Is Aspasia good or bad? A complex AC Odyssey antagonist
TLDR: Aspasia occupies a morally grey area in AC Odyssey. As leader of the Cult of Kosmos, her desire for order has merit but the violent chaos she orchestrates makes her highly unethical. Her story certainly spawns debate.
As an avid AC gamer since the first release, I‘ve loved unravelling sinister conspiracies throughout history. From chasing Templars during the Crusades to hunting proto-Templars in ancient Greece, one thing that keeps me hooked is the franchise‘s knack for crafting complex antagonists.
Aspasia in AC Odyssey is no different – her goals seem to come from a place of conviction, but her orchestration of suffering makes her impossible to definitively label good or bad. After spending 130+ hours unravling her conspiracy in ancient Greece, I‘ve put together this comprehensive analysis on one of gaming‘s most fascinating villains.
Understanding Aspasia: Cult leader or misguided visionary?
So just who is the enigmatic Aspasia? According to the AC wiki fandom, Aspasia was a philosopher and scholar who lived in 5th century BCE Greece alongside luminaries like Socrates and Pericles. She believes the Greek world descended into chaos because human nature makes people hunger for more power than they can handle.
To impose stability, Aspasia forms and becomes leader of the Cult of Kosmos – a proto-Templar group aiming to subtly influence the major powers in Greece without being detected. Through the Cult she coordinates events like assassinations, biological warfare and collusion to shift the balance of power to achieve her version of order.
Aspasia coordinated the Cult‘s actions to reshape Greece
(Source: AC Fandom Wiki)
But she seems conflicted about using violence to reach that goal. She shows care and attachment to some individuals, especially her partner Perikles who she wants to guide to power. This hints Aspasia acts more from misguided conviction rather than pure self-interest – a depth that keeps her from being a one-note villain.
What does Aspasia aim to achieve?
According to her secret notes and diaries dotted across Greece, Aspasia‘s core beliefs are:
| Aspasia‘s Beliefs | |
|---|---|
| Humans crave ever more power and wealth | "Like starved beasts hunger for sustenance, men crane their necks to see who has more than they." |
| This greed causes endless war and suffering | "As in times of bounty when each man takes his share of coins, so in war each man lifts his sword against another, that he may live to see the next sunrise." |
| Democracy cannot overcome base human tendencies | "The common folk supply every need of state, yet cannot rule it. Just as the head guides the body, so must leaders guide the whole." |
| Thus leaders must be guided from the shadows | "Wisdom must rule power for there to be order – and so I shall guide our wise Perikles." |
She believes leaders left to their own devices will ultimately use power for self gain and bring ruin. Thus the Cult believes subtly reshaping the leadership structure of Greece is the only way to achieve lasting stability and peace.
On paper, the idea of restraining the corrupting influence of power has valid ideals. But as many historical visionaries tragically discovered, the loss of innocent life Aspasia enables is far too high a price for her form of peace.
The deadly web of the Cult of Kosmos
To unravel Aspasia‘s story, I eagerly took on the AC Odyssey Fate of Atlantis DLC after spending over 100 hours in the base game hunting the cultists. Throughout the expansive ancient Greece map, I assassinateined sinister figures, found clues leading to more targets and slowly exposed the Cult hierarchy.
At the center of the web was Aspasia, coldly coordinating the most brutal schemes from the shadows.
The Cult enacts multiple terrorist plots like:
| Cult Atrocities | Details |
|---|---|
| Assassinations | Murder Greek leaders and civilians |
| Torture | Physically and mentally torture captives |
| Poison humans | Use infected crops as biological warfare |
| Civil war | Collude with the Order and Sparta against Athens |
| Murder innocents | Even killing family members to join the Cult |
They aim to create so much chaos that the war-weary Greek population would accept the Cult‘s vision of stability at any cost. Aspasia admits their methods breed suffering:
"The Cult brings order, even as it sows chaos. Our work is necessary. Distasteful, but necessary."
As her partner Perikles also notes with frustration:
“I could bring Athens peace! But the Cult whispers in all ears, turns my words to madness and war."
In one grim example, Aspasia directs her subordinates to deliberately infect grain with a rotting disease before selling it to cities. This act of biological warfare poisons hundreds of innocents and sparks panic.
Such loss of human life is appalling regardless of the end goal. It becomes harder to see Aspasia as misguided when such brutality is orchestrated under her watch. Ultimately, the ends do not justify the means – the peace envisioned by Aspasia must be won by ethical consensus, not murderous coercion.
Aspasia believes authoritarian control is the only path to order
(Source: AC Fandom Wiki)
So in many ways, Aspasia fails to learn from previous Assassins Creed antagonists like Haytham Kenway. However sincere their convictions – even Haytham notes: "Even those with the best of intentions cause damage and pain."
Interpreting Aspasia: Complex debates on the AC forums
Even after unmasking this sinister conspiracy, many questions around Aspasia‘s actions persist. Gaming sites like GameSpot and IGN host heated debates on interpretation:
The case against Aspasia
- "Cold, authoritarian control over people‘s lives is never justified"
- "The loss of innocent life makes her irredeemable"
- "She is no better than the power hungry leaders she criticizes"
The case for Aspasia
- "Her desire for stability has valid concerns"
- "We all have darkness and light within us"
- "The quest for order is noble, but humans make mistakes"
In these debates, Aspasia draws comparisons to equally contentious figures like Stalin, Julius Caesar and Alexander the Great – visionaries willing to let blood flow freely to achieve their version of stability.
So is Aspasia good or bad? As the climax reveals, she defies simplistic labels.
The grand reveal: A precursor of Templar order
Finally facing the Ghost of Kosmos, she removes her mask and insists everything was to impose order where chaos reigned. Furthermore, the Cult aimed not just to control Greece but expand power across the world. In her words:
“Each land has its own order. The Cult seeks to control all, bringing my vision to fruition everywhere humanity thrives. This is why the Cult must thrive.”
Her method is ritualistically sacrificing her followers to tap into mystical artifacts, expanding her influence and reach. In fact, the Assassins vs Templars ideological conflict stems directly from Aspasia losing control over these artifacts after we defeat her!
Defeating Aspasia and destroying her suffocating vision allows freer societies like Perikles Athens to emerge – where democracy and open debate offer better paths to stable order.
Yet given her predecessor role in birthing the Templars, a key ideological force that has shaped human history, Aspasia‘s actions take on even more shades of grey. She is revealed as a precursor of authoritarian order throughout the ages.
In my view, Aspasia is blinded by her obsession with structure at the cost of human freedom and diversity. But the debate around such a seminal, intriguing antagonist shall continue for ages!
