‘Vox Machina’: The Legendary Heroes and the Show They Inspired
Here’s everything you need to know about the Heroes of Exandria, the adventuring party that launched a global phenomenon—Vox Machina.
Welcome in, noble adventurers! Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve heard of the incredible adventurers of Critical Role. This streamed actual play D&D game has been ground-breaking in both its reach and effect on the tabletop community. However, you might not know about Vox Machina, the adventuring party that started it all.
With (relatively) humble beginnings on Geek & Sundry, Vox Machina’s adventurers launched an incredible journey that continues to this day! Though the characters have changed, the adventures remain the same. This group definitely gave weight to the question: “Is it Thursday yet?”
The Main Characters of Vox Machina
Grog Strongjaw (Travis Willingham) – Goliath Barbarian. He is best friends with Pike and Scanlan and has a love/hate relationship with Vax’ildan. He is objectively the strongest of the group but far from the most intelligent.
Vex’ahlia (Laura Bailey) – Half-Elf multiclass Ranger and Rogue. She and her twin Vax’ildan joined the group together and are the scouts for the group. She is married to Percy and has a lovable bear companion named Trinket. Of all the members, she has the most skill in ranged combat.
Vax’ildan (Liam O’Brien) – Half-Elf multiclass Rogue and Paladin. When his sister was struck down by a suit of armor, he made a pact with the Raven Queen to serve as her champion in exchange for Vex’s life. He and Keyleth are romantically involved while he’s alive. At the end of the campaign, he sheds his corporeal form to become the Raven Queen’s enforcer. He’s also a deadly assassin.
Keyleth (Marisha Ray) – Half-Elf Druid. A member of the Air Ashari, one of the four druidic clans maintaining the balance between the Material Plane and the Elemental Planes. She becomes the Voice of the Tempest, a high-ranking leader, after completing a quest requiring her to visit all four Ashrai clans and be tested. She is kind but a bit scattered, and though she eventually rejects Vax’s affection, she eventually falls for him. Her ability with natural magic is astounding.
Percy de Rolo (Taliesin Jaffe) – Human Fighter with a specialty in firearms. When we first meet Percy, he is a dangerous man possessed by a demon of smoke and shadow. As he spends more time with the group, he sheds his vengeful nature and becomes a stalwart member of the team. He is also one of the last surviving members of the de Rolo family, the noble rulers of the city of Whitestone. He brings the knowledge of firearms to Tal’dorei but also perfects several other less lethal inventions.
Pike Trickfoot (Ashley Johnson) – Gnome Cleric. She is the heart of the party, and their primary healer. Due to her player being cast in an ongoing television series, she is often absent from sessions but shows up whenever she can. Sometimes, since Pike is far away when Ashley can play, she appears as a divine avatar of Sarenrae. She eventually marries Scanlan Shorthalt after he pursues her for most of the campaign, though they amicably divorce in the years following the epilogue.
Scanlan Shorthalt (Sam Reigel) – Gnome Bard. Constantly making jokes, many of Vox Machina’s enemies underestimate Scanlan to their peril. Though he constantly makes jokes and tries to steal the spotlight, he is a deeply emotional person and leaves the group for a while after feeling underappreciated. He is desperately in love with Pike, though she doesn’t believe his feelings are real at first. The only things he loves more than himself are Pike and his young daughter Kaylie.
A couple of other characters either left Vox Machina permanently or filled in for a missing character.
Tiberius Stormwind (Orion Acaba) – Dragonborn Sorcerer. He is a stuffy, erudite magic user from the lands of Draconia. His red lineage made him a bit of a pariah, so he hoped to prove himself with Vox Machina. He left the group after an undisclosed issue arose with Orion and the rest of the cast. The party found his body frozen in a block of ice, showing he had valiantly died defending his homeland.
Taryon Darrington (Sam Riegel) – Human Artificer. The supposed heir to the Darrington fortune, Taryon joined Vox Machina in Scanlan’s absence. However, it was revealed that he was cut off from his wealth and merely trying to prove to his father that he deserved it. Though he was a bit insufferable, he had a good heart and helped the team navigate the Hells.
Special Guests of Vox Machina
Vox Machina was assisted along the way by various special guests.
- Arkhan the Cruel, a Dragonborn multiclass Paladin and Barbarian played by Joe Manganiello
- Garthok, a Half-Orc Rogue played by Jason Charles Miller
- Gern Blanston, a Dragonborn Wizard played by Chris Hardwick
- Kashaw Vesh, a Human Cleric played by Will Friedle
- Zahra Hydris, a Tiefling Warlock played by Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
- Tova, a Dwarven Werebear Blood Hunter played by ND Stevenson
- Thorbir Falbek, a Dwarven Fighter played by Wil Wheaton
- Ethred “Sprigg” Brokenbranch, a Gnome Rogue played by Darin De Paul
- Shale, a Goliath Fighter played by Chris Perkins
- Lyra, a Human Wizard played by Felicia Day
- Lionel “Chod” Gayheart, a Half-Orc multiclass Bard and Barbarian played by Jon Heder
- Lillith Daturai, a Tiefling Wizard played by Kit Buss
- Kerrek, a Human Paladin played by Patrick Rothfuss
The Adventure, Part 1
Vox Machina were the first heroes of the Tal’Dorei setting, and their reputation was well earned. Though the adventure began before the stream, we meet our heroes in the dwarven city of Kraghammer. Here, they venture into a mithril mine to rescue a halfling cleric named Kima. Within, they battle the beholder K’Varn, who has taken control of a mind flayer colony using the Horn of Orcus, a dangerous weapon.
After returning to Emon, they found Lord and Lady Briarwood attending the Emperor of Emon as diplomats of Whitestone. Unknown to the Emperor, the Briarwoods were servants of a powerful god and were dangerous to the crown. They had taken Whitestone by killing the de Rolos, Percy’s family. Though they escaped Vox Machina in Emon, the party was able to track them back to Whitestone and retake it. Unfortunately, a few remnants of the Briarwoods’ work remained…
The Adventure, Part 2
While they believe the realm has returned to relative peace, a group of four ancient dragons calling themselves the Chroma Conclave attack Emon, destroying much of the city and slaughtering hundreds of citizens. Vox Machina themselves are barely able to escape to Whitestone. To battle these new enemies, they must seek the Vestiges of Divergence, powerful artifacts from long ago. This sees them brave the Feywild, the Elemental Plane of Fire, and Grog’s powerful Goliath herd. However, in the end, they successfully defeat the deadly dragons.
The Briarwoods had not been idle, even in death, and as Vox Machina rushed to stop them, Delilah Briarwood was able to resurrect their dark god, Vecna. This powerful God of Death proved nearly too much for them to handle and spelled the doom of Vax’ildan. It was only with the help of the gods and with a great sacrifice from Scanlan Shorthalt that the adventurers were able to defeat Vecna once and for all. With all they’d seen up to that point, they decided to retire from adventuring, going their separate ways.
Vox Machina the Show
In 2022, Amazon picked up an animated version of the campaign titled The Legend of Vox Machina. It originally began as a Kickstarter in 2019 and was funded with overwhelming support. This show tells the epic story of the brave adventurers as they battle dragons, vampires, and other deadly forces. Though it is not identical to the campaign, the truncated storytelling doesn’t rob the overall story. It was renewed for a second season in 2023, and is set to have a third this year.
Vox Machina: The Heroes of D&D
Outside of their exploits in Tal’Dorei, the cast of Vox Machina are heroes just the same. They constantly champion inclusion in the tabletop gaming space, use their platform to support important issues, and have opened up the world of D&D to a much wider audience. While some view that as a negative, this writer is glad to see so many people flocking to a game they love. For my part, I hope Vox Machina’s ripples are felt for years to come.
