Shay Cormac

He who increaseth knowledge, increaseth sorrow.

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"History may brand me traitor, rebel, or renegade. But in the end, it doesn't matter how history remembers me. What matters, is that I followed my own creed."

―Shay Cormac.^[src]

Shay Patrick Cormac (c. 1731 – unknown) was a member of the Templar Order, operating around the Atlantic Ocean during the Seven Years' War.

Formerly a member of the Assassin Brotherhood, Shay devoted his Templar career to hunting down his old associates. Aboard his ship, the Morrigan, Shay's travels brought him to New York and the Appalachian Mountains, among other locations.^[2]

Biography

After a mission went tragically wrong, Shay decided to abandon the Assassins, who in turn tried to kill him, presumably in an effort to prevent their Order from becoming compromised. Feeling betrayed by his comrades, Shay turned to the Templars and decided to hunt down his former brethren.^[3]

Personality and characteristics

Shay was originally a brash young man. He did not take his role as an Assassin seriously, instead being frivolous; not because he did not believe in the cause, but because he was young and unwise. However, after a traumatic event, he became a somber, dedicated character. He rethought his whole philosophy and his allegiance to the Assassins, realizing that the Templars' goals and methods were more in line with his own beliefs. This caused him to pursue his former brothers-in-arms for something he believed was the better path for the future. Due in part to this shift in philosophy, Shay pursues his former comrades with a ruthless and driven mindset. ^[1]

Equipment and skills

Shay appeared to be a skilled captain, adept at navigating The Morrigan through the icy waters of the North Atlantic, and like other Assassins before him, he was a capable freerunner. He is shown to be a skilled swordsman, dual-wielding with great efficiency,

Among his arsenal of weapons, Shay counted his Hidden Blade, a long sword paired with a dagger, a grenade launcher and an air rifle – the latter pair being prototypes funded by the Templar Order.^[1]

Trivia

Shay's name is the anglicized form of the Gaelic Séaghdha, which means "hawk". His middle name comes from the Latin Patricius, meaning "nobleman". His family name is a conjoined term, defined as "son of corruption"; it is combined from the Gaelic words Corb, translating to "defilement, corruption" and Mac, meaning "son".
Shay's attire bore similarities to the Templar armor obtained by Edward Kenway during the latter's time in the West Indies.
Shay is the 2nd playable main character to be affiliated with the Templar Order. (The first being Haytham Kenway)