Chancellor Cassius

“	Rest ... I cannot rest. My wrongdoings bind me here.	”
—Chancellor Cassius, The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide

Chancellor Cassius, also known as Trusty John, was a minor character featured in the eighth Dark Parables game, The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide and the protagonist of its bonus game, Trusty John and King Bluebeard.

He was a spy from the Kingdom of Kokkino who convinced King Alexandros to perform a blood ritual on the Sea Goddess. His restless ghost haunts the sunken Kingdom of Prasino.

He is based on the eponymous character in the German fairy tale Trusty John.

Appearance and Personality[]

Chancellor Cassius had short dark hair and a stern face. He wore a formal uniform befitting his status as Chancellor of the kingdom. In death, he looks just as he did in life, but as a bright blue haze.

Cassius was known as Trusty John in his home kingdom of Kokkino. He acquired this nickname by being the most trusted adviser of the previous King, Bluebeard's father. He was ultimately a good man, and while he spied on Prasino and used his influence there to cause the downfall of that kingdom, he felt he served the best interests of his war-torn home. It is only when he was confronted with the horrors being committed by Bluebeard that he realized he'd made a grave mistake in siding with Kokkino. Due to his own guilt, Cassius' soul cannot rest and he haunts what remains of Prasino.

History[]

Chancellor Cassius was once the most trusted adviser of the King of Kokkino, Bluebeard's father. At this time, he was known as Trusty John, and he earned this name by being a trustworthy, honorable man. When the King passed on, he asked John to do one thing for him: to keep his son, Bluebeard, from ever entering the Forbidden Chamber underneath the palace. John agreed.

However, no sooner did Bluebeard take the throne than he sent Trusty John away to spy on the Kingdom of Prasino. John took on the name Cassius and spent years building a reputation in Prasino and getting close to their King, Alexandros. In time, Cassius became Chancellor to the King and became as trusted in Prasino as he had been at home.

Still, it was Trusty John's duty to gather information on the Prasino kingdom and use it however he could to advance his own kingdom, Kokkino, and to end the war between the two. He took his duty seriously and truly felt that by ending Prasino, he would end the war and save countless lives.

When the time came, Cassius counseled King Alexandros to commit a blood ritual and call forth the Sea Goddess to put an end to the Kokkino kingdom. Cassius hoped that the Goddess would be so infuriated by the ritual that she would end her connection to Prasino entirely and would join Kokkino's side in the war between the kingdoms.

Satisfied that his job was complete, Cassius sailed home to Kokkino. However, just outside of the kingdom, he ran into Princess Naida of Prasino. She told him that her sisters had gone missing while exploring near Kokkino and she feared they may have been taken by Kokkinoan soldiers. Cassius agreed to help her, not wanting to blow his cover.

Cassius found that the Princesses had, indeed, been kidnapped, but not by mere soldiers. The girls had been taken by King Bluebeard, who planned to use them for bargaining chips. He stashed Princess Daphne in a fishing net in the forgotten cave and put Princess Theresa in a tank inside his chambers that would slowly fill with water and drown her.

Horrified by what his own King had done to these innocent girls, and finding his home kingdom as decimated on the inside as it was on the war-torn outside, Cassius found himself unable to remain loyal to Kokkino. He freed the Princesses and sent them to the pier to ready an escape.

However, King Bluebeard caught Cassius before he could make his own escape. The King punched his former adviser, then dragged him into the forbidden chamber and left him there to die. Fortunately, Cassius was able to make an escape, racing to the pier where the Princesses waited and taking off in their small boat.

Cassius and the Princesses were in that small boat when King Alexandros, back in Prasino, committed the blood ritual and called forth the Sea Goddess. She rose from the watery depths, still bound by the chains put on her by the Prasino King, but free enough to wreak her havoc and have her vengeance. She destroyed the kingdom of Kokkino, which fell into the sea. She then focused her immense power on Prasino and the royal family of that kingdom.

Be it fate or simply bad luck, Cassius' near proximity to three of those members of the Prasino royal family likely played a hand in his end. When the Goddess struck with her curse, their tiny boat capsized and Cassius was sent hurtling into the chaotic waters. There, he drowned.

Wracked with guilt from the hand he played in the ultimate downfall of both Prasino and Kokkino, Cassius' soul was unable to rest. He haunted the kingdom of Prasino for centuries, watching as King Alexandros and his innocent daughters strove to undo the damage done to their kingdom and their very selves.

With the Goddess' curses finally broken, the King and his remaining daughter were human once more, and the Sea Goddess herself free and placated. It can only be hoped that Cassius has found some peace at last.

Relationships[]

King Alexandros (employer)
King Bluebeard (former employer, deceased)
Princess Naida (friend, deceased)
Theresa (friend, deceased)
Daphne (friend, ?fate unknown?)
Queens of Bluebeard (friends, deceased)
Kokkino King (former employer, deceased)

Relevant Parables[]

The Jealous King (from Trusty John and King Bluebeard)

Bluebeard's father, an ancient Kokkino King, was renowned as a just and honest ruler. He had only one secret, shared with not one other soul: his Forbidden Chamber. The chamber held a painting of the beautiful Sea Goddess that he worshipped and adored all his life. Before he died, he made his adviser swear an oath that his son should never enter the room; if he did, a curse would befall the entire kingdom. As soon as the throne was his, Bluebeard sent his father's adviser to Prasino as a spy, hoping to gain knowledge of the enemy kingdom's secret weapon. The adviser had barely left the palace when Bluebeard entered the Forbidden Chamber. As his father had foretold, the beauty of the Sea Goddess in her portrait clouded his mind and his judgment. He married four times, taking the life of each young wife when she discovered the forbidden room. Bluebeard's kingdom slowly deteriorated, along with his sanity.

The Wrath of the Sea Goddess (from The Little Mermaid and the Purple Tide)

Thalassa, the patron Goddess of seafaring men, protected the islands' ships. Among her charges were two rival kingdoms: Kokkino and Prasino. When a young King of Prasino ascended the throne, and the war between the kingdoms grew fiercer, he made overtures to befriend the Goddess. As they grew closer, she showed favor to his battleships and gave him her own Staff of the Ancients to wield in battle, but greed soon poisoned their friendship. The young King wanted dominance over the resources and trading of the sea, but he also coveted the power and guardianship of the Goddess for his own kingdom. The King and his trusted Chancellor devised a way to imprison the Goddess' soul, deep within the caverns of his island. Relying on Thalassa's trust in him, the King easily tricked her and enslaved her to his kingdom. Deceived, Thalassa seethed with hate as she was forced to do their bidding. She vowed revenge on the Prasino King and his descendants and waited for an opportunity to unleash her revenge.

Trivia[]

The name Cassius is derived from the Latin Cassus, which means "hollow, empty".
The name John is Hebrew for "Jehovah has been gracious; has shown favor".

Quotes[]

Quotes by Chancellor Cassius[]

"This war has been devastating. We can only hope it will end soon."
"War... The only thing it leaves behind is a trail of destruction and suffering."
"It feels good to be so close to home, but those missing Princesses worry me."
"I am loyal to my King, and I'll complete my mission, but something is terribly wrong here."
"I was always loyal to my King, but now I'm having second thoughts."
"I wonder, did I choose the right way?"
"Rest... I cannot rest. My wrongdoings bind me here."
"Leave! While you still can..."
"Now you know my sin."