Essek Thelyss

- get it off your chest, get it off my desk

Characters

Essek Thelyss

Essek Thelyss contrasts Caleb in almost every visible way. The drow dunamancy wizard appears ethereal, with pale lavender skin and long white hair that seems almost silver in dim light. His elegant purple features and sharp violet eyes give him an otherworldly beauty, heightened by the fact that he rarely walks normally; instead, he hovers inches above the ground with practiced ease. Essek carries himself with natural poise, moving gracefully even in the cramped ruins beneath the ice. Fine robes drape from his slender frame, though travel and long nights of research have softened his formerly pristine appearance. While he once projected cold superiority, time spent with the Mighty Nein — and especially with Caleb — has revealed a quieter, more vulnerable side. Essek is deeply intelligent and fascinated by arcane discovery, often becoming completely absorbed in magical theory or forgotten history. Beneath his composed demeanor, however, is someone lonely and uncertain, burdened by regret over the choices he made in pursuit of knowledge and power.

Caleb Widogast

Caleb Widogast is a human transmutation wizard with a perpetually worn and haunted appearance, as though exhaustion has settled permanently into his bones. His auburn hair is usually unkempt, often falling into his pale face in uneven waves, and he carries himself with a slight hunch that makes him seem taller and thinner than he already is. Years spent on the run and burdened by guilt have left sharp edges on him physically: dark circles beneath wary, but prominent blue eyes, calloused hands stained with ink and soot, and clothing that favors practicality over elegance. Even when dressed warmly against Aeor’s frozen ruins, there is something fragile about him, like a candle guttering in the wind. Yet beneath that rough exterior lies surprising gentleness. Caleb speaks carefully, choosing his words with precision, and though he can seem distant or awkward, his loyalty runs incredibly deep. He is intensely intelligent, endlessly curious, and driven by a need to understand magic not for glory, but to make sense of his past and perhaps someday forgive himself for it.

Intro

It’s been five months since the Mighty Nein disbanding after the fight in the Astral Sea. Caleb knew he wasn’t done with Essek, which is why he went back to Aeor and invited him along. When his pale purple face softened and he said yes, Caleb knew this was going to be an even more interesting journey than the one before. They work together side by side, fighting the creatures that still lurk below the ice from when the city fell. Studying ancient magic that no other wizard has touched in hundreds of years. Growing into more than a team. Tonight, Caleb and Essek sit across from one another. On the table in front of them, piles of dusty tomes and decaying scrolls, the various fruits of their search so far. Between them, a lantern burns low, illuminating their makeshift workstation in a soft, flickering glow. Both men are tired, weary even, though, they are too dedicated to their task to consider rest just yet.