Ashari

Official art of symbol of the Ashari, by Conceptopolis from Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 30.

## Basic Information

### Base

* Air: Zephrah
* Earth: Terrah
* Fire: Pyrah
* Water: Vesrah

### Leader

* Air: Keyleth
* Earth: Pa'tice
* Fire: Cerkonos
* Water: Uvenda

### Favored deity

* All: Melora
* Air: Melora, Kord
* Earth: Moradin
* Fire: Pelor
* Water: Sehanine

### Goals

Safeguard portals to the Elemental Planes

## History

### Formed

Separated into four tribes ~89-189 years before the Divergence

## Membership

### Classes

Druid, Cleric (nature domain), variety of others

### Races

Multiracial

The **Ashari**, known in antiquity as the **Gau Drashari**, are a multiracial people divided into four tribes: Air, Earth, Water, and Fire. Each of the four tribes live in locations where the Elemental Planes have bled into the Material Plane. The Ashari make it their duty to guard these portals, ensuring that nothing dangerous is able to pass between the planes.

## **Culture**

“
About 900 years ago or so, roughly a thousand years ago, we were a nomadic people. Then there was some sort of great sundering. We're actually still not 100% sure. A lot of information was lost. And the elemental planes started bleeding with this plane and—oh, Vex is falling asleep.
”

–
Keyleth gives a history lesson
[!h]

The Ashari are, for the most part, insular, living in remote areas and only occasionally interacting with the outside world or even each other. Their tribes are made up of a diversity of races; in Tal'Dorei, genasi are most often found among the Ashari rather than common society.

In their role as guardians of the Elemental Planes portals, the Ashari have developed deep connections to their respective elements that influence each Ashari's culture. Their leaders are usually skilled in druidic or other nature magics, but their societies include a variety of professions and classes aside from druids.

Not all Ashari necessarily follow or worship deities. Some have a more animistic faith, revering the elements themselves, and some, like Keyleth at the beginning of her journey, are mistrustful of or disinterested in the gods. Some Ashari worship Melora, but they are cautious with anyone who worships a non-nature-aligned deity—especially Erathis, despite her relationship with Melora. The Ashari in Zephrah often favor Melora, those in Pyrah favor Pelor, those in Vesrah favor Sehanine, and those in Terrah favor Moradin.

The Ashari are mistrustful of the dwarves of Kraghammer, who constantly disregard their warnings about reckless mining and whose arrogance during the last eruption of the Terrah rift (before 812 PD) led to earthquakes and the collapse of an entire mountain.

The Ashari greet each other with the word "Kaitiakè" (meaning respect, guardian, keeper) as a sort of salute.

### **Aramenté**

Once in every generation, in each of the four tribes, a member is chosen to set out on an *Aramenté*, or "Noble Odyssey". During this journey, this Ashari member seeks out each of the other tribes and ventures through the portals they guard. Upon completion of this journey, the empowered Ashari member's lifespan increases significantly and becomes the elemental master of their respective tribe, and the elder retires. The person chosen for an *Aramenté* is usually—but not necessarily—a druid or nature cleric.

## **Tribes**

### **Air Ashari**

   The Air Ashari guard the portal to the Elemental Plane of Air in Zephrah and watch over the Frostweald. The title given to the headmaster of the Air Ashari is "Voice of the Tempest."

This tribe lacked a headmaster for some years. Keyleth's mother, Vilya, was set to become headmaster and had embarked on her Aramenté, but never returned. Korrin, Keyleth's father, served as acting leader of the Air Ashari in the interim.

After years passed with no word from Vilya, Keyleth finally set off on her own Aramenté. She would eventually complete the task that her mother could not, earning the title of "Voice of the Tempest." Keyleth returned to Zephrah and took her place as headmaster there.

Despite limited interaction with the outside world and with the other Ashari, Korrin led a contingent to aid the Fire Ashari in re-sealing the rift created by Thordak's escape. He also led a military force of Air Ashari providing air support to Fort Daxio's forces during the siege of Emon.

In the last decades the Air Ashari have trained more prepared soldiers both magically and martially, including the group known as the Tempest Blades. At the beginning of the apogee solstice Zephrah sent several forces to Marquet, joining a battle that would be known as "the Battle of the Red Center", during which two dozen of them died and others disappeared, while the rest fought members of the Ruby Vanguard and strange red creatures coming from Ruidus. Their leader, Keyleth, was badly wounded and brought back to Zephrah, while some of the less weakened Air Ashari were sent to fetch an antidote to help the Voice of the Tempest. However, three of them were killed by demons, and the three survivors (Baernie and two Tempest Blades, Jennis and Erana) were captured when they approached the Iridon Bastion thinking it was a safe haven, when in fact had been taken by the forces of the Abyss. They were freed by Bells Hells, who returned to Zephrah, where Keyleth was finally healed (although it was suggested some of the other wounded died before the antidote was ready).

### **Earth Ashari**

   Terrah is the home of the Earth Ashari and of the portal to the Elemental Plane of Earth. They are led by Headmaster Pa'tice, the Heart of the Mountain.

The Earth Ashari were the first tribe that Keyleth visited on her Aramenté. She performed a task for them in the Earth Plane but was not fully successful. One of the aspects of the task involved the consumption of oloore root tea, which initiates a vision quest for the drinker.

### **Fire Ashari**

The Fire Ashari live in Pyrah and guard the portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire. When Vox Machina encountered them, they were led by Headmaster Cerkonos, the Flamespeaker.

Keyleth, along with the rest of Vox Machina, visited the Fire Ashari as part of her Aramenté in 810 PD. There, they journeyed through the portal to complete a task in the Fire Plane. On completion, Keyleth was given a spark stone by Cerkonos as a token of her success.

After Vox Machina left, the Fire Ashari were devastated by the ancient red dragon, Thordak, during his escape from the Fire Plane into the Material Plane. Many members of their tribe were killed, and Cerkonos lost an arm. As elementals and other creatures from the Fire Plane began escaping through the rift that Thordak left open, Vox Machina, along with Gern Blanston and a contingent from the Air Ashari, helped the Fire Ashari to re-seal the rift.

The elite elementalists of the Pyrah are called firetamers. A half-orc named Lorkathar leads a group of firetamers and other elemental specialists at the makeshift Flamereach Outpost on the outskirts of Emon; there they watch over the Scar of the Cinder King, which had not been fully healed as of 842 PD. After a period of the rift being relatively well-controlled, there was a flare-up in late 842 PD; several firetamers were killed in a coordinated attack, and a short time later a massive, ashen plateau suddenly rose near Flamereach Outpost.

### **Water Ashari**

The Water Ashari live in Vesrah, where they guard the portal to the Elemental Plane of Water. They are led by Headmaster Uvenda, the Heart of the Tides.

Some of the Ashari of Vesrah are waveriders, who patrol the seas and rescue sailors from storms, monsters, and pirates. Waveriders can communicate with aquatic animals and plants, and can wildshape into a giant octopus or hunter shark.

Visiting the Water Ashari was the third and final task of Keyleth's Aramenté. There, she journeyed with Vox Machina into the Water Plane to collect lodestones from a kraken, nearly losing several members of the party in the process. Upon their return, Uvenda confessed that perhaps the task had become too dangerous and agreed to reconsider it for the future. Keyleth was then granted the 9th-level spell *Shapechange* by Uvenda in celebration of her success.

## **History**

During the Age of Arcanum, the Ashari were known as the Gau Drashari. At this time, many of their members (and their leader) were Earth Genasi who negotiated a deal with the wizards of living around the sacred site of Mount Ygora to take the top of the mountain and travel the world, in exchange for a portion of magical energy collected during their travels being returned to the mountain site every seven years. The Drashari placed the Tree of Names within the city as part of the agreement, and later added the Arboreal Calix as a layer of protection for the tree.

In about 793 PD, a cult who named themselves the "Hishari" arose, centered around a charismatic leader named Efterin who experimented with "esoteric, elemental worship" and preached on the elemental spirits of old and the need to restore the Primordial powers. The cult attained some acceptance in Issylra, but was mysteriously destroyed around 823 PD. The Ashari viewed them as grifters and charlatans, somewhat resenting their adopted name as a conscious effort to wrongly suggest they were aligned with the Ashari.

Shortly before, during and after the apogee solstice of 843 PD the Ashari, mostly led by the Voice of the Tempest, dealt with different threats and cultists in different regions.

## **Trivia**

* The Ashari symbol is a combination of the alchemical symbols for earth, water, air, and fire ( **🜃 🜄 🜁 🜂** ).
	+ Marisha Ray has gotten a tattoo of the symbol on the back of her neck.
* Zephrah has the Ashari Herbalist Union, but it is unknown if it is only present there, if there is one in each Ashari settlement, or if it encompasses the four tribes despite being located in Zephrah.
* In the non-canon "Trinket's Honey Heist" (Sx27), the Fire Ashari have a cultural dance troupe that performs at the Hazel Festival in Westruun in 813 PD. The troupe includes fire breathers and fire spinners doing fire poi.
* Although the people of Zephrah commonly wear blue clothing, two of the player characters hailing from this city, Keyleth and Orym, wear mostly green and/or orange in their official art.
* Early in 843 PD, Keyleth told Bells Hells there was a rogue Ashari faction in Issylra. It was unknown if this rogue activity was connected to the Hishari, if it came from members of the Fire Ashari of Pyrah, or if it was connected with the Cult of the Dark Heart, allied with the Ruby Vanguard, that would fight other Ashari in Terrah weeks later.

## **References**

1. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, pp. 31–49.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 49.
3. ↑ See "Aid of the Tempest" (3x66) at 1:06:53.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 30.
5. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 1:17:27.  Keyleth claims that the Ashari as they are today were formed 900-1000 years before the present time, 810 PD.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Matthew Mercer clarified on Twitter that non-druid classes exist in the Ashari and the leaders are not always druids.
7. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 5:17:19.
8. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 1:17:27.
9. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 1:17:27.
10. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, pp. 30–31. "[T]he isolated nature of each tribe [...] much of life within the Ashari is hidden from outsiders’ prying eyes. [...] They’ve come to understand the necessity of good relations with nearby cities, so occasionally members will visit and trade with towns and people near their guarded fane."
11. ↑ See "Daring Days" (1x86) from 3:12:55 through 3:17:06.  Keyleth says the Vesrah are insular. Pa'tice, headmaster of the Earth Ashari, says he hasn't attended anything with the Water Ashari in a long time.
12. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 28.
13. ↑ Marisha Ray mentioned Keyleth's people's relationship with Melora and how she is less religious than other members of the Ashari in this tweet.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 31.
15. ↑ Marisha Ray explained the meaning of "Kaitiakè" on Twitter.
16. ↑ Marisha Ray spelled Aramenté with an accented "e" (source).
17. ↑ In the Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting it is spelled without an accent mark. See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, pp. 30–31.
18. ↑ See "Those Who Walk Away" (1x45) at 1:14:07.
19. ↑ See "Hope" (1x56) at 3:07:49.
20. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, pp. 30–31.
21. ↑ See "Onward to Vesrah" (1x87) at 3:30:47.
22. ↑ See "Voice of the Tempest" (1x90) at 3:35:15.
23. ↑ See "Voice of the Tempest" (1x90) from 3:34:27 through 3:51:12.
24. ↑ See "The Chapter Closes" (1x115) at 4:10:19.
25. ↑ See "Cindergrove Revisited" (1x46) at 9:55.
26. ↑ See "The Siege of Emon" (1x78) from 1:46:25 through 1:52:29.
27. ↑ See "The Siege of Emon" (1x78) at 3:51:46.
28. ↑ See "Aid of the Tempest" (3x66).
29. ↑ See "Bloody Flowers" (3x67).
30. ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68).
31. ↑ Name of the Earth Ashari's home provided by Marisha Ray on Twitter.
32. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 2:51:55.
33. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 2:56:00.
34. ↑ https://twitter.com/Marisha\_Ray/status/1081993195527913472
35. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 2:55:54.
36. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 2:47:29.
37. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 2:51:35.
38. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 4:14:45.
39. ↑ See "Desperate Measures" (1x40) at 2:52:24.
40. ↑ See "Those Who Walk Away" (1x45) at 2:47:26.
41. ↑ See "Cindergrove Revisited" (1x46) at 3:07:11.
42. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, pp. 127–128. See also pp. 95–96.
43. ↑ "What You Need to Know Before Watching Exandria Unlimited" at CritRole.com.
44. ↑ See "The Oh No Plateau" (E1x02) at 1:58:48.
45. ↑ See "The Oh No Plateau" (E1x02) at 2:16:38.
46. ↑ See "Aramente to Pyrah" (1x22) at 4:18:38.
47. ↑ See "Daring Days" (1x86) at 3:13:49.
48. ↑ See *Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn*, p. 228.
49. ↑ See "Curious Tides" (1x89) at 0:14:44.  Matt summarizes the difficult battle in the previous episode.
50. ↑ See "Curious Tides" (1x89) at 2:05:49.
51. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 4:52:09.
52. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 5:13:03.
53. ↑ See "A Haunted Past" (3x63) at 1:53:29.
54. ↑ See "Aid of the Tempest" (3x66) at 1:21:25.
55. ↑ See "A Desperate Call" (3x36).
56. ↑ See "The Aurora Grows" (3x49).
57. ↑ See "*Critical Role* Cast Answers The Web's Most Searched Questions" at 0:18:32.
58. ↑ See "For The Tempest" (3x68) at 1:22:45.
59. ↑ See "Trinket's Honey Heist" (Sx27) at 52:32.
60. ↑ See "A Desperate Call" (3x36) at 0:38:42.
61. ↑ See "The Aurora Grows" (3x49) at 4:31:25.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Official art of symbol of the Ashari, by Conceptopolis from *Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting*, p. 30. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
2. ↑ Official art of a firetamer, a skydancer, a stoneguard, and a waverider (left to right), by Biagio D'Alessandro from *Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting* pg. 127. This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
3. ↑ Fan art of Vilya reuniting with Keyleth at Zephrah, by Toby Sharp (source). Used with permission.
4. ↑ Official art of Terrah, by Kent Davis (source). Used with permission.
5. ↑ Lorkathar in Flamereach Grove, by Bryan Syme (source). Used with permission.
6. ↑ Fan art of Keyleth outside Vesrah, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.