Phila

"The world belongs to the great and those who do great things."

―Phila the Tempest, 420s BCE.

Phila (died 420s BCE), also known as the Tempest, was the Magus of the Order of the Storm, a branch of the Persian Order of the Ancients who operated in Achaia, Greece, during the Peloponnesian War. Phila was also the estranged daughter of Kleta, and a "Tainted One" like the Spartan misthios Kassandra.

Biography

Early life

As a child, Phila enjoying playing in the ocean and had started learning to sail. At least several years before 425 BCE, Phila and her mother had a falling out, resulting in Phila leaving her hometown of Boura, Achaia. Phila left by ship, and after some time on her journey an accident occurred. Phila almost drowned but was saved by Amorges, who offered her purpose with the Order of the Ancients. She eventually obtained the rank of Magus and oversaw her own branch, the Order of the Storm.

Throughout her years of service, Phila became known for her ruthlessness and strategic brilliance, which allowed her to eventually rise to the rank of commander, in charge of her own fleet which was said to be undefeated in Achaia.

Activities in Achaia

At some point around 425 BCE, Phila, now known as "the Tempest" and captaining her ship, the Skylla, blockaded Achaia. The purpose of the blockade was to stop refugees from Makedonia and Achaia from leaving Greece; however, it also prevented anyone else from entering.

In order to further strengthen her ship, Phila hired Gyras, a Patrean engineer, who was noted to be one of the best in the Greek world, to develop a fire weapon called the Chimera's Breath and install it on her flagship. When the misthios Kassandra begun meddling in her affairs, starting with the destruction of several of her ships, Phila placed a bounty on Kassandra's head, enticing several mercenaries to the area to hunt her down.

Death

"There's no simple life for people like us, only death. I always knew it would end like this..."

―Phila

Eventually, Phila entered combat herself as the refugees were about to leave Achaia. Captaining the Skylla, Phila engaged Kassandra's ship, the Adrestia, as a storm raged around them. Though the Skylla was far superior in size to the Adrestia, the latter destroyed the former, and the Skylla crashed into the rocks on the Achaean coast.

Phila's final confrontation with Kassandra

Washed up on the shore along with a couple of the soldiers under her command, Phila was enraged. Facing her mother who pleaded with her, and Kassandra, Phila clashed with the latter, commending Kassandra on her ability, among the very first who could even hope to match her. Though the battle was hard, Kassandra eventually beat Phila. The Persian Darius entered the scene, tossing an Order Elite guard who had been watching from a cliff nearby. While Phila reeled under her injuries, Darius picked her sword from the ground and approached her.

As Phila struggled on the sand, the Order Elite commanded her to do "complete [her] mission". Despite her best efforts, Phila failed to even stand up. Darius approached her, offering her sword to her and reminding her that she could choose for herself, not blindly follow the Order's commandments. Phila smiled at him and got back up to her feet, accepting the sword, then turned to the Order Elite. Before she could reach him, however, she stumbled again, and the Order Elite fled the scene, seeing that they had lost the Tempest. Soon after, Phila succumbed to her wounds.

Legacy

"I fought to change your course in life, but in the end you couldn't escape your fate."

―Gergis's memorial to Phila.

Sometime following her death, Gergis, a fellow Magus from the Order of Dominion branch, erected a memorial for Phila alongside ones for Pactyas and the twin brothers known as The Immortals on a small hill near Pedasos Camp in Messenia.

Behind the scenes

Phila is a fictional character from Assassin's Creed: Odyssey's downloadable expansion Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage. Her name is derived from the Greek word φίλος (phílos), meaning 'beloved, dear'.

In the memory "Leviathan's Maw", depending on the player's choices, Phila will either attack Kassandra out of loyalty to the Order of the Ancients, or out of rage after witnessing one of her guards killing Kleta. In both scenarios, Phila is defeated by Kassandra and convinced by Darius to turn her back on the Order before succumbing to her wounds, either next to her mother or while being held by her.

Gallery

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  Phila and her followers
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  Darius offering Phila a sword
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  Phila dead

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
  • Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage (first appearance)
  • Legacy of the First Blade: Bloodline (mentioned only)