Opium

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow. This article contains spoilers, meaning it has information and facts concerning Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple. If you do not want to know about these events, it is recommended to read on with caution, or not at all. This template should be removed from the article 15 November 2023.

A group of Far East Company employees smoking opium

Opium is a dried latex from the seed capsules of the opium poppy plant Papaver somniferum. It is commonly used as a processed material to produce drugs such as heroin and synthetic opioids for medical use. It has also been mixed with tobacco for smoking.

History

China

Though initially introduced in China during the Tang dynasty, the use of opium was legal until it was banned by the Ming dynasty. In the 18th century, the Europeans sought to reintroduce the plant and recreational trade into China. The Far East Company from United Kingdom led by Alan Jacob sought to smuggle large quantities of the plant into Macau despite it being labelled a contraband by the local authorities.

The British Assassin Edward Kenway, seeking to aid the merchant Madam Lee, traced a wagon shipment to a secret warehouse, where the opium was being stored. After dispatching the guards, Edward retrieved the shipment of opium for Madam Lee in order to concoct a plan to sabotage her rivals. Though Madam Lee was not against selling the opium for her own benefits, Edward ultimately convinced her not to do so, and subsequently destroyed a shipment of the drug on a ship belonging to the Far East Company.

Opium remained a lucrative black market business in China into the 20th century. When Chiang Kai-shek embarked on his campaign to reunify the nation under the Kuomintang, he saw in the trade an enormous source of revenue for his military efforts. This was to the extent that, among other reasons, he valued partnership with Triads over an alliance with the Templars. In Shanghai, he struck a deal with the Green Gang's crime boss Du Yuesheng. In return for the syndicate's service, Chiang offered him a position in his government where he could use the guise of cracking down on the illicit trade to establish a monopoly from which both he and the government could profit.

Britain

In 1868, opium was used as one of the main ingredients in Starrick's Soothing Syrup, a concoction made by the Starrick Brewing Company as a means to control London's population through its addiction. Twenty years later, in 1888, the infamous Jack the Ripper usurped control of the Rooks and under his orders, the Rooks committed a number of crimes, including trafficking opium.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (first appearance)
  • Jack the Ripper
• Assassin's Creed: Templars (mentioned only)
  • Volume 1: Black Cross
• Assassin's Creed: Origins (mentioned only)
• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple