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{{Era|Individuals|Templars}} | {{Era|Individuals|Templars}}{{WP-REAL}} | ||
{{WP-REAL}} | {{Quote|A body enslaved inspires the mind to revolt. But enslave a man's mind and his body will follow on naturally. Efficiently.|Laureano Torres, 1719.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Imagine My Surprise}} | ||
{{Quote|A body enslaved inspires the mind to revolt. But enslave a man's mind and his body will follow on naturally. Efficiently.|Laureano | |||
{{Character Infobox | {{Character Infobox | ||
|image = AC4 Laureano Torres render.png | |image = AC4 Laureano Torres render.png | ||
|birth = 1645<br>[[ | |birth = 1645<br />[[Seville]], [[Spain]]<ref name="Wiki">{{WP|Laureano de Torres y Ayala}}</ref> | ||
|death = 1 September 1722<br>[[Observatory|The Observatory]], [[Long Bay]], [[Jamaica]] | |death = 1 September 1722 {{c|aged c. 77}}<br>[[Observatory (Isu)|The Observatory]], [[Long Bay]], [[Jamaica]] | ||
|affiliates = [[Spanish Army]] | |species = [[Human]] | ||
*[[Spanish Rite of the Templar Order|Spanish Rite]] | |database = [[Database: Laureano Torres y Ayala|Laureano Torres y Ayala]]<br />[[Database: Grand Master Torres|Grand Master Torres]] | ||
*[[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|West Indies Rite]] | |affiliates = *[[Spanish Army]] | ||
*[[Templars]] | |||
**[[Spanish Rite of the Templar Order|Spanish Rite]] | |||
**[[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|West Indies Rite]] | |||
'''Laureano de Torres y Ayala a Duadros Castellanos, marqués de Casa Torres''' (1645 – 1722) was | }} | ||
'''Laureano de Torres y Ayala a Duadros Castellanos, marqués de Casa Torres''' (1645 – 1722) was a [[Spain|Spanish]] military officer who served as Governor of [[Florida]] from 1693 to 1699, and Governor of [[Cuba]] on two occasions between 1707 and 1716. Secretly, he was also a member of the [[Spanish Rite of the Templar Order|Spanish Rite]] of the [[Templars|Templar Order]] and later became the founder and only [[Grand Master of the Templar Order|Grand Master]] of the [[West Indies Rite of the Templar Order|West Indies Rite]], reigning from circa 1673 until his death. | |||
Inducted into the Order in his twenties, Torres was tasked by the Templar [[Council of Elders|counsel]] to find the [[Observatory (Isu)|Observatory]], an [[Isu]] [[Temple (Isu)|site]] located in the [[Caribbean]] which allowed users to remotely observe people anywhere on the [[Earth|globe]]. Believing the Observatory could be used to further the Order's [[New World Order|cause]] by spying on and blackmailing world leaders, Torres used his position as governor to find local allies who would aid him in the search for the site, establishing the West Indies Rite in the process. | |||
After a failed attempt to capture the [[Sages|Sage]] [[Thomas Kavanagh, Jr.|Thom Kavanagh]], who could lead the Templars to the Observatory, in 1673, Torres was given another chance to succeed four decades later, when he learned of another Sage, [[Bartholomew Roberts]]. Although Roberts also managed to escape his grasp, Torres remained undeterred in his mission and spent the next few years searching for the elusive Sage while simultaneously attempting to restore order to the Caribbean by riding it of both [[Piracy|pirate]] and [[Assassins|Assassin]] influence. | |||
However, the Grand Master's plans were thwarted by the pirate-turned-Assassin [[Edward Kenway]], who interfered in his search for the Observatory, initially out of a selfish desire to use the site for personal gain, and later to prevent the Templars from abusing its power. Despite Edward's actions decimating the West Indies Rite, Torres still managed to locate the Observatory and led an expedition there in September 1722. However, this was all for naught, as Edward killed the Grand Master inside the complex before he could put it to meaningful use. | |||
==Biography== | ==Biography== | ||
===Early life=== | ===Early life=== | ||
The son of the nobles Tomas de Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos, Laureano de Torres y Ayala was born in 1645 in [[ | The son of the nobles Tomas de Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos, Laureano de Torres y Ayala was born in 1645 in [[Seville]], [[Spain]], but was raised in [[Madrid]]. He joined the [[Spanish Army]] in his late teens<ref name="Database">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Database: Laureano Torres y Ayala]]</ref> and, at some point while serving, was introduced to the [[Templars|Templar Order]], eventually [[Initiation into the Templar Order|joining]] the organization in his twenties.<ref name="ACI DB">''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' – [[Database: Grand Master Torres]]</ref> | ||
Circa 1673, Torres was tasked by the Templar [[Council of Elders|counsel]] to find the [[Observatory (Isu)|Observatory]], an [[Isu]] [[Temple (Isu)|site]] located somewhere in the [[Caribbean]] which would allow the Order to further their [[New World Order|cause]] by spying on world leaders to ensure there would be "no more secrets among men".<ref name="Mister Walpole">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Mister Walpole, I Presume?]]</ref> Traveling to the West Indies, Torres came into contact with the [[Sages|Sage]] [[Thomas Kavanagh, Jr.|Thom Kavanagh]], who was in the employ of [[Peter Beckford]] at the time.<ref name="Letter 12">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Thom Kavanagh's letters]]: #12</ref> Although Torres tried to speak with Kavanagh later that evening, a group of [[Assassins]], led by the [[Mentor]] [[Bahlam]], attacked Torres' men and escaped with the Sage.<ref name="Letter 14">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Thom Kavanagh's letters]]: #14</ref> | |||
In 1708, Torres was appointed | Using his Templar connections,<ref name="ACI DB" /> Torres was later appointed governor of the Spanish territories in [[Florida]], a post he held from 1693 to 1699. He subsequently returned to [[Europe]] to participate in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]].<ref name="Database" /> | ||
In 1708, Torres was appointed Governor of [[Cuba]], a position he held until he was arrested on charges of corruption in 1711. He was eventually acquitted of these charges and managed to win a re-election bid two years later. During his tenure as governor, Torres made various lasting improvements to the colony, including the fortification of the island's defenses and kick-starting tobacco production, which strengthened the economy of both Cuba and the Templar Order.<ref name="Database" /> | |||
===Search for the Observatory=== | ===Search for the Observatory=== | ||
{{Quote|Let us find the Observatory together. For with its power, kings will fall, clergy will cower, and hearts and minds of the world will be ours.| | {{Quote|Let us find the Observatory together. For with its power, kings will fall, clergy will cower, and hearts and minds of the world will be ours.|Torres to his fellow Templars, 1715.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Mister Walpole, I Presume?}} | ||
By 1715, Torres had established a strong Templar presence in the Caribbean and found several allies willing to aid him in his search for the Observatory, including the [[France|French]] smuggler [[Julien du Casse]], the [[United Kingdom|British]] privateer [[Woodes Rogers]], and the Assassin turncoat [[Duncan Walpole]].<ref name="Mister Walpole" /> | |||
[[File:Mister Walpole I Presume 9.png|thumb|250px|Torres explaining the Observatory to his fellow Templars]] | |||
Duncan contacted Torres via letter and expressed his desire to join the Templars, having become disillusioned with his Brotherhood. Seeing this as an opportunity to deliver a crippling blow to the Assassins and procure further information on the Observatory, Torres arranged a meeting with Duncan, who was to bring maps that detailed the locations of [[Assassin bureau]]s in the West Indies, as well as an empty [[blood vial]].<ref name="Edward Kenway">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Edward Kenway (memory)|Edward Kenway]]</ref> | |||
Along with du Casse and Rogers, Torres plotted to use the Sage [[Bartholomew Roberts]], who was in their custody, to gain access to the Observatory, in order to control the European Empires from behind the scenes. Unbeknownst to the Templars, however, Duncan had been killed by the [[Piracy|pirate]] [[Edward Kenway]], who stole his identity and arrived in [[Havana]] to collect the reward initially promised to Duncan. Oblivious to this, Torres formally inducted "Duncan", Rogers, and du Casse into the Templar Order, before explaining his plans to them.<ref name="Mister Walpole" /> | |||
Along with | |||
The next morning, the four met again at Havana's docks, where they took Roberts into their custody. However, while escorting the man to Torres' mansion, the group was attacked by Assassins. | The next morning, the four met again at Havana's docks, where they took Roberts into their custody. However, while escorting the man to Torres' [[Governor's Mansion (Havana)|mansion]], the group was attacked by Assassins. Edward managed to save Torres from his assailants and recapture the Sage, who had fled in the confusion. Torres then paid Edward for his services and dismissed him.<ref name="Man Called the Sage">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[A Man They Call the Sage]]</ref> However, Edward was unsatisfied with the amount he had been paid and decided to free Roberts from Torres' prison, seeing an opportunity for greater gain within the Observatory.<ref name="What's Due">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Claiming What's Due]]</ref> | ||
Although | [[File:Claiming What's Due 8.png|thumb|250px|left|Torres interrogating Edward]] | ||
Although Edward was able to access the prison, he found that Roberts had already escaped. Torres then appeared in the company of du Casse and several [[Soldier|guards]] and, having deduced Edward to be an impostor, asked for his true identity, but to no avail. After Edward denied having freed Roberts, the Grand Master ordered that the pirate be imprisoned aboard the [[Spanish Treasure Fleet]] and taken to Seville for having killed Duncan Walpole.<ref name="What's Due" /> | |||
=== | ===Hunting the Sage=== | ||
{{Dialogue2|Torres|Two years ago we offered a reward for the Sage's recapture. Today someone claims to have found him. This gold is his ransom.|Edward|Who found him?|A slaver by the name of Laurens Prins. He lives in Kingston.|Torres | {{Dialogue2|Torres|Two years ago we offered a reward for the Sage's recapture. Today someone claims to have found him. This gold is his ransom.|Edward|Who found him?|A slaver by the name of Laurens Prins. He lives in Kingston.|Torres to Edward, 1717.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|The Forts}}In November 1715, Torres spoke with the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[Slavery|slaver]] [[Laurens Prins]] about Bartholomew Roberts, but was unsuccessful in discovering the Sage's location.<ref name="Traveling Salesman">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Traveling Salesman]]</ref> The following year, he retired from the post of governor and turned his attention to charitable functions, such as building hospitals.<ref name="Database" /> | ||
While the Observatory remained Torres' primary concern, the disruption of the Templars' naval activities by [[Samuel Bellamy]] | While the Observatory remained Torres' primary concern, the disruption of the Templars' naval activities by the Assassin [[Samuel Bellamy]] also became a matter of concern. In January 1717, the Grand Master secretly met with British pirate hunter and fellow Templar [[Francis Hume]], asking him to intensify his efforts to stop Bellamy and his pirate associates, thus preventing more harm to the interests of the Templars.<ref name="On the Hunt">''[[Assassin's Creed: Pirates]]'' – [[On the Hunt]]</ref> | ||
[[File:The Forts 6.png|thumb|250px|Edward and Torres in Punta Guarico]] | [[File:The Forts 6.png|thumb|250px|Edward and Torres in Punta Guarico]] | ||
Weeks later, Prins contacted Torres and claimed to have Roberts in his possession. Torres gathered an appropriate amount of gold to secure | Weeks later, Prins contacted Torres and claimed to have Roberts in his possession. Torres gathered an appropriate amount of [[gold]] to secure Roberts' ransom and sailed towards [[Kingston]], stopping at the [[fort]] of [[Fort Matías|Punta Guarico]] along the way. Edward Kenway soon learned of the large sum of gold and overran the fort, discovering Torres calmly sipping [[tea]] in the war room as the fort burned. However, instead of simply taking the treasure, Edward decided to use Torres as bait in a plan to locate Roberts and once again try to learn the location of the Observatory.<ref name="The Forts">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[The Forts]]</ref> | ||
Together with Edward, Torres arrived in Kingston and met with Prins, walking with the Dutchman through the city's streets. Discussing politics, slavery, and war along the way, the two eventually came to a stop, where Torres tried to bargain with Prins. However, the slaver had spotted Edward and the Assassin [[Mary Read|James Kidd]] tailing them, and both men fled while the two pirates fought off a group of soldiers.<ref name="Traveling Salesman" /> | |||
Two years later, in May 1719, Torres was in Kingston once again, this time meeting with Woodes Rogers and the newly converted [[Benjamin Hornigold]] to discuss another attempt to locate Bartholomew Roberts. After learning that Hornigold had sent two of his men, [[Josiah Burgess]] and [[John Cockram]], to the [[Africa]]n island of [[Príncipe]] in search of the Sage, Torres left and returned to Cuba.<ref name="Surprise">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Imagine My Surprise]]</ref> | |||
However, during their conversation, Torres insisted that his fellow Templars store a drop of their blood in a vial, as an oath of loyalty to their Order, which would later be sent to a Templar warehouse in [[Rio de Janeiro]] via a [[Portuguese Navy|Portuguese fleet]]. The other Templars agreed and gave their blood with the understanding of it not being used,<ref name="Surprise" /> though Torres himself secretly submitted the blood of his bodyguard, [[El Tiburón]], instead of his own.<ref name="Tainted Blood">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Tainted Blood]]</ref> Edward Kenway would later recover these blood vials, alongside Bartholomew Roberts.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Black Bart's Gambit]]</ref> | |||
[[File:To Suffer Without Dying 11.png|thumb|250px|left|Torres and Rogers interrogating Edward]] | |||
In November 1720, Torres and Woodes Rogers learned that Edward had been imprisoned in [[Port Royal]], Kingston after being betrayed by Roberts, and traveled to the prison to interrogate him. As the men observed the sentencing of Mary Read and [[Anne Bonny]], Torres and Rogers made what Edward perceived as veiled threats towards his estranged wife [[Caroline Scott-Kenway]]. They then offered the pirate his freedom in exchange for the Observatory's location, but Edward refused to talk.<ref name="To Suffer Without Dying">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[To Suffer Without Dying]]</ref> | |||
After warning Edward that Rogers could only prevent the British from executing him for a time, the two Templars left and Edward was returned to his cell. Although Torres and Rogers managed to delay Edward's sentencing for five more months, the pirate was ultimately freed by the Assassins and escaped from Port Royal before the Templars could obtain the information they were after.<ref name="To Suffer Without Dying" /> | |||
===Death=== | ===Death=== | ||
{{ | {{Dialogue|Edward|You would see all of mankind corralled into a neatly furnished prison, safe and sober, yet dulled beyond reason and sapped of all spirit. So, aye... with everything I've seen and learned in these last years, I do believe it.|Torres|You wear your convictions well. They suit you...|Edward and Torres in the latter's last moments, 1722.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Ever a Splinter}} | ||
In 1722, the Templars finally located the Observatory in [[Long Bay]], [[Jamaica]]. | In 1722, the Templars finally located the Observatory in [[Long Bay]], [[Jamaica]].<ref name="Splinter">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Ever a Splinter]]</ref> Despite having long since retired from his post as governor, Torres still commanded respect and admiration from the people of Cuba and was able to gather a few regiments of Spanish troops for an expedition to Jamaica.<ref name="Database" /> Cautionary of the Assassins, who had already killed Bartholomew Roberts<ref name="Royal Misfortune">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[Royal Misfortune]]</ref> and made an attempt on Woodes Rogers' life,<ref name="A Governor No Longer">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' – [[A Governor No Longer]]</ref> Torres decided to leave El Tiburón and a decoy of himself in Havana to deceive the Brotherhood.<ref name="Tainted Blood" /> | ||
On 1 September 1722, Torres' expedition arrived in Long Bay, and the Grand Master's troops massacred the [[guardians]] of the Observatory and set their village ablaze. As he accessed the Observatory, Torres unintentionally activated a series of deadly security measures which killed most of his men. Shortly after, Edward Kenway arrived and confronted the Grand Master,<ref name="Splinter" /> having deduced Torres had sailed to Long Bay after eliminating both his decoy and El Tiburón in Havana.<ref name="Tainted Blood" /> | |||
[[File:Ever a Splinter 8.png|thumb|250px|Torres' final moments]] | |||
Upon dispatching the last of Torres' soldiers using the Observatory's defenses, Edward climbed around the chamber and managed to reach the Grand Master, who lamented that Edward had wasted his potential by joining the Assassins and that the two could have worked together towards a greater goal. Unfazed by Torres' words, Edward leapt down and struck the Templar with his [[Hidden Blade]].<ref name="Splinter" /> | |||
As he lay dying, Torres reminded Edward that he ended up a man with nothing, but the latter retorted that killing Torres righted his own wrongs and criticized the Templars' goal of controlling humanity. Briefly taken aback by Edward's newfound convictions, Torres complimented the Assassin on the strength of his belief in mankind's right to be free, and passed away moments later.<ref name="Splinter" /> | |||
===Legacy=== | |||
{{Quote|Since the loss of Grand Master Torres, the underworld of Havana has been in the grip of the mad Scot Assassin Rhona Dinsmore. Dinsmore is old, but well protected. I fear there may be no Rite established here until her Brotherhood is eradicated. I fear the West Indies may be lost to us.|Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, 1750.|Assassin's Creed: Rogue|War Letters}} | |||
With Torres' death, the West Indies Templars were wiped out and the Assassins maintained control of the Caribbean for the next several decades. By the 1750s, the Templars had still been unable to rebuild their presence in Havana, prompting the Spanish Templar [[Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer]], who visited the city in search of a [[Precursor box]], to remark that Torres' loss was a crippling blow to the Order and that the West Indies Rite may not be revived until the local Assassins had been dealt with.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[War Letters]]: "Cuban Salvage"</ref> | |||
In 2014, the [[Abstergo Entertainment]] employee [[Jean-François Brunet]] sequenced the [[Genetic memory|genetic memories]] of Torres and pitched a potential virtual feature for the [[Helix]] starring the Grand Master. However, the company's CCO [[Melanie Lemay]] rejected it, saying she found the idea of an entire virtual feature about Torres to be the "single most boring pitch" ever suggested to her.<ref>''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' – [[Numbskull's personal files]]: Emails, subject line "Laureano Torres"</ref> | |||
==Personality and traits== | |||
{{Quote|For virtue, if nothing else.|Torres to Laurens Prins, debating slavery.|Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag|Traveling Salesman}} | |||
A courteous man, Torres had an impeccable charm. He believed in an enlightened plutocracy where the best and brightest could thrive regardless of circumstances and upbringing, and was notably the only Templar to have treated Edward Kenway with a substantial amount of respect heedless of his class, while his compatriots had a more notable tendency to mock and belittle Edward, mainly due to his station, and for his initial lack of ideals.<ref name="BF">''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]''</ref> | |||
[[File:Mister Walpole I Presume 11.png|thumb|250px|Torres and his fellow Templars toasting their schemes]] | |||
Torres held disgust over the practice of slavery, and even his questionable assertion that to "enslave a man's mind and [their] body will follow on naturally" may or may not have been a clever way to talk Woodes Rogers out of participating in such a practice.<ref name="Surprise" /> He was utterly convinced in the Templars' purpose to guide the fate of civilizations, and had the capacity to respect the Assassins' strength of conviction, even if he personally disagreed with [[The Creed|their beliefs]].<ref name="Splinter" /> | |||
Torres was also notably less ruthless than his fellow Templars. He not only stopped El Tiburón from beating Edward more than was absolutely necessary,<ref name="What's Due" /> but also sought to spare him a second time, albeit for a price, when he was captured and imprisoned in Port Royal.<ref name="To Suffer Without Dying" /> The only times when he was shown to behave otherwise was when his soldiers slaughtered their way through the Observatory's guardians,<ref name="Splinter" /> and when he deceived his compatriots about the contents of his blood vial.<ref name="Surprise" /><ref name="Tainted Blood" /> | |||
== | ==Behind the scenes== | ||
Laureano de Torres y Ayala is a historical figure and character introduced in the 2013 video game ''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'', where he was voiced by the Canadian actor [[Conrad Pla]]. Historically, Torres died in Havana, Cuba around 1725.<ref name="Wiki"/> | |||
In some memories, his name was erroneously misspelled as "Laureno" and "Loreano". | |||
Torres | Torres' [[database]] entry lists his year of death as 1721 instead of 1722. Additionally his database entry in both ''IV: Black Flag'' and ''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' erroneously state his place of birth as Havana, Cuba.<ref name="Database" /><ref name="ACI DB" /> | ||
== | ===Etymology=== | ||
Torres' surname, "''Ayala''", has origins in the {{Wiki|Basque language}}, meaning "hillside pasture". It could also refer to a small town in northern Spain. "''Torres''" translates to "Towers", while "''de''" and "''y''" are Spanish words meaning "of" and "and", respectively. | |||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
<gallery captionalign="center" position="center | <gallery captionalign="center" position="center" widths="180"> | ||
Concept Art - Governor Torres.jpeg|Concept art of Torres | Concept Art - Governor Torres.jpeg|Concept art of Torres | ||
Laureano Pirates.png|Torres as he appears in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Pirates]]'' | Laureano Pirates.png|Torres as he appears in ''[[Assassin's Creed: Pirates]]'' | ||
Mister Walpole I Presume 7.png|Torres holding an empty blood vial | Mister Walpole I Presume 7.png|Torres holding an empty blood vial | ||
A Man They Call The Sage 11.png|Torres paying Edward | Mister Walpole I Presume 8.png|Torres greeting Edward | ||
A Man They Call The Sage 5.png|Torres and his fellow Templars with Roberts | |||
A Man They Call The Sage 11.png|Torres paying Edward for his services | |||
The Forts 5.png|Torres being questioned by Edward | |||
Travelling Salesman 4.png|Laurens Prins dealing with Torres | Travelling Salesman 4.png|Laurens Prins dealing with Torres | ||
Imagine My Surprise 5.png|Torres with Hornigold and Rogers in Kingston | Imagine My Surprise 5.png|Torres with Hornigold and Rogers in Kingston | ||
Ever a Splinter 7.png|Edward preparing to assassinate Torres | Ever a Splinter 7.png|Edward preparing to assassinate Torres | ||
AC Blade of Shao Jun - Laureano Torres.png|Torres in ''Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun'' | |||
</gallery> | </gallery> | ||
==Appearances== | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag]]'' {{1st}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Black Flag]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Initiates]]'' {{Mdat}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Pirates]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Rogue]]'' {{Mo}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Memories]]'' | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Identity]]'' {{Mdat}} | |||
*''[[Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun]]'' {{c|cameo}} | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{Reflist}} | {{Scroll box|content={{Reflist}}}} | ||
{{Templars nav}} | {{Templars nav}} | ||
{{AC4}} | {{AC4}} | ||
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[[Category:1722 deaths]] | [[Category:1722 deaths]] | ||
[[Category:Individuals]] | [[Category:Individuals]] | ||
[[Category:Spaniards]] | |||
[[Category:Cubans]] | [[Category:Cubans]] | ||
[[Category:Politicians]] | [[Category:Politicians]] | ||
[[Category:Marquesses]] | |||
[[Category:Governors of Florida]] | [[Category:Governors of Florida]] | ||
[[Category:Governors of Cuba]] | [[Category:Governors of Cuba]] | ||
[[Category:Spanish Army personnel]] | |||
[[Category:Spanish Army]] | |||
[[Category:Templars]] | [[Category:Templars]] | ||
[[Category:Spanish Templars]] | [[Category:Spanish Templars]] | ||
[[Category:Caribbean Templars]] | [[Category:Caribbean Templars]] | ||
[[Category:Grand Masters]] | [[Category:Grand Masters]] | ||
Latest revision as of 00:43, 28 October 2025
Laureano de Torres y Ayala a Duadros Castellanos, marqués de Casa Torres (1645 – 1722) was a Spanish military officer who served as Governor of Florida from 1693 to 1699, and Governor of Cuba on two occasions between 1707 and 1716. Secretly, he was also a member of the Spanish Rite of the Templar Order and later became the founder and only Grand Master of the West Indies Rite, reigning from circa 1673 until his death.
Inducted into the Order in his twenties, Torres was tasked by the Templar counsel to find the Observatory, an Isu site located in the Caribbean which allowed users to remotely observe people anywhere on the globe. Believing the Observatory could be used to further the Order's cause by spying on and blackmailing world leaders, Torres used his position as governor to find local allies who would aid him in the search for the site, establishing the West Indies Rite in the process.
After a failed attempt to capture the Sage Thom Kavanagh, who could lead the Templars to the Observatory, in 1673, Torres was given another chance to succeed four decades later, when he learned of another Sage, Bartholomew Roberts. Although Roberts also managed to escape his grasp, Torres remained undeterred in his mission and spent the next few years searching for the elusive Sage while simultaneously attempting to restore order to the Caribbean by riding it of both pirate and Assassin influence.
However, the Grand Master's plans were thwarted by the pirate-turned-Assassin Edward Kenway, who interfered in his search for the Observatory, initially out of a selfish desire to use the site for personal gain, and later to prevent the Templars from abusing its power. Despite Edward's actions decimating the West Indies Rite, Torres still managed to locate the Observatory and led an expedition there in September 1722. However, this was all for naught, as Edward killed the Grand Master inside the complex before he could put it to meaningful use.
Biography[edit | edit source]
Early life[edit | edit source]
The son of the nobles Tomas de Torres y Ayala and Elvira de Quadros Castellanos, Laureano de Torres y Ayala was born in 1645 in Seville, Spain, but was raised in Madrid. He joined the Spanish Army in his late teens[2] and, at some point while serving, was introduced to the Templar Order, eventually joining the organization in his twenties.[3]
Circa 1673, Torres was tasked by the Templar counsel to find the Observatory, an Isu site located somewhere in the Caribbean which would allow the Order to further their cause by spying on world leaders to ensure there would be "no more secrets among men".[4] Traveling to the West Indies, Torres came into contact with the Sage Thom Kavanagh, who was in the employ of Peter Beckford at the time.[5] Although Torres tried to speak with Kavanagh later that evening, a group of Assassins, led by the Mentor Bahlam, attacked Torres' men and escaped with the Sage.[6]
Using his Templar connections,[3] Torres was later appointed governor of the Spanish territories in Florida, a post he held from 1693 to 1699. He subsequently returned to Europe to participate in the War of the Spanish Succession.[2]
In 1708, Torres was appointed Governor of Cuba, a position he held until he was arrested on charges of corruption in 1711. He was eventually acquitted of these charges and managed to win a re-election bid two years later. During his tenure as governor, Torres made various lasting improvements to the colony, including the fortification of the island's defenses and kick-starting tobacco production, which strengthened the economy of both Cuba and the Templar Order.[2]
Search for the Observatory[edit | edit source]
By 1715, Torres had established a strong Templar presence in the Caribbean and found several allies willing to aid him in his search for the Observatory, including the French smuggler Julien du Casse, the British privateer Woodes Rogers, and the Assassin turncoat Duncan Walpole.[4]
Duncan contacted Torres via letter and expressed his desire to join the Templars, having become disillusioned with his Brotherhood. Seeing this as an opportunity to deliver a crippling blow to the Assassins and procure further information on the Observatory, Torres arranged a meeting with Duncan, who was to bring maps that detailed the locations of Assassin bureaus in the West Indies, as well as an empty blood vial.[7]
Along with du Casse and Rogers, Torres plotted to use the Sage Bartholomew Roberts, who was in their custody, to gain access to the Observatory, in order to control the European Empires from behind the scenes. Unbeknownst to the Templars, however, Duncan had been killed by the pirate Edward Kenway, who stole his identity and arrived in Havana to collect the reward initially promised to Duncan. Oblivious to this, Torres formally inducted "Duncan", Rogers, and du Casse into the Templar Order, before explaining his plans to them.[4]
The next morning, the four met again at Havana's docks, where they took Roberts into their custody. However, while escorting the man to Torres' mansion, the group was attacked by Assassins. Edward managed to save Torres from his assailants and recapture the Sage, who had fled in the confusion. Torres then paid Edward for his services and dismissed him.[8] However, Edward was unsatisfied with the amount he had been paid and decided to free Roberts from Torres' prison, seeing an opportunity for greater gain within the Observatory.[9]
Although Edward was able to access the prison, he found that Roberts had already escaped. Torres then appeared in the company of du Casse and several guards and, having deduced Edward to be an impostor, asked for his true identity, but to no avail. After Edward denied having freed Roberts, the Grand Master ordered that the pirate be imprisoned aboard the Spanish Treasure Fleet and taken to Seville for having killed Duncan Walpole.[9]
Hunting the Sage[edit | edit source]
In November 1715, Torres spoke with the Dutch slaver Laurens Prins about Bartholomew Roberts, but was unsuccessful in discovering the Sage's location.[10] The following year, he retired from the post of governor and turned his attention to charitable functions, such as building hospitals.[2]
While the Observatory remained Torres' primary concern, the disruption of the Templars' naval activities by the Assassin Samuel Bellamy also became a matter of concern. In January 1717, the Grand Master secretly met with British pirate hunter and fellow Templar Francis Hume, asking him to intensify his efforts to stop Bellamy and his pirate associates, thus preventing more harm to the interests of the Templars.[11]
Weeks later, Prins contacted Torres and claimed to have Roberts in his possession. Torres gathered an appropriate amount of gold to secure Roberts' ransom and sailed towards Kingston, stopping at the fort of Punta Guarico along the way. Edward Kenway soon learned of the large sum of gold and overran the fort, discovering Torres calmly sipping tea in the war room as the fort burned. However, instead of simply taking the treasure, Edward decided to use Torres as bait in a plan to locate Roberts and once again try to learn the location of the Observatory.[12]
Together with Edward, Torres arrived in Kingston and met with Prins, walking with the Dutchman through the city's streets. Discussing politics, slavery, and war along the way, the two eventually came to a stop, where Torres tried to bargain with Prins. However, the slaver had spotted Edward and the Assassin James Kidd tailing them, and both men fled while the two pirates fought off a group of soldiers.[10]
Two years later, in May 1719, Torres was in Kingston once again, this time meeting with Woodes Rogers and the newly converted Benjamin Hornigold to discuss another attempt to locate Bartholomew Roberts. After learning that Hornigold had sent two of his men, Josiah Burgess and John Cockram, to the African island of Príncipe in search of the Sage, Torres left and returned to Cuba.[13]
However, during their conversation, Torres insisted that his fellow Templars store a drop of their blood in a vial, as an oath of loyalty to their Order, which would later be sent to a Templar warehouse in Rio de Janeiro via a Portuguese fleet. The other Templars agreed and gave their blood with the understanding of it not being used,[13] though Torres himself secretly submitted the blood of his bodyguard, El Tiburón, instead of his own.[14] Edward Kenway would later recover these blood vials, alongside Bartholomew Roberts.[15]
In November 1720, Torres and Woodes Rogers learned that Edward had been imprisoned in Port Royal, Kingston after being betrayed by Roberts, and traveled to the prison to interrogate him. As the men observed the sentencing of Mary Read and Anne Bonny, Torres and Rogers made what Edward perceived as veiled threats towards his estranged wife Caroline Scott-Kenway. They then offered the pirate his freedom in exchange for the Observatory's location, but Edward refused to talk.[16]
After warning Edward that Rogers could only prevent the British from executing him for a time, the two Templars left and Edward was returned to his cell. Although Torres and Rogers managed to delay Edward's sentencing for five more months, the pirate was ultimately freed by the Assassins and escaped from Port Royal before the Templars could obtain the information they were after.[16]
Death[edit | edit source]
- Edward: "You would see all of mankind corralled into a neatly furnished prison, safe and sober, yet dulled beyond reason and sapped of all spirit. So, aye... with everything I've seen and learned in these last years, I do believe it."
- Torres: "You wear your convictions well. They suit you..."
- —Edward and Torres in the latter's last moments, 1722.[src]-[m]
In 1722, the Templars finally located the Observatory in Long Bay, Jamaica.[17] Despite having long since retired from his post as governor, Torres still commanded respect and admiration from the people of Cuba and was able to gather a few regiments of Spanish troops for an expedition to Jamaica.[2] Cautionary of the Assassins, who had already killed Bartholomew Roberts[18] and made an attempt on Woodes Rogers' life,[19] Torres decided to leave El Tiburón and a decoy of himself in Havana to deceive the Brotherhood.[14]
On 1 September 1722, Torres' expedition arrived in Long Bay, and the Grand Master's troops massacred the guardians of the Observatory and set their village ablaze. As he accessed the Observatory, Torres unintentionally activated a series of deadly security measures which killed most of his men. Shortly after, Edward Kenway arrived and confronted the Grand Master,[17] having deduced Torres had sailed to Long Bay after eliminating both his decoy and El Tiburón in Havana.[14]
Upon dispatching the last of Torres' soldiers using the Observatory's defenses, Edward climbed around the chamber and managed to reach the Grand Master, who lamented that Edward had wasted his potential by joining the Assassins and that the two could have worked together towards a greater goal. Unfazed by Torres' words, Edward leapt down and struck the Templar with his Hidden Blade.[17]
As he lay dying, Torres reminded Edward that he ended up a man with nothing, but the latter retorted that killing Torres righted his own wrongs and criticized the Templars' goal of controlling humanity. Briefly taken aback by Edward's newfound convictions, Torres complimented the Assassin on the strength of his belief in mankind's right to be free, and passed away moments later.[17]
Legacy[edit | edit source]
- "Since the loss of Grand Master Torres, the underworld of Havana has been in the grip of the mad Scot Assassin Rhona Dinsmore. Dinsmore is old, but well protected. I fear there may be no Rite established here until her Brotherhood is eradicated. I fear the West Indies may be lost to us."
- ―Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, 1750.[src]-[m]
With Torres' death, the West Indies Templars were wiped out and the Assassins maintained control of the Caribbean for the next several decades. By the 1750s, the Templars had still been unable to rebuild their presence in Havana, prompting the Spanish Templar Rafael Joaquín de Ferrer, who visited the city in search of a Precursor box, to remark that Torres' loss was a crippling blow to the Order and that the West Indies Rite may not be revived until the local Assassins had been dealt with.[20]
In 2014, the Abstergo Entertainment employee Jean-François Brunet sequenced the genetic memories of Torres and pitched a potential virtual feature for the Helix starring the Grand Master. However, the company's CCO Melanie Lemay rejected it, saying she found the idea of an entire virtual feature about Torres to be the "single most boring pitch" ever suggested to her.[21]
Personality and traits[edit | edit source]
A courteous man, Torres had an impeccable charm. He believed in an enlightened plutocracy where the best and brightest could thrive regardless of circumstances and upbringing, and was notably the only Templar to have treated Edward Kenway with a substantial amount of respect heedless of his class, while his compatriots had a more notable tendency to mock and belittle Edward, mainly due to his station, and for his initial lack of ideals.[22]
Torres held disgust over the practice of slavery, and even his questionable assertion that to "enslave a man's mind and [their] body will follow on naturally" may or may not have been a clever way to talk Woodes Rogers out of participating in such a practice.[13] He was utterly convinced in the Templars' purpose to guide the fate of civilizations, and had the capacity to respect the Assassins' strength of conviction, even if he personally disagreed with their beliefs.[17]
Torres was also notably less ruthless than his fellow Templars. He not only stopped El Tiburón from beating Edward more than was absolutely necessary,[9] but also sought to spare him a second time, albeit for a price, when he was captured and imprisoned in Port Royal.[16] The only times when he was shown to behave otherwise was when his soldiers slaughtered their way through the Observatory's guardians,[17] and when he deceived his compatriots about the contents of his blood vial.[13][14]
Behind the scenes[edit | edit source]
Laureano de Torres y Ayala is a historical figure and character introduced in the 2013 video game Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, where he was voiced by the Canadian actor Conrad Pla. Historically, Torres died in Havana, Cuba around 1725.[1]
In some memories, his name was erroneously misspelled as "Laureno" and "Loreano".
Torres' database entry lists his year of death as 1721 instead of 1722. Additionally his database entry in both IV: Black Flag and Assassin's Creed: Initiates erroneously state his place of birth as Havana, Cuba.[2][3]
Etymology[edit | edit source]
Torres' surname, "Ayala", has origins in the Basque language, meaning "hillside pasture". It could also refer to a small town in northern Spain. "Torres" translates to "Towers", while "de" and "y" are Spanish words meaning "of" and "and", respectively.
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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Concept art of Torres -
Torres as he appears in Assassin's Creed: Pirates -
Torres holding an empty blood vial -
Torres greeting Edward -
Torres and his fellow Templars with Roberts -
Torres paying Edward for his services -
Torres being questioned by Edward -
Laurens Prins dealing with Torres -
Torres with Hornigold and Rogers in Kingston -
Edward preparing to assassinate Torres -
Torres in Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun
Appearances[edit | edit source]
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first appearance)
- Assassin's Creed: Black Flag
- Assassin's Creed: Initiates (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Pirates
- Assassin's Creed: Rogue (mentioned only)
- Assassin's Creed: Memories
- Assassin's Creed: Identity (mentioned in Database entry only)
- Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun (cameo)
References[edit | edit source]
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