Ellen Kaye

Ellen Kaye is the chairwoman of Abstergo Industries' Board of Directors and a member of the Templar Order, serving as the Council of Elders' leader.

Biography

Search for the Apple of Eden

In October 2016, Kaye summoned Alan Rikkin to inform him that the Council would vote in one week on whether to disband the Abstergo Foundation Rehabilitation Center due to its cost, feeling that its three billion dollars in funding could be better spent elsewhere. She also told Rikkin that it was the Council's belief that the Templars had achieved their end goal of a New World Order, on the basis that people cared more about their standard of living rather than their freedom, and were ready to follow anyone who would guarantee it to them. However, Rikkin disagreed, telling the Elder that the threat of being disposed remained as long as free will existed. He then informed Kaye that his daughter, Sofia, had made a breakthrough and found a new subject who would soon allow the Templars to find a new Apple of Eden.

Weeks later, after the Rikkins had discovered that the Apple was buried with Christopher Columbus in the Seville Cathedral, Kaye was present alongside them in the cathedral as they retrieved the artifact. She kindly told Sofia that, while all the glory would go to her father, she knew who had truly found the Apple, before adding that Sofia's own glory would come in time.

On 14 December, Kaye and the other Elders gathered in Holborn Hall in London, England, to honor Alan Rikkin and to show the Apple's power to the assembled Templars. As such, Kaye was among the countless witnesses when Callum Lynch infiltrated the gathering and slit Rikkin's throat with a makeshift Hidden Blade during his speech, stealing the Apple before disappearing in the fleeing crowd. When a distraught Sofia knelt near her father's body and told McGowen that she would recover the Apple and that Lynch was hers to kill, she saw that Kaye was gazing down at her. Before Kaye left, she paraphrased the hymn Non nobis in Psalm 113 from the Holy Bible, "It is not to ourselves, but to the future, that we must give glory", in an attempt to console Sofia's loss by assuring her that Alan had died for a higher cause.

Demoting Kaori Kagami

After the riot at the Rehabiliation Center, Ellen Kaye met with one of the facility's doctors, Kaori Kagami, and spoke about how the latter's work had backfired and how she had developed an alcohol addiction as a result of the riot. In response, Kaye demoted Dr. Kagami and sent her back to Japan to work at another facility.

In 2019, Kaye called and set up a meeting with Dr. Kagami, who had found a new subject to investigate Shao Jun's memories and hopefully track down the Assassin's Precursor box. Kaye reminded her about the incident back in Madrid and told to make sure she could control the subject this time. After Dr. Kagami assured her, Kaye immediately ended their conversation.

Behind the scenes

Ellen Kaye is a character introduced in the 2016 film Assassin's Creed, where she is portrayed by the actress Charlotte Rampling.

Etymology

The name Ellen is a Medieval English form of Helen, which is a Greek name whose etymology is uncertain, but which has been suggested to be related to the Greek word Σελήνη (Selḗnē), meaning 'moon'; thus, Helen would have the sense of 'shining (brightly)'. The surname Kaye is derived from the Old English word kaie, meaning "wharf" or "key".

Gallery

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  Ellen Kaye meeting Alan Rikkin
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  Alan reporting to Ellen
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  Ellen reprimanding and demoting Kaori Kagami

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed (film) (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: The Official Movie Novelization
• Assassin's Creed: Blade of Shao Jun