Caelumn

B-class article · First seen: s2 · Last seen: s19
Caelumn
Callum · Calum · Calem
Caelumn — portrait.
Character
StatusAlive
First seens2
Last seens19
PlayerToby
FactionPlatinum Order, Sevryn's recruits

Caelumn is a draconic-bloodline sorcerer played by Toby since session 2. He hails from Vhal’Zarim - “the very south of the continent” [40] - and is a trained but partial member of the Platinum Order: “I have cleric training due to my time in the clergy” [22]. Per his own session-9 admission, “I may not have been found worthy by the majority of the people within the Platinum Order, but my mentor always had faith in me” [6]. Vhal’Zarim is a Bahamut cathedral city; its origin myth is the chromatic-dragon attack from which “the great one, the platinum dragon came down and saved us” when “the gods abandoned us” [40]. Bahamut is canonically a god in this setting per Nick’s [25] ruling, not just a city myth. The Platinum Order’s operational policy is “accepting of all religions, as long as they’re not within our city walls” [26]; the city’s afterlife eschatology is “the eternal flame… when I die, I shall be burnt forever” [27]. Caelumn carries a draconic bloodline tied to Bahamut’s flame; exact dragon type unresolved (per DM ruling, post-s17 - do not confirm red). His fire-themed spell list (Firebolt, Produce Flame, Fireball, Chromatic Orb) sits awkwardly with the metallic-Bahamut imagery of the Platinum Order, an unresolved character contradiction. He is the bearer of the Soulbinder’s Packed Ring, which currently houses the soul of Maelis Dirn (s7) and an owlbear soul (s11). He is the canonical recipient of the campaign’s most disastrously memorable spell-action - igniting a spore-filled chamber with Produce Flame and downing himself in the resulting fireball [3] - and is the holder of the campaign’s most critically successful Intimidation, three natural twenties in a row at the Dawn Mercy Clinic [7]. His backpack, including The Egg, was stolen by an Aurelian chain attack in session 15. In session 18 he revived Mike from 0 HP mid-catfish-combat with 1st-level Cure Wounds [19], then stood down at the Aurelian patrol intercept the next morning after Hugo refused to engage; silently glared at Hugo as Mike was decapitated [29].

Appearance and personality

Caelumn carries himself in a pompous, religious-draconic cadence — the persistent voice of a true believer. His combat patter is drawn entirely from a single class fantasy: “I shall fire a firebolt.” “I cast Mage Armor.” “Defiler!” “I am a Draconic Sorcerer” [4]. The fire-only spell list reads as both deliberate flavour choice and tonal commitment.

He is also the table’s most reliable comic instrument. His self-deprecation about his own bad rolls is practically scriptural, and his asides — “Hello, sorry I was muted, um, so I’m eating a burger” [36], “I want to have a look around the room, but it’s fucking pointless because I’m exhausted because Nick’s a dick” [37], recurring), “I just fucking cast fireball on us” [3] after the spore-chamber detonation), “Show me on the doll where he touched you” (recurring dark joke) — give the table its second-most-quoted bench. Post-session-15 he picked up the descriptor “heretic” — “Now I’m the heretic. Great. heretic.” [38] — and leaned into it for s16: “I’m just a believer in the holy word” [39].

His draconic-ancestry scales appear visibly during stress; he showed them to Phil Flowerforge in s12 mid-bead-of-sweat.

Background

From Vhal’Zarim, the Bastion of the Platinum Flame - Bahamut’s cathedral-fortress city, located “at the very south of the continent” per Caelumn’s own framing during the s18 cottage backstory exchange [40]. His association with the Platinum Order is partial and unresolved at the level of “found worthy” status, but his clerical training is canonical as of s18: “I have cleric training due to my time in the clergy” [22]. Per his s9 admission to the Black Vein Quarry specters under duress: “I may not have been found worthy by the majority of the people within the Platinum Order, but my mentor always had faith in me” [6].

The Vhal’Zarim origin myth [40]

Caelumn’s full backstory landed for the first time at the s18 cottage long rest after Mike asked how he had revived him with Cure Wounds during the catfish fight. The city’s foundational story is a chromatic-dragon attack in the far past: “long ago our city was attacked by the chromatic dragons and the great one, the platinum dragon came down and saved us, and he may not be something that you would revere, but when the gods abandoned us, Bahamut was the one, the only one who came to our aid, and now we live in eternal gratitude towards him” [40]. Per Nick’s same-scene ruling [25], Bahamut is “very much a god” in this setting, not just a city myth. Caelumn’s own framing of the city’s religious tone is Warhammer 40k Emperor-worship - “super religious zealotry” [24]; this is PC characterisation, not literal in-fiction canon.

The Platinum Order’s policy [26]

The order’s operational policy was named in the same scene: “We of the Platinum Order don’t judge other people… The Platinum Order is accepting of all religions, as long as they’re not within our city walls” [26]. Mike’s gloss back: “all religions as long as you get the fuck out of our city” [41]. Caelumn did not contest the gloss.

Afterlife eschatology [27]

Terry asked if Bahamut had promised a promised land. Caelumn: “No, I am just awaiting seeing the eternal flame. And when I die, I shall be burnt forever” [27]. The eternal flame is the canonical Vhal’Zarim afterlife.

Doctrinal contradiction (still unresolved)

Two narrative threads still sit awkwardly together: the Bahamut-aligned Platinum Order is doctrinally metallic-dragon (and the in-fiction distinction between “metallic dragons are kind of considered holy” and “chromatic dragons are seen as a sort of perversion of draconic energy” was confirmed by Nick at [42], and Caelumn’s chromatic / fire-only spell list is the precise tonal opposite. The campaign bible flags it as an unresolved character thread.

Relationship to Aurelia’s Pure Light (separate religious system)

Per the post-s17 DM corrections register, Vhal’Zarim’s Bahamut faith and Aurelia’s Pure Light are separate religious systems. Future use of Caelumn’s Bahamut faith should not conflate the two. The practical compatibility question - in-fiction, can Caelumn declare as a Bahamut cleric inside Aurelia? - is open and tactically relevant after the s18 patrol intercept.

Build history

  • s2-current: Sorcerer, Draconic Bloodline subclass, fire-themed. Caelumn carries a draconic bloodline tied to Bahamut’s flame; exact dragon type unresolved (per DM ruling, post-s17 - do not confirm red). Spell list is flavour-locked to fire and radiant-adjacent damage; the player’s stated intent is “he just wants to be a fire dragon” (per Chris’s confirmation).
  • Level 4 at end of s14.

Equipment

  • Dragonslayer Longsword — attuned in s3 from the haul at Sunset is Nigh’s lair.
  • Soulbinder’s Packed Ring — looted in s7 after the Titan crushed Maelis Dirn. Currently houses Maelis Dirn’s soul (s7) and one owlbear soul (s11, fourth-level slot).
  • Charlatan’s Die — picked up in s8 from the dropped succubus loot.
  • Bloodwell Vial — gifted by Sevryn in session 11; restores sorcery points on a charge.
  • Backpack contents (lost s15): The Egg, the crooked broom, healing potions, and gold. The backpack was stolen by Aurelian forces in s15 [11]; the contents’ exact current location is unknown. Per the DM, the candied dentures had already been returned to Uncle Nibblecheek before the s15 backpack snare and were not in the pack at the time of the theft.

Campaign role

Caelumn has been at the table since session 2, original five-person party at the Hollow Hall Tavern. Across the campaign:

  • s3: receives a vision on Edvan’s burial mound at Wyrmbough Grove; first attunes the Dragonslayer Longsword from Sunset is Nigh’s hoard.

  • s4: present in the Black Mask black-void audience alongside Hugo and Terry. A crow appeared at his window after the audience — possibly a Black Mask familiar, possibly otherwise.

  • s5: detonates a spore-filled chamber with Produce Flame and goes unconscious in his own fireball — “I just fucking cast fireball on us” [3].

  • s7: loots the Soulbinder’s Packed Ring after the Titan kills Maelis Dirn; lights Harvo’s pyre two sessions later.

  • s9: at the Black Vein Quarry crystal chamber, declares Platinum Order origin in a forced confession — “I may not have been found worthy … but my mentor always had faith in me” [6]. Nearly killed by max-HP-draining ghost touch attacks. Says burial rites at Harvo’s pyre.

  • s10: rolls three natural twenties in a row on Intimidation under advantage and inspiration at the Dawn Mercy Clinic, breaking orderly Drew, who confesses the Aurelian abduction of Mira Hale [7]. The conspiracy thread cracks open here.

  • s11: airlifted out of an owlbear engagement by Hugo’s Winged Boots; captures one owlbear’s soul in the Soulbinder’s Packed Ring at fourth-level slot.

  • s12: revealed his draconic scales to Phil Flowerforge mid-confession; was fed into the Candy Cottage taffy puller, transformed into soft elastic taffy [9].

  • s13: triggered the Gummy Mummy ambush by grabbing a coin from the rock-candy library; cursed by the Mummy’s bite (max-HP-degradation 3d6/24h until death).

  • s14: airlifted unconscious up the basement-tunnel stairs by Hugo; cured of the Mummy curse by Uncle Nibblecheek in the bluffed mercy. Failed the save against Nibblecheek’s mass-charm and became Nibblecheek’s eternal servant for several rounds before the bluff resolved and the curse lifted.

  • s15: backpack including the Egg and the broom (plus healing potions and gold) stolen by an Aurelian chain attack during the smoke flight [11]. Per the DM, the candied dentures had already been returned to Uncle Nibblecheek before the snare and were not in the pack at the time of the theft. Targeted by Mharos’s direct attack (“Remember. You did this”, [43], saved only by Vasquez’s Mage Slayer once-per-day fail-to-succeed.

  • s16: down twice in the sewer combats; failed two death saves to a ghoul bite; survived by margin. Did not attune the Hat of Disguise (Vasquez did). At session end, on the skiff toward White Lantern Shrine.

  • s17: in his cleric-presenting register Caelumn mended Nessa’s torn fishing-boat sail [13] - the spell was Mike’s Mending cantrip via the Mizzium Apparatus in fact, but Caelumn’s pious bearing was the cover story Nessa accepted. Used his bonus action Innate Sorcery to open the s17 combat, then cast a 2nd-level Chromatic Orb (thunder) on a wounded water wolf for 24, bouncing for another 22 on a second wolf [44]. The headline moment came on Round 2: a second 2nd-level Chromatic Orb on a small wolf landed with a doubled damage roll, triggered the thunder-bounce mechanic, and the bounce attack itself came up nat 20 [15] for a one-shot 52-damage kill on the smallest wolf - Caelumn’s biggest single-turn damage ever and the highest-rolled crit in transcript so far. Bloodwell Vial available for sorcery-point recovery. Spent Heroic Inspiration on the initial frost-eruption surprise Dex save (rerolled a nat 1 to a 4; still failed; landed prone; [45].

  • s18: the session of the backstory dump. Reef-line resolution opened with a 1st-level Witch Bolt on the Brinemaw Wyrm for 20 damage, sustained concentration [16]. In the catfish encounter, opened with Innate Sorcery + 1st-level Witch Bolt (red-fire-static reflavour, [17], then cast a 1st-level Chromatic Orb (thunder) on the catfish whose bounce hit the boat and began dissolving it [18] - the bounce was a load-bearing piece of the boat’s destruction. During the open-ocean swim cast Alter Self for gills and a swim speed [20]; took 1 level of exhaustion [46]; rolled a nat-20 on the final landfall CON save [47]. At the cottage long rest delivered the campaign’s first full Vhal’Zarim / Platinum Order / Bahamut backstory dump [48] - clerical training canonicalised, city origin myth, Platinum Order policy, eternal-flame eschatology. Used 1st-level Cure Wounds to revive Mike mid-catfish-combat from 0 HP for 11 HP before death saves came up [19], and cast Cure Wounds again at session’s end on the swimmers. At the Aurelian patrol intercept the next morning, made the longest IC plea of the encounter asking permission to dispose of the body without the execution [28] - the knight nodded but the execution still happened. Capitulated after Hugo refused to engage: “if I’m going to get abandoned by Hugo, my frontliner, then I don’t actually have a choice… I’m just going to look on the neck and I shall silently glare back at Hugo” [29]. Took Dodge.

  • s19: the voice for retreat and the fey-ambush MVP. In the planning debate Caelumn made the case to abandon the Aurelia/Egg raid — “Are we ready to lose six more just to try and sort this out?” [31] — and the table agreed. He reclaimed the empty, mouldy backpack the party had picked up in the Eldwythe sewers to replace his lost one, getting “a familiar smell of fungus” [32]. When Father Thomas (a Pure Light cleric) joined, Caelumn kept his own Bahamut / Platinum Order faith covert, disowning Mike to the priest’s face (“it wasn’t our friend… just somebody we met”, [49] and only pressing Thomas to be “more open-minded” about outside magic in the abstract [50] — never declaring his own clerical training or draconic devotion. In the night-camp fey ambush he was the wisps’ focus target and was driven to roughly 3 HP (“the man with 44 HP compared to my 3 at the time”, [35], surviving on his own Quickened Cure Wounds, Father Thomas’s Twilight Sanctuary temp HP, and Terry’s Silvery Barbs negating a wisp’s nat-20. His Bloodwell Vial was confirmed carried and attuned in play (the DM names it when Caelumn redirects a chromatic-orb bounce, [33] — which resolves the long-standing “lost in the s15 backpack” question in favour of kept. He landed the killing blow on the Pixie with a Chromatic Orb — “Melt the bitch” [51] — and “she dissolves into a fine puddle” [52], at which the surviving wisps “split” (a DM homebrew beat).

Inter-PC tension after s18

Caelumn was the only PC to make a sustained IC effort to save Mike during the patrol intercept. He pleaded with Glenn [28], offered to dispose of the body in the hope of substituting for the execution, and was talked down only by Hugo’s flat refusal to engage and Hugo’s pre-disowning of the casters [53]. The “silent glare back at Hugo” at the moment of capitulation [29] is documented in-fiction and is the first visible inter-PC strain between Caelumn and Hugo. Post-execution the party walked on together, but the strain is on the books.

Status at session 18

Alive. Walking inland from the unnamed Aurelian-coast landfall site, one day from the White Lantern Shrine, post-patrol-encounter and post-Mike-burial. Bloodwell Vial held. Soulbinder’s Packed Ring still held, still containing Maelis’s soul + 1 owlbear soul. Clerical training now canonicalised on-screen.

Player

Played by Toby throughout. Direct evidence per the s7 transcript line “great job recapping, Toby” while Speaker 1 was recapping. No absences.

Notable quotes

“I am Calem, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” — Caelumn, [1]

“I have utmost faith.” — Caelumn, [2]

“I just fucking cast fireball on us.” — Caelumn, [3]

“I’m a draconic sorcerer.” — Caelumn, [54]

“Forbidden knowledge, does it not tempt you?” — Caelumn, [55]

“I want to have a look around the room, but it’s fucking pointless because I’m exhausted because Nick’s a dick.” — Caelumn, [37] (recurring)

“I call upon my draconic ancestors and I say no fuck you you missed that’s what I have to say to that fuck you no” — Caelumn, [56]

“I may not have been found worthy by the majority of the people within the Platinum Order, but my mentor always had faith in me.” — Caelumn, [6]

“Now I’m the heretic. Great. heretic.” — Caelumn, [38]

“I’m just a believer in the holy word.” — Caelumn, [39]

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 2, line 296 — First introduction, "I am Calem, it's a pleasure to meet you".
  2. ^ Session 3, line 348 — I have utmost faith.
  3. ^ Session 5, line 572 — Fireball self-down via Produce Flame in spore chamber.
  4. ^ Session 6, line 1017 — I am a Draconic Sorcerer..
  5. ^ Session 7, line 972-995 — Looted Soulbinder's Packed Ring after Titan/Maelis Dirn fight.
  6. ^ Session 9, line 1190-1192 — Platinum Order mentor confession.
  7. ^ Session 10, line 648 — Three nat-20 Intimidation rolls break orderly Drew at Dawn Mercy Clinic.
  8. ^ Session 11, line 1572 — Captures owlbear soul in Soulbinder's Packed Ring at fourth-level slot.
  9. ^ Session 12, line 1325 — Fed into the taffy puller in the Candy Cottage.
  10. ^ Session 14, line 837 — Egg fails to resonate with Brioche; Caelumn draws the contradiction.
  11. ^ Session 15, line 500-504 — Backpack including the Egg stolen by Aurelian chain in smoke.
  12. ^ Session 16, line 1467-1469 — Two death-save fails to ghoul bite; survived.
  13. ^ Session 17, line 912 — Mends Nessa's torn fishing-boat sail (cleric/divine; safe under Aurelia's arcane-magic ban).
  14. ^ Session 17, line 1538 — Perception 20 spots landfall and the Aurelian tower to the south at the morning of Day 2.
  15. ^ Session 17, line 1937-1944 — Double-nat-20 second-level Chromatic Orb (thunder) bounce kill on a water wolf — 52 damage, headline mechanical moment of the session.
  16. ^ Session 18, line 139-143 — Round-1 1st-level Witch Bolt (red-fire-static reflavour) on the Brinemaw Wyrm for 20 damage; sustained concentration into Round 2.
  17. ^ Session 18, line 612-619 — Innate Sorcery + 1st-level Witch Bolt on the catfish, "red crackle... almost fire-like, but in a static manner".
  18. ^ Session 18, line 743-744 — 1st-level Chromatic Orb (thunder) on the catfish; the bounce hit the boat and began dissolving it.
  19. ^ Session 18, line 987-1001 — Dashed across the disintegrating boat and revived Mike (downed by 42 acid damage) with 1st-level Cure Wounds for 11 HP, before death saves came up.
  20. ^ Session 18, line 1049 — Alter Self for gills and a swim speed during the open-ocean swim.
  21. ^ Session 18, line 1148-1162 — 1 level of exhaustion from the swim; nat-20 on the final landfall CON save.
  22. ^ Session 18, line 1724 — "I have cleric training due to my time in the clergy" - first explicit confirmation of clerical training.
  23. ^ Session 18, line 1730-1750 — Vhal'Zarim cathedral-city backstory: chromatic-dragon attack myth; "when the gods abandoned us, Bahamut was the one, the only one who came to our aid".
  24. ^ Session 18, line 1754 — Warhammer 40k Emperor-worship comparison - PC framing of city zealotry, not literal in-fiction canon.
  25. ^ Session 18, line 1757 — DM ruling: Bahamut is "very much a god" in this setting, not just a city myth.
  26. ^ Session 18, line 1789 — "We of the Platinum Order don't judge other people... The Platinum Order is accepting of all religions, as long as they're not within our city walls".
  27. ^ Session 18, line 1800 — "No, I am just awaiting seeing the eternal flame. And when I die, I shall be burnt forever" - Vhal'Zarim afterlife eschatology.
  28. ^ Session 18, line 2183-2210 — Caelumn's long IC plea to Glenn for permission to dispose of Mike's body without the execution; the knight nodded the disposal but the execution still happened.
  29. ^ Session 18, line 2262-2264 — Caelumn capitulates after Hugo refuses to frontline: "if I'm going to get abandoned by Hugo, my frontliner, then I don't actually have a choice... I'm just going to look on the neck and I shall silently glare back at Hugo". Takes Dodge..
  30. ^ Session 18, line end-of-session — Cast 1st-level Cure Wounds again at session end on the swimmers / post-execution (general note - see swim section).
  31. ^ Session 19, line 157 — Makes the case to abandon the Aurelia/Egg raid: "Are we ready to lose six more just to try and sort this out?".
  32. ^ Session 19, line 312-313 — Reclaims the empty, mouldy backpack the party picked up in the Eldwythe sewers to replace his lost pack ("a familiar smell of fungus").
  33. ^ Session 19, line 1407 — Bloodwell Vial confirmed carried and attuned in combat (the DM names it when Caelumn redirects a bounce) — resolves the s15-backpack conflict in favour of KEPT.
  34. ^ Session 19, line 1583-1584 — Kills the Pixie with a Chromatic Orb ("Melt the bitch"); "she dissolves into a fine puddle".
  35. ^ Session 19, line 1712 — Driven to ~3 HP by the wisps ("the man with 44 HP compared to my 3 at the time"); held up by Cure Wounds, the dome's temp HP, and Terry's Silvery Barbs.
  36. ^ Session 5, line 1640 — Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 6, line 2775 — Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 15, line 142 — Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 16, line 113 — Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 18, line 1750 — Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 18, line 1792 — Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 18, line 1769 — Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 15, line 482 — Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 17, line 1722-1740 — Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 17, line 1579-1584 — Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 18, line 1148 — Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 18, line 1162 — Inline citation.
  48. ^ Session 18, line 1724-1800 — Inline citation.
  49. ^ Session 19, line 687 — Inline citation.
  50. ^ Session 19, line 723 — Inline citation.
  51. ^ Session 19, line 1584 — Inline citation.
  52. ^ Session 19, line 1583 — Inline citation.
  53. ^ Session 18, line 2243 — Inline citation.
  54. ^ Session 6, line 1997 — Inline citation.
  55. ^ Session 6, line 2185 — Inline citation.
  56. ^ Session 9, line 2722 — Inline citation.