Pactyas

Pactyas (died c. 429 BCE), also known as the Huntsman, was a member of the Order of the Ancients who served as the Magus of the Order of Hunters branch in Persia and Greece during the 5th century BCE.
Originally a member of both the Persian elite and a secret group alongside his friends Amorges and Artabanus, Pactyas worked with them to plan the assassination of King Xerxes I of Persia in 465 BCE due to his tyrannical rule of their homeland. Following Artabanus' failed attempt to assassinate Xerxes' successor Artaxerxes I, Pactyas was convinced by Amorges to turn on Artabanus and join the Order of the Ancients to bring peace to Persia.
As the leader of the Order of Hunters, Pactyas was tasked to eliminate Artabanus, now known as "Darius", and his family, as well as the "Tainted Ones", individuals who were directly descended from the Isu, due to the perceived danger they posed. His hunt eventually brought him to Makedonia, which was home to the legendary misthios Kassandra, a Tainted One. In the end, Pactyas and his Order were the ones who were hunted down, as they all met their end at the hands of Kassandra, Darius and his son Natakas.
==Biography==
===Early life===
At some point in his early life, Pactyas was rescued from a group of attackers who had knocked him out by a large grey wolf. As he woke up, Pactyas saw the wolf licking gore off his now deceased attackers. Coming to the self-proclaimed conclusion that nature had chosen to preserve his life, Pactyas adopted the alias of "the Huntsman" and became a self-proclaimed protector of nature.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted
Pactyas eventually rose to become a member of the Persian elite, alongside his friends Artabanus and Amorges. They later formed a group to oppose King Xerxes I, whose tyrannical rule of Persia was backed by the Order of the Ancients.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted – Protector of Persia In August 465 BCE, they succeeded in assassinating Xerxes when Artabanus killed him with a Hidden Blade.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted – Shadow of a Legend
===Joining the Order===
After Xerxes' death, his son Artaxerxes I ascended the throne and Artabanus, fearing his possible allyship with the Ancients, plotted his assassination, one which was foiled by Amorges, who had defected to the Order. Amorges later recruited Pactyas to the Order, claiming that Artabanus had betrayed them and Persia. In time, Pactyas was appointed as the Magus of his own branc and began hunting his former comrade, who took on the name "Darius" after fleeing Persia.
In addition to pursuing Darius, Pactyas was assigned to eliminate the "Tainted Ones", individuals who were directly descended from the Isu that the Order regarded as a threat to peace. By the 420s BCE, he had successfully hunted a number of them throughout Persia and other regions.
===Pursuing the Eagle Bearer===
Around 429 BCE, Pactyas and his Order tracked down another Tainted One, the Spartan misthios Kassandra, who had made a name for herself during the Peloponnesian War. Pactyas sent several Order members to Makedonia to find and eliminate Kassandra, and they allied with the Spartan army, who aided their search efforts.Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – The Hunter's Hounds – Road to Riches
However, most of the Order members and their Spartan allies were killed by a group of mercenaries with the aid of Darius and his son Natakas, who had coincidentally taken refuge in Makedonia. Before dying, the leader of the Ancients told Darius that he had called "the Huntsman" to Greece, worrying him, as Darius recognized his old friend's alias.Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – The Hunter's Hounds – The Hydra's Nest
After his subordinates' failure to eliminate Kassandra, Darius and Natakas, Pactyas traveled to Makedonia himself and had one of his men set fire to the village of Potidaia in order to lure out the misthios. However, the plan ultimately failed as Kassandra and Natakas saved the villagers,Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted – The Horsemen Cometh while the Order Elite was killed by Darius.
With his plan foiled, Pactyas brought in the rest of his Order and found a hidden glade within Mount Pangeon which he made his hideout in the region. He also converted the grove outside into a training ground where he tamed and taught the various beasts to do his bidding and attack the "Tainted Ones" at sight. These included wolves, wild boars and crows.
===Final showdown===
Eventually, Pactyas decided to meet Kassandra in person, and lured her to a grisly display he had crafted within the Therme Wetlands, made of the corpses of soldiers she had killed in battle. He sought to shake her resolve with the display, and brought forward actors to pretend to be her victims' relatives seeking revenge. While his underlings attacked Kassandra, Pactyas escaped, leaving behind a scarecrow in the marsh and a taunting message.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted – Whimpers Through the Fog
Pactyas' location was ultimately discovered by Kassandra, who pieced together the information she had gathered with Natakas.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Hunted – Piecing the Puzzle When the misthios arrived at the glade outside his cave hideout, he taunted her from the shadows while sending his men to attack her.
After Kassandra killed the soldiers, Pactyas was forced to face the misthios himself. Unable to defeat her, he fled to his hideout, hoping to lure his opponent into a trap. Kassandra followed the trail of his blood to his home turf and confronted the Huntsman again, along with his wolf familiars.
Despite his belief that this advantage would allow him to finally slay the misthios, Pactyas was proven wrong as he was ultimately defeated by Kassandra. Although he summoned more men to deal with her, Darius and Natakas arrived at that very moment and killed them. Realizing he had been bested, Pactyas accepted his fate and revealed his and Darius' shared past to Kassandra and Natakas before succumbing to his injuries. He was subsequently given a proper burial by his old friend.
===Legacy===
Following Pactyas' death, the rest of the Order of the Ancients was alerted to the presence of Darius, Natakas and Kassandra in Greece, and the threat they posed to the Order. Later on, Gergis, a fellow Magus from the Order of Dominion branch, erected a memorial for Pactyas alongside Phila and The Immortals on a small hill near Pedasos Camp in Messenia.Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade: Bloodline – The Last Magi
==Personality and traits==
Pactyas sought to protect his homeland and as such believed that all his actions ultimately benefited Persia. After joining the Order of the Ancients, he became convinced that "Tainted Ones" such as Kassandra posed a threat to peace and order and wished to eliminate them for the betterment of humanity. 
Despite his self-proclaimed distaste for pointless violence, Pactyas was shown to take enjoyment in tormenting his victims before killing them, playing psychological games with Kassandra and trying to get her to doubt her actions by presenting a gruesome display of her victims. He also taunted her while remaining hidden during their fight, and tried to shake her trust in Darius.
Pactyas was hurt by his friend Darius' supposed betrayal and wished to make him pay for it. After learning that Darius had lied to Natakas and Kassandra about the true reason why he had to flee Persia, he sought to expose the truth during his final moments.
===Skills and equipment===
While Pactyas was a skilled swordsman, his most useful skill was his ability to tame wild animals, such as wolves and boars, and get them to follow his commands. He would also typically avoid getting into direct confrontations unless absolutely necessary, and get his beasts or his soldiers to fight in his place.
==Trivia==
*Pactyas (Παχτύασ) is a Greek name possibly derived from the Thracian city of in present day Turkey.
==Appearances==
*Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Legacy of the First Blade 
*Assassin's Creed: Rebellion – The Hunter's Hounds 
==References==
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zh:佩克特阿斯（上古维序者）
Category:Individuals
Category:5th century BCE births
Category:429 BCE deaths
Category:Persians
Category:Iranians
Category:Protectors of Persia
Category:Order of the Ancients
Category:Order of Hunters
Category:Magi of the Order