In celebration of their 10th anniversary, the Critical Role creatives have published an anthology book of tales within the Vox Machina universe. In partnership with Random House Worlds, Critical Role: Vox Machina — Stories Untold is a collection of stories from characters not prominently featured in the main campaign’s narrative. The book allows fans to rediscover memorable events and moments from new perspectives.

mxdwn was fortunate to obtain an excerpt from the collection. Titled “The Lives We Make” by Rebecca Coffindaffer, this section features Kynan Leore grappling with becoming a member of the Pale Guard.

The cold wind cut through the skinny trunks of young spruce trees, its voice harsh and hissing. Even with layers on underneath his overcoat and a balaclava wrapped around his head and neck, Kynan shivered. But he kept creeping silently forward, his footsteps not even making a whisper of sound on the carpet of dead needles. Just ahead of him, he saw his target—a woman and man, wrapped in their own winter clothes, seated on logs around a campfire. Beyond them, three tents sat huddled together, dusted with frost.

In one silent blur of movement, Kynan surged forward, grabbing the back of the man’s hood. The man cried out, startled, but went very still at the feel of a pin-sharp dagger point against his neck.

Kynan grinned. “And just like that, Brath? You’re dead.”

The woman—Sardel—looked at Kynan with wide eyes, awestruck. “That was incredible!”

“So impressive.” Brath swallowed nervously. “Would love to not have a knife to my neck anymore, though?”

Laughing a little, Kynan sheathed his dagger, clapping Brath on the back. He hadn’t been sure, at first, when Ripley had added the brother and sister to the group. They were older than him; he thought they might outshine him or treat him like a little kid. But they’d shown a lot of appreciation for what he could do.

Crossing to the other side of camp, Kynan dropped down on the hard ground next to Ripley, who was sitting cross-legged outside her tent, carefully polishing and cleaning the pieces of her pepperbox pistol, Animus. As far as Kynan could tell, Issylra seemed constantly socked in by low, brooding gray clouds, but even in this dim form of daylight, the deep gray metal and brass of Animus seemed to gleam.

“That was impressive, Leore,” Ripley said without looking up.

Kynan flushed—not that anyone could really tell given how pink his cheeks already were from the cold. He liked how she called him by his surname. It made him feel older for some reason. She didn’t call anyone else by their surname. Just Kynan. Like he’d earned a level of respect from her the others had not.

He flipped one of his daggers in his hand, shrugging off the compliment. “It’s not much. Just a few tricks I’ve picked up.”

Ripley shook her head as she clicked the last piece of Animus into place and slipped it back into its holster. “Don’t shortchange yourself. You’ve got real talent. Trust me, I don’t waste my time with mediocre people.” She tilted her head, eying Brath and Sardel who were alternating trying to take each other down just like Kynan had shown them. “Don’t you notice how they look at you? They see it, too.”

Kynan followed her gaze, frowning.  “See what?”

Ripley turned to him, and even though, in his head, she was always sharp and calculating, the cold edge of a knife, there were times when she looked at him that Kynan thought he saw her soften a little. “That you’re going to be something special. A leader. All you need is a little guidance.”

The warm, glowing feeling in Kynan’s chest flickered a little. “Like from a mentor?”

“Exactly.”

He could still see it, as clearly as if it had happened yesterday and not weeks ago. Vax’ildan in front of Greyskull Keep, somehow so much taller, stronger, more intimidating than Kynan had even imagined. Come back when you’re ready. Come back again. Train yourself, and I, personally, will be your mentor.

Kynan’s gaze dropped to his lap. “He promised me that. That he’d be my mentor.”

“And you believed him?” Ripley’s tone was incredulous, and Kynan burned with embarrassment all over again. How stupid he’d been, camping outside that castle, and for what? A bruise on his skull, and a wound in his pride. A headache for days afterward, a bitter taste lingering in his mouth.

Things move very fast with us. I don’t think you understand what you’re asking for.

So much for heroes.

Ripley sighed, leaning back on her hands, watching Brath and Sardel spar without really seeing them. “You can’t trust people like him, Leore. They’re only ever looking out for themselves, their own reputation, their own greatness. He probably looked at you and saw someone who could eclipse him.”

Kynan’s eyes widened. That . . . seemed a little impossible. But then again, Ripley was one of the smartest people he’d ever met, and she’d seen a lot more of the world than he had. “You really think so?”

“It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. That’d be just like one of them.” For one flickering moment, her face twisted with disgust, and then it was gone and she was looking at him with that almost-soft expression. “You were never meant to live in his shadow, though. You were meant to be here, with me. My right hand.” She reached out and set a hand on his shoulder, warm and steady through the layers of his coat. “And together? Together, you and I are going to do great things.”

Launching in 2015, Critical Role began as a friend group live-streaming tabletop roleplaying games, creating characters and storylines that soon resonated with a rapidly growing fanbase. Ten years later, this intimate hobby has blossomed into a hub of entertainment stretching across Twitch, YouTube, live theatre shows, and television.

This happens to be the second book Critical Role will have published this year. A children’s book designed by member Sam Reigel (The Amazing Spider-Man, Transformers: Cybertron) will be available in October. The Critical Role crew has embarked on several new projects within the last few years. In May, they launched Beacon, a new membership program connecting fans with exclusive early access to content, original programming, pre-sales to live events, and other merchandise. And in 2023, they greenlit a new animated series with Amazon Studios to accompany the ever-popular Legend of Vox Machina. The new series brings to life the Mighty Nein storyline. In recent months, the L.A.-based group raised over $350K to support Los Angeles Wildfire Relief funds in the wake of the natural disasters that devasted the southern California region.

Critical Role: Vox Machina — Stories Untold is now available to purchase.