Epiktetos the Forthcoming (died 431 BCE) was a member of the Silver Vein branch of the Cult of Kosmos who lived during the Peloponnesian War.
As a shipwright, he provided warships for the Cult and profited from their efforts to perpetuate the conflict. When the Spartan misthios Kassandra infiltrated one of the Cult's meetings in 431 BCE, Epiktetos met an untimely demise upon being misidentified by Deimos as the traitor in their midst and brutally executed.
Biography
Following the transfer of the Master from the Silver Vein to the Eyes of Kosmos, the Cult welcomed Epiktetos into the Vein to replace him. Epiktetos soon made a name for himself by building deadly and efficient ships, and this was believed to serve Kosmos and the Cult's Sage well.[1]
In 431 BCE, Epiktetos was present when the Cult met in the Sanctuary of Kosmos under the Sanctuary of Delphi in Phokis. When Deimos stormed into the meeting, he revealed that a fellow member, Elpenor, had been slain and that there therefore was a traitor lurking in their midst. To root out the culprit, he demanded that each of them touch the pyramidal artifact at the shrine one by one, for the Isu device was capable of reading their memories.[2]
The individual called forth just before Epiktetos was none other than Elpenor's killer and the sister of Deimos, Kassandra. She had infiltrated the meeting disguised with Elpenor's Cultist cloak and mask, unaware that her long-lost brother was among their ranks. When Deimos saw glimpses of her childhood through the device, he became overwhelmed with shock at their connection, which was unclear to him. Unfortunately for Epiktetos, this emotional turmoil caused him not only to fail to recognize Kassandra as the enemy, but to abruptly single him out at random as the traitor when he was tested next.[2]
Deimos murdering Epiktetos
Triggered by the incident, Deimos smashed Epiktetos' head against the pyramid, shattering its face and sending shards into his face. The grievously injured Epiktetos could only lie helplessly as Deimos then proceeded to unleash all his fury and anguish onto him, beating his face into a bloody mess and thereby executing him.[2]
Legacy
When the Isu Aletheia created a simulation of Hades for Kassandra to better learn how to wield the Staff of Hermes Trismegistus which Pythagoras had passed on to her, she killed a simulant Epiktetos within. He resided within a cave that resembled the underground Sanctuary of Delphi, complete with the Pyramid.[3]
Personality and characteristics
Epiktetos was a professional shipwright who, over the course of his career, came to recognize that times of war boosted demand for his skills immensely as states were forced to build up and maintain their navies. He lacked reservations about profiting from the horrors that came with war and capitalized on this boon to his business in the hopes of amassing a vast fortune. Because of this, he lent his support to the Cult of Kosmos and their objective of perpetuating the Peloponnesian War.[1]
The Hades simulant Epiktetos believed himself to be immortal after his blood covered the artifact of Kosmos. When confronted by Kassandra he screamed that "[he could] still feel Deimos smashing [his] head against the artifact."[3]
Appearances
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first appearance)
- The Fate of Atlantis: Torment of Hades (simulation only)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Serpent's Lair
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Fate of Atlantis: Torment of Hades – Beyond the Veil