Calianna Mordsson

Official portrait of Calianna, by Ari.

Grim and Magda Mordsson (guardians)

**Calianna Mordsson** is a half-elven sorcerer of a dragonic heritage. She is played by Mark Hulmes.

## **Description**

### **Appearance**

Calianna is a half-elf with black hair decorated with green ribbons. The right half of her face and body is covered in black dragon scales, with a yellow dragon eye, a fully dragonborn arm with black scales and sharp claws, and a long black dragon tail that she hides under her skirts. Her hair and a green hooded cloak are situated to obscure her draconic heritage. She wears an off-white blouse and skirt, brown leather waist cincher and belt, and overskirt.

### **Personality**

Calianna is very complimentary of others, often pointing out aspects of them that she thinks are cute. She is very nervous, worried that new people might be either members of, or hired by, her former cult. She was very excitable, honest and talkative towards the Mighty Nein after Molly told her that he was a worshipper of Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon. Calianna was also prone to small outbursts of anger, specifically regarding loot from kills she regarded as hers. Calianna attributed this possessiveness to her dragon blood.

## **Biography**

### **Background**

Calianna told Beau that she was born in Port Damali, but didn't spend a lot of time there. She lived on the streets on her own and then was taken in by the Cult of the Caustic Heart, who raised her telling her she was special and important.

### **"Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21)**

The Mighty Nein found Calianna in a bar during their travels in Berleben. She asked to accompany them on their next journey for the Gentleman, saying that she could fight and needed help finding and then destroying a magic bowl from the Cult of the Caustic Heart.

The group found a hollowed-out tree leading to The Gentleman's Safe House underground. They fought and defeated several merrow, and while looting afterward, Nott found a well-crafted marble bowl with gold inlay of a curious design, bearing five dragon heads with gemstone eyes. She hid it from Calianna. Later, Nott surreptitiously showed Caleb the bowl. Using *Identify*, Caleb discovered that the bowl was magical, used as a communion device, and when filled with blood and given the proper ritual, used to acquire auguries, various bits of divination, and communication across the Divine Gate with the Scaled Tyrant. Caleb told Nott it was of no use to them, but put it in his satchel.

When Calianna said she needed to continue seeking the bowl, Caleb asked what she intended to do with it. Calianna said she wanted to destroy it. Caleb called the group to him one by one, and pulled the bowl out of his bag, suggesting that they spend the night there and have Jester cast *Zone of Truth* on Calianna in the morning to confirm that Cali really wanted the bowl only to destroy it. Suddenly, Beau snatched it from his hand. Caleb was flabbergasted, asking why she wouldn't want to wait twelve hours to make sure that Calianna's intentions were true, since the bowl could be used to speak to one of the most evil entities in the history of creation. Beau said that Caleb's caution did not get to control other people's destinies.

Caleb cast *Suggestion* on Calianna, who reiterated that all she wanted was to destroy it or hide it from the Cult. Beau handed her the bowl and told Caleb that he didn't get to use his past trauma to control other people. He replied, "Beauregard, what if she had been lying to us?" and Beau said they'd just take it as a lesson and move on. Cali interceded, saying Caleb was the only one who really understood how powerful the bowl was. He was doing the right thing. Caleb just walked away.

Without much hope of success, they tried to destroy the bowl. Finally, Yasha pulled out Magician's Judge, using its *Dispel Magic*, and shattered it. Calianna hugged and thanked her, and said she was heading back to Port Damali. She also agreed to be pen pals with Jester. Since Caleb had walked off, Cali gave Nott a scroll of *Invisibility* to give to him. She said her farewells, and left.

### ***Explorer's Guide to Wildemount***

Calianna continued her adventures investigating and opposing the cult of the Scaled Tyrant. In the sourcebook, set around "The Endless Burrows" (2x50), the mid-level adventure hook *A Friend in Need* involves the Cult of the Caustic Heart as they attempt to sacrifice the sorcerer to Tiamat, the players interrupting the ritual, and Calianna asking the player characters to help in vanquishing the cult for good.

### **"Family Gathering" (2x71)**

The Mighty Nein received a package from Calianna that she had sent just after parting ways with them, and which finally caught up with them. It contained letters for Caleb and for Jester, and gifts for all the party members that Calianna had met. The gifts included:

* A knotted bracelet for Nott
* A wand (arcane focus) for Caleb carved from a tree that had burned down in a forest fire, alleged to therefore be extra strong and especially good at channeling fire magic.
* A small charm of the Platinum Dragon for Mollymauk
* A bow for Beau's bo
* One of Calianna's dragon baby teeth for Yasha, a symbol of strength and ferocity
* A tiny lollipop on a chain necklace and one of Calianna's green hair ribbons for Jester
* Potpourri for Fjord to help with his cat allergy

## **Relationships**

### **Serissa**

Serissa led the Cult of the Caustic Heart and worshipped Tiamat. She was motherly and kind to Calianna, encouraging the cult to treat Calianna as special. She was able to convince Calianna it was the way of the world to kill people - merchants and other innocents - in the Scaled Tyrant's name. Calianna came to realise Serissa and the cult were evil and ran away from them.

### **Jester**

Cali called herself naive, as she knows very little of the real world because the Cult kept her locked away. Jester insisted that she was not naive, and assured her that sheltered people can be quite intelligent. After the Bowl was destroyed, Cali and Jester promised to be pen pals. Later, Jester received a long letter and gifts for the whole party from her that were forwarded from Zadash to the Lavish Chateau in Nicodranas.

## **Character Information**

### **Quests**

Cali traveled to the Labenda Swamp in search of a magical bowl that can be used in a ritual to contact The Scaled Tyrant. Cali wanted to destroy the bowl, or if that was not possible, hide it from the Cult of the Caustic Heart.

* Cali found the bowl in The Gentleman's Safe House with the Mighty Nein's help. Yasha Nydoorin destroyed it using Magician's Judge.
* The Cobalt Soul believes there is at least one other such bowl in existence.

### **Abilities**

#### **Half-elf Abilities**

* Darkvision
* Fey Ancestry

#### **Sorcerer Abilities**

* Font of Magic
* Metamagic (two options)
	+ Quickened Spell
	+ Empowered Spell
* Sorcerous Origin (Draconic Bloodline)
	+ Dragon Ancestor
	+ Draconic Resilience
* Spellcasting (Charisma-based ability)

#### **Sorcerer Spells**

As a level 5 sorcerer, Calianna knows 5 cantrips and 6 spells.

##### **Cantrips**

* *Acid Splash*
* *Light*
* *Shape Water*

##### **1st-level**

* *False Life*
* *Ray of Sickness*

##### **2nd-level**

* *Dragon's Breath*
* *Levitate*

### **Notable Items**

* ~~Scroll of Invisibility~~ (gifted to Caleb c/o Nott)
* Arcane Spellcasting Focus in the shape of a bracelet.

## **Appearances and mentions**

* Campaign Two
	+ "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) (first appearance)
	+ "Lost Treasures" (2x22), mentioned only
	+ "Have Bird, Will Travel" (2x23), mentioned only
	+ "The Stowaway" (2x45), mentioned only
	+ "Family Gathering" (2x71), mentioned only

## **Quotations**

* "Can I write to you? Like, if we leave letters, can we be pen-pals, Jester?"
* "Well, when I was raised people always complimented me, so I try to do the same for everyone else!"
* "I'm *very* disappointed in you, Mr. Fjord!"
* "I promise you, Mr. Caleb, I promise you, that all I want is to right some of the wrongs that I once did as part of that group. I helped kill people, I helped torture people, I've got to make this right..."
* Calianna's Letter to the Mighty Nein:

> *Dear Mr. Caleb,*
>
>
> *I wanted to write something for you because I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to you when I left the swamp. I wanted to say thank you for helping me, for trying to reassure me and be nice to me as we travelled. You also taught me a lot.*
>
>
> *I'm sorry you and Miss Beau had to fight because of me. I hope things are ok now? It's so strange to me. I was obviously grateful that she trusted me and stuck up for me but I also know why you had to be sure and why you didn't trust me. In a way it felt kind of good to have to proof my intentions to you. It made me realize how important this task is to me even though it is hard. Even though it is dangerous. Telling you what I intended to do reaffirmed it in myself.*
>
>
> *I have been hurt and betrayed by a lot of people, Mr. Caleb. I am not very good with reading people. I'm not used to being lied to. I think I have learned a little from you and will be more careful in the future.*
>
>
> *The last thing I want to say: On our journey you kept saying how you and the Mighty Nein were assholes or not good people. I don't know much, Mr. Caleb, but I know that is not true, at all. My blood, the way I look, make people hate me. They fear me, they try to kill me, call me a monster, a freak. Even the people I try and help sometimes turn on me when they see me for what I am but when I met you, and Jester, and the Nein, you didn't do that - you helped me. You made me laugh. You apologized and assured me. You were kind to me. You are not assholes, Mr. Caleb. You're strange and a bit weird. You protect the people you care about. I'd give a thousand treasures to have people like that in my life.*
>
>
> *My friend, Magda, tells me that everytime I say something bad about myself, I am putting iron weights in my pockets. Sooner or later you drag yourself down and not be able to get up. Be kind to yourself, Mr. Caleb. I don't want your pockets to get too heavy.*
>
>
> *Thank you.*
>
>
>
> Calianna.
>
>

## **Trivia**

* Calianna is the third player character in the main campaign to be a different sex than their player, after Shale and Nott. There has been one more since, Lieve'tel in *The Search For Grog* oneshot.
* In artwork, Calianna's draconic side is depicted as being on her right, but Mark Hulmes roleplayed it being on his left. In a tweet Hulmes confirms that it should be on the right, he was nervous and made the mistake of using the wrong side during the episode.
* Mark Hulmes has levelled up a copy of Calianna's character sheet on D&D Beyond each time the Mighty Nein has levelled up on stream.
* Mark Hulmes indicated that he thinks Calianna would "lean more towards liking girls," though she does not "know herself yet" in terms of relationships.
* Mark Hulmes cosplayed Calianna on February 12, 2021 to celebrate 1000 subscribers to his Twitch stream.
* Although it isn't necessarily part of Critical Role canon (unless otherwise stated), Mark has shared his thoughts about how Calianna's life would have been the years after meeting the Mighty Nein: after some time following the activities of the Cult of Tiamat and trying to help those trapped under their influence (see *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*), she would have discovered that Serissa (her former mentor) intended to sacrifice Goldheart, a young Gold dragon, to Tiamat; the sorcerer would have saved Goldheart (receiving a boon from Bahamut in the process), after which the two of them would have stayed together, eventually starting a relationship and having a pair of half-dragon twins: Jest (named after Jester) and Calea (named after Caleb). By then, Calianna would have become a more confident and joyful woman, no longer ashamed of her draconic features, living a happy life in Port Damali with her wife and kids.

## **References**

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mark noted that Calianna adopted her guardians' surname on Twitter.
2. ↑ See Mark's tweet about Grim and Magda here.
3. ↑ Calianna's level 5 stat card was shown on screen.  See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 10:35.
4. ↑ See *Explorer's Guide to Wildemount*, p. 86.
5. ↑ See "Family Gathering" (2x71) from 2:40:49 through 2:51:25.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 The letter. Mark Hulmes revealed the contents of the letter on Reddit.
7. ↑ See "Family Gathering" (2x71) from 2:40:16 through 2:51:27.
8. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 4:11:59.
9. ↑ *The Chronicles of Exandria - The Mighty Nein*, p. 124.
10. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 1:51:00.
11. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 3:36:11.
12. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 1:45:52.  Calianna casts *Acid Splash*.
13. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 2:40:33.  Calianna casts *Light*.
14. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 54:37.  Calianna casts *Shape Water*.
15. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 1:51:06.  Calianna casts *False Life*.
16. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 3:17:35.  Calianna casts *Ray of Sickness*.
17. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 3:35:44.  Calianna casts *Dragon's Breath*.
18. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 1:07:54.  Calianna casts *Levitate*.
19. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 50:53.  Calianna casts *Fireball*.
20. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 4:17:12.
21. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 31:01.
22. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 4:16:15.
23. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 1:20:58.
24. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 1:26:51.
25. ↑ See "Stalker in the Swamp" (2x21) at 4:07:48.
26. ↑ See "Family Gathering" (2x71) at 2:58:48.
27. ↑ Mark Hulmes mentioned that he levelled up a copy of Calianna's character sheet each time the Mighty Nein levels up on Twitter.
28. ↑ Mark Hulmes responded to a question from a fan about Calianna's sexuality on Twitter.
29. ↑ https://twitter.com/sherlock\_hulmes/status/1360333865047441410
30. ↑  Mark Hulmes (@sherlock\_hulmes) on Twitter: "Welp, #Criticalrole fam. I couldn't help myself, after thinking about Calianna a lot last few days, I went and did a Levelled-Up version of her and planned my own head cannon for what has happened to her".
**Art:**

1. ↑ Official portrait of Calianna, by Ari (source). Used with permission.
2. ↑ Fan art of Calianna, by Rammaru (source). Used with permission.
3. ↑ Fan art of Calianna, by Nikki Dawes (source). Used with permission.
4. ↑ Fan art of Calianna, by Omegasama art (source). Used with permission.
5. ↑ Fan art of Calianna casting Fireball, by Viktor Engholm (source). Used with permission.