Podarkes

"There is no victory without eternal war. The Kosmos guide me."

―Podarkes

Podarkes the Cruel (died 420s BCE), also called King of the Silver Islands, was a member of the Delian League branch of the Cult of Kosmos, who governed the Silver Islands during the Peloponnesian War. He was also the brother of Diokles.

Biography

King of the Silver Islands

Podarkes earned his epithet 'the Cruel' through his deeds when he overtook the rule of the Silver Islands, as well as during his reign.

Years before the Peloponnesian War, Podarkes was involved with Dianthe, and fathered Kyra with her. During the girl's early childhood, Dianthe often visited Podarkes at his residence with Kyra and attempted to make him a part of her life. Podarkes paid her well to keep Kyra's parentage secret, but Dianthe was not content with that. Ultimately, Dianthe brought Podarkes a wooden doll Kyra had made, engraved with the letter 'P' for pater, "father" in Greek.

For Podarkes, that was apparently the final straw, and he had his servant Otonia deliver Dianthe a letter warning her to keep quiet and stop visiting him, or he would "send you both to Hades." Either Dianthe refused to let even this hinder her, or else Podarkes wanted to make sure to rid himself of the problem she and her daughter were to him, and he sent Athenian soldiers to kill them. He had Otonia lead them to Dianthe's home, where they skewered Dianthe with a spear in front of Kyra's eyes, and attempted to kill her, too. Otonia, however, stood up to them, and with her aid, Kyra managed to flee.

The Peloponnesian War

Podarkes working

When the Peloponnesian War began, Podarkes openly allied the Silver Islands with Athens' Delian League.

For the first time in quite a while, the Cult of Kosmos gathered at their shrine under the Sanctuary of Delphi in Phokis. Podarkes attended, and afterwards sent a letter to a fellow Cultist and a member of the Delian League branch, Brison, telling him that he wanted Brison at the Silver Islands, fighting by Podarkes' side.

This letter was seized by the Spartan misthios Kassandra, and it led her to uncover both Brison as well as Podarkes.

The fall

"What I did, I did for the glory of Delos."

―Podarkes' final words

By the time of the Peloponnesian War, Kyra had grown up and joined forces with other rebellious Mykonians. Seeing Podarkes' efficient cruelty at work, Kyra sent out a call for help, both to the "Eagle-bearing misthios" as well as Sparta. Barnabas relayed her message to Kassandra, who agreed to sail to Mykonos. From Sparta came the polemarch Thaletas. They joined forces with Kyra, even if they did not always see eye to eye on everything.

With the help of Otonia, Kassandra learned of Kyra's parentage. She recovered the wooden doll Dianthe had brought Podarkes from his residence, and told Kyra.

When Kassandra participated in the Battle for the Silver Islands, she killed Podarkes' brother Diokles, and found a letter on him detailing Podarkes' order to capture Kassandra. This served as a clue for her to discover Podarkes' membership in the Cult of Kosmos.

After weakening the Athenian hold on the Silver Islands, Kassandra hunted down Podarkes and killed him, recovering a letter from another member of the Delian League branch of the Cult, Kodros.

Afterwards, Kyra recovered Podarkes' body and cremated it. Kassandra joined her and offered Kyra coins, for Podarkes to "pay the ferryman." Kyra accepted the coins, tossing them onto Podarkes and bidding him to go "into the river of black night."

Trivia

• The name Podarkes, Ποδάρκης (podárkēs), is Greek for 'swift-footed'. It was the original name for Priam, the mythological king of Troy during the Trojan War, and served as one of Achilles' many epithets in Homer's Iliad.
• Podarkes is shown wearing a chest piece which shares its model with the piece from the Spartan War Hero, Ares and Lysander's sets. This means that it is inscribed with Σπαρτα, 'Sparta', as well as celebrating by name Spartan kings Archimeon and Leonidas.
• Podarkes can be found in either the Tavern in the city or the Leader House outside the city.
• Although the Cultist clue taken from Podarkes has enough information to direct the player to the clues that unveil both Iobates and Kodros, and is actually the exact same clue taken from Kodros, only Kodros' masked icon will be revealed in the Cultist menu upon collecting this clue (which directs players to fight in the Pephka Arena to find the unveiling clue). Players must kill Kodros and re-collect the exact same letter in order to reveal Iobates' icon. This is likely a bug or oversight, as the letter from killing Brison reveals the mask icons for both Podarkes and The Monger.

Gallery

• 
  The funereal pyre of Podarkes
• 
  Podarkes upclose

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey