| “ | The new captain, eh? Pity you won't live to learn what I have learned — that deep inside every hero... is the seed of a villain. A beautiful dark flower waiting for the chance to blossom... | „ |
| ~ Ernst preparing to kill Marcy (and unintentionally predicting the rise of Darcy) |
Captain Ernst, also known as Goldmask, is the secondary antagonist of the Amphibia book Marcy's Journal: A Guide to Amphibia. He is a former captain of the Newtopian Night Guard who grew dissatisfied with his life and later took on a quest from an anonymous benefactor which would let him start his life anew. However, Ernst is unaware he's nothing more than a pawn to Andrias (and the Core by extension).
Appearance[]
Ernst was an elderly red-skinned newt with thinning hair. He wore a big set of solid gold armor and a long cape on his back. As Goldmask, he wore a golden mask resembling a snake and a long black robe which covered his body.
Biography[]
Ernst rose through the ranks of the Newtopian Night Guard and became a well-respected captain. He and his mentees Javi, Kettle, and Femur became a very close team that worked well together, but secretly Ernst felt suffocated by his life under the expectations of others and sought a way out. Eventually, Andrias became aware of Ernst's wishes and anonymously approached the captain with a proposition of a new life, which Ernst accepted. He faked his death and began leading a fake cult called the Order of the Olm, who set out to destroy all information related to the Calamity Box and its gems. In return, Ernst received a vast quantity of riches from the king.
Later, Javi, Kettle, and Femur were reluctant to accept Marcy as their new Night Guard leader due to their respect for Ernst, but eventually they developed camaraderie with her. The three newts discovered the existence of the Order of the Olm, but couldn't initially find any reliable information about them. Soon after, the order burned down the Emerald Coast Public Library and Archive. Marcy and her team interrogated some witnesses and learned that the ringleader of the organization wore a golden snake-shaped mask. The team theorized that the cult traveled in the sewers, so they went to investigate. In the sewers, they found a sewer-dweller named Hamby, who confirmed that the cult had been there and offered the team a map to the cult's secret lair in exchange for Marcy's Tama-Buddy digital friend. Marcy and co. disguised themselves as cultists and headed to the secret base. There, they witnessed Goldmask announce to other cult members that the next attack would be at the Archives of Antiquity. Although Ernst's mask disguised his voice, Kettle still felt that there was something familiar about Goldmask.
Marcy's team and 20 other Night Guard cadets ambushed the archive as Goldmask was about to burn all the scrolls inside, but he was unperturbed and said he was pleased to finally meet Marcy. He removed his mask and revealed himself to be Ernst, much to the shock of his former teammates. In the resulting confusion, he burned the scrolls and escaped the destruction on a giant bat, and told the team to meet him at Dawnblood Castle. Since the conflict with the cult was seemingly resolved, King Andrias forbade Marcy and her team from going after Ernst, but they sneaked away anyway and sailed to the Dawnblood Islands aboard the ship The Green Lady.
Aboard the ship, Marcy learned just how deep Ernst's betrayal hurt his former teammates. They wondered why he brought out the best of them just to break his vow of honor, and weren't pleased when Marcy tried rationalizing Ernst's viewpoint (since she also betrayed her friends). Eventually, the team reached the castle and fought Bomme Frite, an engineer hired by Ernst to defend the castle. After she was defeated, Bomme revealed she had no knowledge of the cult, and that Ernst simply hired her up-front with a lot of gold. She gave Marcy the key to the throne room where Ernst was waiting.
| “ | I did the job he asked, and I've gotten my reward. Simple as that. | „ |
| ~ Ernst explaining how he was commissioned by a benefactor |
Ernst welcomed the team and said he had no intention of fighting them, and then explained why he abandoned the Night Guard life. Although Ernst had no remorse for betraying his team, he insisted the bonds he once formed with the team were real, and so he invited them to join him in his new life since they proved themselves worthy by making it past the castle's traps. Javi, Kettle, and Femur got even more upset at Ernst's offer of friendship than at his initial betrayal, and so the old newt drew his sword and prepared to kill the team.
Even at a 4-to-1 disadvantage, Ernst dominated the fight and gradually wore the team down: he knocked Femur out with his sword, slashed Javi across the chest, and flung Kettle across the room. He then turned his attention toward Marcy (who was busy brewing a potion), announcing that within every hero is the seed of a villain. However, Marcy suddenly threw the potion into Ernst's armor, which encased him in wood and vines. He attempted to finish Marcy off with one final swing, but eventually the vines froze him in place, and the giant weight of his sword caused Ernst to fall out a window to his death in the sea below.
Legacy[]
Javi, Kettle, and Femur were deeply affected by the Ernst debacle, and so the three of them decided to leave the Night Guard when they returned to Newtopia. Javi and Kettle confessed their love for each other and moved to a small town named Stony Gulch, while Femur decided to become a shepherd.
Everything that happened made Marcy begin to stop treating Amphibia like an RPG world she was trapped in, and more like a real place. More importantly, the contempt Javi, Kettle, and Femur had toward Ernst made Marcy change her mind on her decision to tell Anne and Sasha she knew what the music box would do, not wanting her friends to hate her.
Additionally, Andrias promoted Marcy to the position of advisor, not wanting her to go on any more unsanctioned missions.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Ernst can be considered indirectly responsible for saving Sprig's life in "True Colors" and shortly after letting Sasha and Grime escape Newtopia Castle, as Marcy never would've found Joe Sparrow if she never went to the Dawnblood Islands.
[]
 Villains
| ||
|
Newtopia Frobots Others Toad Army Los Angeles Others | ||