Rajah

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 13 November 2024.

They call me many things: Murderer. Cutthroat. Thief. But you may call me Rajah. This article is about a subject that lacks an official name and is known only by its nickname, title, or alias.

"It is always the way with you and your wilk. You come bearing weapons across the seas and dare to tread where you were not invited... enslaving our people as though we're no more than beasts to be tamed."

―Rajah criticizing the practice of colonialism, 1725.

Rajah was the leader of a Visayan resistance against the Spanish colonists in the Philippines during the early 18th century. Inspired by Lapu-Lapu's actions in fighting against Ferdinand Magellan's expedition two centuries prior, his main goal was to retrieve a set of three Pieces of Eden hidden in Southeast Asia and use them to end the foreign occupation of his people's lands.

After successfully acquiring one of the Pieces of Eden – a crescent amulet – in Manila, Rajah used it to strengthen his resistance by mind-controlling countless natives and recruiting them to his cause. He subsequently traveled to Cebu in search of a clue to the locations of the remaining two Pieces of Eden, but faced opposition from the Assassin Edward Kenway, who sought to stop Rajah from abusing the artifacts' power.

Biography

Retrieving the amulet

"This is the legacy of our great ancestors, which you have stolen from us. It will now be returned to its rightful place."

―Rajah as he took the crescent amulet from the monk, 1725.

In 1725, amidst a riot in Manila led by a monk who had acquired the crescent amulet, a Piece of Eden, Rajah led his men to infiltrate the city and recover the artifact. After boarding a Spanish ship, they killed all the soldiers aboard and Rajah asked one of his men for the monk's whereabouts. Learning that the monk had last been spotted inciting rioters in the town square, Rajah readied his kampilan and ordered his followers to find the "bastard" and recover their stolen treasure.

Rajah throwing a spear at the monk

Sure enough, Rajah and his men eventually found the monk, just as the latter was attempting to kill the British Assassin Edward Kenway, who also sought the amulet. Rajah threw a spear at the monk, mortally wounding him, and mocked him over his religious beliefs. He then accused him of stealing the amulet from his people and declared his intention to use the artifact to end the foreign occupation of their lands. With that, he finished off the monk and took the amulet from his body.

At that moment, Edward, who had been subjected to the amulet's powers, recovered from his trance and tried to convince Rajah to renounce the artifact, warning him that if he were to use it, he would become a slave to its power. The Visayan chief, noticing that Edward was in no condition to fight, offered him a chance to escape with his life and warned him that, if he insisted on interfering with his plans, he would not hesitate to kill him.

Edward refused to back down and attacked Rajah, who easily bested him and claimed that he expected more from a "Hidden One", the ancient name of the Assassins. He then prepared to execute Edward, but was interrupted when the Assassin's ally Shimazu Saito threw several smoke bombs, grabbed Edward in the confusion, and escaped with him to safety.

Sometime later, Rajah gathered his warriors and showed them the amulet, claiming that the "legacy of [their] ancestors" was with them once more. He then donned the artifact and prepared to lead his men towards Cebu to begin their campaign to reclaim their lands.

Occupation of Monkey Island

"The spirits of our ancestors march beside us. Feed on their power. Let it harden the sinew in your arms. And with it, slay every last foreign invader trespassing on our land."

―Rajah ordering his warriors to eliminate the Fenghuang's crew, 1725.

Rajah using the amulet on his warriors

En route to Cebu, Rajah and his men made a stop on Monkey Island, taking over the local fort. From there, the Visayan chief used the crescent amulet to forcefully recruit many of the island's inhabitants to his cause, placing them under mind control, though this left most of them in a berserk-like state. Rajah then dispatched these warriors, some of whom were disguised as Manananggals, to roam the island's jungles and eliminate any "foreign trespassers", resulting in rumors of the island being haunted.

When the Fenghuang, the flagship of Edward's Zhang Wei Union, passed by Monkey Island, Rajah ordered his men to open fire on the ship using their fort's mortars. After the Fenghuang took cover behind some rocks, Rajah knew that it was only a matter of time before the ship was vulnerable again and, using the amulet to empower his warriors, sent them to board the vessel and slaughter its crew.

When the Fenghuang emerged from its hiding place and approached the fort not long after, a surprised Rajah questioned why Edward's crew was so willing to "return to the slaughter". Nevertheless, the Visayan chief ordered his men to open fire on the ship again, though unbeknownst to him, this attack was just a distraction to allow Edward and several crew members to reach Monkey Island undetected.

After the Assassin and his crew infiltrated the island, the Fenghuang retreated and went back into hiding. Several of Rajah's men managed to follow the ship and boarded it, quickly gaining the upper hand thanks to their Manananggal disguises and enhanced strength granted by the amulet. However, they were ultimately defeated when the Fenghuang's crew used multi-barreled muskets against them.

Rajah standing over a group of Japanese warriors he killed

At the same time, Rajah learned that a faction of Japanese settlers sought to acquire the amulet in his possession. After encountering one such group of Japanese warriors, Rajah killed them and declared to his men that they would show no mercy to the foreigners seeking to take their ancestors' artifact or their lands. With that, he ordered his men to seize the Japanese's ships and use them to sail to Cebu in order to resume their mission.

Before his departure, Rajah left several warriors behind to guard Monkey Island's fort. However, this was all for naught, as the Zhang Wei Union destroyed the fort and rescued all the prisoners held there.

Confrontation in Cebu

"Long have you and your ilk spoken down to us, as if you alone hold authority over your so-called reason and morals. But tell me, colonizer. By what right do you judge our struggle, when not once you've felt the inhuman shackles of slavery for yourself?"

―Rajah to Edward Kenway, 1725.

In Cebu, Rajah and his men infiltrated the Basilica del Santo Niño, leaving several warriors outside to guard the perimeter around the church, along with a number of civilians brainwashed by the amulet. After killing all the priests inside the basilica, Rajah found Ferdinand Magellan's cross, which contained an encrypted sea log with information about the locations of two other Pieces of Eden. Rajah used the amulet to decipher the log's contents, then ordered his men to burn the cross as a sign of defiance against the Spanish colonizers and their God.

Rajah confronted by Edward and Saito

As the resistance was about to leave the basilica, they were confronted by Edward Kenway and Shimazu Saito, who had come after the sea log in Rajah's possession. The Assassin angrily confronted the Visayan chief about his actions, which had only brought more harm upon his people, but Rajah dismissed Edward, telling him that he had no right to judge his people's struggle as he was just an outsider. He then ordered his men to deal with Edward and Saito and took his leave.

As he exited the basilica, Rajah was suddenly surrounded by a group of Spanish soldiers, who held him at gunpoint. Annoyed by the constant interference with his plans, the Visayan chief used the amulet to mind-control the soldiers and force them to kill each other. He and his men then proceeded to make their way towards the harbor, leaving several warriors behind to deal with any Spanish soldier that might attempt to follow them.

At the port, Rajah reunited with his remaining men and prepared to board their ship when he was again confronted by Edward and Saito, who this time had been followed by the Spanish Army. As the native warriors and the Spanish soldiers prepared to open fire on one another, the Fenghuang, captained by John Young and Rupiya, suddenly arrived and sunk Rajah's fleet, much to the Visayan chief's horror and anger.

Rajah ordering his men to head to Fort San Pedro

With the Spanish soldiers closing in on them, Rajah and his men were at an impasse until they spotted a firework flying overhead, signaling that the warriors sent to infiltrate Fort San Pedro had been successful in their task. Rajah subsequently ordered his men to head to the fort in order to rejoin their brethren, claiming that they would await the arrival of a getaway ship there, and they proceeded to make their escape from the harbor.

Once inside Fort San Pedro, Rajah ordered his men to execute all the civilians who had helped them by opening the gates to the fort, claiming they were traitors to their cause for siding with the Spanish. When his warriors protested, Rajah proceeded to kill them, along with all the civilians present, in a blind rage.

Shortly after, Rajah was again confronted by Edward and Saito, who had infiltrated the fort. Seeing the Visayan chief surrounded by the corpses of his own men, Edward deduced that he had been corrupted by the crescent amulet, which had robbed him of all traces of humanity. To this, Rajah claimed that he would gladly sacrifice his humanity to prevent the terrible future he had foreseen, revealing that he had used the amulet to see the fate that awaited the Filipino people centuries from then.

Personality and traits

"Spanish, Qing, Japanese... all birds of a feather. Vultures and thieves who covet the artifact and the power of our great ancestors. The moment we let our guard down, they steal and pillage and enslave us at every opportunity. But no more!"

―Rajah to his men, 1725.

Rajah was a deeply patriotic man who yearned for the Filipino people to be independent after centuries of oppression under foreign powers. He displayed great respect for his forebearers, especially Lapu-Lapu, whose fight against Spanish colonization inspired him to form his own resistance group. He also believed the crescent amulet to rightfully belong to his people and was willing to go to great lengths to keep it out of the hands of any outsiders who might desire its power.

Rajah corrupted by the crescent amulet

However, in taking the amulet for himself, Rajah became corrupted by it and failed to realize he had turned into the same type of oppressor he fought against. He employed questionable tactics to strengthen his resistance, such as forcefully conscripting villagers and placing them under the amulet's control, essentially enslaving them. Even when called out for his hypocrisy by Edward Kenway, Rajah refused to listen to him, dismissing him as another outsider who could never understand his people's struggle.

Rajah appeared to be extremely xenophobic, being opposed to the very idea of living among foreigners and having to deal with their traditions and beliefs. While in Cebu, he ruthlessly executed every priest inside the Basilica del Santo Niño, despite them posing virtually no threat, and ordered his men to burn Ferdinand Magellan's cross as a sign of defiance against the colonizers and their God.

That being said, Rajah was not completely unreasonable and could occasionally show mercy, as he gave Edward a chance to escape with his life when he encountered him in Manila. He was also aware of Edward's supposed ties to the "Hidden Ones", implying that he had heard ancient stories about the Assassins' forebearers and respected their cause to a degree.

By the time of his death, any shred of humanity Rajah once had was gone and he essentially became a slave to the amulet's power. Terrified by the visions of the future the artifact showed him, Rajah was determined to prevent them from coming to fruition at all costs. He was willing to eliminate anyone who stood in his path, be they enemy, civilian or even his own men.

Skills and equipment

Rajah donning the crescent amulet

Rajah was a well-built man who displayed impressive combat abilities, easily defeating Edward Kenway, a Master Assassin, albeit only when the latter was extremely exhausted. He also single-handedly killed a group of Japanese warriors, and massacred numerous of his own men who disagreed with his tactics. While in possession of the crescent amulet, Rajah's strength and endurance were augmented to superhuman levels, and he could also use the artifact to control those around him.

In terms of equipment, Rajah's preferred weapon was his kampilan, though he was also shown to occasionally wield a spear and a katana. He also carried a pair of twin flintlock pistols on his person at all times.

Behind the scenes

Rajah, also spelled Raja, is a title originating from the Sanskrit language which was given to rulers in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It is synonymous with king or princely ruler.

Gallery

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  Rajah leading his men
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  Rajah finding Ferdinand Magellan's cross
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  Rajah holding Hendrik's sea log

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple