WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves!The Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves character Xenk Yendar elicits an illusion of youthfulness, as he’s far older than he appears. Portrayed by Bridgerton’s Regé-Jean Page, Xenk Yendar is a straight-laced paladin with a tragic backstory who is recruited by Edgin and his band of thieves to retrieve the powerful Helmet of Disjunction. While Xenk only briefly appears throughout Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ story, the mighty paladin warrior is especially memorable for his humorless nature, healing abilities, battle prowess, and shocking years despite his youthful outlook.
As a child, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ character Xenk Yendar lost his home of Thay and family to the villainous schemes of the powerful Szass Tam, though he miraculously escaped the Red Wizard’s evil beckoning death spell. After this tragedy, Xenk lived in exile for decades as a hero, healer, and warrior, which included engaging in numerous battles and eventually becoming the protector of the Helmet of Disjunction. In a flashback to the century-old Battle of the Evermoors where Xenk Yendar came into possession of the magical helmet, the hero exhibits the exact same youthfulness and appearance as he does in Honor Among Thieves’ timeline, revealing that the character’s age is much older than his 34-year-old actor.
Xenk Yendar Is Well Over 100 Years Old In Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves
Since Xenk Yendar appeared the same age 100 years before Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves’ ending, it’s clear that his real age far surpasses this number. Xenk’s slow aging suggests that he was already much older than his actor’s age during the Battle of the Evermoors, suggesting he could even be at least 150 years old in Honor Among Thieves. Xenk looked to be about 10 years old when the Thayans were enslaved as undead zombies, so it would have taken him a significantly long time after this event to age to the physical appearance of a human in their 30s. Since Honor Among Thieves doesn’t give exact dates for these events, Xenk is seemingly anywhere between 150–200 years old.
Xenk Yendar’s Slow Aging Was Caused By Narrowly Escaping Szass Tam’s Spell
Since Xenk Yendar was only barely able to escape Szass Tam’s beckoning death spell in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, he was still impacted by its powers due to his proximity. While he wasn’t made to be undead and have his physical age frozen in time, the effects of the spell led him to age slower than humans typically would, which explains why he only grew to look about 35 years old after more than a century of life. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves doesn’t confirm how many years it takes Xenk to physically progress or whether he is actually immortal, but his longevity is useful in keeping him alive long enough to continue battling the Red Wizards who killed his family.
It’s unclear exactly how Xenk was truly able to survive the spell, but the mark of Szass Tam glowed on his forehead as the ritual was commencing, suggesting a magical connection was taking place. As such, Xenk still felt the effects of the necromancy spell and ritual, which took away his ability to age normally by seemingly giving him immortality in life instead of the Red Wizard’s desired immortality in death. Whether the effects of the spell can be undone and Xenk Yendar can finally age normally are unknown, but could be answered in a sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
