Caleb Carscallen

*"More than ever, New Arendur now needs to see that a force exists that puts an end to Icarus' and the Illuminated's abuses. This force is none other than the New Arendurian Army. A military coup needs a sacrifice and courage that you can't find in an army without morale."*

-Caleb Carscallen

## History

Caleb Carscallen, along with his associates Julius Nepos Machel and Argastes Blackington, were known in New Arendur as the "commercial generals" or as "gold, silver, and copper" (referring to Carscallen, Blackington, and Machel respectively). They were all associates of Isaac Icarus who, despite their lack of military background, were placed in command of the New Arendurian Army (Carscallen as Knight of Arendur, Machel as General of the Arendurian Army, and Blacington as First Captain) and tasked with purging its ranks of Carcosai loyalists. Carscallen was a shipping magnate and a self-made man, Blackington a prominent alchemist, and Machel the aristocratic head of New Arendur's Association of Cartographers. All three had, however, been adventurers in their youth, a quality that endeared them to Isaac Icarus.

In his position dealing with shipping, Carscallen had a low opinion about the former Kingdom of Atlantis, and had heard reports about the Queen of Atlantis and the monsters that followed in its wake.

## Personality

Caleb Carscallen was well-respected by all who worked with him, and was considered to be a kind man, a rare quality in an Arendurian leader. Though he did not personally hate the Illuminated for their role in Arendur's past, his associates Blackington and Machel very much did, and he did not disagree that they should never be allowed to return to power. Carscallen took his duties seriously, and though he had no prior connection to the Arendurian Army, he struggled to identify with them upon being named Knight. In contrast to General Machel, who was proud of his title yet saw the Army as an instrument of his will, Carscallen cared about them personally. This would prove dangerous to stability of Arendur, as the soldiers were more loyal to him then their general, and yet when it came to trying to make their desires known, they found General Machel easier to manipulate.

Carscallen did not fully agree with the coup against Icarus, but followed along to guide it and try and prevent its worst excesses. It did not seem to occur to him that he alone could have stopped it; nor did he realize that his moral authority was limited and that he could not bring peace by tyrannizing the people of Arendur into submission to the army.

Unlike Blackington and Machel, Carscallen bore no ill will towards the wood elf gypsies.

## The Great Awakening

Caleb Carscallen and his associates opposed the Church of Transcendental Theosophy, and aided Icarus in engineering its demise. For his part, Carscallen was given the rank of Knight of Arendur, effectively making him Icarus' second-in-command. He served as Icarus' liaison to the Mark Patenaude, who found him the most reasonable and like-minded member of Icarus' followers. He was also able to serve as a moderator between the various factions on the War Council. Originally picked to lead the vanguard against Tsathoggua's Formless Spawn, that honor went instead to Argastes Blackington and his First Company alchemists; Carscallen himself was sent to keep an eye on the newly-summoned Tolumvire, who quickly came to despise him and resented his presence.

After the victory of mankind's forces in the Long War, Carscallen was fully prepared to support the government outlined by Icarus' new constitution. The breaking point came when Icarus launched a project to rebuild the Tower of the Illuminated, sparking a coup initiated by the Arendurian Army, which had come to hate both mages and priests alike, and never wanted to be subordinated to a cabal or a church ever again. Carscallen joined the coup because he believed it would lead to senseless bloodshed without his guidance, and was acclaimed Lord of Arendur by the participants.