Vesper De Rolo
She grew up on slightly sanitized tales of Vox Machina. The blood and death remained, but her parents kept Scanlan away from story time with her until after they’d had The Talk. She was told of mighty battles, revenge, of pranks and drunken decisions.
She grew up with legends.
They don’t tell you how hard it is to grow up in the shadow of legends.
And as her father shared designs for his clock tower, as her mother talked with ravens, as she got older - well.
She snuck into her father’s workshop, some nights, and snuck out to her mother’s shooting range in the woods, revolver in hand - and she practiced her aim. She improved her pet project based on her father’s designs, when her parents were out on official business.
He’d promised never to build another gun - she’d made no such oath.
No, she learned different lessons from those childhood stories than they probably wanted. She learned that if she didn’t learn to defend herself, didn’t get stronger, one day it would not end well. How else would she protect her loved ones? Still, she kept it a secret - no need to worry her parents over her interests.
Her siblings didn’t know - they were still too young. Freddie preferred sparring with Aunt Cassandra and learning about lordship (she attended her lessons too, of course, but he had a keen mind for politics.)
The twins were still little. She did hope that being a tiefling and aasimar wouldn’t drive them apart. And baby Vax was adorable, but he definitely wasn’t going to rat her out for her nightly adventures. He was too busy taking rides on Trinket’s back.
And the funny thing is - the past doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.
She was visiting Uncle Taryon in Deastock with the family when it happened. A visitor from the Cerberus Assembly, come to follow up on an old quest Tary had done for them. The old man had two guards in black, rippling faintly with arcane force.
“Please, call me Trent, Lord and Lady De Rolo,” he had simpered. They were bringing out tea for them - the male guard in black refused to drink, humming.
Without warning or provocation, they attacked. Mother and Father hadn’t even been able to grab their weapons in time to properly defend themselves or the kids - but Vesper had been hiding her gun beneath her skirts for years.
She fired at the old man first, figuring it would distract the guards long enough for her parents to act. She was right - even if she got lightning called on her in the meantime.
They managed to subdue them together with minimal injury. Her mother cast healing spells while her father stared her down.
“Vesper Elaina De Rolo, what in hell were you thinking?”
