The Legend of Vox Machina Ep. 4

You can watch this episode right here.

We start off with a great shot of the castle at night.

Allura tells the heroes are confined to their keep until further notice.

In the carriage, Delila Briarwood realizes her book is gone - stolen by Vax. Silas reminds her that they have the means to retrieve it.

Ohh, then we get a great shot of the group's keep at night.

Soldiers take the group's weapons, and warn them that if they leave, they will be executed.

They look through the Briarwood's book. It is in a language they can't read.

Percival tells the group that the Briarwoods slaughtered his family, seized his estate. Percy and his sister tried to escape. Percy thinks that the Briarwoods aren't in the habit of leaving loose ends, and that they'll come for him.

Meanwhile, in a graveyard, Delila Briarwood casts some kind of spell. Seems like she's raising the dead.

When the group tries to use a secret tunnel to escape, the soldiers force the heroes into a few different rooms in the keep.

Pike prays to her deity and appears in some dank dimension. Nothing but darkness. It's like her god, Everlight, isn't answering her. Grog, who is in her room with her, learns that Pike's god doesn't seem to hear her anymore.

The soldiers outside the keep are being slaughtered by evil humanoids.

Keyleth tells Percy that she can't go home until she proves herself worthy.

The entities make their way into the keep and begin killing more guards. They are after the book that Vax stole from the Briarwoods.

I am trying to figure out what these undead entities are. Wraiths? If they touch you, black goo pours out of you.

Their weakness is light. Pike tries to cast light, but she can't. It is time for Keyleth to prove herself - she casts light and the creatures react as if they are being turned.

The heroes slaughter the entities, who fade away after being slaughtered in a gory fashion.

The lone surviving guard lets the adventurers leave to go to the Briarwoods.

Pike says she's not going. She can't hear the Everlight. She needs to apologize to her gor, properly, in a temple.

Thoughts

In D&D, it's always fun to give the groups a home. I usually give them the opportunity to get a ship or spelljammer loaded with goofy NPCs. It's nice to have a place where they can collect and display all of the things they've obtained or conquered. They can sort of get a sense of their own history, and that the things that happen in the campaign are all relevant and right there with them.

This episode, which is in the group's "home base," is right up my alley. The keep is relevant - it's a place they can grow fond of. 

I am most invested in the story line about Pike's god. That's a cool idea, that a cleric's deity stops responding. I have no idea how that would play out.

Very good episode! I think I'm on board with the Briarwood story now.