Hermippos

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"What is a leader if he hides behind the walls he built himself? Send me fire, storm, or sickness, but bring me justice for my city."

―Hermippos, 431 BCE

Hermippos (died 431 BCE) was an Athenian comic playwright. He was also member of the Eyes of Kosmos branch of the Cult of Kosmos, operating in Attika, Greece during the 5th century BCE. He was son of Lysis and brother of Myrtilos.

Biography

Early activities

Prior to joining the Cult of Kosmos, Hermippos was a playwright who found his calling in life in the theater. After joining the Cult, he became affiliated with the Athenian statesman Kleon, who was a Sage of another branch of the Cult. This allowed him to gain much power and earn enough riches to have his own villa, which was dubbed as one of the most beautiful houses in the northern part of the city. Hermippos would also spend the day at the Lame One's Temple in the eastern part of the city.

At one point, Hermippos became associated with a polemarch from Fort Phyle sent a letter to his fellow Eye, The Master, urging the Master to be patient, and telling him that Hermippos' contact "a fort captain who feeds me information" had promised that Attika would soon fall.

Said captain, however, seemed to lack Hermippos' company, according to his letter which Kassandra found at Fort Phyle. In it, the captain bemoaned the fact that despite Hermippos' promises, his bed was cold.

Opposition against Perikles

With Kleon's backing and his knowledge of poetry, Hermippos used the theater to influence the Athenians' and accuse Perikles, the leader of Athens and Kleon's opponent, of weakness and cowardice. At least some point before the Peloponnesian War, Hermippos led the charge to have Perikles stripped of power and his spouse Aspasia, ostracized though the efforts were fruitless.

As the war broke out in 431 BCE, Hermippos openly voiced out his support of Kleon's policies in 431 BCE. This led him into a debate with the sophist Protagoras at Perikles' symposium, which both Hermippos and the later had been invited to. There, Hermippos met the misthios Kassandra, who had came to the symposium seeking information for her mother's whereabouts and join their debate for a short moment.

Conflict with Aristophanes and death

Sometime after the symposium, Hermippos came into conflict with the playwright Aristophanes over one of the former's play which badmouthed Perikles. On Aristophanes' request, Hermippos ' home was infiltrated by Kassandra, who found a cultist mask exposing Hermippos' identity as a member of the Cult.

After Kassandra had killed Hermippos, she found the word "Nyx" etched onto his gloves. Whether this was an act of fealty or provocation, this clue served to bring her closer to the Sage of the Eyes of Kosmos.

Trivia

• In the novel Hermippos died at sea, drowning alongside three other cultists, their ship cleaved by the Adrestia as Kassandra fled Athens for Argolis in search of Hippokrates after Hermippos had attempted to poison Kassandra at Perikles's Symposium.
• Hermippos can be unveiled as a member of the Cult of Kosmos after Perikles's Symposium in one of three ways:
  • Completing the quest Free Speech, a character quest for Sokrates will automatically unveil Hermippos after returning to Aristophanes.
  • Looting a clue from the polemarch in charge of Fort Phyle. Unveiling him afterwards will automatically complete 'Free Speech' once it becomes available, so players wanting to do both should leave him as "ready to unveil," although the only benefit is in seeing the quest dialogue; the rewards are issued all the same.
  • Killing him at the Temple of Hephaistos prior to unveiling him. This will automatically unveil him in the "defeated" pose i.e. back facing the camera and slumped over like other mercenaries and cultists.
  • None of these options are available until after 'Perikles's Symposium', as Hermippos is not loaded into the overworld until after that quest is complete.
  • If the player does not collect the polemarch's letter before Hermippos is unveiled, it can still be collected, but there is no way to read it.
• Although Hermippos is loaded into a restricted zone, he is neither hostile to the player on sight nor will he engage in combat (unless a guard has already spotted them). If not unveiled as a member of the Cult, he can be spoken to and will say, "Eagle Bearer, I had a feeling I would see you again soon." Once unveiled, the "Talk" prompt is replaced with "Assassinate."

Gallery

• 
  Hermippos' first meeting with Kassandra

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey