Ashur

Ashur is a central antagonist in Spartacus: Blood and Sand, its prequel Spartacus: God of the Arena, and Spartacus: Vengeance, portrayed by actor Nick Tarabay.

Lucretia
Lucretia is Ashur's domina, victim, unwilling lover and future wife.

Following the departure of Spartacus and the other gladiators and slaves of The House of Batiatus, Ashur returns into the villa where he discovers Lucretia barely alive. He stiches up her wounds and ensures that she survives, seeing her clothed, fed and cared for. He would later become involved in an unknown plot with Lucretia.

Several weeks later Ashur makes contact with Lucretia in the marketplace of Capua, discretely passing her a written message while hiding his face under a hood. Having located Oenomaus fighting under an assumed name in the Pits, he kills his old teacher's opponent and captures him. At the same time, Lucretia performs a ritual meant to bring a blessing from the gods. At the pivotal moment, per his message to Lucretia, Ashur enters with the captured Oenomaus, Ashur asks Glaber allow himself to interrogate Oenomaus as he is the only among them that knows the man. Glaber, remembering how Ashur was responsible for forcing patronage to Batiatus, is hesitant and wonders of what loyalty Ashur could provide, Ashur pledges his allegiance to Glaber by removing the mark of the brotherhood from his arm and then sets to the task of brutally interrogating Oenomaus, the plan appears to be falling apart, however, as Oenomaus refuses to speak out against Spartacus and his men, Ashur soon becomes furious at his failed attempts to torture answers from Oenomaus, and very nearly kills him before being stopped by Lucretia, she tells him that the house is full of secrets, suggesting that perhaps it is time to dig out some old "bones" from within the walls of the house.

True to Lucretia's word, he speaks, giving just enough information for Glaber's men to track Spartacus and his men down in the salt mines.

As Ashur sits chained in his cell, Lucretia comes to visit him, promising to convince Glaber to release him. She also tells him of a potion Ilithyia has bought to abort her child, and where it is kept, ordering him to find it and replace it with a placebo. When he complains that he cannot move freely throughout the ludus, she gives him a key to the gates.

However, Ashur goes against Lucretia's orders and instead of replacing the potion, he informs Glaber of its existence, leading the Praetor to discover his wife's plot to dissolve their marriage. He does not attend the games and wasn't present when the Arena is destroyed.

Ashur - now clean-shaven - resides in the champion's quarters in the ludus. When confronted by Lucretia as to why he told Glaber about the vial, instead of what he was told. Ashur declares that he is Glaber's man now and doesn't need to take orders from her. He then proves his point by raping Lucretia.

He continues raping Lucretia multiple times after the first, as he is successfully able to convince her that, as Glaber now trusts him, he has more power than her, and can have Lucretia killed or sent into slavery. This convinces her not to tell Glaber of his continued assaults, but to shamefully put up with them. Ashur however believes that she is beginning to enjoy their time together, turning it into a twisted love/hate relationship. He even begins calling her "my love" and giving her gifts of the jewels he has stolen from those he has killed at Glaber's command. However, his new "love" for her is expressed through possessiveness and violence, and he is quick to beat and rape her should she insult him.

Eventually he gains enough patronage with Glaber to have her promise to be his wife and the ludus to be granted to him for his service, something Lucretia will do anything not to see.

Crixus
Initially, in Gods of the Arena, he and Crixus were close friends. He has a great hatred towards Crixus, stemming from the mutilation and humiliation he suffered at the Gaul's hands. Originally content with trying to undermine Crixus' status as champion, he later takes a more active role after discovering Crixus' affair with Naevia.