TV-Series
Description
Joseph, also known as Cartaphilus, is a primary antagonist in the story, a figure of immense age and suffering whose identity is born from a tragic fusion. He is the result of two separate beings merging into one cursed existence: a mysterious, ancient man known as Cartaphilus, and a young necromancer and gravekeeper named Joseph. The name Cartaphilus is tied to the legend of the Wandering Jew, a mythical figure cursed to walk the earth for an eternity after an insult to Jesus on the day of his crucifixion. This curse grants Joseph immortality, but it is an existence of relentless agony, as his body is in a constant state of decay that he can feel but cannot die from.
Before his transformation, Joseph was a caring and lonely boy who lived in a village that feared and ostracized him for his ability to speak with the dead. He took on the role of a gravekeeper, finding purpose in helping the deceased find peace. When the already ancient and suffering Cartaphilus wandered into his village, the young Joseph, using his knowledge as an apothecary, tried desperately to heal the man's rotting form. When all efforts failed and the harsh winter drove his village to turn on him, Joseph made a desperate choice. Unable to abandon the man who had come to trust him, he used his necromancy to fuse his own healthy body and soul with Cartaphilus's undying but decaying one, hoping the union would save them both. Instead, the curse persisted, and the new being inherited Cartaphilus's endless pain while losing much of Joseph’s original compassion.
Over the subsequent millennia, the fused being has come to be known by the cursed name Cartaphilus, a name he despises, preferring to be called Joseph. The merger created a deeply fractured psyche. On rare occasions, the gentle, memory-loss-plagued personality of the original boy resurfaces, but these moments are fleeting. For most of his existence, he is consumed by the singular motivation to escape his physical suffering. He fears the inexorable day his body will finally crumble beyond repair and is willing to do anything to forestall it. This has stripped him of all empathy, and he commits horrific acts with a childlike, amoral detachment. He has no qualms about killing, experimenting on others, or using them as spare parts to patch his own failing body, viewing this as a simple biological necessity. He has assembled his form from countless stolen pieces, often transforming his body into monstrous shapes in combat, and he can even possess others by inserting a part of himself into them.
Joseph's central role in the story is that of a dark mirror to the protagonist, Chise Hatori. He becomes fascinated by the Dragon's Curse afflicting her left arm, which forcibly regenerates her body while the curse itself slowly kills her. He theorizes that his own ever-decaying curse and her ever-regenerating one could be exchanged to create a balance, saving him. To force a meeting, he uses a young girl named Stella as a hostage and bargaining chip. He convinces Chise to undergo a ritual where they trade their left eyes as a precursor to a more complete exchange, during which he traps her in a nightmarish dreamscape of her own painful memories as a form of revenge and amusement. This act ultimately backfires, as Chise fights back and enters his own memories, witnessing the pitiful and tragic origin of his curse. Enraged by this violation, he tries to kill her but is confronted by Elias Ainsworth, his familiar Ruth, and their allies.
In the ensuing final battle, Chise does not seek to destroy Joseph but to grant him a reprieve from his torment. Using her own life as a catalyst, she casts a powerful sleep spell on him. This act of mercy allows Joseph to finally rest, free from pain. He is brought to Elias and Chise's home and placed in a deep sleep in a well on their property, where he remains as a dormant, non-threatening presence for roughly a century. Even when he occasionally stirs, a powerful drowsiness keeps him bound to his resting place. As a master of sorcery and alchemy, Joseph's notable abilities include creating powerful chimeras, summoning swarms of giant centipedes, and using necromancy to call forth the spirits of those he has killed. His immortality is his defining trait; injuries that would be fatal to anyone else, like a gunshot to the head, only cause him pain and slow him down temporarily. Through his encounter with Chise, the monstrous and broken figure finds a final, somber peace, choosing a state of enchanted slumber over his endless, agonizing wandering.
Before his transformation, Joseph was a caring and lonely boy who lived in a village that feared and ostracized him for his ability to speak with the dead. He took on the role of a gravekeeper, finding purpose in helping the deceased find peace. When the already ancient and suffering Cartaphilus wandered into his village, the young Joseph, using his knowledge as an apothecary, tried desperately to heal the man's rotting form. When all efforts failed and the harsh winter drove his village to turn on him, Joseph made a desperate choice. Unable to abandon the man who had come to trust him, he used his necromancy to fuse his own healthy body and soul with Cartaphilus's undying but decaying one, hoping the union would save them both. Instead, the curse persisted, and the new being inherited Cartaphilus's endless pain while losing much of Joseph’s original compassion.
Over the subsequent millennia, the fused being has come to be known by the cursed name Cartaphilus, a name he despises, preferring to be called Joseph. The merger created a deeply fractured psyche. On rare occasions, the gentle, memory-loss-plagued personality of the original boy resurfaces, but these moments are fleeting. For most of his existence, he is consumed by the singular motivation to escape his physical suffering. He fears the inexorable day his body will finally crumble beyond repair and is willing to do anything to forestall it. This has stripped him of all empathy, and he commits horrific acts with a childlike, amoral detachment. He has no qualms about killing, experimenting on others, or using them as spare parts to patch his own failing body, viewing this as a simple biological necessity. He has assembled his form from countless stolen pieces, often transforming his body into monstrous shapes in combat, and he can even possess others by inserting a part of himself into them.
Joseph's central role in the story is that of a dark mirror to the protagonist, Chise Hatori. He becomes fascinated by the Dragon's Curse afflicting her left arm, which forcibly regenerates her body while the curse itself slowly kills her. He theorizes that his own ever-decaying curse and her ever-regenerating one could be exchanged to create a balance, saving him. To force a meeting, he uses a young girl named Stella as a hostage and bargaining chip. He convinces Chise to undergo a ritual where they trade their left eyes as a precursor to a more complete exchange, during which he traps her in a nightmarish dreamscape of her own painful memories as a form of revenge and amusement. This act ultimately backfires, as Chise fights back and enters his own memories, witnessing the pitiful and tragic origin of his curse. Enraged by this violation, he tries to kill her but is confronted by Elias Ainsworth, his familiar Ruth, and their allies.
In the ensuing final battle, Chise does not seek to destroy Joseph but to grant him a reprieve from his torment. Using her own life as a catalyst, she casts a powerful sleep spell on him. This act of mercy allows Joseph to finally rest, free from pain. He is brought to Elias and Chise's home and placed in a deep sleep in a well on their property, where he remains as a dormant, non-threatening presence for roughly a century. Even when he occasionally stirs, a powerful drowsiness keeps him bound to his resting place. As a master of sorcery and alchemy, Joseph's notable abilities include creating powerful chimeras, summoning swarms of giant centipedes, and using necromancy to call forth the spirits of those he has killed. His immortality is his defining trait; injuries that would be fatal to anyone else, like a gunshot to the head, only cause him pain and slow him down temporarily. Through his encounter with Chise, the monstrous and broken figure finds a final, somber peace, choosing a state of enchanted slumber over his endless, agonizing wandering.