"Thordak's Throne" (LVM3x09) is the ninth episode of The Legend of Vox Machina, Season Three. Thordak strikes back! The combined armies of Whitestone and Syngorn are in trouble as the dragon's ambush is sprung. Betrayed by Raishan and left with nowhere to run, Vox Machina scrambles to find a new plan before their allies are wiped out.
Plot summary[]
Thordak and his wyrmlings continue their attack, wiping out many of the allied forces, while Vox Machina tries to decide what best to do. Finally Grog takes charge, sending Pike and Keyleth to help the army, while the twins help Grog and Scanlan reach the eggs, then go to join the army as well. Startled, everyone does as instructed.
Keyleth and Pike join Allura and Kima, quickly realizing they are boxed in with no exit. At that exact moment, Zahra magically punches a large hole through the city walls, and she and Kashaw invite the troops to escape through it while the magic users attempt to hold off the dragons. Meanwhile, the twins fly up to the main lair entrance, distracting the wyrmlings and pulling them away long enough for Grog and Scanlan to enter. Pike's armor unexpectedly fires off again, accidentally knocking Keyleth to the ground, where she sees the human Raishan calmly walking through the carnage. When she calls to her, Raishan disappears. Vax soon joins her and she tells him Raishan isn't helping them.
Screenshot of Kashaw and the Matron, by Titmouse from "Thordak's Throne" (LVM3x09).[art 2]
In the thick of the battle, Kashaw and Zahra find themselves facing Thordak, alone. Kashaw creates a magical spear and attacks Thordak's heart crystal, hurting the beast, but then taunts it, circling and jabbing until the creature steps on him. From a distance, Vax'ildan sees the Matron of Ravens approach and take his soul.
Furious, Vax, Vex'ahlia, Keyleth, and Pike run forward, remembering that Raishan told them the soul anchor in his chest was the source of Thordak's power. Vex takes Pike to magically shield her on her broom and attacks with Fenthras from the air, while Vax flies Keyleth as a flaming fire elemental launched straight into the crystal. It explodes, but the dragon seems unharmed, laughing at their attempts. Pike uses the Plate of the Dawnmartyr to absorb the fiery counterattack, but is again blown backward when she is unable to control it. She cries out in frustration, and Zahra tells her they always knew the Vestiges were meant for Vox Machina.
Meanwhile, inside the lair, Grog and Scanlan find the rest of the eggs, and in a frenzied rage, Grog begins destroying them while Scanlan battles several hatchlings. One of them cries out, waking many of the others, and their united cries draw Thordak's attention. The dragon quickly heads for his lair, and as he arrives, Grog and Scanlan hide. Thordak mourns his dead progeny, furious. Quickly coming up with a plan, Scanlan comes forward and tells the dragon he killed the babies, while Grog uses his vestige to bring down the ceiling on Thordak. Scanlan and Grog barely escape on Scanlan's Hand, but Scanlan lies deeply unconscious. Grog begs Pike to fix him, but her powers are spent.
Wounded but not dead, Thordak breaks out of his buried lair, seeking vengeance. Vax urges them all to make one last stand, but Pike runs forward, ripping off and throwing away her holy symbol of the Everlight as she hears Zerxus' voice telling her to put her faith in no one but herself. The Plate of the Dawnmartyr absorbs the full fury of Thordak's attack, sending it back at the dragon and shattering the heart crystal. As the grievously wounded dragon lies panting, Raishan, now in dragon form, flies in and joins him. Thordak orders her to obliterate Vox Machina, but as she rears back ready to release her poison breath, she shoots it straight at Thordak instead. The two dragons fight briefly, with Thordak being able to throw Raishan off of him. He turns and flies off, promising to return.
The twins watch him fly away, holding hands as they did after their mother's death and remembering her words telling them that although the world can be cruel, it also brims with hope, and there is nothing stronger than love. Vax leaps into the air and pursues Thordak, eventually getting in front of the beast and in a fury, launching himself straight through the heart crystal, killing the dragon instantly.
Vax joins the others at Thordak's body. Soon afterward, the clean up begins, the dead are honored, and the wounded tended. Scanlan is alive, but still unconscious, and Pike isn't sure if or when he'll wake. The twins see their father watching them, and he nods slightly before turning away, but Vex is still very much mourning Percy's loss. She tells Vax to go to Keyleth, alone on a ruined tower. Keyleth is feeling guilty for having doubted Raishan, and tells Vax she needs to go apologize to her.
Raishan is back in human form when Keyleth arrives, kneeling at the side of Thordak's corpse. Keyleth thanks her for her help, but then notices runes surrounding Thordak's body that light up glowing green. Raishan chuckles, telling Keyleth she has good instincts before sending choking magic at her head. Vax arrives just in time to force Raishan back and break her concentration on the spell affecting Keyleth, and the rest of Vox Machina is close behind. Raishan, however, is unworried, thanking them for their help in the success of her plans. With that, the runes pulse strongly, and she and Thordak's body both disappear.
Credits[]
Cast[]
- Laura Bailey as Vex'ahlia / Elaina
- Taliesin Jaffe as Soldiers
- Ashley Johnson as Pike
- Matthew Mercer as Soldiers
- Liam O'Brien as Vax'ildan
- Marisha Ray as Keyleth
- Sam Riegel as Scanlan
- Travis Willingham as Grog
Crew[]
- Written by - Kevin Burke and Chris Wyatt
- Directed by - Karen Guo
- Storyboard Artists - Alicia Chan, Karen Guo, Angela Kim, Veronica Liu, Brian Pak, Erin Won
Featured characters[]
Vox Machina
Mentioned
Returning
- Allura Vysoren
- Cassandra de Rolo
- Elaina (in a memory)
- Gilmore
- Earthbreaker Groon
- Kashaw Vesh
- The Matron of Ravens
- Raishan
- Syldor Vessar
- Thordak
- Zahra Hydris
- Zerxus Ilerez (in a memory)
Quotations[]
- Grog: (over Scanlan's unconscious body). No... no! Can... can you fix him?
Trivia[]
- Although the name of this episode is listed as "Thordak's Throne" by Amazon Prime, on IMDb and in the credits for the episode showing the writers, it is called simply "Thordak", which was the name of the Campaign One episode "Thordak" (1x79) in which the dragon was slain.
References[]
Art:
- ↑ Screenshot of Thordak's lair, by Titmouse from "Thordak's Throne" (LVM3x09). 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 Kashaw and the Matron, by Titmouse from "Thordak's Throne" (LVM3x09). 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 Vax'ildan facing Thordak, by Titmouse (source). 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.