The next — and 10th — installment in the mainline Assassin’s Creed franchise is taking us back, way, way back to ancient Egypt in 49 BCE. So far back, in fact, that often the developers at Ubisoft had little historical context to go on, consulting with historians and Egyptian experts and having their artistic team fill in the leftover blanks. Assassin’s Creed Origins is set to paint a picture of a time long forgotten and overlooked by our modern world — the perfect time to give birth to the order of Assassins.
In Assassin’s Creed Origins, we won’t see any of the characters we’ve grown accustomed to in the series; not only have none of them been born yet according to the timeline, but their stories have all wrapped up as neatly as they could be.
Who is Bayek?
Bayek — his name a play on the hieroglyphic word for “falcon” — is the starring assassin of Assassin’s Creed Origins. Bayek is the last surviving member of the Medjay, an elite ancient Egyptian police force that protected the royal family and important areas like major cities, the cemetery, and the country’s borders. The Medjay were descendants of the Nubian people.
By 49 BCE, when the infamous Cleopatra was rising to power, the Medjay were no longer used and faded away. Bayek is the last of his kind and acts as the protector and chief law enforcement official for his community.
Bayek came from the town of Siwa, and eventually married and moved in with Aya, an Alexandrian woman. He trained her to fight like a Medjay. But since Aya was a sworn agent to Cleopatra — then in exile — and Bayek had doubts about her ability to rule, it strained their relationship. The work they did together lay the foundations of what would become the Assassin’s Brotherhood featured in all the games.
Who is Senu?
Senu is an eagle that has a special relationship with Bayek. She is a Bonelli’s eagle that can grow to have a wingspan of up to 59 inches. Bonelli’s eagles are normally silent most of the time, save near their own nest. It’s easy to believe that Bayek’s companion is an eagle, as eagles have been featured prominently in the design and storylines of other Assassin’s Creed games.
Like later Assassin’s in the timeline — including Altaïr Ibn-La’Ahad and Ezio Auditore da Firenze — Bayek possesses the Eagle Vision ability that allows him to scout our targets and see across far distances. However, Bayek’s Eagle Vision is much more literal, as Bayek can see through Senu’s eyes for reconnaissance.
Using Senu, players can find hard-to-see targets for missions and fly across larger areas, marking points of interest along the way. Bayek can telepathically see through the eyes of other animals, but Bayek’s relationship with Senu is the strongest.
Who is Aya?
Aya is a Greco-Egyptian and Bayek’s wife. After they were married, Bayek taught her to fight like a Medjay. When she became an agent of the exiled Cleopatra, it caused strife in their household. Despite this, she and Bayek were still in love. Aya appears to have a very strong personality and conventions on what is right and wrong and is comfortable working alongside her husband. Their relationship formed the foundation of what would become the Assassin Brotherhood.
Aya will be a playable character in certain missions throughout the game.
We’ll learn more about Bayek, Aya, and Senu when Assassin’s Creed Origins launches on October 27.
Thanks to GameStop for sponsoring this video. Preorder Assassin’s Creed Origins now to receive the bonus Secret of the First Pyramids mission.
