Whispers at the Ziggurat

is the eleventh episode of the first season of The Legend of Vox Machina. Vox Machina launches a final assault against the Briarwoods atop the Ziggurat. Battling the dark magic of Delilah and the vampiric strength of Sylas, a worried Vex and an unhinged Percy try to save their siblings. But their best efforts may not be enough as the Briarwoods near completion of their secret ritual.

Plot summary
Delilah Briarwood ascends to the peak of the ziggurat, looking at a pocket watch in preparation for her ritual. Sylas Briarwood pushes aside the pillars blocking the door to the temple as an enthralled Vax and Cassandra look on. Delilah casts a necromantic spell, lighting up the residuum on the ziggurat as Vox Machina and Anna Ripley enter the room. Scanlan suddenly realizes, after remembering his and Keyleth's research, that Delilah's book wasn't a spellbook but an instruction manual pertaining to The Whispered One. Pike recognizes the name as belong to a powerful undead creature who hopes to be brought back to the Material Plane, and Keyleth realizes that that's why this ritual is occurring on the solstice, when planar barriers are thin.

The party plans to rescue Vax and Cassandra, with Vex taking the lead and Grog slated to take on Sylas. As they run up the ziggurat, Ripley tells Percy to come away with her instead and work with her. Percy refuses, and Ripley begins to leave. Percy points The List at her, and the smoke begins to rise around him, but Keyleth points out it will blow their cover. Ripley agrees and runs away, as Percy fights against Orthax, who does not take Ripley's escape well, and as Keyleth watches in horror.

At the summit, Delilah asks Cassandra to come over so Sylas can feed, but is interrupted by Percy calling out. Vax comes down and brandishes a dagger at the party. Scanlan threatens Delilah, who cast a spell that knocks Grog off the ziggurat. Keyleth briefly freezes Vax's foot in place to allow Percy time to get to Cassandra and the Briarwoods. Vex jump-tackles Vax off the stairs and the two begin fighting. Percy, under Orthax's control, points his gun towards Sylas but Cassandra steps in front of it, briefly shocking Percy out of it. Cassandra then runs at him with her rapier and begins to attack. Keyleth wraps Sylas in vines to hold him but Sylas quickly breaks out runs towards her, unsheathing his sword. Pike helps Keyleth, but Keyleth is knocked off the stairs by Sylas and rolls towards the Sun Tree. Pike fights Sylas, but her astral form begins to blink. Scanlan begins to cast a spell, but Delilah magically silences him.

The battles continue, with the twins still locked in a struggle and Delilah casting spells at Scanlan, which Pike notices but cannot help with as she is still engaged with Sylas. Percy's gun still has Cassandra's name on the barrel, and he is simultaneously struggling against Orthax, only barely misdirecting his shot at Cassandra in time. Pike, meanwhile, is able to briefly blind Sylas with an attack of radiant light and goes to help Scanlan, who is immediately enamored with her.

Percy still struggles against Orthax, and points The List at Cassandra again, who asks him if he'll kill her. Percy tells her he doesn't want to, but before he can continue, Sylas slashes him with his sword. Cassandra flashes back to memories of her torture, alongside Percy, at the hands of the Briarwoods, and then to earlier memories of playing together as children. She calls out to Sylas to stop attacking Percy but Sylas tells her he has no time for this and charms her again. Sylas and Cassandra both hold their swords out towards Percy.

Keyleth sees the various battles, none of which are going well for Vox Machina, and Vex calls to her for help. She reaches out to the roots of the Sun Tree and asks it for help. She is able to struggle to her feet and create sunlight, which appears to harm Sylas. It distracts Vax, giving Vex a chance to get the upper hand, during which Vax regains control of himself. Vex bursts into tears and hugs him. Pike is able to push back Delilah's magic, and Scanlan is able to speak again. Sylas runs towards Keyleth but is stopped by Grog, who has regained consciousness. Sylas tries to enthrall Grog, but the goliath resists and closes his eyes, swinging his axe wildly until he lands a blow to Sylas' gut, injuring the vampire badly. As Sylas struggles to remove the axe blade from his gut, Grog takes advantage of his distraction to charge Sylas head-on, wrapping his massive arms around the vampire and picking him up before holding him out to Keyleth, whose sunlight weakens him. Delilah tries to stop it, but Scanlan silences her magically. Keyleth hurls a ball of light at Sylas, incinerating him. Cassandra regains her senses, but Orthax takes over Percy, angry that it had been denied the chance to kill Sylas. Before it can act, Delilah screams out in grief and the shock wave nearly knocks Percy off the ziggurat, but Cassandra catches him.

Delilah enters into the temple, which is lined with writhing undead, and whispers "Sylas, I broke the world for us." She calls out to the Whispered One, asking him to honor her service and their deal. Vox Machina watches from outside, trying to figure out a way in, as Delilah performs the ritual to call the Whispered One again. A whirlwind blows within the temple and green lightning strikes the altar of residuum crystals. Vax successfully picks the lock, and the wind blows out of the temple. Percy, again possessed by Orthax, rushes in and shoots at Delilah, who magically shields herself and then attacks Percy. Vox Machina all attack Delilah but are thrown back by her magic. Delilah shouts that she is unleashing the Whispered One, and Vex runs and shoots Delilah in the back during the summoning. Delilah casts a necromantic spell back at her, but Keyleth jumps in front of Vex and takes the damage instead. Vex shouts out Keyleth's name.

A robed, skeletal figure appears on the altar, and green lightning shoots up through the ziggurat into the roots of the Sun Tree and across Whitestone, then flickers out. The corpses in the temple briefly mutter and then fall still and silent, and the figure disappears, leaving a spinning orb that crackles with purple lightning. Delilah screams out in disappointment, but then falls from two gunshot wounds from Percy, whose eyes show that he has been taken over by Orthax. Vex cradles Keyleth and calls for Pike, who confirms Keyleth is alive, but Pike's astral form suddenly evaporates and Pike wakes up in the temple. Vax tells Vex that they need to do something quickly if they want to save Keyleth.

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

Vox Machina
These characters are Vox Machina and their adventuring companions.
 * Keyleth
 * Percival de Rolo
 * Scanlan Shorthalt
 * Grog Strongjaw
 * Pike Trickfoot
 * Vax'ildan
 * Vex'ahlia

Returning
These characters previously appeared in an episode of The Legend of Vox Machina.
 * Delilah Briarwood
 * Sylas Briarwood
 * Anna Ripley
 * Cassandra de Rolo
 * Lord de Rolo
 * Orthax
 * The Whispered One

Quotations

 * Delilah Briarwood: Sylas, I broke the world for us.
 * Grog: (as he grabs Sylas in a bone-crushing hold) Real men HUG!!!

Trivia

 * Delilah says the names of two locations from Campaign 1 as part of spells in this episode. She says "Thar Amphala" (The Whispered One's city) in the spell she casts at the base of the ziggurat and "Entropis" (The Whispered One's tower) in her ritual at the top of the ziggurat.