Essential Position followers are well-known to be ravenous for… effectively, extra. With the discharge of the Vox Machina: Tales Untold anthology writers new and acquainted to Essential Position have collaborated for a set of brief tales specializing in and across the lives of Vox Machina. Sam Maggs, Essential Position: The Mighty Nein Origins, writes concerning the seafaring journey of Girl Kima, Aabriya Iyengar, Exandria Limitless and Dimension 20, tells the story of Shaun Gilmore reflecting on his life, and Jess Barber tells the story of an early journey of Taryon Darrington from the attitude of Doty.
In Take this Down: Being an Correct Accounting of Doty and Taryon Darrington within the Basilisk’s Den Barber manages to embody the voice and observations of an Automaton that has a vocabulary smaller than will be counted on two arms. Choosing up within the Mincing Mongoose Tavern the fast speaking Taryon is matched in tempo by the intuitive and calculated observations of Doty, and TechRaptor has been supplied with an unique excerpt.
Tary and Doty are about to be greeted by a bunch of adventurers trying to rent some help to tackle a Basilisk that has been terrorizing the city of Lichenvel. This new celebration is comprised of a half-orc and two Eisfuura, a race of birdfolk on Exandria.
Excerpt from Take this Down: Being an Correct Accounting of Doty and Taryon Darrington within the Basilisk’s Den, by Jess Barber
Present location: The Mincing Mongoose Tavern, Beaded Alley, Port Damali, Menagerie Coast, Wildemount, Exandria, Mortal Aircraft. Beneficial most occupancy: seventy-five medium-sized creatures. Present occupancy: six.
The tavern the place I established myself to start the seek for questing companions was a squalid little affair in probably the most harmful a part of city, completely teeming with cutthroats and villains. Dangerous, sure, however a obligatory evil if I needed to search out like-minded compatriots keen to courageous the trials and hardships of adventuring life. As I swilled rotgut whiskey, the one factor the tavern had on supply, I returned the steely-eyed glares of the opposite patrons, and questioned whether or not I might handle to flee with my life.
“Are you continue to working in your wine there, m’expensive?”
Identify: Hilda Thurgood. Occupation: Tavern Proprietress. Ancestry: Gnomish. Apron: Blue Gingham. Cheeks: Rosy.
“Oh expensive, is it to not your liking?” Hilda’s forehead furrowed in concern as she famous Tary’s mostly-full glass. “It is one among my favourite vintages, however I suppose it’s a little on the candy facet. Shall I convey you one thing else to strive?”
“Oh! No, no, it is fairly pleasant, really.” Tary turned on his most glowing smile. “The right terroir for my palate. Actually, I used to be nearly to ask in the event you had any extra suggestions. It is so troublesome to discover a good sommelier lately, one should cherish the chance when one can.”
Hilda’s cheeks grew even rosier. “Nicely, that is awfully type of you to say. I used to be really simply sampling from a brand new winery in Kamordah—” She was minimize off by the bell on the tavern door jingling cheerfully.
New occupant evaluation: Ancestry: Human. Age: Early thirties. Hair: Shut-cropped black curls. Eyes: Darkish, with a roguish sparkle. Lips: Full, with the slightest smiling tilt, hinting at shared secrets and techniques. Shoulders: Broad. Jawline: Chiseled.
Tary was now not taking a look at Hilda, his consideration having shifted absolutely to the brand new patron. His coronary heart fee had elevated roughly ten p.c. Doty recalled the protagonists from Tary’s favourite romance novels, and Lawrence, and on the whole the type of faces that tended to result in Tary making unhealthy choices.
This was regarding.
The human lifted a hand in Tary and Doty’s common route, smiling. He had a tiny, fetching hole between his entrance enamel. “Afternoon!” he stated. “You would not occur to be Sir Darrington, would you? The one on the lookout for a brand new adventuring celebration?”
“Wh—” stated Tary. “I am—was I—oh! Sir Darrington. Sure. Sure! Certainly, that is me. Please, do sit. All of you.”
Analyzing extra celebration members. One: larger-than-average half-orc. Lengthy tusks, roughspun clothes, important tattoo protection. Evaluation: Intimidating. Two: smaller-than-average eisfuura. Fluffy feathers, jaunty cap, leather-based vest with elaborate stitching. Evaluation: Lovely.
It took slightly doing to switch two of the chairs with a bench able to supporting the half-orc’s weight, however finally the newcomers obtained settled in across the desk, with the concerningly good-looking human sitting catty-corner to Tary—slightly nearer to Tary, actually, than Doty would love. “I am Clarke,” he stated, extending a hand, which Tary shook warmly.
“Charmed, I am certain,” stated Tary. “And your pals?”
“That is Dayner—” The small eisfuura. “And Bex.” The half-orc.
“Pleasure,” chirped Dayner, extending a wing to Tary.
Tary took cautious maintain of the longest major feathers. “The pleasure is all mine.”
Bex lifted one massive hand in a wave. “Hope you do not thoughts if I do not shake your hand,” she stated. Her voice was a lot quieter than Doty anticipated, and slightly shy. Up shut, he may see she had an assortment of twigs and dried leaves fastidiously woven into the unkempt reddish-brown curls of her hair. “Generally I by chance, uh.” She made a crushing gesture with each arms that very successfully conveyed damaged bones, snapped ligaments, and common agony.
“While you put it like that, I definitely do not thoughts in any respect,” stated Tary. “And whereas we’re at it, let me introduce my touring companion, Doty. Say whats up, Doty.”
Creak, stated Doty.
“Fascinating,” stated Clarke. “Your flyer talked about an automaton, however I will admit this is not what I used to be anticipating. The place did you get it?”
“Nicely,” stated Tary, “I constructed him.”
“Constructed! Nicely, rattling.” Clarke sat again, trying impressed. “You actually are an inventor and an adventurer, huh. I figured that was an exaggeration, however I see now it wasn’t one bit.”
“Oh, effectively.” Tary’s cheeks pinked. “I like to remain busy, I suppose. You talked about you noticed my flyer…?”
“Proper, your flyer. We noticed it down by the waterway this morning, and as quickly as I learn it I assumed, possibly we may aid you. Or, extra precisely, we thought possibly you may assist us.”
“Please,” stated Tary, leaning ahead and balancing his chin on his hand. “Say extra.”
Physique angle: Fifteen diploma incline towards conversational associate. Blink ratio: One-point-seven instances commonplace. Presently remaining beneath threshold for ‘fluttering eyelashes’.
Clarke smiled, leaning ahead, too, till the angle of his physique matched Tary’s. When he braced his elbows on the desk, the swell of his biceps strained the material of his shirt.
This was very regarding.
“Let me begin initially,” stated Clarke. “There is a small fishing village a couple of day’s trip from right here, title of Lichenvel. They have been having hassle recently with a basilisk. It is simply been a common nuisance to date: moving into the storehouses, interfering with the catch, that type of enterprise. Thus far, no one’s been damage, however, effectively.” His expression grew somber. “I am certain a seasoned adventurer reminiscent of your self is aware of basilisks. in addition to I do this it is solely a matter of time.”
Tary went from Expression: Enchanted to Expression: Severe one-point-one seconds too late. “Ah, sure. Sure, I definitely do.”
If Clarke observed the delay, he did not present it. He continued, “They put out a name for assist, and we answered. The three of us have traveled collectively a very long time, doing this type of work. For coin, in fact, however we additionally attempt to do some good on the planet, and we’re no strangers to monster-hunting. We felt we had been well-equipped to take the beast on. And we’d have been—”
“We’d have been!” minimize in Bex. Tone: Distressed. “If it weren’t for Swink being a rotten little—”
Clarke winced, and Bex stopped, frowning. “Sorry,” stated Clarke. “There’s been some—inter-team battle—”
“We obtained ditched,” interrupted Dayner.
Clarke sighed, rubbing his brow. “One in all our members deserted us. It is not that the three of us aren’t succesful—we have taken on loads of challenges on our personal. However Swink was a talented warrior, and to defeat a basilisk, you want somebody who is aware of learn how to deal with a sword. And that is not any of us.”
“It is not?” requested Tary. Doty calculated that the pure variation in Tary’s line of sight had decreased considerably, in a approach that indicated Tary was attempting very arduous to maintain his give attention to Clarke’s face and nowhere else. “I am simply—stunned,” Tary stated, when Clarke regarded puzzled. “You appear like you may need educated a bit, is all.”
Dayner coated her beak with a wing, muffling a cough. The blood circulate to Tary’s cheeks doubled.
“That is type of you to say,” stated Clarke. “I imply, I do carry this.” He gestured to a dagger slung at his waist; pretty standard-issue adventuring gear. “However truthfully that is principally for present. Actually, I am extra of a tutorial. Right here, look—could I?”
There was a little bit of spare thread clinging to the collar of Tary’s cloak. Clarke reached lengthy, elegant fingers in the direction of it, then regarded up at Tary, ready for permission.
Tary, holding his breath, nodded.
Clarke plucked the thread away from the material of Tary’s cloak, and made a flourishing little gesture. There was a spark, after which, as a substitute of the thread, he was holding a glossy, inexperienced feather.
“In fact,” stated Clarke. “I’ve loads of spells in my repertoire that may hit tougher in a battle; it is not all parlor tips. However I would barely know the sharp finish of the sword from… the opposite one.”
“The hilt,” stated Tary. Expression: Helplessly Charmed.
Reprinted from Essential Position: Vox Machina—Tales Untold. © 2025 by Gilmore’s Wonderful Items LLC. Printed by Random Home Worlds, an imprint of Random Home, a division of Penguin Random Home LLC.
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