Critical Role Confirms Longstanding Fan Theory in Latest Episode

Critical Role confirmed a longstanding fan theory in their latest episode. [Spoilers from Campaign [...]

By Christian Hoffer

Critical Role confirmed a longstanding fan theory in their latest episode. [Spoilers from Campaign 2: Episode 94 follows!] In last night's episode of Critical Role, Matthew Mercer confirmed that the Traveler, the mysterious and obscure deity worshiped by Jester, was the archfey Artagan. Artagan was a recurring NPC from the Vox Machina campaign, who notably followed Vox Machina under the guise of a satyr and later provided the party with a much needed respite during their quest to kill Vecna. When Artagan agreed to help Vox Machina by letting them rest in the Feywild (while only an hour passed in the Material Plane), he requested that Vox Machina build him a gateway that would allow him to freely travel between the Feywild and the Material Plane.

In last night's episode, Artagan revealed to Jester that his Traveler persona was initially just a prank. However, Jester's faith in Artagan (as the Traveler) imbued him with new powers, and so Artagan began to spread his cult around the world. Although being worshipped came with perks, Artagan quickly became overwhelmed with the responsibility, and so he turned to Jester, his first and most devout disciple for aid.

Fans had long speculated that the Traveler was Artagan, especially as the two were described in a similar manner and had similar mannerisms. Jester also exhibited some similar talents to Artagan, especially her tendency to doodle satirical drawings of whatever she encountered. Mercer also confirmed on Twitter that the Traveler's divine symbol of a door arch was representative of the gateway that Vox Machina built for Artagan.

While Critical Role has mostly kept its two campaigns separate, several NPCs have crossed over between the two storylines. The popular mage Allura Vysoren has appeared in both campaigns and aided both Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein in various quests. Additionally, we've also seen references to Whitestone and Taryon Darrington in past episodes.

You can watch Critical Role live every Thursday at 7 PM PT on their Twitch channels. VOD episodes are uploaded to YouTube the following Monday, and podcast versions of episodes are also available.

(h/t to BlackSalander for the header art)

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