Stop Drawing Veth Brenatto as White

Veth Week Day 4 Self Acceptance|Flowers

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[ID: A digital drawing of Veth Brenatto, a brown skinned halfling from Critical Role. Veth is wearing a headband with dark orange and dark blue stripes, a green dress and green armbands. She is resting her head on her crossed arms. An assorted variety of buttons, threads and river pebbles lie in front of her on a wooden counter. End ID]

Veth Week - Day 1: Collections

This is probably the fastest drawing I've done in a while. I wanted to have the background be a shelf with a variety of potions and tonics but I wanted to finish this before the day ended.

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I was really hoping to finish this for Veth Week... but life happens I guess lol

I still have a lot to do, I'm not looking forward to the hair tbh and there are so many flowers rip, but I thought I'd give you guys an update on little ol' Veth!

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#VETHWEEK - Sunday - Rogue Shit

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the divine transmutation of the self

A late addition to Veth Week! For Day 7: Revethification | Magic.

In which magic changes Veth, and Veth changes her mind about magic.

For the old Veth Brenatto, magic was something that her husband mixed into his potions and elixirs. She'd picked up some of the basics of alchemy from living with Yeza-- the principle of detailed balance, the way different substances conveyed solidity or stability or combustion-- but it had never really been her thing. The old Veth Brenatto would have been happy to keep magic at the edges of her periphery as she collected her trinkets and cared for her son and made a decent, quiet life.

But life, and magic, had other plans for Veth.

*

For Nott the Brave, magic was a prison. At least initially.

The worst part about becoming Nott was, of course, the drowning. The agony of her lungs burning for air, the way her vision blurred with the rushing water, the panic of slipping beneath the current and not knowing which way was up, these things still haunted her dreams.

But the second worst part about becoming a goblin was the way everything was slightly wrong. There were the obvious parts-- the stringy green hair, the too-sharp teeth, the ears that stuck out too far-- but there were also a dozen other things that Nott came to notice about her new form.

It wasn't just the shape of the ears-- her hearing was different, too. Lower pitches were muddier, higher pitches brighter but oddly distorted. Her yellow eyes could see more, her field of vision augmented at the edges. What would have been darkness to Veth was now all shades of gray to Nott. In the light, blues and violets were almost painfully vivid, and the extra eyelid had been an unpleasant surprise as well (it closed sideways! Why did it close sideways?).

Magic had cursed her, transformed her into something she hated. But magic had also saved her, twice over.

It had been Caleb and his magic, back in that dark, musty jail cell. His weird little fey cat had brought the wire to pick the lock, and his fire had caused the needed distraction for their escape. That little spark had set them free.

And once they were clear of the prison, Nott looked at the man-- in her eyes, the boy-- who had broken them out. She saw the smears of dirt and the scratchy beard and the haunted expression he wore, and she looked past them and saw potential.

"Well, is this where we part ways, then?" Caleb had asked.

Nott looked up at him with her big yellow eyes, forced herself not to blink that weird third eyelid, and said, "Actually, if you don't mind... I think we might make a good team, you and I."

Caleb's lips curled up slightly. "I think so too, Nott the Brave."

*

Learning magic for herself had felt different. Powerful. It tingled up and down her fingertips the first time she'd sent a Message, ran down the wire like an electric charge seeking ground.

And that was just the beginning. Her first Mage Hand was clumsy, more spectral than hand, but it did the job. There would be time to practice. Unlike Message, which was fleeting, Mage Hand initially took all her focus to maintain as she maneuvered it to lift some coin from an unsuspecting passerby, or balanced the tension in her thieves' tools on a lock. She discovered that it was only as substantial as her intention, and as dextrous as her intellect was keen.

Yet of all the schools of magic, illusion came most easily to her. Evocation asked her to project her magic outwards, conjuration told her to call something forth. But when she cast Disguise Self, the weave of illusory magic settled over her like a warm familiar cloak, shrouding and protecting her with its arcane energy. When she'd first learned the spell, she'd wanted to turn herself back right away, see her old face and body and hands in the mirror. And yet in the back of her mind there was uncertainty, and fear. If she remembered wrong, if the proportions were off, if the eyes were just a centimeter out of place… It is a strange thing to be a stranger to your own face, and this was what Nott feared most of all.

But there was one other thing that magic could do for Nott. It connected her back to Caleb Widogast. Caleb, who had lit a spark back in the jail. Caleb, who was clever and talented and the closest thing she had to family this far from home. Caleb, who had given her hope, and magic. Maybe the two were one and the same.

*

She'd expected it to hurt the second time. How could it not? Being transformed, every atom of you, and reassembled, remade into something new.

But her friends were there in case anything went wrong. The clerics could heal her if she was somehow hurt in the process. And Caleb was there, so whatever happened, it would be okay. She trusted him with her life.

Nott lay there in the pocket of clay, closed her eyes, and breathed gently. She could hear Caleb's voice, incanting the layers of arcane logic, setting in motion the sigils and glyphs that encircled the porcelain bathtub. Her green hands clasped her forearms tightly, the long nails digging into her skin.

She could feel the clay creeping up her form, and for an instant she thought it might just swallow her up entirely. But this was magic. She knew magic. And she knew Caleb. So she let the spell surround her, let its words wash over her like a wave. Even without sight, she could feel him there, his intention burning bright as a flame. In her mind she reached out towards Caleb's presence, gave herself over to being changed once more.

Nott felt her body rising up from the tub. The clay was hot on her skin, and yet she didn't feel scared. She felt limitless, open to infinite possibilities. And she saw in her mind the person she was, the person she'd become, the person she wanted to be. And in that moment she decided, and in the next moment the clay shattered, and in the next she was again Veth Brenatto, in heart and body and soul.

She opened her eyes and looked up, and the colors were all different. Warmer. Brighter. She glanced at the shards of porcelain and clay on the floor, and then she looked around the room, seeing each of her friends again for the first time, until her gaze finally came to rest on Caleb.

"You… are not the goblin I first met," said Caleb, and Veth knew in her heart it was true, in more ways than one.

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It's Veth week for @criticalbakes, so I made a hash. It has plenty of sausage(cause Nott and meat) and is hearty with plenty of potatoes and onions and peppers. I also threw in some sundried tomatoes. A hearty breakfast(well, dinner) perfect for Felderwin.

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N(EI/I)N(E)!

Plus one former persona of the tiefling now known as Kingsley Tealeaf:

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Episode 127: The Gang Commits a Massacre

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"Alright, everyone," Veth says with authority, and everyone else quiets down. "Tomorrow is the big day."

Caleb sighs and ducks behind his drink. There is a speech coming. This is exactly the sort of ceremony he had hoped to avoid by having this get-together at his home rather than the bar Veth had suggested. It's only five of them, tonight; Beauregard and Yasha are always in town, and Veth had insisted on coming. And Essek, of course. He's not sure when the elf's presence at his side became an of course, but in a careful way, he likes it.

"As the person in this world who cares the most about Caleb--"

Essek silently quirks an eyebrow at that, and it doesn't get past Veth.

"Alright, come on, just because you got him into bed and I didn't doesn't mean--"

Caleb clears his throat loudly, and Veth's smile snaps back into place.

"As Caleb's oldest, dearest, truest friend," she says, and Essek manages to look dignified even while rolling his eyes, "it is my humble duty to tell you all how amazing he is on this momentous occasion."

"You know, I am starting a new job, not getting married," Caleb murmurs in her direction.

"And we're all very proud of you!" Veth replies.

Caleb takes a long drink as the others chime in with agreement. Yasha shoots him a sympathetic look, and he returns a tight smile.

"Come on, man," Beau says from where she leans against the table, "aren't you excited, at all?"

He takes a long breath. Excited is a word for it. Ready to vomit at a moment's notice is perhaps more accurate. The Soltryce Academy is tricky. He's been back there a few times in recent weeks, for interviews and preparation, and each time, it's felt like walking through a dream of a place the mind could not quite capture properly.

For whatever purpose, Trent has always wanted Caleb - Bren - to follow in his footsteps. Those footsteps feel a touch too literal in those hallways.

"Caleb?" Beau's voice brings him out of his thoughts. "You still with us?"

He shakes his head. "Ja. Entschuldigung. There is a lot to think about."

Veth lowers her glass, frowning. "Nobody threatened you, did they? Because I'll have words with them."

"No, nothing like that." Not lately, anyway. He sets his own drink down on the table. "Just a bit worried, perhaps."

"Worried about what?" Beau asks flatly.

Caleb lets out a long breath, looking down at the floor. Where to begin? He's worried that everything will go wrong. Worried that he'll turn up with his clothes on backwards, or spill coffee down the front of his shirt, or trip over his words before the lesson even starts. Worried, most of all, about what comes after.

"I hope that I will not…" He searches for the right words. "I hope that I will be able to serve my students well enough," he settles on. "The examples I have had were, ah…." Trent Ikithon is not one he wishes to emulate.

Essek frowns. "Carve your own path," he says. "Someone as brilliant as you are needs no one to emulate."

"Ja, well, that is fine for throwing together a spell or two, but I imagine the students will need a little more structure." These are young minds. Any mistakes he makes will stick with them. He, of all people, knows just how much.

"Maybe you could ask them what they want from you," Yasha pipes up. "You know, make sure you're doing alright."

Caleb lets out a long sigh. "Ja, maybe. That is a good idea." Of course, it also requires that the students in question trust him enough to give him a straight answer.

They sit in relative silence for a moment, working away at their drinks. He hopes Veth doesn't resent him for stepping on the atmosphere.

"Seriously, man, you're gonna be great." Beau knocks back the rest of her drink. "You're already the best professor I've ever known."

"I do not think the owl counts as a point of comparison," Caleb deadpans. "Regardless, I will settle for not making a fool of myself for a first impression. That will be difficult enough."

Beau shrugs, and reaches over to refill her glass. There's a devious look in her eye that makes him nervous. "So why don't you practice?" she asks.

Caleb looks at her warily. "Practice?"

"Yeah, man." She gestures at the others. "Here's your class. Teach us something."

Before he can object, she's already begun to pull an armchair toward the coffee table in the center of the room. Soon enough, three more seats have joined it, all on the same side. She throws her arms wide with a challenging grin.

"First day," she says. "Don't be late." With that, she flops down onto the rightmost chair.

Transfixed in bemusement, Caleb watches as Yasha and Veth rush to occupy the next two seats in the makeshift classroom. The Expositor commands a room, it seems.

"Are you comfortable with this?" Essek murmurs as he brushes past as well. "I am willing to be the, ah... wet blanket, if need be."

Caleb sighs, briefly twining their fingers together and squeezing once before letting him go. "Not comfortable, no, but it's not a bad idea."

Someone wolf whistles from the peanut gallery, and Caleb turns a fond glare on them all. All three of them are, of course, the picture of innocence. He shakes his head as Essek settles down primly in the last remaining chair. It's not exactly the picture of an academic setting, with their glasses of half-finished booze still on the table in front of them and the lot of them draped over armchairs and ottomans.

"Alright," says Beau, who has not even bothered to put her drink down. She makes a trilling sound that he thinks is probably meant to emulate a school bell. "Hit us."

"We will be brutally honest," Veth promises. "Which means we will tell you honestly how perfect you are."

"Or if there's anything you could do better," Yasha adds.

Caleb stares back at them. It's nothing he hasn't gone over in his own head a hundred times. Even once or twice, to a captive audience of cats. It's a short class. It will be over before he knows it.

The others look up at him expectantly. Watching him. Waiting. Caleb clears his throat.

"I, ah... feel a bit silly," he admits.

Without a word, Essek waves a hand, and the familiar faces before him shift to those of strangers.

It's almost embarrassing how much it helps. Caleb takes a deep breath and lets it out, running through the lesson plan in his head.

"Guten Morgen, class, I am, ah… Professor Widogast." It's the first time he's said that particular pair of words out loud.

"Whoo!" the student who is not Veth shouts.

"Yeah!" the student who is not Beau chimes in.

Caleb gives them a look and straightens his coat. "This is Introductory Transmutation, in room 142, so if you are all in the correct place--"

"Professor?" The student who is not Yasha raises her hand.

"Ah, ja, Miss…"

"Lionett."

Not-Beau slaps a hand over her own mouth and mutters, "Holy shit," into it.

"Was that too much?" not-Yasha whispers.

"Babe, it was so hot," not-Beau hisses back.

Caleb clears his throat. "Miss Lionett, do you have a question?"

Not-Yasha seems to suddenly remember her role, and she folds her hands in her lap. "No," she says, "I have to use the bathroom."

Caleb pinches the bridge of his nose as not-Beau bites back a giggle. "Ja, okay, go."

"Don't let her go!" not-Veth interjects. "She knew it was almost time for class; she should have gone earlier."

"Dude, if she has to pee then she has to pee," not-Beau protests.

Pointedly, not-Essek raises his hand.

Caleb lets himself sigh with relief. "Ja, Master…?"

"Gross, Professor, we don't need to know about your weird sex dynamics," not-Beau says.

Not-Essek's face blooms red, and Caleb presses a hand to his face to hide the same. "You know very well, Beauregard, that it is an honorific."

Not-Beau shrugs, looking very pleased with herself as she takes another sip of her drink. Not-Essek glares very polite daggers at her before clearing his throat.

"Thelyss," he answers.

Beau cups both hands around her mouth and boos.

"No, it's better that he's honest," Veth says. "We already know he's a terrible actor."

"Herr Thelyss," Caleb says, raising his voice above the heckling. "Do you have a question?"

Essek leans forward, resting his elbows on the table in a gesture that's much too endearing. "I wondered what you will be teaching us today, Professor Widogast."

Caleb tries not to dwell on the way the title hits differently on Essek's voice, instead straightening up and waving one hand behind him. An illusory chalkboard appears in the air behind him to polite applause from Veth and Yasha. Back on track.

"Well, this is your first day," he says. "So I know that - Beauregard, please remove your feet from the table - I know that most of your other teachers will be spending time going over the material that you will be covering this semester, but, ah…" What is he meant to be doing with his hands? They feel limp if they're at his sides, but too formal behind his back and too awkward in front of him. Perhaps he should have a lectern? Somewhere to rest them, or shuffle with papers?

His gaze drifts back to his "students," who all blink back at him expectantly. Essek inclines his head as though to prompt him on. He clasps his hands in front of his chest, hoping it will do for now.

"Right," he continues. "Ja, so I thought we would take a look at something more practical to start. We will leave the reading for tomorrow; you have enough of that today."

He waves his hands again, and behind him, a set of runes and diagrams appears on the chalkboard. Above it is written the word Prestidigitation.

"So, ah, partner up," he orders. "Introduce yourselves. If there is someone on their own, a group of three is perfectly acceptable."

"I call Miss Lionett," Beau shouts, grabbing Yasha's hand.

"Can I go to the bathroom, first?" Yasha asks.

Caleb gives her an incredulous look.

"I really do need to go," she says.

He gestures towards the hallway, and she shuffles off. In the meantime, Veth and Essek scoot their chairs closer together. Caleb's gaze lingers questioningly on Beau, who shakes her head.

"She's not learning anything tonight, man. Go ahead."

"Ja, okay," he says distantly.

It feels silly, explaining the spell to this motley crew. Beau has leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, eyes glassy, clearly not paying an ounce of attention. Essek has produced a piece of paper upon which Veth occasionally scribbles, though the way he periodically nods approval at Caleb's points betrays his own prior knowledge of the subject. After a few minutes, Yasha returns and attempts to take down notes of her own.

"Is everyone following along?" he asks after a while, knowing it's a futile question.

"Yep," Beau lies.

"Hmm." Yasha hums.

"Perfectly," Essek says.

"You're doing amazing, sweetie," Veth confirms with a wink.

He continues, running them through the various applications one by one. Beau gives him an occasional "uh huh" that he believes not one bit. At one point, he catches Essek take a passing glance at Veth's paper, widen his eyes, and lean forward to murmur something to her. He isn't sure he wants to know what that's about.

"Let's keep focused, please, everyone," he reminds them.

Essek waves a hand to signal him to continue. Nothing too scandalous, then. He goes through the final few points, then comes to stop in front of the chalkboard, hands awkwardly clasped again.

"Okay, that is it," he says. "You have as much time as you require to finish the spell, and when you are finished, I would like one person from each group to demonstrate."

He gives the others a questioning look. It's one of the points he's most worried about. A way to take pressure off some of the slower students could just as easily be a way to unintentionally foster competition and resentment. But none of them objects, so he gives them another nod.

"I suppose we should skip the demonstration portion," he mumbles.

"I can do it," Yasha chirps. Without warning, she swings the massive greatsword from her back and sinks the tip into the table, making the others jump. "I made a small mark."

Caleb covers his eyes with one hand. "Ja, will it go away in one hour?"

Yasha silently places her drink down over the indentation. Caleb sighs. It isn't as though he has very many guests, anyway.

"I can probably swing producing an odor, for you," Beau offers. "But I figure you probably don't want that."

He ignores her, and instead gives Essek a tight smile.

"Well, would my second group care to demonstrate?"

Beau jerks a thumb in Essek's direction and fake-coughs to Yasha, "Teacher's pet."

Essek ignores her and sits back, fingers working in those little patterns he draws when something has piqued his curiosity. "I believe so," he says, and nods to Veth.

Caleb raises his eyebrows as all eyes turn to Veth. Though Essek had the courtesy to leave her a halfling, her features and coloring are entirely different - but that wide smile as she stands and rubs both hands together would give her away, no matter the face it was set in. And as Beau swears under her breath, Yasha and Caleb look on wide-eyed, and Essek watches with a smirk, she pulls her hands apart to let loose a shower of sparks.

"You… learned the spell," Caleb says numbly. He hadn't imagined any of them were actually paying attention.

"It was an excellent lesson!" Veth replies.

As she takes her seat again, Beau and Yasha give her a smattering of stunned applause. Essek clears his throat pointedly.

"And I guess, maybe, Essek gave me one pointer," Veth amends with an eye-roll.

"Hey, so your partner system worked," Yasha points out.

It had. The lesson had worked, the procedure had worked - his teaching had worked. There's still a little voice in his head reminding him that Veth is brilliant, and an adult, and perfectly capable of learning things like this without even so much as his help - but he can't deny that it's his guidance that taught her this particular spell. 'An excellent lesson,' Veth had said. In this moment, he's inclined to believe it might be half true. Caleb realizes very suddenly that he's beaming.

With a snap of his fingers, Essek dispels the disguises. The soft smile on his face - his real face, and Caleb always misses it dearly when it's hidden - says he hasn't failed to notice Caleb's relief.

"Danke, all of you," he says sheepishly, waving a hand to vanish the chalkboard.

"Thank you!" Veth says. "For the shiny new spell and for the masterclass in professoring."

"You were really good," Yasha agrees. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry about the table."

He dips his head to hide the way his face is flushing. They exaggerate, the lot of them. But there is something to be said for having friends who will say such things. "Ja, well," he says, "I am not convinced it will translate to an actual class, but I will hope."

Beau takes another swig of her drink, wiping her mouth afterwards. "Dude, we were the worst and you still managed to teach somebody something," she says. "Those kids have nothing on us. You got this."

He offers her a smile, retrieving his glass from the table as Yasha, Veth, and Essek do the same. He hopes it's true. He hopes that, separate entirely from his ability to teach them the how of magic, he will be able to keep them safe. That he will be able to keep from passing on any damage he received in his own time in those halls.

He catches Essek's eye, and the knowing look there puts some of the anxious buzzing to rest. He will be better. He will struggle, most likely. He will stumble, inevitably. But he will give better than he got. He's been practicing that part for years.

"To Professor Widogast!" Veth shouts, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Professor Widogast," the others echo, and Caleb smiles.

"To my very good friends," he replies.

"To the hottest professor the Soltryce Academy has ever seen," Veth shouts in response, and Caleb nearly chokes on his drink when Essek casually clinks his glass against hers with a nod.

They drink together. Caleb thinks, just a little bit, he might be excited.

-

thanks @peregrintook for reading this over and telling me it wasn't the worst thing i had ever written (in much more generous words than that), and @saturdaysky for catching me red-handed last time i deleted it and being so kind about it 💜

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Meanwhile, 10 feet to the left of the flying wizards

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I'm sticking with you 'Cause I'm made out of glue And anything that you might do I'm gonna do too

I'm sticking With You - The Decemberists

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Veth Week Day 3 Family|Alchemy

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[ID: Veth Brenatto, a brown skinned halfling from Critical Role. She is wearing a pink lolita style dress with white trim, white earmuffs with brown antlers sprouting from them. Her eyes lined with a blue tattoo. Her hair is dark brown styled it two braids flowing behind her dramatically. She is gazing off to the sky mournfully. The subtitles read "and you don't know if you'll ever see each other again". The background is pink and purple with gauzy white soap bubbles. End ID]

Jester: And it's so tragic.

Veth: And they wipe a tear, and you wipe a tear, and you don't know if you'll ever see each other again.

Jester: And then you have to pretend, you have to pretend for the rest of your life that it didn't mean anything.

Veth: Take that pocket of coins, and as you spend them, it's just one more memory going away.

Caleb: Hey, Dagen, are we the worst ones yet?

Dagen: Getting real close.

Veth Week Day 2: Romance

More speed art! I really wanted to do something funny and I thought this scene fit the Romance theme very well. I actually sketched out another scene with Veth and Jester tearing up over their own angst (and Caleb asking if they're the worst), but it's getting quite late and I wanted to finish this before the day was over. I really do like the sketch I did so I'll definitely clean it up later.

PS: Veth's winter outfit will always be pink for me.

Screentone Credit

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Rating: T (liable to change)

Fandom: Critical Role (Campaign 2)

Relationship: Nott | Veth Brenatto/Caleb Widogast

Additional Tags: Mutual Pining, Character Study, Nott | Veth Brenatto-centric, at least for now, Minor Yeza Brenatto/Nott | Veth Brenatto, Luc Brenatto mentions, spoilers for Nott backstory, Canon Divergent, spoilers up to 2x97

Summary:

"Think how you love me,' she whispered. 'I don't ask you to love me always like this, but I ask you to remember.' You'll always be like this to me.' Oh no; but promise me you'll remember.' Her tears were falling. 'I'll be different, but somewhere lost inside me there'll always be the person I am tonight."

- F. Scott Fitzgerald, Tender Is the Night

What if Nott decided to wait just a little longer, just a night, before returning to her halfling self?

Read it on AO3

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Mighty Nein Dragon AU

Or more specifically, a Temeraire AU.

Basically, all the Nein are dragons in a low magic world. Dragons are seen as useful beasts in many countries instead of the powerful magical beings typical in D&D. The world is still Exandria, but with a few tweaks based on these changes.

The Mighty Nein are a rogue band of dragons not beholden to any country. Some had riders in the past, but now they have decided to just stick together (and become an epic dragon polycule).

This is a rough size chart (colors not accurate, just to mark who is who). Yasha, Fjord, and Caduceus are heavyweights, Caleb, Beau, Jester, and Essek are middleweights, and Nott/Veth is a lightweight. I stuck a little human in there for reference.

Individual descriptions below.

Yasha still has angelic heritage, just as a dragon. She has feathered wings, which is basically unheard of for dragons. Her backstory is mostly the same, though she was one of the few dragons in her tribe.

Caduceus is a kind of dragon very in tune with the natural magic of the world. This allows him to fly without wings. Most people who see him are baffled by his flight as well as his sheer size. His family tends to the ancient dragon burial site in the Blooming Grove and worships the Wildmother, gaining some magical ability for their faith.

Fjord used to work for the naval division of the Port Damali aerial corps, with Vandran as his captain. He would sail on carrier ships and help defend them from sea serpents, as well as hunt large game like whales. After waking up on shore after his ship exploded, he discovered a new ability - breathing an extremely powerful water jet. He also gained some level of magical ability.

Jester is a Longwing, acid spitting dragon. She grew up with her mother in the Lavish Chateau, headed by her mother. The Chateau is a place for dragons to visit the famous Ruby of the Sea for her expert company, as well as stay the night in the large pavilions there. After angering a local dragon lord, she had to flee into the world.

Her friend the Traveler grants her some divine powers, and sometimes goes on flights with her. If anyone asks who her captain is, she says "the traveler".

Beau grew up as part of a rich family's property in Kamordah, a situation her father agreed to long ago. Her family was used for maintaining the vineyards and flying around the nobles and their products. She naturally grew sick of this and started causing trouble, at which point her father had the Cobalt Soul take her.

The Cobalt Soul is one of the only places in the Empire where dragons are treated as equals with humanoids, and are tasked with memorizing vast amounts of knowledge in their long lifespans. They also guard the libraries against danger. Beau resented being brought there against her will, but still learned much at their hands.

Caleb is a firebreather. He was born to feral dragons in the wild, but his egg was found by two humans, Una and Leofric Ermendrud. He was raised by them in secret for some time before the Empire found him and conscripted him into the Aerial Corps. He was put under Trent Ikithon, who was experimenting on the dragons in his care with Celestial shards in an attempt to give them the magic wielded by the Celestial dragons in Xhorhas.

When he 'broke' during his final test, Caleb was put in the Vergesson Dragon Grounds, a place to dump dragons the Empire can't use. He spent his time there holed up in a cave and didn't interact with the other dragons much, though he doesn't remember it. He escaped some time later and wandered the Empire wilderness as a feral.

Veth Brenatto was a halfling woman living in Felderwin with her family, before she angered the local dragon ferals raiding her village, who had her cursed into one of them. She met up with Caleb and they lived together in the wilderness before meeting the Nein. She wants to return to her original form and reunite with her family, though she has learned to enjoy being a dragon and also wants to remain with her friends.

She wears lots of jewelry and trinkets too, which I didn't draw.

Essek is a Celestial dragon living in the Kryn Dynasty, a land ruled by the Celestial Bright Queen. Celestials have magical ability, something extremely rare in dragons. They are born so infrequently that they are seen as holy and are the ruling class of the Dynasty. The Kryn worship the Luxon, and Celestial eggs are kept next to the beacons as they incubate in order to absorb its magic.

Essek still traded two beacons to the Empire in hopes of understanding them more, but he also gave them the shards of some hatched Celestial eggs. When he met the Mighty Nein, he taught Caleb how to further develop the magical ability given to him by Trent's experiments.

~~~

The Mighty Nein meet up close to how they did originally, just with more suspicion of them because they're dragons. Molly is a middleweight, probably a longwing like Jester though I still need to draw him.

They travel around as dragon mercenaries, becoming a very powerful independent band. They bond very strongly with each other and become very close, with all sorts of relationships connecting them in a polycule.

Because it's my AU I get to make it Polynein >:)

@polynein-week​

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Vethna Mevnrael: The Moon Arcana

from @exilethegame

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I am so fucking excited for the fight with that salamander thing this friday that I just have to post some warm wishes and predictions now:

Badass Fjord,

so much badass Fjord during the fight,

like divine smite and teleportation type badass Fjord *wink wonk*,

Give me some battle couple moments too from fjorester, beauyasha and the beginning of shadowgast,

I am hoping Matt has mercy on the Nein and lets them have a long rest,

Can we get some fjorester private talk? Like maybe they take a night watch together and just talk,

Maybe we'll get the tower and see if our horny children continue being horny or have a deep talk and a heartwarming moment,

More brjeaus wouldn't hurt,

Fjord has been embracing his leader capabilities lately and he shouldn't stop,

I don't want Beau or Caleb to get more eyes but I also do want them to get more eyes just to experience another dream session where Matt freaks me the fuck out,

Speaking of dreams, can Melora just like randomly check up on Fjord? Maybe on Cad too,

Caleb and Essek private moment?

Jester and Essek bff moment?

Caduceus and Veth talk again because that was great last time,

I will always repeat this but if we fight TT then I need Yasha to get the HDYWTDT on Lucien,

Veth kills Otis

Caduceus goes angry battle Mercy mode

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ninjas this, wine that, what about yasha's first date with veth??

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The Mighty Nein really just meet anyone who doesn't immediately kill them and think, "Ah, yes. Family."

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This is the third time this week.

The Archmage of Civil Influence sits slumped over her pristine, deep red desk with her head in her hands. She can handle Ludinus. The man gives her a long enough leash, so long as she gets the right things done with it. She can even handle Professor Widogast, absurd as his new name might be, tiring as his constant pushing of the line between acceptable lesson plans and light treason might be. No, it's not him. It's his friend.

"Hi, Astrid!"

She presses her fingertips into her temples. Twenty-five words feels like more than one might think. Twenty-five and then twenty-five more and twenty-five more and on towards infinity feels like an eternity. Occasionally, for a while after Ikithon's trial, she had received a friendly hello from Ms. Lavorre. That had been irritating enough. But from what she understands, the tiefling and two others are now at sea dealing with their own issues.

Veth Brenatto, on the other hand, seems to have absolutely nothing else for which to use her spells.

"How ya doing? Just checking in about that little get-together we talked about."

Talked about is a generously mutual way to put it. There is an event planned for the end of the week at the dance hall she and Bren used to frequent. Brenatto is of the persistent opinion that she ought to attend with Professor Widogast. As his date.

Ridiculous, as she had snapped to Eadwulf last night, because if anything he would be her date - but that is beside the point.

"I know Caleb is waiting to hear a 'yes,'" the voice in her head continues in its usual overly chipper tone.

Astrid does not believe for a second that "Caleb" is doing anything of the sort. They pass one another in the halls of the Soltryce occasionally, and their interactions are always a coin-flip between professional and very awkward. The only other time they see one another at all is when he's dragged into her office for going on one of his famous little tangents in class, and he hardly seems interested in her authority, let alone her companionship.

"Good afternoon, Frau Brenatto," she says smoothly, thankful that the woman can't see her face. "As I have previously informed you, I would be happy to discuss this with Bren himself. Do have a pleasant day."

She hopes it sounds sufficiently final, but allows herself a sigh as the halfling's voice filters back into her mind a moment later.

"Caleb is very shy," she says. "I think you intimidate him - which is silly, because he's extremely powerful - but if you could just give me your answer--"

Astrid cups her face in her hands, fingers splayed. Only three more days until the dance has come and gone, and then she won't have to deal with this anymore. Until the next time, of course. Or until Brenatto comes up with some other pretense to push them at each other.

"As I have said," she says pointedly, "I would like to be sure that this invitation is coming from Bren. If he wishes to speak-" and he will not- "then we may."

The next message is almost immediate this time, and Astrid resists the urge to bang her forehead onto the desk.

"Why don't we go visit him together?" Brenatto asks with renewed enthusiasm. "Have some lunch, talk a little… I can leave you alone, if you two lovebirds are getting--"

Never before has she been so grateful for the limits of a Sending spell. She clears her throat, eyes falling on the stack of paperwork waiting in front of her. There is actual work to be done. Actual important work that does not involve a halfling jabbering in her head all afternoon. And, well, if confronting Bren directly about this nuisance could put an end to it?

"Very well," she says on a sigh. "When shall we meet?"

Astrid wants to groan out loud at the ecstatic tone of the next message. They plan to meet tomorrow evening. Brenatto is already in town, for some reason Astrid doesn't bother remembering, and they'll arrive together at Bren's little residence on the outskirts of the capital at sunset. Ostensibly, Veth will treat them all to a meal at Bren's favorite establishment - but Astrid suspects things won't get that far.

At least she can finish her paperwork, now.

She buries her face in Eadwulf's shoulder that night and groans, "Why does she never do this with you?"

The following evening, she finds Veth Brenatto on the road outside Bren's place, waving on her tiptoes with a wide grin splitting her face. Astrid gives her a tight, mirthless smile in return. Better to get this over with.

"I'm so happy that the two of you are getting some proper time to get to know each other again," Brenatto says as they approach the door together.

Astrid will ignore the suggestive tilt of her eyebrows.

Bren's place is smaller than those of most of the Academy's faculty. He is one of the only professors who has chosen to live outside of the city center, opting instead for a little-travelled section of Rexxentrum to the northeast. The house itself is small and nondescript; she would never have picked it out, if she didn't already know it was here. Astrid wonders sometimes about the secrecy, but she will let him have his privacy. She owes him that much, at least.

She shakes herself from her thoughts just in time to notice Brenatto reaching for the doorknob, but not soon enough to stop her from opening without a single knock. By the time she's reached out to stop her, the door is already wide open.

And oh, this is rich.

"Caleb! I brought--" And then Veth sees them, too.

The man in question - Caleb or Bren or the physical manifestation of regret, whichever he pleases just now - has just fallen off the couch. Brought tumbling down with him is the drow with whom he's intimately tangled up, face twisted into such a comical mix of shock and mortification that Astrid actually cracks a smile.

"Ah," Bren says, pulling a blanket from the sofa to wrap around his partner's shoulders, "Hallo, ja, come right in."

The drow, for his part, has already waved a hand and magicked them both some clothing. Brenatto, for hers, has begun sputtering incoherently - which, after the week of endless pestering Astrid has had, sounds about like music. Astrid gives her a smug look, and gestures with one hand towards the two men hastily righting themselves.

"I believe this settles the matter," she says coolly. "Thank you for the invitation."

She gives Bren a knowing look, and he gives her a tired nod back. She doesn't envy him the interrogation he's about to endure. With a parting glance at the drow, who has retreated toward another room with his real clothing clutched just a bit too tightly in his hands, she turns on her heel and steps back out into the dusk.

That explains the secrecy, then. She hopes he's good for Bren, whoever he is. He deserves something good.

Just as the teleport whisks her away, she hears Veth Brenatto screech, "Him?!"

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Stop Drawing Veth Brenatto as White

Source: https://www.tumgir.com/tag/veth%20week

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