The Mighty Nein Origins: Yasha Nydoorin

The Mighty Nein Origins: Yasha Nydoorin is the third issue of The Mighty Nein Origins written by Cecil Castellucci, with direction from Matthew Mercer and Ashley Johnson, and art created by William Kirkby. It was originally set to be released by Dark Horse Comics on September 15, 2021 but, due to the 2021–2022 global supply chain crisis, it ultimately released on August 17, 2022. The comic explores Yasha Nydoorin's time with the Dolorav tribe and other aspects of her life before Campaign 2.

Plot summary
Yasha narrates that she has always been full of rage, even from a young age, for good or for bad. Her birth family was killed in a hobgoblin raid from Dumaran when she was a young child, and she was the only survivor still in the ruins when she was found by the Dolorav tribe, who were scavenging what was left. The Skyspear found her, and stayed the hand of another tribe member who was considering a mercy kill, as she believed Yasha had survived because she had been chosen by the gods. The Skyspear instead gives Yasha the choice to join the Dolorav tribe, and though Yasha defiantly tells her that she will pay, the Skyspear promises to teach her how to become strong. Yasha accepts, and joins them.

Back at the tribe's village, the Skyspear tells her partner, Baska, that they are adopting Yasha, and dismisses his concerns. The Skyspear then takes Yasha to a tent for a rebirth or adoption ritual, in which she gives her the name Yasha, and tells her of the import of the Dolorav's rigid laws. She tells Yasha about the concept of the "Marked", who have specific responsibilities within the tribe. Yasha swears her allegiance to the Dolorav.

As a child, Yasha trains extensively, pushed to her limits by the Skyspear in an effort to make her a strong leader. Among the beliefs instilled in her were that the cities were "poison". In one trial, still as a young girl, Yasha is made to sit at the base of a tree without moving or eating for days on end, to understand that a leader must feed their people before themself. In the narration, Yasha speaks of how the tribe was her whole world and she believed the Skyspear to be chosen by the gods; she could not at the time imagine the pain of exile from it.

As she grew older, Yasha became dedicated to becoming chosen for the Marked, now pushing herself without the constant oversight of the Skyspear in service of this goal. The Skyspear continued to train her for potential leadership of the tribe, not just in combat. Though Yasha learned that those chosen to be Marked could not marry for love, she still wanted to succeed the Skyspear. Her dedication to the tribe and its principles continued to grow.

When Yasha was a young adult, Zuala was brought to the tribe. Originally, Yasha saw her as someone to compete with and spar against, but she slowly began to admire Zuala's knowledge of herbs and her spirited personality, and began to fall in love with Zuala after Zuala finally beat her in a sparring match. However, despite Zuala at times speaking to Yasha in defiance of the Skyspear's teachings, and Yasha's own feelings, Yasha still wanted to be chosen to be Marked. The Skyspear began to become aware of Yasha and Zuala's close friendship, and seemed to disapprove.

Yasha, Zuala, and a third woman named Frinda were all chosen for the Marking, and the Skyspear told Yasha she hoped she survived it so that she could take over leadership of the tribe one day. After an intense ritual purification, the three young women were sent into the jungle and told to survive until the sisters were no longer in the sky.

Yasha survived for some time on her own in the trial, often thinking of Zuala as she did. Ten days in, while exhausted, she found Zuala. The two embraced, and began to work together to survive, as Frinda had already died from poisoned water. When Yasha was injured in a fight against a giant insect, she told Zuala to continue the trial without her, but Zuala refused, and cared for her. The two became even closer, and Yasha came to see Zuala's own leadership skills and kindness. They successfully returned to the tribe and became Marked, and Yasha was given the name "Orphan-maker". However, despite this having been Yasha's only dream for much of her life, she found it didn't change her; she only had feelings for Zuala.

The Skyspear was aware of these feelings and warned Yasha not to be distracted by them. Yasha attempted to avoid Zuala as much as she could, but after some time, Zuala confronted her and admitted her own feelings. The two then began their relationship, disguised as working on their tribal duties together as much as possible over the next year. They married in secret, so as not to go against the rules of the tribe, though they both hoped that their marriage could become sanctioned. However, not long after, the Skyspear chose a different mate for Zuala. Zuala tearfully told Yasha that she would object to it, but Yasha told her that she couldn't go against the laws the Skyspear set. Zuala insisted that she believed she could change the Skyspear's mind and asked Yasha to go with her, but Yasha refused. Zuala said she would then go along to make her objections. After she had left, Yasha followed her, deciding to do the same, but instead came upon the Skyspear killing Zuala for breaking her oath.

In the narration, Yasha states that she does not remember what she did next, but the village is shown to be destroyed. She wandered on her own through Xhorhas. As she did, her white hair began to darken, and a pair of skeletal wings began to manifest. She found the cities and began to start fights in them, seeking out pain, and was eventually thrown out of the cities as well. While hopeless, grieving, and alone in the wilderness, Obann found her, and offered her a way out from her pain, which she took, falling under his control. Obann had her engage in destruction and various violent acts, some of which she did not later recall. However, she found that even then, she was still grieving Zuala, and eventually, wanting to escape Obann, she found a ruined temple of Kord and asked for his help. He struck her with lightning, ending Obann's control if not totally breaking her bond with him, and Yasha swore to follow the Stormlord. Shortly after this experience, she came across a caravan for The Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities and approached it.

Returning
These characters previously appeared in Campaign 2.
 * Yasha Nydoorin
 * Zuala
 * Obann
 * Kord (in a vision)
 * Mollymauk Tealeaf (cameo)

New
These character have not previously appeared in Campaign 2 or any other Critical Role work, though they may have been previously mentioned.
 * Unidentified Skyspear
 * Baska, partner of the Skyspear
 * Frinda, a chosen for the Marking

Development
The comic was originally scheduled for publication by Dark Horse Comics on September 15, 2021. Due to the 2021–2022 global supply chain crisis and unidentified circumstances with creative teams, all Critical Role titles were delayed, and The Mighty Nein Origins: Yasha Nydoorin was initially pushed to June 21, 2022 and postponed multiple times again. It released August 17, 2022 in comic shops and on August 24, 2022 in book retailers and on digital platforms.