Beginning its life as aDungeons and Dragonscampaign made public on YouTube,The Legend of Vox Machinahas been adapted into an animated series currently entering its third season. Season 3 continues Season 2’s adaptation of the Chroma Conclave arc, in which the group battles an alliance of chromatic dragons. However, amidst the dragon battles,The Legend of Vox Machina’sromantic couples manage to sneak in a little time to develop their relationships.
Two romantic relationships are given particular focus in Season 3: noble gunslinger Percival de Rolo (Taliesin Jaffe) and half-elven ranger Vex’ahlia Vessar (Laura Bailey), and Vex’s twin Vax’ildan Vessar (Liam O’Brien) and Air Ashari druid Keyleth (Marisha Ray). While Sam Riegel’s Scanlan Shorthalt does have feelings for Ashley Johnson’s Pike Trickfoot, their romance is given less focus in favor of Scanlan’s relationship with his estranged daughter Kaylie. Game Rant had the opportunity to speak with the actors about how the romances develop in Season 3, the contrast between the two couples' dynamics, and what it was like telling the story of a new relationship while knowing its inevitable end.
Vax And Keyleth Are The ‘Serious’ Couple, Vex And Percy The ‘Sexy’
Jaffe and Bailey spoke positively aboutVex’ahlia and Percy’sapproach to their mutual romantic feelings in Season 3 ofThe Legend of Vox Machina.“It’s hot, it’s steamy,” remarked Jaffe with a grin, hinting that the couple might experience some intimate scenes. He particularly approved of the relationship’s development because it served as a rare moment of happiness for Percy, whose tragic past formed much of Season 1’s conflict. “Let [Vax and Keyleth] be sensitive,” Bailey agreed. “We’ll just be sexy times over here.”
For Vax’ildan andKeyleth, Season 3 is not such a lighthearted time for their romance. Both bear heavy burdens: Keyleth’s people are deeply involved in the fight against the chromatic dragons, while Vax in Season 2 was forced to enter into a mysterious pact with the Matron of Ravens, goddess of death. “You see some developments…you see some un-developments,” Marisha Ray joked, comparing the pair’s back-and-forth dynamic to a rubber band. O’Brien felt that Vax struggled balancing his feelings for Keyleth with his character’s many responsibilities, describing the pair as “star-crossed lovers” who could never quite find enough time to truly be together.
The Unique Experience Of Retelling A Love Story
All the actors agreed that it was a very different experience recreating already-told love stories for the animated series, compared to developing them organically duringCritical Role’s first campaign. During the originalVox Machinaepisodes, the group was not sure how things would end up for Vex and Percy and Vax and Keyleth; now, the couples' fates are set in stone. Ray reflected on the experience, feeling that there was an element of sadness to the process:
“I think there’s a certain amount of sadness to revisiting it. Because, you know, we were just going with the flow in the campaign. Just seeing where it went. But we know how their relationship ends up. So there’s a certain amount of tragedy, retracing these steps”
Liam O’Brien agreed with Ray. In particular, he felt that the rapid pace of the animated series compared to the nearly hundred-episode campaign made the development of romantic relationships rushed and tense. He described the series' limited time frame as a “doomsday clock,” and expressed missing the moments of relaxation and levity the couples were able to experience at theDungeons & Dragonstable. “There’s no chill,” O’Brien joked ofThe Legend of Vox Machina’sthird season. “And there’s no Netflix!”
