Phanos the Younger

Phanos the Younger was an actor, poet, and playwright active in Alexandria during the reign of Pharaoh Ptolemy XIII, and one of the first members of the Hidden Ones. A cousin of Aya, one of the Hidden Ones' co-founders, Phanos became a key ally to her and her husband Bayek during their struggle against the Order of the Ancients.

Biography

Helping Aya

In 49 BCE, Aya's son Khemu was killed by the Order of the Ancients beneath the Temple of Amun in Siwa. Returning to Alexandria and trying to cope with her grief, Phanos brought her to the Library of Alexandria, where Aya educated herself, learning a variety of languages, philosophy, mathematics and ancient history. Unbeknownst to Phanos, however, Aya was also secretly finding ways to seek revenge against the Order, who was also based in Alexandria.

A year later in 48 BCE, Aya was being pursued by Alexandria's Phylakitai Gennadios for the killing of two Order members, Actaeon and Ktesos. As such, Phanos introduced Aya to Apollodorus, a follower of Queen Cleopatra who gave Aya a place to take refuge. Aya's husband and Medjay, Bayek of Siwa, later came to the city in search of his love. In the library, Phanos introduced himself to Bayek, giving him the details about Aya's situation. He later escorted Bayek to a small tower, containing a well which provided an entrance to Aya's hideout. Before leaving, Phanos invited Bayek to look for him after reuniting with Aya.

Pursued by the Phylakitai

Phanos asking Bayek to rescue his actors

Shortly therefater, Phanos composed a comedic play which took a jab on the reign of the Ptolemies. As a result, Phanos' pay was confiscated by Gennadios' phylakitai, and his actors were imprisoned in the Akra Garrison. Phanos, refusing to be oppressed, attempted to rally the Alexandrians to rebel against the Ptolemies. This caught the attention of Bayek, who helped Phanos to rescue his actors and retrieve his script, allowing him to resume his play.

To celebrate the launch of his play, Phanos chose Bayek as his guest of honor, inviting him to his home located south of the city. On the way there, Phanos and Bayek were attacked by the phylakitai in retaliation for Bayek's actions at the Akra Garrison. Together, the two ended up fending off several waves of attackers outside Phanos' home, leading Phanos to come up with a plan to eliminate Gennadios' phylakitai once and for all.

Sometime later, Bayek returned to Phanos, who had managed to discover the whereabouts of Gennadios' remaining phylakitai: one patrolling the canals beneath Alexandria, another along the Canopic Way, and the last stationed at the city's armory. Bayek helped Phanos to eliminate all the remaining phylakitai, thus allowing the Alexandrian poets to spread their revolution.

Joining the Hidden Ones

Phoxidas with Bayek and the group

In 47 BCE, after the Battle of the Nile, Cleopatra was crowned the sole pharaoh of Egypt following Ptolemy XIII's defeat and death, and allied with the Roman statesman Julius Caesar and seemingly with the Order of the Ancients. Phanos met with Aya and Bayek in a tavern alongside their other associates, where they expressed their disgust at Cleopatra's betrayal. The group then decided to form an organization to fight the Order and preserve the free will of the people.

While Bayek pursued the Order's leader Flavius Metellus to Cyrene, Phanos remained in Alexandria with Aya, assisting her in her efforts to locate Lucius Septimius. Aya later recruited two Roman senators, Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus, who shared similar goals with them. As Aya, Brutus, and Cassius left Egypt to establish a Hidden Ones branch in Rome, Phanos stayed in Alexandria and, with the help of Phoxidas, started sending letters to trusted allies across Egypt, Greece, and Rome to tell them of the newly founded brotherhood.

Behind the scenes

Phanos the Younger is a character in Assassin's Creed: Origins. He is voiced by Canadian actor Arthur Holden.

Gallery

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  Close-up of Phanos
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  Phanos meeting Bayek in the Library of Alexandria
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  Phanos and others in the tavern with Bayek

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Origins