When the bloodthirsty, elegant noble couple the Briarwoods were introduced in season 1 The Legend of Vox Machina , most viewers probably wrote them off as a one-season threat. They were defeated. Five murderous dragons calling themselves the Chroma Conclave monopolized everyone’s time for seasons 2 and 3. Everyone moved on.
What new and casual viewers didn’t realize was that the Briarwoods were a sign that a far more powerful, dangerous villain was on the horizon: Vecna. And he’ll finally take center stage when season 4 premieres on Prime Video June 3, 2026.
Who Is Vecna aka the Whispered One?
In the first campaign for Critical Role, he went by Vecna along with other titles like the Undying King, the Archlich, the Lord of the Rotted Tower, the Whispered One.
Centuries before the events of Vox Machina, he was a mortal archmage who achieved lichdom. It’s a form of undeath that allows a wizard to live on as a skeletal, immortal being by hiding his soul in a separate object. He then amassed an army of undead followers and retreated into a shadowy parallel dimension called the Shadowfell. He then conquered a city called Thar Amphala, building a tower named Entropis as his base.
What Vecna wanted more than anything was to become a god.
He studied the rise of another powerful being, the Matron of Ravens aka the Raven Queen. He discovered a ritual called the Ritual of Seeding that would allow a mortal to ascend to godhood. He came close to completing it but was betrayed by his own lieutenant, a vampire named Kas. The battle that followed destroyed them both. All that remained of the Whispered One was his left eye and left hand, which turned into magical relics.
But Vecna was still around. Over time, people around the planet of Exandria started whispering prayers to him as a god of dark secrets. That belief fed him until his power grew again. This time, he had a devoted cult called the Remnants working to bring him back.
How The Briarwoods Are Connected to Vecna
In the original campaign, Sylas Briarwood fell gravely ill, and no cure could be found. His wife Delilah was left desperate and grief-stricken after her husband’s death. She cried out into the cosmos… and heard a voice whisper back “I can help you.” That voice belonged to the Vecna/the Whispered One.
Through her dreams, he led her to one of his old laboratories, where she learned how to resurrect Sylas as a vampire. But this knowledge came with a price: they would be bound in service to him.
From that moment, everything the Briarwoods did was in service of their master’s return. It’s the main reason why the couple massacred the de Rolo family (minus Percy and his younger sister Cassandra) and took over their castle in Whitestone.
To fulfill her end of the bargain, Delilah worked to restore an ancient Ioun Ziggurat beneath the de Rolo family’s castle, drawing enough power to bring Vecna’s physical form back to Exandria.
None of this has been mentioned in the series so far, but since Delilah plays a crucial role in bringing Vecna to Exandria and she’s a necromancer, don’t be surprised if she makes a surprise appearance in season 4.
Why Did They Change Vecna’s Name in the Show?
Despite being based on the original Vecna from the tabletop game Dungeons & Dragons that inspired the iconic Stranger Things villain of the same name, this Vecna will not use that name for him in The Legend of Vox Machina.
The reason why is that Wizards of the Coast, the company that publishes Dungeons & Dragons, owns the rights to the name “Vecna.” Critical Role and its related projects are not officially licensed D&D productions. This means the character must be renamed. The series will refer to him as the Whispered One instead, which is one of his actual titles in D&D lore, so nothing is really lost here.
What to Expect in Season 4
Set years after the events of season 3, Vox Machina have each gone their separate ways. Scanlan decides to travel the world with his daughter Kaylie. Pike and Grog head off for their own adventure. Keyleth continues her Aramente with Vax tagging along. And Vex and Percy remain in Whitestone to help with its reconstruction. It’s only when word of a mysterious cult attempting to bring the Whispered One to Exandria that the group is reunited.
One major plotline will revolve around Vax’s connection to the Matron of Ravens. Back in season 3, Vax defied the Matron to resurrect Percy and we should be getting a better idea of what the consequences will be.
We’re also getting a new party member: Taryon Darrington, voiced by Wayne Brady. He’s a confident and wealthy artificer whose arrival adds both humor and heart to the group dynamic. He’s a reminder that even when events in the show were at their lowest point, there’s still room for a little bit of humor. That balance has always been The Legend of Vox Machina at its best.
But make no mistake, the Whispered One is nothing like the Chroma Conclave. This is a being who wants to remake Exandria in his image. It’s one thing to fight a monster. An ambitious one is a nightmare.
The Legend of Vox Machina has been renewed for a fifth and final season. Executive producers and Critical Role co-founders Sam Riegel and Travis Willingham both said that “it’s so rare for any television series to get to tell a complete story, beginning to end, exactly as it was envisioned.”
Season 4 will probably cover the lead-up to the Whispered One’s ascension to godhood from Shadowfell to the ziggurats. If the season does a relatively faithful adaptation of the events from the first campaign, Vox Machina’s first confrontation with Vecna will not go well for our heroes. Season 5 will bring the final battle.
This season promises to be one hell of a rollercoaster ride for our heroes.
Season 4 of The Legend of Vox Machina premieres June 3, 2026 on Prime Video.
