Verin Thelyss

Description

Verin is taller and more athletic than his brother Essek, with lavender skin, broad shoulders, and a lithe and tightly muscular build. In Call of the Netherdeep, he is depicted with long white hair (that he sometimes braids before battle) and wears a suit of insectile half plate typical of an Aurora Watch soldier and a purple cape. He wields a glaive in combat.

Verin is the youngest soul in Den Thelyss. He is described as having a bright and youthful demeanor, though one made melancholic by the weight of responsibility, and greets helpful visitors to Bazzoxan with warmth, gentle concern, and courtesy. He is less ambitious than his brother, but he has a keen sense of honor and justice. He firmly believes in the Dynasty and in the faith the Luxon religion and the idea of it gives to others, but he personally only "partially" believes in the Luxon and doesn't evangelize the faith; he has also appreciation for other cultures and philosophies, such as those of the Ashari. Matthew Mercer described Verin as "the himbo of the family", suggesting that he is not perceived as intelligent by the other members of his Den. Outside of his family's assessment, he is otherwise considered a talented leader, and he has become a beacon of hope to the people of Bazzoxan. He cares considerably about Bazzoxan, and the constant threat to its citizens wearies him.

Biography

Verin was born into Den Thelyss as the son of its Umavi, Deirta, and as the youngest soul in the Den. His father disappeared in labyrinths beneath Bazzoxan an unspecified amount of time before 836 PD after a dispute with Essek.

Verin is an acclaimed soldier and a talented leader, and by 836 PD, he achieved the rank of Taskhand in the Kryn Dynasty military. Shortly before 836 PD, he was given charge of the Aurora Watch in Bazzoxan, where he maintained martial law due to constant threat of incursions from the Abyss.

After the apogee solstice of 843 PD Verin traveled to Vasselheim as part of the alliance between the Kryn Dynasty and the Exandrian Accord, and there he met his brother Essek who was disguised as Seth Domade. During the preparations before the Exandrian Accord attacked the Hellcatch Valley, Essek approached Vox Machina and introduced them to Verin, since they would be fighting on the same side. Verin was distracted from this conversation rather easily, but after his brother made him focus, asked them to remember his helm in case they found each other in the middle of combat. He also asked Keyleth to sign his Ashari poetry booklet, since he was an admirer of their culture and might not get another chance. The archdruid did so, and convinced Cerkonos to do the same, although he told Verin that he didn't write poetry; when Scanlan Shorthalt mentioned that he did write poetry Verin didn't pay much attention to him, and said goodbye to the adventurers with the traditional "kaitiakè". After they left, Essek shared his irritation with his "fan behavior" around the Ashari. Later, Verin and some other Kryn soldiers were with Vox Machina aboard the Key Breaker, and thanks to their combined efforts during its crash landing they reached the ground relatively safely and joined the battle.

Essek Thelyss

Essek is Verin's older brother. Verin was the only person who understood and got along with Essek in a family that Essek was otherwise at odds with, making Verin the only bond Essek had before meeting the Mighty Nein. Essek named Verin as one of the potential allies he would trust to assist with fighting Lucien.

Years later, in 843 PD, Verin was one of the few people aware of Essek's identity as Seth Domade.

Notable items

• Ashari poetry booklet, a treasure from his youth recently signed by Keyleth and Cerkonos
• Glaive
• Half plate
• Hand crossbow

Drow abilities

• Fey Ancestry
• Trance
• Keen Senses
• Subrace: Drow
  • Superior Darkvision
  • Sunlight Sensitivity
  • Drow Magic (DC 14)
    • Dancing Lights (at will)
    • Darkness (1/day)
    • Faerie Fire (1/day)
    • Levitate (1/day)

Echo knight abilities

• Multiattack: Verin makes three attacks with his glaive.
• Manifest Echo: As a bonus action, Verin creates an echo of himself within 15 feet. The echo has AC 17 and 1 hit point. Any attack Verin makes can originate from the echo's space. It lasts for 1 minute or until destroyed, is more than 30 feet away from Verin at the end of his turn, if Verin manifests another echo, or if Verin is incapacitated.
• Reposition: As a bonus action, Verin and his echo magically swap places.
• Parry: As a reaction, Verin adds 3 to his AC against a melee attack that would hit.

Appearances and mentions

• Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, Figures of Interest entry
• Campaign Two
  • " A Walk to Warmer Welcomes " (2x124), mentioned only, unnamed
• Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, statblock and narrative NPC
• Campaign Three
  • " Assault on the Malleus Key " (3x113) (first appearance)
• The Mighty Nein
  • " Who Will You Be?" (TMN1x02), in a vision from the Luxon beacon

Quotations

• Verin: (to Vox Machina, as he leaves) Kaitiakè.
  Essek: (in a whisper, after seeing his brother acting like a fan) Verin, what the fuck?