Caleb Widogast

Caleb Widogast, born Bren Aldric Ermendrud, is a human wizard and a member of the adventuring party known as the Mighty Nein. He is played by Liam O'Brien.

Appearance
Caleb has blue eyes, a cleft chin, and reddish-brown hair. Caleb's long coat hides two holstered heirloom books, one on either side. Caleb has a series of scars on both his forearms, where crystals were embedded into his skin by Trent Ikithon; he wore bandages on his arms and hands in order to conceal these scars until. He first revealed them to the Mighty Nein in. Caleb has a soft Zemnian accent.

When Caleb first appeared on Critical Role, he was filthy, unshaven, and had messy hair. He had slept in his filthy travel clothes, including a long coat. After meeting the adventurers that would later become the Mighty Nein, Caleb visited an expensive bathhouse in Trostenwald, but he did not clean his clothes nor wash from the neck upward. After arriving in Zadash, Enchanter Pumat Sol cleaned Caleb with magic consistent with the spell Prestidigitation and it marked the first time the Mighty Nein witnessed a clean Caleb - which upset Nott. Caleb smeared mud on his face when Jester demeaned the amount of money his parents made.

Caleb has shifted towards being clean-shaven, tasking Yasha with aiding him in shaving in and switching to a razor when she cut him in. He purchased new, stylish clothes in, throwing away his old tattered ones.

Personality
Caleb is reserved, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself or his companion Nott. He showed little interest in the secrets of people besides Nott, hoping to avoid answering questions about himself. Caleb's generally dour and isolated manner morphs into an open and jubilant mood upon purchasing new books. He does not consider himself to be remotely brave.

Caleb possesses a deep self-loathing due to the circumstances of his parents' death. He believes that he is fully responsible despite being magically beguiled and the reassurances of both Nott and Beauregard that he was not to blame; he neither wants nor accepts their consolations. He does appear to want revenge against Trent Ikithon, however, having shown a gleeful mania at the thought following his admission of his past.

As a young boy Caleb was focused, persuasive, driven, and eloquent, though later in life he used his charismatic personality more to deceive people.

Caleb is methodical, sometimes to a fault. He has painstakingly counted objects on multiple occasions, once using the length of counting to cheat a merchant and even counting crossbow bolts as he removed them from his chest.

At the beginning of the story, Caleb had very "sticky fingers' when it came to magical objects and would try to take anything magical if he thought he could get away with it. He pursued magical knowledge and artifacts even if it meant risking his life.

Background
Born Bren Aldric Ermendrud, Caleb was from a small town named Blumenthal near Rexxentrum in the Zemni Fields. His father Leofric was a member of the Empire military.

His mother and father were incredibly poor, to the point that he once said they hadn't made fifty gold in their entire lives, though this may have been an exaggeration.

Bren attended the Soltryce Academy at 15 (around 817 P.D.), and stated that for the first time he felt as though he belonged. He dreamed of becoming a teacher in the Academy. However, he came under the tutelage of the abusive Trent Ikithon a bit over a year later. Trent singled out three students from Bren's hometown (Bren, Eadwulf, and Astrid, and used them in human experimentation, embedding crystals into their skin in an attempt to harness the power of Dunamis. He has later learned that these crystal were refined residuum. All three of them were also trained to interrogate and execute dissidents to the Empire as Volstrucker, or "Scourgers". In addition, at some point during this time, Bren fell in love with his fellow student Astrid.

When Bren was around 17, as a test of his three students' loyalty, Trent modified their memories so they believed that their parents had betrayed the empire. The three killed their parents, but Bren "broke" when he heard his parents' screams from inside their burning house. Bren spent the next eleven years in the Vergesson Sanatorium until a woman whom he believed to be a fellow patient touched him, removing both his madness and his fake memories. After that, he killed one of the guards, took a necklace to hide from Ikithon, and escaped. He started going by multiple aliases and hid from Trent for the next five years. During this time, Caleb discovered that people didn't pay attention to poor, dirty wanderers and maintained a disheveled appearance to escape notice. While he still has hopes not to let his parents down, Bren considers murdering them to be an unforgivable act on his part.

Approximately five years after his escape from the asylum, Nott and Caleb met in a small jail (where he introduced himself to Nott as Caleb Widogast), which they escaped from together. Caleb came up with their escape plan, using Frumpkin to bring a piece of wire into their cell which Nott used to pick the lock. Caleb proceeded to set the jail on fire and scream for help. The guards promptly fled, and Caleb and Nott walked out of the jail together, staying together first out of convenience, but then for several months. They survived by petty theft, trickery, and con schemes, living from hand to mouth as wandering hobos.

Caleb stated that he does not currently have any children and that he didn't have children in the past.

Pre-Stream
The day before they met the rest of the Mighty Nein, Nott and Caleb were attacked by a pack of gnolls hiding in grass, and Caleb was knocked unconscious. Nott fed him the health potion Caleb carried on his belt, saving his life. Nott blamed herself for their inability to stay in any place for long without getting into trouble. It was Caleb's idea to stay in Trostenwald to find new companions "to tag along with."

Trostenwald
Caleb's general lack of hygiene attracted the attention of Jester. After revealing Nott's goblin nature in a social misunderstanding, Caleb and Nott eventually decided to spend the day with Jester, Beauregard, and Fjord before heading to the carnival that night.

Unlike Jester's group and Molly, Caleb was not under house arrest for the duration of the investigation into the events of the carnival--thus, he was able to move freely around the town as himself. Caleb eventually discovered a story about Kylre's specific demonic powers in the book Fiends of Folklore. Armed with this knowledge, the group tracked Kylre to Crookedstone Island and killed him. Afterward, Caleb attempted to take sole responsibility for the kill, but circumstances forced the truth to come out instead. He used Fiends of Folklore and Kylre's death to persuade Lawmaster Norda that the husk attacks were not the fault of his burgeoning group. She let them off without penalty.

Before leaving Trostenwald, Caleb went to a bathhouse with Nott, where he sadly contemplated a burnt spellbook he had purchased in town. On the way out of town, he and Fjord recognized a kindred adult nature that the other members of the group lacked.

Alfield and the Gnolls
After finishing off the priest in the gnoll lair with a Fire Bolt, Caleb dissociated, dropping stunned to his knees in the first of his post-traumatic stress episodes to be witnessed by the rest of the party. After the fight, Mollymauk came over and slapped him to rouse him, stating that there would be time for that later.

Chapter 10
Zadash on Lockdown Caleb tried to identify the Beacon after the Mighty Nein's fight with Thuron. However, he was unwilling to cross the ominous threshold of further understanding and did not fully identify it.

After the group released Thuron, Caleb was instrumental in regaining possession of the Beacon, using a disguise and Friends to take it from a guard. That night, as he slept in a cellar under The Leaky Tap and guarded the Beacon, Caleb had a strange dream about possible future Calebs.

Caleb avoided answering any questions when the group interrogated Molly about his amnesia under a Zone of Truth.

Caleb hid the spellbook he found in Siff Duthar's laboratory from The Gentleman. The degree to which The Gentleman saw this as a betrayal on Caleb's part is unclear.

When Caleb fully identified the Beacon and embraced its power, he said to his parents that he hoped he wouldn't let them down. When Jester addressed Nott as Caleb's mother shortly afterwards, this greatly confused Caleb.

 Caleb asked Beau if she could get him into the Cobalt Soul library in Zadash, and she agreed under the condition he tell her why he is afraid of fire. Later that evening, he called Beau and Nott to his room and told them the story of how he murdered his mother and father. He was in the Soltryce Academy with Astrid and Eadwulf when they were selected by Trent Ikithon for special training to become Volstrucker. Immediately before graduation, they returned home to Blumenthal, where they each overheard their parents planning treason against the Dwendalian Empire. When they returned to school, they were told what was expected of them and returned to Blumenthal where Astrid and Eadwulf murdered their parents, but when Caleb set his parents' house on fire and heard their screams, he broke, and spent the next eleven years, mad, in the Vergesson Sanatorium. A woman fellow patient "laid hands" on him and took the clouds away, and he realized that the memories of his parents planning treason were false, implanted by Trent. He escaped and has spent the five years since on the run, protected from location by Empire authorities by his Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location.

 Caleb and Beau disagreed about the best course of action when they found the bowl Calianna was searching for. Caleb thought they should interrogate Cali under some sort of guarantee that she would tell the truth, while Beau thought Caleb was being both rude and paranoid. Cali broke up the argument by positing that Caleb could simply use Suggestion to make her tell the truth. Caleb and Beau reconciled the next day, after some prodding from Fjord and Yasha.

The Iron Shepherds
 Beau, Caleb, Molly, and Nott woke up to find that Fjord, Jester, and Yasha were missing from camp. Most of their equipment was still there. Caleb changed Frumpkin into a hawk so that he could better search for signs of them but found nothing. While they were trying to figure out what to do, Keg, a dwarven fighter, approached the group. She told them that a group of slavers called the Iron Shepherds was working in the area and they had probably kidnapped Fjord, Jester, and Yasha. The group struck a deal with Keg- she would lead them to the Iron Shepherds in Shadycreek Run if they would help her kill them. Caleb took Jester's haversack for safekeeping before continuing along the road.

When they reached the outskirts of the Crispvale Thicket, Nott asked Caleb as the leader whether they should cut through the forest or go around it. Caleb only responded by asking why she kept calling him the leader. Annoyed, Molly rode into the forest. The rest of the group followed him. He was initially suspicious of Jumnda when he saw her campfire. Caleb tried to cheer up Ombo by having Frumpkin (now in owl form) sit on the boy's shoulder and head.

The second night on the road, Caleb took a watch alone with Frumpkin. He wondered out loud why he was still with the Mighty Nein. Molly cannot help him. He is angry with himself that he told Beau everything to get into The Cobalt Soul library and he learned nothing useful there. Looking at Nott, he asked himself how he can expect Nott to help him with what he wants to do. Nott is as much as a liability as she is a help to him. Caleb told himself it is time for him to go, but sat the rest of his watch, waited for everyone to wake up, and did not tell anyone what he had been thinking.

When the group caught up to a caravan that looked like it might be the Iron Shepherds, Caleb cast Suggestion on Keg to make her tell them the names of all the Iron Shepherds and admit she used to work with them. The group decided to pass the Shepherds' caravan, then set up an ambush for them the next day. In the middle of the ambush, Mollymauk was killed with Lorenzo's glaive and left for dead in the snowy hills. Caleb, shaken by the whole experience, wandered away from the group after burying Molly. Walking into the nearby forest, he saw a beautiful lone horse that shapeshifted into a firbolg named Nila. She apologized for watching them and gave her condolences for what happened.

 Caleb, Beau, Caduceus, and Nott, along with Keg and Nila, raided the Sour Nest, discovering Shakäste was being held prisoner and releasing him to aid in their fight. After a long, hard battle against the Iron Shepherds, Caleb killed Lorenzo with a Fire Bolt to the head and succeeded on the resulting wisdom save. The party then rescued Jester, Fjord, and Yasha.

 While in Zadash, Caleb and Beaureguard visited the Cobalt Soul archive, where he did research on mages in history that had been able to bend time and reality. Newer arcane experiments regarding time and reality are being fielded within the Soltryce Academy in Rexxentrum into a newer magical energy that can seemingly adjust such properties with ease. It is being referred to as "Dunamis."

 Caleb got to experience the ocean for the first time, saying that it reminded him of his personal experiences with the Beacon.

Chapter 12
 Caleb, along with the rest of the Mighty Nein, stole the ship the Mist from the docks in Nicodranas. He suggested renaming it the "Shit" or the "Shittake," as mist in Zemnian is a word for "shit." He told Beau he didn't feel guilty for the theft or killing the previous crew because the Mighty Nein did not attack first. However, he told Nott in private that he did not feel good about what just happened and was unsure about the direction the group was going.

 He gave the name "Phillip" as his pirate alias to Captain Avantika.

Urukayxl
 Avantika, Jamedi Cosko and the Mighty Nein went into the jungle on the island of Urukayxl. While he thought Avantika was sleeping, Caleb sent Frumpkin to sit on her dagger and tried to cast Identify on it through Frumpkin. Avantika stabbed Frumpkin with the dagger, destroying him. While finishing his watch, Caleb resummoned Frumpkin.

The next morning the party decided to reach the temple of Uk'otoa by sneaking through the yuan-ti city disguised. Jester used her disguise kit to put makeup on Beau, Caleb, and Yasha. While they thought Avantika and Jamedi were out of earshot, the Mighty Nein discussed what to do about them. Caleb said if they came back from the island without Avantika the crew of the Squall Eater would probably kill them. It would be a better idea to kill them at a later time. Fjord agreed. Avantika agreed as well, revealing that she had been invisible and listening to the whole conversation.

The party snuck into the city. As they approached the pyramid in the center of the city, two yuan-ti noticed them. Jester successfully paralyzed them with Hold Person. The rest of the group pulled them into a nearby house and quickly killed them. However, the owner of the hut was inside asleep and woke up. He was able to shout before the group killed him. Now noticed by several yuan-ti, Fjord cast Major Image to create an illusion of a manticore in the middle of the street as cover for the party to run towards the temple. As they run up the side of the temple, Fjord and Caleb take out another sentry. At the top of the temple, Nott found a trapdoor and picked a lock to get the group inside. While searching for traps in the first room inside, Nott triggered a trap. The room turned into a stone slide further into the temple. As the group reached the bottom, they were in a room with four yuan-ti.  Caleb and Nott saved the Mighty Nein, Avantika, and Jamedi Cosko from falling after being shot out the top of the temple by a geyser by both casting Feather Fall. Between both spells, they were able to target all nine members of the group. While being chased by yuan-ti, Caleb and Nott slowed them down by executing a combo moved called "Fluffernutter". Nott threw a keg of black powder then Caleb caused an explosion by casting Scorching Ray on it.

 When the Mighty Nein joined the crew of the Squall-Eater, "Phillip" took on the role as apprentice navigator. Upon arriving at Darktow Isle, Caleb (along with the other members of the Mighty Nein) was automatically initiated into the ranks of the Revelry.

 Caleb decided to forego sleep to create a cypher for reading Avantika's journal.

 Along with the rest of the Mighty Nein, Caleb was expelled from the Revelry after the fight with Avantika.

 After defeating Dashilla, Fjord became curious about a magical pedestal in her lair. Caleb seemed hesitant and suspicious of Fjord's intentions. Caleb asked for an unspecified favor in return if he helps figure out this pedestal. Fjord agreed. Caleb and Fjord dropped large amounts of their blood onto the pedestal. Fjord realized it would take more blood than they were able to give and decided they should leave.

 Caleb was initially suspicious of Twiggy. He cast Suggestion on her, compelling her to show him all her magic items. The spell was successful, but he felt guilty afterward. Caleb let Twiggy play with Frumpkin (again in cat form) and told her she could be an honorary member of the Mighty Nein.

Caleb figured out to how open the Happy Fun Ball of Tricks and accidentally transported the party into Halas's manor. When Fjord got pulled into the stained glass window in the library, Caleb searched for a way to help him rather than explore or take books. Nott, however, began unlocking several books which she took, and Caleb stayed with her while urging that they needed to join the others who had already passed through the window to join Fjord.

Chapter 13
 When the party traveled from Nicodranas to Felderwin, Nott's former home, Caleb was terrified to see Vess DeRogna and Ludinus Da'leth there and hid in the bottom of the party's cart to avoid being seen. When the party reached the burned ruins of the Brenatto Apothecary and found the partially burned notes referencing dunamancy and the experiments of the Cerberus Assembly to begin to harness it, Nott realized that it wasn't the Kryn Dynasty that might have her husband, it was Caleb's former people, and became angry when he tried to keep her quiet about it because only Nott and Beau, at that point, knew his history. Seeing his oldest friend turn on him, and the potential crumbling of the wall of secrecy he had maintained, Caleb vomited in the middle of the floor.

Caleb was stunned when Nott found Luc at Old Edith's and referred to him as her son.

 After Nott shared her history of being transformed into a goblin and hiding from her family, she asked Caleb to share his own story, saying that they might need his knowledge to help find her missing husband. In obvious terror, Caleb told everyone a partial version. He admitted for the first time that his real name was Bren Aldric Ermendrud. He shared that he had been trained by the Cerberus Assembly, that he went "a little crazy", and that he ran away, but did not mention that he had been maneuvered into killing his parents. His greatest concern was that if the party were to be seen with him, Trent Ikithon could use them to reach Caleb. He also revealed for the first time that he had been experimented on by having crystals placed into his arms, leaving the scars which he had kept hidden with bandages since the party met him. He seemed surprised that the party still saw him as their friend, and admitted for the first time that he liked them, too.

 Caleb removed and put away the bandages on his arms, saying that there was no longer anything to hide.  Caleb was uncomfortable with the prospect of seeing Empress Kryn. When the group was outed as having attacked Kryn skirmishers, Caleb convinced the guards to allow him access to the Haversack. He explained who he was as from the empire but no friend of the empire and he gave the Beacon to Leylas Kryn, who began crying and said that he and the Nein had brought her dynasty hope.

Chapter 15
 After the trip to Uthodurn to reforge Dwueth'var, Caleb suggested returning to Rosohna so that he could interrogate the Scourger held in the Dungeon of Penance. Essek Thelyss escorted them there, and Caleb, Jester, and Caduceus entered the heavily guarded cell where the Scourger was chained. Caleb told her he was indeed Bren Aldric Ermendrud. She was still defiant, and when he asked her if it would make a difference to learn that some of her victims were blameless, responded that there are things bigger than innocence. She was sure Trent Ikithon would find Caleb, and confirmed Astrid and Eadwulf were still alive. Suddenly, she broke one of her chains and stabbed Caleb deeply with a pointed piece of metal before being overpowered by the guards, and Essek magically killed her at Caleb's nod. That afternoon, Essek taught Caleb the Dunamancy spells Immovable Object and Resonant Echo. Jester told Caleb she knew that what he went through in the cell earlier was very hard and she was here for him if he wanted to talk. They went shopping for paper/ink and spell components, with Jester paying the 300 gp for paper to transcribe the two new spells, since Caleb didn't have enough money at the time. In the evening, in order to provide Jester information for potential Scrys, Caleb used Seeming to make himself look like Trent Ikithon, Beau look like Astrid, Fjord like Eadwulf, Nott like Vess DeRogna, and Caduceus like Jenna Iresor (another Assembly member).

 While in the Happy Fun Ball searching for Yussa, Caleb and the rest of the Nein found blueprints in the Golem Workshop for making a golem servant. The party created it using materials found in the workshop, and Caleb bonded to it to become its master. He dubbed it William or Little Willi for short.

 Caleb investigated Halas's laboratory for any magical items that could help them escape. While searching, he discovered some incomplete equations for a permanent transformation spell and Halas's old spellbook.

Chapter 16
 After the Mighty Nein finished their meeting with King Dwendal, Trent Ikithon (who had not yet acknowledged that he recognized Caleb), walked past and said, "It's good to see you again, Bren." The party then retired to the Camarouth Cottage and discussed what had just transpired and their plans in regards to the peace talks. After they were finished, Fjord said to him, "If you want to finish this on a personal level, let me know."

 Using the address given by the letter received by Nott and Jester in response to their letter seeking information about Astrid, Caleb was able to find her home. He asked her what had happened after he broke, since he has no memories after his home burned. She explained that he started lashing out violently at her and others as well, showing him the burn scars on her neck. He was taken to the Vergesson Sanatorium in hopes that he would get better, as he apparently now had. Astrid stated that she was impressed and proud of his recent activities. She was genuinely mournful for his pain, but with an underlying hardness. She touched Caleb several times during their conversation and told him she'd like to see more of him. At the end of their conversation, Caleb thought about staying, but left to return to the party.

 Using help from Essek and Nott, Caleb was able to complete the Transmogrification spell found in Halas's laboratory. In the middle of casting it, however, Nott and Caleb heard a loud cackling and realized that the curse placed on Nott prevented her from being turned back into a halfling.

 The Mighty Nein traveled to Kamordah in order to find Isharnai and break the curse.

 Frumpkin in the form of a monkey snuck onto the Wind of Aeons in order to hear the conversation between Lord Thain and Ludinus Da'leth going on below decks. After the Martinet cast a form of Dispel Magic, the illusory form of Lord Thain faded revealing a panicked-looking Essek. That afternoon, Caleb performed the Transmogrification ritual on Nott. As she said farewell and individually thanked each of the Nein, she told Caleb again that she loved him, and he replied, "I... love you too, Veth the Brave." In the evening, the party forced Essek to come with them to the Ball-Eater, and he admitted he was the traitor who had given the Luxon Beacon to the Empire. Caleb saw the close parallels between his own situation and Essek's, and urged him to seize this one opportunity to change and save himself. Kissing him on the forehead, he told him that although they may both be damned, they "can choose to do something and leave it better than it was before."

 After Essek left, the party discussed what to do about him. Caleb suggested continuing to facilitate the peace negotiations and then afterwards, surgically removing the problem after the fact, saying he wanted the murderers removed from power in his country because he was tired of children being thrown on the pyre. Caduceus suggested that Caleb didn't want to punish the people who made him, he wanted to make sure that no one else suffered similarly, but Caleb responded, "I don't know, Caduceus." Later, Caleb tinkered with the magic-silencing collar from the Happy Fun Ball and learned that the power source it required could likely only be acquired from the ruins of the Age of Arcanum city of Aeor in Eiselcross. While sailing to the peace negotiations, Caleb revealed to Fjord that he valued his new-found family with the Mighty Nein because he had killed his own for those in power in the Empire. Fjord told him he was a good friend, and although he had done terrible things, he still saw a good man.

Chapter 17
 Caleb used Programmed Illusion to create a slideshow of all the adventures the Mighty Nein had had together in an attempt to prevent Vokodo's mind altering powers from affecting them. Caleb also told Veth how impressed he was at her creating a brand new spell.

 In the morning of the fight against Vokodo, Caleb woke up forgetting why they were on the island. He stood taller and seemed in a good mood, which alerted the group to what had happened. Jester immediately cast Greater Restoration on him, restoring his memories, and brought back his slump and usual demeanor. He commented afterwards, in a voice suggesting he wasn't sure about it, that it was, "Better this way."

 Before TravelerCon, Caleb had a conversation with Veth, Yasha, and Beauregard about what their next move was. Caleb mentioned that he wanted to go back to the Empire since he was convinced that the peace negotiations didn't end the problems within their homeland, although he wasn't sure exactly how to proceed to root them out. He proposed taking Vess DeRogna's job offer to explore Eiselcross.

Chapter 18
 After the party's meeting with Vess DeRogna, Caleb received a letter from Trent Ikithon asking for him and the rest of the Mighty Nein to join him, Astrid, and Eadwulf for dinner at Trent's estate.

 After reading the letter outside of Vess DeRogna's house, Caleb escorted the party to an inn to discuss his past relationship with Trent Ikithon and what had happened to his parents. Jester and Caduceus sugessted bringing his parents back from the dead, but Caleb was unsure of whether their remains were still in the ground or taken away by the Scourgers. Caleb decided to accept Ikithon's inivitation to dinner in order to see if Astrid and Eadwulf were redeemable people and what Ikithon's intentions were for inviting them.

While at dinner, Ikithon revealed that he wanted Caleb to eventually take his place as an Assembly member. He also revealed that he mentally broke Caleb because he thought it would help him grow into a powerful wizard. Ikithon presented to Caleb the crest of the Archeart, the same crest worn by the woman who restored his memories before he left the Vergesson Sanatorium, which Caleb took as meaning that Ikithon had orchestrated this from the very start.

Una and Leofric Ermendrud
Una and Leofric were Caleb's parents. Leofric was a soldier in the Empire forces. Caleb had a happy childhood in the farming community of Blumenthal, and was selected to attend the Soltryce Academy. When Trent Ikithon gave his students the final task of killing their parents who were supposedly traitors to the Dwendalian Empire, Caleb "broke" when he heard his parents screaming inside their flaming house. Caleb believes that this was an irredeemably evil act, and his life goal has been to change time to erase the event.

Frumpkin
Caleb is fond of Frumpkin. Outside of times when he uses Frumpkin to advance his goals, Caleb treats Frumpkin like a domestic cat, frequently showing him physical affection. Caleb seems to know that Frumpkin prefers to be in cat form, but is willing to change him to other forms when necessary. Frumpkin is named after Liam’s childhood cat of the same name. Though Frumpkin has died on multiple occasions, this doesn't seem to bother Caleb or Frumpkin. Caleb has stated that Frumpkin finds dying to be a minor inconvenience. He has let Nott eat Frumpkin twice. Even though Frumpkin's deaths are temporary, Caleb takes it personally when someone other than Nott kills him.

Nott
Caleb, more than once, mentioned that Nott had saved his life the day before the events of and the two of them covered each other's expenses throughout their drinking escapades in Trostenwald and their trip to the Carnival. In their first scene in Critical Role, Caleb and Nott shared a room at the Nestled Nook Inn and they roomed together multiple times thereafter. Caleb stated that they're best when they work together.

Over the months that they have been together, Nott and Caleb have become reflexively protective of each other. When Caleb had the slightest impression that the other members of the Mighty Nein had figured out Nott's goblin identity, he said that she was a goblin, but that it was not a big deal. Later, during the trial held by the notably anti-goblin Norda, Caleb stood between Nott and Norda and vouched for Nott's moral character.

Nott intimated that she and Caleb had several practiced cons (confidence tricks) for procuring coin, including "The Money Pot", "Rat Food", "Prince and the Pauper", and "Spider Eyes".

When asked about their relationship, Caleb stated that he considers Nott to be like a little sister to him, and said to Nott that she is his best friend. Nott stated early in the campaign that she considered herself to be a mother figure for Caleb, though she has not told him this. She has since explained that she loves Caleb and wouldn't leave his side for anything.

Even after joining the Mighty Nein, Caleb still considered himself and Nott separate from the rest of the group. Caleb told Nott while they were alone that he thought the group was "interesting, and great-- and untrustworthy, but great". However, by the time the Iron Shepherds kidnapped Jester, Fjord, and Yasha, Caleb and Nott both cared enough for their friends that they were no longer concerned with finishing the job for The Gentleman. During their first night on the Mist, Caleb told Nott that the group was their new family.

When the party searched the burned ruins of the Brenatto Apothecary in Felderwin, Nott realized that it wasn't the Kryn Dynasty that might have her husband, it was Caleb's former people, and became angry when he tried to keep her quiet about it because only Nott and Beau, at that point, knew his history. Seeing his oldest friend turn on him, and the potential crumbling of the wall of secrecy he had maintained, Caleb vomited in the middle of the floor. Caleb was stunned when Nott found Luc at Old Edith's and referred to him as her son.

After Nott shared her history of being transformed into a goblin and hiding from her family, she asked Caleb to share his own story, saying that they might need his knowledge to help find her missing husband. In obvious terror, Caleb told everyone a partial version (omitting that he killed his parents and spent eleven years insane in a sanitorium), and shared his real name of Bren Aldric Ermendrud for the first time.

In, Caleb pulled Nott aside and briefly mentioned finding a series of equations for a permanent transformation spell that could turn her back into a halfing. He asked Nott to be patient with him and give him some time to work it out.

With help from Essek and Nott, Caleb was able to complete the spell in. During the transformation process however, the spell was broken by a strange curse placed on Nott by the old hag from her past. The group decided to meet with the hag and discuss how to break the curse.

Through Jester's ingenuity and spellcraft, Nott was able to be transformed back into a halfing in.

Beauregard Lionett
Caleb is impressed with Beauregard and her physical fitness. Without having witnessed a battle that happened before Caleb met them, he credited the success of Jester, Beau, and Fjord against the giant snake to Beau's "guns". She is probably the person he trusts most after Nott. This is evidenced by the fact that he revealed his dark past to her. Caleb has mentioned some of his trust stems from the fact that they are both "empire kids".

Despite frequent disagreements, Beau and Caleb have grown closer, with something of a sibling-like relationship developing between them. Beau is one of the few members of the Mighty Nein that Caleb has allowed to command Frumpkin. After Beau lost her pet owl, Caleb transformed Frumpkin into a "one-ounce owl" and loaned him to her for a week. He said he wanted to thank her for not telling anyone about his past.

Caleb frequently places his hand on Beau's shoulder when seeing through Frumpkin's eyes. When Caleb began to open up to the rest of the group about his dark past in, he repeated this shoulder touch, but this time for emotional support.

Jester Lavorre
Jester was friendly but blunt toward Caleb when they first met. The first thing she ever said to him was that he smelled really bad and that he should take a bath. Although he seemed not to be bothered at the time, Caleb later admitted her jokes about him being dirty had previously made him uncomfortable. Now that he has gotten to know Jester, he is fine with it.

Caleb stated on many occasions that Jester is likable and charming. He has similarly shown her his spellbook to how he shows it to Nott. Caleb likes that Jester cheers him up. He thinks she is an "amazing woman" but suspects that her cheerful personality can be an act akin to that of a brave front.

When Jester returned from the Pillow Trove and revealed that she had not gotten the care package from her mother, Caleb offered her some of his gold to cheer her up, but she declined, and the two began to quarrel over what constituted "a lot of money". Caleb claimed 50 gold was more money than his family had ever made, to which Jester responded that basically had been her daily allowance growing up; frustrated with her inability to be happy with the money they did have, Caleb smeared mud over his face and then stormed off, though Jester later apologized for her unintentional insensitivity. Caleb worries most about how Jester would react to his past if she learned of it. He feels very uneasy about the fact that he accidentally called her "Astrid" while drunk one night. Caleb later confirmed that Astrid had been his girlfriend. He showed concern for Jester's feelings about Fjord, but said he didn't know how to help her figure them out.

Caleb has been a little in love with Jester since their waltz in, although he regards his feelings as "useless" and "a problem" and feels that either Beau or Fjord would be better for her..

Fjord
Upon joining forces, Fjord and Caleb quickly developed a collaborative working relationship. They both could magically change their appearance. As an aspiring magic-user himself, Fjord complimented Caleb on his spells and sought his advice on arcane matters. Caleb admired Fjord's mind and his ability to get things done.

Their relationship became more strained when the Mighty Nein infiltrated the High Richter's house in Zadash. Caleb tried to take a scroll case from the house, which Fjord believed would put the party at risk, and he held his falchion to Caleb's throat to try to force him to put it back. Their argument was interrupted by the High Richter's return and the subsequent destruction of the house by Ulog's Fireball.

During the Mighty Nein's time at sea, Caleb grew more suspicious of Fjord and his motives. Caleb also noticed that Fjord's accent sometimes changed. He questioned what they were doing at sea and what Fjord hoped to get out of working with Avantika. He told Fjord he would not help release Uk'otoa if that was the goal.

Caleb seemed to sympathize with Fjord's conflicted feelings finding out that his mentor Vandran turned out to be a different man than Fjord thought he was. He was very careful in his phrasing when reading about Vandran in Avantika's journal, aware that it was a topic Fjord would be sensitive about. Fjord was unaware they had this in common since Caleb had not shared the fact that he had killed his parents with Fjord.

At the Diver's Grave, Fjord was curious about the purpose and power of Dashilla's altar, and urged Caleb to explore it. Caleb offered to do so in return for unspecified favor at some point in the future, and they both cut themselves and used their blood to activate the altar, stopping before completing the ritual which would have summoned a storm that could have destroyed their ship. Liam O'Brien later confirmed on Talks Machina that in going along with Fjord's desire to test the altar, Caleb was manipulating him the same way he had been manipulated by Trent Ikithon when he was younger, and that he hated himself for doing so.

Caleb showed concern and distrust over Fjord's accent. He commented on it to Beauregard - who told him she wasn't interested in prying - after hearing Fjord's accent slip when waking from a dream and also heard him use his other accent in the second temple to Uk'otoa while watching him through Frumpkin. After they were given the house in Xhorhas, Caleb waited in Fjord's room while he was out to confront him about it. Fjord was reluctant to discuss his past, saying he liked this version of himself and not who he had been. He assured Caleb there was nothing in his past that was a danger to the Mighty Nein, which was Caleb's chief concern. Fjord did not want to say anymore, and asked Caleb for time to find a way to talk about it on his terms so he did not feel like Caleb had taken something from him.

After Fjord lost his powers by throwing the falchion into the lava of Kravaraad, it was Caleb who stepped forward, gave him his Glove of Blasting, and asked the group for other magic items to help him out. He also mentioned to Fjord that his sense of diplomacy had nothing to do with any magical gifts, but rather his persuasive nature. After being gifted Melora's boon, Fjord asked Caleb if he wanted the Glove of Blasting back. Caleb told Fjord that he could keep it.

On the ship sailing to the peace negotiations, Fjord apologized to Caleb for holding the sword to his throat during the heist in the High-Richter's home in Zadash, admitting that it came out of his desire to control the situation. Caleb told him that Fjord had been justified in his actions, revealing that he had killed his parents for the Cerberus Assembly. Although he believed he himself was ruined, he wanted to do something to make up for it. Fjord said he knew that Caleb had done terrible things, but he saw a good man and a good friend, and that the party would look to Caleb for cues on how to deal with the Assembly.

Yasha Nydoorin
Caleb likes Yasha due to their similar personalities and mutual dislike of, and uncomfortableness with, close contact. After asking her for advice regarding social situations, Yasha listed off a few things that she believed would make people like Caleb more (which he wrote down) and shaved his face with her sword after Caleb mentioned that he missed being cleanly shaven. Caleb asked if this made them friends, to which Yasha said that it did.

In, Caleb told Yasha that she deserved her newfound happiness and that he was glad to be friends with her. Yasha then gave him a big hug.

Mollymauk Tealeaf
When Caleb dissociated after burning a man to death in a gnoll lair, Mollymauk doused the flames, slapped Caleb in the face and encouraged him to deal with those feelings later. Molly then asked if he was alright, and kissed Caleb on the forehead. When the party later pressed Caleb on his dissociation and he pointed out that it was a traumatizing experience, Molly suggested using alcohol to numb the pain.

Caduceus Clay
Upon meeting Caduceus, Caleb whispered multiple times to Beau that he "like(s) this man." He appreciates Caduceus' calm demeanor. After Clay nearly drowned multiple times, Caleb gave him Mollymauk's Periapt of Wound Closure. Caduceus is also one of the few members of the Mighty Nein that does not mind Caleb's smell, and thinks he smells "fantastic."

Essek Thelyss
After their arrival in Rosohna and being declared Heroes of the Dynasty for their return of one of the missing beacons, the Mighty Nein came under Essek Thelyss’s supervision. After his den gifted the Nein with the Xhorhaus, Essek came by to see how they were settling in. Caleb inquired about the avenues of learning dunamancy and after he impressed Essek with his Cat’s Ire, Essek offered to give him a few lessons. This was the beginning of a meaningful intellectual relationship between the two wizards through which Caleb learned dunamantic spells and the Transmogrification spell was developed.

Caleb also sought Essek out to see if he could have any political sway over the execution of a scourger. Essek managed to stay the execution for some time and accompanied Caleb and the rest of the Nein when they went to interrogate her. After the scourger attacked Caleb, Essek quickly used his magic to suspend her in midair before dispatching of her on Caleb’s order.

Essek has aided the Mighty Nein by teleporting them to many hard to reach locations. On one of these occasions there was a miscommunication about their precise destination. Caleb helped convince Essek to teleport them a second time by apologising and placing a hand on Essek’s forearm by which Essek was confused and slightly irritated.

The two wizards have acknowledged each other as kindred spirits. During dinner at the Xhorhaus, Essek said that Caleb understands his intellectual curiosity and that he sees “a similar spark” in him. While after Essek’s confession of stealing the beacons, Caleb said “...the difference between you and I is thinner than a razor.” in reference to both their past wrongs after which he kissed Essek on the forehead.

Liam O’Brien has stated that "outside of the Mighty Nein [Essek’s] probably the only person that Caleb would see as a friend that he’s made. Which makes him a rarity in all the NPCs."

Astrid and Eadwulf
Astrid, Eadwulf, and Caleb were all from the small farming community of Blumenthal in the Zemni Fields of the Dwendalian Empire, although it is unclear whether they knew each other before being selected to attend the Soltryce Academy in Rexxentrum. There, they were close friends, and at some point Caleb entered into a serious romantic relationship with Astrid when they were both in their late teens. The three were selected to undergo Trent Ikithon's Volstrucker training together and were used in his human experimentation of embedding refined residuum crystals into their skin. All three of them were also trained to interrogate and execute dissidents to the Empire. In addition, at some point during this time, Bren fell in love with his fellow student Astrid.

When Bren was 17 and Astrid was 18, as a test of his three students' loyalty, Trent modified their memories so they believed that their parents had betrayed the empire. The three killed their parents, but Bren "broke" when he heard his parents' screams from inside their burning house. Astrid and Eadwulf became successful Scourgers working under Ikithon.

Caleb saw Eadwulf at the Vergesson Sanatorium when the Mighty Nein were checking on the Luxon Beacon held there. Caleb greeted him as they were leaving, saying it was good to see him again. Eadwulf returned the greeting, saying that Bren/Caleb looked good, but remaining impassive.

When Caleb arrived again in Rexxentrum with the Mighty Nein, he went privately to see Astrid at her home. She welcomed him, was seemingly honest in her responses to his questions, and invited him to stay longer. When he left, she told him he was welcome back any time and she would like to see more of him. When the Mighty Nein returned to Rexxentrum after TravelerCon, Caleb and the group received an invitation from Trent Ikithon to have dinner with him, Astrid, and Eadwulf at Trent's home in The Candles. The dinner was tense, culminating in Trent's revealing that he believed Bren had the potential to replace him as a member of the Cerberus Assembly. Eadwulf and Astrid told Caleb that if that happened, they would follow him and do as he commanded. Caleb brought up his prior conversation with Astrid where he had the impression that she was being groomed for Trent's seat, and she nervously shut down the inquiry. After the dinner when Eadwulf and Astrid walked the party outside to the gate, Astrid asked Caleb if he meant what he said inside, that he meant to stop Trent, and Caleb confirmed. Her response: "Race you to the top."

Quests
Caleb has unspecified plans for when he is a more powerful wizard. He wants to become powerful enough to "bend reality" to his will. Whatever his plans are, he hopes he will not let his parents down. Since both his parents are dead, Caleb may be looking for a way to change the past. While spending downtime in the Archive of the Cobalt Soul in Zadash, Caleb researched methods of controlling time. He also objected vociferously when Beau mentioned this, since he had never mentioned it to her.

Caleb wants to kill multiple members of the Cerberus Assembly, including Trent Ikithon, out of a desire for revenge and a hope to improve the moral character of the Dwendalian Empire.


 * Caleb discussed with Beauregard, Veth, and Yasha the possibility of taking up Vess DeRogna's job offer to gather some intel on the Assembly.
 * In, the Mighty Nein met with DeRogna in her house to discuss her job offer to explore Eiselcross.
 * Caleb accepted Trent's invitation to dinner to see what Ikithon's intentions were for him as a former student.

Notable Items

 * Spellbook: With a picture of a "dick-butt" drawn by Jester on the page containing the Friends spell.
 * A different book, possibly a journal of some sort
 * Dagger
 * A burnt spellbook
 * Siff Duthar's burnt spellbook
 * Component pouch
 * Small clay cat's paw
 * Pearl obtained from Nott's polished brass ring (used as a material component for casting the Identify spell)
 * This ring was obtained from Kylre's corpse, which Jester then wore and coyly allowed Nott to steal from her finger
 * Sending Stone (obtained from the Sutan's place)
 * Transmuter's Stone
 * Spellbook with the name burned out taken from Halas's library
 * Jar of glass beads (taken from Halas's library)
 * Caleb cast Identify on the jar, but did not reveal what its function is.
 * Caleb later revealed that these are beads of nourishment
 * Book on the ice fields of Eiselcross (taken from Halas's library)
 * Stone of Good Luck
 * Driftglobe
 * Ring of Evasion
 * Elven Chain (retrieved from the lair of Gelidon)
 * Wand carved from a burnt tree (gift from Calianna)
 * Pieces of stained glass from the Chantry of the Dawn
 * Handmade wooden cat sculpture
 * Amulet of Proof against Detection and Location (taken from Ikithon’s guard in asylum.)
 * Given to Vokodo
 * Retrieved by Veth and returned to Caleb. Pocketed by him but not worn.
 * Ioun Stone of Fortitude (gifted to him by Fjord)

Former Items

 * The Beacon (inside of a lead-lined box) (entrusted to Jester) (given to the The Bright Queen)
 * The Beacon was found to contain a nearly incomprehensible amount of power when Caleb used Identify on it. It is in the shape of a dodecahedron.
 * Periapt of Wound Closure> (Beau looted from Molly's corpse and tossed it to Caleb) (transferred ownership to Caduceus after a series of near-death experiences)
 * Jester's haversack (Caleb carried Jester's haversack while she was being held by the Iron Shepherds.)
 * During this time it contained the Beacon and Jester's sketchbook.
 * "Happy Fun Ball of Tricks" (given to him by Twiggy) (Given to Yussa Errenis)
 * Glove of Blasting (given to Fjord)
 * A diamond that Caleb used when casting Chromatic Orb
 * Given to Jester as a component for Incite Greed.

Copied Spells

 * 500 gp-worth of high quality ink (used to transcribe spells into his spell book)
 * 200 gp-worth of high quality parchment and ink (unused)
 * 1250 gp-worth of high quality parchment and ink (used to transcribe spells into his spell book)
 * Spell scrolls containing: Invisibility (obtained from Nott), Shocking Grasp, Hold Person (retconned from Shocking Grasp at the start of ), Catapult , Expeditious Retreat , Feather Fall (transcribed and destroyed), Shield  (transcribed and destroyed),, Protection from Energy , Levitate , Major Image (transcribed and destroyed) , Greater Invisibility  (transcribed and destroyed)

Variant Human Abilities

 * Bonus Skill
 * Feat: Keen Mind

Feats

 * Keen Mind
 * Skilled (Perception, Intimidation, Persuasion)
 * War Caster

Wizard Abilities

 * Arcane Recovery (7 slot levels)
 * Arcane Tradition (Transmutation)
 * Transmutation Savant
 * Minor Alchemy
 * Transmuter's Stone
 * Shapechanger
 * Ritual Casting
 * Spellcasting (Intelligence-based ability)

Wizard Spells
As a 13th-level wizard, Caleb knows five cantrips, and his spellbook contains at least 28 spells. He can prepare up to 18 of these spells per day.

Caleb has copied at least twenty-four additional spells into his spellbook. Caleb currently has an ancient spellbook from Halas's library containing Magic Jar, Trap the Soul, and Clone.

Caleb has cast or is known to have copied the following spells into his spellbook:

Cantrips

 * Caleb's Produce Flame
 * Control Flames
 * Dancing Lights
 * Fire Bolt
 * Friends
 * Message

13th-level wizards typically only know 5 cantrips. It is unknown why Caleb knows six, though he may have been given an additional one as in the case of Caduceus Clay's Decompose.

1st-level

 * Alarm
 * Burning Hands
 * Catapult
 * Chromatic Orb
 * Comprehend Languages
 * Detect Magic
 * Disguise Self
 * Expeditious Retreat
 * Feather Fall
 * Find Familiar
 * Gift of Alacrity
 * Identify
 * Mage Armor
 * Magic Missile
 * Shield
 * Sleep
 * Unseen Servant (dubbed Schmidt)
 * Witch Bolt
 * At least one other transmutation spell

2nd-level

 * Arcane Lock
 * Blur
 * Enlarge/Reduce
 * Flaming Sphere
 * Fortune's Favor
 * Hold Person
 * Invisibility
 * Immovable Object
 * Knock
 * Levitate
 * Maximilian's Earthen Grasp (takes the form of a cat's paw)
 * Melf's Acid Arrow
 * Mirror Image
 * Scorching Ray
 * Suggestion

3rd-level

 * Counterspell
 * Dispel Magic
 * Fear
 * Fireball
 * Fly
 * Haste
 * Leomund's Tiny Hut
 * Major Image
 * Protection from Energy
 * Slow
 * Tongues
 * Vampiric Touch

4th-level

 * Banishment
 * Fabricate
 * Greater Invisibility
 * Polymorph
 * Resonant Echo
 * Wall of Fire
 * Widogast's Vault of Amber
 * Widogast's Web of Fire

5th-level

 * Cat's Ire (functions identically to Bigby's Hand)
 * Seeming
 * Teleportation Circle

6th-level

 * Disintegrate
 * Globe of Invulnerability
 * Magic Jar
 * Programmed Illusion
 * Widogast's Transmogrification

7th-level

 * Teleport
 * Widogast's Nascent Nine-Sided Tower (functions identically to Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion)

Quotations
Caleb: "Yeah I'm not a happy guy." Beau: Was.
 * "It's on the table though, so on the table it will stay." (Caleb telling Nott when not to steal)
 * "Leave me alone, I'm reading." (Caleb telling Jester not to bother him while he reads his new book)
 * "I'm a dirty hobo and I reek of yesterday's garbage." (Caleb describing himself.)
 * "I'm either a clown or a toad-killer. Let's see what it is."
 * "Well, my social anxiety is getting the best of me. I'm taking a walk; goodbye."
 * "I am going to tell you the story of how I murdered my mother and father."
 * "Anybody can make lights. Anybody could send a message through a wire. I want to bend reality to my will."
 * "You were always a better dancer than me, Astrid." (Drunkenly told to Jester during their waltz)
 * "Shine bright, circus man." (Caleb's last words to Molly)
 * "Brave, dead... it's semantics, really." (Caleb taking the lead on the infiltration of Sour Nest)
 * "They. Are. Going. To. Die." (Caleb upon Frumpkin being killed in the Sour Nest)
 * "You shouldn't have killed my cat." (Caleb's words when he killed Lorenzo in the Sour Nest)
 * (to Nott, discussing hijacking The Mist) "I know that did that it didn't go very well, but this is our new family, right? So we want the family to stick together."
 * Twiggy: (after Caleb succeeds on the saving throw against Tasha's Hideous Laughter) "Funny, right?"
 * "My name was... Bren Aldric Ermendrud."
 * "Yes, I was trained to be a terrible person. Yes, I was a student of the Cerberus Assembly. Yes, I murdered those most dear to me, yes. And yes I want to see specific people dead. And if that lines up with something that can save where you and I are from, where Veth and Yeza are from, where our friends live...then all is one!"
 * "I don't know how my brothers and sisters could stomach wearing a mantle of loyalty, knowing that it was woven so throughly from sin. And I am very sorry for you."
 * (during Essek's interrogation) "You were not born with venom in your veins. You learned it."
 * "A long time ago you asked me about myself and I just never answered. I value this family, Fjord, because I killed my own, for these people that we are going to deal with."
 * "Yasha, let yourself a little happiness."
 * "Astrid and Eadwulf were willing to do anything that... Ikithon asked of them. And their final test was to kill their own flesh and blood. And they did so. And I am like them. W--was... Am. Am like them.
 * (after admitting he killed his parents to the full party) "I suppose I enjoyed being seen as I should have been. Or could have been. [ ... ] Whatever we’re doing here, I have come home in the hopes of atoning. And that idea has evolved quite a bit over time, and I’m not sure what the exact answer is. But I mean to atone."
 * "I often feel like a failure and a success within the same hour."

Trivia

 * Caleb's intelligence is one of the highest for any player character, tied with Percy, Lyra, and Lillith.
 * The name Caleb is Hebrew for "dog" ("kelev") and "whole-hearted" ("collev").
 * The name Widogast is an Old German name composed of the elements "witu" ("wood") and "gast" ("stranger, guest").
 * From Old and Middle, gast (also spelled ghast due to associations with ghost) means "to frighten", or "soul", "spirit", or "breath."
 * From a Proto-Indo-European origin, it can also mean "anger, agitation."
 * From Old French, it can mean "destruction" or "destroyed; ravaged; decimated", and is an alternate form of wast, which the word waste is related to or originates from.
 * Brian Wayne Foster described Caleb as "Homeless Troy Baker". After Caleb was cleaned by Pumat Sol, Brian began calling him "Basic Cable Troy Baker".
 * When Liam joked about Caleb emphasizing the Mold Earth cantrip, Laura responded that Caleb smells like "moldy earth".
 * When Liam speaks the Zemnian language as Caleb, he actually speaks German. Because of this, Matt now uses a German accent for Zemnian characters.
 * Caleb came up with the adventuring party's name the Mighty Nein, when Watchmaster Bryce Feelid needed the group's name for paperwork.
 * When Caleb cast Knock in "Within the Nest" the spell did not create a loud booming sound as described by the spell. It's likely this was an oversight by Matt.
 * Before Caleb spent a decade in an asylum, he was an evocation wizard.
 * The name Bren Aldric Ermendrud has a few different roots in German.
 * The name Bren comes from the German verb brennen meaning "burn"
 * Aldric comes from a Germanic name, derived from the elements ald "old" and ric "ruler, power"
 * Ermendrud is Germanic as well, derived from the elements ermen "whole, universal" and thrud "strength"
 * Caleb once claimed to have invented the club-and-ball sport known as "golf".
 * Caleb is the first player character on Critical Role to roll a Natural 20 while attacking himself.
 * As of Episode 78, Caleb now knows Teleportation Circles in Asarius, Rosohna, Nicodranas, Uthodurn, Zadash, Rexxentrum and Port Damali.
 * The word Caleb uses to complete the Widogast's Vault of Amber spell is "Una", his mother's name.
 * In the fourth episode of Narrative Telephone (Widogast's Web of Words), Liam told a gothic tale of three children who became cursed by a "Waldhexe" (forest witch). The first child was cursed by having part of his brain removed so that his thoughts were no longer his own, the second had an eye removed so she could no longer see true, and the third's heart was removed so he never knew love again, metaphorically representing Eadwulf, Astrid, and Caleb himself, respectively.