Sundry's website. Archived from the original.
8. ↑ See Marisha's and Matt's Periscope on 2015-11-26 at 2:21 through 4:07.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Two panels from the first issue of the *Critical Role: Winter's Fest Festival* comic, by Wendy Sullivan Green (source). Used with permission.