Kassandra

"'To the eagle-bearing Misthios.' That's you."

- Barnabas to Kassandra, 431 BCE.

Kassandra (458 BCE - AD 2018), also known as the Misthios (English: Mercenary), was a Spartan mercenary who fought during the Peloponnesian War. She was the older sister og Alexios and, through her mother, Myrrine, the granddaughter of King Leonidas of Sparta. She is even revealed to be the biological daughter of Pythagoras himself.

During her exploits as a mercenary, Kassandra came at odds with the secretive Cult of Kosmos, an organization with the intent of controlling all of Greece and beyond. For her opposition against the Cult, Kassandra is considered one of the early precursors to the Assassin Brotherhood.

Early life
As a child, Kassandra was presented with the broken Spear of Leonidas, an Isu weapon, as an heirloom by her mother. Because of her prestigious lineage, great hopes were placed upon her to live up to the strength and valor of Leonidas. Her step-father, Nikolaos, would often train her in hopes that she would follow in her footsteps. At some point, the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi gave a prophecy in which Kassandra's younger brother, Alexios (who was a newborn at the time), would lead to the fall of Sparta in the future. In order to prevent this, Alexios was to be sacrificed at Mount Taygetos, despite Myrrine's plea for Nikolaos to stop it. As a priest was about to drop Alexios, Kassandra attempted to stop the sacrifice, but instead pushed the priest and Alexios to their apparent death. Kassandra was condemned as a traitor to Sparta, leading her step-father to execute her by dropping her off the mountains.

Kassandra, however, survived the fall, and escaped to the beach with the spear. Refusing to be found by the Spartans, Kassandra fled out to the open seas, with an eagle following her. A storm later turned Kassandra's boat overboard and she woke up on the beaches of Kephallonia. There, she was greeted by Markos, who took her under his wing and tasked her to do errands for him.

Personality and traits
As a mercenary, Kassandra had one prime goal - drachmae. She was willing to do anything to get it.

She had a soft spot for children, particularly Phoibe, a young orphaned Kephallonian girl.

She could hold a grudge, as seen with how she reacted when she was reunited with Nikolaos.

Equipment and skills
Trained from a young as to be a Spartan, Kassandra was a highly skilled warrior capable of defeating multiple enemies simultaneously. Kassandra was able to wield a variety of weapons ranging from swords, bows, spears, and axes. Kassandra did not rely on a shield for protection, instead being able to easily deflect enemy attacks.

A master of stealth, Kassandra was able to silently assassinate her targets undetected and was also able to utilize the foliage of bushes to remain hidden from her enemies. She also proved proficient in the use of the Spear of Leonidas which aided her in silent assassinations.

A skilled freerunner, Kassandra was able to scale the statue of Athena in Athens as well as natural elements with relative ease. She also proved to be a strong swimmer whilst searching the ruins of underwater temples and was capable of holding her breath for a relatively long period of time.

Kassandra shared a symbiotic relationship with her eagle, Ikaros, which aided her in reconnaissance thanks to her Eagle Vision. Unlike later Assassins such as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and Desmond Miles, Kassandra's Eagle Vision was far more literal in the sense that activating the ability allowed her to see through the eyes of Ikaros.

Trivia

 * Kassandra, Κασσανδρα, is an Ancient Greek name derived from possibly κεκασμαι (kekasmai) 'to excel, to shine' and ανηρ (aner) 'man', altogether meaning 'shining upon men'.
 * Kassandra is one of two selectable protagonists in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, alongside Alexios. Regardless of who the player chooses, the two protagonists share the same story. However, the novelization of the video game confirms that Kassandra is the canonical protagonist.
 * If the player chooses Alexios as the protagonist then he and Kassandra's roles in the story are reversed, with Kassandra becoming Alexios' younger sister and becoming known as Deimos in the same way that Alexios canonically does.
 * Both Alexios and Kassandra have the same romance options. This means that you can choose your character's sexual orientation.
 * Kassandra has a scar on her left upper lip.

Appearances

 * Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
 * Assassin's Creed: Odyssey novel