Iselda can only react with a simple 'Shit.' before grabbing the alchemist by the collar and dragging him and herself to the mirror. At the sight of Zeth, Vex points at him and yells 'You!'. Iselda only glares at him before Lustran Zeth makes a surprise appearance by creaking a nearby door open to ask Iselda if the fight is over yet.

As Vex calls out for her brother, Scanlan proudly declares his magic item. He thinks of Thurista's Wand of Daylight, and suddenly remembers that he has it with him, prompting the bard to say the wand's command word ( Light!) and shower the room with magical sunlight, revealing a surprised Iselda standing over the unconscious body of Vax, raising her bloody swords above him. Iselda continues to mock the adventurers, comparing them to children on a playground and takes out an acorn that she drops onto the ground before smashing it with her foot, sending out a cloak of magical darkness.Īs the others struggle to continue the fight in the dark, Scanlan thinks to himself that he is going to die with Grog and a group of 'assholes', and finds himself wishing that they had a healer and missing his partymates Arnicor and Thurista. She breaks the vial on the ground, causing a burnt Scanlan to moan over how he hates it when enemies use their treasure before he has a chance to steal it. Vex releases an arrow after arrow while Vax engages her in melee combat, and they land a few hits on the boss, forcing her to take a healing potion. Vax and Vex, still standing, go to flank Iselda while she taunts them by calling them brave, little othlir. Scanlan hears laughter behind him, but he only has enough time to turn around before getting struck zapped by a bolt of lightning, almost knocking him out.

Meanwhile, Scanlan is inspecting the bubble entrapping Grog, who yells at Scanlan to let him out, who frantically tells Grog that there are limits to the magical power of music. Iselda manages to force her way close enough to Tiberius to grasp his hand and casts a melee damaging spell, breaking his concentration and knocking him out. As Iselda stands over Keyleth's unconscious body, Tiberius asks for her attention, and threateningly asks her not to eviscerate one of the few friends he has found in Stilben, and casts a spell that propels a glowing purple rope that wraps itself around Iselda, allowing Vax to land a dagger in her back and Vex to fire two arrows that find purchase. As Keyleth slumps to the ground, unconscious, Scanlan runs back to Grog, aware that they need him. Just then, however, Iselda's form transforms into smoke and rematerializes behind Keyleth and stabs her in the back, dealing enough damage to force the druid to revert to her half-elf form. Scanlan watches in awe, suggesting that they don't need Grog in the battle. Stillborn in Stilben, Part IV: Myriad Ways To DieĪfter trapping Grog in a floating green bubble, Keyleth, still in Minxie form, has lunged at Iselda and has her pinned against a wall, forcing her to use her swords to parry the druid's claws. and who is also occasionally the watchman?Ĭertainly now they will join forces, stop the curse, and defeat the evil presence in Stilben! There they fight each other, then some thieves, and now the woman who seems to be behind the whole thing. Keyleth and Tiberius, unhappily in the company of a bunch of thieves and murderers, are hired by the local thieves' guild, the Clasp, to find out who's poisoning the peasants they rely on for their prostitution supply and narcotics sales.Įach team having a different piece of the puzzle, the three pairs of misfits converge at the alchemical laboratory where the poison is refined. A watchman who is also, occasionally, a beautiful sorceress. Scanlan and Grog, temporarily misplaced inside a group led by a paladin, recover a vial of the potent poison, and attract the attention of a watchman who wants the poison. Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan stalk the alchemist responsible, and find themselves enmeshed in a conspiracy of assassins. Someone's poisoning the swamp the peasants use for their industry. Three different groups, each acting independently, all orbiting around the same problem the children of the peasants of the port town of Stilben are stillborn.

Vox machina origins hard copy