Opía Apito

"There are those who say the Taíno are already extinct. But we will never be extinguished. Our fight continues."

―Opía Apito on the survival of her people, 1716.

Opía Apito (born c. 1695) was a Taíno Assassin of the West Indies Brotherhood who led their bureau on the Cayman Islands during the early 18th century.

Biography

Early life

Opía Apito was born to a Taíno mother and a Spanish father, the latter of which she never knew. Raised among her mother's people, she lived a peaceful life until her twelfth year, when her village was raided by Spanish troops, led by the adventurer Alejandro Ortega de Márquez. While most of the community was kidnapped or killed, Opía fought for her life and managed to escape, going into hiding for close to a decade. Though she experienced the loss of nearly all her people, she was able to take pleasure in the fact that Marquez did not live to enjoy his victory, having been killed by the villagers when they resisted.

When she was in her early twenties, Opía made contact with the Assassins, who initially hired her as a guide. She soon joined their ranks and, as a testament to her skill, was eventually promoted to the position of bureau leader. Settling near the Cayman Islands, she built an agile and highly effective "ghost" bureau with virtually no physical footprint to speak of.

Hunting down Lucia Márquez

"We must find her, draw her out, and put a final end to her."

―Opía Apito on Lucia Márquez, 1716.

By 1716, the location of Opía's bureau had been exposed to the Templars by Edward Kenway, who had delivered them maps detailing the whereabouts of various Assassin encampments in the Caribbean, created by the traitorous Assassin Duncan Walpole.

On the advice of James Kidd, Edward went to meet Opía and warn her about the Templar agent, who was carrying a unique Templar key, pursuing her. After explaining the situation to her, Edward offered to help undo his mistake in exchange for the Templar's key, which could open a vault at his compound on Great Inagua.

Distrustful of the pirate, Opía challenged him to a hunting contest in exchange for her help. Despite her initial hostility and confidence, she was impressed when Edward managed to kill a white jaguar and graciously conceded defeat. Opía then agreed to assist him, instructing Edward to meet her on Grand Cayman, where they would investigate.

Upon meeting Edward there, she admitted to being surprised, not having expected him to turn up at all. After some brief conversation, Edward set out to find the person that had caused the influx of frigates in the otherwise peaceful fishing village, with Opía staying near the docks. Mingling with the populace, Edward then returned to inform her that a woman by the name of "Márquez" was the cause, shocking Opía, who recognized the surname from her childhood. Following this, the pair headed to the house of Vargas, Márquez's right-hand man, in the hopes of finding her there.

Opía telling Edward about Juventud

Having made it to Vargas' residence, Opía ordered Edward to hide nearby and knocked on the door, requesting an audience with Lucia Márquez. This caused Vargas, who had been in the house, to flee via the back door to his ship. Using the Jackdaw, Opía and Edward caught up to Vargas, crippling his vessel and subsequently boarding her. After a brief interrogation, Vargas revealed that Márquez had journeyed to Juventud, giving Opía confirmation that she was indeed Márquez's target.

The pair then made their way to the island, infiltrating the Maya ruins by tailing one of Márquez's men. There, they attacked the Templar's troops to try to force her out of hiding, which they eventually did. Firing at the Assassin, Márquez fled deeper into the ruins, but was struck from behind by Edward. With her dying breath, Márquez criticized the Taíno for failing to see what wealth and freedom her father could have brought to the Caribbean. Opía refuted her claims, stating that her people had already been living freely.

Personality and traits

"When you are hunted, it sometimes seems that every stranger is an enemy."

―Opía Apito, 1716.

Shaped by the events of her childhood, Opía was a tenacious survivor that had learned to expertly hide her presence, as evidenced by the "ghost" bureau she led. As she was not without her enemies, Opía lived quite a solitary life and tended to be wary of strangers, often questioning their true motivations. This likely contributed to her staying away from large cities like Havana and Kingston, as well as smaller communities such as Grand Cayman.

Opía questioning Edward's motives

Opía strongly believed in the survival of her people, even though their numbers had dwindled greatly, and took great pride in her Taíno roots. As such, she belittled Edward during their contest, claiming "hunting was not in his blood". Opía also possessed a competitive streak, as demonstrated by her goading her opponent and at one point bending the rules in her favor. However, after Edward killed a white jaguar, she recognized his capabilities and admitted defeat.

In a strategic approach characteristic of her people, Opía would opt to harm the enemy by taking something from them in battle, that they might live to notice it missing. Despite this preference, she was able to hold her own in battle when necessary. Opía also seemed to favor plans that involved distracting the enemy, allowing an ally to approach unnoticed and launch a surprise attack.

Besides the Assassin's Creed, Opía was guided throughout her life by her own mantra, Aji aya bom, which meant "better dead than a slave". This reflected her belief that personal freedom should be valued above all else. In terms of equipment, Opia wore a unique outfit that reflected her dual heritage while also allowing for free movement and stealth. Like many Assassins in the Colonial Era, she also possessed dual Hidden Blades, but preferred to wield a short knife when pressed into direct combat.

Trivia

• Her name is derived from the Taíno words opi'a, meaning "spirit, ghost" and apito, meaning "infinite, eternal".
• A number of Abstergo Entertainment researchers suggested in Opía's database entry that Alejandro Ortega de Márquez may well have been her father, which, if true, would make Opía and Lucia Márquez half-sisters.
• She is also suspected of being a descendant of Taíno chief and rebel Hatuey although this remains unverified.

Gallery

• 
  Concept art of Opía
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  Opía challenging Edward to a hunting contest
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  Opía and Edward looking toward the Templar ships
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  Opía and Edward coming to an agreement
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  Opía attempting to meet with Vargas
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  Opía and Edward planning their attack

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed: Initiates (mentioned in Database entry only)