Cerrit Agrupnin

Official art of Cerrit Agrupnin, by Hannah Friederichs.

**Cerrit Agrupnin** is an eisfuura rogue serving as Senior Sightwarden of the Eyes of Avalir. He is played by Travis Willingham.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Cerrit is a 6'6" eisfuura with proud, strong shoulders. He has very white feathers with brown tips, a dark beak, and gray-blue eyes. He wears a hooded cloak and wraps around his wrists and ankles. He has a tomahawk sheathed under each armpit.

### **Personality**

Cerrit "has made a name for himself seeing the details that others may miss when foul play is afoot. Cerrit has a very strong sense of morality, and loses himself in his work – so much so that it puts a strain on his home life and personal relationships. He feels a strong sense of duty and responsibility to Avalir, and to do what he can to be a check against the allure of power that so frequently pulls even the most well-intended practitioners of the arcane."

Cerrit is intensely private, probably due to the nature of his work as Senior Sightwarden. When he arrived at Patia's party, he circled the gathering via flight several times before landing to scout the attendees. When he landed, he put up his hood and stood back, continuing to observe silently. When he entered after all the others of the Ring of Brass had arrived, he both bribed and threatened the Herald announcing arrivals to keep Cerrit's name to himself.

Cerrit can easily split his attention, multitask is second nature for him.

## **Biography**

### **Background**

Cerrit has a wife and two children: a seven-year-old daughter named Maya and a five-year-old son Kir. At the time of the events of Exandria Unlimited: Calamity, his wife, a scientist, was away from home and was going to try to return the next day. Cerrit had a sending stone, the twin of which his son could, and did, use to communicate with him while Cerrit was working, to tattle on his older sister. Cerrit appeared to have a good and comfortable relationship with his family.

### **"Excelsior" (E3x01)**

At Cloudstone, the headquarters of the Eyes of Avalir, Cerrit Agrupnin was told by his subordinate Orwyn that an archmage of Vasselheim, Vespin Chloras, had disappeared while performing a magic ritual suggesting the Ritual of Seeding of the Raven Queen. The contents of the room had been taken to be stripped of their magical ether, but Orwyn was suspicious. Cerrit studied a psychometric recreation of Vespin Chloras's sanctum, and focused in on a heavily-corroded piece of metal that looked like a fragment of a bow displaying signs of a burst of disenchantment power. Cerrit realized that the floor of the chamber contained the remnants of a summoning circle, erased when something easily escaped being bound within it. He had the room locked and catalogued while taking the fragment with him.

At Patia's party, Cerrit entered without fanfare and closely studied the guests, before joining the rest of the Ring of Brass in a private room. When Patia mentioned she had heard of Vespin's ritual as well, Cerrit showed the others the fragment of bow, which Laerryn Coramar-Seelie kept. Cerrit later questioned Dean Lacrytia Hollow about recent attempts at ascension, and his Ring of Honor pulsed when she denied knowledge of any. When a hodmedod serving drinks collapsed, Cerrit took it to another room, where he tracked the black of the pupils of an otherwise invisible figure and killed it instantly. The figure was already dead, stitched together from existing corpses. From a mirror behind him, Cerrit heard a voice whispering, "You will never reach the Wildmother's embrace in time. Are you looking for something?" Turning, he saw the mutilated face of Vespin Chloras rush toward the other side of the mirror, crack the glass, and disappear.

### **"Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02)**

Cerrit realized that the body before him had most of the skin of its face peeled off and the inside of its throat was riddled with odd growths. The lifeless hodmedod also in the room was lacking an animating mechanism of any kind. Just then, Cerrit's sending stone vibrated with a call from his son Kir, reporting that his sister was breaking curfew by sneaking out while their mother was away. After telling his son he loves him, Cerrit re-entered the main ballroom. There, he told Loquatius and Patia what had happened and that Vespin warned him they would never reach the Wildmother's embrace in time, which Cerrit interpreted as meaning they would not reach landfall.

Later, at Loquatius's offices, Loquatius and Cerrit found an eight-year-old recorded interview of someone else with Vespin in the background. He was talking with Lacrytia Hollow and Loras of the Weaver's Mask, and Cerrit could read Vespin's lips. They were talking about the pact with the Gau Drashari and why that had made re-creating the Raven Queen's Ritual of Seeding so difficult. But, Vespin said, Avalir bears the Tree of Names, which the Arboreal Calix was built over and around 120 years ago. Cerrit also noticed missing records concerning Evandrin in the reporter Elena Tuvaris's file. He questioned Loquatius about her, but he denied knowing where she was. When they received a message from Laerryn to meet immediately at the Helm, they hurried there, to find themselves surrounded and facing Lacrytia.

### **"Blood and Shadow" (E3x03)**

During the battle against Lacrytia and her forces, Cerrit is the first to notice that one of her allies, Milus Phren, is disguised with an illusion (revealed shortly after to be a large devil). During combat, the eisfuura successfully engages hasted Spellguards, but is caught off guard when an attacking mage casts Detect Thoughts on him, extracting information about his research on Vespin Chloras. After the battle Cerrit goes to the Helm, confirming that the Helmswoman is dead and the helm itself has been shattered. He kills one of the five remaining enemies with his crossbow.

Returning with the Ring of Brass, the Sightwarden questions Zerxus about his sudden knowledge of Infernal, deducing that there is something he is not telling him; however, when they all gather in the Meridian Labyrinth and the paladin casts *Zone of Truth*, Cerrit decides to allow the spell to affect him, willing to hide nothing. In the series of investigations and confessions that take place in the group, Laerryn reveals the risks of moving Avalir to other planes, and knowing that she was willing to endanger the entire city in her plan, Cerrit decides to leave, considering that if there was so much selfishness present, he should go take care of his own business. The rogue first flies to his office, and contacts his son Kir to ask him and his sister Maya (who has snuck away to a party at Sorcerer's University) to come home and wait for him. Searching his office, Cerrit discovers that the material related to his investigation has been stolen, and that in the process his assistant, Orwyn, has been killed. In the half-orc's hands he finds two Runes of Recall keyed to Wrayne, Cerrit's wife: a last gift from Orwyn to save his partner's children. The eisfuura takes the items and flies back home.

### **"Fire and Ruin" (E3x04)**

Cerrit meets his children at their home and tries to reassure them, explaining that they are going to go with their mom, and hiding from them the seriousness of the situation in the city; his own Ring of Honor lights up upon detecting his insincerity, but he covers it up by lying by saying that said glow appears in the presence of danger. His children protest, but their father makes sure to activate the Runes of Recall and takes them out of Avalir. Later, still affected by the situation, he walks around his house thinking about the amount of time his work kept him away from his family, and before leaving he sets fire to his home office; it is in those last moments in his home that, through the telepathic link with the Ring of Brass, he receives the information of everything that has happened to them in his absence, including Asmodeus' incursion on Exandria.

The Sightwarden reunites with their friends, who have barely survived the incident with the Tree of Names, and given the pre-apocalyptic situation, they begin to mobilize to save as many people from Avalir and Cathmoíra as possible. Knowing that Zerxus has had to make a deal with the Lord of the Hells, and that he only has until dawn before he loses his free will, Cerrit keeps his eyes on the paladin to make sure he doesn't turn on them. Later, when Laerryn reveals that they can use their Leywright to send the elementals sealed under Cathmoíra out of Exandria (potentially saving the world in the process), the Ring of Brass accompanies her to make sure she succeeds. However, they are followed by Vespin Chloras and various sabotaged taxmen, and a battle ensues. Cerrit bravely fights alongside her friends as Laerryn, with Patia's assistance, begins the process of using ley energy to send the elemental titans into the Astral Sea without destroying Exandria in the process; at the moment of truth, a well-aimed blow from Cerrit kills Vespin, preventing him from killing Laerryn before she finishes her job. The Leywright works, but not without consequences: the process begins to destroy the continent of Domunas.

Cerrit is resigned to dying there with his companions (and in fact, Patia, Nydas and Zerxus have already fallen), but when his Sending Stone transmits messages from his family, he makes one last attempt to get to safety: with Laerryn's instructions, and Loquatius' magical talisman, Cerrit manages to get out of Avalir in time; the last thing he does with the telepathic bond with the Ring of Brass is comfort Laerryn, telling her that she gave all of them a chance, relieving her guilt after the disagreement they had had earlier that night. After running away, he spends weeks flying over the ocean, eventually reuniting with Wrayne, Maya (who now holds a lifetime of knowledge collected in Avalir in the orb that Patia sent to her), and Kir, and ready to face the Calamity with them.

## **Relationships**

Cerrit has a wife named Wrayne and two children: a seven-year-old daughter named Maya and a five-year-old son Kir.

## **Character information**

### **Notable items**

* Ring of Honor - ring with the eye emblem of the Eyes of Avalir, pulses or glows while talking to those who may be deceptive. Gives advantage on Insight checks to detect lies.
* Sending stone - the corresponding stone is held by his son, Kir.
* Two magical handaxes or tomahawks, one holstered under each arm
* Armor of Psychic Resistance

#### **Former Items**

* ~~Rune of Recall (x2)~~ - given by Orwyn. Used to send his children to their mother.
* ~~Pact Boon talisman~~ - given by Loquatius. The talisman would have turned to ash when the changeling died.

### **Abilities**

#### **Feats**

* Observant
* Mage Slayer

#### **Rogue abilities**

* Expertise
* Sneak Attack (7d6)
* Thieves' Cant
* Cunning Action

* **Roguish Archetype:** Inquisitive
	+ Ear for Deceit
	+ Eye for Detail
	+ Insightful fighting
	+ Steady Eye
	+ Unerring Eye
* Uncanny Dodge
* Expertise
* Evasion
* Reliable Talent
* Blindsense

## **Appearances and mentions**

* Exandria Unlimited: Calamity
	+ "Excelsior" (E3x01) (first appearance)
	+ "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02)
	+ "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03)
	+ "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04)

## **Quotations**

* *(staring at a mutilated body)* "Now that's not something you see every day."
* "There have been some incredibly selfish actions amongst this group. I don’t know if we’ll survive the night, but I’m going to go take care of mine."

## **Trivia**

* According to Travis Willingham, the character of Cerrit is based on John Cusack's character Agent Vince Larkin in *Con Air*.
* Cerrit's character is reminiscent of Classical Hollywood film noir and pulp fiction characters, particularly detectives those played by Humphrey Bogart like Sam Spade of *The Maltese Falcon* and Philip Marlowe of *The Big Sleep*. Cerrit, being eisfuura, is possibly a pun on *The Maltese Falcon*, and while talking to Bolo, he calls the Palazzo Por'co a "gin joint" similar to a famous quote from Rick Blaine (also played by Bogart) in *Casablanca*: "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine."
* Travis explained that he created the character of Cerrit from an object that caught his attention, in this case his weapons, the hawks. Researching about them he discovered that they were part of the Sayoc Kali fighting system in the Philippines, which also led to Cerrit's racial design, reminiscent of a Philippine Eagle.
* Cerrit is the second player character who starts his adventures as a married person, the first one being Veth Brenatto.
	+ Both characters have similarities in that area, since both of them are rogues married to science-oriented people, and both of them have children who mimic in some way the behavior of their rogue parent.
* Travis has said that he feels Cerrit has "massive culpability" for the events taking place in Exandria Unlimited: Calamity because Cerrit's focus was on looking outward to keep others outside the Ring of Brass in check rather than on what those inside the group were doing.
* According to Travis, the reason why Wrayne was in Gwessar instead of Avalir was because, due to Cerrit's job, he had been neglecting his family, so his wife decided to take refuge in her own work as a scientist until the detective gave her reasons to return. Travis also explained that he projected part of his own fears (about missing important parts of his family life and his son's life) in Cerrit's conflict about not having spent enough time with Wrayne and their kids.
* Aabria Iyengar stated that she hoped that Wrayne, Cerrit's wife, was doing research with the Qoniira Tetrarchy when the Calamity started, since their family stayed together in Gwessar and they would have been safer there (knowing that Niirdal-Poc at the very least survived).
	+ Interestingly, since there's birdfolk population in Niirdal-Poc even by the 840s PD, that would mean that there would be a possibility that there were still living descendants of Cerrit and Wrayne there.

## **References**

1. ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 1:33:46.
2. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:10:34.
3. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:10:34.
4. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:31:15.
5. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:30:38.
6. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 4:06:20.
7. ↑ See Travis Willingham's description of Cerrit at Hype! Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Q&A with Travis Willingham on critrole.com.
8. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 2:34:04.
9. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 2:52:00.
10. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:38:47.
11. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:33:52.
12. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:10:34.
13. ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 0:19:09.
14. ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 0:16:06.
15. ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 1:33:46.
16. ↑ In "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 2:39:46 he says she's fourteen years old, but it's possible that he meant the human equivalent of her age.
17. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:10:34.
18. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 1:30:15.
19. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 3:42:23.
20. ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 2:58:44.
21. ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 0:16:13.
22. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 4:06:14.
23. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 0:40:48.
24. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 5:10:45.
25. ↑ See "Fire and Ruin" (E3x04) at 5:57:31.
26. ↑ See *D&D: Tasha's Cauldron of Everything*, 5th ed., p. 70.
27. ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 2:47:37.  Cerrit can read lips.
28. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 1:11:16.
29. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 2:34:05.
30. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 4:07:10.
31. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 4:03:14.
32. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 1:50:12.
33. ↑ See "Excelsior" (E3x01) at 4:03:47.
34. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 0:40:36.
35. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 1:09:36.
36. ↑ See "Bitterness and Dread" (E3x02) at 0:10:30.
37. ↑ See "Blood and Shadow" (E3x03) at 4:19:10.
38. ↑ See "*4-Sided Dive*: Fly Into The Danger Zone" (4SDx03) at 1:01:25.
39. ↑ Marisha similarly remarks this in her *Exandria Unlimited: Calamity* Instagram takeover.
40. ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Wrap Up" (Sx70) at 0:18:05.
41. ↑ *Twitter Post-finale Chat with the Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Cast*, Twitter Spaces Q&A session held 22 June 2022. Full transcript here.
42. ↑ See "Exandria Unlimited: Calamity Wrap Up" (Sx70) at 0:35:01.
43. ↑ https://quiddie.tumblr.com/post/687295816855158784/id-like-to-hope-theyre-there-too
44. ↑ See "The Gift Among the Green" (E1x06) at 0:39:26.

**Art:**

1. ↑ Official art of Cerrit Agrupnin, by Hannah Friederichs (source). This file is a copyrighted work. Its use in this article is asserted to qualify as fair use of the material under United States copyright law.
2. ↑ Fan art of Sightwarden Cerrit Agrupnin, by @BuckMoonArt (source). Used with permission.
3. ↑ Fan art of Cerrit's family, by @mariaclaire art (source). Used with permission.
4. ↑ Fan art of Cerrit, by Horichalcum (source). Used with permission.
5. ↑ Fan art of Cerrit Agrupnin, by HeartofPack (source). Used with permission.
6. ↑ Fan art of Cerrit's escape, by Lap Pun Cheung (source). Used with permission.