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"The lesson will be taught in due time, Aloy. Until then, we wait." This article contains heavy spoilers for Horizon Zero Dawn. Read ahead with caution.
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Ahsis is an antagonist character in Horizon Zero Dawn. At the time of his death, he was the Sunhawk of the Carja Hunters Lodge in the Carja capital Meridian. While he attained this position fairly according to the Bylaws of the Lodge, he was not above maintaining it by unscrupulous and even criminal means.
Due to his bigotry, ego, and misogynism, Ahsis quickly made an implacable enemy of Hawk Talanah Khane Padish. When she got the opportunity to supplant him as Sunhawk, he tried to have her murdered to prevent her from taking it. However, intervention by Talanah’s Thrush, the Nora huntress Aloy, foiled his effort. He ultimately died attempting to slay the infamous Thunderjaw Redmaw.
History
A skilled hunter, Ahsis was a member of the Hunters Lodge during the later years of the despotic reign of Sun-King Jiran, earning the rank of Hawk sometime after the Massacre in the Sun-Ring and sponsoring his own Thrush.[1] Ahsis became the new Sunhawk when became the first Hawk to kill a Thunderjaw, the deadliest known machine at that time. The Thunderjaw chassis was put on hanging display in the Hunters Lodge.[2]
As Sunhawk, Ahsis ran the Lodge according to his adherence to historic Carja culture. This culture was reflected in the Bylaws: only Carja men of noble blood were allowed to join the Lodge. Even after the Liberation of Meridian and the new Sun-King Avad ordered the repeal of these rules to allow anyone to join the Hunters Lodge,[3] Ahsis underhandedly maintained the old rules when possible, discouraging any qualified women or outlanders from joining or insulting them until they leave in frustration.
When Talanah joined the Lodge, sponsored by Tarkas, a close friend of her father, a previous Sunhawk. Ahsis' scornful reaction to her did not upset her; she merely regarded him with the same contempt with which he treated her. However Ahsis also forbade any mention in the Lodge of the sacrifice of her father, brother and the other Hawks who died in the Sun Ring. This policy made Talanah view him as an outright enemy. On discovering it, she developed an unshakable resolve to help her Hawk Tarkas supplant him. However, when Tarkas had gotten word of Redmaw’s location and left to go after it, he left a message with Ahsis to inform Talanah. Ahsis deliberately neglected to do so. Thus Tarkas faced Redmaw alone and was killed.[1] When Tarkas was killed, she was elevated to Hawk in his stead, and resolved to supplant him herself.[4]
Horizon Zero Dawn
The Nora huntress Aloy, upon fulfilling the requirement of earning three Half-Suns at one of the Lodge’s five Hunting Grounds, visited the Lodge during her time in Meridian, seeking to join. Since the Nora were viewed by Ahsis as savages, and due to Aloy being a woman, Ahsis treated her with even more contempt than he treated other outlanders, scornfully suggesting that she seek Talanah as a sponsor for membership. However, both women were kindred spirits, and got along quite well. Talanah subjected Aloy to a series of tests to evaluate her worthiness of sponsorship, such as hunting several machines,[5][6] and handling of a petition for aid from Lone Light, which was incessantly attacked by Glinthawks; Ahsis rejected it because he found the reimbursement to be too low. Aloy passed both tests with formidable ease.[7]
Talanah explained to Aloy how wanted to supplant him, and her plan to do so. The plan was for Talanah to kill the Thunderjaw known as Redmaw, considered by the entire Lodge to be the deadliest machine in the Lodge’s history. The Hawk who killed it would inarguably be elevated to Sunhawk. Aloy, who was as contemptuous of Ahsis as Talanah, readily agreed to help her do this.[7] However Ahsis knew of Talanah’s intent and was prepared to prevent her supplanting him by any means necessary.
Talanah’s chance finally came when she received word of Redmaw’s location, deep in the Jewel. However, Ahsis had received the word first and left ahead of her in the pursuit without his Thrush. As Aloy was away collecting more machine trophies at the time, Talanah had to go after Redmaw alone.[1] Ahsis resorted to attempted murder to stop her. He hired a group of mercenaries to waylay and kill her at the earliest opportunity. They almost succeeded, but ultimately failed due to Aloy’s intervention. Meanwhile, Ahsis found Redmaw and engaged it. Talanah and Aloy arrived mid-battle. At first Ahsis held his own, but then he was caught and fatally wounded by a deadly swipe of Redmaw’s tail. Mortally wounded, Ahsis could do nothing to prevent Talanah and Aloy from engaging and killing Redmaw, sealing Talanah’s supplantation of him as Sunhawk. As the two women gathered over him where he lay, he was unrepentant, scorning them with petty insults and insisting that he had kept the Lodge alive by keeping its outdated and bigoted policy. His last words were regret that he did not let them fight Redmaw first to soften it up. Thus he did not live to see Talanah’s ascension to Sunhawk.[8]
Personality
Ahsis was arrogant, devious, and excessively traditional. He viewed women and outlanders with contempt, especially Nora. He was disgusted with the reforms to the Lodge Bylaws ordered by Avad; reforms that opened the Lodge to all hunters who had the skill to be members, regardless of sex, tribe or nobility. He was also amoral, willing to have Talanah murdered to prevent her from supplanting him,[8] and greedy, refusing to help Lone Light because its citizens couldn't pay him well enough.[9]
Moreover, his ego could not abide sharing accolades with anyone else. This led him to twice go after machines without his Thrush, including Redmaw, simply because he did not want to share the glory of success with anyone.[1] Moreover, he forbade any mention of the heroic deaths his predecessor Talavad and the Hawks who died with him.[4] Ironically, they are remembered and now memorialized with honor while he is relegated to an ignominious note in the Lodge’s history books.[10]
Associated Quests
Horizon Zero Dawn
Trivia
- Ahsis got the position of Sunhawk by being the first Lodge member to kill a Thunderjaw. It could be considered ironic that he lost the title and his life failing to hunt Redmaw, a Thunderjaw considered to be the fiercest and assumed first of its kind.
- Ahsis wore the Carja Champion face paint, suggesting that Ahsis held the rank of Champion.[11]
Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 As mentioned by Ligan after completing Deadliest Game.
- ↑ Legendary Hunts
- ↑ Bylaws of the Lodge
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 As mentioned by Talanah Khane Padish after completing Hunters' Blind.
- ↑ Hunting for the Lodge
- ↑ Deadliest Game
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Hunters' Blind
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Redmaw (Side Quest)
- ↑ As mentioned by Talanah Khane Padish during Hunters' Blind.
- ↑ Record of Redmaw 2
- ↑ Based on the description of the Carja Champion face paint in Horizon Forbidden West.