....I know I said I wasn't going to make a ref for him because he's literally identical to Michael but I lied, oOPs.

Calder's TH: toyhou.se/1256848.michael-cald…

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Born a human during the midst of the wars between humanity and the non-humans, Michael's host was raised in a church dedicated to the gods known as the Many. Having been orphaned from birth and raised by the church, as was common during these days, Michael's host was singled out by the church to be used as a host for the angel, Michael, which they had hoped would join their fight against the nonhuman threat.

Since he was raised for the explicit purpose of being a host to a greater force than he, Michael's host was never given a forename, instead simply going by the word Calder, taken from the river near the church he grew up in. (This was rather common for children raised to be Hosts, however. Generally speaking, the host, once possessed, would give their last name to the creature which possessed them, only getting a first name from their possessor. The possessor in turn would acquire their last name from their host, therefore the naming process is rather symbiotic, with Michael+Calder= Michael Calder. People can usually gauge where a host originated from simply by their last or only name, which was often a landmark or location near wherever they grew up.)



.....However, things didn't go exactly as planned, and much to the dismay of both the church and Calder himself, Calder became host not to Michael the archangel, but Michael the Grim Reaper. As Michael's essence infiltrated and polluted Calder's body, Calder, as well as the church, were alarmed to see that the Reaper Michael did not eliminate the soul of the man Calder, but instead preserved it within himself, permitting the young priest to live on within him instead of destroying the soul and leaving the body a fully open husk as the Archangel Michael would have done. Whether this was an act of kindness by Michael, or simply a matter of convenience for the Reaper is unknown, but Calder regularly regains control of his own body whenever Michael is banished back to the undead planes by Jared. (Which is admittedly becoming more and more frequent as time goes on)



Despite the fact that Calder was raised to be used and sacrificed as a host to an angel, all things considered, he has no regrets over what happened, and greatly values his freedom during the rare times he's allowed to regain control over his body. While the failure to host the archangel Michael meant he had failed his purpose in life, Calder instead views it as a final grasp at having his own life , something he never had imagined previous to his possession. When Michael is away, Calder works here and there as a priest in the various churches dedicated to the Many, keeping his identity as a failed host secret to all but Jared's Merry Band of Necromancers.



Personality wise, Calder is a complete turnabout from Michael, the young man being rather reserved in both speech and mannerisms. He is slow to anger, and even slower to take offense, instead prioritizing peaceful negotiation as opposed to an all out fist fight...something that Michael would start at even the slightest provocation. Some might find Calder's personality to be rather bland, as he really has no particular interests beyond being allowed to live by his own terms, but despite this, Calder is truly and purely kind hearted, wanting the best for those around him, even if he isn't able to properly verbalize his intents. Calder gets along exceedingly well with Christoph, the Eldritch horror somehow being able to empathize deeply with Calder's unnatural and arguably inhumane upbringing.



Calder also gets along quite well with Vera, Nicolai's sister, as the two share a love for books as well as tranquility. While it isn't uncommon for the two to meet up and have tea, actual conversation is often pushed to the wayside in favor of sitting back and reading a good book in peace. However, this suits the both of them just fine, and while they might not have what one would consider a conventional relationship, Calder values Vera as a close friend just the same.



Pre-host status, Calder had brown eyes and hair, however, upon his possession, these features were expelled from him, so to speak, leaving his hair and eyes bleached white. While under possession, these features, along with his skin, darken greatly, becoming ashen to reflect the corruption that Michael brings into him with possession. Once Michael leaves, however, his features shift back to a more healthy, albeit albino-esque pallor.


As for abilities, Calder is physically little different from a regular human when not undergoing possession. His time spent attuned to Michael's possession have made him physically stronger than the average human, but by no means does he have the explosive physical power that Michael has. Calder's magic and abilities generally revolve around drawing in spirits or demons around him and forcing them into possessing him, thus allowing him to acquire their abilities and aspects temporarily while the possession holds. Calder is a finely tuned host, and after decades spent with Michael's possession, he is easily able to mentally dominate almost any lesser demon or spirit that he draws in, thus gaining their abilities temporarily while still retaining full mental control. Calder's dedication to the gods known as the Many also grants him additional power to resist mental domination during a forced possession, as well as a heightened sense of the supernatural and various holy spells for healing and turning the undead.


As it stands, Calder has no regrets in his life beyond not sacrificing himself to be a host for Michael the reaper sooner, and while he might not agree with Jared's desires for world domination, he passively supports the vulture from the sidelines. Calder is relatively disinterested in relationships or romance, though if asked, will often give someone a chance, regardless of gender. However, due to his nature as a host, relationships generally don't last long as few are able to tolerate Michael's incessant bravado beyond a few minutes, and since it's often unclear how long it will be before Calder comes to the frontline once again, any lovers Calder acquires tend to be fleeting.