#malcolm trills

[marvelousbelladonna]

Character for Candela Obscura: The Circle of the Crimson Mirror

Imari Williams as Malcolm Trills (soldier)

Taliesin Jaffe as Leo Amicus (journalist)

Alexander Ward as Edgar Lycoris (doctor)

Aimee Carrero as Grimoria (medium)

[godaweful]

the way liam weaved the story of this circle together. we started looking for these bones, took a little detour to visit an old friend and discovered he was FUCKED and corrupted with some weird powder. then back to the bones and the discovery of the ancient sorceress they belong to, who ties BACK into their old friend and his circle and the powder, all of which lead them deep into the abyss. it all lead into that cavern, that vault, and depth. they had no choice but to end up there.

[riverance]

The Circle of The Crimson Mirror!

[centaurianthropology]

Oh man, I think the Circle of the Crimson Mirror might just be MY Candela circle. I enjoyed the goofy schlock horror with the Circle of the Vassal and the Veil, and really enjoyed the amping up of horror in The Circle of Needle and Thread (though the horrors of war theming was not specifically for me, it was still well done). I haven’t gotten to watch the Circle of Tide and Bone because life happened, but from what I’ve heard it was very good.

But I was laughing out loud with glee for the first episode of the Circle of the Crimson Mirror. All these characters are delightful. The setting is fascinating (starting out OUTSIDE of Newfaire and expanding the world was really fun), the theming of Irish folklore horror gives a folk horror mixed with cosmic horror vibe that I’m really excited for. And Liam is just the sort of ruthless DM that is perfect for a horror game. Because for me, keeping your players wrapped up in the horror, making them at least a little genuinely afraid (after talking through Lines and Veils of course) in a fun and contained way IS the heart of playing a horror game. It’s the same as watching a horror movie, in that you WANT to be scared, that’s part of the enjoyment, but in a horror game the fun is having it happen to you.

And both folk horror and cosmic horror are some of my favorite subgenres, so this is hitting all my favorite sorts of horror. And because it’s me, see below for my much longer thoughts about this first episode and the characters. Because I’ve never found a topic I enjoy that I can’t write an essay about.

Liam comes for everyone straight out of the gate, doesn’t he? While I found the train cold open in chapter 2 exciting, I found this even more harrowing. With NPCs we barely know constantly imperiled, all the investigators are really sketched so clearly right off the bat with their actions rather than their more open explanations later. I love that all of them lean heavily into being out of their depth, even sometimes making poor choices because of it. The players are aware they are in a horror game. The characters are not.

So let’s talk about those characters:

MALCOLM TRILLS

Imari Williams was the player at the table I had no prior experience with, and I love what he’s doing here. He puts his whole body into acting out the scene, even at the table. Even before we know he was a Sole Survivor of a massacre during the war (and I found it deeply entertaining that Imari couldn’t help but dump his backstory all over the floor. Liam’s gently encouraging everyone to hold it back for dramatic moments, and Imari is just so excited he’s like “NO! HERE IT IS!” not once but twice in the very first episode), we knew that. Because Imari is clearly dedicated to acting that out through what Malcolm chooses to do. He believes in saving others, especially after losing his entire squad. He has to do it, even (or maybe especially) for those civilians he doesn’t know. His entire point in being in Candela is saving people. So when Liam dunks two unnamed sailors in the ocean, Malcolm goes in. His friends are horrified. They love and value him, and they value him more than two randos. But to him, the randos are the point. Saving people is the point. So no matter how many disappointed dad-lectures he gets from Leo (and this is clearly not the first one he’s gotten), Malcolm is always going to be this way. He’s always going to try to play the hero in a horror setting, which is such a delicious choice for a horror player to make. Everyone at that table knows how perilous it is, but Imari is fully committed, and I love it.

We already know a lot of his background, but there are things we don’t know. We don’t know his relationship with his family, or why Leo is so disdainful of the Trills as a group. There seems to be an implication that the Trills are old money in Newfaire, perhaps, or at least a legendary family for other reasons. And apparently reckless heroism is a family trait. But what does Malcolm do in his day-to-day? He’s the one we don’t have a career or life for back in Newfaire yet, and I am interested to see who he is when he’s not playing the hero for Candela.

LEO AMICUS

I love the description of “I’m going to lie a little and say ‘early forties’” as an explanation for Leo’s age. It tells me a lot about his character right off the bat. We know he’s older (but not how much) and that he doesn’t want to admit he’s older. There’s just a touch of vanity already there, and given that he’s also a man in a dressing gown on a ship in a severe storm, who thinks that his presence is deeply inappropriate? Who asks if there’s a bar on a tramp steamer? We know so much about Leo already, and I love it all. Taliesin plays a dandy so well, his table reactions are so expressive, and it’s so clear that a setting like this is NOT where Leo shines. He shines in social situations, in parties and bars and places where his charms mean something beyond keeping a crewmember calm long enough that she can be knocked unconscious. But he’s so great in being totally overwhelmed and being useless in an action sequence.

And once the storm is over? We find out that Leo is very much the mother hen of the group (probably the oldest member). He knows Malcolm well, and treats Grimoria like a beloved niece. We haven’t gotten a lot of interactions between him and Edgar, but I’m excited to see what their relationship is like, as the two more cautious members of the group.

It was in his interactions with the other members of the circle that I realized how much like family this circle is. They are VERY close, despite ostensibly just being coworkers. There is such a deep care and concern for one another here and I love knowing how dangerous that also is in a horror game. And Leo is the one most open about his attachments here. We know he doesn’t have much blood family, and doesn’t talk to them. We know he looks at these people as his family.

And I love that, for that family, we see a REALLY different side of Leo. While he was overwhelmed and trying not to look at the blood on the boat, the second the Murphy girls (or whatever was masquerading as them) tried to murder Malcolm and the others, Leo was grabbing kitchen knives and trying to kill them. His perspective from his talk with Malcolm also remains consistent: you put your family first. When his family is threatened, meek Leo melts away and we have a man who will do whatever is necessary, kill whoever is necessary, or let anyone die to protect them. He seems to have few moral convictions, but an enormous amount of love, and that excites me for this character.

And I love that we actually know very little about him right now. We know he lives in Red Lamp (because of course he does) and that his apartment doubles as their chapterhouse. So he can be Team Dad at every meeting.

Also congrats to him for getting laid in the very first episode. Hot sailor dude propositions him, and Leo is all about that life. This Professional Man of Leisure is clearly gay catnip.

DR. EDGAR LYCORIS

I was so excited that Alex was finally going to be in a filmed Candela game (he was apparently one of the play-testers during its development, and it’s so clear he knows the rules). Dr. Lycoris is cool, calm, almost robotic in his presentation. He’s definitely a classic Alex character with his calm and his normal-guy-in-a-group-of-weirdos vibe (while secretly being very much a weirdo himself), and filled with casual competence and rudeness. But at the same time there are hints of how much he cares about this circle too. Him quietly calling Grimoria ‘Grim’ when she’s unconscious and he’s tending to her, telling her, “You can’t sleep forever, Grim,” in such a fond tone. The two of them clearly have some quiet history together, and there is a real softness between them that I’m excited to see them dig into as they get deeper into the game. There’s clearly a long-standing connection with Malcolm too, with both of them extremely aware of one another’s skills and weaknesses, working together seamlessly, especially in moments of extreme stress. I want to see more of these soft moments, these personal moments when his icy demeanor cracks, and I imagine we’re going to get plenty of them, given that THIS is how intense the first episode was.

He and Leo are the two characters we know the least about at this point. We know that Edgar is a surgeon working in the main hospital in Newfaire. We know that he is cool under pressure, and that he is both used to fighting (his immediate shift into using his scalpel as a precision weapon to go after arteries and tendons is such a nice touch for the character), but also can really be shocked by sudden violence (I love that he totally freezes after THAT happened to Declan’s mother). He states that he wears nice and fashionable clothing, but the clothing is almost wearing him rather than the other way around, like someone picked them out for him. I want to know who that other person is (is it Leo???). I want to know who he is when he’s not trying to wear what other people expect of him.

I am so excited to get to know Dr. Lycoris.

GRIMORIA

Likely a stage name, and I do wonder if we'll get her birth name, or if that even matters to her at this point. Mechanically, I am thrilled to see a Candela player try to homebrew a multiclass in this system. She’s essentially gone for a Medium/Magician hybrid. We know she works as a procurer of esoteric artifacts. She performs shows with smoke bombs, so likely is a stage magician, and that she has been able to channel spirits since she was a small child.

And we know that she’s 18. In a group in which consists of a man who is at least in his mid-forties, a man who is 32, and a man who is a surgeon (so has at least obtained advanced training, and is probably in his late twenties at minimum, and is likely in his thirties given the hints that he served as a battlefield surgeon during the war), Grimoria is YOUNG. Absurdly so. The guys care about her in a different way than they do one another. They look out for her in subtle ways, though are all very careful not to treat her as a child. The softness between her and Edgar is reflected in the overtly familial way that Leo talks to her, treating her like a very clever niece, but also the person he finds the most calming in the group. It’s fun to see that, even though he treats her as his relative, he doesn’t treat her as a child. She’s the one he goes to when he needs to clear his head. He just wants to listen to her read aloud. He finds talking with her soothing, and it’s clear why. She has a good head on her shoulders, and is rising to the occasion, so while he is caring for her, he also intrinsically understands her need to care for him as well. And Aimee really sells that in-between nature of being 18. It’s such a great portrayal of someone on the verge of being an adult, but not quite there yet. Someone her friends want to care for, but also want to treat like an adult and like any other member of the group. There is a tension in those relationships purely because of her age.

I also like that she’s the most pure investigator of the group. She’s the one who pushes for information, who has a burning desire to KNOW. And that’s a great flaw and danger for a character in a horror setting. The desire for knowledge in cosmic horror is so dangerous. Her willingness to channel spirits right off the bat is dangerous. She is, in her own quieter way, just as reckless as Malcolm and I love to see it. Aimee is throwing herself into this, playing a character who doesn’t know she has limits let, and is eager to push every boundary. I can’t wait to get to know her even more.

CONCLUSIONS

I love that we have two cautious characters and two reckless characters. I love that we have a balance, and we have a group that instantly portrays exactly how close they all are to one another. We’re not sure how these bonds were forged, but they are so well portrayed and so clear. These people love one another. They would do terrible things for one another, and I can’t wait to see what they go through together.

Count me very excited and very eager for next month’s addition to their story (and count me already sad we only get three episodes with them).

[turtleducknewton]

“Here’s the problem with that plan—

“It’s not messy enough?”

“No…….”

[queenjulia11]

Thinking about how Edgar had the man who could’ve given him all the answers about what happened to his sister all those years ago right where he wanted him, but killed him in order to save Malcolm’s life.

And about how Edgar, reunited with his sister and so blinded by purpose, killed Malcolm in order to protect the weapon that took Elizabeth away from him and ruined his life. “The most important thing in the world.”

Just thinking very normal thoughts about that.

[quipxotic]

Edgar to Malcolm after the latter describes how badly he feels: Well, you are in luck, I...can't help you. That's not the kind of doctor I am. But, I'm sure someone in the Fourth Pharos can assist and I will do my best to help any way I can. Malcolm: Joy. Edgar: But I have no idea what's going on with you. [Turning to Grimoria] I have no idea what's going on with you. Not as much as I would like to. [Turning to Leo] I have no idea what's going on with me or you. And now, what are we going to do, is the bigger question. Leo: I am deeply worried now, the doctor has gotten snarky. I'm going to go make some lunch for everyone. Excuse me. [Yelling as he leaves] Figure it out you all! Malcolm: I could do with a glass of Scarlett, that's for damn sure. Leo: Done and done. Edgar, dryly: That will help everything.

[acebender]

The Circle of the Crimson Mirror!

[ihaveatypeanditstrickstergods]

There's a decently high possibility that Sean Finnerty and Malcolm Trills could have met during the war.

They were doing the same thing.

[wardensantoineandevka]

between the Trapp family and the Trills family, what is with the old money families of Newfaire and Tr— names

[godaweful]

i love the gentle domestic moments of this circle. "crazy uncle edgar", leo checking in on grim and edgar, edgar doing doctorial check-ups on grim, "grimoria.. edgar did you make her cry?", the little ways they tease each other, "i'm deeply worried now the doctor has gotten snarky. figure it out you all!!"

[utilitycaster]

I love Malcolm and the reason I haven't talked much about him is that Leo and Edgar are like. spiralling. and Grimoria keeps getting possessed and overtaken with bleed. and Malcolm is just like well I'm a physical tank so I'm getting my shit wrecked but honestly I feel great about all my moral decisions

[marvelousbelladonna]

Malcolm Trills intro

[centaurianthropology]

Also, rewatching I am wondering about the various PC relationships with Decklan. Like, Malcolm seems very friendly and dedicated to seeing him right from the jump. That could be because he's a friend, could be because their lightkeeper is asking and he trusts her implicitly, could be a little of both, but it's clear that he has warm and probably straightforward feelings about Decklan. Grimoria is a little more hesitant because of her job, but is also dedicated, and seems very warm toward him.

And then there's Leo and Edgar, both of whom are a little cooler. Now, Edgar is always cool toward almost everyone, but is warmer toward his circle-mates, so it makes me wonder if they either parted on not fantastic terms, or that Edgar maybe views Decklan leaving their circle as something like a betrayal. Not sure, since Edgar plays his emotional cards so close to the chest. We'll hopefully see more now that Decklan is back with them.

And then there's Leo, who seems to guess that they're going after Decklan before anyone else does, even before their lightkeeper says it. And his response?

"No. No, no, no." Leo does NOT want to see Decklan, but ends up agreeing because Decklan is 'family' and you do what you have to for family. But he's not eager to see him the way that Malcolm seems to be. And given Leo's focus on this found family above all else, I can almost be certain that he viewed Decklan's reassignment as a betrayal. But at the same time, on the island, as soon as he realizes that the Murphy ladies are bad news, and readily murdered their mother (or were changelings or something else and were killing off the Murphy family), he is focused on finding and rescuing Decklan. When he chased down Nora, that was his focus, just demanding over and over after he caught up with her that she tell him where Decklan was. So I do think that, while he feels anger or resentment or whatever he feels about Decklan leaving, there is still a lot of affection there as well.

I guess what I'm saying is: I think that Leo and Decklan might be exes.

[inconmess]

Since it is given now that Tide and Bone comes after Crimson Mirror, an idea that came to my head and is now living rent free - Malcolm and Edgar have witnessed Oscar die and come back to life once but wrote it off as a hallucination but Malcolm meets him again at The Glass Cat and Oscar just pretends that the incident didn't happen.

Edgar is like, straight up in denial that it happened because it is not possible but he felt the pulse go from none to there with his own hands, yet he refuses to believe it. And Oscar is also like, yeah, didn't happen.

Just pure gaslighting going on. Maybe until Cosmo intervenes after Edgar/Malcolm meets him at the Antiquarian as they need to consult him on a case.

Bonus where Malcolm goes to tell Madam Glask about what he saw and she completely dismisses him cuz "Cosmo or Oscar would've told her if it were a thing right?"

[dent-de-leon]

Malcolm's Circle connections:

Imari: "I'm thinking Edgar--he's going to be my Confidant...can either be Champion or Confidant. I kinda went towards Champion too because, 'This person does something to help you in your everyday life. What is it and how do you thank them?' Which, he helped me basically contain my Bleed or a reaction to the artifact and to adapt to use whatever energy affected me from it--gave me an apparatus to channel. So we've been working together. Not everyone knows what we do. We have our own secret thing, our own understanding, maybe. We're in the same room, maybe we won't say anything to each other. But when we're alone, we have maybe a different kind of relationship..."

"For Grimoria, I think my character has a little bit of a crush on her. But she's so young that it could never happen, right. But he sees her as a Muse, a person who lights up the room when they walk into it. i think he sees a strength in her that she doesn't really see in herself, a charm, a way to hide her hurt that he also has for himself. And she does that with theatrics, but we can see through it, right? But then he's also charmed by how she is tenacious, and how she's able to maintain, and I think he finds that attractive...And I think he's kind of drawn to that...but I think he's just like, you know, in another time..."

"For Synamynt, Soulmate. She's trying to understand whats going on with her mom, and you know we have our issues with family. And I've seen her around the Red Lamp, and we've kinda gotten the chance to know each other. She'd awkward, which I like, because I think it's real, and she shows me who she is so I immediately was kinda drawn to that. And we kinda got into each other's histories, and are maybe trying to help each other out with figuring out energy or channeling--I haven't worked that part out yet, but...'What characteristics in this person do you find endearing that others find odd?' Yeah, so I like that aspect of it, that I'm kinda drawn to that oddity, right."

"And then, for Mr. Leonard, for Leo--So I went with Rival. And I went with Rival cause we're from the same circle. And I know his family, and I've know him, because maybe we've been to different functions or whatever. Although I viewed my--what I viewed as my blessing, being from a powerful family...he would've looked at it a different way. So his aspirations might've been different from mine, and maybe theres...a little bit of envy, because he's a little more affable, and he's a little bit more whimsical, and he's able to let things go. And I've always been able to hold it in, and I think I've shown disdain for that--oh grow up or whatever, you know? but a part of me is also like, I wish i could let go a little more like that, be a little more free and not care as much. But I also admire the way he's able to get information...and they both got cast out of their families, so i think he feels a bit of a connection with that. They're both now black sheep. He's been exiled, I've been exiled. I've been cut off, he's been cut off--but he still has his money. They left him with money..."