Revolution Radio - A Critical Role High School AU

Chapter 1

Seven folders lay before him, Uriel Tal'Dorei, the principal of Emon High. They were his most troublesome students but he had to admit they got things done.

tok tok tok tok tok deliberate and determined footfalls made their way down the arts corridor, heading to their destination without a second of pause.

Vax'ildan Vessar; one of a pair of twins. He and his sister are two of the school’s stealthiest students, him being the sneakiest. He had once been apart of the gang known as The Clasp, and had a criminal record of theft and attempted murder, however he’s made an impressive turnaround in the last year and had actually helped incarcerate other members. There was an additional note in his file; the last teacher to insist on calling him by his father’s last name of Vessar had ended up in hospital with a concussion after being struck with the handle of Vax'ildan’s pocket knife.

Vex'ahlia Vessar; twin of Vax'ildan. She is the head of Emon High’s archery club and extremely savvy, helping other school clubs finance efficiently. Like her brother, Vex'ahlia has shunned the name of Vessar and refuses to respond to it. Additionally, she is the owner of a large newfoundland dog named Trinket who she refuses to be away from.

tok tok tok tok they exited the eastern stairwell and began making their way through the languages department, still unwavering in their destination.

Percival de Rolo III; one of the school’s prize engineering students and a survivor of an attack on his wealthy family by the Briarwood family gang. The previous year, he and the other students in his circle helped bring the head of the family to justice and rescued his youngest sister and only other surviving de Rolo, Cassandra.

Keyleth; a daughter of the travelling community known as the Ashari, she is taking a break in her Aramente to pursue higher education. She’s the leader of the gardening club which she runs with other nature loving students and, despite being the heir to the head of her people, she has shown herself to be very humble.

tok tok tok tok they passed the Abyssal classroom and took a left to head across the quad to the sports and combat department where the more physically strong students trained. Faintly, they began hearing music from the gym and a smile spread across their face.

Grog Strongjaw; his file shows a history of being a victim of domestic abuse, beaten almost daily by his uncle Kevdak after the passing of his father Stonejaw. It also shows him being afflicted with the condition known as gigantism, making him abnormally tall for his age. While he has shown to be exceedingly strong, he is mostly gentle with his support workers and with his friends. According to his file, this is a result of being adopted by Pike Trickfoot’s great grandfather. Grog is the captain of the school’s wrestling team, and is the champion of the Crucible Gym in the next town over.

Pike Trickfoot; according to her file, Uriel observes, Pike was taken from her parents and direct family by her great grandfather due to them being crooks who cared little for the young girl. Her family, similar to Grog’s, suffered a congenital growth disorder. However, while Grog’s family were larger than normal, the Trickfoots had dwarfism, making them rather tiny. After they took in Grog, the two have been as inseparable as the twins. Her following of the goddess of healing and redemption, Sarenrae, leads her to be an invaluable assistant to the school first aid team as she spent a good portion of her home life studying medicine under her great grandfather.

tok tok… tok the figure came to a halt outside of the gym, hearing the heavy guitar and drums through the oaken double doors.

Scanlan Shorthalt, pride of the music course, is probably one of the more troublesome member of the group. He already had a criminal record for possession of Class A substances, but he had been able to convince the authorities he was only holding onto it for someone. His charisma has helped him through almost his whole life, however Uriel suspected his luck would soon run out.

According to all files, this group of individuals had met around five years prior, in Stilben Middle School, and had bonded quite quickly. They’d gotten each other in and out of many scrapes in the past and had eventually formed a band upon entering high school. Vox Machina they were called. The Voice in the Machine.

The figure pushed open the doors and entered the gym. As they had expected, they were greeted by the band in practice.

Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia were on lead vocals and guitar, dressed in mirroring outfits and both singing with voices full of passion.

Percival was playing on an electronic harpsichord, apparently an instrument he had built himself if Scanlan’s rumours were to be believed. Despite the heavy nature of the song being performed, the white haired teen’s fingers still danced gracefully across the keys.

Keyleth cradled a bass guitar in her permanently chlorophyll stained fingers, backing up the twins as her eyes sparkled with fun.

At the back of the stage, Grog was playing the drums with an expert frenzy, keeping up with the twins’ fast paced melody with ease.

Scanlan and Pike flanked the group on platforms that brought them up to the other’s heights and gripped microphones, providing backup vocals to the group.

Suddenly, the figure was startled by the loud barking of a huge canine. They stumbled back as Trinket advanced on them, usual composure suddenly lost.

The music stopped suddenly and Vex'ahlia leapt from the stage. “Trinket! No! Down boy!” She shouted, rushing over. “I’m so sorry Principal Uriel, he didn’t hurt you did he?”

Uriel cleared his throat and straightened his tie. “Not at all. I caught him off guard so I don’t blame him in the slightest.”

“So, is there a reason you’ve come to practice?” Vax'ildan asked from behind his sister.

“Yeah we can’t exactly accept you into the band, we’ve got a reputation to look after.” Scanlan had appeared at Uriel’s elbow. “You have any idea how lame we’d look with the principle in our band?”

“Don’t worry Scanlan. That’s the last thing I want. I’ve actually come to request your assistance.”