Gaius Cassius Longinus

Gaius Cassius Longinus (c. 86 BCE – 42 BCE) was a Roman Senator, general, and one of the earliest members of the Hidden Ones in Rome. Along with fellow Hidden Ones Amunet and his brother-in-law Marcus Junius Brutus, they orchestrated the assassination of Gaius Julius Caesar in the Theatre of Pompey on the Ides of March.

Biography

Assassination of Julius Caesar

In 47 BCE, Cassius was recruited by Aya into the Hidden Ones, alongside Brutus. Intending to combat the Order of the Ancients in Rome, they regrouped in the hideout below the Library of Alexandria to make preparations. They later assisted Aya against Roman ships in the Mediterranean Sea before making the journey to Rome and establishing a Hidden Ones branch there.

Following Gaius Julius Caesar's elevation to dictator of the Roman Republic, the Hidden Ones recruited thirty-nine Roman senators and began to plot Caesar's assassination, calling themselves the Liberatores. 

On 14 March 44 BCE, Cassius met his fellow Liberatores underneath Rome, telling them that their plan to stop Caesar's ascension had failed. Brutus and Cassius then deemed assassination the only option. They pleaded with Aya not to kill him immediately as he had to be killed in public, leaving the Roman populace to respond to the spectacle. The following day, on the Ides of March, Aya, Brutus, and Cassius arrived at the Theatre of Pompey, intending to carry out the assassination.

While Aya went to deal with Lucius Septimius, a member of the Order, Brutus and Cassius were left to delay Caesar before they could carry on with their plan. After Aya killed Septimius and arrived at the Senate to deliver the first blow, Cassius, along with Brutus and twenty-three other senators, followed swiftly and stabbed Caesar to death.

Fleeing Rome and death

Cassius, Brutus, and Aya facing Antony

Three hours after Caesar's assassination, the people of Rome began to riot, with Mark Antony stoking the flames of rebellion. Cassius and Brutus fled to the aqueduct supply storage and later had an unconscious and injured Aya brought there too. After Aya recovered from her wounds, she and Brutus quarreled over the methods they had used, with Brutus preaching the Roman way and Aya the Alexandrian. Meanwhile, Cassius tried to calm them, stating the need to flee.

Sometime after evacuating their hideout, Aya was captured by Antony and tossed into a hippopotamus-filled aqueduct. Cassius and Brutus came to her rescue, and the three of them fled via an underwater opening. However, after exiting the aqueduct, they were met by Antony and his men. Fighting their way through the crowd, the trio confronted Antony. Brutus was enraged by Antony trying to control the public through fear, but ultimately spared his life.

Cassius later followed Brutus in fleeing Rome and hiding in Philippi, Makedonia, but Antony's men eventually caught up to them in 42 BCE. In the ensuing battle, Cassius was killed. Faced with certain defeat, Brutus fled and committed suicide soon after.

Behind the scenes

Gaius Cassius Longinus is a historical character who made his first appearance in the 2017 video game Assassin's Creed: Origins, in which he is voiced by the English actor James Barriscale.

Gallery

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  Cassius planning with the Hidden Ones in Alexandria
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  Cassius alongside Aya and Brutus
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  Cassius alongside Aya and Brutus
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  Cassius conspiring with his fellow Liberatores
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  Brutus, Aya, and Cassius surrounded by Antony's men

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (first mentioned)
• Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins comic
• Assassin's Creed: Where's the Assassin? (non-canonical appearance)
• Echoes of History (mentioned only)