Taryon Gary Darrington’s introduction in Critical Role‘s first campaign is that of a wealthy artificer wearing overpriced, shiny armor, trailed by his personal robot whose sole purpose is to chronicle his adventures for a future novel. He tries to hire Vox Machina as his personal entourage but refuses to learn any of their names.
He’s a lot to take in, but that’s what keeps him from being a one-dimensional character.
Taryon, played by Sam Riegel and now voiced by Wayne Brady in season 4 of The Legend of Vox Machina, is more than just a comedic foil to Percy de Rolo. He’s a slight deconstruction of the wealthy hero trope. His arc highlights how out of touch a hero born with privilege would be, and how the desire to be an adventurer masks something deeper.
Tary’s Fake Hero Persona
When Vox Machina meets Taryon for the first time, he’s brash, overconfident, arrogant and unbelievably rude. He refuses to learn anyone’s name, calling half-elf ranger Vex’ahlia “Little Elf Girl” and the enormous barbarian Grog “Jumbo.” His robotic companion, Doty, exists to jot down Taryon’s self-narrated greatness into a journal.
Everything about Tary at first is a performance. He makes it seem as if he has unlimited wealth, but he actually has less money than he implies. He’s decked out in expensive armor, wielding gadgets and weapons he built himself. Everything about Tary was inspired by the adventure novels he read growing up in Deastok, a city in the Dwendalian Empire.
But these performances exist for a reason.
Taryon was born into a wealthy family, with his father Howaardt Darrington being an upper class businessman and a baron from Deastok. When he discovered that Taryon was romantically involved with one of his tutors, Lawrence, Howaardt sent Lawrence away. This incident was the reason why Howaardt wanted Tary’s sister Maryanne to inherit the family business and Darrington fortune, unless Tary could prove himself worthy.
For years, all Tary wanted was to prove he was worthy of his father’s respect…and to gain access to his vast inheritance. So he left home, took the family money and fled toward a life he’d only read about in books. He started to refer to himself as “Sir” Taryon Darrington, despite having never been knighted and having zero training as one. He traveled with other adventurers before he met Vox Machina but they all left him behind because they got sick of dealing with him. Everything Tary claimed to be was a lie he crafted in the hope he would finally show his father he could be someone important.
The Mock Trial That Changed Everything
In Episode 86 of Campaign 1, “Daring Days,” Vox Machina takes Taryon to the castle grounds in Whitestone and attacks him without warning. It’s a mock battle to test Tary’s capabilities. The group is about to literally go to hell (second layer), so they need to see how competent of a fighter their new companion really is.
After a few rounds, Tary surrenders and breaks down into an ugly crying fit. He admits that he’s unfit to be an adventurer. All he wants is to win his father’s approval and keep his claim to the family’s fortune.
This moment proves to be a turning point for Taryon as a character. He becomes more than a pompous nobleman and artificer. He’s just a broken man who didn’t feel like he belonged within his own family. In fact, Tary’s daddy issues are what finally endeared him to Vox Machina. Twins Vex’ahlia and Vax’ildan could sympathize with Tary since they too had a difficult relationship with their father, and are quick to welcome him to the family.
Standing Up to His Father
Throughout his adventures with Vox. Machina, Taryon grows up as he becomes a valuable member of the team. He helps Keyleth complete the final stages of her Aramenté leadership trials, and descends into the Nine Hells to confront an old enemy. He learns to rely on his gift for mixing magic with engineering, making him a formidable artificer.
When Vox Machina travels with Tary to his home in Wildemount, they learn that the Darrington family is in financial ruin, owing money to the local crime syndicate the Myriad. Because Tary stole the entire family treasury when he left home for his “adventure”, a desperate Howaardt arranged a marriage between Tary and a woman named Lydia Truscan, the only heir to the Truscan Trust.
Vox Machina speaks with one of the members of the Myriad, Korshad, who agrees to forgive some of the Darringtons’ debts if the group agrees to clear out an infestation at a Myriad-controlled platinum mine. While the rest of Vox Machina is busy with that task, Tary and Korshad iron out a deal. The Myriad would seize the Darrington lands and tax revenue, but would leave out the Darrington Estate itself with enough taxes to provide a decent income for the family. Tary is barred from collecting a percentage of the profits from the platinum mines. However, he does convince Korshad to allow the Darringtons to keep a small farm adjacent to the Darrington Estate as a source of crops and food for the family.
When Tary tells his family about the deal and his plans to relocate them to the small farm, Howaardt is so filled with rage that he throws a chair at the wall. He’s still convinced the Darrington family can return to their original prosperity through an alliance with the Truscans. But Tary stands his ground by pointing out that the Darrington family had financial troubles long before he stole the family treasury. Tary demands that Howaardt stops blaming him for the mistakes he made.
How Does Tary’s Story End?
Tary decides to leave Vox Machina right before Scanlan Shorthalt, the bard who left Vox before Tary arrived, rejoins the group. Tary returns to Wildemount where he converts the Darrington Estate into a home for the poor and the headquarters for the Darrington Family Charity for Wayward Souls, or the Darrington Foundation for short.
He also creates the Darrington Brigade, a guild filled with misfits, outcasts, and ordinary people trained to protect the innocent. He even finds the time to finish his novel The Daring Trials and Tribulations of Sir Taryon Darrington.
Much to Tary’s surprise, he finds Lawrence working as a tanner in Port Damali. Lawrence quits to join the Darrington Brigade and the two eventually marry.
Taryon Darrington starts off as a man trying to buy his way to notoriety. And when that’s not enough, he’ll lie through his teeth to make himself seem more capable and important in a story that isn’t his. Every word Doty records is part of an illusion created to win the approval of a father who’d never give it freely.
By the time he leaves Vox Machina, Tary doesn’t need to prove he’s a hero, he becomes one. He stands up to his father, and chooses to create something meaningful. The Darrington Brigade isn’t about seeking glory; it gives people a place to belong.
Tary’s arc works because he doesn’t become a better person by leaning into his privilege. It’s when he lets go of the need for it to define him that allows him to grow.
In the end, Taryon Darrington doesn’t earn his title of “Sir.” He outgrows the need for it.
You can see Tary in all his chaotic glory in The Legend of Vox Machina Season 4, premiering June 3, 2026 exclusively on Prime Video.
