| “ | Professor Layton, I've had enough of your running around, flagrantly contravening the flow of my story. As such... I can no longer ignore your meddling. | „ |
| ~ The Story Teller to Professor Layton and Luke. |
The Story Teller (real name: Arthur Cantabella) is one of two main antagonists of the video game Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney alongside High Inquisitor Darklaw. He is the ruler of Labyrinth City, who has the power to make everything he writes in his book come true, which he apparently uses for evil purposes. He is the one in charge of the trials against the witches who terrorise the town.
History
Backstory
Arthur Cantabella was raised in a small, poor town, where he grew up with only one friend, Newton Belduke. One day, they stumbled upon the ancient ruins underground, where they found the Bell of Ruin, a bell that an ancient culture who roamed their land had worshiped. There were ancient writings that Newton was able to decipher some of them around that time. It said that the bell brought calamity upon the native's plants and water, which they were led to believe that it was cursed by an entity, known as the Great Witch Bezella, thus causing them to seal it in the ruins. Although warned, Newton and Arthur were excited after they discovered the bell for believing it could save their town. Ever since then, the two of them vowed to return for the bell as they went their separate ways to study in their career.
Cantabella went to study management at a university in London, while Belduke studied the plants in their area. He discovered that the plants were contaminated by pure silver water that their land had, causing anyone who drinks it to fall unconscious the second after they hear the sound of pure metal being struck. Newton later created an anesthetic from the plants that led to the foundation of Labrelum inc with Cantabella as their president.
Sometime later, Belduke and Cantabella took the Bell of Ruin, and built a bell tower in their town. They created two keys that grant access to the tower, which they both gave to their wives. Cantabella's daughter, Espella, wanted to ring the bell. But her father warned her not to ring as he explained to her about Bezella, in order to prevent her from ringing it.
One day, while investigating the ruins during the fire festival, Arthur and Newton return to see the town on fire. There, they find Espella and Newton's daughter, Eve, knocked unconscious after Eve rang the bell without hesitation.
After that, Espella became catatonic for believing that she rang the bell, and believing that she was Bezella. In order to save her from insanity, her father wrote a storybook that he read in front of his daughter, revealing to her that she is not Bezella. He then asked for help from Belduke to make the story look real, which led to Project Labrynthia: a research facility that is disguised from the world as a town. For the inhabitants, many people gave up on their lives, and decided to sign a contract with Cantabella, who gave them a specific role in the town. Ever since then, the town had parades, where the Storyteller writes a story for all of his people with a hypnotic ink, leading them to believe in what they read. The town also had witch trials, where several people were accused of being a witch, and were put in a chamber that was brought into a pit of fire. These people actually survived and became Shades, a group of cloaked figures, who used invisible machinery to make people believe it's magic. As for the bell tower, it was covered in a invisible cloak.
Some time later, Carmine Accidenti, an investigator and student of Professor Layton, stumbled upon the town and met Espella. He discovered the town's secrets and escaped with her. The storyteller ordered Darklaw and the Shades to go after them. They were able to stop Carmini but were unable to capture Espella when the police arrived. Espella fled the scene and went to look for Professor Layton to ask for his help.
Professor Layton Vs Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney
Three months ago, on a rainy night, lightening stuck the bell tower, burning away the invisible blanket in the process. When Newton Belduke saw that, he committed suicide, which made Darklaw turn against the Storyteller.
She summoned Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright, Maya Fey, and Luke to Labyrnthia, where they first met the Storyteller at a parade, giving out stories to the citizens, who were very excited about it first. However, they were then disappointed after they read it as they found out that it was a story about a girl, using witchcraft to burn two men alive. The townsfolks always believed in what the Storyteller writes was true, thus puzzling Professor Layton and Phoenix Wright.
The next morning, the Storyteller called upon Professor Layton and Luke, who asked him the reason why he summoned him. The Storyteller revealed to Layton that it wasn't him, but someone who is trying to change the story. The Storyteller then wrote down another story about a girl being accused of a witch. Believing it was Espella again, Professor Layton and Luke rushed out to prevent it.
He was then seen later in the game where he and the crowd stood outside of the bell tower, where Espella appeared before them, summoning a fire dragon that killed the storyteller.
During Espella's trial, Luke and Professor Layton went to investigate at the Storyteller's palace. There, they found him at the top of the tower, who revealed to them that there is spell that hides the magic of Labrynthia. He explained to the professor that the trial of Espella will end all witch trials and told him to take his place there. However, Professor Layton revealed to him that his story has been changed, meaning that his daughter is on trial. The Storyteller was shocked from hearing that, revealing that he never planned to frame his daughter, making him attend the witches court alive in person.
The Storyteller revealed to everyone that Labyrnthia is a research facility with human test subjects, having no memory of what happened ten years ago. Espella, on the other hand, remembered an incident that happened around that time, claiming that she saw a fire dragon attack the village, making her stand on trial, thus angering the storyteller.
Espella remembered that she was with a person around that time. Phoenix Wright revealed that person to be Darklaw to the court, who appeared sitting next to Professor Layton. The court then started questioning Darklaw, who revealed her hatred towards the Storyteller, blaming him for her father's death. As the court heard Darklaw's story of the incident, Espella believed that she was Bezella, so she fled to the bell tower, shocking the Storyteller and the court.
There, at the bell tower, she was seen at the belfry.The storyteller begged her to come down, but Espella refused as she planned to kill herself. Professor Layton told her to be brave a little longer, as he revealed that there is more to the story. Phoenix Wright revealed to the court that Espella saw the fire through a fretwork of a dragon, making her believe it was attacked by it. Espella was standing in the same spot of that fretwork, which Phoenix told her to look for the contraption for ringing the bell. Espella went to search for it and came back, informing Phoenix and Layton that the contraption is on the other side of the fretwork. This revealed that it wasn't Espella who rang the bell. As Darklaw was the only other person with Espella around that time, Phoenix Wright pointed out that it was her who rang it. Professor Layton explained to Darklaw that her and Espella's memories were altered from the tragic incident. After discovering this, Darklaw dawn the cloak of invisibility and ran away.
As the crowd of people look at the bell tower, they see Espella standing on the roof, not caring if she rang the bell or not. The storyteller told her not to do this, as he revealed to her that it was his fault. Espella, however, thanked him for everything he did for her and was about to fall to her death, until Darklaw appeared hanging onto the hand rail, saving Espella.
Phoenix and Maya tried to rush in the bell tower to save them, but the storyteller stopped them as he stated that the hand rail Eve is holding onto is rotten through. As Espella and Darklaw fall, Professor Layton ran towards them, and somehow made them float in midair.
Professor Layton learned from the storyteller that magic doesn't exist in Labrynthia, meaning that there's an illusion behind all of it. This illusion could only be broken by a certain "spell" that is hidden on the cover of the spell book, the Grand Grimoire. As Phoenix Wright and Professor Layton decipher the spell, the sun began to rise, which made them shout out the spell together, revealing several machinery all over Labrynthia. Luke was seen driving in one of the machines that was holding Darklaw and Espella.
The storyteller explained to them that they had to require that machinery, in order to make people believe it's magic. In order to hide it from the citizens of Labrynthia, the story teller hypnotized them into not seeing pure black.
Curious about why the storyteller wanted to end the story, he revealed to them that he was suffering from an incurable illness, which he kept as a secret, since he didn't care about Labrynthia anymore. Espella began to fell sorry for him, but the storyteller told her to cheer up, as he revealed that Labrelum created a wonder drug from Newton's research to cure him of his disease, thanking Newton for what he has done. As for Labrynthia, the storyteller will free the people from their hypnosis, giving them back their memories, and will turn the town into an uninhabitable ruin.
The judge, however, went up to the storyteller and said he wanted to stay there, inspiring the storyteller to turn it into a new town. He then bid farewell to Professor Layton, Phoenix Wright, Luke, and Maya as they leave on a boat.
Personality
While at first he seems like a cruel ruler who causes chaos with his stories, he is actually a caring old man who only decieves and scares the people of Labyrinthia to protect his daughter from emotional trauma.
Appearance
The Story Teller has white hair and wears middel-age-like elegant clothes. He has a metallic mask with a gem instead of an eye.
Powers and Abilities
The Story Teller is nearly omnipotent inside of Labyrinthia, as he is in control of the complete illusion of city through the invisible machines he had put everywhrere.
Gallery
Trivia
- His given English name "Arthur" is a play on the word "author", while "Cantabella" is derived from his original Japanese surname as well as from the Italian for "sings" (canta) and "beauty" (bella); these meanings are more likely meant to be intended for his daughter. "Cantabella" may also be derived from "bell", in such similar manner to the surname of his friend Newton Belduke..
- Although Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney is only one game, he is considered as it's Bigger Bad by TV Tropes, as the game consists of multiple story arcs.
- He is similar to Drosselmeyer from Princess Tutu.
- Both wrote a story that started a bad chain of events; except Drosselmeyer wanted an unhappy ending, while the Story Teller wanted to clear Espella of her name.
- In the downloadable episodes, he seems to have a sweet tooth, especially for Tiramisu. He tries to make the hospital food delicious by writing it down as the Storyteller but he was very disappointed when it didn't come true.
- His given Japanese name is "Riterasuta" (リテラスタ), which is a play on the English word "literature".
- His French given name, "Roman", comes from the French word for "novel", while his surname "Novella" means "story" in Italian.
- His German given name, "Louis", is the French form of "Ludwig". "Ludwig" comes from the Old High German words for "famous" and "fight", which is fitting considering that he rules, and is the most famous person in, Labyrinthia. His surname "de Narrateur" is French for "of narrator". Since the Storyteller's full name was never unraveled until late in the game while Espella's is known from the start, this likely meant to be a hint of the relationship between the two.
- His Spanish surname "Fable" comes from the English word for a story with a moral or lesson.