• Adventures: Drinking Deeply from the Chalice of Midnight, The Children of Leviathan, Cast Upon Tides of Weal and Woe, All That Glitters, Death in Freeport, Deus Ex Machina, Adventus Regis, Terror in Freeport, Cut-Throat's Gold
• Race: Black Talon Ss'ressen
• Class: Barbarian
• Description: At a whopping six foot, ten inches and over 300 pounds, easily clears the street when he passes. Most of his hide is a scaly green with spots, which darkens to black at his talons (and no, he is not a chicken). Cal has a short, powerful tail that he can use to slap foes senseless. He wears very little, preferring a rope belt, a loincloth, and a gigantic bearded axe forged by Elabac. Cal speaks in a low, guttural growl. When enraged, his earflaps extend outwards, creating a fan-like appearance.
• Quote: "MOMMA'S COMING!"
• Equipment of Note:
• Calactyte Character Sheet

Calactyte, or Cal as his friends call him, was born in the Sulfur Marsh, living with the rest of the Black Talon ss'ressen village in Milandir. He was a passable scout but not considered a good hunter.

After barely succeeding in his coming of age ritual in the Sulfur Marsh, Cal decided to find his fortune in the nearby human border town of Sulfurmarsh. While visiting the Guildhall of leatherworkers to find work, a band of slavers smuggled Cal out to a farm west of the town and sold him to Ssethregore.

Cal grew up fast. He changed from puny weakling to ferocious warrior in the span of a few years, a necesary transformation sparked by his ability to go berserk. He became a favorite in the slave pits, such that Cal eventually escaped...although he does not speak of how he managed it.

The betrayed ss'ressen immediately returned to Sulfurmarsh with the intent of murdering the guildmaster of the leatherworkers, Kiorn Kester. But it turned out that after a very public trial, Kiorn was judged guilty and executed. Cal was robbed of his revenge, though he still reserves his wrath for ss'ressen of other tribes (whom he was forced to fight), ssanu (who forced him to fight), and slavers (who kidnapped him).

Calactyte first joined the Player Characters as a mercenary, seeking his fortune on the Shrike. Much to his dismay, the hazing ritual involved reading a word, which Cal can't do--he's illiterate. During that adventure, he bonded with Bijoux, who shares his difficulty fitting in with the rest of society.

For reasons nobody can understand, Calactyte is a hero to children. Emric I says Cal reminds him of his mother, Sycorax--not surprising, since she's believed to be a sea hag.

Cal was nearly crushed to death in the crushing machine of Freeport, but Sebastian and Bijoux nursed him back to health. Specifically, Sebastian took Cal back to his village where he could rest without fear of reprisal from the Brotherhood of the Yellow Sign.

Recently, Cal was chosen by Kham's baby ssanu as a guardian. Cal relishes the role, acting as mother to the little creature, even though it IS a ssanu. Of course, Cal's mother was a ferocious she-warrior, so he takes the phrase as a compliment. When given the task of naming the child, he called him Emric II. Nobody ever said Cal was imaginative.

Cal also freed his tribe from the scourge of Tomas Hariot and helped uncover several Valossan artifacts that might help is tribe. In doing so, he hopes to give Nauris Drilian a better impression of his people.

Cal's link to the tribe is the stumpy little shaman, Krisharr, and the spirit guide of ssanu, Alissstar. Both frequently use magic to contact Cal when they need him, sometimes with unintended side-effects.