Eustace

Short, round, balding, hawk-featured, and perpetually surrounded by coins and ledgers, Eustace is the family’s accountant and most dedicated miser. His defensive cruelty conceals romantic history, resentment, and a capacity for change that requires unusually aggressive auditing.

Phillip

Phillip is a green-and-brown-clad actor, singer, storyteller, and habitual drunk whose stylish feathered cap survives more reliably than his dignity. Mocked by his family, he nevertheless welcomes Hubert quickly and understands the fever and mental pressure of the Lurker from experience.

Catherine

Catherine is a merchant’s wife, mother of a bustling household, choir member, and secret painter. Her carefully chosen vermilion robe becomes a signal in a clandestine meeting, while her art and confession expose the fear behind decisions that separated Hubert from his family.

Three Ways to Survive a Family Legacy

Eustace controls money, Phillip controls the story, and Catherine controls what she reveals. Each develops a different defense against the Roderick family’s curse, lost father, stolen relics, and public expectations. Hubert’s wish does not erase their failures; it gives them a final opportunity to choose family over the roles they have been performing.

Chronicler’s note: One sibling counts beans, one sings about them, and one paints after everyone else has gone to sleep. All three have been keeping accounts of a different kind.