Sword of Damokles

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The Sword of Damokles was one of the Swords of Eden, leftover artifacts created by the Isu that bestowed advanced abilities and leadership skills upon their wielders.

Owners

• Isu (until 75,000 BCE)
• Cult of Kosmos
• Deimos (until c. 422 BCE)
• Kassandra (c. 422 BCE – c. 400 BCE)
• Dionysius I (c. 400 BCE)
• Gaius Julius Caesar (until 44 BCE)
• Marcus Antonius (c. 33 BCE – 30 BCE)

History

Created by the Isu scientist Hephaistos during the War of Unification, the Sword of Damokles and other Pieces of Eden like it seemed to grant their bearers great power and leadership and were later used by influential humans in battle.

By the late 5th century BCE, the sword had come into the possession of the Cult of Kosmos, an offshoot of the Hermeticists. The Cult granted the weapon to their champion Deimos, the grandson of King Leonidas of Sparta, as his direct descent from the Isu allowed him to utilize more of the sword's potential. After Deimos' defeat at the hands of his sister Kassandra, the sword fell from the height of Mount Taygetos. She later claimed the weapon but was unable to use its enhanced abilities.

At some point, the sword left Kassandra's possession and wound up in the care of the Syracusan king Dionysius I, who used the weapon to impart a lesson on noblesse oblige to his courtier Damokles.

By the 1st century BCE, the sword had ended up in the hands of the Roman consul Gaius Julius Caesar. Following his assassination by the Hidden Ones in 44 BCE, Caesar's fellow consul and close friend Marcus Antonius and his grandnephew and adopted son Octavian clashed over ownership of the weapon. Ultimately, Antonius was able to seize the sword and take it with him to Alexandria, where his and Cleopatra's armies battled Octavian's Roman forces during the War of Actium. Once defeat became inevitable, Antonius faked his death and tried to flee with both the sword and Cleopatra's son Caesarion to India, but was confronted and killed by the Hidden Ones.

In 2020, the Assassin Layla Hassan relived Eivor Varinsdottir's memories and modified her Animus to include a sword named for this Piece of Eden as part of the shieldmaiden's arsenal.

Weapon statistics

Animus HR-8.5

{{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Sword of Damokles"}}

Rarity	DPS (Lvl 99)	Default Engravings	Availability
Description
This is the very sword from the story of Damokles. It taught him a lesson in wishing for ultimate fortune.

Mobile Animus 4.38

{{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Sword of Damokles (Rebellion)"}}

Tier	Damage	Speed	Miss Chance	Modifiers	Requirements
Enhanced Skills
Life Leech: Heal yourself with each strike. Rank 1: Instantly strike an enemy for 100% damage and heal this hero for 10% of their maximum health.
Description
A mighty Isu artifact that fell into Kassandra's hands after she faced Deimos. It is razor sharp, and surprisingly light, despite its elaborate shape.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art
• 
  The Sword as it appears in Rebellion
• 
  Kassandra wielding the Sword of Damokles
• 
  Kassandra wielding the Sword in Athens, 404 BCE
• 
  The Sword in Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game

Behind the scenes

The Sword of Damokles is the weapon wielded in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey by Deimos, one of the game's main antagonists. After defeating Deimos, the player is rewarded with the legendary sword. If Deimos is successfully recruited as a lieutenant aboard the player's ship Adrestia, however, they continue to wield the blade as though the player does not have it. This effectively means that the legendary sword received by the player is a new copy rather than it being transferred from Deimos' possession to the player, when canonically there is only one Sword. This anomaly is also seen in the cases of Darius with the Pride of the Lion and Leda with the Hero's Sword.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Odyssey novel
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
• Assassin's Creed: Nexus VR
• Assassin's Creed Roleplaying Game