Vox Machina — Kith & Kin

Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin is a novel written by Marieke Nijkamp about Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan's adventures prior to Campaign One. It was published by Del Rey Books in hardcover and e-book format on November 30, 2021. An audiobook of the novel was released the same day.

Prologue
Twelve years before the main storyline, an elven traveller rides into Byroden. His arrival is witnessed by Feena, who passes the news along a chain of local children, until it finally reaches the nine-year-old half-elven twins Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia, who are hunting a boggle by the Gladepools. They abandon their search and follow Duncan back to Byroden's Bliss, where the traveller is staying. The children spy on the stranger through the shutters, and the twins are surprised to see their mother, Elaina, arrive to speak with him. Wenric, the innkeeper, closes the shutters, and the children immediately begin speculating that the elven man is the twins' father. Vax'ildan leaves, and his sister follows. They reassure each other that they always have each other, and that they won't have to leave Byroden.

Chapter 1
In the present, Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia, and Trinket's journey to Westruun via the Bramblewood Forest is interrupted by giant spiders. Trinket crushes one of the spiders, then Vex shoots one through the neck. The final spider jumps down on top of Vax, biting him. The twins kill it through their combined effort, but it takes nearly an hour for the venom to leave Vax's body.

The twins discuss their plans for Westruun. They've been hired to deliver a letter to a woman in the Shields of the Plain. They also need supplies and coin: their last shopping trip was in Kymal three weeks prior. As usual for them, Vax wants to spend more time in the city, while Vex wants to avoid it as much as possible. They agree on three nights in Westruun, and Vex and Trinket leave to hunt for dinner.

Chapter 2
In Westruun's Market Ward, Vax'ildan is at ease, while Vex'ahlia is eager to finish their business. Vax steals a coin purse, and Vex reminds him that they have a legitimate job to do. As they wander through the market, Vex spots a shop selling metal figurines of animals, and she's drawn to a copper bear. The elven shopkeeper speaks coldly to her, and she walks away. She rejoins her brother, who is flirting with a woman at the bladesmith's, and they agree to split up to complete their errands.

By sunset, Vex has completed the majority of her list, and stops at a bookstore. She asks if they have anything on dragons, but the shopkeeper doesn't have anything useful. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of a well-dressed human man: Lord Berin Abenard.

Chapter 3
Vex'ahlia realizes that she saw Abenard a few times throughout the day, and accuses him of following her; he admits that he noticed her a few times. He offers to bring her to the the Cobalt Reserve in the Scholar Ward, saying that he could help her make contacts. Vex refuses, and the shopkeeper tells Abenard to be on his way, but he insists and invades her personal space. Vex ducks out of his way and draws her knife. He threatens her verbally and tells her to watch her back, but leaves the shop, leaving behind his purse, which she steals.

Back at the inn where the twins are staying, Vex tells her brother what happened; he's proud of her. She gives him a new cloak and they count the coins she stole from Abenard. It's more than they earned from the job that brought them to Westruun, and should help them survive until Winter's Crest.

Chapter 4
Vex'ahlia continues shopping the next morning, while Vax'ildan goes to search for jobs. She visits a bowyer's stall; after some flirtatious haggling, Vex buys a pair of bracers. In the evening, she takes a walk near the Cobalt Reserve, thinking about Abenard. She feels like she's being followed, and starts to notice flickers of movement. Rats begin to swarm her and someone shoots a long needle at her from a rooftop. She runs towards a busier part of town.

Meanwhile, on the rooftops, Vax has been following his sister, and has noticed the man following her. He jumps onto the same roof, where the man is shocked to see that Vex has a twin. Vax lunges at him, and they go tumbling off the roof.

Chapter 5
They hit the ground, and Vax'ildan has the advantage: his dagger is in the other man's shoulder. His assailant manages to stab him with a dart, but Vax sits on his chest and interrogates him. The man reveals that there's a contract out to kidnap Vex'ahlia. He at first refuses to disclose who assigned him the job, but Vax's threats get him to agree to bring him to Spireling Gideor, a leader in the Clasp.

Chapter 6
The man leads Vax'ildan to a basement tunnel under a flower shop. There, they run into other members of the Clasp: a man who holds daggers to Vax's sides, and a halfling woman named Ro. Vax learns that his guide's name is Lyre, and Ro sends him to be healed while she speaks to Vax. She agrees to take Vax to the Spireling, takes away his weapons, and knocks him out with magic.

He wakes in Spireling Gideor's office. Gideor is, on the surface, amicable, and answers Vax's questions with some reserve. A nobleman is responsible for the contract to kidnap Vex'ahlia, and Gideor can't cancel it, but he could amend it. He offers a deal: he will find an alternative solution to the contract if Vax completes a job for the Clasp in Jorenn Village. Vax asks for assurance that his sister will be protected, and Gideor leads him to a tavern, where Lyre is drinking. Gideor reminds Lyre that he has failed several contracts before, and leads the two men to a back room. His solution to the contract is revealed as he pulls out a staff made of tongues and uses it to transform Lyre into a copy of Vex'ahlia. He rips out Lyre's tongue and adds it to the staff. Vax is horrified, but agrees to do the job for the Clasp.

Chapter 7
In the morning, Vax'ildan tells Vex'ahlia the basic details of the job, but avoids telling her about the kidnapping contract and Gideor's solution to it. Vex is apprehensive: she doesn't want to get involved with the Clasp. Vax convinces her, and they leave Westruun in the early morning, on horses supplied by the Clasp. On the road, Vax tells Vex more about the job: he's been hired to steal a ring named Fracture from Jorenn Village's Shadewatch. They collect Trinket from the Bramblewood, and agree that if the job turns out to be too dangerous, they won't complete it.

They spend a night in the forest, and in the morning meet a messenger, who informs them they may run into a group of merchants ahead, and that the Umbra Hills are supposedly haunted. The twins make camp in the Black Valley, under the stars. It's getting quite cold. Vax gives Vex a gift: the copper bear she had been admiring in Westruun, on a leather necklace.

Chapter 8
Eleven years before the main storyline and six months after Syldor's visit to Byroden, ten-year-old Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia are on their way to Syngorn to live with their father, accompanied by three members of the Verdant Guard. Only the youngest of the guards, Tharyn, cares to speak to the half-elves; they try to reassure the twins that Syngorn is a wonderful place and that they will be well cared for. When asked, Tharyn says that they have been permitted to live there by the High Warden, but that they don't know of any other half-elves in the city.

Within the city, Syngorn is beautiful and sparkling, but the elven citizens look down on the twins. The guards (except for Tharyn) are eager to leave the children at Syldor's door, and don't wait for him to show up; thankfully, Syldor and his servant Alin are expecting their arrival. He sends Alin to see to the horses and fetch the twins some new clothes, and leads the children to his study. He lays out the rules of his home: they can't leave without his permission, they must wear the clothes he provides, and they're not allowed to bother him during his work. A private tutor is set to arrive for them the next day. Syldor says that they're welcome here, and dismisses them.

Chapter 9
In the present, Jorenn Village is within sight, but the twins figure they won't make it before nightfall. After some debate, they approach the merchants that the messenger had told them about, and ask to join their camp. The group is composed of a pair of human scholars, Master Simeon and Lord Willan, and their hired guides: two dwarves and their ponies, and a half-elven scout named Nera. They're also travelling to Jorenn Village. While they share their food and fire with the twins, the dwarven woman tells them a tale of how the undead prowl the streets of Jorenn Village at night, preying on the unwary. Her partner emphasizes the story with his zither, but one of them reassures the twins that it's not quite so macabre: there are ash creatures in the hills, but they should be safe this far from the village.

Vax'ildan takes watch with Nera. She has picked up that the twins are from Syngorn; she tells Vax that she was sent to live in a Syngornian outpost when she was younger, and ended up leaving for Kraghammer. Suddenly, the camp is attacked by the same ash creatures the dwarven woman had spoken about. They're undead: humanoid in shape, enough to recognize their sex and race, with bones and skin, but every part of them is coated in ash, and their eyes are like embers. They attack with their entire body and with sharp claws. They come in endless waves, targeting travellers, bear, and horses alike. In the chaos, Vax notices a new figure with a blade attacking the creatures. Before he can get a better look, one of the creatures knocks him out.

Chapter 10
Vex'ahlia loses track of her brother in the fight. Just as things are beginning to look hopeless, six riders reach the camp. Vex thinks she sees Vax'ildan, but isn't able to reach him before she's pulled onto the back of a horse. The riders were sent by the Shademaster to evacuate the travellers. Trinket races after Vex, and the rider assures Vex that one of her compatriots will get her brother. Vex learns that the creatures are called ash walkers, and that these attacks are commonplace. Finally, the group passes through the gates of Jorenn Village, and a magical barrier is raised as the gates close. The rider tells Vex that she can stay at The Scattered Bar. As Vex takes in the village, she sees that Trinket, two ponies, and all the humanoids accounted for—except for Vax. The Shadewatch refuse to let her leave to look for him, now that the gates are closed and the barrier is up. The guards finally agree to escort her to Shademaster Derowen, who is on the palisades, casting the magical barrier that surrounds the town with the help of a magical ring that matches the description of Fracture.

Development
Vox Machina - Kith & Kin was announced on March 25, 2021, on CritRole.com by Christina Farber, announcing that the novel would be published by Del Rey Books on October 26, 2021. The book was planned to be released in hardcover and e-book formats. In an update, the release date was moved to November 30, 2021. An audiobook of the novel was published by Random House Audio on the same day.

Returning

 * Elaina
 * Iova
 * Trinket
 * Tyrelda
 * Vax'ildan
 * Syldor Vessar
 * Vex'ahlia

New

 * Berin Abenard
 * Alin
 * Aswin
 * Beryl
 * Beven
 * Crispin
 * Culwen
 * Cyriel
 * Davok
 * Derowen
 * Duncan
 * Faril
 * Feena
 * Felric
 * Fida
 * Gideor
 * Junel
 * Kal
 * Kela
 * Lathra
 * Lyre
 * Nari
 * Nera
 * Olfa
 * Ro
 * Sencha
 * Simeon
 * Tharendril
 * Tharyn
 * Thorn
 * Tinyn
 * Tym
 * Wenric
 * Wick
 * Willan
 * Yorn

Mentioned

 * Anissa
 * Avandra
 * Elisen
 * Emryn
 * Fara
 * Iselle
 * Lenda
 * Moradin
 * Padric
 * Sehanine
 * Siren
 * Thordak
 * Whit
 * Yenlara
 * Zan Tal'Dorei

Trivia

 * This is the first novel adaptation of a Critical Role story.
 * The idea for the book's storyline comes from the session Matt ran separately for Liam and Ashley during the pre-stream campaign.
 * Marieke Nijkamp dedicated the book "[t]o siblings in all shapes and forms, whether by blood, by choice, or by shared stories," and to her own sisters.