Yasha Nydoorin

Yasha Nydoorin is a fallen aasimar barbarian. She is played by Ashley Johnson.

Appearance
Yasha Nydoorin is a tall, muscular woman with very, very pale skin. Her hair is black and fades to white as it reaches the tips. Her hair is matted, dreaded, and braided. Her clothes are slightly tattered and she is a bit of a mess. Yasha has heterochromia, with one eye being light greenish-blue and the other violet. She worships and wears a symbol of The Stormlord on her waist. When using her Necrotic Shroud, the parts of her hair that are white and her eyes both turn jet black.

According to Ashley Johnson, Yasha does not know that she is an aasimar, believing that she is just "weird".

Personality
Yasha is shown to be very socially awkward and will rarely speak unless spoken to. She is often blunt or abrupt when talking to strangers, and has shown to be uncomfortable and fidgety when too much attention is brought on her. She has said that she prefers not to travel in groups, but will not say why. She has shown a fear of small and enclosed spaces and gave this as the reason why she ran off in Episode One, not wanting to end up in a cell. Yasha considers herself to be cowardly, having admitted to running away from her tribe before Zuala's execution.

Yasha has a light Scandinavian accent.

Despite her savagery in combat (which has been described as a "cold, detached rage"), Yasha is one of the kinder members of the Mighty Nein. She treats her fellows fairly and with compassion, speaking to them with patience and a general willingness to make them feel at ease despite her size and strength. She has a competitive streak, but also an interest in gentler hobbies, such as collecting flowers.

Yasha has proven quite adept at shaving people with her greatsword. Besides having shown great dexterity in shaving Caleb's beard, she also regularly shaves her own arms, removed a large patch of hair from the side of Gluzo for tattoo access, and has groomed women's bikini lines. Jester seemed interested in this service.

Her outward personality changed significantly after she was taken over by Obann's charm effect. She had an almost-constant anger welling up inside of her, which ranged from barely-contained to an almost sadistic ruthlessness. While under the charm effect, she seemed to take great pleasure in attacking and injuring her former party members. From within her own mind, she was scared as she watched herself harm her friends, and further scared by being unable to break the control over her.

Background


Yasha has strongly implied that, as a child, she had fought other children to the death

Yasha's tribe in Xhorhas gave its members names and designated mates. Yasha was given the name "Orphan Maker." She fell in love with and married Zuala, who was not her mate. The tribe killed Zuala, and Yasha ran away, after which she does not remember several months. The next moment she remembers is finding herself at an altar to The Stormlord, who has guided her since.

Yasha moved to the Dwendalian Empire from the southern part of Xhorhas midway through 834 P.D., where she joined The Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities as security.

Yasha is a fallen aasimar. Fallen aasimar either turned to evil or were "touched by dark powers as a youth" that replaced their inner light with shadow; Yasha's descriptions and memories of Xhorhas imply the latter.

Pre-Stream
Ashley Johnson did not have a pre-stream session due to her work on Blindspot.

Chapter 9
Yasha tried to make a run for it after the incident at the Traveling Tent of Curiosities. However, she didn't make it far, and she was arrested by the Crownsguard.

She reunited with the rest of the party at their trial before the town's Lawmaster. After being acquitted of their charges, Yasha decided to remain in Trostenwald. She needed to converse with someone for unknown reasons. All she would reveal is that, while she was aware that she wasn't beholden to Gustav anymore, Gustav wasn't the only person she owed debts to. She promised to meet the rest of the party in Zadash at some point.

Yasha reunited with the Mighty Nein in Zadash when they visited a bathhouse. She helped them kill a phase spider before leaving during a storm.

In a fight with a raiding party of goblins and ogres, Yasha activated her Necrotic Shroud in front of the full Mighty Nein for the first time. Her eyes and hair turned fully black, and she sprouted skeletal, membranous wings from her back.

The other members of the Mighty Nein did not seem bothered by her transformation, but wondered after the fight if there was a deeper meaning to it. When Caleb asked her questions in Celestial, Yasha stated that she was "not exactly" an angel.

In the middle of their first night on the road north of Hupperdook, Yasha, Fjord, and Jester were kidnapped by a group of humanoids led by a bald human. The three were manacled and caged on carts that took off into the night.

When she woke up from being captured by the Iron Shepherds at Molly's grave, she said "it happened again" before breaking down and eventually walking away with a promise to be back.

Yasha had a vision from the Stormlord during a storm. Afterwards, a lightning creature only visible as such to Yasha attacked her, though she narrowly defeated it. While recovering from the fight, Yasha shared some of her history with Caduceus and Jester. She explained her marriage to Zuala and the fallout from it, her memory lapse, and finding her way afterwards through the Stormlord.

During Yasha's dream-vision in the Braan, she sees dozens and dozens of bodies tumbled before her and turns to see a familiar male figure, curved horns back from the front, his wings folded over his shoulders, with a sly grin and yellow eyes. He just looks and walks away, shaking his head. The figure is familiar to her, but she doesn't know why or where, and causes something in her heart to freeze and fear to well in her throat.

Yasha remains in the chamber with the Laughing Hand, as with her help, he breaks through the barriers to the surface. She sees flashes of memories of Obann pulling her from the depths and perhaps giving her the power to avenge those who took her love from her, love and conversations with other zealots, murder, bloodshed, and carnage, drawn to his yellow eyes and comforting voice. She is unsure if she has control of herself, or not, and before leaving the chamber she gathers the ichor which once was Obann, feeling the remaining faint thrum from it. She's scared.

While Scrying, Jester sees Yasha perform a ritual that apparently brings Obann back to life. He touches her shoulder and says, "Very good. Thank you for your patience. Now, this has been one fine reunion. Let's go see if we can find the others."

While Scrying, Jester sees Yasha and Obann sitting by a fire. Obann reaches out to touch Yasha and small bits of lightning shock him and Yasha flinches away from him. Obann becomes furious and the gem on the back of Yasha's neck glows. This time when Obann reaches out and grabs her chin, she doesn't resist.

Mollymauk Tealeaf
Molly and Yasha seem to be well acquainted from working with the Carnival of Curiosities. Molly appears to have met Yasha when she joined the Carnival a few months ago.

Yasha knows about as much as Molly when it comes to Molly's past.

They are very close; when Molly kisses her forehead after he sees her in the bathhouse in Zadash, Yasha seems used to it and does not react.

In the episode "Waste and Webs" after Mollymauk finishes the spider Yasha comes up to him and slaps his butt.

After waking up from her capture by the Iron Shepherds at Molly's grave, Yasha broke down. Jester and Beau offered her comfort, but she took on her necrotic shroud form and stormed off in the direction of a thunderstorm happening in the distance.

Beauregard
Yasha and Beau seem to be hitting it off very well. When Yasha asked Beauregard to hand Yasha all of her weapons she asked if she could keep her walking stick. Yasha declined but instead carried Beau to her seat. When they got there, Beau asked Yasha to hold her through the show. Yasha asked for several gold to do this but seemed to take the request as a compliment.

While Yasha does find Beau fascinating and attractive, at the moment, she has no interest in any romantic relationships. Given Yasha's past, Yasha is still reluctant to grow emotionally or intimately close to anyone.

Jester Lavorre
Yasha and Jester, the strongest members of the party, have a growing camaraderie. When the two first met, Yasha took Jester's weapons with the promise she would return them. Jester responded by making Yasha "pinky swear," declaring that this made them "best friends." Yasha later commented to Mollymauk that "Jester's adorable" and that she liked her.

Jester seems keen on getting Yasha out of her shell. She goes to great lengths to get to know Yasha. During the night before Yasha disappears from the Mighty Nein for the third time, Jester sat beside Yasha and showed her her various drawings and even drew Yasha "lit up by the lightning" before going to sleep. Jester also once gave Yasha a piggyback ride, much to Yasha's quiet delight.

During Yasha's battle with the Stormlord's lightning creature at sea, Jester jumped in to heal Yasha. After Yasha's victory, she and Caduceus cared for Yasha, and they became the first members of the Nein besides Molly Yasha told about Zuala and her missing memories.

When the Mighty Nein moved into the Xhorhaus, Jester painted a field of wild flowers on Yasha's bedroom wall. Previously, Yasha had felt uncomfortable in the house and had not planned on personalizing her room, but this act made her feel more comfortable.

Before entering the King's Cage, Jester told Yasha that the Mighty Nein was her new family and would protect her from whatever might happen. This made Yasha uncomfortable, as she feared for the Mighty Nein's safety and would prefer they run rather than defend her.

Jester was the member of the Mighty Nein most visibly shaken by Yasha falling to Obann's command, and along with Caduceus one of the only members to vocally show faith in Yasha not having betrayed them.

Caduceus Clay
Yasha did not immediately warm to Caduceus when they first met, as he challenged her views on destiny, but he took a liking to her. Over time they formed a quiet friendship, with him being one of the first members of the Nein she told about her past, Yasha aiding him in the Xhorhaus garden, and Caduceus weaving a hat for her as they waited for the others to climb the Arbor Exemplar. After Yasha fell under Obann's influence, Caduceus believed those weren't her own actions and they would eventually save her.

Fjord
Fjord and Yasha showed each other respect, but rarely spoke at length throughout much of their early travels together. When Fjord lost his powers in Rosohna and attempted to walk away from the party, telling the lie he wanted to talk to Wursh, she noticed something was wrong and said she also wanted to see Wursh. They did not speak and Fjord's problems temporarily resolved themselves, but the pair had their first moment of bonding together. After falling under Obann's control, Yasha nearly killed Fjord. He asked her why, and she tried to reply, but only managed a disjointed "I heard you" which he did not understand was her pushing through the control. Fjord was the only member of the party who was immediately certain in his belief that Yasha had betrayed them and likely always intended to.

Nott
Nott was initially scared of Yasha, and upon learning she was from Xhorhas thought she might be a spy. Nott gave Yasha flowers in an effort to get Yasha to like her so she wouldn't kill her. Nott eventually came to trust Yasha as an ally, even cuddling up to her as they slept in camp one night. Nott, along with Jester, helped Yasha work out how to talk to the Stormlord, and watched over her as she slept in the rain that night.

Caleb Widogast
Caleb and Yasha feel a certain kinship with each other in that they both harbor feelings of self-hatred, can be socially awkward, and are the most introverted of the party. Caleb looks to Yasha for advice about being part of a group because he knows she also struggles with such things, but seems to have had some success. Caleb also loans Yasha Frumpkin, asks her to shave his beard, and specifically requests that she be the one to purchase his new clothes for him in Rosohna.

Frumpkin
Yasha greatly enjoys Frumpkin's company, often asking Caleb if she can hold him. When obliged, she will let him lay across her neck and shoulders.

Obann
Yasha was very disturbed when Obann not only recognized her, but referred to her by her tribal name: "Orphan-Maker". She joined the Mighty Nein's pursuit of Obann, to try and ascertain how this person knew her.

The incident in the King's Cage changed everything for Yasha. Obann's charm effect indirectly restored Yasha's memories: her life from when she fled her former tribe to present-day. Obann found her after she escaped her tribe and healed her wounds. He took her to the Angel of Irons, and recruited Yasha to join him in serving her with offers to help avenge Zuala. Obann and Yasha together killed those who stood in the way of their "holy crusade", and any tribe members who strayed too far from the settlement, caught out in the open. Obann's last words upon being slain by Fjord were "avenge me". Yasha quietly replied "never" before falling under his influence. Yasha became trapped within her own mind as her body carried out Obann's command, aware of her actions but unable to control herself. It was implied as her memories resurfaced that she may have been under Obann's control then as well, but this is not yet known for certain.

Zuala
Zuala was Yasha's wife before she met the Mighty Nein. She first confides this to Jester and Caduceus, and later the rest of the group. In Yasha's tribe, members are assigned a mate by the matriarch, but Yasha and Zuala fell in love and got married without permission. The punishment for this is death. Yasha escaped her tribe during Zuala's execution. She is certain that Zuala is dead, but did not witness her death. Yasha carries a great deal of guilt for running away, and considers herself a coward. The flowers she collects are meant for Zuala's grave. When Beau confides in Yasha about her own ex-girlfriend and asks Yasha about any other past lovers, Yasha says Zuala was the only person she'd ever been with.

Quests
Yasha hopes to return to Xhorhas and find Zuala's grave, in order to place the flowers she has been collecting there.

Current Items

 * The Magician's Judge. A six-foot-long greatsword that was able to cast Dispel Magic either as part of an attack or as a separate spell. This sword had a wide blade and a hilt of a gold color with tiny runes inscribed along its edges. The hilt curled up to the side in sharp angles forming a sort of 'V' that flanked the blade. The blade itself being five-feet-long from the hilt, this weapon from the Age of Arcanum was an executioner's blade used to kill mages that went against the law of the land, were caught by the law and killed. Once wielded by a bounty hunter that came after Siff Duthar, this blade was mounted as a trophy when Siff, having lost his legs to the blade, slew the bounty hunter with fire.
 * Skingorger. This massive, rust-colored blade was once wielded as a symbol of dominance by the ruling ogre lord Igrathid. You get +1 to attack and damage rolls made with this weapon. While attuned to this greatsword, you can use your bonus action to take a point of exhaustion to empower this blade for 1 minute. All attacks with this greatsword deal an addition 1d8 Acid damage, and it critically hits on a roll of 19-20. Once you use this feature, it cannot be used again until the next dawn.
 * A book (with a four-leafed clover and Nott's flowers pressed between the pages). She received the book from Molly.
 * A rat in a cage received from Nott.
 * Potion of ? Giant Strength
 * A hat weaved from grass made by Caduceus
 * Ring of Protection (+1 to AC and saving throws)

Former Items

 * A freshly-purchased moon-touched greatsword that was taller than Nott . Sold to Pumat Sol.

Feats

 * Savage Attacker
 * Sentinel

Aasimar Abilities

 * Celestial Resistance (resistant to radiant and necrotic damage)
 * Darkvision
 * Healing Hands
 * Light Bearer
 * Subrace: Fallen
 * Necrotic Shroud

Barbarian Abilities

 * Brutal Critical (1 die)
 * Danger Sense
 * Extra Attack
 * Fast Movement
 * Feral Instinct
 * Primal Path: Path of the Zealot
 * Divine Fury (necrotic damage)
 * Fanatical Focus
 * Warrior of the Gods
 * Zealous Presence
 * Rage
 * Reckless Attack
 * Unarmored Defense

Quotations

 * "It's an extra five gold pieces. These arms are worth a lot." (To Beauregard during the Carnival)
 * "Because I'm really fucking strong." (To Jester after she asked how she could be carrying all of the weapons before heading into the carnival)
 * "Get the fuck out of my tent!" (To a zombified Enon Brinjay after dealing an attack)
 * "I really think that cleanliness and hygiene is very important." (To Caleb, before shaving his face with the Magician's Judge)
 * "I have so many flowers to bring to her." (To Jester and Caduceus, when talking about wanting to visit Zuala's grave)
 * "Sometimes I get nervous to get close to people because I feel that I just lose them. And then Molly... I feel like I'm either very unlucky or cursed. And I don't believe in luck."
 * "I was trying to do the thing. Like “I killed my family”– “I’ll throw you under a bridge.” I’m learning how to people."

Trivia

 * Yasha has the highest strength of all of The Mighty Nein.
 * Yasha is the first villain in either campaign to have been a former party member. She is the third villain overall to have been a player character in either campaign: the first being Garthok (a Clasp assassin) and the second being Arkhan the Cruel (who stole the Hand of Vecna after the Whispered One's defeat).
 * Due to Yasha's personality, Sam Riegel jokingly named her "Worst Hype Man Ever".
 * Yasha killed the first monster in the campaign (the old man who became a husk), though she did not get a How do you want to do this?
 * "Yasha" is a male name in Russian and Farsi. In Farsi, it means "to live", as in "to live forever". The name also refers to a spirit in Japanese folklore, which were vile devils in early Buddhism before eventually being incorporated into the pantheon of lawful deities.
 * During a discussion about the game "Boulder, Parchment, Shears", Yasha claimed to "have a better version of that game." It can be assumed Xhorhasian Boulder, Parchment, Shears is more violent.
 * Yasha is confirmed to be a worshipper of Kord, The Stormlord. She has stated that she is an extremely devout follower of him and will do anything he asks her to do.
 * Ashley has stated Yasha's height is around 5'11 '', which is shorter than Fjord.
 * It was implied in episode 19 that Yasha had never seen grass before leaving Xhorhas; she confirmed this in, where she noted that Xhorhas has almost no plant life. As a result, she didn't see bees until.
 * Before having attended the Harvest Close Festival in Zadash in 835 PD, Yasha had never had a candied apple.
 * Yasha stated that her favorite dinner was cooked rat and that she liked how the dark meat would fall off the bone.
 * Yasha's tribal name is Orphan Maker.