A most beautiful adventure takes place within the main story of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, which is also a direct tribute to the game's title, as its quests are referencing several stages of Homer's Odyssey. The story is titled A Friend Worth Dying For, its protagonist, apart from our lead hero, is the Adrestia's captain Barnabas, and it is one of the Lost Tales of Greece.  

The adventure begins unexpectedly on a lone shore of Skyros island with the quest Odyssey Into The Past, where Alexios notices a group of heavily drunk bandits in a camp, whose attitude is rather strange. They have several civilians locked in cages but they do not seem to care much about their captives, dancing and fooling around without even taking notice of what is happening around them. Meanwhile, Barnabas follows Alexios at the shore and drinks some of the wine that got the bandits drunk, while the bandits, who are gradually recovering, start attacking everyone at the camp. After the fight is over, Alexios notices that Barnabas is exhibiting a weird behaviour, obviously having hallucinations involving a cyclops, a pig and a woman named Leda. As it turns out, what he and the bandits drank was wine made from lotus flowers. 

The lotus wine made Barnabas sick

This is the first reference to Homer's epic poem, specifically it nods to Rhapsody I', in which Odysseus arrives at the land of the Lotus Eaters, an island where the inhabitants are eating the fruit growing from a lotus tree, a plant with narcotic effects, resulting in them being constantly in a stage of apathy. Whoever eats that fruit, becomes idle, at the same time forgetting about their past, their homelands, their families. In the epic poem, Odysseus did not eat the fruit, and had a hard time dragging his companions, who had done so, back to the ship, just like Alexios in the game's story did not drink the lotus wine, but his friend and companion Barnabas did.

Engraving by Theodoor van Thulden depicting Odysseus dragging his men back to the ship

Back on the Adrestia, Barnabas is recovering from the wine's effects and confesses to Alexios that back in his youth he was married to a beautiful woman with green eyes, named Leda. He and Leda shared a love for adventure so they roamed the seas together for years, until one day their ship sank and they lost each other at sea. Barnabas never heard of Leda again, but now, under the effects of the lotus wine, he had three visions of her. In the first vision, she was in a cave, singing with Sirens; in the second she was feeding a young Cyclops and in the third she was drinking wine with a witch. 

Barnabas narrates his visions to Alexios

Although there does not seem to be much logic in Barnabas's words, Alexios decides to play his game and visit the locations where the three visions took place. In spite of being a man of a rather mature age, and with a lot of life experiences on his back (being a sea captain was guaranteed to offer him plenty of adventures, and surely there were bad times among them), Barnabas has a child-like enthusiasm and is always looking at the bright side of things. This is something that Alexios appreciates a lot, and the least he can do for his good friend is to play along. The locations of all visions are insular, so there is a lot of traveling by sea involved, something that our lead hero loves anyway. So together with their loyal crew and their select ship lieutenants, they start their journey following the trail of Barnabas's first vision which leads them to the island of Kos, in the quest Beware The Siren Call. It is where Barnabas saw Leda singing with the sirens behind a painted wall. Before the exploration begins, Barnabas gives Alexios two lumps of beeswax so as to cover his ears in case the sirens are still active in there. After a brief investigation on the island, Alexios locates the Tomb of Polybotes which is a cave hidden behind a wall decorated with a mural. Alexios breaks the rather thin wall and when he proceeds deeper into the cave, he hears weird sounds, like ritualistic singing. It looks like Barnabas's visions were not so random after all. 

There are strange things happening in the dark "Siren" cave

Deep inside the cave, it looks like there are suspicious rituals taking place. There are people lying around, either dead or in a bad state, and some weird women, whose appearance and outfits resemble a lot those of the savage Followers of Ares, sing or, better, scream some distorted melodies of sorts that are more like wild calls. They are also armed, and appear to be extremely dangerous. Those are in fact the "Sirens" from Barnabas's vision, who in reality apparently belong to a cult similar to the Followers of Ares and are ruthless, violent and blood-thirsty. After killing them, Alexios retrieves an old aulos from their chief and frees a man who was bound in the main room, guarded by her.

Alexios is about to attack the chief "Siren"

As it turns out, the man, whose name is Eurylochos, arrived on the island of Kos after hearing tales about the Sirens living there, singing their beautiful songs. He enjoyed being alone, and he loved poetry and music, which is why he was drawn to the cave of the "Sirens", driven by those tales. Soon he discovered that all this was a trap, however. The women would lure innocent people to their lair in the cave so as to carry out their cannibalistic rituals; they would regularly drain the man's blood, then boil and drink it. Then they would scream into the night, in a manic state. When Alexios asks him about the old aulos, the man mentions a woman who was there before, but managed to escape. The aulos belonged to her, and the Sirens stole it; and obviously she left it behind when she ran away. Alexios then decides to take the man away from that place and sends him on his ship.

Eurylochos is in a really bad state

This story references Rhapsody Μ' from Homer's Odyssey, which narrates Odysseus's encounter with the Sirens. The epic hero, having been informed about the dangerous creatures and their seductive singing, had his companions cover their ears with beeswax and ordered them to tie him on his ship's mast, so that he could be able to hear the song without putting himself into danger. This way, he and his crew made it safe and continued their journey. There is one more reference to Homer's epic in this story, however. Eurylochos was the name of one of Odysseus's companions, who was also his brother in law, as he was married to Ktimene, the hero's sister. After their ship arrived on the island of Circe, Eurylochos was the leader of the group of men who went to explore the place. When Circe found them, she turned them into pigs, but Eurylochos, who had left the others moments before, was able to return to the ship and inform Odysseus about what just happened, therefore saving them. Later on, however, while on the island of Thrinacia, he persuaded his companions to slaughter Helios's sacred oxen, an action that cost him his life as he was punished with execution.

Odysseus and the Sirens by John William Waterhouse

When Alexios returns on the Adrestia and informs Barnabas about what he discovered, his good friend gets very excited, certain that the owner of the old aulos was indeed his dear Leda, who learnt to play it while staying with the Sirens before leaving their lair for good. 

Following the clues from Barnabas's next vision about Leda feeding a cyclops in the quest To Be Nobody, Alexios arrives at Anaphi, a volcanic island where only a few people reside, as it is mainly occupied by soldiers, bandits and wild animals. Alexios locates an isolated cave, which turns out to be the hiding place of a strange man. He has an innocent-looking face and his reactions and way of talking are like those of a child, but his towering stature is quite intimidating and rather unfamiliar as a sight. Moreover, one of his eyes is covered with an eye patch. The man's name is Polyphemos, just like the legendary cyclops from Homer's Odyssey, but he is nothing like him.

The Polyphemus that Alexios meets has the heart and mind of an innocent child

The story's Polyphemos turns out to be a man with a heart of gold, who would keep himself hidden in his isolated cave because he was too scared to face all the hazards on the island. Alexios agrees to help him clear the shores nearby so that he will be able to go fishing in peace, as was his dream. After killing some lethal lynxes and getting rid of a group of bandits, a whole beach becomes available for Polyphemos to pass his time as he pleases. The man, feeling grateful, offers Alexios a bowl of spices that, as he says, was given to him as a gift from a beautiful woman with green eyes who once passed from the island - a description that seems to fit Leda perfectly. But Polyphemos is not fully happy yet; as much as he loves his beach, he would love to share it with a friend. This gives Alexios an idea, so he calls Eurylochos from the Adrestia and introduces him to Polyphemos. When the two guys meet, it looks like it's love at first sight, as Alexios returns to his ship and leaves them chatting and playing happily at the shore. Apparently the two men were outsiders in the places were they originally lived, each one for different reasons. They both left their homes because nobody understood them (in Eurylochos's case) or because they were viewed as monsters (in Polyphemos's case), looking for shelter far away from everyone.

Alexios watches Polyphemos and Eurylochos having a good time on the beach

This quest's story references again Rhapsody I', but this time it nods to the segment about Odysseus encountering the Cyclops Polyphemus. During their journey, the hero and his men arrived on the Cyclops's island and, having no idea about who lived there, explored the place and located a cave full of goods. When Polyphemus arrived, he got very angry, trapped the men inside the cave with him and ate two of them. The next day, he ate two more men and left to tend to his sheep. In the afternoon, after eating two more men, he was tricked by Odysseus to drink some very strong wine that he had with him for a previous location. While in a drunk state, and unable to control himself, Polyphemus asked Odysseus to tell him his name, with Odysseus answering that he was called "Nobody". Soon after, the Cyclops fell asleep and Odysseus managed to blind his one eye by plunging a hot stake in its socket. As Polyphemus was shouting that Nobody was killing him, the other Cyclopses thought he was having hallucinations from the wine and did not bother to run to his rescue. The other day Polyphemus, now blind, let his sheep out while feeling their backs to make sure that Odysseus and his men were not escaping on them. The hero however had ordered his surviving companions to tie themselves under the sheep, so the animals carried them safely outside without the Cyclops taking notice. The title of the game's quest, To Be Nobody, references the name that Odysseus gave himself in the epic tale, while at the same time describing the state in which the good-hearted Polyphemos was, being an outsider, a nobody, in the eyes of society.

The Blinding of Polyphemus by Pellegrino Tibaldi

When Alexios informs Barnabas about the spices and what he learnt from Polyphemos on the island, Barnabas gets excited again. He is more than certain that the woman from Polyphemos's story was Leda, who found the cyclops and made an elixir from the spices to help him grow a second eye.

Barnabas's last vision about Leda drinking wine with a witch brings Alexios and his crew to the island of Paros in the quest Wine For The Swine, where, on a small atoll off its port, is a ruined temple occupied by lions, pigs and wild boars who, curiously enough, do not seem hostile. Among them there is a woman who is exquisitely dressed but her mouth is covered with blood. As Alexios approaches her, he realizes that she is eating off the corpse of a dead pig. The woman introduces herself as Circe and invites Alexios to drink wine with her. Curious about where this is going, Alexios goes to fetch the wine from a spot nearby, where he notices a patch of blood, a toy with teeth marks and a tablet with a note, apparently written by the woman, saying that her subjects are hungry. Growing suspicious, Alexios picks and eats moly leaves, which are a natural antidote to poison. When he drinks the wine and nothing happens to him, Circe is disappointed and surprised, but soon after she explains to Alexios that she had to leave her homeland because her wild instincts would always get her into trouble. Her father had killed her mother because she was like Circe, so the woman ran away after possibly killing him herself. To be able to survive on the island without being devoured by the wild animals, she would make travelers and passers by drink from her wine, which she had imbued with a drug; then she would kill them and feed them to the animals which would be affected by the drug and thus become unable to turn hostile. When Alexios asks her about Leda, Circe shows him a bracelet which she took from a woman who passed from her island; it could or it could not have been Barnabas's lost wife. Just like Eurylochos and Polyphemos, Circe was an outsider in her homeland, albeit for different reasons, and she too found shelter in an isolated place, far away from anyone that could cause her harm.

Circe has her own sad story to tell

This story references Rhapsody K' from Homer's Odyssey, in which Odysseus arrives on Circe's island. The witch lived in a palace in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by wild animals which however were under her control and would not attack anyone around her. The hero sent a group of his men to investigate, and Circe offered to treat them with wine and food, both of which were jinxed. While they were under the spell's influence, she turned them into pigs. Meanwhile, Eurylochos had ran back to the ship, informing him of what happened at Circe's palace, so Odysseus went to meet the witch himself and save his companions. On the way, the god Hermes appeared and advised him to eat moly leaves, so as to protect himself from Circe's spells. After meeting Circe, the witch tried to put her spells on him but she failed, and was so impressed by this unexpected development that she fell in love with the hero and eventually turned his companions back to humans. After staying on her island for one year, Odysseus and his crew went on their journey, but not before Circe had given Odysseus valuable guidance about how to proceed.

19th century engraving depicting Circe turning Odysseus's men to pigs

When Alexios returns to his ship and shows Barnabas the bracelet that Circe gave him, his friend is over the moon, absolutely sure that the jewel belonged to Leda. He believes that when Leda arrived at the atoll, Circe turned her into a pig. Then she was transformed into a woman again, and before leaving gave Circe her bracelet to remember her by. As it turns out, all the three items that Alexios found on the visions' locations - the aulos, the spices and the bracelet - were made in or connected with Attika, as their origin is from areas around a cave there, called The Entrance to the Underworld. Alexios suggests they travel to Attika right away, something that makes Barnabas very happy, calling Alexios his best friend.

Barnabas is happy that Alexios believes his story

Their final destination in the quest Daddy's Home is the aforementioned cave, which is around the area of  Eleusis. In its depths, they find several corpses and a young girl who, as soon as she sees them, she gets ready to attack them in an obvious attempt to defend herself. It is revealed that she is Leda, Barnabas's daughter, named after her mother and sharing the same green eyes as her. Apparently Leda the wife was pregnant when Barnabas lost her at sea; somehow she managed to survive and ended up in Attika. There she gave birth to Leda the daughter, got married to a good man and lived happily until the time came for her to die. Having lost her step-father too, young Leda was left alone, in charge of a rich piece of land, something that would regularly attract the attention of aspiring suitors who had their eyes on her fortune. Young Leda however did not want to get married; and most importantly she was not disposed to marry someone who clearly wanted to benefit from her wealth. After she denied their proposals several times, they changed their tactics and started threatening her, even attempting to kill her. Alexios and Barnabas help her get rid of the suitors once and for all, and then Barnabas asks her to leave the farmer's life behind her and follow him on the Adrestia. Leda however refuses, because she feels that it is her duty towards her mother and the goddess Demeter to look after her family's land.

 

Young Leda has her mother's eyes and her father's nose

 

This story references two Rhapsodies from Homer's Odyssey. The first part, where Alexios goes to the Entrance to the Underworld, nods to Rhapsody Λ', also known as "Nekyia" ("νέκυια" in ancient greek,  meaning a magic ceremony to summon a spirit from the underworld), in which Odysseus, following Circe's instructions, descends to the Realm of Hades in order to consult the seer Tiresias on how to find his way back to Ithaca. While in the Underworld, he meets several dead people including a lost companion, heroes of the Trojan War, heroines who had suffered in their lives and his mother.

 

Odysseus In Hades by Wojciech Weiss

 

The second part, in which Alexios and Barnabas help Leda kill her suitors, references Rhapsody Χ', in which Odysseus, having finally arrived on the island of Ithaca, infiltrates his palace and, with the help of his son Telemachus, murders the 108 suitors who had taken over it while waiting for the presumed dead Odysseus's  wife, Queen Penelope, who was already considered a widow, to chose one of them as her new husband. This stage of Homer's epic is one of the most impressive parts with its vivid, detailed descriptions and gory details.

 

Odysseus and Telemachus slay the suitors, by Thomas Degeorge

 

In the end, Alexios and Barnabas say goodbye to Leda but Alexios, seeing how much his friend wanted his daughter to join them, puts a bold plan to practice in the secret quest Demeter's Fire. He sets Leda's farm on fire and when she rushes in despair to find out what happened, he tells her that Demeter herself caused this so as to make her leave and follow her father. Leda takes this development as a sign that she should really put her past behind her, and start a new life by her father's side, this time at sea, just like her mother did before.

 

Alexios hires Leda as a ship lieutenant

Taking the stories from Homer's epic as a base, the questline switches playfully between myth and reality, as we can never know for certain if the three adventures that we go through in the locations indicated by Barnabas's visions really correspond to reality, if they are just co-incidental or if there is a hint of mythology behind them. All three people, Eurylochos, Polyphemos and Circe, mentioned a woman who passed from the places where they were, with their descriptions matching Leda almost perfectly. Leda could very well have arrived as a castaway on those islands, staying in all three places for some time, either voluntarily or by force, before leaving again. The fact that she found herself on the land of Attika, gave birth and created a new family there, clearly proves that she, at least, survived the stormy sea when Barnabas lost her. On the other hand, it could be three different women who passed from those islands, each on a different time. Parallel to all this, the unbreakable bond of friendship and comradeship that Alexios and Barnabas share is highlighted in this adventure, and its title, A Friend Worth Dying For, could apply to both of them, as they would both do anything to make each other happy.

 

Barnabas and Alexios are best buddies

The three people involved in the three stories / visions all have something in common: they were living in the margins of society, being forced to become outcasts and look for a better life elsewhere, in isolated places, without any other people around them. In the case of Polyphemos and Eurylochos, they found sympathy and understanding in each other, and it is clearly a blooming bromance that Alexios made happen there. Cicre's case was a bit different in this matter; what she describes as a wild nature could very well be an allegory for maybe a licentious way of life that she liked to live that was not socially accepted. In any event, the three stories worked as guidance for leading Barnabas to his daughter, although again we can't tell for sure if those were truly signs, or Barnabas interpreted them this way, following his instinct. In the background of these stories, there is always the fancy, the mythology, and Homer's epic poem which, like all heritage, work as backdrop loomed centuries ago, which is always alive, offering the wisdom of the past as a compass for every era's present.

Maxwell Roth As The Epitomy Of The Victorian Extravaganza

Although not a prominent antagonist in the game's story as a whole, Maxwell Roth is a very important supporting character in Assassin's Creed Syndicate, as he plays a major and determinant role in the evolution of its main protagonist, Jacob Frye. Roth is officially introduced in the penultimate sequence of the game, after having made his presence well-known much earlier via a dinner invitation that he sent to Jacob and after having been mentioned a few times during the story, due to him being the leader of the Blighters, the gang that controls the boroughs of London, operating under the orders of Crawford Starrick, the Grand Master of the local Templar Order.

Maxwell Roth in his first appearance

Roth makes quite an entrance in the story, inviting Jacob to meet him at the Alhambra Music Hall, his luxurious and extravagant-looking theater on Leicester Square. In spite of assuring Evie that he will not be accepting Roth's invitation, Jacob of course goes to the Alhambra, in the memory Strange Bedfellows. The title of the mission is more than indicative of Roth's intentions, as well as a foreshadow of what could possibly follow. As the main entrance is locked, Jacob enters through the backdoor (and I guess the connotations are intentional here), but not before talking to Lewis, Roths's right hand, who is standing stoically at the entrance with all the bitterness of the world on his face. Inside, the theater is majestic and lavish; the red color dominates - a symbolism that alludes to the trademark color of the Blighters, but also is associated with blood and passion. Roth appears as a tall man with the slim figure of a dancer and piercing light blue eyes, who obviously had been quite charming in his youth, but now the right half of his face is disfigured due to a big and very deep scar that runs from the side of his eye to the edge of his chin. However this does not make him look less attractive, on the contrary, as it probably had been acquired during criminal activities, it is there as a permanent mark of heroism, something that highlights his very obvious desire to always be in the spotlight. Roth seems to be in his element in the Alhambra. Serving as a cover for his illegal and criminal operations, the theater is still used by him to present popular performances, like musicals, magic acts by illusionists, theatrical plays and acrobatic acts. Theatricality, as himself says, is his specialty anyway; he admits to Jacob during one of their encounters later that he loves producing good plays and always enjoys the applaud and the praising reviews that follow. 

 

Roth and Jacob starting their brief alliance

 

Roth describes the story of his life in a colorful way, claiming that his real name was Oberon and that his parents were part of a traveling theater group. Growing in such an environment, young "Oberon" learned to sing, dance and act, soon revealing his talent in arts as well as in enchanting the crowds. Life's struggles, however, forced the family to turn to crime, gradually giving fewer and fewer performances until they eventually stopped completely. After his parents moved to London with him, they had no other choice than to live on the streets. "Oberon" put up with this kind of living for a while because there was nothing else he could do, but at some point, having had enough, he named himself Maxwell Roth and joined a circus. There, after a brief time of apprenticeship, he proved to be a gifted acrobat and a skilled boxer. When this endeavor failed as well, he entered London's criminal circles. Gradually he built his reputation as an extremely strong boxer, but because he also happened to be highly intelligent, he managed to expand his activities and soon became a most influential figure in the city's underworld. After having established himself as the leader of the notorious Blighters, he caught the attention of Crawford Starrick, who hired him to train his gang leaders. Many times, Starrick and his Templars would also make use of the Blighters' services to carry out their illegal operations. Thanks to these developments, Roth gained a lot of money, and his wealth allowed him to buy an abandoned theater in The Strand which became The Alhambra Music Hall, his pride and joy. A rather fiction-like life story, which could very well have been conceived by Charles Dickens for one of his epic novels; but it still fits Maxwell Roth's theatrical persona like a glove. Even his "real" name, Oberon, has Shakespearean connotations, something that could hint that part of the tale he likes to narrate about his life is just a fantasy; or at least a fantasized and much more fascinating version of real events from his past. The Alhambra, with all its luxury and lavish decorations, is the absolute manifestation of his larger-than-life personality, which in turn reflects the most extravagant Victorian lifestyle.

 

Roth's Alhambra, complete with its dome and obelisks

 

The theater itself has its own historical references, that fully represent the excessive style of that era: it was a real-life theater that did exist during the Victorian times opposite Leicester Square. Built originally in 1854 as the Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts, it was originally made for the purpose of showcasing fine arts and demonstrations of scientific nature. After operating as such for two years, it was closed down and reopened again in 1858 as the Alhambra Theater of Variety, now with the addition of a circus ring. It was an impressively tall building in the style of Moorish palaces, with excessive decoration and rich architectural details, with its overall lavish appearance coming to complete contrast with all constructions around it. An interesting trivium is that the name of the architect who completed the building was T. Hayter Lewis, to whom Roth's Lewis, revealed to be his ex-lover and now devoted aid, seems to allude.

The real-life Alhambra theater at Leicester Square

The Alhambra Theater of Variety operated as a music hall, showcasing entertaining performances of a grand variety: acrobatics, ballet acts, Can-Can shows, patriotic and comical sketches, operettas and later early films were among its popular presentations. It was demolished in 1936, with more modern buildings taking its place, but had definitely left a mark in the entertainment world of the late Victorian era.

Characteristic programs of the Alhambra's shows

In the late 19th's century society of London, full of contradictions and opposite extremes, the conjunctures that bring Roth and Jacob together paint a vivid picture of that era's conflicting elements: the fascinating culture, the flourishing of the arts, the inconceivable poverty of the lower classes, the eccentricity and hypocrisy of the aristocrats, the developments that followed the industrial revolution, the wealth of the privileged suburbs and the gloominess of the slums. Within this context, Roth's flamboyant and over-the-top persona alludes to a cultural aspect of the Victorian society which, albeit existing underground, still was an integral part of it. Quite unexpectedly for that era which was so conservative and strict, an exuberant gay subculture thrived in the margins of society in spite of all the prohibitions imposed by the state. Molly houses were quite popular, and it was not easy to shut them down because, as is always the case, several esteemed civilians and politicians would secretly frequent them. Theatrical performances would often include acts or sketches that had such nuances, and there are numerous candid photographs of the later Victorian years clearly showing that people would risk to express themselves in ways that would even result in severe punishment if they became known.

A still from the Gilbert & Sullivan play "Patience" (left) and a shot of two men wearing extravagant hats

Maxwell Roth himself looks like a (very) toned down version of Henry Paget, an eccentric British aristocrat known as  "The Dancing Marquess" who was well-known during the last half of the 19th century for his extravagant theatrical performances and his extremely flamboyant way of life. Having inherited both title and fortune from his wealthy family, and wanting to be completely free of all restrictions and obligations, he lived a life of excess, buying expensive jewellery and outrageous outfits and throwing lavish parties where he was the main attraction, dancing and performing in his impressive costumes. He converted the chapel of his family's estate into a theater, where he invited important residents to watch him carry out a variety performances, most of which were quite radical for that time. He even formed a theatrical company and toured around Britain and Europe with it.

Henry Paget in his eccentric theatrical constumes

Visually, Roth may look rather mainstream compared to the people referenced above, but his overall attitude and personality is along the same lines. Roth is not interested in appearing extravagant; he is extravagant in his essence, in his habits, in his lifestyle. Besides being a man of the theater, he is also a gangster - and a very tough and fearsome one; and he is extravagant even in the way he rules his men and in how he deals with problems in his gang business. His extreme views are also part of this: being an amoral and an anarchist, he does not hesitate to sacrifice human lives in order to do what he wants. Although he followed Starrick's orders, he eventually reached a point where he could not stand him anymore. His authoritative attitude made Roth feel like he was a prisoner, because it did not allow him to be as free as wanted, so he formulated a plan in order to weaken Starrick and eventually defeat him. Jacob's bravery in dealing with Starrick's army of Templars and gangsters impressed him; quite possibly he saw something from his own young self in Jacob. Having developed a serious obsession with him overtime, he found the perfect chance to make his acquaintance and form an alliance with him. From his part, Jacob accepted because he found Roth's fascinating life and his freedom of mind not only attractive, but also in accordance to his own indomitable spirit.

 

Roth knows how to keep Jacob on edge

 

In the first mission, Strange Bedfellows, Roth sends Jacob to rid off stacks of explosives that Starrick keeps stored at St Pancras station. But he does not want Jacob to simply steal the explosives; he wants them destroyed in the most loud and impressive way. In the second mission, Triple Theft, he accompanies Jacob at three landmarks of major importance, the sewers under the National Gallery, St James Park and the Scotland Yard, in which places he sends Jacob to kidnap three people who do dirty work for Starrick. Having already declared previously that he values freedom the most, he claims that his motive for making these three people disappear is to liberate them from Starrick's grasp. He is not entirely wrong on this, as it turns out; one of them, an illegal art dealer, fully expresses her disappointment against Starrick's stressing directives. In the third mission, Fun and Games, Roth sends Jacob to blow up one of Starrick's workshops. What all three missions have in common is Roth's pompous and unconventional plans about them, another element that highlights his fiery personality. Roth wants to leave a mark wherever he goes.

Maxwell Roth has his way with words

The most accurate depiction of Roth's extravagant persona as a mirror image of the Victorian era's excessiveness is his show during Jacob's last mission with him, Final Act. This is also the point where his obsession with Jacob has reached its peak, in spite of the abrupt and violent termination of their alliance at the end of Fun and Games. Everything in the theater references Jacob one way or the other; the main act is performed by an illusionist called Corvus the Trickster whose name and appearance on the posters alludes to him as a the leader of the Rooks: "Corvus" means crow, and the poster shows a man with the head of a raven. 

 

The Alhambra on the night of Roth's last performance

 

Roth himself shows up for a moment outside the theater, talking to the usher before putting on a most dramatic accessory: a smiling golden mask, with its top shaped like flames, which in fact hints at the man's twisted plan for his final performance. He will wait for Jacob to arrive and go to him, and then he will set the Alhambra on fire, to make sure he dies in a most unconventional way, taking Jacob with him in the burning theater. In the end he dies by Jacob's hand, something that seems to make him equally happy - if not more. That said, the whole setup of the "final act" and the way the masked Roth secretly watches Jacob as he tries to reach him, alludes to the Phantom of the Opera, taking also the setting into consideration: Roth's Alhambra Music Hall versus the Phantom's Opera House.

 

Roth's mask foreshadows how the night will end

But the most impressive presentation and at the same time the most shocking is the theater's scene where the act is taking place: drowned in a blinding red light, it depicts what looks like a dead forest with skeleton trees and twelve ravens hanging from the rafters above. The ravens, which are most likely dead and stuffed, are there as a macabre tribute to Jacob's "Rook" identity, but they also reference a grim nursery rhyme which carries a chilling symbolism in connection to Roth and Jacob's story.

The compelling setting on the fatal night's stage

 

The nursery rhyme is titled Counting Crows and goes like this: 

One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.
Eight for a wish,
Nine for a kiss,
Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss,
Eleven for health,
Twelve for wealth,
Thirteen beware it's the devil himself.

Most of the rhyme's lines correspond to stages of Roth's relationship with Jacob: "sorrow" and "joy" are the feelings that connect them, the "boy" is Jacob, the "gold" alludes to Roth's riches and his lavish environment, the "secret never to be told" is his growing obsession with Jacob, the "wish" is his desire to seduce him, the "kiss" is pretty self-explanatory and the "surprise you should be careful not to miss" is of course Roth's special performance, all set for Jacob's eyes only. The rhyme counts twelve crows that match the number on the theater's stage, while the extra thirteenth crow, the devil himself, has a dual interpretation: it could mean Roth who appears after the twelve crows are set on fire, as the rhyme's "Devil", in the flaming red scenery which is like a depiction of Hell; but it could also mean Jacob, the leader of the Rooks / the crows, who was destined to end Roth's life.

Roth takes what he wants until his dying breath

A most dramatic setting, for such an eccentric and extravagant personality, that makes way for Roth's ideal finale. As he exclaims moments before he dies, that night was "the stuff of legends". Definitely one to remember in the afterlife. That, and the kiss he stole from Jacob.

 

Related articles: The Last Rose of England

BIBLIOGRAPHY

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Paget,_5th_Marquess_of_Anglesey
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra_Theatre_of_Variety

Medicine, Morality and Religion In Assassin's Creed Odyssey

The science of medicine plays an important role in the story of Assassin's Creed Odyssey, as well as in several of its side-quests. Back in the ancient times, people would not easily trust a physician, as they believed that sickness and recovery were works of the gods. Most healers had to present themselves as practicians who were working on behalf of the gods, so that the people would accept their aid and therapy. Asklepios was worshipped as the god of healing, and Hygeia (meaning Health in greek) was a goddess representing the health of body and mind, also worshipped in shrines and places of healing. In the game, there are several stories, major or minor, where healers and physicians are protagonists, and their stories involve conflicts with religious ideas or moral dilemmas, or both.

The Sanctuary of Asklepios in Argolis

The first time that the theme of medicine comes to the spotlight is during the side-quest "The Blood Fever" in Kephallonia, near the start of the game. A severe plague has struck a small village, infecting almost all the residents, and since there was no authorized physician on the island, a group of priests took control of the situation, resorting to a rather extreme solution: they burnt the village, at the same time killing all the sick people, to prevent the plague from spreading to the whole island. Phoebe, Alexios's little friend, sends him to the village to investigate, because she suspects that a family that she happens to know (she is good friends with the daughter) is in danger. When Alexios arrives at the village, he sees that the priests, having found out that all four members of the family, the sole survivors of the plague so far, are infected as well, are about to kill them. 

Alexios talking to the chief priest

The chief priest explains the situation to Alexios, claiming that there is no other way to deal with the infection; it is more than certain that if the members of the family are set free, they will undoubtedly infect the rest of the island which, for the time being, seems completely unaffected by the plague. Alexios then is called to make a hard decision: let the priests kill the family, or kill the priests and set the family free. Both decisions have good and bad outcomes. If he leaves without intervening, the priests will kill the sick people, but the rest of Kephallonia will remain healthy and safe. Phoebe however will be very sad that he did not save her friend, but this is not the worst part: when, much later, he will have the chance to consult the Pythia at Delphi, the oracle will blame him for letting those innocent people die. On the other hand, if he kills the priests, setting the family free, very soon the whole island will be irreversibly infected, and will remain under the curse of the plague for the rest of the story. This brief quest highlights how much people relied on the gods for such matters: the priests believe that their extreme measures is the right thing to do, certain that they act on behalf of the gods. The moral dilemma, however, remains. Is it worthy to sacrifice a few people for the common good? Or even in such tough situations it is always life that matters above all? Regardless, in this specific case things are quite complicated, because if you let the family live, they will indeed infect the rest of the island, eventually leading more people to death. It is a difficult decision, also foreshadowing similar dilemmas that Alexios will have to deal with later, either with his decisions or with his actions.

The sick family is not an easy case to deal with

One of the important supporting characters in Assassin's Creed Odyssey is the renowned real-life physician Hippokrates, who appears in crucial crossroads during the story's development and has his own brief series of additional quests, which set moral questions related to his profession. Alexios first meets Hippokrates in Argos, during the main story quest "First Do No Harm", after having gathered important information regarding the whereabouts of his mother: after the dramatic events on Mount Taygetos that left her grieving the supposed death of Alexios, Myrrine run away from Sparta with a heavily wounded baby Kassandra and travelled to the Sanctuary of Asklepions in Argolis, in a desperate attempt to save the life of at least one of her children. Hippokrates was a healer in the region, so Alexios went to Argos to seek him out. Arriving at his clinic, however, he saw Chrysis, a priestess of Hera, threatening one of Hippokrates's students, Sostratos, demanding from him to inform the physician that he should stop offering his services to the people, because, according to her, his practices were against the will of the gods.

Alexios saving Sostratos from Chrysis's wrath

In this part of the quest, the conflict between religious beliefs and practical science becomes even more evident, as Chrysis directly accuses Hippokrates of defying the gods by healing his patients. Being a priestess, she blatantly proclaims herself appointed by Hera and Asklepios to offer her clearly suspicious aid to the sick people. Her harsh, threatening demeanor betrays her ulterior motives, however, as her attitude is far from holy. After facing her and saving Sostratos from her wrath, Alexios finally has the chance to speak to Hippokrates, whom he finds in the middle of a healing session. The physician appears collected and calm, the exact opposite of Chrysis, as he attends to his patients.

Alexios finds Hippokrates at a makeshift medical clinic

Back in those times, the "presence" of gods was a standard in everyday life and its activities. Even educated people like Hippokrates or Sokrates would accept the existence of gods without doubting it, at least not to a critical degree. This way of thinking is depicted with great precision in the game, and it is very accurate that Herodotos, being a historian and a scholar with vast knowledge of the past and, therefore, able to look way forward in the future, was the only one to practically realize that people imputing life's events to the gods was in fact an easy way for them to either not take responsibility or deceive others. Hippokrates was somewhere in the middle: he had respect for the gods, he was aware of the power of faith that in many cases would indeed help people get better, but he also knew that practical and actual healing was what a patient truly needed in order to recover. When Alexios sees him for the first time, he is treating a man who does suffer from a disease, but he is also worn out by an emotional wound caused by neglect; and he knows that curing him from the disease, will help him in the sentimental part as well, because he will feel that someone actually cares for him.

Hippokrates and a nurse-in-training treating a very sick patient

This introductory quest ends with Hippokrates asking Alexios to bring him back his notes, needed for the treatment of his patient, that were stolen by Chrysis and were being kept at a nearby fort. During the previous discussion with our hero, the physician told him that at the time when Myrrine arrived seeking help for her baby, he was too young to aid her, so he did not know much about what happened to her there, advising Alexios to visit the Sanctuary of Asklepios and look for the priests who probably had more information to give. Chosing which task to do first is quite tricky, as again picking the one over the other in hierarchy has both good and bad consequences. Going to the fort to retrieve the notes first in the quest "The Doctor Will See You Now", looks like the most logical thing to do, but it comes at a price. Alexios locates what looks like the stolen notes in the room where the fort's physician, Dymas, is treating a patient. The doctor informs our hero that the biggest part of the notes were burnt during an attack at the fort, but thankfully he had studied them before and was able to remember them, therefore he could go to Hippokrates and help him write them down again. Although he expresses his admiration and respect towards Hippokrates, he refuses to follow Alexios back to him, as he has his own patient to look after. At this point, we are given a variety of options on how to deal with him, but the essence is that if Alexios manages to bring Dymas to Hippokrates immediately, independently of how he does it, Hippokrates's patient will be healed, but Dymas's patient will die. If Alexios decides to stay a bit more at the fort and help Dymas treat his patient, the latter will recover but when they go back to Hippokrates, his own patient will have died. The dilemma in this story is not so much of a moral nature, but it rather highlights the struggles that physicians have to deal with, when forced to decide on the fate of their patients. The interesting thing in Dymas's case is that if Alexios offers to pay him a good amount of money so as to follow him back to Hippokrates, the doctor will immediately accept, leaving his patient behind and helpless without the slightest remorse, an outcome that showcases a rather dark side of a character who would look quite honest and responsible in any other case.

Dymas is a healer with weaknesses

The quests involving the Priests of Asklepios, apart from affecting the development of the main story also involve some interesting elements on their own. In the quest "Enough Is Enough" the first priest, Pylenor, sends Alexios to rid off the snakes that have invaded the Sanctuary's bath house, causing the death of a man. As it turns out, Pylenor does not know anything about Myrrine, as he was assigned to the Sanctuary long after she was already gone. But the important detail in his story is that he lets slip off that Chrysis had apparently threatened him to refuse to give any kind of information to Alexios, something that further highlights how worthy the priestess thought herself to be, believing that she was entitled to keep the priests under her control, always declaring that her actions were god-driven.

Pylenor does not look like he takes his role seriously enough

The next priest, Timoxenos, whom Alexios meets in the quest "Written In Stone" has more insight to offer, but he too has been threatened by Chrysis and is not willing to speak to our hero directly. However he leads him to a series or record stones, one of which describes Myrrine's arrival at the Sanctuary. Timoxenos, being an older priest, is far more compassionate than the younger and apparently light-headed Pylenor; moreover he gives Alexios some interesting information about Chrysis and her past; how she used to be a good student at the Sanctuary, but at some point something happened and she became so cruel and authoritative that she managed to keep the place under her control, resulting in everyone being afraid of her.

Timoxenos and Alexios in front of Myrrine's record stone

The third priest, with whom Alexios has the chance to speak in the quest "A Heart For A Head" is the most co-operative of the three, although the brief story involving him sheds more light on the practices carried out at the Sanctuary, as opposed to Hippokrates's medical treatments, as it shifts temporarily to a mini quest inside the quest with one more moral dilemma in its center. The priest is treating a little girl who is suffering from an unidentified disease, and he is planning to perform a series of sacrifices to Asklepios so as to hopefully heal the girl and pray for some other things as well. He sends Alexios to find and bring a specific white bull to be sacrificed for this purpose, but Alexios locates the bull's carcass and brings back only its heart. With just the heart, the priest is able to carry out only one sacrifice, at which point Alexios is asked to choose who will be the one to benefit from the sacrifice: the little girl, a wealthy woman who is afraid that she will die and leave her children behind or a farmer who was the owner of the bull and now that the animal is dead, he can no longer provide for the people under his care.

Alexios has a touch choice to make

After this dilemma is solved, the priest informs Alexios that Mydon, the elder priest, is the one who actually knows Myrrine's story in full and is in fact the only one who can help him in his quest, except for he can't speak because he has cut out his tongue. When Alexios finally meets Mydon in the quest "Speak No Evil", he is informed by the priest's servant that it was Chrysis who made him cut his tongue to prove that he was loyal to her and so that she could make sure that he would never be able to tell anyone about Myrrine. Unbeknownst to Chrysis, however, Mydon had already confessed everything to his servant in the past, so she is able to narrate the whole story to Alexios on his behalf.

The elder priest Mydon and his loyal servant

As it becomes more and more clear that the common denominator in all these events is Chrysis, her role in Kassandra's fate also slowly comes into the light. It is revealed that when Myrrine arrived at the Sanctuary, the baby was almost dead. Mydon was the one that run to help her, but Chrysis, recognizing Myrrine's rare ancestry and her daughter's demigod status, intervened and took the baby, ordering the priest to lie to Myrrine by informing her that they were unable to save Kassandra and she finally succumbed to her wounds. Myrrine left Argolis in despair, and Chrysis took Kassandra in the shadows of the Cult of Kosmos, determined to raise her and train her to be a fierce warrior, just what the Cultists needed in order to dominate the world. During Alexios's final confrontation with her in the quest "Ashes to Ashes", the priestess admits all that she has done, for which she seems to be quite proud. Then she sets an altar on fire and throws a sick baby in it, supposedly to heal it. At this crucial point, Alexios can either stay and save the baby, or run after Chrysis and kill her on the spot. If he stays and saves the baby, the mother arrives looking quite calm; she had entrusted the priestess with healing her baby son, probably after being brainwashed, and she did not mind that Chrysis was about to literally sacrifice him. So the sum of Chrysis's practices was a combination of blackmails, threats and tricks to make the people obey her orders blindly, at the same time obstructing Hippokrates's work by openly discrediting his knowledge and healing practices.

Chrysis is one of the most prominent and most ruthless Cultists

In all this, there is a catch, however, that reveals an interesting fact about Chrysis. If Alexios goes to speak to the Priests of Asklepios before infiltrating the fort to retrieve Hippokrates's notes, a secret quest will become available, titled "Herald of Murder". In this quest, Alexios meets a man called Dolops who is afraid for his life after having been attacked by an unknown assailant. After a brief investigation, leading to the conclusion that the man's landlord wants to kill him, Alexios finds and kills the would-be murderer, who, by the looks of it, was associated with the Cultists. During a revealing discussion later, Dolops tells Alexios that he once was a priest at the Sanctuary, helping orphans there while working with Chrysis. Apparently Dolops was a decent and honest man, who respected the Sanctuary and its protector Asklepios, but Chrysis drove him away. The most shocking revelation however is that he is actually Chrysis's son, obviously illegitimate, for whom she felt shame and for this reason kept her connection to him a secret. This is an information of major importance concerning Chrysis and her actions, as not only it sheds some light on her growing insanity but also Alexios is able to use it against her during their final confrontation. Hippokrates, however, always putting the common good above all as he should, being a healer, will judge Alexios rather rigidly if he seeks the Priests of Asklepios before bringing back his notes, as talking to the priests means filling in the blanks in his own quest, while retrieving the notes would mean a potential cure for several sick people.

Dolops is Chrysis's dark secret

Later in the story, after having learnt enough about the possible whearabouts of his mother, Alexios returns to Athens where a plague has spread. In an nightmarish atmosphere filled with death, our hero comes across Hippokrates again in the side-quest "A Growing Sickness". Although the physician cannot identify the nature of the sickness, he still can offer his valuable services to the sick people, and is aware that, in order to limit any further spread of the epidemic, he needs to burn the dead bodies which are still carrying the disease and are lying in the streets, endangering the citizens who are still healthy. 

Hippokrates getting desperate in the plague-striken Athens

This difficult task however is being sabotaged by a notorious group of religious fanatics called The Followers of Ares, who claim to believe that burning the bodies is sacrilegious and prevent him from burning them by invading the areas where he is trying to work and forcing him to leave. What is interesting about this fanatic group, however, is that although they proclaim themselves as religious and sacred, they are extremely violent, with suspicious ritualistic habits which even include cannibalism. The way they present themselves is also very chilling, as they paint their faces very white, so as to look as intimidating as possible. Although brief, this quest highlights very accurately the recurring issue of the conflict between medicine and fanatical religion. Just like Chrysis, but a lot more blatantly, the Followers of Ares are blindly following orders supposedly given by the gods, disregarding completely the educated, scientific approach of Hippokrates. 

The Followers of Ares are self-proclaimed priests and can be seen carrying sickles

At a later time in Thebes, Alexios finds Hippokrates again offering his services to the locals. The quests involving him there pose a series of very interesting moral dilemmas. In the first one, "The Hunting Party", Hippokrates sends Alexios to find a group of hunters that left many hours ago but hadn't returned. Alexios finds the sole survivor at the hunting grounds nearby, bleeding and nearly dead, surrounded by wild bears. After killing the bears and bringing the hunter back to Hippokrates, the physician seems quite reluctant to tend to the man's wounds. In the follow-up quest "Let My Patients Go", it is revealed that the wounded hunter is in fact a ruthless slave trader, who treats his victims with extreme cruelty. Going through a rather frustrating inner struggle, Hippokrates is facing the moral dilemma of whether he should save the life of a man who has already made so many people suffer or not. It is actually the first time that we see the good doctor having such doubts, which implies that the wounded man is indeed a monster. Regardless, it is safe to make Hippokrates follow the good path and treat the man, as this way he will be at ease with his conscience in the long run. Alexios volunteers to free the man's slaves to further support the physician's decision, advising him also to make the the slave trader understand that it was their good will that actually saved his life.

Alexios persuades Hippokrates to spare the life of the cruel slave trader

When this story is over, Hippokrates goes to see another patient, a very wealthy man named Pentheus, who seems to be on his deathbed. In the quest "Inheritance Insurance", old Pentheus, who is a very influential man in the region and his family is in extreme rivalry with the local powerful leader, asks Alexios to go steal important documents and valuables from the leader's house so as to weaken him and thus make sure that his own young son will not be in danger when he dies. During the dialogue, Alexios has the option to ask the man if he should actually kill the guards in the leader house so as to steal the items, something that results in Hippokrates judging him for bringing cold-blooded murder to the table, albeit he does not exactly express it at the time; the reason is that in the previous story the physician himself considered indirect murder by potentially letting the wounded slave trader die helpless, to which Alexios persuaded him to follow the moral path and aid the man. Now the situation is a bit different, however: since Alexios is a mercenary, essentially a hired killer, it is somehow natural for him to pick the lethal path as a means of action when assigned to a mission. Of course being a mercenary does not mean that he does not have moral values, but many times in his trade murder is part of the contract, so there is no sentimentality involved. Alexios is able to fully control this mindset, as it is part of his training and his job; but for Hippokrates, whose most important task is to actually save lives, suddenly switching to such a mindset would be devastating.

Hippokrates and Alexios discussing Pentheus's case

After Alexios returns to Pentheus with the stolen goods, the sick man pleads Alexios to kill him so as to stop his suffering. It is a wish he had also expressed before, but then his priority was securing his son's future safety. In the quest "Too Much of a Good Thing", Hippokrates is seen facing another moral dilemma, as he knows how much his patient is suffering and that death would mean instant relief for him, on the other hand he cannot bring himself together to end his life. The physician sends Alexios to collect hemlock, a strong poisonous plant which, however, in small doses acts as a temporary tranquilizer and pain inhibitor, so as to make a medicinal mixture with it and give it to Pentheus to help him sleep painlessly for a while. When Alexios brings back the hemlock, and after Hippokrates tasks him with grinding the hemlock, it is his turn to deal with a moral dilemma, of whether he should add the right amount of the herb or apply an overdose so that when Pentheus drinks the medicinal mix he will subsequently die, which was the sick man's wish that he confessed to Alexios previously. Although the choice that Alexios makes at this point is quite crucial regarding his future relationship with the physician, at whichever outcome Hippokrates will realize that he has still a lot to learn about ailments and treatments, and be able, through further research and gained experience, to control both his sentimentality and moral doubts.

Alexios contemplating on whether he should add the right amount of hemlock or not

During the time that Alexios passes with Darius and Neema as part of the "Legacy of the First Blade" story, he comes across a strange case of epidemic in the small seaside town of Potidaia in Makedonia. In the quest "Mysterious Malady", people are getting severely sick from something that is extremely contagious, forcing the local magistrate to kill those who cannot recover. When Alexios arrives to investigate, he is informed that Timosa, the local physician, is missing after having left to collect medicinal herbs to help cure the infected.

The magistrate looks suspicious, but in fact he is desperate

On first look, this story feels similar to the one in Kephallonia, but in reality the situation here is a lot different, as several curious facts are gradually uncovered. Alexios locates Timosa on a remote beach, apparently under attack by soldiers who, strangely enough, work for the magistrate. Then Timosa sends Alexios to sink two ships so that he can retrieve from them two bunches of medicinal herbs that she claims had been stolen from her. In the process of fighting the ships and sinking them, Alexios finds out that the "thieves" were in fact professional bandits hired by someone unknown specifically to kill him. Considering all the facts, as well as Neema's discovery that the drinking water in the village had been poisoned, Alexios realizes that the one responsible for the epidemic is actually Timosa, who not only poisoned the water, but also treated the infected people with unsuitable medication to make them even more sick and eventually cause their death, and she was the one who hired the bandits, orchestrating the supposed theft of her herbs, tasking them with killing Alexios. It is eventually revealed that Timosa is a member of the Order of the Hunters, a sub-branch of the Order of the Ancients which, in turn, is associated with the Cult of Kosmos. 

Timosa first appears as an innocent victim

Although she is indeed a physician, Timosa completely offends against the values of her vocation, ruthlessly leading people to their death instead of helping or healing them. Timosa's case is far more serious than that of Chrysis, because the latter was marginally insane; she did not have any actual medicinal knowledge, and was operating driven by her blind devotion to the Cult, presenting herself as blessed by the goddess Hera. Timosa acts fully consciously and with cold calculation, practically cancelling her quality as a healer and betraying all moral values that she may have had at the early stages of exercising her trade.

Timosa's true nature is eventually revealed when her guards show up unexpectedly

The exact opposite of Timosa is Qamra, a nurse on the island of Lesbos, whom Alexios meets in the quest "Qamra, Medicine Woman". Qamra is treating the sick workers at a rich vinyard, but she misses a few items that are necessary for her work, so she asks Alexios to get them back for her: she has left her tools at a fort's clinic closeby, and her medicinal supplies have been stolen by the evil leader of the Petrified Island and are now heavily guarded in his mansion. Qamra is accompanied by a farmer, who is apparently in charge of the work in the vinyard. By the looks of it, the man is worried more about what will happen to the crop since the workers will be unable to offer their service if they are not healed; unlike Qamra who, being a healer, is more concerned about the people getting well. 

Qamra and the farmer face a conflict of hierarchies

Still on the island of Lesbos, Alexios comes across a woman at a ruined temple, not far from the Petrified Forest where several people have been turned to stone by evil forces, remaining there still like statues. In the mission "The Elixir", the woman presents herself as a scientist who is formulating a special mixture which can reverse the effects of petrification on people.  

The scholar claims she can cure petrification

Alexios agrees to help her by tracking down the three rather peculiar ingredients that she needs, but when he meets her again at her laboratory, he realizes that the supposed medicinal mixture is actually poison, which she makes unsuspecting people drink so as to kill them and then use the bodies as bases for her sculptures. In a humorous note, we could say that the woman is a tribute to the well-known character of the mad scientist who is so popular in fiction. Of course she cannot be judged as a normal case of a healer, because she does not operate as one, even if we assume that there might have been a time in her life when she could have been a true physician.

There are real dead bodies inside the sculptures!

At the Chora of Delphi in Phokis, Alexios meets Lykaon, a young healer whose life story turns out to be very connected to that of our hero's. In the quest "Helping a Healer", Lykaon asks Alexios to collect a bunch of mandrake herbs, which he needs so as to prepare healing mixtures for his patients. After the mixtures are ready, Alexios delivers them to three people who all seem to know Lykaon very well and like him a lot, but all three express their worry because the young physician looks very troubled and restless lately. One of them informs Alexios that Lykaon lost his parents when he was very young, and was raised by his grandmother who, according to the man, is a cursed woman. 

Lykaon is a good doctor with a mysterious aura

A bit later, in the quest "Sins of the Past", Alexios finds out that Lykaon has also prepared an extra mixture with an overdose of mandrake herbs, so as to give it to his grandmother and kill her by poisoning. Shocked at that revelation, because Lykaon is clearly far from being the killing kind, Alexios starts investigating this strange case. As it turns out, Praxithea, Lykaon's grandmother, used to be an Oracle at the Delphi. Following orders by the Cult of Kosmos, she inadvertently ruined many people's lives, even leading them to their deaths. Lykaon, knowing that all her supposed prophesies were deceits, and realizing that she was never going to get punished for spreading lies for so many years, decided to take justice in his own hands by killing Praxithea himself. It is revealed that the Pythia who ordered Kassandra's death years ago, was in fact Praxithea giving one more false prophecy made up by the Cult, a fact that unexpectedly connects the destinies of Alexios and Lykaon in a rather dramatic way. Soon they find out that Praxithea has been kidnapped, obviously by guards of the Cultists; as soon as the Cult knew that Alexios was in Phokis, they took care to rid off Praxithea to avoid a meeting between the two and prevent Praxithea from confessing the truth about her false prophecy to him.

Alexios and Lykaon discuss about Praxithea's fate

In the follow-up quest "The Unkindest Cut", Alexios frees Praxithea from her captors, but then the time comes for yet one more moral dilemma to be solved. Lykaon insists that he has to kill his grandmother, so as to do justice to all the families that she ruined in the past. However it is something that, deep down, he does not want to do, because, as a healer, his task is to save lives, not take them. Moreover, like Praxithea also says, he is a good man; doing something so hideous would destroy his life. There are several ways to deal with this situation, but clearly the best is to dissuade Lykaon from killing his grandmother. Exactly because he never truly wanted to do it, and his only motive was a high sense of moral responsibility towards society, the few consoling words that Alexios says to him are enough to persuade him, so that Praxithea will stay alive and he will be able to go on with his life with a clear conscience.

Praxithea sincerely regret her past actions

It is notable however that if Alexios encourages Lykaon to kill Praxithea, the healer will be unable to do it, something that further highlights that killing her was never something that he really wanted to do. Lykaon's story is one of the most touching and thought-provoking among the game's supporting quests because it proves to have a close connection to the family story of Alexios, as Praxithea's prophecy was the start of all the misfortune that essentially affected the direction that Alexios's life eventually took. As a physician, Lykaon has many similarities with Hippokrates when it comes to ethics and morality. Both men are good-hearted and compassionate, they are healers with the full sense of the word and when it comes to tough choices, they both have a hard time deciding between what is the right thing to do and what their heart truly commands.

Alexios finally persuades Lykaon to not commit murder

Upon arriving on Lemnos on the hunt for a local Cultist, Alexios learns that his good friend Barnabas has a nephew on the island, a young man named Neleus who is a talented athlete but also very lazy. In the house where Neleus is staying for his training, Alexios and Barnabas are informed by Mikkos, the young man's caretaker, that Neleus is very sick, to the point where he cannot even walk; nobody can find out what exactly happened to him, and additionally many other gifted athletes have recently fallen sick with similar symptoms, while a few others have disappeared and nobody knows where they are.

Mikkos is Alexios's main lead for the solution of the mysterious case on Hephaistos Islands

Following Mikkos's clues, Alexios travels to the neighbouring island of Thasos and investigates the local quarry where there are many sick workers, also sharing common symptoms with Neleus. A young but rather sick-looking man named Solon seems willing to give some information, being also the only one there whose mind is clear enough to allow him think and talk relatively properly. During the brief discussion that follows, Alexios learns that the key person in this case is a doctor who has all the sick people at the quarry under his care; the doctor should have been there to give them an antidote so as to heal them from that strange condition which he calls "mind fog", but soldiers came and dragged him away. Alexios finds the doctor imprisoned in a cave at a nearby camp, so he sneaks in and frees him in order to make him talk.

The quarry's doctor is a very interesting, multi-leveled character

The doctor confesses that he formulates a special tonic, but sometimes this "medicine" causes side-effects to the people who take it, specifically the mind-fog that Solon described. To cure them from this, the doctor has to prepare a special antidote, but sometimes it is either too late for the patient or the side-effects are too severe, and the antidote cannot work. Following more leads, Alexios investigates a gymnasium in Thasos City that all the sick or missing athletes had been visiting for their training, and learns from the chief trainer that there a rich man used to visit the place from time to time, accompanied by strange men; this bizarre group would sit and and watch the strongest and most gifted athletes who subsequently would stop coming at the gymnasium. Alexios locates the rich man, Karpos, in a nearby villa where all sorts of entertainment take place, and there is a special wine served there, reserved for the gifted athletes as a reward for their hard training. 

Karpos is a man who easily switches sides to keep himself safe

Little by little, all facts come to light and it is finally revealed that Karpos, following the Cult's orders, either because he was being paid very well or because he was blackmailed (or both), would visit the gymnasium with the Cultists; the latters would watch the performance of the athletes, picking out those that looked stronger and more talented than the rest. Then Karpos would invite those athletes to his villa with promises of wine, entertainment and sex for any taste, the athletes would happily indulge and as soon as they got to the villa, they would be served the special wine which, in fact, was imbued with the doctor's tonic, a special formula that made people superhumanly strong. This was another evil plan by the Cult, to make the already strong athletes even stronger and turn them into fierce soldiers for their army. Some of the athletes however suffered from side-effects, so they could not be used as soldiers; those were taken by the doctor and sent to the quarry as workers. Then the doctor treated them with his antidote, hoping it would help them recover. Neleus was among those select athletes, who additionally had side-effects after drinking the special wine; apparently he started feeling unwell at Karpos's villa and somehow managed to leave and go back to Mikkos's house before the doctor had the time to take notice and lead him to the quarry. As the case is gradually being resolved, the Cult becomes aware that their plan has been exposed; they send soldiers at the quarry, who kill all the sick workers and fatally wound the doctor. While dying, the doctor gives Alexios the antidote for Neleus and expresses his sadness about the murder of his patients, for whom he truly seemed to care in his own twisted way. 

The dying doctor begs Alexios to end his life

The case of the doctor in this story is a very interesting and unique one, as he is a character with a rather quirky attitude and an even quirkier way of thinking. It is not that he does not have a sense of morality; more like, he has a weird view of morality and how it should guide his actions and decisions. Although his supposed treatment caused harm to people, he seemed to form an oddly strong bond with those who suffered from the side-effects of his tonic. It is characteristic that he calls his patients "pets", but in an obviously affectionate way, almost giving the impression that, in his eyes, the affected athletes became his "creations" after drinking his potion. In spite of him looking rather frivolous, it gradually becomes clear that his inner struggle is suffocating him. On the one hand, the scientific facts produced by his experiments are extremely valuable to him; on the other, he feels sorry for subjecting so many people to suffering. Marginally deranged, possibly a result of him witnessing the evil doings of the Cult and eventually realizing that he was actually helping them, he still managed to maintain some clear sense, something that becomes evident in his last moments, somehow making up for the pain he had caused to so many innocent people.