Episode 5 took Vox Machina on a detour to Pyrah, where Keyleth completed her fire trial. Now they must seek the sphinx’s mate and continue gathering the Vestiges of Divergence to defeat the Chroma Conclave. Will they gain the information they need? Read our recap of episode 6, “Into Rimecleft,” and find out!
Grog’s Nightmare
A roaring goliath crowd watches Grog wield Craven Edge in a huge arena. They chant his name as, fueled by barbarian rage, he fells one opponent after another. Craven Edge feeds on their blood, increasing Grog’s power. Reaching down to pull the sword from the body in front of him, Grog sees not an anonymous gladiator but a gasping, dying, Pike. Looking up, the bodies of the rest of Vox Machina surround him.
Craven Edge laughs as Kevdak, Grog’s uncle and leader of his herd, appears to tell Grog that he’s made the herd proud.
Grog wakes with a yell, panting and sweating. Vox Machina sleep peacefully around him.
Into Rimecleft
Vox Machina continue hiking through the snow. Grog is tired from his rough night. As they walk, Craven Edge whispers its usual refrain: “I hunger.” Grog and the sword have a whispered argument over whether he can feed the blade right then. Overhead by Pike and Scanlan, Grog tries to convince them he was just talking to a tree. Pike tries to talk to Scanlan about Grog’s behavior but doesn’t get far.
“Uh, You notice Grog acting strange?”
“I mean, he’s real dumb. It’s kinda hard to tell.”
– Pike and Scanlan
As the group walk on, Keyleth and Vax talk about the Deathwalker’s Ward. Keyleth thinks he should ask the Matron of Ravens for help, but Vax doesn’t think she’d listen. She thinks he should try anyway.
Vox Machina grow increasingly cold as they approach a jagged mountain — Rimecleft. Keyleth uses her new fire powers to help keep them warm, and Percy gives Vex his coat. Pike tries to talk to Grog again, but Grog is more concerned with keeping Scanlan warm.
At the base of Rimecleft, the team find an arrangement of stone obelisks inscribed with cryptic warnings of danger coming from the sky. Vex hops onto the magic broom to check it out and discovers that by lining up the pillars, she can see an entrance at the bottom of the mountain. In the right spot, they can walk through the rock.
Within the mountain is an ancient pre-Divergence temple. It only takes a minute for the giant sphinx to find them. Before he attacks, Vex tells him that Osysa sent them, entirely changing his demeanor. The sphinx, Kamaljiori, has the knowledge they seek. But first, they must prove they are worthy.
A Ballad for Kamaljiori
From the choice of challenges, they choose the simplest sounding: to wound him.
Kamaljiori transports Vox Machina to a pocket dimension, where they will each have a chance to wound him. Vax is up first. While he assesses how to approach the sphinx, Craven Edge whispers to Grog. “Feed me, or I will feed myself.” It begins to make good on its threat, withering Grog’s forearm. Grog resorts to slicing his palm to feed the sword.
Despite some impressive acrobatics, Vax fails to wound the sphinx. One by one, the rest of the team fail after him until only Scanlan is left. Knowing that he can’t beat the sphinx physically, Scanlan tries a different tactic — sincerity. He sings a melancholy love song, summoning an image of Osysa. As he finishes, Kamaljiori lets out a tear.
Scanlan has done what no other has before. He has made the ancient creature feel pain.
Kamaljiori dispenses with the formalities then, believing Scanlan and his companions wise enough to hold the knowledge they seek. He gives them the second vestige — a giant sword encased in ice, enabling them to reveal the other Vestiges of Divergence. The ice around the sword — Mythcarver — disappears, and it shrinks down to become a gnome-sized blade, perfect for Scanlan.
Scanlan holds the sword and sings. He’s shown a vision, which he explains to the rest of the group as best he can. It’s a strange place with a weird sky, a crazy forest, and upside-down waterfalls — the Fey Realm. Inside a gnarly tree, Scanlan sees a bow. It must be the next vestige.
Keyleth isn’t sure a shift spell could get them to the Fey Realm. Echoing her earlier sentiment, Vax encourages her to try.
While the rest of the group discuss, Scanlan’s vision changes. He tells them he can see a city being invaded. It’s Westruun. The city has been overrun by goliaths, one of which has a vestige, some kind of powerful gauntlet.
Grog awkwardly attempts to steer their conversation away from the goliaths, causing Pike to dig her heels in and try to find out what’s up with him again. Before her latest attempt can get very far, they’re interrupted by an explosion.
Vestige Lost
Vox Machina dive out of the way just in time as a section of the roof comes down, revealing Umbrasyl, the black dragon from the Chroma Conclave. “The woman was right,” he says before thanking Scanlan for finding him a vestige.
In a clash of titans, Kamaljiori and Umbrasyl fight. Vox Machina jump in to help Kamaljiori. Grog manages to draw blood with Craven Edge (to the sword’s delight), and the others get in a few hits, but they aren’t enough. Umbrasyl overpowers them all. An aerial battle ensues, in which Kamaljiori saves Scanlan from plummeting to his death — but the fall kills him instead. With his last breath, the sphinx thanks Scanlan for showing him Osysa once more. Up above, Umbrasyl laughs darkly and plucks Mythcarver out of the snow.
“No one can stop the Chroma Conclave. Least of all you!”
– Umbrasyl
Grog, drunk on Craven Edge’s power, dives at the dragon once more. As the temple begins to crumble around Vox Machina, Grog’s relentless blood fury keeps Umbrasyl distracted long enough for Keyleth to attempt the shift spell. Grog is so intent on the fight, on feeding Craven Edge, that he can’t pull himself away. Pike tries to snap him out of it, getting in front of him … and his sword.
Craven Edge slices through Pike’s armor like butter. Grog stutters, horrified, as he sees his best friend impaled upon his weapon. Falling to his knees, he scoops her up.
At Scanlan’s urging, Grog runs to get himself and Pike into the reach of Keyleth’s spell, grabbing Scanlan on the way.
Keyleth, Vax, Vex, and Percy land on their feet atop a rocky outcrop in a strange, colorful realm. Grog, Pike, and Scanlan are nowhere to be seen.
Don’t forget to check back on Friday, February 3, for a recap of episode 7, “The Fey Realm.”
