Carter Huttenburg

Carter Huttenburg is a Human Warlock played by Brian.

Appearance
Carter is a 5'8"-ish human man, his facial features look kind of hollow and haunted, as if he does not sleep well. He usually wears a nice three-piece suit. His hair is long, wavy and parted to the right. He's a handsome, well-to-do, well-dressed individual.

Post-time travel he keeps his three-piece suits, but his look becomes more disheveled.

In "The Return" Carter's appearance changes yet again. His clothes are the same but dingy, nasty, tattered and punctured in some places. Small tentacles are coming out of his thigh and calf area, his face is hollow and emaciated, even more so than before. He is undead.

Personality
Carter is incredibly charismatic, speaking to others very formally in a Southern accent. He presents a charming and polite facade that hides his mistrust and disdain for those around him. He often uses his mage hand to take care of menial tasks such as brushing things out of his path while walking and grabbing things out of reach. He does not like heat.

He is prone to doing things without telling his teammates. He often tries to manipulate others and situations to his advantage. He will only divulge as much information as he feels is necessary to keep his cover. He is very condescending but tries to hide it behind his charming exterior. He has alcoholic tendencies.

Background
In "Old World" Carter was known locally as a sage, although the local people had tended to avoid consulting with him by the start of the show.

The Story
At The Blue Eden Diner, Carter shares his story with the party.

He grew up in a small town with a strict mother and a father who was usually very busy with his studies. Carter's father made sure that Carter became studious as well.

The family inherited some money and the shift in economic status resulted in Carter being treated like a noble. He was enrolled in private schools where he studied history and the arcane. Carter became exactly what was expected of a young man of his status.

One day in his 3rd year of upper classes, Carter returned home and his parents were gone. No one saw them leave, there was no evidence of where they went. They had simply vanished. Carter used his inheritance to finish his studies, and eventually enlisted in service of the king.

Sebastian is able to discern that this story is not the entire truth, but none of the group question Carter about it. The truth behind Carter's backstory is revealed in his audio diaries "Memoirs of Carter Huttenburg."

Warlock Patron
Carter is a Great Old One Warlock who took the Pact of the Tome. His patron is yet to be named on the show but is confirmed to be Azathoth.

Warlock Powers
Carter's powers have a very Lovecraftian flavor to them. His Eldritch Blast is summoned by a snap of his fingers that rips a tear into reality and fires a yellowish-white beam of light.

Carter's spellcasting focus takes the form of a little box. It looks like the key from The Mummy that opens the coffin but it fits in the palm of his hand. It is the size of a fifty-cent piece. There is a latch on the side that opens the top and the magic comes from inside. Carter has a Book of Shadows that contains his spell list. This book originally belonged to his father and Carter continues the writings of madness where his father left off.

Nyarlathotep
Nyarlathotep serves as the liaison between Carter and their patron. He appears during the Interludes in dream sequences and provides Carter with messages and instructions from their patron. They have a rivalry and play mind games with one another.

During their first meeting, Nyarlathotep appears to Carter as a large, humanoid monstrosity. Over the course of their conversation he shifts into the dark silhouette of a bald human in robes, with two glowing eyes. He introduces himself as "...The Faceless God, The Stalker Among the Stars, The Man In Black, I am Nyarlathotep, the Crawling Chaos."

Carter's Madness
As time goes on Carter slowly becomes more crazy and paranoid until he finally breaks in The Betrayal. When he becomes a level 3 warlock and takes the Pact of the Tome, he no longer needs to sleep and begins to drink heavily.

When the party takes a member of a bounty hunting guild captive, Carter abruptly murders him in the middle of an interrogation by shooting him with an Eldritch Blast in the head. The party starts to bicker and Victoria tells him to clear it with her before killing people on her ship.

Carter starts to become increasingly paranoid as time passes, especially after discovering the bounty on Sebastian and Primina. He becomes irritated when the group does not stay together and he constantly checks his bracer jack for updates.

His grasp on time begins to slip and, because he does not sleep, Carter sometimes bothers his teammates in the middle of the night.

The party starts to notice his weird behavior and decide to keep a watch on him after Carter questions a transmission sent by Sebastian even though he was present for the discussion to send it. He begins to run extra diagnostics on The Brunhilde's computer, doubling up on scans and researching back-doors to adjust the computer programming. Primina and Percy find him standing on the ceiling of the hallway in the middle of the night. He claims to be "an owl in the night" and then walks away. When Persephone reports this odd behavior to Sebastian, Primina adds that she swears he is spying on her.

As the party approaches Manzecoor-1, Carter starts to have more intense visions of the game he played with Nyarlathotep in the Waffle House. He interprets these visions as a sign that he is on the right path. After Watt warns them that illithids are approaching Egress Laboratories while the party is inside, Carter receives another vision of the same game. His pieces are surrounded and Nyarlathotep has an opportunity to turn the spy piece into a double agent, this prompts Carter to betray the party.

Memoirs of Carter Huttenburg
Starting with episode 18 (Starworm City) the beginning of the episode is interrupted with a transmission from Carter to the audience. He uses these recordings to reveal his true feelings towards his party members and share his backstory. These audios break the 4th wall, with Carter speaking directly to the "you" of the audience.

Trivia

 * Brian came up with a variety of insults for Carter's Vicious Mockery cantrip.