Caleb Lensan, Accountant and Optimist

[Dhund]

Was thinking today, and its long past time I put one of these up for my characters. So working backwards, with the most recent character...Caleb.



Caleb came into existence right at the end of the Torque War, and the Clocktower Accords, as that seemed a fitting leaving point for my prospector Griffin, and the Accountants and Weavers were being opened for players.

A Ticker born kid, Caleb had basically his entire families hopes pinned on him, as they pooled money for his wizardry lessons from an old entertainer mage that lived near Glumdrum. Being Tickerborn, he'd seen  all the various conflicts, losing friends and family against retainers, lizards, and barbarians, but one thing always stood strong, even when the rest of Ticker bowed; the Adamantine Vault. This order appealed to him, and so, dressed up in his finery, little level 3 Caleb (who, for the first few weeks went around wearing robes that were emoted as too large for him, their sleeves being massive and ill fitting) applied for the Accountants.

Shuffled to Arek and the Accountant Irregulars (as opposed to the actual accounting Accountants, where he might have made a much better fit), he just barely convinced the rogue to give him a chance.  And he got in. A small group of Accountants, but in extremely early for players. And it was fun.

Caleb was all about security, and integrity. And he was an optimist. He 100% bought in that the Vault being a major guild was for the best, and would stabilize Ticker and beyond.

While he did do some adventuring, and crafting the majority of his time was spent merchanting (using the shop name 'The Open Vault', he'd brew potions, and buy and sell equipment, ending up funding a significant amount of his fellow Accountants and their plots. But he also worked for a bank, and did loans, which surprisingly, never had an issue. And between Caleb and Caston both doing essentially the same role, I've realized thats my personal favorite spot to be as a player. Supplying and supporting, so this was a blast.

While over time he made some friends, Caleb ended up being personally loyal to Arek Vlasi, and was his second at Accord meetings, representing the Vault in those meetings. While at first he was loyal, and fearful of Tchamorrar, the Guild master's actions and disloyalty to his minions kept driving a wedge there. The Accountants were given objectives, and with some clever dealing and politicking, we'd manage them, only for Oscar to change his mind, or destroy their progress, leaving Caleb feeling more or less useless to Tchamorrar, and eventually a bit resentful, though he never allowed it to show. He was a professional! With a life long contract.

When the Union rioted against the Weavers, Caleb went and fetched the appropriate Retainers to give a response... delayed enough that they couldn't do anything, but still there in time to see that the Vault and Caleb were allies. With the Union replacing the Weavers' as a signatory guild, Caleb was part of the negotiations and work to quickly bring the Union under Vault control as a puppet vote, though that was smashed when Oscar threatened the Union leader's life in public, turning him against the Vault.

The Slayer Kastian was a frequent customer of both the Vault, and Caleb personally, and one of my proudest moments of spellcraft came with getting Kastian out of the Vault, while being hunted by the Guild of Slayers, and successfully managing to get him to go invisible through the back sewer exits, while Caleb walked to the market, and a third Mirror Image of Kastian came running from back by the Danebluff statue, charged past his hunters and towards the Rumour Mill before vanishing, confounding his pursuers.

During the Banner Tournament, Caleb tried working deals with several houses, but primarily backing Kastian as the Sunpurse champion. We all remember how that ended though, with Kastian betraying the points to the Nothing of Moonspear, leaving the Accountants trying to work out a way to hunt down the hiding Kastian and kill him to settle their debts.

Unfortunately, around this as things got rather intense, right when Arek was killed, I had to significantly cut back my playtime, and ended up being off of EFU for some time, coming back to Ticker destroyed, Oscar dead, and presumably Caleb either dead as well, or living in comfort elsewhere with his family.  So sadly, Caleb's story never really got a huge conclusion, which.. is kind of fitting. He was a background character, there to flesh out and support others, and not a spotlight character himself.

In summary, Caleb was a naive Ticker kid, way in over his head, trusting that what he was doing was for the best of Ticker, and its people. He just wanted to do business legit, without blackmail, threats or coercion. And every one of his guildmates seemed the opposite at times, causing some fun friction. Especially when Arek kidnapped Gabrielle Winespill, causing Ruul Velstra to threaten the Vault directly.


The phat loot. Its what you're all here for, I know it.

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I'm afraid you're out of much luck. Caleb wore a standard Accountant uniform

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Aside from the belt, and clothes, all his gear was basic stuff he bought and sold from other players.

And..the Spellvine.

This was his darkest secret. Following a quest he went on to a changeling tomb with a number of Retainers of the Peerage, he had the easy potential/curse to become a changeling. This happening would completely alter the character, and so I decided early on with it, what conditions he'd have before he'd resort to it, because by this time he was a level 9 wizard, and had a lot of options to him.  Basically, he had to be in a situation where he feared for his life and his spells wouldn't help him. That never happened, and so..he never once used the active part of this item. If he ever did, plan was he'd go on the run to the Ponds then deep into the Rings, and abandon Ticker, being hunted for that betrayal and as a changeling. But...it never happened.

Ironically, the one person he wanted to speak to about this, due to a shared connection was very difficult to approach due to political reasons, being a major Nephezar retainer, and would actually be the one leading the force against the Adamantine Vault... if I had been active at the time, its possible Caleb would have defected to follow Eleleth.

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[Sarah123]

I enjoyed interacting with Caleb. He will be missed. Well done!

[Gordan]

Soo many memories, Yashan believed he was a good man with Misplaced trust, but nevertheless I have fond memories of interactions between our characters. Thk for have played him