Nikolaos

"Beware the snakes in the grass."

―Nikolaos to Kassandra, 431 BCE.

Nikolaos of Sparta, also known as the Wolf of Sparta, was a famed Spartan general who lived during the 5th century BCE. He was married to Myrrine, the daughter of King Leonidas I, and was the father of Alexios and step-father of Kassandra. He was also the adoptive father of Stentor.

Because his step-daughter was descended from Leonidas, Nikolaos had high hopes for her to live up to her grandfather's fame and valor and trained her from a young age. However, a catastrophe befell the family one fateful day when the Oracle of Delphi prophesied the destruction of Sparta at the hands of Alexios. After Kassandra accidentally killed a Spartan elder while attempting to save her brother's life, she was sentenced to death. Nikolaos reluctantly stood by this sentence and personally attempted to carry it out, throwing his step-daughter from the top of Mount Taygetos.

Years later, while fighting in the Peloponnesian War, Nikolaos was unexpectedly reunited with Kassandra, who had surived her fall from Mount Taygetos and had become a famed mercenary. Despite her initial desire to exact revenge, Kassandra ultimately spared Nikolaos' life, and he subsequently left the Spartan army to try and make amends for his past actions.

Biography

Early life

Nikolaos: "Again! Up!"

Kassandra: "Yes, Pater."

Nikolaos: "A Spartan rises as soon as they've fallen. Ready your staff. Widen your stance. A soldier grounds themselves. Good, good. Approach me."

—Nikolas training Kassandra, 440s BCE.

At some point, Nikolaos met and married Myrrine, the daughter of King Leonidas I of Sparta. Myrrine previously had a daughter, Kassandra, from her past relationship with the philosopher Pythagoras. Despite this, Nikolaos treated Kassandra as his own child while keeping it a secret together with Myrrine. Due to her lineage, Nikolaos would regularly train Kassandra, hoping that she would one day bring glory to the family.

Incident on Mount Taygetos

Stentor: "He... he is to be admired, strong, caring in his way. But sometimes, I -"

Kassandra: "Yes?"

Stentor: "Nothing. Just, he gets this faraway look in his eyes, and I sense a sadness there. He is Sparta's general, but he is also made of flesh and blood. Life cannot be lived without some regrets."

—Stentor to Kassandra, on Nikolaos, 431 BCE.

In 451 BCE, Nikolaos and Myrrine had a child of their own, Alexios. However, tragedy struck the family when, shortly after the boy's birth, the Cult of Kosmos manipulated the Pythia Praxithea into giving a false prophecy, proclaiming that Alexios would lead to the fall of Sparta. As a result, the newborn was condemned to death in order to prevent the polis' downfall, a decision which Myrrine opposed.

Nikolaos dropping Kassandra to her apparent death

Nikolaos and his family were brought to Mount Taygetos, where they awaited the sentencing surrounded by the Elders of Sparta. Despite pleas from Myrrine, Nikolaos refused to budge, as he was strictly adherent to Spartan law. When Alexios was about to be thrown off the cliff by an Elder, he was stopped by Kassandra, who unintentionally pushed both him and Alexios to their apparent deaths.

As Kassandra's action was considered against Spartan law, Nikolaos was compelled by the Elders to punish her accordingly. Despite Myrrine's pleas for him to spare Kassandra, Nikolaos ignored her and held his step-daughter up by the hand. After several moments of hesitation, he threw her off the cliff to her seeming death; a decision he eventually came to regret.

Following the incident, Myrrine seperated from Nikolaos and left Sparta, unable to forgive her husband for his actions. Nikolaos later met a young orphaned boy named Stentor, taking him under his wing after being impressed with his skills. Eventually, he adopted Stentor into his household, training him like he had once done with Kassandra and bringing him along to his battles.

Reunion with Kassandra

Nikolaos: "So you are the champion who won the day. Tell me your name, hero, so that I may greet you as a true warrior."

Kassandra: "Chaire, pater. It's been a long time."

Nikolaos: "Impossible. I saw you fall."

Kassandra: "I didn't fall, you fucking threw me to my death."

—Nikolas' reunion with Kassandra, 431 BCE.

Nikolas rallying his troops

By the time of the Peloponnesian War, Nikolaos rose up the ranks of the Spartan Army, eventually becoming a general and helping to contribute numerous victories to his polis. His victories made him a war hero and gave rise to his title as the Wolf. Nikolaos' abilities became a concern for the Cult of Kosmos, who had secretly orchestrated the war with the goal of taking over the Greek world, and they assigned one of their agents, Elpenor, to have him eliminated.

In 431 BCE, Nikolaos was posted in Megaris to conquer the region with Stentor. The army was later assisted by a mysterious misthios, who sabotaged Athenian supplies and eliminated the Athenian-hired mercenary Hyrkanos the Cunning.

When the Spartans succeeded in breaking the blockade of Megaris, Nikolaos requested to meet the misthios in person, waiting on the edge of a cliff. The misthios revealed herself as Kassandra, having survived her fall from Mount Taygetos years ago and having been hired by Elpenor to kill Nikolaos. As Kassandra angrily confronted her step-father over his actions, he insisted that he had to do his duty as a Spartan.

Nikolaos spared by Kassandra

Though desiring revenge, Kassandra ultimately spared Nikolaos' life and allowed him to leave. Before that, Nikolaos revealed that he was not Kassandra's biological father and told her to find her mother Myrrine for more answers. He subsequently abandoned his post in Megaris and vanished, leading to rumors that he had been killed.

These rumors spread quickly among the Spartan army and he was officially declared dead by the polis, who repossessed his home. Among those who believed the rumors of his death was Stentor, who was promoted to polemarch following Nikolaos' disappearance and sought revenge on Kassandra, blaming her for his adoptive father's presumed death.

Return to the war

Nikolaos: "Kassandra! What are you doing here?"

Kassandra: "I came to kill him."

Nikolaos: "He wouldn't have been a challenge for you."

—Nikolaos' second reunion with Kassandra, c. 427 BCE.

Around 427 BCE, Nikolaos reemerged from exile and decided to secretly help Stentor, who had been dispatched to Boeotia to claim the region from Athens. In this capacity, he tracked down one of the Champions of Boeotia fighting for Athens, Aristaios, and killed him near the Military Fort of Gla.

Nikolaos catching up with Kassandra

Immediately after killing Aristaios, Nikolaos was found by Kassandra, who had been sent to Boeotia to assist Stentor. Talking with his step-daughter, Nikolaos revealed that he sought to make amends for his past actions and reclaim his lost honor by helping his family. Kassandra then encouraged him to reunite with Stentor.

Later, Nikolaos decided to follow Kassandra's advice, interrupting a duel between her and Stentor, who sought to avenge his 'death'. Nikolaos told Stentor that Kassandra had done nothing wrong and encouraged him to act like the leader he had trained him to be, claiming that Stentor would become a better commander than he ever was.

After again catching up with Kassandra, who informed him that she had found Myrrine, Nikolaos warned her about a shadow growing across Sparta and wished that the gods watch over both her and Myrrine. Kassandra then left to return to Sparta while Nikolaos remained with Stentor to provide guidance.

Family reunion

"This is nice. Having us all together, I mean."

―Nikolaos to his family, 422 BCE.

In 422 BCE, Nikolaos and Stentor were invited to attend a family dinner organized by Kassandra and Myrrine at their home in Sparta. During the dinner, Nikolaos commented that it was nice for the family to be together again after so long. Sometime later, Nikolaos joined the crew of Kassandra's ship, the Adrestia, accompanying his step-daughter on her travels throughout Greece.

Behind the scenes

Nikolaos is a character introduced in the 2018 video game Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, where he is voiced by Elias Toufexis. The name Nikolaos (Νικολαος) means 'victory of the people', from which the English form, Nicholas, is derived.

While the game allows players to choose between sparing Nikolaos or killing him, the official novelization confirms that Kassandra spared him during their reunion in Megaris, and later helped him reunite with Stentor after his 'official death.'

Gallery

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  Concept art of Nikolaos
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  Head models of a younger Nikolaos
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  Head models of an older Nikolaos
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  Nikolaos and a young Kassandra
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  Nikolaos carrying a baby Alexios
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  Younger Nikolaos and Kassandra
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  Nikolaos interrupting Kassandra and Stentor's duel
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  Stentor and Nikolaos after the battle in Boeotia

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion (mentioned in Database entry only)
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey novel
• Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game (mentioned only)