"Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" - Background Info Quiz

Answer: Ancient Greece

All of these are locations found in the "Assassin's Creed" franchise: "Assassin's Creed: Origins" (2017) is set in ancient Egypt, the setting of "Assassin's Creed: Valhalla" (2020) is the time of the Viking attacks on Anglo-Saxon England, and "Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood" (2010) takes place in Renaissance Italy.

The name of the game provides a clue as to its setting. "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" (2018) is set in 431-422 BC, during the time of the Peloponnesian War in ancient Greece, which actually was fought from 431-404 BC. The power of the city-state of Athens, that had gradually expanded into an empire following the end of the Persian Wars (490-449 BC), had grown in proportions that caused great concern to their biggest rival, the polis of Sparta. This is true! "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" focuses on the secret history of the war that has never been told.

Answer: Alexios and Kassandra

Alexios and Kassandra, the protagonists of "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey", are products of a difficult past. Separated from their parents at an early age, neither one of them knows that the other is even alive. After the choice is made by the player as to whether they want to be Alexios or Kassandra, the choice character becomes the older sibling called the Eagle Bearer, and the sibling who is not chosen becomes Deimos, who has been corrupted by a mysterious cult.

The Eagle Bearer may choose to either free Deimos of the past or kill them eventually, which does have a major impact on how the game ends.

Answer: Leonidas

The protagonists of "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey" are descendants of the great Leonidas, a king of Sparta, who fought with his 300 Spartans against the Persian Empire at the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC.

They are the children of Myrrine, the daughter of Leonidas. The identity of the oldest child's father is revealed during the course of the game; the youngest child's father is Nikolaos (according to the Fandom website - some accounts are slightly different), who, knowing their lineage, has intentions to train them as warriors.

Answer: Mercenary

In Greek the word "misthios" means "mercenary", a soldier who fights for wages and really doesn't care about the cause for which he is fighting. During the course of the game, the Misthios may choose the side for which they want to fight; the two sides of the conflict are historically correct. The Delian League was led by Athens and the Peloponnesian League was led by Sparta. One group has decided that a balance, much like the basic theme of the Assassin's Creed stories between the Assassins and Templars, was needed.

Civil war was a constant way of life in ancient Greece. Remember, the Olympic Games were held in an attempt to put aside the constant bickering and fighting that took place between the many city-states in ancient Greece. But didn't someone have to have realize that the Peloponnesian War would be the civil war to end all civil wars there, given the fact that the loser would have to be completely annihilated and the winner would be left weak, perhaps unable to protect Greece from the outsiders that wanted to put an end to their independent lifestyle?

Answer: They were thrown off a cliff.

Students of history understand the important of the Pythia, or Oracle, at Delphi to the ancient Greeks. They believed that Pythia could foretell the future, and consulted her before making any major decisions for both the polis and their everyday lives. They honestly believed that the god Apollo spoke through her, and she was one of the most powerful women not only in Greece, but throughout the ancient world. The Oracle even retained its importance after Greece was invaded, with people like Alexander the Great and Cicero asking for advice.

According to the story in "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey", in 446 BC the Pythia at Delphi said that the young boy would somehow cause the fall of Sparta. He was to be thrown off Mount Taygetos. His sister, however, tried to save him and her actions resulted in both the priest and the boy tumbling down the mountain. As a result, she was also sentenced to death, and was thrown down the mountain by her stepfather, Nikolaos. Their mother left Nikolaos shortly after. Unbeknown to the family, both the boy and girl survived the fall and went on to have completely different lives.

Answer: False

After the pivotal incidents with the children, Nikolaos continues to be a faithful Spartan, and rises up in the ranks of the military, becoming a general. He becomes a hero in his own right, and is given the nickname, Wolf of Sparta; he also adopts a son, Stentor, who fights in his adopted father's army. At one point in the game, the Misthios is hired to find the Wolf of Sparta and kill him; the Wolf's identity and true role in the upbringing of the Misthios is then revealed. The Misthios may choose to kill him - or not. It is apparent throughout the story that Sparta is the only master that controls Nikolaos.

It is important to remember here that in Spartan society, the people were brought up with the notion of being servants to the state, and were expected to unfailingly serve Sparta, doing whatever was asked. This might mean that the parents of a deformed baby that was too weak to serve had to abandon it as decreed by the Elders, or that a mother had to watch her young son be whipped because he was caught stealing food - an action that was expected of young boys during the military training. It was accepted if successfully carried out, and harshly punished if not.

Answer: Spear

The use of this weapon is totally in line with what the ancient Greeks would have actually used. Their formation, the phalanx, was comprised of foot soldiers, called hoplites, whose main weapon was the doru. What was a doru? A spear! Typically the spears used in the phalanx were two or three feet long and had either a bronze or iron tip. If you are thinking - no, their spears were longer - you should remember that Philip II of Macedon was the one who used hoplites that carried 21-foot spears.

Actually, the weapon used by the Misthios, was called the Spear of Leonidas. It had first belonged to his mother, but was used by Leonidas at the Battle of Thermypolae, and was broken during the fight. The tip was then given to their mother, who passed it on to the oldest sibling. The Spear of Leonidas was reportedly made by the Isu, the ancient race that had existed before humans. It could greatly increase the strength of the individual who used it, as well as increase their speed, and, in the case of arrows, cause them to puncture walls. It's power, however, decreased with use; in the game, however, it can be recharged.

Answer: True

The player's choice of protagonist does not affect the character's power, as the weapon works the same for both. Along with an increase in strength, it is able to give them a huge adrenaline rush, which works to cloak them, help them recover from injuries, and even control nature, along with a host of other powers.

In "Assassins Creed: Rebellion", fully released in November 2018, both siblings are also featured, but the spear works differently for each. For the girl, it gives her what is called "Athena's Sight", the ability to see through walls, as well as power over poisons; the boy's power is over fire, called "Hephaistos's Fire". According to the story, Hephaistos was a member of the ancient race, the Isu, who originally forged the spear. Over time he became part of Greek myth and legend, and was known as the god of metalworking, fire, and a host of other domains.

Answer: Cult of Kosmos

The Cult of Kosmos, with a name that means "order" and "world", is a splinter group from the Cult of Hermes, which, according to "Assassin's Creed: Odyssey", was formed by Pythagoras and others during the 6th century BC in ancient Greece. After the initial plan of the group is thwarted, their revised goal is to begin the Peloponnesian War, knowing that all of Greece will be virtually destroyed, and they will be able to take over. They plan, then, to establish a peaceful, unified Greece that is ruled by (Plato and Aristotle would love this!) a philosopher king. Unfortunately, the members of the group are only human. They become greedy and self-serving. Their pure intentions become not so pure.

Described as a "proto-Templar" group that had been operating in Greece since the Persian Wars, the Cult of Kosmos have been able to infiltrate all aspects of Greek life, including the Oracle at Delphi. In fact, they allow the Pythia to use an ancient Isu artifact in order to help her to see the future. So what was their initial plan? Before Leonidas had gone to fight the fateful battle, he had consulted the Pythia, who told him not to fight the Persians. You see, the Cult of Kosmos had allied with the Cult of the Ancients in Persia and had planned to use Xerxes to unite the Greeks. Because Leonidas did not follow the Pythia's advice, there is reason to believe that his descendants will also have the same disregard for future prophecies. They have to be destroyed.

All of the other choice were groups that actively operated in ancient Greece. The Cult of Dionysis was a very ancient group that followed the god of wine and merrymaking, the Mythraic Mysteries was connected to a Zoroastrian god from ancient Persia, and the Cabeiri Mysteries was associated with Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and metalworking.

Answer: Herodotus

Of course, this makes complete and total sense! Herodotus is still known today as the "Father of History". He traveled about the ancient world and recorded what he saw and heard. The problem is that much of what he heard was based on legend, and his critics, even in ancient times, used that against him in order to discredit his work. Herodotus did make an attempt, however, to separate the myth from the truth, and much of his information has been substantiated with archaeological discovery.

Herodotus is sent to consult the Pythia, and runs into the Misthios at the Oracle of Delphi. He immediately recognizes the weapon that they carry and knows who they are. It is decided that he will stay and document the adventures. His records, lost for centuries, are rediscovered in modern times.