Amunet

This article is about the assassin of pharaoh Cleopatra. For other uses, see Aya or Amun.

Aya
Biographical information
Born	c. 85 BCE Alexandria, Ptolemaic Kingdom
Species	Human
Political information
Affiliations	Cleopatra's faction (49 BCE – 47 BCE) Hidden Ones Egyptian Brotherhood Roman Brotherhood (47 BCE until death)

Amunet (born c. 85 BCE), born Aya of Alexandria, was the Greco-Egyptian co-founder of the Hidden Ones and by extension, the Assassin Brotherhood alongside her husband, the Medjay Bayek.

Prior to establishing the Hidden Ones, Aya served as an agent of Cleopatra VII during Cleopatra's war for the throne of Egypt. Simultaneously, she sought to avenge the death of her son Khemu at the hands of the Order of the Ancients, and in 48 BCE, she killed two of their members, Actaeon and Ktesos, in Alexandria while Bayek hunted the rest.

Aya was initially a loyal retainer with high hopes for the young queen, playing a pivotal role in the Alexandrine Civil War, but in the aftermath of the Battle of the Nile, Cleopatra and her newfound Roman ally Gaius Julius Caesar joined with the Order and protected Lucius Septimius, one of their remaining members. Released from service yet feeling betrayed, Aya and Bayek founded the Hidden Ones to resume the fight against the Order, with the former resolving to establish a Roman branch at the expense of her marriage.

On 15 March 44 BCE, this culminated in Aya slaying Septimius in personal combat and leading the assassination of Julius Caesar. Fourteen years later, having adopted the name Amunet, she convinced Cleopatra to commit suicide in the face of imminent defeat against Octavian, promising to take her son Caesarion into the Hidden Ones. For this deed, she went down in Assassin history as the legendary Egyptian Assassin who killed Cleopatra with an asp.

Amunet was a descendant of the Spartan misthios Kassandra, granddaughter of King Leonidas I of Sparta, and Natakas, the son of Darius, through their son Elpidios.

Biography

Life in Siwa

Born in Alexandria around 85 BCE, where she was one of the most respected members of her community, Aya was a half-Greek, half-Egyptian descendant of the Spartan mercenary Kassandra. She later moved to Siwa at an early age to live with her aunt Herit, while her scholar parents stayed in the capital. In Siwa, she grew close to Bayek, the son of the town's protector, and by their fifteenth birthday, they were a couple. Bayek's father, Sabu, did not approve of their relationship as he knew that Aya's dream was to settle in Alexandria, and he feared that her mixed heritage would corrupt his teachings.

Later, after Bayek left Siwa and Aya to look for his father, Aya followed him and joined his quest for answers. Eventually, the two lovers discovered that Sabu was secretly one of the fabled Medjay and that he was investigating a lethal killer trying to crush the last remnants of the order. After they escaped the killer sent by the Order of the Ancients, the three of them settled in the desert, where Sabu pushed forward the basic training of his son over the course of several years, as they were now the last two Medjay. In the mornings Bayek would train with his father while for the rest of the day, he would train with Aya, sharing his new knowledge with the agreement of his father.

Eventually, Bion tracked them down again and killed Sabu but they later successfully killed the psychopath in Siwa. After she discovered her pregnancy, Aya renounced her dream to go back to Alexandria to become a scholar, also pushing away her doubts about the Medjay ways, and married Bayek. She later gave birth to their son, Khemu.

Serving Cleopatra

Hunting the Order

In 49 BCE, Khemu was accidentally killed by Bayek as the two tried to escape members of the Order of the Ancients in the Siwa Vault below the Temple of Amun. Aya, unable to cope with the loss of her only child and Bayek's thirst for revenge, returned to Alexandria where she joined her cousin Phanos the Younger. There, Aya continued her education at the Library of Alexandria, learning about ancient history, philosophy, mathematics and mastering various languages. At the same time, she plotted to assassinate those who worked for pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, believing them to be responsible for Khemu's death. Aya's brilliant mind and quick wit attracted the attention of Apollodorus, who later introduced her to Cleopatra. Aya became a close friend of hers, as well as one of her agents.

In 48 BCE, Aya identified Actaeon as a member of the Order of the Ancients, the organization responsible for killing Khemu. As such, she sneaked into his quarters and assassinated him when he returned, taking a royal papyrus from him. Aya returned home, only to find that Ktesos, Actaeon's accomplice, had followed her and attempted to kill her in revenge, though she was able to eliminate him. Her actions caught the attention of Gennadios, the Phylakitai of Alexandria, resulting in her becoming a wanted criminal. Apollodorus, knowing this, gave Aya a hideout beneath the Library of Alexandria to hide in. She would communicate with Phanos, who worked in the library and kept her updated.

Aya reunited with Bayek

Sometime thereafter, Bayek visited Alexandria in search of her, having assassinated both Medunamun and Rudjek, two other members of the Order of the Ancients. Phanos provided Bayek with information and direction to Aya's whereabouts, thus reuniting them after a year apart. Aya informed Bayek of her situation and her beliefs that the Snake, the last member of the Order worked in Ptolemy's court. Aya entrusted Bayek with a Hidden Blade that was used to kill Xerxes I of Persia, requesting him to infiltrate the royal palace to discover the Snake's identity.

The Snake's identity was later revealed to be the Royal Scribe Eudoros, whom Bayek assassinated in the bathhouse of Alexandria. Along with the assassination of Gennadios, Aya was free to roam the city once again and met up with Bayek at the top of the Paneum. There, they shared a moment of intimacy, believing they had finally avenged their son. Bayek, however, was not convinced that Eudoros was the last member of the Order. Aya believed Apollodorus would know more about the Order and thus sent her husband to meet with Apollodorus' contact near the Lageion Hippodrome.

Aya and Bayek meet Cleopatra

Later in Apollodorus' Estate, Aya met up with Apollodorus and Bayek, the latter having been introduced to Cleopatra. Cleopatra introduced them to Pasherenptah, the High Priest of Ptah in Memphis, revealing that the Order of the Ancients was responsible for her exile. Along with Apollodorus, Cleopatra revealed that the Order sought to control all of Egypt, with members controlling each region. Aya and Bayek learned of four new targets, the Scarab, the Hyena, the Lizard and the Crocodile. They also learned that Eudoros' cryptonym had been the Hippo, and the Snake was a name used for the Order itself. Bayek pledged his allegiance to Cleopatra and embarked on his journey to hunt down the members of the Order, thus separating from Aya once again.

While Bayek was out hunting the Order, Aya, alongside Phoxidas, was sent to the Aegean Sea to secure an alliance with the Roman general Pompey, who was fleeing from Julius Caesar in the midst of the Roman Civil War. They encountered ships sent by Ptolemy XIII, who attacked Pompey's fleet to stop the alliance. Aya and Phoxidas were able to rescue Pompey, who agreed to the alliance and made preparations to travel to Egypt.

Having ensure the alliance with Pompey, Aya returned to Egypt and set off to Memphis right away, having learned that Bayek was hunting the Lizard in the city. Outside The Seer's house, Aya met Bayek, who was helping Pasherenptah's wife, Taimhotep, in a ritual to protect her unborn child. The two set off to to the Temple of Ptah to investigate the Apis Bull's sickness. While Bayek investigated the bull's quarters, Aya spoke to the twin priestesses, Taous and Tawe, for more information. Through Bayek's investigations, he was able to deduced the twin priestesses as the ones responsible for poisoning the bull. Before they could run away, Aya and Bayek were able to stop them, and they then explained their actions; their brother, Panchrates, had been captured by soldiers who served the Lizard, threatening his life if the girls didn't do as they were told. Aya stayed with the twin priestesses in their home to ensure their safety while Bayek rescued Panchrates from the Temple of Hathor.

Having learned of the Lizard's identity from Panchrates, Aya and Bayek rode to the Palace of Apries, where Cleopatra was giving a speech to the residents of Memphis. Aya informed Cleopatra of the twin priestesses' role in poisoning the Apis Bull, and when Cleopatra called for the priestesses to be boiled to death, Bayek stepped in to interfere, stating that they were coerced by a priest who had a blue scarf and a cough. Pasherenptah identified the priest to be Hetepi, one of his closest advisors. Aya stepped in to be one who assassinates Hetepi, though she was stopped by Bayek, who chose to be one to do so. With Hetepi eliminated, the Apis Bull recovered and the Festival of Apis could commence appropriately. At the end of the ceremony, Aya informed Bayek that she chose to remain with Cleopatra, and that she would accompany her north to Herakleion. Aya and Bayek shared a moment of intimacy before her departure.

Aya and Phoxidas at sea

While Bayek hunted down the Crocodile in the Faiyum, Aya was sent with Phoxidas to the Mediterranean Sea to defend the seas, crossing paths with the Gabiniani, Roman legionaries that had been left behind in Egypt and sided with Ptolemy. Aya and Phoxidas were able to eliminate the Gabiniani fleet, before travelling to Herakleion in Egypt.

Briefly reuniting with Bayek, they were attacked as Venator, a Gabiniani sent by Lucius Septimius to assassinate the pharaoh, led a charge against the palace. Having eliminated the Romans, Cleopatra sent both Aya and Bayek to meet with Pompey, who had landed in the northwest of the Herakleion Nome. Fearing that Septimius might be after Pompey as well, Aya and Bayek departed the city on a felucca and traveled to meet with Pompey. They arrived to find Pompey decapitated, and his army slain around him. Apollodorus and Cleopatra arrived shortly thereafter.

Alliance with Caesar

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Aya arriving in the palace with Apollodorus, Bayek and Cleopatra

Desperate to reclaim her throne, Cleopatra resorted to making an alliance with Julius Caesar, who had arrived in Alexandria. Aya, alongside Apollodorus, Bayek and Phoxidas' fleet, escorted the Queen to Alexandria through the Mediterranean Sea, facing and destroying Ptolemy's fleet in the process. Upon their arrival at the palace, Aya and Bayek posed as servants while Apollodorus posed as a Phylakitai of Heliopolis, who carried Cleopatra in a carpet disguise to infiltrate the palace. They interrupted the meeting between Ptolemy XIII and Julius Caesar, with Cleopatra revealing herself to her brother and the Roman general, proposing a marriage with the latter. Ptolemy's attempt to ally with Caesar was thus foiled, causing him to leave in rage. Aya and the rest of the group were then ordered by Caesar to leave the building, so as to allow him and Cleopatra to discuss their plans.

Outside the palace, Aya, Apollodorus and Bayek discussed Pothinus and Lucius Septimius, the remaining members of the Order who were nowhere to be found. Apollodorus remarked that the Medjay would have the chance to eliminate them again, and by helping Cleopatra to be crowned Queen, they would be able to crush the Order from within. The next day, Aya met with Cleopatra outside the Tomb of Alexander the Great; the Queen asked Aya to unseal the tomb, which had been obstructed by an earthquake during the reign of Ptolemy XII Auletes, intending to use it to impress Caesar. Aya and Bayek investigated the tomb, managing to find an alternate entrance into the inner tomb. Aya removed the blocklade, granting Cleopatra and Caesar to the inner tomb. As they investigage Alexander the Great's sarcophagus, they were interrupted by Caesar's follower Flavius Metellus, who informed them that their emmissaries had been captured and held at the Akra Garrison. Aya and Bayek left the tomb and travelled to the garrison, where Aya freed the emissary, learning that Pothinus and Septimius were responsible for the kidnapping and a plot was made to trap Caesar and Cleopatra in Alexandria. Aya, alongside Bayek, carried the soldier back to the Palace, informing them of the plot.

Fighting the Order

During the Battle of the Nile, Aya was tasked to eliminate Ptolemy XIII. Spotting him near the river, Aya had a clear shot at Ptolemy XIII who was fleeing from the battle, but ultimately chose to spare his life. However, Ptolemy's boat was attacked by crocodiles, causing him to drown and be eaten by the crocodiles.

After Cleopatra's ascension to the throne of Egypt, Aya and Bayek were furious to learn that Flavius and Septimius were also members of the Order of the Ancients and thus, directly responsible for murdering their son. With both men under the protection of Cleopatra and Caesar, Aya and her husband decided to take matters into their own hands.

File:ACO Aya stabs Caesar.jpg

Aya stabbing Caesar

After Bayek tracked down and killed Flavius, Aya parted with him on good terms, forming the Hidden Ones. While Bayek stayed in Egypt, Aya traveled to Rome with fellow Hidden Ones Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus. There, they recruited over forty senators into the Hidden Ones. At some point around this time, Aya amputated her ring finger. A day before the assassination, Aya and Brutus tracked down Magnus, an orator who was attempting to manipulate the Roman Senate. Aya silenced the orator with a bow before leaving with Brutus, regrouping in a bathouse. They were later joined by Cassius, who informed the both of them that Magnus' assassination and Caesar's wife Calpurnia's warnings did not deter Caesar's plans to become Dictator for life.

On 15 March 44 BCE, they travelled to the Theatre of Pompey, where they confronted Caesar, who was to speak at the Senate with Septimius by his side. While Aya fought and killed Septimius, Brutus and Cassius were tasked to delay Caesar's speech. Aya later infiltrated the Senate, where she stabbed Caesar from the back. The senators, including Brutus and Cassius followed thereafter, thus ending Caesar's life.

After Caesar's assassination, Marc Antony used his political power and influence to turn the Roman citizens against Aya, Brutus, and Cassius. Aya escaped the mob and returned to assassinate Antony, who implored her to bring Brutus to the people so that Rome could be at peace. Before she could carry out the assassination, she was chased by another mob of angry Roman citizens. Their chase ended with a battle on top of an aqueduct in which Aya fainted from her wounds. Her unconscious body was retrieved by Brutus and Cassius who took her to their hiding place. After waking, Brutus tells her that he has received a vision that he must follow to Crete.

Two days after the assassination of Caesar, she confronted Cleopatra in her chambers, learning she had a child with Caesar named Caesarion. Out of respect for her former employer and her child, the Hidden One allowed the queen to live, but warned that she would be watched.

Some time afterwards, Aya was captured by Antony and interrogated her about Brutus' and Cassius' location. Angered by her refusal to betray her fellow Hidden Ones, he ordered her to be thrown into a large submerged arena to be killed by hippopotamuses. After killing two and narrowly being eaten by a third, Brutus and Cassius arrived and saved her with a volley of arrows. They instructed her of an underwater escape route and escaped alongside her, but were eventually confronted by a group led by Antony himself. The Hidden Ones emerged victorious. Before Brutus could kill Antony, Aya talked him down, telling him that he was not acting in accordance with his ideals. The three escape. Later, Aya gives Brutus her blessing to move to Crete and goes about creating a Hidden One's bureau in Rome.

Reborn as Amunet

A year later in 43 BCE, Aya wrote a letter to Bayek from Rome, having secured a bureau in the Pantheon district. In her letter, Aya renounced the love she once had for Bayek and her own identity, taking up the name Amunet.

Sometime thereafter, Amunet issued a note to each and every command post run by the Hidden Ones, informing them of the events now transpiring in Rome: Marc Antony, using his power and influence, had manipulated the Roman citizens against Brutus and Cassius, causing them to flee to their deaths during the Battle of Philippi. In addition, a conflict between Marc Antony and Octavian was also brewing, leading to a potential civil war. Amunet urged the Hidden Ones to continue their work and be ready for anything that may happen.

The Hidden Ones mourning Tahira

In 38 BCE, Amunet was drawn to the Sinai from Rome after hearing of the Hidden Ones' actions there. She saved Bayek from being executed and helped him rescue two Hidden Ones, Kashta and Tahira, who were imprisoned in Fort Clostra. Following the death of Tahira and the Roman general Rufio, Amunet warned Bayek that their ally Gamilat was manipulating the people for his own rebel cause. Following Gamilat's death, she helped to create the first tenet of the Hidden Ones in order to prevent harm coming to the innocents she and Bayek had vowed to protect.

Later that same year, Amunet received word of another Piece of Eden that had been located in the city of Thebes in Upper Egypt, and asked Bayek to investigate the nature of a curse that been plaguing the region.

Confronting Cleopatra

Amunet handing Cleopatra the poison

Years later on 12 August 30 BCE, Amunet infiltrated the palace in Alexandria, knocking out Caesarion and confronting her former friend and pharaoh, Cleopatra. With the siege of the city by Octavian underway, Amunet urged Cleopatra to resign to her fate, which she accepted on the condition that Amunet take Caesarion with her back to Rome and train him as one of the Hidden Ones. Amunet handed Cleopatra a vial of poison which she took to commit suicide and departed with an unconscious Caesarion. Meeting with Phoxidas in the shores of the Lighthouse, she boarded the trireme with Caesarion before journeying to Rome.

Legacy

Aya's mummy found by Layla

By the time of the Renaissance, Amunet was respected as a great Assassin and a statue of her had been placed in the Assassin Sanctuary at Monteriggioni.

Though buried in Egypt, alongside her former husband, a cenotaph dedicated to Amunet was located in the Basilica di San Marco in Venice, Italy. During the late 15th century, the Assassin Ezio Auditore da Firenze explored the shrine and took a seal, which acted as a key to obtain the armor of the legendary Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, from the sarcophagus.

When Amunet died, she was mummified and interred in the same tomb as Bayek. At some point between her burial and her discovery by Layla Hassan, the tomb had partially collapsed and Amunet's sarcophagus had fallen into a pit. In 2017, her sarcophagus, along with her hidden blade, was found by Layla Hassan, who extracted a DNA sample from her mummy and uploaded it to her portable Animus to relive her memories.

Personality and traits

Aya was a strong-willed warrior who, like Bayek, was driven by vengeance in finding their son's killers. Aya was a strong believer in Cleopatra while her husband was more circumspect of her true intentions. Aya is very syncretic, since she believes in both Egyptian and Greek religion. Aya deeply loved Bayek and would always be ecstatic to see him and spend time with him. After she was asked by Cleopatra to slay her own brother during the Battle of the Nile, Aya started to grow doubtful of Cleopatra's true intentions. This was seen when Aya, even though she had the perfect chance to kill Ptolemy, who was exposed and vulnerable, decided to spare him, much to Ptolemy's silent gratitude.

After she learned that Cleopatra and Julius Caesar were protecting Lucius Septimius and Flavius Metellus, the same men who killed her son, Khemu, she became furious and supported Bayek's cause to hunt them down silently. By this time, she had already grown a new disdain for Cleopatra. After realizing that with the death of Khemu and his killers her life with Bayek was over, she adopted a new identity and persona called Amunet.

Equipment and skills

In her youth, Aya received elite combat and acrobatic training as well as chose to dress in a manner that fit these activities. She carried two twin blades as well as a shield and bow. She could easily hold her own against a few Roman legions and even defeat Lucius Septimius in a one-on-one battle, with Septimius having the advantage of utilizing an unknown Piece of Eden in the battle.

Aya was a master mariner by her third trip to sea with the ability to avoid all potential problems including the massive problem of the various rocky outcrops that could have sunk her ship. She was able to sink an entire fleet of enemy warships with only a single ship and act as the commander on said ship. She was well versed in all weapons and poisons as she used an asp to kill Cleopatra. On the battlefield Aya acted as a second in command shouting instruction to her men while Bayek acted as the leader.

Her skill with stealth was legendary, being able to avoid Ptolemy's police for well over a year. She also was able to sneak into a fully guarded palace to kill Cleopatra, which no one else had been able to do.

Romantic life

Aya was known to only have one romantic relationship, that of her husband Bayek. They met as children and grew up together. By the age of fifteen the two were a couple, and sometime around 56 BCE they were married and Aya gave birth to their son, Khemu. However, after Khemu's death their relationship became strained when Aya moved back to Alexandria while Bayek begun his quest for vengeance.

Aya leaping onto Bayek

However in 48 BCE after Bayek had slain Rudjek, he traveled to Alexandria where upon seeing each other for the first time in a year the two resumed their relationship and continued their vengeance together. Their relationship soon became strained again by 46 BCE, after a series of events led to the two being betrayed by their ally Cleopatra and the Order of the Ancient were approaching their goal. They decided to split up, with Aya heading to Rome and Bayek remaining in Egypt. They both agreed it was for the best and that the Hidden Ones were their family now.

Bayek and Amunet's last moment together

When the two were reunited in 38 BCE in Sinai, Bayek expressed his lingering doubts if they had done right by the world, Amunent assured him before letting go and returning to Rome. They shared a brief moment of embrace before releasing on another. Their relationship remained strictly professional thereafter with their only following correspondence were letters sent for the Hidden Ones.

Behind the scenes

In the Assassin's Creed: Origins comic Aya was shown to be the killer of Cleopatra. Historically, Cleopatra died by purportedly committing suicide with either a venomous asp or poison.

In ancient Egyptian religion, Amunet is the goddess of invisibility and the consort of the god Amun in the Ogdoad, a group of eight primordial deities responsible for the creation of the world according to the Hermopolis tradition. She and Amun symbolize the hidden depths and incomprehensibility of the primeval world. As the female counterpart to Amun, her name also means “Hidden One” but with a feminine declension.

In cutscenes as well as renders for promotional art, Aya is shown wielding the Storm Blades, a legendary set of dual swords that are obtainable in Assassin's Creed Origins, though while playing as her she is permanently equipped with the far more common Twin Blades.

The body of Ktestos can be found in Aya’s home in Alexandria for a time near the start of the main story. Upon investigation, Bayek makes remarks about the past and their time in Siwa. In the official prequel novel, Desert Oath, this is further elaborated on.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed II (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins
  • The Hidden Ones
  • The Curse of the Pharaohs (voice only)
• Assassin's Creed: The Official Collection
• Assassin's Creed: Origins comic
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (vision only)

References

An image gallery is available for Amunet