Did The Legend of Vox Machina Just Tease the Return of an Exandria Unlimited: Calamity’s Character?

The following contains spoilers for The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3, Episode 2: “Prisoners of Ank’Harel”.

Vox Machina learns that their pursuit of The Plate of the Dawnmartyr will prove more complicated than they anticipated in The Legend of Vox Machina Season 3, Episode 2. Ank’Harel Emprex J’Mon Sa Ord informs the party that the Vestige of Divergence is in the care of Zerxus Ilerez, an antiquities collector in the Nine Hells. This name strikes an ornate brass bell for fans of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, seemingly teeing up a return of the First Knight of Avalir.

Who is Exandria Unlimited: Calamity’s Zerxus?

Luis Carazo entered the world of Critical Role drenched in fire and blood as Zerxus Ilerez in the Brennan Lee Mulligan-helmed mini-series Exandria Unlimited: Calamity. Set nearly a millennium before the events of Critical Role‘s three main campaigns, the prequel recounts the Ring of Brass’ final stand in the flying city of Avalir at the dawn of the Calamity. Ring of Brass Paladin Zerxus became the last First Knight of Avalir in Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, ultimately striking a fraught bargain with Asmodeus, the Lord of the Nine Hells.

While the majority of the Ring of Brass exists as ancient Exandrian history, Dungeon Master Matthew Mercer has confirmed that Zerxus remains a denizen of the Nine Hells as a result of his pact with Asmodeus. “Zerxus, in my mind, is shackled to the side of Asmodeus,” Mercer described on the sixteenth episode of 4-Sided Dive, elaborating that, “because there is still that burning kernel of goodness that will never burn away [within Zerxus], there is a joy in keeping him nearby to watch him continue to suffer.” Mercer paints a bleak picture of Paladin’s fate, one that fans may now have an opportunity to witness for themselves in The Legend of Vox Machina.

Will Vox Machina Meet Zerxus in Hell?

Much like Dohla’s role in Draconia, the potential introduction of Zerxus during Vox Machina’s journey to the City of Dis could help streamline this portion of Critical Role‘s actual play campaign into a more straightforward arc. J’mon Sa Ord’s name-dropping of Zerxus reads as more than just a reference to Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, as the party’s goal to retrieve The Plate of the Dawnmartyr has now been explicitly tied to him. If Carazo returns as Zerxus in The Legend of Vox Machina‘s next batch of episodes, it will undoubtedly thrill fans of the beloved Exandria Unlimited: Calamity miniseries, proving that the Ring of Brass endures.

Both The Legend of Vox Machina and the upcoming Mighty Nein animated series are a part of Critical Role‘s larger overall deal with Prime Video, with many Critters expressing hope that Exandria Unlimited: Calamity will receive an adaptation during this ongoing creative partnership. A potential appearance from Zerxus Ilerez in The Legend of Vox Machina could help lay the groundwork for an animated version of the miniseries down the line.