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Fan art of Cassandra de Rolo, by alexielapril.[art 2]
Lady Cassandra Johanna von Musel Klossowski de Rolo is the head of the Chamber of Whitestone and is the youngest sister of Percy's six siblings. As an NPC, she is played by Matthew Mercer.
Excerpt from Percy's Intro
"One day, a mysterious couple, named Lord and Lady Briarwood, came to the court. During a feast held in their honor, the Briarwoods violently took control of the castle, killing or imprisoning everyone who would stand in their way. Percy awoke chained in the dungeon, only to be freed by his younger sister. Together they fled, chased by the Briarwoods' men. As they ran, Percy's sister took several arrows to the chest and fell."
Description
Appearance
Cassandra is a young woman in her late teens/early twenties. She has dark brown hair with a few streaks of white at her temples, most likely due to her mental and psychological hardship.[7]
Personality
Cassandra is an extremely conflicted character. While Percy tried to get as far from Whitestone as possible, Cassandra was left to deal with the loss of her entire family as well as being abandoned by her brother. Cassandra suffered from severe psychological trauma which led to a feeling of conflicting loyalties during the rebellion in Whitestone. However, she ultimately renounced the Briarwoods and fought for the liberation of her home. Though skeptical and feeling unworthy, Cassandra took the leading position in the Chamber of Whitestone and worked tirelessly to return the city to prosperity. Even after the dangers had passed Cassandra found herself in a dark place, feeling unworthy of anyone's trust. Her brother has referred to her as, "a bit of a brat" and their relationship is a bit rocky, though Percy has come around in recent years coming to understand her plight and giving her the support she needs. Cassandra hopes to see the world and travel far from the city that has brought her so much pain through the years.
Biography
Background
Cassandra was the youngest child of the de Rolo family. After the Briarwoods took over Whitestone, Cassandra freed her brother, Percy, and fled. While attempting to escape, Cassandra was hit by several arrows and fell. She awoke back in Whitestone as a hostage of the Briarwoods. Over the next several years Cassandra would originally attempt to aid the rebellion, but it is later revealed that, due to them mentally and/or emotionally manipulating her, she was feeding the Briarwoods information so that the rebellion would fail.
"Behind the Curtain" (3x07)
Archibald Desnay claimed that Cassandra was helping the rebellion.[8]
"Ghosts, Dates, and Darker Fates" (3x10)
Cassandra was reunited with Percy and met the rest of Vox Machina when she was found by Vax. She seemingly had her throat cut by Professor Anders, but this was later revealed to be an illusion.[9] She joined the party to fight the Briarwoods.
"Make It Fashion" (3x12)
After walking them through the cavern down to the ziggurat, Vox Machina came upon a room covered in bronze. By pressing on opal stones on the walls, mysterious green glass residuum trapped them in (sans Cassandra). As Lord and Lady Briarwood stepped into the room, she revealed her alliance to the couple and denounced her relation to her brother, but not without looking conflicted.
At the ziggurat, Cassandra initially fought with the Briarwoods against Vox Machina; but as the battle progressed, the mental strain on her mind from her competing conscious overwhelmed her and she dropped her weapons, stunned. Grog grabbed Cassandra by the neck and dangled her off the edge of the ziggurat. Percy pleaded with him not to. Vax questioned why Grog shouldn't just drop her. Percy insists that the amount of time Cassandra has spent with Briarwoods should be taken into account when considering her betrayal. Vax punched her across the jaw, knocking her unconscious and the party tied her up.
Along with Lady Briarwood, she was taken to the tunnels as the party fled away from the pyramid until they stopped to heal. This is when Percy woke and interrogated her. Cassandra admitted to collaborating with the Briarwoods so that rebellion would fail.[10] This is most likely due to a sort of Stockholm Syndrome, as she depended on the Briarwoods to survive for years and having lost her family was treated as a daughter of sorts by them.
After fighting Orthax, Percy acqusitioned his sister to kill Lady Briarwood, so Cassandra proceeded to lay the finishing blow but not with Lady Briarwood saying "You could have been my daughter" to which Cassandra replied: "No. Cassandra is a De Rolo, and you took them away from me. And now we're taking everything from you," stabbing her, finally freeing herself and Whitestone from the tyrannical rule. In some sort of vengeance, Cassandra dragged the body to the acid factory underground and threw the remains of Lady Briarwood in a vat.
"A Dance of Deception" (3x13)
In the beginning days after the successful revolt, Cassandra revealed her hesitation to her brother, Brother Yennen, and Archibald about taking up power at Whitestone because of her involvement with the Briarwoods and helping them dissuade any previous rebellions. She feared they may reject her as a worthy leader as she did have a hand in their misfortune.
Later, while talking with Brother Yennen and Vox Machina, she agreed to take up a seat at the newly formed Council of Whitestone to divide power.
Fan art of Cassandra de Rolo, by Nguyen Minh Hieu.[art 3]
5x02
5x13
"The Coming Storm" (1x73)
"Clash at Daxio" (1x77)
"The Siege of Emon" (1x78)
"What Lies Beneath the Surface" (1x81)
Cassandra greeted Vox Machina as they returned from fighting Thordak, remarking they looked terrible.[11]
"Jugs and Rods" (1x94)
"One Year Later..." (1x95)
"Taryon, My Wayward Son" (1x97)
"Thar Amphala" (1x101)
"The Final Ascent" (1x113)
Cassandra was kidnapped by Vecna and disguised as a guard, along with Gilmore and Kaylie. She was accidentally killed by Vex'ahlia but was resurrected by Pike. Both she and Kaylie were taken safely back to Whitestone by Gilmore.
"The Chapter Closes" (1x115)
Cassandra was tended to in Whitestone and recovered from her injuries. Within a year, her experience with death combined with the past trauma she suffered under the Briarwoods led her to a dark place, much like what Percy went through. Percy is there for her and helps her work through it, giving her the support she needs to make it through and eventually heal. Vex'ahlia also helps train in her ways to protect herself so that Cassandra will never feel like a pawn. Cassandra continues to reside in Whitestone, though Percy and Vex ensure that she has plenty of opportunities to travel and see the world.
Relationships
Percival de Rolo
Character Information
Abilities
Notable Items
Quotations
Trivia
- When Professor Anders cut Cassandra's throat in front of Vax'ildan, it was an illusion.[9]
- Cassandra is the name of a friend of Taliesin in real life, who knows about the show and thinks he's "such a weirdo"[12].
- Many Critters have speculated that while Kynan served as Cassandra's bodyguard, they began a romantic relationship. While Matthew Mercer hasn't confirmed it yet, he has stated that their shared history with Ripley and their equally stressful positions of power "certainly sounds like a set up for a meaningful romance".
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 See Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting, p. 33.
- ↑ From de Rolo genealogy with clarifications from Taliesin Jaffe on Twitter.
- ↑ de Rolo family name capitalization clarification from Taliesin Jaffe on Twitter.
- ↑ See "The Coming Storm" (1x73) at 0:54:08.
- ↑ Vex attacked the smaller figure on the left, which was later confirmed to be Cassandra. See "The Final Ascent" (1x113) at 4:38:25.
- ↑ From de Rolo genealogy with clarifications from Taliesin Jaffe.
- ↑ See "Reunions" (1x33), part 1, at 1:16:05.
- ↑ See "Behind the Curtain" (3x07) at 2:36:25.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Matthew Mercer confirmed on Twitter that it was an illusion when Professor Anders cut Cassandra's throat.
- ↑ See "Make It Fashion" (3x12), part 1, from 31:58 through 35:33.
- ↑ See 6x12 at 2:50:15.
- ↑ From "Talking Critical Role - Cast Q&A, Prize Giveaway, and more! (Talks Machina)"
Art:
- ↑ Fan art of Cassandra de Rolo, by Kit Buss (source). Permission needed.
- ↑ Fan art of Cassandra de Rolo, by alexielapril (source). Used with permission.
- ↑ Fan art of Cassandra de Rolo, by Nguyen Minh Hieu (source). Used with permission.