The dead walk in the streets of Whitestone at the behest of Delilah Briarwood, staining the city in the blood of innocents. With the seemingly unending horde of reanimated corpses threatening to overwhelm the resistance, this may well be the darkest hour for Whitestone, Vox Machina, and Tal'Dorei as a whole!
Tropes
- Bear Hug: Grog picks up Pike's astral form and gives her a massive hug while sobbing about how much he missed her.
- Big Damn Heroes: Pike returns, and not a moment too soon, as she astral projects herself to Whitestone to turn the tide of the fight back in the rebels' favor.
- Deus ex Machina: An almost literal one. While the heroes and rebels are being pushed back by the horde of undead, Pike, having been separated from the party for most of the arc and having just spoken with her god, regains her holy powers and was even able to astral project herself right onto the battlefield, destroyed several undead with her entrance alone. She heals Scanlan's arm and blesses the rebel's weapons, allowed them to turn the tide of battle.
- Do with Him as You Will: Percy shoots Duke Goran Vedmire's leg off, then declares that Vedmire's name isn't on his revenge list, so he isn't going to kill him—instead he'll leave it to the citizens of Whitestone to decide Vedmire’s fate. He expects the citizens will show the Duke as much mercy as he showed them. Sure enough, the citizens give Vedmire cold stares, then the mob draws in around him and starts stabbing. A few scenes later, we see the citizens hanging the Duke's corpse from the Sun Tree.
- Dumbass Has a Point: When Keyleth panics over the sheer numbers of undead besieging the town and wonders where they all came from, Grog points out they all obviously came from underground graves.Grog: Uh, the ground! That's where all dead people live.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: On display when it's demonstrated just how it is that Delilah began her descent into dark magic and how her husband was turned into a vampire. It was out of very apparent desperation to save Sylas from death, by any means possible.
- Eye Scream: Vax kills one of the death giants this way, stabbing it in both eyes with his daggers after Vex helps with a Colossus Climb. Both eyes explode in fluid all over Vax as a result, leaving him quite grossed out over it.
- Fastball Special: Scanlan launches Grog at the advancing zombie giants, by using Scanlan's Hand.
- Foreshadowing: In the Briarwoods' dungeon, the heroes find an imprisoned woman who offers to help fight against her captors...until Percy dons his mask and puts his gun to her head, hinting at her identity as Dr. Anna Ripley.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Said almost word by word by Vex to Scanlan when he's panicking at the zombie horde.
- Heroic BSoD: Percy is briefly stunned after seeing Archie die at Vedmire's hands.
- It Only Works Once: When Scanlan tries to use his magical lightning from his crotch against Vedmire again, Vedmire simply deflects it with his sword and mocks Scanlan for thinking he wouldn't adapt to counter it.
- It's Personal: Downplayed. After he kills Archie, Percy steps in to make sure that Vedmire doesn't get to flee the battle, but then tells him that he's not on Percy's list, so he'll spare him... for the citizens of Whitestone that he so tormented to show him the same mercy he showed them, giving Vedmire an arguably more gruesome demise than Percy alone could.
- Jaw Drop: A Literal one. When Pike summons a mace out of glowing holy light, one the the zombies she's facing off against has its jaw literally fall off in shock, apparently knowing it's screwed.
- Pre-Asskicking One-Liner: "Sup?" Said by Pike before taking out numerous undead by herself.
- Rousing Speech: Percy makes one after some encouragement from Cassandra."I am Lord Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III! On the day the Briarwoods took Whitestone, I watched my family die. Despite my desire for vengeance, I fled. And fear kept me from my home. We have all lost. But Archie never feared, never wavered. He willingly gave his life for all of us! For Whitestone. His sacrifice, your sacrifice, and the sacrifice of my family shall not be in vain! Today is for Archie. For the de Rolos. For Whitestone!"
- Surprisingly Sudden Death: Archie is killed this way facing off against Duke Vedmire after he goes after Scanlan in revenge for their last encounter. One second they're clashing arms, the next swing of a sword Archie and the Duke stand stock-still before Archie falls apart in two pieces. No final words, no gasp of realization- Archie's even facing away from Percy so neither he or the audience get to see his final expression as he perishes instantly.
- Wrecked Weapon: Due to Bad News still being a prototype, it is destroyed after firing one shot.
