Liam O'Brien

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Shay Cormac with Liam

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Liam in the Davenport Homestead, March 1752.

Liam O'Brien (1726 – March 1760) was a member of the Assassin Order operating in the British Colonies during the Seven Years' War. A childhood friend of Shay Cormac, Liam was responsible for bringing Shay into the Brotherhood. In spite of Liam being a few years older than him, Shay formed a brotherly bond with him, even though Liam was wiser and more experienced.

Biography

Early life

Liam was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts. A family of Irish immigrants, the O'Briens struggled to survive until they moved to New York, where Liam's father began to work for a shipping merchant. Eventually, Liam joined his father at work, loading ships bound for England. It was at work where he first met a young Shay Cormac, and the two became fast friends. Liam looked after the younger Shay, who lived in a rough neighbourhood and had a knack for getting himself into trouble.

Over the next years, Liam became aware of his employers' growing wealth, even as his fellow workers remained underpaid and mistreated by their superiors. Eventually, the tensions rose to a breaking point, and Liam recruited several of his co-workers in a plot to rob their employer and distribute the money among themselves. However, in the middle of the heist, the group was caught, and Liam was forced to kill a man in self-defense. Wishing to protect his son, Liam's father took the blame for the murder and was executed by the authorities.

Building the Brotherhood

In the coming years, Liam drifted from one job to the next and continued to rob the city's richer citizens, sending the money to his aging mother. He also distanced himself from his fellow friends, including Shay. In 1738, he met Achilles Davenport, who gave him small tasks and errands to perform. Over time, Achilles's influence over Liam grew, and Liam looked to the older man as a teacher. Eventually, in 1743, Achilles inducted Liam into the Assassin Order as his first student, who in turn helped recruit the other members of the Colonial Brotherhood, such as Chevalier de la Vérendrye, Kesegowaase, and Hope Jensen.

In 1748, Liam reconnected with Shay, who had just lost his father, and managed to get Shay back on his feet. The two became more inseparable than ever, and Shay was soon included in the list of inductees. At that point, Achilles tasked Liam with keeping an eye over Shay, just as he had years ago.

Death

In 1760, Liam and Achilles undertook a journey to a First Civilization Temple located in the arctic, following the coordinates revealed by the Voynich manuscript and the Precursor box. When they arrived, the pair discovered the Temple did not house a Piece of Eden, but one of the artifacts capable of causing severe seismic activity, if it was disturbed. Pursued by Haytham Kenway and Shay Cormac, Liam accidentaly fell onto the artifact, causing the area to destabilize and begin to collapse around them. Fleeing from the Temple with the manuscript, he was pursued by Shay to a cliffside, which collapsed after a tremor, fatally wounding Liam.

Questioning Shay's motivation for joining the Templars, he sarcastically hoped that the world Shay was attempting to save from the Assassins would be a good one.

Character and behaviour 

Liam appears to be a patient, pensative and respectful young man. He does not hesitate to intervene between two of his friends arguing. His character is mostly pacific and calm, but he would not hesitate to forget friendship to fulfill his duty, fact that costed him his life. Liam believes in the Creed, never questioning it; he feels a true admiration for Adèwalé and his superiors, looking at them as people from who it is necessary and useful to learn.

Gallery

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  Concept art of Liam

Reference

• Assassin's Creed: Rogue