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your-turn-to-role · 1 year

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An Interlude.

[Takes place just after the Thordak battle - in the campaign, Vax and Gilmore both arrive to search his lair about 20 minutes after the rest of the group, and I wanted to see what that time may have looked like]

If there's one thing Shaun Gilmore knows for certain, it's that he's never doing this again. Never. He's gained a new respect for the fact that Vox Machina throws themself into situations like this regularly.

Everything hurts.

He's been up against Thordak before, briefly, and while that wasn't exactly a walk in the park either, it was relatively quick. He got in, absolutely failed at doing any damage to the creature, and got the fuck back out again, nearly dying in the process.

And to think he'd just managed to heal from that time. Now he's thrown himself into it again.

One dragon's dead, at least. No matter what the future holds, they killed Thordak, and no one's permanently dead. They couldn't have asked for much better.

He would, however, like to not feel like half his body's on fire constantly from the sheer amount of burns that haven't healed yet. He's not in danger of dying, but magic only goes so far, and they've used most of theirs already. Even the great Vox Machina has their limits.

It's strange, almost, to see them like this. He's seen them swagger into his shop with all the confidence in the world, seen them drunk in a speakeasy celebrating his arrival. He thought he came close, that night with the assassins, to seeing them at their most vulnerable, but even then, by the time he arrived, the problem had mostly been dealt with, and the majority of them were back to joking, barely fazed by it.

No one's come out of this with that bravado intact. Sure, they survived, but they're shaken, exhausted. Tending to each other's wounds with a strange quiet he's not used to seeing from them.

They share bandages, and food, taking a moment to rest and process. Grog's run off somewhere, but Pike is going around treating minor injuries the old fashioned way. Vex is just leaning against the cavern wall with her eyes closed, Percy has his head rested on his knees, not looking at anyone. Keyleth is in the corner with the man Shaun hasn't met, but he seems to be comforting her. Even Scanlan seems to have more on his mind than usual.

Vax is asleep on his sister's shoulder, stirring only barely when Vex or Pike need him to move to check on his injuries. They don't seem worried, so he should be alright, but Shaun would be lying if there weren't a few moments in that fight where he'd assumed the worst. He'd heard the sickening crunch of bone when Vax was thrown to the ground, and between the poison gas, the lava, the cold spell... They're all lucky to be alive. As it is, there's still blood down Vax's face from a cut across his cheekbone, several scrapes and bite marks along his arms, and a particularly nasty looking claw mark on his side. The broken bones, at least, appear fixed, so that's something.

Despite himself, Shaun can't help but think that even like this, Vax is the most handsome man he's ever seen. Fate never had the two of them in the cards, it would seem, but he'll never stop appreciating this beautiful, reckless, dangerous half elf. Selfish and selfless in the same breath, the most painful deeds with only the best of intentions, his joy and grief wrapped up in one.

Vox Machina are his friends, all of them, he loves each and every one. But he'll never meet anyone else who can twist his heart in knots like this.

After they've gathered themselves, when all wounds seem to be healed to the best of their ability and they've had their breather, the group starts to wander in small clusters back to the treasure pile. Grog's been there for a while already, so it seems they're not wanting him to have all the fun.

Vex gently lays her brother down on the ground beside her as she gets up. It speaks to the really rough day they've all had that he doesn't even stir.

Shaun should probably go look with them. In all likelihood there's plenty of his own belongings somewhere in that treasure pile, things he put a lot of time and care into that he definitely wants back. Thordak's been sitting on all of Emon's goods for far too long.

Instead, he stays.

Without a word, he stays, and counts Vax's laboured breaths until they sync up with his own.

He can tell when Vax starts to wake up by the way those breaths get quicker and shallower, and, when Shaun opens his eyes, by the way Vax's face is twisting with pain.

Vax groans, carefully pressing a hand to the wound on his side, then withdrawing it and letting it hover slightly above. He still isn't fully awake yet, but he's getting there, twisting himself around on the dirt floor of the tunnel.

"...Shaun?" is the first thing Vax asks, as he blinks groggily, looking around the mostly empty space, eyes finally landing on where he's sitting.

"Sleep well?" Shaun asks wryly.

Vax just lets out another groan, rolling back onto his back. "Not really," he says, rubbing his eyes with his palm. "Everything hurts."

"Hah, tell me about it," Shaun replies, with genuine humor.

Another minute passes as Vax slowly drags himself to full consciousness, sitting up against the tunnel wall. After a moment, he looks around, seeming to just now realise they're alone.

"Where'd everyone go?"

"Oh, off to loot the dragon's treasure, I suspect. We may have let one dragon go, but the other is very, very dead, and therefore no longer sitting on all of Emon's belongings."

"You didn't go with them?" Vax asks, confused.

"I'll join them in a bit. For now I think I could do with the quiet, just for a moment. It's been one hell of a day," he says, stretching his arms out with a bit of a yawn.

"Did you want me to leave?"

"Oh, no, never, you're fine. Stay as long as you like. God knows you deserve the rest far more than I do."

"I wouldn't say that," Vax says quickly but surely, staring intently at the floor.

"You didn't, I did," Shaun counters. "But seriously, look at you! Killed a dragon, saved a city - you're living up to your hero name, and it just keeps getting more impressive."

"This isn't over yet."

"No, but it's four of five down. Take some credit for that! And considering how convinced you were Thordak was gonna kill you, I think you've done very well. I have complete faith in you, all of you, to see this through."

"You're not coming with us?" Vax asks, finally raising his head again.

"Oh nooo, no I don't think so," Shaun says immediately. "I have had, more than enough dragon to last a lifetime. How you lot do this every day is beyond me."

That gets a small laugh from Vax, and he looks down again, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand.

"Hah, yeah, you get used to it, I suppose. You know, you run your face into the wall enough times, you kinda stop flinching at it."

"That's, concerning, but I'll thank the gods every day Vox Machina's out there doing that so the rest of us don't have to," he replies with a smile.

There's another lull in the conversation for a while, as they collect their thoughts. The awkwardness and tension that's filled so many of their conversations since Vax broke up with him seems to have mostly dissipated, and Shaun couldn't be gladder for it. Even if they're not together, and probably never will be, they still know each other extremely well, and there's a trust there that takes more than a breakup, a pact with a mysterious god, and four ancient dragons to shake.

"How are you doing?" Vax asks, after a moment.

"I feel like I should be asking you that," Shaun says wryly. "I mean, could do with fewer burns, will not be jumping into any more fires in the near future, but I'll heal. And Thordak's dead, thank you again for that. So I think we've both got all the vengeance we needed to."

"It doesn't bring back what we lost."

"No, it doesn't," he agrees, simply. "But he won't be doing it to anyone else."

Vax sits in quiet agreement another moment, then gets a curious smile on his face.

"What are you thinking?" Shaun asks.

"It doesn't bring back all that we lost. But I seem to recall a lot of your shop making its way into Thordak's gold pile. Care to find out how much is left?"

Shaun had said no to the same question when he himself asked it, fifteen minutes ago. But he's feeling so much more renewed suddenly, now that they're all awake and alive.

"Before Grog or, gods forbid, your sister, get their hands all over it? By all means," he says with a grin.

"She's not that bad," Vax protests, but there's just laughter in his voice.

"Oh I adore her, don't get me wrong, but when it comes to my business dealings, I'll take a rematch with the dragon. She will come out of this with more of my belongings than me, just you watch."

Shaun's entire body rebels again when he tries to get up, reminding him just how many burns he sustained in that last fight - but eventually he manages it, with minimal embarrassment.

"Give yourself some credit," Vax says, leaning back against the wall and looking up at him. "I mean, not even I managed to seduce you into giving us stuff for free."

"Yes, because I run a fine boutique of magical items, not a charity for down on their luck adventurers." Shaun holds out a hand, and helps Vax to his feet. "No matter how good looking they may be."

"Hey, the way things are going, we might end up with more gold than you. Four dragon hoards and counting, it's no joke."

"Oh, really? And remind me, how much of that did you make yourself?"

"Hey, you get paid to make magical items, we get paid to fight dragons. It's not stealing if it was already stolen by a dragon and won't be missed."

"I will find the last remaining functional postal service on the continent and I will mail your sister a full inventory, don't test me."

"Yeah, funny thing, she tends to just rip those up."

"I am so very unsurprised by this."

And they walk away.

#starting my posting of old fic!#with this oneshot bc quite frankly gilmore is ridiculously easy to nail down character voice wise and it's very fun #also im a vaxilmore shipper at heart #cr1 #shaun gilmore #vax'ildan #my art #fic

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romeoandjulietyouwish · 2 years

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At this time of night, Gilmore’s Glorious Goods is quiet. The streets outside are dark, only lit by the lights in the shops and the glowing balls of lights carried by mages on their walks home. Inside his shop, Gilmore is getting ready to close and head upstairs. With his permission, Sherry headed home early, so it’s just him sweeping the floor and adjusting the positioning of his merchandise.

There are some of his favorite moments, just the silence and peace of the shop he’s worked so hard to create. He loses himself in the rhythmic noise of the broom on the wooden floor, his mind wandering to Vax’ildan and Keyleth as it so often has these past months.

Their relationship, though still new, has managed to bring him such extraordinary happiness. He so often dreamed of what it might be like to get to kiss Vax without any guilt, to take him to all of the wonderful places he deserves to go, and now he can. And though he and Keyleth aren’t involved in the same way, she’s become someone very important and dear to him. It’s hard to define their relationship when ‘friend’ feels too paltry and ‘lover’ isn’t even close to what they are to each other.

The bell on the shop’s door dings as the door opens, Gilmore sighs, he’sabout to close but business is business. “Be with you in a moment!” Gilmore calls as he dumps the dust pan into the garbage. He ducks around one of the shelves towards the door.

Standing just inside the doors, wreathed in the golden light and darkness from outside is not a customer but Keyleth, pale and shaking, arms wrapped around herself. Face, morphing into alarm, Gilmore rushes over to Keyleth, pulling her into his arms in a tight hug. “Are you alright?”

She shakes her head into his shoulder, “Gil, someone was following me.”

“Okay, I’m going to go lock the door, I’ll be right back,” he promises, kissing her head as he pulls away and hurries over to the front doors, locking them soundly before restoring his arcane wards with a shimmer of purple. When he returns to Keyleth’s side, he puts an arm around her waist and begins guiding her out of the shop and up to the third floor.

“Does Vax know you’re here?” He asks her softly.

She shakes her head, “I was out with Vex and I-I told her I wanted to stop by and see you before going home.” Then she blinks and looks at him hesitantly, “Was I not supposed to come here? I’m sorry, I thought-”

“Of course you were supposed to come here. You’re welcome here any time, especially when you’re in trouble,” Gilmore assures her quickly before she can work herself up any more. “I was just wondering if I needed to let him know that you’re safe.”

“Can I stay with you tonight?” She asks nervously. “I really don’t want to go back out.”

“Of course,” he says immediately. “I wouldn’t let you leave if you tried. Now come on, a warm cup of tea sounds nice, doesn’t it?” Keyleth nods as the two of them walk up the stairs. When they arrive in Gilmore’s rather large bedroom, he gives her a gentle push towards the wardrobe. “I’m sure you can find something suitable in there. Vax’s things are in the second drawer.” He winks as Keyleth blushes.

Gilmore snags his sending stone from the nightstand as he ducks out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Once he’s in the kitchen, a mere flick of his wrist causing the kettle to begin to warm. Gimlore leans against the counter as he squeezes his sending stone to get it to turn on. Gilmore speaks into it, “Vax, everything’s alright. Keyleth is here, she said someone was following her so she’s going to stay the night here.”

Vax’s response comes immediately, “Is she okay? I’m on my way.”

Gilmore smiles at the exact response he’d been expecting, “She’s alright, dear, a bit shaken up but nothing more. I’ll see you soon, handsome.”

As he tucks the stone back into his pocket, the kettle is ready so Gilmore pours a cup of Keyleth’s favorite mint tea and makes a plate of a few chocolate covered strawberries Vax bought him the day before.

He raps lightly on the bedroom door, “Are you decent, dear?” Keyleth responds in the affirmative so he pushes the door open, finding Keyleth sitting in the center of the bed, playing with a fidget toy, one that Gilmore made her a few weeks back. She’s wearing one of Gil’s sleep shirts and a pair of Vax’s sweatpants. She’s tugged her hair out of its updo so it hangs loose around her shoulders. And as he sits down on the bed next to her, he sees that she’s also stolen a pair of his warm socks.

“Here,” Gilmore passes the plate, setting the mug of tea on the bedside table to cool. “I told Vax what happened and as you can guess he’s on his way here.”

Keyleth smiles softly, moving the fidget toy to one hand as she bites into a strawberry, “Thank you, Gilmore. I-I know that you’re obligated to-”

He holds up a hand, “I’m not obligated to do anything, Keyleth. I’m helping you because I love you very much, not because of Vax. Now, first things first, finish those strawberries and drink some of your tea. Do you want to cuddle?”

Keyleth smiles, “Always.”

Gilmore leans back on the headboard, lifting an arm. Keyleth quickly presses herself to his side, resting her head on his shoulder as she relaxes against him.

“You’re safe here,” Gilmore assures her softly. “No matter what.”

“Thank you,” Keyleth says softly. The two of them rest like that for a while, Keyleth finishing the offered food and occasionally sipping at her tea. Only ten minutes later, the two of them hear footsteps on the stairs. They share a fond look, recognizing the cadence.

The door bursts open as Vax rushes in, his eyes, full of worry, soften as he sees his girlfriend and boyfriend cuddling on the bed. Vax hurries over to them, sitting on the edge of the bed closest to Keyleth, demanding softly, “Are you alright?”

Keyleth nods as he pushes her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “I’m okay. Just got spooked.”

Vax nods and pulls her into a tight hug, kissing her cheek. Over Keyleth's shoulder, he looks at Gilmore, silently asking if she’s lying. Gilmore waves his hand back and forth with a shrug, she’s down playing it for sure, but she’s alright.

When he pulls out of the hug, Vax kisses Keyleth softly before leaning over and kissing Gilmore as well, a silent thanks for taking care of Keyleth. Vax settles down on Keyleth’s other side, sneaking a quick sip of her tea as he wraps his arm around her as well.

Eventually, Keyleth falls asleep, head on Gilmore’s shoulder, one of her hands in Vax’s.

“I think she’s feeling insecure in our relationship,” Gilmore tells Vax once he’s certain Keyleth is asleep. “We should do something special for her soon. Do you think she would like a trip to the beach?”

Vax shakes his head, “Maybe we should make her a nice dinner, stay in and get drunk together. That’s more her speed.”

Gilmore nods thoughtfully, “I’ll come up with a menu and have you look it over. I’m not as well versed on her favorite things quite yet.”

Vax leans over Keyleth to kiss Gilmore softly. He pulls back after a long moment with a smile, “I love you so much and I know she does too.”

“I love you as well,” Gilmore says quietly. “Let’s get some sleep, shall we? It’s so rare we’re all in one bed together.”

With a nod, the two men lay down, Vax cuddling against Keyleth’s back, reaching one hand over her to touch Gilmore’s chest. And in the silence of Gilmore’s bedroom, the three of them are comfortable and safe all together. All of their minds are quiet.

#my fic #critical role #vox machina #vaxilmore #vaxleth #vaxlethmore #? idk their group ship name so that what i'm going to call it lol

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blorbologist · 2 years

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(first of all I'm so sorry you missed your flight) but ALSO Keyleth/Vax/Gil? Any fluffy comfort for them would be absolutely incredibleeeee

“You need a vacation,” Keyleth declares. Corrects: “Really need a vacation.”

Gilmore’s Glorious Goods is… well. Not glorious, devoid of goods. It’s pretty much just Gilmore, right now, in a ruin of an office. He’s leaning back to smile at them, but the disarray of his hair speaks to resting his face in his palms, to running his fingers through the rich length of it.

Vax swallows heavily - he knows he looks worried as hell and doesn’t bother to hide it.

“Oh, absolutely,” Gilmore agrees, beating the sound out of himself. “After all this? I’m sleeping for a week.”

“No after,” says Vax, skirting around a pile of what might have once been a chaise. “Now.”

Gilmore grimaces. Gestures, broad and generous, to the neat disaster of notes haloing his workspace. The stack of his wares recovered from Thordak’s hoard, with new additions carefully sorted to the side. “Love - I have so much to do. Not just for my franchise - I am not nearly that selfish - but for Emon. Some of this could be useful for rebuilding, or resettling, and I-”

Keyleth sits herself on the desk, interrupting the trajectory of his hand reaching for another stack of papers. Gilmore scoffs - exasperated, affectionate - as she tilts her head.

“There are a lot of people working on this,” she says, “and only Allura was also super busy during the war with the Conclave. She’s got Kima looking after her - let us look after you? Please?”

“I’m undoing the please,” Vax adds, a hand on Gilmore’s shoulder. “We’re stealing you away, Shaun.”

“Oh?” A luxurious brow quirks up with the tilt of his mouth - for all his protests, Gilmore is certainly enjoying the attention. Bastard. “To where, then?”

Vax glances to Keyleth. It takes her a moment to catch that Gilmore’s agreeing and smile wide. “Zephrah!” she declares. “It’s absolutely great this time of year - any time of year, really - and I think you need, y’know. A little fresh air.”

“Whitestone’s air was lovely,” Gilmore teases.

Vax shrugs. “Still had that tang of undead. A good whiff of dragon, too. And a lot of pressure, there - on you and us.”

He offers Gilmore his hand. The overture is accepted, used to haul Gilmore up and into a brief hug. Keyleth hops down to take the free hand (Vax loves the contrast of it - Gilmore’s dark, broad, soft fingers with Keyleth’s pale, fine ones), beginning to tug both men away.

“C’mon - I know just the tree to use, and I can ask it to keep an eye - roots? - out just in case.”

Gilmore pauses. Looks back at the ruins of his shop. It wouldn’t be noticed, except he’s in the middle of their little chain, so Keyleth stumbles and Vax bumps into his side.

Shaun is good at hiding his hurts and fears. Or, no - he makes them marketable, highlights and uses them as a shrewd businessman should. So the unguarded pain in him, as he takes in the corpse of his livelihood, of years of work, slips into Vax’s chest to pierce his heart.

(Not unlike a dagger.)

“Everything important will still be here when you get back,” Keyleth promises, quiet. Squeezes his hand.

“I know,” Gilmore sighs. “I know. Doesn’t change that this is how I’m leaving it.”

“Not for long,” Vax vows, pressing a kiss to his cheek. The beard curls against his chin, trying to pull him close. “Not long, okay?”

Gilmore smiles at both of them in turn. “Right - right. Yes - now, let’s get some of that TLC, shall we?”

#critical role #critical role fanfiction #cr fic #vaxleth #vaxmore #vaxilmore #SORRY FOR TAGGING BOTH INDIVIDUAL SHIPS idk if this trio has a common name?#keyleth x vax x gilmore #airplane saga #fic prompt #my writing

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ghostygremlin · 1 year

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so i spent the last two years writing a critical role campaign one fanfic.

title: if i went and hurt my body (would you love me the same)

author: ghostlyGremlin

fandom: critical role (campaign one)

pairings: multiship, vax'ildan vessar/shaun gilmore, vax'ildan vessar/vox machina, vax'ildan vessar & vox machina

category: m/m, m/f, multi, gen, f/f (mentioned)

rating: teen & up

summary:

Vax'ildan Vessar hides his soul marks from the world for a reason.

He is broken. He must be.

No one should have that many marks.

~~~

A soulmark AU where soulmates can be romantic or platonic, and you can have more than one. Vax is a bi disaster who doesn't quite grasp the fact that he can love as much as he does and its not a crime.

word count: 9,592

warnings: mild language, sexual innuendo, allusions to sex/sexual activities, use of alcohol, implied/referenced homophobia (past), canon typical violence, serious injuries, mild/hurt comfort, emotional hurt/comfort, self-esteem issues, implied/referenced alcohol abuse/alcoholism (light), discussions of religion (in the context of dnd gods)

additional tags: discussion of polyamory, polyamorous character(s), bisexual character(s), transgender female character, trans vex'ahlia, soulmate-identifying marks, platonic soulmates, romantic soulmates

Read it here!

more misc info and my own commentary below the break <3

its called "if i went and hurt my body (would you love me the same)" on ao3 and i literally spent exactly two years writing it!

its a Soulmark AU focused on Vax'ildan and his relationships to his Marks and the people he loves.

there are allusions to vax's relationships with all of vox machina, most of which can be interpreted as romantic or platonic according to preference, except for three.

vax and vex have each other's Marks, but their relationship is NOT romantic.

vax has gilmore's Mark, and has explicitly romantic feelings towards him.

vax does NOT have keyleth's Mark, but has explicitly romantic feelings towards her.

this fic is meant to be an exploration on (what i see as) vax'ildan's polyamory and his own self-esteem, specifically in relation to being polyamorous. im poly myself, and i related very deeply to vax's struggles with his feelings for gilmore and keyleth when i watched c1. and even though its been years since i last rewatched c1, i wanted to write something about this character i had fallen in love with.

over the past two years, this fic has received so much genuine support, attention, and love from the critrole community and i couldnt be happier. ive been a part of the cr community for around 2.5/3 years, and it is one of the kindest most loving fandoms ive ever been a part of. writing this fic was a hell of a journey, and every single person who commented, left a kudos, or even just read it means the world to me.

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halftheway · 1 year

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we as a society need to churn out more vaxilmore fics for me the saddest patheticest vaxilmore fan

#i have one. i do. i will contribute.#but i am not qualified to write biglong ones yet i need more. preferably ones with polyamory vaxildan is bisexual and has two hands

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ogdoadfates · 1 year

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Hello and Welcome~

Greetings! I am Jade/West! I am genderfluid and go by any of these pronouns She/Her/He/Him/They/Them! And welcome to my very weird blog! Here I mainly post Prompt lists, reblog Critical role content and photography of nature/landscapes, I also am adventuring into writing particularly critical role fanfics/drabbles!

I do take, in a sense, fic requests! The way these works is you send me a prompt from one of the many prompt lists I’ve either made or rebloged, a character(s) (Can be a romantic ship or platonic), and if you want the fic to take place in an AU of mine (list below) or in cannon (campaign or animated show). Currently at this time I am only writing for characters/ships from campaign 1, the legend of vox machina, and campaign 3 aka Bells Hells. (I have not watched C2 so I can not write them) Also I only write cannon ships the only exceptions to this is Vexleth and Vaxilmore. Also feel free to ask me things about my AU’s or feel to tell me your own au ideas either for your own or mine! I love talking about them~

If interested in reading fanfics I’ve written heres my AO3!

If you’d like to make fanfics taking place in my AUs feel more then free too! But please do credit me for the au idea!

Au List! (These all link to the post that explains the AU! (if I’ve currently wrote said post) extra note all of these are campaign 1 of critical role focused)

College AU

These bloody paws (A superhero AU)

Old Superheros AU (Note though I’m still interested in exploring this one, ‘These bloody paws’ is my more worked on superhero au)

Godlings AU

Trials Forgotten AU

Bones AU (yes the crime show)

Apocalypse AU

Supernatural AU

Something in the water AU

Skyrim AU

Potions and Trinkets AU

And here is a list of the prompt lists I’ve made! (I also take prompt list making requests, just send me a theme and inform me you’d like a prompt list for said theme and I’ll get to workin!)

Best friends #1 , Bittersweet #1 , OTP #1 , Enemies/Angst #1 , Relationship angst/comfort #1 , OTP comfort/angst #1 , Different ways of escape #1 , Figuring out you found the one #1 , Bittersweet #2 , Fluff #1 , Fluff #2 Fluff #3 Fluff #4 Sharing a bed Protective #1 Misc #1

#Modern au #college au #superheros au #these bloody paws au #godlings au #Trials forgotten au #Bones AU yes crime show #vox machina #vox machina au #the legend of vox machina #criticalrole #critical role #prompt lists #apocolaypse au #supernatural au #something in the water au #skyrim au

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mollymauk-teafleak · 2 years

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based on how you started with how the courtesan au was "originally" a widomauk au, i would love to know how youve expanded it!!

Thank you!! Basically I’ve added every single ship I have to this au!

There’s actually two different versions based on what ships I want to have in it because I’m unstoppable and chaotic. It’s either a perchalia and vaxilmore AU or a percildan and vexleth au.

I also have dorym in here more recently where Dorian comes to be the brothels bard after running away from his parents and Orym is a dancer who lives in the house and does much loved nightly performances. That’s the bit I’m looking to add with another fic!

#courtesan au

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waltwhitmansbeard · 10 months

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⋆ “did you do this just for me?” for Vaxilmore

“did you do this just for me?”

Vax hates doing this. He and the rest of Vox Machina already rely so heavily on Gilmore's generosity, wouldn't have survived half the shit they've encountered without it—the last thing he wants to do is limp, bruised and bedraggled, to Gil's doorstep, a stray cat mewling to get in.

Yet here he is, shoulders slumped up to keep his head protected from the heavy rains over Emon, knocking pathetically on the front door of a darkened Gilmore's Glorious Goods. He's half-hoping the door doesn't open, that he has to slink back down the road, waterlogged and hobbling, so that Gil doesn't have to see him like this, so Gil doesn't have to worry, so that Gil isn't inconvenienced—

The interior of the store flickers to life, and relief floods through Vax's body like whiskey. A moment later, the front door is swinging open, just an inch or two, and Vax pushes inside, leaning heavily on the door. "Gil?"

"Sit."

It's Gil's voice echoing around the main floor of the shop, but Vax can't see him anywhere. He frowns, confused by the order, until a plush gilded purple chair dances up to him, its legs moving in a little jig until it comes to a stop just a foot in front of him. Vax stares, confident that he's hallucinating, but Gil's voice repeats, "I'm serious. Sit down before you pass out."

He's not going to argue. He sits in the chair, which takes off as soon as his ass touches it, cantering back toward the interior of the shop. Vax grips onto the arms for dear life, as if this chair is the most terrifying thing he's encountered today. (It is not.) The chair carries him up the stairs and delivers him into a room containing a small, deep pool of fragrant water that is surrounded by, if he had to guess, every single candle in all of Emon. The chair comes to a stop, and it remains still, as if it never moved at all.

"Shaun?" Vax starts to stand, his muscles screaming at the effort.

"Slowly, sweet bird." His voice is no longer sourceless, as Gilmore appears beside him, his hands coming to steady Vax. "You've seen better days, haven't you?"

Vax lets out a laugh. "That is...an understatement." He looks around the room. "Did I interrupt something, or did you do this just for me?"

Gilmore is carefully unlatching his blood-soaked leathers. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Vax'ildan. I saw you coming a mile off."

Vax's throat is suddenly thick. "Oh."

"We'll get this blood off of you, and if you're a good boy, you can have a healing draught as well."

Vax's head tips onto Gilmore's shoulder. For the first time all day, he feels safe. "You're too good to me, Shaun."

A whiskery kiss is pressed onto the tip of his ear. "You're good to all of Tal'dorei, sweet bird. You take care of us, I'll take care of you." He tosses Vax's armor and linens into a pile, which Vax imagines will be cleaned through arcane means at a later time, and then guides his now-nude form into the water. It's warm, blissfully warm, and Vax can feel the knots in his muscles begin to loosen. He wants to sink down, down, down, until the water consumes him whole, but Gil's strong hands keep him up, working a lavender shampoo into his hair. His fingers feel so good, and Vax fights the desire to fall asleep right where he sits.

Gil must notice his drooping eyes, because he murmurs, "I won't let you drown, Vax'ildan. Nod off if you need to. I'll get you clean and in bed just fine."

Vax shakes his head to clear it. "No, not yet." He turns, hooks his hand over one of Gilmore's wrists. "Tell me about your day?"

With a smile so tender, so gentle it nearly knocks the breath from Vax's lungs, Gilmore leans in, kisses him once, and says, "Whatever you like, sweet bird." And as he begins to tell tales about his day here in the city, Vax's eyes drift closed once more, and he thanks each of the gods for the strength they gave his feet to carry him here.

#ask #vaxilfan #critical role #critical role fic #cr fic #vox machina #vox machina fic #vaxilmore #vaxilmore fic #my fic

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gilmores-glorious-blog · 1 year

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okay so now that vax and gilmore won the ship poll i better see people actually making content for them….. if so many of y’all like them then where’s the content 😩😩????!??!

#this is kind of a joke but not really #the *vast* majority of vaxilmore content (art.. fics… even just posts) is from YEARS ago #and i miss them!!!!!!!#critical role #vaxilmore #eli.posts

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nomercifulpercival · 2 years

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Masterpost of CR fics that won’t spoil TLOVM watchers

I just wanted to compile fics set in/around/before the briarwood arc or AU fics that don’t have any spoilers - for people who havent watched Critical Role C1 but would like to peruse our excellent fic repositary.

Please feel free to reblog with additions, I am a perc’ahlia main so vexleth, vaxleth, vaxilmore and perc’ildan fics would be appreciated

In Your Possession - Perc’ahlia, Rated T, 9k words, arranged marriage AU retelling of the Briarwood Arc. There are a few ficlets that also take place in the AU but they have some more mildly spoilery content than the main fic

Stuck on You - Perc’ahlia, 40k words, Rated M but stopped updating before it got to the sexy bits so i would rate it T, technically unfinished but it does have a satisfying ending, arranged marriage AU, it does go a little deeper into Vex & Vax’s Daddy Issues than the show but there’s no major plot spoilers

Shadows - Percy-centric, mild Perc’ahlia vibes, Rated M, 1.6k words, Trigger Warning: Rape/non-con, just some non canon Percy Angst.

A Natural Progression - Established Perc’ahlia and Vaxleth, Polymachina + Gilmore, specifically Vexleth, Vaxilmore and Perc’ildan. Rated T, 4k words. no spoilers just polyamory.

Of Needles and Near-Misses More Percy Angst, mild perc’ahlia, Rated T, 2k words, TW: PTSD and less than gentle medical care, Vox Machina Are Just Big Family Vibes OK

if it makes you less sad (we'll start talking again) Perc’ahlia, Rated T, 4k words, full AU no spoilies, just a little exploration of Percy’s Angst

The Words - Perc’ahlia and a little one sided Perc’ildan, rated T, 6k, soulmate identifying marks AU, mentions some characters from the stream (Tiberius) and some events that were different in the stream but sticks to the briarwood arc plot-wise.

take a step that is new - Perc’ahlia having a threesome with Jarrett, Rated E, 15k words, honestly probably my favourite fic in the fandom - theres a moment with Grog that makes me laugh every time. a few mentions of in-stream moments (the butt flap pyjamas) but no post-briarwood spoilers.

#critical role #i will continue to update this with more fics #percahlia #the legend of vox machina #tlovm #fic recs #vaxleth #vexleth #vaxilmore #percildan

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adriart · 2 years

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some time later, he became the patron of thieves and street urchins

#click for better quality #pls #bianka dont look at the tags its all spoilers #vaguely inspired by that one vaxilmore fic i read #critical role #vax #vaxildan #critical role art #adriart #cr art #critical role campaign 1 #c1e115 #cr vax #i tried to put in as many details as i could

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blorbologist · 2 years

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Maggie’s Airplane Saga fics compiled!

YEEHAW, I’m back! Bachelorette was fun, travel to and fro was not - I’m whipping up a Perc’ahlia fic based on part of my hell lmao.

In the meantime, here’s all the stuff I cracked out over those seven hours, plus another one made last night using one of the leftover prompts.

Cleaned up and posted to AO3:

Haunt me in burgundy

Prompt[s]: Imodna Whumptober 13, "Can't make an omelette without breaking a few legs," fracture, dislocation and 14, "Die a hero or live long enough to become a villain," desperate measures, failed escape.

T / Imodna / Imogen and Laudna. Missing scene for episode 35, spoilers for it and episode 34. Lotta sads and ow.

I mean - sure. If you stuck her in a neat red barn, full of Rexxentrum Red hens, slathered the place red paint just to make a point, yeah, she would agree that’s pretty damn red. Imogen would also think you tacky and miserable, not that she’d say it or think it loud.

It would be red, sure, but not red.

Red the color. Not red the experience.

Contacts

Prompt: "Perc’ahlia, Why am I in your phone as 'himbo number two'?"

G / Perc’ahlia / Percy and Vex. Modern AU, works for both CR1 and TLOVM with no spoilers past the Briarwoods arc.

There’s a pause, before he inputs the new number. And then his thumb draws over the contacts.

And then his scrolling stops.

Here we go.

"Why am I in your phone as 'himbo number two'?"

(For the record, it’s actually HIMbo #2, but Percy says it with more dignity than it actually has.)

Tickle his fancy, tickle her too

Prompt: “Perc’ahlia 29. tickling the other one”

T / Perc’ahlia / Percy, Vex and the rest of Vox Machina. Modern AU, works for both CR1 and TLOVM (with minor spoilers. Ignore the Tary guy shhh).

Vex is ticklish. Outrageously so.

Percival, it should be noted, grew up with six siblings.

He is very, very good at getting past even the best guard for the sake of a good laugh.

And maybe he’s never heard something quite so delicate from Vex. No, delicate is the wrong word - brutal, instead, in its joy, something she couldn’t hold back if she tried.

Too roomy to be alone here

Prompt: "Cassandra has a bad day (sickness, or just exhaustion) and says she wants a member of their family that is gone now. And of course, Percy and or Vex giving the hugs she deserves after that."

G / Cassandra de Rolo with hints of Vex’ahlia, Delilah Briarwood and Julius de Rolo + more de Rolo family members. TLOVM and CR1 compliant.

All that to say that the nursery was declared Cass’ room and broadly considered such by the whole family.

Delilah and Sylas had more practical motivations behind housing her there.

Tumblr:

Take a break

Prompt: “Keyleth/Vax/Gil? Any fluffy comfort for them would be absolutely incredibleeeee”

G / Keyleth/Vax/Gilmore / Just some fluff set shortly after the Chroma Conclave arc <33

“You need a vacation,” Keyleth declares. Corrects: “Really need a vacation.”

Sound is a touch

Prompt: “Perc’ahlia 24. whispering in their ear, lips touching the skin”

G / Perc’ahlia / tiny leetol fluff moment, both pre-C1 and TLOVM season 1 compliant.

“Hm. Should we tell him?”

Vex’s ears are, as a rule, a no-go. Dangerzone. A good way to get her smiles to turn so saccharine you can taste the sugar used to hide the bile.

It’s not like they’re too sensitive, or not sensitive at all and time is better spent elsewhere. It’s just - you know. Half-elf. Sometimes they got tugged for being too long, others boxed for being too blunt.

They’re a touchy subject. Pun intended, not that she’d admit to it.

#critical role #cr fic #critical role fanfiction #prompt #whumptober #ask game #imodna #southerngothic #perchalia #perc'ahlia #vaxilmore #vaxmore #vaxleth #keyleth/vax/gilmore #cassandra de rolo #de rolo family #shaun gilmore

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enkelimagnus · 3 years

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A Castle in the Forest

Percy x Vex’ahlia, Chapter 3, 3387 words,

A Modern AU, in which Vex is a park ranger taking over the Alabaster Sierras post, and finds much more than she bargained for

Read on AO3

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Keyleth was right about the trail. She’s the only one that really takes it.

It’s a month into Vex’s stay in Whitestone when she bumps into the red-haired half-elf again.

It’s a late morning with a pale winter sun, the kind that doesn’t really warm you in any way. Vex hasn’t had to take off her coat through the exertion of work in a couple of days. The cub plays in a pen she’s hammered into the side of the path when she got there.

She’s a couple of miles into the trail now and it’s getting harder by the day. The further away from civilisation, the more tangled the branches and roots are. She doesn’t easily fall to the ground but even her sure footing fails her regularly.

The trail now snakes along the mountainous platform Castle Whitestone sits on. A thin layer of bushes provides a buffer between the path and the rock, thicker in patches where certain harsher varieties grow. There’s some berry bushes in there, thorny but with delicious fruit that will make Vex’ delight in summer.

She decides to stop for a bit of lunch, gives the cub some milk and solid food. She’s trying to wean him off, regularly asking advice to her old mentors. Once she’s done taking care of him, she sits down on a bigger rock and starts to eat her sandwich of brown bread, cured meats and cheese, with dried fruit on the side. She’s completely out of spices and Vax won’t be there for a week at least.

It’s all a little drab. Despite the pale sun, she can feel the rain coming, and she doubts she’ll be able to spend most of the afternoon working here. She’ll have to pack up and start the hike back down to the edge of the path, for almost two hours.

She stretches out once she’s done eating, closing her eyes and letting herself dig. She settles her feet into the ground, straightens her spine and digs herself into the forest.

Her consciousness expands, past her skull, through her entire body until she’s one with her mind. And then it pushes past her physical form. Through every pore, through her feet’s connection to the ground, she breathes her mind out and lets it tangle with the forest.

It’s a strange sort of feeling. Vex stops breathing for a second as she sinks into the sensation of letting her mind run free. It’s primal. She remembers being taught this strange instinctive ability by other rangers, being taught to let herself be. Let her nature breathe out.

She stops floating after a moment though and focuses on what she’s doing this for. She’s searching for an enemy.

More specifically, she’s searching for a fey. A part of her doesn’t believe she’s truly alone and free of Saundor’s influence, so she searches. She doesn’t find any fey, nothing in the six mile radius her consciousness stretches in. What she finds however is a fiend.

She can’t tell exactly where it is, her powers aren’t that specific, but she knows it’s there. It’s in her radius, in her home, in the place she’s sworn to protect.

The trance ends and she snaps back into her body like a stretched-out rubber hand. She shudders violently, her eyes adjusting to her surroundings. She’s forgotten her own name for a second there.

The fiend’s presence leaves an ashy aftertaste in her mouth. She’ll need to go and talk to a priest about this. She has no idea what the creature’s power is, but she’d rather have some divine magic by her side if she has to root it out.

As she packs her things to get back to work, she hears something. A light footstep, to her right, coming from the south.

Vex’s hand flies to her bow. Lightning-fast, she notches in an arrow and draws it back, focusing on her target.

A half-elf with red hair, tan skin and green eyes. Her hands are up, she has a sheepish smile on her face. Keyleth.

Vex exhales. She doesn’t lower her guard, because Keyleth could still be the fiend, but she relaxes somewhat.

“You startled me,” she says in explanation, but not apology, for the arrow pointed at her.

“I’m sorry,” Keyleth replies, her hands still up even if Vex has lowered her bow. “I wasn’t expecting someone there either.”

Her eyes dart over to the rock formation for a second.

“I’m making sure this trail is secure,” Vex explains. “You can probably handle yourself, but unmarked paths like this one are just begging for idiots to climb up and get themselves injured. And then I have to deal with it,” she mutters. “And it’s a major liability.”

“I get it,” Keyleth hums. Her right hand settles on the rock.

She seems anxious despite her relaxed demeanor. It may simply be a façade. Her eyes dart to the stone right behind Vex, or up to the castle regularly, as if checking if something is still there. She’s much more nervous, almost hostile towards Vex than the first time they met. Something’s wrong.

“I was wondering,” Vex starts again, and green eyes snap back to her. “I did some… energy checks around here earlier and something was wrong. I felt a-”

“There are many wrong things in the Parchwood Timberlands,” Keyleth snaps, cutting Vex off. “Undead sometimes, some elementals too. Comes with the territory. A lot of magical energy here.”

She’s trying to distract Vex’ attention. She’s lying to her, it’s almost too obvious. The red-head is not good at deception and it immediately pings Vex’ radar. Her eyes are darting back to the stone almost in panic now, her arm not holding her staff is stiff to her side with the fist closed.

“I’m not talking about those,” Vex coldly points out. “I felt a fiend. A couple undead or werewolves or elementals I can deal with, and was warned about when I took my post. But not fiends.”

Keyleth is stiff as a board now. “I… I don’t know. I don’t come here often, and I only come on this trail. I can’t help you,” she mumbles under her breath.

She’s still lying. Vex feels the rise of anger in her throat, anger at this girl who is not letting her do her job correctly.

“Listen, I don’t know why you’re lying to me but this is dangerous. I don’t know what your business with this situation is, but whatever you’re protecting, it’s gonna kill people. That’s what fiends do. They’re evil.”

Keyleth shifts, her grasp on her staff white-knuckled. “I’m not protecting anything,” she answers tightly. “I can’t help you. I’m a druid, and a weak one at that. I can’t help anyone.”

Now there is a light tone of despair in her voice and Vex can feel the guilt coming off of the young woman in waves. She sighs deeply. She hopes this one’s problem won’t be something she bumps into in the dark of the forest.

“Fine,” Vex huffs. “Do whatever you were here to do. I’ll go get the local priest of Pelor for help with that creature anyway. We need divine power to combat fiends.”

Keyleth shifts again, staring at Vex with a strange intensity. She’s maybe not as hesitant as before. There is something stronger and harder about her. Vex wonders why she would be protecting a fiend.

Evil has many faces, and maybe Keyleth was seduced by one of those. Vex couldn’t blame her if she was. She’d made that mistake before. She just wished she could save Keyleth from this.

“I… Sorry for bothering,” Keyleth mutters before she starts walking northward, to the part of the trail Vex has yet to work.

“Good luck,” Vex replies similarly as she watches the druid walk away. She seems to relax as she moves away from Vex. Well.

She screwed that one up. Keyleth could have been an ally, but her… nervousness around the topic of the fiend didn’t make her seem trustworthy.

Vex sighs heavily, closing her eyes a little. This city is much more of a mess than expected, and now she really will have to go to that Temple of Pelor and see if there’s a priest that can help her root out the fiend.

Maybe that can be her late afternoon trip, she realizes. She’s made enough headway for today, and she has no desire to stick around to see Keyleth again once she walks back down the trail in a couple of hours, hopefully satisfied with her hike.

Now that she thinks of it, coming to one specific trail once a month or once every couple of months and never any other is a strange habit. What is Keyleth finding up that trail? Is there a hideout that Vex will walk in? She should have asked her that, fuck. If that druid knows all about this trail, Vex needs to know too. She has no desire to find herself falling into a trap because she didn’t ask the person who knew.

She packs up her things and gets the cub back from his pen, before starting the long walk back down to her truck. It takes her about two hours, and she makes sure to drive home and leave the animal there before she heads into town.

Whitestone looks beautiful in the winter light, she has to admit that. It’s like the city is made to exist in this weather. She hasn’t spent enough time here to gauge if this is the average weather or not.

The high walls are almost blindingly light as she drives on the driveway surrounding the city, from the west side where she came out of the woods to the eastern side, where the cemetery and some of the temples are.

She’s done a little research and talked to some people. The Dawnfather is the main deity of the city and has been the patron of Whitestone and its ruling family, the De Rolos, since they arrived from Wildemount. Some stories say that the Parchwood Timberlands were created by the conflict between Pelor, the Dawnfather and Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion, during the Calamity.

Stories of divine battles mark the entirety of Exandria. Fallen giants make for mountains and greatswords fit for deities are considered responsible for rivers or valleys opening into land. The supposed origin of the Parchwood Timberlands is not the only story of this kind. The place she used to call home, Syngorn, is situated in the middle of a forest known for growing from the ley energy left behind after the Divergence.

Vex has never been the most faithful. Her mother worshipped in that way that many do, partially and because of tradition and habit more than motivated by faith. When she and Vax left her for Syngorn, they found a city where the Elders’s very parents had been betrayed by the Arch Heart and left behind in the time of the Calamity. Though some had forgiven the deity and seen it as a gift, as it allowed them to become a people of the Feywild, some still held a grudge.

She guesses she took in the grudge part more than the forgiveness part.

The influence of the Dawnfather runs deep in Whitestone, from what she’s read. The Sun Tree towering in the center of the city, also represented on the city’s crest, was supposedly given by him. The Dawnfather’s temple, the Zenith, is a major place of worship, with the Lady’s Chamber. And it’s exactly what she needs.

Vex parks in the lot by the walled-up enclave of temples and cemetery. The Zenith leans against the Southern wall, towering over it. The Eastern gate is right in front of it, allowing a view of the tall wooden doors.

She steps into the yard in front of the temple and swallows. The door seems closed, but she doubts it actually is. She doesn’t know any reason why the temple would be closed today. Every house of worship of Pelor she’s seen before has been opened every day and night.

The doors are beautiful, dark wood carved with wreaths and sun rays, flames licking up the sides of it.

There isn’t anyone outside, the yard quiet and empty. As she walks across the grass, she tracks more mud than green. Vex sighs before she uses the thick iron knocker on the door. It used to be painted in gold, it seems. There’s still chips of paint in some untouched corners.

Her knock seems to echo a little inside but there is no immediate response. She waits there, wind slashing stray strands of hair into her face and sipping through her thick winter coat. From the corner of her eye, she notices that a part of the western wall of the temple is being rebuilt. She can’t imagine the cold in there.

She’s about to go and look closer at the fallen stones of the wall when something slides behind the doors. Bars probably, heavy iron locks opening. Within a few seconds, a smaller door opens in the massive right one.

Behind the panel is a human, with salt and pepper hair and a matching beard. They wear cream robes with red and gold embroideries and detailing representing suns and shields, with a golden sash wrapped around the waist. Vex can’t see exactly but they seem to be wearing several thick layers of fabric. Something about them is familiar, as if she’s seen them before.

“Sun’s Greeting, what can I do for you?” They say in a low, soft voice that must sound beautiful in a song.

Vex smiles. “Sun’s Greeting to you,” she responds. “I’m the new ranger of the Alabaster Sierras park, and I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time to discuss something I’ve sensed.”

They nod, something shifting in their eyes, though Vex cannot tell what.

“Vex’ahlia Vessar, right?” they ask. “I’ve heard about you.” They’re still smiling at her, but Vex feels frozen in place.

She hasn’t told anyone her last name yet. She’s been very careful not to. Many people and tribes do not use last names, and it is not uncommon enough to raise suspicion. The fact this person she has never met before knows a name they shouldn’t know is terrifying. She would drop into her trance and search for fey if she wasn’t in the middle of a conversation.

“Just… Just Vex’ahlia,” she replies, her voice wavering frustratingly.

“Father Reynal,” he introduces himself. “The current head of worship of the Zenith. Please, come in.”

He takes a step back to let her walk into the temple. Vex’s eyes stare at the mark of the door on the stone of the floor, but her legs walk her in automatically.

It’s almost as cold inside as it is outside, despite the large roaring fireplace behind the altar, across the room from the door. Candles are lit as the pale sun struggles to shine through the tall stained glass windows on the walls. There’s three on each of the longest walls.

Her muddy boots dirty the red carpet, but the priest doesn’t seem to pay that any mind. He’s looking right at her. Vex swallows. The door closes behind her, leaving her in the low-lit empty church.

The wall to her right is partially fallen, covered by large blankets suspended from the ceiling and attached to below the holes, to try and provide cover from the elements. It’s not working well.

Something has happened here, Vex can’t shake that feeling. The fallen walls and chipped paints and that thing about the De Rolos that the owner of the Alcove was so reluctant to talk about. Something terrible happened in this city, it hangs from the walls and through the air like ash after a catastrophic fire. It makes Vex want to cough it out, even if she knows it’s not really there.

The priest starts walking deeper in. He’s limping quite heavily. Vex follows him, dread coiling in her stomach. This is not the sunrise of divine positive energy she’s expected.

“What can I help you with? What have you sensed?” Father Reynal asks and Vex manages to make her brain start again.

“I sensed a fiend. In a six-mile radius from the stone platform on which the castle sits,” she explains. “I’ve dealt with fiends a couple of times, but not knowing what this one’s power is, I was hoping to gather some divine help.”

The priest raises an eyebrow at her. “I’m afraid a couple hours of hiking up the mountains is out of my current capacities,” he replies. His voice is much heavier, much more haunted. “That’s all you felt, right? A fiend, somewhere in that area. No specifics?”

Vex shakes her head. “My training only offers rather… general information,” she sighs. “That’s all I can give you.”

“I don’t think I can help you in any way,” he looks rather saddened by the fact.

“Maybe there is another member of your house of worship that would be up for some fiend hunt in the woods?” She asks, raising an eyebrow.

Father Reynal huffs lightly. “I’m the only one here,” he says. “The only one taking care of this temple. If I can’t help you, no acolyte of Pelor can, in Whitestone.”

Vex looks around the temple. The pews wear a layer of dust she hadn’t noticed originally. A gust of wind slips under the blanket trying desperately to keep it out. The candles’ lights tremble. It’s desolate. Father Reynal looks more tired and older like this, shadows digging in his face.

“I thought the Dawnfather was the most worshipped deity of the city,” she whispers.

The priest chuckles humorlessly. “He’s still worshipped alright, but the people don’t find the time or energy to come to the temple anymore. They haven’t in years.”

A lot of her information is wrong. Way too much for her comfort, actually. Not only did she not know the de Rolos were all dead, but now this too? The nagging feeling of dread tightens in her chest again.

“I’m sorry,” she swallows.

Father Reynal sighs. “Whitestone hasn’t been the Dawnfather’s beloved city for a very long time, but it has only recently become this visible. We should have known something was wrong a long time ago but we were all blind.”

The state of the city, the thing that happened, are weighing on this man something awful. Vex swallows.

“Do you know of anyone who could help me? I think the fiend is powerful enough for mind control.” She then starts recounting her encounter with Keyleth, who the half-elf is and why she’s worried about her, with the priest watching her intently. When she’s done, she looks at him honestly, earnestly. “I really need some help in this matter. A life may be at stake.”

“I know the druid you’re talking about,” Father Reynal nods. “But I wouldn’t worry. She has a strong mind, and she knows the path well. She’s not enthralled. I would be aware.”

That feels final. He’s shutting her out of that topic, shoving her worries away. He probably knows better than her about fiends and enthrallment but Vex can’t shake the stress in her bones. Maybe it’s only her own experience with Saundor, maybe she’s projecting it all on Keyleth and that fiend…

“Unless you have something else to ask…” the priest points out. “I will see you out. Things need to be done here, work.”

He coaxes Vex back to the door and opens it. She’s being shut out of something, again. It’s what comes with being a stranger to Whitestone, but she’s here to take care of people and nature alike, not to hurt anyone. Why won’t they tell her things she needs to know?

“I understand,” she says between gritted teeth as she steps back through the door.

Right as the man is about to close the door back on her, he stops. His eyes land on her again, heavy and sad.

“Maybe go ask in town. The Lady’s Chamber might know if there are good clerics in town,” Father Reynal advises. “And the tavern is always a good place to ask.”

And with that, the thick carved wood slams in Vex’ face.

#perc'ahlia #percy de rolo #vex'ahlia #fic #critical role #vox machina #mine #vaxleth #vaxilmore

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