A list of non-affiliated characters in the historical portion of Assassin's Creed Origins.
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People of Siwa
Hepzefa
Hepzefa
Bayek's best friend, fellow Medjay, and protector of Siwa, who took over defending the town when Bayek left in his quest for revenge.
- Bash Brothers: He fights alongside Bayek.
- Character Death: He is killed by Flavius and Septimius.
- Flaming Sword: He owns one which Bayek can get when he dies.
- The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Is implied to continue taking care of Siwa after Bayek leaves, but every time you return besides the final act he's at his house idling; Bayek can fill him in on what he's been doing while he was gone.
Rabiah
Rabiah
A female elder of Siwa, she's looked over Bayek and Aya when they were children.
- The Medic: She tends to Bayek's wounds and also is the one who healed Senu after she was injured. She is also the healer for all of Siwa.
- Parental Substitute: To an adult Bayek; she immediately fusses over his injuries.
Khemu
Khemu
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed Origins
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath
Bayek and Aya's son.
- Child of Two Worlds: He was raised by an Egyptian father from Siwa and a half-Greek mother from Alexandria.
- Children Are Innocent: He is an innocent young boy whose death by the Order of the Ancients started the Assassin-Templar Conflict as we know it.
- Death of a Child: His death at the hands of the Order is what not only led to Bayek and Aya getting themselves involved in the tangled, complicated politics of Ptolemaic Egypt and the Roman Republic but eventually forming the Hidden Ones.
- Fate Worse than Death: The Order of the Ancients threaten to cut out his heart so he can't visit the afterlife upon his death, and worse, follow up on that threat.
- Greater-Scope Paragon: His death is what motivates his parents to create the Hidden Ones and in turn, the Assassin Brotherhood.
- Like Father, Like Son: He was being trained by his dad in archery, and comes up with his dad's "multiple arrows shot" trick (though he never got to successfully do it). He was also fearful, like Bayek was at his age. Bayek intended to repeat the event that led to his own shedding of his fears - a first leap of faith.
- Meaningful Name: His name Khemu is a shortening of Kemet, the actual name for the country called Egypt (a name introduced by the Greeks) used by the native peoples. Bayek points this out in the final monologue after finishing the Stargazing missions.
- Plot-Triggering Death: His death is what starts the game's events.
- Sacrificial Lamb: His death about a year before the events of Origins is what motivates Bayek for most of the game.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death has really put Bayek on a serious motivation to assassinate every last target involved. He also owns a necklace of an eagle skull which left a mark on the sand that inspires the Assassin insignia.
The Kingdom of Egypt
In General
- Cultural Chop Suey: The ruling Ptolemy dynasty are the descendants of Alexander the Great's Macedonian Empire so naturally, they like to mix Egyptian and Greek cultures together especially in the capital city of Alexandria.
- The Good Kingdom: Cleopatra and the Ptolemy family are generally benevolent rulers that maintain a friendly relationship with Bayek and Aya. It's just that the Order of the Ancients manipulate Cleopatra and the Kingdom of Egypt into becoming their unwitting puppets.
- Last of His Kind: Egypt is the only Successor Kingdom of the Macedonian Empire to still exist at the start of the game. By the time of The Hidden Ones DLC, it's completely gone as the Triumvirate-ruled Roman Republic has since annexed Egypt as a province.
- The Queen's Latin: Every member of the Ptolemy dynasty speaks with British RP accents despite being Egyptian.
- The Quisling: Cleopatra overtime willingly brings the Kingdom of Egypt into the Roman sphere of influence to the disgust of many Egyptians including Aya who even calls her "the dead tyrant's whore" as a backhanded insult towards the recently deceased Julius Caesar who was assassinated by her alongside Brutus, Cassius and others in the Roman Senate.
- Puppet State: Egypt slowly becomes a satellite state to the growing Roman Republic thanks to the Order of the Ancients manipulating both the Ptolemy dynasty and the ruling senior consul Julius Caesar.
- Unwitting Pawn: The entire kingdom becomes a puppet for the Order.
Cleopatra
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator
Main Game Appearances: Assassin's Creed Origins
Other Appearances: Assassin's Creed: Project Legacy | Assassin's Creed Origins (comic) ||Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Voiced by: Zora Bishop (English)note
"The exiled queen Cleopatra thirsts for power!"
The last Ptolemaic Pharaoh of Egypt, and an ally of Bayek and Aya.
- Ambition Is Evil: After allying with Caesar, Cleopatra is overtaken by a new ambition to rule an empire. This causes her to neglect her royal duties in Egypt, enabling the Order of the Ancients to regain their foothold in Egypt and oppress its citizens once again.
- Balcony Speech: She gives this in a mission in Memphis (or tries to. The crowd boos her all the way through it):Cleopatra: As they rule, the gods curse our land, withholding the river's floods. But as the living goddess ascends the throne, the waters will rise again! Through me, Memphis shines as rubies set in Gold! Through me, Egypt triumphs!
- Brother–Sister Incest: Per history, she and Ptolemy were co-rulers by marriage until he usurped her.
- Broken Pedestal: Aya regards Cleopatra as a living goddess and the greatest hope for Egypt's future. When she and Caesar side with the Order, this shocks Aya, who turns her back on her.
- The Corruptible: Alongside her ally Julius Caesar, she was manipulated by the Order of the Ancients to become their puppet.
- Face–Heel Turn: After the Siege of Alexandria, her desire to rule an empire grows and she dismisses Bayek and Aya from her service, possibly at the advice of Flavius and Caesar's newest confidant, Septimius. Cleopatra's ambitions turn towards making her son, Caesarion, the future emperor of the new Roman Empire, causing her to neglect her royal duties and enabling the Order of the Ancients to regain its foothold in Egypt despite the earlier murders of several members. At their last meeting, Aya makes it clear to Cleopatra that their friendship is over and warns her to either be the responsible monarch Egypt needs or be killed. As Amunet, Aya eventually decides on the latter.
- Foregone Conclusion: According to Assassin's Creed lore, she will be killed by the Assassin Amunet using a venomous asp. Given that Amunet is Aya's new identity, this brings a sad ending to the friendship between two former friends.
- A God Am I: As Pharaoh she's seen as a goddess, and Aya even refers to her as one. It's part of Egyptian culture, and nothing particularly outrageous.
- Historical Beauty Upgrade: The game's Cleopatra goes for a rather classic, regal, and beautiful Cleopatra who looks a little like her most famous actress, Elizabeth Taylor. There is debate among some historians if she was physically beautiful by Roman standards or not, but she's clearly lacking her famous large, hooked nose, as well as large eye sockets and thick neck.
- Historical Villain Upgrade: Zigzagged. She got this in Assassin's Creed II with her assassination by Amunet being celebrated as an event in the Assassin Hall of Fame, as one of the great acts of Tyrannicide (ranking alongside other Assassins who killed Kings and Conquerors). In truth, at the time of her death she was a popular and beloved monarch of the Egyptian people, and her defeat and conquest by Augustus led to the loss of Egyptian independence, with the country becoming, quite literally, the personal property of the Roman Emperor. Origins for most of the early game paints her as a wise and capable ruler, and as a superior alternative to her brother but she is also shown having dreams to subvert the Roman Republic and convert it into a monarchy with her son Caesarion as King. The latter derives mostly from xenophobic propaganda put up by Caesar's assassins and later Augustus in the run-up to her death, and historians note that while she had hopes of her son becoming recognized as a Roman citizen, the idea that she wanted to supplant the Roman Republic has little to no evidence.
- I Am the Noun: During Cleopatra and Aya's last talk, when Aya proclaims that Apollodorus died for Egypt and for her, she states that "[She] is Egypt!"
- It's All About Me: Cleo's first concern is getting her throne back, and she does everything to that end. As the game goes on, her desire for power becomes more and more prominent, and it becomes clear she doesn't care about Aya and Bayek's desires so long as she gets what she wants. By the time she gets to Alexandria, she's so determined that she plants herself on the throne and announces that she doesn't mind if she's killed, because she'll still be on a throne.
- Last of His Kind: Historically, Cleopatra was the last of the Ptolemaics, and the last of the Diadochi, i.e. the Hellenic Kingdoms set up in the wake of Alexander the Great. She reigned over the last independent Egyptian and Greek state for more than a millennium or so. In her last words to Cleopatra before leaving her at the end of the game (but possibly not her last words to her period), Aya even calls her "the last of the Pharaohs."
- Lesser of Two Evils: Bayek outright says she's just the better choice of two evils in comparison to the Order of Ancients to Aya.Bayek: Cleopatra is a Ptolemy. She is only the better of two evils.
- Ms. Fanservice: A classical depiction of Cleopatra in fiction and Origins is no exception: in her very first scene, she pulls some moves on Bayek while wearing a very flattering dress with a Navel-Deep Neckline and Vapor Wear. Alas, he turns her down since he is Happily Married to Aya.
- Precision F-Strike: Drops one during a particularly emotional rant when her grab for the Egyptian throne begins to spiral out of control.Cleopatra: I need a fucking throne!
- The Queen's Latin: Or rather, the Queen's Greek or Demotic, but she has a distinct English accent despite being Egyptian just like Bayek and Aya. This might be Artistic License since one of the few well-known facts about her was that she was the only known Ptolemaic who spoke the native Egyptian language fluently.
- Retcon: Assassin's Creed II stated she was assassinated by Amunet. The Origins comic book shows her committing suicide via poison, as the historical Cleopatra actually did (though Amunet still supplied the poison).
- Schmuck Bait: She's introduced declaring that she'll let anyone sleep with her, on the condition that she gets to execute them afterward. Crowd chatter suggests this is not an idle threat.
- Shout-Out: The visual design of Cleopatra is quite similar to her appearance
◊ in the Asterix and Cleopatra album. - Tempting Fate: In her last meeting with Aya, Cleopatra tries to reassert her authority as queen over her former friend, only to be rebuked for her selfish actions which nearly led Egypt to ruin once more. Furious, Cleopatra tries to slap Aya, only to be stopped by her wrist while releasing her Hidden Blade.
- To the Pain: When she learns about the twin priestesses' poisoning of the sacred bull, she threatens to have them boiled alive in a bronze bull before Bayek and Aya vouch that they were being coerced by Hetepi, one of the priests of Anubis and a member of the Order of the Ancients.
- Unwitting Pawn: After Ptolemy XIII's death, the Order of the Ancients switch their allegiance to Caesar and Cleopatra, putting themselves into favorable positions by appealing to their ambition to create an empire.
- The Vamp: How Cleopatra is presented as, she is shown as a seductress who uses her body to seduce and corrupt men, like Caesar, and even tries to put the moves on Bayek when she first meets him. Loading screens even note she was a sexual predator or worse. In the finale of the game after killing Caesar, Aya calls her "the dead tyrant's whore" to her face, in front of her own child.
- We Can Rule Together: Cleopatra states this.Cleopatra: Together, we can do more than Alexander did.
- We Used to Be Friends: After serving Cleopatra for five years, Aya makes clear her disappointment towards her former leader and friend at their last meeting. Aya insinuates that their previous friendship and Cleopatra's child Caesarion are all that's stopping her from murdering the queen right away. She then warns Cleopatra to either be a responsible monarch for Egypt or be killed. This is taken to its logical conclusion when players realize that as Amunet, Aya ended up killing Cleopatra for that very reason with a poisonous asp.
Ptolemy XIII
Ptolemy XIII Theos Philopator
- Voiced by: Jamie Mayers (English)note
The younger brother of Cleopatra, he wishes to become the sole ruler of Egypt.
- Brother–Sister Incest: Per history, he and Cleopatra were co-rulers by marriage until he usurped her.
- Bullying a Dragon: When Cleo makes herself known to Caesar, Ptolemy tries threatening him. Caesar doesn't seem even remotely bothered by it, but it still nukes any chance the kid had of maintaining an alliance.
- The Caligula: Well he precedes his trope-sake as it were by a century, but the Boy King is a crazy puppet king who threatens to murder every last Roman in Egypt.
- Exit, Pursued by a Bear: While attempting to escape on a boat, Ptolemy is attacked and killed by two crocodiles.
- Expy: His voice actor sounds a lot like Jack Gleeson's Joffrey, and the trailer describes him as "the boy king".
- Historical Domain Character: He was a real-life figure.
- The Queen's Latin: Like his sister, he speaks with a British accent.
- Smug Snake: He thinks that as Pharaoh that he has the power to do as he pleases, when he's nothing more than a Puppet King to the Order. When he tries to negotiate with and later threaten Caesar, Ptolemy doesn't realise that he was out of his depth.Cleopatra: Enough of the big words, little brother.
- The Unfought: The player never fights him, and he ends up getting killed by crocodiles in a cutscene.
- Unwitting Pawn: The Order of the Ancients controls affairs within Egypt through Ptolemy XIII. Two of his closest courtiers are members of the Order.
Apollodorus the Sicilian
Apollodorus the Sicilian
Appeared in: Assassin's Creed Origins | Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
- Voiced by: Gerald Kyd (English)note
The Greco-Sicilian bodyguard and friend of Cleopatra.
- The Big Guy: He is Cleopatra's bodyguard and is noticeably one of the tallest characters in the game.
- Historical Domain Character: Apollodorus really was a loyal friend and follower to Cleopatra, though after he helped Cleopatra reach Caesar he disappeared from history.
- Morality Chain: He is this to Cleopatra, gently reminding her of her duties and promises to the people of Egypt. Flavius and Septimius likely arranged his death in order to gain greater influence over the queen. After his death, Cleopatra's Face–Heel Turn becomes inevitable. Apollodorus was also one of Bayek and Aya's staunchest allies in the Egyptian court, making his death one of their biggest setbacks in changing Egypt for the better.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: He's completely loyal to Cleopatra, but doesn't always agree with what she does.
- Purple Is Powerful: His outfit has purple and he happens to be a skilled warrior.
- Sacrificial Lion: He dies near the end of the game due to getting ambushed by Roman soldiers, but not before telling Bayek and Aya about Flavius and Septimius heading to Siwa.
The Phylakes
Elite agents for the Pharaohs who act as bounty hunters. After Bayek kills one of their number, Gennadios, in order to protect Aya, they begin hunting him in revenge, having set patrol routes throughout Egypt as well as responding to alarms.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: Beating them individually usually nets you an awesome weapon or shield. Beating them all (and culling some crocodiles afterward) gives you access to their family's heirloom chest which contains... an outfit that looks cool but doesn't do anything otherwise.
- Bounty Hunter: Their profession.
- Giant Mook: They're noticeably taller than Bayek.
- It Runs in the Family: Those ten guys are actually brothers, and even their sole sister was a peerless warrior before she decided to retire.
- Kung Fu-Proof Mook: They have so much health that they can't be killed outright via Hidden Blade assassination. Depending on your blade upgrade level, it'll take off 60-70% of their health bar, so stabbing them in the back is still the best way to introduce yourself. Other assassin gadgets (smoke bombs in particular) work just fine as well and can turn an otherwise very difficult fight into a Curbstomp Battle in your favor.
- Screaming Warrior: Most of them will engage combat by yelling at the top of their lungs while charging you.
- State Sec: The Phylakes are the eyes and ears of the Ptolemy dynasty replacing the long extinct Medjay of the New Kingdom era.
- Superboss: They're extremely powerful opponents that roam certain parts of the world. The "weakest" is level 20 (but can wreck you in seconds even at level 30+ if you underestimate him) while the rest goes up all the way to the maximum level of 40. Their presence actually triggers a warning siren and a text message if you get within 100 meters of one. You can avoid the Phylakes if you prefer, but it's recommended to get rid of them ASAP because they drop some of the best items in the game and tend to join battles you're involved in out of nowhere in the worst possible moments as long as they're around.
- Thicker Than Water: Nope. Their sister doesn't really give a shit that you killed her ten brothers once you track her down and break the news to her. She outright says that the Phylakes had no honor, and gives you their family heirloom after you kill a bunch of crocodiles for her.
- Villain Has a Point: As the first of their number that Bayek fights states, he and Aya are murderers, and the Phylakes are just trying to enforce the law. What right do even the Medjay have to be above the law?
Sefetu
Chief agent of the Scarab, who tyrannizes the city of Sais and its surroundings.
- Arc Villain: For the Sais missions. Near-everything that's going on there is related to him in some way.
- Bad Boss: He mutilates underlings who screw up.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: He's fond of it, scarring Jeska's face when she's his "guest".
- Fascists' Bed Time: He's installed a curfew in Sais.
- Hate Sink: He's a vile, loathsome piece of shit, lacking anything approaching humanizing qualities mixed with a fondness for hurting and killing as many people as he can. No-one feels sad when he bites it.
- Psycho for Hire: For the Scarab, who calls him a mad dog in a letter to the Hyena.
- Red Baron: "The Firebrand". So called because he loves setting things on fire, buildings and people alike.
- To the Pain: On learning Bayek's been interfering in his operations, Sefetu vows to cut off his hand, and feet... and his tongue, ears, balls... pretty much everything it's possible to cut off. Two mooks discussing this are disturbed at how far he wants to go.
Hotephres and Khemut
A Greek man in Philadelphia and his wife, who oppose the Crocodile's actions in the Faiyum.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Hotephres has some large scars about the facial area.
- Heroic BSoD: Khemut, after Shadya's death, becomes inconsolable and refuses to speak to anyone, simply weeping at a small shrine to her daughter on the Krokodilopolis shoreline, until...
- He's Back!: Seeing a guard bullying a farmer in her presence rouses Khemut back into action, and her resolve manages to rouse Hotephres out of his own funk.
- Meaningful Name: Hotephres was named by his Egyptian father with the word meaning "satisfied." After Bayek helps them rid Faiyum of The Crocodile's evil, Bayek advises him to "live up to his name."
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Hotephres, while not liked by the Egyptian populace of the Faiyum, is at least trying to do good in it, unlike the Crocodile. Khemut, meanwhile, runs kitchens for the poor around the lake, confident her status protects her from reprisals.
- Refusal of the Call: Hotephres was initially reluctant to assist Cleopatra when Apollodorus asked for them. It was Khemut who stirred him into action.
- Retired Badass: Hotephres had already retired from day-to-day fighting, but he gets back into it once the Crocodile is gone.
- Tempting Fate: When she meets Bayek, Khemut assures him that the Crocodile's goons won't do anything to her because of her status. It turns out the Crocodile has no such reservations when it comes to children.
Kawab
The son of Taharqa, steward of Letopolis.
- Ascended Extra: He is simply a side character in Bayek's quest to find the Scarab in the main game but has his own quest in The Hidden Ones DLC.
- Cycle of Revenge: Much like how Bayek's journey began when his son was murdered, Kawab swears to kill Bayek for murdering his father. Ten years later, he confronts Bayek and engages him in a fight but is defeated. Bayek then manages to talk Kawab into giving up his revenge and thus ending the cycle.
- Defeat Equals Friendship: After Bayek beats him in a fistfight, he convinces him to join The Hidden Ones. After he'd spent 10 years in his quest for revenge.
- Denying the Dead Parent's Sins: Kawab refuses to acknowledge that his father was a child slaver and a murderer and swears to avenge Taharqa after Bayek kills him.
- These Hands Have Killed: After Bayek defeats him when he is an adult, Kawab tells Bayek to kill him, believing that he is beyond redemption as he had killed many people along the way in order to find Bayek.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Kawab used to be a nice kid until Bayek kills his father. Over the next 10 years, Kawab kills many people and even buries his victims up to the neck like his father.
- You Killed My Father: Kawab grows up with only one thing in mind, to avenge his father's death at Bayek's hands.
The Roman Republic
In General
- Armies Are Evil: The Gabinani led by Lucius Septimius / The Jackal and Gaius Julius Rufio's Sinai occupation force are working for the main antagonists, the proto-Templar Order of the Ancients.
- Badass Army: The Roman Republic's legions and the Gabinani are undoubtedly some of the most formidable fighters in the ancient world.
- Democracy Is Flawed: The constant political feuds between senators over Caesar's rule and the dominance of the otherwise aristocratic Roman patrician families are what allows the Order of the Ancients to recruit Julius Caesar alongside his ally and love interest Cleopatra.
- The Empire: In The Hidden Ones DLC, they are already in the process of becoming the Roman Empire from the reign of Mark Antony and the Second Triumvirate to the brutal occupation of Egypt, especially the Sinai Peninsula.
- Gladiator Games: No surprise as gladiatorial matches are extremely popular in Rome and you can find an arena in the province of Cyrene.
- Gratuitous Latin: It's the Roman Republic, so naturally you'll hear some Latin from the mouths of its citizens especially the legionaries and Gabinani.
- The Queen's Latin: All of the Romans in the game speak British RP accents just like Cleopatra and the Ptolemy dynasty.
- The Republic: The Trope Codifier. It won't last long after Caesar's death at the hands of Aya, Brutus, Cassius and other Senators working for the Hidden Ones.
- Slavery Is a Special Kind of Evil: Rome under the rule of the Second Triumvirate enslaves the entire population of Sinai and badly mistreats the slaves working for Gaius Julius Rufio.
- Unwitting Pawn: Rome is an unwilling puppet of the Order alongside Egypt.
Julius Caesar
Julius Caesar
Main game appearances: Assassin's Creed Origins
Other appearnaces: Assasin's Creed Origins (comic)
- Voiced by: Michael Nardone (English)note
"Caesar. The legendary tactician with the might of Rome at his back. His true motives are unclear."
A general of the Roman Republic and eventual ally of Cleopatra.
- Ambition Is Evil: Harboring desires to become an emperor himself, Caesar becomes susceptible to Septimius' flattery, persuasion, and offer of aid in the event the Senate refuses to acknowledge his self-proclaimed ascension.Caesar: In the end, it is impossible not to become what others believe you are.
- Artistic License – History:
- At one point in the game, Caesar blurts out "The die is cast" when he sees the Pharos of Alexandria lit. This is in fact a much debated "Blind Idiot" Translation of "Alea iacta est" which is in turn a mistranslation of the original phrase Caesar spoke in Greek. What he really did say is closer to "Let's roll the dice" i.e. let's take a risk and see what happens rather than we have crossed a threshold where Nothing Is the Same Anymore.
- In one of the optional conversations you can hear between Caesar and Cleopatra, the former describes his hatred for Catullus and expresses contempt for poets and artists. The real Caesar was in fact a cultured man, who especially loved Greek drama, especially Menander ("let's roll the dice" was a Catchphrase from his plays).
- Authority Equals Asskicking: In one of the cutscenes he's shown as a formidable combatant and swordsman who latches a Jon Snow-esque killcount. Unfortunately he becomes a cutscene boss in the finale.
- Big Bad Wannabe: As it turns out, he is the "father of understanding" the Templars invoke in their oath for guidance, though he's also shown as a clueless puppet, and it's clear that Septimius and Flavius are the real leaders of the Proto-Templars.note .
- Bling of War: He is shown wearing very shiny armour, including a breastplate.
- Badass Cape: He's shown wearing red and purple capes in the trailer, and happens to be a legendary conquering general.
- The Corruptible: Because of his ambitions, Flavius Metellus and Lucius Septimius find it easy to manipulate him alongside his ally Cleopatra.
- Face–Heel Turn: Was actually on the Assassin side before Septimius and Flavius sink their claws into him.
- A God Am I: Much like in real life, Caesar is referred as a god by the Roman Senate. As he is dying, Caesar continues to call himself a god in for all his accomplishments.
- Greater-Scope Villain: As it turns out, he is the "Father of Understanding" that the Templars have been worshipping.
- Hero-Worshipper: Of Alexander the Great, based on the legend that he wept at his statue in Hispania (mentioned as Rome in the game). He and Cleopatra visit his tomb, and Caesar laments how Alexander was a prodigy while he lost five decades of his life, blooming late.note
- Historical Beauty Upgrade: Caesar has a full head of hair in the game when he had a receding hairline since childhood and was balding (something he was quite sensitive about, being that he was incredibly vain and sensitive about his appearance).
- Historical Villain Upgrade:
- He got this in the lore of the Dagger of Brutus taking the conventional view that Brutus killing him was an act of Tyrannicide. In actual fact, Caesar was a reformer who aimed to improve the lives of the Roman poor, the Roman Republic was a corrupt oligarchy that had brutally and unconstitutionally murdered reformers for nearly a hundred years, and Brutus was a corrupt Loan Shark who stabbed Caesar more or less to become another warlord rather than restore "liberty".And unlike the finale of Origins which leaves his ambitions for tyranny unambiguous, historians insist there's no real evidence that Caesar was aiming for tyranny.
- A good example is how the game frames his pardon of Lucius Septimus, which the game frames as his Face–Heel Turn. In real-history, Lucius Septimus disappeared from the pages of history with no record as to what happened to him. It was George Bernard Shaw's play Caesar and Cleopatra which showed Caesar pardoning and sparing him, which was there presented as a heroic and noble gesture, but here shown as the reverse. Caesar did have a record of pardoning and sparing his enemies in history, and he did that to end the partisanship and purges of the Roman Empire, of which he himself as a young man was nearly a victim at the hands of the dictator Sulla Felix, who killed many of his family's relations and friends, and would have killed him had his mother not vouched for him.
- Love at First Sight: For Cleopatra; he's taken by her looks and her audacity, and indeed he tells everyone to leave the room while he conducts "private congress" since he has to interview both the Ptolemies. While real historians debate how much this was true of their relationship, the game presents their feelings for each other, at least on Caesar's part, as genuine.
- Politically Incorrect Villain: He has a low opinion about women in battle. This causes him to entrust the task of signalling his fleet to Bayek only, while deliberately ignoring Aya. After Bayek hands the task over to Aya, Caesar berates Bayek for the decision until the signal is lit. When Aya kills Caesar within the Senate, he appears to have forgotten her despite having met her several times. This shows that he still had a low opinion of women in action despite his personal experience.
- Retcon: This game has him declared "the Father of Understanding", implicitly the origin of the phrase as the Templars will use it. Valhalla would reveal that the title "Father of Understanding" is more the name the Order gives for whoever happens to be in charge at the time, based on a warped view of Isu power-structures, and in this case it happened to be Julius.
- Silver Fox: The game depicts him as a well-built older man with a full head of white hair, but still fairly attractive, which probably helps explain the May–December Romance he has with Cleopatra.
- Unwitting Pawn: Through Caesar, Septimius and the rest of the Order had plans to control the Roman Empire once it is established, much like how they controlled Egypt through Ptolemy XIII.
- Villainous Breakdown: He has a somewhat subdued rant during his death scene, during which he regrets being unable to fulfill his ambitions, declares his wish for Roman rule to last forever, and defiantly tells Aya that Rome will never fall to her or any other assassin.
- We Used to Be Friends: Actually got along rather well with Bayek in the beginning prior to his betrayal.
Pompey Magnus
Pompey the Great
Former member of the First Triumvirate, Pompey sails for Egypt after his defeat of Caesar at the Battle of Pharsalia.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Caesar regrets seeing Pompey's fate, true to history.
- Historical Beauty Update: The real Pompey was known to be good looking as a young man, but was known to have become an ugly older man at the time of his death. His appearance in the game is a major update, with him looking like a man in his late thirties or early forties rather than the middle-aged man he was at the time of his death.
- Off with His Head!: En route to a planned meeting with Pompey, where the Order of the Ancients reach him first, Bayek, Aya and Cleopatra find his decapitated body, while his head is shown in a box in a cutscene later on.
General Agrippa
A general in Cyrene, who works under Flavius.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Like Sefetu before him, Agrippa is one of the Boss in Mook's Clothing enemies, requiring tremendous amounts of punishment to take down (or Bayek using one of the ballistas near where he can be found on him).
- The Corruptible: Flavius managed to get his loyalty with his talk of empires, causing him to become more brutal and cruel.
- The Dragon: For Flavius, at least hierarchy-wise. He doesn't appear to be part of the Order.
- General Ripper: Very big on horrific and violent solutions to problems, like having resistance members crucified, and he planned to use Greek Fire in large doses on his enemies.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted; he probably only shares a cognomen with Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, friend and comrade of Caesar's heir Octavian.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Vitruvius the architect, before Flavius got to him.
People of Cyrene
Diocles
- Voiced by: Manolis Emmanouel (English)
"One more oppressor. Egypt will never be stable again. Invasions upon invasions."
A magistrate in Cyrene who seeks to bring some sense of fairness to its judiciary and administration.
- By-the-Book Cop: Requests that Bayek retrieve evidence to expose Leander's corruption rather than, say, kill him; this is made moot when Leander acts first and Bayek kills him and his thugs to protect the unarmed congregation.
- Hello, Attorney!: Works in the legal profession and has an attractive character model. Praxilla clearly also has the hots for him, eventually accepting his wedding proposal.
- The Kirk: Acts as the ego of the Triumvirate of Cyrene, being neither as impulsive as Praxilla nor as dryly logical as Vitruvius.
- Non-Action Guy: He doesn't even follow or ride with Bayek during his investigations, unlike Vitruvius, and acts like any other quest-giving NPC. This is in notable contrast to his comrade and fiancee Praxilla, who is an Action Girl.
- Out-Gambitted: Unknowingly plays into Leander's hands when he assembles everyone whom he can think of to the Apollion to expose the man's crookedness, as Leander arrives with thugs intent on silencing them all. Lucky for him, Bayek acts as the Spanner in the Works.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Has no links or interests in Flavius' dealings and instructs Bayek to find evidence on his corrupt colleague Leander.
- Wedding Finale: The founding of the Triumvirate of Cyrene takes place right after he proposes to Praxilla.
Praxilla
- Voiced by: Glykeria Dimou (English)
"Praxilla, of this land gone mad."
A healer who operates out of a clinic in Balagrae.
- Action Girl: Is introduced using her sword skills, and she helps Bayek out in fights with Romans when he's investigating the aftermath of Flavius' meddling with the Orb (i.e. the Apple of Eden in the Siwan vault.)
- Clueless Boss: While she tried her best to rehabilitate her friend Crios after his ordeal with the Orb and even gave him a job working at her clinic, she didn't bother to check up on him for a whole day when he didn't return from picking herbs. He was trapped by lions!
- Family Business: She works in her father Theramenes' clinic.
- Faux Action Girl: Unfortunately gets demoted to this (along with Damsel in Distress) after her introductory quest, where she gets overpowered and captured by Melitta's goons, requiring rescue by Bayek.
- Hospital Hottie: She's a healer and attractive enough to catch Diocles' eye, leading to his proposal.
- La Résistance: One of three founders of a group of freedom fighters / political agitators in the Cyrene and Green Mountains area along with Diocles the magistrate and Vitruvius the architect, naming themselves the Triumvirate of Cyrene. They're distinct from The Hidden Ones but work closely enough with them to have a file in their hideaway in Memphis.
- Martial Pacifist: Doesn’t explicitly bring up the Hippocratic Oath but does outwardly despair at having to Shoot the Dog with regards to stopping mind-controlled peons from doing any further harm by killing them.
- The McCoy: Easily the most active and compassionate of the Triumvirate of Cyrene compared to Vitruvius and Diocles, respectively the Superego and Ego of that Freudian Trio.
- One-Steve Limit: Averted. Her famous historical namesake is Praxilla the poet, who went on to appear as a Historical Domain Character in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
- Only Sane Man: Quite literally amongst the healers of Cyrenaica; her colleague Melitta has fallen prey to the Orb's effects and is actively selecting victims for Flavius' experiments.
- Outside-Context Problem: She's a perfectly competent healer and fighter but has absolutely no knowledge of Isu technology or the orb's powers, leading her to be out of her depth when Flavius messes with people's heads in Cyrenaica.
- Wedding Finale: The founding of the Triumvirate of Cyrene takes place at the same time as her accepting Diocles' proposal at the Oracle of Apollo. Vitruvius, being neither of the engaged parties, goes off to find a celebratory drink.
Vitruvius
"Your people? They are my people, I'm keeping them alive in the face of increasingly bad odds. "
None other than the 1st century BC architect, placed in a historically plausible setting of Cyrene during Julius Caesar's time in Egypt and North Africa, whereupon Bayek encounters him.
- Benevolent Boss: Does his best to ensure the humane treatment of his Egyptian labourers.
- Foreign Ruling Class: He is a Roman commanding Egyptian labourers, and regardless of how sympathetic he is to their plight, doesn't consider Roman occupation and colonisation of Cyrene to be unjust or immoral.
- Grumpy Old Man: Middle-aged but notably crochety.
- Historical Domain Character: Vitruvius, of diagram of a man's proportions (and architectural treatise) fame.
- My Country, Right or Wrong: Frequently despairs at the brutish methods of his miltary colleagues, but considers his building work to be vital for the Republic nonetheless. He is visibly conflicted when he tells Bayek to stop Agrippa at any cost, telling him that he can't involve himself with the murder of a Roman general.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Downplayed; while he isn't exasperated or frustrated at the formation of the Triumvirate of Cyrene coinciding with Diocles successfully courting Praxilla, it's not like he's either of the engaged couple, so he might as well go find some wine to celebrate. He can be spotted lounging around with his drink while Diocles and Praxilla chat on a balcony.
- Lost Superweapon: Formulated Greek Firenote but swore never to deploy it; when Agrippa has other thoughts, he sends Bayek to make sure it remains lost at any cost.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Easily the most noble of the Romans running Cyrene, between his military colleague Agrippa who wants to revive a superweapon, and his distant superior Flavius Metellus, who is a member of the Order.
- This attitude comes as a surprise to Bayek when he investigates mistreatment of his fellow Egyptians working on the aqueduct, given his preconceived notions about Roman occupiers and the natural inference that as their boss he'd be responsible for their treatment.
- The Spock: While more emotional than the Trope Namer, between him, Diocles and Praxilla he's the most logical and unimpulsive of the three.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Agrippa, before Flavius got to him.
Gladiators
Kensa
"This is it, Bayek! Our big moment. They will build monuments and scrawl our names across temples after this."
- Voiced by: Nicole Stamp (English)note
A friend of Bayek's from Siwa turned gladiatrix at the Krokodilopolis arena.
- Bash Brothers: She and Bayek fight side by side in the arena.
- Blood Knight: Absolutely loves fighting, especially in her arena persona.
- "Could Have Avoided This!" Plot: When Bayek reveals he only came to the arena to hunt the Crocodile, Kensa tells him if he'd just told her this, she would've helped. By the time Bayek told her this, she had already been employed as The Crocodile's personal bodyguard.
- Covered with Scars: Her face and upper body are covered in tribal scarification patterns.
- Death Seeker: If she sees Bayek when he tries to kill the Crocodile, she'll admit she always felt it was her destiny to die by Bayek's blade, and tries to make that happen.
- Facial Markings: Apart from her scars, while in the arena her entire upper face is covered in white facepaint.
- Glory Seeker: Her primary concern is glory, even to the point that she's willing to work for the Crocodile even after learning that Bayek had come to Faiyum to hunt for her.
- Heel–Face Turn: According to Rebellion's database, Bayek eventually changed his mind about her and allowed her to join the Hidden Ones, making her death non-canon.
- The Hedonist: As far as she's concerned, glory in the arena and money are all that matters, and it's implied she and Bayek clashed in the past over the latter's more idealistic worldview.
- Large Ham: Works the crowd with her boisterousness.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: Uses a hide shield in tandem with her sword.
- Made a Slave: She reveals to Bayek that when Ptolemy came to Siwa, Lucius Septimius took her as a slave but she managed to escape, eventually ending up at the Krokodilopolis arena.
- We Used to Be Friends: With Bayek. She eventually goes to work for the Crocodile as a guard/enforcer. If she sees Bayek when he tries to kill the Crocodile, she'll admit she always felt it was her destiny to die by Bayek's blade. Despite this it is possible to avoid killing her like one would any other guard.
The Duelist
A gladiatrix at the arena of Cyrene implied to be from Han dynasty China.
- Black Vikings: The Duelist is a Chinese woman who is a gladiatrix in the Roman province of Cyrene. While there were diplomatic envoys from Rome and China that observed each other's societies, this happened well after the timeframe of the game.
- Cool Mask: Wears a mask that never comes off the whole time she's fighting, but the concept art reveals a distinctively East Asian face.
- Dual Wielding: Wields a dao and a jian in combat.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: Wears a shin guard and a shoulder guard solely on her left side.
- Impromptu Tracheotomy: If you do the "no mercy" option, Bayek stabs her in the throat.
- Parts Unknown: Unlike the other gladiators, her place of origin isn't stated, but her clothing, face, fighting style, and weaponry all point to a Chinese origin.
- Purple Is Powerful: Wears mostly purple and happens to be a skilled combatant.
- Samus Is a Girl: The mission description describes them with he/him pronouns, but the Duelist is actually a woman.
The Gallic Brothers
Diovicos & Viridovix
A duo of barbarian brothers from Roman-occupied Gaul who earned notoriety as gladiators who travel across the empire moonlighting as hired-muscle willing to commit atrocities for money. Bayek faces them in the Galdiatorial Arena of Memphis to extract information concerning their current employer, The Crocodile.
- Ax-Crazy: Clearly enjoys their highly lucrative moonlight career as mercenaries for as much the blood as it is for the coin... Yet oddly enough they still seem to have a semblence of conscience about it.
- Bash Brothers: They fight together and are also literally brothers.
- Blood Knight: These two Gaulish behemoths enjoy the thrill of life-and-death battle in the ring with a terrifying relish.
- Even Evil Has Standards: When at the mercy of a furious Bayek, accusing them of being complicit in helping the Crocodile tie Shadya, a little girl, to a rock and throwing them in the Nile, they almost tearfully respond.It wasn't us! We have done many terrible things, Siwan! But the murder of an innocent child is not one of them.
- Only in It for the Money: They readily admit that they have done many terrible things for scores of despicable people for coin, but even murderous psychopaths like them have lines that they will never cross
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Bayek, after defeating them, is in too much of a furious state and distracted by Kensa to notice the arena spokesman seeking to know the fate of the losing party. In a single motion, he throws down the weapon, apparently and unknowingly condemning the losers to death per the spokesman (and even then, the Crocodile had just whispered in his ear, so he may be rigging their fate for her as she may be done with them). What happened to them afterwards is unknown.
- Would Not Hurt A Child: Though the Gallic Brothers are a pair of psychopaths who live for killing and money, even they were horrified by The Crocodile ordering them to tie Shadya to a stone and drowning them in the Nile, and flatly refused to obey that order.
Other Characters
Reda
Reda
A child nomad merchant whom Bayek befriends.
- The Ageless:
- For whatever reason, even when found in the DLC, which take place after a Time Skip, he doesn't seem to have aged at all.
- He appears in Valhalla, around 900 years after Odyssey, having not aged a day, and is implied to be the same person and not just an Identical Grandson, as he tells Eivor that he got the letter they can read "from a friend named Bayek" that he hasn't seen in a while.
- The Dawn of Ragnarok DLC has him show up in Odin's memories, which are a distorted version of events from over seventy thousand years ago. Reda explains to Havi he's something like a Sage.
- Multiple-Choice Past: He tells Bayek several stories of his parent's deaths. When called out on it, he jokes that he's free to invent, and that the past is just dreams. Given his apparent Sage-ness, this might be the explanation.
- Intrepid Merchant: In Valhalla he appears as the head of a merchant group known as the Thousand Eyes.
- Wise Beyond Their Years: He's a child, but he's surprisingly deep.
Son of Ra
Son of Ra
A minor target and insane Cult leader protected by the Order of the Ancients, who nonetheless has a White Void Room execution.
- Arc Villain: He's the one responsible for the mission "Fires of Diyonsios" in the Faiyum, and The Man Behind the Man for some thugs of his in another.
- Boss-Arena Idiocy: His cell is well guarded, but also surrounded by Greek fire jars and straw. The easiest (and most satisfying) way to kill him is to send a fire arrow into the straw and watch the whole area go up in flames. He may have a sliver of health left when he escapes, if you're playing on Nightmare difficulty, requiring you to finish him with a blade. But even if you do this, his death cutscene makes it clear he canonically burned to death.
- Boxed Crook: He's imprisoned when Bayek finds him. The captain of the local garrison wants to execute him, but orders from on high prevent that.
- A God Am I: Seems to believe he is truly the son of the god Ra, which is represented by a blazing sun during his death conversation.
- Kill It with Fire: He and his cult tend to burn down farms around the Faiyum.
- Mark of the Supernatural: Is noted to have differently colored eyes, though it doesn't show up on his character model, implying that he may well be a Sage.
- Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Despite his imprisonment, he can still send out orders to his minions, since the Order is protecting him.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Tries to claim as much to Bayek: they both lost their families and devoted themselves to an idea, but Bayek denies it.
- The Unfettered: His viewpoint in life - he lost his family, ergo he can do whatever he likes (which, again, seems to involve setting everything in his field of vision on fire).
The Visitors From Another World
Ardyn Izunia and Bahamut
A mysterious man from a distant land, who was imprisoned in a tomb beneath the Meidum Pyramid before being freed by Bayek. His freedom was short-lived, however, as he was swiftly spirited away by a massive winged being who seemed to have been tracking him.
For more information, see their game's character page.
- Ambiguous Situation: Why was Ardyn on Ptolemaic Era Earth? Why (and, considering his considerable power, how) was he trapped in that tomb? Had Bahamut been tracking him? What happened after Ardyn was taken? Considering the quest in which they appear was little more than glorified fanservice with a puzzle glued on, we'll likely never know.
- Awesome Anachronistic Apparel: It's Ardyn freakin' Izunia, this is a given.
- Graceful Loser: Ardyn doesn't seem all that bothered about being spirited back to Eos.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Not Ardyn himself, but Bayek for letting him out. Considering that Bahamut is the one who beamed the guy up, and bearing in mind the plans he had for Ardyn, it might not be wrong to say that Bayek is single-handedly responsible for the events of FFXV. (Now there's A Rare Sentence.)
- Sealed Evil in a Can: When Bayek finds him, he's caged in some kind of Hard Light cube.
Trials of the Gods
In General
A series of three optional battles against incarnations of Ancient Egyption gods. Succeeding in all of them unlocks a legendary Anubis-themed outfit for Bayek in addition to the four pieces of equipment he gains by defeating the individual gods.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: Similar to the Phylakes, completing the whole set of trials rewards Bayek with an outfit that doesn't do anything but look cool. Fortunately, the individual trials offer far more useful gear.
- Arbitrary Mission Restriction:
- While you're free to bring whatever gear you want, bows are the only weapons that can actually deal damage to the gods themselves (though your melee weapons can kill the mooks the gods summon, which in turn damages the god). Since the targets are pretty far away from you, imprecise ones like warrior bows are largely useless. It also means that anyone who's over-reliant on Overpower attacks is in for a hard time.
- Attack Its Weakpoint: The only way to damage the ones that have appeared is to shoot a huge glowing sphere in their chest with arrows.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Egypt's ancient gods are far and away the largest enemies in the entire franchise. Only their upper bodies from the waist up are sticking out of the ground, but even then they tower at least fifty feet above their surroundings.
- Bragging Rights Award: Completing all three trials takes at least one real-world month due to the way they spawn in-game. Since it takes about 60-80 hours to achieve 100% Completion of AC:O, by the point you've acquired the last of the Trial rewards, you probably won't have anything left to use them on. Compounded by their level requirement of 40, which means you won't be able to even attempt any trial until you've already completed roughly 80% of the story.
- Breather Boss: Ironically for representations of actual gods, they're a lot easier to defeat than almost any other Optional Boss the game has to offer. That's not saying you should take them on below level 40, but their attacks are extremely telegraphed, show exactly where they'll hit, and are very easy to avoid. The only challenge you might face are the Mook waves, and even they go down just like all the others you've faced by that point. The battles are still epic and one hell of a lot of fun regardless.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: If you emerge victorious, you actually just defeated an incarnate Egyptian god single-handedly.
- Flunky Boss: Prepare to repel two to three waves of powerful level 40 Mooks during the battle, all the while the god is still throwing his own attacks your way. Killing those mooks actually damages the god further.
- A Glitch in the Matrix: Fighting actual gods is beyond even this franchise's Willing Suspension of Disbelief, so their presence is explained as glitches in the Animus systems.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: The trials can be repeated as often as you want until they despawn, which means you're free to deploy the gear you just gained from defeating a god against him during the rematch.
- Infinity +1 Sword: The equipment dropped by the gods is among the best gear one can acquire in the game. Anubis' Conductor of Souls is an almost literal example.
- Marathon Boss: No other boss in the game takes nearly as long to defeat as them. 10-15 minutes per battle is a reasonable time frame if you know what to do.
- Optional Boss: Nothing forces you to do battle with them, and they don't figure into the story at all, but they're a blast to fight, give decent amounts of experience and gold, and drop some of the best gear in the game.
- Play Every Day: Each trial is active for one real-time week before another one takes its place. Ubisoft promised that all four trials will show up again sooner or later in case you missed one.
- Shows Damage: Their Tron Lines glow ever brighter the more damage they take, and sections of their bodies break off.
- Tron Lines: Golden ones, specifically. They glow brighter and brighter the more damage the god suffers.
- Turns Red: Their attacks become more frequent and increasingly dangerous at certain health thresholds (usually in 33% intervals).
- Unfriendly Fire: Their summoned mooks can be hit and damaged by the gods' other attacks just like Bayek, which can be exploited with some clever positioning once the red target markers appear on the ground. If you have the health to spare, you can even chose to tank an AoE attack on purpose, then take advantage of the fact that Bayek recovers from knockdown much faster than enemies do to get some easy hits in.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: As they are Animus glitches, Bayek does not react or comment on them since these battles never occured in his life.
Anubis
The jackal-headed Ancient Egyptian god of the dead. He appears in the northernmost part of the Great Sand Sea.
- Action Bomb: His (potentially) most dangerous attack sics waves of flaming hyena spectres on Bayek that charge him in a straight line. If he doesn't manage to evade their following pounce, they explode and deal heavy damage. It starts out with two hyenas per attack cycle and goes up to six when Anubis' health falls below 33%.
- Casting a Shadow: As befits the god of the dead, his personal attacks revolve around projecting darkness and shadows.
- Cool Sword: Defeating him unlocks the Conductor of Souls, a glyph-encrusted peerless murder machine that comes with high-level Critical Hit Rate and Combo Multiplier boosts, topped off with the ever-useful Life on Kill ability.
Sobek
The crocodile-headed Ancient Egyptian god of water and fertility. He appears in the swampland of Herakleion Nome, a region of the Nile Delta far to the northeast.
- Dishing Out Dirt: His attacks are based on manipulating the ground itself, like summoning shockwaves through the earth or exploding puddles of boiling mud.
- Hoist by Their Own Petard: Pelting him with arrows is the only way to damage Sobek. If you gave Bayek the ability to add arrows that hit his shield to his own quiver, you can effectively defeat Sobek by shooting his own Rain of Arrows back at him.
- Rain of Arrows: He starts summoning them once the second phase of his battle begins. Escaping the affected area in time is nearly impossible, but thankfully the arrows can be blocked with a shield like those of human archers.
- Staff of Authority: Defeating him unlocks the Was Sceptre, an item frequently depicted as a symbol of power in the hands of various Egyptian Gods (most prominently Anubis).
Sekhmet
The Lion-headed Goddess of War, Healing and the Sun. She appears in the desert south of Egypt.
- Energy Weapon: She fires giant lasers from her Sun Disk at Bayek.
- Light Is Not Good: Much as in mythology she is a sun goddess with access to light and fire. She uses both to burn your ass.
- Luckily, My Shield Will Protect Me: She gives a unique shield, that emphasizes her role as protector goddess.
- Playing with Fire: She shoots fireballs from her hands, and ignites areas around her.
Introduced in The Hidden Ones DLC
Gamilat
Gamilat
Leader of the Nabatean rebellion against the Roman occupation of Sinai.- Destructive Saviour: He purposely provokes the Romans into attacking civilian villages by attacking the Romans and hiding his troops there. He then recruits the survivors who lost close ones in the massacres he provoked by playing onto their desire for revenge onto the Romans.
- Final Boss: He's the final opponent Bayek faces in the Hidden Ones DLC.
- Glory Hound: He's very obsessed with attaining glory and being seen as a hero.
- Heel Realization: He has one upon his death.
- Redemption Equals Death: In his memory corridor he realizes Bayek was right and he became blinded by his cause and stopped caring about innocents. He tells Bayek that he did right by him by stopping him and accepts his death. Bayek assures him that the Hidden Ones' creed will now explicitly forbid harming the innocent. Gamilat's last words is to wish that the Hidden Ones last until the end of time.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Gamilat's actions basically ensure Bayek and Amunet create the creed of the Hidden Ones, but most importantly, their actions to explicitly forbid the harm of innocent people pave way for greater events, including Altaïr's demotion, for example.
- Villain with Good Publicity: He's seen as a hero and a god-like figure by the rebels. His reputation only grows once Bayek kills him.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: His zero regard to innocent lives lost in pursuit of his cause to drive out the Romans is all done in the name of freedom, with him justifying it by stating that every Egyptian death is a martyr that will gain even more followers to the cause, and it actually works. Even when Bayek suspects that he might have a hidden agenda, Amunet assures him that as unethical as Gamilat's methods are, he genuinely wants the best for Egypt.
Shadows of the Scarab
Bounty hunters who fill the role of the Phylakes in the DLC.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: Like their predecessors, defeating the Shadows awards you legendary weapons.
- Connected All Along: They were founded by Kawab, who seeks vengeance on Bayek for killing his father.
- Foreshadowing: The name reflects their purpose to ensure Taharqa the Scarab's legacy. Made even more clear when Bayek finds bodies buried up to their necks in sand outside their camp.
- Kill on Sight: Like the Phylakes, they attack Bayek on sight.
- Optional Boss: Finishing their quest line is not mandatory to finishing the primary story.
Introduced in The Curse of the Pharaohs
Note that the plot of The Curse of the Pharaohs is a mystery. As such details about the characters below may be inherently spoilerrific and spoilers will be unmarked. You have been warned. Isidora
Amun's high priestess and head of the Thebes Temple. She helps Bayek find out who unleashed the Pharaohs' curse on Thebes. In reality, she did.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She's pretending to help Bayek find the Apple, but she's had it all along and is the one manipulating most of the Pharaohs' Shadows, namely Akhenaten's and his family's.
- Big Bad: Of The Curse Of The Pharaohs DLC.
- Evil Counterpart: To Pasherenptah. Both are high priests who work with Bayek to free the city from an apparent curse. The difference is that Isidora is actually behind it.
- Facial Markings: One side of her face is covered in golden tattoos.
- Foreshadowing: Her part in the plot is foreshadowed by her interactions with Bayek:
- She first mentions she believes the curse is from Amun, to punish the wicked - foreshadowing that the temple of Amun has had the Apple of Eden all along and she's using it.
- She asks Bayek what he plans to do to whoever has the Apple. His stoic silence makes her realize he plans to kill the one responsible. It presumably convinces her not to come clean to him.
- When confronted with the death of her friend, killed after a pharaoh's rampage, she breaks down and says "I did this". She clearly is only now being confronted with the fact she cannot control who is killed, even innocents, not that it actually stops her.
- When found grilling Tehemet, as she mentions victims of the curse, her voice falters on "mothers". The death of her mother is her motivation for what she's doing.
- High Priest: She is the God Wife of Amun.
- Squishy Wizard: She has an Apple, which is able to project holograms with a range of several miles, or illusions capable of fooling Bayek completely, but she's still just an ordinary temple priestess. The minute Bayek actually gets her at knife point, she goes down instantly.
- Uneven Hybrid: She's able to use an Apple of Eden. In fact, she's able to use it to a greater degree than pretty much any character seen in Assassin's Creed.
- With Great Power Comes Great Insanity: Bayek reckons this is what happened - that a grieving child got her hands on an Apple of Eden, and the power it granted her drove her insane.
- You Killed My Father: Her mother was murdered by tomb robbers, and she's holding a massive grudge.
Djehuti
A priest who worships the heretic Pharaoh Akhenaten. The village he serves is being spared by the curse.
- Ambiguous Situation: The story never makes it clear why his village is being spared the curse.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: If visited after the Akhenaten storyline is over, Bayek finds he and his village are managing to rebuild with the pharaohs gone.
- Nice Guy: He's nothing but polite and helpful towards Bayek.
Irsu
A notorious tomb robber who stole a relic from Nefertiti's tomb which is believed to have brought the curse to Thebes, initially.
- Evil Uncle: to Sutekh.
- Famous Ancestor: Presumably is also a descendant of Rameses II like his nephew but lacks the distinctive red hair.
- Historical Character's Fictional Relative: A descendant of the real life pharaoh Ramesses II.
- No Honor Among Thieves: How he meets his end, betrayed, imprisoned, and tortured by his former boss.
- Robbing the Dead: How he makes his living. He is pretty notorious around Thebes for being a tomb robber to the point he can throw pretty public auctions for the relics he steals from the Valley of the Kings. He stole the relic from Nefertiti's tomb which puts Bayek on his trail as the possible cause of the curse.
- Sibling Murder: Killed his brother and his wife and almost murdered his nephew, Sutekh, too when his brother wanted to turn him in for robbing tombs.
Sutekh
A vagabond and troublemaker whom Bayek continuously runs into, and a descendant of Ramesses II.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Shows up constantly, even after Bayek thinks he's rid of him.
- Dropped a Bridge on Him: Is killed rather spontaneously offscreen, and Bayek finds his body in an oasis surrounded by cobras.
- Famous Ancestor: Is a descendant of Rameses II, which is where he apparently got his red hair from.
- Historical Character's Fictional Relative: A descendant of the real life pharaoh Ramesses II.
- Gone Swimming, Clothes Stolen: Does this to a poor man in Yebu Nome whilst escaping.
- Meaningful Appearance: He's an Egyptian with red hair, which turns out to be inherited from his ancestor, Ramesses II.
- Meaningful Name: Is named for the Egyptian god of the desert, Set, who was also known as "Sutekh". It's made more meaningful when one considers that Ramesses and his family were patrons of Set.
Merti
Bayek's initial contact in Thebes, an old associate of Aya's. Is also the smuggler, the Lotus.
- Chekhov's Gunman: Bayek's first contact in Thebes, who then leaves. She reappears a few hours later, in the course of Bayek's investigations.
- My God, What Have I Done?: She deeply regrets having helped kill Isidora's mother.
- Screw This, I'm Out of Here!: Leaves Thebes, like lots of other people, on account of the curse. Then, later on, when Bayek confronts her at her house, she runs off when the Shadow of Anubis appears.
Tehemet
A historian and antiquarian living in Thebes and studying the nearby tombs.
- Big Fun: Loves luxury and expensive dice games and is also on the chubbier side.
- Forced into Evil: After the incident when she first meets Bayek, Tehemet is forced to work for the Strategos of Yebu cataloguing tombs. It’s only a step above actually robbing them which Isidora points out to her.
- The Gambling Addict: Is known for often losing all her money at dice games yet still continues to play them. Her first meeting with Bayek is getting him to break up a Gambling Brawl which she started because she had lost.
Athames
The Strategos of Yebu.
- Bad Boss: A letter in one tomb can be found from him threatening his underlings for being scared of the pharaohs, telling them if he hears anyone mention curses again, they're getting lashed.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He's got a lover working at the Thebes fort, to whom he's written a surprisingly sappy love letter.
- The Man Behind the Man: For Nomarch Tychon, and most of the looters in the Thebes area.
- Minor Major Character: Despite being the head honcho in the area, he only appears in one quest, when Bayek finally decides enough is enough and goes to end the man.
The Pharaohs
The ghosts of old pharaohs, roaming the farmlands around Thebes, attacking all in sight for reasons no-one understands.
- The Ace: Ramesses II is treated as this in-game, with him being the only pharaoh Bayek shows actual reverence and respect for, compared to the others, whom he shows general disregard for at best (Nefertiti and Tutankhamen) and openly disdains at worst (Akhenaten)note . However, at the resolution of Ramesses's quest line, Bayek still ponders whether Ramesses's achievements were the result of the pharaoh's efforts alone, or if he had some aid from the relic.
- A God Am I: Akhenaten, who tried replacing the old gods with himself (which was undone by his son Tutankhamen when he died). Bayek really doesn't like him for this act of blasphemy.
- Ambiguous Situation: What exactly the hell is up with them is... not entirely clear. It's shown they're all, in one way or another, previous holders of the Apple (which Akhenaten and Nefertiti called the Aten, as in the solar disk), suggesting there's some Brain Uploading of some kind going on... but then there's the whole "afterlife" thing going on. Ramesses II in particular seems to be the actual ghost of the man, whom Bayek has to help to his rest.
- Authority Equals Asskicking: Each of them was a pharaoh in life. Ramesses II, especially, was a formidable military leader. Death has only made them more dangerous. Each one of them is perfectly capable of killing a fully levelled up and equipped Bayek with their attacks, while they take a tremendous amount of punishment to take down.
- BFS: Akhenaten's weapon is an enormous two-handed sickle sword that even as a ghost he appears to have some trouble swinging. But if any of those hits connect, you will feel it.
- Carry a Big Stick: Ramesses' weapon of choice is a massive mace.
- Diabolus ex Nihilo: An in-universe version, for the people of the Valley of Kings. The Pharaohs just appear out of nowhere, kill everyone in sight that they get their hands on, and then vanish. Everyone assumes it's a curse, but no protective charms or rituals seem to ward them off.
- Dual Wielding: Nefertiti wields a pair of dual daggers.
- Evil Is Not a Toy: They're created or related to the Apple Isidora found, but she doesn't have complete control over them, as she learns when someone she knows is killed by one of them.
- The Faceless: They wear masks, and we never see their faces. Assuming those masks aren't their faces. The one time we think we're going to see the actual Ramesses II, he's using an image of Bayek.
- Final Boss: Tutankhamen serves as Bayek's final opponent for the Akhenaten's legacy arc.
- Historical Beauty Upgrade: They look in better shape than they did in life, which could be justified by the fact that this is the afterlife, and they're supposed to represent their perfect appearance:
- Tutankhamen is looking pretty damn beefy for an eighteen year old, especially one who was found to be lame and sickly. Note that his ghost doesn't seem to have any problem leg-wise, and towers over Bayek.
- Likewise, with Akhenaten. Paintings of the man found have him being short and, well, slightly podgy. Evidently, his ghost's done some working out.
- Humanoid Abomination: They're ever so slightly off, with their masks for faces, being just a bit too tall to be human, and seemingly superhuman strength, agility, and endurance.
- Immune to Flinching: They can be stunned momentarily, but unlike the Phylakes and Shadows of the Scarab, setting them on fire does nothing to slow their attacks.
- Large and in Charge: The men especially seem to average as looming over the not-exactly-small Bayek.
- Lightning Bruiser: Nefertiri moves the fastest, and has a fondness for rushing Bayek.
- Metronomic Man Mashing: Ramesses II, if he gets Bayek in range.
- Mighty Glacier: Akhenaten, due to his incredibly large sword. Bayek can run rings around him, but if he gets hit by that sword, it will take massive chunks out of his health.
- Optional Boss: While his shadow will still appear, completing Ramesses' quest line is not strictly necessary for completing the main arc dealing with Akhenaten's legacy.
- Uneven Hybrid: It's suggested they all used the Apple of Eden in life to some degree, which if true meant they had some Isu DNA in there.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: If not for Tutankhamun giving the Apple to the priests of Amun, Isidora would not have had the chance to cause the mayhem that she did.
- The Voiceless: None of them say a word, ever. Except possibly for Ramesses, though he uses Bayek's voice.
Shadows of Anubis
Jackal-headed warriors who appear in the afterlives, with unique ones appearing in Thebes after Bayek defeats a pharaoh. They functionally take on the role of the Phylakes or the Shadows of the Scarab.
- Ambiguous Situation: Even more so than the Pharaohs themselves. While the presence of the Pharaohs could maybe be explained with some degree of Isu technology, no such explanation is even hinted at for the Shadows. Could be passed on as illusions/hallucinations on Bayek's part (as unlike the Pharaohs, the Shadows leave civilians alone), but this is put down when one appears at Merti's villa, and is fully acknowledged by her.
- And Your Reward Is Clothes: Like their predecessors, defeating the Shadows awards you legendary weapons.
- Kill on Sight: Unlike the soldiers in the living world, who will only attack if Bayek provokes them or enters a restricted area, these warriors will attack Bayek on sight no matter where he is. It's indicated that the reason they are doing this is because Bayek is still living, and the afterlife is for the dead.
- Optional Boss: Defeating the ones that show up in Thebes is not needed to complete the story, and they are comparably easier to beat than the Pharaohs.
