MIGHTY NEIN PLAYLIST: CALEB #2

We are back with another Mighty Nein playlist, this time for our time-warping fire wizard, Caleb!

Our playlists are curated carefully by each Critical Role cast member and our previous character playlists can be found on Spotify via the official Critical Role account or you can listen to the playlist embedded below. The rest of this Mighty Nein installment will roll out weekly on Fridays. If you missed last week’s playlist (Yasha #2) be sure to check it out, here.

And now, turning it over to our own wizard man, Liam O’Brien.

The Mask by Matt Maeson

“My name is Caleb. Caleb Widogast.”

Sisyphus by Andrew Bird

Caleb has been at it for so long. It’s been years since he broke his family to pieces. And the longer he travels, the further away his deepest hopes seem to sit, leering at him from a distant horizon. There are many nights where he toys with the idea of letting it all fall away and giving up. But… he has never put the idea away, not entirely. He keeps rolling that stone up the hill.

The Harrowed and the Haunted by The Decemberists

Bren’s mother and father, as well as his second family in the Volstrucker program sit in his mind, impossibly intertwined. They meant everything to him. All of them. Una and Leofric raised him into young adulthood and then Trent ushered him on from there. And Astrid and Eadwulf were unparalleled peers, friends, and more. His time at the Academy was poisonous, there is no question. But… it was also wondrous. There was purpose, kinship, pain, and beauty… It is hard for him to separate the magic they had in Rexxentruum from all the suffering it caused him, and unknown others. All these years later, he knows their time together was damned. But the purpose that Ikithon breathed into his lungs, and the close knit bond he forged with his two old friends, still lingers… like a phantom limb. “Haunted One”, indeed.

You’re Mine by Phantogram

But especially Astrid. Most nights, Astrid.

It’s Alright by Mother Mother

This one is from me to Bren. What I want for him. Ermendrud did the unthinkable. And he places his sins squarely on his own shoulders. But that doesn’t change the fact that he was targeted, abused, and warped by a master manipulator. He would not have found his way to that terrible moment without the guidance of the mentor he was so in awe of. I think this song would fall on deaf ears with the boy from Blumenthal. I wonder if Bren will ever find some version of peace or balance.. I don’t know that he will. But I hope so. That question, at least, is very important to me.

Maybe It’s Time by Bradley Cooper

It would be so much… easier… to let go. To accept that the past is the past and there is no changing it. He’ll never absolve himself, but maybe he can still… make amends somehow. Maybe.

Why Would I Now by The Decemberists

It’s doubtful that kind of love is in the cards for Caleb at this point. But what he still can manage is loyalty. After years of isolation, he finally knows the familiar comfort of friendship. And Nott.. Veth… has earned so much of both. She was there by his side when they had zero prospects. No power or influence. Bren would not have made it anywhere near as far with out Mrs. Brenatto. Ultimately, there is nothing that could shake his loyalty to Veth the Brave.

Im Ascheregen by Casper

Trent gave Bren the flames. Because he found it amusing. It’s dangerous to play with fire, though.

Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Lorde

Peace has been achieved. The Empire and the Dynasty have settled their grievances. Seemingly. The Empire kids have a lot on their plate.

Bet on You by The Man Who

A love letter for the Nein. Bren’s last family was skilled, elegant, with a resolve that could cut stone. The Mighty Nein are a clusterfuck of issues and conflict, of heart and gut instinct. And to Caleb’s surprise, that has proved them to be worth far, far more.

Change by NF

The School of Transmutation.

Arsonist’s Lullaby by Hozier

Now he owns it.

Playlist art by @LostAcumen