| Cabadath | |
|---|---|
 Sketch of The Prince's twisted form. | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Title | The Prince, The Arrogant Man |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Human(formerly), Lich |
| Affiliation | Chzo |
| Appearances | Triby's Notes, 6 Days a Sacrifice |
Cabadath (Human Form: died July 28, 55 BCE; Prince Form: July 28, 55 BCE - July 28, 2189 AD), better known as The Arrogant Man or The Prince by the Order of Blessed Agonies, and initially referred to as The Tall Man in Trilby's Notes, is Chzo's highest servant and one of the main antagonists in the second half of the Chzo Mythos.
Tier : 5A
Appearance[]
True to the name given to him in Trilby's Notes, Cabadath is absurdly tall, towering over Trilby who himself is described as standing at six feet and four inches. (In The Expedition, he is approximated to be 8 feet tall.) Although very thin, Cabadath possesses disproportionate strength and speed, described as moving "like a tarantula, advancing with painful slowness before attacking faster than [one] could blink." He is dressed in a long, black, tight-fitting, high-collared coat with tails that reach to the floor, concealing his feet, and is buttoned up practically all the way. A large piece of blood-stained white fabric covers his front and ends at approximately the pectorals. His hands are covered with blood-soaked bandages.
His most distinctive feature is his face; it is completely white and ovoid-shaped, lacking any sort of facial features or characteristics. This concept art reveals that this face is only a mask, however. Cabadath is occasionally seen carrying his trademark weapon: a large pointed stave, slightly taller than he is, with four scythe blades at its top set at right angles to one another. Despite its size, Cabadath is capable of wielding it without trouble.
Before becoming the servant of Chzo, Cabadath dressed in traditional druid robes and was heavyset man of human proportions, with a bald head and dark beard.
Biography[]
Cabadath was originally a 1st century druid; around this time, humanity still had easy access to magick and some were able to use basic-level sorcery. Cabadath claimed to have dealings with the "Ethereal Realm" and was able to commune with the creatures within. During these dalliances, he learnt of many powerful demons and elementals, in particular Chzo, a being of "awesome power" who was spoken of in hushed tones by all in the ethereal realm. Cabadath planned to summon him to his world, on a day when the boundaries between the two realms of Magick and Technology were sufficiently weakened, and control it with magick so that he could use it against the Roman General Suetonius Paulinus and his forces. He was able to successfully summon Chzo, though he noted that it "was much bigger than anticipated", and before he could restrain it, it took hold of him. Cabadath begged his fellow druid Galdn to help him, but the frightened man fled, and Cabadath was drawn into the World of Magick, kicking and screaming.
To punish him for his arrogance, Chzo imprisoned the druid's soul in an oak sapling that had grown on the site of his old home, granting his body full immortality. As the tree grew, Cabadath was tortured beyond imagination, his agonies lasting for 500 years; by this point, his body had been warped and his mind broken, rendering him little more than a slave to Chzo: the Prince, the god of pain’s avatar, and his highest, most loyal servant.
Cabadath and the Harpsichord-0
Cabadath playing the Harpsichord
The tree containing the druids soul was felled by a Norseman woodcutter in 1501, releasing Cabadath from his prison. His first instinct was to kill the woodcutter, but spare his son, citing his youth and innocence as a reason in the Books of Chzo, and so that he could tell everyone else of him; however, no-one believed the boy. The wood from the soul tree was later used to build the Unicorn Inn during the Elizabethan period, but the building was "cursed"; if anyone should stay there, Cabadath would appear and kill all within. The wood from the Unicorn was then used to build a harpsichord, later purchased by Jack Frehorn, a young man interested in the occult. Cabadath would trick Frehorn into killing his lover, but spared the man himself. Out of gratitude and fear, he formed the Order of the Blessed Agonies, a masochistic cult designed to placate Chzo. The harpsichord was layer destroyed and turned into a crate by the O'Malley Shipping Company. The crate was then used by Mbouta, an African man rescued from the sea by a passing ship, to build an African idol to celebrate his good fortune, which prompted his murder (and the rest of the crew's) by Cabadath. The idol was later acquired by Sir Roderick DeFoe, which he would use beat his deformed, mentally challenged son John DeFoe near to death, causing his Mind, Body and Soul to fragment, and leading Cabadath to transform him into the Bridge: a wraith of terrible power able to possess other living beings and use them to take revenge for the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father.
Trilby's Notes[]
Tall Man Killings from Trilby's Notes
Tall man kill scenes in Trilby's Notes
Cabadath makes his first appearance in Trilby's Notes; he is first glimpsed at the Clanbronwyn Hotel when it shifts into the World of Magick during Trilby's conversation with Abed Chahal and Siobhan O'Malley. He is later seen throughout the hotel whenever Trilby shifts between worlds, stalking and trying to kill him, but the thief manages to avoid him at every turn. Aside from that, Cabadath is primarily seen during flashbacks, usually dispatching either the player character or those close to them. During the flashback to the death of John DeFoe, Sir Roderick beating him with the idol is juxtaposed with Cabadath bludgeoning him with his stave, suggesting Cabadath was to blame for scattering DeFoe's three aspects, contrary to the teachings of the Order.
During the climax, Agent Lenkmann wounds Trilby and ties him to the stump of Cabadath's soul tree, attempting to sacrifice him in order to summon Cabadath to the World of Technology permanently. Before the demon can be summoned, however, Trilby wills himself to death; in anger, Cabadath slaughters Lenkmann and drags him into the World of Magick. Lenkmann is then made into Chzo's "Puppet", and with Cabadath presents the Order with Trilby's blood and waistcoat.
6 Days A Sacrifice[]
Prior to the opening, Cabadath now possesses the ability to materialise in the World of Technology, which may be connected to the Optimology HQ, as it was built around the ruins of DeFoe Manor. He is first seen in the recovery room, after Samantha Harty lets him in to dispatch a man who strongly resembles Trilby. During most of his appearances, he either stalks Theo DaCabe or kills the clones of Trilby; he appears to be hunting the Mind of DeFoe, as he kills Janine Orzechowski after she's possessed by DeFoe.
Let's Play 6 Days A Sacrifice - 14 - Full Circle
skip to 4:38 for Cabadath's death scene
The death of Janine prompts Theo to don the apron, welding mask and machete of DeFoe and seek Cabadath out; doing so, he experiences strange visions (explaining the ending of 7 Days A Skeptic). The last surviving Trilby clone sets the HQ ablaze, detonating a "nanoexplosive" bomb that wipes out the HQ, destroying DeFoe's Mind and creating the Bridge; shortly before dying, Theo experiences traumatic visions. However, Chzo brings the Trilby clone and Theo to his world, rather than cross into the World of Technology. Cabadath is drained of his power, and Theo, having suffered through the Three Blessed Agonies of body, mind and soul, becomes the New Prince and wields his stave. Cabadath, now called the "Arrogant Man" again, is killed by Theo shortly after.
Trivia[]
- Cabadath himself was inspired by the Zealot from Blood II: The Chosen,
- Slenderman is often considered to be inspired by Cabadath.