Keeper Yennen Is Gender-Swapped in 'The Legend of Vox Machina' and We're Here for It
Published Feb. 4 2022, 2:13 p.m. ET
Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Episode 6 of The Legend of Vox Machina.
The adventures of Vox Machina continue in The Legend of Vox Machina as they’re faced with defeating the Briarwoods and saving the people of Whitestone. In Episode 5, our gang of heroes travels to Whitestone to stop Delilah Briarwood from wreaking even more havoc than she already has. But to make it happen, Percy insists that they must talk to Keeper Yennen.
Keeper Yennen is the almost-all-knowing cleric who is a trustworthy figure of Whitestone. While the Briarwoods still allow them to operate and speak to the people, they have to be very careful about what they say. And while Keeper Yennen is now voiced by Gina Torres in The Legend of Vox Machina, Keeper Yennen was initially a man in the Critical Role stream.
Keeper Yennen has a key role in overthrowing the Briarwoods.
When it comes to taking down the Briarwoods, there are a lot of obstacles — mainly, all the undead people and animals that Delilah has charmed into working and fighting for the evil couple. So Percy, and even Vox Machina, can’t bring down the Briarwoods on their own. They need help, which comes in the form of several people in the town of Whitestone.
One of those people happens to be Keeper Yennen. In the initial campaign, Vox Machina first meets him in Whitestone’s temple to Erathis, the Lady’s Chamber. Percy, disguised as an anonymous citizen, listens in to a sermon given to a small group of citizens, and through hints that he’s the last surviving member of the de Rolo family, Percy gains Yennen’s confidence.
After Vox Machina kills Kerrion Stonefell, they return to Keeper Yennen, who encourages a larger group to go with the revolution. At the same time, Yennen speaks with Vox Machina and informs them of the Ziggurat beneath the castle while Archibald Desnay makes an entrance.
When it comes time to battle, though he may be devout, Yennen can still fight. He leads a group of armed villagers against the Briarwoods’ undead forces. And as a cleric, he helps the group reunite with Pike. In The Legend of Vox Machina, Pike is currently trying to reconnect with the Everlight while Percy has just killed Stonefell, so a lot of what happens with Keeper Yennen in the Critical Role campaign is sure to go down imminently in the Amazon Prime series.
Gina Torres is the voice of Keeper Yennen in ‘The Legend of Vox Machina.’
Although Keeper Yennen is a wise old man in Critical Role’s Vox Machina campaign, the character is now played by Gina Torres in The Legend of Vox Machina, and we are here for it. What’s better than the town’s knowledgeable spiritual guide being a rockin’ lady? And Gina is the perfect person to take on the role as Keeper Yennen.
She is both a voice and live-action actor who’s skilled in television and movies. Most recently, she appeared in 9-1-1: Lone Star as Tommy Vega and in Westworld as Lauren. Some of her voice work has included roles in Final Space, Elena of Avalor, and Star Wars, so she’s no stranger to magic, fantasy, and adventure.
The first six episodes of The Legend of Vox Machina are now available to stream on Amazon Prime.
