Bayek

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Bayek of Siwa (86 or 85 BCE – unknown) was the last Medjay active in ancient Egypt and one of the founders of the Hidden Ones, an organization that would later transform into the Assassin Brotherhood, alongside his wife Aya.

Bayek and his wife took a leading role in the civil war between Queen Cleopatra and her brother Ptolemy XIII, a conflict that saw them at odds with the Order of the Ancients.

Laying the groundworks for the Hidden Ones during this struggle, Bayek and Aya formed bureaus in Memphis and Rome from which they would spread their influence throughout the Roman Republic, helping to fight for the freedom of the people against the Order's desire for control.

Biography

Early life

The son of the Medjay, Sabu, and his wife Ahmose, Bayek hailed from the town of Siwa, where he was viewed as a local hero. He was the last of the Medjay, an old Nubian Egyptian order which had become obsolete under the rule of the Greek Ptolemies, and as such was the respected protector of his community. In the rest of Egypt, however, he was viewed as an inconvenient relic by those in power.

Bayek later married an Alexandrian woman named Aya, who moved in with him during their youth and trained in the arts of the Medjay. Together, they had a son named Khemu. He also became a close friend of Hepzefa, a fellow Siwan.

Khemu's death

In 49 BCE, five members of the Order of the Ancients travelled to Siwa and kidnapped Bayek and Khemu, bringing them to the entrance of an Isu vault beneath the Temple of Amun. The Order showed Bayek a relic and demanded him to open the vault due to his experience as the Medjay. Bayek, however, had no knowledge about the vault. Before the Order could interrogate Bayek for more information, the pharaoh Ptolemy XIII arrived at the temple. Khemu stole a knife and succeeded in freeing his father, who attempted to take down the members. He was subdued by one of the members, who deflected his attack and causing him to stab Khemu in the abdomen, killing him. Before Bayek could respond, he was knocked unconscious by the masked men.

Quest for vengeance

Khemu's death drove Bayek to hunt down the members of the Order of the Ancients, one by one. Aya was unable to cope with the loss of her son and returned to Alexandria where her cousin Phanos the Younger lived. Bayek however began searching for information about the Order throughout Egypt. During his absence, Hepzefa took over his Medjay duties and looked after the town. After a whole year of searching, he discovered the identity of one of its members, Rudjek who was the Nomarch of Saqqara and used the cryptonym The Heron. Bayek hunted Rudjek to the Bent Pyramid of Sneferu, were he crossed path with Hypatos, Rudjek's bodyguard. Bayek knocked out Hypatos despite being seriously wounded and confronted Rudjek, who threw a knife towards the Medjay. Bayek however dodged the attack with Rudjek's mask and slammed it with the knife threw the Nomarch's head, killing him instantly.

Having killed the first member of the Order, Bayek left the pyramid and resume on his journey to pursue the other members. Along the way, he passed out from his injuries and was found by Nefertari, the chief healer of Nitria, a natron mine in Saqqara. Nefertari brought him back to the town and patched his wounds. In the midst of confusion, Bayek left the mine when he woke up and embarked on a long journey back to Siwa.

A few months later, Bayek was confronted by Hypatos in the outskirts of the town above an Old Kingdom tomb, determined to seek vengeance against the Medjay for leaving for dead in the pyramid. In the midst of their fight, Hypatos repeatedly slammed the floor, collapsing the floor and causing both him and Bayek to fall to ruins below. As neither were incapacitated by the fall, they resumed the fight, with Bayek offering a truce. Hypatos refused the truce in the name of honor, eventually falling to the blade of Bayek.

Bayek later navigated his way through the tomb and when he reached the exit, he discovered his friend Hepzefa fighting a group of soldiers who served under Rudjek.

Return to Siwa

After dispatching the soldiers, the Medjay duo ride back to Siwa. Bayek is told of the changes to his homeland brought upon by Medunamun, a member of the Order known as the Ibis, who has established a base at the Temple of Amun. The two head to Hepzefa's home, where after killing local soldiers sent to kill them, their old friend Rabiah treats Bayek's injuries.

Before confronting Medunamun, Hepzefa urged Bayek to strengthen himself with upgraded armor & gear. To do so, Bayek helps the Blacksmith of Siwa regain his tools from a corrupt captain in Camp Shetjeh.

After helping the local Siwans, Bayek confronts Medunamun who, unapologetic of Khemu's death, is beaten to death by Bayek with a spheroid Piece of Eden the former was studying. Having freed Siwa of a member of the Order, Bayek returns to Hepzefa for information of where to find Aya. Hepzefa leads Bayek to the Library of Alexandria, to meet her by the Statue of Serapis (a Greek/Egyptian god) where she will update him on her own hunt of members of the Order.

To Alexandria

After crossing the desert, Bayek enters into Alexandria seeking Aya in the Great Library by a statue of Serapis. It is there he is approached by playwright/poet Phanos the Younger, who is Aya's cousin. Phanos escorts Bayek to a garden temple/shrine where a hidden entrance lays for him to enter and reach Aya's base of operations. Aya greets Bayek passionately after a year of separation. Aya informs Bayek she has killed two members of the Order as she shaves him in the bath: Actaeon The Vulture, whom she hunted, and Ktesos the Ram, who tracked Aya to her home estate after killing Actaeon.

Afterwords, Aya shows Bayek a royal papyrus with the Snake's emblem, linking the Ptolemic Court to the Order. Aya attained this intelligence by Apollodorus The Sicilian who, on behalf of Cleopatra, has spies to track the Order. Bayek distrusts Cleopatra due to her ousting, but trusts Aya's judgement. Aya entrusts one of the two relic hidden blades of Darius to Bayek on his left arm to covertly assassinate the last Order member they have found: Eudoros, whom they believe to be The Snake who killed Khemu. Aya keeps the other blade for her own mission for Cleopatra. but before Aya can do anything, she is being pursued by Gennadios The Head Philakitai of Alexandria, who seeks to capture and execute her for the murders she's done.

Gennadios & Eudoros

Bayek seeks Gennadios at the Akra Garrison in the East end of Alexandria. Upon finding and assassinating Gennadios, Bayek is warned by his dying target that his men the Phylakes will hunt for him across Egypt and kill him in revenge.

As Eudoros is a member of the Ptolomy Court, Bayek infiltrates the Royal Palace, and proceeds to the Room of the Royal Scribe. Finding a locked chest, Bayek gets the key from a top the bookshelf and opens the chest. He discovers a false bottom to find letters addressed to Medunamun The Ibis, wherein Eudoros states he is keeping Pharaoh Ptolomy XIII under his control, and Gennadios is questioning the citizens of where to find Aya. Certain Eudoros is the Snake from the Siwan Vault, Bayek heads to the Greeks baths where Aya told him Eudoros frequents.

Entering the Bathhouse, Bayek can only enter with a towel and his hidden blade. Finding Eudoros, Bayek climbs to the ceiling, and air attacks Eudoros. Resisting Bayek's attempt to kill him, Eudoros gains the upper hand ready to drown Bayek, until the latter triggers his hidden blade; amputating his ring finger, but killing Eudoros. His last words being that the Snake never dies. Bayek exits the bathhouse cauterizing his wound from losing his finger with a fire stick.

Bayek returns to Aya, telling her he has killed Gennadios for hunting her, and Eudoros for killing their son. Aya and Bayek now feeling some sense of closure, the two have sex atop the garden temple/shrine entrance.

Personality and traits

Before the tragic death of his son Bayek was shown to a caring and loving father and husband, as well as a dutiful protector of his home of Siwa. He was shown to have a lighthearted and jovial nature, as well as a strong sense of responsibility and duty for those who needed protecting. He also seemed to be very knowledgeable about the Ancient Egyptian religion and would often teach his son about them, while also explaining the world around him. His relationship with his wife was very stable, despite her Greek heritage and his strong belief in the ways of the Old Egypt.

After Khemu's death, Bayek's sole focus became to hunt down those who were responsible, not to rest until everyone involved had paid with their lives. While he took priority on hunting down the Order of the Ancients, he would stop to help those in need, showing that he still took his role as a Medjay and protector seriously.

While he maintained his friendly nature around close friends and people that he trusted, he was equally cold and ruthless toward those he considered to be his enemies. Bayek showed no sympathy toward those who prey on the weak and defenseless, especially innocent children. Although he was driven to kill the members of the Order, Bayek was not incapable in sympathizing with his targets or feeling guilty for his actions. Learning that Khaliset had lost a child caused Bayek to empathize and take pity on her, leading him to pray that Khaliset be reunited with her daughter in the afterlife after he killed her. Another example is that after assassinating Taharqa, Bayek sadly apologized to his son Kawab, showing remorse for robbing an innocent child of his father.

Although Bayek was very proud of his homeland and pursued the ancient paths of his country, he had no prejudices against strangers and their culture and simply wished that Egyptians and non-Egyptians would coexists as equals. He would get disgusted at both non-Egyptians and Egyptians alike, who further insisted on strife and hatred towards each other, like the Caretaker´s Cult, a group that terrorized the Greeks living in Egypt.

Equipment and skills

As a Medjay, Bayek was highly trained in the art of combat, and he utilized a variety of weapons that included the khopesh, spear, and bow. He also possessed a shield to defend himself against enemies' attacks and wielded the signature Hidden Blade for low-profile assassinations. Aside from this, Bayek was an expert in stealth and freerunning.

Bayek had a symbiotic relationship with his eagle, Senu, which aided him in reconnaissance thanks to his Eagle Vision. Unlike later Assassins such as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, and Desmond Miles, Bayek's Eagle Vision was far more literal in the sense that activating the ability allowed him to see through the eyes of Senu.

Trivia

• Bayek is a play on the hieroglyphic word for "falcon" or "vulture". This is keeping in tradition of the protagonists' names being associated with avians.
• Bayek possesses a small scar on his upper lip, a feature he shares with later Assassins such as Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Aveline de Grandpré and Desmond Miles.
• Alongside Io:nhiòte, Bayek is one of the two known individuals gifted with Eagle Vision who displays the ability to telepathically see through the eyes of animals, in their case eagles.

Gallery

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  Concept art of Bayek
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  Another concept art of Bayek
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  Concept art of Bayek on a horse
• Concept Art of Bayek with Senu on a camel
  Concept Art of Bayek with Senu on a camel
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  3D Models of Bayek
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  Closeup of Bayek's face
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  Bayek
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  Bayek's burial potrait

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Desert Oath (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Origins