#brenatto bunch

[vethbrenatto]

it is the famous holiday: vethlentines day.

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

no kidding, but the best thing out of this delightful clusterfuck of a stream is Sam telling he DMs for a bunch of kids including his own, and is calling them 'rule-followers' and 'a bunch of narcs' : they're doing a campaign where they're kids from the Wildemount Wildlings summer camp and they had to quickly retrieve an item, but counselor Luc Brenatto told them that they're not allowed to search any of the cabins, and so the kids... didn't. Even though they knew the item was in the cabins. Sam, as a DM apparently, encouraging his kids to break the rules : "You guys are heroes !! Go do it !!"

[critter-genfic-events]

This week, we have fourteen fics that feature the Bells Hells, The Mighty Nein, and Vox Machina's animal companions! From Nugget to Trinket to Little Mister, there'a a bunch of adorable (and some bittersweet) fics here under the cut. And as ever, if you liked them, remember to comment or kudos!

ask some questions (and get none answers) by LeanMeanSaltineMachine (873, Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Vax'ildan & Vex'ahlia

The first time Vax met Trinket

Reccer says: This gets the twins's younger selves down perfectly

The Life and Times of the Creature Known as Frumpkin, Cat by mnemememory (10580, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Frumpkin & Caleb Widogast, Frumpkin & The Mighty Nein

Frumpkin's thoughts as they pertain to the Mighty Nein. Mostly Caleb.

Reccer says: I love the writing style! It's really good at pulling you into the thoughts of everyone's favorite fae cat. I also love how much re-visitability it has, I come back to this story at least once a month.

The One The Owls Call Home by Angel Ascending (angel_in_ink) (2919,General) Warnings: None Pairings: None

Professor Thaddeus finds his way to a new home

Reccer says: It's incredibly sweet, with some fun original characters

equal debt by mnemememory (2260, General) Warnings: Canon character deaths Pairings: Vax'ildan & Vex'ahlia, Percival "Percy" Fredrickstein Von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III/Vex'ahlia

The Lady speaks to birds. An outsider POV, a hundred years later

Reccer says: I liked it

fey creatures by essektheylyss (divinationwizard) (1908,General) Warnings: None Pairings: None

Problems to be solved and strange adoptees of the Mighty Nein have a way of ending up at the Lavish Chateau. Essek is among them, now.

Reccer says: Essek and Nugget bonding is absolutely adorable

Smoke Sting, Strangled Pulse by thetickingclock (783, Teen) Warnings: Major character death Pairings: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

Frumpkin is summoned twice, when he's needed most.

Reccer says: Sweet and Sad and very evocative

Nugget's Surprising Friends by MissIzzy (1011, Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Nugget & the tiger cubs, Yeza Brenatto/Nott | Veth Brenatto

After the events of a familiar problem, Nugget ends up taking care of the tiger cubs.

Reccer says: I liked it

a healer’s gift by toneofjoy (7280, General) Warnings: None Pairings: background Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

When one of Caleb’s cats falls suddenly ill, he seeks help from a druid healer

Reccer says: A great outsider point of view, with absolutely wonderful voices

Traveling Elf AMBUSHED by WILD BEASTS by Professor_Rye (2709, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Essek Thelyss/Caleb Widogast

Essek is traveling along a remote road by himself in the Dwendalian countryside when it happens. He hears a noise off to one side, in the tall grass that lines the road. You won't believe what happens next!

Reccer says: It's absolutely adorable, and pure fluff

Are we still under the same stars? by Moondrako (2919, General) Warnings: none Pairings: Fearne Calloway & Orym

Fearne tells Mister how she first met Orym

Reccer says: Fearne and Orym's relationship is so sweet, and I think there should be more fanfic that has Little Mister in it.

Night Moves by sabinelagrande (458, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Trinket & Vax'ildan, Vex'ahlia/Undisclosed

Trinket gets sexiled, and goes to Vax

Reccer says: It's hilarious and extremely sweet

Bear With Me by Solemini (SoleminiSanction) (2073, General) Warnings: None Pairings: None

Cassandra and Vex get a moment to breathe, and Trinket makes for an excellent therapy bear.

Reccer says: It's a very lovely moment between Cassandra and Vex, with Trinket helping. Also, with art!

Companionship by percahlia (1900, Teen) Warnings: None Pairings: Trinket & Cassandra de Rolo

Cassandra finds herself intrigued by a certain furry resident of Whitestone Castle.

Reccer says: It's wonderful characterzation all around - of Cassandra, trying to find her way to normalcy, of Percy, and of course, of Trinket

A Bear Frets by todisturbtheuniverse (1017, General) Warnings: None Pairings: Trinket & Zahra Hydris, Trinket & Vex'ahlia (Critical Role)

Trinket and Zahra have a heart to heart during the Chroma Conclave Arc

Reccer says: I liked it

If you liked this rec list, follow along for more! We'll be posting a new list with a new theme each Monday. Want to make your own recs? Check out the rules, and then use the form to submit!

Next week, we'll be reccing fic featuring that is either epistolary or diegetic! Letters, lesson plans, found footage, old notes - if it exists within the context of Exandria (and the characters could conceivably read the contents of the fic), then it counts!

If you're looking for some more, there's some good stuff in the critter genfic bingo tag! We added a new one this week! Or you can request your own card and join in on the fun!

[critter-rarepair-reccs]

Hey all, hope everyone's having a good Wednesday! Today we have eight whump fics for your enjoyment! Some are on the lighter side, some are much heavier, so don't forget to mind the warnings! As always, you can find them below the cut and if you check any of them out, I encourage you to leave kudoes and comments to spread the rarepair love 🩷

if you must falter, be wise by mabarihound (3,546 words, Explicit) Pairing: Eadwulf Grieve/Essek Thelyss (Esswulf) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Unhappy Ending, Dubious Consent, Cannibalism, Body Horror

Wulf dies but Essek brings him back as a vampire, a la the Briarwoods.

Reccer Says: unhappy ending TO YOU. I'm built different. Essek is so fucking insane in this, Wulf is barely human, there's so much blood and bad sex, it's gruesome and sad and amazing. Love doesn't fix anything but it makes a thrilling story!

The Self in the Other by fjorests_of_wildemount (1,010 words, Teen) Pairing: Astrid Beck/Eadwulf Grieve (Blumenduo) Warnings: None

After killing some of Trent’s loyalists, Astrid and Wulf head home to tend their wounds.

Reccer Says: It’s a delicious glimpse into what post-C2 might look like for these two and I love it. Their dynamic oozes of the decade and a half of history between them and it’s so good.

Crowned Teeth (or, an Offering Revoked) by fruitzbat (130,570 words, Mature) Pairing: Kingsley Tealeaf/Original Female Character Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Slavery, Mentioned but Not Depicted Sexual Violence

Kingsley escapes being kidnapped by pirates after being mutinied against. Finding himself a long way from home, Kingsley then resorts to hunting the people responsible down with the help of a new ragtag bunch of misfits that call him captain.

Reccer Says: With respect to the rarepair, I think it's a fun dynamic. fruitzbat does a really good job of capturing all of those weird, uncomfortable nooks and crannies that come with new relationships. And I think most importantly, Kingsley really stretches his wings as his own person. There is such a clear vision of what he's like and how that's distinct from Molly and Lucien, and that clearness really carries throughout both this piece and the rest of the series.

which is a tenderness. by redhoods (5,724 words, Mature) Pairing: Fjord/Caleb Widogast (Widofjord) Warnings: Fjord-typical Self Harm, Fantasy Racism

Caleb returns to the tavern and learns Fjord has gotten hurt in a bar fight then locked himself in their room, refusing healing.

Reccer Says: Fjord angst and tender wound care *chef's kiss* (and also just a touch of trans Fjord)

i feel you, your precious soul by glossolali (6009 words, Mature) Pairing: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Essek Thelyss (Shadowmauk) Warnings: Offscreen Past Non-Consensual Body Modification, Mentions of Limb Loss & Amputation, Mentions of Disordered Eating, Selective Mutism, Panic Attacks

Essek, a cyberware expert, medical technician and researcher, helps his friends save Mollymauk’s life using what he knows best. What he didn't count on, was the connection that would develop between them, and his own misgivings about it.

Reccer Says: Cyberpunk/cybernetics AU, Essek has mixed feelings about fixing up Molly, and about initiating a relationship (established shadowgast, established widomauk, but Essek hasn't said anything to Molly about them yet). Its great <3 mollymauk's half cybernetic/prosthetics, and the malfunctioning is pretty oof

fell in love with the fire long ago by BananasofThorns (2,501 words, Teen) Pairing: Fjord/Caleb Widogast (Widofjord) Warnings: Mind Control, Burns

Caleb has been mind controlled and is attacking the party with deadly intent. Fjord has a ring of fire resistance and a bad plan.

Reccer Says: What's not to love about a person being forced to hurt those they care about and then blaming themself for it? I've rearead this 3 times.

by the water by nonbinarywithaknife (578 words, Teen) Pairing: Veth Brenatto/Yeza Brenatto Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Canonical Character Death, Nott-Typical Alcoholism

In Felderwin, Nott sits by the river and remembers.

Reccer Says: Mostly sad, briefly sweet. She's really been going through it😢

Peace At Last by HyperKid (4,770 words, Mature) Pairing: Jester Lavorre/Mollymauk Tealeaf (Jestermauk) Warnings: Graphic Depictions of Violence, Mentioned Past Character Death

After Cognouza, Jester takes some quiet time to herself in the Blooming Grove. Molly finds her and they cuddle and talk through some difficult emotions.

Reccer Says: It's heartaching and sweet in equal measures. The atmosphere is beautiful and suits it so well. Molly and Jester fit together so well, like the softest of puzzle pieces, if that makes sense. Their relationship feels natural and you can sense the strength of their bond in each moment. It's got some wonderful mentions of Jester's struggle with being the Happy One and Molly having lost so much time while his friends have grown as well, on top of all of the other deliciously angsty feelings the two of them are coping with.

Thank you for joining us this week's recc list! All the love to everyone who submitted a fic 🩷 All enclosed recommendations were submitted by the community via our submissions form, which you can find here. All fic information is as it was provided by the reccer, so it may not be accurate to the author’s intent or the precise contents of the fic itself. Please assume good intent from all parties 🩷

Submissions for next week’s list are already open! We’ll be featuring Pre-Relationship fics. If you have any you’d like to highlight, you can send them in here. The week after that, the theme is Canon Divergence and the week after that we're taking recommendations for rarepairs including Keyleth! Submissions for both themes are also currently open.

If you want more rarepair fic, check out @cr-summer-wildflowers and their event collections on ao3! If you want some friendship after all this romance, take a look at @critter-genfic-events and their recc lists! And if you’re interested in everyone’s favorite wizards, you can’t go wrong with the lists at @aeor-is-for-reccing !

Thanks all and have a lovely day/night/timezone! 🩷

[nott-gay]

Caleb: your mother (affectionate)

Caleb: the father (derogatory)

[belligerentbagel]

veth brenatto x teuta matoshi

[avantikasfreakingknife]

pov: u turn up first day of camp and the feral halfling counselor with full face tattoos starts screaming about the time she killed a baby manticore, wyd?

[cephalopodish]

fun with cad and veth (and jester) part 3

[itmightrain]

Jester and Veth are the most chaotic ones, especially when they're together, remember that time they shot that guard in the neck, remember that time they almost got arrested while vandalizing a god's statue, remember fluffernutter

Caleb looked at them and said yes these are the ones im bringing with me on this stealth mission

[spec-tralarts]

Cause of my wariness, I was so blinded from all the unusual colors of mine.

[sockablock]

if fic requests are still open, could you write a thing for veth and yeza just hiding out in a barn, lying in some hey, in the hey loft maybe, having a good time together and being happy and dating?

It is summer in Felderwin, long after the barley has been sowed and the sweet peas laid gently to soil. It is night in Felderwin, the moon half-full above a softly-sleeping village. Fireflies glow like stars in the fields. 

It is silent in Felderwin, silent for all, save for two halfling teenagers lying together in the dark, up in the hay loft of the Brenatto family barn.

Their names are Yeza and Veth. Their voices, hushed whispers, trail like music in the night.

“I can’t believe that worked,” Yeza says, his laughter barely contained. “I mean, who knew, right? Who knew a potato could do that much damage?”

“You did,” Veth giggles, her button necklace click-clacking. “That was amazing, Yez, where did you even get that idea?”

Yeza shrugs, and the hay around his shoulders rustles. “Potatoes give us energy, right? I just figured...maybe it’s enough energy to make an explosion.”

Then he pauses for a second, and grimaces slightly. “You think Edith will be alright without her mailbox?” he asks. “I feel kind of bad, she’s a really nice lady.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Veth grins. “If anything, you can build her a new one. You can do anything.”

Yeza smiles. He reaches out an arm, and nudges Veth in the shoulder. “Don’t sell yourself short,” he says. “If it wasn’t for you getting us those...ingredients, none of this would’ve been possible.”

“Oh?” Veth raises a teasing eyebrow. “Are you trying to say it’s my fault this all happened?”

Yeza balks immediately. “No, no, I wasn’t—”

But then she laughs, and bumps him playfully on the nose. “Relax,” she whispers. “It was just a joke.”

His lips quirk upwards. His laugh is like cinnamon, his freckles little stars. 

Before Veth can stop herself, she’s reached out again. Her fingers gently trace the curve of his cheek. Then there’s a quick, sudden, intake of surprised air.

“Oh, je—”

“Sorry!” Veth’s hands fly back. She grabs her own wrist like she’s wrestling a snake. “Sorry, sorry.” Her eyes fall to the straw. “I just...I’m sorry.”

But now Yeza’s gaze is fixed right on her. He shifts in the hay until he’s lying on his side, their faces so close that their noses could touch.

“No, no,” he whispers. “It’s...it’s okay. I, um...if it’s anyone, I’d want it to be you.”

Veth glances back up. There’s a faint tremble to her voice, but it could’ve been from anything.

“Really?”

Yeza’s mouth curls back into a smile. “Of course,” he says, “you’re Veth. You...you’re the love of my life. Uh...I think.”

This is enough to break Veth’s anxiousness. She feels her eyebrows arc up past her bangs.

“You think?” she asks.

“Cut me a little slack,” Yeza says weakly. “I’m still new to this whole ‘romance’ thing.”

Veth feels a hand slip into hers. She feels a warmth settle over her heart.

“I think you’re doing a great job,” she whispers. 

Yeza chuckles. Veth could listen to that sound forever. 

And then an idea hits. She quickly lets go of his hand, and shoots upwards from where they’re sitting in the straw. Before Yeza can say a word, she’s scrambled off to a corner of the barn and started rummaging around behind a barrel.

“Hang on!” she calls back, voice low but full of life. “I just remembered, I stashed something back here. I think we can use it to commemorate today.”

Yeza cocks his head. “It’s not another potato bomb, is it?”

Veth snorts as she returns. Her hands are hidden behind her back.

“That’s your job, Yez,” she says, and sits down. “My job is stealing stuff. Stealing stuff...like this!”

She pulls forth a bottle of scarlet, cherry wine. It’s nearly as long as one of her arms, the words Lionett Brewery, 821 P.D. in looping script across its front.

“The good stuff,” she says excitedly. “What do you say?”

Yeza examines the bottle. He quickly sits up. His eyes are glittering with all the wonder of mischievous youth on a sweet summer night.

“Uncork it,” he grins, and Veth gives a silent cheer. Then he shuffles forward and playfully, they bump shoulders.

Veth smiles, and Yeza would adore that happiness forever.

“This one’s to us,” she says.

[georgecostanzaatemysoup]

if still accepting prompts, jester talking to Yeza, a lot, through message. For whatever reason. Either to make sure he's okay or after he's safe and just to talk to her best friends nice husband.

Of course I’ll write this for you. Thank you for the prompt and just know I always take prompts :)

Thank you!!

Hey, Yeza, it’s Jester. Just checking in to see if you’re okay. Veth says hi. We’re on our way. Respond if you can. Bye!!

Yeza, it’s Jester! Oh my gods. We almost had to fight fire giants! Oh my gods! Veth almost died, but she didn’t. We’re coming!

Yeza, have you ever heard of The Traveler? He promised to protect you if you just ask and he’s actually really nice. Tell him hi!

How did you and Veth meet? Was your first kiss nice? How did you know you liked her? Who purposed to who? Veth says hi!

Have you ever heard of Tusk Love? Oh, Yeza, it’s such a good book. It’s about this orc named Oskar and a woman namedGuinevere…

…and they fall deeply in love, but they can’t be together because Guinevere’s family doesn’t approve of their relationship. But they can’t stay away from…

…each other. And they start secretly dating, but they can’t keep hiding their relationship because they’re too much in love. It’s a really good book.

Yeza, are you scared? It’s okay to be scared. I’ve been captured before and I was scared. But know we’re coming and you’ll be fine.

Yeza, we’re almost there! I think we’re another day’s walk, but we’re coming. Hold on and soon you’ll see Veth again. I promise. Be safe.

[nott-gay]

Veths :)

first part of my abandoned wips and sketches

[herr-forehead]

The Mighty Nein Timeline of the past 4 days.

28th of Brussendar:

They woke up in Aeor, teleported the threshold crest away, and traveled to the Vermus outpost. There, they met Essek, and talked to him about the current situation.

Then they realized they needed to gather some allies, and teleported to Yussa's tower.

There, they spoke to Yussa & to Halas, and got some magical items. Then they scried on the Threshold crest, to find it somewhere in a forest.

Then Yussa teleported them to Allura's tower, where they met Kima, and got a lot of useful magical items as well.

THEN they teleported to Rexxentrum. There, Beau talked to Yudala, and they told her about Zeenoth, and then Beau talked to Dairon. Then they found lodging for the night.

Beau and Caleb gained an eye, Caduceus had a nightmare, and Yasha dreamt about becoming the avatar of the Stormlord.

29th of Brussendar:

The Nein did some shopping, and Jester messaged Astrid to ask if she wanted to meet them at the dance hall, which she did.

Caleb and Astrid danced, and Caleb asked if she could get some Amulets of Proof against Detection and Location for them, which she said she'd try.

Then they went to the shitty hotel, and got a room there, where Caleb cast the Tower to send Beau and Yasha on their date.

[Cracks Knuckles]

30th of Brussendar.

Jester messaged Astrid again, telling her to meet them somewhere. She did, and told them she herself couldn't aquire the Amulets, but that she knew where they were stored. She gave them blueprints of Vergesson.

The Nein teleported to Vergesson, to do a heist for the Amulets. They split up into 2 teams; team Firestorm (Jester, Veth and Caleb) and team Outtie (Caduceus, Fjord, Beau and Yasha).

Team Outtie just sat outside and waited. Beau climbed up the tower and poured acid down a guy's throat.

Team Firestorm went inside. There, Jester charmed a guard, and Caleb killed a bunch of guards using Dunamantic spells. Veth grabbed a bunch of crystals, and they found the amulets and grabbed them.

Jester tried to Word of Recall them, but it was countered by Trent Ikithon who had appeared on top of the stairs. After a few spells and counterspells, they succesfully teleported to Nicodranas, and team Outtie also teleported to Nicodranas

Team Firestorm were in the Brenatto house, where they sat for an hour while attuning to the anti-scry necklaces, while team Outtie made their way there as well.

The entire group went to the beach; they all attuned, Caleb had a breakdown, Jester helped Yasha etc.

Then they went to the Lavish Chateau to talk to Marion, Luc and Yeza, and Caduceus spotted 2 people looking at the group.

Jester told her mom about the danger they were in, and Veth did the same to Yeza.

Fjord got kicked out, and Caduceus went to talk to the 2 weird figures, who turned out to be Astrid and Eadwulf. They said they were there to help Bren, and informed them (partially) about the situation.

Veth followed Astrid and Eadwulf outside, and found out that Trent was there, a few blocks away.

The Mighty Nein, Marion, Luc and Yeza fled to Yussa's tower, where Wensforth informed them that Yussa was astralprojecting, but that he could probably help with an old gift someone from the Arcana Pansophical once gifted to Yussa. It was a Plane Shift scroll with a tuning fork.

Having too many people to planeshift at once, Beau, Yasha and Fjord decided to go into the Happy Fun Ball.

Caleb started casting the spell, Astrid barged in, ready to Counterspell, but she didn't.

Team Happy Fun Ball went pretty smoothly. They struggled with a door, but overall it went well. They did wake up a clay golem that followed them around.

MEANWHILE, the rest found themselves on the Plane of Fire. Caleb started casting the Dome, while Jester and Veth went outside of the cave to see if they were safe.

When they talked too loudly, they notified a guardian of the sanctum, which barged inside. They fought it, Caleb went uncouncious, and Luc died.

After the battle, Caduceus revivified Luc. Then they all took a long rest.

31th of Brussendar:

Marion, Luc, Yeza, Caleb, Veth, Jester and Caduceus Planeshifted to Zadash, where Fjord, Beau and Yasha popped out of the Happy Fun Ball.

Jester messaged the Gentleman, to tell him they were coming. He just replied with "Oh... boy..."

They went to the Evening Nip, where they were let in, and they saw the Gentleman.

And that's where we are right now!

[jonthethinker]

One thing I really love about Sam as a player, that I feel is greatly reflected in Veth as a character, is his not just willingness to explore misfortune, but his glee in doing so.

All of the cast is very committed to the story they are creating, but most of the time, the cast by and large “plays to win,” in a manner of speaking. They know how to make the most of a bad situation to be sure, and enjoy the tension and uncertainty produced by the dice, without a doubt. But they largely don’t go and seek out opportunities almost specifically designed to introduce misfortune into the lives of their characters.

Now here I want to clarify I mean misfortune, and not conflict. They all can be quite confrontational when they get the mood for it, and will certainly pursue it posthaste if they feel its in line with what their characters would do. Liam in particular is a superstar at this very thing. But that’s not what I’m talking about.

It sometimes feels that while most of the cast, not unjustly, looks at dice rolls like challenges to be passed or failed; Sam instead looks at them almost purely as a means of storytelling. And not just that, but for him, a lot of the time it seems like the ideal scenario is one in which events go south for his character. He seems to be at his giddiest whenever his character has dropped the proverbial carton of eggs. His isn’t the nervous laughter of one of the other players trying to think their way out of their troublesome situation, but an exuberant joy at the situation his character now gets to explore.

Many of the characters this campaign have rather dramatic backstories, as does our lovable halfling Veth Brenatto. But most of these characters stories are dramatic as a direct result of the choices they have made. But Veth’s story is one of incredible misfortune, not consequence. She didn’t make any clear choices that lead to her situation. She just took her family for a trip by the river. It could have happened to anyone in her village, it just so happened to be her. And of course she tries to save her family; her expected consequence for this being death, a price she was more than willing to pay for the security of her family. How could she have expected such cruelty from her captors? No, it was just a case of rotten luck.

And Sam created her with a family very much alive, that his character very much loved, even after the closing events of Campaign 1, where Matt very clearly displayed to the cast that no one is sacred and untouchable in his world, and that anything and everything is fair game. That’s one big roll of the dice all on its own.

I like stories that explore luck and misfortune; that the universe itself can sometimes be aligned against you, and it’s not just some villain you are fighting, but nature itself. And there’s this darkly comic aspect to it as well, that Sam is incredibly good at tapping into, like he’s the long lost third Coen Brother or something, where he can really draw out the flat absurdity of the situation his character finds themselves in.

So you have this character in Veth that would rightfully be the protagonist and hero in an amazing fantasy novel. Her instincts are generally much kinder, gentler, and more just than the average set of instincts in the Nein. She’s a good person, without question, in my mind. But the person most responsible for directing where the story takes her seems to have a vested interest in making sure she gets to explore every uncomfortable decision, every high stakes gambit, every run of bad luck he can subject her to.

This results in a character who gets put in absurd and painful situations, a million awkward conversations, and what does Sam make us the audience do in these moments? He makes us laugh. We could do nothing but hurt, pull our hair out in despair, but instead, we laugh. He can make us cry, and often has, but more than anything, he makes us laugh. I for one can’t begin to tell you how cathartic that is. How wondrous. It’s the greatest magic trick you’ll see on a show where a bunch of nerdy-ass voice actors play Dungeons and Dragons, a show with many more magic tricks than it has any right to. And every time he does it, I can’t help but be amazed.

[bloodyshadow1]

just saying the best person the nein could hide their families with would be with Vilya.  Even from a not metagaming standpoint, She’s a druid who lives so far away the word Ashari hasn’t been mentioned in the campaign until she got her memories back. she was gone for 25 years so even if she was a public figure when she disappeared she hasn’t been back long enough to be known.  She can travel through trees which is a much better way than being tracked through teleports.  She is a complete unknown to the assembly so they would have no reason to scry on her while the rest of them have anti-scrying.  It’s far away that the assembly doesn’t have the same capabilities they would have with tracking someone on the continent like bamfing to nicodranas.  Vilya is a mother and a leader who would be perfect to be a calming figure to an agoraphobic like Marion and a family being uprooted like the Brenattos.  In Exandria, druidic magic seems to be something that isn’t researched or understood compared to arcane or even godly divine magic, there’s a reason transport via plants worked on the island that made other transportation magic wonky, for example so she’s a good choice to hide people from a bunch of arcane casters.  

From a slightly metagaming standpoint, Vilya has been all over Exandria for her aramente, she knows plenty of trees to bamf to leading the assembly on a merry chase than the Nein could.  

From an extremely metagaming and fangirl standpoint, I would pay to see Keyleth smash Trent into little bitty pieces.  she’s one of the most powerful people in Exandria, she owes the Nein for returning her long lost mother to her so beating Trent bloody for them would be a good way to pay them back.