Ash walker

**Ash walkers** are a type of undead humanoids known to exist near Jorenn Village.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Ash walkers resemble normal corpses, but they have a grey coloration and are covered in ash.

### **Abilities**

The ash that cover these undead's bodies is also a weapon and defense mechanism. Whenever one of them is attacked, its ash starts spreading, preventing living beings from breathing, and making it easier for walkers to defeat them.

## **History**

When some inhabitants of Jorenn Village began to explore the depths of the nearby mines, they found sections filled with riches, including silver and rare jewels, as well as corpses that would awaken as ash walkers when the gems that kept them isolated there were removed.

In the settlement, this event made their local leader, Derowen, become wary of the miners, blaming them for waking up the undead. For one year the ash walkers attacked the people of Jorenn, who mobilized and built palisades around the village as a defense; one day, Spireling Culwen (Derowen's sister), gave her the magical ring Fracture, as a way to protect her town in exchange for her loyalty to him. The ring, made with the same type of gem that originally kept the ash walkers in the mines, allowed Derowen to summon and control these undead; however, she lied her people and claimed that the ring created a barrier that repelled the ash walkers.

Even using Fracture, the ash walkers kept attacking Jorenn Village, making the Shademaster blame the miners and declaring them outlaws, responsible for bringing danger to the area and for the loss of many lives. The people of the town wanted to take control of the mines from which the ash walkers were emerging, also wanting its riches. A battle between the villagers and the miners, who had taken refuge in the mines out of desperation, took place, and many were killed.

Around 807 PD the ash walkers were still active and a reason for the conflict between the villagers and the miners, who had stayed living and working in the mines despite the risk of awakening more of those undead. When the twins Vex'ahlia and Vax'ildan arrived to the region, they ended up separated because of the ash walkers, with the ranger and her bear going to Jorenn Village and the rogue being rescued by the miners. This led to a series of events and intrigues, and when the half-elven twins reunited and started working together to know the truth of what was happening there, that altered the balance in which Derowen controlled her town. Vex'ahlia confronted the Shademaster about her methods, protecting the leader of the miners in the process, and during that event, the ash walkers attacked Jorenn again. Culwen arrived then, asking her sister to call off the ash walkers, but they did not seem to be acting under her control. The Spireling, disappointed by the Shademaster's failure to keep their smuggling secret, murdered her with his rapier, even stabbing her body again to ensure she was dead, and attempted to take Fracture from her finger to control the undead. He attempted to frame Vax'ildan for Derowen's murder, but he ended up being killed by the rogue.

Jorenn Village was saved by Vex, who tried to use Fracture to the best of her ability to help the people battle the ash walkers. Although Vax had the mission to retrieve the magical ring and give it to the Clasp, he decided to bring them a notebook with proof that Derowen and Culwen had been stealing resources of both the village and the criminal organization. The ring was instead given to Wick, Derowen's friend and allie, as a resource to defend Jorenn Village and its people (including Aswin, Derowen's beloved daughter) from the attacks of the ash walkers, still active.

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 80.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 243.
3. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, pp. 151–152.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 152.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 317.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 312.
7. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, pp. 335–336.
8. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 156.
9. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 210.
10. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 157.
11. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 239.
12. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 244.
13. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, pp. 309–310.
14. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 311.
15. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, pp. 317–318.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 319.
17. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 320.
18. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 336.
19. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, pp. 348–349.
20. ↑ See *Critical Role: Vox Machina - Kith & Kin*, p. 338.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Fan art of Derowen using Fracture, by Jess Radley (source). Used with permission.