The unidentified patient at Vergesson Sanatorium is a female cleric of the Arch Heart who healed a fellow patient, later known as Caleb Widogast, in a moment of lucidity. Her healing spell granted him clarity of mind and lifted the effects of a Modify Memory spell cast by Trent Ikithon, allowing Caleb to escape the Sanatorium several weeks later. Though she acted on her own, Trent claimed responsibility for her actions in an attempt to manipulate Caleb.
Biography[]
The woman served as a cleric of the Arch Heart before she was admitted as a patient to Vergesson Sanatorium in the Dwendalian Empire.[2] She was "stark raving mad"[3] but experienced moments of lucidity from time to time.[2]
In 830 PD, five years before the start of Campaign Two, she had a moment of lucidity either as one of her bouts of clarity or through divine intervention.[2] During this moment, she saw fellow patient Bren Ermendrud and his sadness, and she used a touch-based healing spell to restore his clarity of mind and dissolve the effects of the Modify Memory spell cast on him eleven years earlier by Trent Ikithon. Her own period of lucidity was brief, and she was again mad fifteen minutes later.[3][2]
Her actions allowed Bren to escape the Sanatorium several weeks later, and five years later, he began adventuring with the Mighty Nein under the name Caleb Widogast. In his travels with the Nein, Caleb came across a stockpile of holy symbols for deities banned in the Empire and kept a symbol of the Arch Heart for himself, picking one most resembling the one that the woman carried.[4]
At some point, Trent identified the woman as responsible for Caleb's return to lucidity, as he produced a symbol of the Arch Heart as part of identifying the means of Caleb's recovery. Trent claimed responsibility for the woman's actions and lied that he intended for Caleb to escape in an attempt to manipulate Caleb into believing Trent orchestrated everything in his life.[5][2]
Character information[]
Abilities[]
She is a cleric[2] of unknown Divine Domain. Because she was able to lift the effects of Modify Memory, she had the ability to cast either Remove Curse (3rd-level) or Greater Restoration (5th-level).[6] Based on the spell slots required for these spells, she is a minimum 5th-level cleric.[7]
Notable items[]
- Holy symbol of the Arch Heart[5]
Behind the scenes[]
She was included in the backstory Liam O'Brien wrote for Caleb, though he left her identity and motivation vague. He was not aware of the details DM Matthew Mercer decided for her, and during the campaign, he was unsure if the woman was acting on her own or under the direction of Trent. In "Critical Role Campaign 2 Wrap Up" (Sx56), Liam asked Matt who she ultimately was, and Matt revealed she acted as herself and Trent simply claimed responsibility as a manipulation tactic; Liam said that after the first open contact with Trent later in the campaign, he indeed believed that Trent orchestrated everything to happen as it did.[2]
Appearances and mentions[]
- Campaign Two: The Mighty Nein
- "Whispers of War" (2x18), mentioned only
- "Lost Treasures" (2x22), indirectly mentioned only
- "Lingering Wounds" (2x89), mentioned only
- "Dinner with the Devil" (2x110), indirectly mentioned only
- The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast
Trivia[]
- The woman likely lived in the Dwendalian Empire at the time she was admitted into Vergesson Sanatorium. Worship of the Arch Heart is outlawed there.[8]
- A cleric is not required to take a Divine Domain suggested for their patron, but the Arch Heart's suggested domains are Arcana and Light. The Arcana Domain is thematically resonant with Vergesson's strong connections to archmages. The Arch Heart is also the patron of arcane magic.[9]
- Matt characterized her as a follower of the Moonweaver in "Critical Role Campaign 2 Wrap Up" (Sx56),[2] but he confirmed this to be a mistake: she was a follower of the Arch Heart.[10]
References[]
- ↑ The healing spell she used on Caleb lifted the effects of Modify Memory, which can only be lifted using Remove Curse (3rd-level) or Greater Restoration (5th-level). A cleric gains access to 3rd-level spells at level 5 and to 5th-level spells at level 9.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 See "Critical Role Campaign 2 Wrap Up" (Sx56) from 3:55:50 through 3:57:18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 See "Whispers of War" (2x18) from 2:51:54 through 2:54:12.
- ↑ See "Lost Treasures" (2x22) at 2:44:31.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 See "Dinner with the Devil" (2x110) from 2:52:47 through 2:54:06. The implication is restated in explicit terms from 3:16:10 through 3:17:38.
- ↑ See D&D: Player's Handbook (2014), 5th ed., p. 261. Remove Curse and Greater Restoration are the only two spells listed as capable of restoring the true memory of a target of Modify Memory.
- ↑ See D&D: Player's Handbook (2014), 5th ed., p. 57. See the cleric progression table.
- ↑ See "Steam and Conversation" (2x09) at 0:46:11. The six approved deities are listed, and the Arch Heart is not among them. See also: Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, p. 36. Chapter 3: Factions and Societies. "Dwendalian Empire".
- ↑ See Explorer's Guide to Wildemount, pp. 21–22. Chapter 2: The Story of Wildemount. "Prime Deities".
- ↑
Matthew Mercer (@matthewmercer) on Twitter: "Archeart was what I meant. Twas a simple brain-fart on my part during the wrap-up." (2022-01-30) — in reply to @anixara9: "Just wondering, @matthewmercer, in the C2 wrap up you said it was a follower of the Moonweaver that cured Caleb, but throughout the campaign it was symbols of the Archheart that were portrayed, so which was it? Archheart or Moonweaver? #CriticalRole"
Art:
- ↑ The Sanatorium patient, by Selina Espiritu and Diana Sousa from The Mighty Nein Origins: Caleb Widogast. Used with permission.