Just gonna throw it out there, I think Caleb had the right goal but went about it completely the wrong way, and Beau was right to call him out on it but phrased it poorly.
Caleb took a step in the right direction by actually telling the group and revealing the object. However, he assumed the team would go along with his plan and take him at his word, when in the past he’s proven untrustworthy, manipulative, and selfish. He hasn’t built up enough trust yet to be all “viola, here is the object, and here’s what we’re gonna do about it.”
He was arrogant towards Jester, trying to dictate her spell selection, and she lashed out in response to this by insisting she wouldn’t do Zone of Truth on Cali. Caleb either completely missed or didn’t note the significance of Jester identifying with Cali’s backstory on a personal level. He’s very book smart, but his people skills need improving if he wants to convince others to go along with his plans.
He can’t just steamroll over the team, they don’t react well to that, as we saw tonight. They are fiercely independent and many react very badly to authority and any attempts to control them or their lives (Jester, Beau, and Molly in particular.) Caleb can’t just give orders and assume they’ll fall in line. Trying to do so just makes them more inclined to refuse to listen to him at all, even when he’s making a sensible point!
Unfortunately Beau is the only one really capable of calling him out, because she and Nott are the only ones who know his past and Nott’s certainly not going to call him out. Beau has good intentions and instincts but her word choice tonight wasn’t so good. She’s brash and rude and her people skills could use some work too. (Of course, fandom being what it is, many people are gonna call her names for daring to be “mean” to Caleb the precious cinnamon roll.) I hope more people start calling Caleb out on his behavior and don’t just leave this up to Beau. It shouldn’t be her job to tell this grown man to stop being so arrogant and start being more of a team player. Every single person in this party has some shit in their backstories, and they’re managing to be team players regardless.
Caleb is a selfish and arrogant asshole, but this fandom sees that as, for some reason, a positive. The whole “delicate cinnamon roll” thing is BS and everyone knows it, they just refuse to admit someone can not be a good fit for the team after the chemistry that was there in VM. Personally I think the sooner Caleb either gets his ass beat and learns a lesson in respecting others’ independence, or gets fed up and leaves, the party will get along much better. Plus they won’t have to worry about the dumbass hobo pissing off potential allies with his “everyone but me is wrong” approach to any powerful artifact.
Caleb was wrong for not consulting the others first and acting like a know-it-all, however: he was right to treat a potentially world ending object with a lot of caution.
Beau was rightfully upset at his controlling attitude and lack of consulting with the team, however: she was wrong for being so kneejerk reactionary about it.
Imagine if Calianna WAS evil. If they just gave the object to her, she could thank them, run off with it, and later on they find out she’s using it to try to bring about the end of the world. They’ve already got a civil war to care about. They’re all, to some extent, on the run with a dangerous object anyway. I think Caleb was right to be cautionary about the situation.
He handled it poorly, however, and I also think Beau handled the situation poorly, too. They both need to be taught to communicate their feelings and plans better, because arrogance and selfishness can get everyone killed, but so can flippancy and naivety.
I absolutely agree with you. Both Caleb and Beau need to be taught more than a few lessons in communication and consulting the group.
As it stands though, if Calianna wasn’t so understanding of Caleb, they would have an angry sorcerer with a lot of dangerous connections out in the world wanting to get back at them. If anything Beau would have been the only thing to save them in that situation.
Hypothetical situations aside, however, Caleb’s current approach to things is going to make them enemies down the line, out of people who could normally have been powerful allies. As it stands he’s trying to play the role of Unquestionable Authority Figure who Does What’s Best, something all adventurers are known to love having around. That’s why they chose to be independent adventurers, after all!
Yeah Beau was rude and brash as always, but she was thinking of the group and the future, that’s not being flippant or naive. Caleb can’t keep trying to steamroll over the others, he hasn’t earned that right from them and has to build up some trust after the past few shenanigans with powerful magical objects. And as you rightly pointed out, he can’t keep making enemies of potential allies here. (Neither can Nott … that’s twice now she’s stolen from guest allies for the sake of greed. Luckily both have been pretty chill about it but what if they run into someone who isn’t so understanding?)
I love Liam but I’ve been having issues with Caleb during this campaign. The “lone wolf” type is a typical one for guys to start out with (usually always guys) and in good instances that’s the start of an arc about someone learning to care about their found family and be more open and affectionate with friends. Unfortunately right now it means Caleb is coming off to some viewers as shady, arrogant, selfish, and frustrating. He’s part of a team, and starting off with a character who does not want to be part of a team is … tricky. As we see, even being steered by an experienced roleplayer, Caleb struggled at the start to find reasons to stay with the group when it made a lot of sense for him to run off in the night with Nott.
I don’t think Caleb needs his ass beat. I do think the group needs to sit down with both Caleb AND Nott, and talk things out. They need to clear some things up. They need to establish some ground rules. They need to make it clear what is and is not acceptable behavior to be a part of this group. Making big decisions on behalf of the team without discussion first or voting, that’s a big no. Stealing from allies for the sake of “ooooh shiny money,” that’s a big no. Going to certain towns where they have backstory, that’s a big no (for now.)
And if Caleb and Nott can’t agree to that … I think it’s time for them to leave. Sooner rather than later, so the guys can roll up some new characters who are better suited to a team. I don’t want it to come to that, Liam and Sam seem to be having a lot of fun playing these roles! But this “lone wolf, smartest person in the room, my trauma means I get to walk all over everyone else – even others who are traumatized” type and “I’m going to routinely insult every magic user we come across and talk up Caleb as the greatest wizard ever, and steal potential allies including blind men because I like shiny things” type … that can’t keep going on for 80 more episodes.
tl;dr: They’re part of a team. I think it’s time they started acting like it.
Caleb and Beau
Published
Overdressed & Underappreciated 