Order of the Ancients

The Order of the Ancients was a secretive cabal operating in Ptolemaic Egypt during the reign of Ptolemy XIII. Exploiting the young Pharoah as their puppet, the Order ruled Egypt from the shadows. According to Ptolemy's sister, Cleopatra VII, they desired the power and relics of the ancient gods.

At some point prior to 49 BCE, its actions led to great heartache for Bayek, the last Medjay, though he remained oblivious to the Order's existence, let alone their actions for some time.

Overview
The Order of the Ancients was a secret society in Ptolemaic Egypt which comprised of various men and women at the upper echelons of the ruling class; these individuals retained positions of power and, for the most part, were involved in political, religious, economic and military proceedings. Members of the Order of the Ancients symbolically wore masks when they met in public, as a visual signature of their affiliation. Each key member of the Order was responsible for their own sphere of influence within Egyptian society and they were scattered all over Egypt, due to the antiquated constraints of communication and transport.

The primary aim of the Order was to bring back a strong dynastic power, equal to that of previous dynasties which had ruled during the glory days of Ancient Egypt prior to the arrival of the Ptolemies. This was reinforced with the belief that the pre-existing system was much more founded on order, on the divine power of the Pharaohs. In this perspective, the Order were looking for means of control, be they political, religious, millitary or cultural to regain what was lost with the rise of Ptolemaic Egypt. In addition, they also had people in positions of knowledge who were looking for the secrets of the past, such as the Pieces of Eden.

History
In 51 BCE, as the young Ptolemy XIII ascended to the throne as co-ruler of Egypt alongside his sister-wife Cleopatra, the Order became the true power behind the throne. The Order used all their powers to influence, through Ptolemy, the organization of Egyptian society and to push forward their own plans for the realm.

Discovering that the Queen was not as easy to handle as her brother, the Order instigated the expulsion of Cleopatra from Egypt in 48 BCE. They chose Ptolemy, knowing that Cleopatra was a much more cunning ruler and a better strategist than her younger brother, who was more interested in the superficiality of power and was easily swayed by them.

After he discovered their existence, the Medjay Bayek began a quest to thwart their plans for domination and as a result later founded a Brotherhood, an organization which would eventually fight against the next iteration of the Order of the Ancients in the following millenia, the Templar Order.

Members

 * Theotimos
 * Raia
 * Hetepi（The Lizard）
 * Khaliset（The Hyena)
 * Medunamun (The Ibis)
 * Septimius
 * Actaeon (The Vulture)
 * Eudoros (The Hippo)
 * Rudjek (The Heron)
 * Ktesos (The Ram)
 * The Duelist
 * The Crocodile
 * The Scarab

Allies and puppets

 * Ptolemy XIII

Trivia

 * According to Matthew Zagurak, Narrative Director on Assassin's Creed: Origins, while Bayek could be regarded as a proto-Assassin, the Order of the Ancient could similarly be considered as proto-Templars

Appearance

 * Assassin's Creed: Origins