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Ayo Jabe is a water genasi of orc parentage and the de facto leader of the rival adventuring party in Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, set in or shortly after 836 PD.
Description[]
Appearance[]
_-_Nikki_Dawes.png){kind=link}
Depiction of Ayo with a ruidium-infused harpoon and mild ruidium corruption, by Nikki Dawes from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 192.[art 2]
Ayo is depicted as having the tusks and ears of an orc but also has blue skin characteristic of a water genasi. She has dark hair and a slender, athletic build.[2]
Personality[]
Ayo is impulsive; she likes decisiveness in others and has a low opinion of its opposite. She also despises insincerity.[3] As the adventure begins, her goals are to make a friend around whom she can be her true self, slay a legendary monster, and become a hero like those she's read about.[4] When Ayo is first encountered in Jigow, she speaks with a brash voice. She takes pride in giving her all, respects determination and courage, and prefers to compete fairly rather than accept an unfair magical edge.[5] She doesn't like taking orders.[6]
Chris Perkins described Ayo as a Captain Kirk type of character who "is basically the struggling leader archetype, the one who is always moving forward, but not always with both feet on the ground".[7]
Biography[]
Background[]
Ayo's family lived in Jigow for generations, and she was born at sea in the Emerald Gulch during a powerful storm. She worked as a hunter for the town of Jigow, and learned some combat skills along the way. She had a dream to form an adventuring party. Three weeks before the adventure begins, mercenary Maggie Keeneyes came to town, and Maggie immediately became loyal friends with Ayo and Dermot. Soon after that Ayo met two more visitors to town: first Irvan Wastewalker, and then rounding out the party, dunamancy wizard Galsariad Ardyth. At the time the adventure begins, her party has been doing odd jobs for a few weeks.[8]
Call of the Netherdeep[]
Ayo is competitive in the Festival of Merit.[9] In the final challenge, if she's present when the characters reach the prayer site of Sehanine, she is unsure about being the first to touch the Jewel of Three Prayers, but if everyone else is hesitant, she gathers the courage to claim it.[10]
If the player characters' (PCs') party claimed the Jewel, and relations between the parties are friendly, she is direct about wanting to know what they found, and wants her party to join in the quest.[11] If relations are hostile, she may approve of her party stealing the Jewel, or if the PCs killed a member of her party, she may try to steal it herself.[12]
Later, if the parties meet at the Emerald Loop Caravan Stop and relations are hostile, Ayo will warn the PCs to stay away; though they don't want to fight, they will defend themselves.[13]
Upon arrival in Bazzoxan, when gibbering mouthers attack, Verin Thelyss commands Ayo's party to stand and fight; she doesn't like taking orders, but she repeats the command to her party. If the PCs retreat, she may fight to the point of being gravely wounded,[14] which shakes her confidence in her leadership but doesn't lead her to condemn the PCs for looking after their safety.[15]
If the PCs decide against working with Aloysia Telfan, Ayo's party helps Aloysia to delve into the Betrayers' Rise, but they arrive at the prayer site of Avandra after the PCs do. In this case, Aloysia demands that the PCs hand over the Jewel or else. Depending on relations with the PCs' party, she may congratulate the party for awakening the Jewel (to Aloysia's dismay), try to knock the PCs unconscious and take the Jewel, or drive her party to attempt to kill the PCs.[16] Regardless, if her party allied with Aloysia, Ayo questions her own leadership and frets about losing the respect of her party; she begins to withdraw from her friend Dermot.[17]
Depiction of Ayo's party arriving in the Netherdeep, by Robson Michel.[art 3]
Ayo's desire to prove herself a hero (and better than the PCs) drives her to continue on to Ank'Harel, join either the Consortium of the Vermilion Dream or the Allegiance of Allsight, and explore Cael Morrow and the Netherdeep. The trauma this causes for her party fuels her self-doubt as a leader, but she also grows coldly furious toward her insecurities and anything else standing in her way.[18]
Upon entering the Netherdeep, the bitter and tormented Alyxian tries to spoil any friendly relations between Ayo's party and the PCs. Ayo may try to alert the PCs to treasure or a threat nearby, only for Alyxian to rearrange the area so that it seems like Ayo was lying.[19] If the parties have mixed or indifferent feelings toward each other, Ayo makes decisions about how to best work with the PCs to tackle Alyxian, though she still intends for her party to reach him first.[20] If relations are hostile, Ayo may draw enemies toward the PCs and maliciously slip away with a Pass Without Trace on her party.[21]
If Alyxian is redeemed and the parties are neither friendly nor hostile, Ayo parts relatively warmly by saying her party will be there for the PCs, if only to spur them on again.[22]
Relationships[]
Ayo and Dermot Wurder knew each other from childhood.[23] She is protective of him,[24] and by the time they reach Bazzoxan, he rarely leaves her side.[15] Depending on how things go in the Betrayers' Rise, Dermot may perceive Ayo distancing herself from the friendship as she worries about losing her party's respect.[17] But he remains protective of her.[18]
Depiction of Ayo's adventuring party on the road in Xhorhas, by Robson Michel from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 42.[art 4]
Three weeks before the adventure begins, mercenary Maggie Keeneyes came to town, and Maggie immediately became loyal friends with Ayo and Dermot. After that Ayo met new visitors to town: first Irvan Wastewalker, and then rounding out the party, Galsariad Ardyth, on whom she developed a bit of a crush.[25] Nevertheless, when she is first encountered, she tersely rejects Galsariad's offer to cast a spell to help her win a competition in which that's against the rules.[26] Out of love for Ayo, Maggie continues the mission despite the trauma she endures. Maggie repeatedly shares her concern about the Allegiance of Allsight with Ayo.[18]
At the beginning of the adventure, even if things come to blows between Ayo's party and her rivals, she is content to accept a surrender and prefers to let her rivals go free rather than kill them, so long as they haven't killed a member of her party.[27] If the PCs kill a member of her party, she may develop an intent to kill the PCs in turn, given the opportunity.[28]
If Ayo's party dies in the Netherdeep, she may appear in the PCs' dreams for weeks to follow. On the final night, she salutes each PC and quietly asks for the characters to remember and commemorate her party.[22]
Character information[]
The following is all taken from Ayo's Tier 3 statblock, assuming she reaches that level.[1]
Depiction of Ayo fighting off the Alyxian Aboleth with her ruidium harpoon, by Irina Nordsol from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 120.[art 5]
Notable items[]
- Ruidium harpoon: Deals an extra 2d6 psychic damage on a hit, may cause Ayo ruidium corruption if she rolls a 1 on an attack roll
- Turns into a +2 weapon if Alyxian is redeemed or killed[29]
Abilities[]
Water genasi abilities[]
- Swimming speed equal to her walking speed
- Amphibious: Can breathe water or air.
- Resistant to acid damage
For reasons that are unexplained in Call of the Netherdeep, Ayo does not have all the abilities typical of a water genasi. She does not have darkvision, and the spells granted by the Call to the Wave trait do not appear in her statblocks.[30][31]
Ranger abilities[]
- Spells (1/day each): Animal Friendship, Freedom of Movement, Goodberry, Pass Without Trace, Protection from Energy
Special abilities[]
- Multiattack: Can make three attacks with either her longbow or harpoon.
- Reposition: As a bonus action, Ayo can tell an ally she can see within 30 feet, and who can see or hear her, to use their reaction to move up to its speed, which does not provoke opportunity attacks.
- Immune to the frightened condition.
Appearances and mentions[]
Quotations[]
- "I've never seen anyone give it their all like that before. 'Cept for myself, I mean."[26]
- "Okay team, they're off-balance. Rally!"[32]
- "I never thought there could be places so different from Jigow in the world. Cities as beautiful as Ank'Harel. Places that make my heart hurt as much as Bazzoxan."[33]
- "Next time there's something you want, we'll be there for you—maybe just to be a thorn in your side."[22]
- (in a dream, if her party died in the Netherdeep) "We didn't do too badly, huh? Remember us. Maybe with a monument back in Jigow? That would be nice."[22]
Trivia[]
- Her name means joy in Yoruba.
- When Ayo's design was first revealed many fans wondered if she would be the future daughter of Fjord and Jester Lavorre (being a blue-skinned woman with orcish tusks and water genasi ancestry). James Haeck, who was involved in this adventure as a co-writer, confirmed that Call of the Netherdeep didn't happen in a distant future necessarily, thus making Ayo her own independent character; they, however, clarified that fans were allowed to set the adventure however and whenever they pleased.[34]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 192.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 11. See also pp. 23, 120, and 192.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 11.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 14.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 23–24. See also p. 26.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 50.
- ↑ Hall, Charlie (2022-03-08). "Critical Role's first major D&D adventure book set in Exandria includes a compelling cast". Polygon.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 11–13. See also p. 187.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 23–24.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 34.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 38.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 39.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 45.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 50–51.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 53.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 74.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 77.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 121.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 142.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 171.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 143.
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 185.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 11–12.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 23.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, pp. 11–13.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 24.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 15.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 74. See also p. 143.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 216.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 188. See also pp. 190 and 192.
- ↑ At the time Call of the Netherdeep was released, there were two different versions of this trait. The version in the Elemental Evil Player's Companion, p. 10, which also appeared in the Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 172, allows the character to cast Shape Water and eventually Create or Destroy Water. A new version was published in Mordenkainen Presents: Monsters of the Multiverse, p. 17, allowing the character to cast Acid Splash and eventually Create or Destroy Water and Water Walk. It's possible that the former version wasn't used because the cantrip Shape Water isn't included in the basic rules, and it couldn't be included by itself organically like it was in Explorer's Guide to Wildemount.
- ↑ Sample battle chatter. See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 190.
- ↑ See Call of the Netherdeep, p. 191.
- ↑ See Haeck's tweet.
Art:
- ↑ Depiction of Ayo Jabe, by Nikki Dawes from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 11. Used with permission. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Depiction of Ayo with a ruidium-infused harpoon and mild ruidium corruption, by Nikki Dawes from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 192. Used with permission. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Depiction of Ayo's party arriving in the Netherdeep, by Robson Michel (source). Used with permission. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Depiction of Ayo's adventuring party on the road in Xhorhas, by Robson Michel from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 42. Used with permission. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.
- ↑ Depiction of Ayo fighting off the Alyxian Aboleth with her ruidium harpoon, by Irina Nordsol from Critical Role: Call of the Netherdeep, p. 120. Used DM response with permission. This page contains unofficial Fan Content permitted under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy. Not approved/endorsed by Wizards. Portions of the materials used are property of Wizards of the Coast. ©Wizards of the Coast LLC.