Keyleth

Keyleth is a half-elf druid member of Vox Machina. She is played by Marisha Ray.

Keyleth was raised in Zephrah as a member of the Air Ashari tribe. When she was a child, her mother Vilya left on a journey to earn the title of headmaster of the tribe, but never came back. After reaching adulthood, Keyleth left her home to attempt the Aramenté herself.

During her adventures with Vox Machina, she became the wielder of a legendary staff, the Spire of Conflux, to fight against the Chroma Conclave. She completed her Aramenté and became the headmaster of the Air Ashari, a position that grants her the title "Voice of the Tempest", adding several thousand years to her lifespan.

Intro
"A first impression of Keyleth would leave you with little information on the half-elven druid. You might even think that her social awkwardness, due to her sheltered upbringing, is... kind of sweet. Of course, it would be unwise to underestimate her based on first impressions. Under that unintimidating petite frame is a vicious beast waiting to be unleashed, whose natural powers have made even the fiercest of champions pee their pants. Literally.

''Born to the air tribe of the Ashari people, Keyleth was raised with a deep love of nature and the elemental magics. It is her people's inherent duty to protect the delicate areas in Tal'Dorei, where the four elemental planes begin to bleed with this realm. Since she was a little girl, she had quite a knack for air manipulation and beast shaping abilities; well, if you consider kittens and flying squirrels to be little beasts, which I do. Anyways, it wasn't long before the headmaster of the tribe, her father, Korrin, realized her true prodigious abilities and she was inveterated to succeed him as the next headmaster. Just like that, her jovial childhood was stripped and replaced with endless spell memorization, teachings from ancient traditions, and exceedingly high expectations.''

''Every druid leader-to-be must embark on a journey to seek out the sister tribes in order to introduce and establish respect amongst the fellow headmasters. They call this the Aramenté, or Noble Odyssey. When her father felt she was ready, he set her on the path to truly discovering herself. Not knowing when, or if, she will ever return. As she hikes down the mountain towards Stilben, she meditated on the task ahead. Part of the Aramenté is proving yourself a strong warrior, a valiant protector, and a wise and compassionate leader. With this knowledge, one thought plays in repeat in her mind: is she even worthy?"''

Appearance
During Campaign 1, Keyleth is a twenty-three-year-old young half-elven woman standing about 6' tall, with fair skin, green eyes and long red hair, which was later cut short. She is depicted with freckles on her nose and cheeks in some official material. She's almost never seen without her signature "antlers", a druidic circlet. She would later wear the Mantle of the Tempest, a long cloak made of dark green leathers that unfurl into autumn-colored leaves.

After joining the Slayer's Take, Keyleth has the brand of the guild on her right arm. In the year that passed between Vex'ahlia's first successful Grey Hunt and the party's vacation to Marquet, Keyleth received tattoos along her chest, shoulders, and back to symbolize the Mantle of the Tempest when she's not wearing it, as a reminder of her position as the Voice of the Tempest.

In 836 PD (at the time of her appearance in Campaign 2), Keyleth's description seemed to match her previous appearance. Because of the druid ability Timeless Body, even though Keyleth is 47 years old at the time, she should appear to be around 25 years old.

Personality
Keyleth is shy and very socially inept. This makes it difficult for her to persuade others to help her and her friends out in many situations. However, she also has a strong moral compass, which leads her to question at times some of the rather extreme choices that Vox Machina tends to make. Although she has slowly been overcoming her own social flaws, at times her anger gets the better of her. She has been gaining more confidence in herself, and becoming more pragmatic, without compromising her morals. At times, Keyleth is prone to acting impulsively, which has led to unfavorable outcomes. However, she's also very tenacious and stubborn, refusing to give up even in the bleakest of circumstances and always wanting to go the extra mile to help others. Another thing that defines Keyleth is her tendency to feel guilty. She tends to focus more on her mistakes than her successes.

Whereas many of her people, the Ashari, are worshipers of the nature goddess Melora, following her as a deity and example, Keyleth herself is much less devout. In fact, she has a very strong distrust towards any religious establishment. This is due to several unpleasant experiences in the past where she had witnessed corruption within those of the faith. It is after the attack of the Chroma Conclave, or the Chroma Crisis, begins that she starts to overcome her distrust of the gods, most notably taking an interest in Melora herself.

Despite her peoples' exceedingly high expectations of her, deep down Keyleth never wanted the responsibility she was given. But she felt as if she couldn't escape from it, that she had no control over her future since birth. She yearned to return to the normal life she once had, to be blissful and ignorant again. However, over time, she has learned to accept her responsibilities. After many struggles, she took up the mantle of the Voice of the Tempest and became a leader for her people.

Keyleth also believed for the longest time that she did not deserve happiness. She has a strong fear of death and of losing those close to her. She worries that even if she lives to fulfill her Aramenté, she will still watch those close to her die. This has caused her great pain and for some time made her unable to allow herself to love others, such as Vax'ildan, who would become her first boyfriend. She eventually fought that same fear and confessed her feelings to him. It was also Vax who taught her how to love and take chances.

Keyleth feels attraction towards confident and self-assured people because those are qualities that don't come easy to her. She not only returned Vax's affections when she confessed her love for him, but also has expressed an attraction to women. As she mentions to Percy during Grog's rematch with Earthbreaker Groon, when Vex thinks of flashing Grog to "inspire" him, Keyleth suggests it could be inspiring for all of them. But she herself is new at relationships in general and trying to figure things out about herself.

Keyleth is one of the party's main spellcasters. She often uses her Wild Shape abilities to turn into various creatures for battle, scouting, transportation, stealth, and many other purposes. She can control the elements, and at times she uses these abilities to slow down enemies or buy time but is also capable of using said powers to defend herself and others. Keyleth also possesses some knowledge of healing, as she can heal the wounds of her friends and she once managed to bring Grog out of a catatonic state.

Keyleth's alignment is "neutral good", like Percy and, originally, Vex'ahlia.

Background
Keyleth was born in the Air Ashari village of Zephrah to two other half-elven druids, Korrin and Vilya. Ever since she was a little girl, she had a natural talent for transforming into beasts and for using magic.

Prior to the start of the campaign, when Keyleth was only five or six years old, Vilya had gone on the Aramenté to succeed Korrin as headmaster, but she never returned. Due to that, Keyleth became next in line. As such, she found herself groomed to become Korrin's successor, having to undergo endless training in the ways of her people, her people having very high expectations of her. Due to her sheltered life and homeschooling, Keyleth never really had any friends growing up.

When she came of age at age 20, Korrin sent Keyleth out into the world to follow in her parents' footsteps, to seek out the sister-tribes of the Ashari, establish respect and communication between the fellow headmasters, and become a strong leader for her people. Early in her journey, she found herself in the swamp town of Stilben where she met members of the group that would—herself included—eventually form the adventuring party that would become Vox Machina.

Vox Machina: Origins
Series I Keyleth ran into Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia for the first time in the K'tawl Swamp, near Stilben. She healed a wound on Vax's chest and was very friendly towards the twins, but was only met with distrust from them, especially Vex. Keyleth stated that the swamp water might be poisoned, and drank some to find out, much to the dismay of the twins. They parted way shortly after, and Keyleth returned to the town, where she met up with Tiberius and the rest of her group: Stitch, Brul, and Helicax. The party had been hired by The Clasp to find out who was poisoning the peasants they rely on for their prostitution supply and narcotics sales. When Stitch asked for compensation for a job well done but got poisoned, they got 12 hours to get to the bottom of the killings, or else Stitch would die.

Keyleth and Tiberius split off from the rest of their group, and headed for an alchemical laboratory where they ran into Vex and Vax, as well as Scanlan and Grog, who Tiberius had met previously. The pairs didn't trust each other but banded together to fight a common enemy, Iselda. After Iselda retreated into a mirror, Keyleth suggested that they all work together since they ultimately had the same goal, but the pairs all turned her down and went their own separate ways.

Vex'ahlia later called on the help of the others to help her rescue Vax, who had been kidnapped and pulled inside a magic mirror. Keyleth was the only one to accept. She followed Vex to the outskirts of town and was introduced to Trinket. The trio headed for the docks in search of Vax and ran again into the others. They all witnessed an explosion as Vax'ildan jumped out of a hole in the side of a ship, where he was being held captive.

The group decided to work together this time, and boarded the Mockingbird. They fought their way to Iselda as well as the source of the poison that has been plaguing the inhabitants of Stilben. They managed to kill her, stop a strange ritual, and escape through the previously made hole in the side of the ship. Afterward, they all headed to a tavern together.

Series II When tracking the whereabouts of their friend Grog, the party that would one day become Vox Machina was directed to the Trickfoot household, where they met Pike. Later, the party had to split to find ingredients for a ritual to save Grog from a lich attempting to possess his body. Keyleth went with Pike and Scanlan to the Umbra Hills to find the skull of a nightmare.

While looking for a cult rumored to possess the item, the trio interrogated Percival de Rolo, a prisoner accused of being one of the cultists. He explained to them that he was actually put in jail by the cult, and Keyleth and the others busted him out in exchange for his help. After their mission was complete, Percival decided to tag along with them.

A paladin of Tiamat, Arkhan, hired a small group of mercenaries, including Keyleth and Percival, to investigate the Vault of Shumas in the Aggrad Mountains of Marquet, where they discovered the Wreath of the Prism.

& other pre-stream events
Keyleth and several other members of Vox Machina fell into a subterranean river system below Emon, where they encountered an aboleth. Keyleth almost died after turning into a shark to fight it in the water, as the aboleth created a slime that tainted the water and pulled the oxygen out of it, causing her to suffocate.

At some point, Keyleth was thrown in jail and the party had to figure out a way to get her out. Scanlan managed to convince the guards that she had pubic lice. She played along by foaming at the mouth and acting insane. Percy acted as her lawyer.

Vox Machina was forced to fight the Dread Emperor after they discovered he was abducting children and had abducted Uriel Tal'Dorei's son. While the group was in an alternate plane of existence controlled by the being known as the Dread Emperor, Keyleth was able to stop a fight against a corrupted treant using her ability Dominate Plants. While fighting the Dread Emperor, one of his defenses was using children chained by their necks to him as living shields to share the damage he took from the group's attacks. When Keyleth attempted to rescue one of the children with her Grasping Vine spell, she got into a tug-of-war fight with the Dread Emperor over the child. The child accidentally died when his neck broke from too much pressure around the collar.

During the six-month period of time where Vox Machina decided to split to pursue their own separate goals, Keyleth traveled to Terrah alone to complete her Earth Ashari trial. However, she experienced great difficulty due to the trauma of the child's death still fresh in her mind.

Arc 1: Kraghammer and Vasselheim


While the party was journeying through the Underdark, Keyleth mentioned her suspicions about Lady Kima of Vord. Vax argued that she wasn't being fair to her. He then told the druid that he knew about her hardships, that they all have had them, and that they have all made mistakes. Keyleth subsequently broke down in tears, wondering if they were doing the right thing and upset that she killed a lot of people. Vax, along with Percy and Tiberius, went on to mention that despite the situation in which they found themselves, miles underground, they were the only ones that could put a stop to K'Varn's plot and that they would get through their ordeal together.



Vox Machina journeyed to Pyrah so Keyleth could attempt the next step of her Aramenté. They met with Cerkonos, Flamespeaker and headmaster of the Fire Ashari. Cerkonos confirmed that Keyleth's mother, Vilya, came through about ten years ago on her own Aramenté. He invited Keyleth to begin her trial immediately, with no preparation. They proceeded to the Cindergrove, where they found and entered a portal into the Elemental Plane of Fire. Cerkonos told her to "follow the footsteps" to find a "stone spire."

Arriving at the stone obelisk that Cerkonos told them to look for, they found Cerkonos himself and two other druids. The druids transformed into fire elementals to test the party's skills in combat. The party took down two of the druids before a cinder storm interrupted their fight and they were forced to flee the plane. Once back outside the portal, Cerkonos congratulated Keyleth on completing her trial. He gifted her a spark stone in celebration of the deed.

Arc 2: The Briarwoods


Keyleth expressed her concerns to the rest of the group about Percy's brutal behavior while fighting The Broker and his entourage, namely butchering an unconscious old woman, but the group was quick to justify it based on his traumatized state after confronting the Briarwoods. Keyleth also put forth the idea that the group should consider their sense of morality more going forward. She considered leaving the group if this kind of senseless violence continued. The group agreed that they should all be more mindful of their actions.



Vax finally revealed to Keyleth, after almost dying again at the hands of Professor Anders, that he was in love with her and emphasized it with a kiss. Vax's sudden display of affection greatly flustered Keyleth.



Keyleth stayed behind while the rest of the group left the ziggurat and tried shoving some glass into the black orb. As her hand got to a point of no resistance, she felt an immediate, extremely strong suction begin to pull towards her hand, and yanked back with all her might, pulling away successfully.

It was revealed during that Marisha rolling a nat 20 on her strength save may have saved Keyleth's life at that moment, as the save was very high. If she had failed, she would have gone through the orb, taken a ton of damage, and either died or been thrust out into the Shadowfell on the outskirts of Thar Amphala, completely alone.

 After freeing Whitestone, Percy and Keyleth had a private talk. She showed him the skull of a raven that she had found in a nearby field, then cleaned and polished for him, explaining that it reminded her of everything that had happened and how Percy nearly gave into the demon inside him. She gave him the skull as a reminder of what Percy or any of them could have become if they gave in to darkness.

Arc 3: The Chroma Conclave


Allura told Vox Machina that she and a group of adventurers had sealed Thordak in the Elemental Plane of Fire about 15 years prior, and Keyleth feared that his escape might have put the Fire Ashari in danger. She immediately felt responsible for Thordak's escape, and worried Vox Machina might even be responsible for the attack of the Chroma Conclave, remembering the time Vox Machina killed Brimscythe and were threatened by the dragons through magical stones in his lair, two years before.

With the help of Allura, Keyleth scried on Pyrah and saw the devastation left behind by the red dragon. Everything was burned and destroyed, and she saw no survivors. After exiting the ritual, Keyleth, devastated, declared that her people had failed their cause. Allura tried to encourage her, promising that they would rally who they can and bring the dragons to justice.



Keyleth and Vax both voiced their disapproval of an alliance with the Clasp and, as a sign of him severing all ties with the guild, Vax asked Keyleth to burn away the brand on his back. Keyleth complied and did so with her burning hand, leaving in its place a scar of her handprint. Before retiring for the evening, when Vax knocked on her door, Keyleth let him in and they spent the night together.



After Vax'ildan offered himself to the Raven Queen to save his sister's life, he told Keyleth he loved her. Keyleth answered that she thought she loved him, too, but was afraid of it because she might lose him. She feared outliving and losing everyone after completing her Aramenté, a feat that would allow her to live for hundreds of years.

The next day, Vox Machina traveled back to Pyrah, and found it almost completely destroyed, with the volcano still erupting. Cerkonos, gravely injured, announced that there were only twenty-five survivors. He believed they brought tragedy on themselves, as the Fire Ashari had agreed to help Allura's party seal Thordak into the Elemental Plane of Fire. Keyleth's father, Korrin, was also there to help, and Keyleth reunited with him for the first time since she began her Aramenté. She apologized for not checking in sooner, saying she was afraid of disappointing him.



Cerkonos revealed to Keyleth that the tear that allowed Thordak to escape was opened by a young girl named Raishan taken in by the Fire Ashari four years prior. He warned Keyleth to watch out for her, believing she may be someone else than what she led the tribe to believe. Keyleth, filled with resentment, recognized the name: the girl was none other than the green dragon from the Chroma Conclave.



After the defeat of Umbrasyl, Vox Machina had a party thrown in their honor in Westruun. Keyleth felt extremely undeserving and began to panic, as she still felt guilty for the dragon's attack in the first place. Noticing Keyleth's unease and anxiety, Kerrek invited her to step outside. He understood that she was bothered by the fact that no matter what she did, she seemed to end up destroying more things than she fixed. He validated her fears and anxieties, but reminded her that things aren't hopeless, and explained that he once felt the same way and turned out okay. Keyleth felt comforted from this talk, and later hugged Kerrek tightly when it was time to say goodbye.



Emotionally exhausted after coming back from the ruins of Draconia, where she witnessed the dead body of her friend Tiberius, Keyleth knocked on Vax's door and asked to spend the night with him. She finally admitted that she loved him too, and was ready to pursue a relationship with him. The two half-elves sealed the deal with a high-five before embracing.



Keyleth used Control Weather to command an entire storm to part for the skyship that Vox Machina was using to chase after Anna Ripley.



Keyleth received a letter from Kerrek, who gave news of Westruun and talked about the hardship of being a leader for his people. Keyleth was happy to hear from her friend, and receive more of his advice.



Raishan revealed that she had been masquerading as Seeker Assum and was aware of their plans to defeat the Conclave, and proposed an alliance with Vox Machina, as she also wished to take down Thordak. Keyleth, enraged, declared that Raishan would not live to see Thordak die and would suffer for what she did.

During Raishan's conversation with Vox Machina, Keyleth frequently interjected with resentful, aggressive remarks and threats towards the green dragon. While most of the party believed it would be better to team up with Raishan in order to defeat Vorugal and Thordak, planning on killing her later, Keyleth was extremely against the idea. Fueled by her need for revenge, she wanted to use this chance to kill her then and there. After careful negotiations, and when even Grog advised for patience, Keyleth reluctantly accepted the deal and shook hands with Raishan.



During the battle against Vorugal, Vox Machina summoned the goristro, Yenk, and defeated them both. They uncovered a powerful staff, the Spire of Conflux, one of the Vestiges of Divergence, from his body. It was given to Keyleth to wield.



Back in Whitestone, Raishan reappeared, still disguised as Seeker Assum. She appeared to have had modified Kima's memory, as she acted like she was talking to the real Assum. Keyleth insisted on killing Raishan now, but the others wanted her help in defeating the Cinder King. Keyleth asked Grog how he used his rage, being able to be patient. He told her to let her rage build, and that he would help her take down Raishan when the time was right.



After Keyleth fell in lava during the battle inside Thordak's lair, her hair was badly burned and left a lot shorter than it used to be. Vax'ildan gave Keyleth a clean cut with Whisper.



Vox Machina tracked Raishan back to the Island of Viscan and confronted her. Keyleth spoke up, telling the dragon that she had taught her a lot about herself in the past weeks, and how she hopes to never turn to anger and selfishness in dark times as Raishan did. The two had a tense conversation, in which Keyleth admitted that she had let herself be driven by her selfish need for revenge against Raishan, and wasn't the only one who should decide what her fate was going to be. She offered Raishan a fair trial on behalf of the people of Emon, the Ashari, and all of Exandria if she accepted to follow them peacefully. The dragon scoffed at the offer, comparing the people of Exandria to ants below her feet.

During the battle with Raishan, Keyleth cast Feeblemind against the dragon in a desperate attempt, and succeeded. Raishan's brilliant mind was reduced to primal instincts, and the party managed to take her down, though at great cost.

Later, when attempting to teleport away from the island, Allura and Kima accidentally ended up in the middle of the ocean. Keyleth found them through scrying, and spotted them far off the coast, allowing Vex to fly to them and rescue them.

Arc 4: Taryon Darrington


Vox Machina arrived at Vesrah so Keyleth could take on the final trial on her Aramenté and meet with Uvenda, Heart of the Tides and headmaster of the Water Ashari. Uvenda explained that the final task of the Aramenté was to venture through the rift into the Elemental Plane of Water. There, they would have to gather three lodestones dropped by a kraken living not far from the rift. They could not, however, kill the kraken, as the Water Ashari people would then lose their source of lodestones.

Uvenda revealed that Keyleth's mother made it to their tribe but was unable to complete her Aramenté. She attempted this task with her own group of companions, but they were all killed in the effort. Of her remains, only a leg was found, so she could not even be properly interred. Keyleth accepted this news and agreed to attempt the task the following morning.



The party ventured to the Aerie of Torrent, the rift to the Elemental Plane of Water. They managed to bring back the required loadstones through the portal while fighting off the kraken. Keyleth plane shifted with Vex'alia and the lifeless body of Vax'ildan to the outskirts of Vesrah, while the rest of the group were left to fight their way out through the rift. This was a key turning point in Keyleth's development as a leader.



During Vax's resurrection ritual, Keyleth touched the handprint she burned onto Vax's back, casting Daylight as a light to guide him back from the darkness. The ritual succeeded.

Uvenda was visibly surprised and congratulated Keyleth on the completion of her Aramenté. She admitted that the Aramenté was not meant to be lethal; Keyleth and her mother had been the only ones to attempt it since the coming of the kraken, and perhaps it was time to reconsider the task. As a reward for completing her trial, Keyleth learned the 9th-level spell Shapechange.

Keyleth announced that she has been holding on to something she had Gilmore help her make: a set of dragon-tooth pendants, enchanted so that, if any member of the party goes unconscious, the rest will know. She handed out a pendant to each member of the party.



After fulfilling her Aramente, Keyleth eventually returned to Zephrah for her coronation as the Voice of the Tempest. She attested the success of her journey to the people of the world, the support of her tribe, and most importantly, the bonds of friendship and family she has with Vox Machina. As proof of her new responsibilities, she was gifted the Mantle of the Tempest and the Inspiring Leader feat.



During her year off, Keyleth spent a lot of time in Zephrah with Vax. When she and Vax went to get tattoos together, Keyleth got a version of her mantle across her chest and shoulders. She also spent a significant amount of time, with Percy and Tary's help, setting up a Crisis Orb system to enable better communication between the four cities of the Ashari.

Keyleth worked with Pike, Vex'ahlia, and Taryon in the Slayer's Cake, a bakery they opened together in Whitestone. She also took a sprig from the Sun Tree in Whitestone to grow her own tree in Zephrah, spent some time learning more alchemy, and had crafting parties with Vex and Tary.

At some point, Keyleth, Vax, Vex, Pike, and Tary all made a group outing to the Feywild to look for the theater they had been told about. They found it in the north of the forest where they had faced Saundor. Disguising themselves as small beasts and insects, they snuck into the theater and watched a three-act performance put on by six pale, white-eyed, elvish-looking actors. On their return from the theater, Percy, who had read a lot about the Feywild in his youth, told them they had managed to witness the Royal Troupe of the Unseelie Court, and that, had they been caught, they very easily might not have been heard from ever again.



In what may have been a slight lapse of judgment, Keyleth swan-dived over the side of a cliff to join Vex'ahlia at the bottom, thinking she would hit water and be fine. She didn't jump quite far enough, however. In a moment of panic, she Wild Shaped into a goldfish before hitting the rocks at the base of the cliff and died on impact. Vex, on her broom, was the only one who saw this. Luckily, she still had a Revivify coin given to her by Tary and quickly used it on Keyleth's body.

Arc 5: Vecna


While Keyleth and Vex retrieved the Sword of Kas, they accidentally revealed their position to Vecna, who sent the resurrected Briarwoods. To escape them, Keyleth cast Plane Shift and brought the party to the Feywild. Once there, she suggested asking Artagan for help to ensure that time wasn't warped during their stay there. However, when he showed up, Artagan only agreed if he was allowed to strangle Vax'ildan to death and if they built a doorway into the material plane for him.



Keyleth brought the party back to Thar Amphala and Vox Machina fought their way to Vecna.



During the fight against Vecna, she hit the god with a Sunburst spell, accidentally killing Velora, who was trapped inside his ribcage. She Shapechanged into a planetar and attempted to drive the Raven Queen's Divine Trammel into Vecna's chest to aid with his banishing ritual, but missed, and the trammel shattered.

Although Scanlan was the only member of Vox Machina able to read arcane texts, Keyleth realized that, in her planetar form, all languages were legible to her. While Scanlan had to wait for his next chance to attempt the rites of Prime Banishment, she flew to him and took the book, beginning to read. Keyleth finished the ritual and Vecna was successfully sealed.



Vox Machina flew down to the Platinum Sanctuary on the back of J'mon Sa Ord to announce the defeat of Vecna. On the urging of her friends, Keyleth stepped forward to address the people gathered there.

Almost immediately after the end of her speech, the Raven Queen appeared to take Vax away. After he said goodbye to his sister, Vax turned to Keyleth. She said she wasn't ready, but he assured her she was ready to lead her people. Keyleth promised she would find him and see him again.

Sometime later, after helping Pike for a while in the rebuilding of Vasselheim, Keyleth eventually retired to Zephrah to take up her duties there. She adventured with her friends when called upon, and reconnected with Kerrek in Westruun. Taking the raven feather given to her by Pike, she embedded it into the sprig she once took from the Sun Tree in Whitestone. The sprig grew over time into a new Raven Tree of the Ashari.

One cold day, on the 13th day of the tenth month of the year, Keyleth was visited by a single raven, larger than the ones she has seen before. She blew it a kiss, and the raven landed on her shoulder. Every day after, that raven came to visit.

After Campaign 1
In, Keyleth brought Derrig, her bodyguard, as her plus one to Vex and Percy's wedding. Keyleth was asked to be Percy's best woman. She was very nervous and inquired with the wedding planner to make sure that everything was going to be perfect. After waking up with the others who had been knocked unconscious, she lifted a heavy fog that limited visibility, allowing the party to realize Vex and Percy were missing. Keyleth, in water elemental form, retrieved Vex'ahlia's body from the ocean. She was not in time to save Vex'ahlia from drowning, but she was able to bring her back to be revived with Revivify.

After Sylas Briarwood was finally defeated, Vex'ahlia and Percy decided to get married then and there on the cliff. Keyleth stood behind Percy as they exchanged vows. Right before the rings were brought out, Scanlan interrupted the ceremony to cast Wish, and Vax'ildan appeared briefly. After he congratulated his sister and her husband, he turned to Keyleth and wrapped her in his arms. Keyleth told him her life was not the same without him and jokingly asked how he expected her to get over him if he kept sending her ravens. He assured her that he was far, but not gone.

Per her epilogue in, Keyleth lent her wisdom to the councils of Tal'Dorei and Whitestone. She eventually considered dating again, though not for a long time after Vax's loss. As a half-elf archdruid, could live to be over a thousand years old. She intends to eventually retreat into the Raven Tree to become a part of the realm.

In 837 PD, six years prior to Campaign 3, Otohan Thull, along with her Gray Assassins, attacked Ashari village of Zephrah. It was assumed to be an attack on Keyleth, Voice of the Tempest in an attempt to draw the attention of the Champion of Ravens. In this fight, members of the Ashari, Orym's husband Will and his father-in-law Derrig were killed under the effect of the toxin that prevents resurrection attempts. After Keyleth dealt with the assassins, their remains disappeared, as if they had melted. About six years later, shortly before, Jarret Howarth heard from his old friend Oshad Breshio that assassins, matching a similar description, had murdered the Lumas twins, and passed along this intelligence to the Air Ashari via his employers, Percy and Vex'ahlia De Rolo.

In 836 PD, during Campaign 2, while in Zephrah, Keyleth reunited with her mother Vilya, who emerged from a tree via Transport via Plants from Rumblecusp.

Campaign 3: Bells Hells
In 842 PD, in Exandria Unlimited, Orym alluded to having worked for Keyleth in Zephrah. In the following year, shortly before Campaign 3, she sent Orym on a mission to Marquet to find Oshad Breshio. Keyleth advised him to invite his friends Fearne Calloway and Dorian Storm, who could help him with this task. She used Transport via Plants to sneak them to the skyship port in Emon, from which they traveled to Jrusar.

About a month into his mission, Orym contacted Keyleth with his findings by Sending cast by Imogen. In response, Keyleth told Orym to continue his investigation and that she would do what she could to help from afar. Bells Hells contacted her via Sending to arrange a meeting in the hopes that Keyleth could resurrect Laudna. Keyleth, who was on business in Vasselheim, used Transport via Plants to meet them in Jrusar. Recognizing Laudna as someone whose body was hung from the Sun Tree as a threat to Vox Machina decades ago, Keyleth cast Transport via Plants again to bring the group to Whitestone. She inspected Laudna's body for the presence of a toxin that might prevent resurrection magic, and, once she confirmed it was not present, left Bells Hells with Percy after she was called away on business.

While Bells Hells were on route to Gelvaan, Orym had Imogen deliver another update to Keyleth via Sending. She informed him that she was in Terrah, investigating some trouble beneath the rift, and she believed it may be related to the situation he was looking into. A few days later, she contacted Orym through the Message Bloom he recieved in Niirdal-Poc to inform him that the Cult of the Dark Heart beneath Terrah was challenging, but they were able to, at some cost, defeat them and stabilize the rift. However, the leader, Vureeo, indicated an alliance or shared interest with the Ruby Vanguard. Keyleth told him she could bring some people to the Tishtan site to help. Imogen cast Sending to Keyleth and told her where to go.

As Bells Hells prepared for the assault on the eve of the apogee solstice, Orym marked a haggardoe tree with the symbol of the Ashari for Keyleth's use. When they were ready, Imogen messaged Keyleth, telling her to arrive in an hour. When she did, she appeared in earth elemental form and told the assembled to halt, then cast Mass Cure Wounds, but immediately was incapacitated by Ludinus's Power Word Stun. Otohan then attacked her repeatedly until she dropped back into her normal form. When Otohan went for a blow that was intended to be fatal, the Champion of Ravens appeared, daggers drawn to protect Keyleth.

Season One
In the animated adaptation, Keyleth showed to be very hesitant in using her powers and often froze in panic during battle. However, she fought past her fears to save her friends: when Brimscythe collapsed rocks on top of them, Keyleth created a sphere of vines to protect them. She later conjured sunlight for the first time while the group was under attack by undead creatures, pushing the enemies back and allowing Vox Machina to defeat them. Keyleth mentionned her Aramenté to Percy, telling him that she might never see her family again should she fail. She later expressed more doubt about her future role as leader to Vax'ildan.

Grog
Keyleth and Grog have worked together on occasion, such as creating a special combo attack referred to as the "Fastball Special", where Keyleth turns into a brawny creature, like an earth elemental, in order to have enough strength to throw Grog at a large opponent.

Grog was present when Keyleth was on the brink of attacking Raishan when the dragon revealed herself in the guise of Seeker Assum and explained to her the value of patience. When Keyleth, struggling with her anger at Raishan, asked Grog how he manages to keep his rage in check, he answered: "Family."

Kashaw
Keyleth became interested with the cleric Kashaw Vesh while completing a trial for the Slayer's Take guild in Vasselheim, even receiving her first kiss from him before he departed. During their reunion when the party visited Vasselheim once more, after the attack of the Chroma Conclave, the two of them cleared the air as Kashaw apologized for stealing her first kiss, saying that while it felt good, it was ultimately wrong of him. Keyleth herself said that he didn't have to, that she never meant to hurt anyone physically or emotionally.

When Vex'ahlia was killed due to a trap within Purvan Suul's tomb, Kashaw revived her because he knew Keyleth would have wanted him to. After Vex's resurrection, Kashaw told her that he believes not in Vesh, but in life itself. He later told Keyleth that he noticed the interest that Vax'ildan, Vex's twin brother, had in her and told her to stay near him, that the rogue would look after her in his stead. Since then, the two have had a rather awkward friendship.

Kerrek
Keyleth first met Kerrek after Vox Machina defeated Umbrasyl the Hope Devourer. When Keyleth was having a breakdown over the fact that she hated being called a hero, thinking that she was not due to her actions, it was Kerrek whom she confided in, telling him that she never wanted the burden and responsibility of the Aramenté. The former paladin served as an inspiration and mentor to her, being the very first person who completely understood Keyleth's constant struggles with herself, telling her that she needed to look at the big picture even if it was unpleasant, that things were not as hopeless as she believed. It was this advice that started to motivate her to turn her life and way of thinking around, which would later lead to her further development as a person. He later sent a letter to Keyleth after Percy's resurrection, giving her additional wisdom along with a ring with the engraved words, "I Have Passed Through Fire".

Keyleth and Kerrek crossed paths once more in the wake of the death of Thordak and the escape of Raishan, as he comforted her after her failure to achieve revenge for her people. He later accompanied her to the Island of Viscan in order to find and defeat Raishan for good, being given her Cloak of Displacement just in case. When the battle was won thanks to their combined efforts, and after Allura Vysoren and Lady Kima vanished due to a freak teleportation accident, Keyleth had managed to spot the two of them in the ocean despite the odds. Kerrek, being doubtful of Keyleth, tried giving her "the talk", saying that sometimes you lose people and you never get them back. However, his words only served to make Keyleth feel worse. After Scanlan Shorthalt's resurrection in Whitestone, the two later parted ways in Emon.

Lady Kima of Vord
Keyleth and Kima did not initially see eye to eye. After Vox Machina's assault on the Emberhold, they had gotten into a very heated argument about how the paladin's blind faith in her god's protection in addition to her vengeful desires put their party in grave peril and caused Grog to get captured. Keyleth also told Kima that she hoped, in her efforts to rid the world of K'Varn, she would not end up becoming the very thing she was trying to destroy.

Keyleth later expressed concern to the rest of her group that she did not want Kima or the people of Emon to gain control of the Horn of Orcus, as she did not completely trust them. After being comforted by Vax, Percy, and Tiberius about the situation they had found themselves in, Keyleth later apologized to Kima, who forgave her earlier outburst, and the tension between them lessened greatly with Keyleth giving Kima her patience while the paladin gave the party the respect they deserved.

In the days since, Kima earned Keyleth's trust and even her friendship as well, a prime example being when the paladin was reunited with Vox Machina after the attack of the Chroma Conclave. Keyleth, in particular, had defended Kima when High Bearer Vord ridiculed the halfling's "foolish impulses" by saying that said impulses were exactly what Vox Machina needed.

Korrin
Keyleth loves her father very much. The interim headmaster himself has expressed his praise and fondness for his daughter and her accomplishments. The night before the battle to reclaim Emon, he decided to aid Keyleth and Vox Machina by having his tribe provide air support, with him taking part in the battle himself. Upon Keyleth's return to Zephrah after the completion of the Aramenté, Korrin personally passed on the mantle of leadership to his daughter, appointing her as the new headmaster of the tribe and once again expressing how proud he is and how proud her mother would have been if she had lived.

Percy
Keyleth and Percy share a deep bond of friendship, despite their differing views on leadership and moral choices.

Pike
Despite having a huge distrust of the gods, Keyleth has great respect for Pike and the two are good friends.

Before Keyleth departed for the Feywild, Pike told her about how despite being a cleric of Sarenrae, she still has control over her own life. She then gave Keyleth some advice about finding happiness and getting comfortable with Vax. That advice eventually gave Keyleth the courage to confess to him.

Raishan
Keyleth discovered from Cerkonos, headmaster of the Fire Ashari, that a young girl that they took in had been the one responsible for freeing Thordak of the Chroma Conclave from the Plane of Fire. Her actions had led to Pyrah's destruction and the devastation of his tribe. Keyleth later learned that the girl who set Thordak free and one of the dragons of the Conclave, Raishan, were one and the same.

Since then, Keyleth developed an immense hatred for the Diseased Deceiver which was brought to the fore when the dragon revealed herself to Vox Machina under the guise of Assum Emring. She lashed out at the dragon, the party having to calm her down and convince her to not give in to her desire to kill Raishan out of fear of destroying Whitestone. Eventually, Raishan and Vox Machina made a mutual yet temporary alliance to defeat Thordak due to the Cinder King having lied to her. Keyleth begrudgingly agreed to the alliance, but still yearned to kill the dragon to avenge her sister-tribe.

Despite failing to kill her in the moments after Thordak's death due to Raishan escaping, in their last encounter Keyleth spoke up against the dragon, the druid keeping her anger in check and mentioning her hope that during her very long lifetime she does not become like her, and she even gave Raishan a chance to surrender and be brought to justice, a far outcry from their first proper encounter in Whitestone weeks before. A long and bloody battle ensued, with Keyleth effectively neutralizing Raishan's spellcasting with Feeblemind, destroying her very identity and intellect, and Kerrek delivering the final blow on her.

Tiberius
During their adventures together, Keyleth and Tiberius shared a strong, respectful friendship. When Tiberius was discovered to have died defending Draconia, it was Keyleth who personally buried him.

Vax'ildan
Vax is Keyleth's first love. Beginning as simply mutual acquaintances and later friends alongside the rest of Vox Machina, the two of them eventually became romantic partners after a series of harrowing events. After over a year of traveling alongside him, she first developed feelings for the rogue when he began standing up for her, becoming the first to ever do so. Vax has also shown his full support in regards to the Aramenté, encouraging Keyleth to pursue her goals and that she deserves to live the life she is destined to have.

Keyleth was initially hesitant to admit her feelings for Vax, however, and for a time she was afraid of losing him be it through himself dying in battle or just outliving him, a fear that kept her from allowing herself to love him. She eventually did admit her feelings, much to her relief and his. The two of them have been together since, and Vax has continued to support her and encourage her, telling her that despite her doubts, she must mix in the faith that he and the rest of their companions have in her.

After Vax was brought back as a revenant, the two of them came to terms that their time together would end far sooner than they hoped. But Keyleth remarked that despite all the hardship that was thrown at them, she would never take it back as it was Vax who taught her to take chances, including falling in love.

Vilya
Vilya went off on her own Aramenté twenty years prior to the campaign's start, and due to her not returning home, Keyleth had to be next in line. While venturing on her own quest, Keyleth learned more about Vilya's whereabouts, such as hearing that Vilya had visited Pyrah ten years prior.

It was not until arriving at Vesrah that Keyleth discovered the truth: Vilya had disappeared five years before Keyleth arrived while facing a kraken in the Elemental Plane of Water and was presumed dead, with only her left leg being found. In fact, Keyleth later discovered that the challenge she herself faced had been changed only recently due to the kraken's arrival, with Vilya and her party being the first to undergo the trial in its current state. During the celebration of Keyleth's completion of the trial, Uvenda told her that her mother's memory now lives on in her.

Keyleth learned that her mother was still alive when Vilya appeared in front of her in Zephrah with a Transport via plants portal, over twenty years after learning she had disappeared.

Quests
Keyleth's quest was to complete her Aramenté; this required her to seek out the sister-tribes of the Air Ashari in order to introduce and establish respect amongst the fellow headmasters. She has met with the Earth Ashari in Terrah during her absence from Vox Machina, visited the Fire Ashari in Pyrah during her stay in Vasselheim, completed the trial of the Water Ashari in Vesrah, and has succeeded in returning to Zephrah where she was formally given the title of "Voice of the Tempest" as the new headmaster of the Air Ashari.

Keyleth revealed to the party that the last person to attempt the Aramenté, her mother Vilya, had never been heard from again. Keyleth wanted to discover what happened to her mother, and eventually discovered that she disappeared while trying to complete the Water Ashari trial and was presumed dead. Over twenty years later, Keyleth was reunited with her mother, who returned from Rumblecusp after the Mighty Nein helped save her and the other denizens of the island from a memory altering being.

Keyleth also had a personal stake in Vox Machina's dealings with the Chroma Conclave, specifically with Raishan due to her role in freeing Thordak and causing the decimation of the Fire Ashari. She wished to personally kill her to avenge them, a goal that was fulfilled twofold with Keyleth destroying her intelligent and cunning persona with Feeblemind, and Kerrek landing the final blow on the then-feral Diseased Deceiver.

Current items

 * Alchemy set (bought in Gilmore's Glorious Gods for 50 gold)
 * Created two potions of healing and a potion of greater healing.
 * Circlet of Wisdom (+2 to Wisdom and Charisma)
 * Earring of Whisper (enchanted by Tiberius Stormwind)
 * "Sparkle bomb", enables to cast Faerie Fire
 * Two books on herbalism (bought in Emon for 25 gold each; give her advantage on all Medicine checks)
 * Leather Armor of Spell Resistance (belonged to her mother)
 * Scrying Eye (received from Vex'ahlia after Hotis's attack on Whitestone)
 * Mantle of the Tempest
 * Ring of Protection (+2)
 * Ring of Spell Storing (holds up to five spell levels)
 * Spire of Conflux (retrieved from Yenk's corpse)

Former items

 * Cloak of Displacement (given to her by Vax'ildan, loaned to Kerrek indefinitely)
 * Gate stone (a gift to Percival de Rolo from Lillith Daturai; eventually gave it to Vex )
 * Magic Choker (+1 to damage with beast/elemental forms, traded to Whaska for information)
 * Ring of protection +1 (traded to Whaska for information)
 * Spark stone (granted when she passed the Fire Ashari trial; expended; granted Keyleth a permanent boon of +1d6 fire damage with hands, claws, or talons when activated)

Abilities
Being a druid Keyleth is gifted with the ability to harness divine nature energy to cast spells as well as, transform into animals through Wild Shape. Being a Circle of the Moon druid allows her to use more powerful wild shapes such as higher CR beasts and elemental forms.

Half-elf abilities

 * Darkvision
 * Fey Ancestry
 * Skill Versatility

Feats

 * Inspiring Leader (from completing the Aramenté)
 * Mystic Conflux (4 attuned items at a time)
 * Skilled (Alchemist's Supplies, Intimidation, Persuasion)
 * War Caster

Druid abilities

 * Druidic language
 * Spellcasting (Wisdom-based ability)
 * Wild Shape
 * Druid Circle: Circle of the Moon
 * Combat Wild Shape
 * Circle Forms
 * Primal Strike
 * Elemental Wild Shape
 * Thousand Forms
 * Timeless Body
 * Beast Spells
 * Archdruid
 * Unlimited Wild Shapes
 * Ability to ignore verbal, somatic, and no cost material components of spells

Spells
Keyleth has access to all druid class spells. As a 20th-level druid, she can prepare up to 26 spells per day.

Appearances and mentions

 * Campaign 1, appears every episode except, and
 * Campaign 2, as an NPC
 * Exandria Unlimited
 * Campaign 3, as an NPC
 * One-shots
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * One-shots
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * One-shots
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * One-shots
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * One-shots
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * Vox Machina Origins Series I, every issue except
 * Vox Machina Origins Series II, every issue
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode
 * Vox Machina Origins Series III, every issue
 * The Legend of Vox Machina, every episode

Behind the scenes

 * Marisha Ray chose Keyleth's name by putting an air-related word into an online Elvish translator, and then simplified the spelling. Keyleth is similar to gwilith, which translates as "air (as a region)". Likewise, the name of Keyleth's mother, Vilya, translates as "air, sky." When picking a class for Keyleth, Marisha almost chose a monk, but stayed with druid, leaning more toward the elemental domains, and deciding on the air domain for its abilities and thematically reflective of the shy demeanor and low charisma character Keyleth has. Inspiration for Keyleth, and her overall quest, came from Avatar: The Last Airbender.


 * Playing in Pathfinder, Marisha chose the air druid domain for Keyleth, but wanted her to have other element abilities. This lead her to build a story of a girl who traveling the world for the first time in search of knowledge in the various elements, completing her Aramenté. According to The Chronicles of Exandria artbook, the original plan for her Aramenté was Pyrah, Vesrah, and Terrah before she insisted on her own choices.


 * Keyleth's signature antlers were an invention of artist Kit Buss as a way to represent her circlet for her official portrait.


 * Keyleth's spell choice is tied with her Aramenté. She tries to mostly rely on elemental magic of the Aramente trials she has competed, with emphasis on the most recent one. That's why Keyleth only once assumed the form of water elemental (during her fire trial), and Marisha played her as feeling hesitant about this decision. Keyleth also excludes certain spells that are uncomfortable and do not align with her worldview.

Trivia

 * As of August 2022, Keyleth had the highest wisdom score of any player character.
 * Keyleth's name is a suggested name for female Elves in the Fifth Edition Player's Handbook and Xanathar's Guide to Everything.
 * It was revealed on Talks Machina: After Dark that at one point, she and Vax became intimate with each other, and that he was her first sexual partner.
 * Keyleth has expressed an interest in learning how to make potions and has asked Shaun Gilmore about possibly starting up a workshop to teach people alchemy. She worked on alchemy during the party's year-long break from adventuring.
 * Her favorite animal form is a white saber-toothed tiger, which Grog refers to as "Minxie". She first used that form as a way to help Grog intimidate somebody, pretending to be his pet tiger. She can also turn into a bear that closely resembles Trinket.
 * Keyleth has participated in all four "Battle Royale" episodes and is the winner of the fourth.
 * Keyleth is included in the Critical Role Pack DLC for Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.
 * In the Critical Role Major Arcana Tarot Card Set, she represents XIX - The Sun.
 * Keyleth does not know what the metric system is.
 * Keyleth has an extremely low tolerance for alcohol, and her behavior is extremely affected by any amount of drinking, making her very loud and emotional.
 * Ironically, in, when Beauregard Lionett (also played by Marisha Ray) asked if Vilya wanted some of her bottomless whiskey, she responded, "My family doesn't drink."
 * Keyleth is the first and only member of Vox Machina to appear in Campaign 2. She was seen by Veth through the Transport via Plants portal opened by Vilya on Rumblecusp.
 * As an archdruid, Keyleth ages ten times more slowly. Combined with the longer lifespan of half-elves, she's expected to outlive all of Vox Machina by centuries.
 * Keyleth set the record for the most amount of damage taken in one "blow" for all campaigns, when she dove from a 1000ft high cliff, taking 363 points of damage and dying in the process.
 * She is, so far, the member of Vox Machina with the most appearances, appearing in 122 episodes total. She is barely ahead of Percy and Grog, who appeared in 121 and 120 episodes respectively.
 * She is one of two characters of Marisha Ray to have the most episode appearances out of their respective parties. The other being Beauregard Lionett, who appears in all 141 episodes of Campaign 2 plus
 * She is the only character to be, in some way, involved in all three campaigns as well as Exandria Unlimited.
 * She is a player character in the first campaign, she appears when Vilya returns to Zephrah in in the second campaign, and she sent Orym on a mission in both Exandria Unlimited and the third campaign.