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The Legend Of Vox Machina S 03 E 01 A Deadly Bargain

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Thordak's master plan to hatch a clutch of chromatic dragons to conquer the world is close to fruition, forcing Vox Machina to enter into a dangerous partnership with the treacherous Raishan to claim the one Vestige of Divergence that can fell the mighty red dragon... easier said than done!


Contains the following tropes:

  • Bald of Evil: In human guise, Raishan takes the form of a bald woman with a scarred face.
  • Curb-Stomp Battle: Even with two members absent (Umbrasyl was slain last season, Raishan is aiding Vox Machina) and Vox Machina armed with Vestiges, the two remaining members of the Chroma Conclave give the heroes a run for their money. If Raishan hadn't intervened at the last moment, Vox Machina would have ended up burned or frozen to death.
  • Enemy Mine: Raishan has grown disillusioned with Thordak, both due to his ever-escalating Sanity Slippage as well as his inability to cure her curse. At the same time she knows she cannot take the Cinder King on by herself, so she proposes an alliance to Vox Machina.
  • Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Despite his insanity, Thordak seems to have some genuine fondness for his eggs. He speaks of them in an almost loving, proud tone and the first thing he does after Vox Machina retreats from his hide-out is to check on the eggs to make sure they remained unharmed.
  • Friendly Fire:
    • Ripley uses Cabal's Ruin to redirect Keyleth's vine attack onto Vax.
    • Percy ends up shooting a harmless civilian in the arm while attempting to hit Dr. Ripley.
  • In Medias Res: The episode starts with Vex and Vax scouting out Thordak's lair and Vax getting discovered, then flashes back to a day before and continues from where the last episode of season 2 left off.
  • It's All My Fault: Percy admits to Vex that he feels like Raishan finding them in Whitestone was his fault, since it was his idea to evacuate the Emon refugees there and he failed to notice Raishan had infiltrated the crowd.
  • It's Personal: Keyleth has a burning hatred for Raishan, as the green dragon was the reason Thordak escaped the Fire Realm and laid waste to the Fire Ashari guarding the rift. Vex and Vax too are hesitant to trust a dragon, as their mother and their home village fell victim to one when they were children.
  • Internal Reveal: Vox Machina learns that Thordak has laid an untold number of eggs and is planning to use his off-spring to conquer the world. This was information the viewers have been privy to since the second season.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero!: Scanlan makes Vex lend him her flying broom so he can seek out Kaylie. This ends up biting the rest of Vox Machina in the ass when they have to pursue Ripley, as without air support they quickly lose sight of her.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Sweet, innocent Keyleth, usually the first to forgive or suggest a peaceful solution, or avoid conflict entirely, is violently angry with Raishan's deception, and curses a considerable great deal more than usual when she tells the dragon in no uncertain terms to "go fuck [herself]!"
  • Pet the Dog: Raishan left Keeper Yennen alive and unharmed when taking her place and merely locked her away for the time being.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Not exactly as small as most examples, but Raishan gives a reminder that she still possesses the full strength of a green dragon even in a smaller humanoid body, sending the beefy Grog flying backwards when she's thrashing around in agony over getting scorched by Thordak's flames in the process of aiding Vox Machina's escape.
  • Sanity Slippage: Raishan comments that Thordak's integration with the soul anchor may have made him stronger, but it is also making him more irrational and volatile by the day. After Vox Machina's failed infiltration, Thordak is so upset that Vax got close enough to see his eggs that he scratches a gash in his chest from anxiety before calming down, seeming not to notice the Self-Harm in his instability.
  • Shapeshifter Default Form: After demonstrating her Master of Disguise abilities through morphing her form into several other besides Keeper Yennan (including the young child Grog spoke to) Raishan seems to settle on one that seems to be her "human" guise; an african-american woman resembling a younger version of her voice actor, which uniquely shares the same runic mark that Raishan's dragon form does, unlike her other forms, suggesting its the form that closely resembles Raishan's "true" self as another species.
  • Strong and Skilled: Thordak turns out to be powerful enough to barely flinch at any but the strongest magical attack Vox Machina can throw at him, but also shows skilled handling of his enhanced fiery powers from the soul anchor, emitting fire from the vents on his neck to blast Grog backwards when the latter tries to go for an attack from the side on him.
  • Took a Level in Badass:
    • Very downplayed. Vox Machina is undoubtedly stronger since they're now armed with the Vestiges, but they still get overpowered by Thordak and Vorugal with little to no effort on the dragons' part. Still, they hold up a lot better than in their last confrontation with the Conclave.
    • Dr. Ripley has not only acquired Vestiges of her own, enabling her to run circles around Vox Machina, she is also now allied with Orthax and unlike Percy is fully able and willing to use the demonic powers that come with the contract.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: Raishan's magic allows her to turn into a human whenever she needs to travel more covertly and even enabled her to impersonate Keeper Yennen. She's so skilled at transforming that even Vex's ability to sense nearby dragons is fooled by it.
  • Wham Line: When Percy corners Dr. Ripley, telling her that she is now alone, Ripley merely counters that she's never alone - then reveals that she has become the new host of Orthax.

 
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Vox Machina vs Thordak

Vox Machina engages in an early battle against Thordak, realizing he's too powerful and must obtain the MacGuffin needed to destroy him.

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