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 (1756 - unknown), also known by the adopted name of Connor, was a Native American Assassin of the Kanien'keha:ka tribe during the American Revolutionary War.

He was the son of a British Assassin-turned Templar, Haytham Kenway, as well as an ancestor of 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 Templar Grand Master Haytham Kenway and 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 off his statement.

Ratonhnhaké:ton's life was spared, though 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 1769, but would always question why his people were not allowed to leave the valley they inhabited. When he was 14, 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 regaining 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 then led him a wall that held the names and portraits of the Templar Leaders of the colonies, namely William Johnson, John Pitcairn, Thomas Hickey, Benjamin Church, Charles Lee, and Connor's father, Haytham Kenway.

Boston Massacre

Achilles continued to train Ratonhnhaké:ton for the next few months at the homestead. In March of 1770, he invited Ratonhnhaké:ton 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.

Connor was awed by the sights and life of the city, so much so that Achilles needed to scold him for staring at passing townspeople. Achilles then directed him to a nearby general store to buy lumber and other construction material, and have them brought back to their carriage.

After purchasing the items on Achilles' list, Connor passed by a rioting crowd, who were yelling at the local British Army soldiers to leave their city. Connor returned to Achilles' side as they observed the uproar, until they spotted Haytham Kenway speaking with another man in the crowd. Achilles, worried that the Templar would worsen the already delicate situation, sent Connor to discover what Haytham and his associate were planning.

Despite wishing to approach his father, Connor obeyed Achilles' instruction to follow the other man instead. Connor tailed him up onto the rooftops, and was able to stop the man from firing a shot into the crowd. However, Charles Lee, who had standing on a rooftop on the opposite side of the street, fired his pistol into the air and caused the British soldiers to attack Boston's citizens in a violent massacre.

In the confusion, Haytham approached one of the guards and pointed out Connor, prompting several soldiers to pursue him through the city, and later accuse him of firing the first shot. Upon managing to escape the guards, Connor was approached by a man, who instructed him to seek out someone who could help him, Samuel Adams.

Samuel aided Connor in clearing his name by teaching him to remove Wanted posters, and to bribe either Heralds or printing shops to announce false propaganda. Afterwards, Samuel led Connor to Boston's port, where Connor could safely sail back to the Davenport Homestead.

After returning to the homestead, Connor angrily confronted Achilles, accusing him for abandoning him in Boston, but Achilles only calmly remarked that the day of experience had been more valuable than months of training. In acknowledgement of his achievements, Achilles finally entrusted Connor with two Hidden Blades.

Restoring the Homestead

Shortly after their return from Boston, Connor and Achilles were alerted by a man banging on the window of the manor and calling for help. Connor immediately followed him to the nearby river, and saw a second man clinging to an adrift log, which was rapidly heading towards a waterfall. Connor chased him along the riverbank, before jumping into the water to save him.

After finding out that the two, Godfrey and Terry, were loggers that were seeking a place to build a mill, Connor offered them a good location on the homestead. Grateful, the two men and their families set up their homes on the property, marking the first of many residents of the homestead to come.

A little after this, Achilles instructed Connor to meet him by the homestead dock, in order to look over something that he simply called "an asset". Upon arriving, Connor saw the remains of a ship in disrepair, as well as a small shack overlooking the bay.

He and Achilles entered the shack, and met with Robert Faulkner, the previous Captain of the ship in the harbor, the Aquila. Connor offered to pay for the ship's repairs, and Robert gladly agreed to gather a crew for her, and restore her to sailing capability. After the repairs had been made, Robert invited Connor along to have the ship fitted with cannons.

Connor joined him without hesitation, and the two were out at sea for weeks, where Robert taught Connor to both sail the ship and fire her cannons. When they finally docked again at the homestead, Connor returned to the manor, where he was berated by Achilles, who accused him of leaving for so long without so much as a goodbye.

Nevertheless, that day, Achilles led Connor down to the manor basement, in order to bestow on him the Assassin robes there. Though Achilles admitted that the Order usually had a ceremony for such an occasion, neither he nor Connor seemed the type for such things. Instead, after Connor had donned the robes, he simply verbally welcomed him into the Brotherhood of Assassins.

Years as an Assassin

Five years later, his friend, Kanen'to:kon went to Davenport Homestead to tell Connor that the people are in danger. Achilles and Connor argue again. Connor buried a hatchet into a post to signify the start of the war. The American Revolutionary War erupted and Connor found himself siding with George Washington because of their beliefs of freedom.

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

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

Throughout the war, Connor's priorities remained in protecting his people, and eliminating each of the Templar leaders. Despite briefly working alongside his father in pursuit of common targets - a relationship which caused Connor to consider working with the Templars instead of against them - after he realized that Haytham had known of George Washington's intents to destroy his village, he broke ties with them both.

Connor used the Aquila to battle in the Chepaseake Naval War, and helping George Washington in Monmouth for the last time. He warned George Washington about Charles Lee, who was an "ally" of the Blue Coats who fled in the middle of the battle, to kill him and if he doesn't, Connor will finish Lee himself.

Two years before the end of the American Revolutionary War, Connor found out that Washington had spared Charles Lee's life, and decided to seek Lee out himself. 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, and Juno told him to hide the Grand Temple Key he had taken from Lee to a secure place. Connor obeyed, and buried the key behind the manor, in the grave of Connor Davenport.

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

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  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.