Critical Role Character Backstories

"Right, listen up. If you have ale, then you have a friend in Grog Strongjaw. A goliath of towering
height and size, this barbarian has an appetite for the two great loves in his life: combat, women,
and ale. Wait...
Easily the brains of the group, Grog is often consulted for his vast knowledge of shapes, colors,
and shiny things. Also ale.
In his early years, armed with his two-handed great axe, Grog often enjoyed proving his might
amongst the ranks of his family's wandering herd. But after coming upon an unsuspecting elderly
gnome in the woods, he objected to the killing of such an innocent life. A creature of impulse,
Grog felt only pity for this terrified little thing. His disobedience cost him dearly. Beaten bloody
and banished by the herd leader, his uncle Kevdak, Grog was abandoned and left to die.
Exiled from his herd, it was then that the relative of the very gnome he fought to save, saved him.
It was the kindness of a gnome cleric named Pike that healed Grog, bringing him back from
death's edge. And they have remained close friends ever since.
Most nights, Grog can be found challenging entire taverns to wrestling matches! Or
accompanying Scanlan to the nearest house where you pay for, er, lady favors. Also ale."

"A first impression of Keyleth would leave you with little information on the Half-Elven druid. You
might even think that her social awkwardness due to her sheltered upbringing is kind of sweet. Of
course, it would be unwise to underestimate her based on first impressions. Under that
unintimidating petite frame is a vicious beast waiting to be unleashed, whose natural powers
have made even the fiercest of champions pee their pants. Literally.
Born to the Air tribe of the Ashari people, Keyleth was raised with a deep love of nature and the
elemental magics. It is her people's inherent duty to protect the delicate areas in Tal'Dorei, where
the four elemental planes begin to bleed with this realm. Since she was a little girl, she had quite
a knack for air manipulation and beast shaping abilities. Well, if you consider kittens and flying
squirrels to be little beasts. Which, I do. Anyways, it wasn't long before the headmaster of the
tribe, her father, Kohren[spelling?], realized her true prodigious abilities and she was inveterated
to succeed him as the next headmaster. Just like that, her jovial childhood was stripped and
replaced with endless spell memorization, teachings from ancient traditions, and exceedingly
high expectations.
Every druid leader to be must embark on a journey to seek out the sister tribes in order to
introduce and establish respect amongst the fellow headmasters. They call this the Aramente, or
Noble Odyssey. When her father felt she was ready, he set her on the path to truly discovering

herself. Not knowing when, or if she will ever return. As she hikes down the mountain
towards Stillben, she meditated on the task ahead. Part of the Aramente is proving yourself a
strong warrior, a valiant protector, and a wise and compassionate leader. With this knowledge,
one thought plays in repeat in her mind: is she even worthy?"

Percy was the third child of seven children, born to a noble family who lived far to the north in the
ancient castle of Whitestone. With so many siblings to share the burdens of lordship, Percy
turned his attention to the sciences, engineering and naturalism.
One day, a mysterious couple, named Lord and Lady Briarwood, came to court. During a feast
held in their honour, the Briarwoods violently took control of the castle, killing or imprisoning
everyone who would stand in their way.
Percy awoke chained in the dungeon, only to be freed by hisyounger sister. Together they fled,
chased by the Briarwoods' men. As they ran, Percy's sister took several arrows to the chest and
fell. Percy kept running, eventually jumping into a freezing river and floating unconscious to
freedom. He did not remember waking up on a fishing boat. He barely remembered the next two
years, as he slowly made his way as far south as possible.
Then one night, Percy had a dream. A roaring cloud of smoke offered him vengeance against
those who destroyed his family. When he awoke, Percy began to design his first gun

"Pike grew up in the outskirts of town, near the Bramblewood. Her ancestors were a family of
deep gnomes with quite an unfavorable reputation. Thievery, destruction, and trickery left them
with the curse of the last name of Trickfoot.
Sarenrae, the goddess of healing and redemption, had other plans for Pike's great-greatgrandfather Wilhand, who left his family at a young age after a dreama dream that changed the
course of the Trickfoot family. Wilhand devoted his life to Sarenrae, and pledged from then on that
him and his family would live a life of service and devotion.
As a child, Pike seemed to have an affinity to heal. Whether it was animals, people, or even
flowers, she felt she had a purpose in making things whole that had once been broken. She
studied and learned the ways to heal through divine magic. She lived a peaceful life, quiet and
simple, until one day, Wilhand was captured and almost killed by a group of goliath barbarians.
One of the goliaths took a stand against the murder of the innocent gnome, and he himself was
beaten, bloodied, and left for dead, abandoned by his herd.
Wilhand went to Pike for help. She prayed, and healed this barbarian as best she could, bringing
him back to life. When he awoke, she discovered his name was Grog Stonejaw [sic]. After that,

they were the best of friends, a rather unlikely pair. Little did she know that in a few years time,
Grog would soon return the favor and bring her back from the clutches of death.
After being killed in battle, Pike felt angry. She wanted to be stronger, so that it would never
happen again. She spent four months at sea, training with the men and women aboard a ship
called The Broken Howl. Gripping her holy symbol in one hand, and her morningstar in the other,
this time, Pike is ready."

"Oh, you haven't heard of Scanlan Shorthalt? Well, gird your loins, ladies, because he has his
eye on you. A talented musician, master of disguise, and dashingly handsome in his own mind,
Scanlan sings songs almost as much as he sings his own praises.
Born a poor Gnome, Scanlan used his endless charm and soaring tenor voice to croon for coin
and support his single mother. One day he was discovered by a half-orc promoter, and joined Dr.
Dranzel's Spectacular Traveling Troupe where he learned the ways of the world, and honed his
skills as a bard extraordinaire.
A loner much of his life, Scanlan has never quite come to terms with the violent death of his
mother at the hands of a Goblin invasion. While his years on the road provided many, shall we
say, educational experiences with the opposite sex, deep down Scanlan yearns for the one thing
he's never known: the true love of a fellow gnome.
Still, Scanlan considers himself a lover first, performer second, and fighter distant third. On the
battlefield, he'll support his allies, but rarely draws blood unless it's to protect fellow Gnome, Pike.
Count on Scanlan for a hearty laugh, a rollicking song, and a twinkle in his eye that melts hearts
and makes the females swoon."

"Never entirely welcome in the company of elves or men, Vax'ildan learned at a young age to skip
past formality, preferring instead to invite himself in your door.
Along with twin sister Vex'ahlia, Vax was born by a chance encounter between elven royalty and
human peasantry. Raised by their mother in their early years, the twins were eventually sent off to
their father in the elven capital of Syngorn. But their cool reception among the elves there never
warmed, and their time in the capital didn't last. The siblings stole away one autumn night and set
out on the open road.
After a few years of wandering, they eventually decided to return to their mother, and journeyed
back to the lands of their youth. But instead of finding their childhood home, they returned to a
pile of rubble. Their mother was gone, their home burned to ash. Pressing the townspeople for
answers, they learned of the day the dragon came.

With their ties all severed, Vax'ildan and his sister set out to find their fortune together in
Tal'Dorei. An outsider since birth, Vax quickly learned to solve life's challenges in his own
particular way, often by sidestepping them entirely. And when his knack for circumventing
adversity isn't enough, the way of blades the elves schooled him in more than makes up the
difference."

"Like so many half-elves, Vex'ahlia has spent most of her life suffering the cool reception of a
people who don't fully accept her.
Born of a human mother and an elven fatherwho only later in life took an interest in their
existence, Vex'ahlia and her twin brother Vax'ildan quickly realized the only people they could
truly rely on in this world were each other.
It was at the age of ten when the two were taken from their mother, and brought to live
in Syngorn, the isolated elven city for which their father was an ambassador. He quietly took them
in, but always kept an icy distance, and after too many years of disdainful looks, the pair decided
to leave his indifference behind, and set out on their own.
Vax took to the cities, stealing small trinkets and learning the ways of the thief, while Vex kept to
the woods. She preferred the isolation. Always the keen observer, she learned to hunt and to
track, to spy and to shoot. And through a series of fateful events, earned herself a companion in
the form of a bearher own stolen Trinket, to fight alongside her and protect her fiercely. Also, he
is adorable, and gives expert massages."