Vox Machina has stopped the Briarwoods' evil ritual, but at a heavy cost. As they flee the Ziggurat to save one of their own, Percy is eager to take revenge on their prisoner, Delilah Briarwood. When Vex implores him to let go of his vengeance, Percy must confront the darkness within himself.
Tropes
- Anti-Magic: Scanlan realizes that the black orb left in the location where the Whispered One failed to materialize is casting this effect, preventing his spells from activating, banishing Pike's astral projection and nullifying the magical effects of any healing potions they have on them, forcing Vox Machina to retreat back to the acid trap room in order to gain enough distance to start casting a healing remedy of Keyleth.
- Attacking Through Yourself: Percy finally purges Orthax from his soul by shooting himself through his left hand, forcing Orthax to recoil into the Pepperbox.
- Battle in the Center of the Mind: Orthax really fucks with Percy in this episode, drawing him deep into his own mind and soul and making him re-live the massacre of his family. He sees the Briarwoods and their allies, when he is actually shooting at his own allies.
- Chekhov's Gun: Earlier in the series, Vax served as an assistant of sorts when Keyleth used druidic healing magic to save Cassandra. Now, when Keyleth is on death's doorstep, and the group is out of healing potions, Vax recalls what she did and enlists Scanlan's magic to save her.
- Deal with the Devil: Until this episode, Percy didn't know he had made a pact with a shadow demon. It was "an unspoken partnership", as Orthax puts it. He gives Percy the means for vengeance, and Percy gives him souls.
- Driven to Suicide: Percy almost shoots himself in the head to stop Orthax.
- Evil Weapon: The List's true nature, etched upon the Pepperbox, is finally unveiled, being a conduit through which Orthax can influence (or force) Percy to kill in order to slake its thirst for souls. When he's battling against himself thanks to his teammate's words of support and encouragement, the List first shows Cassandra's name again, before the barrels spin on their own accord and showcase Vex and Grog's names as well, showing how Orthax aims to use Percy's desire for righteous retribution to turn him into the demon's personal killer and deliverer of souls. When Scanlan chucks the Pepperbox into a vat of acid, Orthax can be seen one last time before dissolving away.
- Go Through Me: Vex places herself between Percy and Delilah to force him not to shoot Delilah.
- Heroic Suicide: Thankfully prevented, but Percy was willing to shoot himself to stop Orthax.
- How Did You Know? I Didn't: Keyleth asks Scanlan how he knew that Orthax resided in The List. Scanlan says it was a guess.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy: Cassandra shuts up Delilah's ranting/last ditch effort at revenge by stabbing her through the throat, then following it up with a slash that almost decapitates Delilah.
- Instant-Win Condition: Keyleth deduces that if Percy completes his revenge, then "there won't be much of him left". The party has to prevent him from killing Delilah, while he is trying to kill all of them. If Delilah dies, then they all lose and Orthax wins.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Percy finally lets go of his lust for vengeance and spares Delilah. Cassandra, however, is not so fettered and lands a killing thrust on her with her saber as Delilah is gloating about Percy's inability to end her.
- Mythology Gag: In Campaign 2 of the original show, the players were constantly bugging Matt to tell them who was on the Tal'Dorei council. In this episode, Uriel is just about to announce the members of the council, only to get interrupted by the arrival of the dragons.
- Sequel Hook: The season ends with Uriel stepping down from the throne and ceding power to the Tal'Dorei council, only for a new threat to loom over the horizon: the remaining four dragons in the Chroma Conclave.
- Slasher Smile: Percy sports a positively evil ear-to-ear grin as he dons his mask before threatening to torture Delilah.
- Sphere of Destruction: In the ziggurat, where Delilah tried to summon the Whispered One, a small floating orb was left in the fell creature's wake: a Sphere of Annihilation. A Whitestone scout who was sent to investigate the ziggurat made the mistake of getting to close to it and got sucked into it and obliterated.
- Spiteful Spit: When Cassandra tries to question Delilah about the purpose of her ritual, she spits in her face.
- Villainous Breakdown: Delilah suffers from one after Vox Machina ruins her ritual and The Whispered One abandons her. Losing her husband and getting shot by Percy leaves her a total mess.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: As Percy struggles against Orthax's murderous influence, Cassandra and Vex appeal to his humanity, reminding him that he is more than just his desire for vengeance.
