Editing Liam O'Brien

{{Era|Individuals|Assassins}}
{{Dialogue3|Shay|Connor may inherit the house, but you'll be Mentor.|Liam|We'll see.|Whatever you say, Prince Regent of the Assassins.|You call me that again and I'll throw you in the ocean!|Liam O'Brien and Shay Cormac on the former's future, 1752.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy}}
{{Character Infobox
| image = ACRogue Liam O'Brien render.png
| birth = 1726<ref name="Database">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Database: Liam O'Brien]]</ref><br>{{Wiki|Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth}}, [[Massachusetts|Massachusetts Bay]], [[United States|British America]]
| death = March 1760 {{C|aged 34}}<ref name="Non Nobis Domine">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Non Nobis Domine]]</ref><br>[[Arctic Temple]], [[Atlantic Ocean|North Atlantic]]
| species = [[Human]]
| database = [[Database: Liam O'Brien|Liam O'Brien]]
| affiliates = [[Assassins]] 
*[[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]] {{C|1743 – death}}
''[[Morrigan]]'' crew {{C|1752 – 1755}}
| voice = [[Julian Casey]]
}}
'''Liam O'Brien''' (1726 – 1760) was a member of the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]] of [[Assassins]] operating in the [[United States|British Colonies]] in [[North America]] during the [[Seven Years' War]].

As [[Achilles Davenport]]'s first apprentice and second-in-command, he played an instrumental role in the Brotherhood's expansion by helping the [[Mentor]] find new recruits, including his childhood friend [[Shay Cormac]]. Liam was responsible for supervising Shay and, despite being a few years his elder and more experienced, the two formed a brotherly bond.

After Shay abandoned the Assassins in 1756 and joined the [[Templars|Templar Order]], Liam made it his personal mission to make him pay for his betrayal, as well as the deaths of numerous Assassins at his hands. In 1760, while accompanying Achilles to an [[Isu]] [[Temple (Isu)|temple]] in the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]] that the Brotherhood had discovered, Liam encountered Shay again and tried to take his revenge. However, he was defeated by his former friend and succumbed to his injuries.

==Biography==
===Early life ===
Liam was born in 1726 in {{Wiki|Plymouth, Massachusetts|Plymouth}}, [[Massachusetts]]. A family of [[Ireland|Irish]] immigrants, the O'Briens struggled to survive on their farm for years, until they moved to [[New York City|New York]] where Liam's father began to work for a shipping [[merchant]]. Eventually, Liam joined his father at work, loading ships bound for [[United Kingdom|England]]. It was at work where he first met a young [[Shay Cormac]], and the two became fast friends. Liam looked after the younger Shay, who lived in a rough neighborhood and had a knack for getting himself into trouble.<ref name="Database" />

Over the next years, Liam became aware of his employer's growing wealth, even as his fellow workers remained underpaid and mistreated by their superiors. The tensions came to a breaking point in 1736, when Liam recruited several of his co-workers in a plot to rob their employer and distribute the money among themselves.<ref name="Database" />

However, the group was caught in the middle of the heist, and Liam was forced to kill a man in self-defense. Wishing to protect his son, Liam's father took the blame for the murder and was executed by the authorities.<ref name="Database" />

===Building the Brotherhood===
In the coming years, Liam drifted from one job to the next and continued to rob the city's richer citizens, sending the money to his aging mother. He also distanced himself from his friends, including Shay. Around 1738, he met the [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Achilles Davenport]], who gave him small tasks and errands to perform. Over time, Achilles' influence over Liam grew, and Liam looked to the older man as a mentor.<ref name="Database" />

Eventually, in 1743, Achilles [[Initiation into the Assassin Order|inducted]] Liam into the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Colonial Brotherhood]] as his first student, after which he helped the [[Mentor]] to find new recruits, including [[Louis-Joseph Gaultier, Chevalier de la Vérendrye|Chevalier de la Vérendrye]], [[Kesegowaase]], and [[Hope Jensen]]. In 1748, Liam reconnected with Shay, who had just lost his father, and managed to get his old friend back on his feet. The two became more inseparable than ever, and Shay was soon recruited into the Brotherhood, whereupon Achilles tasked Liam with keeping an eye over Shay, just as he had years ago.<ref name="Database" />

At some point, Liam accompanied [[Adéwalé]], a renowned member of the [[West Indies Brotherhood of Assassins|West Indies Brotherhood]], on a mission. Liam grew to greatly respect the man for being a "living incarnation of [[The Creed|the Creed]]" and came to view his opportunity to work alongside him as a great honor.<ref name="Lessons and Revelations">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Lessons and Revelations]]</ref>

=== Mentoring Shay ===
{{Dialogue|Shay|I make my own luck, Liam.|Liam|Ah, you've been saying that for years, but you've precious little to show for it. Or have you been spending it all getting out of trouble?|Shay and Liam bantering with each other, 1752.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|The Way the Wind Blows}}[[File:Way the Wind Blows 6.png|left|thumb|250px|Liam breaking up Shay and Chevalier's fight]]
In January 1752, Liam and Shay arrived at [[Port-Menier]] to rendezvous with Chevalier and his fellow smugglers. While the two were [[hunting]], Chevalier's smugglers were captured and his ship, the ''[[Gerfaut]]'', came under attack by the [[Royal Navy]], leaving him stranded. After returning to camp, Liam and Shay were berated by Chevalier, who in his anger punched Shay, starting a [[Fist|fistfight]] between them. Liam soon broke up the fight and reminded both Assassins that they shared a common goal: to rescue the smugglers and recover the ''Gerfaut''.<ref name="The Wind">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[The Way the Wind Blows]]</ref>

After Liam handed Shay a [[sword]] and [[dagger]], the three Assassins proceeded to eliminate a group of nearby [[United Kingdom|British]] sailors in order to free Chevalier's smugglers. In the process, they claimed the sailors' {{Wiki|sloop-of-war}}, the ''[[Morrigan]]'', which Shay decided to make his personal ship. After using the ''Morrigan'' to sink the British ships attacking the ''Gerfaut'', Shay, Liam and Chevalier returned to the [[Davenport Homestead]] to report to Achilles.<ref name="The Wind" />

[[File:Lessons and Revelations 2.png|thumb|250px|Liam and Shay discussing Adéwalé]]
Two months later, at the Homestead, Liam and Shay witnessed the arrival of Adéwalé, who came to speak with Achilles about an [[1751 Port-au-Prince earthquake|earthquake]] that had destroyed the city of [[Port-au-Prince]]. While Adéwalé and Achilles talked, Liam helped to train Shay in the use of [[Firearm|firearms]], lending him his [[Flintlock Pistol|pistols]].<ref name="Lessons and Revelations" />

Not long after, Adéwalé left the Homestead to deliver supplies to survivors of the Port-au-Prince earthquake, and Achilles informed Liam and Shay about the [[Templars]]' theft of two [[Isu]] [[Piece of Eden|artifacts]] from the [[Saint-Domingue Brotherhood of Assassins|Saint-Domingue Assassins]]: a [[Precursor box]] and the [[Voynich manuscript]]. Shay was then tasked by the Mentor with recovering the artifacts, while Liam was tasked with supervising Shay during his mission.<ref name="Lessons and Revelations" />

===Quartermaster of the ''Morrigan''===
{{Dialogue2|Liam|You have to recover the Precursor box and Manuscript. This is your mission.|Shay|And what's yours?|Watch your arse.|Liam and Shay discussing their respective missions from Achilles, 1752.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy}}
[[File:Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy 7.png|left|thumb|250px|Liam with Shay and Chevalier aboard the ''Morrigan'']]
Joining his friend aboard the ''Morrigan'', Liam became Shay's quartermaster and accompanied him to [[Port la Joye]] to meet with Chevalier, who had a lead on the artifacts' location. On the way there, Shay lamented that Achilles had no trust in him, but Liam assured him that, if he succeeded in this mission, he would have more than proven himself to the Brotherhood.<ref name="Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy]]</ref>

After picking up Chevalier, Shay and Liam sailed to [[Anticosti Island]] to meet with the spy [[Le Chasseur]], an ally of the Brotherhood. Le Chasseur provided the Assassins with new armaments to upgrade the ''Morrigan'' and informed them that the Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript were in the possession of the [[Master Templar]] [[Lawrence Washington]].<ref name="Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy" />

[[File:By Invitation Only 1.png|thumb|250px|Liam and Shay discussing their findings with the others]]
Leaving Anticosti, Liam and Shay sailed to [[Two Bends]] in the [[River Valley]] to report to Achilles, Hope and Kesegowaase. After Hope revealed that her spies had learned Washington was expecting a [[Air rifle|package]], Liam and Shay decided to tail the ship carrying the package in the hopes it would lead them to Washington. They followed the ship to the Templar's estate at [[Mount Vernon]], where Shay proceeded to disembark the ''Morrigan'' in order to infiltrate a party hosted by Washington and assassinate him.<ref name="Invitation">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[By Invitation Only]]</ref>

Liam remained aboard the ship and took the helm when the ''Morrigan'' came under attack by Washington's fleet, sailing the ship to relative safety. Once Shay returned to the ''Morrigan'' after having killed Washington, he assumed command again and was able to lose their enemies. He then informed Liam that Washington had given the Isu artifacts to his fellow Templars and that the man was already dying of {{Wiki|tuberculosis}} by the time he had gotten to him. Liam told Shay to cheer up, claiming they would find the artifacts eventually and that taking Washington's life was the right thing to do.<ref name="Invitation" />

[[File:One Little Victory 5.png|left|thumb|250px|Liam and the others pursuing Smith]]
In April 1754, Liam and Shay met again with Chevalier and Le Chasseur at Anticosti for information on [[Samuel Smith]], the Templar who had been entrusted the Precursor box by Washington. Using the ''Morrigan'', the Assassins tracked Smth's ship, the ''[[Equitas]]'', before she beached on [[Terra Nova]]. Shay followed and killed the Templar, taking the box from him. Liam congratulated his friend for his actions but Shay doubted the necessity of Smith's death. Liam reassured Shay that Smith was a threat, as was their next target, [[James Wardrop]].<ref name="One Little Victory">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[One Little Victory]]</ref>

Three months later, Liam and Shay met with Hope at the [[Albany Congress]]. She informed them that Wardrop was also there, under heavy guard, and that he had the Voynich manuscript in his possession. Shay tracked down and eliminated Wardrop in order to retrieve the manuscript while Liam and Hope made sure the Templar could not escape [[Albany]].<ref name="We the People">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[We the People]]</ref>

===Shay's betrayal===
{{Dialogue2|Liam|Right or wrong, Shay, you betrayed the Brotherhood, Achilles, and me.|Shay|Says the man who shot me in the back.|At the Homestead? That was Chevalier.|Liam and Shay discussing the latter's switch of allegiance, 1760.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|Non Nobis Domine}}
With both the Precursor box and the Voynich manuscript back in Assassin hands, Shay's mission was complete and thus Liam was given a new assignment by Achilles. As a result, Liam could not accompany his friend when Shay sailed to [[Lisbon]] to investigate an Isu [[Temple (Isu)|temple]] whose location had been revealed by the two artifacts. However, Shay's mission went awry, resulting in an [[1755 Lisbon earthquake|earthquake]] that destroyed Lisbon, not too different from the one in Port-au-Prince four years prior.<ref name="Kyrie Eleison">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Kyrie Eleison]]</ref>

[[File:Freewill 3.png|thumb|250px|Liam attempting to calm down Shay]]
Liam and Shay would not see each other again until early 1756, when the latter returned to the Davenport Homestead and angrily accused Achilles of sending him to slaughter innocents. Liam and Hope intervened in the heated exchange, trying to calm down Shay before ultimately having to remove him from the manor. However, Shay's mind was already made up and, later that night, he broke into the manor to steal the Voynich manuscript, intending to put a stop to the Assassins' search for Isu temples.<ref name="Freewill">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Freewill]]</ref>

Achilles caught Shay in the middle of his theft and ordered his Assassins to capture the traitor. Liam attempted to stop his friend by shooting a powder keg, resulting in a small landslide, but Shay escaped from the trap. Eventually, the runaway Assassin was cornered atop a cliff by his former allies, including Liam, who pointed a gun at Shay to dissuade him from fleeing. However, Shay, who believed that absconding with the manuscript was the only way to prevent more innocent lives from being lost jumped into the river with it in his arms.<ref name="Freewill" />

[[File:Freewill 12.png|left|thumb|250px|Liam and the other Assassins cornering Shay]]
Before Shay could jump, Chevalier shot at him and missed, hitting him in the left shoulder. However, the gunshot wound was still enough to cause Shay to plummet into the ocean, with the manuscript in his pocket. As a result, the Assassins assumed Shay to be dead and the manuscript destroyed.<ref name="Freewill" /> It would not be until a year later that the Brotherhood learned the truth, after Kesegowaase found Shay working alongside the [[American Rite of the Templar Order|Colonial Templars]], confirming that Shay had survived his fall and switched allegiances.<ref name="Honour and Loyalty">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Honour and Loyalty]]</ref>

===Search for Precursor sites===
{{Quote|We have everything we need. Now... Chevalier will be expecting me.|Liam to Hope, prior to entrusting the Precursor box to Chevalier, 1759.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|Caress of Steel}}
In November 1757, Liam and Kesegowaase were tasked by Achilles with retrieving the Voynich manuscript, which Shay had entrusted to the Templar [[George Monro]]. Knowing Monro to be located in Albany, Kesegowaase led an attack on the city as a distraction to allow Liam to find and assassinate the Templar. While Shay confronted and killed Kesegowaase, Liam mortally wounded Monro before taking the manuscript from him and leaving the Templar to die inside a house he had set on fire.<ref name="Scars">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Scars]]</ref>

[[File:The Heist 1.png|thumb|250px|Liam meeting with his fellow Assassins in New York]]
With the manuscript recovered, the Colonial Assassins were able to resume their search for Isu sites. By October 1759, Hope had successfully recreated [[Benjamin Franklin]]'s experiment with the manuscript and the Precursor box, unlocking a [[Isu map|map]] which revealed the location of an Isu [[Arctic Temple|temple]] in the [[Arctic Ocean|Arctic]].<ref name="Caress of Steel">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Caress of Steel]]</ref> Following this, Liam took the two artifacts from Hope and, while he kept the manuscript on his person, he entrusted the box to Chevalier to be shipped away from the colonies.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

Not long after Liam's departure, Hope was assassinated by Shay during a raid on her [[Hope Jensen's mansion|mansion]] by the [[British Army]], secretly orchestrated by the Templars.<ref name="Caress of Steel" /> Liam later discovered Hope's body and, realizing it was Shay who had killed her, alongside countless other Assassins including Kesegowaase, Adéwalé and Chevalier, vowed revenge on his former friend.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

===Death===
{{Dialogue2|Liam|You broke the Assassins. Betrayed... everyone you knew... You sided with... our worst enemies... And for what?!|Shay|To save the world.|I hope that world... is a good one.|Liam and Shay during the former's final moments, 1760.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|Non Nobis Domine}}
[[File:Non Nobis Domine 9.png|left|thumb|250px|Liam and Achilles being confronted by Shay and Haytham]]
By March 1760, Liam and Achilles were the only high-ranking Colonial Assassins left. Undeterred, the two followed through with their plan to lead an expedition to the Isu temple in the Arctic, in the hopes of retrieving the Pieces of Eden they believed it contained. However, they were secretly followed by Shay and [[Haytham Kenway]], the [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] of the Colonial Templars.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

Upon reaching the heart of the temple, Achilles realized that the artifact was not an [[Apples of Eden|Apple of Eden]] after all. He then acknowledged that Shay had been right about the danger of [[Seismic Temple|these temples]], just in time for an embittered Shay to interject that if Achilles had simply listened to him, the calamity could have been averted.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

[[File:Non Nobis Domine 10.png|thumb|250px|Liam knocking the artifact over]]
Despite this revelation, Liam still accused Shay of betraying the Brotherhood and attempted to take revenge, aiming his pistol at him. Achilles tried to stop him and, in the ensuing skirmish, Liam accidentally knocked over the artifact, disturbing the site and causing a seismic tremor. As the temple began to collapse around them, Achilles fled one way, with Haytham following closely behind, while Liam in turn was pursued by Shay.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

During the chase, Liam shot at Shay multiple times, but the Templar was able to take cover behind various structures. As the two former friends argued, Liam told Shay that he had given the Precursor box to Chevalier to keep it out of the Templars' hands, and accused him of murdering Hope, to which Shay mournfully pleaded that he had no choice.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

[[File:Non Nobis Domine 15.png|left|thumb|250px|Liam's final moments]]
Eventually, Liam was cornered at a cliff side and briefly dueled Shay before the precipice under them gave way, causing both men to fall onto the ice below. Shay used Liam to break his fall, and the latter was fatally wounded as a result. In his final moments, Liam questioned Shay's motivation to join the Templars, to which the latter stated he was trying to save the world. Upon hearing this, Liam sardonically stated that he hoped the world the Templars were trying to build was a good one.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

As Liam succumbed to his injuries, he used the last of his strength to take the Voynich manuscript out of his pocket and hand it to his former best friend. Shay then pulled Liam's Assassin hood over him, as a sign of respect, and briefly mourned his former friend before leaving with the manuscript.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

==Personality and traits==
{{Quote|You're doing alright, Shay, but don't let the others vex you. They mean well, though they'll never show it.|Liam encouraging Shay during a training session, 1752.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|Lessons and Revelations}}
[[File:The Way The Wind Blows 11.png|thumb|250px|Liam bantering with Shay]]
Liam appeared to be a patient, pensive, and respectful man. He did not hesitate to intervene between two of his fellow Assassins fighting, and always tried to maintain a cool head regardless of the situation. His character was mostly peaceful and calm, but he would not hesitate to forego friendship for the sake of fulfilling his duty to the Brotherhood.<ref name="ACRG">''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''</ref>

Liam had unquestionable faith in [[the Creed]], and felt a great sense of admiration for Adéwalé and his fellow Colonial Assassins, seeing them as people from whom it was necessary and useful to learn.<ref name="Lessons and Revelations" /> While he was not a man for small talk, being far more serious and driven than his friend Shay, he could become more laid back and prone to jokes in his friends' company.<ref name="ACRG" /> 

Having known each other since childhood, Liam was considered Shay's best, if not only, friend among the Assassins. While most of his comrades either outright despised Shay or treated him with cold condescension, Liam served as a big brother figure who offered words of encouragement when needed. When Shay defected to the Templars, Liam took his betrayal personally and was determined to kill him, especially after learning of Hope's demise at Shay's hands.<ref name="ACRG" /> 

===Equipment and skills===
{{Quote|I don't miss!|Liam expressing confidence in his marksmanship skills, 1760.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|Non Nobis Domine}}
[[File:Non Nobis Domine 13.png|left|thumb|250px|Liam locked in combat with Shay]]
Liam was a highly skilled Assassin, having been Achilles' first student and possessing over a decade of experience within the Order.<ref name="ACRG" /> A proficient marksman and [[Swords|swordsman]], he was capable of defeating a number of British soldiers in quick succession.<ref name="The Wind" /> Accompanying this, Liam possessed some knowledge of sailing, acting as quartermaster of the ''Morrigan''.<ref name="ACRG" />

In terms of physicality, Liam was a skilled [[Freerunning|freerunner]], capable of performing the [[Leap of Faith]]. His arsenal consisted of dual [[Hidden Blade]]s, a sword and two [[Firearms|pistols]], with the last of these appearing to be his preferred weapon.<ref name="ACRG" /> He was not only very confident, but also proud of his marksmanship skills; when Shay accused him of having been the one to shoot him in the back, Liam denied this, remarking that it was Chevalier de la Vérendrye, and boasted that he never missed a shot to reinforce his claim.<ref name="Non Nobis Domine" />

==Trivia==
*Liam is the Irish short form of William, which is derived from the elements ''wil'' "will, desire" and ''helm'' "helmet, protection". O'Brien is an Irish surname that means "descendant of Brian".
*Liam's [[Database]] entry states that he met Achilles Davenport in 1738. This is likely an error, as Achilles did not arrive in the British colonies until 1740.
*In the memory "[[Scars]]", Liam is described as a "huge man with an axe", despite the fact that he is never seen with such a weapon throughout the game. However, his concept art does depict him with an axe.
*When playing events prior to Shay's defection from the Assassins, a glitch occurs where if the crew spots a prisoner-of-war ship, [[Christopher Gist]] can be heard reporting this news rather than Liam.
*The Assassin Hunter gameplay trailer for ''Rogue'' shows Shay killing Liam during their fight contrary to the events of the actual game where he dies after falling off a cliff with Shay.
*In the memory, "[[Non Nobis Domine]]", his body can neither be picked up nor looted by Shay after his death.
*Liam shares his name with the American voice actor [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liam_O'Brien of the same name].

==Gallery==
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180">
ACRG Liam O'Brien - Concept Art.png|Concept art of Liam
ACILiamAvatar.jpg|''Initiates'' art of Liam
LiamOBrien.png|Database render of Liam
Way the Wind Blows 7.png|Liam handing Shay a sword and dagger
Lessons and Revelations 4.png|Liam lending Shay his pistols
Tinker Sailor Soldier Spy 12.png|Liam telling Shay about Lawrence Washington
We The People 1.png|Hope, Shay and Liam planning Wardrop's assassination
Freewill 11.png|Liam firing at powder kegs
Non Nobis Domine 14.png|Liam and Shay falling off the cliff
</gallery>

==Appearances==
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]''
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mdat}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{ACRG}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Brien, Liam}}
[[pt-br:Liam O'Brien]]
[[zh:利亚姆·奥布莱恩]]
[[Category:1726 births]]
[[Category:1760 deaths]]
[[Category:Individuals]]
[[Category:Americans]]
[[Category:Irish people]]
[[Category:Thieves]]
[[Category:Marksmen]]
[[Category:Hunters]]
[[Category:Quartermasters]]
[[Category:Pirates]]
[[Category:Couriers]]
[[Category:Assassins]]
[[Category:Colonial Assassins]]
[[Category:Individuals who held Pieces of Eden]]
[[Category:Davenport Homesteaders]]
[[Category:New Yorkers]]
[[Category:Morrigan crew]]