The Duke of Navezgane, also referred to by name as Cassadore by traders and quest notes, is a potentially planned Boss NPC for 7 Days to Die, first mentioned in an early promotional trailer released by The Fun Pimps, and currently an unseen antagonizing force in the game.
History[ | ]
According to an early trailer (briefly mentioned at 3:28), the Duke commands an "army of mutated soldiers", whose numbers and armament are still unknown at this point in the game's development. However, the fact that he has been declared a "Boss" character means that he and his followers will likely be heavily armed and well-armored.
In the later versions of the game, the Duke is mentioned in the intro to the tutorial quest by the initial pop-up message from Noah. Noah's message reads:
Dear Friend,
The wasteland can be an unforgiving place, I found you naked and left for dead with no supplies. It looks like you crossed the Duke in a bad way and you could use some help. Enclosed is a short guide to help you survive. If you complete it, we just might take in a new citizen. The White River Settlement, it's real and it's safe.
Peace be with you friend, -Noah
The player also starts with a note from the Duke of Navezgane in their inventory. The Duke's letter reads:
Just a friendly reminder that you pay on time, every time or there will be consequences. Next time we won't be so nice. Thanks for the gear, but you still owe us. See you soon. -The Duke
Speculation[ | ]
While the Duke has not been present in the game as of yet, there are a few speculations that fit in with his status:
The Duke may be the man featured on the front of the Duke's Casino Tokens; it's possible that he could be the owner or mascot of the casino—which also could potentially appear in-game at a later date—if he is indeed added. He may likewise have some kind of influence on the currency used by the remaining survivors of Navezgane.
Under normal game settings, a Blood Moon Horde assaults the player every 7 in-game days: It is possible that these zombies are indeed the Duke's mutated soldiers as mentioned in the trailer.
The Duke's appearance in the trailer is clearly set in the desert biome. If the theory that that the casino belongs to the Duke is correct, then the casino could be situated in the desert in a future version of the game.
As of Alpha 18's release, the Demolisher has been implemented. Decked out in tactical armor, a large set of bandoliers, and an explosive device attached to its chest, this zombie may have been a soldier before its death. It may possible this literal mutated soldier belongs to the Duke. Given that the Demolisher only appears in later blood moon hordes, this may mean the Duke's inclusion to the game could be on the horizon.
A zombie called the Behemoth was originally planned for Alpha 18, but was scrapped in favor of the aforementioned Demolisher. With the Behemoth's towering size and presumed high power, these could also have been some of the Duke's mutated soldiers.
The painting referred to as "paintingDuke"
One of the paintings that can show up in Points of Interest is called "paintingDuke" in the files. it is unknown if this is the same person as the Duke of Navezgane.
Trader Jen's dialogue occasionally eludes to making a "protection payment" to the Duke. It's very likely that since the Traders use the Duke's Casino Token as currency, the Duke has a stronghold on the Traders and requires payments from them to be kept safe.
As the Duke likely runs protection rackets throughout Navezgane, it is possible that this is why the zombies attack the player every 7 days, as the player does not pay the Duke in the game.
