Spark of Rebellion

is the sixth episode of the first season of The Legend of Vox Machina. Vox Machina finds Whitestone's holy leader, Keeper Yennen, who tells them of a growing rebellion. The team realizes that to defeat the Briarwoods they will need the help of rebel leader, Archibald Desnay. But first they must stage a daring prison break and confront the Briarwoods’ sadistic jailer, Kerrion Stonefell.

Plot summary
In the cold open, the Whitestone rebels, led by Archibald Desnay, plan their next move which concerns a spy called "The Kestrel", only to be interrupted by a zombie stone giant punching a hole in the roof of their hideout, killing or capturing most of them. Kerrion Stonefell comes to take Archie specifically, gloating over his capture.

Some time Vox Machina still stands before the Sun Tree. Keyleth hesitantly says they should take down the corpses, but Percy tells her the tree is being watched and they should leave. As they all stand in the streets, one of the residents of Whitestone tells them to get out of the streets, and they hide in an alley as one of the zombie giants approaches. The resident recognizes the de Rolo crest that Percy is wearing and asks him if he's part of the resistance. Vax tells the woman that they are not, but they share a common enemy in the Briarwoods. Percy asks her if Yennen is still alive.

Yennen is shown preaching nonviolence to her congregants, as well as hope, and tells them to wait for a sign. Vox Machina approaches from the shadows, and Percy, hidden, asks Keeper Yennen what the Briarwoods think of her. She tevlls him that they tolerate her, though they don't attend her services. Percy asks her if she believes the Dawnfather will send a sign, and she tells him that she cannot refer to the Dawnfather by name. She then recognizes Percy, and expresses sadness at how much he has changed since childhood, but gladly brings them to the rebel hideout to plan.

In the hideout, Grog becomes more and more angry as he realizes there's no ale left in the kegs, and Yennen tells him the Briarwoods have made life very hard for the residents of Whitestone. Percy somewhat accusingly asks Yennen why she preaches nonviolence while working with the resistance, and she tells him that a successful uprising requires a sufficiently strong and well-organized resistance, which they do not have while Archie is captured. Percy expresses surprise but some happiness that Archie is the rebel leader, telling Vox Machina that he and Archie had been friends when they were younger. Meanwhile, Keyleth notices the roots of the Sun Tree and tries to communicate with them. Vex and Vax encourage Percy to work with Yennen, and all of the party decides to move forward.

Back at the temple of the Everlight, Pike is again in the dark realm with light at the horizon, wandering and calling to her deity, when everything suddenly bursts into flame and she snaps back to herself, surrounded by acolytes in the temple. She tells the cleric that Delilah Briarwood's curse is still blocking her, but the cleric tells her that this is not an external curse, but something within Pike herself.

In a prison in Whitestone, Stonefell mocks the rebel prisoners, trying to get them to reveal their allies. Archie is defiant, so Stonefell calls in Goran Vedmire to torture him.

Keyleth, Scanlan, and Grog all provide their ideas for freeing Archie to the remaining rebels, only to be told by Vax that none of the plans are good ones. Vex tells them they need a simpler, more efficient plan, but that to carry it out they need to know where Archie is. Percy says he may be able to help with that. Using the sights from Bad News, he sees Vedemeyer asking Archie where Vox Machina is, and knocking out Archie when he doesn't know the answer. Percy reports the location back to the group. Vex then formulates the plan: half the team will break into the back door, and half will enter the front.

Percy, Scanlan, and Vax go to the backdoor and Vax breaks out his thieves' tools, while Vex flirts with the guards at the front door to distract them so that Grog can incapacitate them. Keyleth grabs the keys, and the front door team enters the prison with the rebels keeping lookout. Meanwhile, Vax repeatedly fails to unlock the door. Vex, Keyleth, and Grog move through the jail, and Vex gives into Keyleth's insistence that they free the other prisoners, including Bryn. Meanwhile, Vax, assisted by Scanlan, continues to fail to unlock the door, and Scanlan injures his fingers. Percy leaves, telling them them he will find a window.

Vex, Keyleth, and Grog lie in wait in the jail only to find that the rebels have entered. The rebels tell Vex that they're here for a fight, just as the prison guards find them. They all prepare for a fight. Meanwhile, Vax and Scanlan are still failing to open the door, despite Scanlan using magic to attempt to kick it down. Percy falls out of the window. As they all get up, Percy asks what they'll do next, just as a guard opens the back door to empty out a chamber pot, which he throws onto Vax and Scanlan. Vax kills him with a thrown dagger, and they all enter the prison.

After she, Grog, and Keyleth aided by the rebels defeat the guards on the first floor, Vex begins to lead the group upstairs towards Archie's cell when Vax, Scanlan, and Percy finally catch up. They all go upstairs. Percy finds Archie, who is badly wounded, and grabs onto the bars of the cell, shouting for someone to free him. Vax easily unlocks the cell door and Archie exits. Vex announces that they're all going to leave, when Stonefell interrupts and captures Scanlan. He tells the guard to kill Scanlan, but Scanlan escapes via illusion magic and begins to run. Stonefell tells the guards to give chase. Bryn runs forward and kills a guard, and a battle between Vox Machina and the rebels against the guards ensues. Vax tells Percy to get Archie out to safety. The woman who had initially brough Vox Machina to Yennen is killed by one of the guards in battle, and Keyleth transforms into a large cat and begins clawing the guards. Grog finds some full kegs of alcohol in the fray, as the twins find Percy still trying to escape. Archie tells Percy to let him go so that he can clear the way for Vox Machina to exit, and he runs at a group of guards, killing several.

Grog and Scanlan continue to fight and are met by the twins and Percy, who is brandishing The List. They all run through the prison, but Percy notices Stonefell, who commands his guards to seal the doors. Stonefell's name glints on the barrel of Percy's gun.

Archie meets back up with the surviving rebels and Vox Machina by the exit, but Scanlan notices that Percy is missing. Archie and Vax run around a corner after him as Vex tells the rest of the group to hold the hallway by the prison doors. Percy puts on his mask as he walks towards Stonefell, who is killing one of the rebels still stuck inside. Percy points The List towards Stonefell, and the dark smoke begins to billow around him. Stonefell asks him who he is, and Percy tells him "I am vengeance for the de Rolos." Stonefell tells him that he enjoyed killing the de Rolos, and Percy responds that Stonefell was "the one [he] was least looking forward to" and raises his gun. He first shoots the head off Stonefell's hammer, and then shoots Stonefell himself. Percy removes his mask so that Stonefell can recognize him, and his eyes are completely black. He shoots Stonefell repeatedly, and as Stonefell dies the name disappears from the gun. Vax catches up with Percy and calls his name, and Percy, startled, points his gun at Vax before Vax pushes it away and scolds Percy for putting the mission at risk. Percy angrily responds that Stonefell was responsible for the slaughter of his family, and that he, as the only survivor of the massacre, will have his vengeance at any cost. Archie interrupts and tells Percy that he is in fact not the only remaining de Rolo: Cassandra is still alive. Percy, shocked, meets Vax's eyes.

The rest of the group holds the hallway, with Bryn frustratedly asking when Vax, Percy, and Archie will return. They do, and Vex commands Grog to throw one of the barrels of alcohol, and shoots a flaming arrow into it to set the entire prison on fire. As they all leave, Percy looks back at the fire, smiling, and remarks that he has a sister.

In Whitestone Castle, Cassandra looks out at the burning building. Delilah tells her that while she may have heard about Percy being back, this does not change anything, and Delilah and Byron Anders flank Cassandra as she remains at the window.

Cast
End credits list main cast, then guest cast in alphabetical order.

Vox Machina

 * Keyleth
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Pike Trickfoot
 * Trinket
 * Vax'ildan
 * Vex'ahlia

Returning

 * Kerrion Stonefell
 * Duke Vedmire

New

 * Archibald Desnay
 * Bryn
 * Keeper Yennen
 * Cassandra de Rolo

Quotations
Scanlan: "Scanlan the Revolutionary" has a nice ring to it. Ooh! I could get a beret! Percy: I am vengeance for the de Rolos. Stonefell: (laughs) The de Rolos? Now that takes me back. Some folks you kill 'cause you're ordered to. Them, I killed 'cause I wanted to. Percy: Let me say, you were the one I was least looking forward to.
 * Grog: For the ale!
 * Vax'ildan: It's not a door. It's a thing of evil.
 * Stonefell: (to the masked Percy) What are you supposed to be, freak?
 * Percival: I am the sole surviving de Rolo. I will have my vengeance, and no one will stand in my way!
 * Percival: (looking back at the burning prison) I have a sister.

Trivia

 * This episode marked the first appearance of a second gun built by Percy after The List, Bad News, and of Minxie, Keyleth's saber-toothed tiger form.
 * As a surprise for Matt, the design team intentionally designed a character model that looked like him to appear in each episode. The character appears in the rebellion hideout as Archie is arrested.