Caduceus Clay

 is a firbolg cleric who worships The Wildmother. He is played by Taliesin Jaffe.

Appearance
Caduceus is a seven foot tall "not necessarily healthily thin" firbolg with pale skin and grey fur. He has a shock of pink mohawk hair paired with a light fuzz of a beard. He wears a gentle silk shirt with one long flowy sleeve, dark green pants, and brown boots spotted with pink lichen.

Personality
Caduceus is jovial and dedicated. Long after his family abandoned the crypt they tended, he remained, ensuring that the graves of the dearly departed remained undisturbed while cultivating the plants that grew from those interred there, seemingly for personal use. Kind and welcoming, he offered The Mighty Nein (then his house guests) tea before they even introduced themselves. Caduceus often finds something positive to say about situations that others see as all negative. He enjoys seeing parts of the world and nature different from where he grew up.

Caduceus is also humorously blunt; as a follower of The Wildmother, he believes in the "natural order" and happily informed Beau that the leaves for their tea grew from the dead. He considered gauging time in seasons the only method that mattered.

For the Mighty Nein, Caduceus often acts as a sounding board and kind ear for the troubles of the group. He considers it his job to comfort the group and take care of them. He believes he is there to guide them towards their purpose, even if neither he nor they knows what it is yet. He is quick to make tea and food to give to others as a way of comfort. Caduceus is best known for his remarkable perception. While not the most intelligent person, he makes up for it with constant, nigh-clairvoyant insight.

Background
Caduceus lived with his family at the sanctuary like grave site of the Blooming Grove. Located within the depths of the Savalierwood, it was know by those of Shadycreek Run to the southeast as the Bone Orchard. Predating Shadycreek Run, and surrounded by the cursed blighted woods, the old stone church that stood there was surrounded by three consecutive rings of rusted fence built to hold back the continually encroaching razor-like grey-purple thorn vines, which had just breached the third fence in 835 P.D.

Beau, Caleb, Keg, Nila, and Nott go to the Blooming Grove to see if the "strange priest" living there can help them in their fight against the Iron Shepherds. Caduceus opens the door to the temple and offers the group tea. Nila is excited to meet another firbolg and asks for a hug. Caduceus cheerfully hugs her, invites everyone inside, and serves them tea. The group asks him if he can ressurect someone. Caduceus tells them he can heal; but once someone is dead, there is a natural order to things. They tell him about how the Iron Shepherds have killed their friend and are putting people (including some firbolgs) in cages.

The group ask Caduceus about his skills. He tells him his family has been protecting the Blooming Grove from the Savalierwood corruption. All the rest of his family has left trying to find the source of it. None of have come back.

Keg asks why Caduceus still stays if there is nothing left to guard. Caduceus has been waiting for some people to go with so he can leave as well. Nila offers to have some of her tribe keep the temple while Caduceus is gone. Caduceus is very excited to be asked to come along with the group. He already has his things packed.

After spending a moment walking around to take in his home, Caduceus goes with the Mighty Nein.

Caduceus helps the group's movement through the Salvalierwood to the Sour Nest by politely asking the trees to grant them passage. While the group is debating a plan to get inside, he refocuses the discussion by asking them what their priority is. They come up with a plan to split the party. Caduceus teams up with Keg and Nott. Each group quietly kills one guard on the wall. Caduceus casts Disguise Self to look like the dead guard as the party continues inside.

Caduceus meets Fjord and Jester. He tries to comfort them when they learn of Molly's death by telling them it's great that their friends cared enough to save them. He cooks breakfast and makes tea for everyone the next morning. He decides to continue traveling with the Mighty Nein because he believes The Wildmother wants him to go east.

On the way to Zadash, Caduceus casts Decompose on Molly's body and promises the Mighty Nein the earth will remember Molly. When they come back, something will be growing there.

In the Evening Nip, the Mighty Nein introduce Caduceus to The Gentleman. Caduceus agrees to give The Gentleman his blood in the same way as the rest of the Mighty Nein. Caduceus tries milk, whiskey, and several other drinks for the first time. They all taste terrible to him.

Caduceus is visibly disturbed by by the group's stealing the ship and almost drowning trying to reach the ship as it sailed away. He heals Gallan, but then immediately goes to sit curled up alone on deck. Caduceus wonders to Jester if he made a mistake by leaving his home with the Mighty Nein. It has been a long time since he has received a sign from The Wildmother. Jester reassures him that temporary silence doesn't mean his god has abandoned him. She reminds him the world is much bigger than his cemetary; to complete his quest he will have to step out of his comfort zone. Caduceus calms down after their talk and heads belowdecks to further clear his head by cooking. The opportunity to experiment with new types of tropical fruit found in The Mistake galley excites him.

He adopted the pirate alias "Cornelius" when introducing himself to Captain Avantika.

During the journey from Urukaxl to Darktow Isle, Caduceus became a deckhand and apprentice bosun. Along with the rest of the Mighty Nein, he was automatically initiated into the ranks of the Revelry upon arriving at Darktow Isle.

Caduceus and Jester coordinated casting Control Water to reduce the travel time to the Diver's Grave by three days. Caduceus and Jester alternated castings of Locate Object to find the wreck of the Tide's Breath.

Beauregard
Beauregard is currently Caduceus' favourite member of the Mighty Nein.

Clay Family
Caduceus stated that he had several sisters, brothers, and his parents, but he did not know where any of them were. His family members had left the Blooming Grove one by one to find and fight off the source of the cursed blight that had overtaken the Savalierwood and had been encroaching on the Blooming Grove for over one hundred years. One of his sisters had been the last to leave to the east, which had been around 18 to 20 seasons ago. One of Caduceus's sisters that he is very proud of made his armor. Though Caduceus generally likes everyone, he has ill feelings towards one of his siblings.

One of Caduceus's sisters is named Clarabelle. He named his moorbounder after Clarabelle because "she's weird too".

Fjord
Moreso than Beau, Fjord has come to rely on Caduceus' council when it comes to making responsible decisions and understanding others' motivations.

Caduceus considers Fjord to be an angsty teen. He is still proud of Fjord for not being lured by the power that Uk'otoa seems to promise. Caduceus thinks it is very admirable that Fjord did not lose his sense of self during the Mighty Nein's time at sea.

Jester Lavorre
At first Jester had been wary of a new cleric, but the two have grown close over time. They have often bonded over being able to cast some of the same spells, such as Control Water and Create Food and Water during extended sea journeys.

Caduceus doesn't regard Jester as an adult.

Nott
Caduceus is disappointed in Nott for the amount of drinking, although he would never say that out loud. He did encourage Nott to deal with her emotions without alcohol after she told the Mighty Nein about her reincarnation, but seemed sympathetic and understanding of her addiction.

Yasha Nydoorin
Caduceus is impressed by Yasha's faith in The Stormlord and by the fact that she seems to have earned his personal attention.

Caleb Widogast
Caduceus commonly refers to and addresses Caleb formally as "Mister Caleb." He has expressed to Caleb that he believes the world is shaping Caleb into something important, and that he wants to ensure that he helps Caleb get to that point. Caduceus seems to respect Caleb's magical knowledge. He believes Caleb has an "air of authority" and can be a little intimidating.

Caduceus also believes that Caleb is occasionally "up his own butt" a bit.

Quests
Caduceus and his family protect the Blooming Grove from the corruption spreading through the Savalierwood. It has been overtaking their temple for the last hundred years. Caduceus's parents and siblings have all left the Blooming Grove in pursuit of this goal and have not returned. Caduceus left with the Mighty Nein because he believes their arrival to be a sign from The Wildmother that he needs to leave to discover the source of the corruption.
 * Caleb Widogast found a book on plant corruption in Halas's library inside the Happy Fun Ball of Tricks. In, he gave the book to Caduceus to read.

Caduceus wants to get a broken sword he bought from Pumat Sol repaired as a thank you to Fjord for doing a good job taking care of himself and not getting distracted by "bad thoughts".
 * In, Caduceus learned the sword is Uthagournian, an isolated dual society north of the Dwendalian Empire where elves and dwarves live together. It is unlikely anyone who is not Uthagournian will have the unique skill needed to reforge it.

Notable Items

 * A bag of tea leaves and flowers cultivated from the Blooming Grove grave garden
 * A metal-like breastplate and shield made from pearlescent turquoise green-blue chitin.
 * It is covered in lichen and was made by one of his sisters.
 * Blightstaff: A knotted wooden magical staff that was topped with a large uncut amethyst.
 * Like his armor, it is covered in lichen and is described as being "wet" and "alive".
 * This staff lets him summon a Swarm of Insects that act on his turn.
 * Shield made out of beetle
 * Caduceus no longer uses this shield since he got the Shield of Retribution, but he keeps it for sentimental reasons.
 * Tea Set
 * Cooking set
 * Herbalism Kit
 * Garlic and spices
 * Old broken blade from the Age of Arcanum (Obtained from Pumat Sol). Uthadornian in origin.
 * Straw Hat (replaced by Jester after she stole his previous one)
 * Periapt of Wound Closure (given to him by Caleb after Caduceus suffered a series of near-death experiences)
 * Shield of Retribution
 * Quaal's Feather Token (Tree)
 * Public Debate Records: Forum of Ziedel (taken from Halas's library)
 * Halas's book on plant corruption
 * Cookbooks on mushrooms and pastries (given to him by Jester)

Feats

 * War Caster

Firbolg Abilities

 * Firbolg Magic
 * Hidden Step
 * Powerful Build
 * Speech of Beast and Leaf

Cleric Abilities

 * Channel Divinity (2 uses)
 * Channel Divinity: Turn Undead
 * Destroy Undead (CR 1)
 * Divine Domain (Grave Domain)
 * Channel Divinity: Path to the Grave
 * Circle of Mortality
 * Eyes of the Grave
 * Potent Spellcasting
 * Sentinel at Death's Door
 * Ritual Casting
 * Spellcasting

1st-level

 * Bane
 * False Life

2nd-level

 * Gentle Repose
 * Ray of Enfeeblement

3rd-level

 * Revivify
 * Vampiric Touch

4th-level

 * Blight
 * Death Ward

Cleric Spells
In addition to his domain spells, Caduceus has access to four cleric cantrips, the Spare the Dying cantrip, and 1st- through 4th-level cleric spells. As a 8th-level cleric, he can prepare up to 13 of these spells per day. As part of the Grave Domain, Spare The Dying can be cast as a bonus action and as a ranged spell (30 foot range).

Cantrips

 * Decompose
 * Light
 * Resistance
 * Sacred Flame
 * Spare the Dying
 * Thaumaturgy

1st-level

 * Bless
 * Create or Destroy Water
 * Cure Wounds
 * Guiding Bolt
 * Healing Word
 * Protection from Evil and Good

2nd-level

 * Blindness/Deafness
 * Calm Emotions
 * Enhance Ability
 * Lesser Restoration
 * Locate Object
 * Prayer of Healing
 * Protection from Poison

3rd-level

 * Beacon of Hope
 * Create Food and Water
 * Dispel Magic
 * Meld into Stone
 * Spirit Guardians
 * Water Walk

4th-level

 * Control Water
 * Divination
 * Locate Creature
 * Stone Shape

Quotations
Caduceus: "Aren't we all?" Caleb: "That is a very fair point." Beau: "Very true. But you're cultivating dead people for good tea?" Caduceus: "Aren't we all?" Beau: "What did you just do?" Caduceus: "I made the Earth remember him." (at Molly's grave) Beau: "So did you." Caduceus: "Thank you. Do better next time to keep everybody safe." Beau: "Thank you." Caduceus: "I could tell you were struggling."
 * Beau: "We're drinking dead people tea?"
 * "Have you ever been in nature? Yes! Violence is extremely natural."
 * "I'm just... I'm just gonna turn 'em into mulch. That's okay. Shhhhh..."
 * (comforting Jester and Fjord after they learn of Molly's death) "I mean, this is pretty good from a certain perspective. I mean, if you think about it, bad things happen to people every day. And then you have a bunch of people who care about you so much that they come and save you, fix it, defeat a great evil. I mean, nothing this good ever happens. This is great."
 * Caduceus: "Something will be here."
 * "I've had six drinks. I'm in the biggest city I've ever been in. Everything tastes terrible!" (in the Evening Nip in Zadash)
 * [happily bemused] "I don't understand what that means."
 * [also happily bemused] "I don't understand what's going on."
 * [still happily bemused] "That's really great."
 * "Sleep well with your bad decisions." (after realizing Fjord slept with Avantika)
 * "Things tend to live..."
 * "Not cool, man." (after exorcising a ghost from Beauregard)
 * "We're running; it's bad!" (after walking out of a wall during a fight with a dragon)
 * Caduceus: (to Beau, discussing the adventure with the Happy Fun Ball of Tricks) "Something's happening. I don't know what, but something's happening. And you did good."
 * Caduceus: "I watched Beau tell the truth. It was very impressive. You're not very good at it, but it was very impressive."
 * "It's always worth making friends, no matter where you are."
 * "There's no way nature isn't separate. We're part of it. We communicate with the world ever day, with every breath. Everything we do is our declaration of our love, adoration, or our denial of it."

Trivia

 * Caduceus is tied with Jester for the highest wisdom (20) of all of The Mighty Nein. He also has the lowest intelligence (9).
 * A caduceus is an ancient Greek or Roman herald's wand, typically one with two serpents twined around it, carried by the messenger god, Hermes or Mercury. Hermes also acted as a psychopomp, a being tasked with guiding the souls of the dead to the afterlife. The Caduceus acted as a key to the underworld, and as a tool to guide the deceased. The Caduceus is associated with healing in the US due to its similarity to the rod of Asclepius.
 * His name may also be a reference to Cassius Clay, the birth name of Muhammad Ali.
 * Caduceus claimed to be a good gardener, having grown lilies, bramble, mushrooms, and moss within the sanctuary of the Blooming Grove.
 * Caduceus' resemblance to RPG designer Adam Koebel quickly drew comment from Adam, Matt, and Taliesin.
 * While Caduceus' love of tea appears to be a reference to the last name of Mollymauk Tealeaf, and his official color palette matches that of Arizona Green Tea, Taliesin has stated that these relations are all purely coincidental, and Caduceus' habit of drinking tea was a spur of the moment decision he made moments before being introduced.
 * Caduceus is Taliesin's first character in Critical Role not built on any character options created by Matt.
 * Matt revealed on Twitter that the cantrip "Decompose" was custom created for Caduceus as a sort of flavor cantrip.
 * Taliesin revealed on Talks Machina that the pink on Caduceus' armor isn't flowers but a specific species of moss.
 * Awakening from a night's rest along the road through the Ashkeeper Peaks in the Menagerie Coast, the Mighty Nein met a pet vendor heading north to Rexxentrum. During this interaction Taliesin expressed that he and Caduceus were in conflict over wanting to purchase the crimson weasel as Caduceus was a vegetarian.
 * It can be assumed that Caduceus is a virgin, as it is implied that he is unaware of the sensation of "post-coital feelings" Beau mentions when he observes the dodecahedron.
 * Taliesin confirmed in Talks Machina Episode 96 that Cornelius, given earlier as a false name to Avantika, is the name of Caduceus' father.