Mike

Stub-class article · First seen: s17 · Last seen: s17
Mike
Mike — portrait.
Character
StatusAlive
First seens17
Last seens17
PlayerBrian
FactionSevryn's recruits

Mike is a Vedalken multi-class cleric / druid / wizard played by Brian from session 17 onwards. He is built around the Mizzium Apparatus — an Arcanthys-school magical device that lets him cast any spell on his prepared list via an Arcana check, with a backfire risk on a failed roll [19]. Blue-skinned, small, partially amphibious (can breathe underwater for up to one hour, [5]. Lawyer-brained personality; refused to sign Hugo’s Black Mask soul-bond contract on three escalating legal grounds within minutes of being rescued from an Aurelian-sunk shipwreck [7], replacing it with a verbal “one wish, eventually, should I live long enough” commitment [8]. Joined the party when Hugo and Terry pulled him and Steven from the wreckage of an Aurelian-sunk ship in the Sapphire Sea [3].

Appearance and personality

Mike is a Vedalken - blue-skinned, partially amphibious, can breathe underwater for up to an hour [5]. Small build, wears chain mail and carries a shield [4]. On first appearance he was half-dead, draped across a piece of Aurelian shipwreck, barely moving [16].

His defining personality trait is lawyerly precision. When Hugo tried to recruit him into the Black Mask’s pact via a rigged breath-hold bet (Hugo is Voidforged and doesn’t need to breathe), Mike refused to sign the contract in three escalating legal arguments: that Hugo “bet with something you don’t have” — Hugo’s soul being already pledged — and so the contract was “null and void” [17]; that “there’s an expectation of reasonableness” and “in any court of law in these lands… anyone would consider this to be something a reasonable person would consider signing” [18]; and that the analogous reciprocal terms didn’t balance because Hugo couldn’t deliver his side. He later clarified at the table that the verbal “one wish, eventually” commitment he eventually offered meant a 9th-level spell slot — “You said grant you one wish. And I said, ‘Eventually, I’ll be able to do that.’ With a 9th level spell slot” [9].

In the same first session he also caught Hugo trying to lie about his biology via Detect Thoughts [12], L1335), probed deeper despite Hugo’s resistance, and delivered the keystone inter-PC line of the session: “You are an abomination” [14] — said calmly, after the blood-vision ritual revealed the iron-restraints / dark-glass chamber of Hugo’s Project Veilbreak origin. Per DM clarification 2026-05-17: Mike reacted with fear or disgust to Hugo’s altered nature, creating possible distrust. Future sessions will show whether that tension grows or fades. This is early distrust, not permanent hatred.

Build

  • Race: Vedalken (Brian’s spelling at intro is “Valdekin”, [1]; the transcript renders variously as Veldekin / Vidalcan / Vildulcan / Vildalcan through Whisper-mangling. Per the DM’s post-s17 correction, all of these Whisper variants are transcription errors for Vedalken, which is canonical.)
  • Classes: cleric / druid / wizard multi-class built around the Mizzium Apparatus [19].
  • Mizzium Apparatus mechanic: he can cast any spell on his prepared list via an Arcana check; on a fail the apparatus backfires and casts a different random spell from the same level instead. At his current Arcana modifier, level-1 spells effectively cannot fail — “right now it’s impossible for me to fail at a level one spell” [20].
  • Cleric spells used s17: Mending (on Nella’s torn sail, [21], Light (on his own armour, as cover for Mending’s arcane appearance, [22], Cure Wounds (held in reserve), Detect Magic (ritual, [23] + L1468).
  • Druid spells used s17: Shillelagh (bonus action, [24], Detect Thoughts [12] — DM and Mike resolve mid-session that it counts as a Mizzium-castable spell, [25].
  • Wizard spells used s17: Shield (reaction, [26] + L1815), Mirror Image, Enhance Ability (advantage on Perception, [27], Unseen Servant (six in rotation rowing the skiff, [28], Phantasmal Force (2024-edition: 2d8 psychic per turn — the Rimeclaw Skulker lava-cube, [29].
  • Level: matches the party (level 4 at end of s14; presumed levelled with the party at s16 end, confirmation pending).

Equipment

  • Mizzium Apparatus — Brian’s signature item. An Arcanthys-school magical apparatus from the school of Whim & Wonder. Lets him cast any spell on his prepared list via an Arcana check, backfire on fail. Demonstrated s17: Detect Thoughts on Hugo (no backfire), Detect Magic ritual on Hugo’s blood (no backfire), multiple cantrips and 1st-level spells.
  • Chain mail and shield [4].
  • Backpack with herbalism / leatherworking / alchemy crafting kit (mentioned [30] — perception check turned up no usable materials at sea).
  • Two vials of Hugo’s Voidforged blood — Mike took one, Hugo took the other back at the end of the blood-vision ritual; Mike kept the second for “research at a library” [31].
  • Two vials of biogloom (normal + rare) — handed to him by Hugo for the Detect Magic comparison; given back at end of ritual [32].
  • Captain Stone — a painted pebble gift from Pim [33]. Confirmed non-magical via Mike’s Detect Magic [34]. Mike kept it.

Campaign role

Mike joined the party in session 17. Notable beats from his debut:

  • [3]: Pulled half-dead from the Aurelian-sunk shipwreck by Hugo and Terry; the wreck’s golden-sunburst-on-white sailcloth half-scorched marked it as Aurelian.
  • [35]: After being revived, told the party (via Steven’s 26 Deception cover story) that he and Steven had been chased down by Aurelians; the actual reason (Steven’s fake-holy-water hustle) wasn’t his hustle but he played along.
  • [36]: Hugo’s breath-hold-bet recruitment attempt — Mike agreed verbally, lost, refused to sign the contract, replaced it with a verbal “one wish, eventually, should I live long enough” commitment [8]. The verbal commitment is the canonical IOU and is a load-bearing piece of Hugo’s renegotiated Black Mask arc.
  • [37]: At the Nella encounter, cast Mending on her torn sail (a cleric spell, so safe under Aurelia’s arcane-magic ban) and used Prestidigitation theatrics to mask the casting register. Volunteered a ration to Pim and Leo [38]; accepted Captain Stone in return [33].
  • [39]: Cast Detect Thoughts on Hugo during the night watch despite Hugo’s resistance; pulled the inner answer “I don’t know what I am” out of Hugo’s mind [40]; subsequently ran Detect Magic on Hugo’s luminous-blue blood; the ritual produced the iron-restraints / dark-glass / no-clean-air vision [41] and the half-second “comply” whisper [42]. Verdict: “You are an abomination” [14].
  • [43]: Combat against the Rimeclaw Skulker and water-wolf pack. Mike’s signature spell of the encounter was Phantasmal Force (2024-edition 2d8 psychic/turn) — he conjured an illusory cube of lava around the Skulker, which failed two Intelligence saves and remained trapped at session end. Also used Booming Blade with Shillelagh for melee against an adjacent water wolf for 4 force damage [44].

Hugo and the soul-bond contract

The contract Hugo proffered is documented in full at Hugo and Mike’s contract attempt. It is unsigned. Mike replaced it with a verbal “one wish, eventually” commitment, redeemable at his moment of death and explicitly capped at a 9th-level spell-slot equivalent [8], L811). The substitution clause of the Black Mask’s renegotiated pact remains open — Hugo can still try to recruit Mike or another party member under the same terms.

The Black Mask’s frozen-time audience with Hugo [45] renegotiated the substitution clause to keep both Hugo and his substitute on the leash rather than swapping them; the Mask also pledged anti-Ascendancy intent for after the egg quest. Mike does not yet know the renegotiated terms or that the audience took place.

Status at session 17

Alive. Aboard the party’s skiff, mid-combat against the Rimeclaw Skulker and the surviving water wolves. The Skulker is still trapped in his Phantasmal Force lava-cube illusion as initiative wraps. One Skulker pup remains alive adjacent to him.

Player

Played by Brian (Discord handle; from the US — Michigan, “about to be Wisconsin” per [1]. Joined the table in session 17 alongside Ash (playing Steven). Brian flagged at the table that he had previously prepped a similar Mizzium-Apparatus build for a campaign that didn’t take off [2], hence the polished first-session pitch.

Notable quotes

“I am playing a what race? Valdekin. Valdekin, Cleric, Druid, Wizard.” — Mike, [1]

“It’s a partially amphibious feat. Partially amphibious. I can breathe underwater for up to an hour.” — Mike, [46]

“You bet with something you don’t have I declare this contract null and void” — Mike, [17]

“first of all there’s there’s an expectation of a reasonableness now i do not believe in any court of law in these lands that anyone would consider this to be something a reasonable person would consider signing” — Mike, [18]

“Ah That I can Commit to Eventually doing Should I live Long enough” — Mike, [8]

“You said grant you one wish. And I said, ‘Eventually, I’ll be able to do that.’ With a 9th level spell slot.” — Mike, [9]

“I’m not sure and I’m not sure you’re prepared to know the truth about yourself” — Mike, [47]

“You are an abomination” — Mike, [14]

See also

References

  1. ^ Session 17, line 37 — First introduction — "I am playing a what race? Valdekin. Valdekin, Cleric, Druid, Wizard.".
  2. ^ Session 17, line 45-50 — Mizzium Apparatus mechanic explanation (Arcana check or backfire).
  3. ^ Session 17, line 140-200 — Pulled half-dead from the Aurelian-sunk shipwreck onto the party's skiff.
  4. ^ Session 17, line 145 — Visual description — blue-skinned, small, chain mail and shield.
  5. ^ Session 17, line 155-161 — Partially amphibious — can breathe underwater for up to one hour.
  6. ^ Session 17, line 580-588 — Agrees to Hugo's breath-hold bet without knowing Hugo is Voidforged.
  7. ^ Session 17, line 732-744 — Lawyerly refusal of the soul-bond contract — three escalating grounds.
  8. ^ Session 17, line 757 — Verbal commitment — "Ah That I can Commit to Eventually doing Should I live Long enough".
  9. ^ Session 17, line 811 — Clarifies "wish" means a 9th-level spell slot.
  10. ^ Session 17, line 842-844 — Casts Unseen Servants (rotating 6) to row the skiff.
  11. ^ Session 17, line 912-918 — Mending + Light improvisation to cover his arcane casting around Nella.
  12. ^ Session 17, line 1325 — Casts Detect Thoughts on Hugo during night watch.
  13. ^ Session 17, line 1469-1497 — Detect Magic ritual on Hugo's blood + biogloom vials; the blood-vision lore reveal.
  14. ^ Session 17, line 1518 — "You are an abomination" — Mike's reaction to Hugo's altered nature (per DM clarification 2026-05-17: early distrust, not permanent hatred; possible distrust, future sessions will show whether the tension grows or fades)..
  15. ^ Session 17, line 1697-1711 — Phantasmal Force lava-cube on the Rimeclaw Skulker (2024-edition 2d8 psychic per turn).
  16. ^ Session 17, line 140-148 — Inline citation.
  17. ^ Session 17, line 738 — Inline citation.
  18. ^ Session 17, line 744 — Inline citation.
  19. ^ Session 17, line 37-50 — Inline citation.
  20. ^ Session 17, line 514 — Inline citation.
  21. ^ Session 17, line 912 — Inline citation.
  22. ^ Session 17, line 918 — Inline citation.
  23. ^ Session 17, line 932 — Inline citation.
  24. ^ Session 17, line 1716 — Inline citation.
  25. ^ Session 17, line 1336-1348 — Inline citation.
  26. ^ Session 17, line 1609 — Inline citation.
  27. ^ Session 17, line 537 — Inline citation.
  28. ^ Session 17, line 842-846 — Inline citation.
  29. ^ Session 17, line 1691-1711 — Inline citation.
  30. ^ Session 17, line 535 — Inline citation.
  31. ^ Session 17, line 1497-1519 — Inline citation.
  32. ^ Session 17, line 1465-1497 — Inline citation.
  33. ^ Session 17, line 927 — Inline citation.
  34. ^ Session 17, line 938 — Inline citation.
  35. ^ Session 17, line 300-400 — Inline citation.
  36. ^ Session 17, line 580-757 — Inline citation.
  37. ^ Session 17, line 818-980 — Inline citation.
  38. ^ Session 17, line 926 — Inline citation.
  39. ^ Session 17, line 1325-1519 — Inline citation.
  40. ^ Session 17, line 1407 — Inline citation.
  41. ^ Session 17, line 1483 — Inline citation.
  42. ^ Session 17, line 1485 — Inline citation.
  43. ^ Session 17, line 1568-1987 — Inline citation.
  44. ^ Session 17, line 1908-1917 — Inline citation.
  45. ^ Session 17, line 697-717 — Inline citation.
  46. ^ Session 17, line 159-161 — Inline citation.
  47. ^ Session 17, line 1484 — Inline citation.
This article is a stub. You can help Nickipedia by expanding it.