After unexpectedly discovering the elven city of Syngorn in the Fey Realm, Vex and Vax have a very unpleasant reunion with their father. Meanwhile back in Tal'Dorei, Pike and Scanlan try to nurse a weakened Grog back to health.
Tropes
- Abusive Parent: Syldor's attitude hasn't changed a bit from when Vex and Vax where little. He still shows no respect or love for the twins, frequently belittling them for being half-breeds and scoffing at the idea that they could ever amount to anything, let alone be the potential saviors of Tal'Dorei.
- Ass Shove: The remedy Wilhand makes for Grog has to be administered this way.
- Chekhov's Gun: Percy fashions Vex a homemade arrowhead to help her feel better after telling Syldor off. After losing her original bow, she stabs it into Saundor's heart.
- Chekhov's Hobby: Scanlan's numerous sexcapades comes in handy when it comes to administering a large capsule of herbal supplements to Grog via impromptu enema.
- Children Are Innocent: Velora is so sheltered, she has no idea what "Fuck you" means.
- Give Me a Sword: Vax twists his body to give Keyleth access to his daggers. She manages to grab one and proceeds to cut herself free before throwing it to free Vax’s hand, allowing him to recall it and finish the job.
- Good Stepmother: Syldor's new wife Devana proves to be more welcoming and loving than her husband.
- Innocent Swearing: Vex yells "Fuck you!" at a retreating Syngorn before walking away herself. Cue Velora asking her mother "What does 'fuck you' mean?"
- Jerkass Has a Point: While Syldor is an abusive asshat who doesn't see his daughter's true worth, he's completely correct in calling out Percival's "titling" of her as a meaningless and petty ploy with no true worth, and refuses to amend his document to include it. Fortunately, it does succeed in giving Vex the confidence to finally stand up to her father and his needless cruelty.
- Love Hungry: Saundor is a corrupted archfey who tries to lure in Vex'ahlia with dark magic, claiming he's the only one who understands her and offering to give her everything she wants if she'll only give him her heart. When she breaks the spell and rejects him, he snaps and tries to kill her. Judging from his comment that she's "just like all the rest", she's probably not the first person who's failed to give him the love he wants.
- Mythology Gag: Garmelie notes that, if they didn't go through Syngorn to reach the Shademurk, they'd have had to go through pixie territory, which he advises heavily against. In the original campaign, the party had a battle with a group of pixies that, while they won, was extremely hard-fought.
- Rage Breaking Point: Vex initially tries to keep the peace between Syldor and the party, but she finally loses patience with him after he brushes off Percy's attempt to furnish her with a noble title, thus disrespecting Percy as well as her.
- Trickster Mentor: Garmelie is actually an archfey named Artagan, who reveals himself to viewers after Vex and her group return to Tal'Dorei, using his guise as a mischievous satyr to guide the group to, and ultimate lay claim to, Fenthras.
- Villain Has a Point: While Saundor was mostly being a manipulative creep, he's right when he tells Vex that her father will never approve of her no matter what she does, and that running herself ragged to earn his love is a losing game.
- Wham Line:
- At the end of the episode, after their attempts to help Grog fully regain his strength have failed, Pike decides that they need to head to Westruun in search of the gauntlets Scanlan saw in his vision. That's when Grog reveals that he knows who has them.Grog: Those gauntlets belong to my Uncle. He killed me with 'em.
- At the end of the episode, after their attempts to help Grog fully regain his strength have failed, Pike decides that they need to head to Westruun in search of the gauntlets Scanlan saw in his vision. That's when Grog reveals that he knows who has them.
