Barnabas

Barnabas (fl. 5th century BCE) was a Greek naval captain active during the Peloponnesian War. As the captain of the Adrestia, he became a vital companion to the misthios Kassandra.
In his youth, Barnabas was a soldier before turning to commercial shipping for a livelihood. In this capacity, he developed a network of contacts throughout Greece, including local leaders and mercenaries, who became a primary source of information for Kassandra. By offering his ship and crew to the Spartan mercenary, so that they might first leave Kephallonia, the two became friends.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
Barnabas was also the husband of Leda of Ithaka, with whom he had a daughter, also named Leda.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Barnabas was born in an olive grove on the island of Mykonos. He and his brothers later joined the Athenian army, serving as captains in the Athenian navy.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Big Break
At some point, Barnabas met Leda, a native of the Greek island of Ithaka, and they fell in love, eventually marrying. They also sailed together regularly.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Odyssey Into the Past One night during a siege, Barnabas' fleet was destroyed during a storm. During the same incident, Barnabas claimed to have come face to face with Poseidon's "murderous pet", and lost his eye to it. As their ship was wrecked, Leda roped together the remains and together she and Barnabas paddled to a shore.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Daddy's Home
However, Barnabas and Leda eventually separated, after which the former left the navy to become a sailor in his own right, rising to become the captain of his own ship, the Adrestia.
===Meeting Kassandra===
In 431 BCE, Barnabas visited the island of Kephallonia and docked at the town of Sami. While exploring the island, he met the Cyclops of Kephallonia and told him of a tale he had heard during his last voyage. When Barnabas mentioned the words "one-eyed monster", he was kidnapped by the Cyclops to Kleptous Bay, unaware that the words were considered sensitive to the Cyclops.
The Cyclops repeatedly dunked Barnabas' head into a vat of water, only stopping after he was confronted by the misthios Kassandra. Kassandra eliminated the Cyclops and his men, bringing Barnabas to safety outside the bay. After introducing himself and telling his stories, Barnabas agreed to lend his services and ship to Kassandra, who was in need of a ship to travel to Megaris. Barnabas informed Kassandra to meet him back in Sami whenever she's ready to depart.
As they departed from Sami, Kassandra told Barnabas to set sail to Megaris, as he had a contract from Elpenor to eliminate the Wolf of Sparta. As Barnabas mentioned the Wolf to be Nikolaos, Kassandra revealed that Nikolaos was her father.
===Unmasking the Snakes===
After Kassandra confronted her father, she returned to Barnabas to discuss what he had told her, namely that her mother was still alive and to beware of "snakes in the grass." Barnabas counseled her to seek out the Oracle of Delphi, as they were on their way to Phokis anyway to report back to Elpenor. He cautioned her to make extra preparations, as Nikolaos' words had put her on guard.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Onwards to Phokis
After her meeting with Elpenor turned hostile, Kassandra reunited with Barnabas outside the Temple of Apollo, where he introduced her to Herodotos, to whom he had already divulged a great deal of information about Kassandra herself, including her spear. She admonished him for being so trusting with strangers, after which they all discussed the question Herodotos asked of the Pythia how to end the war. Kassandra recognized her answer, "Spring should not wish for winter, as it brings death with it," as a threat, to which Barnabas simply replied she was on Kephallonia for too long. They discussed the long line leading in to see the Pythia, to which Barnabas suggested Kassandra simply walk in, asking rhetorically who would stop her. Kassandra agreed and marched inside the temple.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Consulting a Ghost
After Kassandra killed Elpenor and investigated the Cult of Kosmos, she met with Herodotos at the Lion of Leonidas at the Hot Gates of Thermopylai in Malis, to test his theory regarding the Spear of Leonidas. Afterwards, Barnabas welcomed Herodotos aboard the Adrestia as a traveling companion. They revealed to Barnabas that the Cult was controlling the Pythia's words, and through her, the Greek world, which shook the pious sailor to his core. Nevertheless, he boasted of Kassandra's own greatness and expressed his belief that they would bring the "wrath of the gods" down on the Cult. He ordered the men onwards to Andros, and then to Athens, to continue their investigation.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Memories Awoken
===An odyssey across the Aegean===
After Kassandra attended the symposium in Athens, Barnabas regularly shared council with her as they sailed to Argolis, Korinthia, and Keos, the locations she was given as the best potential leads on her mother's whereabouts. She shared what she had learned in each region, as well as explaining the nature of the Cult's activities therein. Each time, Barnabas would reaffirm his confidence in Kassandra's abilities.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Island of Misfortune
Their partnership took them to every island on the Aegean Sea, especially Naxos in the aftermath of the Plague of Athens of 429 BCE, where Kassandra had finally learned her mother had taken up residence. As they sailed towards the island, Barnabas sensed her nervousness and reassured Kassandra that any mother would be proud to have someone as brave and loyal a daughter as her.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – A Mother's Prayers
After their meeting, Kassandra reported back to Barnabas that even Sparta had fallen into the Cult's grasp, as they sailed towards Paros to undermine their campaign against Myrrine and Naxos. Barnabas vowed to sail with her to Sparta once Naxos was secure.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Quarry Quandary
With Naxos secure, Kassandra eventually sailed into the harbor at the Village of Gytheion in Lakonia to reunite with her mother on Spartan soil for the first time in nearly two decades. The bay felt familiar to Kassandra, and Barnabas remarked that "a bird can fly away for seasons, but it will always recognize its nest when it returns." Kassandra doubted that she was welcome there, but Barnabas replied "when the time is right, we always get to go home." Kassandra asked where home was for him, a story he chose to save for another day.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Home Sweet Home (Odyssey)
===Journey to Makedonia===
Around 429 BCE, Barnabas traveled with Kassandra to Makedonia to answer a mysterious call for help. Shortly after their arrival, Kassandra spotted a man on fire and determined him to be more worthy of her attention, leaving Barnabas behind with the ship as she traveled further inland. At the village beyond the port of Potidaia, she found herself confronting the Order of the Ancients, who had set fire to the village. She defeated them, and in the process met the Persian Natakas.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted - The Horsemen Cometh
After encountering Natakas' father Darius and forming an alliance with the two Persians against the Order of Hunters, a sub-group of the Ancients, she consulted with Barnabas. She told him of Darius' claims, namely that he had assassinated King Xerxes I of Persia, and the Order had come to Makedonia to hunt her and those like her. Barnabas expressed their situation simply, asking if she believed Darius and trusted him.
Regardless of Kassandra's answers, he advised her to return to the Persians in order to learn what was really going on, as Kassandra noted that Darius was definitely hiding something. Barnabas bid her to be careful, to which she quipped that she would be as careful as she always was, much to Barnabas' chagrin.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted - More Questions than Answers
===The Olympic Games===
Around 428 BCE, Kassandra returned to Sparta, where Pausanias, one of the two kings of Sparta, tasked Kassandra with escorting the Spartan Pankration champion Testikles to the Olympic Games in Elis, in order to prove her loyalty to Sparta and redeem her family in the eyes of the gods. During the journey from the island where Testikles trained to Elis, Barnabas praised his performance in the previous games. Unfortunately, the champion died shortly after disembarking at Kyllene, after he stumbled drunkenly off the docks into the maw of a nearby shark, and at Alkibiades's urging, Kassandra became Sparta's champion at the Olympics in his stead.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Delivering a Champion
Once they had reached the Sanctuary of Olympia, Barnabas was more than happy to give Kassandra a tour of the city, while telling her about the history of the Games and traditions associated with it.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Barnabas Abroad
During the Olympics, Alkibiades participated with a number of others in a habitual celebration hosted by his old friends and Olympic judges Kallias and Demophanes. Soon afterwards, he fell ill, and while Barnabas looked after him, Kassandra investigated, finding the other participants dead, save for Kallias. She followed clues to the merchant Priam, who led her to the antidote, saving Alkibiades' life.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Long Game
===The Delian rebellion===
At some point during their travels, Kassandra received a mission from Kyra, a rebel leader on the island of Mykonos, requesting her aid in a rebellion against Podarkes, leader of the Silver Islands, and the Athenians who backed him. Barnabas indicated that Podarkes was a member of the Cult of Kosmos, which spurred Kassandra onwards to the islands. Arriving at Mykonos, Barnabas explained the mythical history of the islands of Delos and Mykonos, while warning Kassandra of the cruelty of Podarkes himself.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Trouble in Paradise
After Podarkes was overthrown, Barnabas joined the subsequent celebrations on the islands, in the company of Iola, a woman he had met earlier at the temple of Apollo on Delos.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – A Night to Remember
=== Fighting the Order of the Ancients ===
Several years after Kassandra had helped Darius and Natakas eliminate the Order of Hunters in Makedonia, the Persians requested her aid again as they had become stranded in Achaia along with several other refugees due to a naval blockade set up by the Order of the Storm, led by the Tempest. Kassandra reunited with Darius and Natakas and they set about weakening the Tempest's forces, including acquiring plans for the Chimera's Breath, a ship-mounted flamethrower capable of wreaking devastating damage in naval battles. Barnabas would become responsible for deciphering the blueprints and making the weapon worthy for the Adrestia to wield.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage - Tides of War
Kassandra, Natakas, Darius, and their local ally Kleta later initiated their plan to liberate the stranded from Achaia. As they watched the first group of refugees sail away, Barnabas ran up to alert them to the massing fleet led by the Tempest herself. Kassandra ordered the Adrestia ready for battle, vowing to destroy every ship in the fleet.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage - Calm Before the Storm
At sea, Barnabas put the finishing touches on the Chimera's Breath, making the weapon ready for use in the moment it was needed most. With the flamethrower at their disposal, Kassandra tore through the Tempest's fleet, including her flagship, the Skylla. Barnabas could barely contain his excitement and even went as far as to declare Kassandra "Prometheus" for her taming of fire.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Shadow Heritage - Leviathan's Maw
Following their victory over the Tempest, Kassandra ultimately settled down to start a family with Natakas and Darius, though it was not long before they found themselves once again at the tip of the Order of the Ancients' sword. Their assault devastated their home village of Dyme, resulting in the death of Natakas and his and Kassandra's son Elpidios being kidnapped by the Order of Dominion. Darius abandoned Kassandra to pursue the Order by himself, and Barnabas eventually arrived to provide his condolences to his captain and friend. Having deduced that the siege weapons used by the Order during their assault could have only been produced in Messenia, Barnabas informed Kassandra, providing her with a lead to begin her hunt of the Order and find her son.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Bloodline - A Flight in Fire
===Taking back Athens===
After Kassandra's Spartan birthright was restored in 425 BCE, she sailed to the Battle of Pylos, where she briefly fought against her brother Deimos. They were knocked unconscious by falling trees and she was captured, taken back to Athens and imprisoned by Kleon, the city's leader and a member of the Cult of Kosmos. Barnabas stormed the prison armed with only a shovel and Sokrates at his side in an effort to liberate her, only to find that Kassandra had already defeated the guards Kleon had left behind to kill her.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Doing Time
The two men quickly returned Kassandra's equipment and instructed her to meet at Perikles' Residence. There, alongside several other of Kassandra's allies, they established the Periklean Circle, a group dedicated to undermining Kleon's popularity with the people, and therefore his authority, in order to restore democracy to Athens.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - The Resistance
===Dinner in Sparta===
With Kleon dead at the Battle of Amphipolis, the Cult of Kosmos routed, and her remaining ordeals with her family resolved, Kassandra sat down to a meal in her childhood home. Afterwards, Barnabas joined her on the hill overlooking the city and discussed the outcome of her odyssey. He remarked that wherever her adventures took her next, he and the crew of the Adrestia would be right there with her.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Dinner in Sparta
===Journey to Atlantis===
Around 422 BCE, Barnabas and Herodotos accompanied Kassandra when she went to Thera to meet her birth father, although they remained on the Adrestia. When she returned and told them that her father was none other than the famed philosopher Pythagoras, Herodotos was shocked.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – A Family's Legacy After Kassandra had gather the four Atlantis artifacts and sealed the ancient city, she made Barnabas and Herodotos promise never to tell anyone about the place, to which they agreed. The trio then reminisced of their adventures together while preparing for their next journey.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Atlantis Destroyed
=== Treasure hunt on Korfu ===
In 420 BCE, after Kassandra mysteriously vanished for six months, Barnabas and Herodotos went around looking for her, eventually finding her relaxing at a villa on the island of Korfu. After Kassandra explained that she had taken a vacation, her friends were concerned that she had lost her adventuring spirit and was becoming sedentary, so they convinced her to partake in a treasure hunt, secretly organized by them.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories - No Rest For the Misthios
While searching for the treasure, Kassandra was captured by pirates who were similarly hunting something valuable: an Apple of Eden hidden on the island centuries ago by a famed treasure hunter. Deciding to find the artifact before the pirates, Kassandra escaped and stole a document from their camp which she presented to Barnabas and Herodotos after explaining what had happened. While Kassandra went to retrieve a key mentioned in the document, her friends traveled to the Korkyra Polis to find a colleague of Herodotos who could decipher the document.
However, at the professor's house, Barnabas and Herodotos were attacked and captured by the pirates, who also killed the professor. Although Barnabas later managed to escape, Herodotos was not as lucky and had to be saved by Kassandra, who exchanged the key she had found for her friend. After following the pirates' captain to the treasure, Kassandra killed him and then attempted to take the Apple. However, the artifact interacted with her spear, resulting in an explosion which sent the Apple flying to the northern side of the island and depowered the spear.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories – Not All Treasure Should Be Found
Hoping to repair her friend's spear, Barnabas set out to recover the Apple, believing it could return the spear's powers just as it had taken them. However, upon touching the artifact, he was driven mad by it, going on a rampage and drawing the attention of local soldiers. After coming back to his senses, Barnabas, horrified by his actions, took refuge in the Temple of Zeus and prayed to the god to free him from the Apple's influence. It was there that Kassandra found him and attempted to convince him to surrender the Apple.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories – Power Corrupts All
However, Barnabas was too corrupted by the Apple's power and refused to hand it over, projecting illusionary copies of himself to fight Kassandra. After she defeated him, she managed to separate him from the artifact, though it burned his right arm in the process. With Barnabas saved, Kassandra decided to inform her friend that she was immortal and that she feared she had lost him, to which Barnabas told her that what mattered was to make the most out of the present.
Later, Kassandra decided to leave Greece to go on a journey across the world for reasons she refused to disclose to her friends. She invited Barnabas to accompany her, an offer he gladly accepted, telling Kassandra that she had his loyalty and companionship, as well as the Adrestia. After bidding farewell to Herodotos, the two sailed to Egypt to begin their new adventure. Barnabas would continue to serve with Kassandra for the rest of his life, until his eventual death from natural causes.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories – A New Horizon
==Personality and traits==
Barnabas was a kind and cheerful man who rarely complained and was almost always in a completely calm state. He was also shown to appreciate and be loyal to his friends like Kassandra, whose role as captain he respected, believing the gods had set her upon this path.
Barnabas strongly believed in the Greek gods and the old legends of heroes and mythical beasts, as well as that everybody's fate was predetermined by the gods. He also believed that the Pythia could never be controlled by anyone but the gods and was shocked upon the revelation that anyone could.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Consulting a Ghost Furthermore, he had a habit of pointing out the mythical information of certain areas like Marathon.
===Romantic life===
Barnabas is known to have courted at least three women during his lifetime. Sometime in his early life, Barnabas was married to a woman named Leda of Ithaka. However, they were separated, and he lost track of her. He also unknowingly fathered a child with Leda, also named Leda, whom he reconnected with almost thirty years later.
Around 428 BCE, Barnabas took a liking to a widowed Naxian woman, Photina, during the months Kassandra and her mother reconnected with each other. Barnabas even allowed Photina to tattoo his back and braid his hair.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey novel – Chapter 11 As a parting gift and as a token of their short love Photina gave Barnabas a medallion, previously owned by her husband. Barnabas called the medallion "a piece of Pythagoras' wisdom." While the two enjoyed each other's company, Barnabas' seafaring lifestyle led them apart.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey novel – Chapter 12
Some time later during the later 420s BCE, Barnabas met Iola at the Sanctuary of Apollo on the island of Delos, and according to them, it was "love at first sight." Later, they celebrated the Silver Islands' liberation together. Iola also took to calling Barnabas by a pet name, "Barney." Kassandra eventually offered Iola to join their crew, and she accepted. When Barnabas met his daughter, he told her of Iola and revealed that he wanted to introduce them to one another.
==Behind the scenes==
Barnabas is a character in the 2018 video game Assassin's Creed: Odyssey, where is voiced by the Canadian actor Andreas Apergis.
==Gallery==
ACOD Barnabas Promotional Art.jpg|Promotional Art
ACOD Barnabas head models.jpg|Head models of Barnabas
ACOD Barnabas body models.jpg|Body models of Barnabas
ACOd-ANtR-IolaBarnabas.jpg|Barnabas at the party on Mykonos with Iola
ACOd-DeliveringAChampion-BarnabasKyllenedock.jpg|Barnabas at the Kyllene pier
Elis-SoO-Barnabas.jpg|Barnabas at the gates of the Sanctuary
Olympia-AlkibiadesBarnabasAltar.jpg|Barnabas with ill Alkibiades outside the Altar of Zeus
ACOd-LongGame-BarnabasAlkibiadeswait.jpg|Barnabas awaiting Kassandra's return with the antidote
ACOd-DaddysHome-BarnabasAntiklesfight.jpg|Barnabas fighting his daughter's would-be-suitor Antikles
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey 
**Legacy of the First Blade
**Assassin's Creed Crossover Stories
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey novel
==References==
fr:Barnabas (capitaine)
pl:Barnabas
Category:Individuals
Category:Greeks
Category:Mykonians
Category:Ethnic Greeks
Category:Sea captains
Category:Quartermasters
Category:Adrestia crew
Category:Proto-Assassin allies
Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden