Kaylie

Kaylie is a gnome bard and the daughter of Scanlan Shorthalt. As an NPC, she is portrayed by Matthew Mercer.

Background
In, Kaylie revealed to Scanlan that she had heard many tales about him from her mother, a gnome named Sybil. Sybil had encountered Scanlan years ago, becoming pregnant with Kaylie unbeknownst to Scanlan. Although Scanlan's memory was a bit fuzzy, he recalled that Sybil had golden hair, was eager to escape her simple beginnings, and became very clingy very quickly. Scanlan had left before learning of the pregnancy, leaving Sybil to raise her child on the income of a quilter. Sybil had even taken on a third job just south of Silvercut to support them.

Kaylie grew up mostly in Kymal. Being the only young gnome in such a rural town presented many dangers to Kaylie, so she learned to use both a blade and her charm to survive. She stole and lied, eventually raising enough money to train at the College of the White Duke, a bard college in Westruun. In Kaylie's third year of study, Dr. Dranzel's Spectacular Traveling Troupe passed through town, and she joined up with them.

Encounter with Vox Machina
Vox Machina encountered Kaylie while she played the flute in Dr. Dranzel's Spectacular Traveling Troupe in Emon's Diamond Nest Tavern. Scanlan flirted with her, but she was quick to say she'd heard several tales about his womanizing and knew better than to get involved. Scanlan challenged her to a "flute-off" in order to create a distraction to allow the rest of Vox Machina to sneak into the Clasp lair beneath the tavern. Despite his stunning performance, Scanlan let Kaylie win in the hope of winning her favor, forgetting that he bet his purse on the duel. As a result, Scanlan lost approximately 2,600 gold coins to Kaylie.