Altaïr Ibn-La’ahad
Altaïr Ibn-La'ahad (1165-1257), a distant ancestor of Desmond Miles, brought crucial reforms to the Assassin Brotherhood and expanded its influence beyond its Middle Eastern origins.
Altaïr was skilled but arrogant, the youngest man ever to gain the rank of Master. On a mission to retrieve an artifact called the Apple of Eden, he broke the three tenets of the Assassin's Creed, costing him his status. His task for redemption was to stop the Templars, who were playing the Crusaders and Saracens against one another for control of the Holy Land. Altaïr eventually earned the respect of King Richard, hastening the end of the Third Crusade.
The wisdom Altaïr gained let him uncover that his mentor, Al Mualim, was a traitor using the Apple's unfathomable powers for his own selfish desires. After restoring order, he became the Mentor, started a family, and reformed Assassin practices.
Altaïr dedicated the rest of his life to creating a Codex containing his memories, together with the information extracted from the Apple, in the hopes that future generations would use it to establish Assassin guilds throughout the world.
Ezio Auditore da Firenze
Ezio Auditore da Firenze (1459-1524) had a passion that drove him from being a carefree youth to an accomplished Assassin leader.
Ezio's privileged life vanished when Templar conspirators hanged his father and brothers. Taking up arms left to him by his father, he became an outlaw and traveled to Monteriggioni, where his Uncle Mario revealed his Assassin lineage. Ezio took up their cause, at first to protect his surviving family, but eventually to free Italy from Templar corruption in the form of the Borgias and their allies.
Defeating the Borgias took many years, during which he befriended such luminaries as Leonardo da Vinci and Niccolò Machiavelli. They saw his potential and encouraged him to find his own path, and when he became the Brotherhood's Mentor he taught others the same.
Later, Ezio traveled to the Middle East in search of Altaïr's lost library and the origins of the Assassins. He learned that his purpose was to be a conduit between an ancient civilization and a man in the future named Desmond. His duty done, Ezio retired from the Brotherhood, married his love, and raised a family before dying content.
Blackbeard
Blackbeard (c.1680-1718) was the most famous pirate of the Golden Age and is credited for creating the fearsome image of the pirate that remains in the public consciousness to this very day.
Edward Thatch was born in or around Bristol in 1680 and took to the sea in his early teens. Thatch was known by many names throughout history, among them Teach, Theach, Tache, Titche, Teatch, and Tack, to name but a few. He was likely a privateer between the years of 1700 and 1713, but once the Treaty of Utrecht restored peace between England and several European powers, Thatch found himself as one of hundreds of unemployed sailors.
Soon thereafter, Thatch befriended Benjamin Hornigold and sailed with him for a few years before they settled in Nassau. There, they began to hatch schemes for nothing less than their own sovereign nation built around their new piratical values.
In 1717, after growing a long black beard, Thatch began to refer to himself as Blackbeard, and so a legend was born.
Black Bart
Charismatic and handsome, Black Bart (1682-1722) was the most successful pirate of the Golden Age of Piracy, taking more than 470 vessels in his career.
Although he is known to history as Black Bart, he never used that name while he was alive. He was born John Roberts in Wales, though little else is known about his early life.
It's assumed he began a life at sea in his teens, and in 1719 he was pressed into piracy by a man named Howell Davis, who recognized Robert's abilities as a navigator. When Davis was killed, Roberts was elected captain of the Princess. It's around this time he adopted the name Bartholomew, likely inspired by the renowned buccaneer Bartholomew Sharp.
Benjamin Hornigold
Benjamin Hornigold (c.1685-1719) had a relatively short career as a pirate before turning his back on his former comrades to become a pirate hunter on behalf of the Governor of the Bahamas.
Much of Hornigold's life is unrecorded, although it is believed he was born in Norfolk, England. He was an early pirate, with his first activity recorded in 1713-14, which makes it likely that he was a privateer. His second-in-command was Edward Thatch, who would later be better known as Blackbeard.
For a short time, Hornigold was based in Nassau, where he became involved in plans to create a free republic of pirates. Although he was a skilled sailor and strategist, many felt that he wasn't ruthless enough to succeed as a true pirate.
Adéwalé
Born to enslaved parents in Trinidad, Adéwalé was sold to the owner of a prosperous plantation before his teens. He escaped by joining a group of buccaneers who raided the plantation.
Adé sailed with this group of men for many years, honing his skills as a sailor. In 1715, he was captured by Spanish authorities, who decided to send Adéwalé to Spain, and loaded him into one of the galleons that made up their perennial treasure fleet. Thanks to a hurricane, and a young Welsh pirate named Edward Kenway, Adé escaped. Freeing more prisoners as they went, Adé and Edward commandeered a brigantine and set sail just in time to beat the worst of the storm. When the hurricane passed, Adé was free once more.
Adé became the quartermaster aboard Captain Edward's ship, the Jackdaw. Operating out of Nassau for a time, they grew wealthy off their spoils and lived the lives they had always dreamed of. But Adé was a man who valued the democratic ideals of this pirate community far above the spoils they acquired while living it. And as he saw Edward Kenway fall deeper into a spiral of selfish greed and pointless glory, he wondered if there wasn't a more noble cause he might adopt to suit his ideals.
Adé met with Ah Tabai at the Assassin's village in Tulum. There he spoke with the old Mentor and asked him many questions about the Brotherhood. After hearing answers that pleased him greatly, Adé joined them. For over fifteen years, Adéwalé faithfully served the Assassins. But in time, he became increasingly troubled by memories of his past.
In 1735, while on a mission to eliminate a Templar Admiral off the coast of Saint-Domingue, he was thrown overboard and washed ashore near Port-au-Prince.
Edward Kenway
Edward James Kenway (1693-1735) was a pirate trained by Assassins whose dream of making something of himself came true in a way he never could have imagined.
Edward was born in Swansea, Wales and at the age of ten his family relocated to a farm in Bristol. This pastoral life did not agree with the young Edward who became a well-known troublemaker by the time he was in his teens. At 17, this reckless young man met Caroline Scott and a year later they were married, much to her well-bred family's dismay. Edward was committed to providing for his new wife, but quickly fell back into his old habits. In a desperate attempt to get rich, he clung to a dream of privateering. Caroline left him soon after, knowing that she could not persuade him to stay.
Across the Atlantic, Edward met Edward Thatch, who would later take the name of Blackbeard, at Nassau. Although he loved the carefree life of a pirate, Caroline was never far from his thoughts, and he still sought out a way to earn big and win her back.
And then one day, Edward Kenway met an Assassin named Duncan Walpole…
Haytham Kenway
Haytham Kenway (1725-1781), a principled man and formidable Templar, found himself on the wrong side of both history and his son.
Haytham's father was Edward Kenway, who trained him with a secret purpose. But one day, young Haytham's home was burned, his half-sister taken, and his father killed. Reginald Birch, a family friend, revealed he was a Templar and offered to help.
Years passed and Haytham became a ruthless and efficient killer for the Templars. He was sent to the colonies to establish order and find a crucial First Civilization site. He secured the assistance of Kanien'kehá:ka natives by freeing several captives, including Ziio, with whom he had an ill-fated but passionate affair.
When Haytham found his sister, she revealed that the Templars were behind the attack on his home. Edward had been an Assassin, and Birch had him killed for his secrets. Once Birch was dead, Haytham returned to his role, disillusioned by Templar corruption.
Haytham wanted to control the growing American Revolution, but the half-native Assassin Connor sabotaged his efforts. Haytham realized Connor was his son with Ziio, and while he tried to find common ground, he knew reconciliation was impossible. Haytham fell to his son's Hidden Blade.
Aveline de Grandpré
Aveline de Grandpré, a charming and determined Assassin, operated in the complex world of colonial Louisiana.
Aveline was the illegitimate child of a French merchant and an African slave. Shortly after her father married Madeleine de L'Isle to further his business, her mother vanished mysteriously. Her unique upbringing let her grow into a social chameleon who could take on any guise from slave to lady.
At first, Aveline was an obedient disciple of her Mentor Agaté. When she discovered a Templar plot to send Louisiana slaves to Mexico to dig for ancient artifacts, she investigated against her Mentor's will and found her mother there. She also learned about a high-ranking Templar called “The Company Man”. She sought “him” for years, even enlisting the aid of the American Assassin Connor, only to learn that “he” was Madeleine.
When she tried to warn Agaté, he doubted Aveline's loyalties and his despair led him to suicide. Aveline then joined the Templars, a final ruse to destroy them from the inside. She assassinated her stepmother and kept a crucial artifact from Templar hands.
Connor Kenway
Ratonhnhaké:ton (1756-unknown), also called Connor, was an Assassin who struggled with the ideals of liberty and justice, fighting for a cause that ultimately did not embrace him.
Connor was the son of a Kanien'kehá:ka mother, Kaniehtí:io, and an English Templar father, Haytham Kenway. Their village burned during the Seven Years' War, killing his mother when he was still a child.
Connor's deep-rooted anger was channelled when a Piece of Eden granted him a vision. He was told to seek out the sign of the Assassins, which he found on the home of Achilles, a former Mentor. Achilles reluctantly trained the young man before sending him out to face the Templars, who planned to control North America and exploit ancient technology there.
As an Assassin, Connor aided the Patriots and specifically George Washington, the figurehead of the growing American Revolution. He admired their desire for liberty and their opposition to Templar aims, but learned they were destroying his people. Despite his misgivings, he lent his support to such acts as the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of the Chesapeake. He assassinated Templar leaders, including his father. In the end, Connor knew he had made the Revolution a success, but that his people would not enjoy its benefits.
Nikolai Orelov
Nikolai Orelov was a working-class Assassin caught up in causes beyond his control that ultimately cost him his family and life.
Trained by his father, Nikolai reluctantly undertook a mission to kill Tsar Alexander III, who was in possession of a powerful artifact called the Staff of Eden. Later, the Assassins learned that Templars were experimenting on the Staff and sent Nikolai and a team to destroy it. Their ally Nikola Tesla switched on an electrical weapon early, triggering the Tunguska Event and killing everyone present but Nikolai.
During the Russian Revolution, Nikolai became obsessed with the Staff, finally finding a fragment in Rasputin's grave. Considering his duty done, he fled with his wife and daughter to America. But they were deported during the Red Scare, leaving Nikolai to raise their newborn son Innokenti.
Nikolai and his son lived alone in the woods until the Brotherhood tracked them down, demanding that he return. He refused and killed the Assassins with his son's help, eventually sacrificing himself to let Innokenti escape. Daniel Cross, Templar sleeper agent, was Nikolai's descendant.
William Miles
Cold and calculating, William Miles took over what was left of the modern day Brotherhood and sacrificed everything to save the world.
William was born in 1948, and spent much of his early life working with Assassin cells around the world. By the 1980s, he settled in a compound known as “The Farm,” where he trained recruits, including Clay Kaczmarek, Lucy Stillman, and his own son, Desmond.
In 2000, the Templars eradicated a vast majority of the Brotherhood in an event known as “The Great Purge.” William became the de facto leader of the few Assassin cells that remained.
In 2003, Desmond rebelled and ran away. He resurfaced in 2012, when he was abducted by Abstergo and forced into the Animus Project, attempting to locate an Apple of Eden. William led the rescue effort and brought Desmond to New York. Father and son, along with Shaun Hastings and Rebecca Crane, found a First Civilization temple, and worked together to prevent a prophesied global catastrophe. Saving the world came at a high cost: Desmond died, and the Precursor entity known as Juno was released.
Grieving, William retreated from the Assassins, handing off leadership to his friend Gavin Banks, along with a coded journal that contained many of his secrets. One year later, William has returned to the fight, but his motivations remain as elusive as ever.
Desmond Miles
An Assassin who initially rejected his origins, Desmond Miles embraced his destiny and saved the world.
Desmond was raised on a remote compound, but rebelled against his father's stifling control and ran away. The Templars found and kidnapped him, putting him into the Animus to relive the genetic memories of his ancestor Altaïr and find them a powerful artifact called the Apple of Eden.
He was eventually rescued by Assassins, but by then, he had absorbed Altaïr's wisdom through the Bleeding Effect. Despite the dangers, he continued his research so he could defeat the Templars. Through another ancestor, Ezio, Desmond learned the physical skills of the Assassins. Using these new abilities, he led his team to an Apple, but was possessed by an ancient being who drove him to stab one of his allies. Falling into a coma, Desmond was placed in the Animus to restore his mind.
After recovering, Desmond relived the memories of two more ancestors: Haytham, a Templar, and Connor, an Assassin. Through them he accessed the Grand Temple, a site of great power where he sacrificed himself to save humanity from a global catastrophe.
Gavin Banks
Gavin Banks is a long-time member of the Assassin Brotherhood who has worked with cells all over the world. Gavin was mentored in Japan by Kenichi Mochizuki, and has engaged in Assassin missions in Australia, Brazil, and America.
Gavin is an old friend of the Assassin leader William Miles. When William went underground to mourn the loss of his son Desmond, he gave Gavin his journal, which contained everything he knew about the modern-day Brotherhood, albeit in coded puzzles. As the new leader, Gavin's mission was to rebuild the Assassins, who had struggled since the “Great Purge” of 2000.
Gavin travels the world with his team, aboard a ship called the Altair II, which serves as a mobile headquarters for the Brotherhood. Gavin's crew includes:
- Susan Drayton, captain of the ship
- Eric Cooper, navigator
- Emmanuel Barraza, armorer
- Emmett Leary, computer expert
- Dr. Stephanie Chiu, ship's medic
- Nodar Ninidze, Chief Steward
- Akaki Ninidze, Chief engineer
- Galina Voronina, Assassin enforcer
The Animus
The Animus was created by Abstergo Industries using the research of Dr. Warren Vidic, the world's leading authority on genetic memory. Although the Animus is an Abstergo invention, a version of the device has also been developed by the Assassin Brotherhood.
Since the creation of Animus technology in 1980, Abstergo has used it on at least 17 test subjects, and the machine itself has gone through several iterations. By 2002, they began to produce Animi in greater numbers, and large facilities were set up in their Philadelphia and Rome locations. Abstergo Industries created the Animi Training Program to train its Templar soldiers in combat.
At first, the Animus could only display an individual's personal genetic history. However, as the technology progressed, Abstergo developed the Data Dump Scanner, which allowed an individual to relive the memories of other people's genetic history. It was first used in Project Legacy, an initiative designed to obtain new information on Assassins and Pieces of Eden.
In 2012, Dr. Vidic used the Animus in an attempt to find an Apple of Eden to complete the Eye-Abstergo satellite project. When Subject 16 committed suicide, driven insane by the Bleeding Effect (a result of overexposure to the device), the Lineage Research and Acquisition Division delivered Subject 17, a man named Desmond Miles. Although Desmond was able to locate an Apple of Eden, he escaped with help from the Assassins and later returned to kill Vidic.
In 2012, Abstergo Entertainment used the technology to create interactive historical simulations, beginning with Liberation. Although Abstergo markets its virtual features as entertainment products, it monitors the resulting user data in a never-ending search for Pieces of Eden.
The Vial
Vials were artifacts designed by the First Civilization. When used in conjunction with a Crystal Skull, they created a powerful spying tool.
Each Vial was a crystal cube designed to contain a few drops of blood from an individual. When one was inserted into a Crystal Skull, it would project a hologram displaying what that person was currently seeing.
The Skull was the centerpiece of a First Civilization sanctuary near Tulum. A Mayan temple was built over the site, and Mayan Assassins lived in a nearby village to protect it. A legendary figure called the Sage was rumored to be the only person who could open the sanctuary and control its security system. One known incarnation of this Sage was the pirate Bartholomew Roberts, and another was an Abstergo employee known only as “John from IT”.
The artifacts changed hands several times during the early eighteenth century. For a time, Bartholomew Roberts held the skull itself, making him the most effective pirate in history. Edward Kenway recaptured the skull and returned it to the sanctuary. However, by this time the collection of Vials stored within had gone missing. The present location of the sanctuary, Crystal Skull, and Vials are unknown but are the focus of intensive searches from both the Assassins and Templars.
The Hidden Blade
The Hidden Blade is a compact device that has become the signature weapon of the Assassin Brotherhood. Its small blade is designed to quickly extend or retract and remain hidden on the underside of the bearer's forearm.
The first recorded use of the Hidden Blade was the assassination of Xerses I of Persia by an Assassin known as Darius. From that moment, it became an important part of the Assassin's arsenal, and by the Middle Ages, its use became very ritualistic, and using a hidden blade required one to sever the ring finger on their left hand. The legendary Mentor of the Levantine Brotherhood, Altair ibn-La'Ahad, made several improvements to the design of the weapon, removing the need for the severed finger, and adding the means to deliver poison and a projectile system.
The Ottoman Brotherhood refined the concept into the Hook Blade, which allowed the Assassins to scale walls at a much faster rate. Despite considerable advancements in weapon technology, modern-day Assassins still use the Hidden Blade. Its compact, versatile design still makes it an invaluable tool for the Brotherhood.
The Apple of Eden
The First Civilization, a race of advanced beings that predated humans, left traces of their technology scattered throughout the world. Among the Assassin Brotherhood and Templar Order, these relics are referred to as "Pieced of Eden." The most coveted of these are the Apples of Eden, versatile tools that functioned as stores of First Civilization knowledge, but were primarily used as devices of control.
Those Who Came Before originally created the Apples as a means of ensuring humanity's subservience by controlling the thoughts, emotions, and behavior of their human servants. The genetic structure of the human race was specifically designed to respond to the Apple's power. Ironically, it also led to a slave revolt, as two humans known as Adam and Eve retrieved an Apple and used it to spark a human rebellion against their masters.
Centuries later, the power of the Apples to control the minds of men was recognized by the Templar Order, who began a hunt for the Apples and other Pieces of Eden that continues to this day. An Apple of Eden was to be the centerpiece of the Eye-Abstergo satellite, a Templar plan to use an array of satellites to control theEarth. At least five Apples of Eden are known to exist, and there may be more still hidden in the world.