The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 ending explained: Who is the Whispered One?

The gang go toe to toe with Raishan (Cree Summer) in a tense and thrilling showdown, finally concluding the two season spanning Chroma Conclave arc. Critters can also breathe a sigh of relief, as the beloved bard (Sam Riegel) and gunslinger (Taliesin Jaffe) eventually found their way back to the mortal realm.

However, despite the reunion, the ragtag band of misfits disband in the touching final scenes, signifying a significant departure to the original bard’s lament. And in the closing moments, an iconic D&D villain made his debut!

As we celebrate after that season 4 renewal announcement, here's a recap of all the major twists and turns in the final three episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 and how they set up season 4 of the beloved Critical Row show.

The Legend of Vox Machina season 3 ending explained: Who is The Whispered One?

It wouldn’t be The Legend of the Vox Machina without a cliffhanger ending – and boy is this a huge one!

In the final moments of the series, a collection of hooded figures in a temple chant "we are his sight, we are his voice, we are his touch, we are his heart, we are his blood".

Suddenly purple lightning flashes from a levitating black orb and we briefly see a terrifying flash of Vecna’s face, aka The Whispered One, who various characters (including the Briarwoods and Zerxus Ilerez) have been referencing throughout the three seasons of the show.

Vecna, who you may know from Netflix’s Stranger Things, is a major villain in the roleplaying game Dungeons and Dragons. His title 'The Whispered One’ is the copyright friendly term for the character used in Vox Machina, considering this isn’t an officially licensed Wizard of the Coast property.

This terrifying villain is the major antagonist in the fifth and final arc of the Vox Machina campaign, proving the final – and almost unbeatable – big bad.

In the original livestream campaign, a band of cultists are working with a familiar foe in an attempt to revive Vecna and raise him up to godhood level – with disastrous results.

Now that The Legend of Vox Machina has been renewed for a fourth season, expect the gang to potentially skip the fourth arc featuring Taryon Darrington in favour of the iconic D&D villain.

But how did we get here? Below are all the other major reveals.

How did the gang bring Percy back from the dead?

One of the most heartbreaking moments in the show so far has been Percy’s death at the hands of Ripley (Kelly Hu) and Orthax (Matthew Mercer), just as his relationship with Vex'ahlia was getting serious.

Following his burial at Whitestone, the twins travel to Stilben and use the pepper pots to track down Ripley and Orthax – and a whole bunch of rebels – on a ship filled with the weapons designed by Percy.

Following an intense showdown with Ripley and the demon – with Vex (Laura Bailey) eventually killing Ripley by shooting an arrow into her heart and mouth – Vax (Liam O'Brien) hears Percy’s voice shouting "no, please" in Ripley’s gun.

Vax retrieves her gun and explains to his twin his theory that Percy’s soul is somehow trapped in the weapon.

After shooting Raishan, Vax once again hears Percy call out to him, asking for help. He consults the Matron of Ravens, who admits there is a way to retrieve his friend, but it violates the transition from life to death. She warns that if he tampers with death, he will know sorrow far worse. Even if Vax retrieves him, there will be a cost.

Vax consults the Chamber of Whitestone and Vox Machina, sharing the news that Percy’s soul is being held prisoner within Orthax – but if he attempts to retrieve him, he will be defying the matron.

Pike (Ashley Johnson) then restores Percy’s body to its previous state, laying him side by side with Vax.

The Champion of Ravens summons Orthax, stating he seeks vengeance against him. Vax is transported to the demon’s prison domain while Pike and Keyleth (Marisha Ray) perform a resurrection spell.

After finding Percy, Vax is warned by Orthax that if he alters the gunslinger’s fate, he will never be the same again and will never know happiness.

After admitting her love for Percy, Vex eventually gets through to him and he takes Vax’s hand who transports him back to the realm of Exandria – reuniting his soul with his revived body, destroying Orthax and the gun in the process.

What happens to Scanlan?

During his escape amidst the fiery showdown with Thordak (Lance Reddick), the beloved bard took a series of nasty blows as he crashed down from the Cinder King’s lair.

Despite Pike’s (voiced by Ashley Johnson) attempts to revive him, Scanlan remained unconscious and seemingly lost in a coma, with the cleric unsure whether he’d ever wake up.

However, Pike finds the sheet music for the song Scanlan has been writing for his daughter Kaylie ("Kaylie’s song"). With the help of Allura Vysoren (Indira Varma), she tracks Kaylie down and explains Scanlan’s situation, explaining that her father has been trying to make amends and risk everything to find her all along.

"You bring something out of him that no one else can," Pike tells Kaylie. "You might even make him want to live."

Kaylie reunites with her father and admits by his bedside that tracking her down was the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for her.

Knowing that someone is thinking about her is all she needs and that she misses him, hoping that’s what he needs too right now.

Thankfully the beloved bard finally wakes up, surrounded and cared for by those closest to him – Pike, Grog and Kaylie. His daughter tells him to save the world and she’ll be there waiting for him when he’s done.

Does the party succeed against Raishan?

Yes! After convincing the Ashari council to let her use the ancient but dangerous Earth Ashari seeing ritual, Keyleth conquers the trial, drawing upon the power of the nexus to track down the location of the last member of the Chroma Conclave.

Vox Machina travels to the ziggurat to find Raishan performing a ritual on Thordak, transferring her soul to his body with the aim of wiping out all Ashari in revenge for infecting her.

With their vestiges useless against Thordak/Raishan and the Diseased Deceiver trapping Keyleth away from her friends, the Air Ashari takes the last stand against her betrayer.

Once again channelling the power of the Earth Ashari nexus, Keyleth re-infects Raishan’s new body with her disease. Vax then shoots the dragon with Ripley’s gun, defeating the last Chroma Conclave dragon.

“Disease is a part of nature and you can control it, if you find your anchor” Keyleth explains to Vax, before amusingly throwing up after kissing him!

What happens to Vox Machina after defeating the Chroma Conclave?

Following the revival of Percy and their Chroma Conclave mission complete, Scanlan announces his departure from Vox Machina to spend time with Kaylie on tour.

Meanwhile, Keyleth reveals that it’s finally time for her to become who she was meant to be, and that she’ll be continuing her Aramenté with Vax by her side as her squire.

However, the pair may not get their happy ending as it’s revealed that Vax's arm is covered with a suspicious looking infection, with him noting the Matron won’t forget his defiance against her when restoring Percy.

Vex and Percy (and Trinket!) declare that they will be joining Gilmore in Whitestone, while Grog and Pike will still be the protectors of the realm.

Their adventure closes with Scanlan and Kaylie’s duet, as the gang go on their own separate paths.

The Legend of Vox Machina is now streaming on Prime Video – try Amazon Prime Video for free for 30 days.

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