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 to Chapter 7
Twelve years ago, in Byroden, nine-year-old half-elven twins Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia and their friends spy on an elven stranger through the shutters of the inn. The twins are surprised to see their mother, Elaina, arrive to speak with him. After the innkeeper closes the shutters, the children begin speculating that the elven man is the twins' father. The twins reassure each other that they always have each other, and that they won't have to leave Byroden.

In the present, Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia, and Trinket's journey to Westruun via the Bramblewood Forest is interrupted by giant spiders. The twins defeat them, but Vax is temporarily paralyzed by spider venom. They discuss their plans for Westruun: 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.

The next day, in Westruun's Market Ward, Vax'ildan is at ease, while Vex'ahlia is eager to finish their business. Vex spots a shop selling metal figurines of animals, and she's drawn to a copper bear, but the elven shopkeeper speaks coldly to her, and she walks away. The twins split up to complete their errands. At sunset, Vex stops at a bookstore, looking for books on dragons. A well-dressed man enters the store: Lord Berin Abenard. She realizes that she saw him a few times throughout the day. He's been following her. He offers to bring her to the the Cobalt Reserve, but Vex refuses and draws her knife. He tells her to watch her back, and leaves the shop. He leaves behind his purse, which Vex steals. At the inn, Vex tells her brother what happened. The the coins she stole from Abenard are more than they earned from the job that brought them to Westruun, and should help them survive until Winter's Crest.

Vex'ahlia continues shopping the next morning, while Vax'ildan goes to search for jobs. In the evening, Vex takes a walk near the Cobalt Reserve, thinking about Abenard. She feels like she's being followed, and indeed, someone shoots a needle at her from a rooftop. She fires back, and runs towards a busier part of town. Meanwhile, on the rooftops, Vax has been following her, and has caught up to the man following her. Vax lunges at him, and they go tumbling off the roof. On the ground, Vax has the advantage. The man reveals that there's a contract out to kidnap Vex, and finally agrees to bring Vax to Spireling Gideor, a leader in the Clasp. The man, who is named Lyre, leads Vax to tunnel, where there are other members of the Clasp. Ro 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. A nobleman is responsible for the contract, 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 takes Vax and Lyre to a back room. His solution 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.

In the morning, Vax'ildan tells Vex'ahlia the basic details, but avoids telling her about the kidnapping contract and Gideor's solution to it. Vex doesn't want to get involved with the Clasp, but Vax convinces her, and they leave Westruun. On the road, Vax explains that 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 warns them that the Umbra Hills are supposedly haunted. The twins make camp in the Black Valley. Vax gives Vex a gift: the copper bear she had been admiring, on a leather necklace.

Chapters 8 to 11
Eleven years ago, and six months after Syldor's visit to Byroden, ten-year-old Vax and Vex 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. The twins have been permitted to live in Syngorn by the High Warden, but the city is far from welcoming to half-elves. In his study, Syldor lays out his expectations of the children: 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. He says that they're welcome here, and dismisses them.

In the present, Jorenn Village is within sight, but the twins figure they won't make it before nightfall. They approach another group of travellers and ask to join their camp. The group is composed of a pair of human scholars, Simeon and Willan, and their hired guides: two dwarves, and a half-elf named Nera. Around the fire, the dwarves tell the twins that are ash walkers in the hills, but they should be safe this far from the village.

Vax'ildan takes watch with Nera. Suddenly, the camp is attacked by ash walkers. They're undead, humanoid in shape, and they come in endless waves. 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. Vex'ahlia loses track of her brother. Just as things are beginning to look hopeless, riders reach the camp, and one of them pulls Vex onto the back of a horse. They were sent by the Shademaster to evacuate the travellers. The group passes through the gates of Jorenn, and a magical barrier is raised as the gates close. Vex sees that all are 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, but agree to escort her to Shademaster Derowen, who is casting the barrier with a magical ring from the palisades. Vex is then stopped by Wick, Derowen's right-hand-man, and Aswin, Derowen's young daughter, who was sleeping in the guard post to stay near her mother. Aswin is immediately fascinated by Trinket, and Vex leaves him with Aswin while she joins the archers on the palisades. Derowen finishes casting the barrier and invites Vex to spend the night at Shade Hall.

Chapters 12 to 15
Nine years ago, a year and a half after arriving in Syngorn, the twins are training with their private combat tutors: Iova teaches Vex archery, and Tharendril teaches Vax to wield blades. Syldor arrives, accompanied by High Warden Tyrelda. She asks Vex to demonstrate her archery; Vex performs poorly, due to being tired from her practice. Tyrelda instructs Syldor to send the children to school, in the hopes that it might challenge them to be around the elven children. Later, in their room, Vax tries to comfort Vex about the prospect of going to school. He calls her "Stubby" for the first time while braiding her hair.

In the present, Vax wakes in an unfamiliar underground room to a half-elven man cleaning his face. He introduces himself as Thorn; he explains that his comrade Emryn rescued Vax from the ash walkers, and that Sencha healed him. Thorn guesses that Vex is now in Jorenn. Vax falls asleep, and wakes up to Sencha healing him again. She leads him to the dining hall of the mines. Thorn returns, frustrated: he went to look for a package in the campsite, and found neither it nor Vex. He tells Vax that Derowen is a dangerous woman, and responsible for his own sister's death.

Meanwhile, in Shade Hall, Vex is woken up by Aswin, who has come to visit Trinket. Vex leaves them together and finds Wick, who tells her a little about himself and Derowen: they've been friends for a long time and came to Jorenn together. They visit Derowen's office, where she has been speaking to her brother, Culwen. Derowen offers to help Vex find Vax. Vex stops to speak to Nera, then heads back to the campsite with Derowen and the Shadewatch. Derowen explains that the ash walkers were unleashed by a group of miners, now outlaws, who are led by Thorn, and have a hidden camp in the hills; the town now controls the active mines. Vex realizes that Vax must be with the outlaws. Derowen sends two riders to keep searching the hills with Vex. They're eventually forced to return to Jorenn as the sun sets.

Back in the mines, some Shadewatch members have stumbled too close to the entrance, and the miners and Vax are fleeing to a deeper part of the mines. Sencha tells Vax that they mine silver and alludes to the conflict with the Shadewatch. In the evening, Thorn tells Vax that he was searching for evidence of Derowen's control over the silver trade, and that he wants to kill her personally. Vax offers to go look for evidence, but Thorn doesn't trust him. He learns that Emryn has died from his wounds. The miners toast to Emryn, and Thorn adds a toast to vengeance.

Chapters 16 to 22
Seven years ago, Vax visits a weaver's shop in the Tarn Thoroughfare—or rather, the weaver's apprentice, Cyriel, who has been mentoring him in the art of pickpocketing. They head to the market, where Cyriel pretends to stumble into a man and steals his purse. Vax takes his turn: he walks just close enough to a woman to steal a pouch from her pocket, but she notices, and he runs, climbing a roof and ditching the stolen pouch. He rejoins Cyriel by the lake, where she's waiting with hot cocoa; she informs him that he just stole from the Verdant Lord's daughter. They share a kiss.

In the present, Vex has spent several days searching for Vax, with no luck. She returns to Jorenn after another unsuccessful day, and Wick takes her to a shop, Binds and Dolls, run by Beryl. Derowen mentioned to Beryl that Vex was looking for books on dragons, and she found one; she offers it to Vex as thanks for her her help protecting the town. As they leave, Wick tells Vex a little more about Derowen: she formed the Shadewatch and built the palisades before the arrival of the ash walkers. Then, about a year after the attacks began, Culwen gave her Fracture, which allowed her to create the barrier. In the mines, Vax is restless and still recovering from his wounds. He plays cards with Felric and learns that the miners are, in fact, responsible for the ash walkers. He later tries to speak to Tinyn, Thorn's second-in-command, but she doesn't trust him at all. The next day, he speaks with Sencha, who confirms that the miners are responsible, but also that Derowen drove them out of their homes and seized control of the mines; her magic ring, Fracture, only helped her to do it. Their conversation is interrupted by a breathless miner, who says that the Shadewatch has stumbled into the mines. Vax follows the group, and they find Thorn and Davok battling four guards. They kill three, but one escapes. Thorn asks Vax to help him chase after her; they go through an illusory stone and emerge outside, but the guard is long gone. Thorn tells Vax that he should leave, since the miners are now doomed, but Vax stays. Later that evening, he follows Thorn to another part of the mine, where he's speaking out loud to his serpent belt, trying to figure out a plan. They've been trying to mine enough silver to pay their way into new communities, having been blacklisted by Derowen. Vax sits with him, and they end up sharing a kiss.

At Shade Hall, Vex and Derowen are startled by Aswin's scream: she's had a night terror about the ash walkers. While Derowen leaves to get her some water, Vex tells Aswin a sanitized version of the story of how she met Trinket, which puts her to sleep. As the two women speak in Derowen's study, Wick rushes in to tell them that a scout has found the entrance to the mines.

Vax and the miners prepare for the Shadewatch's inevitable arrival over the course of three days. On the fourth day, Thorn wakes Vax, and instructs him to make his way to Jorenn while the others fight. As they part ways, Thorn mentions that Derowen has dealings with the Clasp. Vax realizes that the simple heist job is much more complicated than Gideor let on. The miners confront the Shadewatch, and in the frenzy, Vax sees his sister standing with Derowen. Vex runs to him, and they finally meet up as Vax is preventing Thorn from going to kill Derowen. The twins are confused by their conflicting information, but Vex trusts her brother. Vax urges Thorn to run, rather than face Derowen, and Vex lets him go.

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.