Ratonhnhaké:ton

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"In the name of liberty, I will fight the enemy regardless of their allegiance. While men of courage write history of this day, the future of our land depends on those who are truly free."

―Ratonhnhaké:ton.

Ratonhnhaké:ton (1755 - unknown), also known by the adopted name of Connor, was an Assassin of Mohawk and British descent who lived in colonial America during the latter half of the 18th century. He was also an ancestor of William and Desmond Miles.

Biography

Early life

"On this land, I am torn. Part of me wants to fight and repel all outsiders. The other part of me is the outsider."

―Ratonhnhaké:ton reflecting on his parentage.

Born to the Templar Grand Master Haytham Kenway and a Mohawk woman named Kaniehti:io, Ratonhnhaké:ton was raised among his mother's tribe in Kanatahséton. His childhood was spent in the company of the other children in his tribe, including Kanen'tó:kon, whom he remained close friends with into his later life.

When Ratonhnhaké:ton was five, he was assaulted by several members of the Templar Order, who were seeking the Precursor site rumored to be near Kanatahséton. He demanded to know the name of the leader of the group, and Charles Lee answered him, amused why he wanted to know. Ratonhnhaké:ton promised that he would find him, but the Templar only brushed it off.

Ratonhnhaké:ton's life was spared, but he was knocked unconscious, and woke to find his village in flames. The event took his mother from him, and would later prompt him to seek justice for his people and fight tyranny wherever he saw it.

Joining the Order

Ratonhnhaké:ton remained in his village until 1770, but would always question why his people were not allowed to leave the valley they inhabited. When he was 15, he finally gained some answers from the Clan Mother, who met with him in private to explain.

She showed Ratonhnhaké:ton a Crystal Ball, and told him that their people had been tasked with guarding a secret on their lands. Upon holding the Piece of Eden, Ratonhnhaké:ton heard the voice of Juno, and found himself standing in the Nexus.

Juno led him on a "spirit journey", giving him the form of an eagle as she led him through a foggy landscape. She told him that the path he was currently taking would allow the Templars to gain premature access to the Grand Temple, and bring the world into ruin. She instructed him to seek out a certain symbol that would lead him to the right path.

Upon gaining consciousness, Ratonhnhaké:ton found himself at the edge of the valley by a river. As he drew the symbol he had been shown into the sand on the river bank, the Clan Mother came up behind him, and asked where he had seen it. He explained that a spirit had shown it to him, and the Clan Mother understood what was being asked of him.

She directed him to a homestead that lay in the east, where she claimed to have seen the symbol before, and formally gave him permission to depart the valley. Ratonhnhaké:ton crossed the Frontier, and eventually arrived at a run-down manor.

He knocked on the door, and was greeted by an elderly man. Ratonhnhaké:ton hesitantly stated that he had been told to come here for training, but the man only denied him and shut the door in his face. After spending a night in the nearby stables, the young Mohawk tried again the following morning, but the man only yelled at him to get off his land.

He persisted stubbornly, banging on the manor's back door, and climbing up onto the balcony to try to gain entrance there, but the man intercepted him. He threw Ratonhnhaké:ton to the ground and sternly insisted that he move on, as the world already had. Ratonhnhaké:ton returned to the stables, angrily calling back that he would not leave until the man agreed to train him.

That night, bandits infiltrated the homestead, and passed by the stables as they discussed their attack. Ratonhnhaké:ton, woken by their voices, asked them what they were doing there. The bandits attacked him, though he was able to fend them all off.

However, the leader of the bandits hit him from behind, knocking him to the ground and questioning him whether he was working for the owner of the homestead. At that moment, the old man came to Ratonhnhaké:ton's rescue, stabbing the bandit leader in the back.

He bade Ratonhnhaké:ton to clean up the mess, then follow him into the manor so they could talk. There, the man finally told him about the conflict between the Assassins and Templars, and revealed himself to be a Master Assassin named Achilles Davenport. He also showed him a hidden room in the basement of the manor, which held an Assassin's uniform and a pair of Hidden Blades.

Achilles led him a wall that held the names and portrait of the Templar Leaders of the colonies, namely William Johnson, John Pitcairn, Thomas Hickey, Benjamin Church, Charles Lee, and Connor's father, Haytham Kenway.

Achilles continued to train Ratonhnhaké:ton for the next six months at the homestead, before inviting him to come with him to Boston, where they could purchase supplies for repairing the manor. There, in order for Ratonhnhaké:ton to more easily move through colonial circles, Achilles suggested that he take on the name "Connor"; after Achilles' young son who had died a few years previously.

Years as an Assassin

Five years later, the American Revolutionary War erupted, and Connor found himself siding with the leaders of the American revolution; namely George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, partially due to his belief in the ideals that they represented. Connor hunted the same time the Templar Leaders. While killing his prey, he learned that each one of the Templar Leaders had a role to play. Connor teamed up with his father, Haytham, but their relationship broke when he realized that his father had known of George Washington's destruction of his village a few years prior, the same invasion that killed his mother. This realization also destroyed Ratonhnaké:ton's relationship with Washington.

Two years before the end of the American Revolutionary War, Connor found out that Washington had spared Charles Lee's life. This information sprung him into action to kill Lee. Despite being gravely wounded in the battle, Connor eventually stabbed Lee in the heart, ending his life. Once more, Connor visited his village to access the Crystal Ball. The First Civilization member Juno told him to hide the Amulet in a secured place. He hid it in Connor Davenport's grave, behind the Manor in the Davenport Homestead.

At this time, he also met other notable figures, such as Lafayette, Paul Revere, Israel Putnam and Samuel Adams.

During the war, Connor became captain of the Continental warship Aquila, which he used to sail the Eastern Seaboard and Caribbean Sea. Connor also helped to strengthen the presence of the brotherhood in the British colonies by recruiting six new Assassins from Boston and New York, namely Stephane Chapheau, Jamie Colley, Jacob Zenger, Duncan Little, Deborah Carter and Clipper Wilkinson.

Personality and characteristics

"[Connor]'s one of those people that has an inbuilt sense of right and wrong... He isn't a grey area kind of guy."

―Alex Hutchinson, Creative Director of Assassin's Creed III.

Connor was an honorable warrior with a strong sense of morality and heroism. He appeared thoughtful and intense, and the words he did not speak were just as meaningful as the ones he did. His movements resembled those of a predator, always staying low to the ground and moving under enemy attacks.

He strongly believed in defending both his Native American heritage and country from European involvement, who he considered to be "outsiders". However, he also recognized the fact that, due to his parentage, he was a part of the issue that he sought to solve.

Equipment and skills

File:Xl Assassins-Creed-3-Connor-Night-624-1-1-.jpg

Connor with his dual Hidden Blades.

Connor was a capable free-runner, able to climb trees and swing from one to another, as well as scale cliff faces or other natural elements. He could move through the cityscape just as easily, and was able to slide under or vault over obstacles within urban environments.

Accompanying his capacity to move fluidly, Connor was able to wield several different weapons – including a tomahawk, bow, flintlock pistols, rifle, rope darts, and Hidden Blades. He could dual-wield various combinations of these weapons, with his ambidexterity helping him to do so proficiently. He was of a strong and heavy build, giving him an advantage in combat, but causing him to make an effort when free-running.

Connor was a skilled forager, and often hunted animals similarly to assassination targets; tracking and trapping several kinds that he encountered across the Frontier. He also possessed a rare extra-sensory ability known as Eagle Sense.

In terms of clothing, Connor was most often garbed in a hooded white dress uniform jacket with blue lining, as well as a thin red sash fastened with an Assassin insignia, and brown boots with leggings that extended past his knees. However, during his voyages on the Aquila, Connor wore a blue overcoat and tricorne hat.

Trivia

• Contrary to several known Assassins (including Aquilus, Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad, Ezio Auditore da Firenze, Aveline de Grandpré, and Nikolai Orelov) who possessed connections to eagles, Connor was more closely likened to a wolf. However, during his first interaction with Juno, Connor took the form of an eagle.
• As with both Altaïr and Ezio, the meaning of Connor's name connected to his character:
  • "Connor" is a Gaelic name meaning "lover of wolves" or "lover of hounds."
  • "Ratonhnhaké:ton" (pronounced Ra-doon-ha-kay-doon) is a Mohawk name meaning "life that is scratched"; referring to a struggle to survive.
• Since every Mohawk name is unique, at the advice of their Mohawk cultural consultant, Ubisoft agreed not to trademark the name "Ratonhnhaké:ton".
• Unlike some of Desmond's other ancestors, Connor had no scar on his lip, similar to Aquilus.
• Connor's initial character design displayed him with a slender build, while his final character model was altered to show him with a significantly more muscular appearance.
• Lead Game Designer Steven Masters mentioned that Connor could originally scalp his opponents, but it was removed from the game as Ubisoft's Mohawk consultants felt that it was an unusual thing for their ancestors to do.

Gallery

DevelopmentCustomizationScreenshots

• 
  Concept art of a young Connor.
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  Concept art of Connor.
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  Connor concept art.
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  An early version of Connor.
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  Rear view of an early version of Connor.
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  A 360 degree view of Connor.
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  Artwork of Connor.
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  Artwork of Connor (back view).
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  Concept art of Connor holding an eagle.
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  "On a mission" concept art.
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  "Natural Hunter" concept art.
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  Parkour concept art.
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  "In the Midst of Battle" concept art.
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  "Defeat in Victory" concept art.
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  "After the Battle" concept art.
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  "Entering the Battlefield" concept art.
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  "Connor is Coming" concept art.

<gallery widths="180" position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="center" captiontextcolor="#ffffff"> File:621796_20121030_screen002.jpg|Concept art of the Captain of the Aquila outfit; front and back view. Captain Aquila PA=HR.png|Promotional art of the Captain of the Aquila outfit. Native Assassin Connor concept.jpg|Concept art of the Native American Assassin outfit. Colonial Assassin PA-HR.png|Promotional art of the Colonial Assassin outfit. Colonial_Assassin_in-game.jpg|Alpha-stage render of the Colonial Assassin outfit in-game. Connorkenway_early_concept.JPG|Concept art of a traditional Mohawk armor.

<gallery widths="180" position="center" spacing="small" captionalign="center" captiontextcolor="#ffffff"> AC3 SC SP 54 HD Homestead RiverRescue.jpg|A young Connor free-running. File:AC_III_Connor_Traps.jpg|Young Connor setting a trap. AC3 SC SP 17 Frontier CombatTomahawk ONLINE.jpg|Connor facing a Redcoat patrol. AC3_SC_SP_52_HD_Frontier_RopeDart.jpg|Connor fighting a Continental soldier. Assassin's Creed 3 combat.jpg|Connor performing an assassination. ACIII-GI (6).jpg|Connor observing a camp in the Frontier. AC3 AnvilNext Connor.png|Connor without his hood. Connor steering ship.jpg|Connor steering the Aquila. AC_III_Connor_Homestead_Game.jpg|Connor playing Nine Men's Morris at the Homestead. AC_III_Trinity_Church_Entrance.jpg|Connor at the entrance to the Trinity Church. AC_III_Connor_Rooftop_Chase.jpg|Connor being chased across the rooftops of New York. AC_III_Frontier_Log_Run.jpg|Connor traversing the woods of the Frontier.