Shadowgast
Caleb Widogast/Essek Thelyss
Critical Role's Campaign Two paired a guilt-ridden human wizard with the drow traitor whose crimes mirror his own — two arcane prodigies trading dunamancy lessons and absolution. Their canon epilogue confirms decades of partnership, a rarity for an actual-play ship.
What is Shadowgast?
Shadowgast is the fan-given name for the romantic pairing of Caleb Widogast and Essek Thelyss from Critical Role. With over 4,500 works on Archive of Our Own, it's one of the most popular ships in the fandom.
Why fans love Shadowgast
Redemption written in spell components: fans love two war criminals choosing to become better because the other believes they can.
Most Popular Shadowgast Fanfics
The highest-rated Shadowgast stories on AO3, ranked by kudos.
The Blooming Pot Cafe
by kfnye98
How a cafe in Rexxentrum ends up being the home of several romances.
The Laughter Chateau (Drabbles)
by thebest_medicine
Jester needs stocks. She deserves to have them.
the bird, the egg, the cage
by rnelody
Ever since you were very little, Dad has told you stories. Stories of heroism, of adventure and friendship and love. Stories of the Mighty Nein.You know they’re not real, because only you and Dad are real. It’s you, and Dad, in Room, and that’s all there is. (It starts like this: Essek Thelyss meets
Aphasia
by dawl_and_dapple
Caleb moves closer into his space and holds his shivering arms tightly, and rubs some warmth into his shoulders. “Essek, you can feel it, can’t you?”Caleb noticed it as he left the cottage, once he consciously felt for the sensation. Or rather, a lack thereof. Typically, magic rushes around him like
Better Than I Used To Be
Completeby AngrySaltLamp
A month after arriving at The Blooming Grove Funeral Home, Bren is finding his rhythm. When circumstances lead him to have a personal conversation with the drow he's been befriending the last couple of weeks, Bren discovers there is a lot more to being dead than he initially thought. With Bren's hel
i'll follow you into the dark
by ArtificialHaunting
After Caleb and Essek have their first real fight, Beau offers Caleb a safe solo research trip. It seems like the perfect way to distract himself from a house and a life that seems bent on reminding him of what is absent. Only, it turns out the trip is neither solo nor safe, as one Seth Domade was a
Arrangements
by GrellSutcliff
The war between the Dwendalian Empire and the Kryn Dynasty finally comes to an end.Peace, as delicate and tentative as it is, has been brokered and discussed.Professor, turned Warmage, Caleb Widogast would be wed, as a political symbol, of the effort being made to extend that peace towards the Dynas
body of my body (sky of my sky)
by JPlash
Caleb should go back inside. Caleb should stand up, go back inside, and forget that he saw anything curled up in the filthy alleyway behind his building. Stay out of trouble. Things die all the time. When he lays two fingers at the vampire’s neck, its skin is chill as the wet cobblestones. He can ju
Incise
by unintelligiblescreaming
“It is Kryn spellcraft. Evil stuff, I’m afraid,” Ikithon tells Bren’s parents, dripping with sympathy. “One of them must have bound your son’s soul to theirs. Injuries and other ailments are transmitted through the bond. But don’t worry. We know how to take care of cases like his, here at Soltryce.”
run in the shadows
by atlasarcana
THELYSS: I think I could have floated beside him in stasis forever, ignoring the obvious. Once he offered the precise object of my desire, which I had been concealing from even myself, I panicked. INTERVIEWER: And what did you say to him? THELYSS: We fought about it. We had to. In the Nein, it is pr
Inhale. Exhale. Rekindle Hearth
by Vvenus
Essek came to the shelter simply hoping to be able to breathe again. He doesn't dream at being healed or reintroduced to society as if nothing happened. He just wants to be able to get through a whole day without worrying about a panic attack or nightmares plaguing his sleep, without recoiling from
I've Been With You Through Your Worst (Please Let Me Be Your Best)
by GrellSutcliff
Bren had heard the whispers and mutterings for a very long time. Once puberty hit, that night, the voice started in his head, in a language he had no idea to understand. But Bren knew exactly what the voice was though, as his parents had been so excited to reassure the young man about it. That was t
How Can I Love What I Am Destined To Lose
by neverthelessthesun
Deirta Thelyss may not have been of den Kryn, but she was about as close as one could get without climbing back into the Luxon and trying again. She had been consecuted eight hundred years ago, and was nearly as old as Leylas herself, or so they say. The Light had shone upon her and granted her, fin
I Found You Between the Pages of My Life
by MissWekfild
When a sealed box appears in Essek of den Thelyss’ office, containing a script. the acclaimed director and producer of Moonlight Productions finds a new story to tell. In search of authenticity, he turns to Dr. Caleb Widogast, a newly appointed professor of modern history whose research focuses on s
Continuities
by Vvenus
Their first date happened by chance. The second is planned with hope and trepidation. By the third, they are both sure of one thing: running away from this would spell regret, even if the urge to do so keeps coming up the closer they grow together.And that is before they stumble upon parts of each o
Resonant Echoes
by Lise
A problem shaped like seven unexpected mercenaries carrying one of the priceless artifacts he stole arrives on Essek's doorstep, but he can handle it. Is handling it. Will be able to handle it, at some point, if he can figure out how to avoid them killing him first.(Or: time looping your way into a
You Don't Have to Kneel
Completeby Dancer612
Caleb Widogast is escorted into the Kryn Dynasty by Trent Ikithon with no explanation and no orders beyond obedience.He expects a mission. Instead, he is presented to the Bright Queen as an offering.Bound by treaty, Caleb is placed under the authority of Essek Thelyss—not as a prisoner, but not as a
Soulmarks of Ink and Shadow
Completeby Dancer612
In a world where soulmarks appear as magical script written in the language of one’s soulmate, Caleb Widogast wakes to find drow glyphs etched into his skin—ink-dark, unfamiliar, and impossible to ignore. Across the border of empire and dynasty, Essek Thelyss bears a matching mark in harsh Zemnian s
Online heart
Completeby Dancer612
Caleb can’t sleep. Not with the scars. Not with the itch. Not with the memories. Not with Trent Ikithon still living somewhere in his head. One night, he finds a Twitch stream. The man behind the screen name ‘LogicalGhost’ is calm, brilliant, and impossible to look away from—playing horror games lik
Blood Wizard
by A_Random_Being
“All right, next stop, Cognouza!” Leaving Catha behind, Essek turned to look out into the beautiful sight that was the Astral sea, looking for familiar constellations and what he saw next was Ruidius coming closer towards them. Staring down at the red surface of Ruidius was an ocean. An entire crims
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does Shadowgast mean?
Shadowgast is the ship name (portmanteau or nickname) for the pairing of Caleb Widogast and Essek Thelyss. It's used by fans to tag and search for fanfiction featuring this relationship.
How many Shadowgast fics are on AO3?
There are over 4,500 Shadowgast fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own.
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