"Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02) is the second episode of The Legend of Vox Machina, Season Three. In Ank'Harel, Vox Machina comes face-to-face with Anna Ripley... and Orthax, only escaping her clutches to stand accused of murder! While Vox Machina stands trial, Scanlan runs into his daughter. The clock is ticking as Scanlan tries to save his friends and his relationship with Kaylie.
Plot summary[]
Screenshot of Anna and Orthax, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02).[art 2]
Percival comes to consciousness in Anna Ripley's lab, chained and watching her converse with the shadow demon Orthax which Vox Machina had previously diminished but not destroyed. She plans to share Percy's gifts with the world by creating thousands of firearms and spreading them among the population, which she sees as an equalizing force to end tyranny. She also plans to use the vestiges as a power supply.
Meanwhile, Vox Machina is searching for Percy and decides to return to where the Plate of the Dawnmartyr was taken, searching for clues, but encounters a strong Hand of Ord presence. Gilmore is convinced to disguise himself as one of the guards and tells the other Hand of Ord soldiers the fugitives were spotted elsewhere. When they leave, Vex and Vax sneak inside where they discover the barred window was loosened with Eridos Acid, used by the Clasp. They get directions from Gilmore as to where such acid could be procured, but are observed by a lurking guard.
Meanwhile, Scanlan is in a bar watching Kaylie perform with Dr. Dranzel's Spectacular Traveling Troupe. When Kaylie takes a break, he offers to buy her a drink but she is far from happy to see him.
Back at Ripley's lab, Ripley explains to Percy that the Platemail absorbs fire, while her cloak Cabal's Ruin (another vestige) controls and redirects magic. The two together can power an "arcane factory" to mass produce firearms. He agrees to help her.
Screenshot of Gilmore holding off the guards, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02).[art 3]
The rest of Vox Machina arrive at "Shubad's Sensational Sundries" where Gilmore discovers the proprietor has been shot to death and robbed. Vex is extremely worried about the missing Percival. Grog discovers two children playing with a pretend gun outside and makes friends with them, learning where they'd seen real weapons like that: the Old Basilica. As the party runs through the streets toward it, they are halted by magically transported Hands of Ord. Pike creates a shielding sphere while Keyleth binds the guard in vines. While Gilmore volunteers to guard their retreat, the rest run.
Meanwhile, back at the bar, Kaylie and Scanlan are having a tense conversation. When she leaves momentarily, he overhears two drinkers describing Vox Machina being pursued by the guards. Kaylie finds Scanlan lurking just outside the bar and he brings her with him as he searches for the rest of the party while noting more guards searching for them as well.
Screenshot of Keyleth wielding magic, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02).[art 4]
Percival is finishing his work at Ripley's lab, having created a power source from the two Vestiges. As she inspects it, he detonates it, wounding them both but is immediately recaptured. Just then, Vox Machina bursts in rescuing him but Ripley blinks out with the Vestiges. Vex hugs Percy emotionally before Ripley reappears, shooting her in the shoulder. Ripley tells Percival to find her when he's ready to accept and disappears. Pike heals Vex just in time for the Hands of Ord to catch up with and arrest them.
Screenshot of J'mon and the wyrmling, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02).[art 5]
Screenshot of the party before J'mon Sa Ord, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02).[art 6]
Vox Machina is bound and taken before the Emperex J'mon Sa Ord. As they wait, Vex feels the presence of a nearby dragon. The Emperex is angry, as the murdered Mistress Asharru was a personal friend, but Keyleth is angry as well and tells J'mon that Ripley was the killer and may be working with the same green dragon that sent them here. J'mon notes they possess two Vestiges, like the two missing from the Emperex's archives, and that Percival carries a firearm similar to that used to kill Asharru. Therefore, they are sentenced to death. Percival breaks in, attempting to take all of the blame himself and begging the Emperex to release them. The sentence is commuted to banishment for the others, and Percy is led away for "the transformation".
Meanwhile, Scanlan has been heavily drinking and Kaylie leaves in disgust. Their guards lead the bound party past him and he tearfully explains he was trying to talk to Kaylie and couldn't be in two places at once. Inside, the Emperex takes out a golden headpiece and asks Percy if he has final words before holding it over him. It crackles with energy and Percival cries out in pain as what appears to be the mask of the Hands of Ord begins to appear over his face. Suddenly, Scanlan bursts in, crying, "Objection!" and draws J'mon's attention before the transformation is complete. J'mon sees that he carries Mythcarver, and he tells the Emperex that looking into the blade will reveal the real culprit. It shows J'mon the image of Ripley, fleeing, when Orthax reveals they are being watched and she disappears by pulling Cabal's Ruin over her face. J'mon realizes they were telling the truth and clears Vox Machina of all charges.
That evening, still in the palace, Vex tells Percy he didn't need to take the blame, but he feels extreme guilt for everything that has happened. J'mon then reveals that they have been monitoring Thordak's progress in Tal'Dorei and, knowing the dragon might come for the Plate of the Dawnmartyr, had it replaced by a duplicate. The real plate is hidden in the Hells of Despath with a demon called Zerxus Ilerez, an antiquities collector in the City of Dis.
Credits[]
Cast[]
- Eugene Byrd as additional voices
- Aisling Franciosi as Kaylie
- Kelly Hu as Anna Ripley
- Mara Junot as J'mon Sa Ord
- Jennifer Karraz as additional voices
- Sunil Malhotra as Gilmore
- Samba Schutte as Hand of Ord, loudmouth, additional voices
- Ronin Willingham as the boy
Crew[]
- Written by - Suzanne Keilly
- Directed by - Young Heller
- Storyboard Artists - Servan Castillo, Isadora Morales, Sharon Sun, Aki Yun Lee
Featured characters[]
Vox Machina
- Keyleth
- Percival de Rolo
- Scanlan Shorthalt
- Grog Strongjaw
- Pike Trickfoot
- Trinket
- Vax'ildan
- Vex'ahlia
New
Returning
Mentioned
Quotations[]
- J'mon Sa Ord: Do you have any final words before you join my service?
Percy: I do, but the ones I would want to hear them are absent.
Trivia[]
- The merchandise in Shubad's Sensational Sundries includes a toy house carved by "Pock O'Pea", a mug from A Taste of Tal'Dorei, tickets to the Dreamscape Theater, the head of Ira Wendagoth, the Nightmare King, and a plushie Little Mister.
- The mug Scanlan carries out of the bar is meant to be Sam's drinking vessel during the campaign.[1]
- To create the Marquesian language in a coherent way three linguists were hired.[2]
- The glyphs on the sign outside the bar where Scanlan goes to drink read: "Lounge / Food Drink / Performance".[3]
- Scanlan's appearance in this episode shouting "Objection!" could be either a reference to Scanlan's frequent use of the alter ego of "Burt Reynolds, Esq." in Campaign One[4] or to Sam Riegel's role as Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney and his appearance as that character in the Halloween episode "Dark Bargains" (2x83).
References[]
- ↑ Sam confirmed this in a tweet:
Sam Riegel (@samriegel) on Twitter: "good eye" (2024-10-04) — in reply to @scythlyven: "HOLD ON IS THAT SAMS MUG FROM THE CAMPAIGN??"
- ↑ See "The Legend of Vox Machina, Season 3 Launch Party" at 0:41:49.
- ↑ See the translation in this Reddit post by u/Umbaril.
- ↑ The story of Scanlan first using the name "Burt Reynolds" was told during a Q&A. See "Attack on the Duergar Warcamp" (1x04) at 4:02:30. Burt Reynolds later returned as a lawyer to rescue Keyleth and Tiberius from jail in Vasselheim in "The Rematch" (1x23) at 1:39:18.
Art:
- ↑ Screenshot of Vox Machina, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of Anna and Orthax, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of Gilmore holding off the guards, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of Keyleth wielding magic, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of J'mon and the wyrmling, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
- ↑ Screenshot of the party before J'mon Sa Ord, by Titmouse from "Prisoners of Ank'Harel" (LVM3x02). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.