Iga is a small province surrounded by mountains in central Japan. It's just a little bit to the southeast of the capital of Kyoto. It's surrounded by the lands of Nobunaga and those loyal to him.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
|Purchased from any General Store for 1200 Reales<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Spanish Cup-hilt Rapiers<section begin="NAME"/>
|Rapier
|Common
|17
|2
|N/A
|Found in treasure chest in Havana<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Officer's Smallswords<section begin="NAME"/>
|Rapier
|Common
|13
|2
|N/A
|Default swords<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!German Rapiers<section begin="NAME"/>
|Rapier
|Common
|22
|2
|N/A
|Found in treasure chest on Crooked Island<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Privateer's Cutlasses<section begin="NAME"/>
|Cutlass
|Common
|25
|2
|N/A
|Found in Treasure Chest on Florida island<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!NAME<section begin="NAME"/>
|
|
|
|
|
|<section end="NAME"/>
|-
<section end="Resynced Swords"/>
|}
And what are the main factors that lead up to kind of open war with Iga? Like I said, there's that independence that isn't particularly endearing to Nobunaga. He wants everything under his control, but they're not really necessarily a threat militarily, per se, to him. So for most of the time that he's establishing his hegemony, he is concentrated elsewhere. Iga at this time is ruled by an independent league or ikki that did not recognize any daimyo's hegemony and even gone so far as to expel the military governor of the province that had been appointed by the Ashkaga.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|''Sleek black blades with gold filigree, hones to deadly edges.''
|-
|Dragon's Fang Swords
|''A sword with a light, graceful design featuring a mystic jade edge.''
|-
|Blades of the Damned
|''A pair of swords glowing with hellfire and brimstone, fierce and powerful.''
|-
|Serpent's Fang Cutlasses
|''A pair of sharp, serpentine swords inspired by sea monster fangs, lit with neon patterns.''
|-
|The Fortune
|''A pair of unique swords once used by the infamous pirate, Edward Kenway.''
|-
|Dual Cleavers
|''A pair of simple meat cleavers typically used by butchers and made infamous by pirates as weapons of war.''
|-
|Order of Gold
|''Adorned with intricate patterns, these blades are a rare and deadly curiosity.''
|-
|Ezio's Swords
|''A pair of swords once owned by the legendary Assassin mentor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze.''
|-
|Altaïr's Swords
|''A pair of swords once owned by the legendary Assassin mentor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.''
|-
|Naoe's Shadowblade
|''A balanced katana shaped by shinobi combat principles, favoring fluid movement and rapid follow-up strikes. Performs best with evasive tactics.
|-
|Dark Animus Corsair Pistol Swords
|''These blades dance with strange light, like tears in the fabric of the world.''
|-
|Spring-Steel Swords
|''A pair of swords that look unremarkable at first glance, but have the strength to deflect bullets if wielded properly.
|-
|Blades of Toledo
|''A sleek pair of swords Edward Kenway acquired in the famous city of Toledo.''
|-
|Le Bourgeoys Blades
|''The only pair of pistol swords with a genuine original flintlock attached.''
|-
|Persian Scimitars
|''A beautiful and deadly pair of Persian scimitars, replete with embedded diamonds.''
|-
|Matched Golden Swords
|''A pair of legendary golden swords, praised far and wide for their exquisite beauty.''
|-
|Masterwork Blades
|''A pair of beautifully balanced swords forged by a master craftsman.''
|-
|Espada Ancha
|''Versatile soldier's swords, unremarkable in appearance but trustworthy in a fight.''
|-
|French Court Swords
|''A pair of swords famous for having a perfect balance between speed and power.''
|-
|Pirate Scimitars
|''A pair of devastating scimitars, praised from Barbados to Boston.''
|-
|British Colonial Cutlasses
|''A pair of cutlasses popular among the settlers of the British colonies in North America.''
|-
|Scottish Broadswords
|''Heavy broadswords that emphasize damage over finesse.''
|-
|Standard Pistol Swords
|''A pair of rare pistol swords, capable of firing a gunshot in the right circunstances.''
|-
|Captain Drake's Swords
|''A pair of silver broadswords rumored to have been used by the legendary privateer, Sir Francis Drake.''
|-
|Ferraro's Rapiers
|''A pair of rapiers that belonged to the Italian diplomat, Ruggiero Ferraro.''
|-
|Officer's Rapiers
|''A pair of extremely light rapiers praised for their swiftness.''
|-
|German Rapiers
|''A pair of traditional German rapiers typically used by Prussian court officers.''
|-
|Privateer's Cutlasses
|''A pair of cutlasses appreciated for their versatility by privateers throughout the West Indies.''
|-
|British Cutlasses
|''A pair of light cutlasses made popular by British privateers.''
|-
|French Dress Swords
|''A pair of elegant swords made popular by French court officers.''
|-
|Spanish Cup-hilt Rapiers
|''A pair of cheap yet efficient Spanish rapiers.''
|-
|Officer's Smallswords
|''A pair of small swords popular among officers in the British Army.''
|-
|Rustborne Swords
|''Versatile blades with integrated flintlocks, their bronze-hued surfaces worn by time and battle. Perfect for Assassins who strike swiftly, both in melee and from a distance.''
|}
it's ringed by mountains. It's very mountainous internally as well, but there's a ring of mountains around it that prevents easy access to it. It's very easily defensible. And there's six main passes, several on the eastern side, a couple into the north and then a couple on the western side through which if you're going to bring an army, you have to go through one of those passes in order to get there.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|bought from secret General Store on unmarked island in the north-west of Gibara region at Coordinates 550, 638 (22000 Reales)<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Rustic Flintlocks<section begin="NAME"/>
|Legendary
|22
|1.20
|After a Perfect Dodge, quick shooting immediately does not consume ammunition
|obtained from in-game online store for free (on map press Options-Button to access the store).<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Peaceful Means<section begin="NAME"/>
|Legendary
|20
|1.00
|Pistol shots are quieter
|Purchased from Treasure Dealer for 3 Capuchin Monkey Pelt, 4 Iguana Leather, and 20 Rum Barrels.<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Cannon-Barrel Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
|Rare
|21
|1.12
|N/A
|from locked chest in Jiguey (535, 511). It's a locked underwater chest, loot the key from the pirate leader on the beach inside Jiguey, in the same cave as the chest.<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Captain Morgan's Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
|Rare
|20
|1.50
|N/A
|Found in underwater treasure chest on Black Island<section end="NAME"/>
|purchasable from any General Store (800 Reales)<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!Common Flintlock Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
|Common
|20
|1.00
|N/A
|Default pistols<section end="NAME"/>
|-
!NAME<section begin="NAME"/>
|
|
|
|
|<section end="NAME"/>
|-
<section end="Resynced Pistols"/>
|}
One of the things that the Iga warriors did was often hire themselves out as contractors to other entities would be they temples or be they other daimyo factions and whatever. So in the 1540s, we have reports of Igamono or men of Iga being hired to do things like espionage or sabotage of the enemy castles. [...] And they are capable militarily. Many of them are experienced hunters and trackers through the mountains. They have the kind of outdoor living skills we might attribute to military specialties of today like commandos or something like that. So while they weren't necessarily trying to take over control, they did also have a military presence outside of their province because they could be hired or requested to assist with campaigns elsewhere.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|''Hand-carved ebony with gold-plated iron forming a lethal union.''
|-
|Dragon's Roar Pistols
|''Sleek pistols imbued with ornate scrollwork and glowing jade.''
|-
|Diabolist's Pistols
|''A set of pistols wreathed in infernal flames, emitting an aura of destruction.''
|-
|Fury of the Deep Pistols
|''Silvery, steel pistols adorned with deep-sea patterns and neon highlights.''
|-
|Golden Flintlock Pistols
|''A set of legendary, golden flintlock pistols, famed for their extraordinary precision.''
|-
|Gargoyle's Breath
|''Monstrous, leering faces adorn the grips of these pistols.''
|-
|Captain Drake's Flintlocks
|''A set of flintlock pistols once owned and used by captain and knight, Sir Francis Drake.''
|-
|Rustic Flintlocks
|''Firearms with rustic patinas, showing the marks of countless skirmishes. Compact, reliable, and ready for close encounters or unexpected duels.''
|-
|Peaceful Means
|''The method by which many disputes can be swiftly resolved.''
|-
|Cannon-Barrel Pistols
|''A set of pistols forged to resemble ship cannons.''
|-
|Captain Morgan's Pistols
|''A set of flintlock pistols once owned and used by Captain Morgan.''
|-
|Captain's Wheellock Pistols
|''A rare set of old wheellock pistols, coveted by soldiers for their sturdiness and sentimental value.''
|-
|Spanish Officer Pistols
|''A set of pistols, praised throughout the West Indies for their stability.''
|-
|Pirate Blunderbusses
|''A set of bulky blunderbusses, popular among pirates for their brashness.''
|-
|Baldwin's Golden Pistols
|''Inextricably tied to the fall of the Baldwin name, these pistols claimed the lives of at least two of their owners' family. They are likely to claim many more.''
|-
|Standard Wheellock Pistols
|''A set of wheellock pistols, perfect for reaching targets at great distances.''
|-
|Common Flintlock Pistols
|''A set of typical flintlock pistols, found all across the West Indies.''
|}
Nobunaga invades. He outnumbers the Iga defenders about four or five to one. And the Iga defenders are spread across the province. They can't concentrate in one location. They end up being concentrated in two castles, one in the north Hijiyama Castle, and one in the south Kashiwara Castle. But it all ends with the surrender of Kashiwara Castle on October 8th. At that point, there's no more organized resistance to Nobunaga. Nobunaga himself visits Iga in early November to take a tour of his new province, and then withdraws it and gives it to his son Nobukatsu as part of his domain to administer.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|''This ominous trinket contain the ghosts of drowned sailors.''
|Takedowns can chain to one more enemy
|Purchase from the Treasure Dealer for 60 wine, 40 spice, 30 tobacco and 20 aloe
|-
|
|Shark Teeth
|Legendary
|''A symbol of fierceness and reckless bravery.''
|Brutes cannot deny Chain Takedowns
|Purchase from a level 3 General Store for 25000 Reales
|-
|
|Templar Cross
|Legendary
|''The secret symbol of the Templars.''
|Reduce damage from enemy melee attacks
|Complete Damn Fine Gear
|-
|
|Hidden Ones Sigil
|Legendary
|''The secret sigil of the Hidden Ones.''
|Enemies' detection time is increased while crouched
|Complete [[The Pirate Captain]] (half of the Assassin's Contracts)
|-
|
|Brass Bird Trinket
|Legendary
|''Kenway's lucky brass charm, linked to his iconic ship.''
|Rope Dart cooldown is shorter
|Purchase the ''Master Assassin Pack''
|-
|
|Wooden Eyeball
|Legendary
|''This false eye provides extra insight.''
|Quick shooting kills Brutes instantly
|Purchased from General Store at Great Inagua for 12000 Reales
|-
|
|Obsidian Monolith
|Legendary
|''Darker than the blackest seaglass, gazing too long upon this particular material hurts the eyes.''
|Perfect Dodge is easier to perform
|Complete rank 9 of "Eye in the Dark" [[Animus Hub#Projects|project]]
|-
|
|Yax Tun Pendant
|Legendary
|''This Mayan design brings fortune to its bearer.''
|All gunshots are mysteriously absorbed
|Complete Mayan Mysteries
|-
|
|Guardian Beast Trinket
|Legendary
|''Rendered in miniature, that its gaze might ward the steps of its keeper across land and sea.''
|Health slowly regenerates while out of combat
|Found in underwater chest between pair of unnamed island south of San Ignacio wreck
|-
|
|Stormrunner Pendant
|Rare
|''A lightweight circular pendant painted in striking blue and red pigments. Its design captures the spirit of relentless motion and high adrenaline, carried by travelers who refuse to tire, whether sprinting through crowded markets or scaling towering keeps.''
|Increases the amount of healing from food, drink, and remedies
|Found in underwater chest off the coast of Nassau, at coordinates 615, 767
|-
|
|Hunter's Amulet
|Rare
|''An amulet of good fortune favored by hunters.''
|Animals' range of detection is reduced
|Buried treasure chest on Santanillas
|-
|
|Bloody Spanish Medal
|Rare
|''One of Laurens Prins' trophies from his time as a soldier.''
|Reduces damage from Spanish soldiers
|Inside Laurens Prins' Manor
|-
|
|Anchor Medallion
|Rare
|''A lucky anchor medallion favored by sharp-eyed sailors.''
|Increases the rewards from floating loot
|Found in a treasure chest on Sacrifice Island
|-
|
|Lock of Hair
|Rare
|''A lock of Caroline's hair kept as a lucky keepsake.''
|Restore some health after a perfect parry
|Complete Wayward Souls
|-
|
|Cross Pendant
|Rare
|''A bejeweled cross once worn by the wealthiest citizen in Kingston.''
|Reduces damage from British soldiers
|Complete Tithes Paid
|-
|
|Exotic Sea Shells
|Rare
|''A string of sea shells gathered from around the world.''
|Increases the wildlife products gained from skinning animals
|Found in treasure chest in southeast Havana
|-
|
|Small Goblet
|Rare
|''A sacred grail said to prolong its owner's life.''
|Increases the amount of healing from food, drink, and remedies
|Complete The Other Cheek
|-
|
|Jackdaw Totem
|Rare
|''Carved by an unknown sculptor, it represents protection and gratitude.''
|Falling from high places no longer damages Edward
|Complete A World Without Gold
|-
|
|Lodestone
|Rare
|''A naturally magnetized piece of mineral.''
|Loots nearby Corpses and Curios automatically
|Purchased from a Level II General Store for 7000 Reales
|-
|
|Folded Palm
|Rare
|''A gambler's trinket meant to bring good fortune.''
|Gain reales after each Takedown
|Complete Spiteful Soldier
|-
|
|Found Coin
|Rare
|''A large gold coin turned into a good luck charm.''
|Increase the amount of Reales gained
|Complete Art Lover I
|-
|
|Rabbit's Foot
|Common
|''A lucky charm for warding off misfortune.''
|Chance of staggering an enemy following a successful parry
|Complete [[The Taíno Assassin]]
|-
|
|Gold Earring
|Common
|''Gold hoop earrings stolen from a lady with connections in high places.''
|Reduces the gain of Wanted Level from acts of piracy
|Found in underwater chest at Salt Key Bank
|-
|
|Diamond Trinket
|Common
|''This diamond trinket is as tough as nails and as hard as a rock.''
|Oxygen drains slower while diving underwater
|Found in underwater treasure chest at Cape Bonavista
|-
|
|Demon-forged Pendant
|Legendary
|''A fiery charm pulsating with dark energy from the lower planes.''
|Berserk darts also sets enemy on fire
|Purchase the ''Hellfire Pack''
|-
|
|Abyssal Pendant
|Legendary
|''A silver snakehead charm, illuminated with an inner glow.''
|Killing enemies also recovers some health
|Purchase the ''Sea Serpent Pack''
|-
|
|Fortunate Circle Charm
|Legendary
|''An elegant pendant in the form of a lucky jade circle.''
|Impervious to attacks for a short duration after a Perfect Dodge
|Purchase the ''Dragon Storm Pack''
|-
|
|Narwhal's Horn
|Rare
|''The broken tip of a narwhal's horn.''
|Enemy guards lose their defensive stance more quickly
|Found inside the house on Cat Island
|}
It is now a domain administered by one of Nobunaga's retainers. It would go on to be a domain held by a Daimyo underneath the Edo Period shogun of the Tokukawa.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
==DB==
===General Database===
<tabber>
|-|Maps=
<center>
{|class="article-table sortable" cellpadding=5;
|
|}</center>
===Nagasaki===
|-|Allies=
he discovered that Nagasaki had been raised up into this great port by the Jesuits who had effectively been given Nagasaki by a local warlord so the extraordinary influence that a foreign power preaching of foreign religion had in Kyushu I think upset Hideyoshi very much<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
|[[Database: Abel "The Padre" Galvão|Abel "The Padre" Galvão]]
|[[Database: Adéwalé (Black Flag)|Adéwalé]]
|[[Database: Ah Tabai (Black Flag)|Ah Tabai]]
|[[Database: Anne Bonny|Anne Bonny]]
|-
|[[Database: Bernard "The Butler" Woodhouse|Bernard "The Butler" Woodhouse]]
|[[Database: Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch|Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch]]
|[[Database: Edward Kenway|Edward Kenway]]
|[[Database: "Calico" Jack Rackham|Calico Jack Rackham]]
|-
|[[Database: Caroline Scott|Caroline Scott]]
|[[Database: Charles Vane|Charles Vane]]
|[[Database: James Kidd|James Kidd]]
|[[Database: Lucy Baldwin|Lucy Baldwin]]
|-
|[[Database: Mary Read|Mary Read]]
|[[Database: Opía Apito|Opía Apito]]
|[[Database: Rhona Dinsmore|Rhona Dinsmore]]
|[[Database: Stede Bonnet|Stede Bonnet]]
|[[Database: Smuggler Upton|Upton Travers]]-->
|}</center>
in the end anyway the Japanese will only deal when we're thinking about European powers with the Dutch and only at this little artificial island called Dejima just a few feet worth of wooden bridge off the coast of Nagasaki<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
|[[Database: Laureano Torres y Ayala|Laureano Torres y Ayala]]
|[[Database: Laurens Prins|Laurens Prins]]
|[[Database: Lucia Márquez|Lucia Márquez]]
|-
|[[Database: "The Sage"|The Sage]]
|[[Database: Thomas Barehaire|Thomas Barehaire]]
|[[Database: Smuggler Vance|Vance Travers]]
|[[Database: Woodes Rogers|Woodes Rogers]]-->
|}</center>
</tabber>
Gaspar Vilela is one who stands out. He was a very keen propagator of the Christian faith, and he could convert some warlords to Christianity. One of them was Omura Sumitada, who eventually would give a port to the Jesuits, which was called Nagasaki.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
So once Nobunaga has control of Owari province, how does he then go about looking outward and beyond his own borders? Because his province is quite a small one comparatively as well, isn't it? Yes, so Owari is small, but it centers on a plane, the Nobuy plane, Japan is very mountainous, right? There's only a few large flat areas where cultivation can take place at large scale, and Owari happens to sit in one of these, the Nobuy plane. So while it's a small province, it's a particularly wealthy one in terms of agricultural income. So it's a good place to be based out of. It's far enough away from the capital that you're not in the middle of the intrigues and plots going on there, but it's close enough that you can get there if you decide to be part of those plots.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
|[[Database: Great White Shark|Great White Shark]]
|[[Database: Hammerhead Shark|Hammerhead Shark]]
|-
|[[Database: Howler Monkey|Howler Monkey]]
|[[Database: Humpback Whale|Humpback Whale]]
|[[Database: Hutia|Hutia]]
|[[Database: Iguana (Resynced)|Iguana]]
|[[Database: Jaguar|Jaguar]]
|-
|[[Database: Jellyfish|Jellyfish]]
|[[Database: Killer Whale|Killer Whale]]
|[[Database: Manta Ray (Resynced)|Manta Ray]]
|[[Database: Monkey|Monkey]]
|[[Database: Ocelot (Resynced)|Ocelot]]
|-
|[[Database: Parrot|Parrot]]
|[[Database: Pelican|Pelican]]
|[[Database: Rabbit|Rabbit]]
|[[Database: Red Howler Monkey|Red Howler Monkey]]
|[[Database: Sea Urchin|Sea Urchin]]
|-
|[[Database: Seagull|Seagull]]
|[[Database: Tiger Shark|Tiger Shark]]
|[[Database: Tropicbird|Tropicbird]]
|[[Database: Turtle (Resynced)|Turtle]]
|[[Database: White Jaguar|White Jaguar]]
|-
|[[Database: Wild Pig|Wild Pig]]
-->
|}</center>
</tabber>
==Landmarks==
<tabber>
===Gifu Castle===
|-|Artifacts=
So you had, for example, Oda Nobunaga, which showed great familiarity to the Christians, to for example, Fróis, who he invited in Kyoto in Gifu Castle and showed him around in the castle. So it was very positively inclined towards the Christians, but still he never adopted the Christian faith himself.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
|[[Database: Letter from Torres|Letter from Torres]]
|[[Database: Slave Ledger|Slave Ledger]]
|[[Database: Notice of Dismissal|Notice of Dismissal]]
|[[Database: Bill of Sale|Bill of Sale]]-->
|}</center>
So Nobunaga, his next target is this province to his north, Mino Province, which is much larger in size than Owari, and it's somewhat kind of the nexus of road networks in central Japan, where two of the major roads from Chiyoto into the capital in central Japan to the east runs through it. So it's a pretty strategic province to have. So he goes to war against Saitou Dousan and it takes a while, but through diplomacy and bribery of the Saitou generals, he's able to convince many of them to join his side. And by 1567, he's weakened them enough to besiege and take the main castle at Inabayama, which he then renames Gifu.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
So shortly after Nobunaga establishes himself in Gifu, Yoshiaki arrives on his doorstep in 1568, thus giving him a pretext to make his move on the capital.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|Laureano de Torres' Portrait
|El Tiburon's Portrait
|Commodore Chamberlaine's Portrait
|Woodes Rogers' Portrait
|Ben Hornigold's Portrait
|Bartholomew Roberts' Portrait
|Blackbeard's Portrait
|Stede Bonnet's Portrait
|Robert Maynard's Portrait
|}</center>
===Silver Pavilion, aka Ginkaku-ji===
|-|Art Collection: Art Pieces=
If anyone listening to this has been to Kyoto and they've been to see the silver pavilion, they may have been disappointed to find that there's no actual silver on it. It was supposed to be covered in glorious silver the way that the Golden Temple is gloriously covered in gold. But the pavilion was built in the early 1480s. This is the exact period after the Onin War when the Ashikaga shogunate is descending really into complete impotence. Their writ doesn't run far outside Kyoto and they haven't got much income. So they simply couldn't afford to put the silver on there.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 1: Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period</ref>
Ōnin War, running from 1467 to 1477. Huge damage done to Kyoto in the process of this war. It begins as a kind of succession dispute within the shogunate, but an enormous proportion of Kyoto is destroyed in fire. Lots of these different warrior constables from around the country end up coming to the Kyoto region to get involved. When that war ends, some of them go back to their provinces to find that someone else has usurped them. And that's someone else who has usurped them, manages to solidify their own power until they become what we would call daimyo, this real independent warlord. And in other cases, the warrior constables, when they go back to their provinces, they're the ones who managed to do that. Because this war, this Onin War, this 10 year conflict, pretty much destroys the idea of a functional shogunate. And so there really is no one in Kyoto anymore that you have to answer to.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 1: Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period</ref>
|Standard Bearer
|Triptych
|Beaver Pelt
|Bracelet
|Cabinet
|}</center>
</tabber>
So it's a period when central authority in Japan has completely gone. So you've still got the emperor in Kyoto, but as we were saying a moment ago, they're kind of impoverished and not really able to do very much politically or militarily. You've also still got a shogun in Kyoto. So if we go to the end of the Onin War, 1477, which is also pretty much the beginning of this Sengoku era, you've got a shogun there, but they're also extremely poor.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01"/>
|[[Database: "The Burning of the 'Royal James'"|"The Burning of the 'Royal James'"]]
|[[Database: "Saint Jerome as Cardinal"|"Saint Jerome as Cardinal"]]
|[[Database: "Merry Company"|"Merry Company"]]
|[[Database: "Harbor Scene at Sunset"|"Harbor Scene at Sunset"]]
|[[Database: Map of the World|Map of the World]]
|[[Database: "An English Ship in Action with Barbary Vessels"|"An English Ship in Action with Barbary Vessels"]]
|[[Database: "The Flight into Egypt"|"The Flight into Egypt"]]-->
This is the exact period after the Onin War when the Ashikaga shogunate is descending really into complete impotence. Their writ doesn't run far outside Kyoto and they haven't got much income. So they simply couldn't afford to put the silver on there.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01"/>
|Vanitas Still-life
|Nymphs By A Fountain
|"Der Liederliche Student" by Gerard van Honthorst
|"Harbour Scene at Sunset" by Claude Lorrin
|"Vanitas Still-life" by Pieter Cleasz
|}</center>
So you mentioned the Onin War there, 1467 to 77, a bit of a succession crisis. Should we view that as the catalyst for the Sengoku period? I think that's right, yes.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01"/>
|[[Database: Spanish Man o' War|Spanish Man o' War]]
|[[Database: English Cutter|English Cutter]]
|[[Database: English Frigate|English Frigate]]
|[[Database: English Schooner|English Schooner]]
|[[Database: English Brig|English Brig]]
|[[Database: The El Dorado|The El Dorado]]
|[[Database: The Jackdaw|The Jackdaw]]
|[[Database: The Revenge (ship model)|The Revenge]]-->
===Battle of Okehazama [1560]===
|Nosso Senhor da Compreensao
In 1560, the powerful daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto to his east, enrolled [????] Toutomi, Suroga, and the Kawa provinces, and came from the illustrious Imagawa line, which was one of the pillars of the former Ashikaga shogunate. He decides, or it's usually assumed at least that he decides that he's going to make a run at marching on the capital of Kyoto to take charge of the central government. So he gathers together an army of 25,000 troops and begins his march east. And the first stop is, of course, his neighbor in Owari province, Nobunaga. So he has to go through Nobunaga's domain. On paper, this is going to be very easy. He's got 25,000 troops, which at the time was a very large army. And Nobunaga only has a few thousand men, maybe 2,500. So we're looking at roughly around a 10 to 1 disadvantage. But Nobunaga, despite the fact that his advisors all counsel him to withdraw into his castle at Kyosu and withstand a siege, he decides that that's a losing strategy. Because what's he going to do against an attack by an army that size? He decides that his best course of action is to try to seek an opening and attack.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
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But the Imagawa forces by midday had made significant progress against the Odo forces invading. So the Imagawa army was much larger. It was rather spread out and divided. The vanguard had taken several of these forts that Nobunaga had. Yoshimori himself was with only a few thousand troops. And at his command post, they took a bit of a siesta, almost, if you will, in this small narrow gorge called Dengaku Hazama. And they were celebrating some of the Imagawa troops had already broken into the celebration sake in anticipation of their great victory that they saw coming because, you know, how could you see anything else? A little bit after this, there's a rainstorm. This was in the summer. So the rainy season in Japan. This thunderstorm breaks out and it really helps Nobunaga maneuver his forces through the mountains, through these narrow passes into position to attack Imagawa Yoshimoto's headquarters camp. They broke out of the tree line to attack the camp. And at first Yoshimoto assumes that it's a drunken brawl taking place amongst his men. Too late, he realizes that it's not that he's actually under attack. And shortly after that, two of the Otis samurai relieve him up his head. In the aftermath, the Imagawa forces deprived of their commander melt away in confusion. And we have this almost legendary victory by other Nobunaga outmanned ten to one, destroying the forces of this great daimyo.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
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So it kind of makes a name for Nobunaga. Another key thing about this battle, though, and the aftermath is that in the confusion of the Imagawa family with the loss of their head, several of their more talented and younger retainers, one of which we know today as Tokugawa Ieyasu, are able to claim independence. And Ieyasu establishes himself in his home territory of Mikawa, which is just to the east of Owari, and establishes an alliance with Nobunaga, thus providing a secure flank to Nobunaga's east, allowing Nobunaga to then look in other directions as he begins to expand.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
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===Siege of Kanegasaki (1570)===
|"Atalanta Fugiens"
In 1570, Nobunaga sends an invitation, sensibly on Yoshiaki's behalf, to local warlords for a reception in Kyoto. And this is almost a way to test who was going to accept his authority and who wasn't. And the daimyo of Ichizen province, Asakura Yoshikage, refuses the summons. So Nobunaga launches a campaign to besiege the Asakura's main castle. But unfortunately for Nobunaga, the Azai, his brother-in-law's family, his brother-in-law being Azai Nagamasa, had a multi-generational alliance relationship with the Asakura. So Nagamasa feels obligated to go to the Asakura's aid, and he launches an attack on Nobunaga's army's rear, forcing Nobunaga to break off the siege and retreat while a rear guard held off the Asai and the Asakura forces. So Nobunaga feels personally betrayed by this man who was a relative by marriage. And the Asai and Asakura are one of the initial threats that he faces.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
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===Battle of Anegawa===
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The two sides meet in July of 1570 at the Battle of Anegawa, where Nobunaga was joined by his ally Tokugawa Iyasu. And they fight this battle in the shallow Anagawa River, both sides plunging into the water to engage the enemy. So if you picture this dramatic battle in this shallow river, Tokugawa, on Nobunaga's right flank, managed to route the Asakura and then crash into the flank of the Asai while at the same time Nobunaga sent his reserves around the other flank. And it causes the collapse of the enemy to create victory.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
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But the surviving members of the Asakura and the Asai forces find refuge on Mount Hiei, which is a mountain just to the northeast of the capital. And it's the site of the Enuryakuji Temple, which is the headquarters of the Tendai Sept of Buddhism and a military power in its own right. what that matters is that, you know, this was a Buddhist temple that had essentially an army of its own. And so this prevents Nobunaga from cutting off the Asai and the Asakura forces and completely destroying them. And he has to back off,<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
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===Ishiyama Hongan-ji War [1570-1580]===
===World of Piracy===
I suppose there's a really good example of siege warfare involving Oda Nobunaga. So in Japan, you have these different Buddhist sects and one of them, Ojoro Shinshu, was particularly powerful and particularly worrying for Oda Nobunaga because the people in this particular sect could be almost pitted out at the last minute to become a kind of pop-up army so that the patriarch, for want of a better word, of this particular sect could issue a statement against Oda Nobunaga as he did, declaring him an enemy and saying that people would be rewarded in the next life if they stand up against him. And the followers of this sect included some fairly wealthy merchants who could effectively equip themselves and feed themselves. So the danger of these pop-up armies appearing almost out of nowhere was extraordinary for Oda Nobunaga and he worried about it and he actually resented it very much. And so he launched a siege against the main compound in Osaka of the Jodo Shinshu sect, which lasted actually for a while. It wasn't entirely successful because Osaka, of course, is on the water and so the patriarch had allies, pirate Daimyo, I suppose you could call them, who for a while would supply the castle by sea. But Oda Nobunaga managed to defeat those pirates at sea and so after a while the Jodo Shinshu sect holed up in this fortified temple complex in Osaka had to give up. They did at the last minute, the sun, I think, of the patriarch, if I've got it right, when he was forced to come out, set fire to the place just before he came out on the basis that if the Jodo Shinshu sect cannot have that fortress anymore, then Oda Nobunaga certainly can't have it either.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 1: Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period</ref>
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===Siege of Mount Hiei [1571]===
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So there were quite remarkable sieges along the way, a company that has to be said, certainly in the case of someone like Nobunaga, with extraordinary slaughter. I think he particularly hated the idea that Buddhist sects would interfere in the running of the country. So there's another Buddhist sect, the Tendai sect, which he attacked on their mountain base called Mount Hiei, sent thousands of troops up there, killed everybody, burned everything, just destroyed the entire sect, including people unrelated to the sect who were living on the mountain. So this gives you an idea of how bloody and uncompromising some of this warfare could be.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 1: Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period</ref>
But in 1571, he realizes that the only way to solve his problem of encirclement is to break kind of the circle. So he starts with Mount Hiei, the Enuryakuchi temple complex that had given refuge to his enemies. And in the fall, he brings them out and has his troops advance up deliberately. And according to eyewitness accounts from the time that are written down, his troops are killing anything that's alive, whether it be monks, laymen, women, children, reportedly even every animal that's on the mountain. And they burn almost every building of this massive temple complex.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
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And of course, in addition to the human toll, which is horrific, this is a massive loss of life, but it's also a loss of culture, of history. This was a major religious complex. So it had important documents, texts, artwork that all went up in flames with the exception of one small building that got overlooked.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
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===Tenshō Iga War [1579-1581]===
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We're at the end of the Sengoku period where Oda Nobunaga is in charge and extending his influence across the land. Specifically the conflict takes place with one invasion in 1579 and then another invasion in 1581.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
And what are the main factors that lead up to kind of open war with Iga? Like I said, there's that independence that isn't particularly endearing to Nobunaga. He wants everything under his control, but they're not really necessarily a threat militarily, per se, to him. So for most of the time that he's establishing his hegemony, he is concentrated elsewhere. Iga at this time is ruled by an independent league or ikki that did not recognize any daimyo's hegemony and even gone so far as to expel the military governor of the province that had been appointed by the Ashkaga.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
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Oda Nobukatsu, was in charge of the province next to it and was looking to kind of establish his own reputation, spread his wings a little bit. And so here we have Iga province next to him, a place where he can launch an invasion, take it over. It's small. How hard could it be, right? Be an easy victory. And it turns out not to be.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
Nobukatsu, Nobunaga's second son, takes that [Iga's expulsion of their military governor] as an excuse of, oh, see, they're not observing the proper order of things. They're not part of the structure. So he decides of his own accord that he's going to expand his domain into Iga without permission from his father. Part of this is ego driven. He wants to prove to his father that he can operate on his own and so forth. So in 1578, he dispatches one of his generals, men by the name of Takigawa Kazumasu, to build a castle just across the ego border that they're going to use as a staging point for a future invasion. Well, the warriors of Iga are alerted to this and realize what this means. So they decide to attack and destroy it, which they do in November of 1578. Takigawa is taken completely by surprise. The castle is burned. Takigawa and his small force is forced to retreat. Obviously, they cease work on the castle and retreat back to Issei after losing a second battle where they tried to retake the ground.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
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So the following year in October, he decides he's going to launch a much larger invasion. So he gathers around a little over 10,000 men and invades Iga Province through three of those passes that I mentioned. In his main body, he has 8,000 men going through the northernmost pass at Nagano. And then he has a group of 1,500 men through one pass and 1,300 through another pass, these two passes to the south. But again, the Iga forces, speaking to their ability to collect intelligence and know what the enemy is doing, are ready and waiting at these narrow sites to ambush Nobukatsu's forces, which they do. They use their skill in guerrilla tactics and their local knowledge of the terrain. They inflict heavy losses against Nobukatsu's forces, again forcing him to retreat in a humiliating defeat.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
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But in 1581, he comes back and we have the main invasion of the Tenshō Iga War. [...] The key moment of failure is when Nobunaga decides to get serious and invade Iga with more of a plan than his son had.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
===Transcription===
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|-|British Empire=
The course of the 18th Century saw the [[British Empire]] become the [[Earth|world]]'s leading colonial power, with [[France]] and [[Spain]] as its primary rivals. After siding with the [[Netherlands]] and Austria in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], the British Empire expanded, gaining territories from both Spain and France, and taking over control of the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] [[Slavery|slave trade]] in Spanish America.
It was not a protracted war once Nobunaga decided to invade. Even Nobukatsu's invasion only lasted a day before he was turned back. The second larger invasion of 1581 lasts nine days. So unlike this, you know, protracted guerrilla war that we might have in our minds, it was really a quick invasion by Nobunaga quickly taking a couple of castles, receiving their submission and then everybody moves on with their lives.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
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For a handful of coin, "Dancers" can be employed to distract guards and interfere with ongoing fights. They might also have some incredible stories of their own to tell, if only you'd bother to listen.
To go into like the details, Nobunaga invades September 30th and it's a much larger scale different reports of the war, say he had somewhere between 40,000 or 60,000 troops. And the key that he really does is not only numbers, but it's the fact that he owns all the territory surrounding Iga. So he's able to send army forces that are equivalent largely to the size of the force that his son had, right, in 1579. But he can send that from six different sides. And this means that the Iga ikki cannot concentrate their forces to prevent any of these invasions coming in from any one pass. Whereas, you know, in 1579, they only defend three passes from one direction. Now it's six passes coming from all directions, including their neighbors to the north in Koka.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|-|Drunkards=
Sailors flush with [[rum]] and the heat of the [[sun]], these Drunkards can be useful in a few ways. First as [[Blending|blend groups]] that allow [[Edward Kenway|Edward]] to hide in plain sight, and secondly as allies in the event of a scuffle. But remember to bring a bit of coin if you want them to fight alongside you, as these [[Piracy|pirates]] won't risk their lives for free.
So had the assistance of the Koka specialists in guerrilla operations and warfare to advise and assist him. And this is probably where we get a lot of the imagery of this rivalry between Iga and Koka because Koka did assist Nobunaga in his invasion. He also allegedly had some Iga members who offered to him to help show him through the passes and give him that advantage.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
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Already a global power, the Spanish defeated powerful adversaries such as the Aztecs and Incas in the Americas by exploiting existing conflicts and rivalries between tribes and nations between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Nobunaga invades. He outnumbers the Iga defenders about four or five to one. And the Iga defenders are spread across the province. They can't concentrate in one location. They end up being concentrated in two castles, one in the north Hijiyama Castle, and one in the south Kashiwara Castle. But it all ends with the surrender of Kashiwara Castle on October 8th. At that point, there's no more organized resistance to Nobunaga. Nobunaga himself visits Iga in early November to take a tour of his new province, and then withdraws it and gives it to his son Nobukatsu as part of his domain to administer.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
Acquisitive and protective of the supply of precious metals its new colonies afforded it, the Spanish Empire enthusiastically participated in the Atlantic slave trade and defended its trade routes aggressively.
===Honnō-ji incident [1582]===
Even after its defeat in the War of the Spanish Succession, the 18th century was nevertheless one of prosperity for the Spanish Empire, as their trade reputation grew steadily under Bourbon oversight, and continued to grow at an extraordinary rate until the 1780s.
By the time that he died in the 1580s as a result of treachery on the part of some of his own men, actually, he had controlled most of Japan's main island of Honshu and he was on the verge of going to its second biggest island, Kyushu, down south. He actually at that point looked unstoppable.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 1: Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period</ref>
he's just setting out in early part of 1582 for the next part of that campaign staying at a temple called Honnoji in Kyoto when he's attacked actually not by his enemies but by someone who is supposed to be on his side one of the famous treacherous figures I suppose in Japanese history man by the name of Akechi Mitsuhide who persuades his men to turn their guns on Oda Nobunaga and his own men and so you have these stories of Oda Nobunaga shouting out treachery or traitors or something like that trying to fight them off himself the temple ends up in flames and Oda Nobunaga retreats further into the temple and dies by his own hand.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
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Often used interchangeably, there are a number of important distinctions to make between these different kinds of swashbucklers...
so immediately he [Toyotomi Hideyoshi] rushes from where he's been fighting over to take care of the traitors and he brings the traitors head back to Kyoto to effectively lay at the feet of Oda Nobunaga's body to say here we are you know I've taken care of this for you and Hideyoshi really then becomes the inheritor I think of this project to try to unify Japan and his major next step one of the steps that Oda Nobunaga would have taken had he lived was to attack Kyushu<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
[[Piracy|Pirates]]: Criminals on the open sea who use coercion, intimidation and violence to rob innocent people of their cargo and transport. The term pirate is a catch-all and may be used generally to refer to all who perform acts of larceny on the open ocean. Pirates have been a problem since the advent of long-distance ocean travel; every age has seen its share of pirates, and every age has cursed their name and romanticized their cause. During the so-called "[[Golden Age of Piracy]]" (roughly 1650 to 1725), the majority of pirates were from the [[United Kingdom|British Isles]]. Most were young men in their 20s and almost all had already gained some experience as sailors prior to falling into piracy.
So Yasuke was there at Nobunaga's death. He possibly was the last person to see him alive. Nobunaga was killed in a coup d'etat, essentially. He was heading to the front with this small corps of men over which Yasuke was one, around 30 people. And one of his generals, basically, we still don't know to this day why, he brought his whole army of 13,000 and attacked. They were all gunned down, essentially. Nobunaga, with Yasuke and his lover, [Mori] Ranmaru, come into the middle of the temple where their last moments are held. The temple's on fire around them. And Nobunaga really is going to know what happened in that room because there's only three people and they all died, except for Yasuke. But we only know that Yasuke survived because the Jesuits recorded as such. We don't know what he saw, unfortunately. The normal legend goes Nobunaga cut his belly, Ranmarutook his head off as his second, and then one supposes that Ranmaru then cut his belly and Yasuke took off Ranmaru's head. And the supposed last order is Yasuke save my head. Yasuke runs with the head to Nobunaga's son, who is probably about five to ten minutes walk away, very close, in a different temple. So about to be attacked. Also just putting up the defenses for a last ditch stand. Of course, that doesn't last very long. He's dead within the hour or so. And all we know from the Jesuit source, there are no more Japanese sources, all we know from the Jesuit source is that Yasuke was there at the last. He was one of the few survivors. He was taken prisoner. He surrendered his sword. And he was then escorted to the Jesuit mission, which was again only five minutes walk away. This is a very small area of Kyoto where all this happens. The Jesuits give thanks to God for his deliverance.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 4: Yasuke: The First African Samurai</ref>
Buccaneers: Though often used as a synonym for Pirates now, the term Buccaneer refers more specifically to a group of pirates who lived and operated in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] in the middle of the 17th century. Best known for attacking settlements and fortifications on land in large groups, the Buccaneers derived their name from the [[France|French]] Boucanier -- an instrument used for smoking strips of meat over an open fire, a favorite sort of sustenance for these terrestrial pirates.
There's quite a lot of emphasis on how important this is. And this could be the masterstroke that basically secures Western Honshu for Nobunaga. So he's returned to Kyoto, and Nobunaga sends his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide with Akechi's army as the initial force to go reinforce Hideyoshi out west. And for reasons that are not quite clear, but of course, lead to lots of speculation and dramatic interpretation. Akechi decides that instead of turning west to go support Hideyoshi, he's going to turn his forces east, march into Kyoto, surround the residence of Nobunaga, which is the Honnō-ji Temple in central Kyoto. It's where he normally took up residence when he was in the city, and attack his own war.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
Privateers: Non-commissioned sailors who attack and rob, having been given a Letter of Marque by their King or a royal official such as a Governor. Thus the distance between a Pirate and a Privateer is but a hair's breath of difference -- Pirates simply sail for one [[Monarchy|monarch]] fewer.
We don't really know why we don't really get any full explanation of Akechi's motives. There's lots of speculation that it had to do with resentment at court treatment by Nobunaga. One thing that we do know is that Akechi's mother had been killed by a rival clan where Akechi had given them his mother as a hostage, as insurance essentially against an attack. And Nobunaga superseded that and ordered the attack anyway. So they killed Akechi's mother. Other things are rumors that he was physically abusive and verbally abusive to Mitsuhide personally.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
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Taíno refers to a group of related languages and cultures widespread across the Caribbean at the time of European arrival. Broadly speaking, they consisted of the Ciboney or Western Taíno of Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas; the Classic Taíno of Hispaniola and Borikén (the indigenous name of Puerto Rico); and the Eastern Taíno of the Antilles.
But for whatever reason, Akechi decides that this is his moment while Nobunaga is lightly guarded. He's certainly not expecting anybody to attack him in Kyoto. They surround Nobunaga's residence, set out on fire. Nobunaga and his guards fight back, but are eventually overwhelmed. Nobunaga commits suicide. And then his heir as well, who was also in Kyoto, is attacked by Akechi's forces and dies. So in one stroke, the Akechi have eliminated, basically decapitated the Oda family and thus ended Nobunaga's career.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
A Taíno cacique or chief demonstrated rank by carrying an object forged from guanín, a unique indigenous alloy made out of copper, silver, and gold, noted for its lustrous shine. The term "tabaco" from which we also derive from a Taíno word, as tobacco was cultivated on the islands and its usage noted by Spanish explorers. Other English words with a Taíno origin include barbecue, canoe, hurricane, iguana, and potato.
===Imjin War [1592-1598]===
Other, non-Taíno indigenous groups of the island include the Ciguaya, Macorix, and Kalinago or Caribs, for whom the Caribbean Sea is named.
Hideyoshi once he's taken Kyushu just a few years later launches invasions of Korea so he sends troops across including some of Christian warlords commanding them across to Korea wanting to use it almost as China's driveway if you think about the geography of it send these troops up through Korea take over the peninsula eventually invade and take over China and after that he also wanted to take over India as well<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
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his Korean campaign goes badly wrong in the 1590s the Chinese finally put some men in the field and they push the Japanese troops all the way back down the Korean peninsula so it doesn't go anywhere except for poisoning relations with Korea for a very long time to come<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
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There were several attempts to found a town near the [[Havana]] Bay in the early 1500s. A settlement was established by the [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] {{Wiki|Conquistador}} [[Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar]] around 1514. The city sits on a bay that opens to the {{Wiki|Gulf Stream}} and thus became a natural stopping point between [[Europe]] and the [[Americas]].
And then Hideyoshi asked him [Gaspar Coelho], I want to invade Korea. Then you provide two Portuguese ships to help me in this invasion. And if I conquer Korea, I will make it that there are a lot of churches being built. So Koelyo said, yes, I will do that for you. And I will make sure that we have two Portuguese ships, the Karak ships, as they were called by the English, gigantic ships. So Hideyoshi could very well use them for his invasion in Korea. And then he went a step further and he said, I will make sure that the Christian warlords in Kyushu will also support you. And I think at that moment that Hideyoshi, that there was a ring bell in his head, that the Christians, the Jesuits had too much influence in Japan.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
In the earliest stages of the [[Golden Age of Piracy|golden age of piracy]] Havana was burnt to the ground by [[France|French]] {{Wiki|French corsairs|corsair}}, [[Jacques de Sores]]. By the 1700s, Havana had become a large, heavily fortified port city where [[Spanish Treasure Fleet|Spanish treasure ships]] would dock on their way to Europe. [[Piracy|Pirates]] lurked on the approaches to the city, hoping to capture these same [[ship]]s.
===Battle of Sekigahara [1600]===
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great battles in Japanese history the battle of Sekigahara which happens in 1600 so you've got a couple of nervous years or a bit less than that after the death of Hideyoshi this council in place but people are wondering really whether it will stick and what happens instead I think is you get the buildup of two sides that take the form in the end of an eastern and a western army and Tokugawa Ieyasu was at the head of the eastern army and in the autumn of Sekigahara he wins out and really everything goes to him and shortly afterwards he has himself appointed shogun<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
Originally founded as another [[Charleston|Charles-Towne]], the city was renamed [[Nassau]] in honor of [[William III of England|King William III]] of the {{Wiki|house of Orange-Nassau}}. This city has a particularly colorful past: In 1706 the city's officially appointed Governor skipped town, thus severing the [[British Empire|Crown]]'s direct control over [[the Bahamas]].
he does this enormous reshuffling of territory in Japan I think it's the biggest reshuffling of territory in terms of who controls what in Japan's history so lots of the people who are on the losing side at the battle of Sekigahara either lose everything or their territory is drastically cut down or they're shipped off to another part of the country entirely perhaps all these things that are designed to damage their power<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
The islands languished for almost a decade in the hands of [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Civilians|citizens]] with little or no interest in Statesmanship. By 1713, the entire region had become a haven for [[Piracy|pirates]] and it was in this period that [[Benjamin Hornigold]] declared Nassau to be a pirate republic. He proclaimed himself governor and thereafter every pirate of any sense and reputation used Nassau as a base of operation, transforming this small city of barely 1000 residences into a "nest of infamous bastards", according to the Governor of Bermuda.
===Siege of Osaka [1614-1615]===
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Hideyori is still around and that really isn't taken care of until a very famous incident 1614 to 15 which is the siege of Osaka it's one of these events in Japanese history which is told and retold on the stage in books in films in art even where the forces of the Tokugawa and their allies gather around Osaka castle trying to do some kind of deal trying to force Hideyori and those around him to give up but in the end the siege turns bloody the castle is on fire and we have these famous scenes of Hideyori and his mother huddled together as everyone around them is burning up and dying so the siege of Osaka<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
Dating generally from the [[Maya]]n {{Wiki|Maya civilization|Classic period}} (AD 250 - 900), most Mayan ruins can be found throughout the [[Yucatán Peninsula|Yucatán peninsula]] and Central America. Mayan Temples have steep stone steps and a platform at the top for wooden crowning structures. Mayan architecture is composed with a sophisticated eye to decoration, often using wall paintings and elaborate bas-relief stone carvings. Mayan arches forego the use of a keystone, instead creating a triangle-like arch known as a corbel vault.
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===Shimabara Rebellion [1637-1638]===
<tabber>
in Kyushu where you have what's called the Shimabara rebellion 1637 to 1638 where basically a ragtag bunch of peasants with a little bit of samurai leadership managed to hold themselves up in a castle and fight off wave after wave of samurai who come in to try and pacify them and take the castle and it's extraordinarily embarrassing you know these samurai try everything they send ninjas into the castle they send spies in who get caught they try and dig tunnels under the castle but the people inside the castle fill the tunnels with feces and urine they try all sorts of things and it takes months and months and months and reinforcements to finally get this rebellion under control and the story that the Tokugawa tell after the Shimabara rebellion is that this was a case of foreign interference you know these people these peasants couldn't possibly hold off samurai unless they were somehow being supported and orchestrated by these nefarious foreign christian powers and so probably the last development in this long process of unification is the shutting down almost completely of Japan's borders they'll still deal with China and Korea at particular points within Japan they'll have that trade with Southeast Asia they'll have a limited trade as well but the Portuguese are thrown out the Spanish are thrown out the English aren't terribly interested in the end anyway the Japanese will only deal when we're thinking about European powers with the Dutch and only at this little artificial island called Dejima just a few feet worth of wooden bridge off the coast of Nagasaki<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
|-|Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis=
A dominating presence on [[Havana]]'s Plaza de San Francisco, the [[Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis]] dates from 1580s. Originally, a statue of St. [[Francis of Assisi]] stood atop the bell tower, but this was blown off in a cyclone in 1846. Baroque features were added to the basilica in 1730.
==Groups==
|-|Governor's Mansion=
===Iga ikki===
The [[Governor's Mansion, Havana|Governor's Mansion]] housed the acting [[Spain|Spanish]] governor in addition to prison facilities. A new governor's mansion was constructed across the square in 1791.
Iga at this time is ruled by an independent league or ikki that did not recognize any daimyo's hegemony and even gone so far as to expel the military governor of the province that had been appointed by the Ashkaga.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
we have the names of a couple of the senior leaders, if you will, but it really was more of a collective than any hierarchical organization that we would associate with like there being a daimyo and samurai underneath him and so forth. That's not to say that there wasn't a hierarchy there was, but it's really hard to just name one person as an acting figure on the Iga side of things. And part of this is because of the way that they constructed it. This is born out of sort of the chaos resulting in the wake of the Onin War of 1467 to 1477.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|-|Old Avery Tavern=
This [[Old Avery|drinking spot]], named after "The King of [[Piracy|Pirates]]" Henry Avery, was highly popular among gritty seafarers in the early 18th century. Legend had it that Avery himself once had a financial stake in several establishments throughout the [[Caribbean|West Indies]], but that appears to be nothing more than self-promotion.
In response to this as a way to limit internal conflict in their own ranks, in 1494 we see two documents. They're not quite constitutions in the way that we would think of it, but they kind of form the rules for local life within Iga as a community. The first one is a document signed by 350 commoners, peasants, villagers, and so forth. And it's an agreement to abide by specific rules that limit conflict over rice paddy land, access to forests, mountains, and fields, and it kind of gives a general code of conduct. So in the absence of authority coming from the center, they decide to create their own sort of rules for them to live by. And then later on that same year, we see another document signed by 46 people representing families of note from Iga Province.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|-|Laurence Prins' Manor=
[[Laurens Prins]] was an incredibly successful [[Slavery|slave-trader]] who spent the better part of his 80 years transporting [[Humans|human]] cargo from the west of [[Africa]] to the [[Caribbean|West Indies]]. Near the end of his life, he lived in semi-retirement on land he purchased near [[Kingston]]. One of his most active [[Slave ships|slave ships]], the [[Whydah]], was famously captured by the [[Piracy|pirate]], [[Samuel Bellamy|Sam Bellamy]].
So these 46 families sign an oath, vowing not to fight over taxes or the collection thereof to work together to prevent insubordination of the peasants underneath them. And these two groups form a united front in coordination to maintain local order and peace and limit the amount of violence, whether it's internal or whether it's coming from external sources like bandits or even larger warrior organizations like Daimyo from a neighboring province who wants to move in. [...] There is a hierarchy. There are the upper class. Those 46 samurai families are in charge and so forth. But it is much more of a collective, we driven organization than certainly the Daimyo houses that we are normally associated with this period. Other leagues like this have risen up in other places at this time, fairly common in the absence of central authority for locals to take measures to protect themselves. But most other places, they didn't last very long [...] So it was much easier for the Iga Iki to keep outsiders out than it would have been for other similar organizations, which is why they lasted as long as they did.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
</tabber>
Some advantages that the Iga ikki had. One is this long experience with unconventional warfare, we'll say. Another is that because of their makeup, it's not quite egalitarian or democratic in the way that we would think of it, but they're led by lower level warriors, localized power base holding warriors, but they integrate the commoner population, if you will, into their organization. Often you'll hear people talk about the Iga Shinobi clan or ninja clan or something like that. And that's misleading because this wasn't a family based organization in the way that we think of like the Oda being a military and political entity organized around the Oda family. That's not what this was, but they were able to conscript almost the members of the community from all levels, give them military training and utilize them in ways that we don't necessarily see to the same extent in other locations. So it wasn't just these 46 families that signed the oath document saying that they would work together and their household warriors. It was a mobilization of the entire community in essence to resist external aggression.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
<tabber>
|-|"Saint Jerome as Cardinal"=
An unusual rendering of Saint [[Jerome]] as a scholar rather than an ascetic. The book supporting his hands alludes to his work as a Bible translator.
===Ikkō-ikki===
|-|"Harbor Scene at Sunset"=
Another group that around this time rises up to challenge his authority and one that will probably his longest running enemy is what's known as the Ikkō-ikki or the Ikko League. This was a confederation of followers of the true Pure Land Sept of Buddhism. And its headquarters was the Ishiyama Hongan-ji, which was located in what is now present day Osaka. But it had groups of adherents called these Ikki or leagues scattered throughout the provinces of central Japan. And in 1570, Nobunaga starts a war with them because the self-defense groups, these Ikki and the Ishiyama Hongan-ji itself resisted political and military control by local warrior rule. In fact, in 1486, the Ikko Ikki of Kaga Province overthrew the local dainyo and ruled the province without any samurai rule for almost 100 years.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
Harbor scenes such as depicted in this 1644 painting were a favorite subject of the artist Claude Lorrain.
For 10 years until 1580, he's in this constant on and off war with the Ishiyama Hongan-ji and their ikko followers in various locations throughout the provinces. And they're really the linchpin of the various coalitions that are opposing Nobunaga. You know, at this point, these are kind of like the main enemies that he's looking at.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|"The Burning of the 'Royal James'"=
An oil on canvas painting by [[Willem van de Velde the Younger|Willem van de Velde II]], the founder of the English school of marine painting. It shows a battle of the {{Wiki|Third Anglo-Dutch War}}.
But in 1571, he realizes that the only way to solve his problem of encirclement is to break kind of the circle. So he starts with Mount Hiei, the Enuryakuchi temple complex that had given refuge to his enemies. And in the fall, he brings them out and has his troops advance up deliberately. And according to eyewitness accounts from the time that are written down, his troops are killing anything that's alive, whether it be monks, laymen, women, children, reportedly even every animal that's on the mountain. And they burn almost every building of this massive temple complex.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|"An English Ship in Action with Barbary Vessels"=
More of a display of his imaginative and technical skills than an actual historic representation, this dramatic painting by [[Willem van de Velde the Younger|Willem van de Velde II]] depicts a battle with Barbary corsairs from north [[Africa]].
The Ikko-ikki finally surrenders through the agency of the Court, the court noble is sent by the emperor to broker a settlement and a surrender by the Ishiyama Hongan-ji, which ends that.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|"The Flight into Egypt"=
This painting by Luca Giordano was commisioned by King Philip V of Spain for display in the French court.
</tabber>
===Jesuits===
<tabber>
And at the same time you had the Society of Jesus which started in 1540 and soon after the Papal Bull was ordained. Francis Xavier was a Jesuit and one of the founding members of the Jesuits. He was asked to travel to Asia to begin doing missionary work there. He was asked especially by King John III of Portugal because he was very keen on trying to get as many Asians adhering to the Christian religion.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
|-|Bat-Nosed Figurine=
Gold-work from the Isthmus, representing a crowned half-human, half-bat figure flanked by four crocodile heads.
</tabber>
So he had a lot of expectations for Japan and in 1549 he finally set foot on Japan. So that was really the first time that the Jesuits arrived in Japan only six or seven years after the first Portuguese came there.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
<tabber>
|-|Birthday Announcement=
Today is my birthday.
You have, for example, Ōtomo Yoshishige, who became a Christian after a long time. But he was very well disposed against the Jesuits. You have other people like Takayama Ukon, who became a very fervent Christian and all his samurai also. So they were very fond of them, and they listened to the Jesuits. They asked them a lot about politics, how they could manage this or that issue. So the Jesuits got a lot of influence with some warlords and also with a lot of the peasants and the lower ranked people. So they really had some success, success that they didn't experience in other countries.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Brandish every Cask, Bottle and Barrel of Alcohol. Everyone is to partake and sing my Praises. To ensure that this Do goes splendidly, I will take charge of the Stores and require its Key.
Xavier left in 1551, but soon there came more and more Jesuits.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
My Father will be most gratified at your swift fulfilment of my Commands.
And that information [Fróis' letters] was used by the Jesuits in Europe for propaganda. So they published, after some censorship, Luís Fróis' and Vilela's and other letters, in Italy. And they were also translated in several languages like Latin, German, French, and so on, for the Catholic Reformation in Europe. They would say, see what we can do in Asia, and especially in Japan. We probably have lost England, but we have gained another island in the form of Japan. So they did a lot of propaganda, which gave them additional financial resources and many European Jesuits who wanted to join the efforts in Japan, which was good for them for a time, but could work as a double-edged sword.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
- Emmerson Beckford
And they also had a problem that after a while you have [Francisco] Cabral, you have [Gaspar] Coelho, so two Jesuits who became the head of the Japan sector. And they weren't very keen to adopt Japanese customs. They wanted to be as strictly Jesuits as in Europe. So they already have a problem from the Jesuit side and many like Vilela or Fróis were more inclined to adopt Japanese customs. But the heads of the provincials, as they call them, were against that.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Endeavor Cargo Manifest=
I, Thomas Cecil, hereby report that the following is a true Manifest of all the Goods, Wares and Merchandize, of the Marks, Numbers and Contents of each Package on board the Endeavor which Cargo was received at the Trading Post of Andreas Island from whence the Craft Sailed for the Plantation of Cat Island.
And when he had conquered Kyushu, he again met with Coelho on a Portuguese ship. And Coelho again said that we will support you in whatever endeavor you will take. But the night suddenly he sent a questionary to Coelho, asking him why they came to Japan, why they are making so much converts. And why are they destroying the Buddhist temples? Of course Coelho was really shocked with that. He was so well treated and suddenly everything changed overnight. So he gave his answer that, well, they came to Japan just to propagate their faith, in good faith. And that it was not them who destroyed the Buddhist temples, but the Japanese converts. So the answer of Hideyoshi was that he made a decree that the Jesuits had to leave Japan in 20 days. But he didn't enforce the order very strictly. And that was the same reason why the other warlords welcomed the Jesuits, because he didn't want disrupt the trade with the Portuguese. So he promulgated that decree. But afterwards, the Jesuits stayed in Japan and still continued their missionary work there.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Sugar - 110 Barrels
Molasses - 25 Barrels
Tobacco - 15 Barrels
Tokugawa Ieyasu, he forbade Christianity totally. And all influence of the Jesuits was razed very systematically from then on.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Barrister's Letter=
John,
Jesuits can't carry swords or weapons, but they can employ people that do. And the Jesuits were a perfect employee in that sense, a bodyguard.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 4: Yasuke: The First African Samurai</ref>
It is done. Accompanying this Letter you will find the Will, fully notarized by myself and with the old Man's signature. It will survive the scrutiny of any English Court, I assure you.
===Portuguese Empire===
Arrangements for your Daughter's removal are also underway. My Associates in the Royal Navy tell me she will be apprehended within the Month. In fact, I hear they have solicited the most reputable Pirate Hunter Lieutenant Maynard for the Task.
When does that contact begin? Well, that begins in the middle of the 16th century, in 1549 to be correct. The Portuguese, they travelled to the east from the 15th century on and in 1498 I think they established a sea route to India and they went even further and in the beginning of the 16th century they already were in Malacca but then it still took some time for them to reach Japan. It was in 1542 or 43, it's still being disputed, that the first Portuguese merchants reached Japan.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
Francis Xavier was a Jesuit and one of the founding members of the Jesuits. He was asked to travel to Asia to begin doing missionary work there. He was asked especially by King John III of Portugal because he was very keen on trying to get as many Asians adhering to the Christian religion. Xavier had quite a correspondence with King John about all what he did in Asia and it wasn't what he expected.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
Courage my Friend. After so many long Years, we are almost there,
==Three Great Unifiers==
Thomas Barehaire Esq.
===Oda Nobunaga===
But he's from the small province of Owari. But he's a really good example of someone who was able to use a combination of smart tactics, smart use of weaponry, judicious use of alliances to gradually expand beyond that province. So he takes another province for himself right early on. This is the middle of the 1500s. Then he makes some alliances. By 1568, after really only a few short years, and he's still relatively speaking a young man, he's able to do what most daimyo ultimately wanted to do, which is to mount a successful march on Kyoto and have the emperor under his BDI and also have the shogun under his control.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 1: Civil War in Feudal Japan: The Sengoku Period</ref>
One of the stories told about him when he was a young man, just after his father left, all the Buddhist priests who had been tending to his father, praying for him, looking after him before he died, legend has it anyway that Oda Nobunaga had them all locked inside a single building and then shot to death for what they did, i.e. failing to keep his father alive. He also had a reputation as a teenager for being just quite strange, swaggering around town, eating nuts, letting them fall out of his mouth. He had sort of disheveled hair. At his father's funeral he's said to have picked up a fistful of incense and just thrown it and walked out. So quite a strange character, probably an unpromising character early on, but he was given this motto of rule the realm by force and I think that carried him through. He had a strong sense that he was always going to do this, that he was always going to succeed and I think there's a combination of deep self-belief and ruthlessness and I suppose a degree of luck as well that really seems to carry him forward. By the time that he died in the 1580s as a result of treachery on the part of some of his own men, actually, he had controlled most of Japan's main island of Honshu and he was on the verge of going to its second biggest island, Kyushu, down south. He actually at that point looked unstoppable.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 01"/>
|-|Last Will and Testament=
In the Name of God, I, Theodore Rupert Braddock, being of sound Mind and Memory, do declare this my last Will and Testament, in Manner and Form following, revoking all former Wills by me made.
So in terms of Oda Nobunaga, not an especially promising background I think. If you think about the era into which he's born, there are roughly 120 of these states. Some of them at war with others, some of them in alliance etc. But his state or province or what he is just one of those and quite a small one at that. Plus I think it's 1551, his father dies when Oda Nobunaga is still quite young, still a teenager and he inherits control of this state and the people around him don't see him as an especially serious figure and especially compromising figure. You can imagine some of the senior vassals a little bit older than him thinking goodness me I don't know what's going to happen to our little province with this person in charge. He was I think just seen as being slightly mad, a bit of an idiot not really able to take life terribly seriously and yet within a few short years he proves himself to be this master strategist who becomes by the mid 1560s really the main player in Japan out of all these warlords.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
As touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give, devise, and bequeath all my Goods unto my well-beloved Son-in-Law, John Baldwin, Husband of my late daughter Elizabeth, to have and to hold the same unto him, his Heirs, and Assigns forever.
What he succeeds in doing is very early on gaining control of a neighboring province and then he makes a very fortuitous alliance with the man who becomes Tokugawa Ieyasu. He doesn't yet have that name at this point in the 1550s but that's a great alliance. It allows Oda Nobunaga not to have to worry too much about the territory to one side of his own province and so he can look elsewhere for his focus but I think other things that seem to go in his favor include a real talent for strategy, choosing the right moment to attack, I think an extraordinary ruthlessness to him as well.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
I do nominate, constitute, and appoint my said Son-in-Law, John Baldwin, to be the sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament, charging him to see this my Will performed according to my true Intent and Meaning.
So I think by the time he dies in 1582 he has control of large parts of Japan's main island the long thin island of Honshu contains places like Tokyo as it's now called Kyoto of course Osaka for centuries really the central part of that central island really across from Osaka and Kyoto up to what we now call Tokyo has been considered as it were the business end of Japan that's where a lot of the power plays go on the culture is developed the economy is at its strongest and Oda Nobunaga has control of most of that certainly between himself and his allies in any case and he's thinking about moving into two other of Japan's main islands Kyushu which is towards the southwest and also the smaller island of Shikoku so he's got lots of plans he's still a relatively young man he's in an extraordinarily powerful position and he's just setting out in early part of 1582 for the next part of that campaign staying at a temple called Honnoji in Kyoto when he's attacked actually not by his enemies but by someone who is supposed to be on his side one of the famous treacherous figures I suppose in Japanese history man by the name of Akechi Mitsuhide who persuades his men to turn their guns on Oda Nobunaga and his own men and so you have these stories of Oda Nobunaga shouting out treachery or traitors or something like that trying to fight them off himself the temple ends up in flames and Oda Nobunaga retreats further into the temple and dies by his own hand.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this Second day of January in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty.
So you had, for example, Oda Nobunaga, which showed great familiarity to the Christians, to for example, Fróis, who he invited in Kyoto in Gifu Castle and showed him around in the castle. So it was very positively inclined towards the Christians, but still he never adopted the Christian faith himself.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
Signed, sealed, published, and declared by the said Theodore Rupert Braddock as and for his last Will and Testament, in the presence of us, who, at his Request and in his Presence, and in the Presence of each other, have subscribed our Names as Witnesses hereto.
Another one, when getting to Miyako, which is now Kyoto, a huge mob literally surrounded the mission and almost pushed the mission down, throwing stones. There were dead people in the crowd outside. And at that point, Nobunaga, who was the most powerful warlord in Japan at the time, was five minutes walk away. He heard this huge hullaballo, which he liked. He heard what was going on. And he demanded to see who was disturbing the peace, demanded that this person be brought before him.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 4: Yasuke: The First African Samurai</ref>
Theodore Rupert Braddock
So Yasuke was there at Nobunaga's death. He possibly was the last person to see him alive. Nobunaga was killed in a coup d'etat, essentially. He was heading to the front with this small corps of men over which Yasuke was one, around 30 people. And one of his generals, basically, we still don't know to this day why, he brought his whole army of 13,000 and attacked. They were all gunned down, essentially. Nobunaga, with Yasuke and his lover, [Mori] Ranmaru, come into the middle of the temple where their last moments are held. The temple's on fire around them. And Nobunaga really is going to know what happened in that room because there's only three people and they all died, except for Yasuke. But we only know that Yasuke survived because the Jesuits recorded as such. We don't know what he saw, unfortunately. The normal legend goes Nobunaga cut his belly, Ranmaru took his head off as his second, and then one supposes that Ranmaru then cut his belly and Yasuke took off Ranmaru's head.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
Witnessed by:<br>
Thomas Barehaire, Esquire<br>
John Baldwin
when Nobunaga is born in 1534, the Oda family effectively had control of Owari province at this point. Though the family itself was fractured and Nobunaga's branch was interestingly not the primary lineage.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
|-|Neatly Folded Letter=
Thom,
the Oda family, as I said, they were the deputy governors underneath the Shiba family in Owari, and he's born as the first legitimate son of a man named Oda Nobuhide, who is the defacto leader of the Oda family. Like I mentioned, his line was not the senior line, but Nobuhide was particularly capable and competent and brought his relatives under his control and for the most part dominated the governance of Owari province. But he was in constant conflict with his neighbors, particularly the powerful Imagawa Yoshimoto to his east and a daimyo named Saitō Dōsan to his north in Mino province.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Don't go getting all uncharitable about this, I did it for your own Good. I knew we might strike some Trouble along the way, so I hid your Share with the original Will in the Likelihood we ever need the old Man's Signature again.
So Nobunaga's youth would have been one where his family was in constant conflict, both internally and externally. He was designated Nobuhide's heir rather early on, and given the education that you would expect of an heir, he was given four of Nobuhide's high-ranking subordinates as his tutors, so to speak, kind of to raise him up and teach him the ways that he would need to rule both military and politically. But it's often said he was a bit of a wild child who preferred running around with his friends rather than studying, out hunting, and raising all kinds of ruckus. Allegedly he wore outlandish outfits like a tiger skin cloak, and generally he didn't really act the part of an up-and-coming warlord. You'll often hear that he was called the Fool of Owari.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
The Locket's here too. I want it kept, no matter what you think. There is no one left to know of it's Significance, at any Rate. I'll recover it from you when all this is over, and include a Crate of Rum for the Inconvenience.
But in 1549, he marries the daughter of Saito Dosan, who is located to Owari's north in Mino province, as part of a peace agreement between Dosan and Nobuhide.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Chin up Man! We're Home free!
So Nobuhide dies in 1551. And despite Nobunaga being his heir, there's some contention based on his pattern of erratic behavior. One of the famous events that is often brought up is at Nobuhide's funeral. Nobunaga shows up allegedly very unkempt, not in the proper formal funeral attire, and acts very disrespectfully, throwing incense at the altar instead of performing the proper respectful rituals.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
John.
And based off of this, we are told that some of his father's vassals form a faction around his younger brother while other branches of the family. So this is an opportunity for them to seize control, push this loser who's not ready for the job out of the way. Other vassals defect to the Imagawa or plot with the Saito. So his position upon his father's death is actually very precarious.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Jing Lang's Note=
Vance,
But in 1553, one of his senior retainers, one of these four men who was designated as his tutors and mentors, a man by the name of Hirata Masahide, commits suicide. [...] We have Hirata committing this form of protest suicide. And it serves as a way to wake up young Nobunaga to his rather outlandish behavior and how it's being detrimental to both, you know, his own well-being and the well-being of the Oda family.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
I had to leave early. My Order requires a Report and there cannot be a Delay. I'll be waiting by the Tavern at the usual Time. Come with both pieces of the Map.
he does begin to more seriously concentrate on consolidating his control over Owari and the Oda family.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Jing Lang
So his first fight is to simply gain control of his own family, you know, largely inside of Owati province. There's some pressure from external enemies that Imagawa to the east. But initially from 1552 to 1554, he's contending with iterations of rebellion from his uncle, Nobutomo, who inspired to assassinate him and worked with, you know, other entities to try to make that happen. Nobunaga catches him and forgives him once. But you know, second time he continues to plot. Nobunaga captures him and has him put to death.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Letter from Torres=
A letter to Lauren Prins, [sic] congratulating him on acquiring The Sage.
|-|Slave Ledger=
1. Cato, 35 years, superior carpenter and ship caulker.<br>
2. York, 16 years, field hand.<br>
3. Nero, 25 years, stone cutter.<br>
4. Bess, 28 years, field cook, water carrier.<br>
5. Esther, 31 years, midwife.<br>
6. Gracey, 14 years, good house girl and child's nurse.<br>
7. Anthony Morgan, about 30 years, fine engineer and field hand.<br>
8. Sarah Morgan, 32 years, good field hand; tonsils occasionally inflamed.
9. Infant, 2 months.<br>
10. Anthony, 3 years.<br>
11. Stephen, 5 years.<br>
12. Nace, 9 years.<br>
13. Sophy, 12 years, likely.
In 1556, again, out of fears that Nobunaga is just not up to the task. Several of his major retainers side with his younger brother Nobuyuki, but Nobunaga, you know, warned of potential treachery at one point, feigns an illness instead of going to go meet his brother. So his brother comes to meet him. And when he does, Nobunaga has him and his entourage assassinated.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Notice of Dismissal=
You, Mr Thomas Stell, Ensign, stand charged for Dereliction of Duty.
So the 1550s is really the story of Nobunaga's consolidation of his power within the Oda family, establishing himself as the leader of the family. And by default, almost the ruler of the Oda province. In 1559, his final obstacle is the castle of Iwakura and his cousin Nobuyasu, who belongs to the senior branch of the Oda line. But he manages to take Iwakura castle and eliminate Nobuyasu. And this ends the internal threats now.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
On Tuesday last you were tasked to deliver a Prisoner to the Church at the center of Kingston, but were discovered to be in a shameful and drunken State, having abandoned your Post.
In 1560, the powerful daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto to his east, enrolled [????] Toutomi, Suroga, and the Kawa provinces, and came from the illustrious Imagawa line, which was one of the pillars of the former Ashikaga shogunate. He decides, or it's usually assumed at least that he decides that he's going to make a run at marching on the capital of Kyoto to take charge of the central government. So he gathers together an army of 25,000 troops and begins his march east. And the first stop is, of course, his neighbor in Owari province, Nobunaga. So he has to go through Nobunaga's domain. On paper, this is going to be very easy. He's got 25,000 troops, which at the time was a very large army. And Nobunaga only has a few thousand men, maybe 2,500. So we're looking at roughly around a 10 to 1 disadvantage. But Nobunaga, despite the fact that his advisors all counsel him to withdraw into his castle at Kyosu and withstand a siege, he decides that that's a losing strategy. Because what's he going to do against an attack by an army that size? He decides that his best course of action is to try to seek an opening and attack.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
You are dismissed forthwith from Service, being no longer entitled to Pay or Protection from the Royal Navy.
But the Imagawa forces by midday had made significant progress against the Odo forces invading. So the Imagawa army was much larger. It was rather spread out and divided. The vanguard had taken several of these forts that Nobunaga had. Yoshimori himself was with only a few thousand troops. And at his command post, they took a bit of a siesta, almost, if you will, in this small narrow gorge called Dengaku Hazama. And they were celebrating some of the Imagawa troops had already broken into the celebration sake in anticipation of their great victory that they saw coming because, you know, how could you see anything else? A little bit after this, there's a rainstorm. This was in the summer. So the rainy season in Japan. This thunderstorm breaks out and it really helps Nobunaga maneuver his forces through the mountains, through these narrow passes into position to attack Imagawa Yoshimoto's headquarters camp. They broke out of the tree line to attack the camp. And at first Yoshimoto assumes that it's a drunken brawl taking place amongst his men. Too late, he realizes that it's not that he's actually under attack. And shortly after that, two of the Otis samurai relieve him up his head. In the aftermath, the Imagawa forces deprived of their commander melt away in confusion. And we have this almost legendary victory by other Nobunaga outmanned ten to one, destroying the forces of this great daimyo.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Bill of Sale=
Know all, by these Present, that I, Alvin of the Village of Grand Cayman, in consideration of the Sum of Forty-Two Reales in Hand, paid to me by Vargas of the Village of Grand Cayman, the Receipt of where I do acknowledge, have in turn sold and delivered in measured Weight One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Six Pounds of Mutton Snapper unto said Vargas.
So it kind of makes a name for Nobunaga. Another key thing about this battle, though, and the aftermath is that in the confusion of the Imagawa family with the loss of their head, several of their more talented and younger retainers, one of which we know today as Tokugawa Ieyasu, are able to claim independence. And Ieyasu establishes himself in his home territory of Mikawa, which is just to the east of Owari, and establishes an alliance with Nobunaga, thus providing a secure flank to Nobunaga's east, allowing Nobunaga to then look in other directions as he begins to expand.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
In witness whereof I have set my Hand the Fifth Day of May 1716.<br>Signed, sealed and delivered in the present of
All and Sundry, viz.
So Nobunaga, his next target is this province to his north, Mino Province, which is much larger in size than Owari, and it's somewhat kind of the nexus of road networks in central Japan, where two of the major roads from Chiyoto into the capital in central Japan to the east runs through it. So it's a pretty strategic province to have. So he goes to war against Saitou Dousan and it takes a while, but through diplomacy and bribery of the Saitou generals, he's able to convince many of them to join his side. And by 1567, he's weakened them enough to besiege and take the main castle at Inabayama, which he then renames Gifu.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
- Alvin of Grand Cayman
</tabber>
So then he works to consolidate his position by doing some preliminary campaigns into neighboring Issei province and establishing diplomatic relations. So he marries his younger sister, Oichi, to a warlord named Azai Nagamasa who rules northern Omi province. And this is significant because Omi is the province that lies between Mino and Owari, which he owns, and the capital of Kyoto. So he's in essence securing a line of, you know, advance for future endeavors.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
<tabber>
|-|Julien Du Casse's Portrait=
A debonair portrait of Julien Du Casse, the infamous mercenary.
The previous shogun, Ashikaga Yoshitero, had been assassinated in 1565 and replaced by a puppet. So Yoshitero's younger brother, a man by the name of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, had been traveling around the provinces trying to seek a benefactor who would back his claim and help him march on the capital. So shortly after Nobunaga establishes himself in Gifu, Yoshiaki arrives on his doorstep in 1568, thus giving him a pretext to make his move on the capital.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Hangs above the bed in the Mansion at Great Inagua.
The fact that he can take a legitimate claimant to the Ashikaga shogunate and march on Kyoto with utter the pretext of putting him into power gives him the legitimate of his siege to do so. So November of 1568, he enters Kyoto with his army and installs Yoshiaki as the 15th Ashikaga shogun. However, here's where things start to differ from what you might have expected at the time, because rather than accept Yoshiaki's offer to be his deputy shogun, Nobunaga declines that in any other position that Yoshiaki offers.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Laurens Prins' Portrait=
A vivid portrait of Laurens Prins, the reprehensible slaver.
In 1570, Nobunaga sends an invitation, sensibly on Yoshiaki's behalf, to local warlords for a reception in Kyoto. And this is almost a way to test who was going to accept his authority and who wasn't. And the daimyo of Ichizen province, Asakura Yoshikage, refuses the summons. So Nobunaga launches a campaign to besiege the Asakura's main castle. But unfortunately for Nobunaga, the Azai, his brother-in-law's family, his brother-in-law being Azai Nagamasa, had a multi-generational alliance relationship with the Asakura. So Nagamasa feels obligated to go to the Asakura's aid, and he launches an attack on Nobunaga's army's rear, forcing Nobunaga to break off the siege and retreat while a rear guard held off the Asai and the Asakura forces. So Nobunaga feels personally betrayed by this man who was a relative by marriage. And the Asai and Asakura are one of the initial threats that he faces.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Hangs in the hall of the Mansion at Great Inagua.
The two sides meet in July of 1570 at the Battle of Anegawa, where Nobunaga was joined by his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu. And they fight this battle in the shallow Anagawa River, both sides plunging into the water to engage the enemy. So if you picture this dramatic battle in this shallow river, Tokugawa, on Nobunaga's right flank, managed to route the Asakura and then crash into the flank of the Asai while at the same time Nobunaga sent his reserves around the other flank. And it causes the collapse of the enemy to create victory.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
</tabber>
But the surviving members of the Asakura and the Asai forces find refuge on Mount Hiei, which is a mountain just to the northeast of the capital. And it's the site of the Enuryakuji Temple, which is the headquarters of the Tendai Sept of Buddhism and a military power in its own right. what that matters is that, you know, this was a Buddhist temple that had essentially an army of its own. And so this prevents Nobunaga from cutting off the Asai and the Asakura forces and completely destroying them. And he has to back off,<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
<tabber>
|-|Schooner=
The schooner was a class of ship used as a general sailing vessel by both navies and civilian operators, providing light firepower and ample speed.
Another group that around this time rises up to challenge his authority and one that will probably his longest running enemy is what's known as the Ikkō-ikki or the Ikko League. This was a confederation of followers of the true Pure Land Sept of Buddhism. And its headquarters was the Ishiyama Hongan-ji, which was located in what is now present day Osaka. But it had groups of adherents called these Ikki or leagues scattered throughout the provinces of central Japan. And in 1570, Nobunaga starts a war with them because the self-defense groups, these Ikki and the Ishiyama Hongan-ji itself resisted political and military control by local warrior rule. In fact, in 1486, the Ikko Ikki of Kaga Province overthrew the local dainyo and ruled the province without any samurai rule for almost 100 years.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Brig=
The brig was a class of ship bearing two square-rigged masts, and represented a compromise between larger, more powerful ships, and the faster, but less well-armed ones.
For 10 years until 1580, he's in this constant on and off war with the Ishiyama Hongan-ji and their ikko followers in various locations throughout the provinces. And they're really the linchpin of the various coalitions that are opposing Nobunaga. You know, at this point, these are kind of like the main enemies that he's looking at.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Man O' War=
The man o' war was a type of large warship purpose built for warfare, boasting multiple gun decks, and crewed by heavily armed professional soldiers.
But in 1571, he realizes that the only way to solve his problem of encirclement is to break kind of the circle. So he starts with Mount Hiei, the Enuryakuchi temple complex that had given refuge to his enemies. And in the fall, he brings them out and has his troops advance up deliberately. And according to eyewitness accounts from the time that are written down, his troops are killing anything that's alive, whether it be monks, laymen, women, children, reportedly even every animal that's on the mountain. And they burn almost every building of this massive temple complex.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|El Dorado=
El Dorado was a brig that formed part of the Spanish Treasure Fleet.
Early assessments of their relationship by historians assume that Nobunaga's plan all along was to use him as a puppet and then throw him away and take power for himself. I agree with more recent biographers, you see it as a little bit more complicated than that. Ashikaga Yoshiaki, obviously, as the Shogun, felt that he should be in charge. So after being installed in 1568, he attempts to rule, but he quickly sees that he cannot do anything without Nobunaga's help. And by 1572, there's some real tension between the two of who's in charge. Nobunaga issued several admonishments, which have been published and are famous, going so far as to note how the people call Yoshiaki the evil Shogun, in scare quotes there, and laying out rules for the Shogun's house to follow. Of course, Yoshiaki takes offense at this and who are you to tell me the Shogun how to run things? And so, like I said, early on, historians looked at this as Nobunaga's overstipping his bow, just trying to push Yoshiaki out.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
The fleet was destroyed in a hurricane, with the El Dorado its lone surviving vessel.
I see a different reading of it that is more compelling to me is that, no, he really saw that this was like the structure that should be in place and was trying to guide Yoshiaki back onto an actual correct path of governance, at least as Nobunaga saw it. And his efforts to maintain relations with Yoshiaki, at least initially, were very sincere. But Yoshiaki is the one who kind of pushes the relationship to the breaking point. And the early 1570s, he's orchestrating coalitions of enemies to move against Nobunaga. In addition to the Iko Iki, he's kind of another lynchpin of the different coalitions against Nobunaga, trying to convince different daimyo to turn against Nobunaga, invade, come rescue me in Kyoto and be my savior and I'll grant you XYZ, so forth.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Jackdaw=
The Jackdaw was a brig captained by the pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway, who named it after the small, swift bird of his native Wales.
This continues until 1573, when it's very obvious that Nobunaga has run out of patience. In 1573, he does march on Kyoto and expel Yoshiaki, which more or less ends the Ashikaga shogunate for good. And then Ashikaga would escape to Western Japan, where he would take up residence in the lands of one of Nobunaga's enemies, the Mori family. And from there, he would continue to write different daimyo, constantly trying to create a coalition that could overthrow Nobunaga and reinstall him in power. How effective that was? Well, we see that it didn't happen, but he certainly was doing his best the entire time to undermine Nobunaga.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
The ship was known as El Dorado before Edward and his future quartermaster Adéwalé captured it from its fleet.
The Takeda family is finally destroyed in 1582. And one of the few remaining enemies in the main island of Japan that he is concerned about is this family called the Mori family. And he's had one of his generals man by the name of Hashida Hideyoshi, who we would later know as Toyotomi Hideyoshi. One of his generals is leading the campaign against them. And having just completed the campaign in the east against the Takeda, he is given notice by Hideyoshi that a siege of a castle is almost complete. But he's worried that Mori reinforcements are going to come. So please send additional reinforcements to me in order to defeat the Mori.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Royal Fortune=
The Royal Fortune was a man o' war captained by the pirate and Sage Bartholomew Roberts, who elected to keep and renamed it after he captured it as the Nosso Senhor da Compreensão from the Portuguese Navy.
There's quite a lot of emphasis on how important this is. And this could be the masterstroke that basically secures Western Honshu for Nobunaga. So he's returned to Kyoto, and Nobunaga sends his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide with Akechi's army as the initial force to go reinforce Hideyoshi out west. And for reasons that are not quite clear, but of course, lead to lots of speculation and dramatic interpretation. Akechi decides that instead of turning west to go support Hideyoshi, he's going to turn his forces east, march into Kyoto, surround the residence of Nobunaga, which is the Honnō-ji Temple in central Kyoto. It's where he normally took up residence when he was in the city, and attack his own war.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|The Ranger=
The Ranger was a brig formerly owned by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold before he passed it on to his colleague, Charles Vane.
We don't really know why we don't really get any full explanation of Akechi's motives. There's lots of speculation that it had to do with resentment at court treatment by Nobunaga. One thing that we do know is that Akechi's mother had been killed by a rival clan where Akechi had given them his mother as a hostage, as insurance essentially against an attack. And Nobunaga superseded that and ordered the attack anyway. So they killed Akechi's mother. Other things are rumors that he was physically abusive and verbally abusive to Mitsuhide personally.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
</tabber>
But for whatever reason, Akechi decides that this is his moment while Nobunaga is lightly guarded. He's certainly not expecting anybody to attack him in Kyoto. They surround Nobunaga's residence, set out on fire. Nobunaga and his guards fight back, but are eventually overwhelmed. Nobunaga commits suicide. And then his heir as well, who was also in Kyoto, is attacked by Akechi's forces and dies. So in one stroke, the Akechi have eliminated, basically decapitated the Oda family and thus ended Nobunaga's career.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
<tabber>
|-|Spanish Brig=
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Brig.
So one of the things that he institutes in large scale, though not systematic scale, is land surveys, sending out his administrators to take surveys of the arable land and their rice production yield. What this does is it establishes tax registers, it establishes known income values, and it enables Nobunaga to award rights to the land to his subordinates. And in some ways, assign them or move them based off of income levels, the pieces of land are very modular, and he can move his retainers around underneath him. Toyotomi Hideyoshi after him, who turns it into a systematic evaluation of the entire Japanese realm.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Spanish Cutter=
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Cutter.
Nobunaga is furious. He couldn't believe that his son had put himself in position to be defeated and humiliated like this. So he supposedly threatens to disown Nobukatsu. He doesn't end up following through on it, but he's not pleased.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
|-|Spanish Schooner=
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Schooner.
Nobunaga invades. He outnumbers the Iga defenders about four or five to one. And the Iga defenders are spread across the province. They can't concentrate in one location. They end up being concentrated in two castles, one in the north Hijiyama Castle, and one in the south Kashiwara Castle. But it all ends with the surrender of Kashiwara Castle on October 8th. At that point, there's no more organized resistance to Nobunaga. Nobunaga himself visits Iga in early November to take a tour of his new province, and then withdraws it and gives it to his son Nobukatsu as part of his domain to administer.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|-|Spanish Frigate=
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Frigate.
===Toyotomi Hideyoshi===
|-|Spanish Man o' War=
so Hideyoshi Toyotomi was one of those [ashigaru] now and again he carried the sandals of Oda Nobunaga Oda Nobunaga used to refer to him affectionately as that bald rat Hideyoshi's famously sort of short on a bit of hair but nevertheless he rises through the ranks to be a senior and trusted man under Oda Nobunaga so immediately he rushes from where he's been fighting over to take care of the traitors and he brings the traitors head back to Kyoto to effectively lay at the feet of Oda Nobunaga's body to say here we are you know I've taken care of this for you and Hideyoshi really then becomes the inheritor I think of this project to try to unify Japan and his major next step one of the steps that Oda Nobunaga would have taken had he lived was to attack Kyushu<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
A miniature ship model of a Spanish man o' war.
yet for Hideyoshi Kyushu is a part of Japan that he simply must have so he sends around a quarter of a million men over to Kyushu to take it for himself which he manages to do in fairly short order in 1586 and 7<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
|-|English Brig=
A miniature ship model of an English Brig.
Hideyoshi for his part had a powerful dislike of Christians so the island of Kyushu in this period was probably the part of Japan where Christian missionaries Portuguese and Spanish mainly the Jesuits but also others as well had since the 1550s been making quite a large number of converts so some of the warlords the daimyo in Kyushu were actually Christians who had a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish and Japanese names and Hideyoshi was astounded to find when he got to Kyushu but he found some Christian missionaries offering him to kind of broker deals with warlords help him take over the island these people as far as Hideyoshi were concerned were foreigners preaching of foreign faith he discovered that Nagasaki had been raised up into this great port by the Jesuits who had effectively been given Nagasaki by a local warlord so the extraordinary influence that a foreign power preaching of foreign religion had in Kyushu I think upset Hideyoshi very much<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
|-|English Cutter=
A miniature ship model of an English Cutter.
Hideyoshi once he's taken Kyushu just a few years later launches invasions of Korea so he sends troops across including some of Christian warlords commanding them across to Korea wanting to use it almost as China's driveway if you think about the geography of it send these troops up through Korea take over the peninsula eventually invade and take over China and after that he also wanted to take over India as well<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
|-|English Schooner=
A miniature ship model of an English Schooner.
although Hideyoshi has done very well by 1590 as I say he pretty much has most parts of Japan wrapped up under his control and he's starting to think about internal administration he introduces measures for example to disarm the peasantry so if you want to end this period of all against all warfare he wants to return to a position where most people cannot bear arms and it's very clear who can and who aren't and where you sit in these various samurai hierarchies so he does all these bits of internal administration too I suppose another thing he starts to do is to launch these surveys of the land something that Oda Nobunaga had started to an extent but Hideyoshi really goes for it to get a sense of who going forward owns what in Japan what kind of tax you ought to pay so the things that you know maybe strike some fans of history as a bit dull but nevertheless a sign I think of a new order starting to entrench itself so he does all that but his Korean campaign goes badly wrong in the 1590s the Chinese finally put some men in the field and they push the Japanese troops all the way back down the Korean peninsula so it doesn't go anywhere except for poisoning relations with Korea for a very long time to come and then in 1598 Hideyoshi dies and the one thing he doesn't manage to do and I suppose fans of history from Europe and elsewhere there's similar things happen here one thing you want to do if you're a newly established ruler is make sure that the succession is in place...<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
|-|English Frigate=
A miniature ship model of an English Frigate.
And you had Otomo, which was a very powerful clan in the east of Kyushu. And then you had in the southwest, you had the Shimazu. And Otomo was losing against the Shimazu. So he asked Hideyoshi to intervene. And sometime before Hideyoshi marched towards Kyushu, he met with Coelho, which was then the head of the Christian mission in Japan, together with Fróis. And he treated Coelho very well, just like Oda Nobunaga had done with Fróis. So Coelho was really pleased with that. And then Hideyoshi asked him, I want to invade Korea. Then you provide two Portuguese ships to help me in this invasion. And if I conquer Korea, I will make it that there are a lot of churches being built. So Koelyo said, yes, I will do that for you. And I will make sure that we have two Portuguese ships, the Karak ships, as they were called by the English, gigantic ships. So Hideyoshi could very well use them for his invasion in Korea. And then he went a step further and he said, I will make sure that the Christian warlords in Kyushu will also support you. And I think at that moment that Hideyoshi, that there was a ring bell in his head, that the Christians, the Jesuits had too much influence in Japan.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
|-|English Man o' War=
A miniature ship model of an English man o' war.
And when he had conquered Kyushu, he again met with Coelho on a Portuguese ship. And Coelho again said that we will support you in whatever endeavor you will take. But the night suddenly he sent a questionary to Coelho, asking him why they came to Japan, why they are making so much converts. And why are they destroying the Buddhist temples? Of course Coelho was really shocked with that. He was so well treated and suddenly everything changed overnight. So he gave his answer that, well, they came to Japan just to propagate their faith, in good faith. And that it was not them who destroyed the Buddhist temples, but the Japanese converts. So the answer of Hideyoshi was that he made a decree that the Jesuits had to leave Japan in 20 days.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|The El Dorado=
A miniature ship model of the El Dorado.
Nobunaga's main retainer, a man called Hideyoshi, was born a peasant. He actually became Nobunaga's successor after Nobunaga died. So he rose from literally the bottom almost to the top within his lifetime. He died quite early as well, maybe in his 50s. So it wasn't even a long life.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 4: Yasuke: The First African Samurai</ref>
|-|The Jackdaw=
A miniature ship model of the Jackdaw.
The Takeda family is finally destroyed in 1582. And one of the few remaining enemies in the main island of Japan that he is concerned about is this family called the Mori family. And he's had one of his generals man by the name of Hashida Hideyoshi, who we would later know as Toyotomi Hideyoshi. One of his generals is leading the campaign against them. And having just completed the campaign in the east against the Takeda, he is given notice by Hideyoshi that a siege of a castle is almost complete. But he's worried that Mori reinforcements are going to come. So please send additional reinforcements to me in order to defeat the Mori.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
|-|The Revenge (ship model)=
A miniature ship model of the Revenge.
</tabber>
There's quite a lot of emphasis on how important this is. And this could be the masterstroke that basically secures Western Honshu for Nobunaga. So he's returned to Kyoto, and Nobunaga sends his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide with Akechi's army as the initial force to go reinforce Hideyoshi out west. And for reasons that are not quite clear, but of course, lead to lots of speculation and dramatic interpretation. Akechi decides that instead of turning west to go support Hideyoshi, he's going to turn his forces east, march into Kyoto, surround the residence of Nobunaga, which is the Honnō-ji Temple in central Kyoto. It's where he normally took up residence when he was in the city, and attack his own war.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
<tabber>
|-|Black Jaguar=
In the [[Americas]], the term ‘black panther’ generally refers to a melanistic [[jaguar]]. They are not a separate species, but a color morph of the spotted form. Black jaguars form less than ten percent of jaguars.
So one of the things that he institutes in large scale, though not systematic scale, is land surveys, sending out his administrators to take surveys of the arable land and their rice production yield. What this does is it establishes tax registers, it establishes known income values, and it enables Nobunaga to award rights to the land to his subordinates. And in some ways, assign them or move them based off of income levels, the pieces of land are very modular, and he can move his retainers around underneath him. Toyotomi Hideyoshi after him, who turns it into a systematic evaluation of the entire Japanese realm.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Black jaguars can be found in Isla Providencia and Pinos Isle.
===Tokugawa Ieyasu===
|-|Cat=
What he succeeds in doing is very early on gaining control of a neighboring province and then he makes a very fortuitous alliance with the man who becomes Tokugawa Ieyasu. He doesn't yet have that name at this point in the 1550s but that's a great alliance. It allows Oda Nobunaga not to have to worry too much about the territory to one side of his own province and so he can look elsewhere for his focus [...]<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
The cat is a small carnivorous mammal with a flexible body, sharp claws, and quick reflexes. Cats have long been domesticated, and are favored as pets for their affectionate independence, and playful natures.
unfortunately he dies when his son Hideyori is still too young to assume power and so you have this council of elders who are controlling things until Hideyori is old enough to rule by himself but unfortunately on that council of elders is one Tokugawa Ieyasu who while you know professing a certain amount of loyalty to Hideyori is plotting and scheming instead to take it all for himself and so he becomes our third major figure.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
Sailors often keep cats aboard ships to deal with rats and other vermin.
he stations some troops in Kyoto to keep the emperor under a watchful eye not necessarily because of what the emperor might do but what people might use the emperor for some of his western enemies you know as in in the western part of Japan might potentially take the emperor as a figurehead and launch a further action against him it's not as though after a great battle like that everyone on the losing side thinks fair enough you know you've got me I'll walk away and agree to this so he has that our establishment Kyoto his own power base is Edo this castle town that is now the great city of Tokyo so his shogunate is really run out of Edo that's where his advisors are his castle is his strong economy is and he manages to really build up Edo I think in short order the other thing he does which is really establishing this process of unification really establishing the new Japan is he does this enormous reshuffling of territory in Japan I think it's the biggest reshuffling of territory in terms of who controls what in Japan's history so lots of the people who are on the losing side at the battle of Sekigahara either lose everything or their territory is drastically cut down or they're shipped off to another part of the country entirely perhaps all these things that are designed to damage their power he also as part of that reshuffle takes over a system that Hideyoshi used to use called Sankin Kortai<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
|-|Crocodile=
The [[Crocodile]] is a large, tropical-dwelling tetrapod. Crocodiles can measure up to 15 feet long, weigh 2000 pounds, and live to be 70 years old. This prehistoric-looking predator preys on birds, fish, insects and other reptiles.
Tokugawa Ieyasu, he forbade Christianity totally. And all influence of the Jesuits was razed very systematically from then on.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
Crocodiles have been known to indulge in cannibalistic behaviour. Because of this, they live in groupings of the same size.
So it kind of makes a name for Nobunaga. Another key thing about this battle, though, and the aftermath is that in the confusion of the Imagawa family with the loss of their head, several of their more talented and younger retainers, one of which we know today as Tokugawa Ieyasu, are able to claim independence. And Ieyasu establishes himself in his home territory of Mikawa, which is just to the east of Owari, and establishes an alliance with Nobunaga, thus providing a secure flank to Nobunaga's east, allowing Nobunaga to then look in other directions as he begins to expand.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
Not to be confused with alligators, crocodiles are bigger, lighter in color, and have narrower snouts. Although known to attack [[humans]], the crocodile is more likely to flee than to react aggressively when approached.
The two sides meet in July of 1570 at the Battle of Anegawa, where Nobunaga was joined by his ally Tokugawa Ieyasu. And they fight this battle in the shallow Anagawa River, both sides plunging into the water to engage the enemy. So if you picture this dramatic battle in this shallow river, Tokugawa, on Nobunaga's right flank, managed to route the Asakura and then crash into the flank of the Asai while at the same time Nobunaga sent his reserves around the other flank. And it causes the collapse of the enemy to create victory.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Crocodiles are most commonly found in Nassau, Long Bay, and Matanzas.
Many of them [Iga warriors] went to work for a retainer of Tokugawa Iyasu who has become famous in kind of ninja lore, man by the name of Hattori Hanzo. And Hattori Hanzo had family ties to Iga. He's often referred to or portrayed as in pop culture as a ninja, but he was a samurai retainer, a warrior just like many of the warriors that fought for any of the Daimyo of this period. He appears in most of Tokugawa Iyasu's battles until Hanzo dies in 1590s. He is considered one of Tokugawa Iyasu's closest retainers, but because through his family ties, he had a knowledge base of these sort of unconventional guerilla tactics. He also had through those ties, the ability to kind of act as a landing place for many of these men of Iga. And so many of them went to work for Tokugawa Ieyasu under the command of Hattori Hanzo.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
|-|Deer=
Deer are large hoofed ruminants notable for having two large and two small hooves on each foot. Males have antlers while the females do not, with the exception of a single species where the females also grow antlers. Deer are selective feeders, eating plant food low in fiber content and high in protein such as young grass, herbs, woody shoots, and bark.
==Other==
Various subspecies of deer can be found in the Caribbean bioregion. The red brocket deer, for example, is found in Trinidad and Tobago and the Key deer, introduced by colonists, inhabits the Florida Keys.
===Toyotomi Hideyori===
unfortunately he dies when his son Hideyori is still too young to assume power and so you have this council of elders who are controlling things until Hideyori is old enough to rule by himself but unfortunately on that council of elders is one Tokugawa Ieyasu who while you know professing a certain amount of loyalty to Hideyori is plotting and scheming instead to take it all for himself and so he becomes our third major figure.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
Hideyori is still around and that really isn't taken care of until a very famous incident 1614 to 15 which is the siege of Osaka it's one of these events in Japanese history which is told and retold on the stage in books in films in art even where the forces of the Tokugawa and their allies gather around Osaka castle trying to do some kind of deal trying to force Hideyori and those around him to give up but in the end the siege turns bloody the castle is on fire and we have these famous scenes of Hideyori and his mother huddled together as everyone around them is burning up and dying so the siege of Osaka<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02"/>
Deer are most commonly found in Kingston, Salt Lagoon, and Santanillas.
===Francis Xavier===
|-|Frigatebird=
Francis Xavier was a Jesuit and one of the founding members of the Jesuits. He was asked to travel to Asia to begin doing missionary work there. He was asked especially by King John III of Portugal because he was very keen on trying to get as many Asians adhering to the Christian religion. Xavier had quite a correspondence with King John about all what he did in Asia and it wasn't what he expected. In 1542 he came to India but he didn't get good results so he tried to go to Malacca but there also there was not much interest for his propagating of the faith. And there he met with a Japanese called Anjiro, probably his real name was Yajiro, and he told him about Japan and also some Portuguese merchants who had gone to Japan told him that that will be the country where you really are going to get a lot of people converted to Christianity. So he had a lot of expectations for Japan and in 1549 he finally set foot on Japan. So that was really the first time that the Jesuits arrived in Japan only six or seven years after the first Portuguese came there.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
Frigate birds are large seabirds with long wings, forked tails, and slender bodies. They generally inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans, often nesting on remote islands. Frigate birds are skilled fliers, and are known to steal food from other seabirds.
when Xavier came in Japan, he landed in Satsuma, Kagoshima, which is in the southern part of the Kyushu island, and you had a warlord there, Shimaze Takahisa, and he welcomed Xavier very much because he had a motive. If the Jesuits would come, he thought the Portuguese merchants would follow. So he treated Xavier very well and he gave him permission to preach the Gospel in his domains, but after a year, no Portuguese ship arrived, so then he prohibited Christianity and Xavier was compelled to go to another domain, which was the Hilado domain of Matsura Takanobu, and just at that time there was a Portuguese vessel there. And when the Portuguese saw the Jesuits, so Xavier and his companions, they greeted them with utmost respect. And Takanobu saw that, so he thought, okay, I have to treat them also with respect so that the Portuguese traders could come, because those Portuguese traders, they got a lot of products.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Hammerhead Shark=
Found across the world in tropical and temperate waters, the [[Hammerhead sharks|hammerhead]]'s unusual head shape gives it increased sensory ability to detect its prey. The hammerhead does not attack humans, although it can be lethal if provoked.
And he thought that if he goes to the emperor in Kyoto, in the capital, that the emperor would give him permission to preach in whole of Japan, and that he would have a lot of success because he saw that the lot of a small domain, when he gave permission, he got the chance to convert a few people. If the upper lord of the country would give him permission, he thought he would be in a good position to convert a lot of Japanese. So he went to Kyoto, but that materialized not very well because Kyoto at the time was in the midst of warfare, so he didn't have the chance to meet with the emperor nor with the shogun.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Hammerhead sharks can be found in the Eleuthera and Gibara regions.
So afterwards, he went back from Kyoto. He got back to Hirado, where he put on very expensive clothes and then went again to the court of Ōuchi. And then he was received very well. He also gave a lot of presents, which he had brought from Portugal. And Ōuchi was very policed with that and gave permission for the Jesuits to preach their gospel in his domains.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Howler Monkey=
Considered one of the loudest animals on [[earth]], the small-sized [[Howler monkey|Howler Monkey]] generates a siren-like howl that can be heard from a distance of 3 miles (5km). They are not aggressive and are popular as pets in The West Indies.
Xavier left in 1551, but soon there came more and more Jesuits.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Howler monkeys are most commonly found in Kingston, Cape Bonavista, and Long Bay.
===Anjirō===
|-|Hutia=
And there [India] he [Francis Xavier] met with a Japanese called Anjiro, probably his real name was Yajiro, and he told him about Japan and also some Portuguese merchants who had gone to Japan told him that that will be the country where you really are going to get a lot of people converted to Christianity.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
The hutia is a large rodent unique to the Caribbean basin which varies in size, and can form distinct species from island to island. Hutias are often hunted by locals to be eaten in a spiced stew.
Xavier first met with Anjiro and this guy could speak Portuguese and he learned a lot of languages. He went to the Seminario in Goa, so he became very proficient in the Christian faith.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Hutias are most commonly found in Cayman Sound and Long Bay.
So afterwards, he went back from Kyoto. He got back to Hirado, where he put on very expensive clothes and then went again to the court of Ōuchi. And then he was received very well. He also gave a lot of presents, which he had brought from Portugal. And Ōuchi was very policed with that and gave permission for the Jesuits to preach their gospel in his domains. So there, Xavier saw how he had to arrange the missionary work in Japan. <ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Iguana=
Iguanas are large, herbivorous lizards found throughout the Caribbean islands. The common iguana eats only leaves, flowers and fruit. Despite their at times fierce appearance they are not aggressive, and typically flee when threatened. However, they can lash their tails and bite if provoked.
===Shimaze Takahisa===
Iguana are found in Great Inagua, Andreas Island, and Abaco Island.
when Xavier came in Japan, he landed in Satsuma, Kagoshima, which is in the southern part of the Kyushu island, and you had a warlord there, Shimaze Takahisa, and he welcomed Xavier very much because he had a motive. If the Jesuits would come, he thought the Portuguese merchants would follow. So he treated Xavier very well and he gave him permission to preach the Gospel in his domains, but after a year, no Portuguese ship arrived, so then he prohibited Christianity and Xavier was compelled to go to another domain<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
===Matsura Takanobu===
|-|Jaguar=
ut after a year, no Portuguese ship arrived, so then he prohibited Christianity and Xavier was compelled to go to another domain, which was the Hilado domain of Matsura Takanobu, and just at that time there was a Portuguese vessel there. And when the Portuguese saw the Jesuits, so Xavier and his companions, they greeted them with utmost respect. And Takanobu saw that, so he thought, okay, I have to treat them also with respect so that the Portuguese traders could come, because those Portuguese traders, they got a lot of products.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
The largest feline in the Western hemisphere, the [[jaguar]] is distinguished by its compact and powerful build, its agility, and its unique killing method of biting directly into the skull to pierce the brain. The [[Maya]]ns believed that the jaguars could carry messages to and from the afterworld.
in Hirado, when some Japanese became Christians, they became quite aggressive against the Buddhists. So you got internal strife in the Hirado domain, and that was the reason why Takanobu prohibited Christianity from then on.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Jaguars are most commonly found in Cape Bonavista, Long Bay, Tulum, and Principe.
===Ōuchi Yoshitaka===
|-|Jellyfish=
So afterwards, he went back from Kyoto. He got back to Hirado, where he put on very expensive clothes and then went again to the court of Ōuchi. And then he was received very well. He also gave a lot of presents, which he had brought from Portugal. And Ōuchi was very policed with that and gave permission for the Jesuits to preach their gospel in his domains.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
Also called a [[wikt:medusa|medusa]], the [[jellyfish]] isn't technically a [[fish]]—it is a free-swimming {{Wiki|Cnidaria|non-vertebrate}} found in every sea across the [[Earth|world]]. Jellyfish consist of a {{Wiki|Mesoglea|gelatinous bell}} with trailing tentacles capable of {{Wiki|Cnidocyte|stinging}} prey. Jellyfish stings are in most cases harmless to [[human]]s, but some can be extremely serious, even lethal.
===Ōtomo Yoshishige===
|-|Manta Ray=
You have, for example, Ōtomo Yoshishige, who became a Christian after a long time. But he was very well disposed against the Jesuits. You have other people like Takayama Ukon, who became a very fervent Christian and all his samurai also. So they were very fond of them, and they listened to the Jesuits. They asked them a lot about politics, how they could manage this or that issue. So the Jesuits got a lot of influence with some warlords and also with a lot of the peasants and the lower ranked people. So they really had some success, success that they didn't experience in other countries.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
Although related to [[shark]]s, [[manta ray]]s are harmless. They can be quite large (up to 30 ft (9m) wide) and feed on small [[fish]] and plankton, funneling food into their mouth using {{Wiki|cephalic}} flaps extending from the eyes. Manta rays, which are found all over the world, have the unique ability to leap from the water into the air to escape attackers.
And you had Otomo, which was a very powerful clan in the east of Kyushu. And then you had in the southwest, you had the Shimazu. And Otomo was losing against the Shimazu. So he asked Hideyoshi to intervene.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Monkey=
Monkeys in the Caribbean are primarily an introduced African species called the green monkey, although up to the 17th Century these still shared territory with the now extinct Jamaican monkey. Both species were omnivores that ate a variety of foraged foods including fruit, seeds, flowers, insects, and smaller animals like frogs and birds.
===Takayama Ukon===
Monkeys were viewed as pests by farmers as they continually raided crops, but were favoured by locals and sailors who adopted them as mischievous, intelligent pets.
You have other people like Takayama Ukon, who became a very fervent Christian and all his samurai also. So they were very fond of them, and they listened to the Jesuits. They asked them a lot about politics, how they could manage this or that issue. So the Jesuits got a lot of influence with some warlords and also with a lot of the peasants and the lower ranked people. So they really had some success, success that they didn't experience in other countries.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
And at the same night [that Toyotomi banned the Jesuits], Takayama Ukon, who was a fervent Christian warlord, was deprived of all his domains and eventually banished.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Ocelot=
The ocelot is a wild cat that typically has yellow fur with dark stripes in the manner of a jaguar. Ocelots are nocturnal and range from the size of domestic cats up to four feet (1.2 meters) in length.
===Gaspar Vilela===
Ocelot hides are coveted by leather workers for their ease of working, patterned fur, soft texture, and durability.
Gaspar Vilela is one who stands out. He was a very keen propagator of the Christian faith, and he could convert some warlords to Christianity. One of them was Omura Sumitada, who eventually would give a port to the Jesuits, which was called Nagasaki.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
And they also had a problem that after a while you have [Francisco] Cabral, you have [Gaspar] Coelho, so two Jesuits who became the head of the Japan sector. And they weren't very keen to adopt Japanese customs. They wanted to be as strictly Jesuits as in Europe. So they already have a problem from the Jesuit side and many like Vilela or Fróis were more inclined to adopt Japanese customs. But the heads of the provincials, as they call them, were against that.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Ocelots can be found in Cumberland Bay and Abaco Island.
===Ōmura Sumitada===
|-|Turtle=
Gaspar Vilela is one who stands out. He was a very keen propagator of the Christian faith, and he could convert some warlords to Christianity. One of them was Omura Sumitada, who eventually would give a port to the Jesuits, which was called Nagasaki.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
The [[Caribbean]] basin provides an excellent climate for both land and [[Green sea turtle|sea turtles]]. Turtles are reptiles with a hard, protective upper shell called a carapace. Although they are natural swimmers and can stay submerged for up to 7 hours while resting, turtles breathe air. Despite being awkward and slow moving on land, they go ashore to lay their eggs.
And a lot of Buddhist temples were destroyed, especially in Omura, which was the domain of Omura Sumitada, who was a fervent Christian. So he just lets the Christians do what they wanted. And some Japanese began to dislike the Christians. So he got more and more opposition when they became more and more Christians.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|White Jaguar=
White coats in animals can be due to a specific genetic mutation or albinism. The genetic mutation that yields a white jaguar also results in a more aggressive animal, making them dangerous as well as rare.
===Luis de Almeida===
White jaguars can be found at Great Inagua.
Luis de Almeida was the merchant and the surgeon, and he came to Japan in connection with the select trade between China and Japan. He was very wealthy, but in 1555, after three years in Japan, he decided to become a Jesuit himself. And so he gave all his wealth to the church, and he was also instrumental in establishing a hospital and an orphanage in Funai, which was the capital of Bungo, which was the domain of Otomo Yoshishige, a very powerful warlord in Kyushu.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
===Alessandro Valignano===
|-|Wild Pig=
And then you have, of course, Valignano, which was the visitor, as he was called, to the Orient. So he was the head of all the actions in the Orient, and he spent a lot of time in Japan, because Japan was the place where the Jesuits thought they would have the best results.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
The [[wild pig]], or [[wild boar|boar]], is a large cousin of the domesticated [[pig]] covered by hairy bristles. They were introduced by [[Europe]]ans to the [[Caribbean]] basin ([[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]] himself brought eight pigs with him from [[Spain]]). Wild pigs flourished in the island environment and were hunted by sailors and [[Piracy|pirates]] to provide salted pork on their voyages.
He was the bodyguard of a Jesuit, the head Jesuit in Asia, essentially the head of the Christian church in Asia, a man called Alessandro Valignano. And Valignano was on a tour from Rome. He'd been sent by the Pope to tour the new missions in Asia and of course, Japan was the furthest of these missions.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 4: Yasuke: The First African Samurai</ref>
Wild pigs are most commonly found in Nassau, Great Inagua, and Cape Bonavista.
Valignano himself, the visitor, the chief inspector of churches, if you like, was a big proponent of learning any language. He started the concept of Asian studies. Asian language studies in Europe were started by him. He was the person who insisted that his missionaries study Chinese, Japanese, various Indian languages, so it's conceivable that Yasuke had already started to learn Japanese before he arrived.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
|-|Bull Shark=
So-called because of their short snouts and their tendency to head-butt prey, [[bull sharks]] are commonly found in warm, shallow waters. They are extremely aggressive and dangerous to [[Humans|humans]]. The females are larger than the males, and adults measure well over seven feet (2.15m) long.
===Luís Fróis===
Bull sharks can be found in the Dry Tortuga, Gibara, and Punta Guarico regions.
He was the historian of the Jesuits. He wrote all the lengthy reports about Japan. Every year, the Jesuits wrote a report about what they had done in Japan, about the political situation of Japan and all the Christian communities in all the places, especially in Kyushu. And that was a very lengthy report. It was mostly over 100 pages every year. And those reports are very valuable, because Fróis wrote too much for the liking of his superiors. He said, it's too much, you have to make it more compact. But because of all those reports, we have vivid impressions of what Japan was like at the time, and also all kinds of political developments within Japan.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
And they also had a problem that after a while you have [Francisco] Cabral, you have [Gaspar] Coelho, so two Jesuits who became the head of the Japan sector. And they weren't very keen to adopt Japanese customs. They wanted to be as strictly Jesuits as in Europe. So they already have a problem from the Jesuit side and many like Vilela or Fróis were more inclined to adopt Japanese customs. But the heads of the provincials, as they call them, were against that.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Capuchin Monkey=
Found throughout Central and [[South America]], [[capuchin monkey]]s are small and highly intelligent. They eat almost anything -- nuts, fruits, small birds, frogs, clams, etc. Many [[Piracy|pirates]] favored capuchins as pets.
So you had, for example, Oda Nobunaga, which showed great familiarity to the Christians, to for example, Fróis, who he invited in Kyoto in Gifu Castle and showed him around in the castle. So it was very positively inclined towards the Christians, but still he never adopted the Christian faith himself.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Capuchins can be found in Matanzas and Misteriosa.
===Francisco Cabral===
|-|Great White Shark=
And they also had a problem that after a while you have [Francisco] Cabral, you have [Gaspar] Coelho, so two Jesuits who became the head of the Japan sector. And they weren't very keen to adopt Japanese customs. They wanted to be as strictly Jesuits as in Europe. So they already have a problem from the Jesuit side and many like Vilela or Fróis were more inclined to adopt Japanese customs. But the heads of the provincials, as they call them, were against that.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
The largest predatory fish in the world, the [[Great white sharks|great white]]'s lethal aspect is due to its nearly 300 serrated teeth arranged in rows. Great whites have been known to attack [[humans]], but usually more out of curiosity than hunger -- "sample biting" and then releasing their victims. The great white reaches an average length of 15 feet (4.6m).
===Gaspar Coelho===
Great white sharks can be found in the Cruz and Serranilla regions.
And they also had a problem that after a while you have [Francisco] Cabral, you have [Gaspar] Coelho, so two Jesuits who became the head of the Japan sector. And they weren't very keen to adopt Japanese customs. They wanted to be as strictly Jesuits as in Europe. So they already have a problem from the Jesuit side and many like Vilela or Fróis were more inclined to adopt Japanese customs. But the heads of the provincials, as they call them, were against that.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 3: Portuguese Missionaries in Japan</ref>
And you had Otomo, which was a very powerful clan in the east of Kyushu. And then you had in the southwest, you had the Shimazu. And Otomo was losing against the Shimazu. So he asked Hideyoshi to intervene. And sometime before Hideyoshi marched towards Kyushu, he met with Coelho, which was then the head of the Christian mission in Japan, together with Fróis. And he treated Coelho very well, just like Oda Nobunaga had done with Fróis. So Coelho was really pleased with that. And then Hideyoshi asked him, I want to invade Korea. Then you provide two Portuguese ships to help me in this invasion. And if I conquer Korea, I will make it that there are a lot of churches being built. So Koelyo said, yes, I will do that for you. And I will make sure that we have two Portuguese ships, the Karak ships, as they were called by the English, gigantic ships. So Hideyoshi could very well use them for his invasion in Korea. And then he went a step further and he said, I will make sure that the Christian warlords in Kyushu will also support you. And I think at that moment that Hideyoshi, that there was a ring bell in his head, that the Christians, the Jesuits had too much influence in Japan.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
|-|Humpback Whale=
Known for emitting complex sequences of haunting moans, the [[Humpback whale|humpback]] is a large whale that reaches up to 62 feet (19 meters) in length. They migrate from the poles to the equator seasonally and travel in pods.
And when he had conquered Kyushu, he again met with Coelho on a Portuguese ship. And Coelho again said that we will support you in whatever endeavor you will take. But the night suddenly he sent a questionary to Coelho, asking him why they came to Japan, why they are making so much converts. And why are they destroying the Buddhist temples? Of course Coelho was really shocked with that. He was so well treated and suddenly everything changed overnight. So he gave his answer that, well, they came to Japan just to propagate their faith, in good faith. And that it was not them who destroyed the Buddhist temples, but the Japanese converts. So the answer of Hideyoshi was that he made a decree that the Jesuits had to leave Japan in 20 days.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 03"/>
Humpback whales can be found in the Castillo De Jagua and Navassa regions.
===Yasuke===
|-|Killer Whale=
we know that he's from Africa, but we don't know for certain which parts of Africa, apart from that it would have been on the East Coast. The descriptions we have from Japanese descriptions are very much of somebody from what is now South Sudan, very tall, very black, very strong. Whereas there's a couple of sources which suggest he might have come from the Mozambique area. However, he doesn't fit the description very much of people from that region. There's also the full possibility that he could have been somehow trafficked from the South Sudan area down south and come through Mozambique as well.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 4: Yasuke: The First African Samurai</ref>
Called the Grampus by sailors in the 18th century, the [[killer whale]], or Orca, is part of the dolphin family. Known for their ferociously deadly predation, killer whales feast on [[seal]]s, sea-lions and even other whales. They hunt in pods in the manner of [[Wolves|wolf packs]] and are found throughout the [[Earth|world]]'s seas.
He arrived in May 1579 on a ship from Macau to get from Africa, whichever part of Africa it was to Macau and then to Japan. He'd already spent time in India. He'd spent time in Malacca in modern day Malaysia. And I think it was about six to nine months in Macau. He was the bodyguard of a Jesuit, the head Jesuit in Asia, essentially the head of the Christian church in Asia, a man called Alessandro Valignano. And Valignano was on a tour from Rome.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
Killer whales can be found in the Cruz and Conttoyor regions.
</tabber>
It's highly likely that he would have been Christian, at least on paper.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
<tabber>
|-|Red Howler Monkey=
Red howler monkeys can be located on Isla Providencia.
</tabber>
In those days, he was considered a giant<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
<tabber>
|-|Adéwalé=
Born: 1692, [[Trinidad]]<br>
Died: Unknown
Yasuke is recorded two years afterwards as having quite a good level of Japanese. [...] He [Valignano] was the person who insisted that his missionaries study Chinese, Japanese, various Indian languages, so it's conceivable that Yasuke had already started to learn Japanese before he arrived.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
Born to [[Slavery|enslaved]] {{Wiki|Ogoni people|Ogoni}} parents in {{Wiki|Yorubaland|Yoruba}}, [[Adéwalé]] was sold to the owner of a prosperous [[plantation]] before his teens. He remained on this plantation, working the fields, until his mid teens, always scheming of ways to escape his predicament, but uneasy with the prospect of living life as a fugitive.
Another one, when getting to Miyako, which is now Kyoto, a huge mob literally surrounded the mission and almost pushed the mission down, throwing stones. There were dead people in the crowd outside. And at that point, Nobunaga, who was the most powerful warlord in Japan at the time, was five minutes walk away. He heard this huge hullaballo, which he liked. He heard what was going on. And he demanded to see who was disturbing the peace, demanded that this person be brought before him.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
Then fortune struck, giving Adéwalé the sign he needed. At some point near his 16th birthday, a group of buccaneers raided the [[plantation]], robbing it of raw cane, refined [[sugar]], and as many [[real]]es as they could find. Seeing in this an opportunity, Adé grabbed a crate of sugar and hauled it aboard one of the longboats the buccaneers had rowed ashore. Surprised to see a slave among them, the buccaneers were nevertheless thankful for the aid, and welcomed Adé among them.
Somehow within a few days, Yasuke has entered Nobunaga's service. Within a month, he's gone to Nobunaga's castle town. There's another Jesuit record from there. And there's a Japanese record from there as well that says how much Nobunaga enjoyed talking to him, that he gave him a house, that he gave him a sword. And that's where the idea that he became a samurai comes into it.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
Adé sailed with this first group of men for many years, quickly learning the ways of a seaman, grateful for the chance to develop his own skills and chase his own passions. And though his life among buccaneers was not free of the usual bigotry of the era, Adé found the prejudice to be more confrontational than restrictive.
There's another record of their first audience where Nobunaga gifts him what is essentially 30 kilos of coins. And you can imagine that as a kind of joke as well. Give the strong man 30 kilos worth of money and see if he can actually carry it. It doesn't say whether he carried it away on his own or not, but that was a lot of money.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
In 1715, misfortune struck a cruel blow when the ship Adé was aboard, struck a shallow sandbar near the port of [[Havana]]. The buccaneers—mostly [[United Kingdom|British]] at the time—tried desperately to free the trapped vessel, but after catching sight of an approaching [[Spain|Spanish]] [[Man O' War|Galleon]], abandoned ship only to be torn apart by schools of circling [[bull shark]]s. Adé made peace with his fate, and stood his ground.
So Yasuke was there at Nobunaga's death. He possibly was the last person to see him alive. Nobunaga was killed in a coup d'etat, essentially. He was heading to the front with this small corps of men over which Yasuke was one, around 30 people. And one of his generals, basically, we still don't know to this day why, he brought his whole army of 13,000 and attacked. They were all gunned down, essentially. Nobunaga, with Yasuke and his lover, [Mori] Ranmaru, come into the middle of the temple where their last moments are held. The temple's on fire around them. And Nobunaga really is going to know what happened in that room because there's only three people and they all died, except for Yasuke. But we only know that Yasuke survived because the Jesuits recorded as such. We don't know what he saw, unfortunately. The normal legend goes Nobunaga cut his belly, Ranmaru took his head off as his second, and then one supposes that Ranmaru then cut his belly and Yasuke took off Ranmaru's head. And the supposed last order is Yasuke save my head. Yasuke runs with the head to Nobunaga's son, who is probably about five to ten minutes walk away, very close, in a different temple. So about to be attacked. Also just putting up the defenses for a last ditch stand. Of course, that doesn't last very long. He's dead within the hour or so. And all we know from the Jesuit source, there are no more Japanese sources, all we know from the Jesuit source is that Yasuke was there at the last. He was one of the few survivors. He was taken prisoner. He surrendered his sword. And he was then escorted to the Jesuit mission, which was again only five minutes walk away. This is a very small area of Kyoto where all this happens. The Jesuits give thanks to God for his deliverance.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
Taken to [[Havana]] for questioning and inspection, Spanish authorities eventually decided to send Adéwalé to Spain, where they felt he would make an excellent interpreter, owing to his fluent command of Spanish, [[England|English]], and [[France|French]]. Some weeks later, they loaded him into of the Galleons that made up their perennial [[Spanish Treasure Fleet|treasure convoy]], en route to [[Seville]].
===Mori Ranmaru===
|-|Ah Tabai=
So Yasuke was there at Nobunaga's death. He possibly was the last person to see him alive. Nobunaga was killed in a coup d'etat, essentially. He was heading to the front with this small corps of men over which Yasuke was one, around 30 people. And one of his generals, basically, we still don't know to this day why, he brought his whole army of 13,000 and attacked. They were all gunned down, essentially. Nobunaga, with Yasuke and his lover, [Mori] Ranmaru, come into the middle of the temple where their last moments are held. The temple's on fire around them. And Nobunaga really is going to know what happened in that room because there's only three people and they all died, except for Yasuke. But we only know that Yasuke survived because the Jesuits recorded as such. We don't know what he saw, unfortunately. The normal legend goes Nobunaga cut his belly, Ranmarutook his head off as his second, and then one supposes that Ranmaru then cut his belly and Yasuke took off Ranmaru's head. And the supposed last order is Yasuke save my head. Yasuke runs with the head to Nobunaga's son, who is probably about five to ten minutes walk away, very close, in a different temple.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 04"/>
Named for the [[Maya]]n god of hunting, [[Ah Tabai]]'s given name remains a mystery, and very little is known about his earliest decades. The only child he is known to have fathered died before the age of ten.
the Oda family, as I said, they were the deputy governors underneath the Shiba family in Owari, and he's born as the first legitimate son of a man named Oda Nobuhide, who is the defacto leader of the Oda family. Like I mentioned, his line was not the senior line, but Nobuhide was particularly capable and competent and brought his relatives under his control and for the most part dominated the governance of Owari province. But he was in constant conflict with his neighbors, particularly the powerful Imagawa Yoshimoto to his east and a daimyo named Saitō Dōsan to his north in Mino province.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
He was designated Nobuhide's heir rather early on, and given the education that you would expect of an heir, he was given four of Nobuhide's high-ranking subordinates as his tutors, so to speak, kind of to raise him up and teach him the ways that he would need to rule both military and politically.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
What little else we know about him comes from his own mouth; from the stories he told those who knew him. When speaking about his own past, he avoids personal details in favor of abstractions and hints. He frequently speaks of his love and admiration for the tragic history of his people, and used these stories to illustrate the complex intersections of cultures and religions, frequently pointing out the fact that "From within and without come enemies and allies alike. Nothing in life is guaranteed, except surprise..."
But in 1549, he marries the daughter of Saito Dosan, who is located to Owari's north in Mino province, as part of a peace agreement between Dosan and Nobuhide.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
It is not known how early Ah Tabai acquired the title of Mentor, nor how large his impact was on the [[Assassins]] of the [[Caribbean|West Indies]]. However, that he maintained semi-regular contact with the [[American Brotherhood of Assassins|Assassins in the British colonies]] to the north, in various parts of [[Europe]] and [[Africa]], and in [[China]]. He was instrumental in opening his branch to men and women from all walks of life - mostly Europeans, Africans, and those Native to the area.
So Nobuhide dies in 1551. And despite Nobunaga being his heir, there's some contention based on his pattern of erratic behavior.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
As a native Mayan himself, rumors and stories of the ancient [[Observatory (Isu)|Observatory]] were not foreign to Ah Tabai. So when in 1713 rumors of [[Bartholomew Roberts|a new "Sage"]] began to surface, Ah Tabai took it upon himself to locate the man, believing the Assassins should be the protectors of the ancient and mysterious place. He sent word far and wide to as many Assassin outposts as possible, hoping their network of spies and informants would lead them to their prize. But after two years, there was no word.
===Saitō Dōsan===
Then, in early 1715, an experienced British Assassin named [[Duncan Walpole]] arrived at Ah Tabai's encampment, initially expressing a desire to train under the Mentor directly. Ah Tabai found the request odd but flattering, for Walpole had already achieved a level of Mastery few assassins ever reached. After many months of intensive training, Ah Tabai came to consider Duncan Walpole as one of his most trusted colleagues.
the Oda family, as I said, they were the deputy governors underneath the Shiba family in Owari, and he's born as the first legitimate son of a man named Oda Nobuhide, who is the defacto leader of the Oda family. Like I mentioned, his line was not the senior line, but Nobuhide was particularly capable and competent and brought his relatives under his control and for the most part dominated the governance of Owari province. But he was in constant conflict with his neighbors, particularly the powerful Imagawa Yoshimoto to his east and a daimyo named Saitō Dōsan to his north in Mino province.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
But in 1549, he [Nobunaga] marries the daughter of Saito Dosan, who is located to Owari's north in Mino province, as part of a peace agreement between Dosan and Nobuhide.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Then in June of 1715, word arrived that the [[Templars]] had located and imprisoned the [[Sages|Sage]] on [[Spain|Spanish]] lands in the far south. Seeing an opportunity to cripple his arch-enemies, Ah Tabai entrusted Duncan Walpole with the task of rallying various Assassins around the West Indies and leading an assault on the Templar prison ship en route to [[Havana]]. Duncan Walpole agreed to this task... and was never heard from again.
his father-in-law, Saitou Dousan, had ruled the province to his north, Mino Province, but was murdered by his son, Saitou Yoshitatsu, who then dies in 1561, leaving his somewhat incompetent son, Tatsuoki, in charge.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
It was only after [[Edward Kenway]]'s disastrous meddling in Havana that Ah Tabai was made aware of the full extent of Walpole's betrayal.
===Hirata Masahide===
|-|Anne Bonny=
He [Nobunaga] was designated Nobuhide's heir rather early on, and given the education that you would expect of an heir, he was given four of Nobuhide's high-ranking subordinates as his tutors, so to speak, kind of to raise him up and teach him the ways that he would need to rule both military and politically.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
Born: 1702, [[Ireland]]<br>Died: Unknown
But in 1553, one of his senior retainers, one of these four men who was designated as his tutors and mentors, a man by the name of Hirata Masahide, commits suicide. [...] We have Hirata committing this form of protest suicide. And it serves as a way to wake up young Nobunaga to his rather outlandish behavior and how it's being detrimental to both, you know, his own well-being and the well-being of the Oda family.
[[Anne Bonny|Anne]] was barely a teen when she left her native [[County Cork|Cork]] in [[Ireland]] for the [[United Kingdom|British]] colonies, and by sixteen she was en route to [[Caribbean|West Indies]] at side of her new husband, Mr. Jack Bonny, a gentle but sturdy young man in his early 20s.
<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
===Imagawa Yoshimoto===
The pair arrived in [[Nassau]] in April of 1716, settling down with an unclear idea of what shape their lives might take. Jack eventually found work on one of the small [[plantation]]s there, while Anne cultivated her ability to loaf and daydream. Unfortunately, her beauty, aloofness, and complete indifference to propriety made her the object of more romantic attention than she had ever known or cared for.
the Oda family, as I said, they were the deputy governors underneath the Shiba family in Owari, and he's born as the first legitimate son of a man named Oda Nobuhide, who is the defacto leader of the Oda family. Like I mentioned, his line was not the senior line, but Nobuhide was particularly capable and competent and brought his relatives under his control and for the most part dominated the governance of Owari province. But he was in constant conflict with his neighbors, particularly the powerful Imagawa Yoshimoto to his east and a daimyo named Saitō Dōsan to his north in Mino province.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
So his first fight is to simply gain control of his own family, you know, largely inside of Owati province. There's some pressure from external enemies that Imagawa to the east.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Within a year of arriving in Nassau, the Bonnys' marriage was in shambles, a union only in name. While Jack disappeared further into his work, Anne grew more confident and sociable, eventually taking a job as a barmaid at the popular [[Old Avery]] [[tavern]] in the center of Nassau. And though she took on a few lovers in the next few years, it was mostly out of envy and spite that the rabble of Nassau branded Anne a harlot and a tease. But with no high society to shun or shame her, Anne's desirability only increased on the strength of these rumors.
In 1560, the powerful daimyo Imagawa Yoshimoto to his east, enrolled [????] Toutomi, Suroga, and the Kawa provinces, and came from the illustrious Imagawa line, which was one of the pillars of the former Ashikaga shogunate. He decides, or it's usually assumed at least that he decides that he's going to make a run at marching on the capital of Kyoto to take charge of the central government. So he gathers together an army of 25,000 troops and begins his march east. And the first stop is, of course, his neighbor in Owari province, Nobunaga. So he has to go through Nobunaga's domain. On paper, this is going to be very easy. He's got 25,000 troops, which at the time was a very large army. And Nobunaga only has a few thousand men, maybe 2,500. So we're looking at roughly around a 10 to 1 disadvantage. But Nobunaga, despite the fact that his advisors all counsel him to withdraw into his castle at Kyosu and withstand a siege, he decides that that's a losing strategy. Because what's he going to do against an attack by an army that size? He decides that his best course of action is to try to seek an opening and attack.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Edward "Blackbeard" Thatch=
orn: 1680, [[England]]<br>Died: ????
But the Imagawa forces by midday had made significant progress against the Odo forces invading. So the Imagawa army was much larger. It was rather spread out and divided. The vanguard had taken several of these forts that Nobunaga had. Yoshimori himself was with only a few thousand troops. And at his command post, they took a bit of a siesta, almost, if you will, in this small narrow gorge called Dengaku Hazama. And they were celebrating some of the Imagawa troops had already broken into the celebration sake in anticipation of their great victory that they saw coming because, you know, how could you see anything else? A little bit after this, there's a rainstorm. This was in the summer. So the rainy season in Japan. This thunderstorm breaks out and it really helps Nobunaga maneuver his forces through the mountains, through these narrow passes into position to attack Imagawa Yoshimoto's headquarters camp. They broke out of the tree line to attack the camp. And at first Yoshimoto assumes that it's a drunken brawl taking place amongst his men. Too late, he realizes that it's not that he's actually under attack. And shortly after that, two of the Otis samurai relieve him up his head. In the aftermath, the Imagawa forces deprived of their commander melt away in confusion. And we have this almost legendary victory by other Nobunaga outmanned ten to one, destroying the forces of this great daimyo.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Known variously by different sources as Thatch, Teach, Theach, Tache, Titche, Teatch, Tack, and more, we are fairly certain [[Edward Thatch]] was born in or around [[Bristol]] and took to the sea at an early age, most likely in his teens. It is also speculated that he arrived in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] quite soon after leaving England.
===Oda Nobutomo===
If this was indeed the case, Ed Thatch would have seen his fair share of the [[War of Spanish Succession]], a protracted fight between most of the Empires of [[Europe]] that pitted Hapsburg Austia and its British ally against Bourbon France and Spain. In these early years, from 1700 to 1713, Thatch was a privateer or at the very least a merchant seaman, doing his part for the crown—[[Anne, Queen of Great Britain|Queen Anne]] at the time.
So his first fight is to simply gain control of his own family, you know, largely inside of Owati province. There's some pressure from external enemies that Imagawa to the east. But initially from 1552 to 1554, he's contending with iterations of rebellion from his uncle, Nobutomo, who inspired to assassinate him and worked with, you know, other entities to try to make that happen. Nobunaga catches him and forgives him once. But you know, second time he continues to plot. Nobunaga captures him and has him put to death.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
===Oda Nobuyuki===
But with the [[Peace of Utrecht|Treaty of Utrecht]] bestowing peace upon a troubled [[Europe]] in 1713, Thatch and his fellow sailors found themselves far from home and out of work. Thus, they turned to [[piracy]] as a means of sustaining themselves. In the ensuing years, Thatch befriended a captain named [[Benjamin Hornigold]] and soon after joined his crew as quartermaster, at some point between late 1714 and early 1716.
In 1556, again, out of fears that Nobunaga is just not up to the task. Several of his major retainers side with his younger brother Nobuyuki, but Nobunaga, you know, warned of potential treachery at one point, feigns an illness instead of going to go meet his brother. So his brother comes to meet him. And when he does, Nobunaga has him and his entourage assassinated.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
===Oda Nobuyasu===
Settling in [[Nassau]], Thatch, Hornigold, and the rest of the "Flying Gang" as these pirates called themselves, began cooking up schemes far larger than most pirates of the era dared dream. Wanting nothing less than a country of their own, they worked to turn Nassau into a place of liberty and freedom for all who desired an escape from the bonds of imperial rule.
So the 1550s is really the story of Nobunaga's consolidation of his power within the Oda family, establishing himself as the leader of the family. And by default, almost the ruler of the Oda province. In 1559, his final obstacle is the castle of Iwakura and his cousin Nobuyasu, who belongs to the senior branch of the Oda line. But he manages to take Iwakura castle and eliminate Nobuyasu. And this ends the internal threats now.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
===Saitō Yoshitatsu===
|-|Edward Kenway=
his father-in-law, Saitou Dousan, had ruled the province to his north, Mino Province, but was murdered by his son, Saitou Yoshitatsu, who then dies in 1561, leaving his somewhat incompetent son, Tatsuoki, in charge.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
Born: 1693, [[Wales]]<br>Died: ????
===Saitō Tatsuoki===
[[Edward Kenway|Edward James Kenway]] was born on the 10th of March in [[Swansea]], [[Wales]], to [[Bernard Kenway]] of [[Manchester]] and [[Linette Kenway|Linette Hopkins]] of nearby {{Wiki|Cardiff}}. By Edward's 10th birthday, his father had moved the family to a [[Hatherton|small farm]] just outside [[Bristol]], a nearby port town in the southwest of England.
his father-in-law, Saitou Dousan, had ruled the province to his north, Mino Province, but was murdered by his son, Saitou Yoshitatsu, who then dies in 1561, leaving his somewhat incompetent son, Tatsuoki, in charge.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
===Oichi===
This relocation had a depressing effect on young Edward's mood. He grew restless from a lack of contact with old friends and struggled to find an outlet for his limitless energy. By his teens he was spending more and more time in the city away from his farm, where the lure of excitement overrode prudence. By age sixteen, he had substituted a career as a successful farmer for a life of hopeless tomfoolery, frequently shirking his responsibilities to his family in favor of rough company.
So then he works to consolidate his position by doing some preliminary campaigns into neighboring Issei province and establishing diplomatic relations. So he marries his younger sister, Oichi, to a warlord named Azai Nagamasa who rules northern Omi province. And this is significant because Omi is the province that lies between Mino and Owari, which he owns, and the capital of Kyoto. So he's in essence securing a line of, you know, advance for future endeavors.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
===Azai Nagamasa===
In late 1711, at the age of seventeen, Edward met [[Caroline Scott-Kenway|Caroline Scott]], a woman of modest but steady means. Their friendship began cautiously, as Caroline's hand had already been promised to the boorish [[Matthew Hague|son]] of a wealthy [[East India Company]] [[Aubrey Hague|executive]]. But Edward's charms eventually won out, and he and Caroline were married within a year of their meeting; a union that angered [[Emmett Scott|her father]], and got the whole of Bristol talking.
So then he works to consolidate his position by doing some preliminary campaigns into neighboring Issei province and establishing diplomatic relations. So he marries his younger sister, Oichi, to a warlord named Azai Nagamasa who rules northern Omi province. And this is significant because Omi is the province that lies between Mino and Owari, which he owns, and the capital of Kyoto. So he's in essence securing a line of, you know, advance for future endeavors.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
In 1570, Nobunaga sends an invitation, sensibly on Yoshiaki's behalf, to local warlords for a reception in Kyoto. And this is almost a way to test who was going to accept his authority and who wasn't. And the daimyo of Ichizen province, Asakura Yoshikage, refuses the summons. So Nobunaga launches a campaign to besiege the Asakura's main castle. But unfortunately for Nobunaga, the Azai, his brother-in-law's family, his brother-in-law being Azai Nagamasa, had a multi-generational alliance relationship with the Asakura. So Nagamasa feels obligated to go to the Asakura's aid, and he launches an attack on Nobunaga's army's rear, forcing Nobunaga to break off the siege and retreat while a rear guard held off the Asai and the Asakura forces. So Nobunaga feels personally betrayed by this man who was a relative by marriage. And the Asai and Asakura are one of the initial threats that he faces.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
In the earliest months of their marriage, Edward resolved to do well by his wife and provide for her as he believed a man in his position should. But his grandiose dreams and exaggerated opinion of himself prevented him from taking immediate responsibility for their well-being. And after only a year, he had stumbled back into his worst habits - drinking, fighting and idleness.
===Ashikaga Yoshitero===
It was in this dark period that Edward revived an old idea of joining a [[privateer]]ing fleet sailing for the [[Caribbean|West Indies]], with the aim of making war against the [[Spain|Spanish]] and collecting unchecked sums of gold and cargo. This, he told his wife, was their path to quick riches. Being a sensible and prudent woman, Caroline discouraged these fanciful ideas.
The previous shogun, Ashikaga Yoshitero, had been assassinated in 1565 and replaced by a puppet. So Yoshitero's younger brother, a man by the name of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, had been traveling around the provinces trying to seek a benefactor who would back his claim and help him march on the capital. So shortly after Nobunaga establishes himself in Gifu, Yoshiaki arrives on his doorstep in 1568, thus giving him a pretext to make his move on the capital.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
===Ashikaga Yoshiaki===
By the summer of 1712, Caroline understood that her husband's departure was inevitable. She wanted no further part of Edward's reckless plan, and so left him to live with her parents. Stunned by this sudden turn, Edward was determined to earn his fortune fast and prove himself as capable as he always claimed he was. He left for the West Indies barely one month later, where he soon fell in with the privateer [[Benjamin Hornigold]] and his quartermaster, [[Edward Thatch|Ed Thatch]].
The previous shogun, Ashikaga Yoshitero, had been assassinated in 1565 and replaced by a puppet. So Yoshitero's younger brother, a man by the name of Ashikaga Yoshiaki, had been traveling around the provinces trying to seek a benefactor who would back his claim and help him march on the capital. So shortly after Nobunaga establishes himself in Gifu, Yoshiaki arrives on his doorstep in 1568, thus giving him a pretext to make his move on the capital.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
The fact that he can take a legitimate claimant to the Ashikaga shogunate and march on Kyoto with utter the pretext of putting him into power gives him the legitimate of his siege to do so. So November of 1568, he enters Kyoto with his army and installs Yoshiaki as the 15th Ashikaga shogun. However, here's where things start to differ from what you might have expected at the time, because rather than accept Yoshiaki's offer to be his deputy shogun, Nobunaga declines that in any other position that Yoshiaki offers.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Edward spent the first half of 1713 sailing with these two seasoned sailors, on regular sweeps of the windward passage. But that year, fate threw him another upset. With the signing of the [[Peace of Utrecht|treaty of Utrecht]], all hostile actions between the major empires came to an end and the prospects of British privateers dried up. Now poor, unemployed, and thousands of miles from home, Edward and his colleagues settled on the island of New Providence in [[the Bahamas]] to reconsider their options.
In 1570, Nobunaga sends an invitation, sensibly on Yoshiaki's behalf, to local warlords for a reception in Kyoto. And this is almost a way to test who was going to accept his authority and who wasn't.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
These were fanciful days for Edward. He discovered in the small town of [[Nassau]] a life quite unlike that which he had left behind. The atmosphere of wild and noisy freedom in this small stateless encampment overwhelmed and captivated him. The drinking, the gaming, the women, the aimless desire to simply live as one pleased. And yet, as carefree as he was, his beloved Caroline was never far from his mind. If he could make something of himself in the West Indies—working a [[sugar]] [[plantation]], perhaps—he might win her back after all his time away.
Early assessments of their relationship by historians assume that Nobunaga's plan all along was to use him as a puppet and then throw him away and take power for himself. I agree with more recent biographers, you see it as a little bit more complicated than that. Ashikaga Yoshiaki, obviously, as the Shogun, felt that he should be in charge. So after being installed in 1568, he attempts to rule, but he quickly sees that he cannot do anything without Nobunaga's help. And by 1572, there's some real tension between the two of who's in charge. Nobunaga issued several admonishments, which have been published and are famous, going so far as to note how the people call Yoshiaki the evil Shogun, in scare quotes there, and laying out rules for the Shogun's house to follow. Of course, Yoshiaki takes offense at this and who are you to tell me the Shogun how to run things? And so, like I said, early on, historians looked at this as Nobunaga's overstipping his bow, just trying to push Yoshiaki out.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
But in absence of true conviction, habit takes hold fast; and it was only a matter of time before Edward set back out to sea with his mates, to live the life they knew best; no longer privateers—legal and sanctioned—but as [[Piracy|pirates]] now, with nary a whit of loyalty to kin and country, earning his fortune by the sword and pistol, praying his end was never too near.
I see a different reading of it that is more compelling to me is that, no, he really saw that this was like the structure that should be in place and was trying to guide Yoshiaki back onto an actual correct path of governance, at least as Nobunaga saw it. And his efforts to maintain relations with Yoshiaki, at least initially, were very sincere. But Yoshiaki is the one who kind of pushes the relationship to the breaking point. And the early 1570s, he's orchestrating coalitions of enemies to move against Nobunaga. In addition to the Iko Iki, he's kind of another lynchpin of the different coalitions against Nobunaga, trying to convince different daimyo to turn against Nobunaga, invade, come rescue me in Kyoto and be my savior and I'll grant you XYZ, so forth.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Calico Jack Rackham=
Born: 1682, [[Jamaica]]<br>Died: ????
This continues until 1573, when it's very obvious that Nobunaga has run out of patience. In 1573, he does march on Kyoto and expel Yoshiaki, which more or less ends the Ashikaga shogunate for good. And then Ashikaga would escape to Western Japan, where he would take up residence in the lands of one of Nobunaga's enemies, the Mori family. And from there, he would continue to write different daimyo, constantly trying to create a coalition that could overthrow Nobunaga and reinstall him in power. How effective that was? Well, we see that it didn't happen, but he certainly was doing his best the entire time to undermine Nobunaga.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
Of the few infamous [[Piracy|pirates]] to call the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] his birthplace, [[Jack Rackham]] was born in Jamaica at the height of [[Port Royal]]'s boom as a den of scoundrels. This would likely explain his atrophied moral compass, for he was frequently drunk, rarely serious about anything, and always chasing women. He used his outrageous and offensive charm to keep out of most trouble. But a strategist and fighter he was not.
===Michihito, Emperor Ōgimachi===
Nicknamed "Calico" for his affinity for [[India]]n and [[Asia]]n prints, he was a terrible sailor and a worse pirate, given to flights of fancy and myopic ideas that served only himself, rather than solid strategic thinking. He was likely drunk for half of his adulthood, and had a weakness for women that trumped all basic needs, such as sleeping or eating. His disarming charm, dashing good looks, and his swift wit carried him far, but parties can only last so long before someone has to clean up after them.
I think that was one difference between Yoshiaki and say the imperial court, the Emperor Ogimachi at this time, it had been well established by this point that the Emperor was, you know, the head of the imperial court and the sovereign of the nation. But normal day to day political power was delegated to you know, some sort of warrior governing body, one of the previous shogunates or so forth. So that sort of conflict was not present with the imperial court.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
The Ikko-ikki finally surrenders through the agency of the Court, the court noble is sent by the emperor to broker a settlement and a surrender by the Ishiyama Hongan-ji, which ends that.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
|-|Caroline Scott=
Born: 1691, England<br>Died: ????
===Akechi Mitsuhide===
Daughter of [[Emmett Scott|Emmett]] and [[Elizabeth Scott]], [[Caroline Scott-Kenway|Caroline]] was born in [[Bristol]], [[United Kingdom|England]], to a prosperous family of merchants and civil servants. Given a modest education by her father, she furthered her own studies in her own way, taking time to read as often as her familiar duties allowed. Splitting her time between this and helping her mother manage her father's affairs, she grew into a confident and level-headed woman with more skill and intelligence than her situation allowed her to exercise.
he's just setting out in early part of 1582 for the next part of that campaign staying at a temple called Honnoji in Kyoto when he's attacked actually not by his enemies but by someone who is supposed to be on his side one of the famous treacherous figures I suppose in Japanese history man by the name of Akechi Mitsuhide who persuades his men to turn their guns on Oda Nobunaga and his own men and so you have these stories of Oda Nobunaga shouting out treachery or traitors or something like that trying to fight them off himself the temple ends up in flames and Oda Nobunaga retreats further into the temple and dies by his own hand.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 02">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 2: The Unification of Japan</ref>
There's quite a lot of emphasis on how important this is. And this could be the masterstroke that basically secures Western Honshu for Nobunaga. So he's returned to Kyoto, and Nobunaga sends his retainer Akechi Mitsuhide with Akechi's army as the initial force to go reinforce Hideyoshi out west. And for reasons that are not quite clear, but of course, lead to lots of speculation and dramatic interpretation. Akechi decides that instead of turning west to go support Hideyoshi, he's going to turn his forces east, march into Kyoto, surround the residence of Nobunaga, which is the Honnō-ji Temple in central Kyoto. It's where he normally took up residence when he was in the city, and attack his own war.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 5: Oda Nobunaga</ref>
Caroline first met [[Edward Kenway]] outside the [[Auld Shillelagh]], in the aftermath of a drunken altercation. She had arrived to fetch one of her servants and there found Edward escorting [[Rose|the woman]] from the clutches of one of Bristol's more notorious [[Tom Cobleigh|cads]]. Thankful for his kindness, Caroline agreed to a second meeting on more equitable terms, hardly thinking a romance possible.
We don't really know why we don't really get any full explanation of Akechi's motives. There's lots of speculation that it had to do with resentment at court treatment by Nobunaga. One thing that we do know is that Akechi's mother had been killed by a rival clan where Akechi had given them his mother as a hostage, as insurance essentially against an attack. And Nobunaga superseded that and ordered the attack anyway. So they killed Akechi's mother. Other things are rumors that he was physically abusive and verbally abusive to Mitsuhide personally.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
And yet—against all odds—that is just what happened. Edward and Caroline grew quite close, and soon fell in love, quite much to the dismay of her father. Emmett Scott had already promised his daughter to the [[Matthew Hague|son]] of a wealthy [[East India Company]] [[Aubrey Hague|executive]], and made his displeasure apparent at every turn. But all his noise was to no avail. Caroline and Edward were married in 1712.
But for whatever reason, Akechi decides that this is his moment while Nobunaga is lightly guarded. He's certainly not expecting anybody to attack him in Kyoto. They surround Nobunaga's residence, set out on fire. Nobunaga and his guards fight back, but are eventually overwhelmed. Nobunaga commits suicide. And then his heir as well, who was also in Kyoto, is attacked by Akechi's forces and dies. So in one stroke, the Akechi have eliminated, basically decapitated the Oda family and thus ended Nobunaga's career.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 05"/>
For a time it seemed as though this odd pairing might produce a lasting union. But Edward's deep love for his wife was offset by his uncouth habits and reckless attention to responsibility. Not content to live a life of middle class drudgery, Edward [[Edward Kenway (memory)|dreamed large]], and fixed on the idea that he could sail to the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] and fight as a [[Privateer]] against the [[Spain|Spanish]]. Or, barring that, buy some land and sow a [[sugar]] [[plantation]]. Caroline tried to dissuade her husband, but to no effect.
===Oda Nobukatsu/Kitabatake Tomotoyo===
|-|Charles Vane=
He gained control of neighboring Issei province by first having his second son Nobukatsu adopted into the Kitabatake family, which ruled that province. And then later on, having the members of the Kitapatake clan assassinated so that his son rose up the hierarchy and essentially took over the clan from within.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
Born: 1680, [[England]]<br>Died: ????
Oda Nobukatsu, was in charge of the province next to it and was looking to kind of establish his own reputation, spread his wings a little bit. And so here we have Iga province next to him, a place where he can launch an invasion, take it over. It's small. How hard could it be, right? Be an easy victory. And it turns out not to be.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
A common refrain in any biography of a [[Golden Age of Piracy|Golden Age]] [[Piracy|Pirate]] goes something like this: "Very little is known about this man's early life..." And with [[Charles Vane]] it's no different. It is not known where he was born, or where he grew up, or when he first took to sea. But maybe that's just as well, for it further heightens the mystery of this strange, unstable man.
Nobukatsu, Nobunaga's second son, takes that [Iga's expulsion of their military governor] as an excuse of, oh, see, they're not observing the proper order of things. They're not part of the structure. So he decides of his own accord that he's going to expand his domain into Iga without permission from his father. Part of this is ego driven. He wants to prove to his father that he can operate on his own and so forth. So in 1578, he dispatches one of his generals, men by the name of Takigawa Kazumasu, to build a castle just across the ego border that they're going to use as a staging point for a future invasion.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
Surely one of the most ornery and unstable of the "Flying Gang", the band of pirates who called [[Nassau]] their home for a time, Charles Vane began his career like most pirates of the era--honestly, as a [[privateer]] sailing for his King. Likely living in Jamaica in 1715, he was one of many aboard [[Henry Jennings]]' assault on a [[Spain|Spanish]] expedition to recover the gold from their [[Spanish Treasure Fleet|ill fated wreck]] in 1715 off the coast of [[Florida]].
So the following year in October, he decides he's going to launch a much larger invasion. So he gathers around a little over 10,000 men and invades Iga Province through three of those passes that I mentioned. In his main body, he has 8,000 men going through the northernmost pass at Nagano. And then he has a group of 1,500 men through one pass and 1,300 through another pass, these two passes to the south. But again, the Iga forces, speaking to their ability to collect intelligence and know what the enemy is doing, are ready and waiting at these narrow sites to ambush Nobukatsu's forces, which they do. They use their skill in guerrilla tactics and their local knowledge of the terrain. They inflict heavy losses against Nobukatsu's forces, again forcing him to retreat in a humiliating defeat.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
Barely a year later it had become impossible to keep up honest work as a privateer, as [[United Kingdom|British]] Governors were skittish about breaking the terms of the [[Peace of Utrecht|Treaty of Utrecht]], which called for a cessation of all aggression between the major empires. Having few other options, Vane sailed to Nassau where many of his former colleagues were now living.
Nobunaga is furious. He couldn't believe that his son had put himself in position to be defeated and humiliated like this. So he supposedly threatens to disown Nobukatsu. He doesn't end up following through on it, but he's not pleased.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
Quick to anger and ferociously mean, Charles Vane quickly earned himself a reputation as a difficult captain to sail under. At some point in 1717 or 1718, an old friend, [[Jack Rackham|"Calico" Jack Rackham]] joined his crew as quartermaster. The two remained partnered for some time, living and working out of Nassau with the likes of [[Benjamin Hornigold]], [[Edward Thatch|Ed Thatch]], and Henry Jennings.
Nobunaga himself visits Iga in early November to take a tour of his new province, and then withdraws it and gives it to his son Nobukatsu as part of his domain to administer.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
|-|James Kidd=
Born: 1695, England<br>Died: ????
===Takigawa Kazumasu===
Even though not yet out of his teens, James Kidd was a cocky and confident lad with a brashness cultivated to counter his youth. He claimed to be the bastard son of the late [[William Kidd]], the infamous privateer-turned-[[Piracy|pirate]] who was captured and hanged by [[United Kingdom|British]] authorities in 1701. Although James had no proof of this connection, his mother always insisted on it, claiming that she spent a single "panicked night of passion" with Captain Kidd just before his departure from London in 1695.
In 1578, he [Nobukatsu] dispatches one of his generals, men by the name of Takigawa Kazumasu, to build a castle just across the ego border that they're going to use as a staging point for a future invasion. Well, the warriors of Iga are alerted to this and realize what this means. So they decide to attack and destroy it, which they do in November of 1578. Takigawa is taken completely by surprise. The castle is burned. Takigawa and his small force is forced to retreat. Obviously, they cease work on the castle and retreat back to Issei after losing a second battle where they tried to retake the ground.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
===Hattori Hanzō===
Growing up fatherless and with a spendthrift mother did little to improve his prospects at leading a normal life, and at the age of 12 he found employment aboard merchant vessels sailing between the British colonies in [[North America]] and the [[Caribbean|West Indies]]. By the time he was 17 he called [[Jamaica]] his home, where he further honed his skills as a sailor here.
Many of them [Iga warriors] went to work for a retainer of Tokugawa Iyasu who has become famous in kind of ninja lore, man by the name of Hattori Hanzo. And Hattori Hanzo had family ties to Iga. He's often referred to or portrayed as in pop culture as a ninja, but he was a samurai retainer, a warrior just like many of the warriors that fought for any of the Daimyo of this period. He appears in most of Tokugawa Iyasu's battles until Hanzo dies in 1590s. He is considered one of Tokugawa Iyasu's closest retainers, but because through his family ties, he had a knowledge base of these sort of unconventional guerilla tactics. He also had through those ties, the ability to kind of act as a landing place for many of these men of Iga. And so many of them went to work for Tokugawa Ieyasu under the command of Hattori Hanzo.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06">''[[Echoes of History]]'' – Shadows – Episode 6: The Tensho Iga War</ref>
There's actually a gate of what is now the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, but underneath the Tokugawa Shoguns was the Shogun's Palace. One of the gates is named the Hanzo Mon, the Gate of Hanzo, the Hanzo Gate. And this is because Hattori Hanzo and the men of Iga that he recruited acted as a special guard force for the Tokugawa Shoguns.<ref name="Echoes Shadows 06"/>
Although he never sailed with the likes of [[Benjamin Hornigold|Ben Hornigold]], [[Edward Thatch|Ed Thatch]], or [[Edward Kenway]], James was among the first sailors to settle in [[Nassau]], and was a central figure in its development as a pirate republic.
{{Reflist}}
|-|Mary Read=
Born: Unknown, [[England]]<br>Died: ????
Of all the infamous [[Caribbean|West Indies]] [[Piracy|pirates]], [[Mary Read]] stands out as one of the most mysterious and inscrutable. No one is sure when she was born, with most speculation ranging over almost a decade, between 1685 and 1695. According to [[Charles Johnson]]—a frequently unreliable source—her mother began dressing Mary in boy's clothes from a very early age, with the hope of passing her off as another man's son.
In her teens, Mary evidently harnessed her skill for disguise to secure a job aboard a [[ship]]. Taking to sea, she worked her way forward until she found a position in the [[Royal Navy|British Navy]]. Still disguised as a man, she saw action in battle, though owing to the conflicting reports of her birth, which battle is uncertain. It was during these skirmishes that Mary met her first husband—so the author of the "General History of Pyrates" claims—a Flemish soldier who had evidently fought beside her.
But this union was not fated to remain intact, as Mary's husband was killed soon after their marriage. With few reasons to remain in [[Europe]], Mary sailed for the West Indies. It is unclear what transpired in the years following, but it is almost certain that she resumed the practice of dressing as a man. It is also assumed Mary continued working aboard ships, improving her skills as a sailor and swordsman.
By 1715 or 1716, it was likely she had visited her fellow sailors in [[Nassau]], though perhaps not for the same reasons...
|-|Opía Apito=
Born: 1695, Cuba<br>Died: Unknown
Born in [[Cuba]], [[Assassin bureau]] leader [[Opía Apito]] was raised Taíno, among her mother's people, never knowing her father, a [[Spain|Spaniard]].
At twelve, her village was [[raid]]ed by the Spanish. Most of her community was kidnapped and killed. But Opía, the lone free survivor, fought and ran. She survived in hiding for close to a decade.
Much of what we know of Opía is inseparable from legend. Her name, possibly self-given, is an amalgam of the Taíno words for "eternity" and "ghost." She claimed to be a direct descendant of the warrior {{Wiki|Hatuey}}, who stood against the Spanish in the 16th Century. She was guided throughout her life by the mantra, ''Aji aya bom''—better dead than a [[Slavery|slave]].
In her early twenties, she was hired by the [[Assassins]] as a guide, and was soon [[Initiation into the Assassin Order|adopted]] into their [[Assassin rank|ranks]]. She delighted in a characteristic Taíno approach to strategy: preferring to harm the enemy by taking something from him in battle, that he might live to notice it missing. But as an Assassin she did not shrink from violence.
True to her name, once promoted to Assassin Bureau leader, she built an agile and highly effective "ghost" bureau near the [[Cayman Islands]], with virtually no physical footprint to speak of. We might regard it today as an early example of a terrorist cell, but she left no records and no descendants, and until now, history has held no record of it.
|-|Rhona Dinsmore=
Born: 1688, Scotland<br>Died: Unknown
Born in [[Scotland]], [[Rhona Dinsmore]] was made for adventure. After suffering the lows of a troubled household–an absent father and a drunkard of a mother–Dinsmore left her home in Glasgow in her mid-teens. At nineteen, she found work amongst [[merchant]]s in [[Bristol]] and remained at that post for nearly two years.
By twenty-one, Dinsmore was trapped in a terrible marriage. She fled again and sought refuge in [[Boston]], where she remained for six months, before moving on to the warmer climes of [[Jamaica]]. There she found it exceedingly difficult to find work among farmers, and finally took to the sea, ultimately finding her calling within the [[Assassins|Assassin Brotherhood]].
|-|Stede Bonnet=
Born: 1688, Barbados
Died: ????
Born into plentitude and wealth on Barbados, Stede Bonnet seemed destined for a life of pleasure and ease. The son of a successful and influential plantation owner, his early life was marked by tragedy when his parents died suddenly, leaving seven year-old Stede orphaned and in a perpetual state of melancholy.
His inheritance of some 400 acres of land softened the blow caused by the loss of his parents, and by the time Stede was in his late teens, he had already restored the sugar plantation to a profitable state. He married young and set about starting a family as soon as possible, but owing to what some called a "disorder of the mind" he never found solace or comfort in these domestic trappings.
To further complicate his unease, his firstborn son died in infancy, further amplifying his grief and stiming his restlessness. As a means of coping, he dreamed of going to sea and sailing about the world, meeting people, living life as a man free of the obligations thrust upon him.
When Bonnet's ship was apprehended by the British Navy on suspicion of piracy, he was rescued by the pirate Edward Kenway who, with the help of Blackbeard and others, eventually influenced the affable and impressionable merchant into going on the account himself.
|-|Upton Travers=
Born: 1688, England<br>Died: Unknown
[[Upton Travers]] was born in [[United Kingdom|England]], in 1688, two years ahead of his brother, [[Vance Travers]]. Together, they traveled to the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] in search of their fortune. There they established a [[smuggling]] business, which they used to fund their growing involvement with the [[Assassins|Assassin brotherhood]].
Although Vance was the more charismatic of the two Assassin brothers, Upton made up for it with his measured, sensible responses to life's challenges.
However, every man has a breaking point, and Upton found his after Vance took up with the [[China|Chinese]] "Pirate Queen," [[Jing Lang]], a [[Templars|Templar]], and sought to steal the treasure on which they had staked their retirement before finally attempting fratricide.
Depressed, Upton turned to [[alcohol]], which may have been a factor in his retaliation. He ultimately had both Jing Lang and his brother dispatched with the help of Edward Kenway.
</tabber>
<tabber>
|-|Bartholomew Roberts=
Born: 1682, [[Wales]] <br> Died: ????
Originally hailing from Wales, little is known about [[Bartholomew Roberts|John Roberts]], the real name of the man who would come to be known as "Black Bart" long after his death.
Most assume he went to sea at a very young age -- at 13 or so -- but there is no record of him in any historical documents until his noted appearance in 1718 aboard a merchant's ship, [[Barbados|Barbadian]] in origin. Just a year later Roberts was pressed into [[piracy]] by the notorious [[Howell Davis]] while working aboard [[Princess|a slave ship]] under Captain Abraham Plumb. Though Roberts had likely not gone to sea with the intent of becoming a pirate, when the opportunity thrust itself upon him, Roberts was reported to have said 'A merry life, and a short one shall be my motto.'
A few months later Davis was killed in an ambush on the [[Portugal|Portuguese]] Island of [[Príncipe]], and Roberts was swiftly and unanimously elected to replace him. This was surely a testament to the man's natural charisma and leadership, for he had been a pirate only a few months. It was at this point he took the name "Bartholomew", likely naming himself for the infamous Bartholomew Sharpe, a pirate of some renown who had disappeared just two decades earlier.
One of the most intelligent and strategic pirates of the [[Golden Age of Piracy|Golden Age]], Roberts was a sturdy man, known to dress in fine clothes. Handsome, and carrying himself with a dignified but unpretentious air, he had dark hair to match his dark complexion, likely set from the almost two decades he had spent at sea. He often carried numerous pistols, each tied to one end of long silk sashes, which he kept slung over his shoulder.
Roberts' tactical ideas were usually radical, but thoughtfully considered. He never jumped into any scheme rashly, though his ideas seemed almost suicidal to those unacquainted with his methods. Ultimately responsible for the theft of around 400 ships in his three-year career, he bested every other pirate of the era by a factor of ten times or more, although it must be said that at least half of these boats were small periaguas and the like.
|-|Benjamin Hornigold=
Born: Mid-1680s, England<br>Died: ????
[[Benjamin Hornigold]] was likely born in {{Wiki|Norfolk}}, [[England]]. The first recorded instances of him are of his early exploits as a [[Piracy|pirate]] in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] around 1713-1714.
Hornigold was one of the earliest pirates to emerge after the end of the [[War of the Spanish Succession]], and one of the many hundreds of privateers who were left without gainful employment in the ensuing peace. Like many other British mariners, he spent much of his time in [[the Bahamas]], eventually settling in [[Nassau]]. It was from there he launched his career as a full-fledged pirate, though he likely thought of himself as a privateer--in his earliest years, at least.
A skilful sailor and strategist, Hornigold lacked some of the ruthlessness required to be a truly successful pirate, and until 1716, refused to attack English ships out of a sense of loyalty to his home country.
|-|El Tiburón=
Born: Unknown<br>Died: Unknown
Almost nothing is known about [[El Tiburón]] "The Shark" outside of his service as the loyal, mute bodyguard of [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala]], the Grandmaster of the Caribbean Templars and the Governor of Cuba. The Shark's penchant for medieval armor and brutal violence cut a swathe of fear through Havana, leaving citizens and soldiers alike quivering in his blood soaked wake.
|-|Hilary Flint=
Born: 1682, England<br>Died: 1717, West Indies
[[Hilary Flint]] was born to an aristocratic family, the youngest of three boys. The black [[sheep]] of the family, he sought solitude in his studies. Immersing himself in math and sciences, Flint discovered an abiding interest in [[Bomb|explosives]], earning him the label of "problem child".
To correct his course, his parents enrolled him in military school, where he quicklyexceeded their expetations, working his way into the hearts of both teachers and students, as well as a few secret societies.
After graduation, his connections and easy manner earned him access to [[Templars|Templar]] ranks where his obsession with [[firearm]]s made him an important asset.
Records reveal an ongoing relationship with [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Rhona Dinsmore]], the full nature of which is uncertain. She vanishes from record after Flint's death at the age of 35.
|-|Jing Lang=
Born: 1686, [[China]]<br> Died: 1717, Nassau
Born to Chinese rebels, [[Jing Lang]] came into the world fighting, but survived to become a skilled diplomat with a flair for languages and a taste for discovery.
Ambitious, Lang married the son of a General in the [[Qing dynasty]], joining the [[Templars|Templar order]], but severing ties with her family in the process. She served as a diplomatic advisor, until a shift in political tides provoked her escape into [[piracy]].
Over the next decade, she crossed every sea, developing a reputation for brutality that preceded her into most conflicts.
In the [[Caribbean|West Indies]], she fell under the spell of a rumored cache of treasure, and feigned a romantic relationship with one-time [[Assassins|Assassin]] [[Vance Travers]] to gain access to it.
She might have been successful had it not been for Travers' brother, [[Upton Travers|Upton]], an Assassin who schemed to have her killed, betraying his brother in the process. She died at the age of thirty.
|-|Julien du Casse=
Born: 1682, France<br>Died: ????
Nephew of the buccaneer [[Jean-Baptiste du Casse|Jean du Casse]], [[Julien du Casse|Julien]] was born in [[Montpellier]], [[France]]. He took after his uncle's example and took to sea at a young age, eventually joining him in a few skirmishes during the [[War of the Spanish Succession]]. Fighting on the side of the French, and by proxy, on behalf of [[Philip V of Spain|King Philip]] of [[Spain]], du Casse's skill as a gunner improved rapidly, even as he grew wildly disillusioned with the monarchy and its obsession with lineage and breeding over raw talent and skill.
In 1704, ordered by his superior officers to join his uncle and hundreds of French troops in what would become known as the {{Wiki|Battle of Málaga (1704)|Battle of Vélez-Màlaga}}, du Casse opted instead to desert his post and seek his fortunes in the New World. At first he threw in with [[Slavery|slave traders]] in [[Africa]], and for a year made a modest profit off the venture. But he was never comfortable with the cruelty and detachment the job required, and so departed for the [[Caribbean|West Indies]] in search of yet another vocation.
For the next 10 years, du Casse roamed the West Indies as a [[Mercenaries|hired gun]], working for whomever had the coin and confidence to pay him. Ever prizing the value of intelligence and skill over mere reputation and breeding, du Casse, eventually found his way into the company of [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala|Laureano Torres]] of [[Cuba]], in whom he found a friend and confidant...
|-|Kenneth Abraham=
Born: 1675, England<br>Died: 1715, Kingston
Born to an upper class family and educated in boarding schools from age five, [[Kenneth Abraham]] learned to fight for himself at an early age. Upon graduation, he entered the [[British Army|army]] and rose through the ranks, finally meeting the rank of Commander.
His embrace of order and disciple drew him into the fold of the [[Templars|Templar Order]], which offered him influence beyond that offered by his military career. From the age of thirty, he ascended its ranks in parallel to those of his military career by devoting himself to the [[New World Order|promotion of order]] and peace.
In 1715, the Assassin Anto infiltrated a Ball held by Abraham on his plantation, together with the pirate Edward Kenway. There, Abraham was assassinated by the pair, confronted in his final moments by the nemesis he had tried and failed to defeat.
He remained, until his death, determined to rid the world of unpredictable and disorderly elements.
|-|Laureano Torres y Ayala=
Born: 1645, [[Cuba]]<br>Died: ????
Born in [[Havana]], but raised in [[Madrid]], [[Spain]], [[Laureano de Torres y Ayala|Laureano]] was of noble stock, the son of Tomas Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos. He joined the [[Spanish Army|Spanish army]] in his late teens, and was later appointed as the governor of Spain's territories in [[Florida]], a post he held from 1693 to 1699. He then returned to [[Europe]] to participate in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]].
In 1708, Torres was appointed as the governor of Cuba, a post he held for three years until he was accused of and arrested for corruption. He was acquitted of these charges, however, and managed to win a re-election bid in 1713.
During his time in Cuba, he made many lasting improvements to the city, fortifying the island's defenses and introducing the production of tobacco there. He remained Governor until 1716, after which point he retired and devoted his life to charitable functions, such as building hospitals.
|-|Laurens Prins=
Born: 1630s, Amsterdam<br>Died: 1717, Kingston
[[Laurens Prins]] (often anglicized as Laurence Prince) was a [[Netherlands|Dutchman]] from [[Amsterdam]] who spent the majority of his life in and around the [[Caribbean|West Indies]]. Operating out of [[Port Royal]], Prins saw an incredible amount of action and adventure in his long life.
Sailing as a [[privateer]] in the early days of the [[Golden Age of Piracy]] (1650s) he developed a reputation for courage fighting the [[Spain|Spanish]] on behalf of the [[United Kingdom|British]] crown, sometimes bearing a {{Wiki|letter of marque}}, often without. He even played a pivotal role in Sir [[Henry Morgan]]'s infamous {{Wiki|Henry Morgan's Panama expedition|raid}} on [[Panama City|Panama]] in 1671, for which he was roundly celebrated.
Prins eventually retired from privateering and settled in a large acreage of land in [[Jamaica]]. Around this time he entered into the [[Slavery|slave trade]] as a means of bolstering his wealth, an occupation he pursued well into his seventies.
In 1717, his flagship [[Slave ships|slave galley]], The [[Whydah]], was attacked and captured by the [[Piracy|pirate]] [[Samuel Bellamy|"Black Sam" Bellamy]]. He managed to survive the encounter, and fell back into his old occupation until his death some months later.
|-|Lucia Márquez=
Born: 1689, Spain<br>Died: 1715, Pinos Isle
Born in [[Spain]], [[Lucia Márquez]] never knew her father. By the age of twelve she was supporting herself and her sisters on the streets, begging, borrowing, and stealing anything she could, all the while developing the skills of a master [[thief]].
At the age of seventeen, she was caught stealing a [[horse]] belonging to a high-ranking [[Templars|Templar]], and wisely opted for training over jail time.
The Templar life gave Marquez the focus she needed and she never found herself at a lack of challenge or adventure.
She died at the age of twenty-six on [[Isla de la Juventud|Pinos Isle]], wise beyond her years, on the order of the [[Taíno|Taino]] [[Assassins|Assassin]], [[Opía Apito]].
|-|The Sage=
Historic archives contain scattered references to individuals known as "Sages", but they are few and far between. Each citation seems to refer to a different person living in a vastly different time and location.
The earliest example was found in a Sumerian clay tablet in cuneiform script, while the latest survives only as a footnote in one of Laureano Torres's own journals, dated January 1704. In all – according to exhaustive research – seven different "Sages" seem to have graced the world's stage in the past twelve hundred years. But the real number is likely higher.
Perhaps, the strangest aspect connecting each of these various sightings is the fact that, in every case, visual descriptions of each Sage are remarkably similar. So similar, in fact, that one wouldn't be faulted for assuming they ware talking about a single, immortal man. However, in two of the seven citations, explicit mention is made of their death and burial.
Is this therefore some bizarre form of reincarnation? Or some simpler explanation that is presently unknown? More research is required.
|-|Vance Travers=
Born: 1690, England<br>Died: 1717, Nassau
Born in [[England]], the passionate, creative, yet incredibly gullible [[Vance Travers]], found a life for himself amongst the [[Assassins|Assassin's Brotherhood]] in the [[Caribbean|West Indies]], where he ran a successful smuggling enterprise, with his older brother, [[Upton Travers|Upton]].
Business took a turn for the worse after he met and fell in love with the [[Templars|Templar]], [[Jing Lang]], who persuaded him to divulge knowledge of the location of buried treasure with which he and Upton planned to fund their retirement.
Paranoid, Travers developed delusions that his brother plotted to steal his treasure and Jing's heart. He broke from [[the Creed]] and, after a failed attempt at fratricide, was killed by [[Edward Kenway]].
[[Woodes Rogers]] was born into money, to a seafaring family with deep roots in both {{Wiki|Poole}} and [[Bristol]], England. His early life was a picture of industriousness and ambition, and by the age of 18 he was an apprentice Mariner.
Upon his father's death at sea in 1706, Woodes inherited his family's prosperous shipping company, which he took to managing with great passion. Between 1704 and 1707 Rogers' fortunes and family grew, and by the time he was twenty-seven his marriage to Sarah Whetstone had produced one son and two daughters.
By the end of 1707, however, his business had suffered great losses by [[raid]]ing [[France|French]] forces, giving Rogers the idea to recoup these dreadful losses himself. Knocking about Bristol in search of a partner for this endeavor, he soon found himself in the company of [[William Dampier]], an old friend and unlucky [[Captain]] who suggested setting out on a [[privateer]]ing expedition, one that would range far and wide about the [[Americas|New World]]. In 1708, Rogers made the necessary arrangements and set out as Captain of his own vessel, on a difficult voyage that would last over three years.
Along this course Rogers met with many successes and failures. In 1709, off the western coast of [[South America]], he found and rescued a marooned sailor by the name of {{Wiki|Alexander Selkirk}}, a sailor who had spent nearly 4 years living in isolation and who would serve as the inspiration for the book "{{Wiki|Robinson Crusoe}}" just a few years later.
Soon after Selkirk's recovery, Rogers' fleet engaged an enemy vessel in open combat—a skirmish that earned him a [[pistol]] shot to the left side of his face and a mangled heel. Neither wound was enough to remove him from command however, and he continued serving as captain until his return to England in late 1711. To commemorate this return, he had an operation to remove the offending bullet from his upper palate.
Now in poor health but high spirits, he set about writing his memoirs. Upon their publication a few years, they were an immediate success, and proved a great source of income. But this brief glory was offset by the sudden death of his son, a tragedy compounded some months later by his wife's decision to leave him. Also at this time, Rogers was sued by former shipmates for allegedly hoarding goods and money plundered from enemy vessels. Rogers assembled a defense, but lost the case.
In 1713, itching to return to sea, he organized passage to [[Madagascar]] claiming to be a [[merchant]] in the [[Slavery|slave trade]], but with the intended purpose of reconnoitering the rumored [[Piracy|pirate]] colonies established there. When he arrived in Madagascar after months of hard sailing, he found that the legends of the pirate town "[[Libertalia]]" had been exaggerated one-hundredfold. The pirates in Madagascar were sickly and few and desperate for help. After spending just a few months here, Rogers set sail for England, a failure in his own mind.
And yet, never one to give up hope, Woodes Rogers reoriented his attentions to the [[Caribbean|West Indies]], eventually lobbying King [[George I of Great Britain|George]] for a commission to hunt pirates in the Caribbean. On this score, he succeeded. After a few diligent years of making his case, King George appointed Woodes Rogers as the Governor of [[the Bahamas]]. Now, at last, he would make his mark, and bring justice to a land where chaos had taken root...
</tabber>
<tabber>
|-|Devils Podcast Fragment=
[[File:Animus Hub DB Image 6.png|thumb|200px]]
An incomplete audio clip from The Devils of the Caribbean Podcast reconstructed from recovered files.
|-|Warning from Ego=
[[File:Animus Hub DB Image 6.png|thumb|200px]]
An audio message from Ego, easily intercepted by the Dark Animus with no need for further decryption.
In it, she warns the nascent Eagle that she knows of his every movement within the mainframe, threatening to pierce him clean from the sky.
|-|Retrieved Audio=
[[File:Animus Hub DB Image 6.png|thumb|200px]]
Audio memory obtained from an Animus memory fragement in which Sebastían Vizcaíno recovers from wounds sustained during a confrontation.
Purchased from any General Store for 1200 Reales<section end="NAME"/>
Spanish Cup-hilt Rapiers<section begin="NAME"/>
Rapier
Common
17
2
N/A
Found in treasure chest in Havana<section end="NAME"/>
Officer's Smallswords<section begin="NAME"/>
Rapier
Common
13
2
N/A
Default swords<section end="NAME"/>
German Rapiers<section begin="NAME"/>
Rapier
Common
22
2
N/A
Found in treasure chest on Crooked Island<section end="NAME"/>
Privateer's Cutlasses<section begin="NAME"/>
Cutlass
Common
25
2
N/A
Found in Treasure Chest on Florida island<section end="NAME"/>
NAME<section begin="NAME"/>
<section end="NAME"/>
Name
Description
Lightserver's Blades
Sleek black blades with gold filigree, hones to deadly edges.
Dragon's Fang Swords
A sword with a light, graceful design featuring a mystic jade edge.
Blades of the Damned
A pair of swords glowing with hellfire and brimstone, fierce and powerful.
Serpent's Fang Cutlasses
A pair of sharp, serpentine swords inspired by sea monster fangs, lit with neon patterns.
The Fortune
A pair of unique swords once used by the infamous pirate, Edward Kenway.
Dual Cleavers
A pair of simple meat cleavers typically used by butchers and made infamous by pirates as weapons of war.
Order of Gold
Adorned with intricate patterns, these blades are a rare and deadly curiosity.
Ezio's Swords
A pair of swords once owned by the legendary Assassin mentor, Ezio Auditore da Firenze.
Altaïr's Swords
A pair of swords once owned by the legendary Assassin mentor, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad.
Naoe's Shadowblade
A balanced katana shaped by shinobi combat principles, favoring fluid movement and rapid follow-up strikes. Performs best with evasive tactics.
Dark Animus Corsair Pistol Swords
These blades dance with strange light, like tears in the fabric of the world.
Spring-Steel Swords
A pair of swords that look unremarkable at first glance, but have the strength to deflect bullets if wielded properly.
Blades of Toledo
A sleek pair of swords Edward Kenway acquired in the famous city of Toledo.
Le Bourgeoys Blades
The only pair of pistol swords with a genuine original flintlock attached.
Persian Scimitars
A beautiful and deadly pair of Persian scimitars, replete with embedded diamonds.
Matched Golden Swords
A pair of legendary golden swords, praised far and wide for their exquisite beauty.
Masterwork Blades
A pair of beautifully balanced swords forged by a master craftsman.
Espada Ancha
Versatile soldier's swords, unremarkable in appearance but trustworthy in a fight.
French Court Swords
A pair of swords famous for having a perfect balance between speed and power.
Pirate Scimitars
A pair of devastating scimitars, praised from Barbados to Boston.
British Colonial Cutlasses
A pair of cutlasses popular among the settlers of the British colonies in North America.
Scottish Broadswords
Heavy broadswords that emphasize damage over finesse.
Standard Pistol Swords
A pair of rare pistol swords, capable of firing a gunshot in the right circunstances.
Captain Drake's Swords
A pair of silver broadswords rumored to have been used by the legendary privateer, Sir Francis Drake.
Ferraro's Rapiers
A pair of rapiers that belonged to the Italian diplomat, Ruggiero Ferraro.
Officer's Rapiers
A pair of extremely light rapiers praised for their swiftness.
German Rapiers
A pair of traditional German rapiers typically used by Prussian court officers.
Privateer's Cutlasses
A pair of cutlasses appreciated for their versatility by privateers throughout the West Indies.
British Cutlasses
A pair of light cutlasses made popular by British privateers.
French Dress Swords
A pair of elegant swords made popular by French court officers.
Spanish Cup-hilt Rapiers
A pair of cheap yet efficient Spanish rapiers.
Officer's Smallswords
A pair of small swords popular among officers in the British Army.
Rustborne Swords
Versatile blades with integrated flintlocks, their bronze-hued surfaces worn by time and battle. Perfect for Assassins who strike swiftly, both in melee and from a distance.
bought from secret General Store on unmarked island in the north-west of Gibara region at Coordinates 550, 638 (22000 Reales)<section end="NAME"/>
Rustic Flintlocks<section begin="NAME"/>
Legendary
22
1.20
After a Perfect Dodge, quick shooting immediately does not consume ammunition
obtained from in-game online store for free (on map press Options-Button to access the store).<section end="NAME"/>
Peaceful Means<section begin="NAME"/>
Legendary
20
1.00
Pistol shots are quieter
Purchased from Treasure Dealer for 3 Capuchin Monkey Pelt, 4 Iguana Leather, and 20 Rum Barrels.<section end="NAME"/>
Cannon-Barrel Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
Rare
21
1.12
N/A
from locked chest in Jiguey (535, 511). It's a locked underwater chest, loot the key from the pirate leader on the beach inside Jiguey, in the same cave as the chest.<section end="NAME"/>
Captain Morgan's Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
Rare
20
1.50
N/A
Found in underwater treasure chest on Black Island<section end="NAME"/>
Found in treasure chest on Great Inagua<section end="NAME"/>
Spanish Officer Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
Rare
24
1.00
N/A
Purchased from Level II General Store for 5500 Reales<section end="NAME"/>
Pirate Blunderbusses<section begin="NAME"/>
Rare
20
1.00
N/A
Purchased from Level II General Store for 6000 Reales<section end="NAME"/>
Baldwin's Golden Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
Rare
26
1.00
N/A
Complete Plantain!<section end="NAME"/>
Standard Wheellock Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
Common
20
1.12
N/A
purchasable from any General Store (800 Reales)<section end="NAME"/>
Common Flintlock Pistols<section begin="NAME"/>
Common
20
1.00
N/A
Default pistols<section end="NAME"/>
NAME<section begin="NAME"/>
<section end="NAME"/>
Name
Description
Dark Animus Corsair Flintlocks
Truth and thunder in the palm of your hand.
Darkworker's Pistols
Hand-carved ebony with gold-plated iron forming a lethal union.
Dragon's Roar Pistols
Sleek pistols imbued with ornate scrollwork and glowing jade.
Diabolist's Pistols
A set of pistols wreathed in infernal flames, emitting an aura of destruction.
Fury of the Deep Pistols
Silvery, steel pistols adorned with deep-sea patterns and neon highlights.
Golden Flintlock Pistols
A set of legendary, golden flintlock pistols, famed for their extraordinary precision.
Gargoyle's Breath
Monstrous, leering faces adorn the grips of these pistols.
Captain Drake's Flintlocks
A set of flintlock pistols once owned and used by captain and knight, Sir Francis Drake.
Rustic Flintlocks
Firearms with rustic patinas, showing the marks of countless skirmishes. Compact, reliable, and ready for close encounters or unexpected duels.
Peaceful Means
The method by which many disputes can be swiftly resolved.
Cannon-Barrel Pistols
A set of pistols forged to resemble ship cannons.
Captain Morgan's Pistols
A set of flintlock pistols once owned and used by Captain Morgan.
Captain's Wheellock Pistols
A rare set of old wheellock pistols, coveted by soldiers for their sturdiness and sentimental value.
Spanish Officer Pistols
A set of pistols, praised throughout the West Indies for their stability.
Pirate Blunderbusses
A set of bulky blunderbusses, popular among pirates for their brashness.
Baldwin's Golden Pistols
Inextricably tied to the fall of the Baldwin name, these pistols claimed the lives of at least two of their owners' family. They are likely to claim many more.
Standard Wheellock Pistols
A set of wheellock pistols, perfect for reaching targets at great distances.
Common Flintlock Pistols
A set of typical flintlock pistols, found all across the West Indies.
Rendered in miniature, that its gaze might ward the steps of its keeper across land and sea.
Health slowly regenerates while out of combat
Found in underwater chest between pair of unnamed island south of San Ignacio wreck
Stormrunner Pendant
Rare
A lightweight circular pendant painted in striking blue and red pigments. Its design captures the spirit of relentless motion and high adrenaline, carried by travelers who refuse to tire, whether sprinting through crowded markets or scaling towering keeps.
Increases the amount of healing from food, drink, and remedies
Found in underwater chest off the coast of Nassau, at coordinates 615, 767
Hunter's Amulet
Rare
An amulet of good fortune favored by hunters.
Animals' range of detection is reduced
Buried treasure chest on Santanillas
Bloody Spanish Medal
Rare
One of Laurens Prins' trophies from his time as a soldier.
Reduces damage from Spanish soldiers
Inside Laurens Prins' Manor
Anchor Medallion
Rare
A lucky anchor medallion favored by sharp-eyed sailors.
Increases the rewards from floating loot
Found in a treasure chest on Sacrifice Island
Lock of Hair
Rare
A lock of Caroline's hair kept as a lucky keepsake.
Restore some health after a perfect parry
Complete Wayward Souls
Cross Pendant
Rare
A bejeweled cross once worn by the wealthiest citizen in Kingston.
Reduces damage from British soldiers
Complete Tithes Paid
Exotic Sea Shells
Rare
A string of sea shells gathered from around the world.
Increases the wildlife products gained from skinning animals
Found in treasure chest in southeast Havana
Small Goblet
Rare
A sacred grail said to prolong its owner's life.
Increases the amount of healing from food, drink, and remedies
Complete The Other Cheek
Jackdaw Totem
Rare
Carved by an unknown sculptor, it represents protection and gratitude.
Falling from high places no longer damages Edward
Complete A World Without Gold
Lodestone
Rare
A naturally magnetized piece of mineral.
Loots nearby Corpses and Curios automatically
Purchased from a Level II General Store for 7000 Reales
Folded Palm
Rare
A gambler's trinket meant to bring good fortune.
Gain reales after each Takedown
Complete Spiteful Soldier
Found Coin
Rare
A large gold coin turned into a good luck charm.
Increase the amount of Reales gained
Complete Art Lover I
Rabbit's Foot
Common
A lucky charm for warding off misfortune.
Chance of staggering an enemy following a successful parry
The course of the 18th Century saw the British Empire become the world's leading colonial power, with France and Spain as its primary rivals. After siding with the Netherlands and Austria in the War of the Spanish Succession, the British Empire expanded, gaining territories from both Spain and France, and taking over control of the Atlanticslave trade in Spanish America.
For a handful of coin, "Dancers" can be employed to distract guards and interfere with ongoing fights. They might also have some incredible stories of their own to tell, if only you'd bother to listen.
Sailors flush with rum and the heat of the sun, these Drunkards can be useful in a few ways. First as blend groups that allow Edward to hide in plain sight, and secondly as allies in the event of a scuffle. But remember to bring a bit of coin if you want them to fight alongside you, as these pirates won't risk their lives for free.
Already a global power, the Spanish defeated powerful adversaries such as the Aztecs and Incas in the Americas by exploiting existing conflicts and rivalries between tribes and nations between the 15th and 18th centuries.
Acquisitive and protective of the supply of precious metals its new colonies afforded it, the Spanish Empire enthusiastically participated in the Atlantic slave trade and defended its trade routes aggressively.
Even after its defeat in the War of the Spanish Succession, the 18th century was nevertheless one of prosperity for the Spanish Empire, as their trade reputation grew steadily under Bourbon oversight, and continued to grow at an extraordinary rate until the 1780s.
Often used interchangeably, there are a number of important distinctions to make between these different kinds of swashbucklers...
Pirates: Criminals on the open sea who use coercion, intimidation and violence to rob innocent people of their cargo and transport. The term pirate is a catch-all and may be used generally to refer to all who perform acts of larceny on the open ocean. Pirates have been a problem since the advent of long-distance ocean travel; every age has seen its share of pirates, and every age has cursed their name and romanticized their cause. During the so-called "Golden Age of Piracy" (roughly 1650 to 1725), the majority of pirates were from the British Isles. Most were young men in their 20s and almost all had already gained some experience as sailors prior to falling into piracy.
Buccaneers: Though often used as a synonym for Pirates now, the term Buccaneer refers more specifically to a group of pirates who lived and operated in the West Indies in the middle of the 17th century. Best known for attacking settlements and fortifications on land in large groups, the Buccaneers derived their name from the French Boucanier -- an instrument used for smoking strips of meat over an open fire, a favorite sort of sustenance for these terrestrial pirates.
Privateers: Non-commissioned sailors who attack and rob, having been given a Letter of Marque by their King or a royal official such as a Governor. Thus the distance between a Pirate and a Privateer is but a hair's breath of difference -- Pirates simply sail for one monarch fewer.
Taíno refers to a group of related languages and cultures widespread across the Caribbean at the time of European arrival. Broadly speaking, they consisted of the Ciboney or Western Taíno of Cuba, Jamaica and the Bahamas; the Classic Taíno of Hispaniola and Borikén (the indigenous name of Puerto Rico); and the Eastern Taíno of the Antilles.
A Taíno cacique or chief demonstrated rank by carrying an object forged from guanín, a unique indigenous alloy made out of copper, silver, and gold, noted for its lustrous shine. The term "tabaco" from which we also derive from a Taíno word, as tobacco was cultivated on the islands and its usage noted by Spanish explorers. Other English words with a Taíno origin include barbecue, canoe, hurricane, iguana, and potato.
Other, non-Taíno indigenous groups of the island include the Ciguaya, Macorix, and Kalinago or Caribs, for whom the Caribbean Sea is named.
There were several attempts to found a town near the Havana Bay in the early 1500s. A settlement was established by the SpanishConquistadorDiego Velázquez de Cuéllar around 1514. The city sits on a bay that opens to the Gulf Stream and thus became a natural stopping point between Europe and the Americas.
In the earliest stages of the golden age of piracy Havana was burnt to the ground by Frenchcorsair, Jacques de Sores. By the 1700s, Havana had become a large, heavily fortified port city where Spanish treasure ships would dock on their way to Europe. Pirates lurked on the approaches to the city, hoping to capture these same ships.
Originally founded as another Charles-Towne, the city was renamed Nassau in honor of King William III of the house of Orange-Nassau. This city has a particularly colorful past: In 1706 the city's officially appointed Governor skipped town, thus severing the Crown's direct control over the Bahamas.
The islands languished for almost a decade in the hands of Britishcitizens with little or no interest in Statesmanship. By 1713, the entire region had become a haven for pirates and it was in this period that Benjamin Hornigold declared Nassau to be a pirate republic. He proclaimed himself governor and thereafter every pirate of any sense and reputation used Nassau as a base of operation, transforming this small city of barely 1000 residences into a "nest of infamous bastards", according to the Governor of Bermuda.
Dating generally from the MayanClassic period (AD 250 - 900), most Mayan ruins can be found throughout the Yucatán peninsula and Central America. Mayan Temples have steep stone steps and a platform at the top for wooden crowning structures. Mayan architecture is composed with a sophisticated eye to decoration, often using wall paintings and elaborate bas-relief stone carvings. Mayan arches forego the use of a keystone, instead creating a triangle-like arch known as a corbel vault.
A dominating presence on Havana's Plaza de San Francisco, the Basilica Menor de San Francisco de Asis dates from 1580s. Originally, a statue of St. Francis of Assisi stood atop the bell tower, but this was blown off in a cyclone in 1846. Baroque features were added to the basilica in 1730.
The Governor's Mansion housed the acting Spanish governor in addition to prison facilities. A new governor's mansion was constructed across the square in 1791.
This drinking spot, named after "The King of Pirates" Henry Avery, was highly popular among gritty seafarers in the early 18th century. Legend had it that Avery himself once had a financial stake in several establishments throughout the West Indies, but that appears to be nothing more than self-promotion.
More of a display of his imaginative and technical skills than an actual historic representation, this dramatic painting by Willem van de Velde II depicts a battle with Barbary corsairs from north Africa.
This painting by Luca Giordano was commisioned by King Philip V of Spain for display in the French court.
Gold-work from the Isthmus, representing a crowned half-human, half-bat figure flanked by four crocodile heads.
Today is my birthday.
Brandish every Cask, Bottle and Barrel of Alcohol. Everyone is to partake and sing my Praises. To ensure that this Do goes splendidly, I will take charge of the Stores and require its Key.
My Father will be most gratified at your swift fulfilment of my Commands.
- Emmerson Beckford
I, Thomas Cecil, hereby report that the following is a true Manifest of all the Goods, Wares and Merchandize, of the Marks, Numbers and Contents of each Package on board the Endeavor which Cargo was received at the Trading Post of Andreas Island from whence the Craft Sailed for the Plantation of Cat Island.
Sugar - 110 Barrels
Molasses - 25 Barrels
Tobacco - 15 Barrels
John,
It is done. Accompanying this Letter you will find the Will, fully notarized by myself and with the old Man's signature. It will survive the scrutiny of any English Court, I assure you.
Arrangements for your Daughter's removal are also underway. My Associates in the Royal Navy tell me she will be apprehended within the Month. In fact, I hear they have solicited the most reputable Pirate Hunter Lieutenant Maynard for the Task.
Courage my Friend. After so many long Years, we are almost there,
Thomas Barehaire Esq.
In the Name of God, I, Theodore Rupert Braddock, being of sound Mind and Memory, do declare this my last Will and Testament, in Manner and Form following, revoking all former Wills by me made.
As touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life, I give, devise, and bequeath all my Goods unto my well-beloved Son-in-Law, John Baldwin, Husband of my late daughter Elizabeth, to have and to hold the same unto him, his Heirs, and Assigns forever.
I do nominate, constitute, and appoint my said Son-in-Law, John Baldwin, to be the sole Executor of this my last Will and Testament, charging him to see this my Will performed according to my true Intent and Meaning.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal, this Second day of January in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Seven Hundred and Twenty.
Signed, sealed, published, and declared by the said Theodore Rupert Braddock as and for his last Will and Testament, in the presence of us, who, at his Request and in his Presence, and in the Presence of each other, have subscribed our Names as Witnesses hereto.
Theodore Rupert Braddock
Witnessed by:
Thomas Barehaire, Esquire
John Baldwin
Thom,
Don't go getting all uncharitable about this, I did it for your own Good. I knew we might strike some Trouble along the way, so I hid your Share with the original Will in the Likelihood we ever need the old Man's Signature again.
The Locket's here too. I want it kept, no matter what you think. There is no one left to know of it's Significance, at any Rate. I'll recover it from you when all this is over, and include a Crate of Rum for the Inconvenience.
Chin up Man! We're Home free!
John.
Vance,
I had to leave early. My Order requires a Report and there cannot be a Delay. I'll be waiting by the Tavern at the usual Time. Come with both pieces of the Map.
Jing Lang
A letter to Lauren Prins, [sic] congratulating him on acquiring The Sage.
1. Cato, 35 years, superior carpenter and ship caulker.
2. York, 16 years, field hand.
3. Nero, 25 years, stone cutter.
4. Bess, 28 years, field cook, water carrier.
5. Esther, 31 years, midwife.
6. Gracey, 14 years, good house girl and child's nurse.
7. Anthony Morgan, about 30 years, fine engineer and field hand.
8. Sarah Morgan, 32 years, good field hand; tonsils occasionally inflamed.
9. Infant, 2 months.
10. Anthony, 3 years.
11. Stephen, 5 years.
12. Nace, 9 years.
13. Sophy, 12 years, likely.
You, Mr Thomas Stell, Ensign, stand charged for Dereliction of Duty.
On Tuesday last you were tasked to deliver a Prisoner to the Church at the center of Kingston, but were discovered to be in a shameful and drunken State, having abandoned your Post.
You are dismissed forthwith from Service, being no longer entitled to Pay or Protection from the Royal Navy.
Know all, by these Present, that I, Alvin of the Village of Grand Cayman, in consideration of the Sum of Forty-Two Reales in Hand, paid to me by Vargas of the Village of Grand Cayman, the Receipt of where I do acknowledge, have in turn sold and delivered in measured Weight One-Hundred-and-Thirty-Six Pounds of Mutton Snapper unto said Vargas.
In witness whereof I have set my Hand the Fifth Day of May 1716. Signed, sealed and delivered in the present of
All and Sundry, viz.
- Alvin of Grand Cayman
A debonair portrait of Julien Du Casse, the infamous mercenary.
Hangs above the bed in the Mansion at Great Inagua.
A vivid portrait of Laurens Prins, the reprehensible slaver.
Hangs in the hall of the Mansion at Great Inagua.
The schooner was a class of ship used as a general sailing vessel by both navies and civilian operators, providing light firepower and ample speed.
The brig was a class of ship bearing two square-rigged masts, and represented a compromise between larger, more powerful ships, and the faster, but less well-armed ones.
The man o' war was a type of large warship purpose built for warfare, boasting multiple gun decks, and crewed by heavily armed professional soldiers.
El Dorado was a brig that formed part of the Spanish Treasure Fleet.
The fleet was destroyed in a hurricane, with the El Dorado its lone surviving vessel.
The Jackdaw was a brig captained by the pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway, who named it after the small, swift bird of his native Wales.
The ship was known as El Dorado before Edward and his future quartermaster Adéwalé captured it from its fleet.
The Royal Fortune was a man o' war captained by the pirate and Sage Bartholomew Roberts, who elected to keep and renamed it after he captured it as the Nosso Senhor da Compreensão from the Portuguese Navy.
The Ranger was a brig formerly owned by the pirate Benjamin Hornigold before he passed it on to his colleague, Charles Vane.
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Brig.
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Cutter.
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Schooner.
A miniature ship model of a Spanish Frigate.
A miniature ship model of a Spanish man o' war.
A miniature ship model of an English Brig.
A miniature ship model of an English Cutter.
A miniature ship model of an English Schooner.
A miniature ship model of an English Frigate.
A miniature ship model of an English man o' war.
A miniature ship model of the El Dorado.
A miniature ship model of the Jackdaw.
A miniature ship model of the Revenge.
In the Americas, the term ‘black panther’ generally refers to a melanistic jaguar. They are not a separate species, but a color morph of the spotted form. Black jaguars form less than ten percent of jaguars.
Black jaguars can be found in Isla Providencia and Pinos Isle.
The cat is a small carnivorous mammal with a flexible body, sharp claws, and quick reflexes. Cats have long been domesticated, and are favored as pets for their affectionate independence, and playful natures.
Sailors often keep cats aboard ships to deal with rats and other vermin.
The Crocodile is a large, tropical-dwelling tetrapod. Crocodiles can measure up to 15 feet long, weigh 2000 pounds, and live to be 70 years old. This prehistoric-looking predator preys on birds, fish, insects and other reptiles.
Crocodiles have been known to indulge in cannibalistic behaviour. Because of this, they live in groupings of the same size.
Not to be confused with alligators, crocodiles are bigger, lighter in color, and have narrower snouts. Although known to attack humans, the crocodile is more likely to flee than to react aggressively when approached.
Crocodiles are most commonly found in Nassau, Long Bay, and Matanzas.
Deer are large hoofed ruminants notable for having two large and two small hooves on each foot. Males have antlers while the females do not, with the exception of a single species where the females also grow antlers. Deer are selective feeders, eating plant food low in fiber content and high in protein such as young grass, herbs, woody shoots, and bark.
Various subspecies of deer can be found in the Caribbean bioregion. The red brocket deer, for example, is found in Trinidad and Tobago and the Key deer, introduced by colonists, inhabits the Florida Keys.
Deer are most commonly found in Kingston, Salt Lagoon, and Santanillas.
Frigate birds are large seabirds with long wings, forked tails, and slender bodies. They generally inhabit tropical and subtropical oceans, often nesting on remote islands. Frigate birds are skilled fliers, and are known to steal food from other seabirds.
Found across the world in tropical and temperate waters, the hammerhead's unusual head shape gives it increased sensory ability to detect its prey. The hammerhead does not attack humans, although it can be lethal if provoked.
Hammerhead sharks can be found in the Eleuthera and Gibara regions.
Considered one of the loudest animals on earth, the small-sized Howler Monkey generates a siren-like howl that can be heard from a distance of 3 miles (5km). They are not aggressive and are popular as pets in The West Indies.
Howler monkeys are most commonly found in Kingston, Cape Bonavista, and Long Bay.
The hutia is a large rodent unique to the Caribbean basin which varies in size, and can form distinct species from island to island. Hutias are often hunted by locals to be eaten in a spiced stew.
Hutias are most commonly found in Cayman Sound and Long Bay.
Iguanas are large, herbivorous lizards found throughout the Caribbean islands. The common iguana eats only leaves, flowers and fruit. Despite their at times fierce appearance they are not aggressive, and typically flee when threatened. However, they can lash their tails and bite if provoked.
Iguana are found in Great Inagua, Andreas Island, and Abaco Island.
The largest feline in the Western hemisphere, the jaguar is distinguished by its compact and powerful build, its agility, and its unique killing method of biting directly into the skull to pierce the brain. The Mayans believed that the jaguars could carry messages to and from the afterworld.
Jaguars are most commonly found in Cape Bonavista, Long Bay, Tulum, and Principe.
Also called a medusa, the jellyfish isn't technically a fish—it is a free-swimming non-vertebrate found in every sea across the world. Jellyfish consist of a gelatinous bell with trailing tentacles capable of stinging prey. Jellyfish stings are in most cases harmless to humans, but some can be extremely serious, even lethal.
Although related to sharks, manta rays are harmless. They can be quite large (up to 30 ft (9m) wide) and feed on small fish and plankton, funneling food into their mouth using cephalic flaps extending from the eyes. Manta rays, which are found all over the world, have the unique ability to leap from the water into the air to escape attackers.
Monkeys in the Caribbean are primarily an introduced African species called the green monkey, although up to the 17th Century these still shared territory with the now extinct Jamaican monkey. Both species were omnivores that ate a variety of foraged foods including fruit, seeds, flowers, insects, and smaller animals like frogs and birds.
Monkeys were viewed as pests by farmers as they continually raided crops, but were favoured by locals and sailors who adopted them as mischievous, intelligent pets.
The ocelot is a wild cat that typically has yellow fur with dark stripes in the manner of a jaguar. Ocelots are nocturnal and range from the size of domestic cats up to four feet (1.2 meters) in length.
Ocelot hides are coveted by leather workers for their ease of working, patterned fur, soft texture, and durability.
Ocelots can be found in Cumberland Bay and Abaco Island.
The Caribbean basin provides an excellent climate for both land and sea turtles. Turtles are reptiles with a hard, protective upper shell called a carapace. Although they are natural swimmers and can stay submerged for up to 7 hours while resting, turtles breathe air. Despite being awkward and slow moving on land, they go ashore to lay their eggs.
White coats in animals can be due to a specific genetic mutation or albinism. The genetic mutation that yields a white jaguar also results in a more aggressive animal, making them dangerous as well as rare.
White jaguars can be found at Great Inagua.
The wild pig, or boar, is a large cousin of the domesticated pig covered by hairy bristles. They were introduced by Europeans to the Caribbean basin (Columbus himself brought eight pigs with him from Spain). Wild pigs flourished in the island environment and were hunted by sailors and pirates to provide salted pork on their voyages.
Wild pigs are most commonly found in Nassau, Great Inagua, and Cape Bonavista.
So-called because of their short snouts and their tendency to head-butt prey, bull sharks are commonly found in warm, shallow waters. They are extremely aggressive and dangerous to humans. The females are larger than the males, and adults measure well over seven feet (2.15m) long.
Bull sharks can be found in the Dry Tortuga, Gibara, and Punta Guarico regions.
Found throughout Central and South America, capuchin monkeys are small and highly intelligent. They eat almost anything -- nuts, fruits, small birds, frogs, clams, etc. Many pirates favored capuchins as pets.
Capuchins can be found in Matanzas and Misteriosa.
The largest predatory fish in the world, the great white's lethal aspect is due to its nearly 300 serrated teeth arranged in rows. Great whites have been known to attack humans, but usually more out of curiosity than hunger -- "sample biting" and then releasing their victims. The great white reaches an average length of 15 feet (4.6m).
Great white sharks can be found in the Cruz and Serranilla regions.
Known for emitting complex sequences of haunting moans, the humpback is a large whale that reaches up to 62 feet (19 meters) in length. They migrate from the poles to the equator seasonally and travel in pods.
Humpback whales can be found in the Castillo De Jagua and Navassa regions.
Called the Grampus by sailors in the 18th century, the killer whale, or Orca, is part of the dolphin family. Known for their ferociously deadly predation, killer whales feast on seals, sea-lions and even other whales. They hunt in pods in the manner of wolf packs and are found throughout the world's seas.
Killer whales can be found in the Cruz and Conttoyor regions.
Red howler monkeys can be located on Isla Providencia.
Born to enslavedOgoni parents in Yoruba, Adéwalé was sold to the owner of a prosperous plantation before his teens. He remained on this plantation, working the fields, until his mid teens, always scheming of ways to escape his predicament, but uneasy with the prospect of living life as a fugitive.
Then fortune struck, giving Adéwalé the sign he needed. At some point near his 16th birthday, a group of buccaneers raided the plantation, robbing it of raw cane, refined sugar, and as many reales as they could find. Seeing in this an opportunity, Adé grabbed a crate of sugar and hauled it aboard one of the longboats the buccaneers had rowed ashore. Surprised to see a slave among them, the buccaneers were nevertheless thankful for the aid, and welcomed Adé among them.
Adé sailed with this first group of men for many years, quickly learning the ways of a seaman, grateful for the chance to develop his own skills and chase his own passions. And though his life among buccaneers was not free of the usual bigotry of the era, Adé found the prejudice to be more confrontational than restrictive.
In 1715, misfortune struck a cruel blow when the ship Adé was aboard, struck a shallow sandbar near the port of Havana. The buccaneers—mostly British at the time—tried desperately to free the trapped vessel, but after catching sight of an approaching SpanishGalleon, abandoned ship only to be torn apart by schools of circling bull sharks. Adé made peace with his fate, and stood his ground.
Taken to Havana for questioning and inspection, Spanish authorities eventually decided to send Adéwalé to Spain, where they felt he would make an excellent interpreter, owing to his fluent command of Spanish, English, and French. Some weeks later, they loaded him into of the Galleons that made up their perennial treasure convoy, en route to Seville.
Born: 1660s, Yucatan Peninsula
Died: c.1745, Yucatan Peninsula
Named for the Mayan god of hunting, Ah Tabai's given name remains a mystery, and very little is known about his earliest decades. The only child he is known to have fathered died before the age of ten.
What little else we know about him comes from his own mouth; from the stories he told those who knew him. When speaking about his own past, he avoids personal details in favor of abstractions and hints. He frequently speaks of his love and admiration for the tragic history of his people, and used these stories to illustrate the complex intersections of cultures and religions, frequently pointing out the fact that "From within and without come enemies and allies alike. Nothing in life is guaranteed, except surprise..."
It is not known how early Ah Tabai acquired the title of Mentor, nor how large his impact was on the Assassins of the West Indies. However, that he maintained semi-regular contact with the Assassins in the British colonies to the north, in various parts of Europe and Africa, and in China. He was instrumental in opening his branch to men and women from all walks of life - mostly Europeans, Africans, and those Native to the area.
As a native Mayan himself, rumors and stories of the ancient Observatory were not foreign to Ah Tabai. So when in 1713 rumors of a new "Sage" began to surface, Ah Tabai took it upon himself to locate the man, believing the Assassins should be the protectors of the ancient and mysterious place. He sent word far and wide to as many Assassin outposts as possible, hoping their network of spies and informants would lead them to their prize. But after two years, there was no word.
Then, in early 1715, an experienced British Assassin named Duncan Walpole arrived at Ah Tabai's encampment, initially expressing a desire to train under the Mentor directly. Ah Tabai found the request odd but flattering, for Walpole had already achieved a level of Mastery few assassins ever reached. After many months of intensive training, Ah Tabai came to consider Duncan Walpole as one of his most trusted colleagues.
Then in June of 1715, word arrived that the Templars had located and imprisoned the Sage on Spanish lands in the far south. Seeing an opportunity to cripple his arch-enemies, Ah Tabai entrusted Duncan Walpole with the task of rallying various Assassins around the West Indies and leading an assault on the Templar prison ship en route to Havana. Duncan Walpole agreed to this task... and was never heard from again.
It was only after Edward Kenway's disastrous meddling in Havana that Ah Tabai was made aware of the full extent of Walpole's betrayal.
Born: 1702, Ireland Died: Unknown
Anne was barely a teen when she left her native Cork in Ireland for the British colonies, and by sixteen she was en route to West Indies at side of her new husband, Mr. Jack Bonny, a gentle but sturdy young man in his early 20s.
The pair arrived in Nassau in April of 1716, settling down with an unclear idea of what shape their lives might take. Jack eventually found work on one of the small plantations there, while Anne cultivated her ability to loaf and daydream. Unfortunately, her beauty, aloofness, and complete indifference to propriety made her the object of more romantic attention than she had ever known or cared for.
Within a year of arriving in Nassau, the Bonnys' marriage was in shambles, a union only in name. While Jack disappeared further into his work, Anne grew more confident and sociable, eventually taking a job as a barmaid at the popular Old Averytavern in the center of Nassau. And though she took on a few lovers in the next few years, it was mostly out of envy and spite that the rabble of Nassau branded Anne a harlot and a tease. But with no high society to shun or shame her, Anne's desirability only increased on the strength of these rumors.
orn: 1680, England Died: ????
Known variously by different sources as Thatch, Teach, Theach, Tache, Titche, Teatch, Tack, and more, we are fairly certain Edward Thatch was born in or around Bristol and took to the sea at an early age, most likely in his teens. It is also speculated that he arrived in the West Indies quite soon after leaving England.
If this was indeed the case, Ed Thatch would have seen his fair share of the War of Spanish Succession, a protracted fight between most of the Empires of Europe that pitted Hapsburg Austia and its British ally against Bourbon France and Spain. In these early years, from 1700 to 1713, Thatch was a privateer or at the very least a merchant seaman, doing his part for the crown—Queen Anne at the time.
But with the Treaty of Utrecht bestowing peace upon a troubled Europe in 1713, Thatch and his fellow sailors found themselves far from home and out of work. Thus, they turned to piracy as a means of sustaining themselves. In the ensuing years, Thatch befriended a captain named Benjamin Hornigold and soon after joined his crew as quartermaster, at some point between late 1714 and early 1716.
Settling in Nassau, Thatch, Hornigold, and the rest of the "Flying Gang" as these pirates called themselves, began cooking up schemes far larger than most pirates of the era dared dream. Wanting nothing less than a country of their own, they worked to turn Nassau into a place of liberty and freedom for all who desired an escape from the bonds of imperial rule.
Born: 1693, Wales Died: ????
Edward James Kenway was born on the 10th of March in Swansea, Wales, to Bernard Kenway of Manchester and Linette Hopkins of nearby Cardiff. By Edward's 10th birthday, his father had moved the family to a small farm just outside Bristol, a nearby port town in the southwest of England.
This relocation had a depressing effect on young Edward's mood. He grew restless from a lack of contact with old friends and struggled to find an outlet for his limitless energy. By his teens he was spending more and more time in the city away from his farm, where the lure of excitement overrode prudence. By age sixteen, he had substituted a career as a successful farmer for a life of hopeless tomfoolery, frequently shirking his responsibilities to his family in favor of rough company.
In late 1711, at the age of seventeen, Edward met Caroline Scott, a woman of modest but steady means. Their friendship began cautiously, as Caroline's hand had already been promised to the boorish son of a wealthy East India Companyexecutive. But Edward's charms eventually won out, and he and Caroline were married within a year of their meeting; a union that angered her father, and got the whole of Bristol talking.
In the earliest months of their marriage, Edward resolved to do well by his wife and provide for her as he believed a man in his position should. But his grandiose dreams and exaggerated opinion of himself prevented him from taking immediate responsibility for their well-being. And after only a year, he had stumbled back into his worst habits - drinking, fighting and idleness.
It was in this dark period that Edward revived an old idea of joining a privateering fleet sailing for the West Indies, with the aim of making war against the Spanish and collecting unchecked sums of gold and cargo. This, he told his wife, was their path to quick riches. Being a sensible and prudent woman, Caroline discouraged these fanciful ideas.
By the summer of 1712, Caroline understood that her husband's departure was inevitable. She wanted no further part of Edward's reckless plan, and so left him to live with her parents. Stunned by this sudden turn, Edward was determined to earn his fortune fast and prove himself as capable as he always claimed he was. He left for the West Indies barely one month later, where he soon fell in with the privateer Benjamin Hornigold and his quartermaster, Ed Thatch.
Edward spent the first half of 1713 sailing with these two seasoned sailors, on regular sweeps of the windward passage. But that year, fate threw him another upset. With the signing of the treaty of Utrecht, all hostile actions between the major empires came to an end and the prospects of British privateers dried up. Now poor, unemployed, and thousands of miles from home, Edward and his colleagues settled on the island of New Providence in the Bahamas to reconsider their options.
These were fanciful days for Edward. He discovered in the small town of Nassau a life quite unlike that which he had left behind. The atmosphere of wild and noisy freedom in this small stateless encampment overwhelmed and captivated him. The drinking, the gaming, the women, the aimless desire to simply live as one pleased. And yet, as carefree as he was, his beloved Caroline was never far from his mind. If he could make something of himself in the West Indies—working a sugarplantation, perhaps—he might win her back after all his time away.
But in absence of true conviction, habit takes hold fast; and it was only a matter of time before Edward set back out to sea with his mates, to live the life they knew best; no longer privateers—legal and sanctioned—but as pirates now, with nary a whit of loyalty to kin and country, earning his fortune by the sword and pistol, praying his end was never too near.
Born: 1682, Jamaica Died: ????
Of the few infamous pirates to call the West Indies his birthplace, Jack Rackham was born in Jamaica at the height of Port Royal's boom as a den of scoundrels. This would likely explain his atrophied moral compass, for he was frequently drunk, rarely serious about anything, and always chasing women. He used his outrageous and offensive charm to keep out of most trouble. But a strategist and fighter he was not.
Nicknamed "Calico" for his affinity for Indian and Asian prints, he was a terrible sailor and a worse pirate, given to flights of fancy and myopic ideas that served only himself, rather than solid strategic thinking. He was likely drunk for half of his adulthood, and had a weakness for women that trumped all basic needs, such as sleeping or eating. His disarming charm, dashing good looks, and his swift wit carried him far, but parties can only last so long before someone has to clean up after them.
Born: 1691, England Died: ????
Daughter of Emmett and Elizabeth Scott, Caroline was born in Bristol, England, to a prosperous family of merchants and civil servants. Given a modest education by her father, she furthered her own studies in her own way, taking time to read as often as her familiar duties allowed. Splitting her time between this and helping her mother manage her father's affairs, she grew into a confident and level-headed woman with more skill and intelligence than her situation allowed her to exercise.
Caroline first met Edward Kenway outside the Auld Shillelagh, in the aftermath of a drunken altercation. She had arrived to fetch one of her servants and there found Edward escorting the woman from the clutches of one of Bristol's more notorious cads. Thankful for his kindness, Caroline agreed to a second meeting on more equitable terms, hardly thinking a romance possible.
And yet—against all odds—that is just what happened. Edward and Caroline grew quite close, and soon fell in love, quite much to the dismay of her father. Emmett Scott had already promised his daughter to the son of a wealthy East India Companyexecutive, and made his displeasure apparent at every turn. But all his noise was to no avail. Caroline and Edward were married in 1712.
For a time it seemed as though this odd pairing might produce a lasting union. But Edward's deep love for his wife was offset by his uncouth habits and reckless attention to responsibility. Not content to live a life of middle class drudgery, Edward dreamed large, and fixed on the idea that he could sail to the West Indies and fight as a Privateer against the Spanish. Or, barring that, buy some land and sow a sugarplantation. Caroline tried to dissuade her husband, but to no effect.
Born: 1680, England Died: ????
A common refrain in any biography of a Golden AgePirate goes something like this: "Very little is known about this man's early life..." And with Charles Vane it's no different. It is not known where he was born, or where he grew up, or when he first took to sea. But maybe that's just as well, for it further heightens the mystery of this strange, unstable man.
Surely one of the most ornery and unstable of the "Flying Gang", the band of pirates who called Nassau their home for a time, Charles Vane began his career like most pirates of the era--honestly, as a privateer sailing for his King. Likely living in Jamaica in 1715, he was one of many aboard Henry Jennings' assault on a Spanish expedition to recover the gold from their ill fated wreck in 1715 off the coast of Florida.
Barely a year later it had become impossible to keep up honest work as a privateer, as British Governors were skittish about breaking the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht, which called for a cessation of all aggression between the major empires. Having few other options, Vane sailed to Nassau where many of his former colleagues were now living.
Quick to anger and ferociously mean, Charles Vane quickly earned himself a reputation as a difficult captain to sail under. At some point in 1717 or 1718, an old friend, "Calico" Jack Rackham joined his crew as quartermaster. The two remained partnered for some time, living and working out of Nassau with the likes of Benjamin Hornigold, Ed Thatch, and Henry Jennings.
Born: 1695, England Died: ????
Even though not yet out of his teens, James Kidd was a cocky and confident lad with a brashness cultivated to counter his youth. He claimed to be the bastard son of the late William Kidd, the infamous privateer-turned-pirate who was captured and hanged by British authorities in 1701. Although James had no proof of this connection, his mother always insisted on it, claiming that she spent a single "panicked night of passion" with Captain Kidd just before his departure from London in 1695.
Growing up fatherless and with a spendthrift mother did little to improve his prospects at leading a normal life, and at the age of 12 he found employment aboard merchant vessels sailing between the British colonies in North America and the West Indies. By the time he was 17 he called Jamaica his home, where he further honed his skills as a sailor here.
Although he never sailed with the likes of Ben Hornigold, Ed Thatch, or Edward Kenway, James was among the first sailors to settle in Nassau, and was a central figure in its development as a pirate republic.
Born: Unknown, England Died: ????
Of all the infamous West Indiespirates, Mary Read stands out as one of the most mysterious and inscrutable. No one is sure when she was born, with most speculation ranging over almost a decade, between 1685 and 1695. According to Charles Johnson—a frequently unreliable source—her mother began dressing Mary in boy's clothes from a very early age, with the hope of passing her off as another man's son.
In her teens, Mary evidently harnessed her skill for disguise to secure a job aboard a ship. Taking to sea, she worked her way forward until she found a position in the British Navy. Still disguised as a man, she saw action in battle, though owing to the conflicting reports of her birth, which battle is uncertain. It was during these skirmishes that Mary met her first husband—so the author of the "General History of Pyrates" claims—a Flemish soldier who had evidently fought beside her.
But this union was not fated to remain intact, as Mary's husband was killed soon after their marriage. With few reasons to remain in Europe, Mary sailed for the West Indies. It is unclear what transpired in the years following, but it is almost certain that she resumed the practice of dressing as a man. It is also assumed Mary continued working aboard ships, improving her skills as a sailor and swordsman.
By 1715 or 1716, it was likely she had visited her fellow sailors in Nassau, though perhaps not for the same reasons...
Born: 1695, Cuba Died: Unknown
Born in Cuba, Assassin bureau leader Opía Apito was raised Taíno, among her mother's people, never knowing her father, a Spaniard.
At twelve, her village was raided by the Spanish. Most of her community was kidnapped and killed. But Opía, the lone free survivor, fought and ran. She survived in hiding for close to a decade.
Much of what we know of Opía is inseparable from legend. Her name, possibly self-given, is an amalgam of the Taíno words for "eternity" and "ghost." She claimed to be a direct descendant of the warrior Hatuey, who stood against the Spanish in the 16th Century. She was guided throughout her life by the mantra, Aji aya bom—better dead than a slave.
In her early twenties, she was hired by the Assassins as a guide, and was soon adopted into their ranks. She delighted in a characteristic Taíno approach to strategy: preferring to harm the enemy by taking something from him in battle, that he might live to notice it missing. But as an Assassin she did not shrink from violence.
True to her name, once promoted to Assassin Bureau leader, she built an agile and highly effective "ghost" bureau near the Cayman Islands, with virtually no physical footprint to speak of. We might regard it today as an early example of a terrorist cell, but she left no records and no descendants, and until now, history has held no record of it.
Born: 1688, Scotland Died: Unknown
Born in Scotland, Rhona Dinsmore was made for adventure. After suffering the lows of a troubled household–an absent father and a drunkard of a mother–Dinsmore left her home in Glasgow in her mid-teens. At nineteen, she found work amongst merchants in Bristol and remained at that post for nearly two years.
By twenty-one, Dinsmore was trapped in a terrible marriage. She fled again and sought refuge in Boston, where she remained for six months, before moving on to the warmer climes of Jamaica. There she found it exceedingly difficult to find work among farmers, and finally took to the sea, ultimately finding her calling within the Assassin Brotherhood.
Born: 1688, Barbados
Died: ????
Born into plentitude and wealth on Barbados, Stede Bonnet seemed destined for a life of pleasure and ease. The son of a successful and influential plantation owner, his early life was marked by tragedy when his parents died suddenly, leaving seven year-old Stede orphaned and in a perpetual state of melancholy.
His inheritance of some 400 acres of land softened the blow caused by the loss of his parents, and by the time Stede was in his late teens, he had already restored the sugar plantation to a profitable state. He married young and set about starting a family as soon as possible, but owing to what some called a "disorder of the mind" he never found solace or comfort in these domestic trappings.
To further complicate his unease, his firstborn son died in infancy, further amplifying his grief and stiming his restlessness. As a means of coping, he dreamed of going to sea and sailing about the world, meeting people, living life as a man free of the obligations thrust upon him.
When Bonnet's ship was apprehended by the British Navy on suspicion of piracy, he was rescued by the pirate Edward Kenway who, with the help of Blackbeard and others, eventually influenced the affable and impressionable merchant into going on the account himself.
Born: 1688, England Died: Unknown
Upton Travers was born in England, in 1688, two years ahead of his brother, Vance Travers. Together, they traveled to the West Indies in search of their fortune. There they established a smuggling business, which they used to fund their growing involvement with the Assassin brotherhood.
Although Vance was the more charismatic of the two Assassin brothers, Upton made up for it with his measured, sensible responses to life's challenges.
However, every man has a breaking point, and Upton found his after Vance took up with the Chinese "Pirate Queen," Jing Lang, a Templar, and sought to steal the treasure on which they had staked their retirement before finally attempting fratricide.
Depressed, Upton turned to alcohol, which may have been a factor in his retaliation. He ultimately had both Jing Lang and his brother dispatched with the help of Edward Kenway.
Originally hailing from Wales, little is known about John Roberts, the real name of the man who would come to be known as "Black Bart" long after his death.
Most assume he went to sea at a very young age -- at 13 or so -- but there is no record of him in any historical documents until his noted appearance in 1718 aboard a merchant's ship, Barbadian in origin. Just a year later Roberts was pressed into piracy by the notorious Howell Davis while working aboard a slave ship under Captain Abraham Plumb. Though Roberts had likely not gone to sea with the intent of becoming a pirate, when the opportunity thrust itself upon him, Roberts was reported to have said 'A merry life, and a short one shall be my motto.'
A few months later Davis was killed in an ambush on the Portuguese Island of Príncipe, and Roberts was swiftly and unanimously elected to replace him. This was surely a testament to the man's natural charisma and leadership, for he had been a pirate only a few months. It was at this point he took the name "Bartholomew", likely naming himself for the infamous Bartholomew Sharpe, a pirate of some renown who had disappeared just two decades earlier.
One of the most intelligent and strategic pirates of the Golden Age, Roberts was a sturdy man, known to dress in fine clothes. Handsome, and carrying himself with a dignified but unpretentious air, he had dark hair to match his dark complexion, likely set from the almost two decades he had spent at sea. He often carried numerous pistols, each tied to one end of long silk sashes, which he kept slung over his shoulder.
Roberts' tactical ideas were usually radical, but thoughtfully considered. He never jumped into any scheme rashly, though his ideas seemed almost suicidal to those unacquainted with his methods. Ultimately responsible for the theft of around 400 ships in his three-year career, he bested every other pirate of the era by a factor of ten times or more, although it must be said that at least half of these boats were small periaguas and the like.
Born: Mid-1680s, England Died: ????
Benjamin Hornigold was likely born in Norfolk, England. The first recorded instances of him are of his early exploits as a pirate in the West Indies around 1713-1714.
Hornigold was one of the earliest pirates to emerge after the end of the War of the Spanish Succession, and one of the many hundreds of privateers who were left without gainful employment in the ensuing peace. Like many other British mariners, he spent much of his time in the Bahamas, eventually settling in Nassau. It was from there he launched his career as a full-fledged pirate, though he likely thought of himself as a privateer--in his earliest years, at least.
A skilful sailor and strategist, Hornigold lacked some of the ruthlessness required to be a truly successful pirate, and until 1716, refused to attack English ships out of a sense of loyalty to his home country.
Born: Unknown Died: Unknown
Almost nothing is known about El Tiburón "The Shark" outside of his service as the loyal, mute bodyguard of Laureano de Torres y Ayala, the Grandmaster of the Caribbean Templars and the Governor of Cuba. The Shark's penchant for medieval armor and brutal violence cut a swathe of fear through Havana, leaving citizens and soldiers alike quivering in his blood soaked wake.
Born: 1682, England Died: 1717, West Indies
Hilary Flint was born to an aristocratic family, the youngest of three boys. The black sheep of the family, he sought solitude in his studies. Immersing himself in math and sciences, Flint discovered an abiding interest in explosives, earning him the label of "problem child".
To correct his course, his parents enrolled him in military school, where he quicklyexceeded their expetations, working his way into the hearts of both teachers and students, as well as a few secret societies.
After graduation, his connections and easy manner earned him access to Templar ranks where his obsession with firearms made him an important asset.
Records reveal an ongoing relationship with AssassinRhona Dinsmore, the full nature of which is uncertain. She vanishes from record after Flint's death at the age of 35.
Born: 1686, China Died: 1717, Nassau
Born to Chinese rebels, Jing Lang came into the world fighting, but survived to become a skilled diplomat with a flair for languages and a taste for discovery.
Ambitious, Lang married the son of a General in the Qing dynasty, joining the Templar order, but severing ties with her family in the process. She served as a diplomatic advisor, until a shift in political tides provoked her escape into piracy.
Over the next decade, she crossed every sea, developing a reputation for brutality that preceded her into most conflicts.
In the West Indies, she fell under the spell of a rumored cache of treasure, and feigned a romantic relationship with one-time AssassinVance Travers to gain access to it.
She might have been successful had it not been for Travers' brother, Upton, an Assassin who schemed to have her killed, betraying his brother in the process. She died at the age of thirty.
Born: 1682, France Died: ????
Nephew of the buccaneer Jean du Casse, Julien was born in Montpellier, France. He took after his uncle's example and took to sea at a young age, eventually joining him in a few skirmishes during the War of the Spanish Succession. Fighting on the side of the French, and by proxy, on behalf of King Philip of Spain, du Casse's skill as a gunner improved rapidly, even as he grew wildly disillusioned with the monarchy and its obsession with lineage and breeding over raw talent and skill.
In 1704, ordered by his superior officers to join his uncle and hundreds of French troops in what would become known as the Battle of Vélez-Màlaga, du Casse opted instead to desert his post and seek his fortunes in the New World. At first he threw in with slave traders in Africa, and for a year made a modest profit off the venture. But he was never comfortable with the cruelty and detachment the job required, and so departed for the West Indies in search of yet another vocation.
For the next 10 years, du Casse roamed the West Indies as a hired gun, working for whomever had the coin and confidence to pay him. Ever prizing the value of intelligence and skill over mere reputation and breeding, du Casse, eventually found his way into the company of Laureano Torres of Cuba, in whom he found a friend and confidant...
Born: 1675, England Died: 1715, Kingston
Born to an upper class family and educated in boarding schools from age five, Kenneth Abraham learned to fight for himself at an early age. Upon graduation, he entered the army and rose through the ranks, finally meeting the rank of Commander.
His embrace of order and disciple drew him into the fold of the Templar Order, which offered him influence beyond that offered by his military career. From the age of thirty, he ascended its ranks in parallel to those of his military career by devoting himself to the promotion of order and peace.
In 1715, the Assassin Anto infiltrated a Ball held by Abraham on his plantation, together with the pirate Edward Kenway. There, Abraham was assassinated by the pair, confronted in his final moments by the nemesis he had tried and failed to defeat.
He remained, until his death, determined to rid the world of unpredictable and disorderly elements.
Born: 1645, Cuba Died: ????
Born in Havana, but raised in Madrid, Spain, Laureano was of noble stock, the son of Tomas Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos. He joined the Spanish army in his late teens, and was later appointed as the governor of Spain's territories in Florida, a post he held from 1693 to 1699. He then returned to Europe to participate in the War of the Spanish Succession.
In 1708, Torres was appointed as the governor of Cuba, a post he held for three years until he was accused of and arrested for corruption. He was acquitted of these charges, however, and managed to win a re-election bid in 1713.
During his time in Cuba, he made many lasting improvements to the city, fortifying the island's defenses and introducing the production of tobacco there. He remained Governor until 1716, after which point he retired and devoted his life to charitable functions, such as building hospitals.
Born: 1630s, Amsterdam Died: 1717, Kingston
Laurens Prins (often anglicized as Laurence Prince) was a Dutchman from Amsterdam who spent the majority of his life in and around the West Indies. Operating out of Port Royal, Prins saw an incredible amount of action and adventure in his long life.
Sailing as a privateer in the early days of the Golden Age of Piracy (1650s) he developed a reputation for courage fighting the Spanish on behalf of the British crown, sometimes bearing a letter of marque, often without. He even played a pivotal role in Sir Henry Morgan's infamous raid on Panama in 1671, for which he was roundly celebrated.
Prins eventually retired from privateering and settled in a large acreage of land in Jamaica. Around this time he entered into the slave trade as a means of bolstering his wealth, an occupation he pursued well into his seventies.
In 1717, his flagship slave galley, The Whydah, was attacked and captured by the pirate"Black Sam" Bellamy. He managed to survive the encounter, and fell back into his old occupation until his death some months later.
Born: 1689, Spain Died: 1715, Pinos Isle
Born in Spain, Lucia Márquez never knew her father. By the age of twelve she was supporting herself and her sisters on the streets, begging, borrowing, and stealing anything she could, all the while developing the skills of a master thief.
At the age of seventeen, she was caught stealing a horse belonging to a high-ranking Templar, and wisely opted for training over jail time.
The Templar life gave Marquez the focus she needed and she never found herself at a lack of challenge or adventure.
She died at the age of twenty-six on Pinos Isle, wise beyond her years, on the order of the TainoAssassin, Opía Apito.
Historic archives contain scattered references to individuals known as "Sages", but they are few and far between. Each citation seems to refer to a different person living in a vastly different time and location.
The earliest example was found in a Sumerian clay tablet in cuneiform script, while the latest survives only as a footnote in one of Laureano Torres's own journals, dated January 1704. In all – according to exhaustive research – seven different "Sages" seem to have graced the world's stage in the past twelve hundred years. But the real number is likely higher.
Perhaps, the strangest aspect connecting each of these various sightings is the fact that, in every case, visual descriptions of each Sage are remarkably similar. So similar, in fact, that one wouldn't be faulted for assuming they ware talking about a single, immortal man. However, in two of the seven citations, explicit mention is made of their death and burial.
Is this therefore some bizarre form of reincarnation? Or some simpler explanation that is presently unknown? More research is required.
Born: 1690, England Died: 1717, Nassau
Born in England, the passionate, creative, yet incredibly gullible Vance Travers, found a life for himself amongst the Assassin's Brotherhood in the West Indies, where he ran a successful smuggling enterprise, with his older brother, Upton.
Business took a turn for the worse after he met and fell in love with the Templar, Jing Lang, who persuaded him to divulge knowledge of the location of buried treasure with which he and Upton planned to fund their retirement.
Paranoid, Travers developed delusions that his brother plotted to steal his treasure and Jing's heart. He broke from the Creed and, after a failed attempt at fratricide, was killed by Edward Kenway.
Born: 1679, England Died: ????
Woodes Rogers was born into money, to a seafaring family with deep roots in both Poole and Bristol, England. His early life was a picture of industriousness and ambition, and by the age of 18 he was an apprentice Mariner.
Upon his father's death at sea in 1706, Woodes inherited his family's prosperous shipping company, which he took to managing with great passion. Between 1704 and 1707 Rogers' fortunes and family grew, and by the time he was twenty-seven his marriage to Sarah Whetstone had produced one son and two daughters.
By the end of 1707, however, his business had suffered great losses by raidingFrench forces, giving Rogers the idea to recoup these dreadful losses himself. Knocking about Bristol in search of a partner for this endeavor, he soon found himself in the company of William Dampier, an old friend and unlucky Captain who suggested setting out on a privateering expedition, one that would range far and wide about the New World. In 1708, Rogers made the necessary arrangements and set out as Captain of his own vessel, on a difficult voyage that would last over three years.
Along this course Rogers met with many successes and failures. In 1709, off the western coast of South America, he found and rescued a marooned sailor by the name of Alexander Selkirk, a sailor who had spent nearly 4 years living in isolation and who would serve as the inspiration for the book "Robinson Crusoe" just a few years later.
Soon after Selkirk's recovery, Rogers' fleet engaged an enemy vessel in open combat—a skirmish that earned him a pistol shot to the left side of his face and a mangled heel. Neither wound was enough to remove him from command however, and he continued serving as captain until his return to England in late 1711. To commemorate this return, he had an operation to remove the offending bullet from his upper palate.
Now in poor health but high spirits, he set about writing his memoirs. Upon their publication a few years, they were an immediate success, and proved a great source of income. But this brief glory was offset by the sudden death of his son, a tragedy compounded some months later by his wife's decision to leave him. Also at this time, Rogers was sued by former shipmates for allegedly hoarding goods and money plundered from enemy vessels. Rogers assembled a defense, but lost the case.
In 1713, itching to return to sea, he organized passage to Madagascar claiming to be a merchant in the slave trade, but with the intended purpose of reconnoitering the rumored pirate colonies established there. When he arrived in Madagascar after months of hard sailing, he found that the legends of the pirate town "Libertalia" had been exaggerated one-hundredfold. The pirates in Madagascar were sickly and few and desperate for help. After spending just a few months here, Rogers set sail for England, a failure in his own mind.
And yet, never one to give up hope, Woodes Rogers reoriented his attentions to the West Indies, eventually lobbying King George for a commission to hunt pirates in the Caribbean. On this score, he succeeded. After a few diligent years of making his case, King George appointed Woodes Rogers as the Governor of the Bahamas. Now, at last, he would make his mark, and bring justice to a land where chaos had taken root...
An incomplete audio clip from The Devils of the Caribbean Podcast reconstructed from recovered files.
An audio message from Ego, easily intercepted by the Dark Animus with no need for further decryption.
In it, she warns the nascent Eagle that she knows of his every movement within the mainframe, threatening to pierce him clean from the sky.
Audio memory obtained from an Animus memory fragement in which Sebastían Vizcaíno recovers from wounds sustained during a confrontation.
