Cadmus

Cadmus was a Greek mercenary during the 5th century BCE who was once employed by Markos.Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book – Chapter 1: The Animus He was a Sage of the Isu Vejovis.Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book – Chapter 6: Stopping the Cult
==Biography==
During Cadmus' contract under Markos, the Order of the Ancients member Ianthe met and hired him for his own ends, though he kept his allegiance a secret. Ianthe sought a treasure rumored to be entombed in the hills of Kephallonia, but the only map of its possible location had been stolen by a thief. When Cadmus spotted the criminal from a viewpoint and tracked them to their destination, he saw another group of mercenaries moving to a tomb entrance in a distant hill. He promptly told this to Markos, who opted to stay where he was on the pretext of "defending" the area and suggested that Cadmus go investigate.
On his way to the tomb, Cadmus noticed a pile of discarded supplies on a crate near the entrance, evidence that the site had seen recent activity. The moment he entered it, the mercenaries sealed him in by rolling a boulder over the doorway. With no way out, Cadmus took a lit torch and pressed deeper into the tomb, where he found more torches, ladders, and the remains of a campsite, proof the mercenaries had been treasure hunting for some time.
Eventually, he reached a wall marked with notches and unlocked a dark stone entrance after placing nearby torches in specific slots. As he walked through the strange location, the walls changed from stone to become smooth, straight, and angular until he entered a room with a circular podium in its center. A hologram of an Isu woman activated and addressed an unseen "spectator" and Cadmus, much to his confusion. The recording warned the mercenary of the individual known as "The Connection", how his actions would lead to destruction if he acquired the item hidden for safety in the vault, and urged him to split it into pieces and separate them from each other. When the hologram faded, Cadmus unlocked a metal container to find a double-bladed dagger.
After carefully picking up the blade with fabric and pocketing it, Cadmus was started by the sudden sound of clapping behind him. Whirling around, he saw five men in and cloaks. A man in the middle thanked Cadmus for recovering the weapon for them before an unseen sixth member knocked him unconscious from behind and stole the dagger. When the group left, they smashed and lit a pot of oil, trapping Cadmus behind a wall of flames. Once Cadmus woke up, he escaped the tomb by using an elevating platform that rose to a tunnel leading outside.
Cadmus scrambled downhill in search of the six men, but found Markos there instead. After explaining what had happened, he spotted his attackers heading to the nearby town. He followed the group and planned to kill their leader in revenge, believing that the rest would scatter, but his intended target saw him and fled. Cadmus quickly caught up with the man and leaped on top of him, but the leader suddenly drew the dagger and aimed its blades at both of their chests for a joint murder-suicide. Cadmus managed to shift his body enough that he was only injured, while his weight pushed the other blade to fatally wound the other man, who revealed himself as Cadmus' recent client Ianthe. As he bled out, Ianthe said that he was "but a small part of the machine" for a greater cause, adding that Cadmus' mere knowledge of the dagger meant he had to die as well.
Cadmus retrieved the dagger just in time for it to intercept a thrown blade sent by one of his attackers. Looking up, he saw two of them had decided to fight since their compatriots had disappeared after Ianthe's death. When Cadmus defended himself with the dagger, it broke and split in two, with one half staying in his hands and the other flying to embed itself in a mercenary's face. The remaining man went to his fallen companion, tore the blade from the eye, and ran for the docks.
Cadmus gave pursuit, but when his quarry jumped on a moving ship, his own leap fell short and he landed in the water. Markos arrived and helped Cadmus to shore before suggesting that they sell the blade for drachmae, but Cadmus rejected the idea, arguing that it was too valuable. Ultimately, he decided to leave Kephallonia, believing he had a duty to prevent the masked men from taking his half of the blade at all costs.
==Behind the scenes==
Cadmus is a character introduced in the 2022 puzzle book Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book, written by James Hamer-Morton, appearing in the first chapter.
===Etymology===
Cadmus shares his name with the of Greek mythology. The etymology of the name is unclear, with one theory suggesting it derives from the n root qdm, meaning "the east," and another proposing it is Greek, from kekasmenos (κεκασμένος), meaning "excellent."
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Escape Room Puzzle Book
==References==
Category:Individuals
Category:Greeks
Category:Mercenaries
Category:Sages
Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden
Category:Animus hosts