There’s no denying that Vax’ildan (Vax) is one of the most beloved characters in Critical Role. His loyalty and ascension as a champion for the Matron of Ravens left a lasting impression for fans. But his story didn’t end when Campaign 1 came to a close. Campaign 3.
The Bargain with the Raven Queen
Midway through Campaign One, Vax’s twin sister Vex’ahlia dies during the hunt for a powerful relic. In a moment of pure panic, Vax calls out to the Matron of Ravens, the goddess of death as she’s about to claim Vex’s soul, saying “Take me instead, you raven bitch.”
She accepts and he becomes her Fate-Touched champion, bound to serve the goddess of death while still living among his friends. Over time, he slowly starts to realize what this means. He stops running from the idea of dying and makes peace with his fate on his own terms.
What makes this arc so moving is that at the start of Campaign 1, Vax was terrified of losing the people he loved. The bargain with the Matron of Ravens makes him appreciate the time he has left with friends and sister.
Vax’s Death and Resurrection
During the final chapter of Campaign 1, Vox Machina confronts the ascended lich-god Vecna, where things take a dark turn. Vax is hit by a Disintegrate spell and is reduced to nothing; making it impossible for the group to bring him back with a resurrection ritual.
But the Matron intervenes. She allows Vax to return as a revenant-like servant with one purpose: help his friends stop Vecna, then come back to her forever. Vax agrees to the Matron’s terms
The End of Campaign 1
Vox Machina succeeds in defeating Vecna and the world is saved. And then the Raven Queen arrives to collect what she’s owed.
She appears behind Vax in the Platinum Sanctuary, placing her hands on his shoulders. Percy tries to stand between them, but she freezes him in place. Keyleth, Scanlan, and Vex all plead for more time. The goddess sympathises with them all but a deal is a deal, and she will not leave without him.
Accepting his fate, Vax says goodbye to each member of Vox Machina. He uses the spell Druidcraft to create snowdrops that bloom from the ground around him as he walks away. Inside the Raven Queen’s cloak, he sees a bright light. And in that light, his mother, telling him how proud she is of him.
He walks toward her and disappears.
Death Isn’t the End of Vax’s Story
Over a year later, Percy and Vex have their official destination wedding/vow renewal ceremony at the sunny beach resort Dalen’s Closet. Just as the ceremony is drawing to a close, Scanlan uses his most powerful magic, a Wish spell, to give Vex one gift on her wedding day: her brother.
The Raven Queen herself appears on the clifftop, and from beneath her cloak steps a familiar figure in black leather armor and a feathered mantle. He removes his raven mask. He speaks slowly but his love is unmistakable. Vax tells Vex he is safe and that he’s always with them. His love will never dim. He bows to Keyleth, “Hail to the Tempest”, until Vex tells him to stop being weird and just hug her. He and Keyleth tell each other they’ll never get over losing one another. His last words to the group before vanishing in a scatter of black feathers is “Thank you. Live.”
Decades pass with Vax remaining in the Raven Queen’s realm, separated from the world. But he doesn’t stay away from his loved ones for long.
In Campaign 3, set approximately thirty years after Campaign 1, he returns twice to protect Keyleth. The first time is during an assassination attempt in Zephrah, though the Raven Queen punishes him for it. The second time is when he saves her life during the Battle of the Red Center, but his enemies use the moment to attack him. They compress him into a sphere of dark shadow to be used as a “sliver of divinity” in a dangerous magical weapon called the Malleus Key.
He’s imprisoned for weeks, constantly screaming in pain from inside that sphere. The followers of the Matron of Ravens mourn him. When Bells Hells, the adventuring crew Campaign 3 revolves around, asks the Matron what the fate of her champion would be if something happened to her, she admits she doesn’t know. Thankfully, Bells Hells finally destroys the Malleus Key, Vax is freed from his prison.
He’s battered and exhausted, but that doesn’t stop him from joining the fight almost immediately. Afterward, he reassures the Matron that despite everything, he holds no grudge against her, and has no wish for her to disappear. He’s offered a chance to continue the battle elsewhere, but he chooses to stay in Exandria. The Matron whispers to him “the night is his.” He takes Vex’s hand and Keyleth’s hand, and squeezes them. Keyleth, after a long hesitation, squeezes back.
The next morning, he’s gone with only a single black feather drifting down outside Keyleth’s door serving as proof he was even there.
The story doesn’t end there either. When the gods agree to undergo what is called the Rites of Catatheosis so they can be reborn as mortals, the Matron of Ravens pulls Vax into her realm one final time. She introduces him to Morrighan Ferus, a new Chosen who will now share the role of Champion alongside him. She gives them both a task: to act as guardians of her realm in her absence, to find her new mortal form each time she is reborn. And then she gives Vax a piece of his mortality back, including a heartbeat. She even gives him the freedom to be with Keyleth, whenever his duties allow.
It’s the closest thing Vax’s story has gotten to having a happy ending. He’s not fully alive or free from his duties. But he’s no longer alone. Vax gave up everything to do what he believes is the right thing. His love for his sister, Keyleth and his friends has persisted even beyond the borders of death.
Fans have described his arc as one of the most emotional in Critical Role, and it’s easy to see why. Vax’ildan started his journey as someone who was terrified of loss. He ended it as someone who learned that letting go is its own expression of love.
